Latest / Life Community Church / 1 Corinthians Discussion | Chapter 2 | Jamey, Jodi, Mike, & Shaun
Transcript
- 0:13What's happening, gang?
- 0:14Here we are, chapter two of First Corinthians.
- 0:18And we've got a whole new crew in here, other than Pastor Jamie.
- 0:21He was part of chapter one.
- 0:22We've got Mike in here with us and Jody straight out of straight out of the Mission Cup.
- 0:27Straight out of Mission Cup.
- 0:29I feel nervous sitting with you guys.
- 0:30This is like a new My daughter asked me today as she was studying for VBS this morning.
- 0:35She said, Dad, what's the World Cup?
- 0:39Exactly.
- 0:40Honey.
- 0:42Don't tell your pastor that.
- 0:45It's because it's famous in the world, not in the United States.
- 0:48Very true.
- 0:49Yeah, it's mostly because by the age of six, most everybody's played soccer, but we found out at six who would not be good at it.
- 0:57So they go to football at that point.
- 1:01Or hand egg, as I call it.
- 1:03What is it?
- 1:03Hand egg.
- 1:05Because it's not a ball and it's you don't use your feet.
- 1:08Yeah.
- 1:09So that sounds like Jerry Seinfeld needs to do a stick about that.
- 1:12That's right up his alley.
- 1:14Trevor Burrus, Jr.
- 1:14That's very true.
- 1:15Driveway.
- 1:15Why are you called driveway when you park and you are still when I was in Brazil, they were always telling me, you guys don't play football.
- 1:22We play football.
- 1:24You guys play, you know, that's not football.
- 1:27Is football even a thing outside of like it is, right?
- 1:29A thing outside of America or not really?
- 1:31No.
- 1:31No.
- 1:34What what happened?
- 1:35Like what does anybody know the backstory?
- 1:36Like why all of a sudden football and not soccer is so is soccer older than football?
- 1:40Yeah.
- 1:44It's created in England.
- 1:45England.
- 1:46Right, there you go.
- 1:46Just like baseball and football.
- 1:48Americans did.
- 1:50Basketball.
- 1:51That makes sense.
- 1:52Innovative.
- 1:53It's crazy because most of the MBA stars that are foreign, that's what they played.
- 2:00Like the guy from the Bucks, you know, they're all they're all soccer players.
- 2:04Soccer players.
- 2:06Really?
- 2:07Yeah.
- 2:09What if baseball was a form of cricket?
- 2:14Came from the influence of cricket.
- 2:16It's great thought.
- 2:17Maybe anyway.
- 2:18We like to create our own things.
- 2:20Yeah.
- 2:20That's for sure.
- 2:22Hey, I've got this great idea.
- 2:24Good bad and right between 1 Corinthians chapter 2.
- 2:30I think this might be like I I don't know for sure, but obviously there's only 16 verses that it was chapter one, too.
- 2:35But like it seems like I've been doing all my wife's videos, so I'm like, it's like these these are the shorter chapters and so, you know, kind of thing.
- 2:43You did this probably.
- 2:44Or did you do it?
- 2:45I had chapter two.
- 2:46Yeah, you did evens, right?
- 2:48That's all right.
- 2:48I did the evens.
- 2:51Did you listen to the podcast from last week?
- 2:52I did.
- 2:53Oh awesome.
- 2:54I'll just make sure, because we kind of introduced that.
- 2:57Yeah, I sure did.
- 2:58I'm I apologize.
- 2:59On your Wednesday night teaching, she was odd you're even.
- 3:02Yes.
- 3:04And I could not, when we were gathered for She Wakes um podcast, I could not recover the words This is life podcasts.
- 3:11This is life.
- 3:12This is life.
- 3:12Well, I think that's a good thing.
- 3:13This is what we're on right now.
- 3:14I think that Kelly was uh was referring to the podcast I used to do with Pastor Jamie, like after each message, and we were we called it life lessons with Pastor Jen.
- 3:22I think that's what you guys were aiming for, but like you were a little confused between this is life, life's lessons, and it was all it was it was cute.
- 3:30And so and Mateo was like right there.
- 3:33Yep.
- 3:33That was it.
- 3:34You want to made a phone and this is not right.
- 3:37This is not right.
- 3:38And so all right, guys, where do we want to get started?
- 3:40I got some we got a lot of wisdom in this room here.
- 3:43And so uh where are we professorship?
- 3:45Where are we launching related to the where are we launching here with uh first Corinthians chapter two?
- 3:50Like anything background you want to talk about?
- 3:52Is there a a vo a verse that you want to highlight?
- 3:55Like uh what is it you want?
- 3:57I've got I've got questions if if that works too, but like I just thought we'd start with there.
- 4:02I'd like to hear from Jody.
- 4:04Okay, just because chapter two is your thing.
- 4:06Yeah.
- 4:06Okay, well, here's what I picked up.
- 4:08So in chapter one, he mentions the cross, and then in chapter two, he mentions the cross.
- 4:14So in one verse uh twenty two, Paul is talking and he says, Jews demand signs, Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, which is stumbling block to Jews and his foolishness to Gentiles.
- 4:30Well, then in two, verse two, he says, for I resolve.
- 4:35So he said, Listen, when I came to you guys, I didn't come with eloquence or human wisdom, which is how the rhetoricians of the day were coming.
- 4:44Like they were polished speakers, Apollos, one of them.
- 4:48And so Paul was not like that.
- 4:51And he came and he resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
- 4:57And when I was looking into that, and you know, I thought it was I just kind of marveled that back then Christ and Christ crucified was sort of an embarrassment.
- 5:08And then today, Christ and Christ crucified is also like, but in that day, people were still being crucified.
- 5:16And so this is an honor shame culture.
- 5:19And so to be crucified is very dishonoring.
- 5:23And so when I was studying for chapter two, Cicero, which you probably heard of, the Roman senator, the orator, he talks about how disgraceful being crucified is.
- 5:35And he's like, we need to erase those words from our vocabulary.
- 5:40These are his words.
- 5:41The very word cross should be removed, not only from Roman citizens, but even the thought from our eyes, our ears.
- 5:48Like, we want to know nothing about crucifixion.
- 5:52And Paul's like, no, this is central, Christ and him crucified.
- 5:56Like, I will not be ashamed of that.
- 5:58And so, like, now we're not seeing those literal figures hung on crosses, but still, I mean, I know for me, I am always venturing like with God.
- 6:09People are open to God, they'll talk to God, my Jewish clients will talk about God, but Christ and Christ crucified, now you're gonna get people stumbling.
- 6:17Yeah.
- 6:17Well, I think like the thing that Paul had that I think which was his greatest asset was his his testimony, you know, of like who he used to be.
- 6:26That's excellent.
- 6:27And so then it's like I don't I don't need to to do what everybody else is doing.
- 6:32I I don't need to be polished in this area, or as Kelly brought up even yesterday.
- 6:36I think, you know, maybe Paul, is he a little guy?
- 6:39Short.
- 6:39Is he short?
- 6:40Is he, you know, you know, well, and some are even saying like when he says he comes with fear and trembling and weakness, like some spectac you know, commentators are like he probably was not a good speaker.
- 6:51Yeah, so what do you guys think about that?
- 6:52Like, was it because like I mean I've heard people say like it's because he was physically ill, or was it because he was like intimid, not intimidated, because obviously I mean we we we read about Paul and other places where he's speaking, and he is a great communicator.
- 7:08Yeah.
- 7:08He actually is has a very theological mind, yet he is he choosing to to not move in that direction here with the Corinthians because of their background already?
- 7:20I think so.
- 7:20It seems like that.
- 7:21Sometimes he's giving himself distance to communicate these things and not saying them face to face, almost kind of like our keyboard commentators who are like so bold in their letters.
- 7:32Um but then at other times we do see him eloquent in Greece, in Athens.
- 7:36He makes this great speech, you know.
- 7:38So it's definitely choices.
- 7:40For sure.
- 7:41I I do like what uh Pastor Jamie, you had hit on because I I uh I thought about this when reading the text, like that he for those of us that like get the like, well, I'm scared to share the gospel, I don't know what to say.
- 7:53I I don't know how to like rightly divide it.
- 7:56So most of the time when I'm reading it, I'm having a hard time understanding myself, like where he's kind of like, no, no, no, it's not about like how well you communicate it or even how well you can communicate what it means.
- 8:07You Paul, like you just said, he's coming as a witness to share what's happened in his life.
- 8:13You know what I'm saying?
- 8:14Not necessarily like how to break it all down or how to like say it with elegant, eloquent, you know, thoughts and words.
- 8:21I mean, we don't talk about this a lot, but like when we planted the church, I remember I remember saying this in in my living room.
- 8:28I'm like, I want us to be people that talk about Jesus.
- 8:32Because at that point it was real twenty, like, love God, serve people, or love God, you know, serve others.
- 8:37And it was like, no, I want Jesus in exists.
- 8:41I want I want to make sure that we're talking about because even at that moment, I I use an example of like, you know, a lot of people say God bless.
- 8:49A lot of people say God bless.
- 8:50I mean, Jay Lennon ended every night with God bless you.
- 8:53Dude.
- 8:54Like, I mean, so it was like, okay, you you say God everywhere, but what would it change if he would say Jesus loves you or Jesus saves at the end of that?
- 9:01I was like, well, now you know that's an offensive, you know.
- 9:05You know, even you know, so what Paul is saying is like, hey, listen, here's what matters most to me.
- 9:10I don't care if you remember me, I don't care if you you think I'm eloquent, here's what I know.
- 9:14Christ is the difference.
- 9:17I don't care if you remember me.
- 9:18Yeah.
- 9:18And these other orators did care about the reputation.
- 9:22But I want to underscore what you said, Pastor Jamie, is that no one can take your story.
- 9:27Like, whatever you're gonna do, and that's why Paul could endorse so much.
- 9:30He knew his story.
- 9:32He's like, oh no, I remember getting knocked off that horse.
- 9:34I remember being blind for days.
- 9:35You can't take that away from me.
- 9:36I know who did it.
- 9:38He spoke to me.
- 9:38Yeah, it it seems easier to process challenging the message, chall chall uh uh communicating the message, communicating the cross, communicating the crucifixion, all that when you just think about sharing it in light of your story.
- 9:51Yes, not somebody else's.
- 9:53Just your story.
- 9:54It's gonna be more authentic.
- 9:55Yeah.
- 9:55You know what I mean?
- 9:56And so, like when you're like when when we have messages on Sunday mornings or Jamie or whoever's talking is talking about going into the world sharing your faith, you know, like focus on you and how it's affected you, uh, not necessarily explaining somebody else's.
- 10:10Well, I think he's seeing he's seeing God move.
- 10:12This is why he says what he does in in the next couple of verses.
- 10:14My message and my preaching were very plain rather than using clever and persuasive speeches.
- 10:18I relied on the power of the Holy Spirit.
- 10:21I did this so that you would trust, not in human wisdom, but in the power of God.
- 10:25So he's seen the power of God move by speaking very plainly.
- 10:29Like I'm I'm not trying to impress you.
- 10:31Right.
- 10:32I'm trying to glorify God.
- 10:33That's that's all it is.
- 10:34And you you can see that, right?
- 10:36You can see like I'm not trying to impress you.
- 10:39Like I I I'm throwing at my side, right?
- 10:42I mean, I prayed for it to go away, and he said, My grace is sufficient.
- 10:45Like, I mean, there's just so much stuff about Paul's story that he's like, this is what you get.
- 10:50I'm not trying to pretend here.
- 10:51No.
- 10:52Amongst pretenders.
- 10:54Amongst pretenders.
- 10:55Yeah.
- 10:56So that's why I think he stood out because everybody else was in a category and then he was in a different one.
- 11:02Which is why I think the church grew.
- 11:04For the people that were like, wow, that that is that is crazy.
- 11:08Like that that is true.
- 11:10How is God moving so powerfully?
- 11:12There's something I need you to trust about him.
- 11:14Yeah.
- 11:15That's good.
- 11:15It reminds me of uh one of my mentors when I was a kid.
- 11:19I was like two years a Christian, you know, so I'm like 14 years old.
- 11:23And uh I was in Royal Rangers for those of us that remember back in the day, the Royal Rangers, you know, shout out to like a program that helped, you know, launch this church, you know, which is wild to me.
- 11:33And because it's just not around that much anymore, you know.
- 11:36Sorry, right?
- 11:37I mean, that's what part of uh I I was in Boy Scouts, and then I got saved, and my dad said, Hey, there's this program, this church called Royal Rangers.
- 11:44It's just like it's just like Boy Scouts, but they have Jesus.
- 11:46I'm like Just like so we moved and we did Royal Rangers, and that was how I started attending this church.
- 11:51And uh, but I remember one of the men there was kind of like the spiritual, he was like the leader, he was like the spiritual leader.
- 11:57He was the quote unquote David Wengey for those of us that are listening and understand that like David Winji's went to kind of start his program way back in the day, most probably won't even know, but and I'll never forget I was over at it, and this guy was like my spiritual father.
- 12:09I was at his house, and I remember coming over and his wife, which is a good friend of mine too, good friend of our families, we knew them very well, he had like completely denounced the faith, like and was was leaving, like walking away.
- 12:23And I remember hearing this as a 14-year-old, like, tell Sean, I mean, this is the tell Sean I'm not available.
- 12:29Right?
- 12:29Like, and I'm in the house hearing this.
- 12:31And I remember like leaving, and one of my pastors came to me, I forget which one, he's like, Hey, are you doing alright?
- 12:36I'm like, Yeah, like it's kind of weird, you know.
- 12:38Like, and what he was asking me was like, No, are you doing like alright spiritually?
- 12:42Like, how do you feel?
- 12:42Like, do you feel like it's dissolved?
- 12:44Basically, he's gonna do you feel like this was fake?
- 12:46Do you feel like it was so weird to me, but hearing this verse, it makes sense.
- 12:49I was like, Well, my faith wasn't based on like him.
- 12:53It was based on an experience I had with Jesus Christ.
- 12:56Like, I'm not walking away.
- 12:57Well, that was his concern for you.
- 12:58Yes, exactly.
- 12:59But like reading this, I was like, this is exactly what he was talking about.
- 13:02Like, this is why we need the power of the Holy Spirit, not the power of human wisdom, because at the end, like everything needs to be based on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
- 13:10And so, you know, kind of thing.
- 13:12Yeah, I think the the thing for me is this is a lot of correlation to where we're living at today, is that you know what Paul was saying is that because it it in the setting of this in chapter two is in a culture that is very you know huge on authority and power, right?
- 13:29The Roman authority and power, and so it was very centric in the culture of those who had a form of authority or power, uh, but their their form of authority and power was coming from information, with a new Stoics, philosophers, all of that stuff.
- 13:46That was a form of their power.
- 13:48Paul says, I've been in all that, been there, done that, right?
- 13:52Yeah.
- 13:52One of the foremost students of Gamaliel and all of this stuff that Paul had spoke four to five different languages, all this thing.
- 14:01Paul said, I had all that, but he said none of that had the power to transform someone's life like Jesus Christ does.
- 14:07And so he said, that's you know, I'm I'm if I'm gonna lean one way or the other, he goes, I'm going with Jesus because I've seen, I've experienced the transformation power of Christ, and there's nothing that compares to it.
- 14:19And so when he says, I don't I don't know anything among you, but except for Jesus and him crucified, because that is the power to change a life.
- 14:30That is the power to live from.
- 14:32And he said, That's where I'm gonna that's where I'm planted.
- 14:35And you know, what Pastor Jamie just said, you know, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men.
- 14:42You can be around a lot of wise people, but that doesn't what it may not change your life.
- 14:46But the power of God, I've seen the power of God do some amazing things to people that I never thought I would ever see their life changed.
- 14:56And but God touched their life in such a way that it's just like it's undoubtedly that their life has been transformed.
- 15:03Trevor Burrus, Jr.
- 15:04What do you say to the person that that's listening that do hasn't had the experience Paul has to experience that?
- 15:11You know what I mean?
- 15:12Like the person that says, like, I've never wrestled with what Paul wrestled with, or I never experienced, you know, this part of my story.
- 15:20I've always kind of just you know followed along.
- 15:22So I don't have this big story of like I have an answer to that, but I'd love to hear your opinions on like what you know, Paul's comparing his life to something.
- 15:29What what do you say to the 15-year-old that doesn't he doesn't have that to compare his life to when it comes to being like I again I know what I would say to that, but I'd love to hear you guys.
- 15:39It's good.
- 15:40Well, I think when I was sort of meditating on just that portion of it, um, but with a demonstration of the spirit's power, and I think that we even forget like who we were in Christ, even as a 15-year-old, you know, um it's probably definitely harder for children, but without the spirit's power, I'm not loving.
- 16:04I'm not generous.
- 16:06And I think, I mean, we were in VBS today, and kids recognize that they don't have these qualities.
- 16:12That's the spirit's power.
- 16:14So not only just mind-blowing, amazing giftings, healings, whatever, but like the power to be kind to an enemy who's right in front of your face, who got the turn and you didn't get the turn.
- 16:25Sometimes we're just like we're looking too big for the spirit's power, and the spirit's power in individual small ways is pretty spectacular too.
- 16:35Because on our own, we just don't generate this kind of stuff, these responses.
- 16:38Yeah.
- 16:39I think I mean I can just go from some of the history that I've had with people is that I think sometimes people are interested in the power of God, and then there are those that are desperate for the power of God.
- 16:51And I think that's a big difference is how desperate is it really desperation, or is it just you're just kinda infatuated or interested in.
- 17:00Or on the edges, just kind of checking out.
- 17:02Yeah.
- 17:03I know for me it was you know, there's uh I've always said there's something to be said about desperation because it's in those places that I think keep you, get you willing to make a sacrifice or to keep you, you know, driving for something because it's desperation.
- 17:22It's like survival.
- 17:23It's like Well, we probably all have a different definition of what the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit looks like, right?
- 17:30Like I mean, I would I mean you default to your experience.
- 17:32You default to your experience for sure.
- 17:34And I think it's helpful we it we have to help people understand that like when you've always walked into the office, or you've as a 15-year-old kid, when you've always walked in and you've maybe lied about something that doesn't seem like that big of a deal, and then all of a sudden there's this conviction, you're like, wait a second, like Where's that coming from?
- 17:52What what am I doing?
- 17:53Like I should not be doing that.
- 17:54You know what I mean?
- 17:55Like, and then you're like, Well, holy smokes, that's a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit.
- 17:59You know what I'm saying?
- 18:00And like and you're following through that.
- 18:01But I think a lot of times we don't it's why like I loved what Casey said.
- 18:05It was a couple Sundays ago, and she was talking, I forget exactly, but she's talking about her her son, and he's what you know how old is three.
- 18:13There we go.
- 18:14He's three.
- 18:14And uh she's like, that sinner, you know what I mean?
- 18:17Like, and she's talking about, but and obviously there's some things, a concept he's not gonna understand, but as parents, like, how are we helping our kids understand that like they need a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives?
- 18:28And listening to that voice and then obeying it, versus like, why wait for the demonstration of um I'm cracked out, I'm strung out on drugs, and now I need you know what I mean?
- 18:37Like this big testimony story.
- 18:39I don't know if that's where you're going, but like what's your answer to that, Pastor Jamie?
- 18:44Well, I I think from uh a standpoint is like you're always like purity is always the goal, holiness is always the goal.
- 18:51Like God says, be holy as I am holy.
- 18:53So like like making sure, you know, I'm I'm going this weekend even with the understanding of like what does culture say and what is what does God say?
- 19:01Like what is what is Jesus relaying to us?
- 19:03So from a standpoint of like our aim as followers of Christ is to be holy.
- 19:08And so if I could do that and not be have the story, my story is that I never did those things.
- 19:16Yes.
- 19:16Like I want that.
- 19:18And when you think about it moving forward, what you're giving to your future spouse, what you're demonstrating to your future kids, like again, it's not a condemnation on people that don't have that story, but also not not feeling like I'm missing something if my story is I never did drugs or I never did alcohol.
- 19:36I mean, I someone said that something about a drug the other day, and I was like, I've never even had drugs in my body.
- 19:41And they're like, for real?
- 19:42I'm like, I don't know if I should be offended by that.
- 19:44Or like you assumed I did drugs?
- 19:46Like, I was like, no, I don't know what you're talking about.
- 19:50I don't know what being high is.
- 19:51And I'm like, I'm not gonna be ashamed of that.
- 19:53No, like just to have my story.
- 19:54And I so I think there's this cultural shift that needs to happen that that you're weird if you don't.
- 20:00Yeah.
- 20:00And I'm like, no, you're weird if you do.
- 20:03Like, like I mean, I'm like, I don't and I think that's ultimately what Paul's saying because from a standpoint of his his story is his story was he was he was a Jew, obviously he was raised with the best education, he had incredible mentorship, so he was doing something that was so his story may not have been like he was doing all these other things.
- 20:23Yeah.
- 20:23He was passionate for Yahweh.
- 20:25He was passionate for it, and and he was stuck in a way where obviously we know anger and murder became the result of that.
- 20:33But like I I guess the especially for students like the to abstain or to be stay clean and to stay like like to see that as a like guys, this is an attainable goal and a thing that we want from you versus the other.
- 20:50And and so like when you when you read it, I don't want to put a spin on it, like you gotta go out there and you gotta go try some things before it's like no, you you don't have to do those things and anyway.
- 21:01Which leads us into like the the uh other portion of this is like the demonstration of godly wisdom versus the demonstration of human wisdom.
- 21:09Like if you're gonna be this student, you're gonna have to walk in godly wisdom versus you know, uh this idea of you know, natural man human wisdom kind of deal.
- 21:20And it's difficult, especially as a student, because it's counter-cultural.
- 21:24Yeah.
- 21:24Like you're swimming upstream against a hard current.
- 21:27Yeah.
- 21:27Where do you well be you know, and there's like because obviously we're kind of the first thought of here here is this idea of like uh Paul coming in very simple form so that you see just the power of the Holy Spirit.
- 21:39And obviously we communicate that the culture is doing the opposite of that.
- 21:43Uh how do we see is that visible today as well?
- 21:46Like where people are more interested in being like entertained by man versus being entertained by God, if that makes sense.
- 21:53And I'm not talking about just a Sunday morning experience, you know what I'm saying?
- 21:57In regards to where there's the temptation of uh pursuing human wisdom versus pursuing godly wisdom.
- 22:06Oh I think definitely and when we're dealing you know with a culture that's inundated with consumerism.
- 22:16You know, people have become centric about what what about me?
- 22:20What what's good for me?
- 22:22What do I want?
- 22:23What do I, you know, versus when you're around that versus what is it that I'm I should be doing?
- 22:31And the the wisdom when it comes to the aspect of wisdom is that, you know do we take time to seek God for wisdom?
- 22:40When there's all kinds of things out there, I can go to a podcast, I can go to whatever, I can go to AI or everything that's to me is a a maybe a counterfeit wisdom or a form of wisdom rather than taking the time, the patience to seek God for the wisdom that He has for our lives.
- 23:00It's much easier to go to an alternative form, which is dangerous.
- 23:05Aaron Ross Powell I mean so are yeah are you saying that like to a certain extent AI potentially could be c a counterfeit Holy Spirit?
- 23:11Trevor Burrus Oh absolutely I'm hearing people call AI your second brain.
- 23:16Oh wow like I don't think for myself anymore I'm just going to ask AI.
- 23:20Aaron Ross Powell Sure.
- 23:21Yeah no yeah I could see what's scary is that so many people are relying on this as truth.
- 23:31Yes.
- 23:31And I found so many false false things and like I've I was just googling or put something into it the other day about the 12 tribes of Israel to pull up in a in a study type of thing.
- 23:43And it it gave me the wrong 12 tribes.
- 23:47Trevor Burrus And so if you keep doing it then you can educate AI and it'll finally get the answer right.
- 23:54What?
- 23:55Well no but I'm just saying like I had a professor talk about this very thing.
- 23:58He's like no you are absolutely wrong.
- 24:00And so he like put the question to it like several times and finally it was like oh we're getting this wrong let's autocorrect.
- 24:06Wow.
- 24:07Well I mean how different is it though from in 1994 when you started Googling it's a little bit you just heard you just didn't dial dialogue.
- 24:19I mean it's it's no different information yeah and it's just it just leaves just gadoo I think the center of all of that is really like the contents of a lot of this letter which is idolatry which is a hard word for us and I wonder if it's only hard for us like do you think other cultures What do you mean by that it's idolatry?
- 24:37Explain that to us so like all I'm consumed with and what consumes my imagination is what I want, what's important to me.
- 24:45So whether it's knowledge whether it's power whether it's material whether it's stuff whether it's my it's myself and so that was what consumes that was Tim Keller's um definition what consumes my heart and my imagination what am I thinking about all the time not the Lord then that's my idol.
- 25:04And so because we don't have statues over here we just don't think we're idolaters and and we're putting all kinds of things in that position but it's just not a statue.
- 25:15It's good it's very good.
- 25:16And so but I just wonder like other places you know that are community oriented that are communal so it's like the family like they think about the parents and the grandparents we don't think like that.
- 25:27You know that's good.
- 25:29I mean sinners are sinners so I'm sure they're still struggling with sin just like we are but well let me ask you this question.
- 25:36Paul says that natural person cannot understand the things of God apart from the spirit.
- 25:40When you talk about like sinners are sinners what how does this play a role?
- 25:44Will you say it again repeat the question Paul says the natural person cannot understand the things of God apart from the spirit.
- 25:52Yes explain that I mean that's a tough one the Holy Spirit illuminating your brain so that you can see Christ is like I didn't find Christ he found me I mean that's what that's saying to me.
- 26:07Sure no I think that's the prayer like Holy Spirit would you open my beloved's eyes so that they can understand that you are Christ and Christ crucified for you.
- 26:18Until that marriage happens.
- 26:21Yeah I think I mean it's like you have a you have back to limited experience and experiential knowledge, right?
- 26:29You're just limited as if you'd never known if you never knew anything about a ribeye steak.
- 26:36All you've ever ate is bacon not a good analogy but what is it?
- 26:42Then you're gonna judge everything is is if I say meat, everything is that's meat.
- 26:46You're gonna think what everything is like bacon it tastes like is that why everything tastes like chicken?
- 26:50Yeah.
- 26:53And so what is it that you do the wisdom of men are it's limited, right?
- 26:57And so you're only going to relate to everything according to the category of of what you see things through in that so what God does is open that expansion to understand the all of who we are.
- 27:08I think for the greatest revelation is who we are ourselves is created in the image and the likeness of God.
- 27:14And in in God revealing that to us of who we are and is fearfully and wonderfully made and all of those things it it brings a perspective of understanding then into that there's so much more of all of this there's so much more of me that is yet to be experienced and discovered.
- 27:34But that can only comes through God because if if I'm just relying on me, that's very limited.
- 27:40It's very finite it's very surfacey.
- 27:43Aaron Ross Powell Well the wisdom of the Spirit just doesn't make sense you know so like I have this example for myself from the other day where I was feeling so overwhelmed so just feeling like I was drowning.
- 27:56And um and the Holy Spirit whispered to me Psalm 23 and I kept saying that Psalm to myself the rest of the day nothing changed in my experiences.
- 28:09I was still just as busy still had the same to-do list but my gaze had shifted on the on the savior and now all of a sudden I had all that I needed well that makes no sense nothing has changed but the object of my affection the object of my imagination was instead on the Lord instead of on the to-do list that doesn't make sense but I was so peaceful.
- 28:31And that's it the peace that passes all understanding.
- 28:34I think that I mean we quote that so many times but it's it comes from that piece.
- 28:38Going back to something you just said Pastor Mike is like I I think we're limited in our experiences so then trying to understand what is being talked about.
- 28:50I mean I'm experiencing that right now I'm in a world where I'm like I don't understand this world or you know as we talked about a little bit at lunch when you're explaining something to someone that doesn't know the rules or doesn't know you can't do that.
- 29:03You know I mean you're you're on on the ice you could check someone but you can't do that in a soccer game.
- 29:09Yeah so if you get confuse those two sports you're gonna get a card in you know in in soccer and you're gonna be a wimp in in hockey right so like if you don't understand that so like confusing confusing the two or understanding so if if my pride is saying I know these things and because I know these things I'm gonna walk in these things and I'm not dependent on what God is saying and I'm trying to do it from my standpoint with limited like what I know in limits like there's no way I can do that.
- 29:41So when we say things like I want to depend on the Holy Spirit or I want to be led by the Spirit um what we're saying is God I prefer you which is what Paul's saying I prefer what you're saying I prefer your methods I prefer how you would do this because in the end I want you to change them I think Paul was inundated with I don't want you to remember me so I don't need to I don't need to uh um you know show off in front of you I don't I don't need you to walk away and say that guy's the smartest guy in the in the room I want you to walk away and say something changed him what was that oh that was the Holy Spirit then I want that I mean Ray always says this I mean ever since I've known Ray Bauman he he's always said this statement like make people question why you do what you do when you walk away from them like huh why is why is that guy so nice?
- 30:36Why why would why did that guy react like that when he could have reacted like this I love how you know like so it's like that's so then when someone says explain to me why you're that way and then you say well I was raised by a good family you know I got good parents well then they're walking away going that could be true you could have had great parents but that guy may not have had a good parent and so now they don't understand that.
- 30:58Why why do they have a good parent because they didn't have they never had that or their parents are dead or or something like that.
- 31:04But when you say man I've understood that there's a God that loves me that he forgave me and he sent his Holy Spirit to lead me and to guide me and you can have it too.
- 31:13Now all of a sudden there's there's something going oh I can have this and that to me is what that is Paul in Corinth for me.
- 31:21That that this this solidifies everything Paul was trying to do and why he was so passionate when it came to what the people experienced.
- 31:31So then when they are fighting over some of these you know frivolous things he's going you guys are missing you're missing the point you're missing what this is about and to think that we don't do that is ridiculous.
- 31:43Ridiculous well that's the hard part of letters like you don't hear my tone I don't know how you're interpreting my letter you're like no you got to call them Paul.
- 31:52Yeah get on the phone get on that boat or my text.
- 31:56Right I just read this quote yesterday kind of goes along with what you said Jamie said this he says live your life so that those who know you but don't know Christ want to know Christ because they know you nice I like that so if somebody looks at me knows me they don't know Christ are going to go I like who he is so and he's in he's that way because he's a follower of Jesus now I want to be a follower of Jesus because of the way he is I think the hardest thing for all of us on this podcast is getting to people to see you as a as a follower of Christ and not a pastor.
- 32:38Sure.
- 32:39I think that's the I mean because I hear that more than I do you know oh I didn't want to say those words because you're a pastor.
- 32:46Or I didn't want you to see that because you're a pastor.
- 32:49They're not saying because you're a follow Jesus so that's the flip that has to happen when it comes to and I think what Paul's trying to say you guys know you've heard about me.
- 32:58You've heard about these things but at the core here's who I am I follow Christ and him crucified.
- 33:04Like that's what I hear when he's saying that he's like don't forget who I am you might call me apostle you might call me uh you know this guy who was you know raised this way and and known for all these things but here's who I am I follow Christ and I think that's that's always a hurdle especially in culture.
- 33:22And we've heard that from people even what Sean was saying earlier when when uh you know you've seen prevalent or you know guys in public fall and people are thrown off by it.
- 33:34It's like well because you weren't following Jesus you were following your pastor.
- 33:37Yeah and now which is an idol.
- 33:39Yeah which which now has totally messed up you could be disappointed you could your heart can hurt all those things but in the end you put them on the pedestal so when it got knocked down that's still my that's still my issue.
- 33:53I don't know that guys go, I want to be a celebrity pastor.
- 33:57Somebody put them there.
- 33:58Yeah.
- 33:59It's not always their fault.
- 34:01Somebody put them there.
- 34:02Trevor Burrus Well what I think what recently someone had said to us I don't know if you said it or we heard it or you mentioned it or maybe Mike whatever like there's there's guys that are not like big mega guys that are falling just since they're not mega, you don't ever hear about them.
- 34:18Matt Chandler said it is okay that's why I was never hearing the guy with a hundred people like that is like having a lot of faithful pastors I think someone asked Matt Chandler tell me about all the mega church pastors falling he says well I think more people are falling you're just not hearing about them.
- 34:35Here's what I tell people don't put your pastor on a pedestal pedestal put him on your prayer list.
- 34:41It's good.
- 34:42That's where they need to be because that's that's what they need the most they need you praying for them not becoming a texting them constantly I don't want people enamored with me I want people praying for me.
- 34:57That's really good.
- 34:58Well their love for you is going to change too when you're praying for them.
- 35:01Yeah absolutely it's harder to pray for you and talk bad about you.
- 35:05Yeah so good.
- 35:07Well guys hey another great podcast chapter two on that note do you mind closing us out in prayer?
- 35:13Yeah.
- 35:13Be perfect man hold on that's a bad a big pee of mine.
- 35:16What?
- 35:17Do you mind?
- 35:18Yes.
- 35:19What's the pet peeve He just said he does mind.
- 35:23Will you pray?
- 35:24Do you mind praying?
- 35:25He said yes Mike will you mind praying like no absolutely I'll pray absolutely Sean there it is done.
- 35:35All right Jesus thank you for um I thank you for everybody around this this table today and what they bring uh to the body of Christ and all their giftings and graces and I'm appreciative of every one of them and and Jesus I man it's like cliche is to say you know without you what could we do?
- 35:59But I pray that through the series that we are doing this summer through uh the Paul's letter to the Corinthians I thank you that uh so many things as people dive into this that um you bring to light in their life you bring transformation to their life you bring joy to their life you bring freedom to their lives that's that's what we're praying for uh through this because that's who what you do Jesus in and who you are and and your word is is freeing it's it's that which defines as we know the scripture says between truth and what isn't truth and especially for the day that we live in.
- 36:40And so we just thank you for the the revelation of truth the revelation of your life and it's like Paul said we want to know nothing but you crucified as a risen Savior in Jesus' name.
- 36:53Amen.