#007 Podcast | In The Beginning

Join Rev. Roy and Kickoff Ministry for Chapter 7 as we journey back to the beginning and explore God’s creation of the heavens and earth, the Garden of Eden, and the creation of Adam and Eve. Discover what Genesis teaches us about God’s power, our purpose, relationships, marriage, and the perfect world God originally created. 

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

I'm from Las Vegas, yes, same city, where people lose sleep, money, and sometimes their luggage, it's kickle ministry. But here you only win. Hope, truth, and the death talk of God's woman. And now, with no further ado, here is Roy Andrade.

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Have you ever noticed something fascinating about the opening words of the Bible? Genesis doesn't begin by trying to prove that God exists. It doesn't offer scientific arguments, it doesn't debate philosophy, it doesn't spend time answering every question someone might have. Instead, it simply declares, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. I think that's one of the boldest opening statements ever written. Before there was a universe, before there was time, before there was light, before there were stars, planets, or galaxies, God was already there. When I stop and think about that, I'm reminded that God isn't part of creation. He's the one who created it. Now, I'll admit, one of the questions people ask me most often is where did God come from? I completely understand why people ask that. Everything we've ever experienced has a beginning. Every house has a builder, every painting has an artist, every book has an author, every invention has an inventor. That's the world we know, that's the world we live in. But Genesis introduces us to someone who exists beyond all of those limitations. God wasn't created, He has no beginning because He is eternal. Time itself is part of His creation. I believe that's one of the most important foundations for everything we'll discover throughout chapter seven and beyond. If we misunderstand who God is in these opening verses, it becomes much harder to understand everything that follows. Now the story's shifting. Imagine standing there before mountains, before oceans, before forests, before birds filled the skies, before people walked the earth. Genesis describes the earth as formless, empty, void, and covered in darkness. Nothing resembled the beautiful world we know today, only darkness, and the spirit of God hovering over the waters. I don't know about you, but I find that image incredibly powerful. Even before God begins shaping creation, his presence is already there. I think there's something encouraging about that. Sometimes our own lives feel uncertain. Sometimes they feel empty. Sometimes we can't see where we're headed next. Yet Genesis quietly reminds us that just because everything appears dark doesn't mean God is absent. In fact, he may already be preparing to do something extraordinaire in your life. Now, everything changes with a single command. God speaks. Let there be light. And immediately there was light. I love the simplicity of that moment. God doesn't struggle, he doesn't hesitate, he doesn't ask for advice. And creation simply responds because he speaks. I believe that's one of the greatest demonstrations of God's authority and power in all of Scripture. His word isn't simply information, his word has power. And I think that's where everything begins. Not with what humanity can accomplish, but with what God simply speaks. And with each passing day, we begin to witness one of the most remarkable stories ever told. As the days begin to unfold, one thing becomes crystal clear. Creation isn't random, it's intentional. Every day prepares the way for the next. God separates the waters and creates the sky. Then dry land begins to appear. Can you imagine witnessing that moment? The oceans gather together, the continents rise into view. For the very first time, the earth begins to take shape. Then something incredible happens. The land bursts with life. Trees, flowers, grass, fruit-bearing plants, every seed within it, the ability to produce more life. I've always found that fascinating. God designed creation to continue producing long after the moment He first spoke it into existence. One seed becomes a tree. One tree produces thousands of seeds. It's a reminder that God often begins with something small before accomplishing something far greater. Next, God fills the heavens, the sun to govern the day, the moon to govern the night. And then Genesis adds one simple sentence. I always laugh and smile when I read those words. Today, we use powerful telescopes to study billions of galaxies stretching farther than we can even imagine. Scientists dedicate entire careers to exploring the universe. Yet Genesis describes it so simply. Then the oceans suddenly come alive. Fish begin swimming through the seas, from the smallest creatures to the greatest creatures of the deep. Above them, birds fill the skies. For just a moment, imagine hearing birds sing for the very first time, watching an eagle spread its wings, seeing life fill a world that had once been completely empty. Every creature, every wing, every scale, every living thing reflects the creativity of its creator. No two are exactly alike. Everyone displays God's imagination in its own unique way. Then God turns his attention to the land. Animals begin covering the earth, livestock, wild animals, creatures that move along the ground, each according to its kind, again and again. Genesis repeats the same words, and God saw that it was good. I don't believe that simply God admiring his work. I think it means everything functioned exactly as he intended. Creation was ordered, complete, beautiful, and untouched by sin. Everything we've witnessed so far, the light, the sky, the oceans, the stars, the animals, has all been preparing us for one extraordinary moment. And now God says, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness. Let's pause here for just a moment. Everything else in creation came into existence by God's command: light, the sky, the stars, the oceans, the animals. God simply spoke and they came into being. But when humanity is created, the pace of the story slows down. It becomes deeply personal. Men and women are created in the image of God. To me, this is one of the most remarkable truths in the entire story. Our value doesn't come from how much money we have, it doesn't come from our education, our career, our appearance, or even our accomplishments. Every human life has value because every human being bears the image of God. I sometimes wonder how differently our world would look if every one of us believed that. How differently would we treat one another? How differently would we see ourselves? God then blesses humanity and gives them purpose to be fruitful, to multiply, to fill the earth, to care for his creation. One thing that stands out to me is that God gives Adam and Eve responsibility before sin ever enters the story. Sometimes people assume work is part of the curse, but that's not what we see here. Meaningful work already existed. Work itself was a gift. It was only later that work became filled with frustration and hardship. I think that's an important distinction. God also provides food for humanity and for every living creature. I love that detail because it reminds us that God isn't only our creator, He is also our provider. Every breath we take, every opportunity we're given, and every blessing we enjoy ultimately comes from Him. Then, after six extraordinary days, Genesis gives us one final picture. God looks over everything He has made, not just one part, everything. And this time, He doesn't simply call it good, He calls it very good. I picture an artist placing the final brushstroke on a masterpiece, stepping back, looking over every detail, knowing the work has been completed exactly as it was intended. I believe that's the picture Genesis is inviting us to see a world filled with beauty, purpose, order, life, and blessing. Up to this point, we've been looking at creation through the widest lens imaginable that I can simply create with just words. Galaxies, oceans, mountains, the heavens themselves. But now our camera begins to move closer and closer. Imagine it in your mind until all of creation gives way to one garden, one man, and one relationship. And I think that's where this story becomes personal to every one of us. Then something happens that has fascinated people for generations. After six days of creation, God rests. Now let's pause here for just a moment. People ask me, does that mean God became tired? Not at all. The creator who spoke galaxies into existence doesn't become exhausted. I believe God's rest wasn't about recovering, it was about completing. His work was finished. Everything he intended to create has been accomplished perfectly. Then God blesses the seventh day and makes it holy. I think that's significant because it's the first time in the story that something is specifically set apart as holy. Long before there were nations, long before there were kings, and long before there were places of worship, God established a rhythm, work, rest, reflection. I think that's something many of us need to remember today. We live in a world that constantly tells us to do more, work harder, stay busier, never slow down. Or maybe those are the voices in my own head. Yet from the very beginning, God demonstrates that life was never meant to be lived without rest. Rest isn't wasted time. Sometimes it's an act of trusting God. Then the story now changes in a remarkable way. Instead of continuing to show us the entire world, let's play director and let the camera zoom in closer and closer until it settles on one extraordinary place, the Garden of Eden. Imagine standing there, healthy trees stretching in every direction, crystal clear rivers flowing through the garden, fruit growing in abundance, no disease, no death, no hate, no fear, no war, no conflict, peace. Every sight, every sound, every breath reflects God's perfect creation. For the first time we meet someone by name, Adam. Genesis tells us that God formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. I've often paused to think about that moment. God could have created Adam exactly as he created light with a single command. Instead, the story slows down. God forms the man and personally gives him life. I don't see a distant creator in that scene, do you? I see a personal creator, one who is intimately involved with his creation. I think Genesis is teaching us two important truths at the same time. We're humble enough to come from the dust, yet valuable enough for God Himself to breathe life into us. Life isn't an accident, it's a beautiful gift. God then places Adam in the garden, not simply to enjoy it, but to care for it. I think that's an important detail we sometimes overlook. The garden wasn't a permanent vacation, it came with responsibility. Adam was called to cultivate it, protect it, steward what God had entrusted to him. And I believe that principle still speaks to us today. Whether we've been entrusted with a family, a career, a management position, uh as an employee of a multinational corporation or just a small uh mom and pop shop. God calls us to be faithful with what he places in our hands. Then God gives Adam one command. He may eat freely from every tree in the garden except one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. With that one command, the story quietly introduces something that will soon become very important: choice. Because real choice cannot be forced. Choice requires freedom, and freedom requires responsibility. At this point, everything still exists exactly as God intended, but that perfect world is about to welcome someone else into the garden. Now, something happens that I think surprises many people. For the very first time since creation began, God says something is not good. Think about that. Throughout the story, we've repeatedly heard the words, it was good. Then it was very good. But now God says it is not good for the man to be alone. I believe that's an incredible statement. Before sin, before suffering, before death, God recognized that humanity was created for relationship. We weren't designed to journey through life completely alone. So God says, I will make a helper suitable for him. Let's notice something together. The word helper isn't describing someone with less value or importance. Throughout scripture, God himself is described as a helper. What we see here is a picture of partnership, two people designed to complement one another, to accomplish together what neither could accomplish alone. Before creating Eve, God brings the animals before Adam one by one. Adam gives each creature its name. I sometimes wonder how long that must have taken him. Can you imagine watching one incredible creature after another walk by? He sees a lion, he calls it a lion, he sees a camel, he calls it a camel, he sees a kangaroo hopping by. I still smile and laugh sometimes, giggling, wondering what Adam must have thought when he saw that one. But as each animal passes before him, something becomes impossible to ignore. Every creature has a companion, every creature has another like itself, but Adam stands alone. Of course, God already knew that. Yet I think he allowed Adam to experience that realization for himself. Sometimes God teaches us through experience, not because he needs us to learn, but because we need to learn. Then the story slows down. God causes Adam to fall asleep into deep sleep. From Adam's side, he creates a woman. I've always found this one of the most beautiful moments in the entire story. Notice what the story doesn't say. God didn't create Eve from Adam's head as though she should rule over him. He didn't create her from Adam's feet as though she were beneath him. Instead, he created her from Adam's side, close to his heart, standing beside him. I believe that's one of the earliest and most beautiful pictures of partnership. When Adam sees her, his response is immediate. This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. In today's language, we might simply say, at last, or something of that nature. Can you imagine that moment for the very first? Can you imagine for the very first time Adam meets another human being, someone who shares his nature, someone with whom he can build a life, someone created by the very same God? The story then gives us one of its foundational principles. A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. I believe this shows us that marriage is far more than a legal agreement. It's a covenant, a lifelong partnership established by God. Then we're given one final picture of the world exactly as God created it. Yet it says so much. Adam and his wife were both naked. They felt no shame. Imagine living in a world like that: no guilt, no fear, no broken trust, no jealousy, no hiding, no conflict, no war, just peace. Perfect fellowship with God, perfect fellowship with one another, perfect harmony with creation. I think every one of us longs for a world like that, a world where relationships are whole, where love isn't question, where fear doesn't exist, where nothing separates us from God. Genesis gives us a glimpse of the world exactly as our Creator intended it to be. But as we've seen throughout history, even the most beautiful stories can change in a single moment. Adam and Eve are about to face a decision that will alter not only their lives, but the course of every generation that follows. What began as a perfect relationship with God is about to be tested. What began with complete trust is about to encounter doubt. And what began in a garden filled with life will soon become the setting for one of the most significant conversations in human history. Join us in chapter eight as we continue our journey through Genesis. We'll witness how a single question, a single temptation, and a single decision forever change the story we've been following from the very beginning. God bless you.