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Welcome to the Raising Up Fathers Podcast. We are here to champion men to thrive in their four main roles: son, husband, father, and brother.
Through testimonies and best practices. Our goal is to help you look a little more like Jesus in the areas that matter the most. Our vision is to raise up ten thousand fathers in the name of Jesus. You can find out more at raisingupfathers.com
If what you heard today encouraged you, please share it with a friend.
We have our last sharer. Who
Speaker 2:are you?
Speaker 1:Mister Michael Perko. Come on. I'll get Michael right in. I think somebody left your arm last night. Michael and I met I don't even know if you remember this.
Speaker 1:I was at the Caleb house in, like, 2010, and you came to me. This is were one for a death. I came in from California to film a video about Caleb, I think, and he interviewed me. And he was just like so excited about making this video and interviewing me, but I'm not that excited about sharing my story. It was told stranger.
Speaker 1:But just the thing that I love about Michael is he is as real as they get. He is so genuine. He is so compassionate. And I just love being around him because he's so desiring. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:He is the real deal. Does not care about what people think. Mhmm. Loves the Lord with all his heart. Loves his wife, Adasa, his kiddos.
Speaker 1:He's just a deep well of goddess. And we love Michael. Michael's been a firm foundation. He is the oldest of the men of valor. And I know that I look up to him a lot.
Speaker 1:Mister Dewey is he's hilarious. In fact, the baby's on Picklebrook right now.
Speaker 3:You wrestler. Let's go,
Speaker 1:mom. Random wrestler.
Speaker 2:Let's go. So
Speaker 1:Mike's gonna show you all sun shit. K. We've talked about all the virtues, all the four roles. You know, we say the most important is being a brother because that makes everything else go. But then your first role is toward husband, and that kinda leads into fathering husband, father.
Speaker 1:But, really, the thing that makes all of it go is our relationship with Jesus. We talked earlier about, Lord, help us see ourselves how you see us, and that is such a do we believe that we are sons of the most high king? So Mike's gonna share all that tonight.
Speaker 2:Good morning. Okay. That's the
Speaker 1:You're gonna be from Michael. He's mighty man of god who he is. I think for his experiences, his wisdom, that he's that he loves you with all his heart. He's a faithful man. He has strong character.
Speaker 1:He's a man of integrity. He's a man worth emulating, man worth following. Holy spirit, I pray that you can use him today to speak through him. It's a busy great amen. Amen.
Speaker 1:Before we just to show sorry. I just filled the need to show this. Yes. To show Michael's commitment to this, he's been overseas for the last two weeks at work. He flew into Nashville midday Friday, saw his wife and his kids that he hasn't seen in two weeks.
Speaker 1:Saw him for twenty minutes, hopped on plate here. Mhmm. And in the last three days, he's gotten six hours of sleep because of jet lag. And I say that not to boast, but just to show that, like, this is, like, he did that because this is worth it. Fun.
Speaker 1:Because he gave his yes, and that encouraged me. So Thank you. Love you.
Speaker 2:You. Love you too. You guys for being here. I'm really excited for what Ford has to share. As Zach said, I'm kinda going on confused.
Speaker 2:So a lot of it is high to the how it's gonna come out, so I just have some grace. Joshua 24 verses fourteen and fifteen. Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in in Egypt and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.
Speaker 2:But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My great great great grandfather was a man named Ikari Shinbei. He was one of the last sambaai to live in Japan during the time of the Meiji Restoration, which was a time to rechange in Japan. On one of his many trips to the newly formed capital of Tokyo, he stumbled upon a secret recipe. It was a recipe for nori making.
Speaker 2:Nori is extracted from the ocean with seaweed. It's blended into a pulp, and then it's dried upon sheets, and it pairs wonderfully with sashimi. Never had it. Anyways, the the recipe was a secret. And in order to obtain this recipe give me a second here.
Speaker 2:He had to fake the deaths of two of the men in the family that had it. I don't know the details surrounding that, but I do know that after much trial and error, he had to adapt this recipe from the warmer shallower waters of the Tokyo Bay region to work with the deeper rougher colder waters in the Pacific. And he was successful, And he was a hero because he brought food to the region. He brought income. He brought stability.
Speaker 2:He brought infrastructure and industry. And he was one of two men in Japan's history that was enshrined while he was still alive. Wow. It's a story my uncles love to tell and my cousins love to hear. But in spite of those accolades, Ikai Shinbei was not the greatest member of the Ikai clan.
Speaker 2:That designation belongs to one of his unknown siblings. Ikarisidere had a grandson named Shinichi, which ironically means new start. Shinichi was raised in his noble family and had a great education. He'd given a wife who was related to the emperor. He saw all the glories that Japan had to offer, but he wanted none of it.
Speaker 2:He realized it was an empty bag. He cared about America, so he took his wife and his two oldest sons, and they braved those cold, rough, deep waters in the Pacific, and they landed on the other side in a small logging town on Yesler Way, which is today three blocks north of Libman Field in Downtown Seattle. In in America, and finally, he had a daughter who he named Mary. And Mary would have a lonely child in it. But when she was in middle school, she heard about Jesus.
Speaker 2:And like her namesake, she treasured the gospel of her heart, and she gave her life to Jesus Christ. And in that moment, little Mary Sheehan, she became the greatest member of her entire family clan. She grew up, and she she made sure that her family, all her kids heard the gospel. I'm sorry. I'm just getting really, really tired right now.
Speaker 2:Working three hours late. She insisted that her kids heard the gospel, and she she she insisted on paying for the tuition of all her grandkids going to summer camp. So they can hear the gospel. And so in July '95, at Mount Hermon in the Santa Cruz Mountains Amen. I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:And I redeemed the Brooklyn family line. See, I look here. There's a lot of families representing, a lot of family lines. And the truth is when somebody in your family stood up and said yes to Jesus or said yes again, that person became greatest in the family. It's good.
Speaker 2:And there became a greater fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. That through him, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Right. So Joshua, in this setting, he's talking to his family. He's got the elders in front of him, and as far as the eye can see, from youngest to oldest, is Israel.
Speaker 2:And he's gathered them at Shechem. Why Shechem? Because Shechem is a place of promise. You see, at Shechem, hundreds of years before, God promised to Abraham, to this land, I will give to your descendants. And here they are.
Speaker 2:Over a million strong. If Abraham could go into the middle of that congregation and look around, surely he'd say, this is as many people as the stars in the sky. And Joshua's telling this family that this promise has been fulfilled in your hearing, but the story's not finished yet. There's more glory for this family story if you would take it. Come on.
Speaker 2:But you gotta take it. He gives him three options. He says, you can continue to serve the gods of your fathers. You can serve the the gods of the land in which you dwell, or you can serve the lord your god. What's it gonna be?
Speaker 2:The gods of the land were original deities who sought for corporate compliance in exchange for blessing, and the blessing was always threefold. The idea is if enough people in the same region offered enough oftentimes horrific sacrifices, then these gods would give its people guidance, protection, and prosperity. Remember those three, three things. And if they did this, if they sacrificed enough, then the gods would be aroused and they'd go beat up on the floor of gods. But if it didn't work, it was never the gods fault.
Speaker 2:It's always somebody else's fault. Right? They cast lots and figure out, who wasn't slashing himself? Get rid of Jazzy. So there's this corporate pressure to go along.
Speaker 2:Right, to bow the knee to commit idolatry in the public place in exchange for blessing. Now Joshua and all that congregation have since passed, and millions more have lived and died until now. But what happened to those gods? Did they die to you, I mentioned I'm from Seattle. And Seattle's a great place to live if you like two and a half days of sunshine per year.
Speaker 2:Perfect. Principalities over Seattle are all about humanism, exalting man's innovation, man's excellence, man's intellect, man's accomplishments, man's achievements. And in order to get that blessing, you have to go along
Speaker 3:with it.
Speaker 2:If you can consider inclusivity the cheapest virtue, if you can make small of your faith in God, if you can go in the flow, then you'll be blessed. There'll guidances be for your career. They'll be protection for your job. They'll be prosperity, promotion, good standing socially. There's a pressure to bow the knee Wow.
Speaker 2:For those blessings. See, the call on Seattle is that the people will walk in wisdom. But wisdom requires fear of the Lord, and so the believers there are fraudulent. I wanna fear the Lord, In 2011, my wife and I moved to Nashville. We thought, finally, your mom was right.
Speaker 2:The call on Nashville is very, very clear. It always has been. You see, the call on the people of Nashville is to walk in godly cooperation. And I saw it immediately with Lou Venner. People was like, that's god's call on your life.
Speaker 2:How can I come alongside your call and make make god really do you? I You being great is they can offer. And that's beautiful. It's the volunteer state. That's the calling on that reason.
Speaker 2:However, all the while looking in the shadows, remember these principalities, didn't see them until all of a sudden, pandemic came, and Nashville became super slanky. Fame as a way then to find things to draw on things at. And so while I call on the people of Nashville to walk and dog down the cooperation, the principalities there are trying to entrap the believers in worldly competition. I want you to be quick, but not that great. Not that greater than me.
Speaker 2:I don't know what the call is on your city. I don't know what the principalities are that are plaguing it, but you need to. Good. Proverbs twenty one twenty two says that a wise man scales the walls of the mining and tears down the stronghold in which they trust. David's invitation to his mining men outside the Jerusalem is the same invitation to you.
Speaker 2:There's an enemy up there. Who's gonna be the first to tear it down? The first one that's in gets to lead. Let that stoke of gothic manly fire with evil. We're called the tear down But we don't war as the world does.
Speaker 2:If we're going to ascend these heels of the Lord, then we have to do it with clean hands and pure hands. Amen. And that brings us to the gods of our fathers. Bless him. In the ancient world, families had these little figurines.
Speaker 2:You've seen them before in textbooks or at the Smithsonian. They're little household gods. They're made of clay or wood, and they look like a cross between a vase and a mere cat. They're ugly as sins. You know what I'm talking about?
Speaker 2:Said, kinda look like something worshiped something so ugly until I realized and learned what they believed in the ancient world. See, they thought that the departed spirits of their ancestors were housed in these things. And like the gods of the land, if they worshipped them, they would receive free blessings. For the wife and the family's like, well, did you break out of those? Suicide or whatever the names were.
Speaker 2:Like, we need to find guidance here. We need protection. We need prosperity. And so there's a temptation to validate in the secret place in exchange for these blessings. Now we know that departed spirits only go to one or two places.
Speaker 2:Right? They're in paradise with the lord, and they go to weeping and gnashing their teeth. But what happened in this temptation to seek counsel in the secret place? Did it die, or did it just blend in? Who's up for a little quick history lesson?
Speaker 2:Oh, what's that? Great. There's an ancient civilization called Ningen in Japanese in ancient Greek, it's Anthropoc. And it's a civilization that was said to be the greatest civilization on the planet. Its range is very, very small.
Speaker 2:It's in the Far East. It's a collection of four islands. The northernmost island was situated high upon the cliffs, and its people were said to be like gods. Had discernment. They knew when things were happening.
Speaker 2:The truth is they just lived high enough to be able to see when enemies were coming, and so they could prepare. But they had these amazing gardens. It was just a lush land right there because of the water. And so they could grow all sorts of fruit, they'd build these terraces and these mazes, up hedges. Sometimes you get lost in those hedges, but it was fine because they had, like, fruit versus But they were reclusive people, and they tolerated at best the members of the surrounding islands.
Speaker 2:The islanders to the Southeast, they lived upon rock, and they were as rough as the terrain lived on. They were simply giants. They would sleep, and they would eat, and they would drink, but they were mighty warriors. They were quick to be roused. They were fairly fiercely loyal to the other islands.
Speaker 2:And at the drop of a hat, they go to battle on their behalf. Everyone loved the sirens in the South. A lot of women lived down there. They didn't have any visibility because of the northern waters. It was always foggy.
Speaker 2:All they could see was what was right in front of them. And they learned how to harness their wings. And if all of a sudden they were surrounded by enemies, they would lift up their banners, seeking help from the surrounding nations. But if it was the summertime, and it was a particularly nice, warm day, they would lift their banners for adventure. They'd go off in discovering lands.
Speaker 2:And right in the middle to the king on his island. And he would dip his goblin into the shadow of the pure well, and he would share it with the elders. He'd be strengthened. He'd be married. He'd worked together in harmony, and they would taunt her many lands in this state.
Speaker 2:Until one day, there was a small boat that was spotted coming from the unseen West. It wasn't a particularly well crafted boat, and its sail was torn, far from a threat to the wise men in the North. There was only one ship. It wasn't an armada, and there was only one person dead. It's far from an army threat to the people of the East.
Speaker 2:To let him on their island,
Speaker 3:and so he did.
Speaker 2:And sure enough, he had stories to tell. He had treasures to share. And after they had thrown him, eaten, and had a wonderful time together, they all fell asleep
Speaker 1:disappeared and
Speaker 2:was never to be seen. The next morning, the king and all the elders arose. According to tradition, he grabbed his goblet. He dipped it in the water. He shared it with the elders.
Speaker 2:But instead of killing them, the poison had a strange effect. It made them belligerent and rabbits for more. And they demanded the king give them more water, and when he refused, they bound him. They threw him in prison, and they would fight over control of the king's island. And from that moment on, Anthrozos and its influence began to wane.
Speaker 2:And there's more to the story, but it's probably a good time to tell you if you haven't figured out by now. But this is not so much a story about an ancient civilization as much as it is a story about you. The Northern Island that you discern, and it's all sorts of fruits that you can feast on, but also a place where you can get trapped and pull back is your mind. That rocky place that likes to sleep and eat and drink and fight, that island is your strength. The part of you that has no visibility whatsoever, but can only see what's in the moment, what's happening right now, that responds to the circumstances your soul.
Speaker 2:And the place where the king dwells is your heart, and that well is the well of your desire. It's also interesting to note that this matches and mirrors the four classical elements. You see, everything that you do and say first comes in the seed form as a thought. And so the place of seed planted harvest is the earth of your mind. Your body can warm somebody with an embrace or a touch.
Speaker 2:The same body can be filled with inflamed rage, which is why this island is the fire of your strength. Your emotions and your feelings rise and fall like the tides, responding to the moment what's happening around you, which is why this island is the wind of your soul. And the place where the wellspring of life exists is the water of your heart.
Speaker 3:Earth,
Speaker 2:wind, fire, water, heart, soul, body, strength. Man is not an island. Man's an archipelago. There's a world inside Right? You cannot conquer a world without until you learn how to conquer a world with him.
Speaker 2:Let's get on. Your body is a temple of the holy spirit, and your heart is the holy of holies. And like a priest, you have been charged to keep it with all diligence, for from it flows the issues of life. David said, with God is the fountain of life. You in complete harmony.
Speaker 1:What happened?
Speaker 2:You see, the devil doesn't come in with horns and a pig sport. He comes in with things that seem beneficial to us in the moment because I'm my wife. These aren't horrible. But when these other desires start sprinkling a well that's meant for the Lord and the Lord alone, something happens to You find yourself getting burnt out. You need an outlet.
Speaker 2:I need a drink. I need to hang me, boys. I just need to time off. You tell your wife, I'm just gonna plow through this weekend. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:I just had a grind, and then I'll be finished, I'll be able to spend time with family. So instead of resting for the family, you're working on the weekends. Or you're up at night, you're tossing and turning because you're worried about finances. You're worried about family members, and all the while, no one's looking after the well. What happens when your heart that is meant for the Lord and the Lord alone gets sprinkled with these other desires and filled with these other desires is two things.
Speaker 2:They happen simultaneously. One, your spirit becomes bound like the king. And those members that you're meant to rule demand to be served in exchange for a blessing. Blessing. Guess all of me so far?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Your mind says we're going through a tough time to listen. Lean on me, and I'll guide us through. Your strength says, oh, man. Just make sure we get some sleep.
Speaker 2:That's gives you good food. We've gotta mention that we're exercising. Hasten to me. I'll keep us healthy. Right?
Speaker 2:I'll protect it. And your soul says, hey. It's well with all of us, but it's well with your soul. Obey me, me, and I'll prosper us. Did you kiss?
Speaker 2:Yes. Lean on me, and I'll guide you. Hasten to me, and I'll protect you. Obey me, and I'll prosper you. Guidance, protection, and prosperity.
Speaker 2:The gods of your fathers have hidden inside you, and they demand to be served in exchange for a blessing. You cannot war rule the world without until you learn to rule the world within. There's two verses in the book of numbers that tell a story that isn't recounted anywhere else in the bible. Given the reputation of the Israelites in the desert, this is actually interesting and shocking because this is their shining bone. God tells Moses to send the Israelites to this particular well, and I want you to listen to what they say.
Speaker 2:They surround this well, and they sing me this song, and here are the lyrics. Spring up, oh well, sing to it. The well that the princes made, the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs. The well that the princes made. The well the nobles of the peoples done with their scepters.
Speaker 2:I told you there was more to the story about the king, Ianthropus. The first night that he was thrown in prison, he had a dream. And he dreamt that he would stay in prison until he learned how to say this phrase of four words. Of course, he didn't know what the phrase was, but he woke up and he tried to figure it out. And so for days, he's trying every every four word phrase that he could possibly think of.
Speaker 2:He couldn't do it. Weeks go by. Months go by. Years go by. Finally, gives up, but then one day, it dawns on.
Speaker 2:And he says in his four words, and the moment that he does, his shackles pop off. His scepter is restored to his hand, and he shines like an angel of God. The door of the prison bursts open, and he steps outside, and of course, it's on a moon new moon festival. The elders see him, and the elders fall down, and they worship him. But instead of asking for their necks, instead of demanding his throne be brought to him, he grabbed his scepter, he went right for that well, he jumped inside, and he began to dig for the scepter.
Speaker 2:He dug and he dug and he dug all night long into the next day am the king. I was fighting with my wife while I'm the way to church the other day. Was it a classic movie. I had my kids in the back seat and my son's friend who's with with us, which was extra classic. We get to church late.
Speaker 2:My friends are standing against, like, an entire row, which is the source of our fight. And I'm worshiping man I'm mad. And I realized I can't keep doing this. I'm not a hypocrite. I've gotta get this right.
Speaker 2:But the scripture comes in my head and says, if you're offering a gift to the Lord and you remember there's you got something against a brother, leave your gift there and then go back in style and then come back. Okay. Fine. So I give my wife one of
Speaker 4:these lovely
Speaker 2:gestures. We're gonna go talk, which she loved. We go out of the hallway, and we continue to find a church in the hallway, which is extra classic. How many of you know that the train can never arrive at reconciliation until until it first stops at humility and repentance. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man. Never works. Meanwhile, I'm on the express train over here, a pry, and it's aloof. And the best I can do is, like, look at reconciliation. Like, excuse me.
Speaker 2:We're back now. And I tried and she only gives up one chair. And so I'm extra pissed. I'm mad at my wife still because she has it right to tell her. I'm mad at this lady who's stolen my chair.
Speaker 2:And all of a sudden, my members start talking. They start chattering. They start fighting. Why are there fights and quarrels among you? James four one.
Speaker 2:Is it not because your members are are at war within you because of your desires? Bless the Lord. Who And in this angry moment, I realized God is trying to call me. I look over my wife, looks over at me, and she said, it's your name? I knew exactly what she was talking about.
Speaker 2:My name is Michael. Yep. The Hebrew meaning for is Michael is who is our Lord? So here I am in my angry state, paralyzed, and all I hear is Michael. Michael.
Speaker 2:Michael. King. You don't have to wait for conditions to be perfect. You are the conditions. Joshua is standing before the elders of Israel.
Speaker 2:In from death to life. Come on. He's given you a salvation that you did not fight for. Yeah. And he's saying, yes.
Speaker 2:I've done great things for you, but there's more glory for your story if you were taking it. Wow. That's good. That's good. Folks, that's my that's my speech.
Speaker 1:That's it. The
Speaker 2:only thing that I think we should do since we're getting ready to leave is have some sort of response. Yes. And if you are stirred right now, do you want to put a line of sand? If you want to say, that's for me and my house What? That's for me.
Speaker 2:Father God, give us one pure holy passion. Give us one magnificent obsession. Give us one glorious ambition for our lives to know and follow hard after you, to grow as your disciple in your truth. This world is empty, pale, and poor compared to no other you. So lead us on, and we'll run after you.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are, God. Father, we repent. We repent for filling our
Speaker 3:Because I am a king. Because we are kings, and we are naked before God. But when we get naked before God, he clothes us with robes of righteousness. He places a ring upon What we find
Speaker 2:is he
Speaker 3:closes in his righteousness, and he says, you are my son. You are my son in whom I am well pleased. You are seated on a throne in the heavenly places, called to rule and reign with me on the earth
Speaker 4:because your enemies decide with the foe of the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your figures, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him? The son of man, you care for him. You make him a little lower than the heavenly beings, you crown him with glory and honor. You make him ruler over the works of your hands, you
Speaker 1:Yes. Lord, thank you. Take away your sons of the most high. As we go to our small groups now, that would you just go us encourage our brothers to poke up their chest and insert courage so that they can give you what you've called. So pray words of street, read words of affirmation, pray words of courage, so we can build each other.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Jesus. All of this is through. Glow. Alright. If you guys wanna go to your small groups.
Speaker 1:Give you the outer bags.