Care for a swim? https://thekingdomnetwork.us/2....025/06/16/swimming-l

Not too accurate, but quite fun!

...Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus.
Romans 16:11 ESV

As with Aristobulus, Paul greets the family of Narcissus, but apparently not Narcissus himself. There was a wealthy freedman named Tiberius Claudius Narcissus in the court of Emperor Claudius. Nero’s mother Agrippina forced him to commit suicide after the death of Claudius, shortly before this letter was written.

It’s remotely possible that Paul was addressing believers within this man’s house, but the name Narcissus was probably common, being derived from Greek mythology. Believers were likely a minority in his house and Narcissus was probably not among them, since Paul greets “those in the Lord who belong to the family”.

If this Narcissus truly was the same as Claudius’ advisor, then Paul might have worded the greeting in this way because giving specific names could have put their lives in danger.

...Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.
Romans 16:10 ESV

Aristobulus himself is not greeted, but his household is. This could include Aristobulus, but it more likely refers to believers within his household, which could have included family members, slaves, and hired servants.

There was an Aristobulus who was a grandson of Herod the Great. Although he died in 7 BC, he had been educated in Rome, and some of his descendants lived there during Paul’s ministry. In Roman custom, families often adopted the name of a famous ancestor as a surname, so It’s possible that this is the household being greeted, but by no means certain.

If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
Proverbs 29:9 ESV

There's no reasoning with a fool, which is why Solomon says several times that the only reason a fool understands is pain. He must be controlled by force or everyone will suffer.

If a woman murdered someone else's baby, would she not be tried for murder? But then if she murders her own baby, she is protected?

This is pro-abortion.

I've added slides with verse citations to the sermon archive for First Fruits Ministries' sermon on the Sabbath for 6/21/2025, called "Judge Not? 'There Is A Time For Everything'": https://firstfruits.cc/blog/20....25/06/23/judge-not-t

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/cDBACZMQDe8

Transcript: https://storage2.snappages.sit....e/ncm201u3w4/assets/

The sermon was delivered at the Porcupine Freedom Festival 2025 in the Liberty Ecclesia tent and recorded live from there.

The Torah Portion reading for this week is now up! Take a look.

Mark your calendars! Tomorrow night, starting with greetings at 7:45 p.m. EST, 6/24/2025, with actual programming beginning around 8 p.m. EST, First Fruits Ministries will be hosting its next in-person and online hybrid Bible Study. Guests are invited to join us on zoom or in person at 60 Bailey Ave. in Manchester, NH, in the basement meeting room. Zoom participants must pre-register for the study, so please do that here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meetin....g/register/tZUvd--gr This meeting will NOT be recorded so you must be in attendance to participate.

Some extra notes on this: The teal is showing that the words there are the same. The Galatians 3:11 passage is quoting Habakkuk 2:4. When tracing what things are called the same, we see in the Psalms passage that God's Law is faith. So, while reading this passage in Galatians 3 in a bubble, it may seem like Paul is speaking against the Law, but if we keep the rest of the Bible and Bible definitions in context, we can conclude that Paul is NOT speaking against the Law.

Just like Peter warns us in 2 Peter 3, Paul is hard to understand and can lead one to take his words to represent Lawlessness. Paul is speaking against using the Law to gain your Salvation. You are no more saved than anyone else by doing the Law. Salvation was never through the Law. He is pointing out that yes, we are to do the Law, but that isn't our hope, that isn't what we are putting our faith in. We are putting our faith in Messiah and what He did for us.

Because He took the curse of our disobedience to the Law on Himself, we are now free to live out the Law in our own lives. Paul goes on two chapters later to let us know the works of the flesh. All things that the Law tell us NOT to do.

Just as he says in Romans 7, the Law is there to let us know what is good and what is evil. Is it not some arbitrary set of rules. Just as the meme around social media says: If it was a sin X number of years ago, it is still a sin today. The Law is how we know what sin is. To say we no longer need to follow it is to say we do not need to know what sin is. OR, a more blasphemous direction, but I see a lot of churches do it, we define what sin is instead of God.

I know where I want to stand on that matter.

https://thestraightandnarrow.cfw.me/comics/959



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