St. Irenaeus Ministries

The lord promises to lead false prophets astray for pretending that they speak with His authority. The last part of this episode is some review and discussion of the previous few lectures, tying it into modern life. I apologize for the echos in this recording.

The Lord tells Ezekiel to prepare the Israelites for exile, that they may confess their sins to the nations. The exiled Israelites will one day come back and rebuild Israel, and the Lord will replace their hearts of stone and restore Israel to a nation loyal to the Lord.

The Lord shows Ezekiel of a vision where He instructs a man in white linen to mark Israelites loyal to God with a crosslike symbol, and then destroy the rest with cleansing fire for their idolatry. I apologize for the echo in this recording.

God shows Ezekiel a vision of pervasive idol worship among the Israelites, even among the highest echelons of power. Demand for false prophets is high at this time, though Ezekiel has gained notoriety and people are interested to hear what God tells him to say. I apologize for the echo in this recording.

We discuss how some of the elements of the Ezekiel's visions are found elsewhere in the Bible. We also begin to discuss the vision of God on the throne, resplendent in awesome power.

We discuss the living wheels that make up the chariot and throne of God in Ezekiel's vision.

We discuss the winged creatures in Ezekiel's vision, tying in their potential signficance to other parts of the Bible.

Ezekiel sees of vision of powerful-looking creatures that hold up a chariot for the Lord. The imagery of these creatures is used for artistic effect in later, recognizable works but must be viewed in their context: as symbols of power and majesty.

We are introduced to Ezekiel. We know he was a young Levitical priest and that he was a Jew in the Babylonian exile. We discuss a bit of the historical context.

Welcome to our study on Ezekiel! Ezekiel is a book of apocalyptic literature, where God gives a startling vision that draws back the curtain between Heaven and Earth. It comes at a time when philosophers worldwide are starting to consider universal truths and move beyond purely local concerns. The time of Jewish exile foretold in Ezekiel will eventually lead the Jews to a renewed focus on the Law...

We must rejoice in Christ, pray and give thanks to God. If we follow the Christ-centered conduct of Paul and the Philippians, we will be following a solid example and one grounded in Scripture. Thank you for listening to our study on Paul's Letter to the Philippians. Tune in for our next study!

Rejoice always, in the Lord. This is more than general cheer--this is part of our inner spiritual life. Such rejoicing reveals a trust in the Lord that can cut down divisions between Christians because it is God who will take care of the conflict.

Paul wants our joy and suffering and sacrifice not to be experiences in themselves, but products in our growing relationship with Christ. He asks one of the Philippian pastors to resolve a conflict between two prominent women in the community, because such conflicts keep them (and us) from progressing in Christ.

Paul tells the Philippians to race towards Heaven and towards an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter what they've achieved in their journey, they should stay focused on pursuing this goal. They should put to death all worldly appetites and desires, for those will drag them away from this final goal.

We are to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his suffering--we commune with Christ in His sufferings.  We must actively work to know God better. Being conformed to a death like Christ's. We should be ambitious to suffer as Christ had suffered. 

Paul argues that knowing Jesus Christ is more important than any earthly outward show of pious obedience. He argues that if that was the case, he is more devout than any other Jew. However, these accomplishments he counted as losses for the sake of Christ.

We begin the 3rd chapter of Philippians. Paul begins to remind the Philippians about the danger of Judaizers, Christians who want to unnecessarily push the Law of Moses on Gentiles. He points out this is unnecessary because Christian circumcision is in the spirit, not the flesh.

We must transcend our divisions to shine as light in a secularized world. Nonbelievers see when Christians squabble and they comment on it. Paul built an early Church with Jews, Greeks, and Romans, each with forces and ideologies that tried to drive them apart.  Compared to the crucifix however, every pettiness is so much less.

Paul discusses how to live and work, day-by-day, depending on God and thereby shining out against the crookedness and perversity of the world. He also mentions his two loyal disciples, Timothy and Epaprhoditus. Epaproditus nearly died from sickness and is coming back to Philippi to assauge concerns from the community about his health. These human worries, if continually brought to Christ in prayer...

Paul illustrates the humiliations that Christ endured, which contrast with the sins of Adam. These humiliations are exactly how we should imitate Christ.

Paul exhorts the Philippians stand firm with one another and to be of one mind in the strongest rhetorical terms. Unity in Christ is a witness to Christ and the lack of unity is a scandal. Real love (not sentimental love) binds Christians one to another. All of us should have the same disposition, the same love, of the same soul, and the same mind. We are to put to death our own selfishness, and p...

Paul has concerns about unity breaking down in Philippians at a spiritual level. They have suffered years of persecution and poverty. Paul comforts them in this, saying it is a sign from God. They have been granted suffering for Him, and the evildoers will be punished.

Paul calls for the Philippians' love to grow and abound in knowledge and in understanding. He discusses suffering, giving joy that his imprisonment has led his preaching the Gospel to have such a wide reach. He argues that persecution is a privilege and a sign of one's devotion to Christ.

Paul is incredibly thankful to God for Philippi, and thankful for God's grace and work through them. This thankfulness buoys him as he serves his prison sentence, and is a model for us as we are called to "rejoice always and in everything give thanks."

Paul introduces himself and Timothy as servants of Christ Jesus, and the significance of this title is discussed. The letter is addressed to the entire community, not just the overseers and deacons. They are all saints, through grace in Jesus Christ. The titles of overseer and deacon also have different connotations in that time than today.