King's Banner Podcast
Welcome to King's Banner Podcast. We got tired of the same ole answers when we started looking for help when it came to our walks with God. So together we go deeper than most would on topics that most people have heard or were taught but never fully understood. It is our way of simplifying concepts that we may have over complicated throughout our lives. Bringing theology and life experience into each episode. It is our hope and desire to help you in your Christian walk.
King's Banner Podcast
Elect Exiles
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“Elect exiles” is not a cute phrase, it’s a diagnosis. We open 1 Peter with fresh eyes and realize Peter starts his letter to suffering Christians by telling them something most of us resist: you’re scattered on purpose. If you’ve ever looked at your life and thought, why am I here, why is this hard, and did God forget me, Peter’s first two verses give a gritty, hope-filled framework that can actually hold the weight of real pain.
We unpack 1 Peter 1:1-2 and see the Trinity right on the surface: the Father’s foreknowledge, the Spirit’s sanctifying work, and obedience to Jesus Christ under the sprinkling of His blood. Then we chase the Bible’s “seed” storyline into the word diaspora, not just “people scattered,” but seed spread across the earth for multiplication. That leads straight into identity: Christians as aliens and foreigners, planted in foreign soil to take root, grow, and bear fruit even in hostile environments.
We also challenge modern definitions of grace, peace, and blessing. Peace is not just mental serenity; it’s strength for obedience when suffering presses in. The Holy Spirit’s filling is not meant to stop at spiritual experiences, but to empower mission, evangelism, and costly faithfulness. If you’re tired, disoriented, or tempted to build your life around comfort, this conversation will push you and steady you at the same time.
Subscribe for more Bible-driven conversations, share this with a friend who feels scattered, and leave a review with the hardest part of obedience you’re facing right now.
Morning Banter And Getting Started
SPEAKER_02Hey guys, what's up? Welcome to the King's Banner Podcast. I am not Casey. I'm standing in for Casey this morning, and we're gonna get into the Bible.
SPEAKER_00You identify as Casey this morning.
SPEAKER_02Uh don't put that evil on me. Casey, I love you. Um but thankfully we have our differences. So there's that. Uh good morning. Good morning. How are you?
SPEAKER_00Tired. We don't normally do a podcast in the morning, but it's happening today. Oh, not really. And I'm kinda I'm kinda I feel like I'm about to get some like daily Jesus time right here on the podcast.
SPEAKER_02That's good. Well, maybe it might just be me having fun and being super emotional.
SPEAKER_00At least your name is Paul. There's something biblical about that. Oh, it's very biblical.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I mean it's a family name.
SPEAKER_00I'm not bitter that I don't have a good Christian biblical name. You're not? The closest I have is like Justin Martyr or Emperor Justinian. Uh-huh. Like, you know, like 400 AD.
SPEAKER_01You know, like That's cool.
SPEAKER_00Like 300 some years after the crucifixion of our Lord. Uh-huh. No, you know, like rich. History, heritage, none of that. Just what's your name mean? Justice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. No, that's cool.
Reading 1 Peter 1:1-2
SPEAKER_01Anyways. That's cool. That's good. That's good. Good for you. All right. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02Where are we going? First Peter is where we're going. Sweet. And we'll see how far we get. I'm gonna freak out over just the first two verses. So we're gonna go there. Um, so 1 Peter, just starting chapter one, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Awesome. Okay. Do you see anything that's super cool in there for you before I just go off the rails?
SPEAKER_00I think you should go off the rails. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Okay. So immediately I like First and Second Peter, especially just because it's very straightforward. Yeah. It feels like a James-esque style of writing where it's like, hey, here's exactly what you should do in the exact order. Very strange. Um and it and you can't mess it up, right? It it is funny. He's like, well, I mean, Paul's stuff it is hard to understand, and some people twist it, and that's on them. But it's like my stuff, is it kind of hard to do that? Um it's kind of hard to twist what I'm what I'm saying. Um, but I I like these two verses especially because it is two things. One, it's an immediate show of the Trinity and the Godhead and their different roles, and I like that, and I think that's cool.
SPEAKER_00Um walk me through that.
SPEAKER_02So so uh verse two, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ. Um I'm gonna address the sprinkling with his blood later. Yes, um yeah. But but yeah, because it's this is the dispersion is not exactly the most happy fun time that everyone is having. It's uh it's really frustrating. Yeah, it sucks. Um it's not the best situation, but it's according to the foreknowledge of the father, and I think that's cool because that's already telling you a little bit about like, hey, this is the role that the father plays. Embrace the suck.
SPEAKER_00This was not a this was not an accident. Right, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. And it's not just the foreknowledge, it's also in the sanctification of the spirit. Like there, there's something happening, it's not just, oh yeah, God knew that was gonna happen. Yeah, good luck, guys.
SPEAKER_00That that's so already in this passage, you have the father electing unto salvation, yeah, according to his foreknowledge. You have the son justifying and you have the spirit sanctifying and bringing it about. It's like look at that. I I did talk to somebody this week who literally was like, I'm really struggling with, okay, like, so something really cool about our church right now is like 50% of the people there uh are like brand new to church, man. Yeah, yeah. Like brand, like brand new, yeah, working through stuff, figuring it out. And he's a he's a good friend, man. And he he was telling me, he's like, I'm trying, I'm really trying to understand the whole Trinity thing. Yes, freaking me out a little bit. And I'm like, look, what the first thing you need to know is it's just everywhere in the Bible. Like you can't read through the first two verses of First Peter, but like, that's really interesting. Seems to be a Trinitarian formula at the very beginning of this. Yeah, must have pissed off the Jewish people immediately with display. Peter Jews. Yeah, normally he's warming up to them, you know what I mean?
The Trinity In Two Verses
SPEAKER_00So I mean, yeah, sometimes uh okay, keep going. I I got stuff I want to like look at here that pertains to this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I mean, I would so then for obedience to Jesus Christ, where it's also there's action on your part to do it. Um it's it's not just those things. And then so for sprinkling with his blood. Yeah. Uh I'm a huge I don't how do I say I love blood. I think it's super amazing. I think it's cool.
SPEAKER_00Um what is that, a sanguinist? What is that?
SPEAKER_02Kind of so it's like, but but you know how you have mentioned I in lots of your teachings how words add to their meaning, to their weight as they go through the canon. Yes. And blood, and especially he could have said a lot of words about the blood, but it's the sprinkling of the blood.
SPEAKER_00Specifically. Yes. Yes. What's the what do you know the history of this? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean a little bit. I think I do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, but you have the sprinkling of the blood over like the mercy seat. Yes, yeah, yeah. No. For for atonement, like they would literally, you know, kill the lamb and they're spreading the blood over the sheep. But even farther back in Exodus.
SPEAKER_02Yes, no, that's exactly a picture of Moses.
SPEAKER_00Uh-huh. And it says he sprinkled the entire congregation at the time with blood. Yes. We're talking about I mean, hundred thousand people. Yes. If not more. I mean, I don't know what kind of bloodbath that was, but it was messy.
SPEAKER_02Oh, no, totally. It is it is a huge mess, right? Because like, so my buy a little footnote for sprinkling with his blood, goes to Hebrews, which is great. Fine, totally. Love Hebrews, great. Definitely an element there of sprinkling of blood, specifically Jesus' blood. Yeah. But I I don't I don't see that. I read it and I go to Exodus. Yeah. Um that and especially like the the high priest, the sacrificial system and how it works, but it's being sprinkled with Jesus' blood, because currently it in this covenant, I am the temple and the sacrifice, and to some element the priest. Yeah. I'm I'm not the high priest, but I'm in the royal priesthood of Jesus. Yeah. And I think that's super cool. I've thought about getting like a blood smear tattoo on my right earlobe and my right thumb.
SPEAKER_00Not as like a blood teardrop under your no, but like that out there.
SPEAKER_02That imagery and that symbolism. Now I can't get it tattooed, the blood splatters all over my clothes, right? Because that's that's definitely in there too. Not not just the people, but like the priests. Like they're getting they're getting sprinkled with blood, and that's what that's actually the part that makes it holy. That's what makes it consecrated.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And so then now I'm being sprinkled with Jesus' blood, right? For sprinkling with his blood. That's why, that's why all this is set up.
SPEAKER_00And it has something to do with obedience.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_00Right? Yeah. There's some reality where it's like if you were elect by the Father, right? If you are sanctified by the Son, and then being or uh sanctified by the Spirit, you know what I mean? Uh and covered by the blood of the Son, there's this picture of like, as you obey, that blood is covering you. Yes. You know what I mean? Which I think is kind of important. There's some covenantal picture there. Can I can I tell you what stands out to me that I think is really cool? Yeah. Okay. Go. I think about here the idea in the beginning of the Bible of the seed in Genesis 3. Uh-huh. Okay, so you have, you know, the seed of the woman in Genesis 3 that is going to crush the serpent's head, it's going to bruise his heel. This later becomes the seed of Abraham. You know what I mean? Becomes the seed of Jesse, the seed of David. Like this picture of the seed. The whole line. Singular. Yes. Singular throughout throughout the story. Yep. All right. So when people say like the seed of Abraham, they're thinking the entire offspring of the Abraham of like this. No, like the specific. No, the item, the seed. Yes, yeah. But what Jesus. Just a real click. Thank you. But what kind of a big deal. What's cool though is later on this word diaspora.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_00Do you know what it means? No. Okay, it means the spreading of the seed. Okay. It's literally like taking seed and throwing it out on the ground. Like it's the spreading of the seed everywhere. So when you think about diaspora, you have the seed that when he gives his life, right? And he even says this, unless a seed goes into the earth and dies. So you have this picture here of him saying, like, what the singular seed and what it was has now become a spreading of the seed across the entire earth. So even like the promise you have in the beginning of what the seed would do has now become many seeds that is spread all over the place. So when he's like, uh I got NASB. You got ESV? Yeah, I got ESV. So NASB to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus Galatia, Capitacea, Asia, Bithynia, like he's literally talking about just the seed going everywhere. Yeah. And I just think that's the coolest picture of like the amplification of the person of Christ now being spread to
Sprinkled Blood And Covenant Imagery
SPEAKER_00the world according to the Father's will, under the blood of the Son, by the work of the Spirit in the individual. I'm like, there's so much here that is like just thick with prophetic language of what God would do and how He would do it.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_00And to somebody who doesn't, you know, pick up on that how one word becomes something massive. You think he's just saying to the people scattered abroad. And it's like, ah, actually, that being scattered abroad as seed, when you consider what the original seed means, you were part of something really cool and you're being planted as a as an ambassador of Christ wherever he decided to send you into the garden that is his world that he's taking back for his kingdom. Yeah. Which is just like, I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_02I feel like that's so freaking what I love uh kind of about the Bible in general is you don't have to know all that to get the good stuff. Because like realistically, the point of this is to those who are exiles, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus. And like that's that's it. And that's that truly that's good enough. But it's it's those it's those special tidbits, those little tidbit things, you know. Yes, yeah, it's the little it's the little things. And I think that at least for me, sometimes it's um not exactly the most fun experience to read my Bible, or it's like it's it's just crushing me every time I open it. Yeah. But there, but there are some really cool moments where it's like, oh, and now now it's all coming together. I don't always see exactly why it is the way that it is. It's like, wow, this is really depressing and hard, and I don't like it.
SPEAKER_00I think that's uh the state of a lot of the people that he's writing to in this particular circumstance, right? They've been spread abroad because of massive persecution that has broken out. The uh later on in 1 Peter, he refers to the place where he is as Babylon, uh-huh, which is supposed to be this, you know, picture of this horrifying reality. Hey, everything's really bad. They're killing all the Christians, the there's uprisings and all this stuff. And he's like, I am uh I'm with you. It sucks a little bit, it's a little bit rough, and and the whole book is him talking to them um uh on the topic of dealing with difficulty, yeah, getting punished for doing the right things, frustrating circumstances, all the stuff happening. And he starts out the book with wherever you find yourself, I want you to know God put you there. Yeah, exactly. You know, this was part of his plan. You're part of the scattered seed, wherever you find yourself, whatever you're going through, all those negative circumstances you can't stand on purpose. Yes. That's this is according to the foreknowledge of God. And and God is using this to display Christ and what he represents to the world in your walking with the Spirit so that you would obey Jesus. And what is, you know, the the whole picture of Christ, right? Is I want to obey the Father, I want to give my life willingly for the joy set before him. He endures the cross, and Peter's pulling on all of this language and picture to help people who are like, why am I going through this? To be like, because this is what God wanted me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I think um I think there's just a reality to it where you get to breathe out and remember that whatever you're going through, you know what I mean? If you're walking with Christ, like this is a good thing, yeah, and it may not always feel good, it may not always feel special, but your life is not your own. Right. You were bought with a price, and if your goal in this life, um, you know what I mean, is things are gonna be great, I'm gonna have a good time, nothing's gonna go wrong, or at least the least amount that I can manage in my life, yeah, you're gonna hit a lot of branches and wonder why I keep hitting these branches. And Peter just comes in with the hey, embrace the suck. Yes, this is this is part of it. And that's I mean, I know that's near and dear to your heart.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yeah, that's another reason that I like this quite a bit. But I feel like, and especially in this season of my life at least, that it's extra special because that's I feel like that's happening to me, to my family, where it's like we're in Tyler a year and a half ago. Wouldn't have wouldn't have picked this. Yeah. Um or known that you were gonna be here. Right, yeah, exactly. Where it's like, to your point, it's like I'm not gonna get out of this clean. Yeah. At the very least. Only by the blood. Right, yeah. And even then, that's a mess. The blood is messy. Right, yeah. Whereas like I um is one of my favorite songs. I think I sent it to you.
SPEAKER_00There was somebody in the camp who was like, you know, three days, still got the blood on them. Yeah. They're like, please wash it off. He's like, no, it makes me clean. Am I still clean? Right. Sorry, back to Exeter. Keep going.
SPEAKER_02No, you're totally good. You're totally good. Whereas like, yeah, it's the blood that is that is made the blood that was once uh condemning you, yeah, is now actually what makes you clean.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But it's the redemption of the like Jesus' blood is on your hands from the beginning of your life to the end of your life. That part actually doesn't really change. Yeah. What changes is your relationship to that blood, which I think is super cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um even the work of the Spirit and John 14, right? Yeah. To convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And it's like, which one would you like to have pointed at you? Right, yeah. Right? Exactly. Yeah, but you were you were talking about it, you know, kind of being in this scenario where we've um been scattered abroad. Uh-huh. And I think um, I think that's I think that's important, man, because I think um look, just being honest with you, w where we are even here uh down in Texas, I like I you talk to people about planting churches, and I feel like it's almost a a foreign idea. Like why would you go and do something like that? Yeah. And I I think that's kind of the point of the seed is for it to get scattered and plant it like what if you guys aren't familiar with why church planting, why we call it planting, I've had a couple of there's a bit of weird world people ask me about talking to people about planting church. Why are you planting? What do you mean? Why don't you say founding expanding? Right. Right. It's deeply biblical language because the diaspora means we're being spread out, we're being planted, and we're doing something in the area that we now find ourselves. And here's what I know about plants, they need a lot. And it's not an easy thing to garden, okay? Yeah. Yeah. So that's that's uh just throwing that out there.
SPEAKER_02No, I mean that's the I mean, I think the most recent podcast that came out was the one that you were talking about, the sower and the seeds and how to grow fruit and so
Diaspora As Scattered Seed
SPEAKER_02you know, all that stuff. So it's very it's on it's on point for exactly what you're what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00I also like the word aliens to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout these different areas. Uh-huh. I mean, what do you think of when you think about that word? I think of Martians. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's what I think of aliens. But in in this context, again, even like this is foreigners. Yeah. This is someone not supposed to be here. Not a part of whatever community that that community is. Yeah. Um, and kind of not not exactly conforming either. It's like there's there's a little bit of that, but not to like up to this point, there's not a lot of mixing going on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, I think uh I think when I read this, you have some people who have been scattered abroad, like we're talking about, because of persecution, oh yeah, breaking out, Nero uh is killing people, it's rough. There's all I mean, I I think the gosh. I'd have to pop open a commentary. I think that the dates for this are something like between 60 and 68 AD. Yeah, probably. Right, yeah, yeah. When, you know, because he dies under Nero's persecution, theoretically, Peter does. Yeah, yeah. Uh, and so you have all this stuff going on. But there's a bunch of these people in these different areas who have gotten saved, who have joined the communities. And I mean, there's not a lot of like deep Jewish roots in Pontus Galatia.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, like just the name alone. Yeah, you're like, I'm pretty sure there wasn't like a whole nother temple there. Yeah. Anyway, so I think he he's pointing at something that's deeper and important, which is like, hey, if you've been saved, you're an alien now. Right. You are going to be different. And a lot of the reasons for the persecution that they were dealing with is because they stopped uh, you know, like ritualistic sexual practices, they stopped giving incense to Caesar, they stopped doing all this stuff that other people would have celebrated. And it turns out when you quit sinning with sinners, they get mad at you. You know what I mean? Like they start going through all the stuff that they're going through precisely because they're not acting like everybody else. Yes. Did you ever see um was it the second Guardians of the Galaxy? I'm so sorry, I'm bringing up a nerdy film here.
SPEAKER_02No, we're on this Marvel kick right now. Cool. So let's do it. I've seen it.
SPEAKER_00We're just gonna This guy's supposed to be like uh like a god of another planet. Yes, you know what I mean? Yeah and he plants uh one plant here in Earth. You know what I'm talking about? Yes. I don't know the story. Well I watched it one time and I was like, that's kind of like the gods.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, but that's yes. The point he's looking for a child, essentially. But yes, it's actually very Christological. It's messed up. But yes, he is looking to plant his seed in a planet for the purpose of an heir.
SPEAKER_00So he like plants this one plant uh and it takes root, right? Yeah. And is actually working. Yep. And then the goal is to like the the planet then becomes his in some capacity. Exactly. But I think about that, I'm like, that's kind of the picture is like you are now an alien plant in foreign soil. Yeah. And the goal is to be able to take root and then like actually spread the thing until uh it represents something different than what it did before becomes fully under the control of this particular profane, weird version for you guys. But actually, the picture of Jesus coming and planting his heels in the dirt, being born of a woman, yes, truly man, truly God, yeah, and then you know what I mean, him doing his work and the seed going forth to all like I feel like it's this perfect picture. So if you've been born again, if you're you know, according to the foreknowledge of the Father, the sprinkling of the blood from Christ, and then you have you know, according to the spirit, he's literally like you are um you're an alien trans, you are from another planet now, bro. You are I mean, something really transcendent, and maybe the best description of transcendent is inhuman. Yeah. And I don't mean like in a moral sense, I mean like a like you are other than right, not the same nature. You've been disconnected from the lineage and heritage of the people you were with, and you have fully become something else entirely. He's like, hey, fellow Martians, yes, no, it's transformed.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yeah, yeah, it is it is crazy, and two years. Point of it even though it is alien, that is actually then the the biggest and best community that you are a part of. Because yeah, then as soon as you stop doing those other things, no one else wants anything to do with you. Um it is that multiplication process, which is why e that last of the line, may grace and peace be multiplied to you. Another word, right? He could have said added, he could have said given, but it's a multiplication.
SPEAKER_00Which is how we think about planting.
SPEAKER_02Yes. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Like the goal is to multiply what we're doing, and if it's not multiplying, you suck at gardening.
SPEAKER_02Right. No, because this again, this is all the way back to Genesis. Like this is how God blesses, it's how God curses. It's like I am going to multiply whatever it is that you already have.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um and even in Matthew, um, I think it's 25, the the story of the talents, yeah. He equates faithfulness with multiplication. Yep. You took what I gave you, you made more with it. Right. You've been a faithful servant. Yeah. And I think like we're supposed to take what God has given to us and multiply it. And the guy who isn't faithful is the one who didn't multiply what he had. And I think that's important because he's saying wherever you are, the goal is to grow the garden. Right. Wherever you are, the goal is to continue planting seed and do something with it. And I think sometimes we're like, I don't really want to risk, you know? Yeah. So let me just to connect it with that. Go for it. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. How do you think the average person interprets um uh you know this idea of grace and peace today versus what Peter maybe meant by it after he's talking to all these people about embracing suffering. Mental serenity. Like it's it's before we just dog that entirely, there is something there because the reality of knowing these things does bring some at least some okay, I'm not a crazy person, at least. This is happening. And it is as bad as it feels. Right, yeah, but it's on purpose to get a like. There is some of that. But there is to your point, the fullest measure of grace and peace, may it be your like what is he uh what do you think he's actually define it
Aliens In A Hostile World
SPEAKER_00in light of what's actually going on?
SPEAKER_02Immediately what you would know, because I was talking to my wife the other day about this.
SPEAKER_00Immediately what you would know is you already you may struggle thinking, how did Paul find a wife? You know? I think the same thing. I mean, look at his face, look at his demeanor. You I want you guys to know there's hope for you, okay? There's hope for all of you.
SPEAKER_02You know that you you were like that one. I was like, okay. That's true. And that's that's true. I kind of yeah, I started that. That can be a podcast for another day, but specifically She was chosen. But do you elect even well? It's embrace the side, but it's like, do you know that it's God putting the rocks in your shoe? Yeah. Like that's the anyways, that's another thing.
SPEAKER_00But even deeper, like, do you feel the pebble when you're walking around? Yes. You know what I mean? Like that thing that's irritating you, and yeah, maybe something else.
SPEAKER_02I put that there. It's like God is trying to piss you off.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Sometimes a little bit. I think to wake you up. I mean, that's the whole like whole there's some people that get like frustrated when I bring this up. But you have the first century church, people are getting saved, uh-huh. Just radically changed for the God. I mean, Peter preaches, and like 3,000 people come to Christ. He's hanky, he's healing people. Uh-huh. You know what I mean? You want to know why we don't see the same amount of miracles today? It's because nobody has handkerchiefs anymore. That's it. If I prayed over my handkerchief at work, everything's going perfectly. Uh-huh. And then God's like, all right. Kill James. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. It's like, I think we're done here.
SPEAKER_00Like, wow, that's sketchy. But uh, but it's this persecution that actually gets them to do the stuff that they're supposed to. Because he told them, I want you to take the gospel out, right? Uh it's supposed to sequentially like work its way onwards, Judea, Samaria, all the ends of the earth. I think the word there is like uh I think it is like apocalypsis or a variation of it, which means the unveiling, like places you don't even know about. Right. You're gonna see different places go to different places. It's the tearing of the veil on the whole world. Exactly, exactly. So you have this picture of that happening, and it's almost like they're setting up shop and like this is great, we're gonna redo Jerusalem. And God's like, actually, no, though. I mean, it's cool idea, but instead, how about you do what I actually told you to do? The pebble in the shoe is a great illustration because it feels irritating, and on an individual level, it might feel a little bit more like that, depending on the circumstance. Yeah, but the reality is like it's those frustrating circumstances that you're placed in that actually drive you to obedience to do what Jesus did. Yeah. And if we're trying to, by the spirit, grow in obedience to Jesus, Jesus was always walking towards his own death.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00He was always walking to with this idea like, I'm gonna die here. Yep. Like I signed up to die. Yes. This is my goal. I'm going to give my life and pour my life out, and I'm gonna take you idiots with me so you can learn how to pour yourself out and die so that things actually happen beyond what you want to happen in this moment. And I just think about the mentality we have sometimes is like, I just want a decent life and I want to die in peace. Right. And God's like, you can either die in peace or you can die to extend peace. You know what I mean? Yeah. And and the peace you want is like psychological wellness. Like you said, I just want things to go well and to be moderately happy. And he's like, actually, that's like it's kind of like death already. You're like, I'd really just like to be dead, you know, not have anything bug me, just being sweet, placidity, and uh, and that'll be life. And God's like, that's death, brother. Yeah, that is what you're describing as death. So I just think the the reminder that those irritating things are the things that are pushing you into God's plan and into obedience with Jesus. I can't imagine Jesus walking around like this is great. I love everything about life, everything is fantastic. And for those of you that are like, he just floated around, it was the best ever. He spent time in prayer with the Father all the time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00He's constantly in hostile interactions with people who hate him and want him dead. And then even the people that are on his side are not always on his side, not always understanding what's fully going on. And you're gonna have to embrace that reality of following Jesus is a little bit like living as a nomad. Yes, bringing the truth to people in different places, seeing amazing miracles, and then immediately forgetting all those miracles when I hit the next circumstance that's difficult. Right. And so I hope that brings a little bit of um encouragement to anybody who is in the thick of it now. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, brother, right? It's good that it's good to die. Like it's good to actually die to the the the idea of what you whatever American dream you know you have or whatever. I I just think um I think oh, and I hate saying it because it's like it sucks, but I think uh a lot of maybe um man, I this uses a qualifier, but like American Christianity a little bit has got in bed with the idea of dog, truck, land, yeah, guns, uh-huh, peace, yeah, fishing, my wife, my kids.
SPEAKER_02Right, because if I add this, if I add this, if I add this, and that's not true.
SPEAKER_00Well, not just that, but everything you're adding, you believe is a part of the fence that's providing peace for you. And everyone's explanation of peace sounds eerily like avoiding everyone else and just having the couple things that I want, so I don't have to talk to, find myself in any difficulty. I'll be fine.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'll leave my castle, you know what I mean? And then I'll I'll interact in as genuine as a way that I can. I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna hide out, and this is where it's at. And I'm like, I think God is like, I'm going to destroy all of your walls, and I'm gonna, I'm, I'm gonna send you into some places that are gonna be uncomfortable. And uh, we got a lot of people like Jonah. I don't want to be planted, I don't want to plant, I don't want to suffer. Uh-huh. I would love the blood to cover me as long as I have a hazmat suit on so it doesn't get on my skin and get in my hair, make things uncomfortable and you know, gross. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yucky Jesus, but yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I just think there's a there's this reality there that obedience to Jesus looks different than how I think a lot of people frame Christianity today,
Grace And Peace Through Suffering
SPEAKER_00is more like a a shirt you wear that represents the morals that you have. Right. Not I am an alien here. Yeah. Sent by God. I'm not Mormon, I'm promised. It's like I'm I'm gonna plant flags of truth and righteousness and declare by the Spirit send righteousness and judgment to a world that is foreign and hates that, and will actually be really upset with me. Yes, you know what I mean, for uh for bringing those things to the table. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, I think I think that's good because it is it is something that you already have, thus the multiplication language. Yeah. It's exactly what you said, the talents. It's like you have it, you can theoretically not use it. Yeah, that is an option. Yeah, and then you can do whatever else you want to do because you're afraid of God doing this or not trusting him with that, yeah, or whatever. It's like at the very least, you could have put it in the bank. Yeah, if you could you could have given it to the government, yeah. And that would have been defined. Don't do that.
SPEAKER_04That's a mistake.
SPEAKER_00It's gonna be it's gonna be sent to Ukraine immediately.
SPEAKER_02I'm sorry. But it's like you gotta, like, if if you are a Christian, you have it, it's given to you. He can multiply it.
SPEAKER_00And I I just think the question is for what? Right. Grace, yeah, peace, uh-huh, the sprinkling of the blood. Yeah. For what? What is what is it? What is it for?
SPEAKER_02For obedience to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00I think most people are like, Thank you, Peter, for being clear. Good. I have these things now. Yeah, great. This is great. Yeah, this is great. I have grace, I got peace, I got land. Christianity is awesome. It's like, man, it's just cash that check, baby. And and uh again, the wicked servant is the one who's like, I got it and I buried it. I got 'em. Anytime you need to, I yeah, yeah, literally, literally now. Uh and I think God gives these things for the purposes that he wants to bring about. One of the you know, um there's this big argument about the baptism of the spirit. Okay. Yeah. You have is it uh is it like something, you know, every Pentecostal is gonna be like you receive Christ, and then afterwards there's a secondary baptism of the Spirit. Yeah. But the thing is throughout the New Testament, especially, you see multiple baptisms of the Spirit or fillings of the Spirit. I was overwhelmed by it, uh immersed in it, whatever. Those always happen right before a ton of evangelism. Yes, those always happen right before somebody is sent out, somebody is walking in a greater level of obedience. Yeah. God gives so that it would be spent. Right. You know, God gives you something so that you would go out and do something with it. And I think a lot of people like, you know what baptism of the spirit is for? Running circles around your church and hollering and rolling on the floor. That's it, man. That's the baptism of the spirit. And I'm like, I it's just not biblical. Look, right, my Pentecostal friends, I don't know if I have any, I mean, like my family, I feel like, is the closest to the channel. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_03There were times in my church, bro. Yes.
SPEAKER_00It was like people were like marching around the chairs. I mean, there was some epic stuff. They're just praying. I'm a continue. I mean, it was a it was like a I'm a I won't even get to I say this to say if your idea of a filling of the spirit um doesn't create obedience to God, but you see it as a way in which I'm just to continue to commune with the Father, but this doesn't take me anywhere, send me anywhere. I don't think you have a baptism of the Spirit. I don't think that's what that is.
SPEAKER_01That's not bad.
SPEAKER_00That filling of the Spirit is the thing where it's like God is giving me strength, grace, and peace to go do what I'm supposed to do with the goods he gave me. And I would say Christians who are feeling like I'm not experiencing his grace, I'm not experiencing his peace, I'm not experiencing. It's like, because you don't need it. Right. You built your life in a way where it's like, you know what? I'm actually good. If you could not send me anywhere right now, it would be a heck of a lot easier. And God's like, I gave you these things because I'm sending you on a trip. And you're like, you put them on the shelf and you're like, actually, we could not do that though. You know? Yeah. Yeah. I I don't know.
SPEAKER_02As long as I have it.
SPEAKER_00If you don't know, you know, if you can't answer the question, what did God give these to you for? Um, I think you're missing why you've been planted.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. No, as as my wife was saying, if if people knew the truth about Christianity, no one would ever do it. They would run. No one would ever do it. It's like, because it there is an element of like, yes, that it's so beautiful, it's so terrifying, and it's like, but you it's not done. It's like this is actually a lot bigger of an undertaking than you can carry. Um it's massive.
SPEAKER_00I feel a little bit bad about that. Sometimes bad about what? How do I explain this? I want to declare and show people the beauty and glory of God and remind them that it is a hundred percent better.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Everybody who's a Christian should should say amen. Yeah. But there is a confusion of categories that happens with believers and non-believers. Now, this is like there's it's messy here. But
American Comfort Versus Christian Obedience
SPEAKER_00oftentimes, when you're talking about the goodness of God and his mercy and grace, and this is better, somebody has a category of what better means in their mind and can say yes to Jesus in some real ways. I'm actually placing my faith in him, I want his forgiveness, I know I'm a sinner, like real salvation. Yes. And still, like Jeremiah, be like, Yeah, uh, I said yes to all of this. You said you were gonna use me as a mouthpiece to the nations. Yeah, I got pumped. And now I'm just getting beat up all the time. Like, was this the blessing you were talking about? I thought, I mean, you gave me like power to speak your word and do all these things, and it just keeps going south, you know? Yes, and then and then I'm telling them what's gonna happen, and then it happens, and they get more mad to me. Like, somehow it's my fault. And I said this would happen, and now it is. Like, I I think there's um I think there's a reality where when you come to Christ, I think there's a lot of people who have defined blessing, grace, peace, all these words the Bible uses in a non-Christian framework. They've taken this baggage from uh the worldly, yep, um, you know, I guess dialexic is the word I was thinking. But I just mean the the language that the world is using, yeah, and they're equivocating it with what the Bible means in those moments. And so then when you um let's say pass over, your old self dies, your new self begins, you're still bringing this idea with you. And I think some people are trying to get sinful joy out of their walk with Christ and are wondering why the song doesn't slap the way that it used to. You know, it's just like I don't understand like how come, you know what I mean, like it doesn't feel, taste, you know, the way that I thought it would. And it's like because you still have some appetites for the wrong things, yeah, and now God giving you those things would actually be Him giving you the outcomes of sin, right, rather than like the goodness of God. You have to change your appetite, redefine a lot of language, and totally reorient yourself to what you know you're doing and what the goal actually is. Yeah. And uh like you said, sometimes it's sometimes it's hard because you watch people come to Christ, and it is. It's like they're why does this suck? Why is this so frustrating? Why is this difficult? I thought this, I thought this, I thought this. Yeah, and I don't want to be you thought wrong, Bob. You know?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I think some of this is why Peter is writing this letter to remind them like, hey, you haven't been bamboozled. It's not that you're doing it wrong. Yeah, you're not under a curse, nothing's as if something strange were happening to you. Don't be don't be alarmed. It doesn't mean it's or nothing's broken that wasn't supposed to be broken. Right, no, it's definitely broken. But it's yeah. Uh but but I think there's a there's a reality there where we have to be, I think, a little more bracing with our um our communication around what Christianity is gonna look like if somebody's actually gonna take that step. And I think sometimes we're we're selling to people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, a superficial version of Christianity that is not encompassed the, okay, you're gonna die.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And you're gonna be born again into a different life. And let me tell you, you're gonna lose friends, you're probably gonna lose family, you might lose your job, you might get sent places you don't want to go, you're gonna be in a new family with a bunch of people that you don't know and maybe don't connect with in the same ways, and also you don't get to eat Oreos and burgers and doom scroll. You know what I mean? And I say that to say um the goodness of God is not gonna look like dopamine. Right. You know what I mean? It's it's uh it's a different reality and you're learning to eat some different things than you did before. Yes. And that's that can be really hard. It is hard for the average for the average individual. And if I I think if we don't explain to them, hey, obedience to Jesus, you know why you're given the Holy Spirit because it's gonna be hard and you're gonna need that grace and peace. Yeah, or like you're gonna crumble. You're not gonna be able to multiply anything. Um and I I wish I wish there was a better way to to to call somebody into that world.
SPEAKER_04You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Like where like I just wish sometimes I could touch somebody's head by osmosis, you know, and just give them the information, just like here, take this, and they just oh, I get it. Oh, okay, I get it. You know, there's just there's layers to this thing. Sure, yeah. And um, I just uh I think there's a lot of superficial salvations
The Spirit’s Power Is For Mission
SPEAKER_00where people have bought this idea that if I trust in Jesus, everything's gonna be great and totally fine. And it's like, yes, true. Uh-huh. Define, great, and fine, you know, um, yeah to actually achieve those things.
SPEAKER_02Right. What what does that mean? It it's Jesus' question, do you want to be healed? It's like, do you want to be healed? Do you know what that means? Is and also what I've thought about is in the crowd, like his disciples are saying, everybody's touching you, Jesus. But why do you say who's touching me? It's like, because someone's using my power right now. And I feel for me, I am often in the crowd with Jesus, and he doesn't know I'm there. Yeah. Because I'm not actually accessing his power. Yeah. I just like being there. Yeah, it's just I just like hanging out. This is great. It's like the I like being in the crowd. It's the uh the disciples, they have no idea what's going on. Yeah. And he's like, no, somebody's using me. Someone's using me right now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And they're like, what do you mean? He's like, no, for real. And the the woman's like, yeah, it was it was me. And she is healed, and it is great. But it's like there is a there is a responsibility because now it's like, oh, now Jesus knows.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I'm here. Yeah. So and and not just that, but like, um, okay, what does take the pool of the Bethesda, like you brought up. Yeah. Guy's been, what is it, 38 years? Yes, it's about 40 years. Paralyzed. Now you gotta get a job. Yes, yeah, there's responsibility. Now you gotta like contribute to society and be a part of what you know. And um, anybody who's done any kind of homeless ministry before knows that a lot of people who are vagabonds, who are living a homeless life, who are just, you know, um, I have government funds that I've tapped into. Um, you know, I have this place I go to for food and this place trying to get people who are homeless to not want to be homeless anymore and like get a job and actually take on responsibility is incredibly difficult.
SPEAKER_02It's really sad. Yeah, it's really sad because I see that in my own life. Yeah. But then it's it's a reflection of me. It's like, oh, I I do this. Yeah. It's like I I do this, and it's like just how heartbreaking it is. Like, because there are people around me trying to do the same thing. They're trying to get me like, hey Paul, wake up. There's a lot of cool stuff going on that you could do. Like, no, I'm okay just doing my thing. I, you know, just making my paycheck, go home, and I I don't want to do any ministry stuff. That sounds exhausting.
SPEAKER_00I love it too, because he says, um, when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, he said to him, Do you wish to get well? And the sick man answered, Sir, I have no man to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I'm uh While I'm coming, others step down before me. He doesn't even answer with, yes, I want to get well. He's so addicted to his feelings of victimization and frustration that when healing is standing in front of him, he's still upset and just blaming other people for his circumstances.
SPEAKER_02It's a weird interpretation of the question. Because what he's in explicitly stated. The layman is like, oh, he's accusing me. He's like, Do you even want to be healed? He's like, ah, don't talk. These guys get in. I don't even have a chance to get healed. It's like, that's not that's what a lot of that's what I answer the question. Like, Jesus is like, hey, do you want to get healed? It's like, hey, Jesus, I'm trying. And he's like, you can't heal you. Yeah. Shut up. He just stop trying to tell me that you you get healed this way, that this is how it goes. It's like, yeah, I can do it. Do you want do you want me to do it?
SPEAKER_00I think it's the same, I think it's the same kind of reversal. Um Jesus is saying, Do you want this? And he's saying, Yes, this is what it should look like.
SPEAKER_02Right. I would like to do this, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Into the pool. Somebody will help me there when this particular thing happens. And that's how it's supposed to go, Jesus.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00But I can't make it happen that way. And he's like, Yeah, your life's actually not going to be like that. I'm just going to do this instead. You can't do that. That's not, you know. Who made the pool? Right. Why is it cool? Yeah. And I think that's the that's again just what I'm getting back to with our Christian life. We have an idea of how we think God's going to do things. And I just think he's going to do some things differently. But the the whole idea of look, sanctification, obedience to Jesus, sprinkling with the blood, and grace and peace being yours in the fullest measure, all go together in this idea that like whatever God is taking you through, it's on purpose. But also like buckle up and realize that this is a good thing to not live like the world in this form of death that seeks placidity above all else, that wants to not be bothered and everything just to go well.
Do You Want To Be Healed
SPEAKER_00I don't think that's gonna look the way that we think it's gonna look either. We have descriptions of what's going on. But honestly, I think a lot of our I think a lot of our ideas about heaven even flip this on its head too. I'm gonna get to heaven and it's gonna be like watermelon and flying, and there's mansion.
SPEAKER_03It's gonna be just like Hawaii.
SPEAKER_00You know, yeah, exactly. Everybody's happy all the time. So I don't know if you know this, but actually you get bored of that pretty quick. You know, you're gonna be like paradise, you know what I mean? Unless you're like 90 and you're like, I'm just I'm in pain in every other way, and I just don't want to move into it. You know, yeah. Um I think it's just d different than what we think it's gonna look like, and that's that's better. That's actual living. Right. Uh so I think we even when we get to the other side, we're gonna have a lot of like, oh. Yes, yeah. Um so not my sinful appetites being fulfilled then. Okay, good God.
SPEAKER_02Like the Garden of Eden, that was not a vacation. Yeah. That was 100%, hey, you're gonna work this super cool thing and it's gonna be great. You name all these animals, we're gonna have a great time, we're gonna hang out. I'm gonna give you a wife. Yeah, isn't that cool?
SPEAKER_00Every every guy on the other's like, don't do it.
SPEAKER_02When Jesus is like, No, there's no marriage in heaven, he's like, Oh, thank God.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god. No, it's I I love my wife. Uh she would have laughed at that joke too. I'm just saying.
SPEAKER_02Is it yeah, but it it is gonna be, it's different. Where it's like there is, but that that is home. There it I won't be an alien. Yeah, it'll be complete. I will see clearly.
SPEAKER_00Man, there's there's more here, like the the word apostle, what it signifies in general, um, what it feels like to be scattered, uh-huh. Uh, how you know, taking the word chosen and realizing the like the handpicked nature of what that looks like, and then looking at all the verses that have to do with this, especially when Jesus is talking about picking his disciples, and nobody comes to me unless the father draws them. And it's like you weren't you weren't even it this wasn't random even in that sense. Like you were handpicked to be this particular thing. Yeah, oh okay. You were uh the rescue mission grabbed you and then put you on this team. I mean, there's a there's a ton of stuff here. We've already gone a little ways. What anything else you want to bring up before we close it out?
SPEAKER_02Uh no. I think that's good. I really just want to talk about blood. I thought it was awesome and cool and sprinkling, and I was like, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00We should have spent more time on the blood. Sorry.
SPEAKER_02No, that is totally, totally good. It's just there's there are pieces of the Bible that are cool only once you've read the rest of the Bible. Yeah. Because it like there are times where uh for me, I'm I haven't been reading my Bible even recently, right? Like I got sat down to to think of a topic, get into this, and I I didn't even open my Bible. I just sat down and I was crying immediately because I knew it's like as soon as I open this, I'm gonna get hit with what I haven't been hit with in uh not a elongated amount of time. Yes, yeah. Um, and not my normal rhythm, right? And I think that that that sometimes it's like, well, it's just hard to read hard to read the Bible is boring, or whatever, don't have the time. It's like then you're in the wrong religion.
SPEAKER_00It it is weird too, because it's hard to read the Bible when you first get saved. Yeah. Because you're trying to figure it out. Yes. No, it's hard to do that. It's also a little bit hard,
Final Encouragement And Wrap Up
SPEAKER_00yeah, when you've been doing it for a while because you realize if I step into this pool, uh-huh, I'm going to go 60 feet down if I'm actually paying attention. Yeah. And that's it's disorienting a little bit. You're like, yeah, there's a lot there. This is really cool. Also, like it just keeps going. I'd like to hit the ground floor at some point. Yeah, not gonna happen. Never right on. Well, I enjoyed the study this morning, man. Thanks for jumping into it with me. Yeah, and uh, I hope the rest of you will go back and read the rest of 1 Peter, and I hope that your feet don't hit the ground, and it's awesome. Amen. Have a great week.
