Are you yearning for a deeper, more authentic expression of your faith? Discover the transformative power of walking in the Spirit as Pastor Seth and Pastor Jason dissect the contemporary challenges that believers face. In a world where churches often chase trends at the expense of Truth, we examine the pitfalls of prioritizing style over substance and the vital importance of anchoring our ministry in the unchanging teachings of Christ.
This episode is not just another conversation; it's a clarion call to live out your faith with daily intentionality. We discuss the discipline required to foster a genuine connection with God, akin to the dedication needed for physical fitness. As distractions clamor for our attention, we underscore the necessity of carving out sacred space to grow in spirituality. You'll be reminded that your identity as a child of God, as affirmed in Romans 8:14, should be the compass that guides every choice you make.
Join us as we conclude with a powerful charge to reinvigorate your spiritual journey. Be challenged to step boldly into a life marked by spiritual maturity and a closer walk with the Almighty. We leave you with the profound blessing from Numbers 6, a timeless benediction of protection, grace, and peace. So, share this episode, spread the blessing, and join us in pursuing a life rich with spiritual fulfillment.
Are you yearning for a deeper, more authentic expression of your faith? Discover the transformative power of walking in the Spirit as Pastor Seth and Pastor Jason dissect the contemporary challenges that believers face. In a world where churches often chase trends at the expense of Truth, we examine the pitfalls of prioritizing style over substance and the vital importance of anchoring our ministry in the unchanging teachings of Christ.
This episode is not just another conversation; it's a clarion call to live out your faith with daily intentionality. We discuss the discipline required to foster a genuine connection with God, akin to the dedication needed for physical fitness. As distractions clamor for our attention, we underscore the necessity of carving out sacred space to grow in spirituality. You'll be reminded that your identity as a child of God, as affirmed in Romans 8:14, should be the compass that guides every choice you make.
Join us as we conclude with a powerful charge to reinvigorate your spiritual journey. Be challenged to step boldly into a life marked by spiritual maturity and a closer walk with the Almighty. We leave you with the profound blessing from Numbers 6, a timeless benediction of protection, grace, and peace. So, share this episode, spread the blessing, and join us in pursuing a life rich with spiritual fulfillment.
Hey, welcome to another episode of pastor to pastor. I'm Pastor Seth. Across from me, the one and only Jason Watson. Hey, how's everybody doing today? Man, I'm so excited to be here doing another recording to inspire, to equip not only ourselves but those around us that can listen and, hey, wherever you're at, go ahead and share this with somebody and you know just some good content. We hope that this is encouraging you, for those of you have been there from the very beginning. Thank you so much for being a part, pastor Jason. I'm excited for this next season that we're in right here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know season two. We have been really knocking some big ones back and and look and bringing different people on and new people on, and we're always looking to bring good content to people to help them in their walk with Jesus not just the individual but also ministries. We've kind of been doing a little bit of everything.
Speaker 2:I think we're going to kind of narrow into a focus on and get moving here in a different direction, or I would say a more focused direction, in the near future. But yeah, we definitely got a good one for them today, for everybody involved.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're talking about. What does it mean to walk in the spirit? You know, I think that there's a question that we really need to figure out and kind of answer, because I think that in the church and in society where we are today, pastor, I don't think we put a big emphasis on what it looks like to walk in the spirit, to live a holy life, a life that screams you know what? I belong to, jesus Christ, and so I just want to kick it off with a question what do you think has caused this to happen within the church today?
Speaker 2:And I think it is a lot of different things. I think culture definitely plays a part, but ultimately, look, you know, you hear these older generations complain about the younger generations. You hear, and I hear it, I've heard it, you know, I say a majority of my life the next generation, oh, this country is going to fall on the next generation. I just don't, I don't know, but my response has been well, didn't you raise that generation?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean so you're complaining about the ones you raised. I mean tell me, tell me where that went wrong. Yeah that's right, right and so I think really a part of what we experienced today, part of what we see in culture, in churches today, is what we've allowed has now become a part of the culture.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep. And it's easy to blame culture, it's easy to blame others, but, just like you said, sometimes we need to look in the mirror and say, well, what, what have I allowed, even as a, as as a father? You even look at that, as you see behaviors in your kids. Okay, where did that shift happen? You know, a lot of times, if you ask the right questions, that's where you'll find the solutions to the problems that you're facing. And I think for the church, I think for sure the world, definitely the world's quarter, has infiltrated the church. You see that a lot of churches now on social media or performance based, it's where we're trying to see how popular we can get, how good we look. We're more on focusing on image than we are identity within the church, and I think I mean that's another topic in itself. I think when the church moves from focusing on truth to focusing on trending, we're definitely causing ourselves to derail where he wants us to be.
Speaker 2:And at some point, I believe Israel thought they, over time, thought they outgrew God, they become smarter than God, they didn't need God. They, whatever the case is and I feel like we've been in places where the only thing they have is prayer, where all they have is their faith. And we live in a nation now where and if you ain't even got answered, like it doesn't even matter, you go to a doctor, they will prescribe you something, they will give you. We live in a noun generation and we live in it, and I want it now and I don't have to faith it, because then I can go out and buy it. And so we have really, in our prosperity, kind of destroyed ourselves when it comes to our faith, and I believe that definitely plays a part in it, as well, yeah, for sure, you know, I was gonna say the same exact thing.
Speaker 1:At some point it shifted into us, where Jesus wasn't enough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and even you look at preaching today and how extreme they go to illustrate scripture. But I'm telling you, scripture's enough and I don't get me wrong, but I've preached for the light saber in my hand. I mean, I've done that to bring the word to life in a way that where they can receive it not only audibly, with hearing it, but they can actually see it as well. So I definitely believe in illustrating the word, but there are some times, man, where some people just go to some great links and extremes to illustrate something and completely get away from the true message and meaning of what scripture's trying to say.
Speaker 2:I think you see that in a lot of really big churches We've become very good, like you'll say, storytellers instead of scripture readers and preachers and teachers, and I think that that's definitely played a part in as well and what I think as pastors you do, or what I don't say, what everybody does, but what could happen is you get you embellish now, you have to embellish later. You do this now, you have to do this later, but scripture, but Jesus, the Holy Spirit, god, they are enough.
Speaker 1:That's it, man. What we say at our church is if it takes likes and gimmicks and if it takes money and giveaways to get people to church, then you're gonna have to keep that model to keep them from coming to church. And so we say Jesus is enough and Jesus will always be enough. That way we keep him at the forefront of everything we do, because if Jesus ain't enough for you now, he won't be enough for you later Think about it this way as well too.
Speaker 2:Look at how many times, and even I don't care. No matter where you go, if you feed them, they'll come right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And so look at, look what happens though you spend all this money. Let me talk about church and getting people inside the door. Some of that right, yeah, right. But if you're feeding people, great, they're gonna show up for a meal and then you'll never see them again, and the only time you'll see them again is when you feed them again. Those who are really hungry will find it.
Speaker 1:That's right we're. Sometimes we've gotta be careful that we're not so dedicated to feeling the church that we feel the church but having zero conversions.
Speaker 1:So, now what we're doing is because we're not focusing on Jesus and the true gospel, but you're talking about preaching the truth. We have a church full of members with no conversions and we're sending a whole church full of people to hell because we have not taught what it's the look like when we walk in the spirit and obey the whole gospel and what the scriptures are, and so that's kind of what we're talking about today, not just the church, but what does it look like for us, as believers and followers of Christ, to really walk in the spirit? Galatians 5 is where you'll find the foundation of what it looks like to walk in the spirit and to walk in the flesh. I love passage 8 that Paul doesn't just tell you what it looks like to walk this way, but how can you determine that you're not walking in the spirit? And he lays both of those things out and for the basis of what we're talking about, galatians 5, 25 says if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.
Speaker 1:Now I love that he's using the word walk, because walk indicates that there's an action that you and I have to take to show that we are truly following Christ and walking with him. It requires you to do something. You can't be a lazy Christian. You gotta do something with your salvation. Salvation is not just a prayer, it's a daily choice. It's a daily decision to follow him, be led by the spirit. I love to say this sometimes, pastor Jason, is when I wake up Holy Spirit, what are we doing today? Who are you putting in my path to interact with, to share the gospel? We had to just show some love to, and so why do you feel like it's hard for us to do this daily? You know we'll get on fire and all of a sudden it just falls off.
Speaker 2:I got one word distractions. Yeah, uh, because I don't think I have bro. We've been to India and where we wake up ministering, we go to bed ministering and bro, that is the most. That time in itself for me is the most alive. I am in the spirit man because I have. I don't have to worry about sending off reports. I don't have to worry about payroll, I don't have to worry about um, discipleship, ministry, teaching, like I don't have. All these other things that we, that we do it and they're good, I mean, they're things that we, we have to do. We have responsibilities, right? Uh, even Adam had responsibilities in the garden, right? I mean, so we have responsibilities, but I think really it's it's distractions. You look at how many things are vying for your time and your, your thought processes and your and your money and and your family time. Look, look at how much it's it's pooling on you and typically, let's be honest, whatever screaming the most is what gets most of you time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Uh and so, but we have to allow God to, to, to scream into our life in terms of we have to, we have to answer that pool because I don't know. God's never forced me to my knees to pray. God's never forced me to open up scripts and read. God's never forced me to do these different things. He's, he's there, he's waiting for you and it says as you draw close to him, he will draw close to you. It doesn't say, if he draw close to you, you'll draw close to him. Like, bro, you're trying to make me preach already. I mean, even on the sermon on the mound, like this this, this, the most beautiful message of the kingdom that Jesus taught that that I've read is is he? It says, when they got to the mountain top, the disciples came to him. Yeah, how many of us are going to Jesus? How many of our, our, our willingly like following him up the mountain and then sitting at his feet and allowing him to teach us? Or are we getting up and spending our time on TikTok, watching the, the, the black void right Into the TikTok app and scrolling and I'm I'm guilty too Scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, and and times that we really could be spending time with God. I mean, that's not that.
Speaker 2:That is a great example, though, of of walking in the spirit and walking in the flesh. Are we waking up and saying God, all right, what do you want us to do today? What are we doing this morning? Or God, how, what can I do in this situation? Or you get to work and you say God, like okay, how do you want me to handle this Right? Or, or, lord, use me to be a difference in someone's life today. I mean, how often are we seeking first the kingdom? Or are we seeking first TikTok or a Facebook or affirmation from the world, or so I, I, I've, I, and, like I said, I mean we might be pastors, but we were in the. You know, we live in flesh right now, currently, in terms of our bodies, so we understand the pool and the strain and the things, but you have to walk in the spirit, and that is a choice that you have to make.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's not an easy choice sometimes, because you know I I shared this before is you know I? I used to never want to work out, I used to hate it. My wife would always ask me to go with her and I'm like, no, my body has hit perfection, I don't need to be yeah. And uh, amen, uh, if you're watching on YouTube, you'll be able to see you know, save your your YouTube time.
Speaker 1:So, but you know, I I went one time and I forced myself to go because my wife wanted me to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And what? What happened? What? What started out as something I had to intentionally force myself to do because I knew it was good for me turned into a desire because I started seeing results Right. And so when I started seeing results, I wanted to passionately continue to do it. And so it's the same way with picking up the words spending time with God. You may have to force yourself to do it. Don't feel bad that you have to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you have to start somewhere. You just need to start, yeah. And when it comes to walking in the spirit and being led by the spirit, spending time with the Lord, opening up your words, sometimes you have to force it, but eventually you're going to see results, right? I don't know anybody who's opened the word and spent time with the Lord who walked away and felt depleted, right? True, I've always walked around or walked away, feeling more, more connected to God. I've always felt better. And so, walking in the spirit it does take dedication, but this is the beautiful thing about why you need to do it. Romans 8, 14 says for all who are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God. Watch this passage, and walking in the spirit Is your testimony that you belong to God.
Speaker 1:Yeah you are the walking testimony that someone can look at you and say you know what? I can tell by how they're walking that they belong to God. This is a question you have to ask yourself is you have you have turned away from the ways of the flesh to the ways of the spirit? Now, do you walk with the same people? Do you walk into the same conversations? Do you walk in the same rooms? Where are your feet leading you, or they are? Do you walk down paths that prove your steps are being ordered by the Lord and the spirit, or the path that you're walking, do your steps prove that you're being led by the flesh? Now, only only Individual can determine that inwardly of what we're seeing on the outside. But I think scripture focuses on walking because he knows we're not good at that. Our words absolutely mean nothing, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah we have to prove our words. That's why many people know that actions speak louder than words, because you can say a lot of things and reactions till a Much different story.
Speaker 2:It was the same way with God, for God. So love the world he Sent. Yeah, he's only begotten.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:He didn't just like he, god, demonstrated His love for us, and that while we were yet sinners, yeah, he sent his son to die for us. That's right, right and so while yet we were still sinners, still sinners.
Speaker 1:Still messed up, still broken. Not that we would even turn to him. We were turning our back to him and he demonstrated his love.
Speaker 2:Absolutely because, because words are are. I mean words are an action, but but they're not, they're not the action. Yeah and so yeah, and it's the same thing. What is it? I've had people tell me you know, leopard doesn't change its spots like you got to change some spots if you want to truly be yeah. Be seen as what you say you are, so that's right and Galatians 5.
Speaker 1:Again, we're just staying here because this is where, most of the time, paul talks about this. He says that the result of you walking in the spirit is that you no longer gratify the desires of your flesh. So how do you know that you're walking in the spirit when, what, what? You are Gravitated to begin to change your conversations to people, the things you put your eyes to, those things? Uh well, you will show it by, by the way that you live and what you're seeing. And so you know the testimony that you're not being led by the flesh Is by by what you're being led by, what you see in your life. Now, it's very obvious. Scripture says I want to read it, verses 19 through 21. Uh, it's very obvious to people when your, when your flesh is in control of your life. So how do you know if you're being led by the flesh?
Speaker 1:Paul tells you this, he said when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties. I've went to a few of those and other sins like these, and let me tell you, as I have before that anyone leaving that sort of life Will not inherit the kingdom of god. I'm just gonna say it because nobody else is. Nobody says this in church. Right, you're right, we pacify everybody. Yeah, god loves you. Live like however you want to. The time is over. Pacifist.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely we. We have Bro. I was in a conversation with somebody the other day and I rarely I rarely do this on facebook, man, when I don't think it's good for people, I don't think anyone reading reading your comments Uh, when you're arguing, shows they see the words, but I don't know that it necessarily shows that an argument shows christian love, and so I really try not to argue um, but when it came to that.
Speaker 2:I don't read comments on police videos and I don't try to argue theology on facebook. It just never ends well for anybody and so I don't do that. But this right, that's superbowl commercial with with the Mormons. Uh, I've seen some people post and I get both sides of it. We talked, we were going to talk about this last week, but we didn't get a chance to um, and I don't really want to dive into it today, to be honest with you. But but I understand both sides of it. I understand the whole. Uh, well, you know, jesus watched his disciples for you. He didn't watch centers feed it. I get it, I understand it. But if what me watching somebody's feet is going to bring them to the love of christ, that I'm, I'm demonstrating the love of christ to them and it will offer me an opportunity to preach to them and teach them the love of christ. And then Then those, then then I think that's what I should be doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah because I'm trying to reach those people, because my actions will speak louder than my words, and so I'm trying to remember where I was headed with that. But my actions, your actions, will speak louder than your words.
Speaker 1:Um, absolutely, you know. You just keep losing your train of thought sometimes I'm telling you man. It's because you have so much wisdom and knowledge.
Speaker 2:It's just so much, I don't want to drop so much in one place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just swirling around up here, um, but but you know, pastor, it's very obvious and I love paul, we need to teach more like this that these are the results of your flesh, yeah. But then he goes on and he says but the results of your being, of you being led by the spirit, will produce fruit. And he lists the fruits of the spirit. And so what we really need to do is do some self-evaluation today. What am I producing out of my life? Is it fruit of the spirit or is it fruit of the flesh? And am I in the list of these things? And notice now I know some people who love the twist scripture. They'll say well, you know what? He didn't name Homosexuality, and he didn't name this and he didn't name this. So that means that I can do this, but notice what he says. He says, let me tell you again, as before, anyone leaving that sort of Life. And then he also says and other sins like these, so he's covered anything that is ungodly.
Speaker 1:You have to self-evaluate. Where are you at in life? Are you being led by the spirit? Are you being led by the flesh? What are you producing? Is it fruit or is it not? And the problem with many of us is that we want God and all his blessings, but we don't want to crucify our flesh. We won't. You know the phrase says our cake and eat it too. We want the blessings and we want our sin, we want our flesh and we want the spirit when we need him. The days are over, pastor Jason, where we pacify and baby people for the sake of feelings. If you're a pastor, put the pacifier away and start giving them the true gospel, because we talked about this a few weeks ago. You want to know how you love someone. Is you tell them the truth?
Speaker 2:That's where I was headed. Hold on, hold on. Let me back up a little bit now. I remember I was headed.
Speaker 1:All right with that whole story.
Speaker 2:Praise the Lord, he answers prayer, right. But I what I was saying was, yeah, I believe that stuff, but in terms of washing feet to get them in the door, but ultimately there ain't many people who preach that I've come across, who preach hard on sin like I do.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I mean you be preaching from the refrigerator.
Speaker 2:We got first aid kits all around the campus in case you need to wrap them feet up.
Speaker 2:But, but man, no, but yeah, we've got to, as leaders and as pastors and preachers, start preaching against sin. We're not trying to teach you how to cope with it. I need to do how to cut it out of your life. That's right. Stay away from it from it, abstain from it, like if it's anything that pulls me further away from Christ, and be in like Christ. I need to cut it out of my life, yeah this thing is a sword. Absolutely sharper than any two-edged sword and that's what we got.
Speaker 1:To use it at it again. It's not a passive fire. We don't just say just to shut people up and pass the father feelings. Listen, now we do what you're saying. We do it with grace. Yeah and we do it with love. But truth is what sets people free from bondage. And I don't know about you, but I refuse to let people continue to live a lie, thinking that they can live like hell and still make it to heaven. That's right, because that is not what the gospel is.
Speaker 2:It's not, it's dying to yourself, it's picking up your cross, and and it's it's getting up every single day and making the decision to follow Jesus. Yeah, and it's putting first the kingdom, and. And so when you talk about what can we do to walk in the Spirit, be intentional. Yeah, be intentional in what you do, and that's one word that's been big for me this year is Intentionality being intentional in everything that we do. Am I doing it out of religion? Am I doing it because it's something I've always done? And or am I doing it because Christ called me to do it? Yeah, because his word tells me to do it, and this is how I'm supposed to live and this is how I'm supposed to walk.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Paul lists all the fruits of the Spirit and what you notice is I think strategically he's placed him in a certain order that love is what Everything hangs upon. If you can't get love right, you, we won't get any of the others right. But he wraps it up with self-control. But I think, because self-control holds all these things together, if you can control yourself and get yourself together, all these other things also will fall into place. Because here's the truth You're either walking in the Spirit or you're walking in the flesh. Right, there's no middle ground. Yeah, there's no middle ground. I said it earlier, you, we made a joke about it that you know you can't straddle the fence of the flesh in the spirit, because soon enough you're gonna get a splinter.
Speaker 1:Yeah and you mentioned you to be cut up and you'd be hurt, might lose some things. Yeah, and it's best to. That's why he says, that's why I like those. Joshua says choose this day who you'll serve. You can't live. A man who has a double-minded is unstable in all their ways all their ways, not just all, all of their ways.
Speaker 1:You wonder why, there, your life is always so flip-flop. Because one you don't even know if you want to serve the Kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of darkness. Yeah, you're so flip, you know. You just flip-flop everywhere. There's no middle ground.
Speaker 2:Someone. I've seen an illustration one time before that I thought was really good and if I ever preach it again I'm gonna use it. And it was a ladder. You know the two a-frame ladders. He got one pastor got two a-frame ladders and put them on stage and he said at the beginning you might can get somewhere stepping on one, stepping on the other, stepping on one, stepping on the other.
Speaker 2:But it comes a point in time where you've got to completely separate from another ladder. You have to make a decision which one you're gonna climb up, and because they become too far apart, you split your pants. Yeah, they come too far apart. You end up stuck in the middle. And we've already declared you can't, you can't go to heaven stuck in the middle. That's right. And so you have to make a choice Am I gonna follow God, am I gonna follow myself or am I gonna follow the world? And you have to get off of that other ladder. You have to get that one foot off that other ladder and put your and put both feet in hands on whichever ladder it is you want to climb up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. I think it's so important that you make a decision as a follower of Christ. You're either sold out or you're not. Yeah, I mean there's no. You either lukewarm you know you're hot or cold, because if you're in the middle, I mean there's there's no place for you in the kingdom. And I know that sounds harsh, but it's just the gospel, it's just the truth, and you know we want to encourage you today that that the things of the spirit are for you. You know, the moment you receive Christ, the spirit is with you, he's inside of you and he is up to you to open up your heart and your mind to let him lead you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Bible says this is that he'll give you, he'll lead you in spirit and truth. He'll give you all the truth that you know. He will remind you of the scriptures you've read. He'll remind you of what that Sunday school teacher taught you. If you'll just put an ear to him. Yeah, he who has the ear, let him hear. And so you've got to be in, being led by the spirit. You're hearing the spirit, obeying him, and and his word, yeah, and we want to just encourage you to walk in the spirit, is to have evidence of fruit, of the spirit. So, fruit inspect today, be a fruit inspector over your own life today, and because signs and wonders follow those who believe.
Speaker 2:That's right and you want to see signs and wonders. Believe, truly, truly believe. Yeah, truly live by the word, truly follow the word of God. Yeah, spirit of God, amen.
Speaker 1:I want to encourage you. Thank you so much for being apart and Listening. Share this with someone who you know needs to hear the truth of God's word today. Be challenged, be quit, be better, be led by the spirit, not the flesh. And, pastor Jason, get up out the middle.
Speaker 2:That's right. Get out the middle, get out of it.
Speaker 1:Look I, want to bless you or the priest of resting of numbers, chapter 6. It reads as follows made the Lord bless you and protect you. Made the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. Made the Lord show you his favor and give you peace. Thank you so much for listening and share it with a friend. We'll see you right here next time. Pastor to pastor.
Speaker 2:God bless you.