WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Thank you for joining us for After the Message. 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:12.800 To learn more about Celebration Church here in Orlando, you can follow us on social media under the handle at Celebration ORL or visit our website at celebrationorl.org. 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:16.640 What's going on everybody? 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.960 Welcome to a new season, a brand new season of After the Message. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:28.480 Shout out to our YouTube family incorporating our video element into After the Message. 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.600 And we're in a brand new season, brand new space. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.840 And like we were just talking about off-air, Pastor Keith, we're just leveling up. 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:36.799 We're leveling up. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:45.439 And I feel like, as Pastor Chris mentioned, you know, for time references, he was with us this past week and he preached about your glorious hair. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:52.320 And so I felt like it's only appropriate that for our after the message community that that may not have ever seen what you look like. 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.679 I think it's time for people to see like the beard and the hair. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:56.240 It's important. 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.200 I think that that was the deciding factor on why we're doing it this way now. 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:05.120 You know, we were just talking about context in the Bible, and context for after the message is obviously important as well. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:11.120 I've never actually considered that someone that may be listening that has never actually seen what we look like. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:12.799 And that's pretty cool to think about. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:13.840 Hey, man. 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:15.200 Glorious hair neat. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:16.079 Glorious hair. 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:17.040 Glorious hair. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:20.400 So glad that you guys are tuning with us. 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:25.359 If you're stumbling along this podcast, uh you're on the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:28.159 Uh, and this is a segment we like to call After the Message. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:36.000 And uh it's just simply a conversation from the previous Sunday sermon and just kind of continuing on uh in the theme of what we're talking about. 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:55.760 And uh if you are following along with Celebration Church Orlando, we are in a series, a study of the Holy Spirit called Parakletos, um, the Greek word uh for comforter, advocate, uh, helper, uh, all of the above to describe uh the Holy Spirit, his role in our life. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:02:06.480 And I feel like we have done a Holy Spirit series here the past few years, and they've all been uh very beneficial for our church. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:11.759 I've I think the one that we did before was just even called just Holy Spirit, right? 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:20.400 I can't remember it was when you got COVID, actually, I think, and then we had to like call in all the people from the bullpen or whatnot, and they all started to preach. 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:27.120 But it was cool how it all lined up and everybody preached the same or different things, different topics on it without even knowing what the other person was preaching. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.159 But anyways, um super important, obviously. 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:44.159 I think the for the most part the church we can all kind of agree on Jesus and we can all kind of get on the same page with God, but for whatever reason, the Holy Spirit there's there's a lot of different variations or views on it. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:56.639 Why why do you think that it's become um and and sometimes polarizing, but it's it's become it's more mysterious when kind of what you talked about in the first week, like it's all throughout the Bible, right? 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:57.439 Yeah, yeah. 00:02:57.759 --> 00:02:58.960 So why do you think that is? 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:06.639 I feel like it's because um the the Holy Spirit, it's He's hard to fully define. 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:11.199 And so one of the things that I'm my the way that I talk about God is evolving. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:18.560 So it used to be like, you know, I I studied it, and there's these attributes, and they would be used as like definitions of God. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:24.240 Like, and so there's these three pillars, you know, he's omnipresent, omniscient, um, and and he's all powerful. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:32.639 And so you you have these things that that helps you to have these boundaries around what we know to be about God, and I think the omnis are safe to live in. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:43.199 Yeah, I think anything beyond that becomes very restrictive of God because I think our definitions can often be the boundaries of what we give God permission to do and who we permit him to be. 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.800 So I like to say I don't want to define God, I want to describe him. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:50.240 Well, we can describe God as a creator. 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:51.680 That's something that we can describe. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:04:04.479 We can put our fingers on it, we can look at it, we can experience it, we can describe Jesus and we can look in scripture and we can tangibly see the who he is and what he's done and the entirety of scripture that talks about him. 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:15.199 The Holy Spirit, however, is the nuance that becomes very complicated, not only in just his substance and essence, but I think in the activity in the life of believers as well as in the church. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:25.279 And and so when you start to think about how Jesus would describe the presence of God, he would say, like, hey, like you don't see the wind, but yet you but you feel it, you recognize it. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:34.720 I think it's just this mysterious thing that's not necessarily unique to us, but in the Eastern culture, they were okay with the unknown more than we are. 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:42.240 So what you'll find with um with with Western culture, we kind of inherited a lot of the Greek influence, and so Greeks were very philosophical. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:48.319 You'll see that in Paul's writing, they had to understand, and so our culture is built on Greek philosophy, our political system. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:05:00.720 A lot of that stuff pulls over, and so I think that somehow that philosophy kind of worked its way over where we have to have an answer for everything, has made the Holy Spirit something to be dissected instead of someone to be experienced. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:07.199 And when we can't dissect him perfectly, then we have to put him into a box that allows us to determine the rules in which he functions in. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:14.720 And so sadly, I think either we become people that believe that, okay, yeah, the Holy Spirit is like this force that's there. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:23.279 Scripture is scripture is clear about him, so we can't ignore and deny it, but his presence in the day-to-day life of a believer, that's where you have entire denominations that are split on it. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:29.920 And I think it's because there's aspects of it where it's well, how come I don't see in my time the things that you hear in scripture? 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:34.800 There's a lot of like proof-positive things that we're looking for that can serve as a barrier. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:40.160 Um, so I think those are the reasons why that it becomes this mysterious thing because it's not as easy to put our fingers on. 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:44.240 So I think that's where the the tension and the challenge comes for so many people. 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:50.079 It's hard to approach someone or something that's unfamiliar, right? 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:56.079 Or it's hard to approach someone or something that you don't know what you're gonna get. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:06.319 And so I think for a lot of people, myself included, uh approaching the Holy Spirit has almost been like, yeah, I can approach God, but this is different. 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:13.920 When in reality, if if we look at the doctrine of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit being God, right? 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:21.120 Um so I want to touch on that and then get to the doctrine of the Trinity here in a second, because I think it'd be fun to talk about. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:30.240 But first of all, in in your experience, how have you approached the Holy Spirit previously and maybe now? 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:31.360 Are those different? 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:33.519 Is it is it evolving for you? 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:34.639 You know what I mean? 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:41.279 And and how has how have you seen the fruit of that in your life, I guess? 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:42.079 Yeah. 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:51.680 Um man, I think my my upbringing, which which I guess I would categorize is um Pentecostal holiness. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:55.920 So Pentecostal um as a denomination, as a belief system. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:56.959 It's all about the spirit. 00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:58.000 It's all about the spirit. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:02.240 It is very I mean, Pentecost, it's the day of the Holy Spirit coming on the church. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:04.000 You can see that in the book of Acts, chapter 2. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:08.319 So we were we were not shy about the activity of the Holy Spirit at all. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:20.240 Um so you have Pentecostal, then you have holiness, which kind of like takes it to another level in a sense of like holiness is more so in the way that I live my life, just dot every I, cross every T, very much this, and then Pentecostal. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:27.199 Um, and so for me, the Holy Spirit was never like this this complex nuance that I had to figure out. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:37.360 Because I think my upbringing with me going to churches, you talk about not having a first-time guest filter, like there was no one doing announcements, there was no one contextualizing your experience. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:46.399 You just walk into a church and you saw people um praying in tongues, you just saw things, and it's just like, okay, yeah, that's just what it is, and you just moved forward with it. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.920 And and but it also gave you kind of like this open mindset in regards to how to engage it. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:58.079 So then you fast forward and then um but I also recognize that our faith doesn't require us to check our brains at the door. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:04.399 Like I'm not gonna just have this feelings-based experiential moment that doesn't translate into any doctrinal way. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:20.160 So so as I began to grow and mature my faith and began to study scripture, not just ex not just extracting the expressions and the emotions that I see in the Bible, but trying my best to get a little bit of an understanding of the theology behind those things, and those two things can coexist. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.480 I found that my my beliefs hasn't changed, but they've been reinforced by text. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:33.039 And and so now where I've landed with all of it is I don't in any way my faith has not wavered in regards to the power and activity of God. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:40.399 I've seen too much, I've experienced too much, I've done too much, and just walked through too much to deny what those experiences are. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:45.919 However, I also understand um the biblical and theological nuances that go along with it. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:09:00.559 So for me, it's just like they go hand in hand, but I just think over the years my my theological construct has gotten a little bit more reinforced as opposed to having not just a reckless emotional faith, but it was like you're more so my faith is in pursuit of those things. 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:08.080 Now I realize that it's the Holy Spirit that actually infuses all of everything, so I don't need to have the chills in order for me to believe it was a good service. 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:13.279 Whereas back in the day, I probably felt like man, it wasn't a good service unless somebody got laid out in the spirit. 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:14.960 Those days have changed. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:17.759 So it sounds like you got some great stories. 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:19.279 Oh, brother, do I? 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:20.399 You want to share one? 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.879 You got anything you want to share just for fun? 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:26.080 Like, you gotta give me boundaries. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:29.519 So, like what like you gotta like ask a question, and I I think I can go there. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:31.840 If not, this this whole conversation can go. 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:38.240 I mean, you mentioned falling out in the spirit, like there's a lot of people out there that would watch something like that and go, okay. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:43.360 Yeah, you know, they push the guy down or they whisper in his ear, is here his ear. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:44.799 Hey, dude, I need you to fall. 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:47.039 Like, you know what I'm saying? 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:52.480 The sad reality is, man, like there are there are folks that do that. 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:57.440 Like it's it's this desire to perform and feel like you need to recreate. 00:09:57.600 --> 00:09:59.840 And I think that's where it gets a little bit unhealthy. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:08.080 But in my personal experiences and and being in church services, and again, I think environments environments basically create permission. 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:12.639 So you think about when we go into um museums or something like that. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:17.440 When I used to live in DC, we went um and and visited the the National Uh Cathedral. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:21.200 So you go in, it's beautiful, and it's very ornate, it's just breathtaking. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.720 Um, but as you're walking through, there's areas that are roped off. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.679 And those areas are roped off for very clearly sending a message. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:32.399 You guys are more than willing, and we want to invite you to participate in everything you see. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:33.440 Just don't cross this line. 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:34.639 Don't cross over this line. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:38.159 This might be where we got some stuff behind the scenes we don't want you to see. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:41.279 Maybe this might be the housing for the priest or whatever the case may be. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.039 So you have these things that are roped off. 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.639 So the environment sets the tone for what you experience. 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:53.519 So I think what ends up happening in our churches is that you have some environments that take the ropes down and just say, Holy Spirit, have your way. 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:56.879 And so people come in, and I think it gives God an invitation to move. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:00.799 And there's other areas where we got things roped off, and it's not an invitation for God to move. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:03.279 So the church I came up in, there were no ropes. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:05.120 There were there were no ropes whatsoever. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.600 And so we would have these long services. 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:08.799 Don't miss that at all. 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:11.759 Um, we would have these very long services, long worship. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:13.440 You just never knew when you want to get out. 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:18.799 But what I'll tell you is um there was like this tangible anticipation that everybody showed up with every week. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:27.679 And it's almost similar to what we talk about, like during times of revival or when we're going through a period of fasting and prayer, and we're always talking about showing up to church with anticipation. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.360 Well, for us, that was every week. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:31.039 Everybody showed up every week just ready. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:32.240 Man, what's God gonna do? 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:33.600 What's gonna happen in the service? 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:34.480 What's he gonna speak? 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:36.399 Like, what's is it gonna be a prophetic moment? 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:40.159 Like you just showed up with that anticipation, and it always seemed to happen. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:46.080 And so I I can't think of any extreme instances that probably would have make a lot of sense in this context. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.960 But what I'll tell you is there'll be many moments. 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:55.679 Um, I'll give you one, um, and this is more on the the weighty, serious side, but nonetheless it's still life-giving. 00:11:55.759 --> 00:12:04.320 Yeah, um, you know, when the the the antithesis or the trigger for me to kind of come to an adult saving knowledge of Jesus is what I'll call it. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:15.679 I was raised in a Christian context, but the thing that caused me to kind of reevaluate my adult life as I got older um was when um my cousin that I looked up to at the time had got killed in a car accident. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:22.480 Now, anyone that's been around us have heard me talk about family members passing away, and those are all catalysts of different things. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:26.159 So, you know, I had a cousin recently pass away from a car accident. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.720 This is not the same one, this is going back years and years ago. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:34.159 Well, what ended up happening in that service is um it's a service in that church that I grew up in. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:35.440 Um I wasn't there that day. 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:45.919 But what ends up happening is the Holy Spirit's going, the pastor's preaching, there's so much anticipation, and and as the pastor is preaching, he's literally mid-sermon, and he's like, Man, I I I can't go in any further. 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:47.440 This is a church about 60 people. 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:54.080 He just stops mid-sermon and he looks at my cousin and he says to him, like, hey man, like the Holy Spirit won't let me move from this moment. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:13:09.360 And he looks at my cousin who had recently had gotten out of jail, had had some some legal issues, and he said to him, Hey, the the Holy Spirit's telling me that you've been running from him your entire life, and this is your last chance to get it right because you're going to be in his presence in one week. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:10.879 He says that in the service. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:17.840 My cousin gets up, the service stops, people are crying, worship breaks out, he surrenders his life to Christ, all these things. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:19.519 Um, that happens on a Sunday. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:26.480 I think that Sunday night or that Monday, he called my brother, who was living in Atlanta at the time, and says, like, hey, man, I just gave my life to Christ. 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:30.799 I need to, I need to redirect my life, I need to get out of this town because it's just not good for me. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:32.720 I'm gonna come down and live with you in Atlanta. 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:35.519 Gets in the car while driving to Atlanta, gets killed in a car accident. 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:38.240 A week later, we're having his funeral in that service. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:44.000 So those are moments that just an example of how how did the pastor know that? 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:46.960 What was what did he feel that gave him the unction to do that? 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:51.360 And quite candidly, if I were to feel that in one of our services, I probably wouldn't do that. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:57.919 But in that environment, there was this anticipation and expectation and permission for that to happen. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:01.600 So that's an example of just those wild Holy Spirit moments. 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:04.799 So it may not be someone falling out, that does happen, and I've seen it. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.320 Um, I've been a catcher. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:07.679 Yeah. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:14.480 But that's an example of just like this expectation of the the gifts of the spirit moving and just seeing it, and that became very regular for us. 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:23.759 So that obviously takes a level of discernment by the guy who's receiving that from the spirit, right? 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:28.799 To decide whether or not he is gonna say something, is it really the spirit? 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:29.679 Is it just me? 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:31.600 Am I trying to formulate something? 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.200 And I know a lot of times for me, I can even get in my own head about that. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:41.519 And I'm sure there are other people out there who feel the same way, right? 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:54.159 So, how would you pastor someone, talk to someone, how would you help them along in learning how to discern that and learning when are the moments to actually speak up and say something? 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:56.399 When are the moments that God just talking to you? 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:04.639 And I I'm sure you know, we could talk for you know several episodes on this, but but but I'm sure this question's been posed to you before, right? 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:05.360 Absolutely. 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.159 So, how would you how would you pastor someone through that? 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:14.159 I think step one is does this bring glory to God? 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:21.279 I I think that's something that gets lost in a lot of the the things that we see when it comes to the Holy Spirit. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:29.360 It's just because it's it's such a graceful invasion of our normal that it can sometimes turn into a spectacle. 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:40.960 So so when I look at whenever I feel an unction or something, one of the first things that I do when I'm checking off my list, come on, Nate, is I check and say, does this bring glory to God or is this gonna bring attention to me? 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:48.879 And and I think a lot of times if you could just run it through that test, that's a quick indicator of is it unto him or is it unto me? 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:54.639 And if it's unto me, if it's gonna speak to, man, he is so spiritually deep, he is so in tune with the spirit. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:16:00.320 Like, if it's one of those things where you just then I think that's an opportunity to kind of reevaluate where is this coming from. 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.360 But if it's one of those things that's like, man, this is out of my comfort zone. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.720 I don't even want any attention from it, but I just feel like I need to say this, that's often a a true indicator. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:25.200 I like I like to look at how um I like to look at Moses and and when God called him, and even though the context is different, but you have you have God manifesting himself through this burning bush, he's having this conversation with Moses, and he's given Moses this profound responsibility. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:28.480 And and Moses initially is like, Hey man, you got the wrong guy. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.240 Like, I I don't I don't want to do this. 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:32.559 He's looking at his limitations, he's wrestling with it. 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:56.799 I feel like every time God has spoken to me, maybe not in the same dramatic nature as a burning bush or even with my my pastor back then, but whenever I feel like God has put something deeply on my heart, it's always pushing me out of my comfort zone, and there's an aspect of it like, man, I don't I don't really want to say this, I don't know if I really want to do this because I recognize that that it's uncomfortable and that it's a challenge, but nonetheless, I want to be obedient. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:04.799 I feel like when it says work out your salvation with fear and trembling, when it talks about us being um sensitive to the spirit, it's it's making sure that I don't want to get this wrong. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:09.119 I don't want to lead anyone astray, and I want to make sure I represent God's well, God well. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:14.559 If none of that stuff is there, then I think that that's an opportunity to reevaluate what's the motivation behind this. 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:20.480 And then lastly, I'll say that more more often than not, like here's what we have to remember about those Holy Spirit moments. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:26.799 Um, scripture has a lot of different descriptors of what his function is going to be. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:39.279 It's not like it's just one um exclusive list, but when it comes to like the the gifts of the spirit and things like that, um, and a lot of times we can get freaked out by it, but at the end of the day, as Paul explains it, is that the gifts of the spirit are to build us up. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:42.079 And so, yes, will he sometimes confront us? 00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:43.119 That's what conviction is. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:44.720 Will he sometimes redirect us? 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:45.279 Absolutely. 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:46.799 But it's meant to build us up. 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:53.920 I I think if we are looking at doing something on behalf of God and we feel like the spirit of God is leading us to do it, what's it building? 00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:02.000 Is it is it is it encouraging, is it building people up, or is it building my platform, is it building my spirituality, is it like what is it building? 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.160 So I for me, those are the things that I typically check. 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:05.039 What is this going to build? 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:06.400 What is this benefiting? 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:10.799 Um and once I can kind of run through that, then my confidence begins to go from that. 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:11.519 Yeah. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:30.400 Uh you mentioned that um earlier we were talking about kind of you know logic and the how those two we could kind of pit logic or um intuition or uh I can't think of the word right now, but we can kind of pit our minds against the spirit, right? 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:33.599 When in reality, if they worked in tandem, it would be great. 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:43.519 And even, you know, when you were preaching in in the first week, you were kind of encouraging, like, you don't need you don't need your five-step plan to do this, you don't need logic to do that, like you need the power of the spirit. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:48.480 Obviously, knowing you, you're a very logical person, you know what I mean? 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:52.480 And so um so when I heard that, I was like, man, what what's he really trying to say? 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:56.319 What's he really trying to to communicate to the congregation and stuff? 00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:04.160 And I think it's I personally think that what you were meaning was um to to not try and depend on logic. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.160 Is that is that what you is that where you were going with that? 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:10.240 And so how do those two coexist in a in a healthy way, I guess. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:17.680 Yeah, it's always a you know, it's always a tension of you know, um it's it's the beauty of scripture. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.559 So y everything context determines meaning. 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:21.200 For sure. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:26.240 So, you know, there are moments where you'll see like, hey, the Bible says this, and it's like, well, yeah, but what's the context of it? 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:26.559 Right. 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:28.640 Or the Bible says that, it's contradicting itself. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:31.680 Well, it's not a contradiction, it's the context that gives meaning. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:39.359 So a lot of times when I'm thinking of the both sides of what I consider to be the same coin, the context is what I'm speaking from. 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:52.319 So when I'm speaking about the Holy Spirit specifically, I'm I'm speaking to our church, but more importantly, I'm speaking to a Western culture that has gotten to a place where we can't move forward until we have everything figured out. 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:54.400 We have to have everything locked in. 00:19:54.559 --> 00:20:02.559 And so it's really meant to be a jolt to the system of if God's nudging you to do it, you don't need to wait for you to have everything lined up in order to do it. 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:06.000 Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be obedient and do it. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:15.359 But the other side of that exact same coin, my good friend John Reed would often say, he says, um, he says, uh, faith and wisdom live on the same street. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.319 Like you like they they absolutely live on it. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:20.000 So yes, they're neighbors. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.640 Like you can have faith to step out, but please use wisdom. 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:26.400 Like if you just read Proverbs, you'll see that it's it's they're in tandem. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:26.640 Right. 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:29.119 And so it's it's really just the context. 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:32.799 So I'm always telling, like, I'm raising my kids, don't be reckless. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:38.000 Don't like don't step out and say it was God, and then you're asking him to keep you from falling. 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:40.559 Like, let's make sure that we have adequate things in place. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:45.440 However, once we know that God is leading us to do something, we're going to move forward aggressively. 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:45.680 Right. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.000 So it's just making sure that those two things coexist. 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:54.079 So, really, the context of me saying, Man, you don't need to have your five-step plan, that is not not being a person of planning. 00:20:54.240 --> 00:21:02.960 It just simply means that sometimes those plans turn into extra plans and then another plan and then another plan and then another plan, and then three years later we haven't taken a step forward. 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:05.759 It's more so, yes, count the cost. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:13.599 Jesus encourages us, hey, anyone that puts his hand to the plow, make sure you count the costs, recognize what it's going to require of you, but when it's time to go, let's go. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:13.920 Yeah. 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:16.640 That's the tension that I feel like we all wrestle with. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:22.319 But that's what I challenge myself with is I'm absolutely profoundly logical, but I'm also very, very faithful. 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:24.079 And when God tells me to go, I'm going. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:24.640 Yeah. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:35.119 I I used to really, really struggle with the uh it the Bible says this in one place and the Bible says that in one another place, and it just used to really bother me. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:40.960 But I kind of got freed up from that based off what you just mentioned with the context aspect aspect of it, right? 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:47.359 And uh I think for if you're looking to poke holes in the Bible, you'll find them, right? 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.519 If I mean if you're looking for anything, you'll pretty much find them. 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:51.119 Yeah. 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.400 So it it's all in your approach, too, of the scriptures, right? 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:58.720 Like, am I looking to be filled and to learn, or am I looking to try and prove something wrong? 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.759 So I think. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:17.039 one of those one of those aspects is the Spirit and the um the difference between the Holy Spirit's activity in the Old Testament versus how it's manifest he is manifested in the New I need to get stop saying it because it is God. 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:21.200 But how it's in the New Testament, right? 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:27.920 So like you mentioned, we see it on the first page of scripture, you know, the Spirit was hovering over the waters. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:37.519 Um but it seems to be more of a more prevalent or more prominent post New Testament, right? 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:38.880 Or or Pentecost. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:51.920 So I guess how how does the Spirit why isn't the Spirit seem to be in the hearts of believers, if you will, or children of God in the Old Testament, right? 00:22:52.079 --> 00:23:01.440 Because I feel like it's now our theology would state that if you surrender your life to God, you become one of his children, you're in dwelled with the Holy Spirit. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:06.559 Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't necessarily see that I see it on certain people, right? 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.799 Like you mentioned a couple different people, but could you speak to that a a little bit? 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:11.440 Yeah. 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:17.519 It's the um it's the method of delivery from the Old Testament versus the New Testament. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:30.799 So when you when you look at the Old Testament and this is just profound simplification, I notice some scholars may hear this and they'll do a video on how like her how much of a heretic we are um but but but stick with me for a second. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:38.799 So from Genesis 1 all the way up really to Genesis 11 you you have God interacting with with man. 00:23:39.039 --> 00:24:13.839 So from Adam you have sin that enters into the world and and God's redemptive plan kicks off immediately from then so he's he's working with man and it's the Abraham's the Isaacs the Jacobs he's like he's working through it but in Genesis 11 prior to like Abraham being called out like God is just with mankind and and and I don't know at what point does God kind of like shift and like hey man you know what instead of me trying to work with all of these jokers let me just zero in and start working with one select group and then let them be kind of like the representation and then from them I'm going to select one person who will bring redemption to all of them again. 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:15.599 So so that's the shift that we see. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:23.599 So in Genesis 11 like Tower of Babel this is post flood this is where God's like okay um I don't think anything's occurred to God. 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.279 I think it's all he's been aware of it. 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:48.000 There's all part of his plan but ultimately he's like okay Abraham's going to be the guy I'm going to use him and I'm going to use his bloodline his family and they're going to be the ones that I'm going to zero in on so if you Google it or look into it they often refer to that as the table of nations that's when he I'm taking Israel as my own the rest of y'all y'all are off on your own and then we'll get you on the back end. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.200 We'll catch you on the back end. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:51.519 There's this guy named Jesus going to come he's going to redeem all of us. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:51.839 Right. 00:24:52.079 --> 00:25:02.640 So so what you'll find is that the spirit of God was on Abraham and then he was on the nation of Israel but it wasn't on individuals unless they were called to do a specific task. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:07.839 So that's when you relied on the Moses and you see specifically with Moses that the Spirit of God was on him. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:12.319 The Spirit of God was on the men who built their tabernacle the spirit of God was on um on Aaron. 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:16.480 You just see that God's spirit is with people on him but not in them. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:23.119 So then when Jesus comes because the reason that they're not in them is because their hearts have not been radically renewed. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:37.839 In other words sin is still an issue Jesus comes he tears down the veil of the temple now he makes salvation available to all of us now all of us have access um to have unbroken fellowship with God because the sin issue's been dealt with all we have to do is believe Jesus. 00:25:38.079 --> 00:26:00.799 So now as individuals when we confess Christ and we begin to that's when the Holy Spirit comes and dwells on any of us and now you begin to recognize the Holy Spirit's in you the Holy Spirit's in me the Holy Spirit's on our church it ultimately magnifies and multiplies um the access availability of the Holy Spirit whereas back then it was very much a national calling because nobody was really worthy to carry him. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:31.680 Very very well explained and even at the beginning of the series we were talking about um John I forget I forget the chapter but you know Jesus saying if I don't go away I can't send the helper right and I've always wondered why Jesus and the Holy Spirit couldn't coexist on earth at the same time or you know because if you think about it the Holy Spirit did was there right so what does he actually mean by that? 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:46.000 Yeah I I've heard I've heard someone say that um because we we recognize that God is one in three three in one it's a concept that that it truly transcends our comprehension. 00:26:46.079 --> 00:27:08.880 Yeah um like it he's he's other it's just it's beyond us so we still have these these tangible things that at least try to help us wrap our minds around the nature of God and so we've ultimately come down to this concept of the Trinity I even think that our definition and our understanding of the Trinity is vastly inferior to the dynamics of who God really is. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:15.680 So again that's just the best that we can do hey Trinity Father Son Holy Spirit that's kind of our way of rationalizing ourselves around him. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:32.480 So what I've heard someone say is that um when you look at the writings of Paul and you look at all these other things and the different references to the Holy Spirit there's so many different ways that he's referred to in the New Testament specifically let's say he's referred to as the Spirit of truth it's referred to as Christ in you. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:38.079 Like all these phrases that wait a minute like okay Christ in you Holy Spirit like which one is it? 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:38.720 It's all of it. 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:43.279 So what I've heard it said is that um the Holy Spirit is Jesus everywhere. 00:27:43.440 --> 00:28:09.519 Because up until that point Jesus was still a singular individual that yes he had knowledge and wisdom but it was still very much a limited scope but the moment that Jesus is like hey but listen I'm gonna ascend up into heaven and then the Holy Spirit's going to come and that's gonna bring revelation that's going to draw people closer to the Father like what it's going to do is it's not going to limit it to just being all upon me to keep going for one location to another location to be exposed. 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:12.559 The Holy Spirit's going to do that stuff for us. 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:27.599 That's going to allow this gospel message to go further faster than everyone needing to come and see Jesus because imagine if Jesus was still walking the planet yes absolutely the Holy Spirit's there but everybody's gonna be making pilgrimages to try to find Jesus nobody like it becomes I need to go find the guy. 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:30.480 If I'm not in the room with that guy then it doesn't count. 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:44.000 So Jesus did that for our benefit the fact that I'm not there no one's going to be chasing after me anymore and it's going to be more so about the community the Holy Spirit's going to come down draw you guys together it's still pointing to me but you don't need me to be in the room in that physical sense anymore. 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:58.160 That's that's the biggest blessing because even if you think about when Moses died no one knew where he was buried because God knew they would get so hung up on trying to make an altar of his tomb that they would not be able to move forward. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:02.960 So at least literally when Moses dies no one knows where he's buried because he knew that that would hang people up. 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:09.279 I think the same could be said of Jesus if Jesus were to stay here they wouldn't be able to move on from his physical form and wouldn't allow the gospel to spread further. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:28.160 It's such a beautiful another beautiful example of for whatever reason God loves to involve us you know and he's he's so gracious enough to let us be able to to carry his message and and the good news and um it's a really humbling thought when you think about it. 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:28.960 It really is. 00:29:29.359 --> 00:30:30.160 It's humbling and um you know scripture says like who are man that you're mindful of him there's there's not a single time that I I don't preach specifically when it's like on the back end or I do something and honestly it's not about me but if someone comes like oh you know something the church has done you guys did this and it changed everything for me or this message did this for me or and you just think of like you know we're we're here every week Nate and we're um we're praying about what we're doing we're praying over congregants we're um we're planning out the calendar we're doing these things called by God empowered by his spirit but nonetheless we're just doing what we feel like God's calling us to do and so when you have planned out a series or we planned out an event or an activity and then on the back end you hear somebody come up and say this changed my life you're like I can't believe that God allowed me to play a part right in delivering something that could radically change someone's life so it's very humbling to consider that which is also very scary because it's like man almost said no to this event. 00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:36.960 Almost said no to it to it or you know I said something inappropriate or whatever. 00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:37.759 You know what I mean? 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:47.759 Like because literally like someone could come up to you and say you know I never really thought of it that way or the way that you said this or the the way that you prayed about that. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:31:48.720 I had someone say that last week you know the way that you prayed I'd never I had never been uh accustomed or you know privy to being able to pray that way so you know even even those moments you're like okay well clearly that's God so the the more I get out of the way kind of like we pray you know the more that he increases the more we decrease but you did you did mention you know just briefly there the the empowerment of the spirit and that was something that uh was kind of the theme for you uh in the first week of the series how does empowerment look like for Keith Pittman like what is what is a the empowerment of the spirit look like for you in your life and you know you said there are moments when we can how do I have joy and moments that I shouldn't have joy and I guess someone in the world could say well you know I'm a positive person like I go through trials and stuff and I still put a smile on so I guess part one of the question is what does it look like for you and part two is the question is what's the difference in necessarily empowerment or just like a positive thinking mindset. 00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:49.440 Does that make sense? 00:31:49.680 --> 00:32:10.400 Yeah for sure I think um that's a great question uh for me on a day-to-day basis it's um it's it's purpose because I think it's so easy specifically because I'm because I'm I'm logical for for if something doesn't make sense then then why are we doing it? 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:13.440 If something if what are we what are we doing? 00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:19.920 So empowerment ultimately is is like it gives you a deeper purpose. 00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:31.119 So once I understand that there's a deeper purpose then I'm no longer looking for the convenient um option I feel empowered to walk the long road if that's what is required of me. 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:42.480 So empowerment is more so um giving me the strength to take the long road giving me the giving me the endurance to do something that's more difficult as opposed to nay I'll just go this way. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:43.119 That's shorter. 00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:44.559 So that's what I mean by empowerment. 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:46.799 It's really just I'm not looking for the short way out. 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:52.799 I'm I'm willing to take the long road because I feel empowered I have purpose and I feel the strength to do it and we're going to power through this thing regardless. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:33:45.599 So that's that's the difference for me in just every area of my life no matter what it is that's kind of like how it is so that's so yes we're all you know people are half glass glass half full half empty people we all are wired in different ways in different situations and scenarios um but more often than not my my default setting is um you know there's this old school song that we would sing where it's like you know um I don't believe that he's brought me this far to leave me so when I begin to look back at my life and I see the the varying moments ranging from when I was um away from God and people I was around and people that are now gone or in jail and circles I was in and and and God's brought me out of them and I look at my journey up to this point I'm like man I feel like God's hand was on my life then so why would he not be with me now? 00:33:46.160 --> 00:34:02.319 And so it changes the way that I look at everything when it comes to um my perspective on things because I have too much historical understanding of God's providence for me not to see Jesus even in the most awful situations. 00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:07.119 Now that doesn't mean that if I hear about the death of a loved one I'm like man but it's all to God's glory. 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:10.400 Absolutely not that's not right I'm not disillusioned in that at all. 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:28.639 I mean anyone who's connected to our church know that we're still going through um the grief of of a loss of a dear dear friend of our family Caleb's best friend and it's awful it's awful man we just had the celebration of life and we're trying our best to to power through it man but it is it is hard. 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:37.280 So as I was sharing with Caleb I said man like you know it's not a matter of that God caused this it's a matter that God is with us and He's gonna lead us through it. 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:45.360 And so my confidence in me vi seeing God even in the most difficult situations is not the situation exists so there's a lack of God. 00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:49.760 It's more so the situation exists because of sin but God is with us and we're gonna get through it. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:52.239 So it's not positive it's endurance. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:53.760 That's what I feel empowerment is. 00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:54.239 Yeah. 00:34:55.280 --> 00:35:18.159 Um you you also mentioned how uh environments can can kind of invoke certain aspects of the spirit or or give permission to that and it's funny that you mentioned that because uh Vinny and I were talking uh I guess it was a couple days even maybe even yesterday about that because I was brought up in an environment where we didn't really talk about it. 00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:52.159 You know like we we sang songs that refer to the Holy Ghost right um but uh but again that's kind of a that's a that's a scary that's almost an intimidating way to refer and I get that it's old English language and stuff and there was no real intent to make it that way but you know fast forward a few hundred years and it's like what the Holy Ghost for for Celebration Orlando and you even said you know if this were to happen um you know I may not I may not do that. 00:35:52.239 --> 00:36:01.119 I may not say that in that moment because perhaps it's not um our environment isn't set to receive it that way. 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:09.360 Do you have a dream or a vision or do you have a a hope that that one day it could be an environment that way? 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:27.199 Do you think that uh you know and again specifically sorry for those of you who who aren't a part of it but I'm just really curious myself to know like what are the steps to get there I guess you know and and how do you how do you encourage the congregation to even want to to be a part of something like that. 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:28.639 Does that make sense what I'm asking? 00:36:28.960 --> 00:36:29.679 Yeah for sure. 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:42.559 I think one is um letting us know of what are the benefits of having the Holy Spirit really being free in our lives but also in our church. 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:58.079 And I think what ends up happening is um either you have a preconceived notion of the Holy Spirit and that might be from some memes that people have sent you of some like ridiculous things that again they may be out of context or they just might be theatrics. 00:36:58.159 --> 00:36:58.400 Who knows? 00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:00.960 But you see those things you're like yo that looks ridiculous. 00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:06.159 Yeah um and so we kind of have that baggage with us and and even I have accumulated some of that over the years. 00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:15.840 What I think when I look when I look at our church what I've seen a lot of times there's there's a lot of churches that um they have they have they have their audience. 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:25.679 I truly believe that every church has a every is a strong word but churches have a kingdom assignment they have a they have a grace that's on that house to accomplish something that God wants to do. 00:37:26.239 --> 00:37:37.119 So my my previous church was a church of prayer and deliverance that was the name of the church the church was prayer and deliverance so that was the culture of that church. 00:37:37.199 --> 00:37:44.239 It was a church that's going to teach you how to pray and it was going to be a church that brought about deliverance and that meant the Holy Spirit's going to run rampant in that place. 00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:47.920 Now I do believe that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:38:17.599 I think that there's true freedom that's available to the followers of Christ um but I also believe that there are some churches that that that have to manage the tension of but God is also sending people there that have never walked into the doors of a church people who are coming on the back end of church hurt all these other variables and so for me I want to still be the church that that reaches those people that puts the that puts the kingdom into context but also has the opportunity for the spirit to be expressed. 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:24.000 And so for me it's it's a couple of things I want our Sunday experiences to be vibrant. 00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:36.719 I want our Sunday experiences to be spirit filled but I also want it to be one where no matter where you're coming from that you can engage God where you are and so yes do I want us to lift our hands in worship? 00:38:36.880 --> 00:38:37.039 Yes. 00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:38.480 Do I want us to sing? 00:38:38.639 --> 00:38:38.960 Yes. 00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:50.639 I want all of that to be a part of the regular Sunday setting because I think it brings about freedom but I do believe that there are other environments where we can get into some of the other things that I still believe are very, very real. 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:52.480 So do we do altar calls on Sunday? 00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:55.119 Yes do we believe in laying on hands and praying for people? 00:38:55.280 --> 00:39:11.039 Absolutely but I also believe there are other environments when we're talking about people who may be a little bit more mature in our faith that that that those environments may be a little bit more fitting for them because they're coming to pursue they have an understanding of those things and they and they get after it. 00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:24.400 Now for those people that may be a little bit contrary to what I'm saying we have to consider our Western context in the East as I said earlier in the east the spirit realm was not a foreign idea to them. 00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:36.320 So even though the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened with people who um who we would say hey they weren't trained up on the ways of belief they weren't trained up in our way of thinking but they absolutely believed in the spirit realm. 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:44.800 So it wasn't beyond the realm of their mindset to recognize that okay all this time I've been worshiping all these other gods in this spirit realm I just need to worship the one God. 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:52.960 So for them it was an easier shift to open our minds up to receiving these outpourings of the Holy Spirit that didn't require a lot of context our context is different. 00:39:53.199 --> 00:40:10.800 So because we have that context I think that people need to be taught informed so that way it doesn't become an endeavor of emotionalism that it becomes something that people can be trained up in but absolutely can have access to so for me it's it's both and but I think different environments have different um different experiences. 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:31.519 To kind of wrap up here someone that you know they would they would claim to be a Christian right they would say that that they that they're a Christian that they follow Jesus but they just don't know if they are accessing everything that the Holy Spirit has to offer them in their lives. 00:40:32.159 --> 00:40:35.119 How would you encourage them to to pursue that? 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:45.840 I think it it comes down to um inventory and saying what areas do I feel restricted in. 00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:54.880 It's back to the analogy at the um National Cathedral like what are the areas that are roped off what are the areas that I feel like I'm not thriving in. 00:40:55.039 --> 00:41:00.159 It all it all comes down to um that God wants us to prosper even as our souls prosper. 00:41:00.239 --> 00:41:16.239 And I know that these are just this is just Christian lingo and if you don't have context on what that means I know it can get lost but but I truly believe that what it requires of us is one we have to put ourselves in environments where where God's vision for our lives is in front of us. 00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:29.760 I think that sadly we can disconnect from the people of God we can disconnect from the community of God and now we're trying to figure out the presence of God all by ourselves that's that's the dangerous place. 00:41:29.840 --> 00:42:08.880 This is why when when when Jesus is about to go to the cross he talks to Peter he says man listen you've been with me you've seen a lot of things when we tell you what the enemy strategy is to sift you like wheat to separate you from the community that's his strategy because if he can separate you from community then you can get off into your own space create your own doctrine theology and the difference between Peter and Judas is that Peter came back to community Judas didn't Judas jumps he kills himself Peter comes back and gets restored the enemy was trying to sift both of them the difference is one came to community one didn't so I think that when we begin to talk about man am I accessing everything that God has for me. 00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:17.199 One I think it's a lifelong journey that I don't think that we can ever kind of put a period to the end of that sentence but I think it it's discerned through community. 00:42:17.360 --> 00:42:33.119 So when you have those moments of being in a space where you're experiencing the presence of God through worship you're in community whether it's in groups or messages all of the stuff is Holy Spirit's using all of it and he's giving you a glimpse of a life that maybe you can begin to recognize I'm not experiencing that right now. 00:42:33.360 --> 00:42:42.320 Now what do I need to do to put myself in a position to take the ropes down so that God can have access to that and the more that we do that then that's how sanctification works. 00:42:42.400 --> 00:43:04.639 Then I'm gonna Holy Spirit's in that area of my life man I'm still struggling with unforgiveness with my parents Holy Spirit comes in that area of my life man I'm still struggling with man being freed up financially Holy Spirit gets into that part of my life the more that we're in community the more it reveals where we're lacking but also where we're thriving and I can share what I'm thriving in to help somebody else who's lacking in that area but then on the other side I can also be encouraged on where I'm lacking at so I can thrive. 00:43:04.719 --> 00:43:06.800 That's what community does iron sharpening iron baby. 00:43:07.039 --> 00:43:13.599 It's my life God's way but it's our story come on brother great way to kick off the new season. 00:43:13.760 --> 00:43:42.960 Yes looking forward to a couple more conversations and uh really appreciate you spending some time with us shout out to all the YouTube fam out there and uh if you're on the podcast exclusively listening hop over to our YouTube channel Celebration Orlando and and have a look and let us know what you think and uh we'll be back uh next week for another episode of After the message but make sure you guys stay uh tuned and locked in to our Parakleto series and uh looking forward to everything that the Holy Spirit wants to do in our church. 00:43:43.039 --> 00:43:43.199 Amen. 00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:59.360 Amen let's get it all right all right my brother thank you for joining us for After the message to learn more about Celebration Church here in Orlando you can follow us on social media under the handle at CelebrationORL or visit our website at celebrationorl.org