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
Love Unstoppable - Easter
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Dina, Pastor Zach, and Peter reflect on the first week of Love Unstoppable and what it means to live in the reality of the resurrection beyond Easter. They explore how Jesus meets us personally, brings new life into everyday moments, and invites us to pray for and reach the people God has placed around us.
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Holidays And Friendly Banter
SPEAKER_02Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the King of Kings podcast, where we dive a little bit deeper into our sermon series and see what we're taking Beyond Sunday. My name is Dina Newsom, and I am here with my favorite guest. Shh, don't tell the other guests. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.
SPEAKER_01I'm Laura Ray.
SPEAKER_02That would be.
SPEAKER_01Has she ever been on the show?
SPEAKER_02Nope.
SPEAKER_01Because she probably refuses.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, she's running, she's running the show otherwise, so that's pretty good.
SPEAKER_04Peter Bay. That's Peter Bay, my brother-in-law. I'm Zach Zender. And Dina, did you know today? It's April 7th.
SPEAKER_02I did know that.
SPEAKER_04And it is a national holiday. There's many of them. So my question for you today is this which of the holidays is all of these, but which one do you have to celebrate today? April 7th, get this is World Health Day, National Beer Day, National No Housework Day, International Beaver Day, and National Coffee Cake Day.
SPEAKER_02You missed one.
SPEAKER_04It's also the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
SPEAKER_01Is that the one you were thinking of? Nope.
SPEAKER_02Rwanda was not the one on my mind. It's also National Make a Move Day. Which, despite how it sounds, is actually about bullying, making a move. Make a move first day, I believe. Make a move first day. Sorry, I said it incorrectly. I believe that's today, too. I know it's this week, but out of all of those.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Which one are you? I think the national no housework day is pretty a day dedicated to skipping chores and resting.
SPEAKER_02I'm all about that.
SPEAKER_01On the coming three, let's both say ours at the same time.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01One, what do you say? Two, three.
SPEAKER_02No housework day.
SPEAKER_04So you like International Beaver Day, a day committed to these damn builders.
SPEAKER_01Why? Man, so you've heard my story of the spelling bee, right? Sixth grade, finally make the school spelling bee because you had to get your clap past your class spelling bee to get to the school spelling bee. This was the year I was going to dethrone my brother. He was an eighth grader. Wow. I was a sixth grader. And then first round, they said beaver. And I said the correct spelling of beaver, and they said, uh, wrong. And they said, it is not Z, it's V. And I said, why would I say Z? They said, you did. And I challenged it. And they played it back on the tape recorder, and it was like it was inconclusive.
SPEAKER_02They couldn't overturn it.
SPEAKER_01They couldn't overturn it. And I was removed from the school spelling B. And then my mom chewed me out for acting up during the school spelling bee. Wow.
SPEAKER_02So not only were you shamed, but you were also scolded.
SPEAKER_04Shamed and scolded, the Peter Bay story. But this feels like a full circle moment because out of all the holidays that you could have chosen, you want to go with beaver. I want to redeem it. I want to redeem the beaver. This sounds like you've had some healing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Well, there's a great movie that came out with like animals, robot animals, and then like they're trying to help the real animals, and that had a bunch of beavers in it. I appreciated it a ton.
SPEAKER_02I have no idea what that movie is.
SPEAKER_01It was one lately I saw with the with the kid, the kidlings. And and also in the one of my favorite books of all time, The Chronicles of Nardia, Lion Witch in the Wardrobe. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are just the best. They are so hospitable, so helpful, beautiful. Wow. But you went with no housework.
SPEAKER_02Yes. I would like every day to be no housework day.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that one needs more than a day, I think.
SPEAKER_02Three days a week minimum, please. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04There's something nice about it.
SPEAKER_02If I were a beer drinker, I would go with National Beer Day. But I do not enjoy beer.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I'm a very light beer guy, but don't need it.
SPEAKER_02So I'm not sure.
SPEAKER_04Coffee cake, it's all that's also on the list. I think it's okay.
SPEAKER_02Does it need its own national beer?
SPEAKER_04I don't think it needs its own day. That that feels a little bit kind of like coffee cake's got a little bit of pride, in my opinion. I don't think they're that big of a deal that they need their whole day.
SPEAKER_01Right. Whereas coffee, for sure. Yeah. Cake, absolutely. And beer. It's an industry, for sure. Right. But coffee and cake. Not today.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah. And the remember reflection on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Is that what the movie Hotel Rwanda is about? Yeah, it is.
SPEAKER_01Because that's a pretty powerful movie. It's a fan. But you know what? In honor of the day that uh that Dina brought up, let's move on. No, let's make it.
SPEAKER_02Do you do you want to know what I was gonna bring up today? Later this week is a national day that I thought you two might appreciate. Oh, because it's national.
SPEAKER_04Let's give our guests since we will appreciate it. Oh, it's got okay, it's got to be related to golf because the masters is this week. I was gonna go with brother-in-law day.
SPEAKER_02It is national siblings day. So I thought that you might appreciate that, even though you're in-law siblings.
SPEAKER_04Does that count?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay. Sure, why not?
SPEAKER_04I don't know. I didn't know if there was a rule on it.
SPEAKER_02Because we make our own rules here on the like coffee cake, maybe in-laws has its own day.
SPEAKER_01I'm sure it does.
SPEAKER_02I'm sure it does.
SPEAKER_01And it's not as good. The much maligned in-laws day. No, brother-in-law's day. Is that that's what you said for today?
SPEAKER_02Siblings. It's later this week. I think it's on Friday, is National Siblings Day.
SPEAKER_01Let's rank siblings least to favorite. Our siblings. Yes. I don't think I want to do that.
SPEAKER_02Do any of them listen? Let's be real.
SPEAKER_01Likely not, but they would to this one and get sent to them. I won't do it either.
SPEAKER_02All right.
Love Unstoppable Series Kickoff
SPEAKER_02Well, speaking of siblings whom you love, we can move on to love unstoppable. Your siblings may not be unstoppable, but love is. So we celebrated Easter this Sunday, and Greg Griffith took us through the first week of Love Unstoppable in our new message series. What are you guys taking beyond Sunday?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, one, I think it's crazy that you start every podcast with this question because I'm like, I I my brain has to catch up. So I'm like, we're gonna just start with this open-ended question. Okay, let's
New Life And Being Known
SPEAKER_01see. There are the three parts to it, and the middle part of knowing the name that has power, and I know because people have told me that when new people have come to church and we've learned their name, and then the next week they come back and someone uses their name, it like has the power of life, and um, and that God knows our name and sings a song over us and cares for us individually, knows the number of hairs on our head, is incredibly humbling. So I guess just that the value of being reliant on God as his child is what I'll take beyond Sunday.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think the piece at the end of that as Jesus rose from the dead, he gives us this not only doesn't know our name, but he gives us this new life. And so I I just want to keep pressing in on that for my life and for those that are listening of with this new life, like using using it for the sake of God's glory and doing something with it and not wasting our days, our years, our decades in this in this world, but to just take that love of Christ that is unstoppable for us and using that in our own everyday more and more and more. And how am I doing that? Am I doing that? So those are the questions that I I think about is how am I using the new life that Jesus, his resurrection gave to me?
Jesus Stays Locked In
SPEAKER_02I really um appreciated the whole metaphor of being locked in that we're picking our four people to pray for and we're locking it in with the locks on the fence. Um, I like uh I come from Kidman where we do a lot of object lessons. And so I like that tangible reminder of here it is, lock it in. All right. So, how does the significance of Jesus being locked in on us reshape our understanding of the resurrection?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think of the Hebrews passage that Jesus, you know, that talks about let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him uh endured the cross and scorned the shame of it. And I just think, you know, for the joy set before him, what what I what I like to think about what is that joy? And I I think it's got to do with that when this is all said and done, that that his most beautiful, prized possession, creation, apple of his eye, us, will be there. And so everything hard that he had to go through, he was willing to endure it because he had joy. And I think that is, I think it's a redeemed world, and we're a huge piece of that. So that that for me is where my mind went is that that God loves us that much that even we he would endure the cross and scorn all of the shame that came from it because of his great love for us.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and the beautiful part of that picture is he's not looking at us like what majestic creatures. Like I sprinted for the first time in years, maybe not years, but I don't sprint too often. And we went to the track yesterday and we're racing, and because I still need Carista still wants to beat me, and I can't let that happen. How'd you do? I beat her twice, but running two 100-yard dashes in a in within a matter of like six minutes is too much for me. Yeah, and like so. I woke up just hurting today, and like I was all prideful that I beat um that I won in this race, and so it's this funny picture of like God sends a son Jesus for us knuckleheads, selfish, little dummies, and Jesus stays on the cross for us. Not like some not like some incredible creations that ought to be saved because they'll save humanity, no, like kind of some pathetic creations that just can't get out of their own way, and still like racing each other for little victories, right?
SPEAKER_04Which is crazy because that creation account is even in John John 20, of where Peter and and John are racing to the tomb, and yeah, John has to point out that the one that Jesus loved got there first. So that sounds a little bit like you, Peter. You're you're playing John, not Peter, yeah, in that story. Totally. Wow, finally, away from your namesake. I'm not sure it's really fair because your legs are like four times longer than no, but Carista is uh she's like, I think she will be a Hall of Fame Concordia Nebraska athlete.
SPEAKER_01Like she's she's legit. Yeah, yeah, she's an all-American sprinter jumper. But this is also that that whole like, you know, I don't want to make this political, but like men, women uh competing type thing. Um, I ran in college. I found out that anyone can run in a track meet. You just if they have room for you, and it's not like a conference meet, they'll let you run. So I entered unattached in college, and my goals were to beat one person, not fall down, and beat Chris this time. And I and I did all three only because a guy pulled up with a hamstring injury at the end. Nice. But like the fastest, I beat the fastest girl in conference, and I'm just like a music major bum out there running. So it's kind of but I was I played at um I played. I played athletics. I played at the club. I played athletes as an actor.
SPEAKER_02I played sports ball.
SPEAKER_01I played sports ball as an actor.
SPEAKER_02Because he stated Holiday Inn last night.
SPEAKER_01That's right. But going back to that analysis. This is it. Like, Jesus. You know, there's a what's that verse act where it's like, for a good man, someone might even die. Can you say that it's in Romans?
SPEAKER_04Seth Flick would be able to tell you exactly on the spot. I'm not Seth. Oh, okay. Do you do you know my name? Yeah, I'm not Seth.
SPEAKER_01Zarch. So it's in Romans. There's that verse of like, yeah, for like for a good man, someone die, you know. Like, because you're like, yeah, because he's a good man. I'd die for him. He's a good man. Yeah. And then they're like, well, how about that guy? And you're like, ugh, I don't know, come on. Like, he's pathetic, and that's us. We're the tax collector, we're the sinner, and Jesus stayed on the cross for us, stayed locked in.
SPEAKER_02That's I've shared this before that sometimes I feel like my sins or my stresses are too small for God. Like I don't want to turn them over because I feel like they're insignificant. But this is just a reminder that they are significant enough for him to die for, that everything is. Yeah.
Needs Versus Wants With God
SPEAKER_02All right. The sermon emphasizes Jesus meeting our needs and knowing our name. How do these elements enhance the personal nature of our faith?
SPEAKER_04Gosh, they're so important. I just spending, I've been spending a lot of time the last couple of years, like imagining the great sovereign, seated king of kings over all the world that's in full control. And that same big God is so intimately, deeply, personally invested in you and I that he knows your name and he knows what your needs are. And so I like thinking of those two things in tandem with one another because it reminds me that when he knows who I am and knows my needs, he's also in a seat and in a position to be able to take care of everything that I need. And not always what I need, because I think sometimes I get that twisted of like, I need this, I need this. God knows what I actually need. So sometimes he takes care of my needs, sometimes their wants, and sometimes their he doesn't take care of them because that's not what I need. But like that's the same God who is seated in control. And so I can trust him that if there is a real need that I have, he will make it happen for me. And and then I also need to let go of some of my own preferences and needs because that's actually not of him. And so I just love thinking about it kind of in tandem with that, that he's gonna take care of me because I'm I'm his and he loves me, and he it's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_01As a parent of three kids, there's constantly the conversation of what's a want and what's a need, but it's convicting for me too, because you know, there's what are the needs that I have, and the reality is the need, the needs I have are like forgiveness of sins um for salvation, and Christ was the only one who can meet it perfectly. And then beyond that, most everything else is a want. Um but I mean, I you can make an argument for your daily bread and um for the those type of things, but but God meets those as well. Um so that Christ would take that punishment on all of us, that he would become sin for us and carry it and finish it. Um and then the the personal nature of it that he did that for Dinah, that he did that for Charles, whatever your name is out there. Like I w I want you to know that and believe that it was for you, for God so loved to put in your name that he gave his one only son. Um because that's truth. And so it's for you and it's for the entire body. So, but that doesn't exclude you even when you're crummy. So it's once again such a humbling reminder.
Nicknames And Real Connection
SPEAKER_02I like that it just remind us it reminds us he's more than an acquaintance. Greg kind of talked about nobody likes to be called, hey buddy, hey pal, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a great point. What are some of your other favorites that people use? Champ. Sport, oh man.
SPEAKER_02Tiger.
SPEAKER_00Tiger the it's so good.
SPEAKER_01I had a cafeteria guy who'd always say that. Like we we would flash our card, which would bring up our name, and he would still be like, Good to see you, sport. Like this is the one time where all he had to do is look at the screen and he could use every one of our names. But it was always, yeah, sport, tiger, champ.
SPEAKER_02I think some people think they're terms of endearment that it's like, I don't know, kind of calling you like a nickname, but it is that. Oh, do you really know my name?
SPEAKER_01Is there one that is like never a term of endearment? Like never a term of endearment. If you get called it, you're like, ugh, I don't like that.
SPEAKER_02You hey you hey you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's pretty.
SPEAKER_04Hey you. Hey you. How about boss? Hey boss. Sometimes is okay. I don't yeah, I don't know. I'm not thinking of one that's always negative jerk. I would be yeah, but if it comes up to me as like even that sometimes is nice. I I'll laugh. There's a guy that has a a bad name for me, but like when he says it, it's a term of endearment.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I love just calling like sometimes I just take a chance with people that I'm like friends with, but don't know them super well. I'll just call them something, you know, like what up, Popeyes, and just see how they respond. And I did this the other like a couple weeks ago to this gal I get to work with sometimes up at Concordia, she attends Ed Northwest, and uh and I said, What up, sports clips? And she like just paused and then just busted out laughing, and uh, it was a real gift from God. Well, and I think she could have been offended.
SPEAKER_04I uh to me, if you give somebody a nickname, that's a term of endearment. Like, so it's not sport or champ, but it's an actual like something that fits them and their personality. And I love to think about nicknames for the friends in my life and people like that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, what's the weirdest one?
SPEAKER_04He's never given me a nickname, by the way. So this is that's not true. Um so I there was a uh friend in college that bought a Hollister sweatshirt and it looked really good on him, and so we just started calling him Hollister, so much so that like nobody knew his last name, nobody ever knew his real name. And then when we got um invitations for his you know wedding, we were all like, Who is this? Because we all knew him as Hollister, and it's it's it's probably my most effective nickname of all the nicknames I've given.
SPEAKER_01That's a good one. Yeah, we had we had a guy in college. Uh we were doing a big rock, paper, scissors tournament, and the top four had to have nicknames, and he didn't have one, so we just called him Chuck. And and from that point on, he was known the next three years of college as Chuck. Like no one knew his first name. Professors will call him Chuck. Yeah, that's good. That's fantastic. He's still on my phone as Chuck. That's that's good stuff. Nicknames are great. All right, Dina, back to move on day national, move it up.
SPEAKER_02Move it up, make the first move.
SPEAKER_01That's it.
Choosing Your Four People
SPEAKER_02This sermon challenges us to identify four individuals who are fans of God or far from God. How can we approach this challenge intentionally while relying on God's guidance to do so?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So a couple things here. One, um, it may be natural for you to think of your family and your friends, and that's fine to think of them first. I mean, I think that's who God's put in our lives um first and foremost. But there's a good chance that you've already uh attended with them or invited them before. And if you haven't, give God give me courage to do so. But then move on to the next list of people, and that's the people that you see weekly, once, twice, maybe even more times a week. Maybe it's someone you work out with, or for me, guys I play basketball with, or if you go to the same coffee shop or same uh um car wash place or whatever, uh, and if you haven't learned their names, get past that hurdle. Learn a name because you're gonna see them every week. And then you can say, hey Sally, good to see you. How you doing, Sally? And the more you ask Sally how she's doing, there's going to come a day where you can tell she's not doing okay. Put her on your my four list, ask her every week how she's doing, follow up when she's not doing well, and that doesn't mean you invite Sally over for a barbecue right away. Creepy. Don't do that. But it does mean like God has given you someone in your path that you can talk to regularly. I had one of these guys, um, Igor, and I played basketball with Igor, and I met for breakfast with Igor for years. I didn't even know what he was going through during that time. He was going through one of the toughest times in his life. I was just like happy to be meeting him for breakfast. Yeah, I'm gonna fill my belly. And it wasn't till COVID. I invited this bro to church so many times he never came. He uh survived the Bosnian crisis. So uh he connected religion to war. So uh it was COVID. He sent me a picture of him on his TV screen and he said, Hey, I'm going to church. And I was like shocked. Well, now he's living in Texas, he's attending church. Um, he's even led a Bible study. It's like it's incredible. Uh, and it's so humbly to me because it's like my contribution was eating breakfast and hanging out with him and being available after your years of playing basketball with him, this whole while not even knowing that he was going through crisis. And so, God, who are the people around me that I can just be around, invite, engage with, maybe inspire, but be there. It's that beauty of proximity, and then trust that God is doing a big thing, and then pray for him every day.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I just appreciate too the challenge, like the the specific challenge of God's been really great in our stories and he's risen from the dead, and this is great news to share with others. And so, who in your world needs to hear it? I appreciate those who are far from God and those who are fans of God, because I think sometimes like the evangelism that a lot of people think about is like, you know, how do I get somebody to tell, how do I get somebody to eventually do the sinner's prayer or to know? And and I just think there's uh evangelism, the good the good news is it's bigger than that. The bad news is it's more complicated probably than it was in the past because we're dealing with a lot of people that know who Jesus is. And so it's it's not really starting from scratch a lot of times, but it's uh it's acknowledging that they're a fan, but that God has something more for them. And so I appreciate just the intentionality of, yeah, I do need to keep this regular front and center over my mind. Who are four people that need more of Jesus in their life? And how can I be praying for them and then Holy Spirit open up opportunities? And it is cool. Like when you do like pray that and it's front and center, like you actually see more opportunities come up. And so one of them that's on my four, uh, he I've been meeting for a while with with him in a group, and he I felt like gave an opening for further conversation. And and I didn't take it right away. And I kind of kicked myself and I talked with my wife about it, and she made me feel even worse about myself in a good way to challenge me. Uh and and then I did reach out and I said, Hey man, when you said this, I thought about it, but I I I and and I just can't get you, I can't get that out of my mind. And I'd love, and we we had a great conversation, you know, a couple of weeks ago. And and so it's like, yeah, look for the opportunities. And then when they come, like don't like be courageous, right? And it was totally great. And we're gonna have another conversation. And so it's when keeping it front and center, knowing I'm here to share the good news and how I what I say and how I live, and then just waiting for the promptings and the opportunities is really important for us to all have in our, I think, top front and center of our minds.
SPEAKER_02I think we all have the idea that we should be sharing about Jesus with everyone. And so I like the idea of okay, here's four people, like just four people focus on this because it seems very overwhelming when I feel like, oh, I've got to evangelize all over, yeah, or you know, tell everyone or pray for everyone. And this makes it more simple and it seems more doable, I think. All
Locked Out Hope And Reconciliation
SPEAKER_02right. So, how can the reminder of being locked out and locked in influence our perspective on forgiveness and reconciliation?
SPEAKER_04I think it's a fun metaphor. I yeah, to be, you know, locked out of heaven because of our sin, um, and that Jesus was locked in on us because of his focus and determination. I just think it's a really cool metaphor. And I when you keep going further with it, you know, I I love the aspect of that Jesus went down, you know, and descended into hell and took back the keys, even you know, from Satan, the keys uh to the gates of of hell. And that that now we have these keys as his followers that that we can unlock, if you will. And I think that's the role, right? He who has unlocked this life for us and has taken these death sentences off of our heads is now for us to take these same keys and and to, through the Holy Spirit, of course, working in us to remove death sentences off of people. That we've got the power, the way that we live and what we say and what we do to release people from those death sentences, to unlock an eternal life that is far greater than they can, they can at they can even imagine or dream. And that's that's our role right now. And so I think it's a fun, um, fun way to think about you know the Easter story. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think we can move it beyond fun because it's like I wonder how many of us at times are just like playing church where we're like, yeah, this is uh it's something we can do. But then if we ask ourselves, when's a time when I have felt hopeless and I have felt distant from a friend or family member or spouse or child where I have felt locked out from them, and then the realization that is my situation without Christ to God, and that is the situation that so many people are living in without hope of eternal life. And when we think about that, I mean, as a as a believer, like I have hope, and so I don't go amongst many days feeling too hopeless. I might about a situation, but not about my life. But there's people around me who are well, no surprise that depression is up, no surprise that that some people truly believe it'd be better for them to not be here. And like you said, Zach, we get to help remove death sentences, we get to help people know that they are locked in to their relationship with the Heavenly Father through Christ for all eternity, and that can give them hope, not just for a future, but for right now. And so that son that hasn't talked to you for years, don't give up. Like pray and let God show you what's up. Um, and those are the things that just if we live and it doesn't have to be some like super intense like screaming on the corner, like that's pretty annoying, actually. And if you are a corner screamer, all right, God loves you too. He does, but be in proximity to the people around you and and notice their pain and ask a question and see where God takes it.
SPEAKER_02Do you guys remember Dare to Share? Did either of you ever go to Dare to Share?
SPEAKER_01We did not have that in there.
SPEAKER_02I don't know where all it was. I know it was here in Nebraska. It was like a once-a-year conference that would come through, and it was really targeted at like middle school, older middle school, high school students.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_02And it was just empowering them to be evangelistic, to talk about their faith. And the I can't even remember the guy's name who would speak every year. Um, and I went a couple of times as a chaperone when my oldest kids were that age, and he would talk about you have the cure for cancer. And are you gonna keep it locked up or are you gonna tell people about it? Right. Like that's what the story of salvation is. It's the cure for cancer because it is giving these people life after life, you know, uh life after death. Um, and uh like just encouraging them to speak. And again, not necessarily shouting it from the street corner, you know, but how can they talk to the people that are in their circle that they care about, that they want to live eternally, to tell them about this because it was such an exciting news that they didn't want to keep it locked up. That's what I kept thinking of when he was talking about locking that away.
SPEAKER_01I didn't have dare to share growing up, but I did have dare to keep a kid off drugs. Dare say no, to give a kid some hope.
SPEAKER_02Do you remember what D-A-R-E stood for? Each one, something drugs and education.
SPEAKER_01I'm sure we're probably really egregious.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. E a full.
SPEAKER_02And McGruff. Was Dare associated with McGruff or no?
SPEAKER_00McGruff was so awesome. Scruff, McGruff, Chicago, a little bit. No, he was helped to take a bite out of crop.
SPEAKER_02That's it. Yep. I feel like in my brain, he was associated with Dare. So I mean, they're probably buddies. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01For sure. Do you remember that that uh woodpecker who like loved trees? No, the Arbor Day Foundation.
SPEAKER_02Oh trees are terrific. The woodpecker or Woodsy the Owl.
SPEAKER_01I think he's Woodpecker.
SPEAKER_02No, there was we were just talking about this on Easter with my I'm not even kidding. All right. Woodsy the Owl was um like protecting the forests or something like that. You'll have to look it up. Woodsy the owl. Woodsy the owl and Smokey the Bear ads were on at the same time when they used to have. Yep. Woodsy the owl. Take a peek. All right.
Practical Love That Opens Doors
SPEAKER_02What practical steps? It's no, it's Woodsy the Owl, I'm telling you. But he loves the trees. National Forests. I don't remember. Um, what practical steps can we take to let others know that their needs are met in Christ and that he knows them personally?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, as Peter does research on the internet, I'll go first on this one. Uh I think that most the most practical step legitimately is for you to understand how Christ has done that for yourself and to be able to learn how to share your story. Right. And that that's to me going to be the most effective is uh is here's who I once was, here's what my needs once were, and here's how Jesus has made a difference in my life, and here's how he met that need, and here's where I am today because of that. And that's the piece that I think is missing so often is is we need to make this personal about ourselves. There's a grand story that is the main focus point, if you will. It's it's the greatest part, but but how I interact with you, it's got to be personal. And so if I'm trying to reach somebody for Jesus Christ, they need to see and hear how that's affected my life and how hopefully genuine and sincere I am in that, and that hopefully I have something that Jesus has done for me and through me that they would want in their own life. Like Peter said, like I he says he doesn't wake up many days hopeless. I don't either. Like I that's one of the pieces I think that I want to give to someone else who's listening is like there's not many days that I don't wake up with filled with meaning and purpose and significance because of I know who I am and I know what I'm here for and my life not perfect by any means, but it's it's positioned to help and uh others know who Jesus is in nearly every role that I have. And that that just brings me a ton of meaning and purpose and significance. And so I like to think about and talk about the aspects of Jesus and how he's made a difference in my life, but especially knowing like what questions they're they're asking. And I think they are asking a lot of those purpose, meaning, significance questions. And so, how how does Jesus give you those things?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we're both wrong. It would sound woodpecker or an owl. It was Carly the Cardinal.
SPEAKER_02Carly the cardinal.
SPEAKER_01Carly the cardinal. So check that out. All right, uh, and remind me what question are we on? This is my education.
SPEAKER_02Yep. What practical steps can we take to let others know that their needs are met in Christ and that he knows them personally?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I think uh a practical way would be to help step in and meet some of those needs yourself. Um, so if you have a friend, I've had people do this for me. I remember I had hand surgeries. Uh, this was years ago, carpal tunnel in both hands, and I had friends who came over and shoveled because I couldn't. My hands were incapable of shoveling, and they just they didn't ask. It snowed and they came over. Um, and they were showing me God's love in a powerful way. Now, if I was an unbeliever, like, would I be more receptive to like hearing what they had to say and hearing about their life? Absolutely. So, what needs are there around us that we can step in, be a good human and help with? And all the while not to not to get something or to win brownie points, but because we get to be a reflection of the gift we've received through Christ. And Lord, let it be that we get to tell them about it someday.
SPEAKER_02I think that that really speaks to kind of our school partnerships that we have, where each of our campuses has a school identified that we just show up and love on. And some of the staff there may have a church they attend and love it. Some of them may have a really close relationship with Jesus. Some of them don't know anything about God, but they know that people from this church keep showing up and keep loving on us and keep bringing us stuff and aren't asking for anything in return. And so when they're ready to ask those questions or when they're ready to take a step to go to church, hopefully this experience helps them make that easier, I guess. Yeah. Okay.
Resurrection Hope For Heavy Guilt
SPEAKER_02In what ways can the resurrection story offer hope to those experience significing significant burdens or guilt in their lives?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the resurrection tells me I'm not defined by my burden. So it doesn't solve all my problems, but because Jesus rose from the dead, I don't have to figure it all out today. Because Jesus rose from the dead, I don't have to be the perfect son. Because Jesus rose from the dead, you fill in the blank. You are redeemed, renewed, made new by Christ. Walk in newness of life, even while you don't have things figured out. And so that actually gives me freedom in the meanwhile. And the meanwhile goes all the way until heaven. So that gives me a ton of freedom.
SPEAKER_02Amen.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and and as I hear that, I echo what Peter says, and also the fact that let's remember what Jesus came back from. It was death. And so there is nothing that God cannot help you overcome. And there's no amount of time that has passed that things cannot resurrect. I was reminded this week of a uh cool story of someone that was working through uh an individual, our church was going through forgiving challenge, and and the woman approached the pastor as she was going through it, and uh and she hadn't talked to her brother for 65 years because her brother abused her when she was really little. And through, you know, the invitation and the challenge to seek forgiveness for yourself, um, she received that for herself and then took the next step and had a conversation and has had multiple conversations with that brother where he was able to ask her for forgiveness. And so I'm just thinking of a story that went on 65 years, you know, and so that's my encouragement is yes, Jesus defeated death. There are still big things that are being conquered today. Uh, and and whatever you're dealing with. I love the words of Jeremiah. Is there anything too hard for God? No. So don't give up hope.
SPEAKER_02That's good.
Final Takeaways And My Four
SPEAKER_02All right, as we wrap up today, what are your final takeaways from this message?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we're gonna hear about it over the next series. Um, but my four, who's that who are the people that God's placing on your life? The resurrection of Christ is too big for us to keep it to ourselves. And so the my four to identify four people, then to include them, invite them, and inspire and really press into that over these next four weeks as we learn more.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I I'm just for me, what my final takeaway is this cool. I'm gonna be this has got to be more front and center in my mind of remembering my purpose for why I'm here. And it's not about living in this world, it's about eternity. And so I just hope that our church final takeaway would be that our church, and especially not just with Easter, but in this month, really embraces this and and really does take this challenge head on and that we just become more bold and more courageous. Like, courage courage is one of our four core values here at King of Kings that we talk about. And this is an opportunity to live it out. And so I really hope someone who's listening that's on the fence of like, I don't know if I want to identify and I don't know if I want to do this. I really hope that you take these words seriously and take that thought to the Lord and and see how he feels about that. And I don't say that in a guilt way, but in a way of like I just be obedient to what God puts on your heart. And I really hope that as we do this, we take some courageous steps and new people come to faith. And, you know, I'm hoping our next baptism Sunday has got more people getting baptized than before. And uh so that those are my final takeaways is let's let's actually take this serious and see what happens. And I think it'll be fun.
SPEAKER_02If you want more information about my four, you can check out the King of Kings app or go to the website kingofkings.org/slash my four. There's even a little form you can put your four into, and we will send you reminders about praying for them and tips about the ways to open. We will do that. Yeah, you, you, me, and Peter. Yep, that's it. You didn't get that memo.
SPEAKER_04Yep. Great, let's go.
SPEAKER_02We we big church, we as a big church. Well, I like that tool. I think that's important. It's very easy to to talk about this idea, but like I have my four card that's stuck on my mirror at home so that I can see it every day when I'm getting ready and reminds me then to pray for them. And I may not do it right at that moment, but it's there as a daily reminder. Um, so I'm excited to see about the the things that can get sent back to us to remind us about that. Well, thank you guys so much for being here today.
Closing And One Last Callback
SPEAKER_02I'm excited to hear more from this series. And until next time, let's keep living our faith beyond Sunday.
SPEAKER_04Moving on. Uh lend a hand, care for the land. That's woodsy. Trees are terrific.
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