WEBVTT 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.439 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:56.890 --> 00:00:59.429 It's great to be here with you guys. 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:11.430 Um, Jaron obviously mentioned, my name is Perry Tong, uh, my wife and my wife, Ronnie and I, you know, Ronnie, uh, we, um, we help lead the campus ministry at the university of Kansas. 00:01:12.170 --> 00:01:19.329 And I, if I can just be honest, I feel really thankful, um, and humbled to be here with you all this morning. 00:01:20.329 --> 00:01:30.069 Um, I, I want to extend just a special thank you to, um, my, you know, my in-laws and Jaron and Bianca, uh, Jaron Bianca, your guys' friendship means so much. 00:01:30.430 --> 00:01:43.950 Um, when Ronnie and I got married back in 2021, um, one of the, I don't know, one of the most exciting things about that for me other than getting married to Ronnie was, you know, they say you marry the family, right? 00:01:44.109 --> 00:01:52.349 And I, I'm so thankful to have Jaron and Bianca as my brothers and sisters and Cal and my, you know, my, and like, you guys are awesome. 00:01:52.629 --> 00:02:10.530 I'm so thankful for how generous you guys are, for how gracious you are, um, and for willingly hosting us every single time we come up to Kalamazoo, um, you know, for the past week and a half, Ronnie and I have been, um, we've been traveling a lot. 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:16.729 This is our campus ministry, uh, that we lead back in Kansas at the University of Kansas, simple truth. 00:02:17.330 --> 00:02:28.030 Um, two weeks ago, we flew into Asheville, North Carolina with our ministry, uh, to connect with other ministries around the country and to worship God, uh, at the ICMC. 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:35.610 And then we got into a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, um, which was being driven by Dugan. 00:02:38.090 --> 00:02:45.569 And as soon as we got in, Dugan put on Irish folk music and we weren't the only ones in there. 00:02:45.750 --> 00:02:47.770 Shout out Holly, Joshua, Bobby. 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:51.909 We are bonded for life because of that car ride now. 00:02:52.849 --> 00:03:02.090 Uh, over 10 hours later, we showed up in Kalamazoo and I've got to be honest, I, I wasn't excited uh, for the car ride. 00:03:03.189 --> 00:03:08.050 Ten hours in a car is not fun, Irish folk music or not. 00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:26.750 Um, but the longer we were in that car, right, like I slowly, I started to feel humbled and honestly inspired because that, that car, it just reminded me so much of what God's church is all about. 00:03:26.750 --> 00:03:42.229 Um, it's not, it's not about, I mean that car, like the, I know I'm talking about the car a lot, but that was probably the most diverse different car that was on the road on the highway that afternoon. 00:03:42.650 --> 00:03:48.530 But it wasn't as much our differences that stuck out, but more so that we had the greatest thing in common. 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:59.120 And I think that's a sign of the things that's going on here in Kalamazoo, not just the family you're building, but what you're building it on. 00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:00.840 It's special. 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.120 And this past week, Ronnie and I, we traveled a lot. 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:06.300 We've gone through Wisconsin. 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:08.379 We visited with a lot of family. 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:09.740 It's been awesome. 00:04:09.900 --> 00:04:10.800 I love the upper Midwest. 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:15.680 It's so much more temperate than Kansas, Kansas weather is terrible. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:18.720 Uh, it's so humid and I sweat a lot. 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:20.259 I love Wisconsin. 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:21.879 I love Michigan. 00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:24.980 It's a different dialect when you're up here. 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.740 Um, not to step on any toes, I've already done that. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:33.800 I love this stuff. 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:35.060 Maybe ask me later. 00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:42.079 I love, I love, I love this region, but more importantly, I love you all because the church here gets it. 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:44.319 Like you guys get what it's all about. 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:53.819 And that's the reason why it's truly a privilege for me to be here with you all to fellowship with you and to just share the word of God this morning. 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:58.740 When we get back to Kansas, we will begin to kick things off for the semester. 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:07.680 And what I want to share with you all this morning is likely what I'm going to be sharing with our students before we head on to campus for the first time this fall. 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:12.420 The title of my lesson this morning is By His Spirit. 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:15.240 We'll be in Zechariah four this morning. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:16.180 You can turn over there. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:18.740 We will start in verse one. 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:33.910 Zechariah four, verse one says, then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up like someone awakened from sleep. 00:05:34.730 --> 00:05:35.889 He asked me, what do you see? 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:41.850 I answered, I see a solid gold lamp stand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it with seven channels to the lamps. 00:05:42.050 --> 00:05:45.870 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left. 00:05:45.970 --> 00:05:48.389 I asked the angel who talked with me, what are these, my Lord? 00:05:49.550 --> 00:05:53.209 He answered, don't you know what these are? 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:55.410 No, my Lord, I replied. 00:05:55.550 --> 00:06:04.250 So he said to me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty. 00:06:05.110 --> 00:06:08.930 What are you mighty mountain before Zerubbabel? 00:06:09.750 --> 00:06:12.230 You will become like level ground. 00:06:13.350 --> 00:06:17.149 Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of God bless it. 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:18.250 God bless it. 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:24.449 Then the word of the Lord came to me, the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple. 00:06:25.110 --> 00:06:27.250 His hands will also complete it. 00:06:27.949 --> 00:06:31.250 Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. 00:06:31.629 --> 00:06:44.810 Who dares despise the day of small things since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel. 00:06:44.810 --> 00:06:51.269 I love this passage because it exudes God's spirit. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:58.149 At the beginning of this book, Israel had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:03.250 And they had been given a task to rebuild the nation. 00:07:04.449 --> 00:07:10.829 The prophets Zechariah and Haggai and Ezra and Nehemiah are all leading this charge of rebuilding. 00:07:10.829 --> 00:07:19.290 And throughout this book, God gives multiple visions with different directives about what it will take to rebuild the nation. 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:26.089 But in this scripture, we see the cornerstone of all directives. 00:07:27.430 --> 00:07:35.569 Before they build anything, before they do anything, they have to come to a reliance on God's spirit. 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:41.589 Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit. 00:07:41.730 --> 00:07:45.430 By God's spirit, Israel would live. 00:07:45.569 --> 00:07:48.509 By God's spirit, Israel would build. 00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:52.769 And it's the same spirit we have access to this morning. 00:07:54.170 --> 00:07:57.810 But the question is, will we? 00:07:58.750 --> 00:08:01.750 Will we live according to God's spirit? 00:08:02.550 --> 00:08:08.730 I believe there's nothing that God desires more for our lives than to be led by His spirit. 00:08:08.930 --> 00:08:12.589 And the why is simply because God wants what's best for us. 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:18.490 He wants for us to experience the fruits of a life with Him. 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:22.790 But it's a life that's only truly experienced if we have His spirit. 00:08:23.709 --> 00:08:29.050 And so, my goal this morning, it's not to give a comprehensive lesson on the spirit. 00:08:29.050 --> 00:08:34.370 I think when it comes to God's spirit, though, we can become a little abstract in our understanding. 00:08:35.470 --> 00:08:37.788 What I want to talk about this morning are just three things. 00:08:38.330 --> 00:08:44.549 Three things from this text that stand out to me about a person with God's spirit. 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:46.450 Can we dive into it? 00:08:47.889 --> 00:08:53.110 The first thing about a person with God's spirit is that they never go empty. 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:57.970 You see this all throughout verses 1 through 6, right? 00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:04.429 The vision that God is giving Zechariah here, this is likely what Zechariah is seeing. 00:09:05.870 --> 00:09:14.750 And in this story, he talks about there's two olive trees who are pouring oil down into this lamp, and the lamp is never running out. 00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:21.929 The trees, they're symbols of Israel's leaders, of Zerubbabel and Joshua. 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:27.350 And it's through their leadership that Israel endures as a nation. 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:29.269 They're a never-ending flame. 00:09:30.230 --> 00:09:35.490 But the life source of that, the life source of the leadership, is God's spirit. 00:09:36.929 --> 00:09:38.429 And you know what this tells me? 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:43.409 Is that when we live according to God's spirit, we never go empty either. 00:09:44.870 --> 00:09:48.789 In the same way the lamp would never run empty, we never go empty. 00:09:51.059 --> 00:09:54.200 In the last six years, I've experienced what this feels like. 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:58.200 I became a disciple in April of 2018. 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:01.279 I was a sophomore in college. 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:04.620 I've experienced God's strength when I'm weak. 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:06.899 I've experienced His peace when I'm distressed. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.840 I've experienced His grace when I'm guilty. 00:10:11.019 --> 00:10:22.100 But before I'd ever repented and been baptized, the only thing I experienced was the fruit of a life that was lived according, not to God's power and might, but to my own. 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:24.940 Do you mind if I share personally this morning? 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:27.840 I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. 00:10:30.269 --> 00:10:31.950 I was born in Lawrence, Kansas. 00:10:32.629 --> 00:10:35.409 My dad graduated from the University of Kansas. 00:10:36.210 --> 00:10:38.590 I also graduated from the University of Kansas. 00:10:39.690 --> 00:10:45.169 And before I became a disciple, the first 19 years of my life, I was an arrogant agnostic. 00:10:46.169 --> 00:10:54.370 It meant that if I thought that if God did exist, it was ridiculous for any person to claim comprehension of His existence. 00:10:55.470 --> 00:11:01.190 And it sounds, you know, really heady, but really all it was was an excuse to live according to my own will and desires. 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:03.169 I was a partier. 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:04.129 I was a fornicator. 00:11:04.210 --> 00:11:05.629 I was a liar and a slanderer. 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:11.690 For such a long time, I was distracted from how God was working in and around my life. 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:20.909 But, you know, the funny thing about that is just because I was distracted and just because we can be distracted sometimes, it doesn't mean that God isn't still working. 00:11:21.149 --> 00:11:21.350 Amen. 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:29.799 In 1997, when my parents moved in the house that I grew up in in Lawrence, the church in Lawrence was planted that same year. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:41.440 When I was about ready to start high school, my best friend and mentor Willie O'Quinn graduated college, and instead of going back to Dallas to coach football, went into the full-time ministry as a campus minister at the University of Kansas. 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:49.600 While I was living my own life in high school, one of my best friends went to teen camp in our fellowship, and he got baptized as a junior. 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:55.320 And these were things that in the moment, they held zero significance to me. 00:11:56.539 --> 00:12:02.039 But when I was a sophomore in college, I finally started to feel the emptiness of my sin. 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:11.340 No matter how much money I made, no matter how many relationships I had, how many drugs I did, I couldn't escape the emptiness that was inside of me. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.779 At that time, I was a full-time student. 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:15.279 My grades were terrible. 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:17.419 I'd spent thousands of dollars on weed. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.460 I wish I could have it back so I could buy a car now, right? 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:22.120 But I couldn't stop. 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:30.919 My regular job wouldn't pay me enough, though, to get all the drugs I wanted, so I'd pick up extra shifts at night refereeing basketball games. 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:42.559 And one night, after I'd finished refereeing, I was walking out to the parking lot on my way to go buy weed when I ran into the family of my friend who'd become a disciple in high school. 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:47.820 And his family were disciples, and they were interested to talk to me. 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:56.019 And we didn't talk much, but later on that night, I got a text asking if I'd want to meet up for a Bible study. 00:12:57.220 --> 00:12:59.399 And six months later, I was baptized into Christ. 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:05.080 Ever since, I've experienced the power of God's Spirit in my life. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:17.700 God took a kid who was failing out of school, who was addicted to drugs, who had forgotten how to even blush at his sin, and he brought me before the cross. 00:13:21.470 --> 00:13:24.789 He took my heart of stone, and he gave me a heart of flesh. 00:13:26.169 --> 00:13:30.710 He took my spirit of destruction, and he gave me his Spirit. 00:13:32.090 --> 00:13:37.350 And ever since, I have never experienced the emptiness that used to define my life. 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:39.970 And this is how God's Spirit works, amen? 00:13:40.590 --> 00:13:43.669 With God's Spirit, we never go empty. 00:13:44.149 --> 00:13:50.389 No matter the hardship, no matter the difficulty, the stress, we never go empty when we have God's Spirit. 00:13:50.549 --> 00:13:54.309 I want to ask, though, do you have God's Spirit this morning? 00:13:55.789 --> 00:13:57.009 Have you heard the good news? 00:13:57.090 --> 00:13:58.429 Have you believed it in faith? 00:13:59.309 --> 00:14:01.950 Have you repented and practiced Lordship and been baptized? 00:14:01.950 --> 00:14:11.070 If you're not living life according to this, you're living life according to your own power and might. 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:15.809 And the only thing that that leads to, church, is emptiness. 00:14:16.789 --> 00:14:19.929 But if you never want to go empty, you need God's Spirit. 00:14:20.870 --> 00:14:23.070 But you also need to continue to rely on it, amen? 00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:26.330 It doesn't stop once we become disciples. 00:14:26.509 --> 00:14:28.789 Now that you have His Spirit, I want to ask, how's it going? 00:14:28.789 --> 00:14:32.549 Does the Spirit still lead your life? 00:14:33.129 --> 00:14:35.889 Are you still reading and living by His Word? 00:14:35.970 --> 00:14:37.649 The Spirit and the Word are one, right? 00:14:37.690 --> 00:14:39.509 They never contradict themselves. 00:14:40.509 --> 00:14:43.009 How big of a role does the Word play in your life now? 00:14:44.690 --> 00:14:46.850 Church, God's Spirit will always provide. 00:14:47.509 --> 00:14:49.690 With His Spirit, you will never go empty. 00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:57.250 If this church is going to continue to have the impact that God has planned here in Kalamazoo, that's to continue to rely on His Spirit. 00:14:58.330 --> 00:15:03.330 And trust me, I feel like I've watched this church grow from afar. 00:15:04.070 --> 00:15:08.909 There are so many encouraging stories that I have heard in the last few years that have come from here. 00:15:09.629 --> 00:15:11.850 But I want to urge you to continue. 00:15:13.330 --> 00:15:15.129 Continue to let God's Spirit lead. 00:15:15.789 --> 00:15:17.549 Continue to live in accordance with Him. 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:21.590 And when you do, you will never go empty, amen? 00:15:22.610 --> 00:15:28.809 The second thing that I see about people who have God's Spirit is that they're mightier than a mountain. 00:15:30.309 --> 00:15:34.889 In verse 7, it says, What are you, mighty mountain? 00:15:36.149 --> 00:15:39.149 Before Zerubbabel, you will become level ground. 00:15:40.090 --> 00:15:43.110 Then he will bring out the capstone to shout, God bless you, God bless you, right? 00:15:44.289 --> 00:15:47.889 We just came from Nashville, North Carolina for the ICMC. 00:15:49.009 --> 00:15:54.169 And while we were there, we were at a retreat center that sits at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 00:15:55.350 --> 00:15:59.049 And they're some of the tallest peaks east of the Mississippi River. 00:15:59.629 --> 00:16:01.250 They don't compare to the peaks in Colorado. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:04.980 A little shout out. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:09.899 But some of the peaks, you know, we're more than 6,000 feet up. 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:14.559 And if there's one thing that I don't do, it's hike. 00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:22.460 But I talked to so many people in our ministry who made the trek up, and there's so many pictures that just took my breath away. 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:23.600 Here's one, right? 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:24.620 Isn't that incredible? 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:27.320 A college student took that picture. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:29.600 I never would have been able to do that. 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:34.080 It's incredible, right? 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:41.019 Can you imagine just sitting 6,000 feet up, looking out over God's creation, right? 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:42.940 It's amazing. 00:16:44.279 --> 00:16:53.440 But what's more incredible is that God looks at a person who has His Spirit, and He looks at this mountain, and He says, What are you, mighty mountain? 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:55.620 You're like level ground. 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.159 And I think that this is a lot different than how we tend to view ourselves. 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:03.980 But it doesn't matter what we see. 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:05.078 It doesn't matter. 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:09.078 The only thing that matters, or it should matter, is what God sees. 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:12.980 And when God looks at you, He doesn't focus on the warts. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:14.559 He doesn't focus on the flaws. 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:22.420 He looks at you, you people who have His Spirit, and He sees people who are mightier than a mountain. 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:28.640 He sees people who stand at the base of this mountain, and He says, What are you, mighty mountain? 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:30.940 You are like level ground. 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:37.119 This makes me think about a guy in our ministry whose name is Jordan Finnell. 00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:41.440 Jordan joined our ministry as a freshman during COVID. 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:45.180 And ever since, he's been constantly sharing his faith. 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:49.279 During COVID, he would reach out to his online classes. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:56.559 After COVID, he would literally stand up in front of his lecture halls and invite the entire room out to the ministry. 00:17:57.940 --> 00:18:00.720 It's like, it was insane to watch him do. 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:04.759 But the University of Kansas is built on a hill. 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:08.039 But for Jordan, it's as though it's level ground. 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:16.539 Because even though KU is in the middle of Kansas, we're kind of in the Bible belt, it's still a college town. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.819 When we're going around sharing our faith, we still get our fair share of persecution. 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:25.380 We still get our fair share of weird looks when we're preaching Jesus. 00:18:26.259 --> 00:18:28.059 And it can be tempting to shrink back. 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:31.279 But it's all level ground to Jordan. 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:33.519 He doesn't care if people see him. 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:35.920 He doesn't care what people say behind his back. 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:39.059 Because of God's Spirit, he's mightier than a mountain. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:46.680 And what that tells me, church, is that with God's Spirit, there is no mountain high or no valley low for God's people. 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:49.799 There's nothing too difficult. 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:52.519 There's nothing too discouraging. 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:59.380 If you have his Spirit, if you're living according to it, all the mountains of Satan are like level ground. 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:03.180 We can walk in the valley and fear no evil. 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:06.740 We can advance against any troop. 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:08.819 We can scale any wall. 00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:12.480 If you have God's Spirit, you are mightier than a mountain. 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:21.140 As a church in this city, regardless of the mountains that Satan puts in front of you, you are mightier. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:26.859 No matter what you think or feel, God looks at you and he says, what are you, mighty mountain? 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:30.039 Before my church, you are like level ground. 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:34.859 But as individuals, I want to ask, what do you see when you look in the mirror? 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:42.230 As people with the Spirit, guys, we have to view ourselves the way that God views us. 00:19:43.250 --> 00:19:51.089 Because there's a joy, there's a power that comes through God's Spirit that really does translate to our own self-perception. 00:19:51.309 --> 00:20:02.650 And this, I think this is a small aside, stick with me here, but if you hear that and you have no idea what that feels like, or if you're struggling with feeling that as you're living out your faith, I want to encourage you not to push that to the side. 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:08.450 If you're visiting this morning, you're wondering about, man, how can I be more empowered by God's Spirit? 00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:10.349 Ask the person who invited you out. 00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:12.710 Ask someone who attends regularly. 00:20:12.809 --> 00:20:13.630 Sit down for a Bible study. 00:20:13.730 --> 00:20:14.690 Open up God's Word. 00:20:16.009 --> 00:20:21.329 If you have been living out your faith, but you're struggling right now, don't struggle alone. 00:20:22.490 --> 00:20:25.970 God has given us one another to help us live this out. 00:20:26.670 --> 00:20:28.549 Communicate, pray, be vulnerable. 00:20:28.970 --> 00:20:29.130 Amen? 00:20:31.029 --> 00:20:37.470 Doing these things are so important because they can be the difference between experiencing God's Spirit in our life. 00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:43.950 And as far as God is concerned, there should be no doubt, He deeply desires for you to feel empowered in your faith. 00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:46.670 It's not by our own power. 00:20:47.309 --> 00:20:48.410 It's not by our own might. 00:20:48.569 --> 00:20:48.710 Amen? 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:50.670 It's by His Spirit. 00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:53.089 And can I be real? 00:20:54.910 --> 00:21:00.210 Too often I think we become convinced of things about ourselves that don't line up with what God thinks. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:04.279 God doesn't look at you the way the world does. 00:21:05.779 --> 00:21:09.299 God doesn't view you the way that Satan views you. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:17.380 But somewhere along the way, we can start to see different things other than what God sees. 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:23.000 I believe one of Satan's biggest weapons is distorting our view of ourselves. 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:29.819 Satan doesn't want you to see yourself as strong and mighty and powerful. 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:35.920 He wants you to see yourself as weak and insignificant and small. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:42.680 Because if that's how you see yourself, then you'll never go after anything more, right? 00:21:43.619 --> 00:21:46.900 One of my favorite stories is the story of the chicken and the eagle. 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:48.900 I don't know if anybody has heard this story. 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.859 Some of you probably have. 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:51.339 It goes like this. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:54.480 One day a chicken farmer was walking down a path. 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:55.359 He always walked down. 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:58.099 On that path, he found a lone egg. 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:01.859 He took it home, and because it was an egg, he put it in the roost with his chickens. 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:03.440 He figured, it's an egg. 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:05.599 It belongs with all the other eggs. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:11.279 Eventually the egg hatched, and in it was revealed a baby eagle. 00:22:11.380 --> 00:22:15.000 It grew up with all the other chickens, and it lived as the chickens did. 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:25.440 He'd cluck around the backyard, poke around in the dirt looking for worms and insects to eat, and he would fly a few feet into the air like chickens do. 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:30.279 As time passed, that eagle grew very old, and one day he saw something above him. 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:36.599 This thing glided gracefully and majestically through the cloud. 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:39.420 What's that, the eagle said. 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:40.819 Oh, that? 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:44.720 That's an eagle, one chicken responds. 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:51.119 He's the king of all birds, the master of the skies, but we belong to the ground because we're just chickens. 00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:56.980 And that eagle lived and died a chicken because that is what he thought he was. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:07.900 I think Satan is perfectly content for God's people to think of ourselves as just chickens, as weak and insignificant and small. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:12.660 But praise God that what he sees is different, amen. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:18.039 He sees people with his spirit as mighty. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:21.920 But some of us never see what God sees. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:24.960 We rock around and we desire more. 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:26.460 We look up and say, what's that? 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:28.960 But we never step out on faith. 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:35.359 Some of us have reached higher heights in the past, but have forgotten what it means to fly now. 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:42.640 But in Isaiah 40, verse 31, the Bible says, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:45.980 They shall mount up with wings as eagles. 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:50.559 They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:59.160 As God's people, we were never meant to just cluck around in the backyard and poke around in the dirt looking for a few worms, amen. 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:01.240 We were meant to fly. 00:24:03.589 --> 00:24:10.490 Not by our own strength, our power or might, but by his spirit, by waiting on him. 00:24:11.089 --> 00:24:15.170 And when you do, God sees you as mightier than a mountain. 00:24:16.630 --> 00:24:18.009 It doesn't matter where you're at. 00:24:18.410 --> 00:24:21.170 It doesn't matter what you've been through, what you think about yourself. 00:24:21.529 --> 00:24:25.009 As people with the spirit, you are mightier than a mountain. 00:24:26.109 --> 00:24:32.930 God looks at the challenges, the difficulties, the mountains that Satan puts in your path, and he says, what are you, mighty mountain? 00:24:34.190 --> 00:24:38.609 Before my church, before my people, you are like level ground. 00:24:41.769 --> 00:24:48.150 Lastly, as people with God's spirit, we have a great promise that there's always greater things on the horizon. 00:24:49.890 --> 00:24:55.049 In verse 10, here God says to Zechariah, who dares despise the day of small things, right? 00:24:56.509 --> 00:25:02.089 He says, even though it's small now, why do you despise where you're at? 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:06.950 Because with God's spirit, there's always something greater in store. 00:25:08.710 --> 00:25:13.490 God takes the small things, the insignificant things, and he makes them greater. 00:25:14.430 --> 00:25:21.450 And he says to any of us, with a critical perspective, who dare despise the day of small things? 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:26.759 It doesn't matter if your life is great right now or if it's difficult. 00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:29.440 It doesn't matter if it's big or it's small. 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.839 With God's spirit, something greater always awaits. 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:39.519 In Ezra 3, there's a story taking place parallel to that story that we're reading right now. 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:43.500 And it shows us, it gives us a little bit of a different angle. 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:50.619 It shows us how the people are feeling, the remnant of Israel's feeling as they're coming back in to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:56.380 And you would think it's excitement, but in all honesty, there's mixed emotions. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:58.000 Let's read it real quick. 00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:01.519 I'll read it here, Ezra 3, verse 10. 00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:27.000 It said, And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:38.140 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads who had seen the former temple wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:51.099 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping because the people made so much noise and the sound was heard from far away. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.779 On one hand, people, they're overjoyed, but on the other hand, they're distraught. 00:26:56.599 --> 00:26:57.559 On one hand, they're happy. 00:26:57.559 --> 00:27:03.279 They've waited decades to come back to this point, and they're finally rebuilding the temple of God. 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:14.440 But on the other, there are people who had seen the temple before it was destroyed, and despite the joy of beginning to rebuild, couldn't shake the thought in the back of their head that what was will never be again. 00:27:16.470 --> 00:27:20.789 But neither of them really understood the great things God still planned to do. 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:24.910 God still had greater things on the horizon. 00:27:25.349 --> 00:27:32.630 See, the temple, this story is all about rebuilding the temple, and the temple was always something that was revered throughout Israel. 00:27:33.049 --> 00:27:38.450 It was the closest you could possibly get to God in this kind of day, and it became an extension of God. 00:27:39.049 --> 00:27:44.250 And so the people who were overjoyed were because it meant they finally had God amongst them again. 00:27:45.289 --> 00:27:50.569 But the people who were saddened were because they saw the temple and felt God deserved so much more. 00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:53.549 You see kind of the difference here? 00:27:55.049 --> 00:28:00.170 All along, despite the joy, despite the heartache, though, God still had something greater in store. 00:28:00.569 --> 00:28:03.230 In other words, He had a greater temple in mind. 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:07.329 And the temple wasn't a building, it was some body. 00:28:08.450 --> 00:28:13.470 In Ezekiel 36, 26, God says, I'll give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. 00:28:14.230 --> 00:28:22.750 I'll remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, and I'll put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 00:28:23.450 --> 00:28:28.369 See, God's temple wasn't meant to just be some building, it was always meant to be some body. 00:28:29.829 --> 00:28:35.549 And that somebody wasn't just one person, it was all men and women who would choose to follow Him. 00:28:35.670 --> 00:28:37.829 God had something greater in store. 00:28:38.970 --> 00:28:49.349 I imagine God is watching this whole scene in Ezra play out, He sees the joy, He sees the heartache, and He can't wait to reveal the greater things that He has on the horizon. 00:28:49.349 --> 00:28:52.269 Put yourself in these people's shoes. 00:28:52.430 --> 00:28:56.329 Can you imagine how encouraged you would be if you knew God's plans? 00:28:57.950 --> 00:29:00.509 Imagine that they knew this temple was only temporary. 00:29:01.210 --> 00:29:07.390 It's going to be torn down again, but it doesn't matter, because God has something greater on the horizon. 00:29:08.690 --> 00:29:13.069 Instead of His temple being some building, it was going to be some body. 00:29:13.890 --> 00:29:15.809 It was going to be us. 00:29:15.809 --> 00:29:17.730 It's incredible. 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:26.130 Something tells me if they understood the great things that God had in store, there would be no tears of sorrow, only tears of joy. 00:29:26.250 --> 00:29:26.430 Amen? 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:31.509 But when we're discouraged, it can be hard to remember this. 00:29:32.390 --> 00:29:32.529 Right? 00:29:32.670 --> 00:29:34.890 That God has greater things on the horizon. 00:29:35.210 --> 00:29:44.309 I imagine some of those who were weeping, saw the temple, and questioned whether coming all this way was really worth it. 00:29:44.970 --> 00:29:47.430 I imagine Satan was tempting them to give up. 00:29:47.869 --> 00:29:51.750 See, Satan doesn't want you to experience the greater things that God has planned for your life. 00:29:52.549 --> 00:29:55.730 With God's Spirit, there's always greater things on the horizon. 00:29:56.029 --> 00:29:59.730 There's going to be hardship along the way, because that's just how Satan works. 00:29:59.789 --> 00:30:04.430 He wants only a few of us to experience all the great plans of God. 00:30:06.069 --> 00:30:09.910 The challenge for us is to not give up in the midst of those. 00:30:11.369 --> 00:30:14.009 My best man at my wedding was a guy named Jason Tran. 00:30:14.589 --> 00:30:15.329 This is Jason. 00:30:18.329 --> 00:30:22.109 You probably see us together and you think, yeah, those guys are definitely friends. 00:30:25.730 --> 00:30:26.390 Not really. 00:30:26.670 --> 00:30:28.269 Jason is one of my best friends, though. 00:30:28.869 --> 00:30:30.410 I was at Jason's engagement. 00:30:30.829 --> 00:30:31.950 He was at my engagement. 00:30:32.390 --> 00:30:33.809 I was the best man at his wedding. 00:30:34.089 --> 00:30:35.269 He was the best man of mine. 00:30:35.849 --> 00:30:39.910 He joined our campus ministry right around the same time I did. 00:30:39.910 --> 00:30:41.769 He's the son of Vietnamese immigrants. 00:30:42.869 --> 00:30:44.450 He grew up Buddhist. 00:30:45.230 --> 00:30:48.529 When he came to KU, he had zero clue about who Jesus was. 00:30:49.950 --> 00:30:56.630 Jason got reached out to because his girlfriend, who's pictured here, was studying the Bible with our ministry. 00:30:57.950 --> 00:30:59.289 And she broke up with him. 00:31:02.509 --> 00:31:09.109 The reason she broke up with him was because she determined their relationship was an idol for her. 00:31:10.690 --> 00:31:12.009 She broke up with him. 00:31:12.109 --> 00:31:18.630 She became a disciple, but instead of just ghosting him or kind of just letting him go, she invited him to get connected to the ministry. 00:31:20.490 --> 00:31:23.930 Slowly but surely, Jason started coming out, not knowing anything about Jesus. 00:31:24.890 --> 00:31:29.289 Having no prior knowledge about who God was, what Christianity was. 00:31:29.849 --> 00:31:34.309 He grew up extremely sheltered in his, I don't know, his understanding of all these things. 00:31:34.549 --> 00:31:35.390 He started coming out. 00:31:35.450 --> 00:31:36.049 He studied the Bible. 00:31:36.049 --> 00:31:36.730 He got baptized. 00:31:38.250 --> 00:31:43.190 And about a year later, after his baptism, serious sin in our church was revealed to him. 00:31:44.410 --> 00:31:48.890 And it led to the church and our campus ministry being cut in half. 00:31:49.990 --> 00:31:54.309 And I think everybody was kind of at that time walking on eggshells. 00:31:54.369 --> 00:31:55.190 Man, who's going to leave? 00:31:55.230 --> 00:31:55.990 Who's going to stay? 00:31:57.069 --> 00:32:01.690 And as Jason and I, I think I was wondering if Jason was going to leave. 00:32:01.789 --> 00:32:04.470 I'm probably sure Jason was wondering if I was going to leave. 00:32:05.910 --> 00:32:06.990 We both stuck around. 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:09.089 But more importantly, Jason stuck around. 00:32:10.269 --> 00:32:11.829 And that next summer, we moved in together. 00:32:12.769 --> 00:32:14.250 He became my best friend. 00:32:14.910 --> 00:32:16.869 And we lived together for the rest of college. 00:32:18.130 --> 00:32:26.509 And right around the same time we moved in, though, Jason and this girl, Grace, who had broke up with him, they started dating again, but with God at the center of their relationship. 00:32:28.430 --> 00:32:33.349 In early 2021, Jason and Grace got engaged, and they were married that summer. 00:32:34.009 --> 00:32:35.710 And now they're some of our best friends. 00:32:36.990 --> 00:32:43.970 And I think about Jason's story and how much of a testament it is that with God, there's always greater things on the horizon. 00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:46.450 And the same is true for us. 00:32:47.369 --> 00:32:57.650 But it's in those moments when we're discouraged, when we've just gotten broken up with, when we've lost the job, when things didn't go how we planned, that we have to remember this. 00:32:58.630 --> 00:33:00.960 God is not defined by circumstance. 00:33:02.059 --> 00:33:05.359 With God's Spirit, there are always greater things on the horizon. 00:33:06.619 --> 00:33:09.160 I think about the Israelites coming back into Jerusalem. 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:12.480 Hey, I know you're excited, I know you're disappointed, but just wait. 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:14.799 I have a greater temple in mind. 00:33:16.099 --> 00:33:17.240 I think about Jason. 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.279 Hey, I know you just got broken up with, but just wait. 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:22.240 I have a greater plan in mind. 00:33:22.339 --> 00:33:25.680 I want you and Grace to be together, but I want to save your soul as well. 00:33:29.109 --> 00:33:32.690 With God's Spirit, there are always greater things on the horizon. 00:33:33.849 --> 00:33:35.009 I mentioned this a little earlier. 00:33:35.210 --> 00:33:37.569 Five years ago, Church in Lawrence was cut in half. 00:33:37.650 --> 00:33:40.109 At the same time, we didn't have any solid campus leadership. 00:33:40.710 --> 00:33:44.029 Church was dealing with a lot of hurt from something so big taking place. 00:33:45.029 --> 00:33:47.369 But ever since, we've seen great things happening. 00:33:49.430 --> 00:33:58.529 In January, some of Ronnie and I's best friends, Turner and Lindsay Glissman, they moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, to plant the campus ministry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 00:33:59.829 --> 00:34:08.429 Around the same time, Blake Hatcher, whom you all know, took their spot and went into the full-time ministry and he helps us lead at KU. 00:34:10.170 --> 00:34:14.570 And just this year, we've seen God do amazing things in the hearts of our students. 00:34:15.550 --> 00:34:18.349 Ten people have been baptized and restored in the campus. 00:34:19.610 --> 00:34:23.989 Young people are dreaming of going into ministry, and it's such an exciting time. 00:34:24.070 --> 00:34:27.670 But at the end of the day, I still believe that God has something greater in store. 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:33.639 And I believe that for all of our churches and all of our campus ministries around the world. 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:38.840 Because at the end of the day, it's not by our power or our might, it's by God's spirit. 00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:43.420 And with God's spirit, there is always something greater in store. 00:34:44.099 --> 00:34:47.239 He always has something greater for your ministry. 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:49.940 He always has something greater for your marriage. 00:34:51.139 --> 00:34:52.360 He always has something greater for your life. 00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:53.960 He always has something greater, period. 00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:58.639 But I think the challenge that we have to reconcile is not giving up along the way. 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:05.059 In a lot of ways, this church has experienced some of the greater things that God has in store. 00:35:05.099 --> 00:35:06.440 I want to urge you, don't give up. 00:35:07.619 --> 00:35:08.599 Continue to fight. 00:35:09.239 --> 00:35:10.059 Don't compromise. 00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:10.880 Keep going. 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:14.500 God has something greater in store here. 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:18.260 And he's going to do it as long as you continue to rely on his spirit. 00:35:19.460 --> 00:35:24.780 As long as we as disciples rely on God's spirit, we'll never go empty. 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:31.780 You'll be mightier than any mountain, and you'll see the greater things that God has in store for your life. 00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:32.500 Amen? 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:37.179 Not by power, not by might, but by his spirit. 00:35:37.980 --> 00:35:38.440 Let's pray. 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:44.110 Dear God, thank you. 00:35:45.409 --> 00:35:48.769 Thank you God that you're mindful of us. 00:35:49.889 --> 00:35:57.929 I think about how in Psalm 18, God says that you stoop down from on high to make us great. 00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:01.030 Father, God, thank you that you care for us. 00:36:01.170 --> 00:36:02.329 God, that you are a good father. 00:36:03.849 --> 00:36:09.210 God, that we can have such a unique and impactful but purposeful relationship with you, Father. 00:36:09.730 --> 00:36:12.510 God, I pray that you would empower us through your spirit. 00:36:13.570 --> 00:36:15.510 I pray that we would never go empty. 00:36:16.269 --> 00:36:26.650 I pray that we would see ourselves the way that you see us as mightier than any mountain, than any difficulty, than any challenge that Satan throws our way because we love and want to follow you. 00:36:27.670 --> 00:36:31.289 God, I pray that we could dream for the greater things that you have in store. 00:36:31.769 --> 00:36:37.909 That we could dream about how you would use us through your spirit to experience those greater things and to play a part in them, God. 00:36:38.750 --> 00:36:39.949 God, it is so true. 00:36:40.110 --> 00:36:43.030 You always have something greater in store, God. 00:36:43.050 --> 00:36:46.610 I pray that we would see how you want us to play a part in that. 00:36:47.750 --> 00:36:48.630 God, we love you. 00:36:49.329 --> 00:36:52.809 We pray for just the continued faith. 00:36:52.989 --> 00:36:57.690 I really pray that, God, that you would continue to inspire the church here in Kalamazoo, God. 00:36:57.730 --> 00:36:59.010 Thank you so much for their faith. 00:36:59.289 --> 00:37:02.809 Thank you so much for their generosity and just their hospitality, God. 00:37:03.570 --> 00:37:04.590 We love you, God. 00:37:04.690 --> 00:37:05.590 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:37:05.789 --> 00:37:05.969 Amen. 00:37:06.570 --> 00:37:07.630 You guys are dismissed. 00:37:07.789 --> 00:37:08.469 Thank you so much. 00:37:11.530 --> 00:37:16.070 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:37:16.510 --> 00:37:19.769 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:37:20.010 --> 00:37:27.389 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:37:27.530 --> 00:37:29.989 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.