30. Practitioner's Podcast: Child of the King (Freedom To Be Great)
Hey everybody. Welcome back to the practitioners podcast, where we're applying Jesus style disciple-making to everyday life. This episode in all of our episodes for this, our second season has been brought to you by navigators church ministries for more information, or to get connected, check out navigators, church ministries.org, Justin, last episode of the season.
Are you ready? I'm ready. Let's do this. Are you feeling joyous or more melancholy about this being the last one? Ah, I would say mix kind of a mix. How about you? Yeah, no same. Right. Cause you know, it's a little less work in our week and yet I miss creating this disciple-making focused content for our wonderful family.
So make sure you stay all the way to the end because we're going to talk about season three. and what that might mean. At the end of today's episode. So let's kick it off with a random question. because it is our last episode. I'm going to ask you this random question, your favorite episode that we got to be a part of in season two.
Okay. season two. Hey, there's a few that come to mind, but I am going to go with our episode with my friend Dan Spader. That was a solid episode. I loved it. I mean, I just felt like he was, he was dropping some truth the whole time and in ways that were really practical and that people could grab onto around the life of Jesus.
And as one of my favorite things. So how about you? One thing I remember from that episode is it, you said you wanted to download his brain and I thought that's. First of all, that's a great idea out what somebody in the science world needs to get on that and to, that's a great description of how I felt after listening to him.
Talk to, my favorite. I'm going to cheat just a little bit. I'm going to say that my favorite was the series that we did on consumerism in disciple-making based off of your blocks. So consumers been filmmaking. I thought that was really solid. Cultural tendencies have a lot to do with how and why we make disciples.
Yeah. Amen. Actually, I was, that was one I almost said, but I decided I wouldn't say that cause that I don't know. It just feels weird too. To say an episode that was based on some of the things that I'd written and put out, put out into the world. So I went with the Dan Spader contact with, and so it's so interesting that you say that because today we're going to talk a little bit about this idea of our reflecting of the father.
And particularly one of the things we're going to talk about and kind of where we're going to start is how hard it is to celebrate the ways that we as Christians reflect the father. So, let me, I'm going to add, I'm going to put on my pastoral hat and ask you a little bit of a follow-up question. Why do you think it's so hard for you and for all of us to say that we're proud of something that we did, or like, I, man, I really love this thing I did.
Yeah. I think, I don't know. I think there's something in our culture that makes it, like you're not supposed to do that. Right. Even if you feel that way, you're supposed to kind of be like, oh, well, you know, I think I did. Okay. Or, you know, it's much more acceptable to communicate about when you're not feeling good about something or you don't think you did a good job or whatever, but you rarely hear, at least I rarely hear people talking about, man.
I really nailed that. I was awesome at that today. Right. And it's just not. For whatever reason, it's like an email I'm thinking about. If I were to hear somebody say that, that I didn't know. And if I didn't know their heart, I would immediately think, oh, wow. That, you know, that person I'm pretty full of themselves.
Well, I've certainly watched enough sports to see when somebody comes off of the, The field, right? So I'm watching a documentary right now on Tom Brady called man in the arena on Disney plus and warning. And there is some language there, but it's, it's really interesting to see when he's super confident.
Like there are moments where he's like, I threw that ball. That was the best I could possibly do that particular game because he goes game by game. He's like, that's the best I could possibly do. And I think that there's something in our culture that says that non affirming behavior should be rewarded.
Right. Cause I'm not, I'm not necessarily like, you know, in, in this particular case, he's not being arrogant. He's just speaking the truth. And yet I think it still feels weird to hear or say, right. Like not affirming behavior is actually very rewarded and downplaying ourselves, especially in the church.
Culture are like super weird. And yeah, I hear this from pastors all the time. Pastors who are really good preachers, never want to say, man, I'm a really good preacher, but. This is what God calls you to do. So I hope, you know, I hope you're you think you're good at it? Like, I don't know. What do you, what do you think about that?
Yeah, no, I agree with that. And I think, you know, I've been thinking some about what are the implications of that then on us as Christians, as disciple makers. And I think when we do that and we let that mindset seep into who we are and what we do. It causes us kind of step back from not only doing the work, but doing the work at a, at a level of excellence.
Right. And, and in thinking about, I think, well, shouldn't we thought, right? And it shouldn't be surprising, you know, Christians, disciple makers, especially it should be the standard and the expectation that those who make disciples are amazing. They're amazing followers of Jesus. They reflect the father in such ways that are really obvious, not only to others, but also to themselves.
And then we shouldn't, we shouldn't step back from that because it's what God has called us into. And we are his children. Right. And so, you know, at a physical level, You know, when you have children or you are a child of your parents, there are certain traits and characteristics that are very obviously passed down, either through nature, nurture or both that, you know, you are that way because you are the son or you are the daughter.
Of your parents. And I think there's a similar thing that we should have that expectation as we follow Jesus. Yeah. I'm reminded of Galatians 3 26 through 29. it says you are all sons of God through faith in Christ. Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ, have clothe yourselves with. There is neither Jew nor Greek slave nor free male or nor female for you.
All, all one in Christ. Jesus. This is the important part. If you belong well, it's all important, but this is the kicker. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and you are heirs according to the promise. And I love that idea about being heirs to the promise, because w what I think that we're actually saying when we're confident in our excellence, because of what God has given us is what we're saying is that's part of my.
My, inheritance as an air that this is part of what God has given me. Right. And I get to operate in the power of the holy spirit. I get to operate in the truth that comes with scripture, because those are all things that God has given me. So am I good preacher? Yes, because God has given me that and I get to work in that.
And I work at it with God. I'm a, I'm a co-labor with Christ in this idea of what the mission is. Now. I do think that where most of us get in trouble is when we begin to, make it about us in not about the family of Christ, right? Not about again, if we keep this metaphor of like the child of the king, if it becomes about the child and not about the.
Then I think we get a little off, off track. So Jesus really preached quite a bit about the posture of our hearts. And I think we're where we get in trouble is when we lose that posture, that points back to the king. Does that make. Yeah, absolutely. You know, and thinking about that, right? The posture and kind of the expectation of who we are and who we're becoming, if we're a part of the family, if we are God's sons and daughters, as scripture tells us that we are, then it shouldn't be surprising to us or anybody else when we reflect the king.
Right now there's another king, the king of basketball, as some would say, LeBron James. Right. And nobody is surprised that his son is awesome at basketball. Yeah. Bronny. Yeah. Bronnie. He has that. And I heard he might be even better the younger one, but the point is that nobody should be surprised at that because they have had all the advantages that one could have not only from a genetic perspective, but they have learned from somebody who is an amazing basketball player.
And so they've had all these advantages. And so when we hear that his sons are really good at baskets. I'm not surprised a bit now it'd be okay if they weren't right, because they don't have to do that. but we're, we're not surprised because they are the child of somebody who is awesome at basketball.
And so what does that mean then when we're thinking about it from a kingdom perspective that we are sons and daughters of the king, shouldn't we be like him, shouldn't we be. Amazingly loving shouldn't. We be people who are deeply committed to building his kingdom and to ushering that into our world, in every facet that we enter into, whether it's a workplace or our home or a neighborhood or our churches where we worship it should be just oozing out of us because, well, because we're a child of the king.
Yeah. W one of the things that's really frustrating for me as a pastor is when people think that. That it's about us and not about God. And let me elaborate through an example on Christmas and Easter, when I was pastoring, there were always people that came in the church and they would say the same thing all the time, which is I'm going to get struck by light.
Right because they haven't been in church in so long. They think they're going to get struck by lightning because they're evil people. Right. Or they've done horrible things. Now, my problem is not the joke. My problem is the bad theology that surrounds the joke because they're not really making a statement about themselves as much as they're making a statement about.
The definition of God's grace or God's covering. Right. And so if this, if I can't do anything good. Then that's not a statement about you. That's a statement about God. If we are to believe that he is our creator, our king, our Lord of Lords, you know what I mean? So, so part of this is about adjusting our theology so that when we give our gifts as an act of worship, we're acknowledging that every good part from me has come from God.
But guess what? There are good parts, right? Yeah. Yeah, no, I love that. And I think too, as we're talking about that, if we're really talking about identity here, right? So if we are moving into disciple-making spaces or other spaces, and we don't believe at a deep level that we are a child of the king, it's going to affect the way that we move into that relationship.
Right. If we move into a disciple-making relationship and we view ourselves as kind of. You know, really flaw, messed up person that may be on their best day. They might be able to have a little bit of an impact in somebody's life that is going to lead to some outcomes. Versus if we walk into that disciple-making relationship confident that we are a child of the king and that he is with us and prepared us on lots of different levels to move into the lives of others and to help them meet the king and to help them be impacted by our father in such a way that it transforms them.
That changes, not only what we do, but how we present ourselves in the midst of that disciple-making relationship and how we present ourselves outside of it, when we're in home alone, when we're doing whatever it changes everything. If we understand and live out of that place of identity in us. Yeah. So good.
And I think part of what we have to do here is invite. God, the father into all that we do before we do it, and that will increase our confidence in what's going to happen. So whenever I preach, whenever I podcast, we, you know, pray beforehand. Think about it, put in the effort, that sort of things. I think it makes a big difference.
Good. Well, we've got a couple minutes left in this segment of our episode today. Justin, will you talk to us about our takeaway and action? Yup. So our takeaway today is every Christian is called to reflect their father. Every Christian is called to reflect their father. And as we've been saying, that is going to change how we make disciples.
It's going to change how we show up in those spaces and in all the other spaces that we enter into. And then our action step is to identify. How and where you reflect your father and celebrate it with someone you disciple, you know, that could be a really fun exercise with someone you're discipling. You should just talk about these concepts and then to invite them to brag on themselves a little bit, and really brag on what God has done and is doing through them.
And you would do that with them and model it for them first. So again, that action step identify how and where you reflect your father and celebrate it with someone. You decide that. So Justin, I think before we jump in to talking about the next season or kind of what our feelings are and all that, why don't you and I model this for all of our incredible listeners and identify and reflect one space in place where you reflect the father.
do you want to go first? You want me to. Yeah, I can. probably one that comes to mind that stretches me is as I interpret for Thai people in the, in the area that we live in right in Dayton here. So, I walk into spaces regularly. Doctor's offices. Schools, courtrooms, et cetera, and really interpret.
So I speak to them in their language. I'm trying to translate all that, but the place that I represent my father in that is the reason that I'm there, I'm there to be a caring presence for them and to help them bridge the culture gap that they're experiencing, which I know about from, from living in their culture quite a while as well.
but that's a stretch for me because I never know what I'm getting into or who I'm going to be sitting with, but just to be like Jesus in those spaces is a way that I, I really feel like I reflect. How about you? I would say for me, it's when I show up super intentionally for one of my disciple-making meetings, it's still an area of my life that that really stretches me.
So when I prepare, give God the extra time of preparation that I feel like that's a gift. And then when I show up to that meeting and I'm better prepared and I'm ready to go with the guy so important too, I feel like. I honor the father in a really good way. And I'm in, if I'm honest, I'm at my best when I'm intentional and relational together.
And that's the best way that I can reflect the father because I'm not naturally wired that way. So it's a real, it's a kind of a nod of the cap to the, to the big guy. I love it. I love it. So do that with, some people in your life. It's super simple. Don't make it over complicated. Just, be sure to celebrate and, and actually that's how we're going to end the podcast too, is we're going to celebrate all that we've we've seen happen this year in season two.
We had a pretty great year. It's the first year that we kind of instituted, interviews and we got to do a couple of those and super thankful for those guests next year. how are we feeling about next year? What are you thinking? Where's your heart out there? Justin, I was going to use Jake.
yeah. I think we're prayerful. We're we're in prayer about this, right? So we want to continue if it's what God is calling us to do. We're not under any illusion that, you know, this should continue for the rest of our lives or something like that. and so at some point it'll be time where, where we step away, but, we're praying through, and I think discerning right where, where we are now and whether God's calling us into that next season or whether, it's time to just put a, put a cap on it and, celebrate what's already have.
What else would you say about it, Tony? Yeah. You know, I would say this, that w we've already got our silent retreat scheduled it's on the calendar. and that will probably go a long way and kind of sorting through what, or if there is a next season. And again, what I love about this approach is that we're not committing to either because we want to be led by the Lord.
So if God says, go there for, and make podcasts, we'll make podcasts. But if you said. You know, go ahead and pause then we'll just pause and maybe we'll come back to it. Maybe we won't, the audio will be out here on the internet for all of you. Wonderful people forever and ever at least until. you know, somebody forgets to pay the pod bean bill, you know, that the best way to make sure that you don't miss a season.
If there's another season or, one commitment I will make to you is that if we decide to put a cap on this, then we'll do one more kind of capping episode where we'll let people know where they can go. So. Make sure you don't miss that episode or future episodes by hitting that subscribe button, wherever you listen to podcasts.
And don't worry if there aren't any for a couple months, it's not going to go away once you're subscribed your subscribed. And, Hey, it's been an absolute joy and a privilege, to do this with you, Justin. And, I'm thankful for you, my friend. Yeah. Likewise. All right friends. Well, we look forward to connecting with you.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions. Justin and I are embarrassingly, easy to find everything's in the show notes every single week. We're thankful for you have a great summer. We'll see you guys real soon.