It is an honor to have you as a donor member! Share today.
iX PODCAST: Guest Dennis Gladden 'Circumcision of The Heart'Host | Dr. Stephen Phinney: Biblical circumcision of the heart is the true mark of covenant—an inward transformation that far surpasses any outward ritual.
It is the cutting away of self-reliance, pride, and rebellion, making room for the indwelling life of Yeshua to reign fully within.The Apostle Paul declared, “A person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29). This spiritual surgery is not performed by human hands, but by the Spirit of God, and it is essential for authentic discipleship. Without it, religion remains external and powerless. With it, the believer becomes a living vessel of obedience, humility, and intimacy with the Father. Circumcision of the heart is not optional—it is the gateway to true identity in Christ. TODAY’S SHOWIn this powerful episode, Dr. Stephen Phinney welcomes guest Dennis Gladden to explore one of the most vital yet often overlooked truths of the believer’s journey—Yeshua’s circumcision of the heart. Together, they unpack the biblical mandate for every member of the Bride of Christ to undergo this spiritual surgery/transformation, where the fleshly patterns are cut away and the believer becomes fully yielded to the indwelling life of the Messiah. This is not symbolic—it is supernatural. As Dennis shares from both Scripture and personal testimony, listeners are invited to consider how true intimacy with Yeshua begins with spiritual surgery, and how circumcision of the heart is the gateway to covenantal identity. Dr. Phinney and Dennis delve into the prophetic significance of this act, showing how it fulfills the promise of Deuteronomy 30:6, “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart… so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This is not a one-time event, but a lifelong posture of being cut away from self and conformed to the image of Christ. For the Bride to be made ready, she must be purified—not by external rituals, but by internal transformation. The episode challenges listeners to examine whether they’ve truly allowed Yeshua to perform this holy surgery, and whether their lives reflect the fruit of a heart fully indwelt and consecrated. As the conversation unfolds, the urgency becomes clear: the Bride must be prepared. In a world of compromise and superficial faith, this episode calls believers back to the core of discipleship—being marked by the Spirit, set apart for holiness, and empowered to walk in love and obedience. Dennis Gladden’s insights, paired with Dr. Phinney’s prophetic clarity, offer a sobering yet hope-filled message:Yeshua is not returning for a divided or defiled Bride, but for one whose heart has been circumcised by His own hand. This episode is a clarion call to every believer to embrace the refining work of the Spirit and step into their true identity as covenantal sons and daughters. YES | WE CAN LOVE AS JESUS LOVESThe depth of love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13 overwhelms me. It is God’s kind of love, and it is to be mine as well. But I have not loved in the way Paul writes. Love never fails; mine does. Love always protects, but I have caused hurt. Love is patient; I am impatient.Can anyone love this way? Jesus taught us, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Who loves like that? The love that Jesus and Paul set forth is beyond me until I think about Peter. He was exposed to such love, experienced it for himself, and, ultimately, was filled with the love of God. What God did for Peter holds promise for us. Let’s watch what God did. Jesus exposed Peter to God’s love. “Peter, do you love me?” This was the last question Jesus asked Peter. Had Jesus asked this first, before He even called the fisherman to follow, I can imagine Peter stammering, “Do I love you? I don’t even know you!” Peter had to know Jesus before he could love Him, so Jesus called Peter and the other eleven “that they might be with Him” (Mark 3:14). He would put them to work and, most importantly, show them His love. Love is patient. Peter, James, and John had just seen Jesus transfigured—wrapped in the glory of heaven—and were rejoining the other disciples, who had failed to cast a demon out of a young boy and were arguing with the teachers of the law. You can hear the exasperation when Jesus asks, “How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?” (Mark 9:14-19, International Standard Version). How long? Love is long-suffering, or patient. Jesus healed the boy, encouraged the smarting disciples, and kept them close longer. Peter learned the patience of love. Love is not self-seeking. The Twelve had been on an evangelistic tour for several weeks, and upon their return, Jesus noticed their weariness. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” He said. They followed, and so did a crowd of more than 5,000. The disciples wanted a break. “It’s late,” they said. “Send the people away.” But the people needed food and compassion. Tired as He was after a full day of teaching, Jesus extended Himself and prepared a meal from five loaves and two fish. That was His way. “I seek not to please myself, but Him who sent me.” Peter saw how love is not self-seeking. Love always protects. Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus resolutely set out from northern Israel for Jerusalem, where He would die. Immediately ahead was Samaria, a hotbed of ethnic tension. When the residents of one Samaritan village refused to host Jesus and the Twelve, James and John seethed. “Shall we call fire down from heaven?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus not only denied the request, but He also rebuked the disciples. Peter learned that love protects. Love always perseveres. How the disciples tried to keep Jesus from the cross! When Jesus first told them He must suffer, it was Peter who objected, “Not so, Lord.” Later, all the disciples tried to dissuade Jesus from His last trip to Jerusalem. When Judas and the mob approached Jesus in Gethsemane, Peter was the one who drew a sword and sliced off the ear of the high priest’s servant. But Jesus persevered. Love always perseveres. “Take heart,” said Jesus. “I have overcome the world.” Such is persevering love. It overcomes all obstacles. Peter experienced love through Jesus’s forgiveness. After the resurrection, Jesus found Peter on a beach, exhausted and frustrated. He had failed as a disciple, denying Jesus three times, and now he was a failure as a fisherman. All night, Peter had dropped nets into Galilee, and every one came back empty. That was Peter’s life at this moment. Empty, just like his nets. Jesus broke into Peter’s misery with a painful question and a startling command. “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? Feed my lambs.” “Love you? Why, Lord, you know that I love you. But feed your sheep? You said I would be a fisher of men. Look at me. I can’t even catch fish! And who have I caught for you in our three years together? When I should have drawn your enemies into the net of your discipleship, I denied you. How can I feed your people?” The answer was simple. Give them something to eat. Peter had heard this before, at the end of the day, when 5,000 were waiting and Jesus said, “Give them something to eat.” All twelve were shocked, but it was Philip who protested, “That would take eight months’ wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” All they could garner from the crowd were five loaves of bread and two fish, scrounged from a boy. How could they feed all these people? Yet, they did. The Master broke and blessed the loaves and fish, and as the disciples went from group to group, the lunch multiplied. Jesus filled their baskets. Everyone ate and was satisfied. Not one left hungry. “Feed them,” Jesus had said. Here was Jesus, saying it again to the depleted, discouraged Peter, “Feed my sheep.” How? The answer was in the question, a question similar to, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” “Peter, do you love me? Look and see.” “You know that I love you, Lord.” There it was—how Peter would be the fisher of men. The love he had for Jesus would feed the people. “Love them, Peter, as I have loved you. I fed the 5,000 when you had no food; likewise, feed those who hunger with the love I give you.” The secret to this love is forgiveness. Peter was in the room of a Pharisee’s house when a woman burst in and anointed Jesus’s feet with her tears and fragrant oil. The scene repulsed the Pharisee, but Jesus explained her behavior. “Simon,” Jesus said, “you gave me no kiss, and you did not anoint me, but she has not stopped. Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much” (Luke 7:36-50). She loved Jesus because she was forgiven. Peter loved Jesus because he was forgiven. He had denied Jesus, had not laid down his life for Jesus as he had vowed, and now had returned to fishing, his life before Jesus called him. Yet Jesus came to Peter and filled his nets, fed him and his companions breakfast with fish they hadn’t caught, and now said, “Peter, feed my sheep.” Jesus forgave him. Peter had not only been exposed to Jesus’s love—he experienced it. God fills Peter with the Holy Spirit and His love. Jesus exposed Peter to, and loved him with, divine love, but these did not complete his transformation. On the Day of Pentecost, God filled him with the Holy Spirit. By this, the love of 1 Corinthians 13 poured into Peter’s heart. “Hope does not disappoint,” said Paul, “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). On the shore of Galilee, Jesus restored Peter’s hope. He fed, forgave, and commanded Peter, “Feed my sheep.” On the Day of Pentecost, God dispelled any disappointment. Anointed by the Spirit, Peter fed the sheep and preached the first sermon of the fledgling church. Having seen and experienced God’s love for himself, Peter had the words, boldness, and love to express, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s love for the crowd before him. There was no request for God to rain fire from heaven to destroy them, as the disciples had asked in Samaria. The forgiven, Spirit-filled Peter extended hope to the very ones who days earlier had clamored for Jesus to be crucified. “By this Jesus, whom you crucified,” he said, “repent, and be baptized in His name for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:36-39). Is the love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13 beyond us? Absolutely. Can we love like this? Absolutely. Godly love, as Paul presents it, ignites hope in our hearts to see it for real. And hope does not disappoint. The Spirit of God, who pours out the love of God, produces in us the fruit of love by His power (Galatians 5:22). Reader’s guide 1. How has God exposed you to His love? 2. How is God exposing others to His love through you? 3. Jesus said the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). His final question to Peter was, “Do you love Me?” How did Jesus bring Peter to answer as he did? 4. How do you respond when Jesus asks, “Do you love Me?” 5. Jesus taught that forgiveness is the measure of our love: “The one who is forgiven little, loves little.” How much have you been forgiven? How much do you forgive? By Green Pastures | Dennis Gladden | Substack Center for Eschatological Studies | The End Times Chronicles is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Please consider making a small DONATION to our ministry.
We want to extend our eternal gratitude to each of you for taking the time to read our publications and engage with our posts. Your support and interest mean the world to us, and it motivates us to continue creating content that resonates with you.
|
Posts
