“Just Like Air, God is There”
EPISODE 236
Trust God's Transforming Power
Wouldn’t it be nice to fast-forward some parts of life that seem too slow like the dentist chair or a cringeworthy moment? But would you do that with your spiritual development that sometimes feels slow? You know God is at work, but it's hard to see real progress day-to-day. In this session of our Square One series, we're tackling one of the biggest questions in the Christian walk: "How will God work in me?" We dive into some powerful images from Scripture to get at the answer, like the vine and branches, walking in the Spirit, and what it means to go back to the garden. Transformation happens when we die to the old self and are raised to a new life where God partners with us. It’s about his power, not just our effort. Join us for the discussion, and get ready to envision the new person God wants to help us become!
Takeaways
The Big Idea: God will work in you as you yield to him in faith.
This Week's Challenge: Remember that sheet of paper where you listed all the unhealthy things you were ready to let go of? Now, on the right side of that same paper, make a list of all the wholesome, new things you’re ready for God to create in your life.
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Welcome and Introduction
Ryan: I bet if nothing else sticks with people who are listening to this I bet they remember that
Bryan: just
like
air, God
Ryan: God is there you can't necessarily see him, but he's working.
Bryan: Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Bible Geeks podcast. This is episode 236. I'm Bryan Schiele
Ryan: I'm Ryan joy
Bryan: and thanks so much everyone for tuning in. Here we are. We're in session 9. I've been looking forward to this session for a while now of our Square One series.
Reflecting on Spiritual Transformation
Bryan: Before we get into a conversation here about how will God work in me, we'll tackle that question here in just a bit, but let's follow up from our last discussion where we had this interesting challenge that I very much appreciated, which was anytime you use water to clean something, you know again thinking about baptism and the connection with Jesus, think about how God brings a spiritual transformation in baptism beyond anything we could clean with water alone.
Do you have any moments, Ryan, where you were like, "Oh,I see what we're doing here," as you're like washing your hand or a plate or something?
Ryan: Yeah, Adrian and I went away for a little bit one day and came back and there was a serious mess going on in our kitchen and so yeah, we were cleaning up washing the floors and the counters and
Bryan: It sounds like there's a story behind this, but maybe we don't have time
Ryan: a story. But yeah, no know, it's we're all we always talk about The constant move towards entropy which our house is a perfect case study for with four kids that are always in our home
Bryan: study
Ryan: Yes, and the work of God and what he wants to do to bring his ordered Restful rule and the clean heart to bring to us I can see how all of that all of this is a spiritual perspective.
What about you?
Bryan: We, at work, I bring my lunch to work and we have these like plastic food service containers that I, you know, usually bring my food in and we don't have a kitchen at my office There's no kitchen, so there's no like easy spot to clean stuff up except for in the bathroom. It's like the tendency is sometimes to just like do like a camp clean, you know, like wipe it out with a with a napkin or something like that, but like sometimes it's bad enough where you actually have to head into the bathroom to like, you know, wash a dish out or something like that.
And this past week I was doing that and as I'm sitting there in the bathroom like cleaning this out, I'm like, "Wait, yeah, in a real way this is how God is, you know, cleaning me out and, making me something new and clean." And it's a lot better than the napkin-based camp cleanup that I might do in my cubicle, for sure.
Ryan: I Was just teaching on Ezekiel and how God is trying to clean this pot and He gets to where there is nothing to do but to burn it up and destroy it and melt it down
Bryan: Throw it in
the
Ryan: draw. So yeah, I mean that's that's another metaphor for cleaning but It's this this fire that God is transforming us with
How Will God Work in Me?
Bryan: so moving in here to session nine as we get into this question, "How will God work in me?" And again, we're talking about walking in newness of life. The idea here in this discussion is about walking with Jesus. died with Jesus in repentance.
We talked about being buried with Jesus in baptism, and now we're talking about raising to a new life where God works in us. And this one, I think, completes the picture that we find in places like Romans 6, 7, and 8, like Colossians 3, in Galatians elsewhere. the idea that God is doing an amazing thing in us as we unite ourselves with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Ryan: Yeah And the other aspect of this that we keep talking about is that this is the how will God work in me? Aspect as we continue to work with God as we obey him as we put our trust in him God is doing something And so Ephesians 3 Paul says now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine According to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church he will show himself to be who he is as he makes us into something new something We wouldn't be without his lead and power
Bryan: And I hope we'll see that in this conversation, that God is the one doing the work. Let's get into our first section here, which is part one as we kick this thing off with a, you know, agricultural-based hook. I'm excited about that. And then a little bit of an icebreaker, and then we'll come back and talk about it.
Speeding Up Time: An Icebreaker
Bryan: All
Square One - 9: This is square one. How will God work in me? Have you ever watched a plant grow? Maybe some flowers or a tomato vine in your yard? If you've ever tried your hand at a backyard vegetable garden, you know it usually takes some patience and effort to finally grow something you could eat. You might stare at a plant for hours on end and not see anything.
You'd think nothing would ever happen. That's why nature photographers like to set up those time-lapse videos where over the course of a few minutes, you can watch seasons change, seeds sprout into trees, and trees grow fruit. Our spiritual transformation can feel slow too, like sitting and watching a tree grow.
But God does make the tree grow and he does bring new life to those who walk with him. So if you could speed up time on some part of life like a time-lapse video, what would it be?
Bryan: All right, so if you could speed up time for some part of your life, Ryan, like a time-lapse video, you know, hit the fast-forward button. What would it be and why?
Ryan: Such an interesting exercise to try to think about pushing the fast-forward button on your life the idea of growing into a better person is tempting, but I know it's about the journey There's this story that it made me think about of this boy who had a ball of string That he could pull when he wanted his life to speed up So every time he was bored in class, he'd pull the string and over time he got in the habit of speeding up Any unpleasant part of his life, but he got to the end of his life and realized he'd missed half of it cuz he just pulled away.
So so, you know, there are things that we don't want to go through But we benefit from them and I would say the first thing I thought of is if I was still traveling a lot for work I might say hotel nights without my family which are miserable I know you still end up doing
Bryan: I do.
Ryan: a lot of times and that's that's rough But I think I will go with all the time in the chair at the dentist or dental hygienist
Bryan: Ooh,
Ryan: seems to just stretch on forever while they're doing their work I appreciate what they do, but it is not pleasant.
So just speeding that up I don't feel like I would miss very much, you know,
Bryan: have a literal answer to this question, an actual tangible answer to this question a week or so ago. And I've told the story on the podcast before, but my childhood home movies are digitized, and my family can watch them whenever they want. so I was... I came into the room the other night, and Sharilyn, and my wife, is watching a video of me dressed up as Batman, standing in one place completely motionless for almost like 60 seconds, as the Batman theme played on TV behind me.
And I don't know, as like an eight or nine year old, what I was thinking about recording myself dressed up as Batman with the Batman theme playing behind me, but they were just laughing and laughing. And I was like, you know, not only do I want to fast-forward that moment, but I also want to fast forward this moment.
As they're all laughing at me, and so... There are a lot of those like embarrassing, cringe-worthy moments that I would definitely skip through if I could.
Ryan: I Am so glad that my family were not home movie makers I the pictures are bad enough
Bryan: Imagine having to watch your eight or nine year old self dressed up as Batman thinking
Ryan: No, thank you.
Bryan: Moving on.
The Purpose of This Conversation
Bryan: All right, so part two, we'll get into it and talk about the purpose of this conversation. Dig into a really powerful passage in John 15, where Jesus talks about being the vine and us being the branches, and then we'll get into our reach-out question.
Square One - 9: Let's get into it and put our trust in God's transforming power. As we've seen, we must die to our old life of sin and be buried in the waters of baptism.
And by the power that rose Jesus from the grave, we can rise to new life. We're reborn of the Spirit, born of God, and everything starts fresh. Jesus compared being born of the Spirit to the way the wind moves around us unseen. We know it's there as it whistles through the trees, rustling leaves. Likewise, we don't see the Spirit, but we see the Spirit's impact on our lives.
Or to change the image, Jesus describes the work in us like a grapevine giving life and growth to the rest of the plant. He said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing." So here's the big idea. God will work in you as you yield to him in faith.
To be raised with Christ means a total mindset transformation with new perspectives, goals, and a changed way of living. Our shackles of slavery to sin are broken and God sets us free, bringing life and peace as we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, God's Spirit who dwells in us. So we lean on God, plant his word in our hearts, and continually pray for his help.
We're not calling the shots anymore and we're not alone as we try to change. Right after the Bible says to work out your salvation, it tells us that it's God who works in you to will and to work for his good pleasure. So who do you want to be that you know you need help to become?
Bryan: a perfect reach-out question, right? It's like, it's all about growth and development, and how we're not where we want to be, and where we could be but aren't yet, and like, so where do you want to be that you know you can't get there on your own?
Ryan: Yeah, yeah, it's so wide open and I think the the biggest challenge that I constantly see in Becoming all that I want to be is help skillfully balancing life I want to be the fantastic husband that Adrian needs I want to be an amazing dad to these very particular kids that need particular things I want to be immersed in prayer all the time and have regular periods with God I want to be a servant of the church and a good news messenger to the world and I want to manage my life wisely Spending my time well, you know in my health and our house and our finances and personal growth So like there's all these things you can kind of see like the pie splitting up or something, right?
and with four homeschooled kids and a demanding job, I love commitment to following Christ There is just never enough time or energy to do everything Well, the thing that I really struggle with and I'm constantly praying into is What do I need do this?
Well, how do I how do I choose? Carefully where to dedicate myself. How can I be efficient and fruitful? How can I be wise and do everything well or let the things that are a little less? important go to the side and make sure that I am Balancing all of this as God wants me to does that make sense?
It's like not one thing It's like how do I I have so many things that I know I need to be and want to be how do I? How do I juggle it all?
Bryan: I feel that in connection with like Proverbs 30, the words of Agur, when he's talking about, you know, feeding the food that is needful for me. It's like, I, if given my own direction in life, I would go to one extreme or the other, right? Like, I would, I would be out of balance. I would not find any sort of, like, happy medium anywhere, and what God can do that we can't do for ourselves is provide us with the things we need at the time we need it, and we don't always know what that is, but you know, being open to and prayerful about those things, I think it makes a lot of sense to me, and I mean, for me, it really connects a lot with what I was thinking about, too, is that idea of balance.
When you think about all the things that you want to become, that I want to become, you know, I want to be someone who's mature, and wise, and humble like Jesus is, and the more you start to look at the character of Jesus, there's so much there, you know? To be a disciple of Christ, aside from, you know, all the relationships and things we've talked about, hats that you wear, you know, all of the characteristics and qualities that Jesus exhibits, I want all of those.
Like, I want to become that, and to be able to be that way is also, there's a balance there, right? It's an understanding that, I can't be always, focused on one of these aspects. I have to find a good mix of them in my life, and, like we talked about there in John 15, verse 5, "I am the vine, you are the branches.
If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." And when I let that sink in, that verse, "Apart from me, you can do nothing," it pretty much sums it up, right? Like, if it's up to me, I am doing nothing well, I'm living out of balance, I'm focused on the wrong things, I might be trying to push forward in one area or another, but I'm not leaning heavily on God's power when I'm in charge, when I'm leading.
So, without the Lord at the center of it all, without God in control, without Jesus providing the life-giving source, a mess.
I'm a wreck, pretty much.
Ryan: love that idea Letting Christ be the source of life apart from me You can do nothing the fruitfulness that we want comes with our effort, but it's a different kind of effort It's an effort of leaning into him rather than an effort of I got this I'm gonna make it happen and it's it's just yeah moving towards Christ Constantly lets us find fruitfulness that sometimes you're like, wow, where did that come from?
I've been praying this for a while and here it is, you know
Walking by the Spirit
Bryan: So then we move into part three in the discussion where we get into the book again, we've been in the book already, but we're gonna get into Galatians verses 16 This verse is where you thought we were going, you know, when talking about the old life of sin and the new man, the new walk, and of course the fruit of the Spirit, this is such a helpful verse to read, we'll talk about it a little bit and then we'll be back to read it.
Square One - 9: We've been talking about putting to death our sinful desires and walking as a new person, but it might be helpful to realize that it's not a one-time shift, but a daily battle.
Every day we choose to let go of unhealthy, prideful, selfish desires and choose better. It's described throughout scripture as a walk and we take it one step, one decision at a time. In Galatians 5, the Bible gives two lists, first outlining the works we do when we follow our flesh, then describing the fruit God's spirit produces in us as we follow his lead.
So read Galatians 5, 16 to 26 together to see the contrast between our old life and the daily transformation of the new. After reading, take some time to discuss it. How does the comparison to walking help you understand better the changes called for?
Ryan: All right, so we're going to read from Galatians 5 16 to 26 And then we'll we'll have some conversation about it But I say walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh Where where these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law now the works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmity strife jealousy fits of anger rivalries dissensions divisions envy drunkenness orgies and things like these
Bryan: " I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law, and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
Ryan: Yeah It's such a rich reading the works versus fruit led by our flesh versus God's Spirit and then these lists themselves But yeah that question about walking directs us to think about the lifestyle change Which is really the focus of this session and walking is a meaningful metaphor for life because well It kind of goes with the journey idea Like we were talking about not skipping the journey because you're walking through you're going somewhere Probably had even more meaning back in the day whenever they walk everywhere instead of driving to work
or
Bryan: point. I didn't even think about
Ryan: But you know, we're walking we're not sprinting and we can't stand still we put one foot in front of the other and we move forward Step by step and we're going somewhere We have a destination and a walk by the Spirit or to keep in step with the Spirit which is kind of a military way of talking about walking and marching tells us that.
we're not alone We're not walking by ourselves.
We're not even setting our own pace or our own destination God directs us in his word He's telling us where to go He leads us and strengthens us by his Spirit so that as Isaiah says waiting on the Lord You know not not jumping ahead not trying to take it on ourselves And he says those who do so will walk and not faint We're gonna be able to keep going keep walking and have strength from an endless source of strength that God gives us
Bryan: I was thinking about the idea that on a walk, like, you're constantly seeing the landscape change the longer you walk, the more the surroundings around you are going to be changing, and so, for all of us, I think we can connect with that.
I connect with that very deeply. It's like, we're either, growing or we're dying, there's always trade-offs to be made. Like, things are always changing when we are on a walk. Like, thinking spiritually from this passage, you know, when I'm being sinful, if I'm living that old life, walking in the old way, my prayer life, my hospitality, my studying, my compassion, all those things, they just suffer when sin is taking over.
It's like, I can't have both of them. It's, as Jesus said very clearly, you can't serve two masters. When I walk by the Spirit, though, it is natural for certain of these, quote-unquote "disposable things" to fade away. when I'm walking by the Spirit, things like callousness and skepticism and resistance to positive change and repentance, selfishness and unnecessarily comparing myself to other people, all those things just die away, and they fall off when I start living by the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the body.
It's not like, you know, it's not like I'm knuckling down. I love that phrase or that thought process. It's not like I'm, exerting my willpower to, like, stop doing all of these bad things. It's that I start doing the right things, that I put these things and I'm walking in them. I am making a trade-off,
things are changing for me as I walk. Every step that I take, I am moving in a more positive direction, and I don't have time for those things that I used to do a long time ago or even yesterday, right,
Ryan: there made me think of a line from Bob Dylan song that goes perfectly with this lesson He says something like those not busy being born are busy dying And that's you said, you know, you're always changing you're either growing or you're dying and I think one of the things that you are pulling out is really one of the most valuable insights into the process of growth for me as I think about you know for years as I've thought about how do we Develop people into the Lord and disciple them and it's what Jesus said about Those who have and those who don't have right that those who have more will be given and those who don't have Even what they have will be taken away
Bryan: Which sounds kind of unfair,
Ryan: it sounds unfair But it's you see it in all of your life and all of life around you You know that the rich get richer the poor get poorer, but like spiritually and in other areas But especially as we're thinking about it You want to know how to make the shift from like that downward spiral sometimes we find ourselves in and start going on this upward momentum where we've just got the big mo and we're moving in the right direction right and and the way that Jesus Describes it in Mark 4 and Matthew 13 different places is hearing hearing is the key word hearing God Listening to what God wants us to know and starting to see ourselves more clearly through his instruction Allows us to to do this what we said is the hardest thing to do is repentance But once we make that shift once we listen once we say, okay, I yield to you I'm gonna trust you then we are in this upward spiral And like you said the more you pray the more you study the more you're with those good people that are are in the church The more you're serving and obeying and trusting you do more of it now I'm I'm more grateful and the gratitude inspires me to better service and and it just all becomes this powerful life in you which is maybe a Very practical way of talking about the life in the spirit that the spirit brings to us as we follow him We find this new kind of strength that transforms us more and more and more But just as easily we can switch that off and start walking by the flesh and start that downward spiral again even though that's not what we're made for now we hopefully have turned the page from Romans 7 where sin is dwelling in us to Romans 8 where we are focusing on the things of the spirit and we have life and power in us but this is this is everything we're talking about.
This is the heart of the thing
Bryan: So what are we made for, Ryan?
Envisioning the New Creation
Bryan: Let's get into part four here where we go a little bit deeper, and we take a closer look at one of my favorite sections that we have done in this study so far, and that is looking back to creation, looking to the garden, the ideal, where we want to be back to someday. We'll talk about that here in this section, and then we'll ask the big question at the end.
Square One - 9: Ready to go deeper? The Bible opens with two chapters about creation.
The first starts in the beginning as God says, "Let there be light," initiating his creative work that brought order, fruitfulness, and life to the cosmos. The second chapter focuses on God's creation of humanity, sculpting a man of clay and then breathing life into him. Then God planted a garden in Eden and it flowed with rivers that watered it.
Humanity began in perfect harmony with God, each other, and even with the rest of God's created world. But tragically, after eating of a tree that God commanded them not to, they were exiled from the garden and the tree of life planted there. Nothing has ever been the same since. These chapters give us a lot to think about and the rest of the Bible continues to reflect on their meaning and implications.
As we considered way back in our session focused on what the Bible's all about. What's eye-opening for our study today about God's transforming power is how this same language describes our new life in Christ. It's as if we're back at the start of Genesis 1 and 2, enjoying a kind of life humans haven't known since the fall.
God's work of new creation and restoration began in Christ and continues in us. Anyone in Christ is a new creation. For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
God's blessing made creation flourish with fruitfulness. Now His life-giving power makes us bloom and grow as His spirit bears fruit in us. As we've read, Christ the vine is the source of our life, if we'll stay connected to Him, abiding in His words. As the garden flowed with life-giving waters, Jesus promised, "Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Now this He said about the spirit whom those who believed in Him were to receive. The Bible often uses water imagery for God's spirit. God saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ. Not only is the spirit Himself poured out, but God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
It's like rivers of living water. In the beginning, the Bible says, "God made the heavens and the earth. Someday a new heavens and a new earth will come, a garden city with the tree of life in its midst. There, the river of the water of life, bright as crystal flows from God's throne and we'll dwell with God there in joy, where God makes all things new."
It's the life you were made to enjoy, a home that makes the journey worth it all, where we'll delight in the Lord who has loved us forever. So here's the big question. Are you starting to envision the new kind of person God wants to help you become?
Bryan: alright, so fun discussion there. Here's the big question. Are you starting to envision the new kind of person God wants to help you become?
Ryan: Yeah, I mean I am starting to envision more and more as and I like connection between this and our exercise that we we do with
the Folded piece of paper we started it last time but we're starting to think about what it is?
that we're here for and what our potential is and the more I see that vision the more Inspired I am by it by this picture of new creation That Christ is bringing and the the passage that we quoted 2nd Corinthians 4 Really is a centerpiece to me of this whole thing that the God who said let light shine out of darkness Has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that their surpassing power Belongs to God and not to us.
In other words. I am a jar of clay.
Bryan: You're a vessel.
Ryan: I'm a vessel for God's power and God's light and the light that was created from the power of God Speaking so long ago and saying let there be light is the power that speaks in me and brings new light and new life in me the new creation that let light shine out of darkness that Speaks to the first day right at the end of that and there was day and there was night the first day Well, what happened on the first day of the week later on many times many years later?
Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week the beginning of new creation And so now I am having that new creation power that resurrection power in me It's so helpful to even talk about it the power of Jesus that that rose him from the dead already has risen my spirit from the dead and Someday will raise my body from the dead and I'll have a body like his but that idea that already right now I am a new heavens a new earth kind of a person I am living that way because my spirit is as it will be in that place I mean he's already begun that creation and I'm just becoming more and more prepared for that time in that place whenever everything is made right foot view that we're liking to take here in the square one Sessions helps me get a sense of who I am now this new identity and helps me answer the question What is God doing to help change me?
so what about you as you think about this and you envision the new kind of person God wants to help you become? Where are you starting to see that?
Bryan: The whole idea there that Paul is drawing out is just developed into the next chapter, and even chapter following that. But this idea is that, like in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, Paul says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." and as I start to envision the new kind of person God wants to help me become, this term "anyone" just jumped off of the page at me.
You know, that if anyone is in Christ. And there is this idea, and this may sound like a tangent, and I apologize for that, but like, in the world, we have people in different camps. We talked about it, like the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, right? We've got all this gatekeeping and partiality, and our life, our worldly life, the fleshly life right now, is is so factioned and, fractured in many ways.
And if anyone is in Christ, Christ is opening up this offer of new creation to anyone.
no matter who you are, it makes no difference. God can make you a new person. Leaving behind the old to walk as someone new, that is what Christ can do to anyone.
And it just helps me understand, like, I don't get to treat anybody differently. I don't get to show partiality. My whole goal in life is to extend that kind of mercy Jesus showed to me, to anyone else around me, and that's a game-changer in the way that I live.
Ryan: I think you're right on track with Paul's line of thinking with it because the verse before he says from now On therefore we regard no one according to the flesh So in other words anyone anyone in Christ is a new creation Don't look at them like who you think they are in the flesh or were in the flesh And like you said what that frees us up to do is as we judge others we judge ourselves and as we start to see others with their potential in Christ Then we start to see our potential in Christ and that power that we can see Yeah, you know even when we're looking at ourselves at our worst we can see okay Christ can create a new creation in me so that the oldest passed away and the new has Come and the the the tense of that is really the tension of this whole lesson, right?
That the old has passed away the new has come it is already here you rise from the waters of baptism You are a new creation and yet that work of creation Continues as you continue to let go of the old and become what you are,
Bryan: And the work
of death happens every day, you know. Like Paul said, I die daily. It's ongoing,
I mean, there are so many other opportunities for us to embrace that new creation in the way that we live and walk in this life. So just thinking about that has been really helpful for me.
The Challenge and Closing Thoughts
Bryan: Let's move on to our last part here, part five, where we wrap it all up, give a little bit of a challenge.
And then close with a closing blessing.
Square One - 9: God's life-giving work in our lives will always shine brightest compared to the disappointment and brokenness of our past.
So remember that sheet of paper where you listed all the unhealthy things you were ready to let go of? Now, on the right side of that same paper, make a list of all the wholesome, new things you're ready for God to create in your life. As you start the next conversation, take a moment to talk about what you noticed.
We've gone through quite a journey up to this point. So what's next? There's so much more to explore about Jesus, the Bible, about important questions regarding moral and social issues. But at this point, we need to tackle the most important question yet. What do I need to do to be saved? It's safe to assume that the answer isn't going to be surprising, considering how much we've covered already.
So may the Lord bless us as we ponder His power to bring renewal and rejuvenation to our lives.
Bryan: Okay, so that challenge,
we started it a couple of conversations ago, where we had them, write down on the left-hand side of the paper all the bad, hurtful, terrible things that happen in life you're ready to let go of. Now, it's time to write on the right side all the positive things that God is going to do or wants to do in your life.
And I think this turns out to be like a pros and cons list in a really practical way. So we'll talk about that on the next conversation that we have, so tune in next time for that. But I appreciate this challenge as a just a comparison between the two, because that's kind of what Galatians 5 was all about, right?
Ryan: and it goes back to that question we had of envisioning Are you beginning to envision the new kind of person God wants to help you become and writing things down?
you can see so clearly when you put it on paper I mean it's a way of confessing first who you are and what you need to change and then starting to set your aspirations and starting to see a picture of what God wants to create in you and so looking forward to talking about it as we actually go through that
A Closer Look: Leading the Discussion
Bryan: so let's stop here at the end of this discussion. Let us have a closer look as we share our thoughts on leading this session.
Bryan: Yeah, so it's a really powerful discussion, I think, in this series. And I feel really strongly that this conversation needs to happen early in someone's discipleship journey.
And that's, I think, why we wanted this here. Before the next session we'll talk about it will be more of a decision point moment, that's session But here I really do think this whole idea of putting to death the old man, being buried with Christ in baptism, and raising to walk in newness of life as God's new creation is an idea that is so fundamental to our life, to who we are as disciples of Jesus, but maybe doesn't get enough play.
Ryan: Yeah, and one of the reasons It's so important to have it here is because it can be a barrier to becoming a disciple It can be a reason someone gives I mean it happens all the time in my conversations with people that they just feel like they need to become this better person so that they can Become a Christian and it's like no that is not how it works and that is not biblical We need to get a scriptural view of the way Transformation works that it starts with our death and then as we raise to new life God is working with us and in us as we are changed
and How when we get to the next session session 10 and we're trying to get people to make that decision If they're still thinking I need to get strong enough to put off this old life and become my picture of Christianity Then they are missing the faith part of it Which is I am putting my trust in Christ to not only save me but to Sanctify me and to help me be who I need to be as I pour myself into it certainly But it's gonna take God partnering with me throughout
Bryan: And I think that's been at the core of this discussion, you know, as we've really been focused on the work that God does. It started right in the beginning with part one, where we were talking about gardening, right? And the Bible makes this point a lot, like you plant the seed, you put some water on it, you don't know how it grows, like that's up to God.
God's the one doing the work. And sometimes it just feels like the work is going so slow. And wouldn't it be nice if we just fast-forward and see things moving in some quicker pace? And so the idea here of like this time-lapse footage of a plant growing or whatever, I think it's a really helpful way of thinking about our development and our walk, because it, yeah, it's absolutely not going to come overnight, and it's not gonna come as fast as we think it should.
But like we sing that song, "In His Time," it's gonna happen in the Lord's time and on His timetable, that is why we're called to wait on the Lord for sure. So part two, we move into a discussion about the vine and Jesus being the vine in John 15, and I think this section of Scripture really anchors itself in nicely with this idea of God doing the work again, Him being the
Ryan: Yeah, the vine.
and the wind those two metaphors for God's work are so helpful as a person is contemplating change We can tend to think of Christian change the same way people in the world approach New Year's resolutions like, I'm just gonna try really hard to do this and of course they all fall apart and you have no faith in it because you're just trying to set a goal that really has very little eternal meaning oftenand Then you're trying to just do it yourself and when we have God's power in us as the vine that is bringing life to us or if we can see that the Spirit is is like the wind and working when we can't seeit's really helpful I once heard someone do a kids class where they blew up balloons and then let them go and they you know How kids like rhymes, you know, it can stick with a kid when you hear a rhyme So they talked about how we can't see the air but just like air God is there
Bryan: Oh yeah. Oh boy.
Ryan: and so God's Spirit and the life-giving power of Christ are at work in us as we yield to him and let his words abide in us And that's I bet if nothing else sticks with people who are listening to this I bet they remember that
Bryan: just
like
air, God
Ryan: God is there you can't necessarily see him, but he's working.
Bryan: Oh man. Now I'm thinking of that 80s song, "He's Like the Wind."
Ryan: Oh,
Bryan: that's, sorry about that.
Ryan: Patrick Swayze
Bryan: Swayze, yeah, okay, sorry. Anyway, this whole idea of God's transforming power and all of the life-giving connection that we have in Christ, it is gonna be tempting to want to throw like a checklist at somebody with all the new things that they need to do.
That's often how I think we view this, like I need to do this and be this way and change this, but that's such a hollow view, I think, of the richness that's being explored here in this passage. you used a word a couple times there, you said, "We try." You said that a few times, like, "We try." And do or do not, there is no try, like just, for a lot of us that's the way we view it, right? But I think Yoda was wrong, like it's not about us doing it and us knuckling down with our willpower.
Yes, dedicate ourselves to it and we commit to it, but it's God who's working within us and that is such a helpful reminder. especially as we move into part three, thinking about this comparison with the fruit of the Spirit compared to the old life of sin, fruit of the Spirit is just a powerful view, not a checklist, not a like, "I have to have more of these, things in my life every day, I've got to knuckle down and do, you know, these things."
It's about letting the Spirit transform us in these ways.
Ryan: Now I just want to nerd out about the Yoda thing and how Because it's about faith. It's about belief. There's what he's talking about there the power isn't in our belief the powers in God He just needs a little bit of belief a little bit of faith.
We give him, you know I believe Lord help my unbelief and so we we turn to him and we trust in him and then we Faith isn't faith without actually trusting him enough to yield to him and submit to him obey him and so we're trying to put our lives under him and Yeah, I think this section 3 is about that.
It's about walking with someone It's about I am NOT alone I am walking with the Spirit and this reading is going to hit people because you know you can relate in some ways to the works of the flesh, but the fruit of the Spirit are so powerful are so meaningful to all of us Everybody wants peace and joy and love and self-control and you start to see the power of gentleness That Christ wants us to be, you know kind all of these things it is creating that vision we talked about that other side of the paper where you could just make that list and you start to Have the sense of what it's gonna look like for Christ to live in
Bryan: And maybe on a technical note, as you're having these conversations with somebody, because you're listing off a lot of really heavy things, especially on the fleshly side of it, be prepared to maybe talk about some of them if they have questions, to be able to clarify what some of the words mean if they don't understand.
Maybe it'll take some more time for some of them, so maybe if you have to write down their questions about these particular things and come back to it later, it is a lot to digest in one reading. And of course, it's very short, it's only a few verses, but it's so dense and there's a lot there, especially things that you
might get tripped up on.
So be prepared for that as you're having this conversation, to be able to sherpa them through this part of the discussion, for sure. So moving on to part four, then, as we get into this really helpful picture, of new creation. And the idea of going back to the garden is like a constant theme throughout the Bible, The idea that we are going back to the ideal that God set up from the beginning. And so having this conversation about the new creation, the new work, the life-giving water, all the things that we see here in these pictures of creation back in Genesis 1 and 2, hopefully we'll have a hope-filled destination at the end of this, you know, somewhere where we're looking forward to, where all of these qualities and characteristics God wants for us to have will be made real.
Ryan: Yeah, and that last part when we talk about heaven is important before we get to session 10 also So, you know like you're you're trying to help them think through Not only what God wants to do for them But that there is something worth pursuing worth giving things up for and that the real thing they're made for is Ahead in this this new creation that God wants to bring and For some people this might be a lot.
I don't know maybe there's a lot here But it at least can center your discussion around a particular story and Theme that you can focus on as you envision that new kind of person God wants you to become and it's not about Shiny new Ryan the picture is intentionally not about like those weight loss Things where there's the before and after picture
and you know, it's not just that this is a picture of God with us Bringing about the life that he wants to bring and that's you know, that's very intentional.
Of course.
Preparing for the Next Session
Bryan: Alright, so moving on here then, at the end of this discussion to part five, sort of nod, I guess, to the next discussion, which is really I suppose it's the crescendo of the entire discussion that we'll have when we ask this really important question, "What do I need to do to be saved?"
Ryan: Yeah, I think that the thing I would say for preparing for that next one is really be prayerful Be thoughtful in between session 9 and 10 about the confrontation That's coming because you're you're gonna give them space to say no to do whatever they want to do You're gonna be letting God's Word do its work but it is a moment where you want to be ready to let the awkward silence is saying there and Let them make their choices and let them process that final decision If they if they haven't done it - yes I want to give my life over to Christ and hopefully that has been built up by all of these other
Bryan: well said and hopefully this has been a valuable discussion for you. It's been really helpful for me just to, you know, go back and review some of these things and think through them in new ways to be able to present them to somebody. So, hopefully, you know, if you have any comments or have any questions about where we're at up to this point in the series, please reach out to us.
We'd love to get in touch with you and talk through some of these things. And, we're really excited for where it's going and for you participating along with us.
This has been episode 236 of the Bible Geeks podcast. You can find us on our website at biblegeeks.fm. Find show notes for this episode in your podcast player of choice or there on our website as well. You can also find the Square One series on our site and get in touch with us there. We've got a lot of resources and we'd love it if you would check us out.
So until next episode everyone, may the Lord bless you and keep you.