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Reflexion, A Spiritual Community
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Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Author: Chuck Smith, Jr

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Christian based teaching from Chuck Smith, Jr
415 Episodes
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Hosea 1

Hosea 1

2025-10-1256:09

Before we began Galatians, I asked for recommendations as to where in scripture to go next A trusted friend suggested we venture through the minor prophets - “minor” because they are relatively short compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel • I hesitated for awhile, then procrastinated, finally hoping to dodge The Dozen prophets at the end of the Hebrew Scriptures • even though the longest of them is only fourteen chapters and shortest is only one chapter, ◦ they still require as much study ...
The Galatians were coming to the end of Paul’s letter, And suddenly the handwriting was different – instead of the well-formed characters of a professional scribe, • the printed letters were large and scribbled ◦ this shift was certain to grab their attention ◦ like changing the “font” of a sentence in a document to all upper case or bold print • but why did Paul insist on writing this last bit with his “own hand”? ◦ perhaps this is how he usually signed off (as many commentaries point out) “...
Years ago, and in another life, I had a feisty personal assistant Although she is genuinely compassionate, she had a favorite line: “Get over yourself” - I think that held her together through a hard and complicated season of her life • she said it to herself, to he friends, to people who called the church office for help, ◦ and more than once she said it to me–her boss • but she never said it when I didn’t need to hear it ◦ Paul’s next lesson in this letter to the Galatians is, “Get over you...
I assume most of us are familiar with The Message Bible One of the more popular versions, and easiest to understand – Eugene Peterson did not set out to write a new translation • beginning in early 1980’s the U.S. economy went into a slump and mortgage interest rates were rapidly climbing ◦ people in his church were feeling the pinch, and reacting in the same way as people in town Peterson, “Paranoia infected the small talk I would overhear on street corners and in barbershops. To my di...
If you ever decide to read the Bible all the way through, At some point, you will find yourself struggling to understand it – even if you’ve been a believer for a long time and read it before (or read a kiddie version) • a passage will confuse you, trouble, or just seem wrong ◦ I’m fortunate to have many helpful resources • however, when even those study aids leave me with questions ◦ then I resort to creative thought experiments; for instance, I ask, “what if” ◦ what if this were meant to fr...
For the last month or two, I’ve noticed a trend – people are using a “Jesus image” in a variety of video posts • like a famous celebrity, he’s immediately recognizable ◦ there’s the trademark long hair and beard, the robe, and sandals ◦ his image is used to promote an ideal, or to criticize, ridicule, or make fun of something • three observations immediately come to mind: ◦ first, the image is used for propaganda purposes ◦ second, they’re all impersonators third, not one of these chara...
In the first half of this chapter, Paul scolded the Galatians You know how sometimes, as a parent, - when you're very worried about your child–maybe they did not arrive home on time • when they finally show up, your worry turns to anger ◦ if ever our lectures were rougher than they needed to be, ◦ it was because we had agonized over their safety • I think that's a little piece of what is happening here ◦ Paul has called the Galatians "foolish" and asked "Who has bewitched you?" ◦ that is beca...
Do I need to mention that Paul does not try to hide his frustration with the Galatians? To our ears, his language--"foolish" and "Who has bewitched you?" sounds offensive - later on he will say, if they’ve truly taken this wrong path, “You are severed from Christ . . . you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4) • he doesn’t mince words, because he’s terrified for their sake ◦ he wants to make the strongest possible impression on them • and this is just the beginning - we’re going to spend so...
Paul has shared with the Galatians a brief autobiography He completed it with a story about his run-in with Peter - when Peter first came to the Gentile church in Antioch, • he allowed the wall between Jews and Gentiles to collapse ◦ but when rigid and dogmatic believers arrived from Judea, ◦ he broke away from close contact with Gentile believers • how sad, when a person withdraws from generous gestures, ◦ ones that represents acceptance and camaraderie, ◦ and make the break for fear of bein...
If you remember from last week, Paul is telling his story Now, at the end of his autobiography he mentions Peter (Cephas) – this is the only record of them ever having a personal encounter • as Paul approaches the primary purpose of his letter • he uses this story to illustrate his central point – the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem recognized the difference between his ministry and Peter’s “they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been ent...
Last week we ventured into Paul’s letter to the Galatians Right away we learned that he was not pleased with these Christians - he accused them of deserting Jesus for “another gospel” • but he hasn’t defined that other gospel specifically • that's what he does in the next section of the letter that we will cover today - beginning in verse 11, Paul writes a brief autobiography • he does this because his personal history tells a story • as we make our way through this passage I’m going to inclu...
I’m going to make this simple, and show you what I see in the introduction to this letter First, there’s something different about the way it begins - in Paul's usual typical greetings he identifies himself, his title, and whoever else is with him • then, he greets and blesses his readers with, “grace and peace” • but in this letter, before he mentions his companions, he takes a detour ◦ he turns this simple greeting into a strong assertion - humans had nothing to do with Paul becoming an apo...
For a few weeks we’ve been bouncing around in Scriptures Next week we’ll settle into something more consistent, - and I’ve chosen to hike through Paul’s letter to the Galatians • but not today– • my talk this morning will be another random meditation - what I will say about this letter, • Paul was not at all pleased with the churches in the region of Galatia ◦ he had introduced them to a life in God through Jesus ◦ but others had followed Paul with a “distorted gospel” • so the Christian fait...
Pastor Allen was a preacher in Small Town, U.S.A. Relaxing at home one evening he settled into his recliner, pushed his reading glasses up to the bridge of his nose, and reached over to his side-table for something to take his mind off of work. He could have picked up one of the magazines lying there, or a novel with a bookmark where he left off, or if all else failed the TV remote. He accidently grabbed his Bible. Normally, when worn out in the evening, all he wanted was a distraction; any...
In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series - Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust, • suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets ◦ I’m still mulling that over • meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week - today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures • and it will require some explaining, • but I promise, the point I want to make is important
The way Luke introduces John the Baptist has a familiar ring: “The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Lk. 3:2) For example: “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri” or “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel” - Luke is obviously forging a link between John and previous prophets • Jesus will soon say, John was a prophet “and more than a prophet” (v. 26) ◦ John also appears as an eccentric character • we usually focus on John...
1 Corinthians 8:1-6 It’s not one of my favorites, but this time something happened - it was like I saw a glint of light sparkle from one of the verses • so I started digging at it ◦ I took my investigation as far as I could, ◦ but when that wasn’t enough, I consulted a biblical scholar • in a few minutes I’ll share with you what I discovered, - but first, we’ll take a brief look at this passage
Reading the stories of Jesus, Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice? - for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” • Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus ◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others ◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip • Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down ◦ now, near the en...
For some theologians and many believers, Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith - but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part • chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need • that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit ◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice - a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire • the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines ◦ they consiste...
Psalms 4

Psalms 4

2025-05-2535:50

Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23? Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t, - depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them • the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly • whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable ◦ it not only gives me something to think about, ◦ but also stirs up significant feelings - the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches • there are psalms that encourage and console • others giv...
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