WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 The following is a bonus episode recorded in 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.700 question and answer format with Michaela in 2020. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:10.060 Your host Paul Robbins is currently serving in 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:14.259 Israel, but will return on February 10th. Welcome 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.199 to Journey from Jacob. From our first breath 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.160 to our last heartbeat, we are all on a journey. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.379 Jacob was a biblical character whose journey 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:27.050 is documented for our benefit. Like all of us, 00:00:27.350 --> 00:00:29.489 there were unforgettable moments along the way, 00:00:29.750 --> 00:00:33.229 which required decisiveness. One of those decisions 00:00:33.229 --> 00:00:36.950 determined his destination. We will not only 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:40.130 discuss Jacob's journey, but Israel's as well, 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:44.210 right up to date. May this podcast inspire you 00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:47.189 to make choices along your way that will benefit 00:00:47.189 --> 00:00:50.590 others and guide you to the destination we all 00:00:50.590 --> 00:00:57.740 long for. The last podcast we talked about the 00:00:57.740 --> 00:01:01.439 struggle and needless to say it was a struggle. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:06.000 I don't know that it came across that way to 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:08.700 listeners but... After that podcast, we went 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:10.980 to go ahead and move on and we're listening to 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:14.599 it over again at the end. And we came upon this 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:18.099 issue that was it sounded like I was saying the 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:21.980 struggle was equal to salvation, that that was 00:01:21.980 --> 00:01:25.579 a salvation moment. And that led us into a lot 00:01:25.579 --> 00:01:29.280 of questions and struggles. And we ended up talking 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.379 for about three hours about this. And I think 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:36.599 at the end of it, we came to. this moment of 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.019 realizing that the way that I'm talking about 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:42.280 this thing and the way that my grandfather who 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.359 was with us and Paul was talking about this thing 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:48.780 are a very different way of talking, or at least 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:51.500 that we have different views. So I'm going to 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:54.700 kind of get into that here now, which is the 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:57.819 idea that I was struggling with was this idea 00:01:57.819 --> 00:02:00.900 of testimony theology is how I've been phrasing 00:02:00.900 --> 00:02:05.120 it for myself. And what I mean by that is that 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:07.120 the testimony is the paramount of the Christian 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:11.939 faith. Testimony is I was bad, I had an experience 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:17.340 with Jesus, then I was good. Good meaning I'm 00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:19.280 supposed to be all of these things at this point, 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:22.099 almost like a religious good. I'm good enough 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:24.539 now that I need to do all of these correct things. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:26.840 I've had this conversation with a lot of people 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:28.979 since then because I've been struggling through 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:32.639 it myself, maybe very similar to Jacob's struggle. 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:35.199 And as I've had this conversation, I've been 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.400 dismissed by more adults than I can possibly 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:41.240 count. Mostly, I feel that as I've had this conversation, 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:43.979 adults have heard me and said, no, no, no. Like, 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:46.580 you're wrong. Testimonies are correct. Whatever. 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:50.500 And as I've spoken to kids my age and to youth, 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:54.590 I. lead and work with quite a few different youth 00:02:54.590 --> 00:02:57.750 in my area. And one specific time with a group 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:00.590 of about 10 ninth to 10th grade girls, I was 00:03:00.590 --> 00:03:02.250 speaking to them about this idea and some of 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:04.590 the stuff that I was struggling with even as 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:06.610 a leader. I don't know if you're supposed to 00:03:06.610 --> 00:03:09.189 do that, but I was. And they all agreed with 00:03:09.189 --> 00:03:11.750 the same struggle that I had, which was this 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:16.610 idea that a testimony is faith. Testimony is 00:03:16.610 --> 00:03:19.590 Jesus, the idea that you're bad and then you're 00:03:19.590 --> 00:03:22.060 supposed to be good. and this supposed to be 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:25.840 good, as far as I've kind of digested it, leads 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.800 to two separate paths. I call it the bad kid 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:32.199 -good kid path. So you are bad, you have an experience 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:35.240 with Jesus, and you say yes to him, and then 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:37.159 you choose the bad kid or the good kid path, 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:41.300 which is... you hear Jesus saves me, I'm fine. 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:43.680 You're supposed to mess up at this point. I don't 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:45.740 say all the time like it's fine. You're going 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:49.020 to mess up after you're good now, but you're 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:50.740 going to mess up and there's going to be struggle. 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:53.580 And what they're trying to talk about is sanctification, 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:56.900 discipleship. But what the bad kid hears, this 00:03:56.900 --> 00:04:01.800 has been me, is I'm good now and I'm going to 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:03.680 keep messing up and Jesus is going to keep forgiving 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.639 me. So I will just go ahead and do the bad thing. 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:11.360 because I'm good now, so it's fine. The good 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:14.180 kid, I've also been this kid, I just got so mad 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:16.920 with it that I became a bad kid. The good kid 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:20.300 mentality from this point on is, okay, so I was 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:22.639 bad, then I found Jesus, now I'm supposed to 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.720 be good, so what does that good look like? I'm 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:27.519 supposed to go to church, I'm supposed to read 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.000 my Bible, I'm supposed to be loving, I'm supposed 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.240 to be caring, all these supposed to's. And they 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:37.689 know, I knew that I wasn't. good, like I was 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:40.810 supposed to be. But I faked it because I felt 00:04:40.810 --> 00:04:42.490 like that's what everyone else around me was 00:04:42.490 --> 00:04:45.389 doing. It's like everyone else is putting on 00:04:45.389 --> 00:04:47.610 this good face as well. And clearly, because 00:04:47.610 --> 00:04:49.810 I can't manage to do this on my own, it must 00:04:49.810 --> 00:04:52.050 be a face for all of them. So I'm just going 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:54.930 to join the Christian church mask, the Christian 00:04:54.930 --> 00:04:57.009 church masquerade, and I'm going to stand up 00:04:57.009 --> 00:04:58.550 when I'm supposed to stand up and raise my hands 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:00.269 and I'm supposed to raise my hands. And then 00:05:00.269 --> 00:05:02.500 I'm going to feel. incredibly guilty because 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:04.420 I can't read my Bible or pray like I'm supposed 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:07.319 to, and I don't have enough scriptures in my 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.800 Bible highlighted, and it becomes this whole 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:13.259 competition of who can be more spiritual. And 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:14.899 you're trying your best to be the good that you're 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:16.899 supposed to be, and then you finally hit this 00:05:16.899 --> 00:05:20.060 point of existential crisis, as is actually very 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:23.220 common for people my age and younger of, wait, 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:25.720 what is the whole point? There is no purpose 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.680 in this. There's no life in this. So I'm done. 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:31.519 Jesus saved me and I know that so I'm just gonna 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.139 go to bad kid theology because it works a lot 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:37.279 better It's quite a bit easier to just go like 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:39.339 drink and party and do whatever I want and know 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:42.500 that like I'm going to heaven So it's fine It's 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:44.660 it's kind of it's easier than like trying so 00:05:44.660 --> 00:05:48.660 hard to be good So I'll just do that which leads 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:52.139 to more suffering and existential crises because 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:54.920 once you found God sin doesn't feel so good anymore 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:59.519 And so it just gets real messy So Paul, this 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:01.600 is kind of what I've come to from our conversations 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:05.139 as far as that's the place in the mentality and 00:06:05.139 --> 00:06:07.980 the theology that I feel in some ways that I've 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.040 been raised in. Maybe inadvertently, most adults 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:12.699 get really mad at me when I say that I was raised 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:14.620 in that theology because they were the ones that 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:16.519 raised me and they don't agree that I was raised 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:19.220 that way. But I think that's what I was inadvertently 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:21.500 taught. And I'm wondering what you have to say 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:26.410 about it. Well, that's quite simple, huh? Easy 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:29.029 answer. Yeah, really. You've really left nothing 00:06:29.029 --> 00:06:31.850 much to talk about. So let me ask you a question, 00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:33.930 then. Yeah, of course. Are you happy where you 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:38.769 are in Jesus? Mostly. And how do you describe 00:06:38.769 --> 00:06:42.329 yourself now? Without any previous teaching, 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:44.829 how would you make up your brand new Michaela? 00:06:45.629 --> 00:06:54.029 At this point in time? I would say that As of 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:59.529 now, branding my Kayla is mostly good, mostly 00:06:59.529 --> 00:07:03.069 resting in Christ, mostly peaceful, mostly doing 00:07:03.069 --> 00:07:07.389 what's right, but also greatly not okay, greatly 00:07:07.389 --> 00:07:12.029 still a sinner and greatly still quite confused 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:13.670 about what this whole thing is supposed to look 00:07:13.670 --> 00:07:19.189 like. Okay. So where do we go from here? Good 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:23.480 question. I think that the Bible has a lot to 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.519 say about this. And I agree with you, there's 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.120 a lot that has not been said. And so we rest 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.560 on certain portions of scripture to give us credence 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:37.180 to what we believe of ourselves. Everyone struggles 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:40.540 with the same thing as a human being, you know, 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:45.339 because we are very complex beings. And I think 00:07:45.339 --> 00:07:48.620 when we try to look for this experience centered 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:51.860 testimony theology that you're talking about, 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:54.759 We have a problem when we go into the Old Testament 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.740 to find enough illustration to say, oh, this 00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:01.040 is very defining point for certain individuals 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.639 in the Old Testament, including Jacob. Last time 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:06.680 we spoke, we spoke about his wrestling match, 00:08:06.779 --> 00:08:08.899 which is a really important part of the scripture, 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:13.300 because Jacob wrestles with the God of the universe 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:16.259 and God leaves him with this blessing that he 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:19.550 was longing for. So he knew inside of him there 00:08:19.550 --> 00:08:21.569 was something missing. That's a critical element 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:23.889 of the story. There was something missing in 00:08:23.889 --> 00:08:27.670 his humanity that he knew was offered to him 00:08:27.670 --> 00:08:30.870 because God gave the promise to his grandfather 00:08:30.870 --> 00:08:34.629 Abraham and then to Isaac that you would be blessed 00:08:34.629 --> 00:08:36.649 and through you all the families of the earth 00:08:36.649 --> 00:08:39.450 would be blessed. So there was some component 00:08:39.450 --> 00:08:42.029 that was going to be human in nature but come 00:08:42.029 --> 00:08:45.100 from God. So it was going to be inserted from 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:49.279 the God of the universe into the being of a human 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:53.100 Adam Abraham first then Isaac But then he promised 00:08:53.100 --> 00:08:55.639 it that it was going to come through Jacob the 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.659 blessing was going to come through Jacob We know 00:08:57.659 --> 00:08:59.440 this at the point where we talked about last 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.580 week that God had said it was going to come through 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:05.860 Jacob not Esau But Jacob didn't have it at this 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:07.860 point in the story last week when he wrestles 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:10.860 with God That was his whole point. God was said. 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:13.179 Hey, let's just quit Jacob, we've been wrestling 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:15.639 all the way into the break of day. Let's stop 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:19.220 now." And he said, not until you bless me. So 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:22.960 he wanted it so much. Is that what made him save 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.860 that he wanted it so much, that he struggled 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.179 so hard, that he lasted through the night? Is 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:29.860 that a salvation story? I don't think that's 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:33.460 really what is the real primary purpose of that 00:09:33.460 --> 00:09:36.679 story. Whether he got saved that night or not 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:40.389 is really not clear. if that was his moment in 00:09:40.389 --> 00:09:43.169 time. So what I want to say to you and to your 00:09:43.169 --> 00:09:45.870 generation is that there doesn't have to be a 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:49.929 moment in time that defines when you become a 00:09:49.929 --> 00:09:52.409 Christian, when you become saved, when you become 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:55.110 born again. I think that's a really helpful thing 00:09:55.110 --> 00:09:57.350 that we need to hear almost a couple of times 00:09:57.350 --> 00:10:01.389 because a lot of kids of my age that are even 00:10:01.389 --> 00:10:04.190 interested in a podcast like this are kids that 00:10:04.190 --> 00:10:06.850 have grown up in the church. I would like to 00:10:06.850 --> 00:10:08.809 be blunt and say most kids who haven't grown 00:10:08.809 --> 00:10:11.470 up in the church probably won't listen to this 00:10:11.470 --> 00:10:14.590 and also haven't stepped foot in the church probably 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:17.769 ever. But kids who have are the ones that would 00:10:17.769 --> 00:10:21.409 be interested and the ones who are struggling 00:10:21.409 --> 00:10:25.129 with this. And so... You're talking at least 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:27.529 with my age and below to a generation of kids 00:10:27.529 --> 00:10:31.389 who probably don't have a moment really Because 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:35.110 they accepted Christ when they were five Accepted 00:10:35.110 --> 00:10:37.190 Christ if we're talking about that salvation 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:39.450 moment that's supposed to be this big testimony 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:42.029 That happened when they were five and they've 00:10:42.029 --> 00:10:44.769 also probably started wondering why the heck 00:10:44.769 --> 00:10:48.210 things weren't different and then if They were 00:10:48.210 --> 00:10:50.210 a good kid. They probably didn't do anything 00:10:50.210 --> 00:10:52.090 quite wrong through high school, but if they 00:10:52.090 --> 00:10:55.149 were a bad kid you know, air quotes on both of 00:10:55.149 --> 00:10:57.750 these. They probably ran off and did all this 00:10:57.750 --> 00:10:59.490 bad stuff. And so now they feel like they maybe 00:10:59.490 --> 00:11:02.190 have a secondary testimony. And what does that 00:11:02.190 --> 00:11:04.909 mean? There's a lot of things that start coming 00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:09.129 into issue when you are raised in a church and 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:11.870 you're like, I wasn't 30 on the floor of my own 00:11:11.870 --> 00:11:14.730 house when I had kids and decided to find Christ. 00:11:15.070 --> 00:11:18.690 I've grown up in this. So what do you mean a 00:11:18.690 --> 00:11:22.259 testimony that is when I was saved? I don't have 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.379 that. Am I wrong? Was I not saved? What's going 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:26.940 on? This whole schizophrenic thing you've kind 00:11:26.940 --> 00:11:28.899 of mentioned a couple of times, not on the podcast, 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:31.460 but to me personally, of the questions start 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:32.879 getting schizophrenic. It's like, what does this 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:35.340 mean? Am I saved? Is everything OK? Start twitching 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:39.820 a little bit. So I mean, these are really valid 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:43.220 questions. I would say that, number one, the 00:11:43.220 --> 00:11:46.000 Old Testament is not going to teach us moments 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.149 of salvation. So if we're looking for that in 00:11:49.149 --> 00:11:50.769 characters in the Old Testament, we won't find 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:53.509 it that way. It might seem that way, and sometimes, 00:11:54.070 --> 00:11:56.529 but not. But the second thing, but this is even 00:11:56.529 --> 00:12:00.169 actually the primary thing, is that Jesus came 00:12:00.169 --> 00:12:06.009 to save sinners, right? That's clear. From the 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:08.789 New Testament on, it becomes very clear. But 00:12:08.789 --> 00:12:11.610 Jesus is introducing concepts that were confusing 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:14.110 to them. Now remember, the first time he said 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:16.649 anything about being born again was to Nicodemus, 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:19.690 who was a teacher of Israel. He was a member 00:12:19.690 --> 00:12:22.110 of the Sanhedrin. He was supposed to know things 00:12:22.110 --> 00:12:24.629 that most people didn't because he was trained 00:12:24.629 --> 00:12:27.970 in not only Jewish thought, but biblical thought. 00:12:28.049 --> 00:12:30.570 So he had the background of the Commonwealth 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:34.309 of Israel, but also this Strong biblical teaching 00:12:34.309 --> 00:12:36.990 that his whole life was centered around and when 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:40.769 Jesus told him that you must be born from above 00:12:40.769 --> 00:12:44.330 You must be born of the spirit because that which 00:12:44.330 --> 00:12:48.070 is of the spirit is spiritual in nature So it's 00:12:48.070 --> 00:12:50.450 born of the spirit and that which is born of 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:52.350 the flesh is flesh So he was talking about a 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:55.190 human being being two different natures right 00:12:55.190 --> 00:12:58.129 away not two different natures, but two different 00:12:58.129 --> 00:13:01.909 parts So without going to details at this point 00:13:02.250 --> 00:13:06.850 Jesus does say to him that you must be born again. 00:13:06.850 --> 00:13:11.750 And he says that as a general, wide open conversation 00:13:11.750 --> 00:13:15.090 to all of humanity from that point on, Nicodemus 00:13:15.090 --> 00:13:17.169 had trouble understanding it because it was never 00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:20.929 that black and white before. And so to think 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:25.149 in terms of black and white is a mistake for 00:13:25.149 --> 00:13:34.240 us. So to say. To say that a person has to have 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.620 an experience in order to be saved is not valid. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.399 It's not biblical. There are people that have 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.259 an experience that is identifiable in time and 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:46.159 there are others that don't. So like you're talking 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:49.679 about this five -year -old who had this love 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:52.460 affair with God from that age and doesn't remember 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:55.419 it ever stopping, always loving and respecting, 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.639 wanting to please God because there was something 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:02.559 inside of her or him that was geared in that 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:07.659 direction is a good, to me, that would be a factor 00:14:07.659 --> 00:14:10.360 in saying, well, this child has come to faith 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:12.980 at an early age when, you know, we don't know 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:15.860 for sure, but certainly has lived underneath 00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:20.600 this banner of relationship. from that point 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:22.740 in time or from the earliest we could ever tell. 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:27.539 Jacob, he had an experience with God. He got 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:30.419 as close. And this is really, I think, much more 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:33.179 the conversation is that Jacob got as close to 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:35.820 God as he can get because God began the match 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:38.340 with Jacob. God's the one that started the wrestling 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:41.620 match. And just think of wrestling. It's an embrace. 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.480 You can't get closer to another person than in 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.120 a wrestling match. It's just your sweat is his 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:50.639 sweat, et cetera. It's very messy human experience 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:54.159 between two people, but it's intimate. And so 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:57.279 in order for a relationship with God to start, 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:01.539 it has to be relational. And so if we're going 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:04.840 to talk about salvation, the experience is secondary 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:09.820 to the relationship that we witness as a result 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:13.840 of some point in time. So you would then say 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.419 with the whole Nicodemus example that God saying 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:20.169 you have to be rebirthed in spirit is also being 00:15:20.169 --> 00:15:22.529 born again into that spiritual relationship with 00:15:22.529 --> 00:15:26.970 God. Mm hmm. Yes. So then that kid who was been 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:30.309 raised in the church, you know, had that relationship 00:15:30.309 --> 00:15:32.490 start basically when they were little and has 00:15:32.490 --> 00:15:35.149 always lived in that even though they don't have 00:15:35.149 --> 00:15:39.269 this big moment are obviously clearly saved or. 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:42.429 Right. OK. And they can have the confidence. 00:15:42.730 --> 00:15:46.220 I think that's what's missing. is the confidence, 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:49.039 because as far as I can see in my generation, 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:53.519 kids who have always had Christ eventually have 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:57.500 to get to this point of weight. this has been 00:15:57.500 --> 00:15:59.960 happening since the beginning. But every single 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:02.519 time I go to church or youth group or a big conference, 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:04.700 they're telling me to rededicate my life or get 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:07.580 saved again. And that's all I hear is get saved 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:11.100 again, get saved again, or rededicate or get 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:13.919 saved or whatever. And all these kids are like, 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:17.059 but what comes next? And there's no teaching 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:21.710 of what comes next as far as I've seen. in my 00:16:21.710 --> 00:16:24.409 limited experience. There's not much teaching 00:16:24.409 --> 00:16:26.570 for these kids about what comes next. So they 00:16:26.570 --> 00:16:29.269 eventually start to question if it ever happened. 00:16:30.029 --> 00:16:33.370 I started to question if it ever happened. And 00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:36.149 I remember specifically throughout my years in 00:16:36.149 --> 00:16:39.809 high school, crying literally because I wanted 00:16:39.809 --> 00:16:43.210 God so badly, but I had no clue how to get to 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:46.090 him. And people say, you know, read your Bible, 00:16:46.309 --> 00:16:48.190 pray. And I say, but they're just empty words 00:16:48.190 --> 00:16:51.110 on a page. Like I try, I read, I do whatever 00:16:51.110 --> 00:16:54.309 I can. I talk to them if I can, but there's nothing 00:16:54.309 --> 00:16:57.470 there. There's no breakthrough. I don't know 00:16:57.470 --> 00:16:59.409 what I'm supposed to be doing. And all I'm hearing 00:16:59.409 --> 00:17:01.809 from church people is, well, you're saved, it's 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:06.970 fine. You're good. Or get saved, and then you'll 00:17:06.970 --> 00:17:12.220 be better. The Bible makes it very clear that 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:14.960 there's none righteous but God, there's none 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.789 good but God. And those are conversations that 00:17:17.789 --> 00:17:20.130 the prophets had. Those are the conversations 00:17:20.130 --> 00:17:22.930 that the New Testament records and repeats. There 00:17:22.930 --> 00:17:26.250 is none good but God. So if we are trying to 00:17:26.250 --> 00:17:29.109 say that I am good, and we have the expression, 00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:30.569 how are you doing? Oh, I'm good. You want a cup 00:17:30.569 --> 00:17:32.369 of coffee? No, I'm good. I'm like, I didn't ask 00:17:32.369 --> 00:17:34.150 you if you're good. I asked you if you want a 00:17:34.150 --> 00:17:36.329 cup of coffee, but you brought in the conversation 00:17:36.329 --> 00:17:38.970 that you're good. So we have this very casual 00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:41.829 conversation about what good means. But a very 00:17:41.829 --> 00:17:44.609 interesting thing happened in to Jesus when he 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:47.569 was met by this rich young ruler who had everything 00:17:47.569 --> 00:17:50.170 going for him. The disciples were like, wow, 00:17:50.289 --> 00:17:52.250 this dude is coming. He wants to be part of our 00:17:52.250 --> 00:17:54.710 team. You know, this is amazing. He's got everything 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:57.809 in life. Welcome him, Jesus. And he comes to 00:17:57.809 --> 00:18:01.670 Jesus and he said, hey, you know, we kind of 00:18:01.670 --> 00:18:04.509 recognize there's something very special about 00:18:04.509 --> 00:18:08.329 you, good teacher. What must I do to please God? 00:18:08.589 --> 00:18:11.049 What good thing do I have to do? And he goes, 00:18:11.490 --> 00:18:13.769 why do you call me good? There's none good but 00:18:13.769 --> 00:18:17.210 God. Now, was Jesus saying that he wasn't good? 00:18:18.470 --> 00:18:21.630 Or was he saying that he was God? Because there's 00:18:21.630 --> 00:18:25.349 none good but God. He never said I'm not good, 00:18:26.230 --> 00:18:28.950 but he did say that there's none good but God. 00:18:29.329 --> 00:18:32.279 So in essence, he is literally saying that Hey, 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:35.079 I'm God. Well, if I'm good, I'm God. Exactly. 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.579 So that's in math, right? If A equals B and B 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:41.039 equals C, then A equals C. So we learned that 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:42.859 right in algebra. If you call me good, then you're 00:18:42.859 --> 00:18:45.200 calling me God. Exactly. And there's no one else 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:47.440 but God that's good. So what do you mean when 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:50.880 you say good? Right. But everyone thought of 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:54.220 him as being good. But at the same time, he went 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:57.480 away sad. So why would a good man go away sad? 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.430 Because Jesus kind of put into the test, you 00:19:01.430 --> 00:19:04.369 know, have you really done all the things that 00:19:04.369 --> 00:19:07.089 Moses commanded you like you said you have since 00:19:07.089 --> 00:19:10.109 you're a kid? So he was saying that I'm good. 00:19:10.210 --> 00:19:13.410 I've always been in the church, quote unquote, 00:19:13.609 --> 00:19:18.690 air quote, as you say. So he was one of those 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:21.609 kids thinking that he was good, but still he 00:19:21.609 --> 00:19:23.430 came to Jesus because he knew that there was 00:19:23.430 --> 00:19:25.859 something missing inside of him. And this is 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:28.480 the point that we're trying to make, is that 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.759 when you recognize, no one has to tell somebody 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:36.279 that they're born again. So there's something 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:41.220 inside of you that is qualifying you in a relationship 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:44.019 with the God of the universe that you know is 00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:49.160 your own, that no one could take from. because 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:51.640 we're products of our environment, we're products 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:53.779 of our teaching, our growing up experience, many, 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:56.400 many things, we're complex, our lives are very 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:59.619 complex, then it's easy to get confused along 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:02.680 the way. Being a Christian also has the added 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:05.200 element of you have an enemy that the world does 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:07.960 not have, and that's Satan, the serpent. He shows 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.259 up in the beginning of the story. We can never 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:13.319 dismiss him from our story because he was given 00:20:13.529 --> 00:20:16.289 a place from the beginning because of the fall 00:20:16.289 --> 00:20:20.710 of man to be able to bruise the heel of the seed 00:20:20.710 --> 00:20:25.049 of the woman, which is Eve. So it's hard not 00:20:25.049 --> 00:20:27.829 to go back to the beginning, but in order to 00:20:27.829 --> 00:20:29.789 understand the story properly, we do have to 00:20:29.789 --> 00:20:32.029 go back to the beginning because they're all 00:20:32.029 --> 00:20:35.250 products of what happened in the beginning. So 00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:39.690 when God, when they didn't do what they were 00:20:39.690 --> 00:20:42.069 supposed to do was one thing, there was only 00:20:42.069 --> 00:20:45.619 one do not. do, which was to eat from the tree 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:48.000 of the knowledge of good and evil. So because 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.960 they took a bite of that fruit, both of them, 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:52.200 they were both there together, they took a bite 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:57.400 of that, then the cause of their consequence 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:00.210 was their disobedience. They didn't choose their 00:21:00.210 --> 00:21:03.450 consequence because God didn't really delineate 00:21:03.450 --> 00:21:06.390 it. He just said, you will die. In dying, you 00:21:06.390 --> 00:21:08.250 will die. It literally means that if you eat 00:21:08.250 --> 00:21:10.670 of the fruit of this tree, you will die. Now 00:21:10.670 --> 00:21:12.230 it sounds like they were going to fall down dead, 00:21:12.230 --> 00:21:14.190 but that's not what the word means. It means 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:17.710 that in dying, you will die. So they didn't die. 00:21:17.769 --> 00:21:19.730 They didn't physically die. So what part of them 00:21:19.730 --> 00:21:23.690 died? Well, the part of them died is their spiritual 00:21:23.690 --> 00:21:27.940 nature. It didn't die spiritually. not have a 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:30.559 spirit anymore because the body without a spirit 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:34.680 is dead, the body is dead, but their spirit began 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:37.619 to die. Spiritually, the New Testament calls 00:21:37.619 --> 00:21:40.900 it, you're spiritually dead. So the spirit cannot 00:21:40.900 --> 00:21:44.240 function anymore in communication with God like 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.019 it once did. That's what happened to Adam and 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:49.940 Eve. Remember that God made all the creatures 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:53.359 of the world, fish, birds, everything. But there's 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:58.200 only one of his created genius that was breathed 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:00.819 into, and that was Adam, and from Adam, Eve. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:03.960 So Eve was within Adam. God breathed into Adam 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:06.480 and gave life to them. It was spiritual life. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:08.779 That's what made the difference between Adam 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:11.779 and Eve and the animal world. They had a spirit. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:15.259 The animals have a soul, but not a spirit. When 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:17.720 I'd look in my dog's eyes, I'm looking deep into 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:19.740 my dog, but I'm not looking into his spirit. 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:22.039 When I look into your eyes, I see there's something 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:24.900 spiritual there that my dog does not have. Now 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:27.160 people get upset with that, but I love dogs, 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:30.039 but he still doesn't have a spirit. You know, 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:33.019 he has a sweet soul, and sometimes not that sweet, 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:39.200 but he does not have a spirit. So when Jesus, 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:42.579 when God delineated man from the beast, it's 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:44.799 because he breathed into him. That's what made 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:48.180 the difference. When we understand Hebrew, the 00:22:48.180 --> 00:22:52.750 Hebrew word for spirit is Ruach. The same word 00:22:52.750 --> 00:22:56.430 means wind. So when we start to listen to the 00:22:56.430 --> 00:22:59.849 voice of Jesus with Nicodemus, we hear him talking 00:22:59.849 --> 00:23:03.230 spiritual words when he uses the word wind and 00:23:03.230 --> 00:23:07.349 spirit. Same word. So man has the spirit, but 00:23:07.349 --> 00:23:09.690 the spirit becomes a problem because when he 00:23:09.690 --> 00:23:13.089 said that you shall surely die, it's the spirit 00:23:13.089 --> 00:23:16.069 that began to die. Adam and Eve knew it instantly. 00:23:16.609 --> 00:23:19.210 They felt like, oh my God, what happened to us? 00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:23.130 We're missing something. We're naked. Why did 00:23:23.130 --> 00:23:26.369 they not know they were naked before? Because 00:23:26.369 --> 00:23:29.250 God was their covering. It was a spiritual relationship 00:23:29.250 --> 00:23:31.730 they had with God that was a covering. They never 00:23:31.730 --> 00:23:34.890 felt naked. All of a sudden they felt naked and 00:23:34.890 --> 00:23:37.269 ashamed because they no longer had a covering. 00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:40.309 Their spirit was exposed to things it never was 00:23:40.309 --> 00:23:43.190 exposed to before and it was beginning to fall 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:45.880 apart for them. And so we all fall into that 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:48.299 same category. There was a problem that began 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:51.940 in the garden that we all are experiencing the 00:23:51.940 --> 00:23:55.160 consequences from. Go ahead. I was going to say 00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:57.380 this all feels fairly basic to me. I'm like, 00:23:57.480 --> 00:23:59.400 yeah, yeah, got it. Spiritual death, dah, dah, 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:03.700 dah, dah, dah. Like, I don't know. It all has 00:24:03.700 --> 00:24:06.079 made sense to me until now. And I'm sure there's 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:08.019 a certain extent where people don't feel like 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:10.279 that makes sense. I think what doesn't make sense 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:13.180 to me is Okay, I'm supposed to have this point 00:24:13.180 --> 00:24:15.759 where I get spiritual life. I'm supposed to be 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:18.519 born again, like Jesus said to Nicodemus. That's 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:22.700 supposed to happen. Then what? Because that's 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:24.779 where everyone stops. This is why everyone's 00:24:24.779 --> 00:24:26.720 confused, though, because you want... Look, let's 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:29.039 get over the Old Testament stuff. It's full of 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:31.460 stories. No, I'm not trying to say get over it 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:35.059 or jump ahead. What I'm trying to say is... That's 00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:37.339 what that's all I've ever been told. Oh, I know 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:39.740 my whole life All I've been told is there's this 00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.880 big long story that ends with you getting saved 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:46.440 and being born again, ta -da Right, but see this 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.460 we this is this is really the problem. We take 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:52.710 a javelin and we throw it as far as we can over 00:24:52.710 --> 00:24:55.329 the Old Testament into the New Testament, and 00:24:55.329 --> 00:24:58.690 with both feet on the ground like a high jumper, 00:24:59.670 --> 00:25:03.269 a pole vaulter would be better, and we just jump 00:25:03.269 --> 00:25:05.410 into the New Testament. Jesus is just born in 00:25:05.410 --> 00:25:07.910 the manger. Let's go for it. And now it starts. 00:25:08.430 --> 00:25:12.430 But we miss the whole story that builds up to 00:25:12.430 --> 00:25:16.089 this, which is a story of struggle. It's a consistent 00:25:16.089 --> 00:25:19.700 story of human struggle. And so to think that 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:22.059 that struggle ends in the New Testament, this 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:26.500 is what unfortunately has been portrayed in churches 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:28.940 too often is that, hey, you're good to go now. 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:30.440 You came to the altar. Didn't you come to the 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:33.000 altar? I saw you here like six months ago. Weren't 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:34.460 you? You're born again. Go for it. You know, 00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:39.000 you're good to go. That's like saying, cast out 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.440 the entire story of the Old Testament and say 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.900 it's invalid, it's irrelevant because now we 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:46.160 have Jesus and we're good to go. But then we 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:49.500 have this, it's like if we saw spiritually when 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:51.299 we came to church, we'd see all these people 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:54.319 coming in wheelchairs and crutches and walkers 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:57.359 and spiritually that's what they look like in 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:00.099 God's eyes. They're limp, they're blaming and 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:03.880 they can't hear and they can't see because we 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:06.500 don't have the same discipleship experience. 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:09.660 which you talked about briefly, that the disciples, 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:12.839 the original, the first time we hear about disciples 00:26:12.839 --> 00:26:17.730 is with Jesus' disciples. And they had an experience 00:26:17.730 --> 00:26:22.329 with him. What was that all about? And so did 00:26:22.329 --> 00:26:26.109 Jesus say, OK, you're born again, next. You're 00:26:26.109 --> 00:26:28.170 born again, next. You're born again. You're born 00:26:28.170 --> 00:26:30.769 again. And just go through all of Israel. Everyone 00:26:30.769 --> 00:26:33.829 just comes to the altar. They hear this Middle 00:26:33.829 --> 00:26:37.509 Eastern music behind them. And they get saved. 00:26:38.549 --> 00:26:41.769 And now fill out this card. We'll contact you 00:26:41.769 --> 00:26:45.900 sometime in the future. Clearly not. is often 00:26:45.900 --> 00:26:48.039 what it feels like the church has presented me 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:50.640 with. But that's that's the church that I've 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:53.700 been given. OK, so now here's the real thing 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:56.299 for you and your generation is let's skip the 00:26:56.299 --> 00:26:58.819 blame game anymore, because, yeah, that is what 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:02.220 I was handed. So I got a bad I got a bad package 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:04.779 of information. It's not all bad, but some of 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:08.779 it is really has caused me confusion. So now 00:27:08.779 --> 00:27:10.819 the responsibility is on your side. This is what 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:13.259 we really want to convey. So, yeah, you've been 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:17.039 given some a mixed bag of understanding of what 00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:20.119 this life is as a believer. But I have to go 00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:23.319 back to the beginning when Adam and Eve, we're 00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:25.880 going to say that they were the first human beings, 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:28.019 but we're also going to say they're the first 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:30.359 disciples because now they have to learn a new 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:33.299 way of living. in the struggle. They didn't have 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:36.359 the struggle before. So this is where we all 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:39.319 identify with the first Adam and the first Eve. 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:42.119 They began the struggle. And God introduces the 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:45.619 struggle with Adam. He says, OK, Adam, you're 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.430 going to struggle. with making a living. It's 00:27:48.430 --> 00:27:50.970 going to be tough for you. These roses that you 00:27:50.970 --> 00:27:53.170 used to give Eve all the time, now they're going 00:27:53.170 --> 00:27:54.890 to have thorns on them. When you pick a rose, 00:27:54.970 --> 00:27:57.869 it's going to make you bleed, Adam. When you 00:27:57.869 --> 00:28:01.190 pull garden vegetables out of your garden, you're 00:28:01.190 --> 00:28:03.769 going to fight mosquitoes that bite and weeds 00:28:03.769 --> 00:28:05.890 that are overgrown, things like that you never 00:28:05.890 --> 00:28:07.890 had before. It's going to be a struggle for you, 00:28:07.990 --> 00:28:10.069 Adam. Eve, you're going to have a struggle giving 00:28:10.069 --> 00:28:12.680 birth. What's birth? I never had it. baby before, 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:14.619 what's that all about? You're going to see it's 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:16.460 going to be a struggle. It wasn't intended to 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:19.559 be, but it will be. And so she starts learning 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:21.759 things about the struggle when she first has 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:24.140 her first child. But he says one other thing 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:27.039 when he says to the serpent that you are cursed. 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:29.400 He doesn't curse Adam, he doesn't curse Eve. 00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:32.400 He curses the ground because of their sake, and 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:35.160 he curses the serpent. To the serpent he says 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:38.940 you are going to have access to the heel of the 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:41.579 woman. the seed of the woman, not to the woman 00:28:41.579 --> 00:28:45.519 herself, the seed, her descendants. What are 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:46.259 you going to have access to? You're going to 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:51.119 be able to bruise that heel. But the seed of 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:54.200 the woman is going to crush your head. So there's 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:57.640 a huge conflict that is introduced in the garden 00:28:57.640 --> 00:29:00.940 between the serpent and the seed of the woman. 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:05.059 Now, without knowing all the details of that, 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:07.779 we do know that history is going to be marked 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:10.740 by this conflict. The serpent will be able to 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:12.619 prove the seed of the woman who we don't know 00:29:12.619 --> 00:29:15.819 that is yet, but that we know it means Zerah 00:29:15.819 --> 00:29:18.359 is the Hebrew word. It means descendant or offspring. 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:21.799 So we know that her descendants at some point 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:24.660 are going to be bruised by the serpent. He's 00:29:24.660 --> 00:29:26.700 going to have that access. What does the heel 00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:29.700 represent? Well, it's the back of your foot. 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:33.359 And so it represents a person walking, but every 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:35.319 now and then something is going to grab that 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:38.349 heel and make it hard to walk. So the walk is 00:29:38.349 --> 00:29:41.029 going to be painful at times. So that's talking 00:29:41.029 --> 00:29:43.029 about a struggle. Right away we're introduced 00:29:43.029 --> 00:29:46.349 to the struggle of humanity. All of humanity? 00:29:47.049 --> 00:29:50.069 Well, so far it is. It's the seed of Eve. She's 00:29:50.069 --> 00:29:52.349 the only woman. But yet there's no children yet, 00:29:52.349 --> 00:29:55.710 but we can expect these things. Expect the struggle 00:29:55.710 --> 00:29:57.970 of the man as separate from the struggle of the 00:29:57.970 --> 00:30:01.130 woman, and then separately altogether a curse 00:30:01.130 --> 00:30:05.099 that allows the serpent to... mess with the walk 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.700 of those that will come after. Right. And so 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:11.119 we don't know who those are yet, but as the story 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:14.779 goes on, we see the struggle immediately in the 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:18.359 next episode, which is two brothers, both descendants 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:22.740 of Eve and Cain and Abel. One kills the other 00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:27.039 and the one who does the murderer, Cain, it goes 00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:31.900 into exile and Eve is left with no sons. And 00:30:31.900 --> 00:30:34.500 the next story we see that shows up, the major 00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:38.059 episode, is that she's pregnant again, and she's 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:41.099 going to give birth to a boy. She realizes he's 00:30:41.099 --> 00:30:44.279 a boy, and she names him Seth. And she says, 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:47.380 perhaps he is the appointed one, because it wasn't 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.539 Cain or Abel. Abel died, and it wasn't Cain. 00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:54.319 But God said I would have an offspring, a child 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:57.240 would come from me, that would crush the head 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:59.710 of the serpent. And he has done so much damage 00:30:59.710 --> 00:31:03.430 so far, I'm ready for my son to crush his head. 00:31:03.769 --> 00:31:06.089 And I'm going to name him Seth, because Seth 00:31:06.089 --> 00:31:09.190 means appointed. He is appointed to do it. Well, 00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:11.190 it wasn't Seth. We don't see the enemy crushed. 00:31:11.509 --> 00:31:14.269 But we do follow from that point on all of the 00:31:14.269 --> 00:31:17.230 offspring of Seth. It just goes from Seth on. 00:31:17.589 --> 00:31:19.789 Well, it gets almost humorous at this point when 00:31:19.789 --> 00:31:21.529 you're reading the Bible, if you kind of have 00:31:21.529 --> 00:31:23.670 any context. If you're reading at that point 00:31:23.670 --> 00:31:25.569 and she's like, maybe this is the one and you're 00:31:25.569 --> 00:31:28.009 like, haha, sweetie, do you see how big this 00:31:28.009 --> 00:31:30.650 book is? He's not the one. It's not him. And 00:31:30.650 --> 00:31:34.250 then we move on. time after time after time from 00:31:34.250 --> 00:31:38.269 Noah to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. And every 00:31:38.269 --> 00:31:40.829 single time, I mean, as a reader of the Bible, 00:31:40.849 --> 00:31:43.509 if you didn't know what was happening further 00:31:43.509 --> 00:31:46.190 on, you were probably even kind of saying, is 00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:48.069 this the one that's finally going to end this 00:31:48.069 --> 00:31:50.230 struggle? Because it's clearly throughout the 00:31:50.230 --> 00:31:52.670 whole Old Testament a struggle. We could go from 00:31:52.670 --> 00:31:54.970 person to person to person to person and see 00:31:54.970 --> 00:31:58.460 that struggle. You're right, we can. And as we 00:31:58.460 --> 00:31:59.880 travel through the Old Testament, that's what 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:03.420 we're seeing, a huge amount of struggle. Yeah, 00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:05.519 like you mentioned in Noah's day, by that time 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.779 the hearts of men were wicked continuously. So 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:11.259 God had to start over. So the struggle is there, 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:14.400 but is the struggle from man to man, from woman 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:17.700 to woman, from man to woman, woman to man? It's 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:21.039 a human struggle in a degree, but it's a spiritual... 00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:24.789 rooted struggle, because the serpent, we learn 00:32:24.789 --> 00:32:29.809 later, is a spirit. He's an angel. He's an angel 00:32:29.809 --> 00:32:32.930 that fell, just like Adam fell, and he's getting 00:32:32.930 --> 00:32:36.329 back at God for God casting him out of heaven. 00:32:36.690 --> 00:32:41.730 And his vision is to get to God through his creation. 00:32:41.829 --> 00:32:44.970 The creation that he said was good, incidentally, 00:32:45.190 --> 00:32:48.750 right from the beginning. didn't stay good. So 00:32:48.750 --> 00:32:51.109 we do have a big issue about what good means, 00:32:51.569 --> 00:32:54.269 but it's a spiritual conversation that we have 00:32:54.269 --> 00:32:58.150 to have in order to understand what it is in 00:32:58.150 --> 00:33:00.670 the very foundation of it, the root of good. 00:33:01.349 --> 00:33:06.430 So we see that man and God can have a relationship. 00:33:06.430 --> 00:33:08.789 We see that happening with Enoch. He walked with 00:33:08.789 --> 00:33:14.769 God and and We see that the serpent is out to 00:33:14.769 --> 00:33:17.670 create a havoc in the world Through the heart 00:33:17.670 --> 00:33:20.890 of man to make it wicked and he's successful 00:33:20.890 --> 00:33:25.730 at it. So He's not he's got limited capabilities, 00:33:25.730 --> 00:33:29.650 but he does have capabilities And we could discuss 00:33:29.650 --> 00:33:32.049 that in another point. I'm sure we will. But 00:33:32.049 --> 00:33:34.849 I think it's very important to keep in mind right 00:33:34.849 --> 00:33:36.789 from the beginning what this discipleship thing 00:33:36.789 --> 00:33:41.470 we're calling about. It has to maintain its spiritual 00:33:41.470 --> 00:33:44.509 level in order for it to be understood in its 00:33:44.509 --> 00:33:47.930 fullest context, because the spirit of man is 00:33:47.930 --> 00:33:51.990 the problem. Because remember, he said, you won't 00:33:51.990 --> 00:33:55.099 die immediately. Adam lived till he's like 900 00:33:55.099 --> 00:33:57.579 something. So obviously that guy did not mean 00:33:57.579 --> 00:33:58.960 he'd have instinct, he wouldn't have a heart 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:02.259 attack and die. But in dying, you shall die is 00:34:02.259 --> 00:34:05.579 what it says. So his spirit is dying as his spirit 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:09.400 is dying, his body is dying. There was no death 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:13.360 before that. Death came after sin. So Adam starting 00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:16.139 to die, the dying process, the process of dying 00:34:16.139 --> 00:34:18.840 is the same thing that we experience at a much 00:34:18.840 --> 00:34:22.559 more limited level in our time than Adam did. 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:24.800 What do you mean by limited? We don't have as 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:30.539 much time. That makes sense. One thing that or 00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:32.500 thought that's coming to me out of all of this 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:34.960 is first off, it feels like this in no way answers 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:36.820 my questions. And I feel like that's how God 00:34:36.820 --> 00:34:39.820 works. Anyway, oftentimes the question that you 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:42.639 have, the answer is a lot longer, a lot more 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:46.539 complex and a lot less of a seeming answer than 00:34:46.539 --> 00:34:49.989 it. It doesn't seem like the answer. as you're 00:34:49.989 --> 00:34:51.989 listening. And I feel like that's what this is. 00:34:52.110 --> 00:34:53.889 I'm like, this isn't the answer. That's not what 00:34:53.889 --> 00:34:56.630 I'm saying. I'm trying to say what next? And 00:34:56.630 --> 00:34:58.309 you're saying you have to understand that you're 00:34:58.309 --> 00:35:00.530 spiritually broken first. You have to get to 00:35:00.530 --> 00:35:02.849 that point. And as you're speaking and talking 00:35:02.849 --> 00:35:05.329 about all of these characters in the Bible, I'm 00:35:05.329 --> 00:35:07.650 immediately like, but jump to me. Jump to Jesus. 00:35:07.949 --> 00:35:10.289 What do you mean? Like, like this part doesn't 00:35:10.289 --> 00:35:12.590 matter as much, which is what you were saying 00:35:12.590 --> 00:35:14.929 earlier, that we just keep getting taught to 00:35:14.929 --> 00:35:16.989 kind of throw the spear over the Old Testament 00:35:16.989 --> 00:35:20.170 and get to the New Testament. Um, but I keep 00:35:20.170 --> 00:35:23.869 coming to this thought of, wait, you mean these 00:35:23.869 --> 00:35:28.489 people post Adam and Eve had spiritual life with 00:35:28.489 --> 00:35:32.710 God. And in my context of church right now, I'm 00:35:32.710 --> 00:35:34.050 like, wait, you mean they're going to heaven? 00:35:34.849 --> 00:35:37.030 They didn't have Jesus. How does that work? How 00:35:37.030 --> 00:35:38.949 could, how could Noah go to heaven? How could 00:35:38.949 --> 00:35:41.369 Enoch go to heaven? I mean, it says that Enoch 00:35:41.369 --> 00:35:44.769 didn't die, but he went to heaven. But he didn't 00:35:44.769 --> 00:35:48.150 have Jesus. OK, David, he's, you know, this good 00:35:48.150 --> 00:35:52.670 king, you know, both horrible and good. But of 00:35:52.670 --> 00:35:55.130 course, we're not none of us are good. But the 00:35:55.130 --> 00:35:57.289 Bible says he was a man after God's own heart. 00:35:57.610 --> 00:36:00.349 And I'm like, but he doesn't have Jesus. Could 00:36:00.349 --> 00:36:03.309 he have gone to heaven? And it's this continual 00:36:03.309 --> 00:36:06.769 concept that I think is quite flawed of the end 00:36:06.769 --> 00:36:13.250 goal being heaven. Yeah, and. So, you know, when 00:36:13.250 --> 00:36:16.070 Jesus was asked a question, he rarely answered 00:36:16.070 --> 00:36:18.809 it. Very rarely answered it. He answered it with 00:36:18.809 --> 00:36:22.170 a question. And there's reason for that. And 00:36:22.170 --> 00:36:25.030 I think it's a really good way. It's his method 00:36:25.030 --> 00:36:28.159 of discipling. So you want answers. You want 00:36:28.159 --> 00:36:30.719 answers that are going to satisfy you. You want 00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:34.679 a drive -by Jesus. You want a 2 % Jesus. You 00:36:34.679 --> 00:36:36.480 know, milk used to be measured in percentages. 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.219 We don't do that much anymore. So there's like 00:36:39.219 --> 00:36:42.019 4 % was like really close to being milk, which 00:36:42.019 --> 00:36:44.420 isn't much milk at all. It's only 4 % cream. 00:36:45.179 --> 00:36:47.739 And two percent became the acceptable one. But 00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:50.320 skim milk was the one that if you were, you know, 00:36:50.420 --> 00:36:52.519 if you if you just wanted to like a little dab 00:36:52.519 --> 00:36:54.280 of milk to look like milk, but it really didn't 00:36:54.280 --> 00:36:56.579 taste like milk. So you're talking about a two 00:36:56.579 --> 00:36:58.360 percent Jesus, basically, is what you're looking 00:36:58.360 --> 00:37:00.719 for. I'm wanting a social media Jesus, I think. 00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:02.840 OK, I read one of his posts. I'm like, oh, cool. 00:37:02.940 --> 00:37:04.900 He's doing pretty good. Just scroll right past. 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:09.059 Yeah, right. You drive by Jesus. And so that's 00:37:09.059 --> 00:37:11.440 where we've come come to the age of that. But 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:15.230 it's unacceptable to God. So. We can't expect 00:37:15.230 --> 00:37:18.469 to get the full Jesus when we have a drive by 00:37:18.469 --> 00:37:21.550 mentality. I'm wanting to sit with you for half 00:37:21.550 --> 00:37:24.469 an hour and to have my questions and all the 00:37:24.469 --> 00:37:26.130 questions of those who are listening and probably 00:37:26.130 --> 00:37:29.110 as frustrated as me or more frustrated by how 00:37:29.110 --> 00:37:32.769 frustrated I am to just have the answer that 00:37:32.769 --> 00:37:35.050 we're all going to have to just chill us all 00:37:35.050 --> 00:37:39.030 out. Well, I think that it has to be rooted in 00:37:39.030 --> 00:37:42.289 this fact that either you're made spiritually 00:37:42.289 --> 00:37:46.010 new or you're not yet spiritually new. So there's 00:37:46.010 --> 00:37:48.769 two different kinds of beings in this world. 00:37:49.090 --> 00:37:51.869 Not so much Christian and non -Christian, but 00:37:51.869 --> 00:37:54.969 have you been made spiritually alive? Because 00:37:54.969 --> 00:37:58.030 in Adam we are spiritually dead. If you're made 00:37:58.030 --> 00:38:01.670 spiritually alive, that means you have a capability 00:38:01.670 --> 00:38:04.670 of having this relationship with God that is 00:38:04.670 --> 00:38:07.929 enormous, that is endless, ceaseless, there's 00:38:07.929 --> 00:38:13.039 no limitations to it. It's the experience that 00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:15.559 we talked about initially about being born again. 00:38:16.219 --> 00:38:18.860 The legitimacy of that comes from the spiritual 00:38:18.860 --> 00:38:22.280 life that proceeds from that experience. And 00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:24.659 the same thing with the young child. Like I have 00:38:24.659 --> 00:38:27.980 a granddaughter, I'll say specifically, that 00:38:27.980 --> 00:38:31.380 is... I know that I have fellowship with her 00:38:31.380 --> 00:38:34.099 since she's like three years old. Fellowship, 00:38:34.239 --> 00:38:36.940 I mean. Worshiping together since she's three. 00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:39.539 Now, I can't say that with all of my grandchildren, 00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:44.059 but I had that same kind of fellowship with her, 00:38:44.360 --> 00:38:46.400 which is very unique. I'm not saying that my 00:38:46.400 --> 00:38:49.239 other grandchildren are not born again, but it 00:38:49.239 --> 00:38:52.190 just... it just with her specifically, it was 00:38:52.190 --> 00:38:55.010 something very unique at a very early age that 00:38:55.010 --> 00:38:57.489 was identifiable that this girl is in touch with 00:38:57.489 --> 00:38:59.710 God. I want to have fellowship with her. She's 00:38:59.710 --> 00:39:02.409 not just cute, you know, I just want to be around 00:39:02.409 --> 00:39:05.289 her because she has this love for God that is 00:39:05.289 --> 00:39:09.250 sincere and real. So will she ever be able to 00:39:09.250 --> 00:39:10.949 say, oh, I got saved when I was, you know, I 00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:13.230 was on the, you know, I was, I was in the bathroom 00:39:13.230 --> 00:39:15.150 one day and I just I was two and a half years 00:39:15.150 --> 00:39:18.150 old, you know, and, and I just had this experience, 00:39:18.150 --> 00:39:21.719 you know, probably not. But that doesn't make 00:39:21.719 --> 00:39:27.139 her any less a child of God. And now she's eight 00:39:27.139 --> 00:39:30.179 years old and I still see this life in her and 00:39:30.179 --> 00:39:34.579 I expect to see it on into eternity. But that 00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:36.329 doesn't mean she doesn't struggle. See, this 00:39:36.329 --> 00:39:38.829 is an interesting thing. I see now the struggles 00:39:38.829 --> 00:39:42.510 because the human side and the enemy, which we 00:39:42.510 --> 00:39:45.329 can never forget about, is out to bruise the 00:39:45.329 --> 00:39:47.670 heel. What does the heel mean? It signifies your 00:39:47.670 --> 00:39:51.809 walk. Remember Jacob? God touched his hip. And 00:39:51.809 --> 00:39:53.550 what happened to Jacob? It says that he never 00:39:53.550 --> 00:39:55.349 walked the same again. He walked with a limp. 00:39:55.690 --> 00:39:57.710 So literally, he didn't walk the same again. 00:39:58.869 --> 00:40:02.889 When we're walking as a human being, we're walking 00:40:02.889 --> 00:40:06.469 as fallen creatures. We always fall. Not every 00:40:06.469 --> 00:40:08.710 day, not every moment. We don't limp through 00:40:08.710 --> 00:40:13.190 life in a sense, but we have fallen capacity 00:40:13.190 --> 00:40:17.010 because of that nature. But when Jesus touches 00:40:17.010 --> 00:40:19.829 us, we don't walk the same anymore. We don't 00:40:19.829 --> 00:40:25.130 walk with this spiritual limp anymore. We take 00:40:25.130 --> 00:40:27.269 a different step. We have a high step. Our chin 00:40:27.269 --> 00:40:29.730 is up from now on. There's a difference in the 00:40:29.730 --> 00:40:32.510 way we live and move because of Him, not because 00:40:32.510 --> 00:40:35.530 we're good. It's because of Him and He is good. 00:40:35.610 --> 00:40:41.510 So I think so to get back to to the story It's 00:40:41.510 --> 00:40:44.989 rather than pole vaulting You know into the cradle 00:40:44.989 --> 00:40:47.909 where Jesus was born and see how cute he was 00:40:47.909 --> 00:40:49.489 and say I want to be cute like Jesus You know, 00:40:49.610 --> 00:40:51.429 he was so sweet and every kind and never did 00:40:51.429 --> 00:40:54.050 anything wrong so I want to be like him and I 00:40:54.050 --> 00:40:56.050 want him to always be my friend, you know and 00:40:56.050 --> 00:40:58.809 go to heaven together and And then and then let's 00:40:58.809 --> 00:41:00.829 go on we got we'll settle that we'll go on living 00:41:00.829 --> 00:41:03.750 and doing whatever that takes to be as good as 00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:07.010 I can be and be settled in that way. And to me, 00:41:07.170 --> 00:41:08.929 I think what you're saying isn't the thing that 00:41:08.929 --> 00:41:11.510 anyone actually wants. No, that's the problem. 00:41:12.050 --> 00:41:15.309 I think we keep getting told that that's what 00:41:15.309 --> 00:41:18.110 we want, but it's wrong. That's not what I want. 00:41:18.210 --> 00:41:20.769 I don't want an easy life. I don't want everything 00:41:20.769 --> 00:41:23.230 to be perfect. I'm just told that's how it's 00:41:23.230 --> 00:41:26.230 supposed to be. And why is it not? And I think 00:41:26.230 --> 00:41:29.130 what you said answered that fairly well, which 00:41:29.130 --> 00:41:31.659 was there's a difference between spiritual life 00:41:31.659 --> 00:41:35.019 and spiritual death and you who are spiritually 00:41:35.019 --> 00:41:37.900 alive and you who are spiritually dead but being 00:41:37.900 --> 00:41:41.800 spiritually alive means generally a struggle 00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:44.460 or that there will be struggles there always 00:41:44.460 --> 00:41:47.880 are struggles in life but specifically a struggle 00:41:47.880 --> 00:41:51.019 that makes you not walk the same again that you 00:41:51.019 --> 00:41:53.559 won't walk the same and you will continue to 00:41:53.559 --> 00:41:57.019 experience struggle as in the struggle doesn't 00:41:57.019 --> 00:41:58.980 ever quite end, is at least the way that I'm 00:41:58.980 --> 00:42:01.179 hearing it. But there is a difference in the 00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:08.619 way that you walk. Definitely. So let me make 00:42:08.619 --> 00:42:11.320 something else a little bit more clear. So if 00:42:11.320 --> 00:42:14.179 we are a spirit being, we got this down, right? 00:42:14.920 --> 00:42:18.699 All humanity, because we proceed from Adam. So 00:42:18.699 --> 00:42:23.780 we have this spirit God has given to us and that 00:42:23.780 --> 00:42:27.400 spirit Needs redemption right because it's it's 00:42:27.400 --> 00:42:30.539 spiritually dark and that's why we see good and 00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:34.179 evil, you know, but Where does it come that some 00:42:34.179 --> 00:42:36.719 people seem to be wicked or badder than other 00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:40.320 people and some people just seem to be They should 00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:42.219 be good enough to go to heaven. It should just 00:42:42.219 --> 00:42:44.360 because of their behavior. I mean we measure 00:42:44.360 --> 00:42:49.920 by the way we see people So the the the confusion 00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:56.820 I think takes on maybe a new level of education, 00:42:57.019 --> 00:42:59.460 something we need to learn about this struggle. 00:43:00.139 --> 00:43:02.119 Because how do we go from the spirit to the natural? 00:43:02.199 --> 00:43:04.099 Because we all live in the natural, right? We 00:43:04.099 --> 00:43:06.599 live in this world. We see each other, touch 00:43:06.599 --> 00:43:08.900 each other. So this is the world we live in. 00:43:09.059 --> 00:43:10.820 We don't see the spirit. The things that are 00:43:10.820 --> 00:43:14.219 spiritual are not seen. And the Bible makes that 00:43:14.219 --> 00:43:19.400 very clear. It says that. What is man then? If 00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:23.739 he's a spirit and he's natural, how does one, 00:43:23.739 --> 00:43:27.440 the natural part, affected by the spiritual part? 00:43:28.440 --> 00:43:31.619 Well, there's one other element of the human 00:43:31.619 --> 00:43:34.019 nature that needs to be discussed, and that is 00:43:34.019 --> 00:43:37.400 the soul. So the New Testament says that we're 00:43:37.400 --> 00:43:40.800 to be sanctified body, soul, and spirit. So there's 00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:42.559 three parts to us. Some would say there's only 00:43:42.559 --> 00:43:45.440 two. I would disagree. I think it's really important. 00:43:46.170 --> 00:43:48.909 The Bible says about us and stick to it. It says 00:43:48.909 --> 00:43:52.750 that we are body, soul and spirit. So then we 00:43:52.750 --> 00:43:54.949 have to say, OK, well, what is this soul thing 00:43:54.949 --> 00:43:58.130 about then? If it's different than the spirit. 00:43:58.550 --> 00:44:00.809 Well, the soul and the spirit are very close 00:44:00.809 --> 00:44:04.789 in nature. The body is clearly different. It's 00:44:04.789 --> 00:44:09.489 our mechanism. We take away the heart of the 00:44:09.489 --> 00:44:11.309 brain and the body doesn't function. It looks 00:44:11.309 --> 00:44:14.769 the same momentarily, but it's soon to decay 00:44:14.769 --> 00:44:19.380 completely. So, what then is the function of 00:44:19.380 --> 00:44:24.539 this third piece of information that you're telling 00:44:24.539 --> 00:44:27.300 me? This third mechanism, if you will. What does 00:44:27.300 --> 00:44:30.559 it do? What is the soul's function? Well, the 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:34.920 soul, like the spirit, is capable of thinking, 00:44:35.659 --> 00:44:38.139 it's capable of feeling, and it's capable of 00:44:38.139 --> 00:44:43.199 making decisions. So, within our soul is what 00:44:43.199 --> 00:44:46.539 we would call heart and soul. We kind of separate 00:44:46.539 --> 00:44:52.219 the two, but really the heart of the man is within 00:44:52.219 --> 00:44:55.780 the soul. So we are capable of feeling and thinking 00:44:55.780 --> 00:45:00.309 and making decisions with our soul. If we are 00:45:00.309 --> 00:45:02.510 made of spirit, soul, and body, then the body 00:45:02.510 --> 00:45:05.070 is the part that's really the least important 00:45:05.070 --> 00:45:08.769 because it fades and dies. The soul of man, we're 00:45:08.769 --> 00:45:11.889 told later on, returns to God. It's the spirit 00:45:11.889 --> 00:45:14.670 that becomes made alive when we're born again. 00:45:14.840 --> 00:45:19.659 So the spirit is what God is tending to. When 00:45:19.659 --> 00:45:22.360 he speaks to this Nicodemus at night, he said, 00:45:22.800 --> 00:45:26.119 you must be born of the spirit. And why is that? 00:45:26.260 --> 00:45:28.599 Because your spirit needs to come alive in order 00:45:28.599 --> 00:45:32.139 for you to have a clear communication, conversation 00:45:32.139 --> 00:45:38.199 and way of living. So we are going to end really 00:45:38.199 --> 00:45:42.019 soon. Yeah. But I think this is really a good 00:45:42.019 --> 00:45:47.530 place to end because what happens next is really 00:45:47.530 --> 00:45:52.809 what's critical to who we are. Is it a matter 00:45:52.809 --> 00:45:55.650 of becoming good? Is it a matter of being good? 00:45:55.889 --> 00:45:58.690 Is it a matter of that God is good and God lives 00:45:58.690 --> 00:46:02.530 within me and therefore I am good? These are 00:46:02.530 --> 00:46:05.710 questions I think that may still need to be answered, 00:46:06.469 --> 00:46:08.090 but I'm going to leave with - Yeah, what gets 00:46:08.090 --> 00:46:11.030 me to the place that I'm good. I often don't 00:46:11.030 --> 00:46:12.829 even struggle with that. I just struggle with 00:46:12.829 --> 00:46:17.800 what's next. Okay, I'm good. Fine. I guess I 00:46:17.800 --> 00:46:19.579 had that moment that I was supposed to have, 00:46:19.860 --> 00:46:22.539 and I'm spiritually born again or not, or what 00:46:22.539 --> 00:46:25.579 does that exactly look like? But how do I move 00:46:25.579 --> 00:46:28.400 forward if I believe this? You know, the Bible 00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:31.719 says that if you believe in your heart that Jesus 00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:35.719 is Lord and... I'm struggling with scripture 00:46:35.719 --> 00:46:38.840 now, I love that. Believe that Jesus is Lord 00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:41.400 and say that God raised him from the dead and 00:46:41.400 --> 00:46:44.960 basically believe in who he is, that you will 00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:48.000 be saved. And I'm like, got it, I did that. I 00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:51.059 know that. Not even just a check marked box. 00:46:51.519 --> 00:46:53.480 That's not what that means to me, it's something 00:46:53.480 --> 00:46:56.760 deeper. But I don't know how to move forward, 00:46:57.239 --> 00:47:02.500 period. Nobody's taught me how. And I'm. I haven't 00:47:02.500 --> 00:47:05.659 found much basis in the Bible personally beyond 00:47:05.659 --> 00:47:09.300 you will struggle and you have to become XYZ 00:47:09.300 --> 00:47:12.400 to really help me move forward. So what's next? 00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:16.199 That's my question. We bless you for taking the 00:47:16.199 --> 00:47:19.099 time to consider this message. May it cause you 00:47:19.099 --> 00:47:21.559 to be fruitful and effective and lead others 00:47:21.559 --> 00:47:24.559 along the way with confidence and determination. 00:47:25.539 --> 00:47:28.119 Check out our website at comfortmypeople .com. 00:47:28.360 --> 00:47:31.539 to become better informed and equipped to restore 00:47:31.539 --> 00:47:34.280 righteousness to the people of Israel, America, 00:47:34.559 --> 00:47:37.800 and beyond. Please consider sharing this and 00:47:37.800 --> 00:47:41.380 visit us on social media. Shalom and blessings.