Participants: Jay Rosario & Daniel McGrath (Host), Michael Johnson
Series Code: E
Program Code: E000025
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00:17 Hello, and welcome to another exciting segment of Engage.
00:21 In this series, in this program, 00:22 we are attempting to address relevant issues 00:25 facing young Christians all around the world. 00:27 My name is Jay Rosario. 00:28 I'm your host and joining me today 00:30 is my good friend Daniel McGrath. 00:31 Dan, how is it going? 00:32 Pretty good, Jay, how are you doing? 00:33 Doing well. 00:34 Dan, what are we talking about today? 00:35 Well, today we're actually looking 00:36 at part two of our series on the relevancy of the Bible. 00:41 Lot of people think that the Bible 00:42 can't change somebody's life. 00:44 Today, we wanna look at how the Bible can convict 00:48 and convert an individual 00:50 and we have your--our good friend Michael 00:52 coming back to join us 00:54 and we're glad that he can be here as well. 00:57 Michael, come on out here. 00:59 Welcome again. Thank you. 01:00 Hello, how is it going, Michael? 01:01 Good, good. 01:03 For those of you who don't know 01:04 Michael Johnson, those that are viewing. 01:08 Michael Johnson is the one responsible 01:10 for heavily--heavily responsible he and his family 01:13 for bringing the good news of salvation to myself, 01:15 my brothers, and to my brother's roommates. 01:18 And surprisingly we're all in 01:19 fulltime ministry because of that. 01:21 And I cannot tell you how thankful I am 01:25 that the Lord has brought me 01:27 to meet you and your wife and your children. 01:29 And I think eternally alone I'll be able 01:32 to finally express the gratitude that I have. 01:34 So, Michael, we talked a little bit about 01:36 kind of how it was that the Lord used 01:39 your family to reach my family and some good friends of ours, 01:43 but we wanna get a little practical, 01:45 you know many of the viewers probably heard the testimony 01:49 and just like they hear with many testimonies, 01:50 they're like, "wow, that's so amazing, that's so wonderful." 01:54 How does it work? 01:56 How come--I don't have the testimony like that? 01:58 How come, what do I need, 01:59 is there something that I'm missing? 02:01 So we wanna-- we wanna jump in 02:02 and really try to address some relevant 02:05 practical ways that number one, 02:07 we can boost up our devotional experience in the word 02:10 and also may be how it is 02:12 that we can effectively share the word of God? 02:14 Because one of the issues that young people are facing, 02:17 is this notion that the Bible is boring. 02:20 Whenever you mention Bible study, 02:22 whenever you mention some of these, 02:24 you know, concepts, it's almost like young people get, 02:27 uh, great, not this again. 02:28 So how can we destroy that notion 02:30 and show that the Bible is actually something exciting. 02:32 Let's talk a little bit maybe about 02:34 your personal experience we've got. 02:36 I--I don't know how you do it, Michael. 02:38 You know, you have family of five, 02:40 you're a father, you're a husband, 02:42 you have a business, 02:44 and somehow every time I ask you, 02:46 "Michael, what are you reading in the Bible?" 02:47 You, you--if I don't have two hours, 02:51 I will not be able to fully hear 02:53 what it is you're reading, so what's your secret? 02:55 How do you get into the word, like what's going on? 02:57 Well, you know, I'm just-- there are certain things 03:01 I'm just real logical about 03:03 and of course some people just like to give it a hard time, 03:06 but for me like Matthew 6:33, 03:09 this was one of the first verses 03:11 that I took the heart and fact. 03:13 It was--it was one of those verses 03:16 that I don't know I had heard it before, 03:18 but for some reason it hit me 03:20 and I decided I would take it at its word, 03:22 so Matthew 6:33, it says that, it says, 03:25 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, 03:27 and his righteousness, 03:28 and all these things shall be added unto." 03:30 That seems so simple and so logical. 03:33 Put God first, seek his righteousness, 03:35 and all these things will be added unto you. 03:37 And I had five kids, you know, and I'm going, 03:40 I don't know, I know what I think I need, 03:44 but I know that He will take care 03:46 of what my true needs are 03:47 and so what I decided to do was-- 03:50 and I've been raised up, 03:52 I--my dad and my uncle were very influential in my life. 03:56 And I watched them as they studied their Bible everyday 04:01 and they had amazing things to say. 04:02 And I could never figure out where they got all that from, 04:04 because I had read the Bible and I just am going, 04:07 how do they get that? 04:08 And it really intrigued me but this hit me later 04:10 and so I decided to put it at the test. 04:13 And He tells us test me and see if what I'm saying is true. 04:16 And so what I started to do is just I took it each morning, 04:19 I'd get up, I'd pray, and I'd read my Bible. 04:23 And there is something that Doug Batchelor said years ago. 04:27 And he says when he talks about his-- 04:29 how he started reading the Bible 04:31 when he's in the cave or wherever 04:32 and about how there is-- 04:33 there's a lot of breathing going on in the Bible, 04:35 but he just didn't understand it was brethren. 04:37 Oh, that's right. Yeah, remember that? 04:39 And so he--and what he said right along 04:43 with this at the same time and that is he says, 04:45 "yeah, there's lot of things you're not gonna understand. 04:48 They're not gonna make any sense 04:49 and it's almost gonna overwhelm you, 04:50 but just keep reading, keep taking that time, 04:52 keep reading and it'll start making sense." 04:54 And so for me I looked at my struggle as a puzzle, 04:58 a massive million dollar, a million piece puzzle. 05:01 That as I continue to stay in the word of God, 05:03 I begin to put the boundaries on it. 05:05 And little by little the pieces start getting put together 05:08 and I begin to understand. 05:09 That's what I've seen happen in my life. 05:11 Now as a new person reading the Bible for the first time, 05:16 sometimes, you know, all thee's and thou's and brethren's-- 05:20 The brethren's. 05:22 They get kind of overwhelming and I remember when I first, 05:25 you know, started reading the Bible, 05:26 I got a King James Version 05:28 and I love the King James Version, 05:30 but when I first started reading it, 05:31 I didn't understand much of it. 05:33 You know, let alone being able to, 05:35 you know, pull out and take, 05:37 you know, applications to my own life, 05:39 how do you-- how do you do that? 05:41 How do you read the Bible 05:43 and pull out things that actually apply to you today? 05:46 Well, I remember when-- I believe that there are 05:50 so many different Bibles 05:51 and certain ones speak to different people. 05:53 I have probably the majority of the versions 05:56 and my conversion came with NIV, 05:58 but there was a point in my life 06:00 and I just felt like I prayed about 06:02 which one the Lord wanted me to work with 06:06 and so He answered in the way that I'll never forget, 06:09 but that's my personal thing. 06:10 There's a lot of people don't like that, 06:12 but for me and the way my brain works, 06:15 there are things in here that I cannot use 06:17 as a comparative in other versions 06:19 and for my mind and the things in the way 06:22 the Lord designed me this speaks to me. 06:24 And so when there are things that I don't understand 06:27 and if I've prayed and asked for 06:28 the Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth, 06:33 what happens is I notice 06:34 there are questions that come up 06:35 and I begin to study those, 06:37 I believe those are spirit driven questions 06:39 because what I'm trying to find out is 06:41 what I need for my life that day. 06:44 I'm not asking for what somebody else needs. 06:46 I expect that what I learn 06:48 and the people I come in contact with 06:50 are the people that hopefully I can lift them up--I mean, 06:55 you were talking about when you came over the house 06:57 and you saw whatever you did. 06:59 I believe that's a testament 07:01 that this is true and what it says. Amen. 07:03 I saw at first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 07:06 And all these things were added little 07:07 did I realize it was adding other numbers to the family. 07:10 And of course, I have to resonate with then, 07:13 you know, when I first began reading the Bible, 07:16 I would say the vast majority went over my head, 07:18 but your passion and your conviction was so compelling. 07:23 I thought, well, if he's passionate about it, 07:25 well then may be I just need to follow along. 07:27 And I think the beauty of it that I was patiently 07:29 kind of trying to figure out 07:31 exactly why were you so excited 07:33 and then I figured out why you were excited in the process. 07:35 So I think essentially what we're saying is 07:37 two things, number one, the Bible is 07:39 there's lot of different translations 07:42 and may be you need to explore 07:43 and find a translation that you're comfortable with 07:45 and use that one but don't settle with just one, 07:47 continue to explore some of the other ones 07:49 because there's good in every single one of them. 07:51 And number two, be patient. Yeah. 07:53 Keep reading, and I think that's what we did is 07:55 I--a lot of things went over my head. 07:57 I was just so excited just listening to you. 07:59 I was like, "Man, he's so excited and so passionate," 08:02 so I'm just gonna just sit here and listen 08:04 untill I finally get it and then I finally got it 08:06 and I think that's the beauty of it is just being patient. 08:08 Okay, now we kind of have just jumped right into 08:11 like the Bible can be boring for certain people. 08:13 But we need to kind of know why people consider it boring? 08:18 I think it's important that we understanding you know, 08:19 why do people think the Bible is boring? 08:21 Because if we know that may be we can help, 08:23 you know, alleviate some of those things. 08:26 And so I want to ask you, just for your ideas, 08:28 I didn't tell you I was gonna do this-- 08:31 But--Why do you think the Bible can be boring 08:34 for somebody who's never read it? 08:35 Well, I think for me personally, 08:36 I think the reason why sometimes the Bible 08:38 can be boring--could appear to be boring is 08:40 because number one, we're not of kind of reading. 08:44 We don't really read in our generation 08:46 as much as we did in the previous generation, 08:49 so we like to sit and just kind of watch, 08:51 and kind of let, you know, others do the thinking for us. 08:54 So sometimes critical thinking 08:56 is not really part of our everyday life. 08:58 So when you read the Bible you have to read it 09:00 and you have to ask questions and sometimes we're just not, 09:02 we don't have the mental stamina to do that, number one, 09:05 and I think number two is because we're not-- 09:09 spiritual things are spiritually discern. 09:11 That's one of the things that Mike always taught us 09:13 as we were studying, that you can only understand 09:15 spiritual things through the spirit. 09:18 And the reason why sometimes 09:19 people find the Bible to be boring is 09:20 because they're reading it with secular eyes. 09:23 They're not reading it with enlightened eyes. 09:25 And I think the story of Paul is such a powerful one where, 09:28 you know, he falls from the horse and, 09:30 you know-- and the whole experience 09:31 where the others didn't see anything, 09:33 but he was able to see Lord. 09:35 And I think that's the key is just 09:37 it's kind of like putting on 3D glasses, 09:38 you know, you go watch a film, 09:40 that's a 3D film or whatever and it's okay, 09:42 but when you put the 3D glasses you're like, "Wow." 09:44 And I think spiritually speaking 09:45 when we allow the spirit to be a part of our Bible study, 09:48 how do we do that? 09:49 Well, obviously prayer, obviously discipline 09:52 and obviously being intentional as to what we're reading. 09:55 I think when we do that we're kind of spiritually 09:57 putting on 3D glasses and I remember 09:59 having Bible studies with Mike, we would go to a text-- 10:01 This is before 3D came out? 10:03 This is before 3D came out and we would read a text 10:05 and he was all excited. 10:06 And we were all-- six of us like, 10:08 why is he excited all about? 10:09 Why, because he had a certain depth 10:12 in his experience with God 10:13 that we yet had-- we didn't have yet. 10:16 And I think it wasn't until slowly 10:18 we began to discipline our minds 10:20 and our eyes and our spiritual perceptions 10:22 that we finally realized, "wow, that does make sense 10:24 and we do need to get excited about it." 10:26 Yeah, see--and I can't fathom when somebody says, 10:29 that the Bible is not exciting, 10:30 I can't even-- I can't even go there. 10:32 I don't even understand how that's possible. 10:34 And so-- I mean where else 10:37 can you read a story of a dead man 10:39 who raises someone to life, 10:41 you know, where do you hear stories like that 10:44 or a guy on the roof he went to worship God, 10:46 but ends up having someone else's wife 10:49 and kills his husband for me? 10:50 A lot of this stuff, if you put it into video, 10:52 it would be X-rated and so when someone says 10:55 they'd rather go to a movie or do some like 10:57 that I'm going-- there is something here 11:00 and yet it's all testified character of God 11:03 and so those things excite me 11:05 because I had the same experience that you had, 11:08 which is I saw someone get excited 11:11 about something and I'm going, "what am I missing?" 11:14 And so that's where prayer came in, 11:17 is because I asked God to give me the desire to see something 11:20 because of a statement somebody made. 11:23 Somebody made a statement that said, 11:24 the reason I do not go to Sabbath school anymore 11:26 because I know all the stories. 11:29 That blew me away and because when you get excited 11:31 and you see things 11:32 it just continues to pile on new exciting things, 11:35 but if there you're not reading it, it cannot happen. 11:38 It's that daily getting up and doing that. 11:42 I like what you said, because the Bible is exciting for you 11:47 and you've been able to make it exciting for other people 11:49 who didn't understand it and your enthusiasm 11:51 for the word of God was what actually 11:54 was instrumental in them coming back to your house everyday. 11:57 And, Jay, I liked what you said, 11:59 you quoted First Corinthians 2:14, 12:02 which says, "The natural man does not receive 12:04 the things of the Spirit of God, 12:05 for they are foolishness unto him, 12:06 neither can he know them, 12:08 because they are spiritually discerned." 12:09 So we need the Holy Spirit. 12:10 We have to realize and recognize that, 12:12 you and I cannot make the Bible exciting for an individual. 12:15 Right. And I think also as, 12:17 you know, we tend to come to the Bible 12:18 like we do to like Sports Illustrated 12:20 or Newsweek or Time Magazine, 12:21 you know, it's the Holy Bible. 12:24 And we're not naturally holy people 12:26 hence we need a spiritual umbrella to accompany us 12:30 when we study the word, 12:31 but also I think there is a few practical things 12:33 why young people find the Bible to be boring. 12:35 I think sometimes they don't know where to start. 12:38 I think sometimes they really don't know-- 12:39 they just see a bunch of word, it's like, 12:41 "uh, where do I go, where do I begin?" 12:43 And number two, I think sometimes 12:44 when young people do start reading the Bible, 12:46 they feel like they have to read 20 chapters at one sitting 12:51 and they have to read very, very fast. 12:53 The problem is number one, 12:55 your attention level is very low, number one. 12:58 And number two, when you read very, very fast 13:00 you're gonna miss a lot of very, very important details. 13:04 So I think if a young person is watching this program 13:06 and trying-- and is wondering 13:08 how can I have an exciting experience 13:10 with God through the word? 13:12 I think, number one, I think it's very important for you 13:15 to try to read small portions of scripture. 13:19 Don't try to read 20 chapters at one sitting, 13:22 read one chapter. 13:23 Number one is the quantity of text. 13:25 And number two, may be the velocity. 13:28 Don't read so fast. Try to read slow. 13:30 You'll be surprised how much you'll get out of one text 13:33 by reading it very, very slow. 13:35 So I think those are two very practical things we could do. 13:37 Okay, well let's move off of the boring part of it 13:40 and go and address the issue of the relevance of it. 13:43 Because, you know, you're gonna find a book exciting 13:45 like you find a movie exciting, but it doesn't-- 13:47 It's not relevant--It doesn't mean anything to you, 13:49 because you are not there, you are not experiencing it. 13:50 So how do you make the Bible relevant to your life? 13:53 Well, I've read something that really hit me, 13:58 you cannot give a way something you do not possess, right? 14:02 If you have a gift it is a gift for a reason 14:04 because you're gonna give it to somebody. 14:06 And so I found something in Acts, 14:09 I was looking at this and it really intrigued me, 14:12 because there was something that they said at first-- 14:15 the very first one was Acts Chapter 1, verse 8, 14:19 and it says, "But you shall receive power, 14:22 after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, 14:24 and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, 14:26 and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, 14:28 and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 14:29 So here it is--is you were gonna be given something. 14:32 Some power that when you receive the Holy Spirit, right? 14:35 Then when we ended up getting, I got to what is it, 14:39 it's Acts Chapter-- oh, here it is, 14:43 remember when Peter and John-- 14:45 Which chapter are you in? I'm in Chapter 3. 14:47 Chapter 3. In verse 6, it says, 14:49 and this is the part I'm talking about, 14:51 then Peter said "Silver and gold have I none, 14:55 but such as I have I give to thee." 14:58 He had nothing. 15:00 He didn't have a gift to give him, 15:02 he had no silver or gold, 15:03 but he gave him what he possessed. 15:05 He had it, so I go back to that, okay, 15:07 well, then that would only make sense 15:09 that if I could understand how to receive the spirit, 15:11 then I could give something, okay? 15:14 Because then, we go to Ephesians Chapter 2 verse 8. 15:20 Ephesians Chapter 2 verse 8. Uh-huh. 15:23 I think I'm picking up a little bit on the enthusiasm 15:26 that you have with the Bible study. 15:27 Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. 15:28 He's just getting warmed up. 15:29 But, what I'm doing here is this, is for youth, okay? 15:34 And I'm talking about this as an experience 15:36 that I've had and what I've seen other people have 15:37 because I experienced other people's excitement. 15:40 I can see people reading the same Bible that aren't exciting. 15:43 And then people that are--that are exciting, 15:45 and I'm going, what is it? 15:46 I asked the same question. 15:48 And here's what I find interesting, 15:50 this says here in verse 8 chapter 2 in Ephesians. 15:53 It says "For by grace are you saved through faith, 15:55 that not of yourself it's a gift of God," 15:57 so all these things are gifts, it's a gift of God 16:00 and he wants you to give it to someone else. 16:04 And so what my natural question was, 16:07 how do I receive the spirit? 16:10 You see, because it was promised 16:11 and he says repent 16:12 and be baptized for the remittance of sin. 16:15 And this is what you're going to get. 16:17 You know, it makes sense because the Holy Spirit 16:19 was the one that inspired the Bible, 16:21 so the way that we experience 16:22 the Holy Spirit is going to the Bible. 16:24 I think sometimes we try to-- we try to have an experience 16:29 with the spirit outside of the Bible. 16:31 And I think the keys is that when you are in, 16:33 when you're in front of the word of God 16:35 you're literally in front of the works of the spirit, 16:37 because it was the Holy Spirit that actually 16:38 was actively involved in inspiring every let, 16:41 you know, every thought and every-- 16:42 The Holy Spirit, you know, its work was, 16:45 you know, to reveal the Bible to the writers to, you know, 16:48 revelations, inspiration and then illumination. 16:50 Exactly. And to make the text come out and alive. 16:53 Well, now we also believe that Christ was our example, right? 16:57 We wanna live by his example. 16:59 If the Holy Spirit is this important, 17:01 how was Mary impregnated to the Holy Spirit? 17:06 Okay, and then where else was he given the Holy Spirit? 17:10 At baptism, then what did the Holy Spirit do? 17:13 It led him into the desert to be tempted. 17:16 It then says in scripture that he was justified by the spirit. 17:19 It says in Matthew, Chapter 12:28, 17:22 that it was the Holy Spirit that did those miracles. 17:26 And then we are told, I think it's First Timothy 3, 17:29 that it says there that the Holy Spirit 17:30 raised Him from the dead. 17:32 Now if scripture is true, then it means 17:35 that I can possess the same thing, so-- 17:38 That's why Jesus said greater works-- 17:40 Yes. That's exactly right and so for me, 17:43 receiving the Holy Spirit by spirit in truth 17:46 it has redeemed the word of God, 17:49 that the Holy Spirit enlightens you 17:51 and as you began to be filled with the Holy Spirit 17:54 then you now have something to give to someone else 17:57 that you that they do not possess. 17:59 And unless you give that gift away, 18:01 they cannot be blessed from it, 18:04 so the--so the logic question for me was 18:07 how do I get that goodness in me? 18:08 Exactly. That's how--how do I get that goodness in me? 18:11 That is what I'm looking for. 18:13 And as I read the word of God, 18:15 I'm hoping that if scripture's true 18:17 and it says, "Faith comes from hearing, 18:19 and hearing by the word of God." 18:22 The lack of faith is the lack of that, that's logical, right? 18:26 So as I read the word of God, 18:27 especially they go through the Old Testament, 18:29 those stories, man have you ever been 18:31 through a trial on your life, a story comes to mind. 18:34 Oh, you think, oh, well, I just happen to think about it. 18:36 No, spirit driven because why? 18:38 It is what created faith in you. 18:40 And so for my kids, as they were growing up, 18:43 it was all about having worship 18:45 and going through the old stories, 18:46 because I believe that's what gives us faith. 18:47 That so crazy because we think that, 18:49 you know, to make the Bible relevant 18:51 I have to pour over the text and I have to, 18:53 you know, find this little detail 18:54 that matches this experience 18:55 and all you're saying is that, 18:56 it's the Holy Spirit that's working through us-- 18:59 To bring the connections. 19:00 That will bring those connections. 19:01 That's right, that's right. 19:02 You know, that's a very powerful connection. 19:06 Now, Mike, you're busy-- you're a busy person. 19:08 I don't think there is any-- 19:09 you're one of the most busy individuals that I know. 19:11 You're just a busy guy. 19:13 You're a father, and you're a hard worker, 19:14 you're a husband, so how do you fit 19:18 into your crazy busy schedule? 19:20 Because I know there are some viewers that are like, 19:21 uh, I'm in university, or may be some of them 19:24 had just gotten married, they're like, 19:26 "How do I do this Bible study thing?" 19:27 What you will do in your own personal life? 19:29 How do you factor in Bible study? 19:31 What time you wake up? 19:32 How does that working own experience? 19:34 Well, you know, it started out waking up at 5:00 19:38 and then it started at 4:00 and then it started at 3:00-- 19:43 Wow! Because-- 19:44 When do you sleep? 19:45 You know, well, I ask my wife the same question. 19:47 It's one of those things until the beatitude, 19:52 the very first beatitude. 19:54 Blessed are those-- Blessed are those 19:57 who are pouring spirit, right? 19:59 And the second one is blessed are those who mourn. 20:02 It's because you're mourning over the fact 20:03 that you haven't got something. 20:05 You lack the spirit that you need 20:07 to get you through the day. 20:09 And so by morning then the next one is 20:11 how you receive that your relationship with God, 20:13 the first four, the second four is 20:15 your relationship with the people, right? 20:17 So when I look at, when I get up in the morning, 20:20 I cannot make it without it. 20:22 I got five kids and like I said when someone's 20:25 not asking for something, if I'm able to ask for them-- 20:29 my kids go to their school, they're doing their homework, 20:33 there are up for late hours, trying to get all that done 20:35 and all these other activities. 20:37 I believe that as the priest of my home, 20:40 I have a responsibility and that is to show my children 20:44 if nothing else, they know you ask them, 20:46 they know I go there every morning 20:49 to pray on their behalf. 20:50 And I could tell you miracle after miracle the stuff 20:52 that's happened because God was merciful, 20:55 because He answered that prayer 20:58 and He honors those who honor Him. 21:01 I want to honor God. 21:02 I go there every morning, sometimes it's at 3:00, 21:05 sometimes it's 6:00, but I have a schedule 21:09 and it was really hard to start out with 30 minutes, 21:11 then it was really hard to do an hour. 21:12 Pretty soon I'm trying to figure out 21:14 how I can get more than two hours in, 21:16 but that's me, so I have to start getting up earlier. 21:19 Why is that? 21:20 It's because I find this stuff--stuff in here 21:22 that changes people's lives. 21:25 I serve a God who changes lives, 21:27 He doesn't accept you where you're at and leave you there. 21:30 He changes you and makes you in to a person 21:32 that is just is unbelievable. 21:35 You have the characteristic of Christ in you, 21:38 He promises that. 21:39 That's what I desire, I desire further people, 21:42 am I best at it? 21:44 You know, I feel like other people do, 21:45 but I'll tell you something, 21:46 I know where to go every morning 21:48 when I need to get right with the Lord again. 21:50 And start all over, and that's the word of God. 21:53 So, you intentionally make time. 21:55 Oh, I have to--. For--in other words 21:57 you're at the point of your Christian walk 21:58 where if you don't spend time with God, 22:00 you're just, you're just a mess. 22:01 Yes, you're right, because, I see it this way, 22:03 my kids and my wife are at risk. Wow! 22:06 Because--and other people too, 22:10 you know, I pray for you guys, I know you guys. 22:12 I know what you guys do and I know your dedication. 22:16 Got a chance just to meet you, 22:18 but you know the people that you're associated with 22:21 they're like extended family. 22:23 If they're a friend of yours they're friend of mine. 22:24 There are people that I believe it is now my responsibility, 22:29 I mean if Christ prays for us, 22:31 I would assume He have that same responsibility. 22:34 I think He took it on as a personal challenge, 22:36 that's why He came and died on the cross. 22:37 So I feel like that's where I'm supposed to be heading, 22:41 because if I'm to be like Christ, 22:43 it would only seem natural that's the direction 22:45 He is going to lead me, but I can't be lead 22:47 if I ignore what is leading me. 22:49 Yeah, that make sense, Mike, 22:51 because I mean here we were six young people drilling you, 22:54 question after question after question 22:55 and that it is because you took a devotional life 22:58 as a priority that God allowed us to meet, 23:01 because if you were void of the spirit, 23:04 if you didn't have an experience with the Bible 23:05 then you wouldn't have been able to help us. 23:08 I agree. So is it possible that maybe 23:10 we have miracles that are pending and they're pending 23:13 for very, very long periods of time simply because, 23:16 we're not developing our spiritual lives 23:18 so the point where we could receive 23:19 or be a active part of this miracle. 23:21 Yeah, here's an example. 23:23 You go to First King's, it was Elijah, right? 23:25 How many miracles did he do? Seven. 23:28 You get Elijah now who wants to mantle, 23:31 what did he ask for? 23:33 Double portion of the spirit. 23:34 Yeah, guess how many miracles he did? 23:35 Fourteen. Wow! 23:38 He asked for double portion. 23:39 And the 14th one he did when he was dead. 23:43 It's a prime example of Christ. 23:46 It's a prime example of Christ what he did. 23:48 The most incredible miracle happened after his death, why? 23:51 Because it was the Holy Spirit that was promised. 23:53 He knew he needed, He said in Matthew 16. 23:56 It is expedient that I go, because if I do not go, 23:59 the Holy Spirit will not come. 24:00 That's because He knew what we needed, 24:03 and it says the kingdom of God does not come by observation, 24:06 the kingdom of God is within you. 24:09 That is where the difference comes in person's life. 24:11 And it did--it is all anchored after this right here 24:14 without this--this is the most incredible book 24:16 that the words itself can change it your life. 24:19 No other book can do that. 24:20 Because it's driven by the Holy Spirit 24:23 and it does that in a person's life. 24:25 So, Mike, in 30 seconds to a minute, 24:28 what message would you give to somebody who-- 24:30 Thirty seconds? Thirty seconds or a minute, 24:32 what message would you give to somebody 24:34 watching the program that is thinking, 24:35 okay, I want to be an effective teacher of the word, 24:40 what do I do, where do I start? 24:41 Thirty--may be they're Sabbath school teacher, 24:42 may be they teach the young and adults, 24:44 may be they teach that youth, whatever may be. 24:47 The way I see it is this, is when you guys 24:49 were brought to my home that's where I was at my life. 24:54 It was--there are people that knew less than I did, 24:58 but see what happens is I get the opportunity now 25:01 and by putting forth an effort 25:04 that I was asking for the God gave it to me. 25:07 I began to learn more. 25:09 Now there are some people I will not be able to 25:12 because I won't reach them for some reason, 25:14 that's why there is different people 25:16 because people aren't gonna--just for the fact 25:18 that I read King James itself, some people won't have 25:20 anything to do with me. 25:21 That's fine there is other people. 25:22 One guy gave the illustration like this, he says, 25:24 "If you were in Seattle and you were going down 25:26 the Southern California and had no car you'd hitchhike." 25:29 There are some people that are gonna take you to Portland, 25:31 some people would take you to Northern California, 25:33 but not everybody is gonna take you the whole way. 25:35 There are people in their life that you're gonna 25:38 only move people just so far 25:40 and then it will be handed off to the next person. 25:42 And so and to me the lack--thinking 25:46 that I have to know everything then we'd never do it. 25:49 Right. But that's not learning. 25:50 To be a professor he went through school together. 25:53 So I believe to be a professor of the word of God, 25:56 it is a learning process, but while I'm learning, 25:58 I'm told that the more I share 26:00 the more God gives me to share more, so-- 26:02 It is an endless cycle. 26:03 I can't help but want to share more and more 26:05 because that means God is gonna give me more to share 26:08 and I don't want to be stagnant. 26:10 It's interesting, because here we are talking 26:11 about the Bible and I'm excited. 26:13 This has not been a boring exercise 26:15 and of course Mike kind of has that ability 26:17 to make things exciting, but, Mike, 26:19 we really wish we could be here for a longer time, 26:21 but we do thank you for the time that you've come 26:24 has been really a spiritual desert for me in particularly 26:27 because you're a vital instrument 26:29 in my personal story. 26:31 And we hope that we can 26:33 have this pleasure in the future as well. 26:36 Well, I would love to, that sounds great. 26:39 Maybe you're a young person 26:40 who has been watching this program and thought, 26:42 wow, so I can have a powerful 26:45 and exciting experience with God through His word. 26:47 I want to encourage you not to underestimate 26:50 what the word of God is capable of doing 26:52 in your own personal life. 26:54 Don't sell yourself short of anything less 26:57 than a powerful Holy Spirit driven experience with God. 27:00 I'm a young person and I stand as evidence 27:03 that the word of God is capable 27:05 of changing and it's still changing me. 27:07 The Lord is not finished with me, 27:08 but many of us are missing out 27:10 on a powerful experience with God, 27:12 we're kind of experiencing low calorie experience with Christ 27:15 when we could have high calorie experience with Christ 27:17 through the word, through the spirit, 27:19 and through fellowship. 27:20 If you're a young person, 27:21 struggling in your devotional life, 27:23 I want to encourage you to take the time necessary. 27:25 Start with 10 minutes and it will slowly grow and grow 27:28 from 10 to 15 to 45, et cetera. 27:31 So please take the time to spend 27:34 that quality time with Christ 27:35 and you're gonna find that the time you spend with Christ 27:38 is only going to increase your involvement 27:42 in the plan of salvation to somebody else. 27:44 The more and more you get filled, 27:45 the more and more you fill yourself 27:46 with the promises of God, 27:48 the more opportunities God is gonna give you 27:50 to reach out to others. 27:52 Thank you so much for tuning in, in our program. 27:54 This program continues, do not go away. 27:56 God bless you and till next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17