[00:00:08] Speaker A: Everybody. It's Rick and Rob. Welcome back to the Nomad Pastor podcast.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: How you been?
[00:00:13] Speaker A: I have been I've been pretty good. You know, Linda's been pretty sick for a while.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Really? Yeah.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: I don't think I've talked about that too much.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: No, not a lot.
[00:00:22] Speaker A: You know, good days, bad days.
[00:00:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: She's trying to get it under control, but you go through these periods of I think the meds that she's had her on for Crohn's, they were working really good, and it wasn't actually approved for crohn's, but they had it approved off label, and I think the milligram was, like, 180 or 150.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Well, then they got it approved for crohn's and they upped it to, like, 350.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: And it was not good.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: I can imagine.
[00:00:53] Speaker A: And so now they've taken her back down to 180, but she hasn't taken that dose yet.
But still, the 380 just like migraines every day for weeks.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness.
[00:01:04] Speaker A: Bless her heart. Yeah. So she's on the mend, but doctors made a mistake.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: Well, it happens.
[00:01:12] Speaker A: It is what it is, right?
[00:01:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: A couple of trips to the Er.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Man, that's not any fun.
I know where you're coming from with that. It's not fun.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: But for the most part, I could sit and complain and say all these things are crazy and going wrong, but at the end of the day, it's all in God's hands.
[00:01:35] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:01:38] Speaker A: One step in front of the other.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Praise him in the storm Praise him every day.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: There's a reason for it. We got to figure out what it is.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: He hasn't showed us yet, but he will.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Yeah. And sometimes I don't even find out what the reason is as much as what the lesson is in.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: Us.
[00:01:55] Speaker B: He will.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: He'll let us know.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: He will.
So today we're going to talk about the parable of the lost sheep.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Yeah. You want to read it?
[00:02:02] Speaker B: I do. I'll read it from the ESV extra special version. The extra special version.
So we're going to be reading from Matthew, chapter 18, verses ten through 14.
See that you do not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven, their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go in to search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over. It more than over the 99 that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of those little ones should perish.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: So this parable means a lot to me, and I think a lot of people maybe don't understand it, or they're I would agree with that, because it's saying to to me, right, when it says, you know, see that you do not despise one of these little ones where I tell you that they're angels in heaven.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: I saw a lot of people in my life that I felt like despised me growing up in Utah, and I just felt like this outcast.
[00:03:33] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: But here God is saying, I tell you they're angels in heaven.
Right. They always see the face of my Father in heaven. That's the NIV version, right?
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Right.
I'll switch it to the ESV. Right. For I tell you that in heaven, their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
And when it says, what do you think if a man has a hundred sheep? I'm thinking about, like, the church. Right?
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Right.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: If there's 100 people in the church and one walks away, does the pastor call them?
They check on them. I see a lot today where they don't.
[00:04:18] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: I could have been the one that they didn't. But somebody called, right? Somebody checked.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: Okay.
So August the first was my 15th anniversary of sobriety since 2008.
In the years leading up to that, in my addictive behavior, there was always my parents, there was always my wife, there was always people who wanted to make sure that I was okay.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: And it wasn't so much I mean, they wanted to make sure that I was okay physically, but they also wanted to make sure that I was okay spiritually or that I could get better spiritually.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: So in that I look at that the same way as what you were just describing, because I always call. Yeah, always did.
And they always were praying and they always were reaching out to God and to me on my behalf. Interceding.
Now, to this day, my parents don't know the whole story.
My kids don't know the whole story.
But the beauty of it is they don't have to because of being restored to God.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree with that. They don't have to.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: And the same thing with you, because somebody's always caught the pastor was checking on you.
[00:06:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: They don't need to know what the battle scars are about.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: Just that the battle scars are healed.
[00:06:36] Speaker A: Yeah, but I think I was the one, right?
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: I was the one that God chased. He came and he found me, and he did it through a lot of different ways.
It wasn't a one and done. And I'm sure it was the exact same for you.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: Right.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: I didn't grow up in the church.
I was the one.
And that's how I feel about it. And throughout my walk, just like yours, I have known a ton of pastors.
I have met a ton of pastors.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: And sometimes I get really frustrated when I have heard pastors say, we ain't chasing people.
[00:07:26] Speaker B: I have an issue with that.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: Oh, I do, too. I do, too. Right. We ain't going to chase people. But that one person who walked out, you don't really know why they walked out because you're not chasing people.
Right. And they may be dealing with something that absolutely had nothing to do with you or this church.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: And they need someone to love them.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: They do.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: They need someone to chase them.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: Right. Or to let them know that God is chasing them.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: That's right. Because that's what it is.
It's 100% that God is chasing them, that God loves them, that God is there for them, that whatever happens, God loves them.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: But throughout my life of this walk, like I've said, I've heard countless pastors say, I ain't going to chase somebody.
And it breaks my heart.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: It does. It literally does. Now, I also want to say this, and I will say this with all certainty.
We are not the ones that save people.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: No, we're not.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: We're not the ones that restore people.
Now, we can be there to witness the restoration, and we can be the instruments that God uses for someone to realize the need.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: We're a rung on the ladder.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:08:53] Speaker A: Right. We are a rung on the ladder.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:56] Speaker A: And a ladder has many because it takes many.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: It takes a lot, right. A lot. I think mine is about an 87 foot extension ladder.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: It takes a lot. But when I say people have said I don't want to chase someone, what I hear is somebody who's caring about numbers.
And I know that sounds bad. So if you're one of those pastors, I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: Exactly. At the same time, you're hitting on a point that can't be denied.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Now, how do I say this? I'm going to say this as gently as possible.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: Okay.
We're never going to please everybody.
And I think a lot of times we get wrapped up in a congregational setting. We'll say it this way, in a congregational setting where people's feelings get hurt because they think they heard something or they think that something was implied when someone's speaking the truth. And so they take off running and instead know, going and playing patty cake with Mary Kate.
We're not going to chase somebody. Somebody needs to grow up.
But I think that's a different situation.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: But I also believe that doesn't mean don't call them.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: I agree. Right, I agree.
[00:10:30] Speaker A: Because you don't know unless you phone call.
[00:10:32] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: You got to chase a little bit, right. You got to chase, say, hey, I noticed.
Do you want to talk about that? What's going on? Well, so and so hurt my feelings.
[00:10:44] Speaker B: Grow up.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Okay, well, I left because we changed the flowers in the four years.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: Well, do you idolize the flowers?
[00:10:52] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: Is that your idol today?
[00:10:54] Speaker B: You've heard me tell the story on the podcast about the Peg church up in Kentucky.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Church split because the pastor needed a place to hang his coat and they didn't want to hang it in the foyer, right.
Too many times. Here it comes again. Goat Meism gets in the way.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
It's hard.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: It is.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: Right.
So if we think about this parable, right, the the Parable of the Lost Sheep, I think about, you know, we go to the rescue mission, and every one of those guys is the one.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: They are.
They are.
[00:11:44] Speaker A: And we're the rung of the ladder that God put in place at that.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: Time for them to understand.
[00:11:52] Speaker A: Right. He didn't want us to leave them. Right. He wants to make sure that they don't go astray they already are. We're trying to bring them back.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: Right.
One of the things that I love about the mentality of all of us that go down to the mission on the third Sunday night is that every one of us believe wholeheartedly. And sometimes we need to remind each other and sometimes we forget to remind each other that these men deserve Jesus just as much as anybody else, just as much as I do, just as much as you do. They need Jesus. They deserve Jesus.
Let's show them Jesus.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: He loves them as much as he.
[00:12:37] Speaker B: Loves me and just as much. Just as much.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Right. There's no difference.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: There isn't.
[00:12:42] Speaker A: I'm his son. So are they.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: So we look at situations like that, and because socioeconomically, somebody's not on the same level that we are, we think that obviously our spiritual maturity is higher than them.
I'll tell you a story.
Several years ago not several years, three or four years ago, I got a picture on my phone somewhere.
There was a guy that came up to me at the mission after we had led worship one night. It was one of the original members of Buddy Holly's crickets.
Wow. He was at the mission.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: And he.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Came up to me, introduced himself, and I verified it. He was part of the crickets, the original crickets, before Buddy Holly got really.
[00:13:31] Speaker A: But he was living at the mission.
[00:13:32] Speaker B: But he's living at the mission.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:13:34] Speaker B: At the National Rescue mission.
And so here's somebody who at one time was here, and now he's living in the National Rescue Mission, but was one of the forerunners of what rockabilly rock and roll was literally defined around and defined that sound.
So what I'm saying is, why does Brother Kenny over here in the second row of the church at the Tempen Michel fireworks stand or whatever you want to call it, why is his spiritual material? Why does he deserve Jesus? Why does he get all the why does he more than this guy that was part of the crickets?
My point is, nobody is more deserving, but when the one comes back to the fold, when one comes back, that was astray the party that's going on in heaven.
[00:14:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: It's got to be a Mitch Match jam. You know what I mean?
[00:14:55] Speaker A: Yeah, it does. And that's what this parable says.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: Right. Exactly what it says he rejoices over. It more than over the 99 that never went astray.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: Praise God that there are 99 people in your church, pastor, that you don't have to worry about, but when the one comes back that you do have to worry about wow.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Right. Be joyful.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: Wow.
I'm not going to chase people.
All you're doing is keeping the party from happening in heaven.
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Yeah. And the thing about that, when you're like, I'm not going to chase people, it says in verse 14, so it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. He's saying nobody should perish. It's not my will.
[00:15:46] Speaker B: Right.
[00:15:47] Speaker A: So by you ignoring them or not calling them or just checking on them right.
You're not doing what God has told you to do.
How do, how do I'm not saying I'm doing it either.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Well, this is my question.
How can somebody reconcile that in their mind to justify it?
[00:16:22] Speaker A: I think I do not know.
I believe there are some pastors who believe their responsibility is in the pew or in the pulpit to teach people in the pulpit.
And the other responsibilities are the congregation.
I have had a pastor say to me I have had a pastor say to me, it doesn't matter who it was. Right. But it was of a fairly large church, which is why we don't go to a fairly large church. But I've had a pastor say to me, if you're sick and in the hospital, don't call me.
That's what your life group is for. Call your life group leader.
If you call me, it's because you're dying.
[00:17:23] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: Now I get it. Right. If you've got 700 people in your congregation or 1000 people in your congregation, you can't go see everybody. I completely understand that. Right. But I don't agree with it.
[00:17:42] Speaker B: I completely disagree with it.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: If I'm called to be a pastor, that's my point.
I'm called to shepherd.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: Shepherd and care for you people. Yes.
[00:17:53] Speaker A: Right. Part of that shepherding is if you call me, I'm going to come.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: But I understand the premise and the principle and the importance of life groups. So do I, don't get me wrong. I understand that. I live by that and I agree with it.
However, my life group is still led.
[00:18:23] Speaker A: By you, pastor, to some extent. Absolutely.
[00:18:29] Speaker B: My close circle is still under the church authority of you and the and why would James say if somebody's sick, call the elders that they can come annoy you and pray?
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Right.
Not your life group.
[00:18:50] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:18:52] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:52] Speaker B: My life group leader is not necessarily my elder or my pastor.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:01] Speaker B: I know what you're saying, and I agree with you. This is not calling somebody out.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: Right, that's right.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: We're just speaking.
[00:19:08] Speaker A: And at the end of the day, it's not to take away from life group leaders either, because praise God.
[00:19:13] Speaker B: Yes. That there are life group leaders, absolutely.
Generally willing to be people that are.
[00:19:18] Speaker A: Willing to be, for sure. And generally they are people you're doing life with.
[00:19:24] Speaker B: Right.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: So you probably are going to call them.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: Right.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: But I just take offense or step back. I don't want to maybe offense is the wrong word, but I take exception to that's. A quick somebody saying, if you're in the hospital, don't call.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: Don't call me.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: Well, you're my pastor.
[00:19:41] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: But I don't want to go to a church that I can't talk to the pastor that the pastor is.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: I that's what I was about to bring up. Rebecca and I visited a church a few times where there were three pastors that you could not get in to see.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: No, couldn't hard pass.
[00:20:13] Speaker B: No matter what it was, they had delegated everything out. So that literally the only time that you saw these three pastors in air quotes yeah. Was Sunday morning when it was time to preach. Sunday morning when it was time for the praise service, and Sunday morning was time to give.
And then they ushered them back off the stage, out of the way.
And we're standing at the door greeting.
We got a committee of people that greet at the doors. We have a committee of people who will meet with you if you need counseling. We have a committee of people that will visit you if you're sick. We have a committee of people you know what's great that will lead?
[00:21:08] Speaker A: You know, my pastor, Pastor Gary At, like, they have a Wednesday night live group at his house. Well, Linda and I almost are never here Wednesday, right?
[00:21:19] Speaker B: You guys are still yeah, we're all over the know.
[00:21:23] Speaker A: But every Wednesday I get a text message and I'll see him Sunday. He'll be like, wish you could have come Wednesday. And I'm like, Pastor, come on. You know? He's like, I know, but I'm not going to stop.
[00:21:37] Speaker B: See, that's the one.
[00:21:39] Speaker A: He's like, as long as you don't care that I'm sending you a text, I'm going to keep sending you a text.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Right? And then one of the other, the executive pastor, Pastor Ryan, we were downtown at a baseball game and saw him, and he was like, big old hugs. How you doing?
But they're all accessible, right? Every single one of them. We have a celebrate recovery pastor, and every one of them are there all the time, and they're just like, look, as long as you're okay, I'm going to keep reaching out.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Send it, send it.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: He's like, one of these days, you'll.
[00:22:15] Speaker B: Show up on a Wednesday, schedule will change.
[00:22:19] Speaker A: And I'm like, probably one of these days.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: One of these days.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: But that's what this is about, right?
[00:22:25] Speaker B: It is.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: It's about don't let the one fall away.
Go bring them back.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: Go bring them back.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: Go bring them back. And I think about the world that we minister in the motorcycle community, a lot of those guys are the one. Most of them.
[00:22:44] Speaker B: You know what?
[00:22:46] Speaker A: A lot of them know the Bible more than Christian.
[00:22:49] Speaker B: Exactly.
I've got a pretty good relationship with somebody. And you do as well. If I call his name, you'd go, oh, yeah, that is he and I have been talking over the past three or four weeks, five weeks, something like that. And he's like, Man, I got this urge from God to just to come back.
I know I need to straighten my life out. I know I need to get things right. And I'm like, well, look, man, what are you waiting on?
[00:23:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I know.
[00:23:27] Speaker B: I'll try to come to church Sunday morning.
Will you try to come to church or will you come to church?
It doesn't have to be in a church that you repent.
[00:23:36] Speaker A: Is it somebody's house that's close to here?
[00:23:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: I think I know what you're talking about.
[00:23:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
And when we met him, I was wearing a different patch.
Yeah, but the thing is, you have a conversation with him outside of the house. You're standing out there and you're talking, and he's like, Man, I know God forgives. I know I need to get his forgiveness. I know I need to do one, two, and three in that order in my life. I know my boys need it.
I want them to know the way of the Lord, like I was taught the way of the Lord.
He knows he's the one.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: That's right. And because we have listened to what God's call is on our heart right. We can't save him.
[00:24:38] Speaker B: We don't give up, but we can.
[00:24:39] Speaker A: Be there to help, and we never give up.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:24:43] Speaker A: Because God didn't give up on us.
[00:24:45] Speaker B: It sure didn't.
[00:24:46] Speaker A: I mean, he could thank goodness on me a long time ago. And I'm thankful every second of every.
[00:24:53] Speaker B: Day that you yeah, I'm about 600 past that. Forgiven 490 times.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: You know what I mean?
Or 770 times.
[00:25:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
I know this parable doesn't say this, but I've often thought, like, what are those 99 supposed to be doing?
[00:25:21] Speaker B: Making sure that the one don't go.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, they're supposed to be, like, helping out. Yeah, right.
[00:25:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
Why don't they?
[00:25:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:34] Speaker B: I think sometimes there's just I think there are times when the one just completely turns away.
I think it's because look at the prodigal son.
[00:25:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:56] Speaker B: I don't know what his life was like before he went out into RAUNCHES living. I don't have a clue.
The parable doesn't say that.
[00:26:05] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: It's a story anyway.
[00:26:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:08] Speaker B: But I know that the restoration when he came back, didn't matter where he'd been, what he'd eaten.
[00:26:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: It didn't matter. What mattered was he came back was he came back. So at the same time, when you ask what's the 99 doing yeah, let.
[00:26:25] Speaker A: Me just interject, though, because when he came back, though, he came back humble.
[00:26:30] Speaker B: Sure. Absolutely.
[00:26:31] Speaker A: He didn't come back with some big o ego. I'm back. Give me my stuff.
[00:26:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: Give me what I deserve.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Right.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: Give me what you owe me.
He came back as a humble servant.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: Because he knew he blew it.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: Yeah, he did.
[00:26:47] Speaker B: He knew he blew it.
[00:26:48] Speaker A: But how many kids today come home and still expect oh, yeah, right. I'm just saying today's society is way different. And I think if kids would come back to their parents humbly, they'd go a long way.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: Sure, absolutely.
[00:27:03] Speaker A: Right. Because they're lost.
[00:27:06] Speaker B: So when the one comes back in, the 99 sees them coming and there's humbleness, there it's the prodigal son style thing. Right. It's like head hung low, I'm sure. Kind of shuffled his feet like, right. I messed up and I want to do what's right. But at the same time, I want to make sure that I'm doing it in a way that pleases God.
[00:27:34] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:35] Speaker B: And people look at him and go, you sinner.
[00:27:40] Speaker A: We've all been there.
[00:27:41] Speaker B: We have.
I've won the Scarlet S. Yeah. You know what I mean?
[00:27:46] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: I've been there.
[00:27:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:51] Speaker B: But the cool thing about it is this parable doesn't say that. But I think that the party doesn't just stay in heaven because when I have a brother or a sister that wants to reconcile their life back to God and they want to live in a manner that not only glorifies him, magnifies him, but pleases him wow.
[00:28:21] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:28:23] Speaker B: The rejoicing, the clapping, the tears of joy, those things, the 99 have got to be ready to rejoice with that as well. They've got to be I agree. In order. And I'm not saying but they're not always ready. That's true.
[00:28:43] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:44] Speaker B: However, they need to be ready to rejoice for that one.
[00:28:49] Speaker A: That's right. Instead of because you and I have both been there, like, oh my God, what are you letting that sinner in here for?
[00:28:55] Speaker B: Yeah, right? Yeah. Who let you back in the door?
[00:28:59] Speaker A: Right. What's that story about that pastor? He was like the new pastor of a brand new pastor of a church. Nobody knew who he was.
[00:29:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And he came in dressed like a homeless man.
[00:29:07] Speaker A: Dressed homeless. And before he came into the church as a homeless man, he sat outside and begged for money. Right. And I've seen a video on YouTube about him doing it, like the video to add hidden cameras and stuff.
[00:29:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:20] Speaker A: And people were just stepping over him, walking by him.
[00:29:24] Speaker B: Right.
[00:29:24] Speaker A: So they can go into church.
[00:29:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: Now, a lot of people, I will say, did stop and give him money.
There was one guy who went in that, like took his family into church, got them all sat down and then went to the little church, like shop and got him coffee and donuts or something and brought him out so the guy could eat and gave him some money.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:29:45] Speaker A: Like there were people there were people that did that did what they're supposed to do.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: Right.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: But there were also people who were like, you shouldn't be here.
[00:29:54] Speaker B: Don't you understand?
[00:29:55] Speaker A: This is a church.
You shouldn't be begging here.
So there are times that those 99 are not nice.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: True.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: And that's where I think they're I don't know what maybe idolizing their religion or their standing in the religion.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: I think they're standing yeah.
[00:30:22] Speaker A: What they believe they're standing to be yeah.
[00:30:25] Speaker B: Right. Yes. Putting himself on that pedestal.
[00:30:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:33] Speaker B: I wish people, myself included in this, I wish people understood the importance of realizing what that one person doesn't just look like, sound like and act like, but what that one person actually is.
And then hold up the mirror and see that it's them.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: Right?
It is them.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: It is. We have this thing that we do at Trace diaz, I'm going to spill a little bit here. Not every community does that. Not everyone does this. This is what we do on a particular time. We go in and we hold this mirror up, and we're looking at the image in the mirror and we're asking God, what do you want me to gain out of this Trace this weekend? And the cool thing about it is, a lot of times they'll put you in a certain seat, right, and you've got this mirror in your hand, or you're looking in this mirror, and they'll turn a light on behind you, and there's a portrait of Jesus behind you.
And it's like, I want you to know more of him. I want you to know more of me.
And too many times we look in the mirror and go, well, you good looking thing.
Well, we do that instead of realizing, I need more. Yeah. I need more christ. I need more jesus. I need to know God more intimately.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
Before I came to Christ, it was easy for me, and we've all driven around and we got the guy on the street selling the Constitution paper or sign up, need food, whatever.
I never gave them money before Christ. Before Christ?
[00:32:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: Never. I'm like, that dude's probably got more money than yeah.
[00:32:46] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: But then I came to Christ and I don't know, my heart changed. I mean, that's what happens, right?
[00:32:54] Speaker B: Right.
[00:32:55] Speaker A: But then I also start talking to him, right? Like, you got the same dude at the same corner every day, and you roll your window down, you start having.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: A conversation, my budy Don Nash, what's.
[00:33:06] Speaker A: Going on in your life?
Then you start seeing him at the mission, and you're like, hey, right? Like, oh, Lord, help me. So you don't have a BMW?
[00:33:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:17] Speaker A: Right?
[00:33:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:18] Speaker A: And now I listen for what God wants me to do, right? I don't give money to every one of them. But before I know today, before it was God saying, hey, give that dude some money. I'm like, no, I ain't doing that.
Hold my window up.
[00:33:37] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm fiddling for something over here. Look at you.
[00:33:40] Speaker A: I don't want to look at you.
[00:33:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: But now if I feel like I'm supposed to do it, I'm going to do it.
[00:33:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:47] Speaker A: I'm digging through my pockets, trying to find something. I also carry little miniature Bibles with me, right? So I'll put money in a Bible and I'll give it to them. You're not just getting money, right?
[00:34:02] Speaker B: You get something more tangible.
[00:34:03] Speaker A: Right.
But when I think about this parable, they're the same.
They're the one.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: They are.
[00:34:16] Speaker A: It's not for me to determine should they or should they not be on that corner.
It's not for me to judge.
Right?
[00:34:26] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: It's not for me to do what God puts on my heart to do.
[00:34:31] Speaker B: Right?
[00:34:32] Speaker A: Not run away from it, not say whatever.
And I think the 99 my opinion too often, don't listen to God.
[00:34:49] Speaker B: I would not just agree with that, but I would say that you're exactly right and guilty.
[00:35:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:03] Speaker B: Because I didn't either.
I didn't either.
[00:35:07] Speaker A: Yeah. I didn't. I ignored it.
[00:35:10] Speaker B: And it's a shame because of the importance of that one coming back.
It's not just the importance, but the rejoicing. And I heard somebody oh, sorry, I keep hitting the mic. Boom. Today, for some reason, that's the third time I've done it. I heard somebody say one time.
[00:35:35] Speaker A: He.
[00:35:35] Speaker B: Was going to try to buy my meal or something. I was like, Nah, I've got this. He goes, Please don't rob me of a blessing.
[00:35:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:42] Speaker B: And I think about that in context of the one coming back and me trying to block that and think of the way that now I'm robbing a blessing in heaven.
[00:35:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
That's way worse.
I never thought of it like that.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: Now, if you buy my dinner tonight, I'm still open. I'm just kidding.
[00:36:09] Speaker A: Well, if I saw you at dinner.
[00:36:12] Speaker B: Maybe well, that's true. But we'll be in two different states.
[00:36:15] Speaker A: That's right. I think.
Yeah. The rob of a blessing.
I think far too often we're guilty of not listening.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: We hear it.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And ignore it.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: And even today, I will openly say, because, look, I'm not perfect.
I sin. I try to be better every day. Right. This is not how this works. Because we're sitting here on this podcast doesn't mean I got it all figured out.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: Absolutely not.
[00:36:48] Speaker A: Right?
[00:36:48] Speaker B: And we're still struggling to figure out some things.
[00:36:50] Speaker A: So there are times, and I think fear maybe gets a hold of me a little bit, but there's been times I've been like, god wants me to go pray for that dude, I'm all right. I don't know.
[00:37:06] Speaker B: I'm not feeling it.
[00:37:09] Speaker A: I don't know. Right? And then that moment is gone in.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: The blink of an eye, and you've missed that opportunity.
[00:37:17] Speaker A: And then I go, yeah, what was I doing?
[00:37:22] Speaker B: And the aftermath is worse than a hangover. You know what is?
[00:37:27] Speaker A: Seriously? It really know. This is the one thing I love everything about my wife, but I will tell you that we could be in a grocery store, and if God said to Linda, I need you go pray for that girl, she don't care. She's going to go tap her on the shoulder and say, is everything okay with you?
I feel like I'm supposed to pray for you today. And I'm like, Girl, you can't just be tapping nobody people you don't know on the shoulder. Right.
But she is just listening and faithful to what God is telling her to do.
I don't know that I tap somebody on the shoulder in a grocery store.
[00:38:10] Speaker B: I've done it.
[00:38:12] Speaker A: God has told me to do it, but I haven't done it.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I've had to.
[00:38:19] Speaker A: And when it has occurred and I've like doing that afterwards, it's almost like dad slapped me in the back of the head when I got in the car.
You know what I mean?
[00:38:32] Speaker B: I know exactly what you mean. I know exactly what you mean.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: The reason I say that is because, look, we're all flawed, right? And while I sit here and say, are you part of the 99 who don't do anything? Well, I have been too. Yeah, right. So I'm not sitting here saying, well, you're screwing up. Look, I screw up too, right? We all do.
[00:38:55] Speaker B: Yes, sure do. Sure do.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: But try to be better tomorrow.
[00:39:00] Speaker B: 1% better today than you are.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: Try to be better tomorrow.
How would you land it?
[00:39:07] Speaker B: I think we just did.
Honestly, I really do. I think the conversation that we've had about this and the way that we've pointed out some things about the rejoicing we've pointed out about Robin blessings and things like that and I think for us to come full circle with this and land this, we have to realize that we don't do well what God wants us to do.
But at the same time, when we allow God to use us as a rung on a ladder or use us to reach out to someone so that that person wants to be restored to God and the blessing that comes from that and the rejoicing that goes on and the dangers of not being open to hearing what God says and what God is telling us to do.
I think you wrap that all up into this parable of lost sheep and there's no way that you can't be convicted to want to reach out.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree with that.
[00:40:38] Speaker B: You know what I mean?
It just doesn't I think we just landed it.
[00:40:45] Speaker A: You're right. There's no way you can't be convicted.
It's been a blessing.
We've said this many times.
If this meant anything to you or if you're struggling, if you need prayer, if you need help finding a church, family, small group, men's group, whatever, right? Send us an email at
[email protected], we're here.
[00:41:12] Speaker B: We'll get right back with you.
[00:41:13] Speaker A: We'll get with you as soon as we can. So as we get ready to close us again, it's been a pleasure. The only thing I would say is remember to love God and love people.
