The Shield ONLINE

Advent starts next week and we'll talk about the Christmas story throughout the season. This week, though, we're going to talk about two women who had obviously rejected God's ways and brought great shame to their families and communities by their brazenness. Except, maybe that wasn't the way God saw their stories...An Unexpected Christmas Story begins here...Questions or comments? You can put them here or email roger.mccort@usw.salvationarmy.orgPodcasts of our messages can be found as The Shield Online on iTunes and Spotify and all the rest or on your favorite podcast app. Our archive is also available here: http://bit.ly/shieldonlineCan you make a gift to help The Salvation Army in its mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ by meeting human needs without discrimination? You can do that here: http://grassvalleyredkettle.org or here: https://grassvalley.salvationarmy.orgGrace and peace to you and yours in the coming days!

Long long ago, in a place far far away...The world was broken, so God used Abraham to put it back together again.Yes, Abraham.Listen to this episode of the TSA-Napa podcast to understand why that was and how it matters to you right now, today.

Paul is losing his life of freedom and privilege. And he's threatened with losing his life altogether! But somehow he is going to respond to all that as if it is meaningless. It's like he's got some secret which allows him to be content in even the most chaotic and dangerous of situations...Want to know what that is?

A long time ago, when I was in a customer service job, there was one annoying and mistaken client who, after long minutes of berating me for a problem of his own making, said, "If you don't do what I tell you, I'm not going to be your customer any more!" and I thoughtlessly said - out loud - "Promise?"He may have been a jerk, but that didn't give me license to respond in kind. It's been over 30 years and the memory of that mistake still helps keep me from going down that road again. I developed tools to be better and allowed God to work on growing my self-control in this area (and others). But what about someone like the Apostle Paul? What happens when he makes a mistake - or a series of them? Is there any way for him to go on? Can God still use someone who has put themself in a deep hole of trouble?

What group or groups do you belong to? How does that set you apart or make you special? Now ask yourself why you think that makes you better than people who are not part of those groups. No, don't get defensive - we all do it. We should at least try to be honest with ourselves. We all like to think that WE are better than THEM because we are set apart. The problem here goes two ways: First, it isn't true, and second, the OTHER groups think the same things about YOUR group.Instead of excluding the OTHER, we need to treat everyone as part of US. Why? Because that's what Jesus commanded us to do.

Accusations of wrongdoing, a brutal assault on the one being accused, and his arrest without cause or charges having been considered...This is the story we are diving into today. And it's one that should speak into the lives of each one of us! There should be an awareness of one, very important, very key idea that goes with us in everything we do: Are we listening to what God is saying? And what if we're wrong?

The great thinkers in each group were utterly baffled as to how anyone could see things in a different way. But the two groups reached opposite conclusions about many things! There was a distinct turning towards nationalism taking place which was causing one group to exclude the other, or at least to encourage them to practice their way of life somewhere else...Politics in America in 2024? Nope, Christians in Jerusalem, about 57 AD. And key leaders in each movement are about to meet face to face...What they choose to do is incredible.

Have you ever been certain of a thing but someone you know is absolutely convinced that you are wrong?Have you ever wondered how people can be so foolish as to believe, follow, or be so moved by a particular belief that you know is seriously out of line with what God wants?What if someone you've respected and trusted for a long time says or does something that is completely contrary to what you KNOW to be true?How can we know? If there are two conflicting beliefs about an action, can we know which one is right? Does it matter?What if it isn't about being right?Lots of questions will be answered by today's message, but some won't be. There's a lesson in that for all of us...

If you thought it was the last time you were going to see beloved friends, what would you say to them? And why? What would you want to remind them of or warn them about?Paul, sailing past his former home, stops to say goodbye to one of his dearest church families. And he leaves them with warm words to guard them against a chilling reality... There are already wolves among them.

There was one Christmas message I preached when I first started as a full-time pastor to adults that ran about an hour. There was so much good material, I wanted to share it all! But as I spoke I could see people's eyes glazing over. A large family left partway through, late for the work shift that started early that afternoon. I could see the wish in the eyes of some others that they could do the same. I try to keep a better check on how long I speak now.Paul, in Acts 20, began a little after sundown, preached so long that someone actually DIED from it, then kept going until after sunrise.Is there a message in there we could benefit from hearing? I think so, and I promise it won't take very long for me to get to it...

No, this isn't a message about the destruction of Alderaan. It's also not a message about the Apostle Paul, though many think that it is. Paul is firmly in the back seat (or maybe the trunk) throughout this story. It's a little bit about a riot, but not much. It's kind of about the frequent failure of good intentions and how we need to act more mindfully when others are going to be affected by our actions. But mostly, it's about Jesus, and how we all can and should try out doing what HE says instead of what our feelings are leading us to do. At least until we find out if it works or not.Really.Acts 19:21-41 examined and what it could mean in the modern world considered.

Have you ever thought that if you offered the right prayer in the right way that God would do what you asked? There's a word for that. Magic. Magic was a way to control the gods or the elements or other people (or sometimes all three) to get the result the spell-caster wanted. It's what most people are trying to do when they pray.Today's story is about a group of exorcists who found that you can't co-opt the power of God. I don't know if what happened to them inspired them to look into how to truly follow Jesus, but it did help thousands of other in their time and it can help us today as well.Join us as we go on an adventure that begins in the book of Acts...

When he went back to Ephesus, Paul spent three months preaching in the synagogue. One commentary notes, "Three months in a synagogue without a riot is something of a record for Paul." Which is kind of funny, but it may simply be evidence of the Holy Spirit working in his life, helping him to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.Today, as we return to the book of Acts, we should all be asking the question Paul asked a group of men he met with when he got back to Ephesus: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Well, did you? How would you know? Could others tell? Could you go three months without a riot if you were talking about your faith every day?If you didn't receive the Holy Spirit, what WERE you baptized into? Because it wasn't Jesus.

When you hear someone who isn't quite right in what they say or do, what's the appropriate response? Should we roast them on social media? Fillet them and their mistakes in public? Start a whispering campaign intended to shut them up or drive them away? Or, perhaps, should we invite them over for dinner and to exchange ideas by hearing them out and then sharing our view and reasoning without judging them or requiring them to accept our point of view? I can tell you which answers people generally choose to live out. But instead, let me tell you a short story about Paul and one about some of his companions.

We live in a world filled with scared people reacting to their fear. There is an antidote for that poison, but it isn't one many people are willing to take. Taking it will set you free, but making the choice to do so involved getting out of the comfortable bubble you live in and exposing yourself to the very world you have been afraid of. If you are willing, though, I know someone who will go with you who will keep you safe...Comments/questions? Email me! roger.mccort@usw.salvationarmy.orgWant to hear more? The Shield Online is available on iTunes, Spotify, and your favorite podcast app. Or at our host site: http://bit.ly/shieldonlineCan you help The Salvation Army help others? https://grassvalley.salvationarmy.orgGrace and peace to each of you. Go with God.

Does resurrection matter? It's a crazy idea, right? In Acts 17, Paul's insistence on preaching Jesus raised from the dead runs head-on into a wall of educated disbelief. But they are willing to hear him out - for a few minutes, anyway. What happens next and why it may (or may not) matter to us is a big part of knowing what God expects from us and that's important, because it is the standard by which we will be judged by Christ.

When someone says things to you which are different from the way you've always done things or different from the way you think or have been taught that the world works, what is the proper response? Do you cover your ears and yell LALALALALALALA! at the top of your lungs so that what they are saying can't leak in? Do you hide or burn their books? Do you run them out of town? Or is there another way? Something else you could do?This week we see how two very different groups respond to the idea that Jesus is Lord.Grace and peace to you!

What Must I do to be Saved?That's the question, isn't it? And to get to the answer, we're going to start with Zeus having an affair, Apollo killing a dragon, Paul's group of evangelists being praised by a possessed slave, snake oil, acceptable police brutality, and finally God shaking things up a bit to get some people's attention. Then we'll know what we must do.Grace and peace to you this week!

Luke takes his time showing us the chain of events that God arranged to demonstrate that one particular conversion was absolutely ordained. I could have called this message "The first Christian in Europe." You should know who I'm referring to, but here in the Western world, we tend to downplay or ignore her, even though she is one of the most important figures in the early church.Questions or comments can be brought up here or by emailing roger.mccort@usw.salvationarmy.orgPodcasts of past messages are available by finding The Shield Online with your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.) or by visiting our host site at http://bit.ly/shieldonlineThe Salvation Army in Nevada County, CA has been actively reaching out to those in need since 1883. If you can contribute to help us help others, that's great. You can find our address or donation links online or by clicking here: https://bit.ly/donateGVGrace and peace to you all.

Do we need to do conform to a certain set of standards to be holy or do we simply say that the grace of Jesus is enough and then live that out, whatever that looks like? That's the question which faced the growing movement of the Followers of the Way of Jesus back in Acts 15. Today we look at what they decided and what it might mean for people like us today.