Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Tell Me More is a weekly podcast hosted by Katy Reed Hodges and Luke Stehr, where they unpack the Sunday sermon with Dr. Dennis Wiles. This podcast is designed on the premise that Dr. Wiles always has more to say than can fit in a 35 minute sermon - so we have fun discussing it here each week. We hope that in listening you are educated, encouraged and more connected to the pastor and his teaching!
Welcome to another episode of Tell Me More. We have Kurt and Ashley, and we're talking about many things, including the fruit of the spirit, Goodness. It's a great conversation, and we're really glad you're listening. We hope you enjoy it. Good morning.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Tell Me More. It's actually afternoon. We've just rolled through lunch, and we are praising our behind the scenes AV guy, Kyle Judkins. Go Kyle. Everybody loves Kyle, and we're happy to have him.
Speaker 1:Addison, our normal behind the camera gal, is on the Denver mission trip.
Speaker 2:Good for her too. Yay, Addison.
Speaker 1:And and turns out our preacher yesterday, Brad, is on his own Colorado had a vacation. Tree. Brad Brad got Kurt claims he saw him change, but I say Brad got He walked down from the pulpit and into the car and they drove away. Assuming He took the tie
Speaker 2:and coat off
Speaker 1:at the very least. Yeah. I think. And I they may have gone home and regrouped, but he made it sound like they're hitting the road
Speaker 2:pretty much right
Speaker 1:after vacation.
Speaker 2:Pretty quick.
Speaker 1:So we have called in Kirk Grice
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Which not a replacement, really, really great. And then Luke is in Toronto.
Speaker 2:Yay, Luke.
Speaker 1:Where the Baptist World Alliance is meeting. Correct. And so we have pulled in Ashley Berryhill. Also Got your replacement
Speaker 2:strand. Few proud, we were the room of the faithful remnant.
Speaker 1:Y'all could be y'all could be OG cast though.
Speaker 3:Y'all are
Speaker 1:Oh, well, OG implies you were there at the beginning. But you could be you're first you're first to your friends. How's that?
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:If nothing else. Well, whatever.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of half Ashley, we're we're just happy to be here.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 3:Yeah. True?
Speaker 1:True. I love it. So, we we do there were a lot of places we could have started, and I told Ashley, tell us who's what's going on in like our mission trip world right now?
Speaker 3:Oh, who's in one of our engagement trips? Yeah. Use right link. Engagement trips.
Speaker 1:Because when I talked about Luke being in Toronto
Speaker 3:That is not an engagement trip.
Speaker 1:No. But he just missed our youth group who was just in Toronto. Correct. Almost overlapped.
Speaker 3:They did. They
Speaker 1:got back Friday.
Speaker 3:Yeah. He he left on Friday, and they
Speaker 1:Oh, returned So on Friday. Yes. So we got a report this morning from Chelsea and Tanner.
Speaker 3:Or maybe it was Saturday he left. But, anyway, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter if you're within a week. Yeah. In an international city. Pretty close. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So so we had our equip trip high school with Chelsea and Tanner
Speaker 1:that just returned. Now, I think we've talked about it in here, but you've created more of a pathway. We do. Yes. Were there certain trips that only the juniors and seniors can go on.
Speaker 1:Correct. There's certain trips that are open to all of high school.
Speaker 3:Yes. Including juniors
Speaker 1:and seniors.
Speaker 3:Certain objectives within those I
Speaker 1:love that. And then there's a certain, like, everybody could go to, which I love. Yes. And if you're a senior, you could go on all three, hypothetically. Hypothetically.
Speaker 1:Nobody is. No. Because they're running at the same time.
Speaker 3:Some of them are running.
Speaker 1:Anyway. Yes. But I I really like the vision of kinda this more anybody can go you call it all It's
Speaker 3:a growth process.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's an all access trip.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I don't mean to go out of order. I'm going in order of age progression, but I started in order
Speaker 3:of Let the me go for it.
Speaker 1:Ashley says she could just take care of it. Kurt's gonna let her.
Speaker 2:I'll go.
Speaker 1:Go. Okay. I grew up in
Speaker 2:a house of women. I'm gonna walk right now.
Speaker 3:So All Access, which is everybody in the youth, is able to go on this trip. And so they left on Sunday. They're going to the border of Brownsville, and they're gonna be serving with Texans on Mission and VBS down there, and And singing. And singing. Yeah.
Speaker 3:They've got Chi Alpha with them as well, so it's a good holistic trip.
Speaker 1:About how many hit the road?
Speaker 3:41 of them.
Speaker 1:41 left on Sunday.
Speaker 3:Left on Sunday. It's our biggest trip. Yeah. But they're doing a great job. They've arrived.
Speaker 3:They've arrived. They've canvassing neighborhoods to invite people to VBS and started started all of that. Love it. It's great. We still have our Sarah Parsley's out.
Speaker 3:Her and Ryan are leaving.
Speaker 1:How are feeling about that part?
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's been a long time since she's been out. So but she's in Southeast Asia right now with our junior senior group that's about encountering God. Then how many people are on
Speaker 1:that trip?
Speaker 3:There's eight total. I think
Speaker 1:that's a good number as well.
Speaker 3:It is good. It's great. And so they're getting to encounter how God is moving in the global church, how he's moving among refugee communities, and people who find themselves as scavengers in the largest landfill in the world. And so, I mean, they're getting
Speaker 1:don't run as that. Mean, that in itself is quite the exposure.
Speaker 3:They are getting exposed. They're getting to discern how God what what is he calling them in towards? They're
Speaker 1:a non western Yes. They're christian Correct. Environment. Correct.
Speaker 3:Very minority of faith right there.
Speaker 1:Great exposure. Yes. Places that a lot of our church have never really been. Correct. So really helpful.
Speaker 1:So they'll
Speaker 3:be back at some point this at the end of this week.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:And so Denver And then there's just Our college students are in Denver right now. So Connor and
Speaker 1:Adam Working with the church there.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Church plant. Doing really good work.
Speaker 3:Kids camp, all that kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. Then we have all of our workers. Our Scent workers are gonna be here.
Speaker 3:They're all almost all? Almost all of them are here. You've got the Spain team that's here, and their national partner will be here towards the end of We have the Herreras from Sierra Leone are here.
Speaker 1:Their kids are all over these trips we're talking about, which is great. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And the Kavanaugh's are not here. They'll stay in Japan, but yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So Yeah. Your world's a little bit busy right now.
Speaker 3:It's a hot potato world. Hot potato. Somebody catch the next potato to drop it.
Speaker 1:Your whole team's doing their job somewhere else right now. Yeah. Yeah. They're working But it's good. But they're working somewhere else.
Speaker 1:So so that's it is it is good.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:It's fun. I still think about the visual a couple weeks ago at the end of the service, the day I preached, where we we kinda commissioned all of them. Just a great visual for our church. It is. All the steps full of our students.
Speaker 3:I mean, 85 people.
Speaker 1:Not nothing. That's a whole church.
Speaker 2:I grew up in
Speaker 1:a church of about 85 people. Mhmm. So you can do a lot with them. Yeah. It's really fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It is. I love it.
Speaker 1:Kurt, any commentary on all that?
Speaker 2:No. I enjoyed listening to Chelsea and Tanner recount the Toronto remix, and just how formative and shaping that is. And I loved what Chelsea said, we weren't trying to save the city of Toronto, we were trying to shape students to come back and make a difference in their world and they discovered they can do that, I think.
Speaker 3:Yes. How does that
Speaker 1:make you feel as though I'm the agent team?
Speaker 3:I'm so proud. That's been a that's been a long journey to getting there. Fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's good. It is. You've watched the world.
Speaker 3:He has shepherd it through and through
Speaker 2:for so
Speaker 1:long. Yeah. That's why I mean, you're not just an observer.
Speaker 2:No. No. I'm I'm I'm incredibly proud. I believe Ashley and I have had this conversation several times.
Speaker 1:But do it in front of the people. Well So they When
Speaker 2:I envisioned an engagement ministry several years ago, I had no idea exactly how it would come to fruition, but it I would say has exceeded my expectations. I knew we needed the right people who were in the right positions, who had a vision for what this could be and I don't know, Ashley, how long have you and I been doing this together?
Speaker 3:Ten years.
Speaker 2:It's close to a decade and and to think back over the the metamorphosis that's taken place personally
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:With our church
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:As we have learned and and grown and tried different things. We've tried different models that were appropriate to that time.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:But then I think we have been wise and mature to adjust as needed. And that's not just people coming and going, that's priorities coming and going. And that includes both our long term people on the field as well as the volunteers who are rising up within our church Mhmm. Our governing body, the people that made up the great commission council and others who have tried to assist along the way. It's been quite a journey.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. But I would say we're in an incredibly healthy place right now. Yeah. And I'm very grateful.
Speaker 3:Praise be to God.
Speaker 2:Praise be to God.
Speaker 1:Yes. Well, that's our podcast for today. It represents a lot. It really does. It represents a whole lot.
Speaker 1:But I It's all good.
Speaker 2:Yeah. But you could say that
Speaker 1:about It's hearing but but
Speaker 2:as it relates to engagement. Even the shift in our our mindset about what is engagement.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:What does it mean to engage the community, local community of the world that has matured over time. Mhmm. I think we're in a really good place.
Speaker 1:Ashley threw in a transition word.
Speaker 2:Oh, go ahead.
Speaker 1:She said it is good.
Speaker 3:It is all good.
Speaker 2:Okay. It is good.
Speaker 3:It's very good.
Speaker 1:Well, in And the sermon yesterday.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. That sounds a lot like Tov in Genesis one There it is. Made it all, and he said it was good.
Speaker 3:Tell us more about that.
Speaker 2:Well, that creative work of God, it took place in his mind before he spoke it into being, and when he made it, we know if God did it, it was good. Mhmm. And so that word tov is the Hebrew word that we see throughout the Old Testament. And then for the purposes of the fruit of the spirit, we take the Genesis of that word if you will.
Speaker 1:Oh, I heard it. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And and bring it into the the Greek New Testament. And so in Galatians five twenty two twenty three that we are getting well versed in.
Speaker 1:It's our bible reading.
Speaker 2:Over the summer.
Speaker 1:Of the day. Yes. Every Monday for nine weeks.
Speaker 2:And coincidentally, since there are nine fruits of the spirit that are mentioned, we're gonna do a nine week study on that.
Speaker 1:Oh, how about that?
Speaker 2:How about that?
Speaker 1:Yeah. Isn't that interesting? Just great.
Speaker 2:So let's see. We are we did number six, I think, with goodness and
Speaker 1:Wow. Is it really? We already did
Speaker 2:six. We're through six.
Speaker 1:Peace, patience, kindness, goodness.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. Mhmm. How about that?
Speaker 1:We're just running through the summer?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we've got we've got three more.
Speaker 1:So our friend Brad made his inaugural appearance in the pulpit at First Baptist Arlington.
Speaker 2:And and did such a fine job. And so he unpacked this whole concept of goodness and the pastor, as he is won't to do, assigns not just the title but the text and offers a synopsis of things that he might think would be good to be mentioned.
Speaker 1:To be considered.
Speaker 2:To be considered in the sermon. So Barnabas was the character du jour.
Speaker 1:This time we got to help with that.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's true. Several staff.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Back in the spring
Speaker 1:part of Many of us. Yes. Got to craft that one.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. Yeah. He he's got this new preaching seminar kind of thing. Do call it?
Speaker 1:Preaching lab.
Speaker 2:Preaching lab. He has done that formally.
Speaker 1:Is it a lab many times? Quarterly? Six total?
Speaker 2:Lab might be a little too formal for what's
Speaker 1:Lab taking place is aspirational.
Speaker 3:Lab I like that one.
Speaker 1:Is the blueprint. Now, the house doesn't always look like the blueprint, but it is the blueprint.
Speaker 2:So how how vulnerable can how vulnerable can we be here? So our pastor Blow
Speaker 1:it wide open.
Speaker 2:Teacher and communicator Which is preaching.
Speaker 1:So at some point, we said, teach us, Lord. We're right here. And so
Speaker 2:Why not do that for the people that work for us?
Speaker 1:We put three together in 2025, and we put, I believe, at least two, maybe three together in 2026. It's not as easy as it looks to wrangle that many people No. It's not. However, each time has been good. Each time has been really, really good.
Speaker 1:And the last one was the most collaborative. It was very different. Mhmm. He said, this is what I want to do with the summer.
Speaker 3:Help me think through it.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. I want a bible character and a Jesus story Mhmm. To go with each of these. And and there were probably eight of us in the room. I mean, was pretty open.
Speaker 1:The the lab is open to anyone at First Baptist on staff that that preaches in any scenario or wants to get better at preaching. So, you've got, of course, like Chelsea and Tanner that are preaching all the time at college, Ashley in there who's speaking at in a lot of our spaces, actually. But it's not just like pulpit supply preachers. It's anyone who wants really cares to get better at it. Sarah Persley's in there, and they're all contributing in their own way, of course, as this is the church together.
Speaker 1:But the that one was really fun because I feel like like Connor spoke in really well to a lot of it really thoughtfully. Sarah Pursely had some really thoughtful like people who aren't normally at the table to think about like a preaching series. And doctor Wiles was humble enough to truly like let us
Speaker 3:Their fingerprints were all over the summer.
Speaker 1:We went back, because it's like, you know what, you you should use that Jesus story here and not here, and what if I you know, I ended up not using my Jesus story, but I called doctor Wiles that week
Speaker 2:But there's that latitude? I mean, we yeah.
Speaker 1:But it was but I still called the pastor to make sure that was okay. That's there's my difference for like, you know, you know. But anyway Good for you. Some of us do, some of us don't. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But But I did mine because the the Jesus it doesn't matter, nobody cares. The Jesus story that I was gonna use was doctor Wiles was gonna use it later in the summer. So, it was a little bit like, I think I'm gonna go this direction. Is that gonna but honestly, are people gonna remember six weeks apart what I No. Mm-mm.
Speaker 3:But it was different for But
Speaker 2:I I think the point is we're learning. We're all learning. We're trying to get better. We're we're trying to practice the craft.
Speaker 1:But he has let us in so back to preaching lab and then with Ty Bo on that. He has let us in on his preparation, his mindset Mhmm. What he's trying to accomplish, why he's doing things certain ways, and it's I know it's gonna pay dividends. It's very helpful.
Speaker 3:So we're getting to see behind the scenes, and then when he does it, we get to see Yeah.
Speaker 1:And often, a couple of the preaching labs, he's like, okay. Here's where I am in my because it's on Tuesdays. Here's where I am in my formation of this week's sermon. Mhmm. I'm not sure where it's gonna go.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking this way. I'm not sure. Here's what I'm considering. Here's what I'm considering in culture and our people, and you know, it's really thoughtful, as you would think, but it's fun to watch it all kinda come together. So that's Preaching Lab.
Speaker 1:It is. But, yes, that's how we got to that's how we got to Goodness, that's how we got to Tov, all of it, all of it. Yep.
Speaker 2:And so I think there's a sense in which each of us has embraced that fruit, obviously, in a very personal way, and so as you're thinking about Abigail
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah. And I love to do it kind of the piece, the shalom and the renee study. Super fun.
Speaker 2:It becomes very real to you and so you you take that particular fruit very very seriously and
Speaker 1:so And and those of us that don't preach every Sunday, we chew on it for like a month. I mean, none of us are starting Friday to pull together a First Baptist Arlington Sunday sermon. Like, we're we're I'm chewing on shalom for weeks and weeks and weeks, which is good for my formation, and then hopefully edifying to preach it too. So
Speaker 2:And and the stories, the characters make it more personal, make it more real, and I think
Speaker 1:that's helpful.
Speaker 2:It's It's abstract concept. It's how does that look in a person's life and the and the
Speaker 1:And then how is it epitomized in Jesus' life? And then, hopefully, you can do it too. Yeah. You know?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So nine fruits of the spirit, looking at those through the lens of a particular bible character. This week, we're looking at Barnabas, who was the son of encouragement and how goodness was lived out in his life. And we started with Genesis and Tov and that that word good in Hebrew. The word that Paul created apparently for this fruit of the spirit.
Speaker 1:Yes. We heard yesterday it's just a bible word.
Speaker 2:Yeah. He he uses it four times in four different letters.
Speaker 1:Agatha without the sunnae.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Agatha Agatha Agatha is the Good. That's the standard Greek word and that shows up over a 100
Speaker 1:times Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's common. The New Testament. It's like, we know that God works all things together for Agathoth, Agathothos, those who love him called according to his purpose. Paul took the suffix sin or sinne and put it on Agathos and that that suffix sinne means like intimately knit together. And so what did he have in mind was okay, good in conjunction with intimately knit together but he made up a word and felt so good about it he used it in four of his letters.
Speaker 1:Bam, bam. Packing a punch.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And and yet what it is is just this intimate connection I think between the believer and God, this the holy spirit of God Mhmm. Manifesting God's goodness in our lives in such a way that it doesn't make us just good people, but we're good people who do good things. Mhmm. And so this word Agathasune isn't just about being righteous or morally right.
Speaker 2:It's about doing beneficial things. It's an act of goodness that engages the world around you in a way that honors God and and and benefits people. Yeah. Mhmm. And so Barnabas has several examples.
Speaker 2:Obviously, Luke, the historian writing acts is a Barnabas fan. He's very very positive.
Speaker 1:He speaks highly of him.
Speaker 2:Yeah. He speaks very highly of him. And and so we don't
Speaker 1:Yeah. Barnabas doesn't get a ton of scripture. No. He doesn't get a lot of mention.
Speaker 2:No. No.
Speaker 1:But when he does, it is lovely.
Speaker 2:It it's always good and he shows up in the right place at the right time because he's well thought of. Obviously, the church in Jerusalem had high regard for him and so they sent him to Antioch to see what what's all this business about Gentiles hearing the gospel, you know.
Speaker 1:And
Speaker 2:because he was a son of encouragement, he saw it. He realized this is God doing a new thing and he blessed it and encouraged him just to stay faithful to the Lord.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The other interesting event in his life was when he wanted to bring his nephew John Mark on the second missionary trip and and Paul Paul said, no. He bailed on us the first time. He deserted the first time. I I just I can't feel good about it. And so they had such a disagreement that these two established mature church leaders parted company.
Speaker 2:And so Barnabas took his nephew John Mark to Cyprus and Paul said, okay, Silas, you you and me, we're we're going back to visit these churches. And God brought good out of it.
Speaker 1:Not nothing.
Speaker 2:Yeah. No. It's not nothing. It's something. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But this kinda speaks to what Brad talked very well about. This this kind of goodness, this Agatha Sunae, it risks, it protects, and it proclaims. Mhmm. And I thought this is good. So he said, you know, goodness is willing to cross the yellow caution tape to get in Mhmm.
Speaker 2:To the situation on behalf of somebody And so we kinda see that reflected.
Speaker 1:And I like the the passages used too, the protect and proclaim. Mhmm. Like the the woman caught in adultery Mhmm. That Jesus both protected and used it as a chance to proclaim the kingdom. I can that's applicable.
Speaker 1:I mean, not that I wanna I do wanna be like Jesus. Yeah. I don't aspire to become Jesus. There's only one Jesus. But then you see it in Barnabas, both the vouching for Saul or Paul.
Speaker 1:Yeah. The protecting and proclaiming there. Is it interesting, like, how do you apply that? I think there's a lot to to chew on for us about how we might apply that.
Speaker 2:Well, actually not talking about the messiness of the gospel. And I think there's a messiness to goodness. We wanna think it's all clean and pristine.
Speaker 1:Well, those two those two would have been Yeah. Those two scenarios. A woman caught in adultery, who's really a pawn in a in a pharisaical Yeah. Trying they're just trying to catch Jesus.
Speaker 2:No cares about the dudes that are trying to trap Jesus.
Speaker 1:And they don't care about the woman.
Speaker 2:Then they don't care about the woman.
Speaker 1:Either way. She's she's just an object lesson in what they're trying to do. And then of course, this whole scenario of like, is Saul gonna become a disciple? I mean, it'd be welcomed in as a true disciple. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Those are both messy situations. Yes. Where, if I'm there, I'm like, is it gonna back into the bushes? Yeah. I don't need to a part of this.
Speaker 2:Not gonna get involved in this.
Speaker 1:Those are those are like no win situations. Both of those. If you're just like a casual observer. So the messy. Sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm just affirming.
Speaker 2:No. It's good because we think of goodness as being a I don't know. Just keeping your hands clean.
Speaker 3:Kind. Yeah. Clean like knee ordered. You would be a good boy.
Speaker 1:Yes. There's messingness to good Recycling.
Speaker 2:Yes. Willing to get involved.
Speaker 1:Be a good neighbor.
Speaker 2:Willing to get involved.
Speaker 3:When you're confronted with it, you it's hard to explain, but the goodness of God, when you're confronted with it, changes you. I mean, it's just
Speaker 1:Go on.
Speaker 3:I don't know y'all help me.
Speaker 2:Why? Because you're
Speaker 1:not. I just want you to keep going. Have seen
Speaker 3:the goodness of God so many times in my life that I'm like, I don't know how to practice it, but it's there, and it's holy, and Lord, help me be glorified. And help me be a part of it. Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. One of the points I made this morning that I didn't develop a lot, this fruit
Speaker 1:is This is staff meeting. Kirk gave a great devotional staff meeting, but we only gave him like four minutes to do it because we talked too long about thank
Speaker 3:you for context. Yeah. Totally.
Speaker 1:So I was like, hey, unlimited amount of time. Go. So anyway, that's he's One talking
Speaker 2:of the things I wanted to distinguish is between the gifts of the spirit that I think are are somewhat unique to individuals. The the spirit of God gifts us for the work And we have these apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher, kinds of functions that we work that are somewhat unique to each of us. But the fruit of the spirit is a manifestation of God's presence in a person's life that's produced by the Holy Spirit. And so we're all responsible for all of
Speaker 1:it. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And so when you start to study these, you realize, boy, there's so much overlap. I mean, the the nine fruits of the spirit is just one big Ben Diabry.
Speaker 1:Well, that's what, you know, to compliment that, and I wanna get back to more, but when Brad and I were talking about, he listened to my interpretation of peace Mhmm. And he's like, I see a lot of parallels, but goodness, because it's about restoration. They're both about restoration.
Speaker 2:Yes. Yes.
Speaker 1:And he's like, his I don't know that it made it into the sermon. If he was sitting here, would ask him, but he's talking about what basically, what you've teed up for me is what are we trying to be restored back to?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And and it's you know, I described it as shalom, that was the assignment, but which is like that perfection and whole the opposite of fraction fractioned and all of that. And he said, but really, like what what goodness is trying to restore back to is the ultimate tov, like the the garden, the goodness of when God made everything and said it was good and he was really trying to do that. But talk about a Venn diagram overlapping. There's a there's a lot between like Shalom and Tov All of them. That are that are just right tangential.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And so for the purposes of study and understanding, we separate them and break them apart. But that's not how exists in reality. In reality, it's all of it informing all of it. And so, kindness absolutely informs goodness.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know, this peacemaking absolutely informs it. And so, again, Brad said, this is part this is our ministry of reconciliation.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:We've been reconciled. We're Christ's ambassadors as representatives. We've been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation and the fruit of the spirit honestly is how we go about doing that. Mhmm. I'm not convinced that the fruit of the spirit ought not be the metric we use for discipleship.
Speaker 2:Oh. I mean, what are you gonna look
Speaker 1:Are we successful?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So how's your discipleship going? Well, let's look at the fruit of the spirit because it is to my father's glory that you bear much fruit showing yourself to be my disciples.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So if these things are manifest in your life, and not just that one or that one because they're all a conglomerate Mhmm. Then that is probably a pretty good measure of how you're doing in your discipleship.
Speaker 3:Because everybody bears fruit. It's just what kind of fruit are you bearing.
Speaker 1:And hopefully, looks like the fruit of the spirit. Yes. That's right. And that's what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Disciple of Jesus. Yes.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, one thing that I we talk about this in here sometimes, as I think about parenting, and I'm and I'm completely overwhelmed by the idea that these three lives are mine and Ryan's
Speaker 2:Depending on you.
Speaker 1:Not solely, but ultimately, it is our responsibility. Right? I mean, is our end of the day, it's me and Ryan together. But, I have been praying a lot about just like about their lives, but also how we do it. So the whole family unit, what we're doing.
Speaker 1:But fruitfulness has been, maybe because we're talking about it a lot, but it has been more of my prayer where I think a couple of years ago, it would've just been health, and I don't mean just physical health, mean just like that they're the whole sphere of health, that they're spiritually healthy, that they have rhythms of life, that they're able to have relational health, all it is. But I think lately, I've just been thinking about the fruitfulness because I think much like Psalm one, which is engraved in our spirits and our walls, but it's the tree that if you're bearing fruit, you're healthy. Does that make sense? Bearing good fruit. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Go on. Say that again. Good fruit. If you're bearing good fruit.
Speaker 3:Because everybody bears fruit, bad or good, but they have
Speaker 1:to bear good fruit. There's a sermon. Yeah. I agree. No.
Speaker 1:I hear that. Like, even if you think about really, like, gardening. Mhmm. Like, I hear that it's too hot in Texas right now for good cucumbers to grow because it's just too hot. They're bitter.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So like they grow Yeah. But they're not useful. Mhmm. You don't wanna
Speaker 2:eat them. You're not in the garden That's some mutant fruit that's gnarly.
Speaker 1:So here's this is the point. Okay. That's what I'm trying to say where I think like I have prayed, and it's not bad if y'all are like, if health is your word of the year or whatever, it's that's really good. We wanna help you be spiritually healthy. But I think to what end?
Speaker 1:And the end is that you bear much fruit for the kingdom. And so when I think about the boys, like if we focus on health or excuse me, we focus on the fruit that they're bearing, then the health comes with it. Because if we're if if the tree is healthy and we're doing all the things, it'll bear much fruit, but the point is the fruit. So like if I have an apple tree in my backyard, the point is that it's growing good apples.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And that, of course, I'll prune what I need to and water what I need to and get an arborist to come check it out, but it's all for the purpose of bearing good fruit.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And I think, like, me, eyes on the prize, this just feels like very helpful for me and my parenting.
Speaker 2:I agree.
Speaker 1:And if my boys can do that in the world, just be fruitful Christians in the world.
Speaker 2:So if you teach them these nine fruits and what they represent, and they develop this internal checklist of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, How am I doing in those areas?
Speaker 1:But not
Speaker 2:but that's Living an examined life.
Speaker 1:But it's not self produced.
Speaker 2:No. Not. Only is from the holy spirit. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2:The holy spirit is the only one who can produce this, which I believe is why Paul did this made up goodness word because the common Greek word, words can be overused to the point where they're diluted and have no real meaning. Yep. So I think he needed to communicate something that was unique to followers of Jesus and this indwelling spirit. Mhmm. So it's not something you can conjure up on your own.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It only comes about because it's a manifestation of the character of God. He's the only one I that can produce that in think
Speaker 1:it's Oswald Chambers, the little my utmost for his highest that hopefully we've all made our way through in a calendar year. Might might not be bad to pick it up again, but he says something like, I think he's talking about ethics, is the out outdwelling the outpouring of an indwelling presence, not the imposing of a higher legalism. I think I think that's chambers. That's what I want for my boys though,
Speaker 3:and and therefore all of us. You might say that one more time.
Speaker 1:Maybe. I think this is what he says about I'll I'll probably butcher it, but it's something about Christian ethics, and I think it's Chambers that says it, that that Christian ethics is the outpouring of an indwelling presence, not the imposing of a higher legalism.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:I may be wrong on the on the credit to that, but that's it's somebody
Speaker 2:That else that principle
Speaker 1:is is But think about it. And that's I mean, again, I want this for everyone. I want this for the whole church, but I feel mainly responsible for three little boys. If that if they can get that right Mhmm. That they bear much fruit, but not just because they're trying real hard Mhmm.
Speaker 1:But that they're somehow dwelling with the spirit through Christ.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. Amen.
Speaker 1:I will feel good about parenting,
Speaker 2:you know.
Speaker 1:Well, with y'all's help, which I learned like before they were even born, that I can't do it on my own.
Speaker 2:Right? Takes a village. The church is here to help you raise your children.
Speaker 1:But I think that's what you're at least that's my how that lands with me when you're trying to describe the fruit of the spirit. And I think if we can help our people catch it, that it is a fruit like, because it's one of those things that at least for me, you can picture just like fruit trees and VBS and learning songs that are all great, but like you cannot think about. It's actually the it's the outpouring Mhmm. Of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Speaker 2:It is. And and that is the evidence of the Holy Spirit. That is the evidence of you following Jesus and that's why he says, it is to my father's glory but it proves that you're my disciple. Mhmm. And and it's the motive behind it.
Speaker 2:You're not doing to impress people. You're not doing it just not to get in trouble. You're doing it to honor God. And I'm so excited about next week. It's faithfulness Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And it's Mary Magdalene. And so in all my I mean, Barnabas was great. Barnabas is a dude.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Barnabas whatever.
Speaker 2:But how about yeah. Do
Speaker 1:you wanna give us a teaser? Yeah. What is the teaser? Case you're not in here next week, I don't know.
Speaker 2:We we sort of meet Barnabas already, maybe an older dude already put together, faithful, doing his thing. You got Mary.
Speaker 1:Spoken well of.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah. And you got Mary. And as I'll I'll say in next Monday's devotional, as I do say, in next Monday's devotional
Speaker 1:just haven't seen it yet. Yeah. Well Sneak peek. Yeah. Sneak peek right
Speaker 2:here. Yeah. We can't help but be influenced most of us by Elizabeth Tabish's beautiful portrayal in the chosen of Mary Magdalene. And I don't care about any of the other character. Well, do.
Speaker 2:I mean, I care about Jesus and all but
Speaker 1:But Mary Magdalene,
Speaker 3:she does a
Speaker 2:wonderful She such a beautiful job of fleshing it out. And and I'll say this about the chosen. Some people get been out of shape because listen to the bible
Speaker 3:And they don't claim to be the bible.
Speaker 2:Let me
Speaker 3:just clarify that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. They don't claim to be bible. Anything that contradicts what is in the bible. Mhmm. And so because it's a dramatic production, they have added in some things to help fill out the story.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. But I've not seen anything personally speaking only for myself that in any way contradicts scripture that that is not Right. Orthodoxy. And and yet what they do with it is so thoughtful.
Speaker 1:And Ashley's point, they never claim to be the Jesus film. No. That's one thing.
Speaker 2:Like, yeah. They are not misleading. I it my estimation, my opinion, they're not misleading anyone. Mhmm. And for me, Elizabeth Tabish's portrayal of Mary Magdalene is one of the most powerful things in the whole deal.
Speaker 2:And so I love to study her and next week I wish we did the whole week on the character. We like one day on the character and then we're back in Hebrews. Which yay Hebrews but
Speaker 3:But you're writing the devotional
Speaker 1:You take that thing wherever you want it to.
Speaker 2:Kinda like the sermons. We get assigned text
Speaker 1:We do. Sure.
Speaker 2:Themes and so we're trying to be good soldiers, but
Speaker 1:But you love Mary Magdalene.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Love me some Mary Magdalene.
Speaker 1:Perhaps you could do a little with your spare time, like a little reader, like a little Mary Magdalene,
Speaker 3:you know, or like, if you want us to watch certain episodes
Speaker 2:I of the chosen mentioned this too, but there's a church near the Vatican in Rome, and they have a golden foot. It's a left foot. Interesting. Resumably life size and it's supposed to be the gold foot of Mary Magdalene who that was the first
Speaker 1:Step.
Speaker 2:Step into the tomb and so it's in honor of her being the first one to to step into the tomb to realize he was resurrected and to be the first preacher of the gospel. Mary Magdalene is the preacher of the gospel.
Speaker 3:She is. She's the first one to proclaim that Jesus is.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Alive. You heard it here.
Speaker 2:You heard it from Kurt,
Speaker 1:not me.
Speaker 2:She was possessed by demons, seven Mhmm. And had a rough life and was totally transformed. And so here's the teaser. Her deep devotion and faithfulness to Jesus is born out of the truth that the one who's been forgiven much loves much and she was forgiven much. And so she loved deeply and that was her faithfulness Mhmm.
Speaker 2:To her savior. She understood
Speaker 1:the frustration.
Speaker 2:It was a struggle. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And of all people to be the first proclaimer. Just think it might have been somebody else.
Speaker 2:No. Oh, we would have chosen somebody really important. Oh, We'd of chosen somebody that's popular, influencer on social media, get the word out. No. Let's get somebody obscure.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. And and again, the beauty of it, she's so worried about him. She's not worried about herself. She's worried about Jesus. And so the gardener, you know, where'd you take him?
Speaker 2:Where's his body? And he goes, Mary. And all of a sudden, he calls her name and it's Jesus. And it's just beautiful.
Speaker 3:Yeah. The gospel writers, I mean, they put her in there.
Speaker 2:She's in every one of the gospels. And a little They bit of did. The beginning but she's prominent at the end in all four gospels. And she was one of the ones who saw where he was actually buried. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So she knew where to go. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Because she was faithful.
Speaker 2:She was faithful.
Speaker 1:To the end.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Then Probably over time, but we
Speaker 1:had some beautiful No. Not, but it's fine. Go ahead. Did we talk about what we're supposed to talk about in We
Speaker 2:just want people to take this seriously because you I think I say in today's sometimes when you try to do the right thing or do the good thing, it's misunderstood, it's unappreciated, and that was Barnabas. That's part of the risk. Trying to do the right thing isn't always universally celebrated. And it didn't always turn out exactly right, but it's your motive. It's your intent.
Speaker 2:And so I said, sometimes it feels like no good deed goes unpunished. But the fact is, goodness is its own reward. And doing the right thing for the right reason is its own reward.
Speaker 3:Mic drop. Okay. Katie? F b c
Speaker 1:a dot org slash summer. We'll let you know everything going on. We're not done with summer. I mean, I know it's we're starting to look toward fall, and that's what we were talking about this morning, but there's still a lot of good life. Clusters start tonight.
Speaker 1:If you're this is Monday, if this if there's Monday. If not, there's one Tuesday. There's a lot right now. There's there's things in the evening. I mean, clusters specifically.
Speaker 1:If you're a woman that wants a bible study together with other women, there's evenings, there's online, there's daytime, there's daytime with childcare, one at one of our senior living facilities. So there's a there's a lot of access points to them, and they're really good really good way to get connected and and hear from God, but also just meet some women in a less formal setting.
Speaker 2:And we're supposed to do this in community.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yes. Yes. And the the women that have worked on it, it's a great group, and it's just really it's really good. I think people should be a part of it.
Speaker 1:I'm leading the Thursday morning at ten at the church, so if you wanna be a part of that with childcare, but you need to register online. So just check out everything going on. There's still a lot with the students. We're gearing up for a lot in the school year. It's really exciting.
Speaker 1:There's a lot to be excited about. So make sure you check that out. Otherwise, I think just keep on trucking, be faithful, read your daily bible readings, and show up to community, and just keep your life together. Amen. See you next week.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Tell Me More podcast today. You can subscribe to this podcast on your app of choice, or you can visit us at fbca.org to find out more information about the podcast and our church. Thanks for listening. Have a good day.