To Live is Christ

[00:00:02] Speaker A: When I come across those people that are browbeating people away from God and keeping them away from God, I'm thinking, I'd rather you take the cross necklace off, take the fish off the car, stop wearing the flag. If you're gonna be misrepresented, don't help us. [00:00:15] Speaker B: You're hurting us. [00:00:16] Speaker A: That's right. You're hurting us. [00:00:17] Speaker B: And. Oh, I agree. One of the reasons that Jesus was always so angry at the Pharisees is because they were making it so much harder for people to get to the Lord and to get to God. [00:00:32] Speaker C: You can get that for you. [00:00:34] Speaker B: Might as well get a G wagon. [00:00:37] Speaker C: School bus for you. But you can get. 30,000 will get you a. A nice. But I don't want to go get. [00:00:48] Speaker B: You a new Kia, baby. [00:00:49] Speaker C: Well, yeah, if you don't have insurance. [00:00:53] Speaker B: You can get insurance. What's that gotta do with it? [00:00:56] Speaker C: Well, you had to pay for the hospital. Oh, I thought you said new kid. [00:01:02] Speaker B: No, new Kia. [00:01:03] Speaker C: Oh, okay, yeah, I heard kid Kia. [00:01:07] Speaker B: Or a new Hyundai or a new. You might even get a. Like a. A nice Honda Civic. Honda, man, I love that Civic. But I love the CRV Renee's got. Now, that's a nice. [00:01:20] Speaker C: Let's see. [00:01:21] Speaker B: I know one thing. Sometimes when I get out of that Hyundai, my hip hurts having to the way I have to get out of it. [00:01:30] Speaker C: Well, you should be slim by now. [00:01:31] Speaker B: You've been sleeping? No, still, it does. It hurts sometimes you got to. Oh, I grabbed the wrong Bible, but all right. [00:01:38] Speaker C: Well, you got your phone. [00:01:39] Speaker B: Didn't get my glasses. [00:01:39] Speaker C: You got your phone. [00:01:40] Speaker B: Oh, man, I don't need no phone. [00:01:42] Speaker C: I do when I have a Bible. [00:01:43] Speaker B: I think that's sacrilegious. No episodes on a suit. [00:01:48] Speaker C: Because I'm around everybody around Everybody I sit around. They have their body. When I have my cell phone, that gets on me all the time. [00:01:56] Speaker B: I know one thing. I might have to borrow glasses. Have you got a pair of extra glasses? [00:02:00] Speaker C: No, I don't. No, I don't have any glasses. [00:02:03] Speaker B: I can read it if I have to go there. [00:02:06] Speaker A: We're going to test your memory today. [00:02:08] Speaker C: I ain't bringing my glasses. [00:02:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I see them. [00:02:13] Speaker A: Oh, man. Well, I was in Tacos Oaxaca. [00:02:16] Speaker B: No, it's like a O, A X, A C, A is like after the city in Mexico. Oaxaca. Oaxaca. Man, that place is great. It's over there at the main drag, a food line. It is great. If I knew her name, I'd tell you who to ask for because she's like an older waitress but she. She picks on me because I try to pronounce what I want, and she always does something that's not right. And we have a good game together, so. But she's. She's dynamite. I like her, man. [00:02:43] Speaker A: How y' all doing? [00:02:44] Speaker B: All right, everybody. Good. Good. [00:02:46] Speaker C: Ma', am, you got your question answered? [00:02:48] Speaker A: Which one? [00:02:50] Speaker B: Then I give you some homework. Yeah. Yeah. [00:02:52] Speaker A: You know what's bad? [00:02:53] Speaker B: I had to go back and think about it myself. [00:02:55] Speaker A: I specifically. [00:02:56] Speaker C: I've got my answer. [00:02:57] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:02:58] Speaker A: You know what's bad about that? I specifically didn't read the flashpoint, so I wouldn't cheat. [00:03:03] Speaker C: I haven't read the flashpoint. [00:03:05] Speaker A: But then I never actually went back and answered it. [00:03:07] Speaker C: No, I haven't. Okay. I just deleted it. I know what's going on. [00:03:11] Speaker B: Well, you could just scroll past. [00:03:14] Speaker C: I'll bring it back in. It's in my trash box right now. [00:03:18] Speaker B: So you purposely. I didn't. [00:03:21] Speaker A: I intentionally did not read it. [00:03:23] Speaker B: All right. [00:03:24] Speaker A: And then I got distracted over the last couple of days on the topics I've got to bring up, and I just totally forgot about it, like I was going to do it. And, I mean, I've still got it unread on my emails, so I wouldn't forget to do it. But then I never circled back to actually do it because I got. [00:03:41] Speaker B: I know that feeling now. [00:03:42] Speaker C: There won't be a curve. [00:03:46] Speaker B: Oh, did you write it down? Is that why you were hiding. You were hiding something from me a while ago. I was like, come on, man, I ain't trying to look on your phone. All right, so what did you write? Now remind us what the question is. The question was First Samuel, chapter 30. [00:04:00] Speaker C: To be as First Samuel, chapter 30. [00:04:03] Speaker B: Oh, no, no, that was two weeks ago. This homework assignment is how do I. [00:04:09] Speaker A: To live as Christ. [00:04:10] Speaker B: To live as Christ dies. I got the answers. Okay, well, sure didn't see them. I had them posted right there. So to live is Christ, to die is gain. That's right. I gave you that homework. What does it mean to live as Christ, or how do we do it? [00:04:27] Speaker C: We tried to be the example of Christ. [00:04:29] Speaker B: We pursued. [00:04:30] Speaker C: The knowledge of Christ means that we are willing to give up anything, everything that prevents us from having Christ. Christ is our focus, our goal, and our chief desire. [00:04:42] Speaker A: What are you reading off of notes? No, your notes. Oh, okay, so these aren't. You're not reading, like, his flashpoint or something? [00:04:50] Speaker C: Yeah, no, it's just notes right here. [00:04:52] Speaker A: So you've answered. Interesting. [00:04:53] Speaker C: Well, see, I'm answering that, but I Also got. I kind of got what I'm going to say on Sunday too. So that's why I was kind of scrolling. [00:04:59] Speaker B: Okay. [00:05:00] Speaker C: To claim his name, to pursue him with everything and to surrender is what I got. [00:05:09] Speaker B: You sure you didn't read that newsletter? [00:05:12] Speaker C: Wasn't it. No, I promised I didn't read that newsletter. I got it right here. [00:05:18] Speaker B: Did Renee read it to you? [00:05:20] Speaker C: No, she told me the question. Cause I forgot about it till last night. [00:05:23] Speaker B: Okay, well, I'm impressed because the answer. Anything you want to add to that? [00:05:28] Speaker A: No, I didn't do the whole. [00:05:30] Speaker B: Did I get. [00:05:30] Speaker C: How many did I get? [00:05:32] Speaker B: Well, I mean I have proclaim, which. That's what. How'd you know? You use a P word or proclaim imitation. [00:05:39] Speaker C: You proclaim the name of Christ. [00:05:41] Speaker B: Imitation means that what Paul says is. He says, follow me as I follow Christ. [00:05:46] Speaker C: Well that's just like being example like Christ. [00:05:50] Speaker B: Then I had pursue and be pleasing to him. Pursue knowing him. Pursuing that you would have a hunger and a thirst for him. That everything is surrendered to Him. And then surrender, willing to give up. [00:06:05] Speaker C: Anything and everything that prevents us from having Christ. [00:06:09] Speaker B: You sure I didn't. [00:06:11] Speaker C: No, no. [00:06:12] Speaker A: That just sounded like very specific wording. [00:06:15] Speaker B: Just like my word. [00:06:16] Speaker C: Well, I just. I mean I'm not. I'm not really. I didn't put it. I didn't know I had to write an essay. No, I'm just for myself. [00:06:25] Speaker B: I'm just amazed that I did it. [00:06:28] Speaker C: Like 10 o' clock last night. So I wasn't really, you know, I was just kind of. And then I went to bed. So. [00:06:36] Speaker A: So. [00:06:36] Speaker B: Well, I will say it was a good, very good answers. I will give you that. [00:06:40] Speaker C: So what's my grade? [00:06:42] Speaker B: Well, I'm just. [00:06:44] Speaker C: How many of the points did I get? [00:06:45] Speaker B: I would just have to say. I would. I would almost have to say, you know, we might have to take this before the academic board. It sounds very like mine. [00:06:56] Speaker A: Plagiarism. [00:06:59] Speaker B: I will say as far as your answers, you if that was you handed that in, I'd be like, man, that man got a 95 or 100. Because you really. [00:07:07] Speaker A: No one's got it too right though. [00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:09] Speaker A: You ever get have a look. [00:07:13] Speaker C: But it wasn't in order, was it? [00:07:16] Speaker B: That'll mean nothing, but I will say you did. Well, what were the verses? [00:07:22] Speaker A: So you said the way you left the homework was Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians. What part of Ephesians were you referencing? [00:07:31] Speaker C: I didn't do anything. [00:07:32] Speaker B: I think I was leading it towards For a lot of it, it would be. Well, you got proclaimed. Would be Philippians. Let's think about this thing just for a minute. They got the imitation, which is follow me as I follow Christ, which is First Corinthians, pursue and to be pleasing to the lord. That's Galatians 1:10. Pursue would be Philippians 3. Everything surrendered. I'm trying to think if that was the one that I thought might have been Philippians or Ephesians, but I think I was just basically saying, look, just use Paul's writings to kind of back up. Yeah. What his mind was. If I said Ephesians, it might not have been one or it might have been one. [00:08:21] Speaker C: For me, to live is Christ. [00:08:24] Speaker B: Right. [00:08:24] Speaker C: And to get. To gain, die is gain. But. And I would say to die is better. [00:08:34] Speaker B: Paul didn't. [00:08:35] Speaker C: He said, yeah, he said, gain, better gain. [00:08:37] Speaker B: But Paul said, but I don't know which one is better for right now. [00:08:42] Speaker C: Well, that's okay. He said I can do either one. [00:08:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:45] Speaker C: You know, I'd rather do the dying one, but I have to stay here for a while. [00:08:49] Speaker B: Sure. [00:08:49] Speaker A: So I don't think that's an exact. [00:08:51] Speaker B: Quote, but it's close. It's close. I mean, he does kind of wrestle with, you know. [00:08:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:57] Speaker C: For your sake, I gotta stay here. [00:09:00] Speaker B: That's right. [00:09:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:01] Speaker C: Help you out. [00:09:02] Speaker A: Stay for you. [00:09:03] Speaker C: I mean, I'm talking about you. I had to stay here. [00:09:06] Speaker B: Yeah. But to live as Christ dies, gain. Pretty good stuff. Yeah. We got communion tomorrow. Sunday. [00:09:13] Speaker C: Tomorrow or Sunday? [00:09:14] Speaker B: Sunday. It's going to be fun. Hebrews 9 is going to be my text. You ain't going to have to worry about stepping on my toes or using it, I promise you. Because mine's all about the blood. So if you're going to talk about the body or any of the sacrifice, you'll be fine. [00:09:28] Speaker C: Well, I'm kind of. I don't know what I'm going to talk about, but I kind of was reading something that I was. I was just reading him something that comes to my mind. You just tell me what you think. [00:09:39] Speaker B: Okay. [00:09:40] Speaker C: You ready? Now, this is rough. So. I mean, it's not really in sentence form. Okay. [00:09:47] Speaker B: Okay, I got you. [00:09:48] Speaker C: But I am going to read it. [00:09:50] Speaker B: Okay. [00:09:51] Speaker C: Communion is a time to reflect on the sacrifice of Christ and the completed work of salvation on the cross. A time to remember where God has brought us from, where we could have been. We are to remember these things. The good news is we have eternal life. And the good news is our sins are gone. The too good to Be true news is God wants a relationship with us. The too good to be true news is we can have a relationship with God who will never leave us nor forsake us, who can do for us more than we could imagine. Everybody needs help to get their lives together. Everybody needs a hand they can hold. That's about all. I mean, that was just my thought process. I haven't. I was just seeing what you think. [00:10:39] Speaker B: I like it. And the thing of it is, the last line of everybody needs a hand they can hold. Technically, communion is a meal of fellowship. It's kind of a reminder of we're here for each other, too. [00:10:52] Speaker C: Well, that hand is a scarred hand. That hands a nail scarred hand. That hand is Jesus Christ. [00:10:57] Speaker B: Right. [00:10:57] Speaker C: If you take that hand. [00:10:59] Speaker B: But you can also have. We all need a hand to hold on to. Remember, it's a fellowship meal. It is. It's a reminder that we are in this together. [00:11:08] Speaker C: So I just want to know. That's. That's where I was thinking. [00:11:12] Speaker B: I dig it. I love it. [00:11:13] Speaker C: You can. [00:11:15] Speaker B: I'm not. [00:11:16] Speaker C: It's not. [00:11:17] Speaker B: I'm all. And I understand what you're saying. And I don't. I don't. No, I think you're fine. No, don't tell me the too good to be true news. I mean, I know what you're trying to say is it's almost too good to be true because it is true. [00:11:34] Speaker C: Yeah. Right. So what do you think? [00:11:37] Speaker B: I'm just saying too good to be true. [00:11:39] Speaker A: But it is true. [00:11:40] Speaker C: The too good to be true. [00:11:41] Speaker B: I just want to make people understand. [00:11:42] Speaker C: That it's the too good to be true good news. [00:11:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:47] Speaker C: I might say. [00:11:49] Speaker A: Try to get that. It's too good to be true. But it is true. That's how good it is. [00:11:53] Speaker B: Just that. Okay. Too good to be true. Almost. Okay. This won't happen. [00:11:57] Speaker C: Too good to be true. Good news. [00:11:59] Speaker B: Okay. [00:12:00] Speaker C: Does that. That changes the meaning right there. Right? Use the good. Good. [00:12:03] Speaker A: Too good to be true. Good news. That just says good twice. Doesn't change it. [00:12:07] Speaker C: It's like too good to be true. Good news. [00:12:10] Speaker A: It's still too good. But it is true. [00:12:17] Speaker B: I would say something like it's almost. [00:12:20] Speaker A: Sounds too good to be true, but it is true. [00:12:22] Speaker C: Then I can't use good twice. [00:12:24] Speaker B: Well, go for it. [00:12:25] Speaker C: No, no, I'm just playing. [00:12:26] Speaker B: I don't. I don't think it's bad. Let your wife read it. [00:12:29] Speaker C: She love. No, she hadn't even seen anything. [00:12:34] Speaker B: But I would let her. Let her think. But. And. And look, if you Want to do the too good to be true. [00:12:41] Speaker C: Good news, we can't even pronounce it. I gotta. [00:12:44] Speaker B: That's gonna be a tough one on Sunday. [00:12:46] Speaker C: Yeah, I have to really practice on that. I'll probably get it wrong. [00:12:51] Speaker B: I would be scared to say it. [00:12:53] Speaker C: Really? Yes. Why would you be scared to say it, man? [00:12:56] Speaker B: You ain't afraid of getting tongue tied in front of somebody, even if I know it. [00:13:00] Speaker C: Hey, man, no, I'm not. [00:13:02] Speaker B: I mean, I ain't scared. [00:13:03] Speaker C: Hey, I'm not getting paid for it. You're getting paid for it. [00:13:05] Speaker B: I ain't scared of it. It's just that I try to avoid. I mean, if there's certain Greek words. I ain't embarrassing myself in saying that. All you do is you say. The Greek word for this is. And my Greek professor taught me. When he taught me how to read Greek, he said, you don't know enough. And nobody in this seminary knows enough to really get up there and how to pronounce a Greek word. [00:13:25] Speaker C: But this is English. [00:13:26] Speaker B: I know that. I'm not gonna get up there. [00:13:29] Speaker C: Some of us there know how to do English. [00:13:30] Speaker B: That's right. I'm not gonna get up there and say I embarrass myself enough. I don't need to get up there. I could say, get all that. [00:13:38] Speaker C: Then we'll get up here and translate my working English. [00:13:42] Speaker B: That's just. That's almost like wanting to get up there and try to do a tongue twister. [00:13:49] Speaker C: I'm not trying to do that. [00:13:51] Speaker B: We'll go for it. I mean, I ain't gonna stop you. But I like it. I like the. Where your theme is and what you're saying. It's beautiful. [00:13:58] Speaker C: Okay. I think I've got an hour and a half allotted to that. [00:14:03] Speaker B: Yeah, go ahead. [00:14:05] Speaker C: Is there gonna be anybody there towards the end? Huh? [00:14:09] Speaker B: There'll be a few, but not many. [00:14:11] Speaker C: But you got to. Now, you. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Everybody's done gone out. [00:14:13] Speaker C: Give me the bread. Because when you push a plate like that, I'm thinking like you're pushing some nuts. Have a handful. I didn't grab a handful of nuts. That's how I was taking it. You grab some. [00:14:25] Speaker B: And I did that. I put it in my face like that. I don't remember. [00:14:28] Speaker C: Well, it was like I didn't have time enough to really think what we were doing. [00:14:33] Speaker B: Well, I think you. [00:14:34] Speaker C: I mean, my mind was. [00:14:35] Speaker B: I think your mind was in, like. You know, I couldn't tell if you were, like, matrixing with. You're either way ahead or way behind. [00:14:43] Speaker C: I Was in transition. [00:14:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:45] Speaker C: After I got through everything. [00:14:47] Speaker B: I think you were in a hole. You were in a dimension of your own. And I was trying to. [00:14:52] Speaker C: He shoved that bread plate to me like this. Like take a handful. Yeah, take some. And so I just grabbed a handful. [00:15:01] Speaker A: Grabbed a handful of communication. [00:15:03] Speaker C: Yeah. I actually had a good appetizer. [00:15:06] Speaker B: Yeah, but he did. He did. I was like, that's just him and. [00:15:09] Speaker C: I that we saw that nobody else did. [00:15:12] Speaker A: Did you eat them all? [00:15:14] Speaker C: I had to. I couldn't just. Yeah, I mean I'm a. [00:15:21] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Save it for later. I'll put it in my pocket. [00:15:26] Speaker C: I couldn't drop them on the floor. That's it. [00:15:28] Speaker A: Only Kenny's scrolling away. Communion crackers. [00:15:31] Speaker B: That's great, man. [00:15:33] Speaker A: I have had some of those mornings where it's like maybe you didn't. You skipped breakfast or something. And that one little cracker. [00:15:37] Speaker B: No, that just makes you mad. I ain't never been excited about it. [00:15:42] Speaker A: You must sit there holding that one cracker. Please hurry the prayer. I'm hungry. [00:15:45] Speaker B: It's funny. At Baptist Grove they used to do loaf bread and loaf bread. [00:15:50] Speaker C: I like that. [00:15:50] Speaker B: And when we got here, Nicole said we got. First thing we gotta do is she was young enough. [00:15:59] Speaker C: Did she take communion when she was here? [00:16:02] Speaker B: We haven't changed that. Yeah, well, I mean she wouldn't. [00:16:04] Speaker C: They might have got smaller in size. [00:16:06] Speaker B: Like everybody else remembered it. [00:16:07] Speaker A: Funny thing about the grinders. You get the community crunch. [00:16:09] Speaker C: Yeah. Yes, they come in. [00:16:11] Speaker B: Oh yes. [00:16:12] Speaker C: It's got a 16 ounce box now. I think they come in like a 12 ounce. So kind of back. They're smaller. [00:16:20] Speaker B: Yeah. If you go from eating well. And even then when we had a piece of loaf bread like that, it's like honey. Ain't that much difference, but just I think it's the crunch and the. It is pretty dry. Yeah. What time is that tonight? [00:16:34] Speaker C: You know you're not invited. I don't think. [00:16:36] Speaker B: I know. [00:16:36] Speaker A: I'm not. [00:16:37] Speaker B: But my wife is going and I want to know. [00:16:39] Speaker C: You know what? [00:16:39] Speaker B: I kind of need to plan my life. [00:16:41] Speaker C: She told me. She told me that too. [00:16:44] Speaker B: And did she tell you to get supper? [00:16:45] Speaker C: No, she told me what time she's gonna have. [00:16:49] Speaker B: Well, you said you gotta be out of here at 3:15. [00:16:51] Speaker C: Yeah, well, she's got. She's part of it, presenting it. Since it didn't pertain to me, I didn't care what time it started. [00:17:00] Speaker B: Me either. [00:17:01] Speaker C: I mean, she told. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Other than. Like I said, I got to play in my life where my wife's I'll. [00:17:05] Speaker C: Have Renee text you when I'll see her. Yeah, well, I'll just. [00:17:08] Speaker B: I'll just. I'm sure I'll see Renee after. Well, I got a five o' clock meeting, so I. I'll just. [00:17:12] Speaker C: I'll just tell her to text Rene what time it is. [00:17:16] Speaker B: Renee knows. [00:17:17] Speaker C: You said Renee didn't know you. [00:17:18] Speaker B: Renee knows. I don't know. [00:17:22] Speaker C: Then why you need to know? [00:17:23] Speaker A: Cuz he's trying to play in his evil. [00:17:26] Speaker B: Well, because what am I gonna eat? What am I gonna do? [00:17:29] Speaker C: I know they're eating. [00:17:30] Speaker B: I know. Now I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do. I gotta feel for myself. I gotta figure out what I want to do. [00:17:35] Speaker C: Well, you could go to trying to. [00:17:37] Speaker A: Figure out how long he's got to swim. [00:17:38] Speaker C: Barbecue. [00:17:42] Speaker B: Wow. [00:17:43] Speaker C: How do we get back to redneck barbecue? [00:17:45] Speaker B: I don't know. That's a good callback. [00:17:47] Speaker A: We are working. [00:17:48] Speaker B: I'm gonna go get. Well, you know what? I got some chicken salad. [00:17:51] Speaker C: Hey, listen, if you're gonna go somewhere, I just. Just need you to do something. You gonna go out and eat, right? [00:17:57] Speaker B: No, I doubt it. Oh, I'm probably gonna go. I got chicken salad at home. That's good. [00:18:03] Speaker C: Well, you're not gonna get a Jersey Boys. [00:18:06] Speaker B: Okay, you're gonna let me borrow your reward card so I can get a punch. [00:18:10] Speaker C: No, I was gonna let you get it. I've got one. I just need two. Three. I need about six more. [00:18:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I just wrapped up a free one. [00:18:18] Speaker C: Did you really? [00:18:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:20] Speaker A: We are working a 167 record for. [00:18:22] Speaker B: The longest yes intro ever. [00:18:24] Speaker C: Okay, I'm sorry. [00:18:25] Speaker B: My man's on a roll. [00:18:27] Speaker A: He's going to the. [00:18:28] Speaker C: He got us sidetracked. [00:18:30] Speaker A: He got us. [00:18:31] Speaker B: Well, I had to step out for H Vac. [00:18:35] Speaker C: Yeah, then we got. [00:18:36] Speaker A: We did. Technically we did. [00:18:37] Speaker B: Kenny has been on roll. You've been good today, man. [00:18:40] Speaker A: Yeah, we did pick up last week's thing first, so we're technically not in the end now. That's still a really long halftime break. [00:18:46] Speaker C: Okay, well, you can use another entry. I mean, the prior. It'll work. What's your lesson for today that you want to teach before we. I might have to leave at. [00:18:58] Speaker B: I didn't know I was going to do one. [00:19:00] Speaker C: You said you were doing some type of Bible teaching. I thought. [00:19:02] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I was just kind of like. Just do a little bit of a thought process. [00:19:06] Speaker C: Let's go. [00:19:07] Speaker B: Why is that? That's at the end. [00:19:08] Speaker A: It's only 2:10. [00:19:09] Speaker C: But we might not be. I might not be here at the end. [00:19:12] Speaker B: I hope you are. [00:19:14] Speaker C: Well, I. I guess I have to listen to it then. [00:19:18] Speaker B: No, you know, it will be. You'll be in. [00:19:20] Speaker C: So you don't have anything from prepared? [00:19:22] Speaker B: Sure do. [00:19:23] Speaker A: I got stuff prepared. [00:19:24] Speaker B: Okay, but I mean, but I usually wait until the. Yeah, he might. Something else might cut out. [00:19:31] Speaker A: Plus, sometimes. And I kind of like the way you did it last week, giving us a homework assignment. Even though I didn't do it. [00:19:35] Speaker C: I like the idea of it. Don't worry about doing it because he's going to accuse you that, you know, you read the. [00:19:42] Speaker A: Well, I mean, if you plagiarize his. [00:19:44] Speaker C: Newsletter, he's going to accuse you of reading the newsletter. [00:19:48] Speaker B: Yeah, man, that's worse things I could accuse you of, but man, did you worry about it? Did you really not read the newsletter? [00:19:55] Speaker C: I promise I did not really. [00:19:57] Speaker A: In fairness, you may have read it and forgot about it. [00:19:59] Speaker C: No, because Renee asked me the same thing. [00:20:01] Speaker B: A lot like it. [00:20:02] Speaker C: Because I asked Renee. No, actually, I had forgotten about this question. Renee reminded me. I said, well, what scripture is it? Because I. I told her I already deleted the newsletter when she told me. And so let me see what the answer is here. Now, we proclaim. These are just things we use every day. [00:20:26] Speaker B: Proclaim? [00:20:27] Speaker C: Well, yeah, you go in my Bible. That's the translation. [00:20:32] Speaker A: That's what he says in my Bible. [00:20:35] Speaker B: And we proclaim him. We proclaim his name. [00:20:37] Speaker C: Go out and proclaim his name. This is what I saw in Matthew in the nlt. [00:20:44] Speaker A: Now, which is your Bible? The NLT or the King James? Because you claim them both. [00:20:48] Speaker C: All right. [00:20:48] Speaker B: And then the. I imitate. [00:20:50] Speaker C: I didn't say that. [00:20:51] Speaker B: That's pretty. Well, that's. [00:20:53] Speaker C: That's our example. Yes. [00:20:55] Speaker B: Okay. But that's. That's pretty specific, too. All right, then. Then what else? I had. If your. [00:21:01] Speaker A: If your answers all end up spelling out pops and you've lost your case. [00:21:07] Speaker B: Yeah, that's pretty good. [00:21:10] Speaker C: I'm not doing anything. [00:21:11] Speaker B: You really. You really thought through it. I'll give you that. It was good. [00:21:14] Speaker C: No, actually, I really didn't, to be honest with you. It's just you've read that verse and it's just things you hear, you know, all your life. [00:21:24] Speaker B: Yeah. It's just putting it all together, that's pretty impressive. I like that. [00:21:28] Speaker C: Well, I put it all in one thought. Yeah. One note. [00:21:32] Speaker B: Yeah, I will say. Yeah. I mean, it took me like 40 minutes put that newsletter together. It sounds like for you it came together. [00:21:40] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:21:40] Speaker B: She reminded you last night. [00:21:42] Speaker C: I'M not as good as you. [00:21:43] Speaker B: No. Yeah, you are. Because it took me processing and looking scripture and thinking, okay, what about that? [00:21:49] Speaker C: Well, call me next time. [00:21:50] Speaker B: I will, I will. In fact, give me an idea for next. Next. I struggled last night to find. [00:21:56] Speaker C: I can save you a lot of time. You talk about you being too busy. I can save you plenty of money. [00:22:02] Speaker B: Did I ever say that. [00:22:06] Speaker A: You don't need AI when you got king? [00:22:08] Speaker B: Yes, I don't need. [00:22:12] Speaker A: Oh, man, you. [00:22:13] Speaker B: I'm telling you, on a roll today. I don't know who's going to the. [00:22:16] Speaker C: Well, see, I just used two new words that you've never heard of. The too good to be true. Good news. [00:22:24] Speaker B: Oh, okay. [00:22:24] Speaker C: You couldn't say it real quick? Three times? [00:22:27] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I told you I'm not because I don't want to embarrass myself. But then I'm not sure if it's true. [00:22:36] Speaker A: I don't want to say it for multiple reasons. [00:22:38] Speaker B: I don't know. I don't. Yeah, I'm just. [00:22:41] Speaker A: I don't know if I can say it. [00:22:42] Speaker C: I don't know. [00:22:44] Speaker B: Am I wrong there? Is it? Is it. [00:22:45] Speaker A: I hear what you're saying. [00:22:46] Speaker B: The too good to be true. Goodness. [00:22:48] Speaker C: It's better than what you think. [00:22:50] Speaker A: But too good to be true is. [00:22:54] Speaker B: Makes it sound like it ain't gonna happen. [00:22:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't know where y' all from. [00:23:00] Speaker B: We're not from the beach, I can tell you that. Not from the Outer Banks. [00:23:03] Speaker C: People that hear that at the beach are very excited. [00:23:07] Speaker A: Yes. [00:23:08] Speaker B: Powder Banks. Get that. [00:23:09] Speaker A: That reminds me of a guy I played golf yesterday with. A guy who's. Me and him, both single guys. And we're playing. We ended up meeting with another guy who just got laid off from his job, right? And he says, I'm just enjoying the rest of the year. I got a severance package. He said, really, what I'd like to do is go on a trip. He said, my wife's not a big fan of this idea, but I'd like to just get in the truck and ride across the country and play golf all over the country and just take like a three, four month cross country, play golf all the time. You know, sabbatical type thing. And the guy I was playing with asked him, he said, who's going with you? He said, no, just me. We got a few holes later. I told him, I said, this boy goes through with this plan, he's going to be joining us on the single side of the fence because there ain't no way you're going to leave your wife at home for four months. [00:23:56] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:23:56] Speaker A: Go ride around the country and play golf. [00:23:58] Speaker C: I wish. [00:23:59] Speaker B: I wish. [00:24:01] Speaker A: Oh, man. [00:24:02] Speaker C: Okay. What's the question? [00:24:03] Speaker A: Well, I can't get. [00:24:06] Speaker C: I just got to go. We just gotta ask because he. He's all distracted. [00:24:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So. [00:24:11] Speaker C: Trying to get us all distracted. [00:24:12] Speaker B: Yes. [00:24:13] Speaker A: So I got. I've got two. [00:24:14] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. [00:24:14] Speaker A: Two things. One's a. I gotta. I'll try my best not getting on a soapbox. This is one of these that I have a hard time not getting on a soapbox on. But I was. It bugs me when people are turned away from getting to know Jesus because of what people in the church or. [00:24:31] Speaker B: Other people have done or the church has done or something to say. [00:24:34] Speaker A: I was thinking about it this morning, you know, when we're. [00:24:35] Speaker B: No doubt. [00:24:36] Speaker A: When we think about the judgment seat one day and all this. One thing I bet a bunch of us don't really want to think about is I don't think you want to have to give an account for all the people that might not be there, that might have been if you wouldn't open your mouth and try to tell them how to do things or might. [00:24:50] Speaker B: Not be there because you didn't open your mouth. [00:24:53] Speaker A: That too. But I think that a lot of times, though, it's. I thought of this analogy, you know, when somebody asks for directions, you don't tell them all the roads not to take. You tell them the way. Right. Jesus said he's the way. The truth and the life. And we go around telling everybody all the things that they're doing wrong instead of telling them the way to get there. And it just. I don't know. The conversation I was having with a guy that he's. He's going through a time that he could. He could use that strength that we draw from in tough times. He doesn't have that. He doesn't have that strength. He's going through a tough time. And I get that. And there's some things, you know, life's hard with or without Jesus, but it's a heck of a lot harder without him. There's some things that we've all been through that I can't imagine trying to get through them without faith. And the reason that he doesn't have it to draw off of is because a bunch of people in the church have overly restricted. [00:25:47] Speaker B: Almost ruined it and make it where it's not Jesus. [00:25:50] Speaker A: Everybody that reads the Bible doesn't have, you know, theology background and all that kind of stuff to know when it applies as literal and when it doesn't apply to my understanding and you can add to them if there are more. The three non negotiables are Jesus was the son of God, he died for our sins and he was resurrected. Those are the three things we absolutely have to believe that are non negotiable. [00:26:13] Speaker B: There might be some others for salvation. [00:26:14] Speaker A: For salvation. Right. [00:26:16] Speaker B: And I think there's a few that you might want to think about that maybe. I think non negotiables. I think there's a few that you really want to get towards. And one is what's going to be your source of authority? [00:26:30] Speaker A: The Bible is the inspired word of God. [00:26:32] Speaker B: Because if it isn't, then, I mean, because the Bible is where I learned that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Bible is where I learned that I've sinned against God. And so if that's not my source of authority, then I become my own source. And I can say, well, you know, at the same time it still goes back to Christ crucified. I get that. And yes, that is kind of the. If we don't agree on that, then we definitely aren't even brothers and sisters in Christ that we need to. So yeah, that Christ being crucified is true, but you also got to go back to, okay, what's going to be your source of authority? So what is the word of God? And then I would also, I wouldn't say it is one that maybe it's not top shelf that it has to be, but I think creation is one of those that is in that top five. And the reason being is because if God didn't create, then it kind of opens it up to I'm nothing more than an animal. And so it kind of has to do with worldview. [00:27:39] Speaker A: Well, with creation though. And again, it's funny because a few years ago I didn't have an opinion on it probably one way or the other. I didn't have enough information to even. I didn't care. [00:27:49] Speaker C: Honestly. [00:27:50] Speaker A: 6,500 years ago, 6 billion doesn't matter. [00:27:52] Speaker B: I don't respect my salvation per se. But it does help me to say, well, if God created, then I believe he can raise somebody from the dead. [00:27:59] Speaker C: Right, Yeah, I mean, I get that. [00:28:01] Speaker B: And it's kind of a, it's kind of. Do you, do you, are you going to believe in miracles or are you going to believe in an all sufficient God that can do that? [00:28:09] Speaker A: Well, what I'm, I think now I probably lean heavily towards the literal interpretation. 6,500 years. Because to me, the science side is throwing darts at a board anyway and just trying to throw theories out and see what sticks. And half the time it don't stick. [00:28:28] Speaker B: And it changes, right? It changes every 35, 40 years. [00:28:31] Speaker A: That being said, to me, God's more eternal than 14 billion years from the science side, right? [00:28:39] Speaker B: 14,400. Any number you want to pick. [00:28:41] Speaker A: Any number you want to pick forever is still longer than ever. How long they think it's been around. [00:28:46] Speaker B: Sure. [00:28:46] Speaker A: Okay. And to me, the fact that he created it, when he created it's kind. [00:28:51] Speaker B: Of arbitrary to me. I don't get into that. But the fact that he did do it. But see, that's the whole question for a lot of evolution is no, just big bang. [00:29:01] Speaker A: So I haven't come across somebody, I guess, and I'm not saying they're not out there, but I haven't personally come across somebody who believes God exists but he didn't create the universe. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Right. [00:29:09] Speaker A: Usually it's one or the other. If you believe God exists, you believe he created. If you believe the big Bang, you don't believe in. I think there might be Christians who are trying to reconcile the Big bang. [00:29:20] Speaker C: I've seen a lot of that, but. [00:29:22] Speaker A: I haven't heard someone. What I hear from that side is, well, who lit the match for the Big Bang? But I've not heard of someone who thinks that God exists, but he didn't create everything. To me, I don't know when he created it. And I think that anybody who claims to 100% know when he created it is arrogant. [00:29:43] Speaker B: You get into that now. I totally get that because there is some. And again, I hold to a young, young Earth, probably not as young as some folks do, but I'm not. That's a theory. Okay. [00:29:57] Speaker A: You said something in a sermon probably or somewhere. I heard you say something about 10,000 years ago, and I didn't know if it was literally. That's what you were trying to say. [00:30:04] Speaker B: Well, young Earth, usually people put it about eight, you know, 65 to 8,000 years. That's why I'm about. Because what's another three years? 3,000. And it's one of you don't really know. So I'll go youngish Earth. I don't want to. [00:30:25] Speaker A: Because it's not just a matter of. [00:30:26] Speaker B: Adding up the years of Genesis. No, I think the science is there that it kind of is kind of adding up the years in Genesis for me. Okay. When did Abraham show up? When did I. You know, and then going back to you know, how many. How many generations was there between there and Adam? [00:30:42] Speaker A: So if you go through Genesis and add up all the years in the timeline there, what does that. [00:30:47] Speaker B: That's going to put you. That's going to put you at about 8,65 to 8,000 years and again, give or take. [00:30:54] Speaker A: Give or take based on what? [00:30:56] Speaker B: What? Well, I mean, I'm just. Because I don't want to be so exact to say, oh, it's 7,000. [00:31:00] Speaker A: Okay, so in that ballpark, what you're. [00:31:01] Speaker B: Saying, okay, and so that's why I'm saying 6 to 10,000. Again, not because I'm just trying to disprove or prove this. I'm just saying it's 10,000 years or less. [00:31:13] Speaker A: Okay? So I think my overarching point that I would get to with this is if I come across somebody who believes in, you know, all the core important things you need to believe, but they happen to believe in the gap theory or whatever that's called, where maybe it was, you know, he created the heavens and the earth, and then 100,000 years later, he was day two or whatever. Okay, well, I'm not gonna argue with this person to the point that it becomes. It pushes them away from everything else. That's so much more important. [00:31:44] Speaker B: And that's what I was getting at. I think the thing of it is, though, even that person believes that there's a creator. [00:31:52] Speaker A: Right? [00:31:52] Speaker B: And I think that's what I'm getting at as far as creation. Yeah, I agree with you. As far as dates and all that other stuff, I'm good with that. I wouldn't even be so mad as to say, okay, there's a creator. And he may have said, let there be. Let there be. And it was a big bang. I don't have a problem. I mean, because again, I read it by Genesis 1. I'm going to take it as it is. How it worked itself out and what he did to create it. I mean, if he just spoke it and it happened, I get it. And so I'm more about. Because it is very difficult for me to go from, no, the world just happened and somebody raised from the dead versus no, there's a creator, and if he can create out of nothing, he can raise somebody from the dead, I guess. And again, I'm not saying that that is necessary for salvation, but it does kind of help build your worldview. [00:32:45] Speaker A: Yeah, well, it would be hard again for me. I've never come across those two. To me, it's hard to believe in everything that I believe in. About God and not believe that he created everything to the microscopic detail. [00:33:00] Speaker B: Right. [00:33:01] Speaker A: But there are, everybody is in different. They're in different places in their walk and they also have different backgrounds and different, their views are, I'm not saying a different worldview, but their backgrounds change their perspective on certain issues that they're going to see it one way and somebody else did another. [00:33:19] Speaker B: And, and that's throughout history. [00:33:21] Speaker A: Right. And I just see. But I think the bigger point, it's not so much about the creation thing. I didn't mean to get off on that. But a lot of the things that he's going through that are challenges right now, he's going through the struggles because of hyper religious people who are treating him like crap. And it's not really helping the faith side a little, you know, a whole lot. And I just look at this and I think, you know, when I was thinking about this this morning, we're wearing the, we're carrying the flag for Christianity in this world. Right. [00:33:55] Speaker B: He tells us you're ambassadors for Christ. [00:33:57] Speaker A: Right. And anytime I come across this, maybe. [00:34:00] Speaker B: That needs to be in the. [00:34:04] Speaker A: Anytime I come across people that are representing Christianity in any way, shape or form. But I think that the more of a leadership role, I mean your pastors certainly, I think are, you know, held to a high standard. But if you're teaching a Sunday school class, if you're wearing a what would Jesus do bracelet, if you're wearing a cross on your neck, if you're driving around with a fish on your car, you're held to a little bit different standard according to Ephesians 4. And when you are out there judging people and treating people like crap and you're stiff arming people away from God. [00:34:36] Speaker B: Or are you hold to something that may be considered more legalistic than you know. Yeah, I mean, hey, I'm not going to do this, I'm not going to do that or you know, you refuse to do somebody's wedding because of various reasons and there are times when that's right. But at the same time they could view that as well, who are you to self righteous joker you can and depending on. [00:35:00] Speaker A: And again, I'm not trying to go the opposite way here and start telling people how to live their lives either. But when I come across those people that are browbeating people away from God and keeping them away from God, I'm thinking I'd rather you take the cross necklace off, take the fish off the car, stop wearing the flag if you're. [00:35:19] Speaker B: Gonna miss, don't help us you're hurting us. [00:35:22] Speaker A: That's right. You're hurting us. [00:35:23] Speaker B: Oh, I agree. And I think that is really one of the reasons that Jesus was always so angry at the Pharisees is because they were making it so much harder for people to get to the Lord and to get to God. In fact, they were making it so difficult that that's why, you know, the biggest tongue lashings and the biggest really condemnations and woes that Jesus gave was to the Pharisees because of that. And I agree. I think it's the same way is we need to realize we represent Christ and so we need to be careful, you know, that we can actually push people away. And again, I'm not saying. And I think that is that fine balance of what we talked about. Sunday, Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth. Grace and truth. If you go all grace and you're just going to be nicey nicey, then what happens is justice and truth will get discarded and it just becomes whatever you want to do. But if you go all truth, then you got hard dogma and it just becomes a deadless religion. So you got to have both. And Christ came and was full of both. How we show that is, that's a practice and something we are learning every day of our life. Because there's always going to be something that we're going to, we're going to judge very harshly and we're going to think, oh, who is that person? Or we're going to have certain things that we think are right and wrong, whether it's earrings on a man, tattoos on this person, this, that and the other, someone drinking, someone smoking, someone doing these things that we're going to judge. And yes, maybe there is truth, but there always needs to be grace and truth. [00:37:09] Speaker C: I guess you're saying how you explain it. And the truth, they go hand in hand. [00:37:15] Speaker B: Agreed. [00:37:16] Speaker C: And I've seen, I have seen people that were, you know, you're going to hell on, you know, road corners. And I don't think they've saved any. I don't think it was. [00:37:29] Speaker B: I don't know that you see many. But how did Peter tell us to share? He said, always be prepared, always be ready to make a defense. And how do we do? [00:37:39] Speaker C: That's how you present it. [00:37:40] Speaker B: But then what does he say? With gentleness and respect, I believe, and I don't know that I would say doing grace and truth. Because the gospel itself is grace and truth. [00:37:53] Speaker C: Yes. And it is true that you're going to hell. [00:37:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:57] Speaker C: We all reject it by how it's explained to you. [00:38:00] Speaker B: That's it. And just. And even the fact that his. [00:38:03] Speaker C: I mean, if you're his. [00:38:04] Speaker B: Truth is fulfilled by grace. The sacrifice is what satisfies the truth. [00:38:10] Speaker C: The one that's telling you, that is condemning you. He's telling you the truth, but he's not telling you in a way that you can accept. [00:38:18] Speaker B: Right. And truth also depends. And like we said in Sunday, truth also in the Scriptures can also mean something besides just always factual, correct, true, like true north or true can be reliable, dependable, set in stone, is never changing. That's who Christ is. So you can know true is he is who he says he is. [00:38:42] Speaker C: You said that to me. [00:38:43] Speaker B: I did. It was a great point. [00:38:45] Speaker A: Well, I was doing my homework. [00:38:48] Speaker C: Oh, I missed that. That question stumped me. [00:38:54] Speaker B: I like that. [00:38:55] Speaker A: I think that's the first time I can remember ever seeing your sermon literally be on one verse. You did 1 through 13 then this was. [00:39:03] Speaker B: I've done it before. [00:39:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm sure it has. That's the first time I can remember because I'm sitting there thinking, man, he's going to go to town on one verse. Like. And that's a. And I. [00:39:10] Speaker B: But that verse is so full, it deserves it. You could almost do. You could almost do a two parter on that if you wanted to. [00:39:17] Speaker A: One on grace, one on truth. [00:39:18] Speaker B: Or you. Yeah, you could even do. Yeah, you could really do it. That verse, you could literally preach four or five different ways honestly and be truthful to it. What's grace? What's truth? Do a series on that. The word became flesh. You can unload that for a long, long time. [00:39:38] Speaker C: Well, you were short Sunday, it didn't last too long. [00:39:43] Speaker B: If you look at when I started, when I finished, it went bad. [00:39:46] Speaker C: Well, see, I didn't have my glasses and I had to go look for my glasses. I thought they were all over, you know, somewhere in the church. Everything that I had was gone. My Sunday school lesson, all of it. [00:39:57] Speaker B: I've been robbed. [00:39:59] Speaker C: And so. And by the time I got back up, Douglas was already down there in the front. [00:40:07] Speaker B: Man, you really missed your glasses a long time. [00:40:10] Speaker C: But I found my glasses. The girl, the lady that was sitting right beside me was sitting on them. She always. She left. I found my glasses. [00:40:19] Speaker A: There you go. [00:40:21] Speaker C: I had laid it down there and I guess I went somewhere or this upturned and she had set. [00:40:27] Speaker B: All right, hold on, hold on. So I started at 30 minutes flat and the service was an hour and 15. [00:40:35] Speaker C: Okay, 30 minutes. [00:40:38] Speaker B: Starting at 30, going as 45. [00:40:43] Speaker C: What time did you get through if you started? 11:30. [00:40:46] Speaker A: He started. [00:40:48] Speaker B: I'm looking at the timestamp. 30 minutes into the service. I started. Hour and 15. It cut off. [00:40:54] Speaker C: But you had the worship. I mean, the altar call and all that. [00:40:58] Speaker B: Okay, that's one song. [00:41:01] Speaker C: Well, you had to vote on him. [00:41:04] Speaker B: Well, again, I'll give you five minutes on that. [00:41:07] Speaker C: But, hey, this is a big church. It takes a lot of. [00:41:10] Speaker A: What does that got to do with it? [00:41:11] Speaker C: It takes 45 minutes. Takes you 45 minutes to buy something. [00:41:17] Speaker B: I will say that. [00:41:18] Speaker A: Oh, it takes a long time to find out. [00:41:19] Speaker B: Douglas did say. Douglas did say that. That was the longest walk. And I told him. I said, now, look, when you get ready to start down that aisle, you're gonna feel like, oh, goodness. And that lane's gonna look like it's seven miles long. He said, you won't lie. And I said, I'm trying to tell you. [00:41:36] Speaker C: And he was down there with me. That's the craziest thing. [00:41:39] Speaker B: Who was down there with you? Douglas. Douglas? [00:41:40] Speaker C: Yeah, he was down there with me. I was in the ho. Yeah, he was down there looking for Keaton. [00:41:46] Speaker B: Okay, this is during Sunday school. [00:41:49] Speaker C: This is during church when you worship, sir. [00:41:52] Speaker B: What was he looking at Keaton for? [00:41:53] Speaker C: He was looking for Keaton. I said, I think he's upstairs. I saw his hat up there, and I'm looking in the Sunday school rooms, looking for my glasses, and then all of a sudden, he's down there, and I just come up. [00:42:04] Speaker B: So I think you were in a time warp. [00:42:07] Speaker C: No, I'm actually telling you the truth now. I did go down there for a few. I went down somewhere else to look for him, too. But he must have worked his way up sooner than I worked my way. [00:42:16] Speaker B: Right. [00:42:18] Speaker C: Okay. He was upstairs. Keaton went somewhere. [00:42:20] Speaker B: I think we were talking about Douglas. [00:42:22] Speaker C: Yes, he was looking. I was wondering why he was down there, because, you know, he had all of his audio equipment on. [00:42:28] Speaker B: Okay. [00:42:29] Speaker C: And he was looking for Keaton. I was looking for my glasses. [00:42:31] Speaker B: I don't know what was going on. We had some technical difficulties Sunday. But anyway, 45 minutes was. So. I did not let you out early. I wasn't short. [00:42:44] Speaker C: Well, I was. It didn't take much. [00:42:46] Speaker B: It was so good. It felt like it was three minutes. [00:42:47] Speaker C: It was just a big church. I had to cover it. [00:42:49] Speaker B: Yes, I thought it was. You know, the sermon was so good, it only took. It felt like it was three minutes. You just got up there. [00:42:55] Speaker A: So let me just recap here in case Anybody missed? The man who missed Ben's sermon was trying to tell Ben how long the sermon he missed lasted. [00:43:06] Speaker B: And you didn't watch it on Facebook or nothing? [00:43:09] Speaker C: No, I was broke down yesterday. [00:43:10] Speaker B: So you just had my whole afternoon, so. Yeah. So you didn't see it or hear it? [00:43:15] Speaker A: I hadn't seen the first word of it. [00:43:17] Speaker C: He's gonna tell you. Walmart parking lot. Okay. Waiting for a tavern. [00:43:21] Speaker B: Yeah, it was short. Just remember that. [00:43:25] Speaker C: I did get to. I didn't get to watch it, but it appeared to be short. [00:43:33] Speaker B: Because I let people out. And 12 o', clock. [00:43:37] Speaker C: I don't know when I got up. [00:43:38] Speaker B: There because 1045 is when we start. Everybody was nearby going, yeah, it was 10:45. [00:43:43] Speaker C: And I saw my glasses. [00:43:44] Speaker B: 12 o', clock, we were. I think I said my last word at 12 o' clock because I was watching the clock. [00:43:50] Speaker C: So that's about when I saw my glasses. [00:43:52] Speaker B: Okay. [00:43:53] Speaker C: They're there the whole time. I have to go all the way down looking for them. [00:43:58] Speaker A: I was thrown off because I was watching a live stream and I paused for. I don't know what we was going on. I was at mom and Dad's. [00:44:04] Speaker B: Right. [00:44:04] Speaker A: And I paused for like 10, 15 minutes, and then I came back and caught up. So I didn't know what time to finish. I was wrapping up. [00:44:09] Speaker B: But, I mean, based on what I'm seeing on Facebook. [00:44:12] Speaker C: Well, you can change those times. You know that. [00:44:14] Speaker B: No, you can't extend. [00:44:15] Speaker A: No, you can't. Not on a live one, you can't. [00:44:18] Speaker B: Which might be to my favor, because if you extended, it would have been like silent dead air. But I think he cuts it off as soon as we wrap up. [00:44:26] Speaker C: Yeah. As far as doing membership, I think. I don't think that's. Only when you don't think. I don't think so. [00:44:33] Speaker B: I know it's got me standing on the steps. [00:44:34] Speaker A: He'll go back. He'll go back later on YouTube and he'll trim out. [00:44:37] Speaker B: Yeah, the. Yeah, but Facebook is all that's lie. But I know it's got me standing on the steps beside him. [00:44:43] Speaker C: Well, there's a reason why he cuts it off. And I think you know the reason why. [00:44:47] Speaker B: Because of voting. [00:44:49] Speaker C: Well, that. Well, that's one of them. Yes. Business meetings. [00:44:55] Speaker B: Yeah, but that ain't. Well, technically it is, but technically it ain't. [00:45:00] Speaker C: I mean, they used to be recorded, right? [00:45:03] Speaker B: Oh. [00:45:05] Speaker A: We'Re talking about voting. Like when somebody joins the church. [00:45:08] Speaker B: He's talking about a business meeting. [00:45:10] Speaker C: Business meeting where you have to. [00:45:12] Speaker B: Didn't you see him change gears there? I heard him pop the clutch. [00:45:19] Speaker C: Like when someone gives their resignation and all that. That's what I was talking about. That's the reason why it's cut off short. It's not record until we leave. We have a business meeting or something. [00:45:31] Speaker A: I can't keep. [00:45:32] Speaker B: He's just faster than he's changing gears. He's a road course. [00:45:37] Speaker C: I don't want to mention what I'm really talking about, but you know what I mean. It became a problem at one time. [00:45:45] Speaker B: Yeah, we were. [00:45:45] Speaker A: Well, gotcha. This has been. It's been good time and with starting the Book of John, because I think that we all have probably our spiritual tendencies and bad habits we can get into a little bit. I was thinking about it kind of like golf, when I've got a couple of natural swing flaws that I can work on them and they'll go away, but if I stop focusing on them, they'll creep back in real quick. And one of mine is. And this is still. Theologically, I know that this is wrong. It's just a bad habit that I can creep into is I can start to assign different personalities almost or different personality qualities, I guess, to Jesus and the Father. Two different persons, same God. Trying to. With the whole trinity thing be a little tricky, but same God, same characteristics, but there are three distinct persons in God I can start to assign. And in my mind, the way it plays itself out is almost like good cop, bad cop. The Father's the mean drill sergeant, real strict kind of, you know, tough love loves you, but you know, kind of like a 1940s dad would love you like you break a leg and turn, you know, rub some dirt on and get back to work kind of thing where Jesus is like the. The super friendly, cool big brother that's kind of there to help you out with, dad. [00:47:06] Speaker B: Kind of Old Testament, New Testament kinda. [00:47:08] Speaker A: A little bit, but it's. I'm kind of assigning New Testament love to Jesus, Old Testament wrath to the Father. Right. So. But then you get into verse 18, right? Yeah. [00:47:19] Speaker B: And it's like. [00:47:21] Speaker A: No, it's. It's. I forget that the song. I wrote it down here. It's not technically a Christian song, but that's on one of us. What if God was one of us? [00:47:31] Speaker B: Oh yeah. [00:47:31] Speaker A: Me and the kids listen to that song. [00:47:32] Speaker B: Stranger on a Buset. [00:47:35] Speaker A: No, it's. I don't even know the. Remember the something Osborne. I don't know. I'd have to look it up something. [00:47:41] Speaker B: Sure about that? Okay. [00:47:42] Speaker A: It's not Atlanta's music. [00:47:42] Speaker B: I'll look it up. You keep going. [00:47:44] Speaker A: Okay. Anyway, it's on my, my playlist and Reese loves it. I was joking about it the other day. I said, you know this song, it's not hypothetical. She's singing it as if it's hypothetical. Right, but it's not. God was one of us. He was here. And you know the first line is, if God had a name, what would it be? I said it'd be Jesus. This is not hypothetical. [00:48:02] Speaker B: This is literal. [00:48:02] Speaker A: Yeah, but I asked the kids, I said, you know what's really sad about this song? I said, if God were one of us, how would he be treated? And they both kind of froze, like, oh. They said people wouldn't like him. I said, no. I said a few people would follow him. Most people would think he was crazy or they'd want to kill him. And I was even laughing at this too. And if you think that, you wouldn't think he was crazy. You might want to check your self righteousness. Because I think he's crazy all the time. Because we're not made like him. Our ways are not. Half the time he tells me to do something, I think he's lost his mind because I don't think like him. I'm not on that level. Right. So we're not wired to even accept God among us, really. It's not like we're our natural. [00:48:47] Speaker B: Well, we want to tend to make him after our own image. Right. And the fact that he came born to peasant peasants in Bethlehem. Really. Nazareth, which was a hole in the wall. No, nothing town. And it was John Osbor. [00:49:04] Speaker A: There you go. [00:49:04] Speaker B: Congratulations. You know what? [00:49:05] Speaker A: I got the last one. [00:49:06] Speaker B: Give it up. That was awesome. But he was born in poverty. He was born just a no name from a no name town. You know, he did not have a home. The clothes he had on his back, the soldiers gambled for. So it wasn't like he was. I'll put it to you this way. I don't know how he would look in the American dream scenario because I don't know they did anything that we do that we value in the American Dream. Own a home, get a job, make good money, get ahead, do these things. We value those. I'm not sure that's necessarily what he valued because I'm not sure. No, he did work among us. He worked. I'm sure he helped his dad in his carpentry shop. But at the same time, the last three years of when he was doing ministry, I don't Know that I would say that, you know, and just kind of went from place to place. Didn't even have a setup home. [00:50:07] Speaker A: Well, and Kenny's. To Kenny's too good to be. Too good to be true. [00:50:11] Speaker B: Good news. [00:50:14] Speaker A: That might be part of my struggle with that sometimes is that sometimes it is really hard to believe and imagine that almighty God was that humble, that loving, that gentle, that kind, that patient. When you read the Gospels and you read about Jesus, it's really hard to believe that he humbled himself to that level. So to me, I start to say, well, then that must be God trying to put on his nice friendly face. But really the Father, he's the mean one that, you know. And obviously I know this isn't right. It's just. But to me, it's like I've got to remind myself, no, the loving Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit, that's in us. Jesus was manifesting those qualities in the flesh. And it's hard sometimes for us. He's a heck of a lot more humble and kind and patient than we are. And it's just hard to believe that God can be that something. [00:51:15] Speaker B: The other day that humbling. I mean, that really is. I mean, when you think about all that he did. And that's why I keep saying you will never truly appreciate and understand what he did for you until you truly understand who he is. And when you understand who he is, it takes you to a whole nother level of wow, wow. And it's almost too good to be true. Good news. [00:51:44] Speaker C: Yeah, that's pretty good news to be true. [00:51:49] Speaker A: I really hope I don't end up having to title this. [00:51:51] Speaker B: So, I mean, think about it. I mean, I know you've got something to add on that, but that's. I mean, and that's. Philippians 2 would be the Christological passage that you'd want to use for that. And then he tells us, have this attitude in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That's the same attitude we're supposed to have, that he made himself nothing, taken on the form of a servant, limited himself. I mean, it's some. It's pretty astounding when you think about it. [00:52:27] Speaker A: And when you contrast that to the way. Back to my first point or topic with the way we act towards non believers, towards each other, towards anybody who doesn't necessarily agree with or to somebody who cuts us off in traffic. I got mad this morning. You talk about a sin of all sins. I got mad at somebody this morning. [00:52:47] Speaker B: Wow. [00:52:48] Speaker C: Let's hear this. [00:52:50] Speaker A: I was Running late. [00:52:52] Speaker C: We want to hear your trash there. [00:52:54] Speaker B: Yeah, this was bad. [00:52:56] Speaker A: I was good stuff late because Christian can't ever remember his book bag, and I can't even remember to remind him. So I had to go back and get it. And I'm sitting at the stopslide on the back of the door, and the sweet lady in front of me has decided to let somebody come on. And in the process of her letting somebody cut across, she made me miss the red light, and I had to be. And I was furious. And I'm sitting there like I'm mad at somebody for being nice. I really need to check myself on. [00:53:20] Speaker C: This, maybe being too nice. I mean, I know what you're saying, because that can cause an accident, too. [00:53:27] Speaker A: Well, no. [00:53:28] Speaker C: I mean, we have been sitting at. [00:53:29] Speaker A: This lie for a long time. [00:53:30] Speaker C: And I understand that both people in. [00:53:32] Speaker A: That row were letting people pass, and she let them. And I'm just sitting there thinking, go, we're gonna miss the line. [00:53:37] Speaker C: That's the right thing to do. Maybe it's not at the right time to do. [00:53:40] Speaker A: It wasn't the right time for me. That's the issue. [00:53:43] Speaker B: Right. [00:53:44] Speaker A: Is it wasn't for me. [00:53:45] Speaker C: I'm not saying that. But a lot of times people will. I see people stopping and let them turn left. When somebody coming behind 150 miles an hour. Well, I'm at the right time to do that. [00:53:56] Speaker B: Well, that's being an idiot. [00:53:58] Speaker C: Well, both of them. [00:53:59] Speaker B: There's a difference sometimes between being nice and being an idiot. Yeah. And sometimes you can try to be nice and end up being an idiot. [00:54:06] Speaker C: Yes. [00:54:06] Speaker B: Here's what you're saying. [00:54:07] Speaker A: What does it say? Be careful out there. What's the mean world? [00:54:11] Speaker B: Be careful out there? [00:54:12] Speaker C: It's an evil world. [00:54:14] Speaker A: I like that this person was. It was safe. What they were doing was safe. It just was inconvenient for me. [00:54:19] Speaker C: I'm just saying, you know, just be careful. [00:54:21] Speaker A: But it really is. It's. It's hard to believe that Jesus could. It's hard to believe that God is that kind and that patient with us because we don't have the ability to it without him. We don't have that ability. We can't wrap our heads around it. So I don't know. I think that it's good for me to get back into John. I think now, because it's something that I've really. God kind of reminded me the other day on something like. And all the stuff that you're studying and trying to figure out and trying to learn about me don't forget the love part, because that's one that I was hammering that one so hard about 18 months ago. [00:54:57] Speaker B: It's commanded over and over again. You're gonna see it. [00:54:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:54:59] Speaker B: Then you see it first, John. This is evidence of salvation. We'll have a good time. [00:55:05] Speaker A: I told the kids the other day, I said, you know, I love that you're. I mean, the kids get a lot of Jesus in their life. [00:55:10] Speaker B: Between school and your parents and school and church. [00:55:14] Speaker A: I said, and one thing, do not ever forget of all these other things. Just don't ever forget that he loves you. Because I'm bad to do that in the middle of all of it sometimes. Really? Forget how much he loves you? [00:55:26] Speaker B: Yes, Jeannie, indeed. [00:55:29] Speaker A: Anything to add? [00:55:30] Speaker C: No. I mean, well, I could, but I think he said he loves you so much that what you just said. [00:55:35] Speaker B: Don't get over it. And don't get. [00:55:38] Speaker C: How can you get over it? [00:55:39] Speaker B: Believe me, you can. [00:55:40] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I mean, if you stay close to him, you won't. I mean, I know what you're saying. [00:55:44] Speaker B: I mean, you can. You can. Well, hey, look, man, you've been married a long time. Long time. That you can. You can take that for granted just as. And how in the world can you do that? You can have a sweet wife. We take it for granted. And we can do the same with our relationship with the Lord. [00:56:00] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:56:01] Speaker B: That. Where it's just. [00:56:02] Speaker C: Actually, we can do. It can be easier with the Lord. Take it. [00:56:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:56:07] Speaker C: Because, I mean, it's just easier. And I guess because you can get cold quick very quickly in your relationship with Christ. A lot more than you can, I would say. And this might not be. You know, this is my truth. I would say you can get colder quicker without having somebody that you see around. [00:56:34] Speaker B: Right. [00:56:34] Speaker C: And that's what. That's where I'm coming from on that. But my wife's there every day. [00:56:39] Speaker B: But I think you're right. It don't take long for. [00:56:44] Speaker C: To get off the right track, it seems to me, and what I've seen other people. It takes a long. It doesn't take near as long as to get off the right track with somebody that you. Somebody that you can feel you touch and whatever. [00:56:59] Speaker B: But it can happen pretty quickly. [00:57:00] Speaker C: It can happen, too. Yes. [00:57:03] Speaker A: Sure. Well. And one of the parallels. I think that one of the best ways to get off track or one of the quickest ways to get off track in either relationship is to start focusing too much on yourself and not. [00:57:15] Speaker C: Exactly not spending time. [00:57:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:57:18] Speaker C: And I mean, that's the same way. [00:57:19] Speaker A: Spending time, but spending that time. Like we talked about last week, being selfish in the time and just spending all my time praying for my situation. [00:57:30] Speaker B: My whole life is centered on. [00:57:32] Speaker A: That's right. [00:57:32] Speaker C: And I can tell you real quickly how you can get off track with the Lord. Quit reading the Bible, quit praying. It won't be long. [00:57:40] Speaker B: You're exactly right. [00:57:42] Speaker A: I was thinking about something, too. This morning I was walking through the neighborhood, and it kind of has a little bit to do. You know, we talked about how much I love to be out in nature and stuff like that. My neighborhood ain't exactly that. Right. [00:57:53] Speaker B: But. [00:57:54] Speaker A: But I'm still walking around. I think this is almost like you're. [00:57:56] Speaker B: Not living in the middle of what is Umstead park here in North Carolina. [00:58:00] Speaker C: But you're living up behind food line, aren't you? [00:58:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I jokingly call it the concrete paradise. [00:58:06] Speaker C: Is it the one food line, the condos and all? [00:58:09] Speaker A: Is it on 55 or 1010? [00:58:12] Speaker B: Yeah. You're up at 1010. [00:58:14] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, but you know, McCullough's. [00:58:21] Speaker B: Exactly where he's at. [00:58:22] Speaker C: So we make sure you knew where you were. [00:58:23] Speaker A: Yeah, but, but, but I was looking at, too. I mean, there are 10. [00:58:28] Speaker C: 10. Just want to remind you. [00:58:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:58:36] Speaker A: Oh, man. But even on my walk this morning, there's still plenty of trees, plenty of grass, there's a sun. There's still plenty of God's beauty no matter where you are. And that's almost like life in a way. Like there are plenty of bad things in the world, things that can blind you. But there's still plenty of evidence of God around us, too, and plenty of his glory around us, too. It's a matter what are you looking for? And you'll probably find what you're looking for, whether you're looking for good or. [00:59:04] Speaker C: Bad up at 210. I mean, 1010. 2. [00:59:08] Speaker B: 1040 is redneck bar. [00:59:10] Speaker C: I'm trying to show you all the ways you can get that wrong. [00:59:13] Speaker B: 210. [00:59:14] Speaker C: Yeah, but you're up at 210, right behind food on 1010. [00:59:17] Speaker B: I have no idea what we're talking about. Ben, he's on a roll today. But I will say I have got something I want to share that's a little bit change. Changing subjects. So we got through at a very reasonable time Sunday, about average. But we got done at 12. And we decided, my family and I, we were going to go to lunch and went to a very fine establishment, you know, upscale dining place named Harday's. Anyway, so we went to Harday's. And there was a young boy behind the counter. Couldn't have been no more than I'd put in, maybe 19. And here we are, it's 12 o' clock Sunday. I've got on tie, my wife has a dress on, my mom has on nice clothes, my brother's dressed nice. And we go in and we get order our food and without. First thing he says is, man, y' all look nice. Where have y' all been today? And you know, I could tell right there my brother Tim was already kind of like, okay, what kind of question is that? Everybody knows you. And that's when we got to the table and I said, no, you need to understand that right there is an example of the Nones. N o, N E. The Nones that are out there and it's about 27% of the population now, has no religious affiliation whatsoever. Doesn't mean they're atheists, doesn't mean they're agnostic. They just have no. And honestly, most of the time they're going to be spiritual, they're going to. But as far as having a relationship, as far as understanding. And so it was a reminder to me of man right here in my own hometown with few Quaverina, we are reminded that there are plenty of people that have absolutely zero knowledge of the scriptures, zero knowledge of the church, because they've never been. And why would anybody be dressed up on a Sunday at 12 o' clock, y' all going to a funeral. And so it is a reminder of man. And it reminds me of when we started, where we started, when you said you had people that were turned away by the gospel. I'd almost as rather witness to the Nones None's than I would those who had been hurt by the gospel or were at church and walked away. [01:01:48] Speaker C: They're more receptive. [01:01:49] Speaker B: Yes. I mean, because like I said, it ain't that they're not spiritual, they're just not religious. I mean, they would believe there's a God, they would believe that. And they were all maybe always trying to seek that inner peace or that contentment. They're seeking it, but they're seeking in the wrong places oftentimes. [01:02:09] Speaker C: You know what bothers me a lot of times that I've just. I've never seen, of course we have a downslide of morality, but attending church too, people that were raised in church, when they get older, they quit going to church a lot of times. And what that means is their children aren't in there, so they're not getting the Quality or the knowledge that you were getting when your parents were going to church all the time. And I've seen that starting to, you know, their grandparents, they were very religious. When I say very religious. They went to church, they were saved people. Then the children, not so much. And it's just kind of slowed down. And now because they're not so much religious and they might come back to the Lord later on, but, but you really need to come back to the Lord when you have children so they have a chance. So each, each generation that I'm seeing is less and less because their children, although they come back to the Lord. [01:03:19] Speaker B: You got it. [01:03:20] Speaker C: But their children weren't taught. So where do they go? You know, so, you know, it seems like it's even church attendance. I understand this going down. [01:03:31] Speaker B: There's a biblical example of that, if you can think about it. Can you think about a biblical example of that? [01:03:39] Speaker C: About David is one of them. [01:03:42] Speaker B: Okay, David. And then what? [01:03:44] Speaker C: He wasn't a very good father? [01:03:45] Speaker B: Well, no, if you stop and think about it as the Bible describes David, he's a man after God's own heart. He was, but then he also had his ways. [01:03:54] Speaker C: He wasn't a good father. [01:03:55] Speaker B: What was Solomon? What was Solomon? Solomon would be considered that. [01:04:02] Speaker C: I know of. [01:04:02] Speaker B: He's wise, he knows of God. But where did he end up worshiping idols? Now who's Solomon's son? Rehoboam. [01:04:11] Speaker C: Rehoboam. [01:04:12] Speaker B: All right, so you go from David, a man after God's own heart, who was wholehearted, seeked after the Lord, to Solomon, who was half hearted. And then you go to Rehoboam, who was totally walking the opposite way, but had knowledge. [01:04:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:04:26] Speaker B: He may have known, but he walked the exact opposite it. [01:04:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:04:29] Speaker B: And so you can see that. I mean there's three generations right there. [01:04:34] Speaker C: And I'm seeing it. [01:04:35] Speaker B: Well, I see it all the time. [01:04:37] Speaker C: Well, let me say I've noticed it. It's probably been going on for years. I don't know. [01:04:42] Speaker B: Well, yeah. Well, what's the thousand years ago? Oh, thousand B.C. [01:04:48] Speaker C: Well, David, I knew of him. [01:04:51] Speaker B: You read of him at first Samuel. [01:04:53] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:04:53] Speaker B: Second Samuel. [01:04:54] Speaker C: I've read his letters, I've sang his songs. [01:04:59] Speaker B: Greatest hits. [01:05:00] Speaker A: It's kind of funny because that almost sounds opposite of a thought that I had this morning of. You know, when you think about witnessing to people, you see the people on the streets come up to you, you know, have you heard the good news and something too good to be true. [01:05:12] Speaker C: Good news, it's too good to be true. Good news. Because this good news is coming around a lot today for some reason. [01:05:17] Speaker B: It is, baby. [01:05:19] Speaker A: But to me, you almost. In my mind, I'm sitting there thinking like it's 20, 25. Everybody's heard the good news. Questions, have you accept it or not? But apparently that's not the case. [01:05:28] Speaker B: I mean, the gospel is in the United States. Yeah. You know, you would always assume. When I was growing up. Oh, yeah, everybody knows that. No, in the United States, there's many that know it. They may not know. They may know the name Jesus. They may know, but they may not have ever heard what Christ came to do. [01:05:50] Speaker C: And a lot of them know the name Jesus in their talking, the way. [01:05:54] Speaker B: They talk, you know, or he was a curses. He was a teacher, you know, he was a guru in Israel. [01:06:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:06:03] Speaker C: Well, they use it in their conversation. Swearing. [01:06:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:06] Speaker C: That's where most people know about Jesus. [01:06:10] Speaker B: But as far as knowing what he did and what the power behind it. [01:06:14] Speaker C: And it goes back to. It really goes back to this. If, I mean, we have a mission that we need to get the gospel out. But if you don't know you're a sinner, and if you don't know that you need to be saved, then you don't. You. You will never know the truth. Because you don't want to look for. [01:06:36] Speaker B: A redeemer or sinner. Right. [01:06:37] Speaker C: Because I, I heard so many people say that I'm a good person. [01:06:43] Speaker B: Right. [01:06:44] Speaker C: I think I qualify for heaven. And we know completely different, right, that. [01:06:48] Speaker A: You are not worthless. [01:06:50] Speaker B: But that's the human wiring in us of I've done more good than bad. [01:06:54] Speaker C: Therefore, okay, I earned it. [01:06:56] Speaker B: I'm hoping that it's gonna give me some points there. [01:06:59] Speaker C: And they've earned it. And they are good people. They are better people than me. But then. [01:07:06] Speaker B: But they're not earning it. [01:07:07] Speaker C: They're earning it on their standard, they're good people. On my standard, they're good people. On God's standard, there's nobody. [01:07:13] Speaker A: That's right. [01:07:13] Speaker C: That's why Jesus Christ came to die for everybody. Not just for one person, not just for the good people, not just for one. Not just for the bad people, but for all people, which according on his scale, everyone needs that. [01:07:27] Speaker B: And so you have. And you know, when I was growing up, you would have said, ah, that's probably out in California. That's out in, you know. [01:07:34] Speaker C: Well, it's out there too. [01:07:35] Speaker B: But now, now it's right here in your own state that when you walk up again, it floored my brother. And in A way it just reminded me of. I mean, he was thinking to himself, who don't know you're going turn on something. I mean, for him, he never thought about, oh, there's actually a none. N O N e there that. And it fleshes itself out right there in front of you. What are y' all doing? You know? Well, most people have. I don't want to say sense, because that doesn't sound right, but can put two and two together. It's Sunday. You go to church, you got on. [01:08:14] Speaker C: Clothes here you can. [01:08:15] Speaker B: I can. [01:08:16] Speaker C: Well, right here in Fuqua, New York, you can. Right here. [01:08:19] Speaker B: Fuquay. Hard days is right down 55. So that's what I'm saying. And that's something I know. I mean, that's why my brother. [01:08:28] Speaker C: I think what I was saying is here, you know, people do. Yeah, but you go to New York or somebody. [01:08:35] Speaker B: Well, when I was little, that's what I fully believe. But now it's all over. [01:08:39] Speaker C: They don't think twice. [01:08:41] Speaker B: Sunday is just another day. And that's why I had to tell them is Sunday is just another day. [01:08:46] Speaker A: What percentage of the country right now attends church on a regular basis? I think. [01:08:50] Speaker C: I think it's lower than what most people think. [01:08:52] Speaker B: No. Well, I mean, 27% identify as nones. N O, N E. As far as attending a religious service on Sunday, I believe the last time I looked it was somewhere around 42% to 30, 35 to 42%. [01:09:10] Speaker C: And that's just not. His statistic is just not for Baptist, Protestant churches. It's for Catholic and all that. [01:09:18] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it's a religious service on Sunday. [01:09:21] Speaker C: Well, a religious service or a religious service Sunday. [01:09:25] Speaker B: That would be the Catholics. [01:09:26] Speaker C: What? [01:09:28] Speaker B: None. It's a religious service. [01:09:30] Speaker C: So they're all Protestants on Sunday? [01:09:32] Speaker B: Well, it's counting a religious service, but. [01:09:36] Speaker A: Is it on a particular day or any religious service Sunday or going during the week? [01:09:42] Speaker B: I don't think. I think they were saying someday events. I think they are counting anything that. Would you attend a religion? Do you go to church? Okay, pick what day. Pick what day? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, yeah. Do you attend church? [01:10:00] Speaker A: Does it include, like. Does it include Muslim church? Church. [01:10:04] Speaker C: That's not a church. I mean, not a church. [01:10:07] Speaker B: It's not. [01:10:07] Speaker C: What about Mormons? [01:10:09] Speaker B: Nowhere near it. [01:10:10] Speaker C: Tabernacle. [01:10:11] Speaker B: I mean, do you attend? I'm sure they would count themselves in that. Again, this is not. This is not exact science. I'm just telling you worth it. So you're going less than 40%. [01:10:21] Speaker C: It's probably less because they are in the world's view, Mormons are Christian people. [01:10:29] Speaker B: Well, but I get that. But that's not the argument. The point is how many people. And I'm saying It's less than 40%. And I think that's the thing is I think there'll be some people who kind of overestimate how much they do go to church. Oh, yeah, we go. We go once a year. [01:10:47] Speaker C: Well, give me names. [01:10:49] Speaker B: These 60%, you know, Easters and Christmas. [01:10:54] Speaker C: I mean, that's not in Christmas, is it? [01:10:56] Speaker B: No, I'm talking about people go at Easter. People go at Christmas. So, I mean, you got. I mean, I'd say it's less. [01:11:03] Speaker A: I just. I'm thinking the reason I was asking the question. I'm thinking back, you know, when I was in, say, college, you know, or if I was out on a Sunday morning, Panthers getting ready to play, and I'm out making my. I'm not going to church. [01:11:18] Speaker B: I'm just out, you know, late Saturday. [01:11:20] Speaker A: Night, whatever, and I'm going. And I would feel way out of place walking around in my gym shorts and I'm seeing all these people in their shirts and ties and their polos and all. I was in the minority, I felt like, because I wasn't going to church on a Sunday morning. Now I feel like it's incredibly rare that I see somebody that I can tell they're on the way back from church. Now, some of that might be people. It's more casual dress. [01:11:43] Speaker B: But even then. [01:11:43] Speaker A: But seriously, I'm walking back into my apartment on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoons, carrying my Bible, and I'm thinking, nobody's looking. I look like an oddball to everybody else. I've not seen person walking in from church. [01:11:55] Speaker C: Our subdivisions like that too. [01:11:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:11:58] Speaker C: But we have to also remember not everybody in the south went to church in the 50s or 60s either. You know, I wouldn't say that, but. [01:12:07] Speaker B: It was a large minority. [01:12:08] Speaker C: It was more. [01:12:09] Speaker B: A larger number than it is today. [01:12:11] Speaker C: Yeah, by far. [01:12:12] Speaker B: Yeah, but. But even then, though, those folks in the 50s and 60s knew what church was. They knew what Christ was. They knew. I dare say most of them would say they were religious. [01:12:25] Speaker C: I would say so. [01:12:26] Speaker B: But versus today is. No, it's a growing, growing population that says. [01:12:33] Speaker C: No. Yeah. And a lot of it has to do. I wouldn't say a lot of. But part of it has to do with college professors and that. That what you were talking about, evolution has filtered down and now it's in public schools. [01:12:49] Speaker B: Well, it's all Over. I mean you have a lot of. [01:12:51] Speaker C: It's just kind of. [01:12:52] Speaker B: Well, it's a creep. It has creeped in from over time. Whether it's. And I dare say, and again I go back to where we kind of where we started from. When you begin to slip away from or step away from. Do you buy into that? The word of God is the word of God. Then it begins to creep into all the way down to where you see ramifications of it, manifestations of it 30, 40, 50, 60 years from now. And it all starts with questioning, okay, what is this? Is this God's word? And again, throwing creation in there, throwing salvation in there. Okay, if this is not, then don't have to worry about creation. If this is not, I don't even have to worry about a savior. And you begin to see that creep is what I call it just like a Virginia creeper or a kudzu vine that grows in the forest or in the yard. If you don't take care of it, it'll just creep and it'll take over, take over everything around it. [01:13:58] Speaker A: Well, and the thing is we're talking about society level issue or. And I agree and it's something that, you know, your statistics can be a little bit depending on how you're putting your stats together. I mean there's things like you're not sure just looking at am I seeing people out in shirt and tie on Sunday afternoons doesn't mean as much now as it did 20 years ago. You got Zoom or YouTube, you got lots of. So you got things like that golf shirt and khaki. But without a doubt there's a decline in true Christianity. And it's not just that that number is going down, it's that it's being ground out so much by the others, the agnostics and the nuns and the whatever. And to the point that we do feel just about like minorities now. We are minorities, I suppose, in the country. [01:14:50] Speaker B: Getting close. [01:14:51] Speaker C: I wonder if we hadn't been a minority all, all this time. [01:14:56] Speaker B: Well, true Christianity probably. [01:14:58] Speaker C: And I say that because even. And you will know more about this than I do, I just heard of it. I mean I have heard of it about even liberalism got filtered into the Southern Baptist, Southeastern. Right. They got rid of them. [01:15:14] Speaker B: Yeah, you better believe it. [01:15:15] Speaker C: I mean they weren't. They're pretty strict down, they're pretty conservative, but they're there for a time. They got somebody took over and they're. [01:15:24] Speaker B: All down 60s and the mid 70s. [01:15:26] Speaker C: I mean you would know more about. [01:15:27] Speaker B: This some Major decisions made. Especially I want to say it was 79 when the Southern Baptist Convention was held in Texas, that if the vote had gone another way, we wouldn't be sitting here today the way we are. It would have, it would have been, we would have been worse. [01:15:45] Speaker C: They took it back, they took it back over. [01:15:47] Speaker B: Yeah. The conservatives moved to say, no, this is the word of God. We're going to hold to it and we're going to stick to it. Because there was an erosion, if you will, of belief that this was the word of God. That okay, it can't be inspired, it can't be infallible. Let's not say it's inerrant, let's just. It's a good guidebook. It's this. And then when you begin to do that, what you begin to do is you begin to erode on. Okay, then Jesus sitting the Son of God or Jesus John 1:3. By him all things were created. No, he didn't do that. I mean you begin to erode that. And then as you erode those staunch, as we said, those fundamental. These are the doctrines we hold. Regardless if you don't agree with us on here, sorry, I'll be friends, but we ain't brothers. [01:16:37] Speaker C: You see the fruits of that with the Methodist Church. [01:16:41] Speaker B: To all my Methodist friends out there, who was it the other day was telling me that they were in a fairly left leaning city in North Carolina and kind of close by to here that has a university that I think one of us here pulls for them, one does not. And churches all along a certain street named after Frank Franklin had rainbow doors, rainbow barriers. We're all, you know. And again that's the lit. Yeah. [01:17:19] Speaker C: There's one that on some road called Hill. [01:17:23] Speaker B: It's a borough. [01:17:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:17:26] Speaker C: Somewhere around there, maybe the capital of. [01:17:29] Speaker B: Raleigh, down towards the capital and it's pull something. Yeah. [01:17:34] Speaker C: Oh yeah, it's a Baptist church, I believe. [01:17:37] Speaker B: Well, they've been kicked out. [01:17:39] Speaker C: Yeah, but it's a Baptist church. [01:17:42] Speaker B: But not. [01:17:44] Speaker C: Well, they have them in that city too. [01:17:47] Speaker B: Not many. Well, but you're exactly right and I think it's. We have a lot of churches that have gotten away from the truth and it's not just. And it's not just marriage and it's not just same sex marriage. It goes all the way back to. [01:18:01] Speaker C: Some other things to appease the world. That's not what we're supposed to do. [01:18:07] Speaker B: But I dare say it all started with when you began to question in Chapel Hill is this going to be the authority or not? [01:18:14] Speaker C: Yes. [01:18:14] Speaker B: Because if it doesn't or how am I going to interpret it? I'm going to interpret it with my lens that I come and already say, this is right. So now I just got to find some verses that back that up. [01:18:25] Speaker C: Well, I'm just disappointed with some of the. Those churches. [01:18:29] Speaker B: No doubt. [01:18:31] Speaker A: Well, I want to. I want to. [01:18:33] Speaker B: Presbyterians, too. Certain divisions of Presbyterians, not all. [01:18:40] Speaker A: Yeah, Well, I want to. I want to say this. I derailed myself a minute ago. Usually Kenny does it, but I actually distracted myself a minute ago. We're talking about it at, like a macro level. And, you know, the enemy. That's the way the enemy works, right? He's not going to take a scissor, you know, a pair of scissors to the. The fabric of Christianity. He's going to start tugging on a thread. [01:18:59] Speaker B: All you gotta do is and just. [01:19:00] Speaker A: Pull on that, slowly start to unravel it. But I just want to say that, you know, that's at the society level. But he does the exact same thing in your everyday life. It's not like he just shows up one day and says, absolutely. You know, he pulls on a thread here and he pulls on a thread there, and next thing you know, I've done that, you know, and it doesn't take too long for you to realize that the whole thing, I mean, it takes you a while to realize. [01:19:24] Speaker C: And it happens. You're right. It happens to us corporately and individually. It can happen either way. [01:19:29] Speaker B: Yep. [01:19:29] Speaker A: Yep. [01:19:30] Speaker C: And most. A lot of times, both. [01:19:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:19:32] Speaker B: Yep. It's little things. That's why you got a guard. [01:19:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:19:34] Speaker B: Put your guard up at all times. [01:19:36] Speaker A: We're not gonna do homework again. I can't give you one. [01:19:39] Speaker C: I'm not doing homework. I'm not doing homework. [01:19:44] Speaker A: We gotta let this boy go or he's gonna get in trouble. [01:19:46] Speaker C: No, I've got 15 minutes. [01:19:48] Speaker B: All right. [01:19:49] Speaker C: No, Renee's gotta come. See, Renee's gotta come to church. [01:19:52] Speaker B: Church. [01:19:52] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [01:19:53] Speaker B: Where'd she get. She's driving your car. [01:19:55] Speaker C: I told you where she was. [01:19:58] Speaker B: Right. [01:19:58] Speaker C: Now I've got to pick her up. She's on. On my lawnmower. Come this way. [01:20:02] Speaker B: Okay. [01:20:03] Speaker C: It should be halfway there. There by now. [01:20:05] Speaker B: She's not coming to church. You gotta go get her. Right. [01:20:07] Speaker C: She's getting my truck, coming here, then going to cook something at the house, then going to Andrew. [01:20:14] Speaker B: Well, you got. Yeah, they're supposed to bring appetizers. [01:20:16] Speaker C: And then she's got to email you to what time that. Or text you what time that. [01:20:21] Speaker B: I think we're in good shape. I think one of the things. Let me share this as we go off the air. One of the things that I would say about this is there is a word that we've used oftentimes and last night I was doing some reading and we quote it and it's something everybody longs for and it's something that we wish we all had. And here it is. Contentment. Contentment is that peace of mind, that peace that, okay, everything's gonna be alright. Contentment is no matter where I'm at in my life, I'm satisfied. Maybe not satisfied that I'm not still reaching for new heights and not satisfied that I don't have goals and aspirations, but I can be pleased in Christ. Psalm 18:1 3 I believe there's a passage there that can help you, that can show us a little bit about what it means to be content. Psalm 18:1 3:1 is. Well, I think just take a look and just see is that someone who is content or not. And then we'll dissect that then next week. [01:21:38] Speaker A: All right, well, we're both going to do better. He's not going to cheat and I. [01:21:41] Speaker B: I did write a newsletter on it, so. [01:21:43] Speaker A: Okay. He's not going to cheat and I'm going to actually do it this time. So we're going to get better this time. Last time. [01:21:49] Speaker B: Psalm 18:1 through 3. Are you writing it down like a. An assignment? Yeah. [01:21:57] Speaker C: I thought you said that's what we're doing. [01:21:58] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I mean. Hey. [01:22:00] Speaker A: Yeah, he hadn't figured out how to. [01:22:02] Speaker B: Use chat and you. You obviously you did well on the. [01:22:05] Speaker C: No, I'm just putting. Answer. I'm just putting it here. Psalms 18:1 3. [01:22:10] Speaker B: Yep. But you did do good on. [01:22:13] Speaker C: Well, thank you. [01:22:14] Speaker A: See y'. [01:22:15] Speaker C: All. I mean, I just. I was saying when I had to ask you to take me out for my birthday, that's just not. [01:22:25] Speaker B: It ain't the same. Well, you know, I'm taking. [01:22:27] Speaker C: I mean you were supposed to ask me take me because what I saw on my card. [01:22:31] Speaker B: But yep. [01:22:32] Speaker A: And I'll be a redneck. Barbecue. Yeah, that's the name of it. Yeah. Where is that. That sounds good. [01:22:38] Speaker C: I've never been. Not down. Not down there. [01:22:42] Speaker B: You kidding? [01:22:42] Speaker C: No, I haven't. I mean, I've been wanting to. I've been. I've been thinking about it since the 21st July. [01:22:53] Speaker B: I gotta take you out. I get it. I get it. I gotta take you out. [01:22:56] Speaker C: But I was thinking about going there, but yeah, it was two months later I'll just wait the next. [01:23:01] Speaker B: But they won't choose it next Tuesday. I have to take you another week. [01:23:05] Speaker C: And let's see here. And I don't think it's even read. And so here. Let's see if I can find that. [01:23:10] Speaker B: You're good. I'll take your word for it. [01:23:11] Speaker C: No, no, We've gone too far now. [01:23:14] Speaker A: You can. You can manipulate that. You can always mark an email unread after. [01:23:19] Speaker C: Yeah, well, even if it's in bold, he's awful defensive. [01:23:23] Speaker B: You can make it bold again. [01:23:24] Speaker C: Well, I didn't know that. [01:23:26] Speaker A: That we're 30 minutes in. We ain't said two words of anything relevant. He's ready to jump to the exit. He's gotta go. [01:23:33] Speaker B: I'm gonna do another homework assignment. Grading homework has become the whole class. [01:23:39] Speaker A: Yeah, you gotta be careful how you say that. [01:23:41] Speaker B: Too good to be truly good. [01:23:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:23:43] Speaker C: Yeah. Life's hard with him. [01:23:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:23:45] Speaker C: Without him. [01:23:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:23:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:23:47] Speaker A: That'll get edited out, though. See, I won't make that when it's over. We don't like their judge. We do. We try to be precise and do. [01:23:55] Speaker C: Exactly what I'm talking about. Their job, doctor. [01:23:57] Speaker B: And some of the. Some of their activities. [01:23:59] Speaker C: Y' all gotta get this together. [01:24:01] Speaker B: This last week. Yeah. [01:24:02] Speaker C: Okay, now that makes sense. I was on the 4th. I still didn't say. [01:24:05] Speaker B: I don't think any of this makes sense. Please make it make sense.