gwot.rocks - God, the World, and Other Things!
Welcome to gwot.rocks, a podcast about God, the World,and Other Things! We're all about advancing the peace of Christ in the midst of an agitated world. In a time where hate, tension, and stress seem to be at an all time high in our culture. Personal transformation the peace Jesus Christ brings can ultimately result in the restoration our decaying cities.THE CITY is the core of our human existence. As our key cities go, so goes our nation. In the first century A.D., synagogues were central to Jewish worship, teaching, and community life. In Luke 4, after His baptism and temptation, Jesus begins His public ministry by attending a synagogue on the Sabbath. Following custom, He stands to read and is handed the scroll of Isaiah. The passage He reads proclaims that the "Spirit of the Lord" is upon the speaker, anointing Him to preach good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. This passage relates to the Jewish “Year of Jubilee” (Leviticus 25), a period every 50 years when debts were forgiven, slaves freed, and land returned, symbolizing liberation and restoration. The Isaiah passage is a messianic prophecy about God's servant bringing spiritual and social renewal. It was expected that the visiting Rabbi would continue reading from the place marked in the scroll. The marker was at the 61st out of 66 chapters…“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him. They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” (Luke 4:1-4, CSB) After reading the passage, Jesus sits down, which in Jewish custom indicated He was about to teach. He then makes the profound statement, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
On that first day of His public ministry, Jesus proclaims that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy - that He is the Messiah who has come to bring the spiritual and social liberation promised in the passage. This is a bold and revolutionary claim, especially in His hometown. As the account unfolds, the people’s reaction turns from amazement to rage, leading them to attempt to throw Jesus off a cliff. However, Jesus miraculously walks through the crowd unharmed and leaves Nazareth. This event is significant as it marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry and sets the tone for His mission: to bring spiritual, physical, and social liberation. Jesus’ reading and declaration align His mission with the messianic prophecy, emphasizing he is not just a teacher or prophet but is the long-awaited Messiah who inaugurates God's kingdom of the ultimate spiritual Jubilee - spiritual liberation and the arrival of God's kingdom, bringing freedom, healing, and renewal to all people. The Jubilee of Jesus Christ for individuals AND society as a whole is available to all today! As you can tell from the title and the podcast genesis, the topics covered in the future will be an eclectic and engaging look at stories and topics that inspire you and advance the peace of Christ in your life. and in the lives around you!
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- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 559
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Flourishing Through Abstinence? (Part 1)
Before you bypass this episode, I invite you to listen to it in its entirety. There is a LOT going on in the world, all swirling around the cohesive push to normalize and accept alcohol. if consumed …
Burning Hearts, Shining Lights: Flourishing in God's Pupose
A heart that burns produces a life that shines! The brightness of a believer's life flows directly from the internal firs of God's truth. Are you shining as a beacon hope, love, and truth in a dark w…
Flourishing Through Community: A Biblical Perspective
As a kid growing up in the hippie 60s, I remember the big push for hippies to move to communes. They were wanting to reconnect with community that was being torn apart by the racial tension and Viet …
Flourishing Through Ministry Pt.4
Wow! In the beginning, I envisioned this series to be four part to prepare our hearts for a great year of flourishing. As I began to focus in on this subject, God began to speak so much more to my sp…
Flourishing Through Ministry Pt.3
This episode deals with sensitive thoughts that must be addressed if the flourishing of God is realized fully in our own lives, the life of the Church of Jesus Christ, and the world at large.
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Flourishing Through Ministry Pt.2
Episode 9 in the series! We dive deeper into Ray Stedman's observation that ministry that aligns with the New Covenant is marked by simplicity, freedom, and genuine effectiveness and evaluate the hea…
Flourishing Through Ministry Pt.1
Correction- this Episode 8 in the series, not episode 6! The last four episodes of the eleven part series are focused on flourishing through ministry. We are talking about individual, personal minist…
Daily Conversion- The Necessity for Flourishing!
The Bible clearly teaches that once saved always saved. Eternal life is just that- life that lasts forever. So, once a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, He gives them the gift of …
Flourishing Through Prayer
This is episode 6 in the series! There are many podcast episodes on prayer in the gwot.rocks catalog. Check out the rest of the episodes to do a deep dive into this fundamental element of your soul's…
Flourishing Through Music
This is one of the most personal podcasts I've produced to date. You will be highly encouraged and lifted up as you are inspired to allow the God given gift of MUSIC to contribute to your soul's flou…
Flourishing Through Personal Holiness
In this series, so far we’ve explored the interconnected pillars of flourishing: justice, mercy, and humility. Today, we turn our attention to the critical role of personal piety—of walking humbly be…
Flourishing Through Mercy
This is Episode 3 of our series, “2025: Prayer for a Year of Flourishing.” In this episode we turn our attention to the second pillar of flourishing: mercy. Mercy is a thread woven deeply into God’s …
Biblical Justice Fuels Flourishing
This is the second episode in this special series. The word JUSTICE has become a lightening rod of dissension in recent years, commandeered by people with personal agendas that create politcal and so…
2025: Prayer for a Year of Flourishing!
This is a multi-part series on flourishing. In this first episode we look closely at the picture of flourishing the Bible paints. You may be surprised at some of the things that flourishing is and fi…
The Christmas Eve Santa Rode My English Race Bicycle!
The first episode of "gwot.rocks" air on August 28, 2019. This Christmas episode, "The Christmas Eve Santa Rode My English Racer Bicycle," was #11 and aired on December 24th, 2019. It is the most lis…
Christmas says-WORSHIP!
The story of the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12 teaches us that the right response to Jesus is WORSHIP and their journey reveals much about what true worship looks like! Though we hear this story a thousand …
Christmas Says...JOY!"
This is part 2 in a special 3 part miniseries "Christmas says..." If you have't listened to episode 482, part one, it would be helpful for context for you to listen to episode it to have a better und…
Christmas Says...Grace!"
Its hard to beiieve that at the time of this podcast broadcast, there is just a couple more weeks until Christmas day. Because this special established day celebrates the greatest event in human hist…
The Lord is Able!
Its really hard to believe that Christmas day is fast approaching! Here is a word of encouragement that invites you to be a part of the peace train that rolled into town the night Christ was born!
A Christmas Wish & A New Year Prayer
We have been drinking from the firehose of outlandish overt manifestations of evil in ways unseen and unheard of in the history of our great nation. It appears that there is coming a reprieve from th…