Beyond Sunday
Beyond Sunday is a podcast where we dive into what our Church is up to, what's happening in society, go deeper into topics from Sunday mornings, and hear leadership talks and coffee break theology from Pastor Greg Griffith. This is a podcast of King of Kings Church in Omaha & Fremont, Nebraska. Learn more at kingofkings.org.
Beyond Sunday
21 Days of Prayer - Week 4
In this Beyond Sunday episode, Peter, Kate, and Pastor Seth talk about how real spiritual change happens—holding together grace as a gift and growth as a lifelong journey. They explore how Scripture, daily rhythms, and community shape us over time, helping us move from checkbox faith to steady, Spirit-led becoming.
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Thanks for listening!
Welcome to Beyond Sunday. This is Peter Bam hosting today as Dina is out on a vacation to the Bahamas. Woo! Enjoy the sun, Dina. With uh that's this is untrue. She's like in an all-day meeting. I think you're right. Yeah. Pretty sure I walked by past her door like two hours ago. The opposite of the Bahamas. Uh, with me today, I have two people here in the recording studio, the King of Kings, Millard Recording Studio. And uh, who are you?
SPEAKER_05:Kate Solberg, associate campus director at the Northwest Campus.
SPEAKER_00:Seth Flick, campus director at Millard Campus. And I would say that we are getting better and better. Last week, the host introduced as like distinguished distinguished guests the week before that, Peter, you and I were called moderate. So I think we're just getting better and better. Absolutely. And I don't disagree with moderate. Kate really classes up the joint.
SPEAKER_02:I'm just gonna say that right now.
SPEAKER_05:Happy to do it.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. Yeah. What is the top way that you class up a joint?
SPEAKER_05:I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:You don't know? I go with very presence. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_05:Dang, thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and and I would go in with that. I would say that you are that you're very present in most places where you are. Okay. Yeah, you're listening, you'll disagree with people, you'll jump in, you'll laugh, you'll yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But she's authentically Kate every time, and she loves Jesus. That's what I know about Kate. She loves his word, she loves Jesus, she lives it out in her life. That's classy.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:That's classing up adjoining.
SPEAKER_05:We guys tell my kids all that stuff.
SPEAKER_02:They're listening. They listen and guarantee you they're listening. They are one of the seven listeners we've established. Yes. Becca Ben, thanks for listening to Beyond Sunday. All right. So today, you know, uh Dina may not be in the Bahamas, but today is National Plan of Vacation Day. Fun. I mean, if you could plan your vacation anywhere, what what would you where would you go? What would you plan? Omaha, Nebraska. Oh home of the runza. Wow. What else would you put in your Omaha Nebraska vacation? I like this direction. The Dowerly Zoo. What'd you call it? Dowerly, Dourley.
SPEAKER_00:The zoo in Omaha.
SPEAKER_05:That's awesome. Henry. It's Doorley, just so you know. Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Good to know.
SPEAKER_05:You were super close and phonetically, you could say it that way, probably.
SPEAKER_02:And real confident. I love that. I was like, what is a dowerly zoo?
SPEAKER_05:I'm like, I haven't been there to that one.
SPEAKER_02:It's wonderful. It's full of doors. It's such a good zoo.
SPEAKER_00:It is a good zoo.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Okay, Kate. Well, what were you planning your vacay?
SPEAKER_05:Oh, shoot. There's so many great places to go.
unknown:Man.
SPEAKER_05:I don't know. Like, I love the mountains. I love hiking in the mountains. And I also love the ocean.
SPEAKER_00:So make a suggestion.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Is there somewhere that has both?
SPEAKER_00:Ocean. Plateaus.
SPEAKER_05:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Bible, because Kate loves the Bible.
SPEAKER_05:I do.
SPEAKER_00:On the Mediterranean, Israel.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, my parents wouldn't let me go there. Nope. They're very safety conscious and they really like me to stay in the continental United States, but I would love to go.
SPEAKER_02:As a coworker, I'm not legally allowed to ask how old you are, but what when's the age when your parents stop making decisions for you?
SPEAKER_05:When they go home to meet, Jesus.
SPEAKER_02:Well let'd be a while. Yes, a ways away.
SPEAKER_05:I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But you know, I'm thankful that I have parents that want to keep me safe, but absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:Shout out to you, Mike and Judy.
SPEAKER_05:My whole family's been shouted at.
SPEAKER_02:That's amazing.
SPEAKER_05:No, actually, I I have a trip planned with my kids that we haven't told my parents about. So my daughter graduates high school. My bent, my son's close to graduating college. So I know I'm I have limited time with them. So we're actually going to Greece. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's amazing. Are you making biblical like city stops?
SPEAKER_05:Well, of course, I have a list of biblical places in Greece. Supposedly it's for my daughter's high school graduation, but I would love to.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Yes, yes, yes. All of this is good. And I went and did a pilgrimage there, and we did the second missionary journey of Paul. If you get a chance to go to Neapolis and then Philippi, Philippi has an outdoor worship area where Lydia was baptized by the side of the Red River. And what's super cool is the person who's leading the service is on an island, and there's a tiny bridge that goes from built-in seating into like the hillside.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:There's a tiny little bridge and the river runs through both sides of it.
SPEAKER_05:Oh wow.
SPEAKER_00:So many people, you know, like just remember back to the faithfulness of Jesus in their baptisms in that space. It's it's really moving because you were you are there where it happened. It's super cool. Wow. Totally suggest that if you get a chance. That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_02:I on the other hand, where are you going? I don't even I'm anti-vacation.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I actually knew that about you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm just like, nah, it doesn't excite me. Like if I could snap my fingers and just be somewhere for a meal or an afternoon. If I could tell that's a work, would it be Qdoba? Yeah, right by your house. I'd teleport to Qdoba. You know, don't have to get in the vehicle. Like I'd teleport to uh Eminem. I it probably doesn't exist anymore, but the in Detroit area there was like uh mom spaghetti, Eminem's restaurant.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, I thought the chocolate candy.
SPEAKER_02:I'm like, I know I don't even think that you can like sit down in mom spaghetti. I think it was just like pickup. Oh, I bet it lasted for a few months, but um yeah, so I'm I'm not a big vacay person, but I have been to some great places, especially in college when I got to tour. And so, like Spain and Germany, Austria. Um, we hit up all those places pretty sweet, and then uh domestically got to go to a lot of places too. I'd probably go east coast, give me some seafood, you know, like pole boy, a pole boy, maybe wrestle a stingray. Is that safe? No, no, no, the crocodile hunter. Is that how he went?
SPEAKER_05:Yes, stingray.
SPEAKER_02:All the all the frights with the crocodile and the stingray got us. Yes, sad, sad. You think the crocs were super ticked about that? That was their one advocate.
SPEAKER_00:Look at this, Sheila, she's a butt. I used to watch that all the time.
SPEAKER_05:I love the Irwin family, they're classic.
SPEAKER_02:Yep, fantastic. They really know how to class up a joint. So, Pastor Zach Zander, Z Z, Zachy's in. He uh wrapped up this 21 Days of Prayer series, um, teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. And so week four was all about training and righteousness. He gets into uh justification and sanctification. Holy smokeronies. Uh Seth, Pastor on board. If you were to give us a fifth grade level explanation of justification and sanctification, what would it be? Fifth grade level.
SPEAKER_00:All right. So I would say I stole Peter's hats. He loves hats. He also loves shoes. I stole his hat, and I deserve to be punished for the hat stealing. And yet, um Kate, who is our just judge over both of us, looks at me and says, you know what? Uh you do deserve punishment for stealing Peter's hat. And that is what you should have. But I'm gonna take your punishment. And so here, Peter, you can have your hat back. And Seth, uh, you get to just walk around free, and I pray that you don't steal any more people's hats. And in my eyes, the eyes of the judge, it is just as if you hadn't stolen that hat, because I have proclaimed that you are free, your death's been paid, you're good to go. That's justification. And that, you know, Zach had used that term, just as if I didn't sin. It's because you're now covered by Jesus. And so when the father looks at us because we're sinners, it's almost like this awesome filter is placed over top of you, where the father just looks down at you and all he sees is the pure grace of Jesus covering over top of you. So that's kind of the justification part. Now, when we're talking about that in terms of what does that look like, faith without works is dead. And so you it's not just a matter of, are you made just boom, past tense thing doesn't affect who you are. Sanctification would say, and after that justifying event, it's always connected to an effect. And that effect is you're being made holy, you're set apart to maybe intervene in other hat stealing scenarios, uh, so that uh you can make sure that that doesn't happen again. So sanctification is just basically living out the life that Jesus has kind of scoped out as a guide in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_02:Kate of those two, which one have you heard talked about more in your time as uh as a Christian?
SPEAKER_05:Oh, I definitely agree with Pastor Zach. Like we hear a ton about justification, covered by the blood of Jesus, accept Jesus as your Lord. And I've had that conversation with people before. They do some people make the mistake of thinking as that as the finish line. You've made it, you've made that choice. In some regards, the work is done because Jesus has done it, and the work is done, but for Christians who are still on earth, it's the starting line to follow after him.
SPEAKER_02:Why why do you think we don't talk about sanctification as much?
SPEAKER_05:It's way more work.
SPEAKER_02:Tell me more.
SPEAKER_05:Well our nature, in our fleshly nature, we don't naturally live the way God intends for us to do. And I'm saying our actions, our words, our thoughts, our motives, it encompasses all of our humanness. And so just one example is the scripture says, take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. That's a full-time job. And we live in America, kind of a fast food culture where give me my message quick, I'm ready to move on with my day, check a box, good to go. But that's never what Christ intended for a disciple to live like, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, just think about how transactional that sounds if we're only thinking about justification. We're using God to meet the ends that we want Him to meet us at, which is I want to be made clean. I want to be considered good. I don't want to think about hell. I want to, you know, just think about good, happy things like heaven and everything else. And so it's kind of like, oh, I drop my sin off at the sin bank and I withdraw grace, and uh, that's about it. I'm good to go. I did I check the box. But sanctification, it requires um a bigger struggle. And that struggle is something that, like, since even like it's even longer than this, but like the Protestant Reformation brought a ton of theologians that talked about like these are the marks of someone who is following after Jesus. So there's like the big marks, like uh they're baptized, they receive the Lord's Supper, they hear the word regularly. But then there's also these other marks of like you're marked with struggle, and like they had this great German word. Do you want me to teach you a German word? Yes, I do.
SPEAKER_01:You gotta say it, but you've got to get the tag an Fichtang. I say it again. An Anfechtung, Fechtung.
SPEAKER_00:So if you say it with like, I know Arnold Schwarzenegger was uh Austrian, yeah, but they spoke German, so it's like Yao, get into the chappa, you know, but you gotta that's pretty good, yeah. But that was a word that was used throughout, like from that point on in theology, just to be able to say, like, even the word sounds like a struggle, yeah. Uh most of German does. Yeah. Uh, but even in like Latin, Latin church fathers used a different word in Tatio. It was like this ongoing struggle of fighting against your own flesh. It's like this inner battle that's perpetually being warred, and your flesh just stinks at this battle. But the spirit is working overtime because that's the spirit's job in someone who is saved by Jesus to continuously subject the flesh to be crucified, but also subject the person that's redeemed to hearing the gospel and being made alive again over and over again. So, I mean, it's so much easier to talk a past tense event of the gospel, somebody being gospeled by Jesus. Yeah. It's so much more difficult to talk about sanctification without getting into legalism, where you're like, well, a Christian looks like this, X, Y, Z. Here's the list. If you look like this and you're good. Well, then you're no better than the rich young man that's like, hey, I've done all these things since my birth. I'm good, right? What must I do to inherit eternal life? Past tense. Uh, I did all these great things. Check, check, check. And unfortunately, you miss the entire point of grace once you move into legalism. So I think that's the other part is like, it's like walking this razor blade of like, on the one hand, you can fall off into I can do whatever I want. I'm saved. And then on the other side, you fall off and it's like, oh.
SPEAKER_05:You're a Pharisee.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Either I'm a Pharisee or I have, you know, I just have despair because I stink. And literally, I like I'm terrible as a human being. So I couldn't imagine not having that tension biblically to like actually live within. I actually have hope because I realize like even my sanctification is on the spirit's work in my life.
SPEAKER_02:Are there other denominations that love talking about sanctification?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but then the issue with those denominations is they're light on talking about justification.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:So like if you don't hold both of those in tension, then you get these really off-the-wall versions of Christianity. So for a really long time, people look at like a little bit more of a conservative, you know, view of just focusing on justification, of like, you don't do anything. And they're not wrong when they have that comment about us. Uh, and then on the other side, they look at people that just like do whatever they want. Uh, and they're like, Wow, I do not want to live like that. Uh, and so, like, yeah, it's a razor's edge, and you gotta have both.
SPEAKER_02:So, one of the quotes from uh that Zach mentioned was Jesus didn't die simply so you could believe something, he died so you could become something, a disciple. And so, in our life choices, I'd I I'd like to hear from both of you personally, and then we'll get broader. But what are some life choices that you guys have made uh in that quest to um not just believe something but become something a disciple?
SPEAKER_05:Um, well, I think being in the scripture has what has changed my life after coming to faith in Christ. Um and I I I came to know the Lord at like a one-time event. It wasn't like I was raised this way, I always believed. Mine was a one-time event, and I read and I was 13, and I remember thinking almost right away, like, oh man, I gotta get after this Bible. Like I'm a Christian now, I gotta know it. And so I read it, I remember reading it in high school, and but and in college, I was in some Bible studies, but the first time I like did an intentional Bible study was actually as a young adult. And it was in over the book of Genesis, and I studied it from like September through May, so school year. And my life changed that year because, like Zach said, it was the first time I was in the Word four or more times a week consistently. And I feel like once you do that, your appetite changes, like little snippets of the Bible isn't enough anymore. You're ready for like a meat and potatoes meal. And so that's changed my life. And and it's hard, I don't want to go back now to little snippets. And so that's I don't know, I still love it. And I think I wish all Christians were able to be in the word like that. I would love to be able to interact with Christians. I think I said this to you recently, but like tell me what'd you read this morning? And if it wasn't this morning, like, okay, last week, like I wish I could interact with Christians all the time. Oh, I'll tell you where I'm at. You know, I'm an Esther. I I totally forgot what God did through Mordecai, you know, like to know the Bible that way, I think it would change life for a lot of people.
SPEAKER_00:And I think that would like be the discipling culture that people desire to experience.
SPEAKER_05:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Not in a way that would say, like, oh, shame on you for not opening the Bible at whatever frequency it is. And I'm not saying that you were hinting at that at all, but wouldn't that be cool if that was just like the normal culture? It's like, oh, I read about Joseph today and he reunited with his brothers after, you know, a long lost time of being disconnected for them or with them. And did you see like all the drama setting up when he was like arranging them all by age as he sat them at the seat? Like, I think any of those kinds of conversations are all so great for discipleship, right? About becoming someone. And I would agree, so I was gonna apply it in the same way. Uh, I think there's a difference between reading the Bible as a book that um like you're protecting or you're diagnosing or you're like treating as as any other kind of book. And I think that that that surface level like reading happens quite a bit in North American Christianity because I think we're very comfortable with surface level Christianity, but the moment that we actually pay attention to details is the moment that we are actually like a part of the story. And I think that's where real discipleship happens. And what I love about the word disciple is the it just means the word is just learner. And what's cool about that is it's not like again, a past tense thing. I learned it and it's done. It's I'm a learner of this. There is no way that someone could read through the Bible and they should not get bored with it. Never. As many times as I've read it, there's always something like, oh my goodness, how did I miss that? I totally overlooked. Like we had a conversation this morning uh in our team teaching meeting about um Shadrach, Meshach, and Nebed and go in the fiery furnace. And one of our group just brought out this detail that like I have never paid attention to. And then I thought, you know, like after he was talking about how this could be applied, I was like, oh my goodness. But that's what comes with just being in the word deeply every day. And for me, I love it. Like I open up the word in the morning, it's like, morning, Jesus. And to be that close, it just helps me remember. I'm a learner. I'm not, I'm gonna fail, I'm not gonna remember a bunch of stuff. I'll forget most of what I've learned to begin with. Then you go back to it again. You're like, oh, there's life, and it's so exciting and it's interesting, and there's a lot of passion in here, and there's a passionate God that's revealed in this. So I love that. I mean, I think you're right.
SPEAKER_02:So, what would you say to the person who's like a believer? Maybe they've came to faith later in life, or maybe they've been a lifelong believer and um and they've tried over and over and over again to uh have a consistent rhythm of being in God's word, but they haven't experienced what you guys are talking about. Like, what advice or what would you say to them? Because I my guess is we have listeners who are like, I do this and I don't feel this way.
SPEAKER_05:I I don't think I could stay consistent without being in a group that is studying the Bible together, just to for that accountability piece and to know this is scripture we're gonna meet about in a week. You know what? And I'm I'm not gonna get much out of it if I don't prepare, if I don't read the scripture multiple times or listen to it. Because then, like you say, when you meet together with people to discuss it, they're gonna bring something that God worked through them to share with you. We were never intended to walk the Christian life alone. We were meant to walk together. So I I would encourage whether you find an accountability partner, whether you join a group, like that is gonna be a game changer, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_00:My favorite thing that happens in those circumstances when you're talking with other people who have been in the Word is when they just throw out a random verse and expect you to know what it is. And they're like, Hosea 11-1, bro, right? And you're like, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Remind me what that says.
SPEAKER_00:And then you just like turn 90 degrees around and like, oh, Jose 11. Oh, yeah, yeah, I love that one. But it happens. It happens. So, you know, you're asking about like how do you do that? And I think uh I've talked about it on the podcast before, but like developing a habit for being in the Word is very similar to developing a habit for exercising your body, whatever it is, whether it's walking, running, going to the gym, whatever, it doesn't matter. And that is having an accountability partner in some way, shape, or form and setting up an actual habit. So for me, one of the best things is like the UVersion Bible app will send you a notification on your phone at the same time every day. And if you set it for a time that you know you should be available, it's really hard to ignore. So you go in and it can read it to you. So if you're driving in the car, that's a lot of times how I actually listen to this podcast. I was listening to last week's this morning on the way in today. Uh, but how I listen to the podcast, but I also listen to the word. So I put it on New Living Translation because that dude's voice is like butter. It's awesome. I love it. Uh in new version. And uh so having that notification, having that regularity, same time every day, you know, usually in my car is when I do it. And so like it's the same place, uh, same situation, good rhythm. But I also have somebody that I text regularly. So there's somebody I text regularly to like text it out and just like talk about questions. And I actually text whenever I finish the day's reading to my son. And that way, like he knows his dad is in the word every day. And it's not like a show, it's just I want him to see what long-term passion in the scriptures can look like. And that like even when I'm on vacation, he gets a notification like dad did his reading today. Uh, so number one, he'll know like that's if I don't send it to him, maybe I've been kidnapped and he needs to call Liam Neeson or something like that. Specific set of skills. Uh but those things that help are, you know, they're just basic habit things. Uh, but this is a good habit to be in the word. And so I love the UVersion Bible app and just accountability partners.
SPEAKER_02:So one of the brilliant sentences that Zach said was the best way to follow Jesus is to follow Jesus. Yeah. Unbelievable. Um, but that is there there is some beautiful thought to that. The best way to follow Jesus is to follow Jesus. What does that look like though? Because I know that there's Christian people around me who don't necessarily look like that, and there's non-Christians who do look like that. So how do I know and what like how do I know that in them and in me that I'm actually following Jesus?
SPEAKER_05:I think um looking at how Jesus carried himself while he was on earth, how he spent his time, um, who he spent time with, how very few times he got worked up, he had a calm demeanor. I don't I can't think of any time when he was in a hurry in the Bible. We saw him intentionally take time away to be with his father. So I feel like if if you if you see those patterns in your own life, that's a good sign. Um people would come up to Jesus and want him to fix things a lot, and a lot of times it was with the the government, the ruling government. And most of the time Jesus wasn't interested. You know, he had a bigger vision of what he was doing on earth, and he knew the plan, and he knew his father was sending him on a specific mission mission, and he did not want to be distracted from that. And so I think what you truly need to do is examine what you're ingesting as far as not your food content, but where do you spend time? Do you watch news programs three and a half hours a day and read your Bible seven minutes? Like, maybe that's not a great ratio, you know, and I don't know what the ratio is, but if your content you're ingesting is honoring God and reminding you of the truth of the scripture, holy cow, that's gonna lead to the fruits of the spirit, right? Joy, peace, patience, kindness. And then I'm gonna have a demeanor that looked like Jesus more often. My eyes focused on my father. I'm not I'm not in a hurry, unless he tells me to be. But I think that's a sign that you're following Jesus.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. Uh so I guess in thinking about it and actually listening to a lot of what Kate says, what I loved about what you've provided is the focus on following Jesus is that you are focused on following Jesus and you're not necessarily looking at, well, is that person following Jesus over here? Well, I could judge then if I think they're a better follower or a worse follower. And all of a sudden I might feel like junk because I'm comparing myself to them. But what I love about Jesus and like his formula as he approached the disciples, he would just come to them and say, Akaluthe omoi. He wouldn't say, Compare yourself to these other people. He would say, you follow me. And so it's kind of like this no, keep your eyes locked in right here. Look at what's going on here between you and I. All this other stuff, yeah, that might have something for you later on, but right now, focus on me. And so that's what I loved about you, what you just said there is that it was a lot of focus on your relationship with Jesus and not everybody else's. And I think that that's a little bit of a danger right now, is that so many people look on Instagram at how wonderful and faithful so many other people's lives look. And that is not reality. Right. Um, and I think all you have to do is just kind of sadly look at headlines about what's actually happening behind the camera with a lot of the Christian big personalities. Not all of them, some of them are great, but a lot of them have even more struggles than we do. So, what would it be like if we're just totally locked in on Jesus and following him? I think we would look like a lot more authentic followers.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. The um the art of the art of surrender um and humility are hard. And both of them do require, I believe, an inward focus to uh to say, okay, what am I surrendering to? Um what is going to where am I going to fix my eyes? Um I think that when I look around um and I see the fruit of the spirit, it is it's awesome to see someone who is patient and someone who is living with joy, and those stories of like, how can they be joyful? They just had this happen. Those are just such evident markers of uh of Christ's work in the people around you.
SPEAKER_00:Um so well, and I think you are specifically tuned in to seeing that in people's lives because what I've noticed is that like you have a good radar sense for knowing what's really going on in somebody's life. And so whenever I've been around you, it takes like you maybe two questions to figure out where somebody's at and how they're doing, and then you just do a great job of connecting your story with their story in a way that you're not trying to aggrandize yourself, but like you're using whatever that commonality is to like really reach and do ministry to them. So I think like you are gifted in that way to really like diagnose and then help. Thanks to see that joy.
SPEAKER_02:Appreciate that. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, those those those fruits are true evidence. Um, but I I love that idea of like if uh live with less comparison and more eyes, fix on Christ. Are you gonna sing the song?
SPEAKER_00:Which which one fix my uh I can't say on you. Oh, for King of Country, that's what it is. That's for King of Country.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, yeah, I remember it now.
SPEAKER_00:See, I have such a terrible singing voice. You're like, What song was Frank Symantra?
SPEAKER_05:It took a minute, then I remembered.
SPEAKER_02:You're pretty good with uh accents, so you could probably do Frank. I'm not gonna try.
SPEAKER_00:I I've got a Frank, but I'm not gonna do it. I can't bring out the all of the accents all in one podcast. I gotta keep some in reserve.
SPEAKER_02:Well, so speaking of like accents in uh improv or whatever, so Zach said some words that truly sound like rap lyrics.
SPEAKER_00:Oh I don't know. As a guy who actually listens to rap, I I don't want to be judgy. Sorry, Zach. He called me out once on the podcast.
SPEAKER_02:I'm gonna call him out on good rap, but like he tried to say words that all sounded the same. So he was like, work the word because the word works. The word works, so work the word. Yeah, uh, it's like uh Pastor Greg, he always says like words create worlds, and then that gives him the liberty just to say make up stuff, you know, like care is the new excellence, and then I always cause this cause just an absolute scene, and then I feel bad about an apologize later, and Greg's like, it's okay. People left, you know. Which thank you, Greg, for your humility and allowing me to pop off like that. But the word works, so work the word. Zach's clearly talking about the Bible. You both talked about how important it is to be in God's word and what that does in your life, but what does it look like to work the word?
SPEAKER_05:Well, I think I've said this before, but um I used to pray the dumbest prayer. I used to pray that um when I was making a decision that God would just shove me in the right direction, just shove me so I don't miss it. And I I'm embarrassed to say how long I prayed that many years probably. And after, you know, spending time consistent time in the word, I feel like God revealed to me that is not my nature. I don't shove people. And because when you spend time in the word, it does work on you and your assumptions about God that are sometimes wrong. You know, like I said, like the Lord is gentle in spirit and he's a gentleman in my mind. Um he wants us to come to him, and sometimes he wants us to just wait. And I don't always want to wait. But the time whose timing is better, mine or his? And so I've I've changed my prayer now. Instead of God, would you just shove me in the right direction? You know, allow your word to be a lamp to my feet, you know, allow me to take the next correct step, you know, and Lord, you know, reveal to me if I'm walking in the wrong direction. It's it causes me to come to him more often and wait more often than when I need to and look in the scripture more often than all right, just waiting for a shove, you know, like come on. That's silly.
SPEAKER_00:That's actually really wise. I was, you know, as I'm thinking about that, it's almost like um an apathy waiting for reaction. So like you're waiting for God to do this one thing, and then I'll respond in uh humility and in service. So what a great revelation to be like, no, uh, this life following Jesus isn't necessarily always a reactive, like he's gonna call me to be active in my faith. Right. And so, you know, when we're talking about like the word works and work the word, well, you know, there's this thing about like, you know, your works are not gonna create your faith, but faith that's given to you as a gift is going to ill be illustrated by your works. And so in that way, well, what are your works gonna look like? I don't know. I get lost a lot of times in what I'm called to do and like how to do this well. But if I read the scriptures, it's gonna give me like this guidebook of what that could look like. Uh, it's not gonna prescriptively tell me, like, in this circumstance, exactly like this, this is what you need to say, and this is who you need to date, and this is the school you need to go to. But instead, it's gonna say, this is what a God-pleasing look life looks like. Maybe the person that you're looking for, uh, rather than looking for that specific soulmate, which I don't believe actually exists, by the way. But here's a characteristic of what this person looks like. And did you find that person? Okay, well, explore that in the most God-pleasing way possible. What do you want to do in your vocation when you get a little bit, you know, older? Okay, this is what you want to do. Great. There's a school that's tailored specifically for that. That school is going to be a God-pleasing school for you to be able to exercise your vocation and like give God glory by your faith being illustrated through your works. And so uh, in this that sense, I think it's a very real way where God paints this really beautiful, awesome, broad picture of what his will looks like. And he is such a big God, he gives you so many different choices of what a God-pleasing life looks like, rather than a little teeny God that's gonna say prescriptively, if you don't follow and make your life look like this and marry this person and do this job, then you're not actually following after me. Like that's a small God, and our God is so much bigger and cooler than that, so much better of an artist.
SPEAKER_05:Amen. Amen.
SPEAKER_02:Amen. So we also got to hear uh quite a bit about baptism in Sunday's service and and and baptism. Um, how does that fit into this conversation of justification, sanctification? Because I think oftentimes in the Lutheran world, it's like this is an example of like justification, bam, baptism fits, and then we don't hear about it in regards to sanctification. Does it does it fit in there?
SPEAKER_00:So our justification is always inextricably linked to sanctification. Always. Like it doesn't matter what theology book you look at, they're not disconnected. They're always one and the other. And so you can't say, I live a sanctified life without looking back at a point of justification. Now, in the scriptures, it's very clear like baptism is amazing, a great gift of God. It's necessary for those who follow Jesus. But there's a distinction there too about things that are absolutely necessary and the things that are necessary. And the things that are absolutely necessary are the word, it's the word. So like faith comes by hearing. If for some reason you can't be brought to the waters, but you hear the word of God, you're just as saved. That being said, if you know the great gift that baptism is, why would you not want that? Like that boggles my mind that you would not want that moment for your, you know, like the Lord has given it to you. He's delivering something like so intimate and special and gracious. Like, wouldn't you crave that? I I would. But because that's so profoundly interacting in your life, I don't know how that could be disconnected from being set apart. Like you're being set apart by someone for something, and it's just an amazing blessing that you you have to have these things together. And if you were to say, like, well yeah, baptism was awesome, and I'm never gonna talk about it again. Like here's the here's the deal. If someone gave me a car, and I know this is a crass example because it's not baptism, and I drive cars into the ground, but if someone gave me a car and I drove it around, I wouldn't be thankful for the one time that I received it. I would be thankful out of my gourd every time I hopped in that car and drove around and took my kids to basketball practice, which we have to talk about picking up kids today, by the way. Uh Melinda was texting me during the pod. Yeah, I can I can get up, I can get up. Uh in any event, like there's you would be thankful because of that moment that it was given to you every time you're in that car. And I think it's a similar thing that like your daily life should be always thankful. It should always be reflective of that time that Jesus came into your life, whether it's by hearing the word of the Lord or that word is connected to water and it's through baptism.
SPEAKER_02:I one of one of the things that I got to be part of Sunday was uh seeing people remember their baptisms uh with anointing oil and this message of like, um, you know, kings were anointed to reign and priests were anointed to lead and serve, and and you're anointed as a baptized believer to go. And as you go, to like teach and and point others to Christ wherever you are and and encourage them to be baptized. Um, and so uh there's a moment where a bunch of people were like, Yeah, I want to remember who I am as a baptized believer, knowing that Christ has sent me to go. Uh, and that and that for me was this beautiful connection of sanctified living. If you can hear those tunes in the background, that's your invitation to come to worship or student ministry or whatever that is for. And with those tunes in the background, any final takeaways from this week?
SPEAKER_05:Oh, my final takeaway.
SPEAKER_02:Do it, let's hear it. Yeah, she's excited.
SPEAKER_05:I I just loved at the end, um, Pastor Zach talked about James and John, how quickly the rebuke was to sending them out, putting them back in the game. And I loved that. And I thought, man, this is another example of how good our God is. There's not a waiting period. Well, you messed up. So in 32 days, you're back on the job, you know.
SPEAKER_02:Penalty box.
SPEAKER_05:Right. I'm so glad because I feel like I'd be in the penalty box a lot. But nope, we're right back in the game.
SPEAKER_00:For me, it was sitting with uh Second Timothy 316 was really helpful because it was just like for me, repeated exposure is going to help me internalize it. But it also propelled me to look at other 316s in the Bible. So, like Max Lucato wrote a book where it went through a whole bunch of those. And I didn't use the book, I just went through the scriptures and looked at different three sixteens until I got to the end. And Revelation 316 is when. Jesus is um addressing the Laodicean church and he's like, Would that you be hot or cold, but you are neither, you are lukewarm, so I will spit you out. And I was just thinking, like, I never want Jesus to look at me that way. And so for me, it was a matter of I would rather see the word teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training me in righteousness than me not doing anything and me becoming lukewarm. And I think one of the best ways to not be lukewarm is to spend time in his word. So that's what I will be taking happy on Sunday. How about you, Peter?
SPEAKER_02:And I I love starting the year off with so much scripture, so much theology, but not in a way that I drowned in it, uh, in a way that really propelled me to help understand it and to get me excited for the year. Um, so and I'm I I happen to be in a uh Connect group that is uh we've been walking through mere Christianity. And it's been an awesome companion to this uh 21 Days of Prayer Message series. Um so just living this um living this life in God's word with people around me with accountability uh has been a wonderful start for 2026. I'm excited to launch into the Not Alone series. We've got the preacher of it in the room, and it's not Kate. Correct. So so Seth, what would be the 30-second uh advertisement for not alone?
SPEAKER_00:I like advertisement and uh enveloping uh and whatever those pronunciations are. So not alone is gonna be a series walking through the different things that we need to combat the present like epidemic of loneliness. And that is we have something amazing in a community of people called the church. And maybe we haven't been doing a great job with that. So maybe if we just saw how this is done right and the spirit works through that word, maybe just maybe we are gonna have the most incredible gift to give to our surrounding community, and that is actual present connection and we and for their good, not just like to achieve our own ends. So first week we're gonna look at uh just Elijah, super depressed after he had a big victory, and he just is like, eh, I'm done. And I love this because the Lord's like, why don't you take a nap and have a snack? And then you'll feel better. And he is. Um week number two, we're gonna look at the friendship of Jonathan and David and how everybody needs Jonathan. And week number three, we're gonna look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We need a community of believers that's gonna fight for us and fight with us. Uh, the next week after that is going to be taking a look at what happens when we surround ourselves with people who don't have our best interests in mind and look to their own gain, like Rehabam. The week after that, we're gonna talk about Josiah and what a great community focused on the word looks like. And then we're gonna shape it up and finish out not alone with what does it look like for a God who is gonna leave the 99 to go get the one? And so we're gonna look at the good shepherd Jesus, who gathers those who are scattered and brings them into his community. So that's kind of like up in a nutshell, all the different uh character stories we're gonna look at in the scriptures to change the lives of people here.
SPEAKER_02:Wonderful. And if you're like me, there's been seasons where you felt alone. And this is a message series for us to be reminded that we are not alone, we have God and we have his people. I'm excited to dive into this. If you have friends, families who would be benefited by this, invite them to come. And if and if they don't want to come, send them the link. Um, the more that we are cheering each other on through his word with joy, the better it is for everybody. Yep. Amen. So there you go. Not alone. Kicks off this Sunday. Kate, Seth, well done. Good to have you. I was bummed the music didn't just crescendo on our way out. But uh thanks for joining us beyond Sunday as we go into our life Monday extended. I don't know the catchphrase. Dina, you need to come back back from the Bahamas or whatever meeting you're in. All right, y'all. Peace.
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