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Weaponizing Communication · Deep Waters

0:14
SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Kenny, Podcast Preacher.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to my podcast Deep Waters.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: This podcast is brought to you by Applied Strengths Ministry, where we believe working together on our strengths is the effect of working out the will and calling of God in and through our lives.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining me.
0:28
SPEAKER_00: Let's open up in prayer.
0:29
SPEAKER_00: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose you and him before the foundation of the world, that you should be holy and without blame before him alone, having predestined you to adoption as a son or daughter by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, which he purposed in himself, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made you accepted in the beloved.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: In him ye have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound towards you in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to you the mystery of his will, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him.
1:11
SPEAKER_00: Ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of the mystery of him, and to the deepest knowledge of him that you are willing and able to receive, that the eyes of your understanding would be open wider, and that you would be enlightened to who he is, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards you who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, that he would grant that you would be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man, in and through your spirit and heart, and that you would be able to stand against your flesh, this world, and the devil, in and through any in all temptations.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: And yes, I'm getting help praying with some of the birds out here on my property.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: I pray that your love may abound more and more in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, and that you may be sincere and without repentance on the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ of the glory and praise of God.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: I ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, in all patience and long-suffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints who walk in the light.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: I pray that your hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love and unity, and that you would attain to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which has been given to you to my listeners by Christ Jesus, that you are enriched in everything, by Him, in all utterance and all knowledge, so that you do not come short in obtaining or operating in your calling and purpose, nor in using any spiritual gifts or talents, eagerly waiting for the continued revelation of our Lord Jesus, who will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the near coming of the day of our Lord.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus.
3:09
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so now therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, when things get tough, think about whatever things are true, noble, just pure, lovely, and whatever things are of a good report.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: If there's any virtue or if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things alone.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: I pray that in these very days that you would let your love be without hypocrisy, hate and loathe what is evil, cling to what is good and righteous, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor, giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent and fully engulfed in spiritual fire, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, walking in the peace of God, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, that is each other, and that you would be given to hospitality.
3:52
SPEAKER_00: May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded towards one another, according to Christ Jesus, that we learn to be of one mind and one accord, operating completely and fully in love and unity, always striving for the working out of God's specific will for each of our lives, while working in partnership with each other within the church and the Holy Spirit, as He manifests as miracle signs and wonders through the daily activities of our ministry and kingdom work.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: And while we also go out preaching the gospel in the word and deed, let us love and serve one another, our enemy, and those who wouldn't expect us to do so, considering each person better than ourselves.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: Bind up any words or thoughts that are contrary to the love of God, or which would set you back in your Christian walk.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: I'll step out of faith today and walk with God, being assured that nothing will separate you from him as long as you abide in him.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: Call those things that don't exist as though they do.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: Remember he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: Be more than a conqueror today, submitting to the will of God in everything.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: Let each of us express uncompromising love towards one another and humility while maintaining a teachable spirit.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: I pray that God will give you the revelation within this message that he intends you to receive with the understanding.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: The title of this message is Weaponizing Communication.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so wow, I didn't see that coming, you might say when all of a sudden you are challenged by a brother or sister in your church, ministry, family, or friends, so abruptly that the communication sits the Holy Spirit right down, and you seem to be the only one that is aware that it has happened.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: Allow me to try and unpack this in time ever increasing behavior as it is complex, involving a wide range of emotions, spirits sometimes, and even revealing cracks on our spiritual foundation.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: Spiritual pride is going to be one of those things that we have to overcome in these very last days.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: I see it everywhere, including and sometimes even in myself.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: James tells us in an entire chapter the primary communication problem that we have.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Let's see if we can pick it up along with some other communication issues.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: James three.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things.
6:02
SPEAKER_00: I could spend about an hour on that, but we'll keep going.
6:05
SPEAKER_00: If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Indeed we put bits on horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: Look also at ships, although they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires.
6:23
SPEAKER_00: Even so the tongue is a little member that boasts great things.
6:27
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so right away we see that we are cautioned not to let, or you could say, allow, many of us to be teachers.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: Why?
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Because a teacher needs to be accurate, publicly observable, able to teach, emotionally mature, confident in their calling and craft, humble, able to teach from the anointing, and the Holy Spirit leading, able to teach on the whole Bible, and but especially on difficult subject matter.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: And but then we have two issues in today's Christian world or maybe three.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: We have people trying to teach from a lack of knowledge of the Bible.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: We have others who are unable or unwilling to teach because they do not read their Bible, and we have an open willingness for the spiritually proud to try and teach over one called and assigned to teach.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: In a strange way it's like some sort of knowledge competition, and it usually comes from insecurity.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: And it oftentimes never really adds to a message that's already being taught.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: It's as if somebody's saying the Holy Spirit will interrupt the Holy Spirit so that he can complete his message through two people instead of through one.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: Because you know, that's what God needs to do.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure glad he put me in the class so that I can keep it straight.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: It's a spiritual pride, and it does exist in today's world, in ever increasing measure.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Now to help out a minute, there are two levels of teaching.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: The first is that we are all supposed to be able to teach others, even if it is at a milk level with baby Christians.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: The other is through the office of a teacher, which is usually someone who is at a higher level spiritually speaking.
7:50
SPEAKER_00: When I say level, I mean that they simply exhibit an insatiable appetite to read, study, do research, and to read their Bibles, usually with a lot of cover to cover reading journeys.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: Now within these two groups are also differing levels or expertises, so to speak.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: I could not teach at a college course that is prescribed, as that is not my preferred teaching style.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: I really rely on the Holy Spirit to bring scriptures into remembrance so that I can go and flow.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: Others are opposite, and that's just fine, but that's not me.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: So why all of this hubbub right out of the gate regarding teaching?
8:23
SPEAKER_00: Because it has been my experience that it is a position that is oft challenged, and worse yet, many times right on the spot in the middle of a lesson.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: Yes, of course there is a proper etiquette for challenging something that is being taught.
8:36
SPEAKER_00: But if while you are receiving a response to your challenge, you find yourself getting defensive, therein lies the problem.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: And now the entire class is involved in an emotionally charged dispute.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: It is my belief that if you are inclined to fight to be right and in a sort of immature way to prove the teacher wrong publicly, then you should refrain from speaking out and simply write down your concern and meet with the teacher after the classroom is cleared.
9:00
SPEAKER_00: If you are okay with the potential of making a big spiritual mess, somehow thinking that the devil isn't back of this type of behavior, then you may want to do a more thorough study on 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen and Galatians chapter five.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: Fighting to be right is demonic and has some of its roots in insecurity.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: It's a lot, and so but very little, but we must continue.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: Consider that what comes next regarding the out of control tongue first opened up with the topic of teaching.
9:27
SPEAKER_00: See how a great forest a little fire kindles, and a tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: For every kind of beast and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
9:46
SPEAKER_00: But no man can tame the tongue.
9:48
SPEAKER_00: No man can tame the tongue?
9:50
SPEAKER_00: What?
9:50
SPEAKER_00: Does this actually mean what it says?
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Of course not.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: The Bible is revelatory layered.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: And so we have to dig a little to get some context in the original language in which it was said.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: In James three eight, the phrase no man can tame the tongue, often translated as no human being contained the tongue, uses powerful original Greek words to emphasize the inherent difficulty of controlling our speech.
10:15
SPEAKER_00: Bad communication is like a thought vomit.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of hard to clean up.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: The original Greek text and its core meaning means no man, I'm not going to read the Greek words, refers to human beings in general, meaning that no human effort, will, or self-discipline can fully control the tongue.
10:31
SPEAKER_00: Tame, the root verb demazo means to subdue, to bring under control, or to domesticate, as in taming a wild beast.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: James points out that while humans can tame all sorts of wild animals, birds, sea, and sea creatures, James 3 7, human willpower cannot domesticate its own speech.
10:50
SPEAKER_00: And to be fair, whoever wrote the definition doesn't understand that there is no such thing as human willpower in a born-again believer.
10:57
SPEAKER_00: They can do all things through Christ, who strengthens them.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: And the word says, You can do nothing without me.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: So your willpower is submitted to the power of God.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: This is how we get free from some of this stuff.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: The theological context, James doesn't mean our words are entirely hopeless.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Rather, he argues that the tongue is impossible to control by human strength alone, because the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: Luke six, forty five.
11:21
SPEAKER_00: Controlling the tongue requires the ongoing inward transformation and grace of God.
11:27
SPEAKER_00: And if you're struggling with this, that means something inside is keeping you from being successful and getting free from whatever that button is that somebody that you might know continues to push.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: And you know you have a button when you have an emotional reaction to something that somebody says.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: I learned this about 30 years ago when I was managing in my office, and I was struggling with trying to figure out how I can make changes when so many people really dislike me.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: Well, they disliked the position, not me.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: They didn't actually know me.
11:56
SPEAKER_00: And I was finally starting to see some success, but somebody came into my office one time and said, hey, they're having a discussion in the kitchen about you.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: And I said, Oh, what about?
12:04
SPEAKER_00: And they said, they're getting frustrated because it doesn't seem that you have any buttons.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: So what I learned in that process is don't have any buttons.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: Don't allow people to push them if you do.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: And recognize it when you become emotionally charged up that there's a problem inside of you and that it needs to be dealt with in order for you to be a better leader.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, you're gonna always have trouble.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: I know people that make a living doing nothing but working with people who run billion dollar companies.
12:31
SPEAKER_00: Their number one problem, emotional immaturity.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: They don't know how to deal with people.
12:36
SPEAKER_00: It's fixable, but you gotta want to be fixed.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: So we have some hope, but only if we seek inward transformation, and while you are out doing so, you can remember the etiquette of asking questions of a teacher so that you don't kill the anointing or inadvertently look as though you are attempting to take control of the class.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: And the truth is it doesn't matter what you think.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: All that matters is what everybody else is thinking about your behavior.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: That's what matters because that's the impact.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: James has more.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: Out of the same mouth perceive blessing and cursing.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: My brethren, these things ought not be so.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
13:20
SPEAKER_00: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
13:25
SPEAKER_00: Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
13:29
SPEAKER_00: Who is wise and understanding among you?
13:31
SPEAKER_00: Let him show by good conduct.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: Let him prove it.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: Don't let him say it, let him prove it by good conduct, that their works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: But if you have bitter envy and self seeking in your hearts, it will be evident yes, I added that, but it's true.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: It will be evident by everybody listening.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: Do not boast and lie against the truth.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: This wisdom does not descend from above, but it is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: For where envy and self seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
14:03
SPEAKER_00: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield.
14:09
SPEAKER_00: Hey, there's a word, willing to yield, no longer fighting to be right, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy, and I gotta say that's a big thing.
14:21
SPEAKER_00: When you say one thing and do the opposite, that's hypocrisy.
14:25
SPEAKER_00: And you may not be able to see it, but everybody else will.
14:28
SPEAKER_00: I guarantee it, especially if you're in a leadership position.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I could break down a whole bunch of that scripture, but Phil, it would be better to carry on.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: Earlier I talked about the different styles and types of teachers, but I also want to bring up something else that is currently affecting today's church, Bible teaching culture.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: And but now I might say some things that may zing a bit if you are one of the public, unintentional offenders, by getting closer to the root of the problem, but it will be more beneficial.
14:58
SPEAKER_00: Ephesians four eleven thirteen, and he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we come to the unity of faith and have the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: So within the structure of the church, these positions should all be present.
15:20
SPEAKER_00: I won't address the scripture butchers, that is those who don't feel as though all of these positions fit into today's church model, or those who think academics alone qualifies them, and not the calling, along with being anointed, to actually perform as expected by Christ in one of these positions.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: Notice we also have the purpose.
15:40
SPEAKER_00: Now, but we also have an order as well as to the position stated within Corinthians.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: First Corinthians twelve twenty-eight, and God has appointed these in the church.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: First apostles, second prophets, third teachers.
15:53
SPEAKER_00: After that, miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: Notice that pastors and evangelists are not mentioned.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Why?
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Did they become obsolete?
16:05
SPEAKER_00: No, that assessment would be reserved for there is no Holy Spirit types.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: But the pastor is basically a church father and shepherd, and the evangelist is likened to a commercial fisherman, who, if called and anointed to be an evangelist, will fill your church to overflowing in one crusade.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Now I had already finished this message and was getting ready to record, and but before then I was reading from my Bible in the morning session, and came across something rather profound in the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel thirty four, one through four.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: And the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: Shepherds is also another word for pastors.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: Woe to the shepherds or pastors of Israel, who feed themselves.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: Should not the shepherds feed the flock?
16:54
SPEAKER_00: You eat the fat and clothe yourself with the wool, you slaughter the fatling, but you do not feed the flock.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought that which was lost.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: But with force and cruelty you have ruled them.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh boy, that's a lot, and it sounds like an indictment against pastors, and well it is, not just for Israel, because I see these things happening today.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: It's a tough position, but when they get distracted with doing other things other than the very position that they were called to do, this is exactly what happens.
17:30
SPEAKER_00: They end up with a church full of sick people who aren't getting healed, and they do so with force and cruelty.
17:37
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think any of them would actually say that that identifies who they are, but the truth is, just ask the flock.
17:43
SPEAKER_00: The sheep will tell you how good the shepherd is.
17:45
SPEAKER_00: And the reason why most sheep don't get asked is because the shepherd or pastor doesn't really want to know what they already know down deep inside.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: Alright, we all got our problems, and they're fixable if we want them to be fixed.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: So back to the other positions.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: This, then that, then this, and bink bing pink, miracle signs and wonders.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: So then why are so many pastoral positions, as well as pastors famously famous?
18:10
SPEAKER_00: It would seem as though they are the lead position within the fivefold ministry, and yet they are not mentioned.
18:16
SPEAKER_00: Their role along with the evangelist is clearly delineated.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: The fivefold ministry has become extremely unbalanced, so much so that to find a teacher, apostle, or prophet among many of them is impossible.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong, it is a very clear, leader centric position, requiring a one hundred percent commitment, but also having the ability to work with the other fivefold ministers to build the church.
18:39
SPEAKER_00: And when their leadership is immature or lacking, you're going to have a disaster on your hands.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: More hub podcast preacher?
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Nope.
18:47
SPEAKER_00: Because this is what happens, and it has been my experience for nearly thirty years.
18:52
SPEAKER_00: Pastors teach in the absence of a teacher, even if they don't have the anointing to teach.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: And it is clearly obvious to one who has the anointing to teach whether or not the pastor has the anointing to teach.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: And but also some of those in that role can get the idea that they are most important of all of the other roles, and so they can also essentially lead the others as they see fit.
19:14
SPEAKER_00: Hey, I can be led around by my teaching nose.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: As long as a pastor can effectively exhibit a high value leadership, but if it is more about the pastor making sure that everyone knows that they are the boss, then disunity and discord can happen at an alarming rate, and this is the point of the message.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: We are dealing with a volunteer service agency, and people run off a lot faster if they find that what they're in is totally disorganized and full of drama.
19:42
SPEAKER_00: Nobody likes to go to a church that looks a lot like a soap opera.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: And how you can get there is by not solving problems immediately.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: But hopefully that will carry through the rest of this message.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: So how does our communication as leaders send the wrong message and the wrong time, thus making a mess that must now be cleaned up?
20:00
SPEAKER_00: And who is responsible for cleaning up the mess?
20:03
SPEAKER_00: I have a rule that I go by, which is if you miss it, that is, announce something publicly, then you will be adjusted publicly, not harshly or rudely or getting into a big old immature argument as if you were all still teenagers.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: We as leaders must know when to take something offline, as I have said this before, you could be the one who is wrong, and who wants to be on the front page news.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: If you are inclined to openly challenge a pastor or teacher or anyone else in the fivefold ministry position, then you should have all of your ducks in a row, meaning don't do it openly if it can be helped.
20:37
SPEAKER_00: A fivefold minister should be more concerned about what an immature or wrong response may do to the other attending sheep.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: Treat others how you want to be treated, but also know that God will hold you accountable for making and then leaving messes for others to clean up.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: Know that you know that you know that you were called into a leadership position, and then perform within it with all of your might.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: Be a spiritual leader and not a spiritual child.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: Just because God has called you into a position doesn't mean that you're going to stay there.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: Anyone who weaponizes their communication to start a battle with the intent to discredit an instructor or anyone else who is teaching is in need of some serious counseling.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: Unity cannot happen when unhealthy competition shows its ugly face.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: Unhealthy competition is rooted in insecurity or spiritual pride, and sometimes in both.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: As we wrap up, let's define spiritual immaturity.
21:31
SPEAKER_00: In the Bible, spiritual immaturity refers to a state of being a spiritual infant, believers who remain dependent on basic teaching, struggling with discernment and allowing worldly behaviors to dictate their actions rather than living by the Spirit.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: The Bible explores this concept through two primary metaphors and several behavioral warning signs.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: The two metaphors are one, milk versus solid food.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews five, twelve through fourteen.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: In the book of Hebrews, the author laments.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: That his readers have been in the faith long enough to be teachers, but they have become dull of hearing.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: He compares them to infants who require spiritual milk, basic foundational teachings, because they are not yet ready or able to digest solid food, deeper theological truth, and mature application.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: Now, time served as a Christian does not guarantee that you will mature spiritually speaking.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: One of the ugly behaviors that I've seen is when someone thinks that they are so godly that they don't have to listen to other Christians.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: Nope.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: They will take everything to God and only Him, discounting any feedback from other leaders, including not attending meetings that are designed to solve problems.
22:39
SPEAKER_00: This is one of the fastest ways to end the church ministry.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: And of course, if they're not repentant, they will blame it on all of the sheep and not on themselves.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: I have seen this with both of my eyes in this lifetime several times.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: Those churches are no longer around.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: Oh, they started off on the right foot, but it didn't take long for them to get sideways.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: Two, infants in Christ.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: 1 Corinthians 3 1 3.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: The Apostle Paul rebukes the church and coronet, calling them people of the flesh and infants in Christ.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: He explains that because they are still acting like the rest of the world, they're not spiritually mature.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: Acting like the rest of the world would mean avoiding solving problems, avoiding meetings that are designed to solve problems, ignoring people, being rude, walking around as if everything in your world is upside down, not realizing that you're in a servant position, and that one of the key factors of your servant position is to minister to others.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: It's almost like you just never grew up.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: You never got past the point of life is all about you.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: And that's a problem.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: Life in a mature Christian is about other people.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: The greatest servant, Jesus said, You can strive to be the greatest in heaven, but you got to be the greatest servant.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: Not child, the greatest servant.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: First Corinthians 3 1 3.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babies in Christ.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: I fed you with milk and not with solid food.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: For until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: For you are still carnal.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: This means if somebody's pushing your button over and over and over again, you are not growing.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: For whether our envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere people?
24:24
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: What makes us different at that point than any other organizational system that's designed to help people out?
24:31
SPEAKER_00: And they do so ineffectively.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: The church is something that's supposed to stand out differently, but it won't look differently if we don't change.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: The New Testament outlines several observable traits that characterize a spiritually immature believer, worldly behavior and strife.
24:47
SPEAKER_00: The mark of an immature believer is giving into carnal impulses like jealousy, quarreling, and factionalism.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: Paul uses the church's petty rivalries and divisions as a direct indicator of spiritual infancy.
25:03
SPEAKER_00: So let's define factionalism just because conflict leads to continuous bickering, hostility, or power struggles, priorities.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Members of a faction prioritize their own group's specific goals over the broader mission of the parent organization.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: It sounds like we're on our way to creating yet another non-denominational church.
25:26
SPEAKER_00: This is how it happens.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: Common examples.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: Vulnerability to false teachings.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: In Ephesians 4 14, Paul warns that immature believers are like children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: Lacking deep roots, they are easily swayed by deceptive teachings.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: Resistance to correction.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: Immature individuals often struggle to receive constructive criticism, exhibiting defensive behavior when challenged, or react to disagreements with emotional outbursts rather than reason dialogue.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: Or they don't show up to meetings.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Hardened hearts or laziness.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Spiritual growth requires actively applying biblical truths to daily life.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: The Bible warns that spiritual immaturity persists when believers become sluggish in hearing and fail to practice what they learn.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: Practice, practice, practice.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: We've all heard that, right?
26:17
SPEAKER_00: While the Bible acknowledges that every believer starts as a spiritual infant, it never suggests Christians should stay in that condition.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: Believers are called to intentionally move past the foundational basics and actively grow into maturity.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: In 2 Peter 3 18, the Apostle Peter commands, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so you know you have a problem if you are the only one who doesn't see that this is happening because of your behavior.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: A common reference or response that a child makes when being called out on inappropriate behavior is they might say, Well, that person just needs to grow up.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: Or again, they don't show up to the meetings.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: Keep in mind that past performance does not guarantee future results.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: What you did here or there back a year ago is irrelevant today, spiritually speaking.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: How can we know?
27:07
SPEAKER_00: If you are not performing at a higher level, spiritually speaking, then this is that.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: My version of a perfect Christian walk is like a bike ramp.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: It's always going forward while it is also going up.
27:18
SPEAKER_00: If your ramp is broken, find out why.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes God is trying to promote you, but because you are stuck in the past, he cannot.
27:26
SPEAKER_00: So you remain less fruitful now than in the past.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: You see how simple it is?
27:31
SPEAKER_00: One last thing and then we are done.
27:32
SPEAKER_00: Offense.
27:33
SPEAKER_00: What on God's big blue and green earth are leaders getting offended for?
27:38
SPEAKER_00: And if they do, why isn't the reason as to why they get offended more of the central issue than the fact that the person who may have offended them at that point in time?
27:49
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it is biblically required to make it right, even if the issue remains unresolved.
27:55
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know why it's that way, it just is.
27:57
SPEAKER_00: Matthew 5, 23 through 24.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: The word reconciled means the original Greek word most commonly translates as reconcile in the New Testament.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: It means to change, exchange, or restore to favor.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: The primary Greek concepts of reconciliation break down into a few distinct nuances to change or exchange, found in passages like Romans 5 10.
28:30
SPEAKER_00: This was originally a secular term used for the exchange of currency, changing money to match equivalent values.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: Basically it signifies changing two opposite parties from enmity to friendship, bridging the gap to restore harmonious relationship, to reconcile completely, an intensified version of the word used in Ephesians 2.16, meaning to thoroughly change someone so that all hostility is completely removed, leaving no barrier to peace.
28:59
SPEAKER_00: And I will say, at this point, you have to solve the problem on both sides.
29:03
SPEAKER_00: That means both sides have to be willing to come to the table to meet.
29:06
SPEAKER_00: If they are not, when you ask them to forgive you and they say they do, it doesn't mean the problem solved.
29:11
SPEAKER_00: It just means it is delayed.
29:13
SPEAKER_00: And the offense will happen again.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: May not be through you, more likely, maybe somebody else.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: It just depends on your position in the church.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: To change thoroughly or make peace.
29:23
SPEAKER_00: Found in Matthew 25, 24.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: This specifically refers to resolving a personal dispute or coming to an agreement with someone who holds a grievance against you.
29:32
SPEAKER_00: In the Bible, the overarching theme of reconciliation emphasizes that God takes the initiative to remove the barrier of sin, transforming humanity from his enemies to his friends.
29:41
SPEAKER_00: Ah, but did you see that last bit?
29:43
SPEAKER_00: Reconciled is to remove sin, and it isn't necessarily your sin that has caused the offense.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: If you are prone to getting offended, then leadership may not be your calling or purpose.
29:54
SPEAKER_00: Unless you are willing, of course, to go through counseling to get that healed.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: In whatever form that looks like.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: This emotion makes big messes and proves the state of immaturity exists within the team.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: I've also noticed that hypocrisy is not far behind, especially when you do not quickly address the issue.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: Leaders give up their right to be right.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: If you have past wounds, abuses, and hurts, then you get your emotions healed and get rid of the button that sooner or later somebody is going to push.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: Let's close in prayer.
30:21
SPEAKER_00: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before your God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
30:31
SPEAKER_00: Now may the God of peace, the one in whom we call wonderful, Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, may He Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: To our Lord of Lords and our King of Kings, who are high and lifted up, great high priest, who has once and for all paid the price, that you might see and hear God, may he hear and respond to our prayers.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: To our God we stand in praise, he too always lives to make intercession for you while seated at the right hand of the Father.
30:59
SPEAKER_00: May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
31:13
SPEAKER_00: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
31:21
SPEAKER_00: Well that's it for today.
31:23
SPEAKER_00: Remember it's not what you find wrong or disagree with regarding these messages, but what you can take away from it.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Together we can do more to impact the kingdom than if we work alone.
31:31
SPEAKER_00: Let's flip the script and kill, still, and destroy the works of the enemy and create space for the light of life to shine through into people's lives.
31:38
SPEAKER_00: Plan a seat and click on the like and subscribe button.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: Repost on your social media platforms and help us make disciples.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: Link this message out or teach from it in your Bible study, the Life or Sale Group, and yes, even in your church.
31:50
SPEAKER_00: You can be assured it comes from one call to teach, and though imperfect, you have the Word of God to use to test everything I say.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Let's build this ministry together.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: Thanks and see you next time in Deep Waters.