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Well, they could be better. Sandy's sick. I don't know what's going on. She puked her guts up last night, and she seems to be okay kind of this morning, but I don't know what I can get her to eat. She doesn't want to eat. Copy that. I'm sorry to hear Sandy is sick. We'll still pray for her and for her healing. Sounds like an upset stomach or maybe a flu or something. So we've got Sandy on the prayer list. Anything else there, Beck? No, no, no. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, other than that, we're alive, Roger. Okay, copy that. Thank you. And tell Sandy we love her, and we're going to be praying for her and for God's healing in her life. Roger that. She heard every word. Thank you, Pastor Max. Thank you, Sandy. I'm with you, and we are empathetic and sorry for your upset stomach. No, I hate that. I'd rather have a backache than an upset stomach. All right, WB7, AMX here. And I'm looking for check-ins and or prayer requests, so please come down with your call sign. KELOLAND 7 Sierra Belsie. Good morning, Max. Well, good morning there, Stacey. How are things in Corvallis? Oh, everything's just fire and fog around here. Been kind of catching up on the latest news in the Middle East there. Been praying for those folks to get a good outcome for sure. Yeah, copy that, copy that. We got several requests for prayer for them, so they're definitely on the list today, and we'll be holding it up before the Lord. We all pray throughout the day. Kinetic warfare is a real hazard. Okay, we've got Stacy, K7SGS, check in. I see Brian, KJ7PWM on the Utah SDR. Brian, are you on your radio? Come back to me. This is KJ7PWM. Copy, KJ7PWM. Brian, heard your voice. Brian, any prayer requests? Everybody listen up. I might need a relay. No new prayer requests this morning. Happy to be here. Okay, no new prayer requests. How is your dad Bob doing? Over. He's doing real good. He said he's never had any pain, ever. And he wants to sit with All right, glad to hear that he's doing well. And, yeah, like most people, too much too soon, but we'll pray that he manages his activity in a way that maximizes his healing. So appreciate you being there, Brian, KJ7PWM. and we'll pray for your dad, Bob. Okay, any other check-ins this morning, please come now. Kilo 7, November Echo, Brown Mountain. Okay, we've got Keith, KE7NEB. Good morning, Keith, how you doing? Good morning, this morning. Good morning, all. No prior requests. All right, no prior requests, copy that. So we got you checked in. Appreciate you being there, Keith. Okay, any other check-ins, please come now. Okay, we all want to remember D'Aleen, Roger, WB7VZL. His wife D'Aleen is having her second breast cancer surgery today. They went in and took out a lump, didn't get clean margins on that. It was a microscope, so got to go back in. and take a little more tissue. So that is a big deal that our brother, WB7BZL, and his wife are going through today. So we want to be sure and remember Roger. All right, any other check-ins before we start the Bible study, please come down. Okay, there's Peter, KJ7BA. Good morning, Peter. See you there on the SDR. So let's see, who else do we have? Peter says 32 degrees there where he's at, so that's good. All right, Peter, we got you checked in. Thank you for being there. Appreciate it. Peter says good morning to everyone. All right, we're going to get started with the West Coast Bible study. I will look over my FDRs as time goes on. And as I have opportunity, sometimes things get busy and I don't do that for a while. But if you do check in by SDR, and I don't acknowledge you, it doesn't mean that we don't love you. And we will pick you up sooner or later. All right. I want to get started with the West Coast Bible Study here. And we are in... 2 Corinthians 3, verses 1-6. Now, I want to talk a little bit about this passage, and we need to understand the context. Really, it begins back up in chapter 2, the last part of the chapter there, and we talked about... the conflict that he has with these false teachers in the Church of Corinth. And Paul was under a vicious attack by a small fraction of false teachers in the Corinthian church who were trying to turn the whole church against Paul in his teachings. And he makes reference to them in verse 17 of chapter 2. There were many who were trying to corrupt the Word of God. Paul wasn't in that category. And so he begins to interact with and talk about these folks that are making false accusations against him. We've already seen that earlier when they were accusing him of being hateful about his travel plans. Well, in the providence of God, God changed his travel plans. He wasn't lying when he said he was going to go there and then didn't go. So he's got this faction that's harassing him, and he now turns his attention to the conduct and accusations of his critics. And in the section that we're going to be looking at, he demonstrates the fallacy of building one's credibility on man-made credentials. Instead, he asserts the fact that his credibility rests on what God had done through him and on what God had done in him. And man-made credentials may be impressive to those who live for the praise and admiration of men, but they mean nothing in the kingdom of God. So the world puts a lot of stock in letters of commendation and university degrees and diplomas and... and certifications and licenses from accrediting agencies, but they mean precisely nothing in the kingdom of God. I remember going to a ministerial association meeting decades ago in Lebanon, and I well remember a so-called pastor named Jackson, He was the Presbyterian pastor in Lebanon. It was a liberal Presbyterian church. And in the pastor's fellowship meeting, we were talking about the inerrancy of Scripture, right? And so he pounds on the table with his fist, and he says, I have a Ph.D., and I know there are errors in the Bible. His academic credential, the letter from the university he studied at, was to validate the fact that whatever he said could be trusted as fact because he had a Ph.D. Well, his credentials, I guess, made him more knowledgeable than Jesus, who said in John 10, 35, the scriptures cannot be broken. That is, they cannot be found to be at error. And so Skip thought he was smarter than Jesus because he had a PhD. Well, the obvious point of our passage is simply this. Human credentials are meaningless in the eyes of God and in the eyes of God's people as well. What really matters is that God is doing his work through a man, and that God has done his work in that man, and that's what gives him credibility, not the number of degrees and diplomas he's got on his wall. So that's kind of a little background here to our passage, and that's what the focus of Paul's argument is here. Sadly, because of his critics, he had to spend a lot of time defending himself and talking about himself in this letter. And so that's what's going on here. He's not bragging. He's just defending himself against these ridiculous critics he's got. All right, well, that's our passage. Before we read the passage together, we want to open in prayer and ask God's blessing upon our study together today. And so, Beck, Alpha Alpha Phi Yankee, could you please open in prayer for us today? Beck Alphal: Sure. Let us bow our heads. Thank you. Dear Father God in heaven, we thank you for another day. We look forward to you blessing our Bible study. May it open our minds, our hearts, and our souls that we may receive the word implemented today and in our future. And until the day when we meet with you and we're in heaven. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. All right, Scott, N7NPA, I know you got early out today, but if you could read the scripture passage for us, I'd sure appreciate that. That is 2 Corinthians 3, 1 through 6. 1 through 6 there, Scott. All right. Good morning, everyone. I'll be reading out the New American Standard Version this morning, picking it up in 2 Corinthians 3, 1. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need some letters of commendation to you or from you? You are a letter, writing in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, that our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not a letter, but of Scripture. No, excuse me, not of a letter, but of spirit. For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. That brings us up to 7, Max, and 7 in PA. Thank you for that interesting passage here. All right, any comments on this passage? Please come down with your call, son. K2KJX? George, K2KJX, go ahead. Yeah, I was in the Navy most of my adult life. They were big on letters of commendation and things like that. I heard this... I guess on the radio, talk about wood, hay, and stubble. And so I put on top of my shadow box, which is something you get when you retire from the Navy, wood, hay, and stubble. And people have come into my shack and said, what's that mean? And I tell them, everything's going to burn up, and the only thing that will be left is my faith. And if you so desire your faith in Jesus, over. Thank you. Amen. Well said. Yeah, George, you know, the world hands out its accolades and its certifications and all of those things. But in the end, the only certification and accolade that's going to matter is that you have the blood of Jesus Christ. covering your sins and commending you to God. When Jesus says on the day of judgment, that one belongs to me, and I present him faultless before your throne, that's the credential we want, that's the credential we need, and earthly credentials, like you said, are all going to be lost. Now, you know, it's not that some of them don't have some validity, but we know lots of folks that are highly credentialed and highly esteemed in the eyes of men But in the eyes of God, they are really servants of Satan, and they are not those who are commended by or credentialed by God himself. So, George, thanks for keeping that perspective. and it's an important perspective to have. And that is measuring everything by the standard of eternity, and that's what you are doing. So good for you, George. Appreciate that. That was a good witness and testimony. All right, any other comments? Come on. Thank you. All right, well, you notice chapter 2, verse 17, we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God or deal deceitfully with the Word of God, is the idea there. But we operate with sincerity. Sincerity. We operate in the sight of God. So there are many people who are operating in the sight of men. What do the folks think of me? And then Paul is saying, you know, I don't really care what people think of me. I care what God thinks of me. So the two different mentalities. One is looking for the praise of man. The other is looking for the praise of God. One fears what man thinks. The other one fears what God thinks. And so completely different perspectives between the ministers of this world and and the ministers of the world to come. And so he then, right there in verse 1 of chapter 3, says, Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Now, you know, he had been commending himself in that. He had been defending his integrity. Right? He'd been defending his calling as an apostle, he's been defending his credentials to be an authoritative teacher of the Word of God, but all of that was not based on, you know, the fact that he was in the school of Gamaliel, right? I've got this human certification. But rather, he says, you guys are depending upon these letters of commendation from others. And, you know, if you look around long enough, you can get anybody to write nice stuff about you, right? But the real question is, is that valid and does that have credibility? So he didn't need people to affirm anything. the legitimacy of his gifts, of his calling, or of his character. Other people need all that stuff because they don't have it in reality, and so they've got to produce some sort of evidence of it. So that's what's going on here. And that's what that pastor in Lebanon, Skip Jackson, was doing. I have a Ph.D., And I know. And you guys need to just believe me because I have the Ph.D. Well, we know lots of folks with lots of degrees who say lots of things that are really wrong. All right, other comments. Please come out. You got action. I got action. Go ahead. Well, thank you, Max. And excellent comments. You're exactly right. Interesting. I know someone who... quite proficient in theology. He probably has the equivalent of a PhD, but he never actually got a PhD. But I one time referred to him as doctor, and boy, he grabbed onto that, and now he presents himself as doctor so-and-so. He's not, but it's to lift himself. Chapter 3 is really at the heart of this whole letter. in many ways and what deep theological foundation here. Because, you know, Paul does talk about, you know, he's not going to play the credentials game here. And as he said in Philippians 3.8, you know, all the academic accomplishments and credentials and all this, you know, I count it as, you know, a pile of refuse there. It's nothing. What is important is what God does in the hearts of the believers and the transformation that takes place. And what does legitimize a godly ministry? Well, Paul outlines it here very well. But Paul has established himself in who he is. He doesn't need to play the credentials game. There were many around who had the authority and whatever that he said he had. He should have this credential. And Paul says, no, you're missing the point altogether. Again, as we've talked about, whether examples in the Old Testament or New, it's a matter of the heart and the congruency and in alignment with God's Word. And we see here the transformation that takes place because of the gospel ministry and what is established therein. And Paul is with much, sometimes resistance, sometimes welcoming arms, but his consistency in proclaiming Christ crucified. KB7, is that acceptable? All right, Kevin, great comment. Completely agree. And, you know, John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress, right? This guy was, you know, not educated at all. He could just read and write, and that was about it. And then a contemporary of his was a guy named John Owen, who had a Ph.D. and was a brilliant, brilliant Puritan author. So I have 16 volumes of John Owen's writings on my shelf, and they are wonderful, very high-level theological writings. And then you've got John Bunyan, right? He writes Pilgrim's Progress, you know, just a very interesting and compelling and transformative narrative allegory of the Christian's journey towards heaven. And John Owen, with his PhD and all of that, he said that I would gladly trade all of my learnings. to be able to preach like the tinker. And he was talking about John Bunyan because he was a tinker. That's what he did for a living. And so here's a guy who had phenomenal intellectual and academic skills. He produced thousands of pages of writings that are still read today. And yet he saw this uneducated and he says, I wish I could preach like that guy does. I wish I could preach as well as he does in the moving fashion where he is able to connect Jesus with people in a way through the preaching of the word that I would hope to attain to someday. And so these were two men of God who were widely different in activities. And yet the one with all the academic abilities recognized the credentials. that John Bunyan had from God and from the Holy Spirit to be able to preach the Word with incredible transformative power. And so I think that there needs to be a recognition that God is the one who equips people for ministry by giftedness and by calling and then by attending that ministry with His presence, His power. in his transformative work. You can't educate men into the ministry. Men in the ministry need to be educated. Make no mistake. But just getting an education doesn't make one qualified for the spiritual activity of the individual's heart. That's a supernatural gift of God, and it's a supernatural operation of God, and it can't be duplicated or counterfeited by vast education. Well, he says here in verse 2, he says, "You Corinthians, you are our letters, written in our hearts, known and read of all men, forasmuch you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone. but in the fleshy tables of the heart. So Paul is saying, the proof of my calling and qualification for the ministry is the work God has done in the hearts of people through my ministry. And Paul could point to the Corinthians. Many had been matured in Christ through his ministry. And he says, the proof of my calling is in the results that I produce. And when you see people getting saved and transformed and living for Christ and loving Christ, then you know you've got a real ministry on your hands there. And when you see a bunch of pompous, self-important Pharisees, well, you know you've got something that's doing their job there. So anyway, that's the argument. And Paul is saying, "It's not of us," verse 5, "not that we're sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves. Our sufficiency is of God." So even though Paul did phenomenally good work, lots and lots of people got saved, lots and lots of churches were established, he gave all the credit to God. And so saying, "You know what God did through me, that gives me credibility, but God was the one who did it, and so He gets the glory." So we had a high level of confidence and a high level of humility at the same time. And that's the nature that someone who's been called by God knows it. And they know that they're doing good work. And yet, when that work is done, it's... I'm completely insufficient to be able to do any of this. All right, other comments, please come out. YSI. Okay, we've got YSI and PVT. So YSI, you go first, and we'll do PVT. Go ahead there. Yeah, I was just sitting here thinking... Listen to all the comments. One of the things that comes across my mind is that I had a purpose in choosing Paul. I didn't choose just anybody. And the fact that Paul had that background, the Gamaliel, is that how you pronounce it? The training under that man? I think there's some people who don't want to lift that up and say, well, if he had to have all that, he wouldn't have been able to do what he did and that sort of thing. But I think that God knew what he was doing in choosing Paul. to be the great apostle, W6YSI. Yes, Steve, you're exactly right. Paul was enormously well-educated. He grew up in the school of the Malayal, and so he had tremendous academic credentials. But you notice he didn't appeal to them, and that's the point. And I think I said that earlier, is that ministers of the gospel need to be highly educated. I am not saying they can all be like John Bunyan. But the education doesn't make the minister. The work of the Holy Spirit, the character of the man, that's what makes a true minister of the gospel. And then someone who has that calling and has that giftedness then needs to develop that through education. And so it's not an either-or, it's a both-and. But my point is for giftedness and for calling and for empowerment by God, though it is an important attendant if you do have those things. So great comment there. All right, Mark, KJ7PVT, go ahead. Oh yeah, Max, I'll preface this. I can't hear much. My SDR has gone down, so I'm going to talk about something that somebody else is doing. Please forgive me. But I'm going to Chapter 3, Verse 2, and I... I see there that he says you are a little written in our hearts. And I want to stop there for a second. For those of you who have read our text, for those of you who are in the middle of doing that, you know what that feels like when the Lord has set somebody on your heart. So I'm starting with all parts first. uh That is not the deal. It is the heart of Paul expressing the heart of Christ and his love. And it's through that understanding of Christ's love for him that he extends it on. This is the ink that's in that pen that he's using. And so he says, "You are the official written key "from our hearts, known and read by all men." So other people are now seeing the love of Christ to these other people. I want to quickly, I'm jumping back and forth a little bit. I grabbed my Bible and I swing it. back to John chapter 16. And I can't, you know, we don't have time for me to read through that whole thing, but Jesus is saying, I'm going away, and it's good that I'm going away for you because I'm going to stand a comfort in it. And that is the Holy Spirit. And he says, you know, Chapter 3, verse 12, 16. or he will take what is mine and declare it unto you. And that is our job as Christians to take all the spirit that is in our hearts, that he's placed there, when we receive him, and then begin to express that to the people of our state, because it's not just the people of our state, it's not just our state, but other people come to him through what they say. So let's extend to the mean almost echo, and it should be an echo of what Jesus is saying in this telling of the effect of the peace peace identity, that the word and everything that is being done here is the ink of the Spirit's re-baptized peace peace. Yeah, Mark, great comments. Really appreciate that. You know, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, and that's what we pour out into the hearts of others. And I really appreciate you making the connection here between the work of the Spirit in Paul's heart, and then, of course, the work of Paul, as you use the metaphor of ink, of pouring that out into the hearts of the Corinthians. And I think that the really important thing here is that the work of the ministry is not an academic work. It's not a professional work. It's a work of a heart on fire with love for Jesus Christ, a heart on fire with the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit, and pouring out into the hearts of other people. So there's a heart-to-heart communication and connection between the person, that's doing the witnessing and the person that is receiving the witnessing. And, you know, Paul lived and died on how people responded to the truth of the Word of God and to the gospel. And so, you know, I remember a fellow minister of mine talking at a pastor's conference, and he says, You know, brethren, we're not professionals. And what he meant is that we don't just take a clinical interest in our people. What he's saying is that, you know, we are people who are out there filled with love, desiring to serve, praying fervently. our emotions and our heart and our spirit is wrapped up in those that we minister to. And that's why, you know, you see all the emotion in this letter. You're really seeing Paul's pastoral heart here and the connection at the heart level that he has with these people. And, of course, God willing, they would have with him, empowered by him. the Spirit of God, who Jesus left to fill us with Jesus' mind, Jesus' words, and Jesus' power to change lives that we minister to. Mark, great comment. Thank you so much for that. Danette would like to acknowledge Gene, K7GWR, Tacoma, Washington there. Gene, good to have you with us. Also, Joe, K7UOQ. Joe, thank you for being there. We've also got Les. November 6, Lima, Juliet, Foxtrot, Celeste, N6LJF. Thank you guys for showing up there on the SDRs. We see you, and we got you checked in. All right, any other comments on this passage, please come now. Is that A7? That's A7VIP. Okay, we've got Brian, K7VIP, and then we'll go back there to you, Mark. Go ahead, Brian. to our point on re-education which is the international gift Paul himself is the best example of what he's speaking about probably in that he was well well trained he even made the point at home some other chapter or verse that he, if anyone was to write themselves, it would be him because he was a Pharisee. But with that education, look what it was doing, sending him, you know, to killing the very people that believed in Jesus. And so, with all that education, that didn't put him where he needed to be without transformation on the road. of his life in return. So that part is the beginning of God. Over. Yeah, well said, Brian. Yeah, that passage is in Philippians chapter 3, verses 4 through 8, and he lists his credentials there, right? Circumcised the eighth day, the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, the Hebrew of the Hebrews, touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness of which is and then he says, But those things that were gained to me, worldly gain, that gain the esteem of many, says, I counted them lost for Christ. And he says, I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him. not having my own righteousness. So thank you, Brian, for bringing up that passage and how that academics, without conversion to the heart, just leads to proud Pharisaism. With conversion to the heart, academics can increase the skill level and the wisdom of being able to minister the Word of God. So you have to have both. But with conversion, with commitment to Christ, with godly character, with a calling and a giftedness, and then you educate all of that to elevate it to a higher level of effectiveness. Great comment. Okay, back to Mark, KJ7PVT. Mark, go ahead with your follow-up. Yes, thank you, Postmax. I guess what I'm going to do is just with you being trained as a counselor, you have that education. And I want to swing for a second to those who don't have that training, but I want to identify... Everyone here has been trained in something. You don't get to the age that most of our other kids are a lot older than others. Some are younger. Some are still in training. Some have been in training for years. We have all kinds of different things that God has called us to. I was told to be an engineer. Some were told to be a doctor. Some were called to be an animal hunter. I mean, I'm just on and on. And what God does all to do in life is to learn how to do those things very well. And at some point, you become pretty knowledgeable in those areas, and people look up to you, and you can use your knowledge of, of certain things to make an analogy that speaks to the people. And they do understand where no one else would be able to do that. And you're not speaking their language in that manner. You're speaking in a way that they would take advantage of. and even know that you have that specific position that you've been put in where God will give you that, and you won't be able to understand it in any other way. Let's give you time. Yeah, Mark, well said. And that's why I think it's good for us to learn everything we can about everything we can. I was talking to a missionary to Honduras, and I was a young guy right then preparing for the ministry, and he said, "What's the best way to prepare for the mission field?" And he said, "Learn everything you can about everything you can." Because that would be the best ability to reach the broadest number of people. So, you know, I've tried to learn about all these different fields and all these different areas of learning and knowledge. I'm not an expert at any of them, but you have a broad enough knowledge that you can connect with people who are experts. And you can relate to what they're talking about and they can see, "Oh, this guy understands me." And yes, Mark, what a connection that makes. And so, you know, we have our areas of expertise where we can go a lot deeper, and then we have our areas of general knowledge where at least we know enough to be able to connect with folks and communicate the gospel to them. So Mark, that's a great comment. Thank you for that. I did want to comment on verse 6. Now verse 6 is connected to verse 5, right? So in verse 5 he says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves." We don't think highly of ourselves at all is what he's saying. But notice the last phrase of verse 5. Our sufficiency is of God, verse 6, who, speaking of God, has made us able ministers of the new covenant. And so if someone is an able minister of the new covenant, of preaching the Christian gospel, it's God who made them to be that. And so Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, you remember when we read that, he says, What do you have that you have not received? Now, if you've received it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it? and you thought it arose from yourself. So here's Paul, highly competent, highly gifted, highly effective. This guy produced results like you wouldn't believe. And yet when it was all said and done, he said, it's all of God. He made me an able minister of the New Testament. And so it wasn't through the commendation of man. It wasn't even through the training of men. It was through the calling of the gift. So the question is, you know, who has the calling and the gift? Well, you look at their character, you look at their confidence, and you look at their giftedness. And then, of course, along with that has to be knowledge. Okay? They have to understand the topic. You can be highly gifted and have a great character, but you don't know anything. You're not going to achieve much. And that's where the education comes in. We're not relying on the education. It is merely a supplemental support system that then informs and empowers and enables the giftedness and the calling and the character to, as Mark said, communicate and connect with the heart when we're ministering. So this is really a strange activity. This is not like any other activity. This is an activity that operates in the realm of the unseen, and it has a power. that is not explainable by any collection of merely humanly achieved skills and competencies. So what you've got here is a bunch of professionals with their letters of commendation, and then what you've got here is a guy who is gifted and called by God, who just accepted the character of the transformative work of Jesus in his life, and who has that heart on fire for the people of God, pouring himself into their lives, and then seeing God use that to transform them, into the image of Christ, even from glory to glory, all done by the Spirit of the Lord. All right, any final comments before we go? KB 7 Zedekson. Kevin, KB 7 Zedekson, go ahead. Yeah, very good comments and observations. And I want to just go back to Mark's original comment because he touched on something that's really, Paul is really speaking to the fulfillment of what was foretold in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 26 and 27. He tells us, I'm going to give you a new heart, and I'm going to put my spirit in you. I'm going to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, and my spirit will dwell in you. Jeremiah also reflected this prophecy too this time when he says, you know, I will give you the law in your mind, and your heart, you know, transform your heart. in Memphis. give you my spirit to dwell in you. Jeremiah 31, 33. And I think it's Ezekiel 36, 26, and 27. So in other areas of the Old Testament as well, this is foretold. So this is a fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophesied. And you're right. It is part of the new covenant here. And... and the fulfillment of the gospel. And I'm glad you pointed to verses 5 and 6 too because it is. You know, when I was called to the ministry, I'll never forget, and it's no cliche now, I wasn't really, it didn't connect with me until somebody told me because when I was called, I was so unprepared and inadequate. Although I loved saying the word of God for many, for a long time then, I just loved soaking in and reading and learning all I could about the word of God. and pray about for understanding, pray about application, pray about being able to present it and illustrate it. But when you're called, I felt so inadequate. My brother told me then, he says, you know, God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called. And, yeah, that is such a true statement. And we see that here with Paul. Paul academically was as sharp as they come, especially when it came to the law and probably the history of the Jews and the cultural things. But yet, as you know, as I'm sure that was in Philippians 3, you know, 8 there, he counted all his losses as nothing compared to what God does with the transformation in our hearts. And with that spirit in us, what a blessing we have to guide us through the word for it, because the word gives the spirit, the living spirit, working in the revelation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Give me some of that example. Yeah. Yeah, amen, Kevin. Well said. You know, it is the fulfillment of the new covenant that's promised, as you said there, in Ezekiel chapter 5. And also Jeremiah 31, 31 and following all echoed there in Hebrews chapter 8. And we are able to enter into the new covenant. And the new covenant is that message of the gospel of Jesus' saving work on the cross. And as he says, I will put my spirit within you. And that's what this is. It's a spiritual, this is a spiritual transaction. There's a spiritual power. It's all unexplainable. And because of that, we feel completely inadequate. And I feel inadequate, okay, constantly. Because you realize, I can't do this. Without him, I can do nothing. But then you have that confidence, I can do all things through him. And so when he attends the witnessing, he attends the Bible study, he attends the preaching with his presence and his power, and the work of his spirit, the work gets done, and it's the most amazing experience. and when it's all done, you still feel humbled and acquitted that God is adequate. Our sufficiency is not of ourselves. Our sufficiency is of Him. All right, and now we'd like to acknowledge Jeff, AK6OK. Jeff, see you there on Sunday. Thank you for joining us. All right, we are out of time. Kevin, great closing comment. Appreciate that. Any other prayer requests before we go to prayer? Please come down to the call line. AK6 OK. AK6 OK, Jeff, go ahead. Yeah, welcome back, Max. Good to hear you're on here today. We can't wait for what's going on in Iran with our military, with all the people in Iran right now. I was late because I was listening to a news conference with the military, and it's just a lot of stuff needs to be read over there, Omar. Copy that. We have that on our list, Jeff, and we're going to be praying for that. So appreciate you reinforcing that request. Okay. Appreciate you. Anything else? Is that an update? I heard a voice. Was that you, Kevin? Go ahead. Yeah, Roger. I just got an update from Will's wife. KM5F, the wife of KM5F, last night, and they made it to Louisiana. They've had some car issues that have been worked out, but they'll be in full swing from the, that were affected by the ice storm in Monroe, Mississippi. So they arrived safe, and just continuing their prayers for them. KB7, ZXN. Good copy, Kevin. Thank you for that. We'll pray for sure. Any other requests before I go to prayer? No. Alright, let's go ahead and pray. Our kind and gracious Father, we thank you so much for the Apostle Paul. We thank you for his humility. We thank you for the way you gifted him. the way you matured him, and the way that you used him to write half the New Testament and to evangelize the entire known world at that time in history. And yet, Father, we see this phenomenal humility. He doesn't think anything of himself. He thinks everything of Jesus Christ. And so, Father, as you bless and use us in our various ministries, Father, to you be the glory, great things you have done. And, Father, we are just, as we're going to read in the next chapter, earthen vessels. that hold the treasure of the gospel. And so, Father, I pray that you help us never think that because you work in us and through us, that somehow the credit goes to us. Father, we pray that we might always say to God be the glory of great things he has done. So love to you the world that he gave us his son. And just that amazing grace that you have shown to us. Father, we just pray today that you would be with the ministers of the gospel around. us, Father, they are under assault, just like Paul was, by highly credentialed infidels, men who have great academic learning, have great worldly accolades, are held up in the lights as being someone really important. And yet they're under assault for the true doctrine of the gospel. They assault the true ministers of the gospel. Father, I pray that they would be exposed to the frauds that they are. And Lord, I do pray that the true ministers of the gospel would be encouraged and that you would give them fruit for their labors and they would see you working through them in people's hearts, writing your truth on earth so that they too then might be able to communicate that to the next generation. Father, the work of ministry is a supernatural work, and you call this all to some kind of ministry. Father, we pray that as we labor in that ministry, that we would have a spirit of prayer and supplication crying out to you to help us and then recognize that when you do, that it was you who did the work. Now we just want to pray for our dear brother Will and Martha Fay, his wife, who are now boots on the ground in Monroe, Louisiana, doing chaplain work among those who are suffering from that severe ice storm. Lord, I pray that you would give them words and wisdom and physical strength and health. Father, may the Spirit of God attend the words that are spoken so that, Father, not only is physical help supplied, as important as that is, but also, Father, that spiritual ministry is achieved. Father, we thank you that they made it, even though they had some car troubles. And, Lord, we thank you now that they're ready to do the work. And, Father, open doors of opportunity for them. give them words to speak. And Father, I just pray that we should always be with grace, seasoned with salt, and that they would know how to answer each situation in person to whom they speak. And Father, our hearts also go out to our dear brother Roger WB7DZL and his wife, Darlene. Father, Darlene's in surgery today for her breast cancer. A second go-round to take even more tissue. to be able to get all of that cancer. Lord, I pray that you give Darlene the peace that passes all understanding. May it fill her heart and mind. Lord, I pray that she would not have any anxiety, that she would be anxious for life, but just in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let her request be made known to God and may the peace of God that passes all understanding fill her heart and her mind. Lord, give the surgeon skill. I pray that she has to be operated on and that, Lord, she would become cancer-free from this point forward. Father, we just want to pray for the prayer request that James K. 7080 brought to our attention, and that's the sexual abuse of children. with all this Epstein drama that's unfolding and the exposure of all these wicked people who have abused children. Father, I pray that your crushing wrath would fall on these child abusers, that they would be exposed and punished for the wickedness they have done. And Father, we pray that your sustaining, uplifting grace would surround these victims. Father, I pray. that each one would know your healing hand, each one would know your comforting presence, each one would be enabled by you to overcome the trauma that has been done to them, and that they would be able to forget those things which are behind and press on towards those things which are ahead. And Father, may each of them come to know Jesus as Savior and find healing and wholeness in Him. And Lord, we just pray that this Molech worship, where children are sacrificed, would be eradicated from the face of this earth. Father, may you just intervene here and protect and heal the victims. and crush and destroy the wicked perpetrators. Father, I just want to pray today for Fred, who has made it to Sitka, Al K. Father, thank you that he has made it back to his place of employment. Father, I pray that he would be able to now work hard, earn some money, make a way in life, and Lord, may he be a witness for Christ there in Sitka. We also pray for Al's son, John. Lord, that you would be pleased to heal him of his cancer. Just to meet the needs of both of Al's children, whatever they are. Lord, we just want to pray. Many have requested today prayer for the Iran war. Lord, for our soldiers and troops. Um... Lord, we pray that each of our soldiers would have wisdom. Each of them would enjoy protection from you. And Lord, we pray that this wicked Islamic regime that has terrorized the world in the name of Allah might be utterly destroyed. And Father, we pray that you would raise up people who are Christians to run that government and lead it, Father, into peace and into just a pattern of behavior that's a blessing to the world instead of a curse like it is now. Give our warfighters wisdom, give the generals guidance so that they will be able to make precisely those actions that would be the most effective at bringing this war to a conclusion as rapidly as possible. Father, I just pray that you would be pleased to glorify yourself in defeating this satanic evil regime. And I just want to bring glory to your name. Father, we just want to pray today for our dear brother Mike, W7TWO. Father, we pray for the healing of his temporal arteritis. We pray that you would give him wisdom in managing the prednisone dose. He's down to 7 milligrams, Father. And, Lord, this prednisone is essential for his healing, and yet, Father, it really beats him up. I just want you to have mercy on Mike. Eradicate this disease from his body and give him strength and ability to overcome. the side effects of the prednisone. Father, we just want to pray for our dear sister Sandy, W7SAB, who's just flat not feeling well this morning. And Lord, I just pray that your hand of healing would be on her and that soon she would know health and strength in the body and that she would just be able to... get up and move around without the limitations of some sort of a virus or bacteria that's harming her. Lord, we just want to give you thanks for Brian KG7PW and his dad, Bob, and how well he's recovering from his surgery. And yet, Father, it's easy for him to overdo it. I just put you up with him to engage in that level of activity that would be best for his healing. And not to just push that too hard, Father, but just continue to bless Brian and Bob's relationship, their communication, and Bob's healing. Father, we just want to pray today for LKJ7QQH's neighbor, Lucas, who suddenly lost his hearing. Father, they've been doing some diagnostic tests, and they figured out that there's some issues there. But, Father, I just pray for a plan of treatment that would not only resolve the issues but restore his hearing to him. Lord, I just pray for my good friend Rick Bofinger, who has malignant melanoma. And, Father, he's now receiving immunotherapy treatment to fight that cancer. Lord, I pray that that would be effective, that the cancer would be destroyed in his body. But Father, he's 70 now and he needs to sell his business and dial down the stress in his life. And Lord, I just pray that someone would buy his business quickly. Thank you for the buyers that are showing interest. And I want to then follow through, Father, as a choir, so that he can retire and rest. and live out his remaining years, Father, in peace and ministering to his family. Lord, I just pray for Doc, W6RLJ. Doc is in the South Pacific now, in the island of Fiji. Lord, I just pray for the health issues of his wife, Marla. I pray for Doc. that you would give him great blessing in the medical mission that he's participating in. They've got to dentists. They've got doctors. He's a trained military medic. And, Lord, I just ask that not only would many people be healed from the hospital, Lord, I just pray that many people would hear the gospel and receive it and become saved. Father, I just pray that you give him strength and health while he's down there and be with his wife. And Father, just may the two of them be able to be under your blessing and under your care and be empowered by you to see many brothers and sisters in those islands. Father, we just want to continue to pray for Carol, KK7TPO's friend Amy, who had recent breast cancer surgery. And Lord, may she know a full recovery. And Father, complete deliverance from that disease. We pray for her friend Joanne, who needs healing from shingles. Lord, we trust and pray that that will resolve itself as her immune system recovers and strengthens enough to fight the shingles back. And now, Lord, we just want to thank you for your goodness and your mercy and your grace to each one of us. Thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Father, we look to him for our salvation. We long to serve him in our generation and bring glory to his name. as we not only know His character in our lives, but as we preach and teach others about His saving grace. Father, we pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, this is Max, WB7MAX, Net Control for the West Coast Bible Study. I want to thank all the stations who checked in this morning, as well as those who stood by to give us a clear operating. We meet here seven days a week at 6 a.m. in order to read the scriptures, understand their meaning, message, and application, and then pray for grace and mercy to be able to live out what we learned and for God to meet the needs in our circle of fellowship. I'll be returning this frequency out to regular amateur use. This is WB7MAX. I'll be clear and standing by. ♪♪ ♪♪. Thank you, Max, and thank you for all the shared comments and thoughts today. KB7 is that XAN. I'll be. Hi, Kevin. This is for you. Appreciate you, brother, and your contributions here. And you have a great day. And just pray that God's good hand would be upon you as you serve him. KB7ZXN73, WB7MAX is clear and standing by. KB7P, go ahead. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Yeah, Mark, good copy, copy all. Understand you won't be here the next couple of days because you've got your daughter visiting from out of town. All right, we're going to miss you, brother, but just pray God's blessing on your house and that you'll just be able to enjoy the time together. And thanks. Appreciate you letting us know, Mark, and we'll talk to you when we hear your call sign on the West Coast Bible Study. KJ7PBT 732U, WB7MX is clear and standing by. *Rain* Back, I'm on 5 Yankee, are you out there? I guess you're taking care of Sandy, so no worries if you're not. Alright, this is WB7MAX, neck control for the West Coast, I will be clear for RT and see you all tomorrow, God bless. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. you you you you you you you you you you you