WEBVTT 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.879 If you've been listening for a while, you may 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:09.820 know this podcast has had a few names. It started 00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:14.500 with Metanoia Ministries, a call to rethink everything. 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:18.859 Then it became Echoes of Eden, rediscovering 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:22.460 the original design of humanity. But over time, 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:25.899 something became clear. The heartbeat behind 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:30.239 all of this is family, the family of God. The 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:33.859 restoration of sons and daughters. And that's 00:00:33.859 --> 00:00:37.020 why everything is now moving under one banner. 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:44.479 Kingdom. Family. Ministries. Alright guys, we 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:49.859 are back again starting a new series this week. 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:53.780 This will be a fun one for me. It may not be 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:56.960 for you, but it will be for me. We've actually 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.649 started this on Wednesday nights in our Kingdom 00:00:59.649 --> 00:01:04.069 Family Ministries Bible study. It's rethinking 00:01:04.069 --> 00:01:10.590 end times. Yes, rethinking the end times. And 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:15.629 this was an interesting, interesting series, 00:01:15.629 --> 00:01:19.069 I guess you could say. Of course, with everything 00:01:19.069 --> 00:01:22.090 going on, if you're watching the news and social 00:01:22.090 --> 00:01:24.390 media, people are constantly it's almost the 00:01:24.390 --> 00:01:26.170 end. It's almost the end because of what's going 00:01:26.170 --> 00:01:29.980 on overseas and just different things and I remember 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:31.959 having a conversation with the Holy Spirit and 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:36.359 I'm like you know what I wish I could teach on 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:39.519 the end times and I just felt an invitation saying 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:42.900 well let's do it. So this is fun for me because 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:46.420 I have to study some of this a little bit deeper 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:51.359 because I'm not as skilled and listen this is 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:55.400 not about making everybody agree with me on my 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:58.290 viewpoint of the end times. But it is to help 00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:01.689 people do exactly what the series says. Rethink 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:05.650 the end times. It's good. It's to challenge the 00:02:05.650 --> 00:02:09.129 mindsets that we have, especially here in the 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:12.110 West. So that's what where this is kind of going. 00:02:12.750 --> 00:02:15.810 So we're just going to start this off slow. I 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:18.569 went through my notes and I've got at least 14 00:02:18.569 --> 00:02:21.969 weeks worth of notes just on this topic. Rethinking 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:25.150 the end times going through different different. 00:02:25.670 --> 00:02:27.430 scenarios and all that kind of stuff and I've 00:02:27.430 --> 00:02:30.270 learned this already um I think we're on week 00:02:30.270 --> 00:02:33.330 three or four for our Bible study and I've learned 00:02:33.330 --> 00:02:38.069 this already I think you could probably I think 00:02:38.069 --> 00:02:41.710 someone could probably teach an entire year on 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:45.689 this and still not hit it all there's a lot of 00:02:45.689 --> 00:02:47.949 information there's a lot of stuff in the scriptures 00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:51.270 um so we're just going to dive in we're just 00:02:51.270 --> 00:02:54.219 going to roll with it and for week one we're 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:56.659 going to talk about the problem with fear based 00:02:56.659 --> 00:03:00.159 prophecy. So I want you to think about when you 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:05.580 hear the word or the term in times, what emotions 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:09.139 come to your mind. Now I did this in a room full 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:12.000 of teenagers and adults. We probably had, I would 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:15.120 say anywhere between 10 to 15 people the night 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:18.080 that I asked this question. And some of the stuff 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:25.919 I heard was what I expected. Anxiety, fear. afraid 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:31.020 different things along that nature along that 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:34.219 that subject and I believe most people would 00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:38.319 say things such as fear anxiety chaos some would 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.580 think of the Antichrist tribulation period world 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:45.759 collapse if you know the if you grew up as idea 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.300 with the left behind stuff you think of planes 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:50.699 falling from the sky and cars just not having 00:03:50.699 --> 00:03:55.080 drivers anymore and just It's wild, it's crazy. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.120 And I want to say this to kick this thing off, 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.539 because this is a conversation we had as a group. 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:08.080 If anything, not just the things concerning in 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.159 times, but if there's anything that brings you 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:14.860 fear and anxiety in your life, I believe we have 00:04:14.860 --> 00:04:17.959 a responsibility to ask, is that actually from 00:04:17.959 --> 00:04:23.160 God? I think that's really important because 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:26.839 perfect love comes to cast out all fear and scripture 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:29.079 even tells us that i've not given you a spirit 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:32.120 of fear but a spirit of power but a power of 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:35.639 love lord jesus i can't even think about the 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:39.019 scripture it says i've not given you a spirit 00:04:39.019 --> 00:04:43.060 of fear you know what let's just look it up because 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:48.759 i am drawing a complete blank right now I've 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:53.980 got my laptop here. Second Timothy 1 -7 and then 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:57.500 I'll come back to the scripture for tonight or 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:03.620 for this episode whatever. Second Timothy 1 -7 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:05.240 says, For God will never give you the spirit 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:08.459 of fear but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:12.199 power, love, and self -control. Now why that 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:15.459 was so hard to think about? So for God will never 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:19.490 give you a spirit of fear. But the Holy Spirit 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:23.509 who gives you mighty power love and self -control 00:05:23.509 --> 00:05:26.470 So I want you to think about that anything that 00:05:26.470 --> 00:05:28.509 again I'm not just pertaining this to end times 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:31.889 when I say that But anything that causes you 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:34.649 to have fear and anxiety in your heart and your 00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:38.550 spirit Question that take that before Holy Spirit 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:43.829 and find out why? And just let Holy Spirit minister 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:47.129 to you on that so we're gonna dive in Now that 00:05:47.129 --> 00:05:49.370 I've given you time to think about what emotions 00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:52.730 come to your mind and be honest about where you're 00:05:52.730 --> 00:05:56.790 at, I want you to think about that Jesus never 00:05:56.790 --> 00:06:01.129 told his followers to live in prophetic panic. 00:06:01.829 --> 00:06:04.990 Think about that. We're going to read a story 00:06:04.990 --> 00:06:10.029 today at Luke chapter 19 verses 11 through 13. 00:06:10.029 --> 00:06:11.850 Again, I'm using the passion translation for 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:14.920 mine. And it says at this time Jesus was getting 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:17.279 close to entering Jerusalem. The crowds that 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.240 followed him were convinced that God's kingdom 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:22.959 would fully manifest when Jesus established it 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.240 in Jerusalem. So he told them this story to change 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:29.939 their perspective. Once a wealthy prince left 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:32.699 his province to travel to a distant land where 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:36.319 he would be crowned king and then return. Before 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.920 he departed he summoned his ten servants together 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:42.160 and charged them I am entrusting each of you 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.959 with fifty thousand dollars to invest while I 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:48.699 am away Trade with it and put the money to work 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:51.420 until I come at least the King James would say 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:55.199 Occupy till I come so I want you to think about 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:57.259 me like what does that have to do within times? 00:06:57.420 --> 00:06:59.319 Well, we're going to get there. I'm going to 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:03.079 help you with that one I want you to think about 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:07.050 the word occupy in the Greek and again I'm not 00:07:07.050 --> 00:07:13.610 a scholar but it's pragmatiumai and I'll spell 00:07:13.610 --> 00:07:18.110 it for you P -R -A -G -M -A -T -E -U -O -M -A 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:21.129 -I if you can pronounce that better I wish you 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:24.370 all the best so the root word is pragma and this 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:27.170 is where we get our English word pragmatic meaning 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:30.790 to engage in business to trade to conduct affairs 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:34.329 to steward resources to actively work with what 00:07:34.329 --> 00:07:37.779 has been given This word was commonly used for 00:07:37.779 --> 00:07:42.040 commerce and investment So Jesus is using economic 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:46.060 language in this story in Luke 19. He's describing 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:48.839 active kingdom participation He says I'm giving 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:51.819 you something $50 ,000 what it would translate 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:55.480 today's in today's terms. I'm giving you this 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:59.720 to trade on my behalf. Go invest it. Go grow 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:03.319 what I am giving you. And so what is this? It's 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:06.860 kingdom participation. Often I think about the 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:09.459 story. And I picked this up from Damon Thompson. 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:12.959 If you think about the first miracle we have 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.399 recorded in scripture when Jesus turned water 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:18.459 into wine. If you can turn the water into wine, 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:20.519 you can certainly fill the pots up by yourself. 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.399 Just let's be honest with this. If you can turn 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:26.379 the water into wine, you don't need anybody to 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:29.310 fill up the pots with water. Because if you can 00:08:29.310 --> 00:08:31.410 do the one then certainly you can do the other 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:34.409 but what is this a picture of its participation? 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:37.710 He's it's an invitation for you and I to participate 00:08:37.710 --> 00:08:40.990 and what the father is wanting to do So this 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:44.049 is kingdom participation you and I are invited 00:08:44.049 --> 00:08:48.710 to invest what has been entrusted to us The kingdom 00:08:48.710 --> 00:08:52.870 is all about participation. I love it Years ago 00:08:52.870 --> 00:08:55.529 when I was a teenager, so I was probably been 00:08:55.529 --> 00:09:00.580 20 years Mark, I can't think of his last name, 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:02.379 was lead singer of Cast and Crowns, and I was 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:07.559 watching a, I think I had a DVD, and he was talking 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:10.700 about the song, The Voice of Truth, and about 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:12.940 how it came to be, about him sitting at a piano, 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:15.919 and he began to have a conversation with God. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:18.139 And he said, God told him, he said, Mark, he 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:24.139 said, I don't need you. I want you. Now let that 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:30.559 sit. I don't need you. I want you. I want your 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:35.720 participation. I want your time spent with me. 00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:40.899 That's powerful if we think about it. You see, 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:43.379 many believers have been taught the world's gonna 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:46.100 get worse and worse, and to me that equals no 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.340 hope. The church is gonna disappear, evil will 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:52.120 dominate history, which means again, no hope, 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:54.080 and I would say that also at the root of that 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.149 would have to be saying that Jesus failed if 00:09:57.149 --> 00:10:00.330 evil is going to dominate history um and here's 00:10:00.330 --> 00:10:03.110 listen you know probably have said this plenty 00:10:03.110 --> 00:10:06.850 of times for people but light overcomes darkness 00:10:06.850 --> 00:10:11.309 100 percent of the time if it is dark in the 00:10:11.309 --> 00:10:13.809 world around you it's because the light within 00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:16.610 you needs to be turned on so that you can light 00:10:16.610 --> 00:10:21.070 up the darkness around you we've been taught 00:10:21.070 --> 00:10:23.090 we just need to hold on just keep waiting for 00:10:23.090 --> 00:10:24.710 me what are we holding on to what are we waiting 00:10:24.710 --> 00:10:29.440 for We keep we keep it's it's almost like we 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:32.519 have this notion that Christ did not fit and 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:34.500 we just celebrated Easter It's almost like we 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:37.940 had this notion that Christ did not finish What 00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:39.840 he said he finished when he was on the cross? 00:10:40.659 --> 00:10:42.820 That there was something he left undone that 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:46.159 still needs to be completed and my friend that's 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:50.259 simply not true. He finished it all So what are 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:56.389 we waiting for? If it's dark, that problem lies 00:10:56.389 --> 00:11:00.149 with us as sons and daughters and with us as 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:03.769 the body of Christ. We are the ones who carry 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:06.870 light, but too many times I think we are the 00:11:06.870 --> 00:11:09.429 ones who take our light and hide it under a basket. 00:11:12.009 --> 00:11:16.769 Just think about this stuff. This mindset often 00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:19.389 creates disengagement and pessimism, which is 00:11:19.389 --> 00:11:21.190 a tendency to see the worst of something. It's 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:25.350 a lack of hope. Fear so you look at things happening 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:28.750 Overseas and especially in Iran and stuff like 00:11:28.750 --> 00:11:30.370 that and you're like well this has to happen 00:11:30.370 --> 00:11:33.049 and if you believe this has to happen then how 00:11:33.049 --> 00:11:36.470 can you properly ever pray for peace in a region 00:11:36.470 --> 00:11:39.710 such as that and Here's the thing is he the prince 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:42.110 of peace of the god of war because he can't be 00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:46.330 both Well, I know some people say well look at 00:11:46.330 --> 00:11:48.070 what he did in the Old Testament. Okay, but was 00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:51.740 that God? Don't go into the Old Testament trying 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:54.360 to find God without putting on your lens of Christ. 00:11:55.159 --> 00:11:58.080 Because we have Jesus talking to Thomas in the 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.700 New Testament, and Thomas is asking, let me see 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:03.120 the Father. And Jesus says, Thomas, how long 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:04.799 have I been with you? And you still don't get 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:08.179 it. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.200 And it's Bill Johnson, I believe, who says it 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:14.000 like this. He says, be careful of anything that 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.980 you believe about God that you cannot find in 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:21.059 the person and the nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:25.639 came to fix the perspective we held of his father. 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.080 Go all the way back to the beginning with Adam 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.539 and Eve. When Adam and Eve fell, what happened? 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:34.480 They lost the perception of Jesus. They lost 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:38.440 the perception of God. They forgot how good he 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.960 was. That's why I believe it's in Romans it says, 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.039 and I'd have to go look it up to be sure but 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:46.600 I believe it's Romans that says it's the goodness 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:49.799 of God that causes you and I to repent it's the 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:53.320 goodness of God that causes man to metanoia to 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:55.799 come back to their original senses their original 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:59.299 design to make a complete 180 and leave that 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:01.600 destructive thought life and come back to where 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.220 it's supposed where they belong where they originated 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:07.360 from just like the prodigal son the prodigal 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:11.159 son he could The prodigal son could come home 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:13.860 because he had a reference for where home was 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:16.899 when he was in the pig pen in the pigsty and 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:19.200 doing all this nonsense. There was something 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:21.659 up here that said, hold up, I remember where 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:26.279 I came from. And if we could ever ourselves remember 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:28.039 where we came from, when we have John chapter 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.139 three, when Nicodemus is having a conversation 00:13:30.139 --> 00:13:33.220 with Jesus in the middle of the night. Jesus 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:35.220 tells Nicodemus, you gotta be born again. He 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:37.679 says, Nicodemus says, well, Jesus, how do I do 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.159 this? I can't, I'm a grown man. I can't crawl 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:42.960 back into my mother's womb. And Jesus says, Nicodemus, 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.139 you're a great teacher, but yet you don't understand 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:49.740 this. And what that word is about the whole being 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:52.500 born again, it's the word geneo, which means 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:55.700 to be born from above. So you and I have to understand 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.940 where we actually came from, what we have been 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:01.820 put on earth to do. Romans 8 tells us that all 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:03.840 of creation is groaning and travailing for the 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:05.879 manifestation of the sons and daughters of Yahweh. 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:08.919 And then it takes us to shine our light into 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.700 the darkness so that all those around us, just 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:13.600 like I taught about the revelation of Christ 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:17.309 in all, It takes our light lighting them up and 00:14:17.309 --> 00:14:20.370 calling out the Christ within them to step into 00:14:20.370 --> 00:14:25.289 who they are in Christ. Man, I hope this is such 00:14:25.289 --> 00:14:29.549 good stuff if you actually get into it. So let's 00:14:29.549 --> 00:14:34.370 look at this for a minute. Think about the word 00:14:34.370 --> 00:14:38.990 church. Church is the word iglesia. It's not 00:14:38.990 --> 00:14:42.289 the buildings that we gather in. Church is iglesia. 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:45.940 In ancient Greek cities like Athens, the iglesia 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:48.899 was the assembly where citizens gathered to govern. 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:54.080 So the church is the body that gathers together. 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:56.799 That's one of the things we're actually discussing. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.679 What we have discussed with our Bible study group 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.240 and our kingdom family is, you know, we don't 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:06.299 belong to a building. We don't actually go to 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:09.340 a church. Unfortunately, in my area, most churches 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:12.909 are not going to let me Believe what I believe 00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:16.330 I've learned that through life lessons and different 00:15:16.330 --> 00:15:18.509 things and I don't hold anything against anybody 00:15:18.509 --> 00:15:21.990 It took a journey for me to get to where I'm 00:15:21.990 --> 00:15:23.990 at. It took a journey for me to come into some 00:15:23.990 --> 00:15:27.110 of these beliefs But it's like I've had a conversation 00:15:27.110 --> 00:15:30.330 with my wife. I can't I can't unsee what I've 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:33.049 seen I've seen too much of his goodness and understood 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:35.769 too much grace to be able to turn back and go 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:38.929 and teach how I used to teach. I'm like Paul 00:15:38.929 --> 00:15:40.990 says, and I'd have to really go look up the scripture, 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:44.669 but I love it how he says it. If I go and rebuild 00:15:44.669 --> 00:15:46.950 what I have torn down, I would be a breaker of 00:15:46.950 --> 00:15:50.990 the law. I would be a law breaker. I can't do 00:15:50.990 --> 00:15:54.269 that. I can't turn around and go back to what 00:15:54.269 --> 00:15:59.720 I used to teach. In my honest opinion, it didn't 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.779 bring the change. It didn't bring the transformation 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:04.559 in my life. It didn't bring the transformation 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:07.639 in other people's lives. But this gospel that 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:09.539 I'm carrying now has had the power to change 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:11.960 me first, change my marriage, change my family. 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:14.679 And then I've seen it work in changing the lives 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:19.100 of young people and teenagers. is what it is. 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:21.879 So we've had this conversation about we don't 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:25.120 go to a church building for church, but because 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.139 we're gathering together to go after the heart 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:31.639 of the Father, we are the church. That is church. 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:34.100 That is the gathering together. We're not forsaking 00:16:34.100 --> 00:16:36.679 the assembly. We are gathering together. We do 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:38.320 Wednesday nights and then we do the first and 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.700 third Saturday. And man, we have seen this thing 00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:45.190 grow. We have seen, I love it. And I'll tell 00:16:45.190 --> 00:16:47.610 this story over and over because it just it spoke 00:16:47.610 --> 00:16:52.250 so much volume to me. Two services ago, we had 00:16:52.250 --> 00:16:55.809 a young 18 year old girl come and she did not 00:16:55.809 --> 00:16:57.549 want to be around anybody. She came with one 00:16:57.549 --> 00:17:00.710 of the girls that was there. She came with her 00:17:00.710 --> 00:17:03.350 because she was a friend, but she did not want 00:17:03.350 --> 00:17:06.329 to be in the crowd at all. And when we got to 00:17:06.329 --> 00:17:10.869 the end of the service, the love of Papa just 00:17:10.869 --> 00:17:14.170 encountered this young girl and by the end, she 00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:17.509 was in the group dancing with four of the other 00:17:17.509 --> 00:17:21.190 girls and then tells us that hey i'm coming back 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:23.589 on wednesday nights and she was back the wednesday 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:26.289 night after that didn't get to make it this past 00:17:26.289 --> 00:17:29.630 week due to um conflicts or whatever but that 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:31.789 amazes me and then i was told that she wants 00:17:31.789 --> 00:17:34.089 to also bring a friend to one of our youth gatherings 00:17:34.089 --> 00:17:37.289 so this is like it's growing organically and 00:17:37.289 --> 00:17:40.519 we're seeing Papa encountered these young people 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:43.299 and what is that? That is the church. That is 00:17:43.299 --> 00:17:45.579 the iglesia and if we could ever understand that 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:49.359 we are called here put here to govern on earth 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.740 as it is in heaven. Iglesia is never a building. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.900 It's always a people that is gathered together. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:59.740 The iglesia functions as heaven's governing assembly 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:03.220 on earth. It's releasing the reality of the kingdom. 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:06.839 It was a civic assembly that made decisions for 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:10.369 the city. Citizens gather to deliberate, to decide 00:18:10.369 --> 00:18:14.390 policy, to release decrees. Jesus used this word 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:17.609 that implies authority and participation in governance, 00:18:17.809 --> 00:18:21.869 not just worship meetings. We are called and 00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:26.589 sit here to legislate on earth as it is in heaven. 00:18:26.710 --> 00:18:30.150 We are ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. 00:18:31.109 --> 00:18:33.089 I've got a shirt now that I will give credit 00:18:33.089 --> 00:18:36.529 to Dub Alexander for. My shirt, I found a shirt 00:18:36.529 --> 00:18:41.309 on Amazon, says Ambatacidor. And I'll probably 00:18:41.309 --> 00:18:43.430 butcher the story, but I'll tell it anyhow, because 00:18:43.430 --> 00:18:48.109 I think it's fun. Dubb was actually in some governmental 00:18:48.109 --> 00:18:53.170 roles, and there was an ambassador who was talking, 00:18:53.589 --> 00:18:55.430 I forget who they were talking to, I want to 00:18:55.430 --> 00:18:57.869 say a governor or something of that nature. And 00:18:57.869 --> 00:19:00.250 they were having some issues, and the ambassador 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:01.869 said, if you keep playing with this, I'm going 00:19:01.869 --> 00:19:04.779 to call Interpol. And Dubbs said when he heard 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:06.859 that he said, oh you're in, he said, you're at 00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:10.759 Ambat, Badassador. Because that was kind of badass 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:16.119 to do. So we're ambassadors of the kingdom of 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:19.099 heaven. That's who we are as sons and daughters. 00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:24.339 Think about the concept that we humans was created 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:30.619 to represent God, to re -present God, to steward 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:37.119 creation. and to exercise dominion so this is 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:40.900 one of my things here is if you remove the church 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.839 that's supposed to be the governing authority 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:48.099 on earth then what that just don't make any logical 00:19:48.099 --> 00:19:50.799 sense none of that makes any sense whatsoever 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:53.880 so as daemon says stop checking your brain at 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:56.859 the door and start thinking critically about 00:19:56.859 --> 00:20:02.289 some of this Alright, so let's look at we're 00:20:02.289 --> 00:20:12.210 gonna look at Yeah, let's look at Romans 8 Oh 00:20:12.210 --> 00:20:16.069 Give me just a minute because I believe actually 00:20:16.069 --> 00:20:24.490 have all of this somewhere on my laptop Maybe 00:20:24.490 --> 00:20:33.440 just bear with me for just a minute Okay, yes. 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:38.200 So let's read some of this. This is Romans. We're 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:42.019 going to start in Romans 8 -14. And it says, 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:44.380 the mature children of God are those who are 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:48.319 moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. And 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.019 you did not receive the spirit of religious duty, 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:53.240 leading you back into the fear of never being 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:56.059 good enough. but you have received the Spirit 00:20:56.059 --> 00:20:59.220 of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:02.240 of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:05.420 as he rises up within us, our spirits join him 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:08.420 in saying the words of tender affection, beloved 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:11.799 Father. For the Holy Spirit makes God's fatherhood 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:14.640 real to us as he whispers into our innermost 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:17.799 being, you are God's beloved child. And since 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:21.359 we are his true children, We qualify to share 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:23.799 all of His treasures, for indeed we are heirs 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:27.039 of God Himself. And since we are joined to Christ, 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:30.299 we also inherit all that He is and all that He 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:33.759 has. We will experience being co -glorified with 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:36.980 Him, provided that we accept His suffering as 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:41.109 His own. I am convinced that any suffering we 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:43.930 endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude 00:21:43.930 --> 00:21:47.470 of glory that is about to be unveiled within 00:21:47.470 --> 00:21:50.109 us. This is what that verse I was telling you 00:21:50.109 --> 00:21:53.150 about a while ago. The entire universe is standing 00:21:53.150 --> 00:21:57.049 on tiptoe yearning to see the unveiling of God's 00:21:57.049 --> 00:21:59.509 glorious sons and daughters. So the universe 00:21:59.509 --> 00:22:02.009 is not sitting on tiptoe waiting for the rapture. 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:04.549 The universe is not standing on tiptoe waiting 00:22:04.549 --> 00:22:07.450 for Christ to return the universe is standing 00:22:07.450 --> 00:22:12.450 on tiptoe Yearning to see the unveiling of God's 00:22:12.450 --> 00:22:18.930 glorious sons and daughters Think about this 00:22:18.930 --> 00:22:21.309 stuff because this is just fascinating when you 00:22:21.309 --> 00:22:25.039 really get into it And then we have Psalm, yeah, 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:26.940 Psalms chapter eight. I'm gonna start in verse 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:28.460 three. It says, look at the splendor of your 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.400 skies, your creative genius glowing in the heavens. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.339 When I gaze at your moon and your stars mounted 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:36.759 like jewels in their setting, I know you are 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:38.920 the fascinating artist who fashioned it all. 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:42.839 But I have to ask this question. Now, I disagree 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:45.819 with how Dr. Simmons put this. He says, why would 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:48.319 you bother with puny mortal man or care about 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:53.690 human beings? I disagree with this because I 00:22:53.690 --> 00:22:56.390 don't believe this has anything to do with being 00:22:56.390 --> 00:22:59.990 puny. I don't think God is saying this in a way 00:22:59.990 --> 00:23:05.009 to say, what is a man? I think David is writing 00:23:05.009 --> 00:23:08.750 this and saying, what is a man? How astonishing 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:12.170 and magnificent is this creation that you have 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:15.289 created? What is a man that you would care about 00:23:15.289 --> 00:23:18.750 us this deeply? yet yet what honor you have given 00:23:18.750 --> 00:23:21.569 to me and created only a little lower than elohim 00:23:21.569 --> 00:23:24.650 you crowned with glory and magnificence another 00:23:24.650 --> 00:23:27.130 reason i don't think it's about what is puny 00:23:27.130 --> 00:23:29.910 mortal man because he made him just a little 00:23:29.910 --> 00:23:33.329 lower than himself crowned him with glory and 00:23:33.329 --> 00:23:36.289 magnificence if this was about being puny mortal 00:23:36.289 --> 00:23:39.609 man you would not be crowned with glory and magnificence 00:23:39.930 --> 00:23:43.809 You have delegated to them rulership over all 00:23:43.809 --> 00:23:46.089 you have made with everything under their authority, 00:23:46.269 --> 00:23:50.250 placing earth itself under the feet of your image 00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:54.490 bearers. The Amplified says it this way, yet 00:23:54.490 --> 00:23:56.970 you have made him a little lower than God. You 00:23:56.970 --> 00:23:58.829 have crowned him with the glory and honor. You 00:23:58.829 --> 00:24:01.809 have made him to have dominion over the works 00:24:01.809 --> 00:24:05.730 of your hands. You have put all things under 00:24:05.730 --> 00:24:09.579 his feet. So again, we need to think critically 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:13.599 about this because if all things are under our 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:18.059 feet, if something is wrong, then whose fault 00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:21.880 is it? That's something we really need to ask. 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:24.720 Whose fault is it? I'm trying to get back to 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:30.549 where my notes are. Think about this. If we are 00:24:30.549 --> 00:24:32.589 the image bearers, and we've been put over here 00:24:32.589 --> 00:24:36.150 to have dominion, if the world is in chaos, if 00:24:36.150 --> 00:24:39.329 Earth is in chaos, it's not an indication that 00:24:39.329 --> 00:24:42.109 it's time to get out of here. It's an indication 00:24:42.109 --> 00:24:46.509 and... I can't think of what I want to use. It's 00:24:46.509 --> 00:24:48.769 an indication that we as sons and daughters are 00:24:48.769 --> 00:24:53.250 not doing our job. As sons and daughters, we 00:24:53.250 --> 00:24:56.680 are not... inhabiting the earth. We're not occupying 00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:59.799 until He comes. Now do I believe Christ is coming 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:03.180 back? Absolutely 100 percent. Do I believe in 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:04.819 a rapture where we get to get out of here while 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:06.740 the earth just falls apart and burns to everything? 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:11.220 No. Not, not, not, not one part of me says that 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:13.599 there is a rapture coming because the world is 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:16.759 so dark and we get to get out of here as an escape 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.400 route so that Jesus can somehow come back and 00:25:19.400 --> 00:25:22.460 fix everything that's wrong. He's already fixed 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:24.720 it. He's already finished it and completed it 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:28.039 It's up to you and I to make earth look like 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:31.660 heaven so that he can come back to the earth 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:36.299 Man, this stuff is good We're designed dysfunction 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:40.240 as king priests first Peter 2 9 tells us that 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.380 one. Let's see if I can pull that one up really 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:48.839 quickly first Peter Chapter 2 verse 9 and it 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:52.690 says this It says but you are God's chosen treasure 00:25:52.690 --> 00:25:55.829 a priest who are kings a spiritual nation set 00:25:55.829 --> 00:25:59.349 apart as God's devoted ones He called you out 00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:02.670 of darkness to experience his marvelous light 00:26:02.670 --> 00:26:07.309 and now he claims you as his very own And he 00:26:07.309 --> 00:26:09.849 did this so that you would broadcast his glorious 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:14.069 wonders throughout the world We are called to 00:26:14.069 --> 00:26:17.309 broadcast his glory to all those around us to 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:22.029 the world around us This is good news. This is 00:26:22.029 --> 00:26:25.430 the gospel. This gives us hope that if the world 00:26:25.430 --> 00:26:28.230 looks chaotic, there's an invitation sent to 00:26:28.230 --> 00:26:31.009 us to, hey, let's partner with heaven. Let's 00:26:31.009 --> 00:26:34.170 partner with the kingdom and let's release the 00:26:34.170 --> 00:26:37.230 goodness of God. Let's release the kingdom on 00:26:37.230 --> 00:26:41.490 earth as it is in heaven. So the Iglesia is the 00:26:41.490 --> 00:26:43.650 community through which that kingdom becomes 00:26:43.650 --> 00:26:47.359 visible through love. through justice, through 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:50.039 reconciliation, through healing, through truth. 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:53.079 We are the people who carry heaven's authority 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:56.779 on earth. We are the assembly through which the 00:26:56.779 --> 00:27:01.859 kingdom is released into the earth. We'll start 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:04.059 trying to wrap this one up. This may break down 00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:09.200 to a two -week part. So Jesus uses actually two 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:12.380 main metaphors when he is speaking about the 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:17.190 kingdom and I want to address those. The first 00:27:17.190 --> 00:27:21.230 one's gonna be in Matthew chapter 13, verses 00:27:21.230 --> 00:27:31.109 31 and 32. It says this, oh, moved too much. 00:27:32.029 --> 00:27:33.910 Then Jesus taught them another parable. Heaven's 00:27:33.910 --> 00:27:36.250 kingdom can be compared to the tiny mustard seed 00:27:36.250 --> 00:27:40.150 that a man takes and plants in his field. Although 00:27:40.150 --> 00:27:42.410 the smallest of all the seeds, it eventually 00:27:42.410 --> 00:27:45.450 grows into the greatest of garden plants, becoming 00:27:45.450 --> 00:27:48.150 a tree for birds to come and build their nest 00:27:48.150 --> 00:27:52.049 in its branches. Small beginning, I want you 00:27:52.049 --> 00:27:54.549 to go, you can pause this, do something, or if 00:27:54.549 --> 00:27:57.190 you're driving, I just want you to do something 00:27:57.190 --> 00:28:00.589 for me when you get time. Go Google the image 00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:03.950 of a mustard seed and understand that Christ 00:28:03.950 --> 00:28:08.089 compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:13.460 So small beginnings, massive growth. This was 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:17.359 the smallest thing that they commonly used as 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:20.859 a proverb. So Jesus, again, he's using a common 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:24.299 expression to help express and explain what the 00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:27.440 kingdom is like. He's basically saying the kingdom 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:31.819 begins almost invisibly small. By Jesus explaining 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:34.279 this, he's contrasting what the Jews would have 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:37.460 expected. Understand that in this time frame, 00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:40.140 in this period, the Jews would have expected 00:28:40.140 --> 00:28:44.140 Jesus to bring a political kingdom. They wanted 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:48.319 Jesus to overthrow Rome with military force. 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:52.140 They wanted a visible revolution. I find it fascinating 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:53.920 and I wouldn't have thought about this until 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:56.339 Damon Thompson mentioned this. It's probably 00:28:56.339 --> 00:29:00.440 been a couple months ago. If you look at John, 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:05.809 when John baptizes Jesus, John makes a statement 00:29:05.809 --> 00:29:08.450 says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the 00:29:08.450 --> 00:29:10.990 sin of the world and if you fast forward a little 00:29:10.990 --> 00:29:15.329 bit There's a situation where John says disciples 00:29:15.329 --> 00:29:19.369 to ask Jesus. Are you the one or should we look 00:29:19.369 --> 00:29:22.450 for another? Now John you're the one who said 00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:25.289 behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin 00:29:25.289 --> 00:29:27.750 of the world And now all of a sudden you're questioning 00:29:27.750 --> 00:29:30.049 are you him or should we go look for somebody 00:29:30.049 --> 00:29:35.640 else? Why because John? because Jesus is not 00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:38.859 operating like John thinks Jesus should operate. 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:42.240 He's taken his time. He's not dealing with Rome. 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:45.680 In fact, Jesus never deals with Rome, not in 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.380 the way they're thinking. Again, they're expecting 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:52.940 this big military force to overthrow Rome, the 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:56.220 visible revolution, so they can take over their 00:29:56.220 --> 00:29:58.319 enemies and all this, and that's not what Jesus 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:02.140 came to do. He says the keynote is like a mustard 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:05.980 seed. So the mustard plant in Israel was likely 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:09.279 black mustard the seed size would be point zero 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:12.500 three inches understand how small that is But 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:15.740 it would grow six to ten feet tall and it was 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:18.500 fast growing and would become bushy and tree 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:24.480 -like so the ancient listeners To them this point 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:27.559 would be shocking Because it's the tiniest seed 00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:30.380 becomes one of the largest garden plants. So 00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:33.930 the message is the kingdom of god starts tiny 00:30:33.930 --> 00:30:37.950 but grows beyond expectation think about the 00:30:37.950 --> 00:30:42.309 reality within 300 years christianity feels the 00:30:42.309 --> 00:30:46.329 roman empire so the mustard seed metaphor proved 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:50.509 historically true also i want you to think about 00:30:50.509 --> 00:30:54.210 mustard was basically a weed this is where the 00:30:54.210 --> 00:30:57.180 parable gets a little bit more subversive the 00:30:57.180 --> 00:31:00.019 actions, the idea, or people that secretly try 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:02.480 to weaken, destroy, or overthrow established 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:06.460 systems, governments, or institutions. Understand 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:08.700 that when Jesus is talking about a mustard seed, 00:31:09.059 --> 00:31:11.579 farmers did not plant mustard seeds like a normal 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:14.880 crop. Why? Because it was considered an invasive 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:19.200 crop. Once mustard would grow, it spread everywhere, 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:21.359 would take over fields, and it was hard to remove. 00:31:21.420 --> 00:31:23.799 This reminds me where we're at. It reminds me 00:31:23.799 --> 00:31:25.980 of monkey grass. you plant monkey grass it's 00:31:25.980 --> 00:31:28.099 going to spread everywhere and it's hard to get 00:31:28.099 --> 00:31:33.240 up. So when Jesus says a man planted mustard 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:36.240 in the field listeners would have heard this 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.819 thought and heard this statement and be like 00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:41.839 why would you plant that because this stuff takes 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:46.420 over everything. Just a little bit more here 00:31:46.420 --> 00:31:49.099 and then we'll close this one down for this episode. 00:31:52.029 --> 00:31:54.190 The stuff takes over everything, but that's the 00:31:54.190 --> 00:31:57.130 point. The kingdom of God spreads uncontrollably. 00:31:57.410 --> 00:31:58.990 That's what we're seeing right now in our kingdom 00:31:58.990 --> 00:32:01.730 family ministries. You cannot contain it with 00:32:01.730 --> 00:32:04.670 religious systems, with temple boundaries, with 00:32:04.670 --> 00:32:07.170 ethnic identity, with political borders. Why? 00:32:07.549 --> 00:32:10.630 Because the kingdom of God, though it may start 00:32:10.630 --> 00:32:14.619 small, spreads everywhere. And again, people 00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:17.960 expected Jesus they expected the messiah to bring 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:21.099 a revolution to bring military power to to bring 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:25.059 a visible dominance they wanted to overthrow 00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:29.319 this government but like the seed the kingdom 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:33.579 advances through things like transformation influence 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:38.539 multiplication and life but never through force 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:41.599 i think we'll stop right there i want you to 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:44.599 think about some of that today The kingdom of 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:47.240 God number one the Trinity is looking for you 00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:50.240 and I to participate with them to release the 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:53.359 kingdom Through us onto the earth to make own 00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:57.079 to make the earth as it is in heaven And that 00:32:57.079 --> 00:32:59.680 starts small. This is not about doing big things. 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:03.599 It's being If I could say it this way, it's being 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:06.019 consistent in the little things being consistent 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:09.380 in the small things Because like us like a mustard 00:33:09.380 --> 00:33:14.859 seed is to consist of small consistencies, the 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:22.019 small groups, the one -on -one connections that 00:33:22.019 --> 00:33:24.279 begins to release the kingdom through transformation, 00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:27.440 through life, through influence, through multiplication. 00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:32.059 It starts like a mustard seed. It starts so small, 00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:36.400 you can almost barely see it. But yet once it 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:41.240 starts growing, it's unstoppable. Think about 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:47.099 that. What is a man? Think about your life. Do 00:33:47.099 --> 00:33:49.380 you understand what some of the stuff I read? 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:51.559 Go back and listen to it again. Go look at Romans 00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:56.640 8, Psalms 8, 1 Peter 2, 9. Understand how important 00:33:56.640 --> 00:34:00.180 and how valuable you are to the kingdom. That 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:03.519 just like you told Mark from Casting Crowns, 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:06.960 he doesn't need you and I. He's God. He can do 00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:10.079 whatever he wants to. He doesn't need us but 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:13.780 he wants us and he invites us to participate 00:34:13.780 --> 00:34:20.159 with him in the kingdom. He lets us fill up the 00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:24.780 water pot so he can transform the water into 00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:28.820 wine. You know the other fascinating part is 00:34:28.820 --> 00:34:31.340 the people got to participate in pouring it and 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:35.739 it didn't change until they poured it. Man this 00:34:35.739 --> 00:34:39.099 stuff is good. This is all about rethinking the 00:34:39.099 --> 00:34:43.980 end times to give you a brighter future And I 00:34:43.980 --> 00:34:46.900 like I'll steal them Damon Thompson's words again 00:34:46.900 --> 00:34:50.219 on this one if If I'm wrong, that's fine. I get 00:34:50.219 --> 00:34:52.079 to go on the Rapture trip to if I'm wrong about 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:56.420 it Because I know that I'm saved like I know 00:34:56.420 --> 00:35:02.920 I Meet the prerequisites of that one But if I'm 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:06.090 wrong we just get out of here If you're wrong, 00:35:06.190 --> 00:35:08.829 you better be prepared to stay and make earth 00:35:08.829 --> 00:35:18.650 look like heaven. If you're wrong about the rapture 00:35:18.650 --> 00:35:22.210 and the rapture never takes place, are your kids 00:35:22.210 --> 00:35:24.510 and your grandkids and your great grandkids set 00:35:24.510 --> 00:35:28.489 up for success? Are you thinking about the future 00:35:28.489 --> 00:35:32.050 generations? That's something to think about. 00:35:35.969 --> 00:35:40.610 Wrestle with that one this week. Understand the 00:35:40.610 --> 00:35:43.449 kingdom's like a seed. It's like the grain of 00:35:43.449 --> 00:35:48.110 a mustard seed. But trust and believe the kingdom 00:35:48.110 --> 00:35:52.250 is starting to spread. I bless you with that. 00:35:52.550 --> 00:35:57.670 In Jesus' name. Thanks for spending some time 00:35:57.670 --> 00:36:00.570 with me today on the Kingdom Family Podcast. 00:36:00.920 --> 00:36:04.239 If this episode spoke to you, take a moment to 00:36:04.239 --> 00:36:07.619 share it and help someone else rediscover their 00:36:07.619 --> 00:36:10.940 identity as a son or daughter of Yahweh. And 00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:13.760 don't forget, follow the podcast so you can stay 00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:16.579 connected with everything happening through Kingdom 00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:20.300 Family Ministries. Until next time, live love, 00:36:20.639 --> 00:36:23.639 live free, and live from the life of the Kingdom.