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{\b\fs48 Episode 1542: A New World\b0}

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{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

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{ Thanks for joining me on episode 1,542 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. }

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{\b\cf3 Terry Tucker:\b0}

{ Hi, I'm Terry Tucker. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to live your life of excellence is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.}

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{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

{ It takes away droughts and floods and school shootings, warfare, violence based on hatred for someone's race or color, or gender or sexuality. }

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{ It's a truly inclusive message. That is being taught in this passage. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling.}

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{In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.}

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{In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk about Revelation chapter 21 verses one through six, and John chapter 13, verses 31 through 35. I share how the call to a new world isn't about some far off future, but a call to create that now. And I share how these two messages show us }

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{ a route to be the hands and feet of Christ.}

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{Revelation Chapter 21, verses one through six says that I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven, and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. I. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride aured for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, see, the home of God is among mortals.}

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{He will dwell with them as their God. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more mourning and crying, and pain will be no more for the first things have passed away. And the one who was seated on the throne said, see, I am making all things new Also.}

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{He said, write this for these words are trustworthy and true. Then he said to me, it is done. I'm the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end to the thirsty. I will }

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{ give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. John chapter 13, verses 31 through 35 says. When he had gone out, Jesus said, now the Son of man has been glorified and God has been glorified in him.}

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{If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him and in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you. Only a little longer you will look for me, and as I said to the Jews, now I say to you where I am going, you cannot come. I give you a new commandment. That you love one another, just as I have loved you.}

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{You should also love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another. Do you have a place in your city or near it where people go to look lookout over the city, look out over the skyline, maybe a place with water. And other }

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{ things. And often in these places there, there's little sayings or expressions that people will write as little prayers or things like peace and all of these things get, give us a chance sometimes to look down on things and reflect on the fullness of life.}

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{In the city or in the place that we live, and I think it often causes us to wonder, will this city become a place where everyone can thrive? All can be happy and successful and safe. Those are the reflections that often come to my mind when I'm looking out over the city in the evening and. In the Luke passage that I didn't read today it talks about Jesus pausing at the Mount of Olives and looking out over the city with mournful eyes and this city, Jerusalem.}

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{That word literally }

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{ means the city of peace. And from this place, Jesus saw the whole city and with a prophet's heavy heart, he was weeping there among those olive trees. Before him was the city name for peace, but it was inhabited by those who did not know the things that made for peace. They did not know what peace was or how to have it with each other, and I don't think that's any different to today.}

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{In the revelation passage that I read, John decades later imagines Jerusalem, that same city of peace while he was living on a Greek island. Patmos. John was a follower of Christ and he was exiled during the Roman Emperor dome reign. And during this dream, this nightmare vision in a way that }

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{ John had, he then envisioned a renewed city, a bright shining city, in contrast to Babylon, which was a city of death and trauma and suffering.}

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{John paints a picture of a new Jerusalem emerging as God's own place to live in John's dream. The holy one had. Relocated from Heaven and moved down to Earth, taking up residence throughout the whole city. See, God is here home among mortals. This message can be. Thought about in different ways, but it is a, an interesting thought that the divine God gets revealed as in the world live, no longer dwelling above.}

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{But dwelling with this is different }

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{ than this idea that we have often of a rapture out of God's creation and into some sort of heavenly future. Separate from Earth. Instead, John is painting a picture of a transformation away from God ruling or lording over us in that way, and making new a renewal as a new heaven and a new earth, making all things new.}

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{And this hope, this message of regeneration and renewal, I think is also in alignment with John chapter 13 that I read today, that out of love for each other comes. The love that lets us have heaven on earth. God has called us into covenant not only with }

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{ God, but with each other and with the diverse creation that surrounds us.}

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{And God called us to live in those relationships with love, not hate, not anger, not fear, but love. We are to love one another, just as I have loved you. You are to love each other. This is how they will know you are my disciples. This is a message that we're called on and to reflect. When you hear someone talking about how God has called us to hate a particular person, to hate a particular thing, to fear a particular thing, or to have anger for it, realize that is directly on contradiction with the call to love one another.}

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{That is the message of the spirit to the church that out of love comes community. Out of love comes wholeness. }

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{ Notice too, in this vision that the prophet shares, the sea was no more. But if you think about it in creation, in the stories. Sea is a signifier of chaos and storms and transport of military power.}

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{All of those things that bring us away from peace in a way. And this vision that John has takes that sea away, takes the Kio chaos away, it takes away droughts and floods and school shootings, warfare. Violence based on hatred for someone's race or color or gender or sexuality. It's a truly inclusive message that is being taught in this passage.}

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{Thanks for listening. I.}

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{Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired }

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{ Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired.}

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{Stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there. Until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures.}

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{Develop your influence and impact the world.}

}