Thirsty and Thorough Christ Followers // A Vanguard Church Message as I Began My Jubilee

On the weekend that marked the beginning of my  jubilee with Jesus, I was privileged to stand before the congregation at Vanguard Church and share a message. The given passage for the weekend - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 - was a very significant one for me, as I reflected on my life and the call Jesus has on all of us to be His disciples.

In this message, I got to share my own personal testament of a life transformed by faith and issued a clarion call to others to do the same. I recounted the example of how my husband Kelly's dedication to Scripture reading impacted me then led to spiritual growth in others, too.

After all, what is our legacy if not the impact we make through living out our God-given purpose? In this episode, I share stories of individuals who have used their careers as platforms for ministry, exemplifying how our divine calling transcends our day jobs. As I announce this as the jubilee year of freedom, I urge us all to dedicate ourselves to a bold and authentic discipleship that changes lives, including our own.  

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The Family Disciple Me Podcast is a ministry of Family Disciple Me, which exists to catalyze Devotion Driven Discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way.

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Family Disciple Me is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. The Family Disciple Me ministry remains dedicated to encouraging and equipping Christ followers to "meet with God and make Him known." More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

How do we completely, fully, thoroughly, follow Christ? Recently, I got to answer this very question when I had the privilege of speaking at Vanguard Church. Turns out, it was a really special weekend in my life and this message profoundly impacted me as we got to dive into 1 Corinthians 1, verses 18-31. I want to share that message with you here in this podcast. It's going to be a little longer podcast episode than normal, but this was such an encouraging message to me and I hope that it will be an encouragement to you as well. So, hello, thank you for joining us. My name is Tasha Williams. I am the co-founder and executive director of the Family Disciple Me Ministry, but I'm also the co-founder of Vanguard Church and the senior pastor's wife. So thank you for joining me in this episode as we look at how to become thirsty and thorough Christ followers. Good morning, vanguard. Good morning.

Speaker 1: 1:15

This is a really special, significant weekend in my life. This weekend, I celebrated my 49th spiritual birthday. 49, yes. I gave my life to Christ when I was four years old. I was just about a month and a half into being four years old and I knew that I wanted to follow Jesus. I knew that I wanted to give my heart and life to him. I knew that because I had adults, parents, kids', workers, pastor, pastor's wife who taught me, who showed me the way to follow Jesus. So, as a four-year-old, I gave my life to him, fast forward 49 years. And yes, to some of you I'm an old lady and to some of you I'm a spring chicken, but I'm 53 and I have followed Christ for 49 years. As of this weekend, yay.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Well, the thing about 49 is that the day after that 49th moment, the next day begins biblically the year of Jubilee, the year of celebration. The Bible talks about in Leviticus 25 that after you count seven cycles of seven years, then when that is complete, you step into a year of celebration. The year of Jubilee in Scripture is the year of the Lord's favor, and I don't know everything that that should mean or everything that it will mean, but I proclaim that I'm ready to receive it Anybody else? Here's the thing as you celebrate the year of the Lord's favor, god says proclaim it to the inhabitants of the land. So back in the fall, when Kelly asked me to speak this particular weekend and I looked at the calendar and I looked at the schedule and I realized what this weekend was is. I thought how significant that I get to bring the Word of God today this weekend, at the beginning of this most important year of favor in my life that I get to proclaim.

Speaker 1: 3:33

But then I started looking at the passage that was assigned. Now, candice, you know we love the entire Word of God. We love it all. Every time I teach anything from God's Word I fall in love with it. But not every passage exactly speaks to well a significant moment, like your 49th spiritual birthday in the beginning of the year of Jubilee. But when I opened up God's Word and I saw our passage for this weekend, I was so excited because I love what God's Word has to say to each of us today, because I love what it has said to me already in God's Word.

Speaker 1: 4:12

So we've been talking about this theme of thirsty. No, no, no See, I was all tongue tied with lead chef saying this last week. It's hard, isn't it, wendy? We're talking about what? Are we talking about? Thorny Christians becoming thirsty followers? I'm pretty sure that is the tongue twister to start the year with Thorny Christians becoming thirsty followers.

Speaker 1: 4:38

Well, I looked up some statistics about thorny Christians and I realized that there is a survey that was done last year by this guy named George Barna. And George Barna has been taking a thermometer to the spiritual temperature, the spiritual climate of Christians in America for four decades now, and last year he did a survey and he found out that 70% of Americans call themselves Christians. I was actually kind of surprised by that. I thought I would have thought it was less. So that's fine, that statistics Fine. That's the most disturbing part of that 70% only six out of 100 said that they want to pay attention to how Jesus lived so that they could live like him. 6% of that 70% said I want to be a thirsty Christ follower. We got a lot of thorny Christians in this country, dare say around the world.

Speaker 1: 5:44

So I thought it would take a moment this morning and define what a thorny Christian is. Because, see, here's the thing is I've lived for Jesus for 49 years now. I've decided he's worth it. He's worth it, he is worthwhile, he is worth my life. But a thorny Christian says he's worth less. Now, that doesn't mean that they say, oh, he's worthless, but it does mean that in some way, shape or form, they say he's worth less than my time, he's worth less than my talent, he's worth less than me serving here. He's worth less than me being a part of his body, the local church. He's worth less than this relationship. That's what a thorny Christian thinks. That's how a thorny Christian lives. And you know what, guys? We all live that way sometimes. We all decide sometimes in some ways that he is worth less.

Speaker 1: 6:50

But God doesn't want us to stay there. He wants us to recognize the fact that we can be thorny Christians. But he wants us to go on this journey with him to become thirsty followers. And then I'd like to add something to that. I believe he wants us to be thirsty followers who become thorough Christ followers. So I thought I would take a moment to define well what is a thirsty Christian. What's that all about? Anyway, I put this in your program and I want to read it.

Speaker 1: 7:21

A thirsty Christ follower is someone who intentionally seeks to grow closer to the Lord, to know him better, to walk with him more deeply and to make him more famous. That's what a thirsty Christian is. A thirsty Christian is one that when Jesus says, seek me, you'll find me. When you seek me with all your heart, a thirsty Christian says absolutely, I'm going to seek you. I want my fill of you, lord Jesus. If that's you, if you want to End being a thorny Christian, if you're ready to walk on this continuum of being a thirsty Christ follower, then what does it mean for you to become thorough in your faith? What does it look like for me to become thorough in my faith? Because if it's just a matter of time, then surely by 49 years we got it under control. But the thing is, this is a journey with Jesus every step of the way.

Speaker 1: 8:30

I love what the Apostle Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. He said this. He said all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for instruction and righteousness. That the man or ladies, the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. The cool thing about this word complete it's only found one time in the New Testament. It's a really special word. It means to be equipped, to be ready, to be prepared to be now, in the present, ready to move and be on the go, to be complete, to be thorough.

Speaker 1: 9:17

So here's our question If you're done being a thorny Christian, one of that 70% that's just hanging out calling themselves a Christian but not really living it. If you're ready to be on that continuum and continue to be a thirsty Christ follower, then how do you become thorough in your faith? Well, I'm glad to say that today's scripture passage is going to answer that question. Today we're going to look at 1 Corinthians, chapter one. We're going to pick up with verse 18 and we're going to answer that question how do we become thirsty and thorough Christ followers? So I want to say welcome to those of you who are here in person this morning, welcome to those of you who are joining online I know I've got Chris and Anastasia online right now and some other family members, friends. I want to say welcome and a shout out to those of you that watch this or listen to this later on the Vanguard Church podcast or on the Family Disciple Me podcast, wherever you are. If you're here in person, if you're a part of this later, if you'll turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians, chapter one, verse 18, you can look it up online, you can hold it in your notes.

Speaker 1: 10:27

Let's read God's word together. First, corinthians one, verse 18, says this the word of the cross is folly to those of us who are, to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. The word of the cross is folly, it's foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Now, whereas the Greek word for complete is only found once in the New Testament, this word for power is found 120 times. It's the word dunamis. I may be pronouncing that wrong, but it means this it means the dynamite, the power, the explosive, mighty strength of God. And if we want to go from being thorny Christians to thirsty, thorough Christ followers, we need that power in our lives. We need that explosion to take place in our lives. And how does that happen? Here's point number one make God's word your superpower. Make God's word your superpower.

Speaker 1: 11:43

When I was a little girl, I accepted Christ at the age of four, and I'm not even sure why, but by the time I was in elementary school, about second grade, I decided I was going to start reading God's word every day. I'm certain that there were adults in my life who were showing me the path of God's word somewhere in children's ministry, teaching me to follow after Jesus. So I decided I want to know Jesus, I want to follow Jesus. So I started reading my Bible. I started reading a chapter a day as a child, internalizing the word of God. By the time I hit middle school, I had a youth pastor investing in my life and he said well, you know, if you read between three and four chapters a day, you'll read the whole Bible through in a year. I was like that's pretty cool. Okay, I can do that. So I started reading an average of three or four chapters a day and I read my Bible once a year, every year, from the time I was in middle school.

Speaker 1: 12:37

And then fast forward and I went to college and at that point I was seeking after the Lord even more and I was doing these extra studies and taking Bible classes and I met this crazy guy named Kelly. Does anybody know him About that time? He made a vow to God that he was going to read 10 chapters a day for the rest of his life until he read the Bible 100 times. He started that just before we started dating in January 1990. And I watched him. I thought he was kind of crazy. I was like once a year is good enough for me. I'm doing all these extra studies, but as I watched his life. I decided to up it from three to four chapters to five chapters a day and my understanding of God's Word opened up even more. Give it about marriage in 10, 12 years, somewhere in there and I watched his example day in, day out, month in, month out, year in, year out, and I decided I'm going to start doing that too. So I started reading closer to 10 chapters on average a day and my understanding went from this to this to this Profoundly impacted my life. God's Word became more and more and more my superpower.

Speaker 1: 13:53

There's a young girl she was here in the last service. Her name is Paige. One of my greatest joys from this last year, the last 12 months, is this young woman. She might even be watching again right now. She gave her life to Christ in December 2022. She was baptized here at Vanguard Church and she decided that she was going to start reading God's Word February 2023.

Speaker 1: 14:16

Well, she started reading God's Word and on a snowy, blowy, wintry night, nobody else in our small group showed up except Paige. So we sat down and I said what are you doing in your devotions? How are you spending time with Jesus? She was way back, stuck in the penitook. She was like I don't understand and I said, ok, here's a plan. Let's skip to the book of John and I want you to read the Gospel of John. Just read it one chapter a day. It'll take you 21 days and then we'll meet back here and I'll tell you where to go next. She was like OK, so she went home.

Speaker 1: 14:46

The next thing I know it was less than a week she's like OK, I finished that. What's next? I was like, oh, my goodness. So I said, ok, let's back up. Let's back up to Matthew, mark and Luke. I want you to read the Gospels and if you read those one chapter a day, you'll get through that here in a couple of months or so. I'm telling you in two or three weeks. She's like OK, I read that. What's next?

Speaker 1: 15:07

I was like, wow, this girl is making God's word her superpower. I encouraged her to finish reading the New Testament. She read all the way through. She circled back to the beginning. She began at the penitook. Again, she's reading through and she is on track to read God's word, finishing in one year, on February 16. Yeah, you guys can give her a hand. They gave her a hand in the last service. That's a new believer who's decided she's going to make God's word her superpower.

Speaker 1: 15:38

What about you? What about you? You are never going to become a thirsty Christ follower if you're not spending time in God's word. You will stay a thorny Christian if you're not spending time in God's word. I challenge every person in the sound of my voice to be in God's word. Maybe it's a chapter a day, maybe it's 10 chapters a day, maybe it's a passage a day, maybe it's three chapters a day, but wherever you are in your spiritual journey, up your game. Up your game. Up it today. And I promise you, the more you spend time in God's word, it is going to more and more become your superpower. I can tell you the truth of that because I've experienced it.

Speaker 1: 16:25

God's word continues in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 19. For, it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. Where is the one who's wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Scratch your heads and say, ok. What exactly does that mean? Well, here's the thing about when God's word becomes your superpower. You're going to begin to start finding treasures in God's word. And you're also going to start finding clues in God's word. And if you'll go back to the first four words there in verse 19, you're going to find a clue. And it says, for it is written, and when you see that that's a clue, this is found somewhere else, and in that somewhere else there may be more that will help me understand this passage here.

Speaker 1: 17:17

So we go looking and I found this passage, this quote, in Isaiah 29, 13 and 14. Listen to what the Lord said, because this people draw near with their mouth, honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me. Their fear of me is a commandment taught by men. Therefore, the wisdom here's the quote the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden. So we go back to 1 Corinthians 1, and God's saying where's the one who's wise, where is the one who's the scribe, where's the debater of this age? And then we combine that together with what we see in the book of Isaiah, chapter 29. There in that passage, and God's saying where are they? Because their mouth is talking about me, their lips are moving, but I don't see any heart. That's pitter-pattering for me.

Speaker 1: 18:07

You want to be a thirsty Christ follower who's becoming thorough, complete, equipped to be the person God's called you to be. Here's point number two Watch where your heart is. Watch where your heart is. I've been going to church since I was a really little girl. I know we can show up with our bodies, we can be in the seat, we can be singing, we can be paying attention and our hearts can be a million miles away. I know that's true for you because I know that's true for me. But God wants us to keep watch on our heart. Where is your heart? Jeremiah 17.9 says the heart is deceitful. Above all things, it's desperately wicked. Who can know it? We can't even understand the depths of our hearts. But God does, and he wants us to come to Him with our hearts and seek Him. And as we seek Him and find Him, he's going to help us with our hearts, he's going to renew us, he's going to make us thorough in our walks with Him as we seek Him.

Speaker 1: 19:15

The passage goes on 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21,. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks, they seek wisdom. But we we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. How do we go from being thorny Christians to thirsty, thorough Christ followers? Here's point number three Share Christ with others. We preach Christ crucified. It's foolishness to the world, doesn't make a lick of sense, but we know it's the power of God. We know it's the power of God.

Speaker 1: 20:21

Now I went back to those George Barnas studies and last year another one of his studies found that 56% of Christ's followers I don't know if it's the 56% of the 6% that want to live like Christ, I don't know the nuance of that, but 56% said their faith is private, it's just between me and God. And it gets even worse for baby boomers. Baby boomers, 63% say yeah, it's about me. That's atrocious, that's terrible, because if you're making God's word your superpower, you're knowing and growing in your understanding that God's word calls you to share Christ with someone else. Matthew 28, 19, and 20, the last thing that Jesus told his disciples before he ascended to heaven. He said go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you. That's not private faith, sorry. That's a faith that shares Jesus with others.

Speaker 1: 21:32

Fast forward from the book of Matthew to Revelation. Revelation 12, 11 says they overcame the enemy that is Satan. They overcame him with the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Are you sharing your Jesus story with anybody as you seek him? Are you speaking him into somebody else's life? Are you making him known to someone else as you meet with God? Are you just keeping it inside my faith as private, or are you making sure that someone knows him better Because you do this really cool moment a few weeks ago my new friend Teah.

Speaker 1: 22:21

She accepted Christ at Women's Retreat last fall. Mm yeah, give her a hand. Yay, wow, powerful moment, powerful weekend. She shows up to church with her cousin and guess what he did? He accepted Christ. Amen, yeah, joseph accepted Christ on Christmas Eve. Perfect timing, perfect name. Who are you sharing Christ with? Who knows Jesus better? Because of you, because of you.

Speaker 1: 22:59

A week and a half, two weeks ago, there was a young man who accepted Christ here because somebody, somebody took him in. Oh, there he is. Hey, jacob, you guys are like when she speaks I am not showing up because she just points me out. You know how much joy it brings us when we get to see the fruit. Kelly said last year is the year of favor, this year is the year of fruit. And you know what? As I begin jubilee, I'm looking for the fruit. I'm looking for the fruit and I'm gonna call it out.

Speaker 1: 23:27

But the fruit doesn't just happen by osmosis. Fruit happens when we seek him and we turn around and we speak him to someone else, when we step into their lives, when we let our faith be more than just this private, selfish faith sorry, we make a difference and we begin to see fruit when we become servants of Christ and we speak him to those entrusted to us. But here's the thing in order to do that, we need more than ourselves. Because I don't know about you, I am not enough. I get so trapped in my world, in my life. This last year or this last week, I think everything that could go wrong I say that very hesitantly because there's always more but everything that could go wrong went wrong. I battled. It's like Lord, I'm so weak. I don't wanna have to deal with this. I'm not enough for this. I'm not strong enough. And God says I gotcha.

Speaker 1: 24:23

Look at what verse 25 says, for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Now I'm gonna give you a big old theological term here. It's called a paradoxical hyperbole. Because see, here's the thing, here's the thing. God isn't foolish and he ain't weak, all right, but if he was foolish, he's not. But if he was, even his foolishness would be wiser than our best genius. And he's not weak. But even if he was, his weakness would be stronger than our strength.

Speaker 1: 25:05

So how do we go from being thirsty Christians to thorough Christ followers? Here's point number four rely on God's strength and God's wisdom, not your own. You ain't enough. I'm not enough. We're not strong enough to live this Christian life thoroughly, completely on our own. So stop trying. You and I have to make God's word our superpower. We have to be in his word every day, every week. We've gotta be in God's word. We need to be in community so we hear the God's word spoken into our lives. We need to be surrounded by other Christians that we can hear their Jesus stories and be impacted, influenced by those. We need to be around other brothers and sisters in Christ who can pray for us and lift us up. That's what we need. That's how God strengthens us, so that we don't stay over here in thorny Christian land. The world's full of those doesn't need any more. That's how we move to being a thirsty and thorough Christ follower. And look what happens when we rely on God's strength, on his wisdom Verse 26,. For consider your calling.

Speaker 1: 26:21

Brothers and sisters, not many of you are wise according to worldly standards. Not many of you are powerful. Not many of you were of noble birth. I think about myself. When I gave my life to Christ, I was a month and a half into being four. I was little. There's nothing significant about me. I was just a little girl. Oklahoma still water Oklahoma, this tiny little Baptist church. But there were people that poured Jesus into me and I wasn't significant. I wasn't old, I didn't have know-how, I didn't have genius, understanding, I wasn't famous, I wasn't from a rich, wealthy family, but I was called. And when I heard Jesus call me, I said yes. And that's the same about every single one of you that have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. You don't have to be whatever the world says, because you've already been chosen by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and he has a calling on your life. So consider it, think about it, pay attention to it, look at it, regard it, examine it. Let somebody else in the body of Christ speak into it and say I see this in you Ginny Erlen is the best at that. I see this in you. I believe this is what God's doing in you. So then, instead of being thorn in Christians, we become thirsty and thorough Christ followers by number five, living our divine purpose. Our divine purpose is to know Christ and to make Him known. Our divine purpose is to seek Him and then to speak Him. Our divine purpose is to meet with God and make Him known. Our divine purpose is to share Christ with others.

Speaker 1: 28:24

I love what Stacey McKeel wrote a couple weeks ago and shared. She calls it an updated sending, and I loved it so much that I made like a poster out of it and I laminated it so I can keep it with me and be reminded of it. She wrote this I tweaked a little bit that. Here's what it says Father, son and Spirit, be our vanguard. You are here with us and you are making us a force to be reckoned with. We gather in your name and for your fame. We engage intentionally with one another and with your word, and we ask that you would multiply our efforts so that we would see the lost be found for our good and your glory. We exist to radically lead our families and community to seek you and speak you, to set the standard through bold worship and to strive to do our part to make heaven crowded. I love that. We stand our ground at the front lines, expectant, unafraid, ready to take new ground at a word use us to push back the darkness. We are branded, we know who's we are and we are becoming a force to be reckoned with. We are vanguard. We are vanguard, god. We are here for you. You have a divine purpose, you have a divine calling, so live it, live it.

Speaker 1: 29:55

I look across this audience and I think of the different ways you are living your purpose. Natasha, I love how you live out your purpose for Jesus, the people you bring, your family members, your friends. I see Jesus all over what he's been doing in your life. About the past what? Three years since I met you at Women's Retreat. Love it. I look across this room, kennedy, I see what God's doing in you. He made you a new creation and now you have the next generation in your arms that you can seek him and speak him into. I look across the room and I see. I see what God's doing in you, mark Jacob Brie. I see your stories, I see your faces, debbie. Debbie came to me this morning and said I have a miracle to share with you. And she told me praise Jesus. When you stand in the gap, you're living, you're calling. When you share Jesus with somebody else, you're living your divine purpose.

Speaker 1: 31:09

This past weekend my family had this really, really special moment. A young man named Dean, with our permission and blessing, asked our fourth born Anna-Larie to marry him. Yay, she said. Yes, they're the cutest couple. Yes, yes, we are so excited.

Speaker 1: 31:30

I wanna tell you about Dean. Dean is a godly young man. He loves the Lord, he loves our daughter and he loves being a force for Jesus. He is going to school to be a nurse. He wants to be an ICU nurse, like his dad. He's following in his father's footsteps. That is Dean's career, that's his career path. But I'll tell you what Dean's calling is, because there's nothing that he likes better. I've noticed that.

Speaker 1: 32:02

Then to get on the phone with Kelly and I and say, well, I was doing this at the hospital, interning, or however they whatever the things are that nurses do, nursing students do and then he'll tell us I got to pray with this patient. Or I saw this girl in the parking lot that I saw visiting her terminal mother earlier and I got to pray for her and point her to Jesus. You see, his calling, his career, is nursing. His calling is Jesus. What's yours?

Speaker 1: 32:31

You say I'm not sure what my calling is, I'm not sure what my purpose is. Oh, if you're a Christ follower, you got more purpose and calling than you can even imagine. Start with this Make God's word your superpower. All right, make it your superpower. And then, after you meet with God about that, just go make him known to somebody else One of your children, maybe a grandchild, a niece, a nephew, maybe a child in children's ministry, because you want to make him known to one of the little people back there. And 49 years from now they'll be saying you know, I was in children's ministry at Vanguard Church and I gave my life to Jesus, and there was this person that shared Jesus with me. And now I'm getting ready to celebrate my Jubilee because you could be the one that starts that. You could be the one that starts that. God has a plan and a calling on your life, on our lives. Vanguard, on our lives.

Speaker 1: 33:22

Everybody, within the sound of my voice, are you living your divine purpose? God chose you, he called you, and the passage finishes. Let's read this. But God shows what is foolish in this world to shame the wise. God shows what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God shows what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not to bring to nothing, things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him. Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, let those who boast boast in the Lord. You know what that word boast means. It means to hold your head up high, to be confident, to be assured, to be expectant, to be excited to see what's happening in your life. Do you see what God's doing in you? Because here's the thing if you have decided you've had enough with being a thorny Christian and you're walking toward being a thirsty Christ follower. God is working in you. You're allowing his spirit to move in your life. He's making you into the person that he created you to be. You're living, you're calling, you're beginning to seek him, speak him, meet with God, make him known. You are becoming a thorough Christ follower. And here's what you can do. This is point number six. You can be confident. Be confident about what God is doing in you and through you.

Speaker 1: 35:10

Thirsty Christians, we may be seen as fools, where the Jesus freaks right Just a little different. She's a weirdo. She talks about Jesus a lot. We may be the fools, but God's making us wise. And we thirsty Christians, we may be weak At Vanguard. We've always talked about being real. We don't put on a show here. We're pretty honest about who we are. We're weak, but our weakness in God's presence becomes strength. And then, as thirsty Christians, we may be low and despised in the world's eyes.

Speaker 1: 36:00

Cultural Christianity is a thing of the past. God is weeding out those that are lethargic in their faith. He's finding that faithful view, and that faithful view ain't politically correct. Nobody wants to hear it, except the ones that want to hear it. We may be low and despised, but God is making us His light. His light, he has a message that he wants us to deliver to the world, and when we see Him do that in us and through us, he gives us so much joy. And then that's where verse 30 happens. Because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. So because of that, because of that, we can boast in Him, we can hold our heads high, we can be confident about what God's doing in us, through us and around us.

Speaker 1: 37:05

You know, this weekend is so significant to me. I had a crazy, ridiculous week and it wasn't until yesterday that I finally got to sit in the Lord's presence and begin to ponder the implications of what Jubilee year means. It's the year of favor. It's the year that we get to proclaim that. I get to proclaim freedom, freedom, blessing, favor, fruit release, restoration, redemption, return, all of these things. I've followed Christ for 49 years now and in that time in that time, jacob, you're at the beginning of this journey In 49 years I have found. I have found that he's worth it. He's worth it. He's worth every moment of my life. He's worth following, he's worth serving, he's worth living for.

Speaker 1: 38:09

Along the way, I have to sometimes reset making God's word my superpower and I'll just throw this in for a little extra bonus. The more you spend time in God's word, the more you're going to know you can't live without it. Okay, just just tuck that one away. You got to make God's word your superpower. Along the way, I've needed to check the state of my heart Many times, many times. Along the way, I've had to decide that I'm going to step up and I'm going to share Jesus with others, as he gives me opportunity and he puts people in my life, that I'm not going to hold back and be afraid, but I'm going to speak him.

Speaker 1: 38:51

Along the way, I've had to come to terms with the fact that I ain't enough, not enough, never enough. Not enough to stand here. I'm not enough to be your pastor's wife. I'm not enough to lead family, disciple me. I'm not enough to disciple and do all the things. I'm not enough, but he is, he is. So, along the way, reset, reset, rely on his strength, live, live our divine purpose, realizing what God has called me to and reminding you. God has a purpose for every single one of you, and I look in your eyes. He has a purpose for you. The enemy says he doesn't. That's a lie. That's a lie, taya. God has a purpose for you. God has a purpose for every single one of you who are watching online, for those of you who listen later. And in all of this we can be confident. We can be confident that he who has begun a good work in us will be faithful to complete it till the day of Christ Jesus.

Speaker 1: 39:55

I proclaimed the year of favor. I proclaimed the year of favor. I know last year was the year of favor for, for Vanguard, that's what Kelly proclaimed. But this is my Jubilee and I'm stepping into it and I'm bringing to you the message of the Lord saying this is the year of the Lord's favor, the year of freedom. This is the year of fruit and blessing, and that comes. That comes when we quit being thorny Christians Enough of that, enough of that and we step into being thirsty and thorough Christ followers. Is anybody in it with me? I heard a few. Oh, okay, are you in it with me? Yes, yes, vanguard. Church family, disciple me disciples, friends, relatives, those of you watching online, dearly beloved ones. Let's be thirsty followers together. Let's pray.

Speaker 1: 40:51

Heavenly Father, I pray your blessing, your spirit, your power over every single person in the sound of my voice. We may be small in number, but we are mighty in you. I love what you did in the Old Testament. Through Abraham's 300 that went after the kings that had stolen his family members, you did mighty miraculous things. And then in Gideon's 300, you did mighty powerful things. God, I pray that you would do the mighty powerful things through the people that are here in this room and people that are in the sound of my voice.

Speaker 1: 41:34

Lord God, this is the year of freedom. Return the prodigal, restore what's been stolen, redeem the loss. Lord God, raise up the next generation to be mighty and bold. In you that is. Our hearts cry. Our hearts cry for this people. So, lord Jesus, we give you our lives, we give you our breath, we give you everything about us. We want to be thirsty, thorough followers for you. So make us into everything that you want us to be for your glory, for our good and the good of those entrusted to us. And all God's people said Amen, yes, be blessed. Thank you for joining me in this special podcast episode. I pray that you were encouraged and challenged, just like I was Now go with God, live for him. A thorough and thirsty Christ follower.