Influencers - Week 3

Dina, Julie, and Pastor Greg continue the Influencers series by redefining influence through the life of Peter. They highlight how true impact comes not from status, but from humility, restoration, and staying close to Jesus in everyday life.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the King of Kings podcast, where we dive a little bit deeper into our message series and see what we are taking. Beyond Sunday, I have some outstanding guests today.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Go.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Campus directors really like to tease me about what adjectives I use to describe them when they're here. So yeah, I really like to play it up when they're not here. There you go. So go ahead and say hello.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

Hi, Julie Easley, executive director. Hello, Greg Griffiths.

National Picky Eaters Day

SPEAKER_02 0:35

I'm so glad you guys could be here. So I'm not sure if you know, but um, this week we get to celebrate National Picky Eaters Day.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Oh, what day is this?

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Just a regular on April 4th. Oh, on Saturday of this week, National Picky Eaters Day. My question for you is are you a picky eater or not a picky eater?

SPEAKER_03 0:58

I would say generally not a picky eater. There are some things that I don't like. Please do not serve me a meal with fish and peas, or I will really struggle to be a good guest in your home. But really? Uh uh some question, some meat. I I'm like, you know, like I wouldn't eat a heart or a liver or intestines or, you know, grow stuff like that. But other other than that, I'm good.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

You sound like a big eater. You're like, I'm not, but I don't like this. I don't want this. Do you think you're a piggy eater? No, I don't think so. I just don't like mushrooms or um some fish.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Would you eat some of those other things that I had mentioned?

SPEAKER_01 1:40

I mean, I had to eat liver when I was a kid. Yeah. And I hated it.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Liver and onions?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Did you want to make liver and onions? Yeah. It's like eating a penny. Yeah, it's real chalky. It's real chalky. Um, I've never eaten heart um or brain.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

What about gizzard? Ever eat chicken, gizzard?

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Yeah, the Kentucky Fried Chicken has them. Like so, my dad used to always get those. So I don't like them, but I I've eaten them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

We had a family that lived on a farm, and so we would go once a year to everybody would come and we'd butcher chickens together. Yeah. My job as a kid was to peel the gizzards. You gotta peel the lining off of them, which is all the stuff they've eaten and the rocks they've eaten to digest it. So never in my life have I eaten a gizzard because you saw all the stuff.

unknown 2:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

But I have friends who love it.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. How about you?

SPEAKER_02 2:32

I would say I'm a picky eater. I think at one time I thought I wasn't, but I get more picky. I don't like tomatoes. I don't like mushrooms.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

I like ketchup. I like salsa. Anything else with tomatoes? No, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

We had a we had a staff member over once for dinner, and they don't like tomatoes either. And Lori made this soup, and it's like it's a Mexican tortilla soup, and it's just all these like 15 cans. It's canned soup, it's not hard. Yep. It's good though. It's super good. Yeah. It's one of my favorite soups. But when they were done, and they're like little tiny like rotel tomatoes, just a trail of like a little like to pick tomatoes out of soup is really difficult. And it's kind of like, aren't you parents? No, I just totally was like, that's impressive. Good for you. So funny. Couldn't power through it, huh? Just couldn't do it. No. Oh man.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Hilarious. That would probably be me, though. I would have done that one.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

I couldn't have.

Influence Means Serving Others

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Or I just would have left enough broth to cover them in the bottom of the bowl. Here you go. Oh, no. All right. So this week we got to listen to Pastor Zach Zender tell us a week three of Influencers series. What are you guys taking beyond Sunday from this message?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Yeah, I I I really appreciated um I appreciated the reality of like looking at how we influence even farther. And and I I appreciated looking into Cornelius. I appreciated um the the call to action too of um seeing our influence that makes a difference. Um and Zach even talked about today of like, you know, of any of the days of being able to reach down and influence those um right that that um need influence or that are younger or mentoring or anything like that. Palm Sunday is kind of where Jesus stoops down deeply for us. And so um it it was just it was just a good reminder for for us of of you know, how are you influencing um even beyond your reach and and just even to to people that you wouldn't even think to influence? And so it was cool, it was good.

SPEAKER_03 5:06

Yeah. I think for me it was just a reminder of like true influence is when you're a servant to other people. Think about the people who've influenced my life. They were the people who um took the time to invest in me and uh teach me and lead me and listen to me. Um, I think particularly about my parents and how influential they were and just their servant-like attitude in our home. And so that's what I really it was a good reminder of that's the kind of person I I want to be. I want to be a servant.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

And I I what I really appreciated too is I and I think, right, I think, I think it's it's a typical, typical is the wrong word, but it's that just mentality of when you really are you're at your most influential and you really have the most influential, it's not when you're seeking it. It's not when you're desiring, it's not when you're saying, I want to be influential. You know, it's not like going, I want to be influential in a church. How do I, how do I get on a board? You know, like like it, it's about just saying, I I'm here to serve and I'll be in a back. And then you want to like I've I've watched through organizations that I've been able to walk alongside, learn from. I've watched through churches that I've been a part of, um, right? Those who are the most in staffs, those who are the most influentials are those who actually serve the most, who are who are always saying, How do I help? Um, who are always looking and saying, you know, what can I do? Um, who are taking time to actually invest relationally with someone, not to gain anything, but to just be with someone. Um, I I think I've said on the last one or whenever I was on recently, like when someone says to me, I want influence, I keep them at arm's bay. Because I I go, I go, you're you're you're not in a posture that's actually gonna do well eventually. And so yeah, that's good.

Peter And Redemption After Failure

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Yeah, I really the the same kind of thing as what I took away, and I really like just how Zach summed it up was influence isn't about climbing higher, but about bending lower. That's what I would jot it down. Okay, so this whole message series we've been talking about, Peter, and how does the story of Peter's transformation impact your understanding of just personal growth and redemption?

SPEAKER_03 7:27

I think it's just always being open to God revealing new things to you, not being closed-minded and thinking, I think I've got this all buttoned up. But being willing to be surprised by the Lord, I think that that's been something that I've been um learning more as as I'm getting older. God is just an inexhaustible uh supply of surprises and and wisdom and revelation. And so I just want to be open to that and have a mind that's flexible enough to say, God, you know, however you want to reveal yourself to me, let me just have my spiritual radar up so I can catch those messages. That's good. That's good.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

Yeah, so I really liked Zach kind of pointed out that with Peter, the same mouth that had denied him, Zach referred to 52 days later, gave one of the most influential messages at Pentecost, where thousands of people were baptized and like it really kind of kickstarted off the modern church, you know, in Acts and the way that the word was spreading. And I think that really was like a signature moment for me to be that any of us can be used in that way. Like he used Peter, and there was nothing special about Peter, that's what we've talked about, but he used him where he went from a moment of denying Jesus, you know, um, on the night of the crucifixion to or the night before the crucifixion, to, you know, using him in a way that was so influential. Um and so how can he, I how can I be open to him using me? You know what I mean? Even when I feel like I'm failing or I feel like I'm denying him, what does he have planned for me in the future? And how can I just get in tune with that?

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Yeah, I I think it's a reminder for me of like, you know, and it's it's my mantra. I say it almost every message I preach, right? No matter who you are, no matter where you've been, no matter what you've done, God's grace, his love, um, his care is for you. And um, I think I think Peter's that reminder. All 12 of the disciples are that reminder. Um, you know, Paul as well, and everyone, and I mean every scriptural um uh person uh is that reminder, and and we are too. And so um there's nothing so far gone, no one's so far gone that they're unredeemable um or unreachable um or non-transformational. And so um it's just that continual reminder because when we fall um and fail, right? It's it's only the voice of Satan that says um, you know, you're you're out of reach, you're out of touch, God's enough. Um, or shame continues to pull shame in. Um, and shame's just shame is the tool of Satan, not not a not a method of God. And so, yeah, so Peter just continues to remind us what they all do.

Kingdom Influence Versus Followers

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Go ahead. So we kind of touched a little bit on this already, but how do you view the concept of influence in Jesus' kingdom compared to society's typical view of influence? So we talked about being a servant leader and influencing people in that way. Is there any other thoughts you have on that of how influencing in the kingdom compares to what society views as influence with so many followers or subscribers?

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Yeah, I mean, I I think I for me, I think it's it's always taking influence and recognizing that your influence, as far as um knowing who you are and knowing your name, um, or even knowing uh much about you, it's going to be short-lived. Um, so I think it's I think I think the study that I just recently have heard um is that basically in in human concept, right, you're about three to four generations from your family not even knowing you. They might know your name, but your great-great-grandchildren, like if you know, if you asked, you know, just think about how much do you know about your great great great grandparent? And generally it's like maybe a name, maybe a first and last name, but you don't know if they like steak or chicken. You have zero clue if they pease on top of their fish. You definitely don't know like their their love stories, you don't know what their their passions were. Um, and so so when we think about that, and this is family, right? And then you think about all the other influence that we have, like, you know, I've got one person that is highly influential in my teenage years. Um, but beyond, beyond that person with me, and beyond, you know, maybe there's others, but that's only one generation. Like, my kids don't know this person's name. They don't know anything, they'll they'll never meet him. Um, any of that. So, so I think, I think, right, worldly influence to me is always looking to say, like, like, like, you know, make it, make it matter, leave your legacy, all that Christian influence, or our influence is all about the name and the fame of Jesus. Um, and so, so what I care about is my fourth, fifth generation, people I meet now, I just want them to know Jesus. And and then the influence will be, you know, they'll get to heaven and it will be, yeah, the spirit used used him and uh or used her or used, and and then it's like, wow, this is this is truly an eternal impact and total difference. So I think that's one way that's a little different than also servant leadership on the side, right?

SPEAKER_03 13:16

Yeah, so I think about a couple of examples. One is like, have I been positively influenced by people that I've seen online or someone I've listened to on a podcast, for instance, like Tim Keller. Has he made a difference in my life? Yeah, absolutely he has. Was he someone who's like, I'm gonna be an influencer? Totally not. He was just someone who loved God and loved God's word with a passion and unpacked it in ways that people really got to understand what the gospel is all about. So it wasn't his intention, but because of the ways that God gifted him, he was able to influence a lot of people. I think he was following God's call on his life. And I think that that's awesome. But I also just bring it down to like kind of Greg, what you were talking about a minute ago. You had a professor that was really influential on you. Your girls, your daughters won't ever know him, but they know the dad who is influenced by that person. And the ways that you parent them, the ways that you care for your congregation are in a in an interesting way a reflection of what he poured into you. And so there is kind of that ripple effect, you know, the ways that I've tried to love and care for my children and pour Jesus into them, Lord willing, they're taking that out to their communities and it really does spread, but it's just kind of that one person to another. So I think influence can happen in both places, but it's it's usually from a person who's truly just seeking after the Lord. And then God takes it from there.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

So I spent several summers in Hong Kong, and there was a woman we met there, and her name was Carol. And Carol was an amazing speaker. Now she spoke only in Cantonese. So I would only get her messages translated from someone who was doing the translation. But one of the things that she would say time and time again when she spoke, and she worked a lot with like high school age kids, was um, I want to tell you these things, not because I want you to remember my name, because I want you to remember Jesus' name. And that stuck with me. And then I Zach said something in the message where he said, it's not about your name being great, it's about the name of Jesus being great and lifting others up along the way. And I feel like people who are seeking influence are like, look at me, look at me, look at me. And we really want it to be look at him, look at him, look at him, you know, and how how are we serving that?

SPEAKER_03 15:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

So Zach talks about how many great visions in life start with prayer. Have you ever experienced this in your own life? Or maybe how has prayer played a role in guiding your decisions?

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Yeah, I I I mean, prayer is prayer is what's led me into ministry. Um, you know, it was, I I shared this um in a message. It was um the first time I clearly audibly heard the voice of the Lord. Um and it just was, and and the voice, what what what God said is Greg, you know. And it was I was praying of one night on a field, um, just saying I was at a crossroads for my in college of like, what do I want to do? What is life? And um, and and the Lord told me, you know. And that was when I that night uh said, okay, going to sleep, and woke up in the morning, went to my advisor's office and said, Um, I'm switching majors, to which now would have been my seventh major in two years. So I was on like a 15-year college track. Um my advisor was like, Greg Griffith, get out of my office. What you are signed up for is what you're gonna be. And uh I said, but I want to be a pastor. And she said, sit down. And so then uh she moved heaven and earth to to still get me out in two years and to get everything I needed. And I still remember walking into Greek class that first day, mid-semester. And like I've said, I I'm not even good at English, so Greek was still gonna be truly Greek to me. And uh just thinking, I'm I'm not supposed to be here. Um, but prayer gave a vision that was greater than than what I even believed I could do. And uh, and so and again, it's not even I I think people so often get scared about prayer because they think it's gotta be, you know, well spoken or fill chalk filled with scriptures, or and and it can just simply be walking and talking, talking to yourself out loud, in your head, whatever. Um just a pepper, just doesn't even have to be words, it can just be just be conceptual thinking. Um, it's just a union with God. You know, it's kind of like when you're walking with a child or a spouse, you don't always have to be talking to be connected. And um and so, so yeah, so I think I think I think it has to start with prayer.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

Yeah. Can you can you read the question one more time for me?

SPEAKER_02 18:23

Zach talks about how so many great visions in life start with prayer. And have you ever experienced that in your own life, or how has prayer played a role in guiding your decisions?

SPEAKER_03 18:33

Yeah, I wouldn't say that I've prayed and and God has like downloaded this unbelievable vision for my life. Um I would say that I've prayed prayers and God's led me to the next step, which has led to the next step, which has led to the next step.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

Was there something else he talked about? Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 18:52

And so I I just hope people um come away from this message not feeling like, wow, God just downloads these amazing visions to super spiritual people and they know what to do. That's really, I mean, I I don't deny that that's probably happened to some people sometimes. But more often than not, I find that I'm I'm just sending up, like Greg, Greg said, like a prayer of of desperation. When we moved here to Omaha, and I won't take up too much time here, but um I was I'll still make it short. But when I we moved here, um it was it was a real challenge for me. We had moved from a place that we had been for a while. I had three young kids, I was homeschooling, and I basically had a nervous breakdown when we moved to Omaha. And I remember the only prayer that I could pray when I was standing with shower water pouring over me was help, help me, help me. That's all I could muster. And I don't know what what you want from me, God. And he presented a next step for me, and then a next step, and then a next step. And when I look back, I can see just the beginnings of a vision that he had for my life beginning to unfold for this chapter of my life. Um, but it started out really desperate and really small. Um, but God is faithful with those things. And as you take a step, he's gonna open the next door. So I would just encourage everyone um pray a simple prayer. Say, God, what's the next step for me? And in faithfulness, take whatever it is that he's kind of um showing you or doors that he's opening.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

Yeah, um, I'm at King of Kings because of God led me here. I at the last um church job that I had at that I was at, the circumstances of my leaving left me with a lot of hurt. And I was like, okay, I think I need a break from ministry. Ministry is just a different type of work. Um, and I didn't feel that my faith life and my work life were in the right places. And so I thought, okay, I need some space. And so as I was looking for a different job, um, the King of Kings Kids Ministry at Northwest was posted and just kept popping up on my feed. And I was like, nope, not going into ministry, taking a break. Give me what else you got, God, you know. And I I Zach talks about how Peter remarkably needed to hear things three times. It was probably 15 times that it just kept coming onto my radar. And finally I was like, okay, I'm listening. What do you have to say? You know, and really just took it in prayer and just felt like, okay, the first step is just to apply. Yeah. And I was like, okay, I'll send in the application and we'll just see. Maybe they've already got somebody, you know, kind of that that wait and see. And just bit by bit, you know, then Julie called me and said, Are you sure? Yeah. But it was just like I was totally against it. But he was continuing to nudge me in that direction. And I'm very grateful for that now.

unknown 21:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yeah. The next step is a big deal. It it because it's really back to right, the the trust and the obedience. This is, I mean, as far back as in You know, Genesis 15, right? Abraham, Abram, um, of just just trusting, right? Like just trusting about um having a child and trusting, right? And then and then you look, and I think it was I I think I think from the the promise, and I should know this because I just taught on this, but I I wanna say it was like 30, 37 years after, after the promise is when he finally had Isaac, right? And then and then and then and then even after, right, when when when Hagar, when he when he mistrusted, right, and he decided to solve it on his own, right? And then it was like, wait a minute, it's gonna be through Sarai, right? And then I mean it was still it was still 13 years later, before uh but between Ishmael and Isaac. And so so again, it's it's one step, and you don't have to always know the plan. Yep, you don't have to always know the end, but you always know that God's walking with you.

SPEAKER_03 22:57

Yeah. I read a great quote that said, we oftentimes want to put things in the microwave, and God wants to put it in the crock pot. And so it's it's not always like, here's the whole plan. It's like just we're gonna go, we're gonna go slow.

Small Steps Of Obedience

SPEAKER_02 23:16

I like it when he gives the whole plan. I know, I know, but he specializes in crock pots, I feel like. So kind of along those lines, Zach talked about steps of obedience start with small actions. What small practical steps do you think that like our listeners can take to follow God's calling in their life?

SPEAKER_01 23:38

Yeah, I mean, I I think I think I would say one is just become a person of of prayer and and really shape like like I think one thing that's really important is um measure when your prayers are, right, when you're looking at it of how much are your prayers about just allowing or yielding to what God's doing versus when we pray about Lord, you know, uh help me get this job or help me do, right? So, so where where are you in your in your prayer life uh of actually staying on to spiritual things, um, of like faith for those who don't believe, of um, you know, uh praying for someone else, um, praying blessings upon an enemy, um, uh, you know, and praying the spiritual things. And so I I think a good first step in this is, and especially of influence, is um, where are your prayers for others and things that actually matter as opposed to the things that we want and desire um uh and where we're at, right? I never forget someone said to me once years ago, and it it actually changed how I did corporate prayers when you pray in a church, um, is they said Christians spend more time praying to keep people out of heaven than to get them in in your corporate prayer life. And what it was was, you know, at that time our church did the whole thing where you pray for those who are hospitalized and need healing, and you pray by name for each person. You know, so you spend probably like three or four minutes praying for, you know, Evelyn Steinbrink and you know, all these names, right? And then they said, when have we ever prayed for someone that doesn't know Jesus in a corporate prayer of church? And I said, I never have. And I was like, wow, that's a really fascinating scene. So that step I think is really is really important. Like, where where are our steps of prayer for those who don't that spiritually matter that's gonna change their their eternity?

SPEAKER_03 25:55

So here's just a real small practical thing you can do at the end of the day, and this is just a shortened version of the prayer of examine is like pretend you're sitting next to um Jesus on a couch and you're watching um a replay of your day. And just think through from the morning to the evening. Where did you sense his presence? What might he have been saying to you in the different circumstances of your day? When were you open to what he was saying to you? And where did you kind of give him the stiff arm and like ignore what the message he was trying to give you? And I'm not saying just look at the amazing parts of your day. Look at the places where you struggled, where you sinned, where you let people down, and just pause and say, Holy Spirit, as I think through this day, what is it that you want me to learn from the events of the day? And what could I do in partnership with you? Not trying to gut it out and be a better person the next day, but where in partnership with you could I extend more grace to people? Could I be listening better? Could I be slowing down? Um, could I be forgiving? Could I be including people in my life that I don't normally do it? So just taking some stock, because God's always speaking to us in the great parts of our life and in the crummy parts of our life. He's got things to say, but we just kind of have to tune our ears a little better. And if you take just, you know, five, 10 minutes at the end of the day to do that, it's really going to sharpen that radar.

When God Aligns People And Plans

SPEAKER_02 27:27

That's good. That's really good. That's good. I think for me, one of the things that I find is just making sure that I'm staying in the scripture, in the word. Um, because I find even when I'm praying about a situation that maybe I still feel conflicted, is this really God nudging me this way or not? But then when I open the word and there's something that speaks directly to that situation or something surrounding that, I'm like, okay, God, I got it. This is clear as day, you know. Um, but when I don't do that, then I'm I'm not as open to listening. My my skills are not as sharpened, like we were just talking about. Yeah. So making sure you're just staying connected. That's good. Okay, so the story of Peter and Cornelius shows how God works in different lives together for his kingdom. Do you have any personal testimony from your own life where things came together, like the visions that Peter and Cornelius were having, or like Zach was talking about how he has had this, you know, um pull on his heart for working with a young adult ministry. And in the same time, this other organization had this money set aside to do something like this, and God was working in both of their lives that they didn't know it was going to be a partnership yet.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

I couldn't, I I couldn't come up with anything right off the bat for this one. Sorry. I'm sure I'm sure it's happened a ton, but it's just not springing to mind.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Yeah, when I was in high school, uh, me and my friend Mike, we were he was one of our my best friends, and we just hung out with another guy. But Mike and I were out one night, and we were all three were out, and then Mike and I drove together. And so something happened where um Mike lost his key to his car. And so um we couldn't, we had to wait for the triple A guy to come. And it was, it was, it was a day's pre-cell phone, all that stuff. So we had to find a way to call and figured that out. And then so it was like two and you know, it was like midnight. We were out probably before way later than we were supposed to, but um, we're sitting there waiting probably two hours, and um just on a curb, and Mike and I had never had a spiritual conversation at all. And uh, even though we both went to Catholic high school, um never had done that. And and at this point then we just we we just started talking, and I don't know how, but we talked about about faith and um and Jesus, and um, you know, and I I was passionate about Jesus and that I'd grown up in the church, um, had been confirmed. My faith was a was a guiding principle for decisions I made um and how I was kind of living. Um, and so um, and then Mike, Mike was probably what I would consider like a maybe a fan of God. I didn't know much about Jesus, definitely wasn't active in faith. And so we just talked and um and talked, and then ironically, like, and and to this day, he called me probably four months ago, um, and we we talked about this event uh that happened when we were 16 still. Um uh because he just got baptized uh about a year ago. But um ironically, he had like this Honda Accord. It was a 19, I think it was a 1992 Honda Accord, and Honda had made a they had made a system where you couldn't you couldn't lock your keys in the car. Um so it was impossible to do it. Um, and so when the AAA guy opened up the car because it was locked, uh Mike's key was literally sitting on the driver's seat. And and like even the guy was like, I don't know how this happened.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

And like, God's like, you're having the conversation. We did.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

Yeah. So like he and I call it the remember the key event. And uh, and it was just it was just one of those things where our lives, even though we were walking together, we weren't, and and and he was talking to me and he's like, Greg, I still remember what you were talking about that night, and and he said, I didn't get it. Um, he said, but now I do. And so um it was just really powerful. And I'm always reminded, like, I think sometimes as Christians, we put pressure on ourselves to share our faith, and the door will open and um and in that case or be closed and and for a purpose, for a purpose, but it will open and then and that's when you step in. And then and then again, um, I'm 46, 48, so 32 years later, right? 32 years later, God brought a culmination for Mike to now believe, right? And so um yeah, it's just just just being faithful in in your story and faithful in your testimony and faithful in your living. It's good.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

So there's a woman that went to um my old church, and she um kind of she was mid-40s and it kind of just hit a wall in her life. She was divorced, her kids were grown and out of the house, and she was frustrated with her job, couldn't find a different job, you know, just didn't really know what to do in her normal life. But her faith at the time was just on fire. Like she felt so in touch with her um daily like devotions and prayer life, and just was on fire for, you know, being a part of the church, for serving in the church. Um, but like in her day-to-day life, just didn't really know what to do. And at the same time that she was having this struggle, our church was forming a partnership with the Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod to kind of do a missionary program. But we were kind of searching for like a test, a guinea pig, like somebody that we can figure out the quirks with before we just send a complete stranger into a program that's gonna send them halfway around the world, you know, to make sure that we have things covered. Because it wasn't a program, like we were creating it on our own, just in partnership with a few people in Hong Kong. And um, a conversation she had with a random person who knew this was happening behind the scenes said, Well, have you ever thought about being a missionary? And she was like, Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. Like, I I think I would love this. Well, did you know that that the church is looking for somebody to maybe test pilot this program? What? Like, yeah, that's amazing. And sure enough, like all the things, the stars aligned, and you know, she went and she ended up staying there for five years. Like it was amazing. Um, and it was just what she needed in her life. I think some direction, some purpose, and something stepping outside of her day-to-day that was kind of becoming a negative cycle for her. But it was also just what the church was needing at that point to try to work out some of the kinks in this program so that they could do offer the best program possible to other people that were interested in being a missionary. And so I feel like that was God aligning both pieces of that at the same time, you know, for his plan.

SPEAKER_03 34:24

It's good.

Be With Jesus Then Go

SPEAKER_02 34:25

Yeah. So um Zach discussed different parts of Peter's story, kind of in relationship to the food company, BB Go, the labor, which he said have really good dumplings in an air in an air fryer. But um, and those pieces, BB Go, have been each week of his sermon series. So the first week we talked about the invitation, which is being with Jesus. The second week we talked about the cost, which is be restored by him. And then this week was really about the calling, which is the go, BB Go. Um, what are your thoughts kind of on how those hit you throughout this message series? You know, the the invitation, the cost, the calling, BB Go. What maybe resonated with you from each piece?

SPEAKER_03 35:10

So I I think of two different pictures when I think of BB Go. I think of um a bucket, right, that has a that has a hole in it that's pouring out. And I just envision that as, you know, we're we're pouring out to others, but we need to have our bucket filled or eventually it gets empty and there's nothing left. So it's really important to do the BB parts so that you can go well. At the same time, you think about if like if someone was going to put like manure in a field, if you spread it out, it's good. It's all just sitting there in a bunch, it starts being stinky and gross and like is of no use to anyone. So if we just accumulate like all kinds of knowledge and learning about the Lord, but we aren't sharing it, it's just not as effective as it could be. Our faith isn't. So those two things have to work together. Um, so the B is really important, but man, the go is important too. Because if we just hoard it for ourselves, that's not what God wants for us.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

Yeah, I I think I mean it it it's a it's a mathematical principle formula, right? Like you have to be with God to receive the forgiveness of God. And so your life, like forgiveness comes by you being in a relationship with Jesus. And and you everyone needs forgiveness, but if like like it's not just something that um comes without Christ. And so um so so and then and then last then the last spot is like once we receive that forgiveness and we recognize what the gift is of Jesus and being with Jesus, um then our our faith is is this public proclamation. I mean, this is why um communion, a communion is a public proclamation of the life and death and resurrection of Christ. You're proclaiming that he died and who rose again. Baptism is a public proclamation of God's work with with uh and calling to you. It's God's action. And and now He is He is leading you to raise to new life, that you've been connected with Him and a death like His and a resurrection like His, as Paul says in Romans 6. And so then we go and we share the victory that is ours. And so, so, so all of that, right, when when we talk about our faith life, you as Julie's saying, you faith is is not a it's not private. It's it's public. Um, it can't be private. Um, it has to be public. Um, it is a personal relationship that is shared um in our lives. And so um it it's just it's just the system. It's the way God God designed it um is was to tell the story, tell his story, tell his life.

SPEAKER_02 38:09

You talk about that. It was a really amazing Sunday where we had first communion and baptism happening at the same time, just those public proclamations. Yeah. Um, I uh looking at this for me, I think it's it's easy to fall into the being parts. I mean, not easy. You have to set those habits for yourself. But once you get in there, it's easy to be with Jesus and it's easy to be restored by him. But the go is sometimes where we need a kick in the pants to remember that that's what we're called to do. You know, our bucket doesn't need to overflow. We gotta keep.

SPEAKER_03 38:43

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

But now, Julie, all I can think of is there's a hole in my bucket there.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

Dear Laza, dear Laza.

unknown 38:50

Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

All right. So wrapping up today, what are your final takeaways from this series as a whole, influencers?

SPEAKER_03 39:00

I just think um, when we talk about um BB Go, is that when we're we really spend time with Jesus, his beauty is gonna be revealed to us more and more. And it'll be really hard not to share to some degree with the way that either you're proclaiming with your lips or you're just living it out in your gracious and kind living. Um the Holy Spirit is going to transform you and you're gonna fall more and more in love with Jesus. And so that go is just gonna become a natural thing, right? So breathe in, breathe out. God's created a million examples of that. Um, and it's it's his way. And so I just want to encourage people, you know, spend that time and then and then share in the ways that you're living and in the ways that you're speaking about the Lord. And it's just gonna be a life of joy.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Yeah, I think just a reminder, God is entrusted to every single one of us as Christians, people to influence. And so you're already an influencer. So don't crave more. Um, instead, uh crave to show more of Jesus. And um, and and and and know that that who he's entrusted to you is exactly who he needs you to be sharing and influencing with his love and his life.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

That's good. So, my biggest takeaway, I just wrote down Zach's words. It's not even my own. He said, God is still speaking, God is still moving, God is orchestrating dreams that we could never come up with. But when enough people of God come together to share, God can do so much with simple steps of obedience. Love it. I just thought that was great.

SPEAKER_03 40:38

Yeah, beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 40:40

All right, thank you guys so much for being here this next week. We get to celebrate Easter. Well, gosh, Monday, Thursday, good Friday, you know, all the things. And we're kicking off a new series with you, Gigi. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

It'll be great. It'll be great.

SPEAKER_02 40:56

So if you haven't gotten your Easter tickets yet, feel free to go ahead and do that. And we hope to see you this week to celebrate Holy Week. And we'll be back here um next week on the podcast. And until then, let's keep living our faith beyond Sunday.