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The Cost is Too High

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The Miracle of the Gadarene Swine, circa 1000 A.D. (artist unknown)
The Miracle of the Gadarene Swine, circa 1000 A.D. (artist unknown)
This image in the Public Domain

The Cost is Too High

Most of us don’t mind being “religious” as long as it’s on our own terms. We’ll certainly act the part when it’s appropriate; you know, Christmas, Easter, sickness, funerals, that sort of thing. We especially lose all our religious inhibitions when we’re in need or trouble. As the old saying goes, “There are no atheists in foxholes”.

Not that I am a big fan of such things but survey after survey reveals that most people believe there is such a thing as God. However, those same surveys reveal that only a minority of those that say they believe in God actually say they believe in the God of the Bible. You see, most of us like the idea of some god existing somewhere. Gods may come in handy from time to time. But the God of the Bible seems…so demanding. There seems to be so many strings attached. The God of the Bible doesn’t fit out concept of an acceptable god. We want a God we can approve of and more importantly we want a God who we can order around. Again, I say, we don’t want the God of the Bible. He has a mind of His own. So, we just say that God doesn’t exist and then replace him with someone who will be a little nicer without expecting too much in return. We want a God that we can summon when we’re in need and then just as quickly expel once we’ve gotten what we want. More like a genie in a bottle than the Great Administrator of the Universe “Hey God, I’m really in a tough spot. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind stopping by and taking care of my mess. It shouldn’t take too long.” And then we’d probably sprinkle in a few catch phrases just to keep the wheels greased, as it were. “Be merciful to me a sinner”, or, “Praise Your Name” or “Thy Kingdom Come”. You know, religious sweet talk; prayer-bribes.

One of the millions of things I love about God’s Word is its ability to reach across time and space to touch us where we live. It was written about a place most of us have never been, at a time that spans multiple millennia going all the way back to, literally, unimaginable antiquity and, yet, it can teach us so much about our here and now. In today’s episode we study the very interesting story of the healing of the demoniac of Gadara. It’s another one of those passages from the Bible which is so much more than just a story. I honestly pity those who only think of the Bible as a collection of stale old tales. We spend some time on this part of the Gospels because it gives us a telling snapshot of how most people view their relationship with God; then and now.

The Gadarenes had a problem and they needed someone to come fix it. Along comes Jesus and the result may surprise you…it sure surprised the Gadarenes. Even if you’ve heard this story before you should join us because maybe we’ll make a point or two you’ve not considered before.

As always, I call you to pray before you listen to God’s Word taught. These are eternal things and you’ll need an Eternal Guide in order to make sense out of them. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to reveal Truth to you. All you need to do is ask Him.

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The Vine

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Fragment of a Frieze with a Vine Scroll Bearing Leaves, 6th–7th century Coptic, Coptic period (3rd–12th century)
Fragment of a Frieze with a Vine Scroll Bearing Leaves, 6th–7th century Coptic, Coptic period (3rd–12th century)
Image in the Public Domain

The Vine

One of the most striking characteristics of the ministry of Jesus was His complete lack of respect for religion. You think I’m bad, Jesus said things like religious tradition rendered Scripture ineffective while accusing some religious leaders of being nothing more than well-dressed coffins. You see, not unlike our own time, things had gotten pretty far off track by the time Jesus arrived on the Earth. The Israelites, at the time, had become quite adept at patting themselves on the back. They had gotten really good at reminding themselves, and anyone else that would listen, that God had specifically chosen them even though they didn’t seem all that certain as to what they were chosen for. But, to be honest, to them, the reason they were chosen didn’t really matter because being chosen is being chosen; am I right? Things aren’t so different now. I tell you all the time, the Church is in a very similar position today as the Israelites were in Jesus’ time. God has chosen the Church…the original word actually means “ones called out”…to spread the Gospel and because of that He is actively working in our midst. In that respect, we are just like the Israelites. God is guiding the Church and using the Church to demonstrate His Love and Mercy to “all the nations” and His promise is that He is with us in that effort (Matthew 28:19-20). And, like the Israelites, we have corrupted our responsibility into self-serving privilege. By the way, this is why we teach from the Old Testament. Some think that book is closed and the church is only to be concerned with the Gospels and the New Testament. WRONG. We have a great deal to learn from Genesis on through Malachi.

By the time Jesus was born, the Hebrew system of worship was already very, very old. The Jewish people had already been interacting with God for many, many centuries. During their long history together there were many ups and downs in the relationship between God and His people…mostly downs but all the while in the lives of every Jew there was ALWAYS religion. Ever-present were the rituals and the symbols and the laws and…the Word. Scripture, was constantly on the minds of the people but the funny thing about human beings is we don’t seem to leave things alone. We don’t stay satisfied very long with “current” understanding. Today we call it “evolving”. I’m not sure what they called it in ancient Israel but the effect was the same. Their Scripture clearly stated one thing but in their minds, that wasn’t enough. You see, the problem, apparently, is the Bible wants us to worship Someone who doesn’t speak the way we like Him to, look the way we want Him to and act the way we want Him to. You may say, “Yeah, but, that’s the way the Bible describes Him.” Well, the unsatisfied doubter may respond, “Yeah, but I don’t like that. Why don’t we change it?” There are a lot of unsatisfied doubters and they’ve been around a long time.

For centuries the Israelites read about “vines” in their Scripture. They had always known how important these things were in their society so seeing vines referred to in their Sacred Text seemed natural. God’s Word talked about vines. In fact, once it even said that when God established Israel, He intended them to be “a noble vine”(Jeremiah 2:21). They liked that. Who wouldn’t? Elsewhere God had said similar things and, eventually, the notion of Israel as a vine…again, an extremely important plant in that land, started to get into their heads. The problem, again can I say, is that they seemed to misunderstand what being a vine meant. Instead of seeing that vines exist to nourish and serve; instead of realizing that vines are established for the purpose of producing fruit, they only saw themselves as pretty plants only meant to be admired. Let me say again, be careful, Christian, about judging those people. The church was established to feed a world hungry for Truth and like those ancient people, I think we’ve missed it. The Church has elevated itself as the one to BE SERVED not the one TO SERVE. Jesus had to say to those of His day and to us today, “I am the True Vine “(John 15:1). They needed that reminder and so do we.

Join me today as we discuss this most important centering message. As much as they needed it 2,000 years ago, we, the modern Church need to refocus on what our true purpose and position is and, more importantly, who serves who. Christ as the True Vine and the Father as the Husbandman must remain in the forefront of our minds as we move out into our DAILY lives. He must be the object of our efforts in all we do. So, as always, before you press “Play” ask God to help you to see what His Word has been saying for all time. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you to a better understanding of the meaning of your life. Ask Him to help you see how His Word applies to you.

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Atonement Part 4-Back to Alienation

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God Judging Adam by William Blake
God Judging Adam by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain

Atonement Part 4-Back to Alienation

I don’t think we fully appreciate what happened to us in the Garden of Eden. I don’t think we really and truly grasp how much we lost back there. In fact, I’m sure we don’t. Mankind was created to be like God; the Bible says in His Image. (Genesis 1:26) Do any of you feel like a god, at the moment? Even if you have what may be considered by others as the “perfect life”; is it really? And, you know, this just happens to be one of the problems we live with: we don’t even know what makes us truly happy. Do you think God struggles with defining happiness? Of course He doesn’t. But, actually, I’m just guessing because even though I was created in His image, I have almost no idea what He’s like. Sure, I know some things about Him but He seems so different than me…so foreign. And THAT’S what happened to us in the Garden of Eden. In those opening passages of Genesis we only got the slightest of glimpses into the relationship between God and Adam but we can safely deduce from what we are told that God’s intention was plain and simple: fellowship. Don’t ask me why, but God created mankind to be His companion. Why do you think He made us in His Image? I may love my dog but I’d rather spend time with Catherine. She and I are alike. My black lab Gypsy is lots of fun to play fetch with but if I want to make a connection I have to find someone more like myself. In heaven, God has angels flying all around Him all the time. Theologians tell us that the heavenlies are full of different sorts of “created intelligences” but as far as we know, there is no being quite like mankind…except for God. He made us like Him so that we could have eternal, meaningful fellowship.

We lost all of that because of one sin. Even if Adam never sinned after that…and there is no record in the Bible that tells us he ever did…I’m not saying he didn’t but we aren’t told of one other of Adam’s sins. My theory on that, by the way, is because it doesn’t matter. We are not told of any other of Adam’s sins because, frankly, it wouldn’t have made any difference. In fact, we aren’t told if he did anything overly righteous, either, for the rest of his 900 or so years because, again, it didn’t matter. It was done. Adam’s ONE sin forever changed the relationship between mankind and God…in whose image we are created. “John, why do you keep bringing that up?” Because I want you to see how far we’ve come. I want you to grasp the impact of that one little sin. We went from “alike companions” to complete strangers because of just one sin. Do you really think sin doesn’t matter? Sin transformed us from God’s closest creation to banished strangers. Paul refers to it as “alienated”. (Colossians 1:21) God alienated us from Himself. When Adam sinned God had to put distance between Himself and the ones He created to be His family. Is it possible for any of us to sense the tragedy of that? You know what? I don’t think so…not without Christ.

We have been alienated and that is why the world is in the mess it is in. Someone may ask you why there is evil in the world. Well, you can say with Paul that there is evil in the world because we have been alienated from God…His choice…and the manifestation of that alienation down through these many millennia is that our minds now view God as a foreign enemy. Isn’t that frightening to think about? We have made an enemy out of the very personification of Righteousness, Goodness and Mercy. No wonder our newspapers…or whatever the modern medium is now called…are filled with shocking stories of human depravity. Then, like idiots, we dare ask God why He “allows” evil, all the while we treat Him as an invading tyrannical enemy. ALL BECAUSE OF ONE SIN.

But the story will not end that way. God has promised to fix all of it. Even though this isn’t His mess, He has taken on Himself the burden of restoring what He had set out to establish and THAT is what Atonement is.

This episode is the last in the series. But before you listen in, I once again, encourage you to take a moment to pray for guidance and help. Ask God to make His Love obvious to you. Seek His Understanding and Wisdom and then join us as we take one final (for now) look at this most fascinating Biblical word.

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Atonement Part 3-Covering

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The Mercy Seat (Illustration from the Holman Bible)
The Mercy Seat (Illustration from the Holman Bible)
Image in the Public Domain

Atonement Part 3-Covering

We’re still at it. We’re still trying to pry open the meaning of this word atonement. And, by the way, we’re really more interested in WHY the word atonement was created. “Atonement”, you should know by now, is an invented English word. (I realize ALL words are invented but you get my meaning.) However, it isn’t abundantly clear who invented it. Some say William Tyndale made it up; some say there is evidence that it existed before Tyndale began using it. We can, however, be certain that William Tyndale is the first person to use it in a Biblical context and, frankly, that’s really the only context we’re interested in, at the moment. The problem we’re facing is how the word is currently defined versus what we are told the word meant originally. There appears to be some conflict between the modern use of the word and what Tyndale intended the word to mean. The disparity seems irreconcilable and that is what has set us on our journey. You see, we don’t hide from controversy. We don’t shy away from what some might consider Biblical disagreement and we don’t blame God or His Word when we, in fact, suffer, simply, from a lack of understanding. Around here we do what we can to figure it out.

So, today we will look at the Old Testament use of the word. Of course, William Tyndale is not, necessarily, known for his Old Testament work. He was actually executed before he could finish his translation of the Hebrew Scripture but it is clear that his New Testament translation influenced later Old Testament English translations, including the King James. Those later translators must have liked his use of the word atonement because it appears quite extensively; more than 80 times, the majority of which occur in the Book of Leviticus. Now, this shouldn’t surprise us because it is in the Book of Leviticus that God deals, administratively, if you will, with sin. In God’s Plan, where sin exists, atonement must be present and that speaks of Christ. Starting to see why we’re taking the time to study this word?

So, once again, I call you to pause a moment and go to God and ask for His help. Pray that He will send His Spirit so that you and He can work out how His Plan fits into your life. Ask Him to open your eyes that you may behold wondrous things out of His Law. (Psalm 119:18)

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Atonement Part 2-Because “knowing” is also Important

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The Martyrdom of William Tyndale (from Fox's Book of Martyrs)
The Martyrdom of William Tyndale (from Fox’s Book of Martyrs)
Image in the Public Domain

Atonement Part 2-Because “knowing” is also Important

There are lots of things you may want criticize about this ministry and the one thing that I am sure is on most everyone’s list is that we spend so much time on so many details. I happen to agree with that one. We do spend a lot of time on details and (admittedly this next statement is against every podcasting best practice) might I say this lesson is one of the worst offenders. Today we’re going spend a lot of time on only a few things. Why? Why do we focus so intently on these things? Well, because they’re important. I unapologetically argue there is nothing more important than what we discuss on this program week after week. These are the things of life and death. These are things worth living and dying for. That’s why I love William Tyndale so much. Like most Englishman of his time, he loved Mother England but when it became apparent that he would never be able to achieve God’s calling on his life he left behind everyone and everything he knew and for the rest of his life he was a hunted fugitive who eventually paid the ultimate price so that the common man and woman could get to know God better. And do you know why he did all of that? Because he thought it was important.

In this lesson we are still struggling to properly define the word “atonement”. We go over what we’ve been told it means and we ask “Why?”. One of the sub-purposes of this lesson…and frankly every lesson we present is to get you into the habit of wondering “Why”. Some may think that that is sowing dissension or inciting rebellion or even encouraging or facilitating doubt. Nothing could be further from the truth. KNOWING is important to your atonement. You see, we have to “accept” our Salvation for it to be applied to us; right? Can you really accept something you don’t understand? God loves you, but more importantly He wants you to love Him. You can’t love someone you don’t know. You and I should spend every day of our lives getting to know everything about God that we can. KNOWING what gifts He is offering you is the only real way to fall in love with Him and the only real way you’ll be able to give yourself to Him. Is it difficult? Yes. Does it take work? Yes. But you know what I’ve learned through my many years on this earth? Nothing valuable is ever easy.

So, take a moment to ask for God’s guidance. Believe me, you KNOWING these things is more important to God than it is to you. Therefore, He is more than willing to do all He can to get you to a point where you KNOW what your atonement really is. Why we weren’t just born with complete knowledge; I can’t say. Why does God make us toil for understanding; I don’t know. I can guess that it is because He wants you to truly appreciate His Love for you and that takes effort. BUT, He doesn’t expect us to go it alone. He offers Himself as our Guide into all Truth. (John 16:13) So, before you do anything, pray that God’s Spirit will assist you on this journey of discovering the majesty of His Atonement.

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Atonement Part 1-Made-up Words

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Anonymous Portrait of William Tyndale
This image is in the Public Domain

Atonement Part 1-Made-up Words

The Bible is one of the world’s most incredible documents. Christian or not, any objective thinking person has to admit that. In, in my opinion, you don’t even have to believe what the Bible says to respect it. There are few documents that have been so meticulously assembled, cared for and studied in all the history of human literature. Now, I am certain that scoffers and atheists may argue that I’m being a little hyperbolic but I honestly believe that most who have spent a decent amount of time researching its history would have to agree with my above statements. Like no other literature of any sort…religious or not…an unbroken documentary trail leads all the way back to the origins of this very ancient collection of writing. This is a beloved and revered book and we know that because of how much priority those that love God put on it. To us IT IS THE WORD OF GOD…the mind of God…the precious thoughts, instructions and judgments of a loving, living Father.

As proof, one need only look at the efforts that men and women have put forth down through the millennia to make the Bible available for all to understand. Though difficult to accurately estimate, some have said that the Bible has been translated in part or in whole into more than 3,000 languages. Now, the important part of that statistic is to realize that the VAST majority of those translations have been completed in recent times…certainly not more than 200 years. Another important fact to realize here is that the growth in the number of languages into which the Bible has been translated is accelerating largely BECAUSE there are so many translations. You see, linguists and etymologists will tell you that there are very few isolated languages. In other words, almost all languages are related to some other language. Without getting too bogged down in the details let me just say that the more languages something is translated into the easier it is to accomplish that next translation. Each translation is used as reference for other subsequent translations. That is partly why there are so many language versions of the Bible.

Now, imagine having almost NO other translations to work with AND throw in the fact that the language you want the Bible translated into is new and, frankly, incomplete. That is what faced William Tyndale in 16th Century England. At the time, the Bible had only been translated into a handful of languages. The only “authorized” version was written in Latin; a language very few of Tyndale’s countrymen spoke. That alone severely limited access to the Word. In addition, Tyndale lived at a time of transition in England. His country was slowly defining a unified identity which would eventually include a national language. It may be difficult to believe, but the language we refer to today as English has only been spoken in England for less than 600 years. That means when God got a hold of William Tyndale and inspired him to write a Bible in the language the people of England there was hardly enough of a language to work with. Well, God always chooses the right person to accomplish His difficult tasks. So, take a moment to pray for guidance and help in understanding and then have a listen to this week’s episode as we dive into the fascinating subject of the English Language Bible.

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Resurrection Part 2-Questions and Answers

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Supper at Emmaus by Velazques
The Supper at Emmaus by Velazques
Image in the Public Domain

Resurrection Part 2-Questions and Answers

In this episode we continue our in-depth look at the Resurrection. Although I say “in-depth”, the reality is that we are really only presenting a very small portion of the whole topic. After all, as I say to you all the time, it is impossible for a finite mind to fully grasp the infinite. We certainly do our best. We constantly push the boundaries of our human intellectual abilities but, nonetheless, we will ultimately have to bypass “knowing” and simply embrace “believing”.

That notwithstanding, in this second part of the series we pick up where we left off last time. Here we are focusing on the importance of the witnesses. Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn’t just head on to heaven once He rose? A fairly sizable portion of the story of the Gospel is dedicated to telling us what Jesus did AFTER He died. It actually extends PAST the Gospels and into the Acts of the Apostles. Interestingly, there’s not a lot of details given on those appearances. There is a line or two on what He said but, by and large, it seems almost random…almost…anticlimactic. Before this there was that emotional scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, followed by the dramatic arrest, trial and sentencing. Then there was the horror of those dying moments on the cross. On the face of it, the appearances seem like merely a postscript of some sort. Now, I get why we’re told about the appearance to Mary Magdalene. It was a tender moment between a dedicated servant and her Risen Lord. I understand the appearances to Peter. The man was not only going to be important to the future church but He was also a dear friend of Jesus who was, no doubt, suffering from the shame of the night of the arrest. Our Merciful Lord wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to comfort a nearly broken man. That’s just the kind of Person we serve. Those appearances make sense because they just demonstrate the personality of Jesus so well; but why those two on the road to Emmaus? We don’t even know who they were. Luke says one of them was named Cleopas but that’s all we know. (Luke 24:18). Mark doesn’t even give us that many details in his re-telling of the story (Mark 16:12). How about Paul’s reference to the appearance Jesus made “to 500 brethren at once”? (1st Corinthians 15:6) There we get no information; no names, no locations. The same can be said about the so-called Ascension. We are told by Luke in chapter 1 verse 6 of the Acts of the Apostles that “they” were come together but we can’t be certain who the “they” consisted of. We can be fairly confident that the remaining eleven apostles were there but was that all? The point is we aren’t told and, as you regulars know, when we aren’t told something in the Bible, it isn’t important. It can be plainly seen that in most of the post-Resurrection appearances that are recorded in Scripture, the “who” was not as important as the “why”. Jesus’ appearances have a purpose. That is what we discuss in this episode. So, take a moment to pray for understanding and then have a listen to part 2 of our Resurrection series. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit gives you an appreciation of the incredible love and mercy that God showed when He allowed us to get that ever-so-brief look at His most Precious Son.

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Resurrection-Part 1 Why Bother?

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The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
The Resurrection by Claude Mellan
Image in the Public Domain

Resurrection Part 1-Why Bother?

In the past, I have been accused (with an inference of derision) of being a Christian “apologist”. In case you don’t know, an apologist is defined by Webster’s as someone “who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something”. Well, I thought that’s what guys like me are supposed to do. In fact, isn’t that what we’re all supposed to do? Isn’t that what Peter meant when he said:

(1Pe 3:15)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

I don’t believe in arguing about the things of God. I normally don’t engage in debate about these sorts of things but I have and will continue to present the things of God in a way that will allow the listener or reader to make an informed decision. If you want to call that “defending” the Faith; that’s fine with me. I simply want to encourage a habit of critical thinking and I believe that’s God’s Way, as well. God is not afraid of our questions. He’s not afraid of our doubts. He knows our limitations because, frankly, He set them. He established the boundaries of our intellect, for some reason, and so He is aware of how much we can learn and it is obvious that He has a lot more confidence in our intelligence than most of our church leaders do.

All of that to say that, in this ministry, I won’t apologize for being…an apologist. I trust you and I trust the Spirit of Truth to do His job and guide you (and me) into all Truth (John 15:26). This lesson is the beginning of a series and this series is going to challenge you. We will be taking a detailed look at the most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus. Why is that important? Well, that is the point of this first installment. It is here that we examine whether or not believing Jesus rose from the tomb is important. I mean, we talk a lot about the “Risen Christ” in church. At Easter time (I don’t like that word but that’s for another day) we plaster all over the place “He is Risen!” We see it on church billboards, in the pastor’s newsletter, we post it on Facebook and even occasionally (with ever-dwindling frequency) give each other greeting cards that tell us that the tomb was empty. But, do we really believe it? It’s pretty spectacular, when you think about it. A dead man is placed in a grave and He is not there 3 days later. And, listen, that does not mean He’s now a ghost…whatever that is. We don’t have trouble with the concept of someone’s spirit going…somewhere after they die. That is NOT what happened in this instance. His BODY rose. He had a body. What was once dead flesh got up and left that boulder-sealed cave. Can you believe that? By the way, that’s a legitimate question. I want to know. Can you believe that Jesus rose, BODILY, from the dead because if you can’t or you won’t then Paul says your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:17) Now, if you need more information to make a decision, I get that. That’s okay. That’s why this series is here. We want to make sure to give you as much information as possible so you CAN decide because decide you must and, if we fail at that, we hope that, at least, this series gives you a genuine desire to learn enough to make a decision. I am hoping you’ll see how important this is and that you take it upon yourself to seek out Truth…no matter the personal cost. This is NOT to be taken lightly. The Resurrection is the central, pivotal fact of human history. The Resurrection is the dividing line between the saved and the damned. Those that accept its Truth will live and those that don’t…won’t. So, I implore you with every ounce of my being to find a way to bring yourself to full acceptance of the Truth of the Resurrection. May I humbly suggest that you start by listening in to this series. If nothing else, it should give you a foundation upon which to build your continued pursuit of the most startling claim in human history. BUT before you do ANYTHING take this to God in prayer. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to show you Truth and, I believe, He will open up His Word to you in ways that may surprise you. If your heart is sincere and you truly want what He wants, God will answer your doubts and strengthen your Faith.

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Discern (with Communion)

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The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper with St. Peter and St. Paul.
” The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper with St. Peter and St. Paul” Mid-16th century”
Latin Inscription reads, “For this is my body. For this is the chalice of my blood of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of the faith which shall be shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”
Image in the Public Domain

Discern (with Communion)

One of the most commonly known church rituals is the taking of Communion. In fact, that’s really one of the biggest problems in all of Christianity. We have become so used to the Communion that it’s lost any semblance of sacredness. Most of us could go through the rituals with our eyes closed. Most of us are so familiar with the way the Communion is celebrated we’ve long ago stopped thinking about it. The Table of the Lord has become just another routine in a world of full of routines. We put no more thought into it than we do making our coffee in the morning. AND YET, Paul says not thinking about it when we partake will bring judgment on us. (1 Corinthians 11:29) But the greatest tragedy of this is the fact that Jesus Himself said, “…do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) The unfortunate truth, however, is that Jesus is the LAST thing most remember when they take communion. The one thing Jesus asked us to do with regard to the Table, we neglect to do. In this ministry, we are trying to regain the dignity of this beautiful, little ceremony. We spend a great deal of time teaching about how important the Table of the Lord is and we try to instill in you a deeper respect for this Jesus-given sacrament. In this lesson we concentrate on Paul’s warning about discernment. We also celebrate the Table of the Lord in this episode so be sure you listen closely to the first section of the podcast so that you can be prepared if you decide to join in. BUT, before you do any of that, before you start to listen to this podcast make sure you take a moment to pray. It is always best to prepare your heart and mind so that God’s Spirit can effectively share with you the Truth of God’s Word.