Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:06.089 --> 00:00:08.253
and welcome back to pastor plex podcast.
00:00:08.253 --> 00:00:18.042
I'm your host, pastor plec, joining with me in studios none other than the lead pastor from east side community church in east austin, holland, greg how's it going?
00:00:18.042 --> 00:00:18.323
Everyone?
00:00:18.323 --> 00:00:21.333
And then also from the cody sparks band, world famous.
00:00:21.333 --> 00:00:24.082
Uh, incredible guitar playing and singing.
00:00:24.082 --> 00:00:26.850
Uh, cody Sparks Still here, all right.
00:00:26.850 --> 00:00:33.112
So what we're talking about this afternoon is a question, and I'll give it to you.
00:00:33.112 --> 00:00:36.771
I believe that in order to hear God's voice, I have to read his word.
00:00:36.771 --> 00:00:40.170
I mentioned this to a friend and she added or pray.
00:00:40.170 --> 00:00:46.213
I think if someone prays and doesn't read their Bible, they'll be missing an essential part of their relationship with God.
00:00:46.213 --> 00:00:51.152
My personality has a tendency to see everything in black and white, no gray.
00:00:51.152 --> 00:00:58.704
Is it possible to put too much emphasis on God's word, to the point of putting God in a box, putting limits on how God communicates with us?
00:00:58.704 --> 00:00:59.665
Question mark.
00:01:02.991 --> 00:01:08.221
Good question yeah, holland, what do you think All right?
00:01:08.221 --> 00:01:09.424
Good question yeah, holland, what do you think all right?
00:01:09.424 --> 00:01:12.775
So initial initial thought thought is you know, is it possible to put too much emphasis on god's word?
00:01:12.775 --> 00:01:22.813
I, I struggle to say you can put too much emphasis on god's word, um, to try to put god in a box.
00:01:22.813 --> 00:01:32.349
Because I think, you know, the idea of putting God in a box is like, okay, he can only operate this way or that way, but how?
00:01:32.349 --> 00:01:34.713
How would we like answer that?
00:01:34.713 --> 00:01:39.271
Well, god's word says he's in, the Lord is in the heavens, he does all that he pleases.
00:01:39.271 --> 00:01:44.063
You know, like the way that we would counter something is by showing it from the Word All of creation reveals God's glory.
00:01:44.243 --> 00:01:45.043
Yeah, there you go.
00:01:46.084 --> 00:01:50.248
So, like putting God in a—what's the solution to putting God in a box?
00:01:50.248 --> 00:01:52.170
You need to go to the Word more actually.
00:01:52.170 --> 00:01:57.334
You need a better understanding of the Word to know that God—so like how I would think about this question?
00:01:57.334 --> 00:02:00.956
I would think of Acts, chapter 13.
00:02:00.956 --> 00:02:03.683
Okay, comes to mind where they were.
00:02:04.405 --> 00:02:07.673
it says in the church at Antioch, setting apart Barnabas and Paul.
00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:17.128
Yes, they were worshiping the Lord and fasting and the Holy Spirit said set apart for me, barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them.
00:02:17.128 --> 00:02:21.348
So there's not a Bible verse that says set apart.
00:02:21.348 --> 00:02:22.651
Right, they're not quoting scripture.
00:02:22.651 --> 00:02:27.429
This is the Holy Spirit speaking to them as they're fasting and praying.
00:02:27.429 --> 00:02:30.800
They're worshiping the Lord and fasting and God spoke to them.
00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:35.381
And then it says after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on him and sent him off.
00:02:35.381 --> 00:02:50.572
So I think that's an example in the Bible, you know, of the Spirit speaking not in contradiction to the word, but in line with what is true from the word, but giving a particular word for the moment.
00:02:50.572 --> 00:02:50.992
Okay.
00:02:51.013 --> 00:02:51.713
So let's, let's talk.
00:02:51.713 --> 00:03:05.873
I one of the things I've said and you've probably heard me say it and it's probably at this point God's word, god's spirit, god's people everyone's hate hates it by now, but it's God's word says go into all the earth, go into all, make disciples of all nations.
00:03:05.873 --> 00:03:07.667
Okay, you've got that commandment.
00:03:07.667 --> 00:03:21.135
Then you're sitting there fasting and praying and someone says hey, I really feel like the Lord is saying we need to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work that he has called them.
00:03:21.135 --> 00:03:23.701
And then they send them off.
00:03:23.701 --> 00:03:24.663
They clearly knew.
00:03:25.022 --> 00:03:35.215
So, being sent up by the Holy spirit, they went down to Seleucia and they sailed to Cyprus and when they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and they had John to assist them.
00:03:35.215 --> 00:03:43.947
So here's what, when I what I love about that is they had a oh, a scripture that was clear, a scripture that was clear go to all nations.
00:03:43.947 --> 00:03:53.381
Then they had a Holy Spirit saying set apart these two guys.
00:03:53.381 --> 00:03:56.389
And then these prophets are, or prophets, these elders are all there going yeah, I'm going to lay my hands and commission these guys.
00:03:56.389 --> 00:04:01.325
So God's word, god's spirit, god's people are all included in that.
00:04:01.325 --> 00:04:09.043
And so to this person's question is God's spirit going to work independent of God's word?
00:04:09.043 --> 00:04:15.052
No, but is God's spirit only going to say what God's word says?
00:04:15.052 --> 00:04:16.781
Also no.
00:04:16.781 --> 00:04:30.593
So, like you know, god in his word doesn't have anything about planting churches in Austin Texas, but we feel that God has a calling on our church to continue to plant churches in the greater Austin area.
00:04:30.994 --> 00:04:34.629
Yeah, and so like can you put God in a box?
00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:49.000
Yes, but I don't think it's quite right to say that you're focusing too much on the word, because the word itself is what gives us examples of the Spirit speaking to people through prayer and fasting, not just this particular scripture.
00:04:49.603 --> 00:05:03.622
And I think I've said this before when you only have someone listening to the Spirit, well, that gets really confusing, because sometimes you're listening to the Spirit and sometimes you're listening to the pizza that was bad from yesterday and you are having indigestion.
00:05:03.641 --> 00:05:04.685
Or you really want something.
00:05:04.685 --> 00:05:06.891
So you're listening to the pizza that was bad from yesterday and you are having like indigestion.
00:05:06.891 --> 00:05:20.312
Or you just you really want something, so you're doing it and you're putting a God, god told me, call me, said something, label on it and so without, in those, in those moments and you can say, well, the Bible doesn't say anything against that.
00:05:20.312 --> 00:05:22.709
So what I always call those people are Christian tourists.
00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:25.487
They are the ones that don't want to hear from any other person.
00:05:25.487 --> 00:05:32.870
They want to go and serve the Lord without having anyone understand them, rebuke them, have any sort of community.
00:05:34.134 --> 00:05:44.024
If you have just God's word and you're not operating on the spirit, then it gets really difficult to live out the Christian life without the Holy Spirit.
00:05:44.024 --> 00:05:54.274
And so to say that the Christian life without the Holy Spirit, yeah, and so to say that you're not operating the Holy Spirit and to also not operate with God's people, then you're like a hermit.
00:05:54.274 --> 00:05:57.709
Yeah, you totally have become beyond a tourist.
00:05:57.709 --> 00:06:00.728
You are just no people, no spirit.
00:06:00.728 --> 00:06:04.269
I'm just going to study, I'm a monk in a building that is studying this word.
00:06:04.269 --> 00:06:06.387
But if you're like I'm not going to study, I'm a monk in a in a building that is studying this word.
00:06:06.387 --> 00:06:17.601
But if you have, if you're like I'm not going to do the spirit thing, I'm just going to do God's people and God's word, no risk taking, no Holy spirit involvement, Then I think that's when you that's you tend to become Christian clicky.
00:06:17.601 --> 00:06:19.644
That that's what ends up happening.
00:06:19.644 --> 00:06:23.509
You're not going to take any risk with new people, you're not going to go reach those who are far from God.
00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:26.334
You put up big barriers around people so they stop.
00:06:26.334 --> 00:06:28.255
You're always worried about people stopping sinning.
00:06:28.255 --> 00:06:35.221
And then, if you have you know I've said this if you have a Christian, you know God's people and God's spirit.
00:06:35.221 --> 00:06:37.829
Without God's word, I don't know if you actually have God's people and God's spirit.
00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:39.403
But you have something and I call that.
00:06:39.403 --> 00:06:40.788
You know the emotional support group.
00:06:40.788 --> 00:06:46.641
Like you, do you that support group?
00:06:46.641 --> 00:06:47.062
Like you, do you that?
00:06:47.062 --> 00:06:48.408
That, like the people who go like they have no moral value?
00:06:48.408 --> 00:06:52.303
Uh, beyond, hey, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody, that's kind of like the, the ultimate thing.
00:06:52.303 --> 00:06:54.031
That's usually the emotional support group.
00:06:54.031 --> 00:06:56.240
You need to go sleep with 50 people to kind of find you know.
00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:57.764
So, your oats, you should do that.
00:06:57.764 --> 00:07:02.463
You need to go and do whatever it is so that you can feel good about yourself.
00:07:02.463 --> 00:07:03.345
You should do that.
00:07:03.345 --> 00:07:09.144
Uh, I think that's where a lot of people go and they miss out on the goodness of God and his discipline.
00:07:09.144 --> 00:07:13.987
Love, correction, repentance, all that stuff Acts 16, another example.
00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:16.247
A vision appeared to Paul in the night.
00:07:16.247 --> 00:07:21.266
A man of Macedonia was standing there urging him and saying come over to Macedonia and help us.
00:07:21.266 --> 00:07:32.124
And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God called us to preach the gospel to them.
00:07:32.124 --> 00:07:33.615
I love how he concluded it.
00:07:33.615 --> 00:07:35.434
It was a dream, right, he could have said.
00:07:35.434 --> 00:07:37.774
And it was in community, there's we and us.
00:07:37.774 --> 00:07:46.223
So you've got God's people, you've got God's spirit, you know giving a vision, and then you have God's word they're going to preach the gospel.
00:07:46.223 --> 00:07:49.540
So it's in line with the mission proclaim the gospel to the whole world.
00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:54.177
But it's also just using your like you said they concluded it.
00:07:54.177 --> 00:08:01.641
They use their thoughts, like okay, I think this is what God is saying, and you know God called us to preach the gospel.
00:08:01.641 --> 00:08:07.023
So, like, this is discerning a calling from God into a particular ministry.
00:08:07.023 --> 00:08:11.418
That's not necessarily a certain Bible verse, but is in line with the word of God.
00:08:11.550 --> 00:08:14.680
So let's talk about where people usually get off on this stuff.
00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.177
I think it's usually in dating.
00:08:16.177 --> 00:08:20.774
They're like I really feel like the Lord wants me to be with this person, or leaving a church, or leaving a church.
00:08:21.250 --> 00:08:22.797
Well, yeah, let me pray about it.
00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:25.994
I'm really like the Lord doesn't want me to reconcile with you.
00:08:25.994 --> 00:08:27.115
That's the number one.
00:08:27.115 --> 00:08:28.577
Yeah, that's actually very true.
00:08:28.577 --> 00:08:30.100
Yeah, I just feel like the Lord's leading me.
00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:40.971
Really, the Lord is calling you to leave God's people where he birthed you where he raised you.
00:08:40.991 --> 00:08:42.837
It becomes just an easy way, because you can't say no to God.
00:08:42.837 --> 00:08:44.865
So, yeah, it becomes something that people do take advantage of.
00:08:44.865 --> 00:08:56.198
Um, if it's like yeah, god told me I'm supposed to date you, you know you're supposed to marry I had a dream about you and I concluded that God is calling me to take you out.
00:08:56.198 --> 00:08:58.543
Yeah, so yeah, it can be abused, for sure.
00:08:58.984 --> 00:09:00.351
Um, yeah, how, what other?
00:09:00.351 --> 00:09:06.331
I guess it's leaving a church, it's dating a person, uh, it is marrying somebody.
00:09:06.331 --> 00:09:07.654
It is what else?
00:09:07.654 --> 00:09:13.284
What other ways we we, we, we, we, I guess, leaving a job, would that be one?
00:09:14.934 --> 00:09:36.695
uh, yeah sure, I mean you can I've you could use it for anything but, it's very versatile and I think that's because usually people I think the part that people usually don't like is they don't like the god's people part, and I think if you are hesitant about bringing whatever god has called you to do to other people because you're afraid of what they're going to say, then that those people become your God or or cause.
00:09:36.695 --> 00:09:39.121
Let's say, god is calling you to the thing and they say no.
00:09:39.121 --> 00:09:40.292
Well then they should.
00:09:40.292 --> 00:10:06.114
You should have conviction and understanding that that the people that love you the most said you shouldn't do this, and so you gotta be absolutely a thousand percent sure that the course of action you're taking is the Lord's leading, and I would just be really hesitant, uh, if you're, you're around people and they're like a hard, no one something, and you're like nah, override, um, and yeah, yeah.
00:10:06.114 --> 00:10:08.158
So anyway, I think it's a great question.
00:10:08.359 --> 00:10:13.134
I think it's the concern that whoever you know texted in of like, like.
00:10:13.134 --> 00:10:19.797
I resonate with that concern because I know I've seen people be like well, I was praying and God told me.
00:10:19.797 --> 00:10:28.273
And man, whenever people say God told me and I was praying and the Bible's not in the picture and they're not asking you, what do you think Was that the Lord?
00:10:28.273 --> 00:10:37.399
They're just telling you, as you usually is a red flag of like yeah, they're, they got um, they're neglecting God's people and God's word and you're going to go off.
00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:47.715
Yeah, I think, um, in terms of also the other, the other one which is like people are just, you know, they do the, they find a verse.
00:10:47.715 --> 00:10:49.719
Ah, the Lord said uh, you know.
00:10:49.719 --> 00:11:00.378
And Judas went and hanged himself uh, you know, whatever the thing is, you know, uh, you know, like they could go and find a verse and and make it apply to them and call that.
00:11:00.378 --> 00:11:05.796
God told me, and which is also that's why you need people, so you don't misuse the scripture.
00:11:05.796 --> 00:11:14.833
That's how you prevent heresy is uh, heresies always were formed in um academic silos.
00:11:14.854 --> 00:11:26.254
That's where they're usually formed, or by drift, and nobody correcting anything I think reading the word is very, very important, because that's your, that's your sword, that's your, that's how you fight, that's your, your battles.
00:11:26.254 --> 00:11:27.599
You have the word, that's how you learn, that's how you teach people.
00:11:27.599 --> 00:11:30.610
But I also think it you have the word, that's how you learn, that's how you teach people.
00:11:30.610 --> 00:11:35.422
But I also think it's important to take time to talk to God and build that relationship.
00:11:35.422 --> 00:11:46.384
You know, like Noah walked with the Lord and found favor with God, I like to walk and pray and think and just talk to God and listen and be there.
00:11:46.384 --> 00:11:50.561
So I think both are very, very important, depending on how you use that.
00:11:51.029 --> 00:11:54.581
But if the Lord speaks to you, correct it should, it will and that should be.
00:11:54.581 --> 00:11:56.798
It will be in line with what scripture says.
00:11:56.798 --> 00:12:01.934
And then you shouldn't be afraid to say like, hey Holland, chris, what do you guys think about this thing?
00:12:01.955 --> 00:12:25.596
And we'd be like, oh, that's you know I was going to say you need that affirmation yeah, that's anyway, I think in the past, like, do you guys remember I don't know if Holland would remember this, but experiencing God, henry Blackaby, I think the entire nation did that at one point during the early 2000s yeah, and kind of like Before I was a Christian, but I heard of it since.
00:12:25.697 --> 00:12:28.636
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was like it was God's.
00:12:28.636 --> 00:12:38.966
It was kind of the same thing God's word, God's people, God's spirit, but also it was God's circumstances like open door, and I always was hesitant on that one Find out where God is working and join him.
00:12:38.966 --> 00:12:41.115
I like that one Find out where God is working and then join him.
00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:43.533
That was like the big thing that I always heard about and I appreciated that.
00:12:43.552 --> 00:12:53.105
But the thing that was like circumstances to me were like how do I know this is a closed door that I'm supposed to find a window for, or is this a closed door that I need to go the other way?
00:12:53.105 --> 00:12:53.926
Yeah, and I think.
00:12:54.149 --> 00:12:57.379
Is this Satan closing the door and I need to bust the door in and keep going?
00:12:57.379 --> 00:12:58.875
Or is it God closing it and I?
00:12:58.995 --> 00:13:00.038
need to walk away.
00:13:00.038 --> 00:13:14.035
So I think for me, one of the cool things here at the church, one of the moments that have really leaned into going back to God's people, is when we were trying to figure out, like, what the Lord would have for us with church planning.
00:13:14.035 --> 00:13:23.183
We were like, all right, so, god, are you calling us to plant a church at the same time as we are to, um, build a building?
00:13:23.183 --> 00:13:34.153
And all the elders went away to pray and we all came back and, um, we said, hey, no, god's calling us to put that church on this land the end.
00:13:34.153 --> 00:13:37.081
And then, after that some period of time, after, we will plan another church.
00:13:37.282 --> 00:13:47.475
Okay, shortly after that 72 hour fasting and praying, we got called by the uh donor and said, hey, the deal's off, I don't have the money, I can't do it.
00:13:47.475 --> 00:13:58.500
Sorry, uh, and I was just like womp, womp, and so we'd already voted as a church, we already done all the things as a, as a church and everyone that we already gotten the momentum going towards brushy Creek.
00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:08.620
And then, uh, uh, I I call Joel, who was elder chairman at that time, and he's like, uh, let's, we don't need to tell the church anything, because I was at Cody's Ranch.
00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:19.778
When that happened it was on Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and that's when I got that phone call, and so I immediately called Joel Joel's like no, we don't need to say anything in the church yet.
00:14:19.778 --> 00:14:23.700
So on that Saturday night or Sunday night I'm like don't we need to say something?
00:14:23.700 --> 00:14:24.282
They're like nope.
00:14:24.649 --> 00:14:28.979
So we had an elder meeting that next Monday morning and I'm like, guys, we've got to say something.
00:14:28.979 --> 00:14:30.355
We just lost the land.
00:14:30.355 --> 00:14:31.479
And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:14:31.479 --> 00:14:36.822
And Joel and everyone went into like crisis management mode.
00:14:36.822 --> 00:14:40.080
Like how are we going to tell the church that we lost the land?
00:14:49.570 --> 00:14:50.552
How are we going to tell the church that we lost?
00:14:50.572 --> 00:14:50.731
the land.
00:14:50.731 --> 00:14:51.573
How are we going to like what's the bet?
00:14:51.573 --> 00:14:53.998
And then Joel like stands up and starts yelling God already done, told this elder board that this is our land.
00:14:53.998 --> 00:15:00.035
And we're all like I don't know how to tell you this, but he called me and said it's done, like there's no land.
00:15:00.035 --> 00:15:05.596
And then he goes I already, we already heard from the Lord that is our land.
00:15:05.596 --> 00:15:06.698
And I'm like okay.
00:15:06.698 --> 00:15:08.785
So I was like okay.
00:15:08.785 --> 00:15:11.332
I was like I guess we'll talk about this next meeting anyway.
00:15:11.332 --> 00:15:16.892
So then, um, about four hours later, the donor called back, said hey, deal's back on.
00:15:17.513 --> 00:15:18.615
But this happened to multiple times.
00:15:18.615 --> 00:15:19.756
It was wild.
00:15:19.977 --> 00:15:20.578
It was wild.
00:15:20.578 --> 00:15:25.075
And so from that point forward I was like, oh, this is our land, we don't need to worry about it.
00:15:25.075 --> 00:15:27.057
And I think there was an opportunity that came up.
00:15:27.057 --> 00:15:29.518
Another pastor was like he had like 10 acres of land.
00:15:29.518 --> 00:15:32.495
He said, hey, why don't you just sell your land and build the church?
00:15:32.495 --> 00:15:35.482
Build your church on our land.
00:15:35.482 --> 00:15:43.611
And I was like you know what God already done told us that's, you know what God already done?
00:15:43.611 --> 00:15:43.832
Told us, uh.
00:15:43.832 --> 00:15:54.325
And I said we're going to stick with the plan that God has for us, uh, because I don't want it to get to a place where we're not you know what I mean, we're, um, where we're not following the Lord.
00:15:54.325 --> 00:15:57.794
So, anyway, that that to me was a pretty powerful moment, that.
00:15:57.835 --> 00:16:00.945
I got to experience with the Lord and, and so that has that has given me that.
00:16:00.945 --> 00:16:08.409
I got to experience with the Lord and so that has given me unbelievable amounts of calm and surety when it comes to raising money, getting a loan, all that stuff.
00:16:08.409 --> 00:16:10.157
I know it doesn't mean we don't have to work.
00:16:10.269 --> 00:16:23.239
It doesn't mean we just go like whatever, yeah, it's going to happen, yeah but, it's going to happen, yeah it's like when God would tell the Israelite like Joshua um, you know the, the Israelite like Joshua and you know the, the army of uh.
00:16:23.239 --> 00:16:29.846
He would say you know like, uh, I have, I have delivered uh your enemies into your hands.
00:16:29.846 --> 00:16:30.726
Now go and fight.
00:16:30.726 --> 00:16:37.552
Right, you know I, and so like, the victory is there, but you still got to go do the fight.
00:16:37.572 --> 00:16:39.735
You go into it confident, knowing God has already won this battle.
00:16:39.735 --> 00:16:46.264
We're just kind of like we're we're going through the motions, but we know who the victory belongs to, so that's really cool.
00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:50.662
Yeah, so anyway, I, I I really appreciate that and was encouraged by that.
00:16:50.662 --> 00:16:51.566
Um.
00:16:51.566 --> 00:16:54.977
So yeah, Any other thoughts on that question?
00:16:57.253 --> 00:17:00.711
My, my encouragement would be you know the person who sent the text in.
00:17:00.711 --> 00:17:12.205
I tend to, you know, have that like reservation of, like, well, slow down, you know, but like to know, like I don't know.
00:17:12.205 --> 00:17:17.259
It's a good God's word, spirit and people you got to really have all three of those going.
00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:22.517
And so don't be closed off to the idea of God speaking to you while you're praying and fasting.
00:17:22.517 --> 00:17:23.357
Prayer is a powerful thing.
00:17:23.377 --> 00:17:28.884
And be like no, god doesn't do that, because that is putting God in a box, but not according to what his word says.
00:17:28.964 --> 00:17:31.433
Yeah, that's good.
00:17:31.433 --> 00:17:31.815
All right, hey.
00:17:31.815 --> 00:17:33.599
Thanks so much for listening.
00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:43.520
If you'd like to be a part of the conversation, you can text us at 737-231-0605.
00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:46.688
We'd love to hear from you, From our house to yours.
00:17:46.688 --> 00:17:47.329
Have an awesome week of worship.
