In Mark 2, four men carry a helpless man to the Lord Jesus, only to find the doorway blocked. Their faith refuses to stop at the obstacle, while the scribes sit nearby reasoning in their hearts and missing the glory of the Person before them.

This meditation considers the privilege of Capernaum, the accessibility of Jesus, the faith that brings need into His presence, and the solemn danger of possessing truth without truly seeing Christ.

Above all, it reminds us that faith may not know what the Lord will do—but it knows who He is.

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In a world filled with responsibilities, pressures, distractions, and “many things,” the Lord Jesus speaks a simple and searching word to Martha: “One thing is needful.” In this 2007 address from St. Louis, Don Rule considers Luke 10 and Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word—a choice the Lord Himself calls “that good part.”

This meditation brings the Lord’s words directly into our own busy lives, reminding us that the Word of God is more than a book—it is God speaking to us. Whether young or old, burdened with responsibilities or troubled by circumstances, there remains one daily necessity for the spiritual life: to come away from the noise, sit at Jesus’ feet, hear His Word, and behold the beauty of the Lord.

The original address can be found on WhoseFaithFollow.org

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Podcast Description

In this moving address from the 1966 Montreal Conference, long-time laboring brother Eric Smith recounts a remarkable account from his years of labor in Bolivia, where five assemblies had drifted from the Scriptural principles of gathering and godly discipline. After five years of separation, a humble appeal for help led him on a difficult four-day mule journey through the rainy season, where the Word of God brought deep conviction, genuine repentance, and joyful restoration. This testimony beautifully illustrates that biblical discipline is never an end in itself, but a gracious work of the Father's love to restore His children to happy fellowship with Christ and with one another. Original audio recording courtesy of WhoseFaithFollow.org.

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Before Israel ever faced the walls of Jericho, Joshua faced something far more important — the presence of a holy God. In Joshua 5:13–15, Joshua encounters the Captain of the LORD’s host and is instructed to remove his sandals, for the ground where he stood was holy.

In this short Scripture meditation, the passage is first read and then considered in the light of insights from respected Brethren writers including J. N. Darby, C. H. Mackintosh, H. A. Ridout, and H. L. Rossier. Together, their reflections help us see that before conflict comes communion, before victory comes reverence, and before service comes worship.

This meditation reminds us that the true preparation for spiritual victory is not strategy or strength, but standing in humility before the holiness of God.

A brief reading. A quiet meditation. A call to remember that we too stand on holy ground.

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In this final episode of He That Hath Ears to Hear, we come to the fourth soil in the parable of the sower — the good ground.

The good ground is not a naturally good heart. Scripture tells us the heart is deceitful and that all have sinned. Good ground is prepared ground — soil where God has done a deep work so that the Word can enter, take root, and bring forth fruit.

This episode considers what it means for the plow of God to cut through the soil of the heart. The plow disturbs, exposes, breaks up, and overturns, but it is not destruction. It is mercy. The farmer sees what the field cannot see. The field feels the blade, but the farmer sees the harvest.

We also look at Hebrews 4:12 and the dividing of soul and spirit — how the Word of God separates what is merely of ourselves from what is truly before God. Then we consider why Matthew presents the fruit as hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold, while Mark reverses the order as thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold.

Matthew emphasizes the full claim of the King. Mark encourages growth in the servant path. Luke adds the word patience.

Fruit does not ripen instantly. It grows where the Word has entered a prepared heart.

Main Scriptures:

• Matthew 13:8, 23
• Mark 4:20
• Luke 8:15
• Hosea 10:12
• Hebrews 4:12
• James 1:21
• John 15:5, 8
• Luke 10:39

This episode closes the series with the searching question:

Will I ask God merely for more seed, or will I trust the loving hand of the Husbandman to plow my heart, so His Word can take root and bear fruit for His glory?

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As we continue in our short series on the life of Abraham we come to his final test from God on Mount Moriah, where Abraham declared, *"God shall provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering."*

That promise echoes through the centuries until John the Baptist points to Jesus and announces, **"Behold the Lamb of God."**

John's Gospel uniquely presents Christ as God's perfect Lamb.

From His public identification in John 1 to Pilate's testimony, *"I find no fault in Him,"* every chapter invites us to examine the One who alone could bear the judgment of sin. Unlike Isaac, who did not know what lay before him, the Lord Jesus walked every step toward Calvary with full knowledge of the suffering that awaited Him.

This meditation also explores another remarkable theme in John's Gospel—the inseparable connection between **the Lamb and the Light**. The One who bears away the sin of the world is also the Light who overcomes its darkness. The Gospel that begins with *"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men"* concludes in Revelation with the eternal city where **"the Lamb is the light thereof."**

Join us as we follow this magnificent thread through Genesis, John, and Revelation, discovering how the perfection of Christ's Person alone made possible the perfection of His work, and why throughout eternity the redeemed will forever behold **the glory of God shining in the face of the Lamb.**

> **Key Scriptures:** Genesis 22; Exodus 12; John 1, 9, 12, & 19; Revelation 21.

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In this meditation, we consider two distinct but deeply connected truths: the church as the body of Christ, and the church as the house of God. From 1 Timothy 3:15 and 1 Peter 4:17, we see that relationship brings both privilege and responsibility. As the body, the church is connected to Christ in living union. As the house, the church is connected with God’s order, holiness, conduct, discipline, and authority.

This message carefully distinguishes where judgment and discipline belong—not in the body of Christ, but in the house of God. It also brings before us the importance of recognizing the Lord’s authority in the assembly, leaving authority where God has placed it, and walking humbly under His Word. The call is sober but needed: to value the nearness of the Lord’s coming, to preserve the truth entrusted to the house of God, and to walk rightly where the Lord dwells in the midst.

Full message can be found here: https://whosefaithfollow.org/MP3%20Files/140920/The%20House%20Of%20God%2C%20The%20Body%20Of%20Christ%20C%20Buchanan.mp3

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In Episode 4 of He That Hath Ears to Hear, we examine the third soil in the parable of the sower — the thorny ground.

This is not the hardened wayside where the Word never enters, nor the stony ground where joy springs up quickly but has no root. In the thorny ground, the Word is heard, but the heart is already occupied. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things grow up and choke the Word until it becomes unfruitful.

This episode explores:

• the danger of a crowded heart,
• how good things can become ruling things,
• why riches deceive,
• how cares weigh down the soul,
• and why Christ must not merely be added to the heart, but possess the heart.

We also consider the rich young ruler, the cost of discipleship in Luke 14, and Paul’s words in Philippians 3, where all former gain is counted loss for Christ.

In a world filled with pressure, planning, noise, comfort, ambition, and distraction, this parable speaks directly to 2026. The question is not merely whether we hear the Word, but whether anything else is growing in the heart and choking it.

Main Scriptures:

• Matthew 13:7, 22
• Mark 4:18–19
• Luke 14:33
• Philippians 3:7–8
• 1 Timothy 6:9–10
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Hebrews 12:1
• Psalm 27:8

This episode closes with the searching question:

Is the Word of God bearing fruit in my life — or is it being slowly choked by the cares, riches, and desires of this present world?

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