Why Jesus Knows Your Struggles: Insights from the Book of Revelation
This podcast episode centers on the importance of understanding that Jesus is intimately aware of our struggles and efforts in our faith journey. Dr. David Spoon emphasizes that God knows our works, labor, and patience, assuring listeners that they are not alone in their challenges. He explores the theme of genuine faith, urging individuals to expect more from God, especially as they approach the year 2024. The discussion also touches on the need to maintain focus on the Lord of the work rather than getting lost in the busyness of ministry. Through reflections on biblical love and the messages to the churches in Revelation, Dr. Spoon encourages listeners to cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus, who walks alongside them in every step of their lives.
A vibrant exploration of faith, expectation, and biblical teachings takes center stage in this episode of The David Spoon Experience. Dr. Spoon captivates his audience from the outset, weaving humor with heartfelt reflections on what it means to expect more from God in the coming year. He challenges the listeners to cultivate a perspective that looks beyond the chaos of contemporary politics, urging them to recognize God’s abundant love and generosity. This foundational theme sets the tone for a spiritual journey that encourages active participation and connection with the divine.
The episode progresses into a detailed examination of the Book of Revelation, focusing specifically on the letters to the seven churches. Dr. Spoon emphasizes the Church of Ephesus, commending its strengths while also highlighting the risks of losing sight of one's first love for Christ amid the demands of ministry. His insightful commentary serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining genuine faith and relationship with God, rather than merely engaging in religious activities. The message resonates deeply, inviting listeners to introspectively assess their own spiritual lives and the authenticity of their faith practices.
As the discussion unfolds, Dr. Spoon’s thoughtful insights are complemented by personal anecdotes that enrich the narrative. He emphasizes that Jesus is not a distant figure but is intimately involved in the lives of believers, aware of their struggles and triumphs. This powerful message of God’s nearness and understanding encourages listeners to embrace their faith journey with renewed vigor and hope. By the end of the episode, audiences are left with a profound reassurance of God’s presence in their lives, coupled with a challenge to expect greater things in their walk with Him as they approach a new year.
Takeaways:
- The essence of biblical love is central to living a fulfilling Christian life, emphasizing genuine faith and partnership with God.
- Expecting more from God in 2024 requires a shift in perspective away from political influences.
- Jesus knows our efforts, patience, and struggles; He is intimately aware of our journey.
- It's essential to remember that we should prioritize our relationship with God over religious debates.
- The church at Ephesus serves as a reminder to focus on the Lord of the work, not just the work itself.
- Understanding that Jesus is present with us in every moment provides comfort and strength for our faith.
Transcript
The views expressed on the following program are designed to amplify those of the speaker and not necessarily those of kam.
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Dr. David Spoon:Hello, everybody.
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Dr. David Spoon:David Spoon and I'll be your host for the next 5,400,000 milliseconds.
Dr. David Spoon:Get ready for one of the more bizarre experiences on live radio.
Dr. David Spoon:Here is the key to the show.
Dr. David Spoon:We don't know what we're doing.
Dr. David Spoon:We have no idea what's going to happen and I just don't care.
Dr. David Spoon:But for the next few minutes, I want to talk about biblical love with you.
Dr. David Spoon:So here we go.
Dr. David Spoon:We're asking questions about living life as a Christian.
Dr. David Spoon:That thingy right there.
Dr. David Spoon:It's Thursday.
Dr. David Spoon:And what does that mean?
Dr. David Spoon:That means we ask the same question this Thursday that we've asked every Thursday this year and we'll continue to do so.
Dr. David Spoon: d I, Are we expecting more in: Dr. David Spoon:Now, we just had a massive election cycle.
Dr. David Spoon: Are you expecting more in: Dr. David Spoon:Well, you better not tell me you're expecting more because of the politics of the day.
Dr. David Spoon:I want to know that you're expecting more because God is a giver.
Dr. David Spoon:I want to know that you're expecting more because the Lord loves you.
Dr. David Spoon:I want to know that you're expecting more because Jesus is the king.
Dr. David Spoon:That's why I want to know you're expecting more.
Dr. David Spoon:Whatever you got going on in all of your affiliations, whatever your national connections are, great, great, fantastic.
Dr. David Spoon:But if you're not an American and you were born in Canada, you too should know Jesus Christ as Lord, right?
Dr. David Spoon:Doesn't matter.
Dr. David Spoon:And so what we're saying is, are you expecting more from God or are you approaching God like, I wonder what I can pull out of his hands that I can get today?
Dr. David Spoon:Because that's not expectation, that's a false image of God.
Dr. David Spoon:The Lord is not on the throne going, kids will be kids.
Dr. David Spoon:And he's not on the throne going, pick, see if you can snatch this out of my hand.
Dr. David Spoon:Quick, quick, quick.
Dr. David Spoon:That's not what's going on.
Dr. David Spoon:What the Lord is looking for from you and I is genuine faith that says, let's do this in partnership.
Dr. David Spoon: Are you expecting more in: Dr. David Spoon:That is what we are proposing to you.
Dr. David Spoon:If you have an opinion, a comment, a thought or a question, please don't let it die of loneliness.
Dr. David Spoon:We do consider that sad.
Dr. David Spoon:Just remember that you cannot reach out and give us a call.
Dr. David Spoon:I know, we were like, we can call today, right?
Dr. David Spoon:Nope, you can't call today.
Dr. David Spoon:We are having massive phone issues.
Dr. David Spoon:You cannot call in.
Dr. David Spoon:So that means every communication.
Dr. David Spoon:The best you're going to have to do is going to have to be by text or by email.
Dr. David Spoon:I know that's inconvenient for some and yes, we are working on it furiously, but it cannot be helped at this time and it will not detour us.
Dr. David Spoon:The enemy is not going to stop the show.
Dr. David Spoon:It's not going to happen that way.
Dr. David Spoon:We're going to keep moving forward and we will do our best.
Dr. David Spoon:And we are asking everybody, hey, participate.
Dr. David Spoon:If you've never used the text before, if you've never used an email, try it.
Dr. David Spoon:It won't hurt you.
Dr. David Spoon:I promise it won't cause any problems for you.
Dr. David Spoon: -: Dr. David Spoon:Now don't worry, I'm going to get to jam and Jacob and give him his intro.
Dr. David Spoon:But not yet.
Dr. David Spoon: -: Dr. David Spoon:That's the text number.
Dr. David Spoon: -: Dr. David Spoon:You can also email David must increase.org David.
Dr. David Spoon:That's my name, David Spoon.
Dr. David Spoon:Dr.
Dr. David Spoon:David Spoon.
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Dr. David Spoon:He must increase from John 3:30.
Dr. David Spoon:He must increase, I must decrease.
Dr. David Spoon:Why is that important?
Dr. David Spoon:That should be everyone's mission.
Dr. David Spoon:Who's a Christian?
Dr. David Spoon:You want more of Jesus in you and less of you and your flesh radiating to the world.
Dr. David Spoon:We want to be like Jesus.
Dr. David Spoon:People are going, I'm going to make people just like me.
Dr. David Spoon:I don't want to be like.
Dr. David Spoon:I want to be like Jesus.
Dr. David Spoon:I love a lot of people in the kingdom of God.
Dr. David Spoon:I don't want to be like any of them.
Dr. David Spoon:I want to be like Jesus.
Dr. David Spoon:That's who I want to be like.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay?
Dr. David Spoon:And I got a long way to go, I can tell you that.
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Dr. David Spoon: -: Dr. David Spoon:When you interact with Jam and Jacob, which you can't do on the phone right now, but if you say, hey, hey.
Dr. David Spoon:I just want to let you know, though, in the future, when we get back to the phones, you'll remember it because you'll just think talking to this guy is like.
Dr. David Spoon:It's like relaxing and chillaxing.
Jammin Jacob:Thank you, David.
Jammin Jacob:Happy Thursday.
Jammin Jacob:Yes, I am running everything but the phone.
Dr. David Spoon:Everything is going but the phone.
Dr. David Spoon:All right, so there are a couple things we gotta update you, and we can't do anything about the phone.
Dr. David Spoon:That's okay.
Dr. David Spoon:And you're thinking, well, that's frustrating.
Dr. David Spoon:You know what?
Dr. David Spoon:Things can be a lot worse.
Dr. David Spoon:You might not even have a chance to hear the show.
Dr. David Spoon:That'd be worse.
Dr. David Spoon:Well, at least I would think so.
Dr. David Spoon:Some of you might be thinking that might be better.
Dr. David Spoon:Well, I love you, too.
Dr. David Spoon:Here's the thing we are trying to tell you, though.
Dr. David Spoon:If you have anything that you want to share, you can still do so by text, you can still do so by email, and you can do any throughout the show, you get to do that.
Dr. David Spoon:The bottom line to that, and I'll try not to say bottom line 5,000 times, is if you've got a praise report, you can still communicate it through the text.
Dr. David Spoon:If you have a prayer request, you can still communicate it through the text.
Dr. David Spoon:Or if you have a scripture or something you want to share, you can still communicate it through the text.
Dr. David Spoon:I am telling you that because you can also use the email to communicate any kind of praise report.
Dr. David Spoon:Any kind of prayer request, anything you want to share.
Dr. David Spoon:You don't have to fill out the form.
Dr. David Spoon:You could literally send it directly to David.
Dr. David Spoon:Must increase dot org.
Dr. David Spoon:And just like it comes up on my phone for texts, the email also comes up on my phone.
Dr. David Spoon:So that part's pretty cool.
Dr. David Spoon:So we encourage you to do that.
Dr. David Spoon:We want you to do that.
Dr. David Spoon:There are a couple things I want you to be aware of.
Dr. David Spoon:The podcast is up from yesterday.
Dr. David Spoon:For those who didn't get a chance to hear all of it, I think it's pretty good.
Dr. David Spoon:I think the 60 minute segment was really good and really important.
Dr. David Spoon:Understanding the pursuit of the glory of God.
Dr. David Spoon:If you didn't get a chance, you will have that opportunity.
Dr. David Spoon:The descriptions are up.
Dr. David Spoon:So we are all up to date on the podcast.
Dr. David Spoon:And just remember, my wife was so.
Dr. David Spoon:She's so nice to me when we go through things like this.
Dr. David Spoon:She said, well, there's lots of podcasts that people want to listen.
Dr. David Spoon: hours now, getting close to: Dr. David Spoon:That's a lot.
Dr. David Spoon:Also, I do want to say this and I want to make sure that we communicate this.
Dr. David Spoon:So as most people have been getting over the whole election process, there's still a couple of things yet to be determined, but most people are getting over it.
Dr. David Spoon:A majority of the people that listen to the show are much more in the conservative nature.
Dr. David Spoon:There's nothing wrong with that, nothing bizarre with that.
Dr. David Spoon:What we do want to point out, though, is no matter what side you're on, no matter what position you're on, it's Jesus first.
Dr. David Spoon:Remember, God is top, central.
Dr. David Spoon:Don't tell me God's a Republican.
Dr. David Spoon:And don't tell me God's a Democrat.
Dr. David Spoon:Just don't even say it.
Dr. David Spoon:Just don't even let it come out of your mouth.
Dr. David Spoon:God is the king of the universe and he is top, which means he is in charge and he is center because he is perfectly balanced.
Dr. David Spoon:Us, on the other hand, it's ironic that the scripture says over 30 times, one way or another, turn not to the right or the left, or turn not to the left or the right.
Dr. David Spoon:Why not?
Dr. David Spoon:Maybe we should look up.
Dr. David Spoon:Oh, and if you're sitting there thinking, well, I don't know about that, I'll just remind you of something.
Dr. David Spoon:There was this incident where this guy named Joshua, who is in charge of Israel, appointed and anointed by God, and he came across one of God's angels.
Dr. David Spoon:And Joshua said to the angel, are you for us or for our enemies?
Dr. David Spoon:And what was the angel's response?
Dr. David Spoon:I'm not for either you or your enemies.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm for the armies of God.
Dr. David Spoon:Now that he said to the leader of Israel, appointed by God, because there is a priority beyond the planet Earth and it is in the hands of God.
Dr. David Spoon:So try and remember that.
Dr. David Spoon:In lieu of that, I want to point out two things, and I'm going to give you a warning.
Dr. David Spoon:And I think it's a worthwhile warning for people that are celebrating and are just happy about it.
Dr. David Spoon:That's awesome.
Dr. David Spoon:Don't gloat.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay?
Dr. David Spoon:Now, I know some people going to gloat a little bit, spike the football, so to speak, a little bit.
Dr. David Spoon:Do it kind of more mild.
Dr. David Spoon:But I want you to know that the devil is not going to sit there and go, I'm just going to let America go now.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm just going to go hang out in another country.
Dr. David Spoon:The enemy is still working continually and will do so until he is fully removed.
Dr. David Spoon:So do not think that there is no more war.
Dr. David Spoon:That would be a huge, huge mistake.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay?
Dr. David Spoon:All right, cool.
Dr. David Spoon:All right, we are going into the Book of Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:But before we do that, I wanna give props to Jacob.
Dr. David Spoon:He did a great job.
Dr. David Spoon:Today we are 33% done with the audiobook.
Dr. David Spoon:33% exactly to the page.
Dr. David Spoon:And so that's what.
Dr. David Spoon:We've done that in three recording sessions or four recording sessions.
Dr. David Spoon:Is that about right?
Dr. David Spoon:We've only done three or four, right?
Jammin Jacob:I think we've only done three.
Dr. David Spoon:Yeah, we've only done three.
Jammin Jacob:The first one, we got the intro, introduction, the welcome dedication, and then we did a couple of chapters for one.
Jammin Jacob:And then we did chapter five today, right?
Dr. David Spoon:Yeah, chapter five was done today.
Dr. David Spoon:So we are 71 pages.
Dr. David Spoon:We are 23 pages deep.
Dr. David Spoon:So it's like, perfect, right?
Jammin Jacob:That's almost there.
Dr. David Spoon:Hitting there, right there, actually.
Dr. David Spoon:24 pages.
Dr. David Spoon:We'll talk about that later.
Dr. David Spoon:All right, so that's all.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm just giving you the updates on all that stuff.
Dr. David Spoon:Let's go into the Book of Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:I know everybody loves Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:Some people are afraid to read it.
Dr. David Spoon:You don't need to be afraid to read the book.
Dr. David Spoon:I think there's great shows on this station and other stations, by the way, that give great insights to Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:Nothing wrong with that.
Dr. David Spoon:It's awesome.
Dr. David Spoon:We've already told you about not walking in that place where you segregate yourself from other believers because they see the eschatological map different than you.
Dr. David Spoon:That's just immaturity.
Dr. David Spoon:And I'll bring this up, and I do so often because it's important.
Dr. David Spoon:Pastor Ray, who went on to be with the Lord, is one of my better friends on the planet.
Dr. David Spoon:From a ministry point of view, okay, Pastor Ray and I did not see eye to eye.
Dr. David Spoon:We didn't see elbow to chin in regards to eschatology.
Dr. David Spoon:We never, not one time, not one moment, let it create anything between us.
Dr. David Spoon:We only loved each other.
Dr. David Spoon:That's how you gotta do it.
Dr. David Spoon:And we were both the same way.
Dr. David Spoon:We're just like, look, this is for the glory of Christ.
Dr. David Spoon:It's not about us being right.
Dr. David Spoon:It's about honoring the Lord.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay, cool.
Dr. David Spoon:All right.
Dr. David Spoon:Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:We are in chapter two now.
Dr. David Spoon:We're at that point now.
Dr. David Spoon:So I want everybody to be aware that we are examining the seven churches in the book of Revelation.
Dr. David Spoon:So we're going to do some overviews on these churches and going to communicate what Jesus was communicating to them.
Dr. David Spoon:There are similarities and differences from one church to another.
Dr. David Spoon:Hey, that's true in life, right?
Dr. David Spoon:It would be helpful to kind of broaden our horizons to approach these letters as they were actually sent to seven real churches, primarily because they were actually sent to seven real churches.
Dr. David Spoon:So you want to think of it in those terms.
Dr. David Spoon:Right?
Dr. David Spoon:And it's important to understand that what we're starting with, of course, is the church of Ephesus.
Dr. David Spoon:So we're in chapter two, verse one in the book of Revelation, it says this to the angel of the church at Ephesus.
Dr. David Spoon:Write these things, says he who holds the seven stars in his right hands and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.
Dr. David Spoon:I know your work, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.
Dr. David Spoon:And you've tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars.
Dr. David Spoon:And you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my name's sake and have not become weary.
Dr. David Spoon:Opening up to the church at Ephesus, you just think, wow, these guys got it together.
Dr. David Spoon:You have to like some of this stuff and how it's approaching.
Dr. David Spoon:We talked last week about angels.
Dr. David Spoon:Some people think that they're actual angels.
Dr. David Spoon:Other people think they're messengers.
Dr. David Spoon:You know, I kind of side more with that they're people versus angels, because I don't see too many letters being written to angels.
Dr. David Spoon:That's just my approach to it.
Dr. David Spoon:And you don't have to have that.
Dr. David Spoon:But I think that kind of makes sense since it's going to the church.
Dr. David Spoon:Bottom line is, first church is Ephesus a main church, a main element.
Dr. David Spoon:And A main influence in society.
Dr. David Spoon:And this church starts off and it kind of seems like everything's going pretty good in the beginning, right?
Dr. David Spoon:Kind of nice.
Dr. David Spoon:Hey, I like this.
Dr. David Spoon:Right?
Dr. David Spoon:This is from him who holds the seven stars in his right hands and walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.
Dr. David Spoon:Remember last week we talked about this.
Dr. David Spoon:This is Jesus being in the middle of the church.
Dr. David Spoon:It's a great way for Jesus to say to them, I'm in the middle here.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm in the middle of the messengers, I'm in the middle of the churches.
Dr. David Spoon:This is me.
Dr. David Spoon:This is my reference point.
Dr. David Spoon:He could have picked any reference point to communicate to this church.
Dr. David Spoon:Might be some people have a theory that it might be that he used this reference because there might have been some divisions, a few schisms there in the church.
Dr. David Spoon:And this is a unifying element that Jesus brings forth.
Dr. David Spoon:And.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay, I don't have a problem with that.
Dr. David Spoon:Here it is in a nutshell.
Dr. David Spoon:We're going to find out that these letters ultimately are practical, they're almost pastoral, and they're certainly applicable to all time frames.
Dr. David Spoon:The most likelihood is that these letters represent the local and the corporate bodies through going through different things at different times.
Dr. David Spoon:Because having been a pastor, I can tell you that every pastor goes through something similar, but in something similar in principle, but different in its execution.
Dr. David Spoon:So that's just kind of a normal, like, yeah, they went through that.
Dr. David Spoon:Yeah, went through that.
Dr. David Spoon:Got it.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay.
Dr. David Spoon:Getting into this.
Dr. David Spoon:I think it's fascinating though, and I really want to key in on this.
Dr. David Spoon:And I talked about it a lot last week and I love this portion.
Dr. David Spoon:And this is the most important element to me.
Dr. David Spoon:It's understanding that God understands, it's grasping that God grasps.
Dr. David Spoon:And I think it's a critical key for our walk.
Dr. David Spoon:The most compelling portion is what Jesus starts off by saying.
Dr. David Spoon:I know your works, your labor and your patience.
Dr. David Spoon:I know your work, your labor and your patience, and you cannot bear those who are evil.
Dr. David Spoon:This isn't church evil.
Dr. David Spoon:This is society evil.
Dr. David Spoon:And when society comes rearing its head for some of the evil things, and we've talked about them multiple times, I mean, I have no problem telling you that abortion in and of itself is a money making murder organization.
Dr. David Spoon:It's just disgusting.
Dr. David Spoon:And the fact that people can think it's okay to do that is contrary to scripture, period.
Dr. David Spoon:Nothing else there.
Dr. David Spoon:This transgender movement, not okay, not acceptable.
Dr. David Spoon:The homosexual movement, not okay, not acceptable.
Dr. David Spoon:Because it's not the truth.
Dr. David Spoon:It's all based on deception.
Dr. David Spoon:Notice I'M not talking about men and men.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm also talking about women and women.
Dr. David Spoon:It doesn't matter.
Dr. David Spoon:It's wrong.
Dr. David Spoon:God made them Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
Dr. David Spoon:It's not real difficult to figure out.
Dr. David Spoon:And what people are saying is God made a mistake.
Dr. David Spoon:Nope, the mistake wasn't made by God.
Dr. David Spoon:The mistake is made by people.
Dr. David Spoon:And so in lieu of that, we have Jesus saying, you know, you can't stand the evil.
Dr. David Spoon:I think that's great.
Dr. David Spoon:But more important than that is Jesus saying this one thing.
Dr. David Spoon:And I really want to get this.
Dr. David Spoon:And that is the element where he starts off by saying, I know, I know your works, your labor and your patience.
Dr. David Spoon:Let's just be honest.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows your works.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows what you're trying to do.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows that you are trying to do your best before him in the works that you're doing for his name and for his glory.
Dr. David Spoon:Sometimes you do really, really good.
Dr. David Spoon:Sometimes I do really, really good.
Dr. David Spoon:Sometimes I do really, really bad.
Dr. David Spoon:This morning I did really, really bad on the phone with somebody that charged our account something that wasn't supposed to be charged.
Dr. David Spoon:I didn't do that good.
Dr. David Spoon:Guess what?
Dr. David Spoon:I gotta do better.
Dr. David Spoon:I have to ask the Lord for forgiveness, but he knows I'm trying to walk it and trying to walk in it.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows our labor.
Dr. David Spoon:So he knows not just the works that we're trying to do for the kingdom, but how we strive underneath and how we pour into things.
Dr. David Spoon:And he knows this one's just so weird.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows our patience.
Dr. David Spoon:He says, I know your works, I know your labor and I know your patience.
Dr. David Spoon:Do you know that Jesus knows that you're being patient?
Dr. David Spoon:He knows that you're like, okay, I'm going to do my best here.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm going to try and wait.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm not going to try and control everything.
Dr. David Spoon:And he knows when you've made progress and he knows what you're doing.
Dr. David Spoon:And here's the thing I feel that we kind of miss, and that is this.
Dr. David Spoon:God knows your heart.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows that we're trying to do it right.
Dr. David Spoon:Most born again Bible believing Christians are trying to do it right.
Dr. David Spoon:Even those that come to different conclusions aren't trying to create schisms.
Dr. David Spoon:They're just.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm just trying to walk this right.
Dr. David Spoon:I read it, I see this, I'm going this way.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm trying to follow the Lord.
Dr. David Spoon:The Lord knows that about each individual.
Dr. David Spoon:But I want to bring that home to you personally.
Dr. David Spoon:God knows when you feel.
Dr. David Spoon:Let me just say it this way, that you've just about had all you can take.
Dr. David Spoon:God knows when you feel like, man, I feel like I'm running on top today.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm just.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm walking on water.
Dr. David Spoon:He knows every part of the things that you are going through.
Dr. David Spoon:There is nothing that you are encountering that God doesn't know.
Dr. David Spoon:And just to break it down in simplicity, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you.
Dr. David Spoon:Do you think the Holy Spirit's going by?
Dr. David Spoon:I don't know what Dave's thinking.
Dr. David Spoon:I mean, that's just absurd.
Dr. David Spoon:And so with the Holy Spirit inside, you know that part of you, that born again part of you, you know, I'm really trying to honor the Lord in what I'm doing, and he knows where that is genuine, and so do you.
Dr. David Spoon:You know, when it's optics, you know, when it's.
Dr. David Spoon:You're doing it because there's people around, you know, when it's maybe less sincere than it should be.
Dr. David Spoon:You know, all that.
Dr. David Spoon:But he does, too.
Dr. David Spoon:And he just wants us to be so in touch, so aware that he is connected to us.
Dr. David Spoon:And I get concerned at times with my own life and with those that are around me that we don't remember that he shares that, that we tend to forget that.
Dr. David Spoon:It's like he sets us on a mission and then we're soldiers, right?
Dr. David Spoon:We're soldiers in the kingdom of God, and we've just got to fulfill the mission.
Dr. David Spoon:And we kind of feel like our commanding officer is.
Dr. David Spoon:Is like in the army movies that we see.
Dr. David Spoon:So you got the soldiers on the field, and then the commanding officer is like, where he's like, you know, in another state, looking on a screen and not in the actual fight.
Dr. David Spoon:You know what I'm saying?
Dr. David Spoon:So you have these war movies, and there's the soldiers in the front and then people.
Dr. David Spoon:And then even worse than that for the commanding officers or maybe politicians who are in another state, who haven't got a clue about anything.
Dr. David Spoon:And so sometimes I think we think of ourselves as soldiers in the fight.
Dr. David Spoon:And our commander is over there.
Dr. David Spoon:Wrong.
Dr. David Spoon:Your commander is with you.
Dr. David Spoon:He is on the field with you.
Dr. David Spoon:He's not at a distance shouting orders.
Dr. David Spoon:He's right there.
Dr. David Spoon:And that's an important thing to grasp.
Dr. David Spoon:It's important to understand.
Dr. David Spoon:We're about to go through this whole illumination of all these revelations that God's going to give us.
Dr. David Spoon:And he wants us to know, I am right here.
Dr. David Spoon:I am right here.
Dr. David Spoon:Not, I am in another state, I am in another.
Dr. David Spoon:I am right here.
Dr. David Spoon:How much is he right here again?
Dr. David Spoon:Father, son, And Holy Spirit.
Dr. David Spoon:And the Holy Spirit lives inside of you because you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Dr. David Spoon:It is like, wow.
Dr. David Spoon:And you love what Jesus says.
Dr. David Spoon:I mean, he just goes off.
Dr. David Spoon:He just doesn't.
Dr. David Spoon:He goes.
Dr. David Spoon:I know you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and.
Dr. David Spoon:And have found them to be liars.
Dr. David Spoon:There's plenty of people that do a lot of promotion in the religiosity.
Dr. David Spoon:Judas did that.
Dr. David Spoon:He did a pretty good job.
Dr. David Spoon:And there's a lot of people that use religions and faiths and different things to promote themselves and present themselves and to act like they're these healers and these peacemakers and they're warmongers.
Dr. David Spoon:And when I say warmongers, I mean spiritual warmongers that promote demonic teaching.
Dr. David Spoon:There are people that name the name of Christ, but they are sinos.
Dr. David Spoon:What's a cno, Dave?
Dr. David Spoon:Christian in name only.
Dr. David Spoon:No actual relationship or connection to the head.
Dr. David Spoon:And the difficulty there is that people.
Dr. David Spoon:I mean, this is the first century church, right?
Dr. David Spoon:It's an early church.
Dr. David Spoon:Guess what?
Dr. David Spoon:They had people then that were claiming to be spokesmen for God, that weren't teaching truth and that were teaching man's system.
Dr. David Spoon:Remember what Jesus said to Peter, get behind me, Satan.
Dr. David Spoon:You have in mind the things of men and not the things of God.
Dr. David Spoon:I wish somebody from the liberation theology would just look at that for one minute and catch the truth in that.
Dr. David Spoon:You have in mind the things of men and not the things of God, Okay?
Dr. David Spoon:And that was a qualification to being connected to Satan, okay?
Dr. David Spoon:And so Jesus says, you've tested these people, and you know what you found out?
Dr. David Spoon:They're liars.
Dr. David Spoon:And all liars have their part in the lake of fire.
Dr. David Spoon:And, oh, by the way, who's their dad?
Dr. David Spoon:The father of lies.
Dr. David Spoon:And then Jesus says, you've persevered, you've had patience, you've labored for my namesake.
Dr. David Spoon:You know, you've not even become weary in some way.
Dr. David Spoon:He says, you keep going.
Dr. David Spoon:I'm really, really pleased about that.
Dr. David Spoon:Very cool opening, right?
Dr. David Spoon:It's very cool.
Dr. David Spoon:Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for not putting up with those who are evil and for testing those who claim to be apostles.
Dr. David Spoon:The church that didn't tolerate a bunch of nonsense.
Dr. David Spoon:He gives them great commendation for their patience, their perseverance, their willingness not to grow weary, but to keep their eyes on the prize.
Dr. David Spoon:It all sounds phenomenal until, of course, next week.
Dr. David Spoon:So we're gonna get into the next week part.
Dr. David Spoon:And the big thing about next week is rem Remember this.
Dr. David Spoon:People can get so involved in the work of the Lord, they forget the Lord of the work.
Dr. David Spoon:Uh, oh, can't get so involved in ministry that you're so connected and committed to the work of the Lord that you forget that there's the Lord of the work.
Dr. David Spoon:We'll give Keith Green the credit for writing that in one of his songs.
Dr. David Spoon:The bottom line is simply this.
Dr. David Spoon:From this lesson, this is the takeaway.
Dr. David Spoon:Jesus knows what you're going through.
Dr. David Spoon:He's not a commander at a distance.
Dr. David Spoon:He's a commander next to you, with you, inside of you.
Dr. David Spoon:Jesus lives in your heart by faith.
Dr. David Spoon:He's with you every single step.
Dr. David Spoon:Get it?
Dr. David Spoon:Okay, cool.
Dr. David Spoon:All right, we'll take a break, then come back.
Dr. David Spoon:You're listening to the David Spoon Experience right here on KAM 770, the Truth Station here in Texas.
Dr. David Spoon:Short break, be back.
Dr. David Spoon:Don't go anywhere.
Dr. David Spoon:What is the David Spoon experience?
Dr. David Spoon:Isaiah, chapter 63, verse 8 through 9, says this.
Dr. David Spoon:He said, surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me.
Dr. David Spoon:And so he became their savior.
Dr. David Spoon:In all their distress, he too was distressed.
Dr. David Spoon:So I want to make sure you understand.
Dr. David Spoon:We've talked about this before.
Dr. David Spoon:You've heard some of my testimony.
Dr. David Spoon:If you want to really get a better hand on my testimony, I'll shamelessly plug the Broken First Glory Book, which contains the testimony.
Dr. David Spoon:But you can get it for free if you do it through Kindle.
Dr. David Spoon:And then otherwise, it's like seven bucks or something.
Dr. David Spoon:That's not very much.
Dr. David Spoon:It's a kind of a fascinating journey on becoming saved and then going through bad churches or a bad church and then coming back into good church, right?
Dr. David Spoon:That's not always easy to do.
Dr. David Spoon:One of the big premises of the book and of my entire Christian journey is a passage like this which says, he said, surely they are my people's sons who will not be false to me.
Dr. David Spoon:And so he became their savior.
Dr. David Spoon:And in all their distress, he too was distressed.
Dr. David Spoon:I think it's important for you and I to understand the level to which God has put himself or placed Himself.
Dr. David Spoon:He's not incomplete without us.
Dr. David Spoon:In the theological term, that God can exist completely independently and doesn't need us, but he bears with us or connects to us in such a way that he feels with us.
Dr. David Spoon:And so I think it's important for you and I to grasp that when Paul was on the road to Damascus, and then the Lord appears to him, right?
Dr. David Spoon:And we've talked about this before, you know, knocks him.
Dr. David Spoon:You know, knocks him off his donkey and blinds him.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay, now you just have to imagine you're on a donkey.
Dr. David Spoon:Bam.
Dr. David Spoon:Oh, you're on the ground.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay.
Dr. David Spoon:Okay.
Dr. David Spoon:Not on a comfy table or a comfy chair or a comfy bed.
Dr. David Spoon:On the ground and you're blind.
Dr. David Spoon:So this is a real wake up call.
Dr. David Spoon:And then Jesus says to him, saul, before he becomes Paul, you know, why are you persecuting me?
Dr. David Spoon:And what does Paul say?
Dr. David Spoon:Saul says.
Dr. David Spoon:He says, who are you?
Dr. David Spoon:Right?
Dr. David Spoon:Because this is like, you know, this is, you know, outer limits stuff right here.
Dr. David Spoon:And then Jesus goes, I'm Jesus, whom you're persecuting.
Dr. David Spoon:Ah, but the irony behind that is that Jesus made the identification with the church because Saul was persecuting the church.
Dr. David Spoon:But Jesus goes, I'm the one you're persecuting.
Dr. David Spoon:Now, see how he connects himself to the people.
