Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201904S
|
00:01 ♪♪ ♪♪
00:11 >> It has stood the test of time. 00:15 >> God's Book, the Bible. Still relevant in today's 00:20 complex world. 00:24 "It Is Written," sharing messages of hope around the 00:29 world. 00:34 >> Welcome and thank you for joining us on 00:41 "It Is Written Canada." In our previous episode, we were 00:47 talking to Lee Venden, who likes to call himself a person who 00:52 helps people to sharpen their tool in their relationship 00:56 with Jesus Christ. And so Lee has been talking to 01:00 us about his father, Morris Venden, and how he 01:03 struggled to have that relationship with God and how he 01:07 found that to become meaningful as he connected with God through 01:11 the reading of His word, through praying, and through sharing 01:15 that relationship with others. >> Mm-hmm. 01:17 And in our previous time together, we spoke about the 01:20 importance of not just having a head knowledge but having a 01:24 heart experience with God and really getting to know Him 01:29 and to fall in love with Him. >> Yeah. 01:32 >> Yeah. To have that real connection, 01:35 right? >> Right Yeah. 01:37 >> There's a big difference between having it here and 01:39 having it here. >> Mm-hmm. 01:40 >> When I was in college, I was one day sitting in my dorm room, 01:43 and I thought, "You know, what would be the qualities 01:46 that you would want to have in a life companion?" and I actually 01:49 wrote a list of them, like, you know, and as I looked at my 01:52 list, all I said and I realized there was a particular girl 01:55 that my parents had recommended. >> [ Chuckles ] 01:58 >> And the truth is, I had all kinds of classmates that 02:01 recommended the same girl to me. >> Mm. 02:03 >> But we'd never done anything because we were friends but 02:06 there had never been even the slightest idea in my mind that 02:09 we could have a romance. I wasn't attracted to her that 02:11 way. >> But as I made my list and 02:14 looked at it, all of a sudden I realized, she had 100%. 02:17 And I thought, "Wow, if she's 100%, then I must be missing the 02:21 mark, so I better go after this girl, even though I'm not 02:24 attracted to her," like, the "click" sort of attraction, you 02:28 know, the spark of romance, or whatever. 02:31 So I asked her for a date, which is kind of funny. 02:33 When I called her up, she said, "Are you kidding?" 02:35 You know, it was like -- She had no interest in it, 02:37 either. [ Laughter ] 02:39 >> And I said, "You know, if we were ever gonna become a number 02:41 like our friends and our parents said we should be, you know, how 02:44 do we go about that?" She said, "Well, you'd have to 02:46 ask for me a date, but, I mean, that would be stupid." 02:48 And I said, "Well, I'm gonna ask you for a date," and she goes, 02:51 "Come on, really?" And I said, "Yeah, really." 02:53 So, anyway, I took her out, and there was no magic. 02:56 There was no spark, there was no click, no romance. 02:58 And as we were walking back, walking her back to her 03:01 dormitory, I said, "Well, how'd it work for you?" 03:03 She said, "Didn't work at all," you know, "What about you?" 03:06 I said, "Didn't work for me, either." 03:07 Long story short, we tried a few more dates to see if we could 03:11 get something to work. >> Yeah. 03:13 >> But it never did. The plane just taxied down the 03:15 runway and never took off. >> There was no chemistry. 03:18 >> There was no chemistry. That's a good word. 03:21 No chemistry, yeah. Yeah. 03:22 And then, later, I moved to a different college, and I met the 03:26 woman who actually became my wife, Margie. 03:29 Now she's my partner. And I like to tell people there 03:32 was no spark with Margie, there was a nuclear reaction. 03:35 [ Laughter ] And with the first girl, the 03:38 plane just taxied. With Margie, it was a rocket 03:41 going straight up, you know? And we've been "clicking" ever 03:44 since. But there's a big difference 03:46 between having it here on paper and having it here in your 03:49 heart. >> Mm. 03:49 >> Yeah. >> And I think that's what we 03:51 were talking about. >> Right. Yeah. 03:53 >> Mm-hmm. That sounds like a John 3. 03:57 Jesus is meeting with a religious leader, sort of like 04:01 the experience that you were talking about in our previous 04:05 episode with your dad. >> Yeah. 04:07 >> And how he was a religious leader. 04:09 >> Yeah. >> But he just didn't, you know, 04:12 he couldn't see it, right? It says in John 3:3 "You can't 04:16 see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again." 04:21 >> Born again. Yeah. That would be the chemistry you 04:23 just referred to. >> Yeah. 04:24 Yeah, you need the chemistry. >> Yeah, you need the 04:26 chemistry. >> If you don't have the 04:27 chemistry, it's just words. >> Yeah. 04:28 >> It's just information. In fact, without the chemistry, 04:31 the Bible is like an encyclopedia. 04:34 >> Mm. >> But once you get that 04:35 chemistry or the click, or, as Jesus referred to it, the "born 04:38 again" thing, then it becomes like a love letter from a 04:40 fiancée, and there's a big difference. 04:42 I read a love letter a lot differently than I read an 04:44 encyclopedia, you know? >> That's true. Yeah. 04:46 >> Mm-hmm. Absolutely. >> But you referenced Nicodemus, 04:49 and I think that's a really good connection point because when 04:53 Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was a spiritual leader, and a mover 04:57 and a shaker, actually. >> Yes. 04:59 >> Mm-hmm. >> Jesus even referred to him at 05:02 one point as the teacher in Israel! 05:04 >> Mm. >> Mm-hmm. 05:05 >> So, I mean, this guy is somebody. 05:06 >> He's somebody, yeah. >> But he says, "Jesus, could we 05:08 have a spiritual discussion?" and Jesus said, "I don't think 05:11 so. You referenced it, John 3:3. 05:12 Jesus said, "I don't think so because you'd have to be born 05:15 again first. >> Yeah. 05:16 >> Which was Jesus' way of saying the heart part will never 05:20 engage without the new birth. 05:23 >> Mm. >> Right. >> So then Nicodemus says, 05:25 "Well, how can a man get born again?" You know, "How can you be born 05:28 again? Same time, you can't go back in your mother's womb. 05:30 What do you mean?" >> Mm-hmm. >> Yeah. 05:32 >> So then Jesus says, "Well, I'm actually talking about something that's supernatural," 05:36 and He tells them a story about the Holy Spirit, you know, or the wind. 05:40 I guess he tells him that story about the wind. >> Mm-hmm. 05:43 >> And He says, "Nicodemus, you don't know where the wind is coming from, and you don't know 05:47 where it's going, but when the wind blows through the leaves of that tree over there, you can 05:51 tell something's happening. >> Happening, yeah. >> So it's invisible. 05:53 >> Yeah, it's invisible, but you can feel it, and you can also feel when the wind is blowing. 05:57 >> Yeah. >> You can see the affects of the wind... 06:00 >> Yeah. >> But you can't see it. Yeah. 06:02 >> Right. But it's tangible when it happens. 06:04 >> Absolutely. >> Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. >> So we're talking about 06:06 something intangible. >> No, very tangible. >> It sort of sounds intangible 06:09 to say "born again." >> Yes. >> That sounds intangible. 06:12 >> Yeah. >> But Jesus is trying to explain, "Actually, it's very 06:15 real." >> It's very real, yeah. >> And He uses that metaphor of 06:17 the wind. >> Mm-hmm. >> Comparing to the Holy Spirit. 06:19 >> Mm-hmm. >> So, basically, you know, what Jesus is saying is, 06:22 "You know, you can't make that click or that new birth thing happen on your own. 06:26 It requires the Holy Spirit." >> Mm-hmm. >> "And He works like the wind. 06:30 And when He does his work, you can tell something's changed." 06:34 >> Mm. >> Again, I keep coming back to your word, "chemistry." 06:37 All of a sudden, something's happened. >> Happened, mm-hmm. 06:39 >> You know? >> Yeah. >> And so then what Nicodemus 06:42 says next is sort of like his third question to Jesus. He says, "Well, how can those 06:47 things be?" >> Mm-hmm. >> Mm-hmm. 06:49 >> And I'm thinking what Nicodemus is saying is, "I have been playing church all 06:54 my life." >> Right, right. >> Mm-hmm. 06:56 >> "And you just described something that sounds very attractive. 07:00 You're talking about a deeper experience than I have yet had, and I'd like to know, 07:04 "How could that happen?" 07:06 And you said it had be a Holy Spirit thing, but is there 07:10 anything, humanly speaking, that I could do that would, like, 07:13 avail me, make me available to the Holy Spirit so that he could 07:17 blow through and make the change that I so desperately would like 07:21 to have?" Because, you know what, going to 07:23 church without that... >> Yes. 07:24 >> Mm-hmm. >> When I was with that girl -- 07:26 Back to that girl. When I was with that girl... 07:28 >> Mm-hmm. >> ...and there was no click, 07:30 I'm thinking, as I'm escorting her back to the dormitory, that, 07:34 at the dorm entrance, are gonna be couples who are gonna be 07:37 kissing and hugging and being all cozy and affectionate, and 07:41 that concept just repulsed me with the girl. 07:44 >> Yeah. >> I'm thinking, "Yuck!" 07:46 [ Laughter ] "I don't want to do that with 07:48 her," you know? >> Yeah, yeah. 07:49 >> There's no attraction. There's no heart. 07:52 So, you know. And Jesus is saying, "You got 07:55 to have the click before it's attraction." 07:57 The Bible isn't attractive other than information and knowledge." 08:01 >> Yes. >> Mm-hmm. 08:02 >> Until after you've had the click. 08:04 And so when he said, "Is there anything, humanly speaking, I 08:07 could do?" Jesus tells him a story -- you 08:09 probably remember this story. >> So, the story, he says, "Just 08:12 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the son of 08:16 man must be lifted up so that whoever looks at him is going to 08:20 live, is going to experience that click." 08:23 >> Yeah, that's the answer he gives when Nicodemus says, 08:27 "Humanly speaking, is there anything I can do..." 08:30 >> I can do... >> "...that would make the 08:32 Holy Spirit's work happen more quickly in my life?" 08:35 >> Right. >> I think it's actually a very, 08:36 very important question. 08:38 And the reason I think so is that, until you've had the new birth.... 08:42 >> Yes. >> Nothing else matters. >> Right. 08:44 >> I mean, why would you want to have a seminar on how to be a Christian witness if you've 08:49 never been born yet? >> Yeah. >> Correct. 08:51 Why would you give people a seminar on discovering their spiritual gifts if they've never 08:54 been born yet? >> Yes. >> Why would you give them a 08:57 seminar on financial principles for stewardship based on scripture if you haven't been 09:00 born yet? >> Yeah. >> It's kind of like being 09:02 born is the starting point for everything else. >> Yes. 09:05 >> So when Nicodemus says, "So how can I get to that..." >> Yes. 09:09 >> I think it's huge that Jesus said, "Well, there is one thing, now that you mention it..." 09:13 >> Yeah. >> "...that you could do that would make this thing happen 09:17 more quickly. And then, as you just mentioned, he tells him that snake story. 09:21 It's found in Numbers 21. >> So, in that story, you have these people going into a 09:26 situation where they're getting poisoned by snakes. >> Yeah. 09:30 >> And so they're they're dying. >> Does that mean bitten? >> Bitten by snakes, dying, 09:35 and Moses is trying to get help for them. He asks God, "What can I do?" 09:40 and God says, "I want you to make a bronze snake, put it on a pole, put it up, and tell 09:46 the people -- You look at the bronze snake, you got it. 09:49 You're saved. The snake bite poisoning will not hurt you." 09:54 I can imagine there are people there probably that are like, "How does that work?" 09:58 >> "Really?" >> "Really?" Like, "Why would I look?" 10:00 >> Yeah. It's crazy. >> You know? And maybe you feel guilty. 10:03 Maybe you were enticing the snakes. >> Yeah, what if you were 10:07 playing with the snakes, showing people you could hold one and not get bit? 10:12 >> Yeah. And then you get -- So how would it help me to look at a bronze snake, and, you 10:18 know, and if you don't look, you're not going to experience it. 10:21 But everyone who looked at that bronze snake on a pole... >> Everyone. 10:27 >> ...was healed. >> That's right, without exception. 10:29 >> Yeah. >> And so if you make that -- If you kind of go there, 10:33 like you just did.... >> Yes. >> And in conjunction with Jesus 10:37 telling this story, what he's really saying -- and, of course, what's the snake on a cross 10:42 lifted up above the people represent? >> Right. Jesus. 10:45 >> Obviously, right? >> He bears our sins. >> And he's on the cross and 10:49 he's saying -- So what Jesus is really saying to Nicodemus is, "The one thing 10:52 you can do, humanly speaking..." >> Yeah. >> "...is look in my direction. 10:55 Look in the direction of the uplifted savior..." >> Yes. 10:58 >> "...with a prayer that will take you to the newer level that you want to get to, 11:01 take you to that deeper experience." Because those people in 11:04 Numbers 21 -- It's very clear in Numbers 21 there was no condition for 11:08 healing other than looking. >> Looking. >> No condition, zero. 11:12 >> Mm-hmm. >> Didn't say, "Now, this works if you have faith. 11:14 You need to have faith in God and trust in when you look, or it won't work for you." 11:17 >> Yes. >> If it doesn't work for you, it's because you didn't believe 11:19 it would work. >> Right. >> No, it doesn't say that. 11:21 >> No. >> Mm-hmm. >> Anybody who looked -- 11:23 And, like you said, "What if you've been playing with snakes?" 11:26 No conditions. "What if I've been messing with the devil? 11:29 What if I've been living a life in rebellion against God, and I'm supposed to reap the law of 11:33 the harvest?" "You reap what you sow," you know?" 11:36 No conditions. >> So whoever looks is going to live. 11:40 >> There's life in a look at Jesus. >> Mm-hmm. 11:43 >> Yeah. >> That's a beautiful, beautiful message. 11:46 >> We're gonna go to a song right now. We're gonna take a bit of a 11:50 break and listen to a song. The song is "Be Thou My Vision." >> Ah, look His direction. 11:56 >> Look His direction. And, as Jesus said in John 3:3, "You can't even see." 12:01 So we're blind unless He becomes our vision. So let's listen to that song. 12:05 >> Good song. 12:08 ♪♪ ♪♪ >> ♪ Be Thou my Vision 12:24 ♪ O Lord of my heart ♪ Naught be all else to me ♪ save that Thou art 12:41 ♪ Thou my best Thought ♪ by day or by night ♪ Waking or sleeping 12:57 ♪ Thy presence my light ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:23 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 13:49 ♪♪ ♪ High King of Heaven when victory won ♪ 14:08 ♪ May I reach Heaven's joys ♪ O bright Heaven's Sun ♪ Heart of my own heart 14:24 ♪ whatever befall ♪ Still be my Vision ♪ O Ruler of all 14:40 ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:58 >> "Be Thou My Vision." Those are words to more than just a song. 15:03 Those are the words of the prayer, and that prayer is that we would see Jesus. 15:09 >> Mm-hmm. >> That we would see Jesus. Yeah, that puts me in mind, 15:13 actually, of something that Jesus said in Matthew 13. 15:18 He said, "...seeing they don't see, and hearing they don't 15:21 hear..." So it's possible to actually 15:25 not get it, you know? 15:28 >> Mm-hmm. >> For example, have you ever thought about how hard it would 15:32 be to describe the color red to somebody who is born blind? Or let's saying try to describe 15:37 the color blue to someone who's been born blind. >> Mm, that would be really 15:42 difficult. I mean, how do you do that? It's not the same as yellow, and 15:46 red -- You're talking about blue? >> Yes. 15:49 If I was you, Mike -- If I was trying to describe blue, I'd say, "It's my wife's 15:53 eyes." >> That's right. >> Yeah. 15:55 >> That's what I'd say. >> Yeah. >> But if that can't see... 15:58 >> But if that can't see her eyes, I'm sorry for them, yeah. [ Laughter ] 16:03 No, but the point, I guess, we're trying to make is that you can't describe color to someone 16:07 who's born blind. >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. 16:09 >> Because there's no place in their head to grab onto that, there's no handle. 16:13 >> Yeah, like, Jesus says, "Seeing they can't see." >> Exactly, in Matthew 13. 16:17 >> Yeah. >> "Seeing they can't see, hearing they can't hear." 16:20 >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. >> And it doesn't matter. 16:22 >> Yeah. >> It's impossible. >> It's impossible. 16:25 >> I think -- Is it their fault that they can't see? 16:28 >> No, not at all. Not at all. I mean, if I can't see something, I'm born blind -- 16:32 I mean, I've met blind people, I've worked with blind people, I've had some good friends who 16:36 are blind people, and... I mean, is it their fault? >> Of course not. 16:39 >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. >> So if I can't see, you 16:41 know... >> Spiritually speaking. >> ...spiritually speaking, 16:45 then I could pretend I see. [ Laughter ] You know, everyone else sees it. 16:51 So do you see that boat? "Yeah, I see the boat," right? You know, it's right out there, 16:55 over on the sea, right? >> In other words, you could play along with people who are 17:00 spiritually dialed in with Jesus and have that experience. 17:03 You could kind of try and bluff. >> Yes. >> Like you have it. 17:07 >> Yeah. >> But, in your heart of hearts, you know, and, of course, God 17:10 knows, too... >> Yes. >> ...that you're not there. 17:12 >> Yeah. >> You don't have that deeper experience. 17:14 >> And so you fake it, and you just never do make it. And so it's like, "How do I get 17:19 that? How do I get that conversion?" For yourself, Lee, how did you 17:23 get that experience? >> Mm-hmm. >> Well, I -- 17:25 In the previous episode that we talked about, we talked about my father getting there. 17:30 >> Yes. >> And how, for him, it was a slower process. 17:33 We talked about this three legs of the stool -- the bible study, prayer, and 17:37 share. In Bible study, they get to know Jesus, prayer to 17:40 communicate with him as friend, and then sharing with others, and my dad -- 17:44 He started doing that, and this is old stuff in the previous episode, but he started doing 17:49 that with a prayer that Jesus would take him to a deeper experience. 17:52 >> Mm-hmm. >> And it didn't happen quickly. >> Mm. 17:55 >> But he said he white-knuckled his way to the click, which is another way of saying, "I hung 18:01 on for dear life, and I kept working those three legs, and, eventually..." 18:05 >> Yeah. >> ...the promise of Jesus in John 3, that "If you will 18:09 lift me up, I will draw you in..." happened for him. >> Yeah. 18:12 >> And that happened slowly. For me, it happened a little differently. 18:15 >> Mm-hmm. >> It was, um -- I was a preacher's kid, 18:19 obviously, and I had grown up -- Now, I'm a fourth- or fifth-generation Christian 18:24 household. >> Mm-hmm. >> But it's boring, boring, 18:28 boring to me. >> Mm. >> I'm clickless. 18:31 And I go to church -- I go to the Youth Department of our church 18:35 just so I can hang out with my friends and have doughnuts. 18:39 Like, who wouldn't want to go have free doughnuts? >> Exactly. 18:41 >> They're as good as your Tim Horton doughnuts. >> Yeah. 18:43 >> Good stuff. And then -- But, oh! And the other thing was that I 18:49 went to parochial schools, church schools. >> Mm. 18:52 >> And I took religion classes, and I would get A's in religion class. 18:56 But it didn't really mean anything because I didn't have the click. 19:01 >> Mm-hmm. >> And so, for me, it's just information. 19:03 >> On the surface. >> Boring, boring, boring. >> Yeah, and not even on the 19:06 surface. I mean, you just don't even want to -- 19:08 >> I don't really give a rip. >> Yeah. >> I'm just performing because 19:10 that's expected of me, and I need to do a good job. >> Yeah. 19:13 >> So, yeah. And then one Friday night, my girlfriend was out of town for 19:16 the weekend, and I didn't know what to do, and I thought, well, I'll go hang out with some guy 19:20 friends. >> Mm-hmm. >> So I went down a friend's 19:21 house -- his name was Chris -- knocked on his door, and he said, "Hey, what's up?" 19:25 I said, "That's what I'm wanting to know -- what's up? My girlfriend's gone, and I 19:28 thought I'd come hang out with you," and he said, "Great. I'm going to a Bible study. 19:31 Come along." And my mouth dropped open. I said, "No way, you're not 19:35 going to a Bible study. You're going to a party, so where's the party?" 19:40 [ Laughter ] He said, "I'm not going to a party, I'm going to a Bible 19:42 study." Well, I couldn't believe it, because, if you knew Chris the 19:45 way I knew Chris, you would never expect him to be at a Bible study. 19:48 >> [ Chuckles ] >> I said, "You and who else?" He named off a bunch of other 19:53 people who were gonna be at the "Bible study," and they were all what you might call -- 19:59 Back in my day, you might call them the users and abusers, the potheads, the freaks, the 20:06 dealers and the dopers... Anyway. >> Not the kind of guys who 20:09 would be hanging out a Bible study. >> Right, yeah. 20:12 A bunch of party animals, and I'm not talking about Republicans and Democrats, you 20:15 know, party animals. And so when he tells me that's who's gonna be at the party, 20:21 I'm thinking, there's -- I'd have to see that to believe it. 20:25 Now, I think it's probably important to maybe do a little time-out here and tell you kind 20:31 of a behind-the-scenes story of how that actually happened. >> Mm-hmm. 20:35 >> How that came to be, that there would be a bunch of party animals in a Bible study group. 20:39 >> Yeah. >> And how it happened was, some weeks earlier, at a party 20:43 on a Friday night, when they were all -- I guess I can just use the word "wasted"... 20:48 >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. >> They were in various states 20:52 of ruin and disorder, you know? Mentally. One of them said, 21:00 "Hey, man..." [ Laughter ] "Like, I was thinking, man... 21:05 What if there's really a God? And what if, like, He wants to connect with us, man? 21:11 And what if we missed out on the whole gig because we were so, like, turned off from church 21:17 that we had no interest in connecting with him? Like, what do you think about 21:21 that, man?" And, you know, in that state of mind that they were in... 21:25 >> Yeah. >> They had to think slowly, and so there was a long period of 21:30 quiet, you know, and then someone said, "Oh, wow, man..." [ Laughter ] 21:35 And someone else said, "Major bummer, dude." [ Laughter continues ] 21:40 And finally, the original guy goes, "Well, okay, okay, okay. So what should we do, man?" 21:44 And then a guy -- These are all people who are, like, stoned and wasted and, you 21:49 know, tripping and, you know, inebriated, and whatnot. A guy goes, "Maybe we could try 21:54 and experiment, man..." Like, "What are you talking about?" 21:57 "Well, like, okay, I'm not saying I'm kind of a Jesus freak or nothing like that, so don't 22:03 go thinkin' I'm some kind of goody-goody guy or nothing, but, I'm just saying, we could maybe, 22:08 like, get our Bibles, man, and we could say, 'God, if You're out there -- and we're not even 22:13 saying we know You are or we think You are -- but if You are, we're gonna read about your kid, 22:18 Jesus, here, okay? And if You want to connect with us, go for it, man." 22:23 And here's the cool thing -- If he goes for it, cool! >> Yeah. 22:29 >> If he doesn't... Equally cool, we're off the hook! 22:33 >> Yeah. >> Because we can say, "We gave you a chance, man, you didn't 22:35 run on it. So it's like your problem, not ours. 22:37 We can blow you off, and we don't have to worry about it, you know? 22:40 >> Mm-hmm. >> Yeah. >> And so then they all go "Far 22:42 out, man!" [ Laughter ] So the next Monday, at our 22:46 parochial church school, where these guys all went to school... >> Yeah. 22:51 >> One of them went to our religion teacher, our Bible teacher. 22:54 >> Mm-hmm. >> And they said to him, "You know, we've got this experiment 22:57 we want to try. Do you know a place we could go do it?" 23:00 And God bless this man, he said, "You can have my house." >> Wow. 23:04 >> He said, "My family and my kids, we will stay in the back room. 23:07 You can have the living room and the kitchen. You can stay as long as you'd 23:10 like." He said, "I'll be in the back room praying for you because I 23:13 believe this is a really cool experiment, and I believe God's gonna show up." 23:17 And so then they started doing that. 23:19 Now, think back on the things we were just talking about with 23:21 Nicodemus. >> Yes. 23:22 >> Jesus said, "Here's the thing is you should do." 23:25 >> Just lift it up. >> You look my way with a 23:27 prayer that something deeper will happen," and the 23:29 Holy Spirit, wind will blow through. 23:31 So these guys are doing the very thing Jesus promised would 23:33 bring the click. They don't know that. 23:36 They haven't read John 3, but they're doing it. 23:38 >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. 23:39 >> And exactly what -- He's as good as His word, Jesus 23:41 is. >> Yes. 23:42 >> And exactly what he said would happen, happened. 23:44 They started falling in love with Jesus. 23:47 They start reading these stories about Jesus and going, "Whoa!" 23:50 And, all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit wind's blowing 23:54 through their hearts and they're getting this click, right? 23:57 >> Mm. >> Mm. 23:58 >> Okay. So that's going on, that's going 24:01 on, and then, one night, at one of their Bible studies, they -- 24:05 they read that story about Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. 24:07 >> Yes. >> You remember the one who had 24:09 the demon possessed on her? >> Mm-hmm. 24:11 >> And she says, "Jesus, you know, yo, would you fix my 24:13 daughter?" And Jesus says, "Why should I 24:15 fix your daughter? You're just a dog, and how 24:17 should I give the food that was made for the children to the 24:21 dogs?" >> Mm-hmm. 24:22 >> Remember? And she said, "Well, if you're gonna call me a 24:24 dog, that's okay with me, but, like, dog gets crumbs." 24:25 >> Yes. >> And then Jesus smiles and 24:27 says, "Your daughter's okay." Okay, so... 24:31 There's a whole lot to that story that would be fun to unpack, but just -- 24:35 The point here and why I'm telling it is that that group read that story... 24:38 >> Yeah. >> ...and then one of them said, "I don't understand this." 24:42 The girl was messing with the devil, because you don't get demon-possessed by accident." 24:45 >> Mm-hmm. >> And she wasn't asking for help. 24:47 Her mom was. "So how is it that Jesus fixed it for her when she didn't even 24:51 ask for help?" >> Yeah. >> And someone else said, "I 24:53 think it's called intercessory prayer." And then there was real quick 24:56 question, like, "Well, what's that?" >> Yeah. 24:58 >> And then someone said, "Well, I think it's like, you know, there's these good guys and 25:01 there's these bad guys, and the good guys go to help, and the bad guys say, "You can't because 25:05 they didn't pray." I mean, they didn't ask for help. 25:08 And then the good guys -- that's me, God -- says, "But we're here because other people are 25:12 praying." So then they said, "Whoa! We should try that experiment!" 25:16 >> Wow. >> "Let's figure out who we can pray for and see if that stuff 25:19 still works!" So they said, "Well, okay, if we were gonna see if it's gonna 25:23 work, we'd have to pick whoever we thought was the least likely candidate for being a 25:28 Christian. So let's pick a guy and a girl at our school that seem the 25:31 least interested in spiritual things, and then let's start praying for them to get the 25:35 click." >> Mm. >> Wow. 25:36 >> "Let's start praying that they will get connected with Jesus, and it'll be a 25:40 heart-changing thing." And they go, "Cool experiment! Who shall we pray for?" 25:44 And I don't remember the name of the girl they chose to pray for, but the guy was me. 25:47 >> Wow. >> They said, "Let's pray for Lee Venden. 25:50 If he gets the click, we're gonna know intercessory prayer worked." 25:53 >> They thought you were really lost. >> They thought I was a hard 25:55 case. >> Yeah. So, now, back to my time -- 25:57 that was the behind-the-scenes thing. >> Yeah. 25:59 >> So, back to that -- So, I went to Chris's house. Chris says, "Come to the thing," 26:04 I go to the thing because I want to see party animals reading Bibles, like, "Yeah, right." 26:08 >> Yeah. >> [ Chuckles ] >> And I'm there, and, all of a 26:12 sudden, I'm spending time looking at Jesus, even though I hadn't planned on it, even 26:16 though I wasn't praying, and my heart starts melting down. >> Yeah. 26:20 >> And they started having a prayer thing, and I'm -- I'm keeping my eyes open, 26:23 watching them pray, and I start to cry. And then, all of a sudden, 26:27 the thing's over, and I'm crying, and I'm trying to keep from anybody knowing I'm crying, 26:31 and they say, "Hey, what's -- Are you okay?' And I said, "I don't know what's 26:34 going on," and then they said, "We know what's going on. You just got ambushed by Jesus." 26:38 >> Wow. >> And then explained to me that Christianity's not about what 26:41 you do, it's about who you know, and who you know's gonna change what you do." 26:44 Oh, my word, I went home that night, I read the entire Book of Romans after midnight 26:49 that night, and I couldn't put it down. The next morning, I'm reading 26:53 John. And my preacher dad's getting ready to go to church. 26:57 He comes by, he sees me reading my Bible, and he can't believe it. 27:01 >> Yeah. >> I'm saying, "Dad! Did you know, Christianity's all 27:05 about being friends with Jesus?" And he said, "Isn't that cool?" And he went off to church to 27:09 preach. I said, "I'm going! I'm going to church!" 27:12 And I went to church, and they weren't even serving doughnuts. It was first service. 27:15 [ Laughter ] And my dad's preaching, and he starts talking about how you can 27:19 be friends with Jesus, how it changes everything, and I go, "Oh, my word! 27:23 I didn't know my dad was such a cool preacher!" I just told him about that, and 27:26 he does a whole sermon on it! [ Laughter ] But he hadn't changed his sermon 27:30 content, my heart had changed. All of a sudden, I'm seeing the color red. 27:34 >> Yeah. >> Mm-hmm. >> And you thought that he was 27:38 actually stealing the sermon you taught him that morning. >> That's it. 27:43 >> Yeah, but the click was there, and you saw it. Wow. 27:46 >> It was a miracle. >> Mm-hmm. >> Absolutely. 27:49 >> So it became a heart, a real heart. >> It went to the heart, yeah. 27:52 >> It went to the heart. >> Wow. >> And that's what I want for 27:55 everybody. >> Mm-hmm. >> And I want that experience on 27:57 a daily basis. >> Mm-hmm. >> Absolutely. 28:00 Well, thank you very much, Lee, for sharing your story with us, and let's just end with a word 28:05 of prayer. Let's just close our eyes here. Father in Heaven, thank You so 28:10 much that You use other people to prayer for us... >> Mm-hmm. 28:14 >> Mm-hmm. >> And You speak to us through Your word, and your Holy Spirit 28:19 changes our hearts when we look to Jesus... >> Mm-hmm. 28:22 >> We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. In Jesus' name... 28:26 >> Amen. >> So, friends, always remember the words of Jesus. 28:31 "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of 28:37 the mouth of God.'" 28:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ 28:53 ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-05-19