Daniel 7:1-28, 1 John 1:1-10, Psalms 119:153-176, Proverbs 28:23-24
Today is the 30th day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. And, of course, here we are at the end of the 11th month of the year, leaving us one 1/12th of the Bible to go, one month left. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s stay right where we are, here at the end of the 11th month. We’ll dive back into the book of Daniel, and then when we get to the New Testament, we’ll begin first John. And we’ll talk about that then. First, reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. Daniel 7:1-28
John:
Okay. So, yesterday we concluded second Peter, which means that we have arrived at the first letter of John the evangelist, the beloved disciple as church tradition holds, as the author of this letter. Although, many scholars disagree with that. John does not specifically claim authorship but copies of this letter were all over the early church and it was quoted and referred to in early church writings. When the canon of the New Testament Scripture was being ratified, first John didn’t have a problem being authenticated as true Scripture. John is writing this letter, probably as a circular letter giving us clues to how the New Testament church communicated and worked early on and was probably written to the same people that Peter wrote his two letters to later in his life and that Paul wrote letters to. These letters were meant to be circulated throughout the churches so that they had many apostolic voices pouring the truth of the gospel into the church. And John’s probably writing this from Ephesus very late in his life, somewhere around AD 92 to maybe AD 100, maybe as late as 110, although we don’t know this for certain. And he is writing, specifically, to combat false teachings and heresies that have sprouted up in the early church. Some of these the early forms of Gnosticism. And John has a unique perspective because he was actually there. So, when an early teacher like Sorrento’s began teaching that the spirit of Christ came into Jesus body when he was baptized but before that he was just a normal man and that the spirit departed from him just prior to crucifixion, John has an opinion, and he refutes this. And this is helpful for us today because there were a lot of teachings, a lot of ideas in the stew that became the early church, and a lot of ideas that have continued for thousands of years, and that continues until today. So, we’re fortunate to have documents like these to speak into those ideas. And, so, we begin. First John chapter 1.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for these 11 months, every single day that we’ve been together in community around Your word. And there is no doubt that we can feel, and see, and sense the change that it makes in our lives. We can see what we’ve struggled through this year, and we’ve seen at key moments how Your word has spoken into our lives and given us clarity and hope. And we love You. And we’re grateful for this gift of Your word. So, as we close down this 11th month, we also look with great anticipation to what You have to say to us through the Scriptures in the 12th month of this year. Holy Spirit, come. We open our hearts completely to You. Everything that we are and all that we hope to be is intertwined with You. Our faith is in You. Our hope is in You. Come Jesus. We pray in your name. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. And there’s several things.
The Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box 2017 is available now. And as I have mentioned, we’ve packed it full of resources that you get to pick and choose what’s for you and what’s for you to give away. So, this Sunday is the first Sunday in the season of Advent, inaugurating the season of Advent for this year. And we have a CD full of Advent songs in the Christmas Box. These are not like traditional carols. These are songs of contemplation of the mystery and the longing for the arrival of the Savior. They’re really helpful to immerse ourselves into this final month of the year. We also have the family Christmas CD in the Box. Those are traditional carols, contemplative and lush arrangements, perfect for just turning off all the lights and just leaving the Christmas lights on and warming a cup of coffee or cocoa or whatever and just taking a minute to breathe and enjoy the season. There is the book, The Road Back to You, which we’ve talked about. It was a very influential read for me this year, very, very helpful. And I’m glad that we could find a way to bring it to you. We’ve also included two copies of Sneezing Jesus, a book that’s very much like the Christmas Box. It is definitely something that we should immerse ourselves into and contemplate the implications of Jesus humanity, which is exactly what we celebrate at Christmas, His coming, His coming as one of us. But it is definitely also a book to be given away to people who are searching and can’t get beyond the stereotypes about Jesus to the person that He was and is. We’ve also got the Daily Audio Bible Christmas bulb for 2017 in the Box. We do that every year. I’ve got all…we’ve done it for five years …I’ve got them all on my tree. They, each time I put them on the tree, it represents a year in the life of this community and a completed journey through the Bible in that year. So, 2017 is another one of those. And, honestly, for me, every time I see them it’s like bringing…bringing this whole community together. All that we’ve been through, all that God has spoken through His word, it just represents that to me. Then you have your choice of our Wind Farm coffee. This is the Daily Audio Bible blend. It’s being roasted fresh before it goes into the box so that it arrives to you fresh, which is what we always do. Or if you prefer, and you are a tea drinker, then our Wind Farm honey bush and rooibos tea is what we’re offering in the Box this year. Of course, rooibos originates in South Africa. And then a pack of 20 of the Daily Audio Bible Christmas cards, including the envelopes, are in the Box, as well as a Black Wing pencil.
Speaking of Black Wing pencils, a great gift idea or a great preparation for the new year. And the new journey through the Bible is to plan to journal your year, Journal your life. And we have a great selection of resources for that in the Daily Audio Bible shop, in the lifestyle section. I’ve been using these items all of this year to journal through my own life. When I was looking at these the other day online, thinking yeah, I would love to get this as a gift. I would most definitely put it to use and treasure it. So, check that out.
And lastly, early registration for the More Gathering coming up this April, which is our annual conference for women, that takes place in the southern Appalachian Mountains, which are located in northern Georgia, so, about an hour outside of Atlanta. Early registration is open now and early registration pricing is available until the end of the year. And it’s a lot of work but we keep doing this every year because we keep seeing remarkable stories and breakthroughs. It is just an amazing time of sisterhood. And friendships are formed there that will last a lifetime. And the More Gathering makes for a fantastic and unique gift idea, because not only is there anticipation for April and the time that’s shared the More Gathering, but it’s also something that has lifelong impact. So, you can find all of this at dailyaudiobible.com. The More Gathering is found in the initiatives section and everything else that we’ve talked about is found in the Daily Audio Bible shop. So, check it out.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link that lives on the homepage. I cannot possibly thank you enough. I do not have the words to express the gravity of gratitude that we have for being able to serve each other and be in community around God’s word every day. So, thank you for your partnership. Obviously, your contributions to the Daily Audio Bible are tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt for your partnership. If you prefer the mail, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill, Tennessee 37174.
And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.
And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow as we begin the final month of the year.
Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports:
Hello. Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is ___ from ___ . It’s been a ___ since ___. And this morning I’m calling for one or two comments and a prayer request. Over the last three weeks, a friend of mine of 6 months was 3 weeks pregnant lost her baby. She was at work, didn’t feel well, went to the doctor, there was no heartbeat. It is a hard day because I’m heading to the funeral to support her in burying her 6 month old. You see, here in Canada over 6 months, considered a human being, per sea. ___ just for the child….and then buyying her…and it’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve watched or had to encounter my entire life. And it’s a little bit harder too because I, myself is pregnant, and can I have some prayer for that too. But I wanted to pray today that I have the right words, that the comforter in form of the Holy Spirit will put His arms around her and her husband and their other child and just give them comfort in this time because this is something they really do not understand. This is something I have no words to explain. All I say to her is, let the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with her there. She is a really, really strong person who believes and she ___ in God. So, we ask that that will continue and the Holy Spirit will just be with her. And the second thing I want to…and this is a comment about my two year old…I have a two year old that…and so the Daily Audio Bible has been around since he’s been in my tummy and we do the Wind Farm coffee. And the Wind Farm coffee came in yesterday and he ripped the package open and he turned and looked up at me…he looked at the logo and he goes…oh…Brian…Daily Audio Bible…Bible…Brian. And I was just blown out of my mind because he’s only 2 years old…2 years and 5 months…and he can identify this. When I turn on the Daily Audio Bible in the morning he just comes in and goes…oh Brian…Bible…and I’m just mesmerized that he knows all this…
Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is ___ calling from Delaware. It is Thanksgiving holiday in the United States and I just wanted to take a moment to express my personal gratitude for this platform. Having this global campfire has impacted me in so many ways that I cannot begin to say. So, I am thanking God, foremost for all his plans in the DAB family, opening avenues that we can build community surrounded by love, understanding, support, and ultimate appreciation of being in heaven one day together. So, thank you, Brian and Jill, for your everyday obedience to follow the calling of God. Thank you for those behind the scenes that work day and night to make sure that this community is fed daily by the bread of life. Thank you all in this community. Whether you are a regular caller, a one-time caller, a new believer or just a listener, you are important to us all. I just want to name a few people; Candice from Oregon, Pastor Gene, Viola, Asia from Munich, Blind Tony, Jay from New Jersey, Slave of Jesus, Tony the truck driver, Drew from the bay area, and Lee Ann from ___, Annette from ___ and the other people in this community that I could not name one by one. I love you guys. I want you guys to know that I’m very, very grateful for each and every one of you. Happy Thanksgiving from ___ in Delaware. Bye-bye.
Hi. This is Toni from Germany. The Lords Facilitator in Healing. I want to…I am calling on behalf of…well…not on behalf of…for…the people who called in on November 24th, which was Alex and Gerry about confessing, so to speak. When you…you represent many, many, many people. And, so, I say this for us all who are struggling with the same temptations…we are works in progress…and my recommendation is to…look…we each need to look behind what is driving our actions. A lot of times it is from an experience of our past. So, I want to applaud those who are calling in. You represent many and in doing so you…you basically in…tap into the power of this group…of this community. So, thank you for doing that on behalf of all the other people who struggle with the same temptations. And I just would kind of echo what Brian says when we call in…on that message…on the community prayer line…well done. And we will all be praying for you. Amen. Ok. Take care. Bye-bye.
Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is John calling from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. It is the 24th of November, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, Black Friday in the United States as well. I want to get right to the point of my call. Terry from Chicago, I heard your prayer request this morning on the 24th podcast and Mark S. from Sydney Australia, I heard your request as well. Terry and Mark…interestingly enough…amazingly enough…or maybe not so amazing…we should just expect this…that…you know…today’s proverb, 28:13 from the 24th podcast says, ‘whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.’ Guys, I just wanted to encourage you. Terry, you said you had an affair for 10 months…and Mark…I love you man…from Australia…you said that you’ve gone into sexual sin again. You guys have both openly expressed that you’ve done wrong things in God’s sight. You’re confessing, you’re renouncing. You have mercy. Guys, I want to let you know, God’s arms are wide open for you. His mercy is endless and boundless and infinite for you. He’s so happy that you’ve confessed your sin and that you repent in it and with that will come change. So, I’m praying for you. Guys, let’s put on our big boy pants here. You have the ability to accomplish anything through Christ. Period. Believe it with all your heart and all your soul. I believe in you, through Jesus, through God, that the Spirit that indwells in you has the ability to crush and stop all of these things are going on in your lives. We love you and I love you.
Hey Daily Audio Bible family, this is Benjamin, the sewer. It’s been a while but it’s good to be back. Since I last called, I got married. So, two months into that and I’m applying to the police force. So, pretty exciting stuff. So, I’m just calling today…my heart really, really was impacted by the three men whose calls were on today’s recording here on November 24th. So, let’s just pray. Heavenly Father, I just lift up Terry from Chicago right now. God, he’s just going through this storm Lord and regardless of whether or not the storms come based on our actions or the world around us, Lord, it’s rough, and I just pray and ask that You would reveal to Him Lord that he’s not beyond hope, God, he is not beyond Your love. He is not beyond restoration and newness. We ask, specifically, for the restoration of his marriage, Lord, that You would humble him to continue to seek that out, to continue to be persistent in seeking reconciliation…just maybe knowing it’s a process…it’s a long process…yeah…just that he would be seeking You and growing in You Lord, that he would be able to experience Joy amidst all this Lord. And I just quickly want to pray for Mark S. from Australia. I just love hearing your voice and love you calling in regularly. I just lift you up. And Kurtis from Northern Carolina, I’m praying for you and your wife. I’m going to call back some time and pray more. Ok. I love you guys. Bye.