Full Transcript for How Does God Speak? 10 Biblical Ways to Hear and Discern His Voice

00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:33.680 Yeah. 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:34.480 Really? 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.400 And then I have to say that hurt only like once or twice. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:40.400 Maybe not even. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.719 No, but it was some stuff we've had to work through. 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:46.400 That's amazing, though. 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.200 I mean, best friends ministry together. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:52.560 Well, best friends are best friends first and then ministry. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:54.719 So learning how to work with this boss. 00:01:54.799 --> 00:02:00.640 And then like we actually, and then we had to transition when our church was growing, like had to move you out of a space. 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:04.959 He was like the number two, but it wasn't primarily wired for. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:05.359 No. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:07.840 What he's doing now is what God created him to do. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.879 But to have that awkward conversation was really hard. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:11.360 Yeah. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.479 But our friendship at that point was like, okay, we can have this conversation. 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:15.919 But it was, yeah. 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:26.560 I mean, Ari and I have a similar situation where we were best friends, then began working together, ministry partners, and like hearing you guys be friends in ministry, in ministry together for 18 years. 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.240 It's like a marriage in a sense. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:31.199 Like you've had to overcome so much, probably, right? 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:31.680 Yeah. 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:33.280 I mean, I've had to save him a lot. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:33.919 You have. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:37.039 I took him camping once and he did not have the right equipment. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:37.439 Okay. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:38.319 This is the worst story. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:38.719 Hold on. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:40.879 This is like we went camping for our friends. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:44.319 We go in January during COVID. 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:45.840 We go to Joshua Tree. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:47.439 And Joshua Tree is the desert. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:47.680 Okay. 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.120 I haven't ever backpacked at this point in my life, so I buy all the gear. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:51.919 I don't know what to do. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:53.520 I have a back, I have a part. 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:54.000 I get the stuff. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:55.280 Yeah, I did look the part. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.120 But that's all that matters. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:03.039 It was like 24 degrees at night and snowy, and I didn't have any any equipment for that. 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.400 So that night was the worst night of my life. 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:07.840 It's snowing outside. 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:11.919 I put on everything I own to sleep in, which is very little at that point. 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:13.120 Which is essentially not really. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:17.360 My sleeping bag is for like you know, only 60 degrees or something, or 40 degrees. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:18.960 It was not a sleeping bag for 24. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:19.199 Yeah. 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:20.719 I don't have an insulated mat. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:22.400 I literally thought I was gonna die. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:26.479 It was I'm so I thought he'd be frozen in the tent because I'm like I don't sleep. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.319 It's just like shaking like this. 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:29.280 That's so sweet. 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:33.360 I wake up, I wake up early because I'm trying to find the sun and like climbing out and get to the sun. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.479 And John opens his tent and steam comes out. 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:38.560 And he's got like no shirt on. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:40.240 He's just like got a coffee made. 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:41.680 Like he's like super warm. 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:42.879 Yeah, you knew what to do. 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:44.639 He yeah, he didn't have the right equipment. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:45.840 I did not have the right equipment. 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:46.879 That was the worst. 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:48.879 Did you let him into your tent? 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:49.599 Is the real question? 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:52.240 I think I gave him, I think I gave you something the next night. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:53.439 I thought I gave you an insulator. 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:55.199 You gave me the insulated thing to sleep in. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:57.840 I was it was but the last the next two nights were not as cold. 00:03:58.080 --> 00:03:58.560 No, they weren't. 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:02.719 But I literally sleep in a river bed, so I was frozen, and I'll never forget that night. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:06.479 I'll let ever I won't let anyone like forget that moment because I almost died. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:07.199 Yeah, I almost died. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:09.039 And you guys were just like a merge thing. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.039 I take care, I make sure he's he does. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:15.759 Yeah, on my 40th birthday, I went to Costa Rica with eight guys, and we all surfed except for John. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:24.639 And the best thing about it is John is an excellent cook, and we would come back surfing, and this guy would have like pour over coffee ready and the most insane meal. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:27.360 And it was like the best friend you can have. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:27.759 Yeah. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:37.680 No, it's but you know what's also awkward is like when our our wives are really our best friends too, and it will be like we're having a fight because I'm not handy around the house. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:39.519 And she's like, Do you want me to text John? 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:40.480 I'm like, What? 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:41.199 So funny. 00:04:41.519 -->

00:04:42.560 John would figure this out. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:43.759 John would have already done this. 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:45.199 So like, whatever, Alex. 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:47.839 But we're relationship secure enough to be able to say those things. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:48.959 Oh, I love it. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:50.240 And Alex and Lydia are best friends. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:50.879 Yeah, they're good. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:51.759 Oh, that's so sweet. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:52.480 That's great. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:52.720 Yeah. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:56.240 And I think you say something like this. 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:59.199 I don't realize how rare atypical this is. 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:01.920 Minister friends, like it doesn't happen. 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:02.240 Yeah. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:05.040 But it's not without a cost and not without fighting for. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.319 Yeah, you have to fight for we we've learned through the hard things. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.160 And that's the thing, is we're committed to one another. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:19.519 There's covenant friendship, and we've learned, yeah, we don't hold secrets, and we have fought to preserve our relationship because we've seen, I mean, you see it in ministry. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.879 Like people stop, you know, they they lose friendships. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:24.079 That's one of the things I love. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:31.600 Like, I like we have a group of leaders, elders that have been at our church for 18 years, and they're still serving some of them are on staff. 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:37.519 Like one of our other friends, Lindsay Tim Tim, I her her and her husband have been at our church from the beginning as well. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.000 She just came on staff as a hospitality associate, and she's now working for the church. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:43.600 And I've known her for 18 years. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:44.399 And that's crazy. 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:48.480 And there's like we have great relationships, but it's also because we've learned how to have conflict. 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:53.920 I think that's probably the biggest thing is we've we've not not always well, but we've definitely learned how to have conflict. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:55.439 And now we learn how to do it well. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:55.839 Yep. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.160 So you guys can teach me next. 00:05:58.399 --> 00:05:58.879 Oh man. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:05.040 Yeah, we'll do a thing about learning to not be offended, learning to give feedback, um, learning how to listen better. 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:05.680 Forgive. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:11.920 This it's mostly me learning how to be a better human and then everyone else around me, you know, calling me out on my stuff. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:13.040 You forgive easily. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:13.600 Oh, yeah. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:14.079 Easily. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:14.560 Me too.

00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:14.959 Me too. 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:15.519 So easy. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:15.759 Yeah. 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:16.240 Me too. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:18.240 It's because we're all probably codependent. 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:20.000 Codependent people, pleasers. 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:20.959 Yeah, absolutely. 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:23.519 I'm a two on the Enneagram, just need to be needed. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.759 So yeah, dude. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:26.800 I'm a seven. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:27.600 I just want to have fun. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:29.040 You just want you to avoid pain. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:29.519 Yes. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:30.800 You don't want to do it alone. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:31.600 I don't want to do it alone. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.160 You want to if if somebody needs something, let's go. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:35.439 I'll be whatever you need me to be. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:36.399 And I'm a three. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:37.920 I I have to, I can't fail. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:39.199 So it's fun conversation. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:40.160 We're a great trio. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:41.040 Yeah. 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:44.160 People don't know what Enneagram is, so it's not demonic. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:45.600 It's just everything's okay. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:46.959 Not the Illuminati. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:49.040 What I just have to say it every time. 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:51.600 Ever since the first episode. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:53.360 I I like went like this. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:55.040 I was like, this is the Bible study podcast. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:55.839 You did it again. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.079 And I think my hand made a triangle. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:06:59.120 Yeah, that's yeah. 00:06:59.199 --> 00:06:59.680 We'll trade. 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:00.720 Can I say something? 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:04.639 You know, since we're not jumping in yet, I just want to speak to the online world. 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:05.439 But here we go. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:19.759 Because I don't know how this happened, but there's now this ministry of reaction going on where people will take clips, and I've seen some of you, obviously, people do it for me, but I'm a I'm a local church pastor. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.079 I preach to a congregation. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:23.199 I study the word. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:25.600 I lead a flock of thousands of people. 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:31.360 I have a team of accountability, I have elders, I have a board of directors, I have pastors and you know leaders outside that I submit to. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:38.160 I've studied theology, I have a master's, I've done all the work to have now the ability to communicate the things in a context. 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:41.120 But now this world of online ministry exists, and we're doing it. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:44.240 We're doing Bible study podcasts, we're giving content out to the world. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:51.519 But for some reason, there's like this social media influencer world where you got saved and now you're an expert on Christianity. 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:51.759 Yeah. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:53.279 And that is so dangerous. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:54.879 And I want to just say what I love. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:55.600 This is what I love. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.360 You guys don't know this about Angela. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:07:58.959 Been at our church for over two years. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:00.879 We've not platformed her at our church. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:02.000 She hasn't led anything. 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.759 Tonight, she's preaching at our youth for the first time. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:10.639 And I told our youth when she was coming, like, you don't ask her to do anything because I we didn't know her character. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.399 We didn't know if she was a woman of God or not. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.800 And now watching her, she serves on our setup team in Costa Mesa. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:17.680 She's on our prayer team. 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:19.519 Like she's part of a local church. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:21.519 She's she's connected to our team. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:24.319 And I can vouch for you and speak to the character. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:30.000 I don't know how many I'm I'm seeing these people comment and react to other pastors and other influencers. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:31.680 Like someone was going after Allie. 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:36.000 And I was like, I'm so furious that people are going to go after her. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.039 I know her character, I know what she's walking through, I know who she is. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:44.720 And just because you have people following, you think you can speak and react to everything, that ministry that is not a ministry. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:45.440 That's gossip. 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:54.320 And I want to say if you are someone who is has a platform and you're influencing people and you're not in a local church, serving in the local church, I don't want to listen to you. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:54.960 So good. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:55.440 100%. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.279 I think pastors need to get on board. 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:08.720 We need to create like a dynamic accountability structure where we say these voices of influence need to have no influence for the next generation unless they're committed into a local community. 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.679 They're being raised up under spiritual leadership and discipleship. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:12.960 Why is that so important? 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:16.960 Well, people are being led astray by TikTok people and YouTubers. 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:17.360 Yeah. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:19.919 And there's no, like, we need to follow saints. 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:25.759 We need to follow people who have studied scripture and lived in the desert and died

faithfully and got executed for their faith. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:30.480 We need to follow theologians and pastors whose character are held accountable by community. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:39.840 Like, I don't know where in the world we got to the point where because you have lots of people following, you can talk about anyone that's talked about anything online and have a platform. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:41.039 That's not a ministry. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:41.519 Yeah. 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:42.639 And so good. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:46.399 Ministry in in the word itself is diaconia. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.240 It's it means service. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:49.919 And that's a service to nobody. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:51.519 And you're like, well, I'm protecting truth. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:52.080 No, you're not. 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.960 Get in a local church and build something there. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:55.360 Yes. 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:56.559 And if you are great. 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:57.759 I don't, I'm not talking to you. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:59.679 But if you're not, this is your call out right now. 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:01.600 And I don't know where why I'm doing it on this podcast. 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:06.960 We should just start a nonprofit that's like a certified local church stamp of approval. 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:08.240 I don't want to do that. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:11.360 I just want to say we gotta just, I don't know why. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:16.480 Like I was talking to Pastor Bill, who's 70 something, my mentor, and he's talking about on church. 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:26.000 Yeah, he's also acknowledging like this is now a world where it's like we're reacting to all these things, thinking the virality of these things matter, and it's vapor. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:27.440 Yeah, it's absolute vapor. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:34.000 I don't think Paul would be watching someone talk and react in a video, like he just doesn't have time. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:34.960 He's building a look at the time. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:36.559 He said, Yeah. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.200 And and yeah, anyways, it's so funny that you say that though. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:45.200 I've been thinking about that so much recently that I used to be just like everybody else, a little critical. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.039 It's all about my preference. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.919 Go to church, judge every church, judge every pastor. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:54.879 The second I started serving at a church, there is no critical spirit within me. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:11:00.159 Like I literally have no judgment whatsoever because I'm just happy to be there. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:00.639 That's right. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:04.000 Like it just it shifts come something in your heart when you actually serve. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:07.120 And you just don't know, like, so we're not in competition with other churches. 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:07.519 Of course. 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:09.519 We're in competition against Satan, right? 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.440 And so we love, like, we're in Orange County and we're in LA. 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:16.080 Like, I can name so many pastors that I love. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:19.279 And in Orange County, I love Mariner's Church and Saddleback Church. 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:20.240 I love Oceans Church. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:21.440 I love Canopy Church. 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:22.879 I love Cornerstone Church. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:24.320 I love Branches Church. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:26.399 There are so many incredible churches. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.200 I'm like, great, we're we're we're all friends, go good. 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:36.240 But somehow in the Christian world, you see a clip and you take 10 seconds or 20 seconds of a 45-minute talk and you're gonna react to it. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:38.399 That's just that world needs to stop. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:47.360 I'm sorry, I'm just I'm just pouring water into the ocean, but I'm I I really feel like let me just say to those that listen to this, don't follow those people. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.279 Yeah, we don't need to like that. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.720 That's like that's like the gossip stuff that Paul says to avoid. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:53.039 Yeah. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:54.159 Like, I'm you know what? 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:54.559 Forget this. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:56.960 I'm gonna go biblical on the and we're gonna talk about hearing God's voice. 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:57.919 You know what I think it does? 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.759 I think it grieves the heart of God. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:02.399 I think it grieves the spirit of God. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:05.200 I actually think you're engaging in a false gospel. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:06.639 I'm gonna, I'm gonna preach now. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:09.360 This is what I'm gonna do because it it bothers me enough in my spirit. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:10.240 I'm not angry. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:18.639 I'm concerned for a generation that doesn't know the difference between true teachers of the word of God and people who have influence. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:25.200 It says, avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.679 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.120 And he lists people who do that. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:33.120 And it says, they say that the resurrection has already taken place and they destroy their faith. 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:38.240 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:41.200 The Lord knows those who are his. 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:45.600 And everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:49.840 Like, why are we attacking Christians in our little theological nuances?

00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:50.879 This I'm just gonna preach. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:51.279 Here we go. 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:52.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:53.440 Because you know what's interesting about this? 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:55.679 And we can we'll get into hearing God's voice. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.480 You're not gonna hear God's voice if you're listening to godless chatter. 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:08.879 The reason you don't hear God's voice is because you're obsessed with YouTube, you're obsessed with Instagram, you're obsessed with so much mindless chatter and gossip that you can't tell the difference between what your voice is and his voice is. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:11.039 So if you want to learn, stop listening to those voices. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:11.519 That's one. 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:16.960 The second thing is what I what I see is I was reading Matthew 9, and in Matthew 9, it's absolutely amazing. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.000 Jesus heals a paralyzed guy and says, Your sins are forgiven. 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:21.279 Jesus casts out demons. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:22.879 Jesus heals a guy who's mute. 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:28.080 Jesus heals Jairus' daughter who died, and the woman who bled for 12 years touches him. 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:28.960 She gets healed. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.360 Jesus gets confronted by John's disciples. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.399 They don't like that he's not fasting and his disciples are not fasting. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:35.440 Why don't they like it? 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.440 Because they were the revival group, the move of God that's bringing everyone back. 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.399 And part of their way God moved was through fasting. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:48.799 And now that this new move of God isn't fitting their move of God, they're offended by the fact that they're not fasting. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.919 And then the disciples see all this and they're confused what's going on. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:55.200 Then the Pharisees come around and they want to add their theological nuance. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:59.360 They want to add that he's the source of his ministry, is the prince of demons. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:00.399 And you know what I think? 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:02.320 I think there's something going on in the Christian world. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:11.519 God's doing something, he's bringing people to the Catholic Church, to the Orthodox Church, to the Protestant evangelical church, to charismatic churches, to Bible-believing churches. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:12.720 He's moving. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:25.279 And you have Christians, the insiders, who want to add their nuance, want to talk about their theology, who want to argue their little semantics and get their words in with the little chatter box in the side and choose gospel clarity over this thing. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:31.759 And it really bothers me because you're just a Pharisee

who has no business judging the move of God. 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.200 You know what Jesus says? 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:39.279 Pray to the Lord of the harvest for God to send workers into the harvest. 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:44.320 He's not asking for opinions or gossipers or strategists. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:45.360 He's asking for workers. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.600 That's the word in Greek, day laborers. 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:56.879 He's asking for people who have compassion on the crowds and see them as sheep without a shepherd and goes into the shepherds, the fields as a shepherd and does the work. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:57.840 That's what I want to say. 00:14:57.919 --> 00:14:59.279 That's a little prophetic rant. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:00.399 Sorry, I don't know when it comes up. 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:04.799 I preach like this and it just happens, and you're getting something that's fresh. 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.279 Because I think in this online world, we need to do better. 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:11.519 And honestly, as we talk about hearing God's voice right now, this is something we need to do. 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:16.399 If you repent from entertaining gossip, then you're going to be open to more of his words and voices. 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:17.039 Okay, there we go. 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.399 Well, I think this is so good. 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:19.039 This is so good. 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:20.000 So important. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:20.639 Come on. 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.679 And maybe we start here because I think it's about perspective. 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:24.320 Yes. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:24.799 Great. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:26.399 So it's about go there. 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:30.240 What do you think is actually the ministry and the kingdom of God? 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:32.559 What do we actually believe that this is part of? 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:34.559 How do we continue the ministry of Jesus? 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.639 And I think the eyes that we have to see have to be ones that Jesus had a lens for. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:39.039 Yes. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:50.159 So if we think that Jesus' ministry ended with his death and resurrection, then the worldview that we have, the perspective that we have that he's going to minister and move in this time is going to be built back in time. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.320 Like he is actively moving right now. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:57.919 He's wanting to fill his people, to expand his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:58.159 Yes. 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:02.639 And so if we're tied up in these kind of earthly affairs, where do we minister from? 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:04.480 We don't minister from an earthly mindset. 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.240 We minister from a heavenly mindset. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:06.720 That's right. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:11.440 We want what's in heaven to be resourced for what is happening here. 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:12.639 That's where Jesus Christ. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:19.279 Well, okay, first of all, I want to say we need good theology. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:20.480 We need gospel clarity. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:25.120 We need to challenge heresy and false teachers and false gospels. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:26.080 I'm not against that. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:26.960 Of course that. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:34.480 But there's a dynamic that's popularized through you have an iPhone and now you can say whatever you want because you have a follower. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.000 What qualifies you for that? 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:43.039 And you can do that isolated in your own little room with a little ring light and you call it a ministry. 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:44.320 No, that's not true. 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.120 That's not a thing. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:46.320 Ministry is with people. 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:48.720 I don't believe ministry exists apart from relationship. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.039 Yes. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:50.000 Show me that in the Bible. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:50.559 That's great. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:50.960 Right. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.000 So I just want to say that. 00:16:52.080 --> 00:17:01.039 But what I want to get to now, and this is our point, this is where you're going, is, and obviously I'm I'm passionate about this because I see so many young people being led down this path. 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:02.639 And it's it's the wrong path. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.000 It's it's it's it's not the path people need to choose. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.079 And what I want to talk about now is the prayer ministry that we we get after. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:19.759 And there are theological assumptions we make around how we participate in the ministry God has for everyday ordinary people in everyday ordinary life. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.079 And I think that is a conviction we have. 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:23.519 That's a theological conviction. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:30.160 Jesus says in John 10, verse 27, My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.440 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:35.359 No one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:44.960 In Matthew 7, verse 24, it says, Therefore, any everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:48.400 The first thing Jesus says is sheep knows how to hear his voice. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:52.960 They listen to him and they follow him, and he gives them life that lasts. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:56.880 The second, in a different context, is coming at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:59.359 And this is about discipleship. 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:07.519 A disciple of Jesus hears his voice and puts them into practice, engages, trains with them.

00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.240 Like I my I signed up for a Hyrox race. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:11.359 Do you know what Hyrux is? 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:12.079 It's just incredible. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:12.799 Running. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.599 It's running. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:15.519 It involves it involves more things. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:17.519 Okay, I'm so glad you diminished that. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:18.400 It's totally fine. 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:20.720 A Hyrux race is like a popular thing. 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:22.079 I I did it last year. 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:24.559 I just signed up in seven days and I did it, or six days. 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:25.680 Would you advise that? 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:26.799 I do not advise it. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:27.920 And this is the perfect illustration. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:29.440 Almost died. 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:30.799 I saw this meme the other day. 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:31.440 It was so great. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.319 It was a picture of someone high-roxing and said, Did you meet anyone famous? 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:34.960 And they're like, Yes. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.640 And it was like, that's exactly it. 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:43.279 But it's like eight one kilometer sprints with eight workouts, and the workouts are insane. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:45.839 And the last thing you do is eight a hundred wall balls. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:48.319 And I kept getting no reps because I wasn't going deep enough. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:48.960 And I didn't train. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:49.920 So it was, it was brutal. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:50.799 It was the worst thing I had. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:52.640 It was worse than running a marathon by far. 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:54.079 I was in so much pain. 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:59.519 But a disciple is someone who trains for the race so that you can complete it. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:02.240 So many people don't finish the race that you set out. 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:03.440 So I've been training. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:04.480 I signed up for Hyrux. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.359 I've been training for a few months and I'm I got an intentional plan. 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:15.440 And every single day for the next 90 days, I have a training schedule for this race because I don't want to just finish the race. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.680 I want to do the race the way it was meant to be. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:18.559 That's discipleship. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:19.680 Three on the integram, yeah. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:21.039 Three in the integral. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:22.480 Yeah, sorry. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:24.400 Come on, guys. 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:24.960 Sorry. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:28.160 So if you're a follower of Jesus, can I just make this clear? 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:29.839 This is the assumption I'm trying to get to. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.240 If you're a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, you have to learn how

to hear God's voice. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:35.519 And that's that's my assumption. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.200 That's that God's speaking, yes, and we you learn how to hear his voice. 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:41.039 And that's how we start our prayer training. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:45.839 Because the prayer training we have, and then what we've learned, this is everything we've received. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:47.200 This isn't new under the sun. 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:51.039 Like we have learned from so many, but the foundation of it is not a model. 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:55.599 And it's not like okay, five steps, and now you're gonna unlock God's power and presence. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:59.759 It is learning to be obedient to the one who is always speaking. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.240 Okay, if I were to summarize discipleship, it's uh hearing and obeying. 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:05.119 Hear and obeying. 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:05.519 That's it. 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:06.160 Hear and obey. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:06.799 Hear and obey. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:07.279 Wow. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:08.720 We make this so complex. 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:13.119 And I think that sometimes it creates this ceiling, like, I can't do what Jesus did. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.319 Like you can't outside of his power and presence. 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.079 And we pursue the person, we don't pursue the model, we don't pursue encounters, we pursue the person. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:22.240 The person of Jesus is what we're talking about here. 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:27.599 And so the two things that we begin with in our prayer training is first that God is the initiator of connection. 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:29.599 He is longing for connection. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.920 He was the one who met Adam in the garden. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:32.480 Yeah. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:36.400 He is the father who is running after his boy, coming back. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:40.160 He is for God so loved the world. 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:42.160 He is the initiator of connection. 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:49.920 So if we have a perspective of a distorted view, a distorted view of oh, God's busy with everyone else's prayers. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:50.160 Yeah. 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:54.079 Oh, I'm I'm just a you know, one of a billion. 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:55.839 How is he gonna listen to me? 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:59.759 I have to somehow meet him in a way where he's not meeting me. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:00.319 That's right. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:08.880 And I heard uh one of a mentor that I I love following, Coi Russell, he says, you know, God is not, God is not a middle class father with limited resources. 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:17.039 Like, you know, and it's like we we have this mindset of abundance, of scarcity that we're somehow taking up God's time. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.319 Yeah, I'm laughing because I'm a middle class father with limited resources. 00:21:20.640

--> 00:21:21.039 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:21.599 Yeah, yeah. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:23.119 You are middle of God's father. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:24.319 Yeah, but that's how we view God. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:25.440 No, I know, you're right. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:27.039 You know, and so like that's not the case. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:27.599 That's right. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:28.400 So God's initiative. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:31.440 And the second thing is that we are perfectly designed to hear God's voice. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:33.119 So you read so good. 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:34.640 You read John, you read John 10. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:35.839 Yeah, my sheep know my voice. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:36.160 Yeah. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:40.559 And so I think one of the things that we train and teach is that you were perfectly designed. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:43.359 I think a lot of lives people believe, like, oh dog, God doesn't speak to me. 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:43.680 Yeah. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.640 Um, I'm too far gone to hear his voice. 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:50.319 Or it's been it's it's it's actually a muscle to be trained. 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:50.559 Right. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:51.920 And I this is what I've discovered. 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:53.359 I've discovered that it is a muscle. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.400 I've learned to listen. 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:59.759 Darren, you talk about this, but when I hear the voice of God, it is like a butterfly that is. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.000 It's like it lands and it's gone. 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:02.559 Yeah. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:06.880 And I I've learned to pay attention to that little, like, what was that? 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:07.839 That wasn't my thoughts. 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:09.920 And there's a test, you know, this discernment. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:10.880 Is this the voice of God? 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:13.200 Is this consistent with the character of who Jesus is? 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:19.039 But there's this listening muscle that grows in hearing God's voice that I think is so important for us to begin with. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.759 We have to begin with knowing that He speaks and is still speaking. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:25.279 Let's so I want to talk about all the theological ways. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:28.319 I just want to give people access to understand how God speaks. 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:35.440 We'll get into that. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.000 But clearly the Bible teaches a whole bunch of ways. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:39.519 But can I say something interesting? 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.920 I love nerding out on things. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:47.920 When I was teaching a long time ago about hearing and obeying, do you do you know the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6.4? 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:51.920 Deuteronomy 6.4 is like the kind of the pledge of allegiance of the Jewish faith. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:55.599 It's like the the summary of the doctrine for the Jewish community. 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.079 They would say the Shema, like morning, noon, and night essentially. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:00.000 You walk into a new place, you say the Shema. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:05.759 It's Deuteronomy 6.4 is hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:10.799 And then verse 5 is love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:14.319 So that word hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:18.240 It's Shema Israel Adonai Elohino, Adonai Echad. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:19.680 That is the Hebrew for it. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:23.839 So that word Shema in Hebrew means to hear, right? 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:24.319 So here. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.680 So you would say the Shema. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.759 That was the verse four. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:29.200 That's what you say over and over again. 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:33.039 In English, it's translated, Shemma is here. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.960 So in our Bible, it says here, O Israel. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:40.640 But then if you go to Exodus 24, 7, it says, Then he took the book of the covenant and read it to the people. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:45.119 They responded, We will do everything the Lord has said, we will obey. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:50.079 And in Hebrew, Exodus 24, verse 7, that word obey is Shema. 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:53.200 So Shema means hear and obey. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:55.680 Well, it's the same word in Hebrew. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:59.039 So the English word for obey is translated from Hebrew, the word Shema. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:09.440 Shema literally means to hear and obey, which is the fundamental difference because in the Greek mindset, which we're more influenced by the Greeks, to hear is mental activity. 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:10.240 Right? 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:12.319 So let's listen to something. 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:19.920 But in Hebrew, to hear means to allow the words to sink in, to provide understanding, and to generate a response. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:26.400 In other words, hearing is the same as doing, which I think is that speaks to today. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:29.920 Because what do we want, like, what do we want to be judged by? 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:30.880 Our intentions. 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:31.599 Yes. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:35.920 But in the Hebrew, like to hear is to obey, is to go after the things. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:37.359 So I just want to say that. 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:41.839 Like when I go back to discipleship, hearing and obeying, it's it's anchored in this Old Testament framework. 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:43.920 But okay, how does God speak today? 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:45.519 I want to go through a few of these quickly. 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:52.000 I could go through a whole theology of this, but what we see over and over again

is God, number one, speaks through Jesus. 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:55.519 In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:04.160 Hebrews 1 says, In the past, God spoke to our ancestors, to the prophets, at many times in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son. 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.640 We know that God speaks through Jesus. 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:08.640 Second, he speaks through scripture. 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:18.400 All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:20.240 God speaks through creation. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:21.839 Romans makes a case for this. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:31.680 For the since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature has been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:35.440 So God speaks to Jesus, He speaks to creation, He speaks through Scripture. 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:38.880 In First Corinthians, it says that God speaks through prophecy. 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:45.680 Verse chapter 14, verse 1, it says, Follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:51.759 But the one who prophesies, verse 3, speaks to people for the strengthening, comforting, encouragement. 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.720 Prophecy is when God speaks to you through somebody else. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:56.480 Okay, so God speaks through prophecy. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:57.200 That's in the Bible. 00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:57.519 Yes? 00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:58.000 Yes. 00:25:58.240 --> 00:25:59.359 What's also in the Bible? 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:07.359 Well, if you were to do a study of how God speaks in the gospel of Matthew or Luke or the book of Acts, he speaks a lot through dreams and visions. 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:09.200 And I don't think we do enough of this in the church. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:13.440 We don't like hold them as as powerful as often. 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:16.880 But how many stories of God speaking through visions? 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:18.559 Like Acts 10 is a crazy one. 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:20.079 I want to just highlight this. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:27.279 In Acts 10, verse 9, it says, About noon the following day, as they were on their journey approaching the city, Peter went up to the roof to pray. 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.599 He became hungry and wanted something to eat. 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:34.240 And while he was, while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:39.920 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheep being let down to earth by its four corners. 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:43.279 And he sees this vision of unclean animals, and God says, Eat. 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:49.599 And what I love about this is he has this vision that he has to now interpret. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:54.160 And he's he's like, Don't call something that's unclean clean that I've made clean. 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.759 He's like, I don't get what this means. 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:58.079 And he's walking down because someone's knocking on the door. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:05.759 And Cornelius, a Gentile soldier, sent some servants to this house because God told him by an angel to go find Peter. 00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:07.440 He's staying at the Tanner's house. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:14.480 And Peter then goes to this Gentile's house, is hosted, practices hospitality, preaches the gospel, and they're filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:18.880 And now Gentiles have the spirit of God and they're they're included. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:21.839 It's the first time after that dream. 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:22.799 What was it? 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:28.160 A vision empowered the expansion of the church to the world. 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:38.640 Like in it, and so you have a Jewish boy that you have Peter, a Jewish young man who is you know taught to keep himself clean and don't touch anything unclean, don't be part of a Gentile. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:42.400 We're talking thousands of years of tradition gone with a vision. 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:42.720 Yeah. 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:46.720 And it gets discerned and confirmed in the council a few chapters later. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:56.000 So it, you know, he brings this vision and the experience of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, which were evident and expressed through tongues and prophecy according to the scripture. 00:27:56.160 --> 00:28:01.200 So they're baptized in the name of Jesus, they're filled with the Spirit, or and before actually they're filled with the Spirit before they're baptized. 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:02.640 Sorry, in that story. 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:05.680 And that becomes a testimony that God's moving in the Gentiles. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:11.839 There's something so interesting that you just said about how one vision changed thousands of years of tradition. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:12.400 Yeah. 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:12.720 Okay. 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:14.960 I mean, so that's what Acts is doing. 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:28.640 So what I don't think people understand is, you know, 1500 years of the Jewish law embodied in Israel through the people of God over time, Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling the law, and then the Spirit of God comes in Acts 2. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:30.799 And then the church just goes off and it's Judean. 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:40.640 It goes Jerusalem, Judea, and then it gets out to now the Tanner's house in Caesarea, and Gentile Roman soldier is now filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:46.640 An unclean man who's conspiring with Rome is now carrying the

presence of God. 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.519 All of the categories of that separated Israel from the rest of the world are done. 00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:51.759 Wow. 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:53.920 And it was prompted through a vision. 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:54.559 Wild. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:54.960 Right? 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.319 So this is this is how God speaks. 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:58.720 But also he speaks through angels, right? 00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:03.279 So if you read Luke and like and Matthew, just and and then read Acts. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:05.440 See how often angels are involved in all of it. 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:07.440 There's so much angelic stuff going on. 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:14.880 And and then another way, just if you're keeping record, seven, this we're on number seven, is God speaks with the audible voice. 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:16.880 I've never heard the audible voice of God. 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:22.559 Maybe one day, you know, you read Exodus three, Moses, Moses, and you know, take off your sandals. 00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:23.680 This place is holy. 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:25.519 The audible voice is how God speaks. 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:28.240 And we've heard stories, you have testimonies throughout history. 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:33.839 Now there's a couple more, and this is where I want to get into like some of the practical stuff, because this is how God mostly speaks, how most of us hear it. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:35.759 We obviously hear through scripture. 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:40.400 We, for those of us that are part of local churches that believe in the gifts of the spirit, we hear through prophecy. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:44.400 And with prophecy, you know, there's other gifts under there, words of knowledge and things like that. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.119 I'll put that under the prophetic nature of how God speaks. 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:53.200 Another way, and I would say unfortunately, this is how most people hear God because they don't have a loving relationship with Jesus. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:57.359 They don't recognize that He's always trying to dialogue and commune. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:01.920 Most people navigate life by hearing God through circumstances. 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:05.039 And that, hey, that is the reality. 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.440 We read in the book of Acts, we've talked about this. 00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:10.400 There are closed doors, and then there are open doors. 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:13.119 There are circumstances that God speaks through. 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:16.240 And those are tricky ones because we're constantly navigating. 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:18.000 Is this an open door or should I take it? 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.319 And so that's where a whole other conversation about, you know, discernment. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:27.119 But you know, a closed door could be from God, or closed door could be Satan stopping you. 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:27.359 Wow. 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:27.680 Right. 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:29.279 So you don't know. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:32.160 Sometimes you need to follow the closed door and look for the open. 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:37.519 Sometimes you need to walk through, you need to not walk through the open door and kick down the closed door because Satan's holding it down. 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:42.799 But that's where there's a lot of conversation around wisdom and discerning his voice through the circumstances. 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:44.720 And that's the trickiest of them all. 00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:49.680 The next one is what we're what we're getting into, and how most of us, when we pray for people, I think we hear God's voice. 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:52.960 And this is where we hear we have a sense or a gut feeling. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.160 That's the the butterfly. 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:57.359 Like where I've heard it, I think it's John Mumford taught us this. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:03.039 It's like we're praying for someone, or we just have this like little tiny butterfly get on our shoulder and we have this sense. 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:07.599 Like, I should, I shouldn't like that boy's coming home, and then the butterfly goes away. 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:07.920 Yeah. 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:15.519 And you're left with an impression, this sense that, okay, God wants me to say, God wants me to minister to this guy, this stranger I don't know. 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:17.920 And now you have to discern is that God's voice? 00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:19.519 Is it the lunch that I just ate? 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:20.960 And what am I gonna do? 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:21.200 Yeah. 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:23.119 And you direct your life based on that sense. 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:25.119 Can I just say right away and we'll talk about this? 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:28.960 If you have a sense, for me, it's a hundred percent just do it. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:34.079 Like for it's like if I get a sense, hey, pull over and give that person cash, I pull over and give cash. 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:41.200 If I get a sense where, like this happens all the time to me, where it'll be like, I'll see someone, I'll hear about a circumstance, and I'll go, Alex, I think we should venomo somebody. 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:43.039 She's like, just she's always like, just do it. 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:49.680 Because you'll either I'll either not stop until we do it, yeah, or I'll find a million reasons not to give something away. 00:31:49.759 --> 00:31:53.119 Yeah, or like if I'm driving and I have a sense, go pull over and do it. 00:31:53.279 --> 00:31:58.000 If I don't stop immediately, I'll just I'll inconvenience myself out of doing it, right? 00:31:58.079 --> 00:31:59.920 So Alex, too much of an inconvenience. 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:01.200 So I I can't turn around. 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:03.200 It can happen so quickly where the butterfly leads. 00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:05.759 And this is

where where it matters. 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:10.559 This is where you're where like you're doing, you're learning how to please the Holy Spirit. 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:14.640 Yeah, you're learning how to do what pleases God, yes, and you're staying sensitive to that. 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:25.279 So if you get a prompt, if you're sensitive and you get a sense, you don't know, but if you obey and then it's met with an encounter or reward or or the blessing of obedience. 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.319 Yeah, the blessing of obedience. 00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:30.240 You just did it, you just did it, and you're learning to hear his voice. 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:31.519 Yeah, even in the failure. 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:33.200 Even in the failure, yeah. 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:34.319 Because there's no failure in the kingdom of the day. 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:35.119 There's no failure. 00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:38.079 It's like growing in this stuff, it's growth. 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:47.519 So if I judged my daughter's ability to walk based off of the first step that she took, wow, I would say she's not designed to walk. 00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:48.960 Like she is not going to walk. 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:49.839 So why even try? 00:32:50.160 --> 00:32:50.799 Keep her crawling. 00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:51.519 Keep her crawling. 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:52.559 She's a master of crawling. 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:56.559 So it is a muscle to grow and it's grown in obedience. 00:32:57.039 --> 00:32:59.279 And I think that listening grid is so helpful. 00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:10.079 And part of you you mentioned this in the last episode, but everyone that receives prayer at Garden Church, our ministry team, whether something happens or doesn't happen, that they would walk away feeling loved is the whole sex. 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:11.359 Yes, yes. 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:16.640 And so the framework that we have, because we believe that, as Joe Member said, everyone gets to play. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:17.039 Yep. 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:19.519 The ministry of God is available for every single believer. 00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:23.759 This isn't the special elite, this isn't the paid church staff, this is this is everyone gets to play. 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:30.240 So how do we create the environment to have people walk away feeling loved as people are growing in how to do this? 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:34.000 And you're not hurting people and saying, Thus sayeth the Lord stuff. 00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:38.640 So we have this grid and hearing his voice is okay, first, is it biblical? 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:40.079 Like so good. 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:42.000 So when you're this, so this is about discerning. 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:43.440 Well, let me say one more thing and then go. 00:33:43.519 --> 00:33:46.960 So the tenth way that you hear God speak is directly into your heart and mind. 00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:47.279 Yes. 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:58.160 This is this, so Dallas Willard says the still small voice or the interior or inner voice is also it's also called is the preferred and most valuable form of individualized communication for God's purposes. 00:33:58.400 --> 00:34:08.639 God usually addresses individually those who walk with him in mature personal relationship using this inner voice, proclaiming and showing forth the reality of the kingdom of God as they go. 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:11.280 So these are 10 ways from scripture that God speaks. 00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:16.960 The the last three is circumstances, gut feeling, or sense, and then directly into our hearts or mind through the still small voice. 00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:21.760 This is where we where we mature, where we can be anywhere communing and dialoguing with God. 00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:22.480 That's the goal. 00:34:22.639 --> 00:34:27.840 Now, the question you're asking, and this is the grid, how do we discern it's God's voice? 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:29.840 So this is the criteria I want people to understand. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:30.159 Yeah. 00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:32.400 So number one is you grow in this first. 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:33.679 Is is this biblical? 00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:34.559 Is it biblical? 00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:39.440 If it's not in scripture, we're going to be really cautious around how is this shared? 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:40.000 What is this? 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:40.719 Where does this come from? 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:46.480 If someone on our, you know, if someone's like, Oh, you know, I have a vision of the fourth member of the Trinity, it's like, well, that's heresy. 00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:47.199 That's heresy. 00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:48.559 That is not the voice of God. 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:49.599 That's probably Satan. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:50.000 Yeah. 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:51.119 Vision is Satan. 00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:51.599 Yes. 00:34:51.760 --> 00:35:00.079 And so how do we create a framework and a community where people are hearing and you know, it's okay to fail, but they're not going to hurt someone. 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:03.039 Yeah, and it's an environment of accountability too, in that sense. 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:19.440 But with that, like, for example, I remember doing some pastoral counseling for a premarital couple, and their conversation with me is that they had prayed and discerned that because God is outside of time and they're married in the future, that they could have sex because they are married in six months. 00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:22.000 So they had discerned that from God. 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:23.519 God led them there outside of time. 00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:25.679 And I was like, brains together came up with that. 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:28.800 But that's that's what we call, that's not biblical. 00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:29.119 No. 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:35.440 So we don't listen to our sense and wisdom that takes us beyond no the scriptures. 00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:42.000 I, you know,

our our senses, our emotions, they are not evil in themselves. 00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:45.199 There is, if if we don't, we have to submit them to Jesus. 00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:48.800 Yeah, like we have to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ, as Paul says. 00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:50.960 And so they're a they're a gift from God. 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:56.239 Like God's given us our senses, given us our imagination, he's given us the spaces to to hear him. 00:35:56.480 --> 00:35:58.000 Why why wouldn't he use those? 00:35:58.159 --> 00:35:59.599 But we have to test them against scripture. 00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:00.000 That's right. 00:36:00.239 --> 00:36:03.920 Second thing we do is is this consistent with the character and nature of Jesus? 00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:04.639 That's so good. 00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:05.599 And that's what you're getting at. 00:36:05.679 --> 00:36:08.239 If you have a distorted view, you have a distorted view of who Jesus is. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:12.320 It's gonna be your your tuning into the voice is gonna be wrong. 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:14.239 Yeah, or your ability to understand what he's saying. 00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:19.280 So, like someone hears, like, oh, I have I have a word for you, and it's condemning them. 00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:21.920 Like God's saying, You're you're a terrible dad. 00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:22.400 Totally. 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:22.559 Yeah. 00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:23.920 Can I ask you a question? 00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:31.440 Would God ever speak in a way of like like a prophetic word of knowledge warning, like warning you in fear? 00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:32.320 I believe so. 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:34.880 I don't so this is what I've experienced today. 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:36.079 So what does prophecy do? 00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:38.559 Encourage, strengthens, comfort, and encourage encourages. 00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:40.960 That doesn't always mean that nice things are gonna happen to you. 00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:41.360 Yeah. 00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:41.840 Yeah. 00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:43.679 Because why would you need to be encouraged? 00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:45.360 Why would you need to be strengthened? 00:36:45.519 --> 00:36:46.800 Why would you need to be comforted? 00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:47.199 Yeah. 00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:51.360 So if there's a prophetic word, and we can talk about words of knowledge versus prophetic words. 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:52.719 Yeah, we need to talk about that. 00:36:52.960 --> 00:36:56.480 Because I often believe a word of knowledge opens someone's heart, like, oh, God sees me. 00:36:56.639 --> 00:36:57.119 Yes, yes. 00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:58.880 A prophetic word kind of sets it on fire. 00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:01.039 Yes, such a who you're destined to be. 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:05.920 Word of knowledge, hey, you were last episode, yeah, you're looking for your father on the little. 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:09.199 The prophecy was I was with you. 00:37:09.440 --> 00:37:10.320 I always went with you. 00:37:10.719 --> 00:37:14.000 So the word of knowledge unlocked the wounded and then God set it on fire. 00:37:14.239 --> 00:37:14.800 Because that's what it is. 00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:15.840 It's like a spotlight moment. 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:18.079 Word of knowledge in itself doesn't do anything. 00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:18.480 No. 00:37:18.800 --> 00:37:25.840 Word of knowledge in itself, because the goal of the goal of a word of knowledge isn't to say, oh, look at me, I'm I have this word of knowledge. 00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:26.960 It's to point to Jesus. 00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:33.039 So I I was in a at a restaurant and the waiter came up and I've just learned to be obedient to this voice. 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:37.199 And I heard the Lord tell me to tell him how much I love how he loves his son. 00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:41.039 Like I want him to know how much I see how he loves his son. 00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:48.239 I'm with some friends that I just met, and I'm like, I don't want to be wrong, but I've been I I have to be obedient, even if I'm wrong. 00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:50.719 And so I ask him as he's asking for an order. 00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:51.760 I was like, hey, do you have a son? 00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:53.440 I didn't oh, and this is the other thing. 00:37:53.679 --> 00:38:00.880 One of the things we do is we start looking through our carnal lens, our our our earthly lens, and we'll start like diminishing, oh, he doesn't have a ring on his finger. 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:02.159 Oh, he looks kind of young. 00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:06.159 We'll kind of add to something that God's already said, and we we diminish the trust. 00:38:06.559 --> 00:38:07.519 It's like, do you trust me? 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:11.039 Like, even if you can trust me with a little thing, I'm gonna give you more, but trust me with this. 00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:13.920 And so I said, Hey, do you have a do you have a son? 00:38:14.079 --> 00:38:17.920 Like, and he's he looks at me wide-eyed, he had long sleeves on, pulls his sleeve up. 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:19.679 Ezekiel's got tattooed on his arm. 00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:21.039 He's like, Yes, I love my son. 00:38:21.199 --> 00:38:22.559 Like, I'm I'm obsessed with him. 00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:24.559 Like, we're going through this hard divorce right now. 00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:26.159 I have sole custody of him. 00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:27.280 It's been really hard. 00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:29.679 I've been it just starts unloading on us, right? 00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:36.320 Now, if I walked away from that saying, okay, that was it, like if the the reward would have been, look at me, yeah. 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:37.679 I had a word of knowledge for him. 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.360 Points back to you, points back to me. 00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:39.840 Totally. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:41.840 But it was okay, God's after him. 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:44.719 He's like, I've been,

and I start asking questions, what do you think is happening? 00:38:44.800 --> 00:38:46.800 Here's like, well, I've been wanting to get back to church. 00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:48.559 So we we got him invited to church, all this stuff. 00:38:48.719 --> 00:38:51.599 So the the point was to point to Jesus, not to point to the word of knowledge. 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:52.320 Absolutely. 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:54.000 Well, I'm gonna say, because I love this. 00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:58.960 When we started doing this stuff, I think I constantly prayed for a word of knowledge when I would go out. 00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:00.800 Yeah, it was like the word, yeah. 00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:02.480 Yeah, it was constantly like, I just want a word. 00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:05.760 And it was like I would go to somebody, have this word of knowledge, I'd share it. 00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:06.079 It was right. 00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:07.119 And I was like, oh, awesome. 00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:08.159 Yeah, look what I did. 00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:10.480 But then it wouldn't, it wasn't for the purpose. 00:39:10.559 --> 00:39:18.960 And then then we we realized like it wasn't about the word knowledge, it was about the message of love or or encouragement that God would want to give to his children. 00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:31.280 I'll never forget I had this moment where I I there was a famous kind of guy that did this stuff globally, and he was he's like texting me, he's like, Hey, I'm gonna be in LAX for like an hour and a half, let's go get dinner, and then you drop me back off. 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:32.320 I was like, Great, I'll do it. 00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:38.800 Took him to Z Pizza and I brought one of our elders with us, Zach, and we are chatting, and I'm just like got my notes. 00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:40.480 I'm like, how do I'm learning how to do this? 00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:41.920 Like, how do you just go for it? 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:50.480 He's like, Well, there's a problem with you because what your your problem is you need God to confirm it a thousand different times before you're willing to risk and share it. 00:39:50.559 --> 00:39:55.280 I just hear it and I do it, and I don't care because I've seen so many times God move. 00:39:55.440 --> 00:39:56.800 I'm like, that like how though? 00:39:56.880 --> 00:39:58.880 And he's like, and he calls the waitress over. 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:00.480 He's like, This is I'm not kidding. 00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:03.440 It's as fast as he's like, Hey, what's your name again? 00:40:03.599 --> 00:40:04.000 So and so. 00:40:04.079 --> 00:40:06.559 And she's like, Hey, my friend Darren has a word for you. 00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:08.000 That's literally what he does. 00:40:08.159 --> 00:40:09.440 And I'm like, hi. 00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:11.840 And he goes, Darren, what's the first thing that came to your mind? 00:40:12.079 --> 00:40:13.760 Like, he's like, Zach, how about you? 00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:16.880 And Zach's like, he's like, Darren, I know God said something. 00:40:17.039 --> 00:40:18.639 And I'm like, I'm so sorry. 00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:21.440 Like, are you caring for someone who's in the hospital? 00:40:21.679 --> 00:40:22.480 First thought. 00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:23.840 She starts crying. 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:27.440 Her mom's in the hospital right as we speak, sick. 00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:29.199 And he goes, Call her. 00:40:29.360 --> 00:40:30.559 Darren knows that there's something. 00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:31.519 We're gonna pray for your mom. 00:40:31.679 --> 00:40:33.679 She gets on the phone, starts prophesying. 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:36.400 He starts prophesying over her the mom. 00:40:36.559 --> 00:40:37.280 She's crying. 00:40:37.360 --> 00:40:38.400 She's like, How do you know? 00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:39.519 Have you told him anything? 00:40:39.679 --> 00:40:40.800 No, haven't told him anything. 00:40:40.880 --> 00:40:43.280 And he looks at the girl and he's like, You're not talking to your brother. 00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:44.559 She's like, No, I'm not. 00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:45.360 Call your brother. 00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:47.199 Like, hang up the phone, starts talking. 00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:49.360 This, it was the most insane thing. 00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:54.320 And all the other tables are like, Where is the it was so amazing? 00:40:55.360 --> 00:40:57.679 And he says to me, he goes, This is the line he said. 00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.880 He's like, Darren, at some point you're gonna get the kind of faith that you'll open your mouth and trust God to fill it. 00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:04.000 Yes, thank you, Jesus. 00:41:04.239 --> 00:41:05.119 I'm like, but how? 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:08.880 He's like, because you know God's love is so great, he wants to love on his kids. 00:41:09.039 --> 00:41:09.440 That's it. 00:41:09.599 --> 00:41:11.360 And you become a vessel for his love. 00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:11.840 That's it. 00:41:11.920 --> 00:41:13.280 And that that's what changed. 00:41:13.360 --> 00:41:15.519 It was like, at first, it's like, I just want the word of knowledge. 00:41:15.679 --> 00:41:16.239 Does God speak? 00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:19.840 And you're like, God obviously speaks, yeah, he wants to love his kids. 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:20.079 Yeah. 00:41:20.239 --> 00:41:26.480 I think one of the things that getting people past that barrier of just step into the flow of what the father's already doing. 00:41:26.559 --> 00:41:27.519 Yeah, it's so good. 00:41:27.679 --> 00:41:29.760 It's so easy to step into what he already wants to do. 00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:42.400 I don't want to mess up the flow, but I just like this is something there's no this is something that I because when I came into like the charismatic space five years ago, I was like, I love the Holy Spirit, I love words of knowledge, this is amazing. 00:41:42.639 --> 00:41:46.320 And then I was like, Yeah, let's go. 00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:52.320 And I was so excited and I like was so

excited like at GGB gatherings to start like releasing words of knowledge. 00:41:52.400 --> 00:41:57.679 It was so encouraging to be like, oh my gosh, I have no idea what I just said, and now this person's crying, it's amazing. 00:41:57.840 --> 00:42:08.000 And then I think equally, as much as my faith has been built in this area, I've also seen people use this, not even intentionally at times, but in the wrong way. 00:42:08.239 --> 00:42:14.719 I've seen people's like personal biases really fuel words that they've given. 00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:16.960 I've seen people probably lie. 00:42:17.119 --> 00:42:24.960 I've I it's just been really interesting to watch people who it's like, okay, that was like so fueled by emotion and bias. 00:42:25.119 --> 00:42:32.559 What do you say to that for the people who've been jaded by that and also for the people so that we don't ever go into personal bias? 00:42:32.880 --> 00:43:04.239 I want to hear what you have to say, but let me start by saying there there needs to be way more accountability around the things of the spirit, just because there have been a lot of bad charismatic leaders who who use prophecy for their own gain, who lied about words of knowledge, that literally, you know, dug up information on Facebook and social media to manipulate the event, to wow and point them back to themselves, or even, you know, people that know you and will call you out of a crowd because they they want a connection. 00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:05.360 Like that happens, right? 00:43:05.440 --> 00:43:07.119 Because that's the world we live in. 00:43:07.280 --> 00:43:10.239 All the stuff we're talking about is not for platform. 00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:11.840 It's not for the stage. 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:13.920 It all happens in everyday, ordinary life. 00:43:14.079 --> 00:43:15.440 First of all, that's where it needs to begin. 00:43:15.519 --> 00:43:17.280 It needs to come out of this place of love. 00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:21.440 Like we're not talking about great, we figured out how to do this on a stage and do it to the masses. 00:43:21.519 --> 00:43:25.360 We're talking about at Starbucks, at your workplace, at the restaurant. 00:43:25.519 --> 00:43:27.039 We're talking about where the meat is. 00:43:27.199 --> 00:43:29.679 John Wembley used to say the meat is on the streets. 00:43:29.840 --> 00:43:30.000 Wow. 00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:37.360 What I would like to say is if you want the content of Jesus' ministry, you need to apply the content in the context. 00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:37.679 Yes. 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:41.920 Which, if you look at his healing ministry, you look at the power encounters, it was always on the go. 00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:42.320 Yes. 00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:43.440 Everything's interrupted. 00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:43.679 Yeah. 00:43:43.920 --> 00:43:47.280 Every story I talk about in Matthew 9 is an interruption. 00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:50.639 He gets interrupted by a guy who brings in a paralyzed guy in a

mat. 00:43:50.880 --> 00:43:55.280 He gets interrupted by a guy who falls to his knees and says, Come to my house because my daughter is dying. 00:43:55.440 --> 00:43:59.760 And then on his way from that interruption, he gets interrupted in the interruption by the woman who touches. 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:03.039 It's like all it is an interruption, all it is is on the go. 00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:04.079 So let me start there. 00:44:04.239 --> 00:44:06.079 That's the that's one is it's out there. 00:44:06.159 --> 00:44:08.079 The second, we just need more accountability. 00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:14.320 There are people who operate in the things of the spirit who are prophetic or are prophets and do these things that are held to accountability. 00:44:14.639 --> 00:44:20.000 Like Julian Adams is a great example, my friend, who's now in the UK and his wife Katia. 00:44:20.320 --> 00:44:22.639 They are held with they I love them so much. 00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:23.679 Shout out to you guys. 00:44:23.920 --> 00:44:28.320 They there are words that Julian has sat with for years before he releases it. 00:44:28.880 --> 00:44:30.320 So he he holds with accountability. 00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:33.599 Like so, I and there's a lot of people like that that are operating like that. 00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:36.639 Unfortunately, it has been used improperly. 00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:38.320 And I think what do we do? 00:44:38.480 --> 00:44:40.079 Stay committed to a local church. 00:44:40.400 --> 00:44:46.960 Like people that you see that have been that have fallen down are traveling ministers that are not a part of a local church. 00:44:47.840 --> 00:44:49.039 This is for the local church. 00:44:49.119 --> 00:44:58.079 Even the apes, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherd teachers, the five-fold ministry in Ephesians chapter four, they are for local, they're in partnership with the local church. 00:44:58.159 --> 00:45:01.760 They're not a ministry into themselves, and they're building up local churches. 00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:04.880 I just there's no world outside of ministry outside of the local church. 00:45:04.960 --> 00:45:09.519 I just, whether you're an influencer, whether you're a prophet, like you're part of a local church. 00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:15.039 And then I would say the other piece is we can't be afraid of it because of the abuse. 00:45:15.519 --> 00:45:20.400 Like we don't we don't not have relationship because we were hurt by a relationship. 00:45:20.639 --> 00:45:25.199 Like that's the the goal is to be fully healthy in these things. 00:45:25.360 --> 00:45:30.159 So that the guardrails that we have, like the fact that we're saying when you're listening to God, is it biblical? 00:45:30.320 --> 00:45:31.280 That's a good start. 00:45:31.440 --> 00:45:31.679 Yeah. 00:45:31.840 --> 00:45:32.880 We're teaching how to pray. 00:45:32.960 --> 00:45:34.960 We're gonna start with does it line up with scripture? 00:45:35.119 --> 00:45:37.280 Does it line up with the character and nature of God? 00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:42.079 These simple things become a grid through which the harm is is limited. 00:45:42.320 --> 00:45:43.039 What are the other ones? 00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:45.280 Because that's gonna be this is gonna be how we correct. 00:45:45.519 --> 00:45:49.119 I think, yeah, we consistently emphasize praying in pairs. 00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:53.440 Also, I think this isn't all right, John's ministry. 00:45:53.599 --> 00:45:57.599 There is such a giving away of this that everyone gets to play that we have to be a part of. 00:45:57.760 --> 00:46:02.239 I think also how we give a word is really important, how we do that within our ministry context. 00:46:02.320 --> 00:46:04.079 So it's do we say thus saith the Lord? 00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:06.320 No, no, we say God speaking this. 00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:08.559 I I could be wrong, but I get the sense. 00:46:08.639 --> 00:46:10.800 Or hey, tell me if this resonates. 00:46:10.960 --> 00:46:12.719 If it doesn't, like stop me. 00:46:13.119 --> 00:46:22.159 So in the delivery of the prophetic or the word of knowledge, there's a sense of humility where it's it's a posturing of I might get this wrong, even as you share it. 00:46:22.320 --> 00:46:22.880 This is so important. 00:46:22.960 --> 00:46:23.920 This is how we do it at garden. 00:46:25.280 --> 00:46:26.000 We honor them, yeah. 00:46:26.400 --> 00:46:28.239 And I that that's the posture we have to take. 00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:36.400 So I am this is how I see when I invite people into how to do this, I give them a model of a wedding. 00:46:36.639 --> 00:46:38.480 We are ushers at a wedding. 00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:39.119 Beautiful. 00:46:39.280 --> 00:46:43.920 As the ministry team, we are there to make sure that the bride meets the bridegroom. 00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:45.360 We are not the main event. 00:46:45.519 --> 00:46:48.400 We don't add, who remembers their ushers at a wedding? 00:46:48.480 --> 00:46:49.679 I don't remember the ushers I had. 00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:52.079 Like, but they remember the bride and the bridegroom. 00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:53.920 And so that is perspective. 00:46:54.079 --> 00:47:00.800 So if ever we think that we're the controller of it or somehow it's dependent upon us, it will become dependent upon us. 00:47:01.039 --> 00:47:05.039 And so those mindsets, those guardrails of like this is the posture we take. 00:47:05.119 --> 00:47:06.480 We are a non-anxious presence. 00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:08.239 We are not thus, saith the Lord. 00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:10.960 We are getting out of the way of what Jesus wants to do. 00:47:11.119 --> 00:47:20.800 Sometimes, oftentimes, what I've seen a uh failure in is we add to things that God's spoken, and we think because it's only been he only said one word, we have to add to it. 00:47:20.960 --> 00:47:23.280 And in that adding, we add our flesh to it. 00:47:23.599 --> 00:47:24.079 So good. 00:47:24.400 --> 00:47:29.920 And I think I had

a um this moment with this youth leader, and I just heard something simple. 00:47:30.079 --> 00:47:32.639 I heard pen to paper, it's kind of a pen to paper. 00:47:32.880 --> 00:47:35.679 And my mind wanted to go, oh, he's writing a book. 00:47:35.920 --> 00:47:37.280 Oh, this is the book building. 00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:39.119 This is what it's gonna be about. 00:47:39.280 --> 00:47:42.960 You know, I I I know that he's he's interested in this type of thing. 00:47:43.039 --> 00:47:46.480 So I'm gonna give him, I had all these things I want to, I was gonna add. 00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:49.679 And I just heard this correction of like, don't say any more than this. 00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:51.440 Yeah, pen and paper. 00:47:51.599 --> 00:47:51.760 Yeah. 00:47:51.920 --> 00:47:52.880 And it was completely different. 00:47:52.960 --> 00:48:02.800 He was just deciding between becoming a teacher or becoming a script writer for a future, and he ended up and the other thing is I gave this word to him and talked to him afterwards. 00:48:03.039 --> 00:48:08.159 Don't we train our people, don't change your entire life because one person's word, yeah. 00:48:08.320 --> 00:48:14.880 So it's not only training our ministry team, but how do you train a community to receive and carry and and steward a word? 00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:18.880 And it was like, hey, don't quit your teaching job just because I had the sense. 00:48:18.960 --> 00:48:20.000 Like, let's discern this. 00:48:20.079 --> 00:48:20.880 Yeah, let's walk this out. 00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:21.599 Walk it out and quit. 00:48:21.760 --> 00:48:23.039 Well, you sort of said this in your life. 00:48:23.119 --> 00:48:28.159 Right, yeah, that's the the proper way of because the gifts are given for the common good of the church. 00:48:28.239 --> 00:48:28.400 Yes. 00:48:28.559 --> 00:48:32.559 And so it's a building up of the church, the local church, local church, the local church. 00:48:32.719 --> 00:48:36.079 Because yeah, because we say church, we're like, great, my little no, yes, my podcast. 00:48:36.480 --> 00:48:38.880 It's designed church because it's at held. 00:48:39.199 --> 00:48:39.360 Yeah. 00:48:39.440 --> 00:48:55.039 So what you're describing though is what a healthy culture of this looks like where the issues that you describe that have been, you know, publicly displayed of that need correction, part of the problem is that they they weren't operating in the context that we're describing. 00:48:55.599 --> 00:49:12.960 So the very the commitments to the things that we're talking about, the the values that we have, they create a healthy culture for a kind of prayer ministry where it's safe enough to have words of knowledge and exercise them in a community that's safe, where it's tested, it's challenged, it's corrected. 00:49:13.119 --> 00:49:16.159 Like, how many times have we because our church has grown so much? 00:49:16.320 --> 00:49:23.440 I've been in, you know, I've been like, hey, remind people not to put their hand on people's head, put it on their shoulder, like little tiny things that we don't blow on people. 00:49:23.599 --> 00:49:26.559 We don't blow, we don't usher in a windstorm. 00:49:26.719 --> 00:49:30.719 Yeah, we don't shake or or move them back and forth or rock them. 00:49:31.199 --> 00:49:34.719 We don't push them down and sometimes we'll turn the lights up. 00:49:34.960 --> 00:49:41.440 Oh, I don't this is how I try, especially in new context when I'm I'm ministering in places that are wanting to grow these things. 00:49:41.599 --> 00:49:50.480 I try to get rid of all the let's darken, let's make the lights dark, let's get the fog machine going, get the synthesizer in the back and piano player. 00:49:50.559 --> 00:49:54.000 I'm like, forget all that, no music, lights on, quiet everyone. 00:49:54.079 --> 00:49:57.760 I want to hear the sniffles, I want to hear the laughter, I want to hear the coughs. 00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:07.280 I want everyone to experience the spirit of God coming in the room in an ordinary way so they can pay attention because otherwise we just condition people into emotional response. 00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:08.880 And I'm just I don't want any of that. 00:50:09.199 --> 00:50:09.760 I want the real thing. 00:50:10.079 --> 00:50:12.320 We limit the ministry of Jesus to a particular setting. 00:50:12.400 --> 00:50:12.559 Yeah. 00:50:12.639 --> 00:50:19.280 And so then that creates a model in our own minds like, how am I gonna, you know, I need the keys in my in the grocery store, I need the keys in my office, I need the smoke machine. 00:50:19.360 --> 00:50:23.119 It's that is not this is the Sundays are boot camp. 00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:24.000 A thousand percent. 00:50:24.320 --> 00:50:25.039 That's so great. 00:50:25.360 --> 00:50:27.119 It's that's that's where it begins. 00:50:27.280 --> 00:50:34.159 And so if we think that's just the place, then we're gonna miss the ministry of Jesus, it was meant to bring people to him. 00:50:34.639 --> 00:50:38.400 Can I tell you the most accurate word I've probably gotten from being sarcastic? 00:50:38.559 --> 00:50:38.719 Yeah. 00:50:39.039 --> 00:50:43.440 Years ago, I was at like a young adult service, and there was this person there. 00:50:43.679 --> 00:50:49.920 He was like a younger person who was sitting next to me, and in the middle of the service goes, I was like, Yeah, what's up? 00:50:50.079 --> 00:50:52.079 He goes, You're gonna have a G-Wagon. 00:50:52.800 --> 00:50:54.400 I swear, I swear. 00:50:54.719 --> 00:50:56.559 And I go, What? 00:50:57.280 --> 00:51:01.360 And then literally two minutes later comes back, it's gonna be white. 00:51:01.599 --> 00:51:02.480 That's what he's saying. 00:51:02.639 --> 00:51:05.199 Yes, yeah, did it strengthen you, encourage you, comfort you? 00:51:05.360 --> 00:51:06.239 I'm still waiting for it. 00:51:07.599 --> 00:51:08.559 Maybe it's in your future. 00:51:09.199 --> 00:51:10.719 No, but I'm actually not

kidding. 00:51:10.800 --> 00:51:12.000 And this is that's crazy. 00:51:12.239 --> 00:51:16.639 This is someone who like went around giving lots of prophetic words, lots of words of knowledge. 00:51:16.800 --> 00:51:20.960 So, anyways, things like that exist, and there are people who do things really helpfully. 00:51:21.360 --> 00:51:23.519 And the thing is, he might be true. 00:51:23.599 --> 00:51:24.639 He might have heard from God. 00:51:24.719 --> 00:51:25.360 You might have that. 00:51:25.440 --> 00:51:26.800 You don't know you don't know. 00:51:26.960 --> 00:51:29.199 You said the best thing uh a couple years ago. 00:51:29.360 --> 00:51:32.960 You said the spirit of the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. 00:51:33.360 --> 00:51:35.119 If it doesn't point to Jesus, it's not prophetic. 00:51:35.440 --> 00:51:36.480 That's from Revelation. 00:51:36.719 --> 00:51:38.320 Oh, I thought you said that you did say that. 00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:39.599 That was the Apostle John did it. 00:51:41.440 --> 00:51:42.079 You did say it. 00:51:42.239 --> 00:51:42.480 That's right. 00:51:42.559 --> 00:51:46.079 If it doesn't point to Jesus, I do believe that God is kindness in that. 00:51:46.320 --> 00:51:47.519 I have a story, a car story. 00:51:47.599 --> 00:51:48.320 Can I share real quick? 00:51:48.559 --> 00:51:49.599 I I have it in my notes. 00:51:49.760 --> 00:51:50.079 Do you? 00:51:50.159 --> 00:51:50.960 Oh no way. 00:51:51.119 --> 00:51:53.039 So maybe this is just, I don't know, we'll see. 00:51:53.119 --> 00:51:54.719 So, but this is the mindsets that we have. 00:51:54.960 --> 00:51:55.119 Right. 00:51:55.199 --> 00:51:55.760 This is so great. 00:51:55.920 --> 00:52:00.639 If we don't believe that God wants to give good gifts to those who ask, I just think there's an abundance. 00:52:00.800 --> 00:52:02.880 I took a little retreat, I needed a bit of space. 00:52:03.039 --> 00:52:05.840 I went to um, there's a little retreat center in Palo Verde, St. 00:52:05.920 --> 00:52:06.880 Mary's retreat center. 00:52:06.960 --> 00:52:10.159 The grounds are great there, but I love the grounds at Tiranea. 00:52:10.239 --> 00:52:11.840 Like just walking the grounds there is beautiful. 00:52:11.920 --> 00:52:14.000 So I'm walking the grounds there all by myself. 00:52:14.079 --> 00:52:19.039 I'm sitting under a tree and I'm journaling and I hear the Lord say, I'm gonna buy you lunch today. 00:52:19.679 --> 00:52:21.280 And I'm like, I dismiss it. 00:52:21.440 --> 00:52:24.320 I wrote it down, but I was like, that's silly, that's ridiculous. 00:52:25.760 --> 00:52:26.159 Agreement. 00:52:26.320 --> 00:52:27.280 I made an agreement there. 00:52:27.519 --> 00:52:28.000 Like, right? 00:52:28.320 --> 00:52:29.039 He's not gonna do that. 00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:30.480 That's that wasn't the voice of God. 00:52:30.639 --> 00:52:38.400 Sitting at this little cat that one of the restaurants at at Tirania and sitting alone, and this at the end of the meal, this these two women walk up. 00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:41.679 If they're out there, there's a she was a pastor at a church in Pasadena. 00:52:41.840 --> 00:52:43.679 She said, Hey, you're at Staff at Garden, right? 00:52:43.760 --> 00:52:45.440 I'd done announcements that week before. 00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:50.079 And she's like, Hey, I'm on sabbatical, and we were at Garden on Sunday and saw you up there. 00:52:50.239 --> 00:52:52.000 My mom and I just want to buy you lunch today. 00:52:53.280 --> 00:52:55.760 Buy me lunch, and I'm just like, I start crying. 00:52:56.480 --> 00:52:57.599 And I open my journal up. 00:52:57.679 --> 00:53:02.719 I'm like, the Lord told me that someone's gonna buy me lunch today, or that he was gonna buy me lunch, and I didn't believe him. 00:53:02.800 --> 00:53:04.400 And she's like, Well, just God bless you. 00:53:04.480 --> 00:53:08.559 So I heard the Lord say, If you don't think I can't buy you lunch, then you don't know how much I love you. 00:53:09.199 --> 00:53:19.280 And it was a week and a half later that a friend had told that God had told a friend of mine, hey, give John your forerunner, your car. 00:53:19.599 --> 00:53:21.599 Okay, hold on, pause because this is a story I want to tell. 00:53:21.760 --> 00:53:22.000 Yes. 00:53:22.159 --> 00:53:22.480 All right. 00:53:22.719 --> 00:53:26.800 We are actively pursuing hearing God's voice in our church and generosity. 00:53:26.880 --> 00:53:29.360 Like those are things we garden church is known for that. 00:53:29.519 --> 00:53:35.679 So one of my friends has been asking me to discern with him this massive purchase. 00:53:35.760 --> 00:53:41.280 He's one of my covenant friends, and he was like, I want to buy this built-out camper van. 00:53:41.840 --> 00:53:44.400 And it's you know, over a hundred thousand dollars. 00:53:44.639 --> 00:53:46.000 He's crushing it in business. 00:53:46.079 --> 00:53:49.599 He's extremely generous, gives, tithes, like does so much for other people. 00:53:49.760 --> 00:53:54.320 And and we he waited for weeks, like found this deal, waited for weeks, discerned it. 00:53:54.400 --> 00:53:56.239 I was like, man, I feel like God's saying yes. 00:53:56.320 --> 00:54:02.000 Cause we we were at that in that season, we're like, we don't make decisions on big things with finances that we're not accountable to. 00:54:02.079 --> 00:54:02.719 So he brought it to us. 00:54:02.800 --> 00:54:03.440 We were talking about it. 00:54:03.519 --> 00:54:04.639 I was like, Yeah, I think you should do it. 00:54:04.880 --> 00:54:10.880 And the the discernment was he's gonna sell his awesome Forerunner, which was an insane car and make a lot of money off of it. 00:54:11.199 --> 00:54:17.119 And what your dream car and he's gonna buy this car, which was a lot of money, and you know, he's gonna go, he got a deal. 00:54:17.199 --> 00:54:28.000 So he he he goes to to do it, and and he's sitting in church on Sunday in worship and he hears from the Lord, you can't sell

the Forerunner, you have to give it to John. 00:54:28.320 --> 00:54:35.519 And so you have this 50 something thousand dollar car that's gonna help pay for this bigger car that he's like discerned in confidence. 00:54:35.599 --> 00:54:38.960 And God's like, not only are you gonna buy that, you're gonna give this one away. 00:54:39.119 --> 00:54:44.400 And so John has that story where he's learning to hear about free meal this guy when that lunch was bought. 00:54:44.559 --> 00:54:45.679 I was like, I will need to. 00:54:45.840 --> 00:54:47.119 And then okay, and then what happens? 00:54:47.440 --> 00:54:48.480 He comes over to drop it off. 00:54:49.280 --> 00:54:49.679 What does he do? 00:54:49.760 --> 00:54:50.480 Tell me how it goes. 00:54:50.639 --> 00:54:54.639 Um I'm I have my amazing car, 2007. 00:54:55.199 --> 00:54:56.639 A blue blue monster. 00:54:58.800 --> 00:55:00.800 I bought this car because it was a good deal. 00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:01.679 It's such a good deal. 00:55:01.920 --> 00:55:03.760 When did you still when did you spill paint in it? 00:55:03.920 --> 00:55:05.360 Because it's all I remember is the paint. 00:55:05.519 --> 00:55:06.960 I'm not gonna call my wife, but she was the one. 00:55:07.119 --> 00:55:12.400 I I was helping her, she's a professional organizer, and so I had all this stuff that I was like, simply tidy, professional organizer. 00:55:12.480 --> 00:55:12.800 Let's go. 00:55:13.199 --> 00:55:20.159 I bought the car when we were at we had we hadn't, it was like, you know, you're in a relationship and it's like you can make decisions to a certain point without asking. 00:55:20.239 --> 00:55:21.760 I mean, yeah, I never had that period. 00:55:21.920 --> 00:55:22.639 You never had that period? 00:55:22.800 --> 00:55:22.960 No. 00:55:23.119 --> 00:55:26.719 Well, like we were dating, but I wasn't like needed, I didn't need to ask her permission to buy a car. 00:55:27.199 --> 00:55:27.840 I bought this bright. 00:55:28.320 --> 00:55:32.480 She went, she went to visit her parents in Oregon, and I bought this car while she was gone. 00:55:32.559 --> 00:55:34.960 And I was like gonna surprise her to pick her up in the airport. 00:55:35.119 --> 00:55:38.159 And uh, so I picked her up and I had popped the trunk of this car. 00:55:38.320 --> 00:55:39.760 She's like, Is this what is this? 00:55:39.840 --> 00:55:41.039 I'm like, This is a car I bought. 00:55:41.119 --> 00:55:44.559 She's like, You bought this car, and it was just I love her. 00:55:44.800 --> 00:55:46.559 It was, yeah, it was it was great. 00:55:46.639 --> 00:55:47.360 I love the car. 00:55:48.079 --> 00:55:49.760 It was the find you first season. 00:55:49.920 --> 00:55:51.440 Yeah, I sold it for$500. 00:55:52.239 --> 00:55:54.000 Gave them anyway, but sold it for$500. 00:55:54.400 --> 00:55:58.880 And Zach ended up having Zach pulled up that that day and gave me the keys to the foreigner. 00:55:59.039 --> 00:56:00.480 And what you couldn't believe it. 00:56:00.559 --> 00:56:01.199 I couldn't believe it. 00:56:01.280 --> 00:56:01.760 I was shocked. 00:56:01.840 --> 00:56:02.320 I couldn't believe it. 00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:03.199 It was so hard to receive. 00:56:03.280 --> 00:56:04.880 It was the hardest gift I've ever had ever received. 00:56:04.960 --> 00:56:05.440 It's so good. 00:56:05.760 --> 00:56:06.719 That is amazing. 00:56:06.960 --> 00:56:09.360 Okay, then we'll find that one while God's speaking. 00:56:09.599 --> 00:56:10.800 He might have a G-Wagon coming. 00:56:10.960 --> 00:56:22.559 Can I I want to I want to talk some more practicals and we'll close real quick because when we're talking about an environment that you can explore the voice of God and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, we'll get I have these values I wrote for a long time ago. 00:56:22.719 --> 00:56:24.400 I think they're in the training, maybe some of them. 00:56:24.719 --> 00:56:29.519 Number one, whatever for our ministry team, we have values that we you'll get this when you go through the training. 00:56:29.679 --> 00:56:30.960 Number one is compassion. 00:56:31.199 --> 00:56:34.559 If you want to pray for people, you need to have a desire to pray for people. 00:56:34.639 --> 00:56:35.199 Yes, yes. 00:56:35.360 --> 00:56:40.000 And you don't have to you don't have to pray for people, but it is a ministry of compassion. 00:56:40.400 --> 00:56:47.199 Compassion pulls an individual outside of their problems and their stuff and helps focus beyond them, right? 00:56:47.280 --> 00:56:51.440 And you move beyond answering their needs and you move into the ministry of Jesus. 00:56:51.599 --> 00:56:56.239 So compassion is what Jesus felt when people were bound by sickness or demons. 00:56:56.400 --> 00:56:58.639 He was moved to restore people into wholeness. 00:56:58.719 --> 00:56:59.039 Yes. 00:56:59.199 --> 00:57:00.639 It literally means to suffer with. 00:57:01.280 --> 00:57:01.440 Yeah. 00:57:01.679 --> 00:57:02.079 Compassion. 00:57:02.400 --> 00:57:02.719 Compassion. 00:57:03.519 --> 00:57:06.000 The second is honor, compassion honor. 00:57:06.159 --> 00:57:08.719 We honor the dignity of the individual. 00:57:08.880 --> 00:57:19.840 We want to ensure people that come and get prayer and the way we pray honors individual with respect that they're receiving prayer in a sensitive way, in a gentle way, in a generous way, in a loving way. 00:57:20.079 --> 00:57:26.159 We view them not as a project to receive my word of knowledge, no, but as love children of God. 00:57:26.320 --> 00:57:37.360 And and like there are times where, like, for me, the way honor is confronted is when we shame people with confess, like like they're doing, like, I see people like shame people and all sorts of things, all sorts of things. 00:57:37.440 --> 00:57:42.559 But what happens for me most of the time when I've tried to protect their honor is usually in the realm of the demonic. 00:57:42.719 --> 00:57:50.239 So if people are dealing

with demons and if they're manifesting demons, the demons regularly try to embarrass the individual or shame. 00:57:51.039 --> 00:57:58.320 And so it's we we you know, we've learned it, we cut it off immediately because this is a daughter or son of the king, and that there's no place for this here. 00:57:59.119 --> 00:58:00.239 What do you mean you cut it off? 00:58:00.480 --> 00:58:02.559 You stop them from causing a reaction. 00:58:03.039 --> 00:58:05.679 Literally to say you will not diminish this person's honor. 00:58:05.760 --> 00:58:05.920 Yeah. 00:58:06.320 --> 00:58:07.360 Be silenced in Jesus' name. 00:58:07.519 --> 00:58:16.159 Yeah, we we take authority because if you're in a setting and demons begin to manifest in a worship gathering, demons draw draw attention to themselves away from Jesus. 00:58:16.239 --> 00:58:16.400 Yeah. 00:58:16.559 --> 00:58:24.639 So if you're learning how to do this, what we've learned is the easiest way to get things back to order is to silence the demonic, but to draw attention back to Jesus. 00:58:25.039 --> 00:58:26.559 So things are happening you don't know. 00:58:26.639 --> 00:58:28.800 You just bring people back to exalting Christ. 00:58:28.880 --> 00:58:29.119 Yes. 00:58:29.360 --> 00:58:31.440 I do that all the time when I don't know what's going on. 00:58:31.679 --> 00:58:32.480 Third is love. 00:58:32.559 --> 00:58:42.400 The goal for anyone that's receiving prayers to feel loved, and the space we create as a community is to show the love of God by staying in that posture of love. 00:58:42.639 --> 00:58:44.320 The the fourth is openness. 00:58:44.400 --> 00:58:48.239 We pray and invite others to pray as a response to what the Holy Spirit's doing. 00:58:48.400 --> 00:58:52.960 We're not expecting that we know we're we're creating an openness. 00:58:53.119 --> 00:58:55.440 And the last thing is just simplicity. 00:58:56.320 --> 00:58:59.360 So for me, we don't elaborate like so. 00:58:59.440 --> 00:59:07.760 When we have words of knowledge or a vision, I tell people and I train them to pray the way God speaks to you is like the notes. 00:59:08.239 --> 00:59:10.239 Discern the message for the person. 00:59:10.320 --> 00:59:12.320 Don't you don't need to show them the notes. 00:59:12.480 --> 00:59:26.079 So let's say you have this giant vision of rainbows and red cars and a blue boat and this green leprechaun, and you know, you're and you go through this elaborate vision, they're lost, you know, by the way God spoke to you. 00:59:26.320 --> 00:59:28.320 Discern the message and make it simple. 00:59:28.480 --> 00:59:28.639 Yeah. 00:59:28.800 --> 00:59:30.960 I just think God's well, I want to wants to bless you with this. 00:59:31.119 --> 00:59:32.320 So I want to encourage you with this. 00:59:32.480 --> 00:59:32.960 Yes. 00:59:33.440 --> 00:59:35.199 Remember, it's all about Jesus. 00:59:35.360 --> 00:59:39.440 If someone is open to receiving prayer, God's already working in them. 00:59:39.679 --> 00:59:41.280 So you don't need to do anything. 00:59:41.760 --> 00:59:42.320 So good. 00:59:42.480 --> 00:59:44.000 Like that He's already moving. 00:59:44.079 --> 00:59:48.400 So the best prayers we train train people to pray is I bless what you're doing, God. 00:59:48.719 --> 00:59:50.000 More Jesus. 00:59:50.480 --> 00:59:51.440 Come, Holy Spirit. 00:59:51.519 --> 00:59:53.039 Those are the prayers, like simple prayers. 00:59:53.199 --> 00:59:56.079 And then we said this already, but faith is spelled R-A-S-K. 00:59:56.400 --> 00:59:58.559 So you're gonna have to step out in faith at some point. 00:59:58.800 --> 01:00:05.440 And then the last thing, and we'll we'll go to another session in a little bit, is we don't stop praying. 01:00:05.840 --> 01:00:15.679 So if someone wants to get healing prayer, yeah, and there's a specific training we've done all over on how to pray for healing, which we've borrowed from the vineyard, is we'll pray lots of times for them. 01:00:15.840 --> 01:00:18.480 I've seen people get healed after one prayer. 01:00:18.639 --> 01:00:21.039 I've seen people not get healed at all. 01:00:21.280 --> 01:00:26.320 I've seen people get gradually healed over a course of like five, six, seven prayers. 01:00:26.480 --> 01:00:33.039 And the reason we say that is like, you know, we there's a way to pray, but one of the things I've seen is you just keep going persistent. 01:00:33.119 --> 01:00:34.639 You like Jesus teaches this, right? 01:00:34.719 --> 01:00:36.480 Like, be the persistent widow. 01:00:36.559 --> 01:00:37.119 Yes, yes. 01:00:37.280 --> 01:00:38.400 That's how we're taught to pray. 01:00:38.559 --> 01:00:41.440 Be the nagging neighbor or the persistent widow. 01:00:41.519 --> 01:00:43.360 Yeah, that's how he teaches us to pray. 01:00:43.519 --> 01:00:46.639 We're gonna knock, we're gonna seek, we're gonna ask. 01:00:46.800 --> 01:01:03.360 And if we have the right view of God, then we know that his desire is wholeness and freedom and love and justice and healing and righteousness and the presence of God and all the things we read about his desires, that's the kingdom of God manifests, right? 01:01:03.440 --> 01:01:05.119 And and eventually it will be like that. 01:01:05.280 --> 01:01:11.679 I was just finishing writing in Revelation, the book, and I get to the end, and it's like, no more tears, no more pain. 01:01:11.840 --> 01:01:13.440 Like that's where this story ends. 01:01:13.599 --> 01:01:15.280 We know, we know how the story ends. 01:01:15.440 --> 01:01:16.320 We know how the story ends. 01:01:16.400 --> 01:01:17.119 Isn't that amazing? 01:01:17.199 --> 01:01:19.840 That that his desire is met once and for all. 01:01:19.920 --> 01:01:24.480 Yeah, creation is restored, healing has come once and for all with the age to come. 01:01:24.559 --> 01:01:26.000 And so we're moving that direction. 01:01:26.239 --> 01:01:29.599 Doesn't mean we're gonna get our way right now, but it does mean we press forward with that. 01:01:29.760 --> 01:01:30.079 That's it. 01:01:30.159 --> 01:01:30.480 That's it. 01:01:30.639 --> 01:01:30.960 Is that good? 01:01:31.280 --> 01:01:31.760 That's so good. 01:01:31.920 --> 01:01:32.159 All right. 01:01:32.320 --> 01:01:33.679 So, John, thanks for being with us today. 01:01:33.840 --> 01:01:34.800 Of course, John, yeah. 01:01:34.880 --> 01:01:35.840 This is a great episode. 01:01:36.000 --> 01:01:37.920 Sorry for the rant about all the influencers. 01:01:38.000 --> 01:01:39.440 Hopefully, that didn't offend anyone. 01:01:40.320 --> 01:01:40.960 That was the best part. 01:01:41.199 --> 01:01:42.159 Let us know what you think. 01:01:42.320 --> 01:01:43.199 Thanks for joining us. 01:01:43.280 --> 01:01:44.239 We'll see you guys next week. 01:01:44.480 --> 01:01:45.039 Love you guys.