Open Waters Podcast
This podcast is all about what God is doing in Utah through the church, and through the ministry of Open Waters Worship. If you don't know who we are, we are a worship ministry in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah who's reason for being is JESUS. We want all people to have GROWTH, not only in relationship with our King, but with the people around us as well. We also want people to cultivate a deep and pure INTIMACY with God, and from that intimacy a FREEDOM to be who we are called to be; and to top it off we want the body of Christ to radiate UNITY. The body as a whole can accomplish so much more than one person alone. So we want to ask you, are you ready to join us in an effort to unify the body, and grow in relationship? Are you ready for what true intimacy with the King looks like? If so, come give us a listen! We'd love to hear your feedback as well. Tell us your thoughts and if you have a question feel free to reach out to us! We love you and pray for an overflowing in all avenues of your life <3
Open Waters Podcast
31: The Levite's Journey: Embracing Sacrificial Living for Deeper Worship
Have you wondered about the profound link between living a life of sacrifice and being a Levite in worship? We're unlocking these spiritual realms in this enriching discussion.
The journey continues as we delve into the sacred life of a Levite in worship. Drawing on the captivating story of Connie May, a worshiper who embodies the spirit of a Levite, we explore the power of God's presence and the unique anointing everyone possesses. The stage is not an elevated platform in the spirit, but a space where the Father is represented. Embracing a life of sacrifice, as a Levite does, is a path that leads to a deeper relationship with God, a concept brought to life by practices such as fasting and dedicating first fruits.
Finally, we reflect on the merciful side of living a life of sacrifice, made possible through Jesus' death and resurrection. As living sacrifices, we find freedom and a better life, away from the shackles of sin. Our actions have the potential to delight God, a reminder of the power of sacrifice and devotion. Tune in and allow this episode to guide you towards a profound understanding of the Levite's role and the beauty of sacrificial living.
Open Waters Family,
Just wanted to say welcome, and thank you for joining us! We love you and hope you know that God loves you so so so much!
Here at Open Waters Worship ( OWW ) we long for an intimacy, and hunger for God. Where a people are hungry and fully in love with God, that is where revival happens. REVIVAL IS COMING!!!
Feel Free to Check Out Our Social Media!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/open_waters_worship?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCoRDB8cpDNgy_F07uqVIy4A
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenWatersWorship
Where Is This Podcast Available?
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jF271C3AOJBGvgMWQFRg1?si=6VR-pqqcSv-Mn4U25_FH_g&utm_source=copy-link
Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1650295085
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMDUzODgzLnJzcw?ep=14
Thank you for being amazing and we pray blessings over you!
This when you are a Levite, you realize it's that sacrifice you are laying your life down and you understand that you are close to the tent. Which is the tent is his presence, it's meeting with him, it's where the priest would go in and encounter the presence of the Lord. You know if they would put the bells on, you know, because if they had sinned or they hadn't, had a speck of anything, they would be dragged out.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's wild.
Speaker 1:So of course you have to live your life as a living sacrifice. You have to continuously be in communication, and it's not a fear thing in the essence of I am afraid of God. It's a awe thing.
Speaker 2:Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, or good morning and good night.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, good night. We're saying good night.
Speaker 2:Well, no, because we don't know when they're listening.
Speaker 1:Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen.
Speaker 2:I don't know what that means. Can't go look it up.
Speaker 1:There's some work for you.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to look it up. But anyway, guys, welcome to the 31st episode of the Open Waters podcast, and I just wanted to say we're happy you guys are listening, you know, yeah, we're happy you guys are joining us for this ride and what the Lord is telling us, and totally.
Speaker 1:This is our first time recording in a coffee shop.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we are surrounded by people here. It's actually Halloween the day that we're recording this, so we're recording it ahead of time. Sorry to burst into bubbles if you thought this was live, anyway. So we're surrounded by people of all walks of life and it's kind of exciting. We're drinking our coffee and our water and I just had some avocado toast, so kind of cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's kind of interesting. But hey, you know, we're supposed to be examples to people around us and I think it's good that you do these talks, because I think somebody's going to catch something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's like a Interesting atmosphere. Yeah, we're healing it, we're just sitting here in his presence.
Speaker 2:Yeah, spiritual, a living sacrifice. Oh my goodness, every where we go, everything we do. Everything Lifestyle Anyway which leaves us to do you want to do the more about a section you love?
Speaker 1:I mean, I think I do. I love the more about a section. Yeah, yeah, go ahead, you got a topic. No you don't.
Speaker 2:No, sir. Oh, couple announcements. Ok, so this episode is going to be releasing on the Monday, so November. Sorry, I'm looking at the dates November 6th, so this will be on November 6th. So make sure you guys join us or open waters, yeah, on November 11th, because that's going to be fantastic It'll be, awesome, yeah, and then we're also. I have plans to start a young adults group, so if you are interested in that also, feel free to message, email or DMS on any of our social media.
Speaker 1:This is so cool so we've been talking about this that we, the church that we go to, doesn't have a huge amount of young adults. No, and we live in a state where it's almost like the Christians, kind of, are either in their segments or their their own little groups. Yeah, they don't really come out and join forces with other Christians, and so anyway. But Josiah has a heart cry. Obviously he's a young adult. To do more with young adults, meaning what age groups is.
Speaker 2:So young, young adults, meaning like, anywhere from, like, I think, out of high school till around 30,. 30 is about the age.
Speaker 1:I want I don't 30 to 30.
Speaker 2:And then at some point we'll have a 30 to like a middle age group of like 30 to 50 and then an older people's group, not because I want to separate everybody, but because I think it's important to have those age group similarities and also just have community with the same age group.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2:It's not like you have to split everybody up. There's going to be men's and women's groups at some point in the future too, but churches meant for just Sundays and Saturdays.
Speaker 1:So is this group going to be focused on worship, or is it going to be other activities or what Like? What kind of young adults would want to partake in this?
Speaker 2:This is going to be a mixture of community and also Bible study, because I think it's very important for our generation to be founded in the Bible, because when we're faced with different things, I think it's important. Right now I'm in the book of Proverbs and I've been reading and just listening to it as well as I'm driving and stuff, and it's really important because there's a lot of stuff that's like man, if I just knew this like, if I just like aligned myself with what this wisdom is in Proverbs, I think my life would be so much easier and look way different. And so I think it's important for us to be founded in the Bible as young people so that we can raise when we do get married and we do raise to children, that is, we have good principles to give our children.
Speaker 1:So I also want to so instead of, and Lou of, the more about us section. I think we're kind of giving more about us right now, so I also want to just give a shout out to Josiah. He's going to hate that I'm doing this, but so for the worshiping musician summit or workshop that we just did, manuel, hey, manuel, he or the Manuel asked his airmano to write a song and then out of that Godbirth, two songs.
Speaker 1:Josiah has a very strong songwriting ability and I personally think and we can talk about this in a future episode why it's important for you to release songs and sing songs that are written and born in your body regularly, because it carries a certain authority and anointing and it doesn't have to be a blockbuster song or anything. It's just going to release something blockbuster in your body but out of your sphere of influence. But Josiah did this and if you want a chance to listen to that, you can check out. We live stream our open water. So last week, last Saturday, we did an open waters October. That would be October. What Josiah? October?
Speaker 2:That was going to be the October 28th, so October 28th.
Speaker 2:So if you go to YouTube, and it will be there for you. Yeah, open waters, worship, and just add something to that, because I think open I mean sorry, I don't mean to catch up, but worship is really important and especially I talked to someone leadership and Manuel is. I think about this, but it's like, if you're seeing other people's songs, it's like you're trying to become two arrows instead of being the spearhead you're supposed to be, and you're trying to be split and it's. It's not split minded, because that's not what I'm saying, but it's like having a dull blade, because you guys aren't all focused on one thing. But if you sing songs that are from your house, meaning you're like you're, you're part of the body of Christ, it kind of sharpens that, that spear, and allows you to go straight for what your house is targeted at.
Speaker 1:Wow, what a good analogy. Yeah, let's have a, let's have a podcast about that. Yeah, you sure, so maybe we can have a man on.
Speaker 2:Oh, by the way, we will have a special guest sometime soon here. You don't even know who I talked about too, ooh yay, I'm excited. It's going to be two people, by the way, so you probably know who it is. Now you know who it is. Maybe I can say who it is. I'm not going to say who it is. I already have an idea.
Speaker 1:I said too much, anyway, so I just want to say so the open waters worship. If you go to that live stream that after we live stream it always posts on YouTube. On October 28th you said 28th.
Speaker 2:The 28th on YouTube. So just check out open waters and it'll be there.
Speaker 1:One of those songs is one of the songs that Josiah wrote, and so, anyway, I'm proud of him because he sang it and he didn't really want to do it, but I'm proud of him that he did, and it did really something beautiful in our midst when he sang that. So let's go ahead and go on to our topic for this week, which is I kind of alluded to it earlier, you did you did.
Speaker 2:What is it, josiah? And so we are talking about living being a living sacrifice. I'm going to go ahead and read a verse for you guys. This is going to be Romans 12, 1 and 2. I went to a men's group and this is kind of what was the focus for one of those weeks, and I'm going to be reading from the New King James Version. And it says I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that I present your bodies as a living, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove that what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So just kind of to give that into summary, is that we're still. I think it's important for us to not just live a Sunday life. You know what I'm saying when you're perfect, you give yourself up on Sunday mornings where you sing and worship God with your tithes, with your giving, with your worship. But I think it's important that we do that every day.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And it's not just a Sunday thing, and that's why I'm very much for the community things like the young adults group and the men's group. I go to men's group for new creation. It's awesome, and it's because church was never meant to be a one day thing and not more than that. I think us as people, we tend to get focused on different things, but instead this verse is saying to live um, live for Jesus in everything we do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at work, at school, at church, at, uh, when you're driving, when you get angry, are you living for God, even when you get angry at people who that cut you off and stuff like that? Yeah, and so you can worship God by just saying, hey, bless you, instead of flipping somebody off in person because your entire life is, uh, offering living sacrifice, as the verse says. So just want to start that off, Wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean I love that, just I. I love how you even talked about this in our last of the waters, about being a living sacrifice and kind of. When you brought this topic up to me, what really hit me was the idea of I've been looking into because I've been doing Manuel's um from worshiping musician I've been doing his 30 day devotional. We went to a workshop and included that in there, so I started. It talks about what your purpose is and then it asks some questions of you and one of them was what is your direction? And then, do you believe you're a Levite? And I was. I started, I was really thinking and I've been thinking about this lately because I've always had, I know, different worship teams have their ideas of what um, what like the criteria of what it should look like Right for?
Speaker 1:being on a worship team and I really love the current team that we're on, because some teams are more evangelistic in that they'll allow even non-safety people to be on the team, but for me that's not something that I I don't identify with that either.
Speaker 2:If I'm going to, can we discuss this really quick before you move on?
Speaker 1:Sure, sure. Is that okay without distractia? No, it's okay. Or on the cruise spot.
Speaker 2:I think it's important to have a criteria because it's um, back in the day in in the Bible it's, it was talked about the Levites and how we were responsible for different things. But we were. It was the kind of like the order of operations was the priests were the highest and then you had the Levites which were responsible underneath them, and so I think personally I, I I'm not going to invite somebody that is unequally yoked to be on the team, because it's kind of like you can only go as so far I think, in the worship team as the the deepest relationship with God and so because I think when you, when you have no knowledge of how to operate in the spirit, you're going to limit everybody else, which is not, which is not a bad thing.
Speaker 2:There's need for it to give them a place to operate, because I think it encourages them to dive deeper quickly, yeah, and so there's place for it. But I think for open waters and for new creation, I think we are wanting mature Christians that are set apart, concentrated, so yeah.
Speaker 1:I agree, and I think for me there's always this is my standard. And then there's a caveat if the Holy Spirit says, do this, then I do that, and I think that keeps me from being religious and keeping things in a box to where I cannot hear the spirit of God on something. So anyway, which is part of being a living sacrifice, because it means that I'm continually sacrificing my will to his will, even if I don't like what he's saying, because I don't like that, but I want to be open and be a sacrifice to what he wants of Abba al-Assad.
Speaker 1:I know ultimately it's for the good of everyone and its love, so anyway. So as far as the Levite thing. So I started to really think about this Levite idea and I think it's really important. Yes, we are Levites on the worship team we are leading. It doesn't matter if you are a flag person, if you're the lead vocalist, if you're the pastor or the director of the team or you're in the audience or if you're in the audience like Connie May.
Speaker 1:Hey, connie May, everybody loves Connie May. She is a worshiper in the audience and Pastor Natalie recognizes that even from the audience. She's not on stage, she isn't yet. I believe she'll be in the future but she is, and not that you have to work your way up. It's just there are positions for people in the audience that are leaders in worship and they're pushing you know, they're pushing people too into the presence and pushing the presence of and allowing the presence of God to be there, and so that's, I believe, there. Yes, we are Levites. So I looked it up. Is it okay if I share this? I looked this up on the Bible project.
Speaker 2:Can I say one thing though? Yeah, sure, go ahead. And so I think it's really cool that Connie is not on the stage she quite yet, and not because I don't want her to be I would love to worship her but I think it's cool to see that, and it's a good example of what you know how worship should be. The stage, yes, it may be elevated, but it's not elevated in the spirit. We're all in the equal playing field, and so when you I think a lot of the times us as people decide that, hey, they're on the stage, they must be more powerful or more potent in their worship. It's not necessarily the case.
Speaker 2:We may be more trained and more skilled, but you have an anointing on your voice, regardless or not to be a worshiper, every person releases a unique sound.
Speaker 1:We've talked about that before, so this is really cool. So in the Bible project I looked up you know what does a Levite mean? And I really want to. Actually, I'm so spurned to do, spurned on to do more, more research, research into this, but it says being the firstborn.
Speaker 1:So this is, this is about like what the Levite Levite is, being the firstborn is about being uniquely responsible, an extra layer of responsibility and representation of the Father. The Levites, as a clan, are put into that place. This is all mapping back in onto Eden out of the dust of the land. God forms one unique, priestly representative pair in the Garden of Eden. They get to be close to the presence of God Yahweh more than anybody else. But it's dangerous. That's what the that's what Leviticus taught us many times over. Yahweh's presence is good, it sustains our lives, and it's dangerous and can end our lives.
Speaker 1:The Levites, live in close proximity to the tent, acting as facilities and maintenance. This puts this clan at a unique level of responsibility and privilege and also a unique place of danger, and so it's not the danger part of it, I think what it is is just this, this when you are a Levite, you realize it's that sacrifice you are laying your life down and you understand that you are close to the tent. Which is the tent, is his presence, it's meeting with him, it's where the priest would go in and encounter the presence of the Lord.
Speaker 1:You know if they would put the bells on, you know, because if they had sinned or they hadn't, whatever they had a speck of anything, they would be dragged out.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's why.
Speaker 1:So of course, you have to live your life as a living sacrifice. You have to continuously be in communication and it's not a fear thing in the essence of I am afraid of God. It's a awe thing and it's a. For me it's kind of like what we talked about last week Intimacy has become so important to me. It's about that intimacy with him. I want to be close to him. I want to be so close to him, I want to be centered on him so that I can hear from him, so that I can do what I feel called to do, which is to enter his gates and to receive what is heaven doing, what is heaven saying, what is God doing, and release that on earth. And I can't do that if I'm not living my life as a sacrifice, which means being intimate, which means when you are in an intimate relationship with somebody, there's, there's a check in, there's a. You have to have touch points, you have to have communication, you have to have heart to heart checks.
Speaker 1:You have to, and I don't live for me. I mean, it's not that I don't have a voice, it's not that I don't, but like with a good husband, like I have, I don't have to worry that you know he's gonna overrun me and I'm not gonna be taken care of. That I don't have a voice. I have that with God. He's a good, good father who only knows how to give good gifts, so it's like. But I live with my myself as a sacrifice.
Speaker 2:So hey there, sorry for the interruption. Just wanted to say, if you haven't already rate and reviewed this podcast, it would mean the absolute world to us If you could rate and review and share this with somebody you know. That way we can get the word out and we can help other people dive deeper into God's open waters. Now let's get back to the podcast.
Speaker 1:Anyway, no, yeah, long dissertation that I do every time.
Speaker 2:No, it's awesome and you know. You said a lot there and I'm trying to find a place to jump off into something. Yeah but Well, I'll say something about the Levites. They were the people that I think I touched on this just a little bit, but we were the people that carried out, carried the veil when they were take, take down the tent, we would take down the veil and then the you would cover the, the Ark of the Covenant, and put the poles into it so that can be carried.
Speaker 2:and then we were, we were responsible for that Heard, the prepare we were prepared, the place for the holy of holies, for the priests to go in, and then we also Were musicians, singers and musicians and I believe the the temple of David I believe it is the ones that he hired all like All of the the best musicians and stuff like that, and so we were also supposed to be trained.
Speaker 2:Well, that's something that Manuel has a really big passion for is training and upbringing worshipers and musicians. So, if you love music and love theology within music, go check out the worshiping musician podcast. But, as a Levi or, we're called, like you said, to be set apart, and there is a couple things that we need to to live by, and One of those things that was in the Bible is I. If you go to the story of Samson, it's it talks about how he he was called to be a Levi and a judge also, but he was not called to not touch wine, touch anything dead, and so it is important what you Wait, you had come in contact with, and so that and it's a sacrifice sometimes, because sometimes you a lot of those things.
Speaker 1:They're like well, it's permissible, yeah, like it's not, it's not wrong. But there's a sense of I need to just lay down for a sacrifice and it's not a religious thing, it's a love thing. Yeah, it's completely born of love. Yeah, not a duty, because you can't earn it. Jesus already earned it. So it's not an earning thing, it's not a I'm gonna be holier if I do this. No, it's, it's just a sacrifice and it's more for you. It doesn't. It's not for God, it is for God.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, because you're gonna. You somehow are making yourself holier in God's presence. You are holy because he is holy, and when she god looks at you, he looks at Jesus yeah once you just realize it's all Jesus, then it becomes much simpler, and instead of us.
Speaker 2:But anyway, I was listening to Billy Graham and one of the things that I've been listening to him a lot right recently. Last night I listened to him and he's awesome. By the way, if you have it, you just go to YouTube and search a Billy Graham tons of them, yeah and so one of the things he said is that pretty much I think I lost it, which is okay, but we were talking about this earlier because I thought it was really cool that your oh well, you're great grandpa, yeah, yeah with and I would work at the conferences one of the things, yeah, he said is that that, pretty much, the Lord sent the Ten Commandments knowing that we couldn't achieve them, yeah, and that he all had to be Jesus, you know, and him working through us.
Speaker 2:Actually, yeah, followed the law of the Ten Commandments, and I thought that was cool because it's like, you know, how many times do we fall apart and, you know, just not able to follow what God's told us to do or follow the commandments, you know.
Speaker 1:And I'm thinking, was that all you're saying? That? No, keep going, yeah, talk I'm thinking if Jesus could embrace the cross and become the ultimate sacrifice, can we not Just offer our lives as living sacrifices to him for the joy set before us, which is him? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Couple of the things that I do that I've given up is I think I've talked I've talked about this many times on the podcast but one of the things I've done is I've completely cut out secular music or Anything that's not like Christian or gospel music, besides maybe, instrumental music, and that's it. And that's mainly because you know, I feel it simple. This is what I do. It's pretty much set myself apart and sacrifice different things and set my life up as it should be, and it's because I feel like music is really important and what you're putting into your soul, your eyes we thought we had an episode a while ago about the gates of art to our heart or the gates to our soul.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's. It's our eyes, our mouth and then our ears too, and so what you eat, what you hear and what you see, it's all the five senses. So what you touch, what you think, and so what music affects a lot, because a lot of the times, music is just there's only two sides to the coin. Okay, everything in life is a coin. Either you're doing living for God or you're living not for God. I think if I'm going to listen to sexual music, it's just I'm going to be all the way. You can't be living for God while listening to craft music, and so not saying you can't, but I think it has heavy influence on your life if you're listening to craft music.
Speaker 1:So sacrificing that was one of the biggest things, so yeah, Wow, that's cool, I think for me I've had to really lay down what I watch. Nothing. I can't watch suggestive things because, yeah, it takes me down a path. I've had to do more fasting of food to just kind of, because I find that food brings me comfort. And then I've also had to really, really just focus on the first fruits. I need to get the word. I want the word in my heart, I want a center, like today I went through and did my Bible app, but then I'm and I just did it quick and then I stopped and I said, lord, what do you want to say to me today? And just listen for what he wanted from what? To just have that connection with him.
Speaker 1:So those are some of the things that I've done to just kind of establish that, yeah, living sacrifice in my life. And then I think we went to see the after death movie and several things struck me, but one of them was I've really tried to make it a goal to love, love the one in front of me, and that doesn't mean being a pushover just to put that out there, because I have tended to be a pushover, but just to really love the person in front of me whether it's you right now, josiah, or our audience that's listening, or the barista at the coffee shop, or the audience that we're singing to, or the band that we're leading, but to love the one in front of me, however that love looks, and so I really. I think those are things where I've really tried to open up, being a living sacrifice.
Speaker 2:I just want to break down this verse just a little bit and just going to read the verse one of Romans, chapter 12, verse one. And it says I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. There's another version that talks about I believe it's NIV that talks in. It says I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the view of God's mercy, offer yourself up as a living sacrifice, wholly and pleasing to the Lord, for this is your true and proper worship. And so just that first part. You know this is one of the disciples talking to us and talking about in God's mercy. We can't come to God as a living sacrifice without first coming through His mercy, and that was because His blood was spilled on the mercy seat. And so I think it's important to first acknowledge that there's an order to these things. We can't become a Levi, we can't be set apart until the blood of Jesus was spilled.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:It required the blood of Jesus, and this is why everything is so simple. It's not simple, but it is simple, and it's just the blood of Jesus it really did do wonders for us, like literally, it's everything for us. It's literally the reason we should give up our lives as a living sacrifice, and so, by the mercies of God or in the view of God's mercy through His Son, we can't present ourselves as a living sacrifice. He died so we could have life, an eternal life, and so I think it's also this verse saying he gave us eternal life, but it's now our job to live because he gave our life, it's why he gave His life for us, and so it's important to make sure that we're living a life that is a sacrifice. Yeah, it's like he died.
Speaker 1:I mean, he rose again clearly.
Speaker 1:He's not on this earth anymore. No, he's in heaven. But now we are alive and living sacrifices on the earth, his living sacrifices on the earth. I wanted to read this in the Passion Translation Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God's marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God, to be His sacred living sacrifices and live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart, where this becomes your genuine expression of worship. I like that. I like it that it's to read in the Passion, because it kind of just puts it in that love perspective. Josiah, you also said was there something else you wanted to say about that in particular?
Speaker 2:No, what were you going to?
Speaker 1:say you had talked about Abraham and Isaac. Did you want to bring that aspect in? Let's bring that up in a second.
Speaker 2:I guess I do have something here. I think it's important to note that it's about loving Jesus and be living in holiness. Do you want to read that? Just surrender ourselves to God and be His sacred living sacrifices. To be His sacred living sacrifices, yeah, and live in holiness, experiencing all that he delights His heart. Yeah, that's awesome. I like that a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that, experiencing all the delights His heart.
Speaker 2:I just want to stop there and say how cool is it to be able to delight the God of everything. Does that make sense? Yeah, Thank you. The fact that he can find pleasure on anything in this sin-ridden world, you know, I'm saying and yeah. We are bringing delight to God and that's through our holiness, through living it being a living sacrifice. I think that's super cool.
Speaker 1:And I think it's. It's interesting because it does our flesh wars against this. But the reason why we live in that Sacrificial place is not because, again, we need to take some kind of punishment and we need to earn something. Jesus already did that. Read the book Unpunishable by Danny silk. But it's because he wants us to experience all that life, his heart.
Speaker 1:Yeah he wants us to live in that place of delight. He didn't die for nothing. He didn't die as though we lived in misery and even when we're going through traumatic and hard things in life, we can. We have dual citizenship. We don't have to live in that misery place Because there's a greater reality. Yeah, like I just want to say, even in that after death movie it talked about how the people it almost it was like when they they have these near-death experiences and de's, when they crossed over it wasn't like they died. I mean, it didn't feel like they died, they actually felt like they were becoming more alive and so, um, yeah, I was gonna how that apply.
Speaker 1:I forgot how. I'm gonna apply that but it was like this is like this reality here, they said a lot. People said it was like this was dreaming, it's like this was a movie or like this was sleeping, and that reality was like the real, like the real alive, the real, the real, this. And so, even though it's, we do live here and this is a training ground and it is real there's something even more real that's in the end scene.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I Was. This is what I was gonna say about Billy Graham, and so he was talking about. Sorry, I don't mean, this is kind of like taking out a little bit of a turn but he talked about how. You're talking about setting ourselves as a living sacrifice which comes out of cost to us, which is okay because God gave everything for us. It's okay for us to give a little couple cents for like the poor, poor lady coming in the Bible and giving her two cents, right in To ties her little everything might, her widow's might.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so that's pretty, it's. It really is what we give him, because he doesn't need anything we have to offer, but he still likes it. So yeah, and so he talked about how the rules and regulations that we have on ourself and for us, that's being Levites, consecrating our minds, consecrating our hearts, living in purity, being holy that comes out of cost, but those, those Restrictions don't actually restrict. It actually allows for more freedom and it allows for more operation of your life in better ways than could be operated if in pleasure and flesh and sin and Because and also doesn't leave death. That's pretty big plus also, and so I think it's important to notice that when we hear Phil, we can let me hear there's restrictions or there's rule sets or there's Like almost like a way to live type of deal which there is it's already in the book, the Bible, and it's not actually limiting, it's actually freeing and it gives us Way better life than we could ever have on our own living by our own means.
Speaker 2:So good, just so and that that is also what living as like a sacrifice is. Living according to what God has for us yeah, it's good.
Speaker 1:So just real quick, I think we need to kind of wrap this up. But what? What? You had a scripture verse and kind of related things to To Abraham and Isaac. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 2:and well, I didn't have a scripture verse for that, I just just thinking well, here's Isaac.
Speaker 1:He doesn't know what he's doing, he's referring to the situation in Genesis with Abraham and Isaac were.
Speaker 2:I, I think, I think a lot of the time, I Think maybe this is where I'll go with it is a lot of the time. I was raised in church and so it kind of felt like I was Isaac, my parents dragging me into the church. I Know if anybody could hear that glass breaking Okay and so. But like I was dragged to church and everything, so it kind of felt like I was Isaac getting forced upon the altar, being the living, forced to be a living sacrifice and forced to be a sacrifice.
Speaker 2:Yeah and not saying this is a bad way but I think after that Isaac had he was a few, has got allowed him to live, but I think Isaac came to a place of oh, now I get to have a relationship with God myself, and he did spare my life. Now I'm gonna have, I'm gonna have generations of kids. Therefore, this isn't written, but I'm just saying like. So I think there's some people that may feel like they're forced to be living Sacrifices, they're forced to go to church and there's a way they're, they're just starting to rebel. I think that's my generation, we're in that rebellion season and so there's so many, oh yeah anyway, there's also a remnant rising up.
Speaker 1:Do you know? There's so much revival happening. I guess. There's a movie coming out called Domino or something that's gonna be coming out on November 24th, and it talks about how this, there's this generation where there's major revival, baptisms and all sorts of things happening. I'm gonna help you. There's a hair there. We go near your eyes, anyway and there's major revival happening in your generation too. I think God's turning that around. Yeah, beautiful though that's, that's very interesting, I'm just I. So what? When you brought up Abraham and Isaac? The situation where Abraham had to offer his son a Living sacrifice?
Speaker 2:literally literally.
Speaker 1:And then God he did, he offered him. But then God said no, and it was you. And so God, even in the Old Testament, was looking at the heart of Abraham. Was he in a very literal example of a living sacrifice? Would he be willing? And just a sidebar, the whole thing with Jesus, a son, being sacrificed, isaac being, it sounds really gruesome. Like how can this God do something like that? That was their language of that day. God speaks in our language and that was the language of the day. They were giving their children up to Mollach. They were giving. That was like. That was like the pagan, and it's not that Israelites did that, it's just that was the way, this was their language, this was their culture.
Speaker 1:So God stepped into their culture and spoke their language. But that's a sidebar.
Speaker 2:No, yeah.
Speaker 1:But he literally gave a living sacrifice and it was about his heart. Was his heart willing? Was the living sacrifice to offer a living sacrifice which is fast forward to the New Testament.
Speaker 1:We don't, we don't we don't sacrifice anything about that right, but but God looks at our heart, so it's your heart, and your living sacrifice may look very different from another person's living sacrifice. It all varies. None of it's going to break the word of God. So there are lots of things that are permissible and then there are things that are no can do. Right, you're not supposed to do it Now you can ask forgiveness and stuff like that, but everybody's living sacrifice from their heart looks different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just kind of as like wrapping up, I think it's just important to know that. You know God gave up his life as a literal sacrifice, literally broken, beaten, bruised and bled for us. Yeah, I don't think people understand what the cross really is, because the death that was experienced on the cross is one of the most absolutely terrible ways to die. Yeah, and the fact that.
Speaker 2:Jesus said forgive them, for they know not what they do, as he's getting literally his legs broken and it just pierced in the side when he's dead and it's just passion of the Christ, because that comes the closest to reality with that, yeah. And so it's just realizing that now.
Speaker 2:how, how good of an honor, great of an honor is it to live for Christ right Live as Christ to die is gain, and I think that's important for us to understand is that, regardless what it looks like out in the world, regardless if people get persecuted, I think we have very, we're very, blessed here in the United States because we're not as not as persecuted yes, it may feel like we are, but in reality, compared to what the disciples went through most of them were martyred and killed for their belief, and so the fact that we're over here being able to live and we're still not doing anything with it, are we really living as living sacrifices?
Speaker 2:They lived and died as sacrifices to the Lord, but we get to live for the Lord as living sacrifices every day, in our jobs, in our workplaces, in our schools, and I think it's important to make sure that we're being that living sacrifice not just on Sundays, not just when we're at church or with other Christians, when you're by yourself in your room, when you're with your cultural friends, people that don't know Jesus, or you're at a coffee shop, and so just look for those areas. You can be. That's that, that living sacrifice, that example of Jesus on earth, and show people love.
Speaker 1:So anyway, god, help us to be more aware of this. This whole it's really an invitation to live as living sacrifices. Help us to know what that looks like for us. Help us to live every day with the awareness of that God and that our lives are living sacrifices. Help us, god. God help us, especially whether we live we're in an area of persecution around the world or we live in the United States. That is relatively comfortable. I just pray that you'd help us to be aware of this and help us to walk out when our flesh is, when our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. God, help us and help us in our unbelief. If the disciples had to pray that, why do we think we don't need to pray that? We just thank you, god, just bless all of our listeners with rich, rich, rich relationship with you and Jesus name.
Speaker 2:Amen, talk to you guys later.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:Peace out.
Speaker 1:Share, subscribe and wait Peace out.
