Galatians 6: 8-18 & Ryan's Story

Scott Blewett & Ryan McCall have an open discussion on Galatians 6:8-18. Then Ryan McCall shares his story. I hope you listen and enjoy...KYEOJ!!! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Can you hear me, Ren? Yeah. We had a little technical difficult difficulty. Um, this has never happened this before. So we're gonna do a prayer and then we'll just get right into Galatians.

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Um so Lord, just thank you for tonight. Just thank you for the um just what you've done for each one of us. Uh just um be with this podcast. Um, spirit, Holy Spirit, come and just we know you're here and with Ryan and I would just uh just let the spirit flow from us and uh touch people's lives, touch people and uh have conversation, good conversation, edifying for you. And uh thank you for everything and we love you, amen. Amen. All right, so um we've been through this series of Galatians now, and uh we um are wrapping up Galatians today, and uh basically Galatians is laid out like this. So the church of Galatia was um Paul had come in and started this church, and and just like mostly all the churches he had started, uh he comes in, gives them the gospel, gives them Jesus, and tells them it's Jesus plus nothing. And he has once he leaves, then he has people coming in behind him and telling the people there it's Jesus plus something. It could be Jesus plus circumcision, it could be Jesus plus the law, it could be Jesus plus no eating bacon, whatever that would have looked like, right? Um, and then it's told to him, hey, this is what's going on in the church of Galatia right now, and it kind of disturbs him. So he writes a letter to him like, Hey, why are you doing this? Yeah, why are you choosing to go back to the law when you've been free from the law?

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

And it's not Jesus plus something, it's Jesus plus nothing. And he basically goes through his resume again, reminds him who he is, why he's in this position, and then he goes to into the whole like um section here where he's addressing the Jewish people that are in the congregation and bringing up Abraham and saying, How was he declared righteous? Was it by works or was it by faith? And he reminds them in Genesis, it says, You're Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith, not by his works. The works were the byproduct of his faith. Amen. And so he's reminding them who they are, it's not it's not their work, their works, it's not what they're doing, it's not what they're choosing to do. And it's all about the heart. And then he brings up the whole metaphoric comparison between um Sarah and Hagar. Hagar being the representation of a slave, the law, and then you had Sarah, who was a free woman, who is a representation of freedom in Christ. Amen. And the differences between the two. And a Jewish person, boom, light bulbs are going off all around them. Like they would be reminded, they would instantly know who Sarah is, who Hagar is, and they would know that. They would know it. And so then he moves, he transitions out of there, and in chapter five, which is an amazing chapter, it talks about the comparisons of you know what it looks like to walk in the spirit, what it looks like to walk in the flesh. We all know, any person knows what the flesh looks like. I don't have to tell my kids what flesh looks like, right? Yep. But then when we accept Christ, when we choose to believe and we put our trust in and our faith in Christ, we are giving the Holy Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit indwells us, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit looks like X, Y, and Z. And that's what he says those are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is a byproduct of who we are now.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

Yeah, and the the the part I love about that is says the fruit of the spirit. I love that it's like behold the Lamb of God. Well, who who does the the fruit of the spirit? So whose job is it to produce the fruit? Well, according to that, it's the spirit's job in Scott, in Ryan to produce fruit. Yeah. So that go that go that that goes back to freedom, right? Right. Because if you if you look at it contrary, that'd say it's your job to muster up and produce that fruit, you're going back under slavery. You're going back under bondage when it was never your job to do that, but it's your job to what? Trust. Trust.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah, there's freedom there. There is also as I grow in my faith.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Which is what?

SPEAKER_02 5:43

That that's that's that participation part again. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 5:46

But it's also a what? It's a process, I think. It's a process, right? It's a maturity.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

And then I realize that joy isn't a feeling. No, patience isn't a feeling. No. Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, those aren't things that I need to like. Okay, this week I'm gonna practice self-control. Yeah. This week I need to practice peace. Yeah, I get a lot of peace. Because I don't feel like I have peace. I don't feel like I have self-control. I don't feel like I'm kind to people. No, as I spiritually mature, those are things that will come naturally because it's a byproduct of who we have living inside us.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Amen. And you know, I'm sitting here thinking, you and I talk a lot about just how beautiful the everything he's done for us from the beginning of time was all about a desire for relationship.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

And so if it's our job to produce fruit in our own strength, in our flesh, that's not a relationship because we're we're putting him on the sidelines and he's not down with that. He shares his glory with no one. No. But when we say yes, our willingness, and he produces that through us, when we say yes, that now, now, my friends, that is a relationship. That's partnership, that's participation. That lines up with his heart, who he is, and who he's always been.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Like, I will always say this, my wife knows this. I'm not really a patient person. A patient is patience, isn't something that comes easy for me. Yeah. So I pray to God, show me what patience looks like, show me patience, show me. Yeah. And the crazy thing is, I see patience in the Bible when I read stories and I'm reminded of stories. Yeah. How long Abraham had to wait for a child. Oh boy. You're you're you're in your how late, how how long does Sarah have to wait for a child? Yeah, how long Samuel's mom. Yeah. How long how long does she have to wait?

SPEAKER_03 8:06

The ridicule. Yeah. The yeah. So So let me ask you this, Scott. Yeah. Why is patience such a big deal? Because we want it now. Yeah, but why, why, why when you we talk about a relationship, why is patience? What is that like what's it require?

SPEAKER_02 8:24

Well, well, one, if I'm like helping someone and I want them to understand what I'm trying to say, yeah. I'm trying to, I'm not, I I want them to give it back to me. I it requires a participation from both sides. Yeah. Like I have to submit to God. Yeah. And I have to trust in Him and I have to put my faith in Him. And we're going to get through this today. Use that word T word.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Huh? You use that word Tr. Yeah. It's like, isn't that like if we look at all of our relationships, they're only they're only as strong as the amount of trust that's involved, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:01

And so I think what what I've learned about patience um is patience to me is so honorable to him because it's a high form of what? Trust. Yeah. If you're willing to be patient, you're willing to trust.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Right.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

I just, yeah, sorry, I don't mean to uh detour off course, but if this is all about relationship, I just love how it all works together.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

Yeah. So that was in chapter five. Yeah. And then now we're looking at relationships between you and a brother or you and a sister or a sister and sister in Christ. Relationships, like how you lift others up in Christ, how you can walk with them in their struggles. If it's their own knuckleheadness, or it could be a season in life like I'm walking in, Ryan, you're walking in, and we walk in together with this, and we help each other. We're constantly reminding each other who Christ is, right? We're not constantly reminding us of like, hey, you know, this stinks today. Yeah. You're sending me verses like God loves you, man. Yeah. And this is look, look what he did in the Old Testament. Don't you think he's the same God today? Yeah. He's gotta be.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

He's gotta be. If he's if he's all about relationship, if you're in a relationship with somebody and they're different each and every day, which is inconsistency, that causes what? Anxiety.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:39

And he is not about anxiety nor fear. He is he is who he is. He's stable, loving, consistent, the same yesterday, today, and forever. So we're getting off path. Oh, you're fine.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

So this is what chapter six, he's closing, he's doing the close, he's trying to bring it home, and he's addressing relationship between you and others, right? And he's giving also encouraging words for us as a believer, or for the believers are in the church of Galatia. So we left off, and I think we went through verse eight the last time. So I'll pick up an eight. It says, for the one who sows to his own corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. Now, I uh this week in my uh quiet time or whatever you want to call it, my time with God, I was reading the ESV. So I'm gonna switch to the ESV. I normally read out of the New American Standard, but this week I was reading the ESV and it just really, I'm just gonna say the spirit just spoke to me so loud through these verses, and I'll get into it in a minute, and Ryan can share things too. But in verse eight in the ESV, it says, For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. When when you hear that verse, Ryan, what bounces off there? Uh, I'm hearing you know, the dichotomy between death and life.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Death and life.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

Like they're the beautiful thing about where we're at and what we talk about all the time is you're you're a new creation, you're a different person, you beat to a different drummer, you are born again. Like, think about born again, you are reborn, but now you have the DNA of the father. So the fun part is is sometimes I remember early on in my walk, I did something really foolish, said something very inconsiderate to a friend, and I was grieved by it. And you know what? That confirmed to me that that is not who I am. There is no there was no life in that. And so it was almost like, yeah, it was a bonehead move, but it reminded me that I wasn't fulfilled by it. And that's encouraging.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Yeah. That is encouraging.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

That's yeah, that's good stuff.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

It just, you know, it's and you go to these and you you think about what you're reaping, you're sowing, you're you're reaping what you sow, but you're a new creation, so you're wired differently to reap from the spirit because when you reap from the flesh, it it's not fulfilling.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Yeah, as a uh believer, if you're walking in your flesh, it's not gonna lead to good stuff. No, and I and and that's basically I get out of this verse. It's like if you're in the spirit and you're walking in the spirit, man, you're you're in you're in the goodness of life, man. You're you're you're in it, man. You're you're walking, you're in tune with the spirit. And that one moment when you make a knucklehead decision or you choose to walk by the flesh, it you're not reaping life.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

That's right. And you know it's funny. One time I was driving up to South Bend, and that back then, probably 10 to 13 years ago, I was listening to a gentleman, I don't know who it was, is on FMAM radio, something. It's weird, right? Nobody listens to radio like that anymore. But this gentleman said some people don't know what AM is, right? I know. But the the the reason why I bring it up is this guy said something so profound, and it was early on when I started learning about my identity. And he said, you know, the most miserable people are truly born-again Christians that are walking in their flush.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

Yeah, because they get this icky icky feeling that I call it natural, it's not natural for you to do that, and you're reminded that hey, you're not this person, you're not you're not that person anymore. You have you have the Holy Spirit that lives inside you, and the Holy Spirit's gonna say, Hey, you're a child of God, you're loved. Yeah, you've been redeemed.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Amen. And he's he's gonna whisper, hey, why are you doing that? Why are you doing that? Yeah, I love you.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Yeah, you're redeemed. Yeah, he motivates through love.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

Yeah, and then you start understanding. We can go on a different way, but understanding your thoughts and those uh thoughts that come in your mind. Amen. If they're from the spirit or from um from the flesh. And uh so in verse nine, I love so this verse spoke to me a lot this week, and I'll get into it. It says, and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.

SPEAKER_03 15:52

Due season. That's an interesting phrase.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

In due season, in due season. Yeah, so I'm in the season that I'm walking, and I know you're walking in something similar.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:03

And I was reading this this week. I wasn't ready to give up, but I'm like ready just to be like, okay, this is where you got me.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

This is probably where I need to stay. Mm-hmm. All right. I fold. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

But then I was reading this and the spirit spoke through this verse, and I go, okay, I get it. You don't have to say it. It's pretty loud if we do not give up.

SPEAKER_03 16:35

Yeah, the word I'm thinking about is endurance. Endurance, right? Let and what when it finished my phrase, Scott, finished the verse. Let endurance have its perfect result, not not some result, perfect result so that you are complete and lacking in nothing. In nothing. Nothing.

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Nothing. Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Yeah, it says in due for in due season we will reap. Meaning, hey, it's right around the corner. Yeah, wait. Just wait. Be patient. Trust me. Trust me. I got something better for you.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Yeah. But those are all is that that ties in to it all goes back to relationship. It's what we remind each other all the time. This is about relationship.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

Yeah, it was amazing. I was sitting here reading it and I was just like, okay, I get you. Yeah. Thank you. It's amazing. I didn't I didn't need that, but hey, hey, I did need it. Uh thank you. I appreciate it. I it's never, you know, sometimes scripture, you read it and then you're just like, okay, that's that's a great verse. All right. But then when sometimes when you're in it and you read something, it's like, oh my gosh, thank you, Jesus, for reminding me. Oh boy. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me that I'm right there where you want me to be. Yeah. So I can lean more into you.

SPEAKER_03 17:57

Oh, yeah. That's him. He's, you know, he's it. I just had this conversation with another gentleman the other day, but life circumstances, right, in our physical realm. Life to me is becoming more about a series of lessons on how to trust the father more. And the beautiful part about it is, and I'm not perfect, I'm not saying that by any stretch, but the more you know him, you know his heart, the more you what? The more you trust him. Well, yeah. And I just feel like you you saw that because you were looking through your circumstances to him. Right. I just like you know, I I tell people all the time, don't dismiss your circumstances because it's there when the Lord shows you the difference between knowing about and an inner knowing, which is revelation. Yeah about him and who you are and how to see others.

SPEAKER_02 18:54

Because I think if I did it and I'm like, yep, I did it, solved it. It's not long-lasting.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

But if God does it, Jesus does it, you can remind yourself, hey, do you remember when you were going through this and what Jesus did for you? Yeah. So when I'm like questioning, I'm like, okay, why are you doing this? What's going on? Why are you why are you having me at this point?

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

I'm reminded in the past what he has done for me or shown to me. And then I can say, okay, thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Yeah. You're you're you're another word's coming to mind that ties into relationship, faithfulness. Faithfulness. That's a great quality. You're a faithful guy, Scott.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

Oh, thank you, Ryan. I can't believe you're not sure.

SPEAKER_03 19:42

You remain faithful to me, and because of that, that's you know, but that again ties back to who the Lord is. And sometimes you have to endure. He will allow you to endure for you to see his faithfulness.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Yeah, there was a time I was going through a season, and I shared this with a uh young man the uh about a week, two weeks ago. I said, uh Jesus wanted me to read, um, the Spirit wanted me to read Romans 5, uh three through five, a lot. And it says, Oh boy, and not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

Those are strong words there, by the way. Will is a promise. Yeah, knowing, knowing is is a word that says I should expect something. So go ahead. But I just I love those. Again, it lines up with his character. He's not wishwashy, he is who he is, he's consistent, he is who he is 100% of the time. But go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

Perseverance, prove, proven character, and character, hope. Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is who was given to us.

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Yeah, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

It's so encouraging. I was walking through a season long time ago early on, and I was battling, and I meditated on that several times. Yeah, it was like daily. Yeah, it was a constant reminder of what I was going through. Yeah. And then the same thing. Don't give up. Don't give up. Why would you give up? Are you don't don't you want to see the fruit?

unknown 21:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

Don't you want to see the the result of enduring and seeing God's character. Oh man.

SPEAKER_03 21:47

Let it have its perfect perfect result. Yeah. They who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. I think I love how those verses just just you totally compliment one another. But go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Yeah. So you're so you're in that spirit. You're in that season too. Oh yeah. But you know, there's joy.

SPEAKER_03 22:06

What's that? There's there's a lot of joy in it. You know, it's it's a matter of perspective. Do you like comfort? Or do you like being refined, maybe? Yeah. That that refined word's interesting because it it I'm not making out God to be an angry God because he's not. But but like we talked about earlier, maturity is we've we're given a new heart at salvation. And then the Lord's in the business of teaching us, working with us, molding us into more of his image, which to me means learning to more to live out of that new heart that he gave you at salvation.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

In that Romans verses, in this verse 10, it says, so then. Uh oh.

SPEAKER_03 22:53

Pay attention to what's next, right?

SPEAKER_02 22:54

So then you like that. What what's that? So that. So that.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Yeah, it's the moes of the heart. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

So it says, so then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are the household of faith.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Why does he make a point there right after it says, Don't give up?

SPEAKER_03 23:22

I'd like to hear your thoughts first and let me process. I'm sorry, I'm just being transparent here. That's fine.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

That's fine. Uh here's my idea, right? Don't give up.

SPEAKER_02 23:35

Because as we endure and as we go through our battles or the season that we're in, uh-huh, people are attracted and people are watching you. Yeah. And it could be unbelievers, or what he says here, the household of faith, which means brothers and sisters in Christ. Yeah. When you are going through your season, you feel like you're doing this alone. Yeah. But you're not. Nope. But people are watching your reactions and how you handle certain situations and certain circumstances or in your life. Yeah. So what is going to attract people to Christ and what is not going to attract someone to Christ? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

If you're wallering in pity and you're wallering in whatever, that's not going to attract a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

I might say things to you like, hey man, today was just a really tough day. Yeah. But you're going to give me encouragement because I know who you are. And I know I have other b this is I I posted this on Facebook. The beautiful thing about life is not meant, it's not meant for you to walk this alone. You have to have other people in your life that are around you to help you when you are going through those seasons because you're going to do the vice versa. When those people are going through those seasons, and you can be encouraged. I'm encouraged when I see other brothers in Christ or sisters in Christ walk in their season, and that is encouraging to me because I know what they're going through and how they're reacting, right? There's hurt in some of those seasons, but there's also you see they ain't they're not giving up. I know this is going on. And I will tell you this. Um so I met this guy, and he and I have formed a great relationship. We didn't know it at the time, but anyway, I'll he his dad he lost his dad. Okay. I walked through a season with him, and then my dad, here we go, my dad helped him one morning with just being my dad to him. And they had a conversation, right? So full circle, okay. Then my dad gets diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Now my friend is helping me and helping my dad at the same time. My dad passes away.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

I saw how he walked through that season in his life. And then he did the same to me that I did for him. Yeah. And he helped me.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

Yeah. You just basically beat me to the punch. You went to you're basically saying 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 3 through 7 that use the word comfort. Comfort. Eight times.

SPEAKER_02 27:30

Yeah, comfort. Comfort's a big deal. Comfort's a big deal because I read that those those verses are awesome because it says we go through seasons in life or so. People so that so that there you go. In the future, in the future, we can comfort others that are going through those seasons.

SPEAKER_03 27:48

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

Those seasons aren't meant for us to be walked alone. That's right. But here's what here's where it but here's the thing. And give me just a second. Yeah, here's the thing, though. If you're walking through this life alone, man, I I couldn't do this life alone. It's very hard.

SPEAKER_03 28:10

Yeah, it's independence at its finest.

SPEAKER_02 28:13

Because when I'm alone, I get a thousand thoughts that come in my mind, and I start believing them most of those thoughts. And most of those thoughts are not true, and they're not, they're not they're not from the spirit.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

Isolation.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Isolation. But if I have brothers in Christ or sisters in Christ, or my wife, or you, Ryan, or my other friends, yeah, they're there in that season and they're lifting me up and they're praying for me. And when I am like in it, dude, that's life.

SPEAKER_03 28:47

That's that's why that's why that's bearing each other's burdens. That's that's fulfilling the royal law, which is love God. I'm getting goose stuff.

SPEAKER_02 28:56

I getting look, my hairs are standing on my I mean arm right here. I'm just telling you, that is why that's why dudes or women, when they go to the banquet, they get a lot of things out of the great banquet or the Demaus walk or whatever you want to call that weekend in different places. It's called different things. But you get to get you with other brothers in Christ, and you're walking through that weekend together, and then you want to continue that walk with them after you leave the banquet. Yeah, that's relationship, relationship, and then that's John 17. And it makes my relationship with Christ even stronger because I got brothers walking with me, yeah, that are constantly saying what the Spirit says to me. Hey, you're not this terrible person. You're not, you're you're God's gonna, Jesus is gonna provide. Yeah, stay faithful. It's coming. Yeah, it's coming. It could be next week, it could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be in two weeks. He's it's coming. It's coming, right?

SPEAKER_03 30:02

Yeah. Well, I think you know, this all ties in beautifully to being a new creation, that new heart we talked about is when you have God's DNA, you you are meant to be in relationship.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

And what I love about that is, you know, that term so that. Like you go to first John, I used to think first in first John that he's just laying the Gnostics out, he's being critical, he's condemning. No, he's not. You read that verse, he says that uh he says he he's he's proclaiming that Jesus came in the flesh, was seen, felt, touched, heard, all that good stuff. Why? So that, why? So they can be in relationship with him and his relationship with the Father. It's oneness, total oneness. But it but it it's I just love how that ties into what you're saying. That we are meant to experience relationships. That's who the Holy Spirit, the Father, and Jesus was before eternity past. They've always been in relationship.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

They've all been in relationship, they've all been in communion with each other. Yeah, and that's why Jesus says to know me as eternal life. Yeah, or even says, I know the father. The father and I are one. Amen. Oneness, unity, oneness. And and when he tells the disciples, hey, when I leave, don't be discouraged because I'm bringing the the helper is coming.

SPEAKER_03 31:26

Yeah. Who's joined himself the Lord is one spirit with him.

SPEAKER_02 31:30

Right.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

It's all encouraging.

SPEAKER_02 31:34

But if you're walking this alone and doing this on your own, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Well, that's where you know, I think Paul is really hammering this letter, is he's like, don't go back to trying to do this in your own strength because you weren't ever meant to do it in your own strength.

SPEAKER_02 31:49

And also you don't need to be doing this alone because this is what he's saying at the end of this book. That's right. It's it's it's here it is. It's like the first part of Galatians, it's about a re how you choose to believe in Christ, the gospel, how you choose to put your faith and trust in something that's unseen. Yeah. And then how similar that is to what, and it's the same thing Abraham did, he had faith, and now it's declared righteous, and now we're in that, we're not under the law no more. Yeah. And what he had is as good. Well, we have something greater because we have the Holy Spirit. He didn't, yeah. But that relationship that he had with the Lord, we have that same we we can have that same relationship.

SPEAKER_03 32:42

But how did you know that then you ask yourself, how did he communicate with Abraham? Did did Abraham have the law?

SPEAKER_00 32:48

No.

SPEAKER_03 32:48

Did he have the Bible? No, he had I maybe he had Moses' right, or no, that was he was before Moses, but he didn't have so so how did God so you go back to relationship, and we talk about this a lot. How did how did how did the how did Yahweh communicate with Abraham?

SPEAKER_02 33:03

He probably kept on calling him and calling him and spoke. I know it says in chapter 12 in Genesis that he told Abraham, leave and go to this uh unfamiliar country and move his whole family down there. Do you think that was one time he said that, or did he say that a couple of times?

SPEAKER_03 33:24

Uh we're we're uh yeah. So more than a couple times.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

This is Scott's own version. I know the Bible says he listened and he left.

SPEAKER_03 33:32

Yeah, but I just I think it ties in, like, you know, we I just I want to I love the word relationship. Because if this is about a relationship, not about what you're doing, but your relationship with him and you doing you saying yes and you doing it together, that's relationship. But I just love how, you know, Abraham was credited righteous way before the law. But then it's like, how did Abraham come to know God? How did how did he come to know Yahweh? He didn't have what we have in this written Bible, the Logos word. No, he didn't. He had the spoken word, the Rhema. And I think I I'm just passionate about wanting people to spend time with the Lord because the relationship component, the more you spend time with anybody, the more you're gonna be able to know their voice. And I just think that's beautiful. I don't mean to get off detour here, but these are just things I'm very passionate about.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Oh, it's great. And you can see the pat hopefully you can sense the passion that I'm coming across here. I mean, I have a lot of passion about this. Um, in verse 11, Paul's like, he goes, See with with what large letters I'm writing to you with my own hand. See, we know based on history, Luke wrote most of Paul's writings. Paul's Paul's writings there. And he's saying, and also, too, I don't think really Paul could write that well. So he's writing big letters now. He's like, hey, this is coming for me right now, starting in verse 11. He's writing big letters now. So what's coming next is pretty, pretty, pretty strong. Pretty strong, right? So it says, I'm writing it with my own hand. It is those who want to make good, showing in the flesh, who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Ooh.

SPEAKER_02 35:27

And it says, For even those who are circumcised do not let themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. Yeah. I'm reminded of things I've seen are witnessed in church sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 35:53

Sometimes he's saying it's not some of those, even those people who teach circumcision, yeah, they don't even Well, what what's the opposite of relationship, right? It's independence. And at the heart of independence is the P word, pride. Pride. And if God is truly who he says he is and he is, and he's all about relationship, pride is a is a fair, it's a it's kind of the opposite of his heart. Because he like I love this analogy, and I I I love talking about it, but he doesn't act, he doesn't lack any type of power. No he can do what he wants, whatever he wants, however he wants, at a blink of an eye. I mean, he cre you think about this, this is gets crazy when you consider this. How about the fact that he created power? So my point in saying that is he he can do what he wants, however he wants, but yet because of his desire, his heart for relationship, he chooses to desire us to participate with him. That's a relationship, that's not independence. And I think what Paul's saying back here is he's like, look, you know, you you you've been bought out from the law, you have a new spirit, you have a new heart that it that indwells you, and you have a different, you have a different want to. And so he's saying or a different desire. Yeah, but if you're going back to what you have to do in your own strength to try to gain approval, which is really what it's all about, that's independence, and that that flies in the face of the Lord because he is not he's not down with independence, he's relational. Why? Because he loves you and he wants you to know him.

SPEAKER_02 37:39

So he puts a but in first 14. Yep. It says, But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, but which the world has been crucified to me and to the world, for neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

SPEAKER_03 38:06

That's beautiful. But I love that you know, when you see a sentence and you see the word but the but dismisses what was said before, and whatever's coming next trumps what was said before. Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:19

It is about the new creation, totally about the new creation. And then he points it all back as he says, It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's not only he died for me, and I to the world. And it says neither he didn't, you know.

SPEAKER_03 38:38

Well, your your new heart is not it's not of the world, and it's not meant to jive with the world.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

And it's neither circumcision or uncircumcision, it's going to create a new creation.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

No.

SPEAKER_02 38:54

It's believ. It's it's that it's that faith or belief, faith, and trust. Yeah. Those are relationship-oriented words. Yeah. Um, and it's in 19 it says, and as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. Because if you walk by that, that it's neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, that it has nothing to do, it's what's inside you. It's because of Christ. Yeah. Peace and mercy is those gifts that you get from God. You're you have peace with God and you have mercy from God. Yeah. From what I have done in the past, he's shown me mercy. Because of your heart. Because of my heart. Yeah. And it says, from now on, let one, no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus, which he did. And it says, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. And he finishes that book. So going in 17, it says, From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. So why would I let someone deter me from my faith, from the faith? Yeah. From why would I let anyone deter me from Jesus? Is that right? Yeah. And he's like, stop listening to the these distractions or people teaching you the wrong thing.

SPEAKER_03 40:46

Well, it goes back to what you tell me and messages and things, and uh keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. And I stole that from Keith Tyner, but yeah, but it's still the same thing. Yeah, it's it's uh yeah, it it's totally true. It's you know, the world is full of distractions. Look over here, look over there, right? And you take your eyes off of Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 41:08

You take all you take your eyes off on him, and then you are looking where something else, right? Yeah, you're not looking at Jesus, you're you're looking at yourself, you're looking at flet your flesh, you can look at um desires of the flesh, not of desires of the not desires of him. Yeah. So then, yeah. So um Ryan, when did you come to know Jesus?

SPEAKER_03 41:39

Uh, I think it was it was, you know, I grew up in a yeah, oh man. Um I grew up, you know, I had parents. My mom was a very oh she's she's totally in love with Jesus, always has. And so I grew up hearing about, but you know, there's a difference when we, you know, and I believed as a young kid. I remember giving my life to Christ over on the east side of Indianapolis, Irvington at um 10th and Bozart, this little church, man. You I drove by it about six months ago, just gave me chills, but um, that's where it started. And then, like most, I you know, I I I would try the law, try to do it in my own strength because I thought or a checklist. Yeah, well, my perception of in reality, it was a skewed ver vi vision of who the Lord is. I thought I was working to get approval, and later what I find out back in 2013 or so is that now I'm operating from approval, and that has a dramatic impact on everything. Yeah. Intimacy with the Lord, you know, it's but yes, that's that's the journey, and uh you know, and I it I love that verse, Philippians 1 6, he who started good work will will, will is a definite, will is not might, will is will, will is a promise, uh we'll see it to completion. And that that you know what I'm learning in life is it's wonderful to apply to yourself, especially when you're frustrated with maybe habit patterns you get yourself into. But then what I'm learning now is can I trust that for others? Because that's for other people too, not just Ryan.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

Mm-hmm.

unknown 43:22

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 43:23

So yeah, that's a little bit about my journey. It's been a beautiful walk. Um, so yeah, I've learned a lot, grown. Um, really feel like I'm, you know, every year I feel like I'm seeing the Lord more clearly for who he is. So you're a uh journal guy, isn't it? Yeah, right? Yeah, I love it. It's uh because uh it goes back to what you're saying, you know, sometimes you need to go back and see his faithfulness, but also when I write out my prayers, it keeps me more engaged than drifting. And so I feel like there's a lot of power in writing, and and honestly, you You know, it what's fun about journaling is you can look back from a journal five years ago, four years ago, three years ago, two years ago, even one year ago, and it's gonna look different. And it's a reflection of your relationship with the Lord. And uh the fun part is when I look at my journal now, I it's my book of Psalms. It's what David was journaling in the book of Psalms. He was journaling. Why? So we could we could benefit from it.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Sure. And you get benefits from going back and reading.

SPEAKER_03 44:31

Oh my. But yeah, but you know what? If the Lord is the same yesterday and today and forever, like what David experienced, so you talked about certain, you know, you've got your circumstances, I got my circumstances, and I I challenge people not to dismiss their circumstances. But what is the Lord, what is he trying to show you about him, who he is, be who you are, and see how to appropriately see others. And so that's what he did for David in the Psalms. David's circumstances, like you know, he get he gets, and this is where I this this ties into what I've been learning the last couple years, is the Lord isn't he's not a genie. He you know, when you're going through a difficult circumstance, he's not quick to change the circumstance. No. What he desires it's you know, if it's all about relationship, the reason why prayer to him is so important is because when you pray with him, when you sit with him, you're getting to know him. And sometimes circumstances are an ingredient to push you that direction.

unknown 45:30

Right.

SPEAKER_03 45:31

And so I welcome people like when you're going through a difficult time, I it's it's painful, but embrace what the Lord wants to show you in the circumstance. And oftentimes what you'll find, you'll you'll taste him and you'll see that he's good.

SPEAKER_02 45:49

You get a lot of wisdom from that. Say that again. You get a lot of wisdom from your circumstances. Is that what the journaling shows you?

SPEAKER_03 45:56

Yeah, I mean, you know, that's where, you know, and we all fall prey to self-pity. Why is this happening? Why is that happening? But that's not really the proper response. Lord, what do you want me to know about you and this? And a lot and and he's faithful. That's that's a relate that that's a father sitting down with a son, right? We all have kids. What do you desire for your kid to do? Do you want him to be fake? Or do you want him to come to you when he's dealing with circumstances? But as a father, you want also to give them perspective. And this life is is really true life is learning to live from his perspective. And that's a process.

SPEAKER_02 46:33

And some days that's kind of difficult, right? 100%. Because it's not this life, your your spiritual walk with him isn't some days as good. Some days, right? It's not easy. It's not. But when we read stories in the Bible, it wasn't easy for some of those cat some of them dudes when they were walking through their stuff.

SPEAKER_03 46:57

Yeah. Yeah, it's um I don't know, I've just been I've been learning a lot. Um the relationship component is beautiful. Um, if anybody out there, if you go down the rabbit hole of studying attachment theory, which is relationships, um get a hold of me because I'm very passionate about it and what I've learned about the father's heart. It's just beautiful. I mean, you can't make this stuff up what who he is and why. It's just it's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_02 47:33

And he's there just waiting for you to have the participating in the relationship.

SPEAKER_03 47:41

He he never changes on us. No, he never changes. He and the beautiful part, okay, so this goes back to my journey, Scott. And this is what you know, and and everything comes in seasons, but what I learned, you know, my first step through the door, you walk through the first door and you you figure out forgiveness. And somebody starts teaching about forgiveness. Look, you're not just forgiven for what you did before salvation, you're forgiven for everything you did after. And then that, so you start to figure that out, then you come to a place of, okay, so that means I can do what I want. I got news for you. You can do what you want, but there's two things about it. Number one, you're a new creation, you don't want to do what you want. Your desires are totally different. That's the heart change, not behavior change, heart change. Your desires are what you desire to be pleasing to the Lord. And so then you you go from forgiveness to learning about identity. And then there's another I word that I've really come to a place of enjoying about my relationship with him and its intimacy. And so, you know, you think about the forgiveness thing, you can stop at forgiveness and you can live a life of carelessness and and assume you're forgiven for anything you do, which you are. But the the what's the so that? It's shame turns people away. Shame, if I feel ashamed around you, Scott, I'm gonna hide. And we're not gonna experience true connection, true relationship. But the reason why I bring that up is you can stay stuck in forgiveness, and sometimes you can stay stuck in identity and make it about yourself. Look at me. I am forgiven. I am this, I am that. But the reason why he did that is so you can experience him without shame, without guilt, true connection, a love bond, not a fear bond. It's just beautiful. I mean, that that don't that's that's that's eternal life, is that we might know him.

SPEAKER_02 49:40

There's so many times in scripture he says, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Don't fear.

SPEAKER_03 49:45

That's why he took care of your sins. And and you know, when we when and and I'm not saying I'm perfect, I I make bonehead decisions just like everybody else, right? But the cool thing is, is when he's taking care of that so that we can be connected at all, even on my worst days. And so it's never him that changes. When we feel distanced, oftentimes it's we have allowed shame to get the best of us instead of recognize the fact that he paid for that so that you can still you're always in fellowship with him, you're one with one spirit with him. That's unbreakable. That sounds like a beautiful marriage.

SPEAKER_02 50:20

It goes back in the Ephesians where we're sealed in him. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 50:24

Yeah. Yeah. And so it's uh, but no, that's that that's been the journey. Um I'm passionate about him. I'm uh I'm really enjoying him. I've learned to, I don't this isn't boastful, but I've learned to listen to him. Not just through logos, but Rhema, spoken word.

SPEAKER_02 50:45

Um we had a conversation. We did. Uh, well, Ryan likes to text. I like to call.

SPEAKER_03 50:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:53

Ryan doesn't like calls, he'd rather text sometimes. So then, like, I'm sitting driving home yesterday from work. Ryan's blowing my phone up. Yeah. So I'm like trying to text, and then about listening, and does the spirit speak to you? And I said I was gonna get into that tonight, and that was through that word he spoke to me, like, don't give up in that section there. This is how amazing. So I was going through that, and this isn't about me, it's your story, but I want to share this. Like, I didn't have really a good day on Monday. Somehow, like, my sister and I don't talk that much, don't communicate too much. Yeah, she sends me the most beautiful prayer. Texts me. I wake up, I wake up Tuesday morning and I read that prayer. She, I don't know, I feel like the spirit prompted her to send that 100%. And the prayer, the prayer was what the spirit was telling me when I read the word, don't give up.

SPEAKER_00 52:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:05

Yep. And that was basically the summary of that prayer. I mean, it's a lot, it was a long prayer that she sent me.

SPEAKER_03 52:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:12

But in that prayer, like we haven't talked. My sister and I haven't talked for a couple, it might have been a month or so. She doesn't know what I'm going through.

SPEAKER_03 52:21

Yeah. Well.

SPEAKER_02 52:22

But the spirit prompted her, right?

SPEAKER_03 52:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:25

And that's that's how our relationship, and that's how relationships that you have with other people, right, Brian?

SPEAKER_03 52:31

Yeah, it's it's always kind of the thing that I, you know, when you really peel back the onion, you think about a relationship. Well, what's a relationship? If you and I sat here tonight and we talk and you do all the talking and I never talk back, that's not a relationship, that's a transaction.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

Right.

SPEAKER_03 52:48

But the beautiful thing is when you're in a relationship with people, it's a back and forth. And so I just am passionate about listening to the Lord because he does talk. He taught he spoke to Abraham way before the law was given. He spoke to Abraham before the Bible was written. He's always been a communicator because he's a relationship being. So why would if he did, if he climbed up a cross, took a severe consequence, blood, nails, all of the whole gamut, and he died, he laid down his life for you, and he rose again. But to tell some of them to tell you that he's gonna do all that for you, Scott, so you have a relationship, and then I say, But by the way, he doesn't talk to you. That doesn't seem like it jives, doesn't make sense at all. Right. Yeah. So those those are just some things I've learned. But a lot of those come with circumstances, and I'm not being prideful, but circumstances have a way to um, you know, to teach you more about who the Lord is.

SPEAKER_00 53:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 53:54

And the more you know him, the more you trust him. It's just a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_02 53:59

Well, I appreciate our relationship, Ryan. I I appreciate our friendship, I appreciate that um how passionate you are for Christ. And I I hope that I display that same passion on my end for Christ, and I think that's why we're in friendship or relationship with each other.

SPEAKER_03 54:21

Fellowship.

SPEAKER_02 54:22

It's fellowship, and not only because it we might root for the same team, but um it's more of a relationship, it's more of a uh respect for each other as far as hey uh you're pursuing God, I'm pursuing God, you're learning something, hey, share that with me. You're learning something, share that with me. And not one of either of us are like we're both, we leave our we check our pride at the door. How about that?

SPEAKER_03 54:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:56

And um well, if we're one, there's no reason to right.

SPEAKER_03 55:00

We're one, yeah. We're unified, we're we enjoy the fellowship we have with the Lord. We are in the family.

SPEAKER_02 55:06

I hope uh the conversation tonight has been very uplifting. And uh we went through different things and very passionate about certain things, and uh hopefully that passion, you could feel the passion, feel the spirit. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit spoke to you somehow, somehow, through this podcast. If you have never had a relationship with Christ, it's very easy. You just say, Lord, I want you, I need you, and please forgive me of everything I've done, and I recognize I want you as my savior of my life. It's that simple, it's not like some really long prayer that you gotta say. You can just say, Hey Lord, I I want this relationship. Yeah, I desire this relationship, yeah, and he will accept you the way you are. Amen. If you are struggling with something or you look a certain way, or you dress a certain way, or you have this, or whatever that looks like, he accepts you the way you come.

SPEAKER_03 56:20

Yeah. Uh the verse I'm thinking about when you're talking about that in our closing is uh this is the work of God that you would believe.

SPEAKER_02 56:27

Yeah. Belief. You don't have to get everything right. Yeah. And and do everything that you feel like you need to do, change in your life, and then come to Christ. Amen. That door is wide open. He wants you now, no matter what you're doing, amen, or what you have done.

SPEAKER_03 56:44

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

If he can forgive this guy from Southwest Georgia and forgive you for your stuff, Ryan, he can forgive anybody. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 56:53

And that's all that for that relationship.

SPEAKER_02 56:56

That's the beautiful thing about the gospel.

SPEAKER_03 56:58

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 56:59

Um, and if you're a person that were thinking about walking away from your faith, this hopefully this makes you challenges you to have a relationship with him and not give up the relationship because of the way you feel. I feel this way. Well, I don't really want to feel this way no more, so I'm done with you, God. Yeah. I hope you hope this pushes you back to that relationship. And if it's just listening to the podcast and this re-energizes your, you know, or you just picked up a couple of things that you're like, oh man, that sounds really cool. That reminds me. All right, man, that was awesome. So that's what the podcast is about. Uh, I pursue uh God pursued me. Now I pursue him. I've said it a couple of times. And that phrase that you said earlier, K Y E O J. What is that?

SPEAKER_03 57:57

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 57:59

That's what I hope you do. I hope the audience does. Just some reminder K Y E O G. K Y E O J. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I hope you come back next week and listen. See ya bye.