).jpg)
Deeper
A deeper conversation about Sunday’s message at FBC Powder Springs.
Deeper
Episode 2: Why God’s Presence Matters Now
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if the temple in 1 Kings isn’t just a relic of faith, but a roadmap for meeting God right now? We open up the story of Solomon’s temple to ask a harder question modern church culture often avoids: are we chasing size and shine while missing the Presence that makes any space holy? From the beauty of gold to the smallness of twenty cubits, we trace how God fills humble places and willing hearts more powerfully than any impressive platform.
We talk candidly about drift—how hurry, noise, and constant connectivity numb us to God’s voice. Our emotions become a dashboard: impatience, frustration, and pride can flag a deeper distance. The way back is not complicated but costly: slow down, practice quiet, open Scripture with attention, and come to worship engaged. Along the way, we tackle sports as both analogy and idol. Stadiums feel like temples, games like liturgies, and stats like scriptures—proof that we are wired to worship. Passion isn’t the problem; direction is. When victory sets our joy, our hearts are telling on us. So we ask how to redirect that devotion toward mission, community, and witness.
We also reframe blessing. Across Scripture—from Eden to the tabernacle to Jesus and the Spirit to Revelation—the throughline is God dwelling with His people. Gifts are good, but Presence is greater. Seasons of lack can refine our loves, moving us from demanding outcomes to desiring God Himself. That shift changes how we live: from reactive to proactive, from self-protective to sacrificial, from image-driven to missional. As living stones, we’re being built into a spiritual house where God dwells. Our response is dedication—to Christ’s body and bride, to everyday faithfulness, and to being light in a dark room.
If you’re hungry for more than noise, if you sense the warning lights of drift, or if you’re ready to trade scale for substance, this conversation will meet you where you are and point you toward the One who is already near. Listen, share with a friend who needs hope, and if it speaks to you, subscribe and leave a review—what’s one practice you’ll adopt this week to be present with God?
Thanks for listening! Find us on Instagram or visit our Website.
Temple As Theology For Today
Warning Signs Of Drifting From God
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Deeper Podcast. Pastor Chip Dean, First Baptist Church, Powder Springs. And we're just so thankful that you are a part of this with us. And I'm I'm thankful to be a part of this conversation with y'all, with Pastor James Wilson, our executive, Pastor of Ministries, with Jenny Highsmith, our executive director of communications. And uh and we just love to have conversations around God's word from the sermons. And we just honestly want to let you in on that conversation and take a deeper dive into what God is doing. We're going to be taking a deeper dive in the sermon where we're looking at God's presence. As we studied the Old Testament temple from 1 Kings, we looked at chapter six, chapter 7, chapter 8. You could either go into chapter 9, and it's all of a part of our series. This is the kingdom. Meaning it wasn't just the kingdom of God and the Old Testament and the kingdom of God we're we're waiting for in heaven for eternity, but this is the kingdom of God on earth today. It's the church of Jesus Christ. And so one thing that I just wanted to impress upon our church and impress upon you is when we look at the Old Testament temple, we are not just looking at history, we're looking at theology. And these are physical pictures God gave us through the Old Testament for spiritual, theological realities today. In other words, it it wasn't just for the people of the past, it's also for us of the present, these theological principles that we see from it. And so, Pastor James, uh, man, I've I've I've gotten to hear some of your questions about the sermon and read some of your questions. Uh, but what do you feel like that God uh how did He speak to you through this passage and what are some of those questions that you have and taking a deeper dive practically?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, well, I love you're talking about you know God's presence. And then when you're really talking about being desperate for God's presence, I just started to reflect in my own life on when was the last time I was desperate for God's presence? Sometimes the longer you're a Christian, you know, you can just kind of do your normal thing, get in the routine and get extremely comfortable versus being desperate for God's presence. And that really made me think of this question that I just wanted to ask you about because sometimes we can feel distant from God. But but while that distance is happening, what I would love to learn from you, Pastor Chip, is just what are some of the warning signs in someone's life to where it's like, hey, you know, it's almost like a beacon, right? Something that's signaling whether that's uh conviction from the Holy Spirit or whether that's just something that's that's happening in their life. But what are some warning signs that one is starting to become distant from God?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, those those are great questions. And and I think that is so huge because uh we we see God's priority of his presence in the scripture. And and one of the greatest ways, obviously, to experience the presence of God in your life is is if you want God to be present with you, you have to intentionally be present with him. So I think the warning signs that I see in my life often, because uh, you know, we we talk about how Satan is a is a uh like a like a prowling lion, you know, seeking uh he's going throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour. And so he wants me. Yeah, and he wants us, he wants everyone. And and so what he wants to do is to distract us. He could be distracting us with temptation, he can be distracting us with busyness, he could be distracting us with good things as long as we are not spending time with God. And so that warning sign for me, I think, is is hurry, is rush, is busyness, is uh I can I can get my schedule so full, again, doing all of these good things. But when I'm doing good things without God, then I'm doing good things on my own power and not in the power of God. And so as as we talked about desperation of the presence of God, um, Psalm 16, 11, in your presence there is fullness of joy. First of all, if we're not experiencing the presence of God for ourselves, it's a detriment to us, right? Because we are not receiving the joy uh that only comes from the presence of God and practicing his presence. And so my warning signs are uh, as you mentioned, I'm not desperate. I'm not valuing the presence of God in my life. I'm not slowing down enough to say, God, I want to seek you in your word. God, I want to hear from you in prayer. God, I want to intentionally focus on you. I mean, we can even go to church where the fullness of God's presence is and still be checked out spiritually and mentally, just checking a box, but we're checked out, right? But Jenny, what about for you?
SPEAKER_03Man, that's I think I exactly what you're saying. Like with you know, your your patience is getting thin, you're numb, you're spiritually disconnected. I think a huge sign for me is like anytime I start to fill up every single quiet space in my life, um, because typically for me, that means that I don't want to hear what's going on spiritually in my heart. So like I'm trying to distract myself. I'm trying to, you know, turn on the TV, look at my phone, scroll, right? Like even playing with the kids or doing things that are good, I'm filling up every single quiet moment in my life because I don't want to be in check with what's going on in my heart, right? So I think that anytime I notice that pattern um coming up in me, I mean, that's a huge warning sign.
SPEAKER_00I'm so happy. Uh what one great resource, uh, we've talked about it before, the the ruthless elimination curling by John Mark Homer. And what a reminder that he talks about, even, you know, how how relatively young the light bulb is and and and electricity and all, and just he was explaining life, what life was like back then, um, without having technology, period.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And so you would be out in the field or in the village or walking and and and we're not inundated with podcasts and music and and videos and and you know, just and being connected to other people and text messages and and notifications and vibrations and all the things. And so I think today we have to work even harder in having quiet spaces in order to hear from it.
SPEAKER_03Because they're not naturally built in.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
Creating Quiet To Hear God
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's really good. And I agree with you, that's interesting because everything's so sped up. I mean, you know, we're not going out sacrificing animals, you know, for forgiveness, or we're not uh taking a tremendous long journey walking. I mean, there's so many things that are so fast uh that if I don't get my two-day shipping, I'm upset. Man, you know, or man, I gotta wait to get on this plane that's this amazing technology that's gonna fly me through the air and I'm upset because it doesn't have Wi-Fi. You know, so no, extremely really good and very practical stuff. Thanks, Pastor.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, and and and and I, you know, when your patience is wearing that, I I think that that just really stuck out to me because our emotions are often a dashboard of are we experiencing the peace of God that He provides for us through the presence of God. And so if if I am experiencing some negative emotion in my life, whether it's impatience, it's frustration, um, if I'm watching my tone in the way that I'm talking with people, uh, if my pride is peaking in my life to where um uh I'm I'm lacking humility, then then that is that is a an indication that if I'm feeling within turmoil within me, then am I allowing the peace of God, the presence of God, you know, to uh to change my life. Jenny, what just your your overall thoughts about the passage and and and uh you know, not just the sermon, but the word of God here and and what were some questions that came up for you?
SPEAKER_03Man, I mean, just the whole, you know, I I think we study the temple growing up as a kid. You know, we had the little picture that they'd put on the felt board at the temple, all that stuff. Like, I mean, I don't think I moved from the layout to the sacrifice.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
Emotions As A Spiritual Dashboard
SPEAKER_03I think growing up, I never saw, you know, I saw where Jesus compares himself, you know, to the temple. And and I I never pictured us right now being, you know, God's kingdom. The way that you put it on Sunday, just and I loved your comparison to sports because it's so easy for us to see that connection faster than it is sometimes for us to see connections from the old testament because it's more relatable, right? Like so um I loved your picture of that we want to be a part of something greater than us. We want to be in community, we want to be a part of God's kingdom here on earth and how natural it is for us to see that in sports. And so I think one of the first questions that I just had was just, you know, you opened talking about sports as a form of idolatry and how you know you're so excited to see Michael Jordan. Um, and so I guess like Jake's big people. I think I guess, you know, how did you see how did you identify um sports as an idol potentially in your life? And what are some signs um that something can be an idol in all of our lives? Like what is that for you? That's good.
We Are Wired To Worship
SPEAKER_00You know, one thing I really wanted to address in that is obviously sports is an idol. It can be idolatry, but sports gets a bad rap often as well. Sometimes it's pastors, it's kind of funny. Pastors can throw sports under the bus, and then and they're like claws at the biggest sports fan ever. You know what I mean? And so I mean, I'm a I'm a massive sports fan. I just I love watching college football, college basketball. I love watching NFL, I love watching NBA, I love watching, you know, just I try to keep up with all the sports. I can't watch it as much as I used to because I have toddlers, but um, and so we're watching a lot of kids stuff. Uh but I think that sports, where it's most helpful for us is not thinking of it first as an idolatry, but thinking of it first as an analogy. And so for us, what sports, for me, what sports reveals is um it is so easy to devote your life to something. That's why, that's how God wired us. I heard someone say, God did not uh create us to worship, God created us as worshipers. We can't help it. Yeah, we're gonna worship something, someone. And so for me, that can easily be sports because uh my temple can become that stadium. My my worship service can become that game. Uh my king or or savior or joy can become the victory of my team or that coach or that player in how they did. Uh my brothers and sisters can become the other fans, right? My uh my joy being based on victory or defeat and all these types of things, and my scriptures could be the stats. I mean, it's it's wild how how all of these things are an analogy of who God created us to be in his kingdom. And so I think sports are a great thing because it reveals to me what is within me and what I am capable of spiritually. Yeah, right? But then I also have to be aware that sports can be an idolatry. Do I do I talk more about the sports than the spiritual? Do I talk more about my team than my king? Do I talk more, you know, am I am I looking more forward to a game in that stadium, aka temple, than I am being with my brothers and sisters in Christ and worshiping Jesus together? And so I see this, you know, even um uh they would worship uh gods for their sports. Uh the apostle Paul talks about sports in the Bible in terms of running races and boxing and all these type things. Um, he I think Paul is a sports fan, right? He's he was a man's man.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
Sports: Analogy And Idolatry
SPEAKER_00Um, but we I I think it's again, it's almost like a dashboard light. It's an indicator. This is what I'm capable of. If I am standing up because my team just won the national championship, and I mean, that is worship within me that I am capable of for God. Yeah, that needs that God, and again, I'm not against sports. It just reveals within me this is what I have that God created me with in order to point back to Him. Yeah, that's really good. Those are just some of the Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I've just I'm just kind of reflecting. So in high school, I used to, I mean, I played rugby, tennis, football, all that. Rugby? But oh yeah, yeah. Rugby. First I've heard of it. That's awesome. Yeah, well, I'll tell a lot of people because didn't wear glasses, so I'm out there like, kids are crazy. But I got really into skateboarding, and to that point, it was like just reflecting back, like I was completely consumed. I was obsessed. Like if it was raining outside, I'm going, man, I just I want to go out there. I'm watching videos, I got the magazines, I'm going to the skate shop, I'm talking to my friends. Like, even like even when I'm out there with a group of people, I never shared anything about Jesus. I never invited it. I'm just out there talking about skateboard. It was the only thing I wanted to do. I wanted to get dropped off. Like I would go and walk, or I'd just go skate as far as I can. Like we would travel and Jesus, all these things to that point. And it's like, man, you there is an opportunity to channel that for the Lord. Not to say to never do it or it's bad, but use it as a method to reach people for the gospel.
SPEAKER_00So it's not sports versus Jesus. It's even use your sports fourth glory.
SPEAKER_03Exactly. Is he the greatest treasure? I think that's the you know, that's the thing. All those things can be wonderful in your life. Yeah. Is God the greatest treasure? Is he the most important? Is he the most urgent thing in your life? And man, that's thank y'all. That was so without a doubt.
SPEAKER_00Without a doubt. Pastor James, what what else pops in your mind from this passage?
Redirecting Passion For God’s Mission
SPEAKER_04Well, I wanted to get into um when you were in uh 1 Kings 6, verse 20, you said the uh inner sanctuary was 20 cubits long, uh 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high. And so you're kind of just talking about it being overlaid in pure gold. And and man, it's just this, it doesn't seem like this massive 20,000 square foot. Uh you mentioned it's about 2,700 square feet, and you know, I don't want to step on any toes, you know, but just our culture, uh and just with things we're usually chasing uh larger things, uh, which would potentially equate to more presence, right? So, what would you say in regards to maybe even in our own lives or sometimes with just churches or or or with people, but just chasing size more than presence. That's right.
Presence Over Size In Ministry
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh man, chasing size more than presence. Well, uh man, isn't that so true? So um often today as Americans, we are always everything is up and to the right, everything needs to be flourishing, everything needs to be growing, everything needs to be bigger, everything needs to be better, everything needs to be shinier, everything needs to be, you know, all of these things. And um but yet when you look at the at the New Testament, um so many of these things that we want today as Americans, uh, even in church life, can be empty shells, right? Because I mean, it honestly, I've been in churches before um where we were able to contract in the best worship leaders, the best uh musicians, I mean, the the best of the best in that entire region. And and there was an emptiness of the worship because you can you can chase uh quality and quantity and and completely miss out on the spirituality. And again, there's nothing wrong with any of those things, but if God isn't present, if you're if you're depending on those things uh to make God move rather than depending on God in order for him to move, right? I I think is huge. And so when when we think about that temple, it it reminds me of like Jesus was born in a barn, right? And the temple of God, the the center, the heart of the kingdom of God on earth was a 2,700-foot rectangle. That was it, right? I mean, uh it was beautiful. It was, I don't think I actually said this, but if you if you weigh all the gold and all the silver and all the cedar and everything that was shipped in, it was probably worth in 2,700 square feet, about$10 billion in today's dollars. I mean, just unfathomable. But the point isn't size. And that's that's why I wanted to be so clear with our church. Um, our goal is not to have a big church. That's not our old, that's not our goal. Our goal is to have a biblical church. Um, God is not against big churches, but also the goal is not a quote, big church. Um, our our goal is not to have a prominent church, um, but a church that experiences the presence of God. Our goal is not to have um not to be a megachurch. God is not against megachurches. Um, but God wants his churches to be missional. It's not about just a church, quote, growing, it's about a church reaching. And so we we see there in that passage with 1 Kings, what a reminder that that God is saying um is kind of like the faith of a mustard seed, what he can do when you are just completely relying and depending upon him. And that's so true of our life. You know, we might feel like that our life is not as full or as great as someone else's life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, but God loves to take something that is lackluster and bring his glory out of it. Um I I heard, you know, that we're not called to be impressive, we're called to impress the gospel upon people, if you will.
Chasing Excellence Without God
SPEAKER_03So that's I mean, that's so good what you're saying about just, you know, we're not we so many times. I mean, how often do we want the bigger house, the big, you know, the car, all the things that we think that are going to equal success or equal God's blessing, or equal God, whatever we have equated in our head. And I think for church, so many times that means more people, bigger building, more numbers, you know, and how true is it that God so often uses our weakness, he uses our meekness, you know, to show his glory to everyone. I think, man, that true test of are we surrendered to God, man, that is the that's where we want to be as a church, right?
SPEAKER_00You know, I'm I'm I'm actually preaching this Sunday, uh, so it's probably already been preached at this at the time of the airing of the podcast, but um on Elijah Mount Carmel, and it was where Elijah he he let the prophets of Baal go first, he let them pick the bull. It was actually on their mountain, it was on their sacrificial site. Um, he said, All right, now y'all go first. They cried out for six hours, then nine hours total. Nothing happened, obviously. And then Elijah builds a torn-down altar to God. He just lays wool, puts the bull on it, and then he soaks it in water to say, this is impossible for man. And I heard a preacher, it was uh pastor uh John Piper. John Piper said, Um, God loves it when he's at a disadvantage. He loves it, he loves impossible situations. And I I think there's so many of our people they feel like God can't use me until. But God loves to be in a disadvantage.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And and I think that's what we're seeing in this temple passage as well. Um when you look at size, it's so underwhelming. But God loves to do big things out of little situations, right? And out of people that feel like they're at a disadvantage, people that feel like they're behind everyone else. People that are fully dependent upon God, those are the people that God loves to use.
Small Spaces, Big Glory
SPEAKER_03You said that the greatest promise in the Bible isn't God's blessing, it's his presence. And I think, you know, back to a time in my life where, man, we were unemployed, Drew lost his job, and we were trying to make ends meet. And um, so we were in a place of desperation. We were seeking the blessing of God. We were asking God, like, show up, please, provide a job, provide something for us. And I remember driving down the road in my car with two little kids in the back. I had a three-month-old and uh Rowan was just over two. And I remember just begging God, like, why are you not showing up here? And so I think when you talked about that, like the greatest promise isn't the blessing. Um, I remember God speaking to me in that moment and just saying, like, hey, I'm enough. My presence is enough for you. Like it, you're Plan for your life may not go how you want it to go, right? So, how would you explain that as our pastor to someone who is in that situation? They're praying for breakthrough, and maybe they're just they're not feeling God answering that prayer.
God’s Power In Our Weakness
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, great question, Jenny. Uh this this is one of the hardest areas of life to be in, but also one of the most rewarding because um, you know, the the way in which that that that you make oil is is is through a process of breaking, of squeezing. And so God often takes us through extremely difficult situations, sometimes even long seasons. But people who come out of those faithful to the Lord, having learned from the Lord, they wouldn't trade that season for anything because they've grown so much closer to God. Um, my family, my wife and I, we, uh Michelle and I, we grow closer to God through the most difficult of situations and seasons, not the easier situations and seasons in our life. And so also, you know, I want to say about blessing. I think often we get blessing wrong. Uh, when you look at the Hebrew word blessing, it actually means that God blesses you in such a way that you return and you kneel unto him, that all of his blessings are designed uh so that we uh we grow deeper in our worship and our submission of him. But I'm saying that even his promise of presence is even better and greater than that, right? Um, and and you get it just from the Bible when it comes down to it. Uh, Ezekiel 37, 27, my dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. So just stop and think about the presence of God throughout the scriptures. This is what God was promising. This is what God was doing in the Garden of Eden. This is what God was doing in the life of Abraham and his family. He was just with them, leading them. This is what God was doing throughout the wilderness, the pillar of cloud, the pillar of fire, um, and with the tabernacle, with the temple, when Jesus comes on the scene, he is tabernacling with them, John 1.14. Uh, the Holy Spirit is the presence of God uh in the life of the believer. And then for all of eternity, uh, Revelation 21.3, John said, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. That's it. I think when God brings us to seasons like that, God is refining us into God, why won't you provide for me when really what our heart is saying, God, why won't you provide for me in what I want? Why won't you provide for me in my will, in the way that I want you to provide when God is saying, I'm providing something for you even better.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
Presence Is The Greatest Promise
SPEAKER_00Because I can give you all of my blessings, but if you don't have my presence, my blessings are complete emptiness. And so I think that my heart, I am so guilty of this. I go to the presence of God for his blessings and not just for God. For him, that he is the greatest blessing. There's nothing wrong with praying for blessing. There's nothing wrong with asking for blessing. There's nothing wrong with yearning for the blessing of God, as long as it does not outweigh our desire for God himself, because he is the blessing. Without him, every other blessing is emptiness.
From Eden To Revelation: God With Us
SPEAKER_04That's really powerful. And I'm just saying, just like let it sit for a little bit, let it breathe. Uh my my thought is like it's just really interesting because we're talking about like, you know, going through diff difficult seasons, and it's like we are so attracted to when other things or other people struggle and then they persevere. So like if you think of a sports game and it's a blowout, you're like, man, that was that was a wash. That was a waste of time. But if it's oh, they're going out, but then they turned around and they came back and then they won. Well, or think of some of the greatest movies of all time, you know, whether it's Star Wars or Lord of the Rings or whichever, there's some, there's all this tension and conflict, and then they come out on the other end and we're going, man, what a great movie. What a great movie. You know, they were down and out, but they came back. And and so much so is when it's in our own personal lives. We're like, whoa, uh, God, can you skip this part and just uh let me just fast forward through all these ads? Man, can I get premium, Lord? Just spiritual life. Yes, let me skip this uh to receive the blessing. And I think you're a right on target of just with his presence. And what a joy it is that we can just go through the Bible, through God's word, and see time after time after time again of those who went through some really difficult things, and God was with them and he's sustained them, he's a promise keeper, and he will do the same for us. So what a what a joy!
SPEAKER_00Has has God ever given you a blessing? Um, and it was it ended up just being um so unfulfilling. I remember when when Michelle and I first got married, and our first, we already did our honeymoon, you know, amazing trip, all that kind of stuff. Several months later, we kind of went on our first married vacation, maybe a year later, I can't remember how long it was. And I mean, we worked hard on this thing. We went to our perfect place. We we tried to get the perfect room, no kids. Can I get an amen? Amen. Just nothing to worry about. And and so we um we get on this vacation for a week, and it was a train wreck. And we were working so hard, we were so tired to get there. It was like, man, we were running on fumes just to get into this vacation, and the room wasn't what we thought it was, the the beach wasn't what we thought it was, the restaurants were, it was a new place, new adventure, and it was just a disaster. And God showed us don't idolize vacation. Vacation will not give you rest. Come on. Vacation will not give you peace, vacation will not fill your soul, vacation won't even bring you closer together. I do. Yeah, I am and he God goes with us on vacation. Yeah, yeah, but we weren't we weren't hoping in God, we were hoping in the vacation, right? We were hoping in the beach. And uh man, it was such a powerful lesson for us so early in our marriage, even to prioritize the presence of God, even in the blessing of God.
Wanting God’s Will Over Our Own
SPEAKER_03How many times do we put our faith in the vacation or put your faith in something else to fulfill that for you? I think so easily too. We can put our faith in things that we don't realize, like we can put our faith in our fear, we can put our faith in our anger. I mean, those don't seem like things you would, but if you're trust, like if you're asking fear for the answer to the question, or you're asking like, you know, instead of God, man, or like trusting in, I I mean, for me it's not vacation, but I I think anytime I get new technology or something, oh, this is gonna solve a problem. Or I mean, all those are all ways in which we're asking that thing or that emotion to answer for us instead of God, right?
SPEAKER_02So good.
SPEAKER_00Well, let's let's let's do a little wrap-up. Can we do a little wrap-up? And yeah, y'all, there's so many more questions and and that y'all have sent in and and uh and our to our podcast family. Feel free to send in any questions from sermons that we can we can cover. We would love to answer your questions as well. But um, Pastor James, how would you wrap it up, man? Just for you, yeah. What what did God speak most to you? How would you encourage our church, our podcast family, and uh, and and brother, how would you um uh what what life change do you do you hope to see from your own one?
Perseverance, Story, And Hope
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think for me, it's it's about all the the desperation, uh the desperation uh for God no matter what, and no matter what season. So God answers a prayer. Oh, whoo, thanks. All right, I'll see you later until I need something else. Um you know what I mean? I know what you mean. Yeah, yeah. I wish I didn't know what you meant. And I do know what you meant. And I think what you did at the end, um, for those who haven't watched, they need to go back and watch the sermon because at the end there was this beautiful illustration of turning the lights off and you asked us to put our lights on, and really to be a light, you know, it in the workplace or in the world, but that comes from desperation. So if we're not desperate for the Lord, then how are we going to be desperate for the lost? And so I think for me that was just a beautiful tie-in.
SPEAKER_00You can say that again. If you're not desperate for the Lord, how are you gonna be desperate for the lost? Yeah, man, gosh, that was well worded. Yeah, I wish you would have told me that before the sermon. That's right. Nothing about the Lord. Nothing but the Lord, man. Yeah, we did that moment at the end of the 11 a.m. service and uh didn't do it the 9:30 because it's the state class. It was it was it was kind of impossible. But um, but at the end of the 11 and just in a dark room, and everyone's cell phone lights come on, and just what a reminder that when we practice and we experience the presence of God, what how He is able to use us in a dark world, man. I kind of forgot about that. So thank you. Thank you for reminding me of all that. Well, that's my takeaway. Praise God.
When Blessings Disappoint
SPEAKER_03Man, I I think my takeaway was when you were talking about what would you do differently, how would you live your life differently if you reminded yourself every day that God lives in you? Like, man, that was so powerful because I think about so often, like, man, how we treat people, even like when no one's watching. Like, how do you how are you talking to people? Like, are you showing them kindness? Um, I think about, man, for me, it's worry and control and living my life in like, I just prayed for God to help me with this, and then I'm worrying about it. So am I actually believing what I just I don't know. There's like a disconnect sometimes there, I think, in our lives where are we actually living out like God is in us and that we're believing what we're what we're praying to him, man. And then just you know, purity, even what we entertain, what are we justifying in our lives that isn't lining up to his holiness? Um, so man, what a good, what a good reminder for all of us to just as we go out on mission with with our work and in the world, um, just to be a light to others in the way that are we actually being a light, you know, in our own personal lives to ourselves.
Subtle Idols And False Trust
Lights In The Darkness: Be A Witness
Living Like God Dwells In You
Reactive Versus Proactive Faith
SPEAKER_00So you know, I I think um when you say that, Jenny, it just reminds me living like God really lives in you. You know, what if we did that? And for me, it is, I I think it comes down to am I being reactionary? Am I being reactive or proactive? Reactive is I'm just responding to every situation, to every impulse, to every emotion, to every frustration, to every conversation, to every you know, thing that doesn't go my way. And so I live in my sin, and I struggle with this so much, I live reactively, emotionally, rather than proactively from the standpoint God is present. He's present in me, he's present in the situation, he has a purpose for the situation. There is a there is a right way for me to respond biblically and in a Christ-like way. And when I don't do that, when I respond sinfully or selfishly, then then I am making the situation worse. And I'm not taking the situation for what God purposed it for than if I reacted proactively, yeah, based on the presence of God. And God, what is it that you mean for this situation? Um I think what hit me the most in this passage, um, understanding that obviously Jesus, the Old Testament temple points to Jesus, that He He came and He dwelt among us, He is the presence of God, that the temple points to the church, that we are living stones being built up into a spiritual house with spiritual sacrifices and the sacrifice it takes to be a part of the Church of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice it takes to prioritize worship, the sacrifice it takes to prioritize community and being in group, the sacrifice it takes to serve, the sacrifice it takes to live on mission. We often don't live this way because we don't like making sacrifices. My sin doesn't like to make my sin wants to sacrifice me. Yeah, right. And rather than than me being willing to sacrifice my life, my wants for Jesus, because also the apostle Paul says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And so I am housing God, that God's present is not just his presence, isn't just among me, around me, um, but within me, right? Within believers in Jesus. So I think the biggest thing is when the people of Israel got together and they dedicated the temple and their lives back to God again. And it was that opportunity, you know, when they were just saying, God, we dedicate this to you. And it just reminded me that our church is dedicated, not to me and my plans, not to us, not to our staff, not even to our people, that we, I believe we are called to constantly in our hearts dedicate our church to God because it's God's church. It's the body and the bride of Jesus. And last time I checked, it is illegal, unlawful to steal someone's body or bride, right? You just you can't do that. And but yeah, we're guilty of that all the time. That we want to make Jesus' body and bride steal it for our own preferences, our own gain, our own wants, our own comforts. And we want it to serve us rather than we want to serve the church. And I was just reminded, I want to dedicate my life. If the if the Old Testament temple was the heart of the kingdom on earth, 2,700 square feet, smaller than many houses. Um if the temple of God was the heart of God's presence and the heart of the kingdom on earth, and they were dedicating it and their lives to the temple because of the presence of God, then that's what I want to dead. I want to rededicate and continue to dedicate my life. If the church of Jesus Christ is the heart of God on earth, the hands of God on earth, then what else am I going to do with my life if it's not for the church of Jesus Christ? If this is the mission of God on earth. And I want, you know, sometimes as a pastor, I'll be honest, sometimes um, because you hear so many horror stories of pastors, kids, PKs, and man, they're wild, they're crazy, and man, that can that happens to all of us, and it can happen to anybody. And so sometimes I think as a pastor, I get tempted to even at times um um protect my kids from some church things. Uh when I think the devil wants me to do that rather than dedicate my kids' lives to the church. Right. And they're always there. I mean, without a doubt. I mean, y'all cruises run around like crazy and and uh you know, you hear them and you see them and all that kind of stuff, but I want to continue to disciple them in that way that I believe one of these things that comes out of the passage is dedication. Dedication to God, dedication to God, ourselves, our church, our lives, that I just don't want anything competing with that, right? Because this is the heart of God on earth. This is the kingdom of God on earth. This is the kingdom. We thank you. Thank you for being a part of this conversation. And uh again, we we love you as our podcast family, whoever you are, wherever you are. We we've heard from uh from many people in a lot of different places. And so thank you for just for being a part of what the Lord's doing through this. And we dedicate this podcast to him. It's not about us, it's all about him. So we'd love to hear from you. If we can help you pray for you in any way, we would love to do that as well. And uh right now we're doing this about once a month, and uh maybe in the future we'll do it a little bit more, we'll see. But thank you for going on this journey with us. And I just want to encourage you, if you want to experience the presence of God in your life, first of all, it is through Jesus. Second of all, Ephesians 1, 22, and 23, the fullness of Jesus is the church. And thirdly, that if you want to experience God's presence, it starts with you being present with him through Jesus Christ. We love you. We'll see you next time.
