All right, welcome back to the podcast. We got a lot of people at the dinner table today, got Parker, got Tyler, my brothers, aunt, our producer.
I told them I was going to change my last name to Smith for one episode.
Anthony Smith. Welcome, going on, we are, we're changing it up. So I guess I should say this. We've been through a series of interview podcast and most people probably don't know that we stack those up all back to back to back. So you and I have actually been off and not doing anything for about six weeks, and so now this we're recording this the week that it releases, so when people hear this, we will have just recorded it. That's why we're here just a few days ago. We
need somebody ate that. No, no, no, no, this is all planned.
Yeah, we talked about this for a while and it was probably a good three weeks into that hiatus of recording stuff, and Granger said, what about something like this?
So this is literally the next one after Josh.
What's funny is everything he was talking about? I go, so you mean a morning show? So I'm just thinking radio. I'm like, you got you got all these different all the different personalities which in radio would call different characters and.
So yeah, I'll just bring everyone into this idea. But it's like I'll sit in this chair. I would say most shows, I would imagine ant Man's gonna sit here, and then these two chairs will rotate Amber, Bernie Marshall, Steven. I guess like like a John Crist or An Easy or you know, someone like that could could rotate on these or we could have two guests. Makes sense because you always bring in ant Man, but he's always off screen.
Yeah, yeah, we talked, we talk. He's everybody's always looking over there, like who are they talking?
Eventually we need to do that with Brian on the E podcast. Bring him in so we could do We could still answer questions, which you could. You could email us podcast at grangersmith dot com.
We got some of those today.
We got some of those today. You could request guests. You know, I think that could be encouraging comment if you're watching or listening on YouTube, maybe some guest ideas, or you could email ant Man Podcast at grangersmith dot com just to request a guest. Yep, that could be a thing or a topic. Hey would you guys talk about this?
Yeah?
Really interested in you and hearing Elle's opinion on this email podcast at grangersmith dot com.
Okay, you brought up something YouTube, so we're going to start now talking about it, if that's cool, because we actually where you are watching. If you're watching right now on YouTube, it's moving from this channel. This podcast is moving from this channel to its own Granger Smith Podcast YouTube channel. Now, if you're already there on the Grangersmith podcast channel, you're still going to get everything you get like normal until our three hundred and first episode, which
is coming up. I think it's on June I'm sorry, July twenty first.
So the three hundredth episode stays on the grangers channel exactly.
That stays on the granger channel. Then the three to oh one and everything else. The only place you can watch that is on the new channel. Now on the new channel, you can get all the old ones and all the new ones on the what's the name of the new channel, Granger Smith Podcast. Okay, yeah, so have you just that. Yeah, it's all set up, it's ready to go. It's running right now.
It's running right now.
There's already like fifteen subscribers. It's like people have found it.
I think I'm one of them. Are you Is this the three hundredth episode.
No, no, well it's still down a lot. Oh that's July twenty first will be the be the one that goes on the new channel. But you can go subscribe to the new channel right now and still get everything we're doing between now and three oh one.
So if what we said doesn't make sense, that's okay. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to anyone, especially if you're listening on a podcast channel. It does not matter at all. Only YouTube will change in a little over a month. We're going to migrate from the Granger Smith, which is a music channel. We're going to migrate to
the Granger Smith podcast YouTube channel. So go there now and subscribe if you would, to the Granger Smith podcast YouTube channel, and all that's going to live on there is the podcast.
Yeah, can you link it in in this episode?
Yes?
Okay, it's kind of hard to find when you just search it.
You bet, yeah, because it hasn't It hasn't organically populated anything yet. It will soon. We'll start putting some reels and stuff up organically. But yes, in this episode description, you're watching on the Granger Smith channel right now. I'll put brand new channel and it'll have the link to it. So it's already there right now, go click on it.
Yeah. The reason for that, there's a lot of reasons. We don't have to get into the weeds of it. My channel was always a music channel. Hopefully there will be music on there again one day, most likely gospel music of some sort and a scripture memorization songs and things like that. But it's it's actually hurting us because that algorithm is music and not a podcast.
Yeah, channel, and we have some other things coming up with the podcast. Do we want to get into the lives.
Yes, okay, we do. That's a huge announcement.
So we don't have a name for it yet. We just know it's going to be called Granger Smith Podcast Presents. This will open up. See if we left the Granger Smith podcast underneath the Granger Smith Channel, we wouldn't be able to put other playlists that are just under the podcast because the podcast itself was a playlist. I don't, like you said, I don't want to get into the weeds too much, but this will allow us to do when we do live podcasts, to be able to feature
those in their own feed underneath the channel. So yeah, we've working on right now Granger Smith Podcast Presents. It's going to be with Grainger and Amber. Name will be coming soon. We'll have all the big announcements, looking like six to eight cities, maybe more info. When we do release the info, you're not going to miss it. It'll be everywhere. Granger's Instagram, Amber's Instagram. Ye ye, Instagram. I hope.
Okay, yeah. Let me say, let me say in one sentence, we're going on tour.
Yeah, Well, how do you feel about that?
Man? I'm so excited because saying going on tour because I was you know, I was built really for the for this. I was built to operate in this this you know, going to city to city and we'll stay in a hotel. I mean, it's it's easy. It's the easiest tour ever. We're planning on re literally one city in the middle of a week. I can't have my
Sundays taken up from my from church. Saturdays and Sundays I have to have for the service of the church, and then the rest of the week I need open for members of the church, coffees, lunches, meetings, things like that. But giving up one day in the middle of the week. Why don't we decide on that again middle of the week as opposed to a Friday night.
It could be I mean, it could be a Thursday night.
Em always asked, actually asked all that, like, what I.
Think it's the Saturday piece because that means we'd be coming back on on Saturday and taking up the majority of the day, when kind of Saturday Sunday is really prep time for for Granger and eldership.
And and yeah, maybe I misspoke, maybe it's not Wednesday like middle of the week, but but it's sometime where we have we could all have including the people coming are not away from their home church. But yeah, I love the idea of this. We have tested it a little bit at egu Fest a little bit. But we're gonna take this podcast in some sense on tour to how many cities Tyler six to eight, six to eight cities those will be announced soon. Maybe have guests come,
special guests come to those cities. May have different family members come like the Smiths, Amber may have Parker Tyler, may have you know, different guests that we've had on the podcast before. But we'll do a live Q and A. It's one of the things we'll do, discussions, meet and greet. We'll get to meet everybody, So that's going to scratch an itch. That's going to be pretty nice to be able to see people of vee Nation and meet them again and take pictures and listen to their stories.
Yeah. Yeah, excited about that. So you know, I'm sure you already are if you're new to this podcast and you aren't following any of that, any of the social channels, it hit just one of them up at least Granger's ambers this one.
And in this podcast what we're talking about will be released just like a normal podcast. Is that is that right?
Yeah? Episode, it may be a special episode. It may be in the you know, as we do them live in the middle of the week, maybe the following week. It's released to the public, you know, in the middle of the week, so it'd be like a special on a Wednesday. But you know, as far as all that stuff will work all the details out, I'll just know that if you can't come or we don't come to your city, those podcasts are going to be released where you watch and where you listen, So to this podcast.
Yeah, that's great, Super excited and this is kind of happening with alongside Amber's book which is coming out. Her memoir is coming out mid October.
As she said the title, yet as she talked about.
It, she hasn't released so I will. I love the title, but until she does. But her book comes out mid October, this will we'll be able to go with her and have these discussions with people with her book in hand.
Yeah, look forward to that. Be fun.
Yeah, that's huge. That's a huge announcement. That's probably the thumb nail of this video. Actually were calling on tour, Yeah, maybe something like that.
Yeah, yeah, you preached the Sunday. It's past Sunday. I did what you preach.
About John three verses one to fifteen nighttime conversation with Jesus and Nicodemus.
Oh you did, Yeah, the whole thing. And not on two X speed.
Oh wow, yeah, one X. Thank you. That's encouraging.
Do you ever do you listen on to X? No? Not usually he does all the time. I'm coming in. What are you listening to?
I'm just dumb.
I can't listen.
Parkner showed me right before we walked in to hear, which is like the most genius thing I've ever seen anybody do doesn't listen to podcasts. He takes the puts it into an app, takes the app, makes it, summarize it, send us to chat GPT says give me a breakdown, and PDA, please don't do that to this podcast.
Oh somebody is right now.
I only do that to like it's into business stuff. Yeah, I listen like entertaining podcasts. But if of like, if somebody releases an hour and a half video of like how do how to make your business healthier? Then I'll put it into an app called Summarify. It'll make highly detailed notes about it that are like ten pages long. I export that in the PDF and a chat GUPT and say, give me a thirty day action plan for me at ee Apparel.
Incredible, and.
Yeah, I can understand that. Yeah, but a sermon, you can't do that.
No, I don't do that.
You're going to miss n give.
Me the points in the versus that Grant talks about be done with.
But yeah, it was. It's super encouraging to to do it. You know, we're we're at our church, we're working through the Book of John right now, and so last week Marshall preached the end of Chapter two. I preached this past Sunday, Chapter three one to fifteen, and then I just did a sermon review on that today with Marshall, and he'll begin John three starting at sixteen, going to
twenty one this coming week. So yeah, as we're working to John, it's been super nourishing and to be able to live in those fifteen verses for about eight days, I started a little bit early. Usually it's a week, but I started a little early, lived in those verses and you just get nourished by it. And I was telling Marshall today actually that it's so interesting because you probably do this at your church. There's the sermon text reading before the preacher.
The preacher somebody usually does, okay, yeah.
So we'll have someone come and read this sermon text. And I noticed it this Sunday specifically that when that happens, there's a weird emotional feeling I get when I hear someone from the pulpit reading the text, because it's like that's been a private relationship, with an intimate relationship with me and the Lord, with those verses, digging through them, thinking,
wrestling with them. Reading other people's commentating, commentate, commentating, commentaries on it, reading, reading through all this, the footnotes of the text, chasing, chasing the all the meanings throughout the rest of the Bible, looking at the Greek and seeing the meanings of those words. And then it's been me intimately with the Lord in this. And then a guy goes up and reads the text to the congregation and
I hear it. It's like, now my intimate conversation with the Lord is not public, and it's so strange it's hard to describe. But anyway, Yeah, I loved I loved this text and I loved preaching it.
Yeah, good stuff.
And we could we could link that description. Uh that that link in the description as well.
Get to the it's in essence a podcast. You can listen to the sermon.
Now, you can listen to it on the podcast. Our podcast is what is it? A Maus Church podcast? Yeah?
I think you should look at me Mais Church, Georgetown.
Then it's all podcast platforms.
Yeah, what's weird for me? It wouldn't play on Apple podcasts. It said this can't be played on this device. It's an Apple podcast on an Apple phone iPhone. That's all it's I went to Spotify and pulled it up the same one.
Interesting.
Yeah, so if you have any trouble, just know, go to another you can check it out.
Yeah, I had an interesting conversation about it. I'm having an interesting conversation right now.
Actually, Oh you on on the text? Are you let me see?
Oh? He hasn't currently replied. You guys are gonna. I getted these things, man, I uh so, I think I'll just I think I'll just say this because he would under even if he was listening right now, he would understand this. But there is a man that has a podcast in another state, not in Texas. I've been on his podcast before for like a River, and he reached out yesterday and he said, Hey, Granger, it's so and so from so and so podcast. I hope you're well. It's a video.
Message, a video. What do you mean a video?
He like text? He texts this is he has ever met a guy that will text you with a selfie video? No, but life talks about I feel like he did. Yeah, that's the world. That's the world. This guy's done. He talks about doing that. So I bet you he heard it from It's it's the same world. They're they're all friends. Yeah, yeah, this is not ed, but it's one of his friends, like, this is that world. So he said, he leaves with the you know, and and he said, it's just different.
You know. I love to have you back on the show. But he said, also, I have a new book out and it's about raising kids, and I'll just be I'll just be super frank with you right now. I would love to be on your show, on your podcast and talk about this, which is not a bad ask. I
don't mind anyone asking that. But I was in a mood and I was on a prayer walk out here in the country road, you know, and I was kind of unpacking John three, and I said, hey, so and so great to hear from you, man, Thanks so much for reaching out. Means a lot that you're that you think about me for stuff like this. I said, let's wrestle with something. I would love to do that if you're willing, I said, I see you. You're wearing a cross around your neck. Are you a Christian voice text?
He hits back, I'm absolutely a Christian. In fact, the book I wrote before this is raising kids through the Spirit or something like spiritual child rearing. You know, something I'm trying to hide his titles once again. Even if you listened, I think he would understand because we've been literally talking all day. And I said, I said great, I said, let me ask you a question, then, what is a Christian? In silence for like six hours, he gets back and he goes, hey, grandeured man, great question.
All these videos, this one, this particular one was audio. Okay, great question. I'm so glad you asked it. It's very important. And and you asked, what is a Christian? Yeah, it's Christian is someone who not only belize, No, that's not the first one. Christian is someone who follows Christ and does like he does. And you know, a person that loves his neighbor and that is sincere and respectful and honest. And you know, you gave me this long listen and I said, hey, so and so, thanks so much.
Man.
That's that's encouraging to hear. But I do want to bring up that you didn't answer my question. I said, what is a Christian? And you answered with what a Christian does? So I ask again, what is a Christian? And I said, by the way, sometimes people are like, think I'm a little abrasive. I promise I'm not a brave I'm not trying to be abrasive. I just love digging into this stuff, like my heart is for discipling and I love unpacking these things.
Do people think you're you're looking for a gotcha?
Ah?
I got you? See you do? Now?
Try to try to try to often that. Yeah, maybe, but I try to always. I try to always put in there like, hey man, this is a heart of love and love unpacking these things you give.
A little Martin Nevrin, so you just get straight to you have the gift of straightforward.
If you're trying to get a gift for someone that you think has everything, how about a special video message from me. It's easy to do. Go to cameo dot com slash Granger Smith and you put in the prompt what you want me to say. I get that message on my phone. I'll say happy birthday, happy anniversary, whatever personalized message you want me to say to whoever you want me to say it to. I send it to you and you give it to them. It's pretty cool. Go to cameo dot com slash Granger Smith. Ye Apparel
summer launch is June thirteenth. This is a really good launch. We have so many new items we're excited to show you. If you want to support that Yeee apparel, go to yee dot com. Remember the new stuff. The summer launch comes out June thirteenth hours. Goodbye again. Okay, he hits me back up and he goes man Granger, you were really making me think. And I love that about you.
This is exciting. And yeah, you know now that I think about it, now that I think about the way you ask it, yeah, I think a Christian is not only someone who believes in Christ, but someone who obeyses commandments. And I think about you and your life and your story, and to me, the word that comes to mind is surrender. Someone who surrenders their life, you know, to God. And I remember that time you had in your in your RV when you had that moment of surrendering. Yeah, that's
that's a Christian. I hit them up again. Hey, brother, thanks so much. Once again, you didn't answer the question. Once again, you said what a Christian does? I said, it's like, it's like, it's like this, so and so if I asked you what is a light bulb and you're answering, oh, a light bulb. Yeah, it's just it sends light into the room and it goes to all the crevices of the room and it illuminates the darkness.
And light bulbs are so great because when you come in a dark room and you have a light bulb, you could now see and you can have different colors of the light bulb. They could get they can get to places that once were dark now now they're light. It's like, that's not a light bulb. That's what a light bulb does. I can't wait to hear what what a Christian is. So you're a good storyteller. So do you tell stories to your kids like this at night?
Like many used to? Sometimes? So I move send it hours go by early this morning video texts.
Okay, I thought that I thought we were dwindling. I thought we were going from video text to voice mea video now to texting and like a carrier pigeon was bringing the last one or something.
It's back to video. He actually said it late last night, but I didn't get it till early this morning. He's sitting there like this video text and he goes, little, did I know what the podcast? This was going to soon throw me into the deepest thought I've ever had this subject, and he goes, and I'll be I'll be straight up honest with you when I I'm aware enough in my life that when I reach a point like this, I now I just want to sit and listen. I kind of want to stop talking, and I just want
to be a student. I feel like I just need to learn. Now, can you please tell me? What is a Christian.
So much better than just getting offended and doing Hey, I was just seeing it on your podcast.
I'm sure this guy is very successful whoever it is, and yeah, sounds like it. Yeah, but it's is it not the most important question? I mean, is it not the most like we skirt around faith? This is this? I literally have been living in John three? And is this not Nicodemus? Yeah?
Me.
What I meant by very successful means he understands the importance of listening and getting coaches and mentors more than him. That's what I meant.
Understanding that he doesn't.
Know yep, and he's not afraid to ask and say, hey, correct, I want to listen what you got Chapter three, Verse one of John. Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher. Come from God. For no one could do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how
could a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear it sound, but you do not know
where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with every one who is born of the spirit. Nicodemus said to him, how could these things be? Jesus answered him, are you not the teacher of Israel? And yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen. But you do not receive our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how could you believe if
I tell you heavenly things. No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man and Moses. And as Mo just lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. This is this was just on my heart.
And I have realized through this conversation with this man, how many nicodemus Is are out there, how much I was in Nicodemus my whole life, And how I wish that someone would have grabbed my shoulders and said, Granger, you are Nicodemus. You think you know, but what does it mean? What does it mean to be a Christian? Can you tell me? And I would and I would say, I don't know. Just like this man that I've been texting,
he was part of this group. I'm going to kind of hide their identity, but he's part of a discipleship group that I've spoken for spoken with before the Disciples meant for years, two years at a time, their discipled and then they become the disciple er, and then they disciple others for two years, and yet he couldn't answer the question what is a Christian? Yeah, it's haunting.
So are you going back and forth with him?
Now?
So now I laid it all out in about four as I was driving actually to hear old podcast nice where that's what they sound.
The voice text.
But you know, I start with the gospel, and I start with I start with the you know, God created and it was good.
Yeah.
And since the rebellion of Adam in the garden, we have become separated from God. It's it's very scary because Isaiah in chapter fifty nine says, your iniquities have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. That's scary. So what do we do we're separated from We can't do anything that. In Romans chapter five, Paul talks about how we are under God's wrath, that
we are enemies of God. That is not theology that people talk about in twenty twenty five.
No, it's not.
Wait, I thought God loves you, yeah right, and accepts you the way you are, Yeah right. So to that, what Paul's argument is in Romans five point eight is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's that's how he shows his love for us, not because he loves us where we are, but he loves us that he sent his only son while we are
still sinners, to die for us. And so I'm unpacking this in a lot more that I was saying about how God enters his own creation as a man and a son, the son of God, as Jesus, who lived that perfect life that we all try to live to be, you know, morally right, because everyone's trying to live a good life and be moral and you know, character improvement.
Jesus lives all with that perfectly. Yeah, God cannot. If God is a God of love, then he must despise what is not good and clean and moral and upright and perfect and just and sincere and gracious and compassionate. He must despise anything that's not those things because He is perfect and none of those things could be part of his world. And so where does that leave us
Isaiah fifty nine separated? He's not even hearing, but because of his great love for his people, he sends his son into the world to live that perfect life, become the sacrifice on the cross, to take the sins of his people into his body as a punishment, the punishment we deserved into his body. So he becomes that sacrifice of the lamb or the dove or the cow. He becomes that final ultimate sacrifice, saying that now I have replaced that, I have become the substitute for all what
you deserve. I told the guy, it's like this. You're in death row, and the crime you've committed is murder of the highest court. You murder a homeless guy, that's a that's a bad that's a bad thing, right, But you murder a police officer, it's a really bad thing. You murder a senator in the United States, that's a really really bad thing. You assassinate the president, that is that is a horribly bad thing for you. What if you send against a holy God, creator of the universe, right,
you committed an adultery against him. You've hated him in your heart, thus murdering him as we did on Christ on the Cross. What kind of punishment do we deserve. So we're on death row, like that kind of death row, waiting that kind of punishment, and a man steps in and goes, take me instead, let him go. Everything you were going to do to this, to you, everything you're gonna.
Do to him, put it on me.
Put it on me. And then the judge comes in, he goes, you're free to go. So because of that, flowing from that, we look back on that and it is then we go, I will live my life honoring you. You set me free Galatians five to one for freedom. What if your parker's wearing it? For freedom? Christ, to set us free, Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. So from then overflowing we become morally upright as we walk in the works,
the good works prepared for us. Ephesians too, because of what Jesus did on that cross. Not and we didn't earn our salvation, No, it's a result of it. So so then knowing that we go, okay, well, what in the world this is? Not? How does God then look at us and think that we're okay? You know? Because he looks at us and we were in Christ, he sees Christ righteousness, Christ righteousness put on us, which is this is the miracle. So let me go where I
went to this guy in Ephesians two. You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, Okay, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. The spirit is now the same spirit that's now in work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived, and the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind. And we're by nature. Here's this crazy thing.
By nature. We were children of wrath, separated from God, dead in our trespasses, by nature, children of wrath Romans five, enemies of God. That's not a message heard too often, right, But God verse four being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved them us, even when we were dead and our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace. You've been saved and raised up with Him and seated us with Him in the
heavenly places. In Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus, for by grace you've been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result the works. So that no one may boast incredible. A Christian is a new creation. Whoever is in Christ is now a new creation. The oldest passed away, the news come a new creation saved by grace because of what Christ did on the cross.
That's a Christian.
There, it is good podcast. There it is a new creation. Yeah. So did he get there yet? He hasn't replied yet, check one war time. He has not replied, he said. He replied and said, thank you so much for sending these. I'm gonna make sure I'm in a quiet place to listen. So if you would ask me that, I wouldn't have said a new creation. Well, I technically we could answer a lot of different gospel. But yeah, I mean I would. I'm trying because I was for the whole time. I
was like, what is it Christian? What would I say? And I just got to the point where it's like Jesus, like anytime I'm like in it in this spot where I don't know the answer, I'm just like Jesus. Well, you could say you could use John three and say someone that's born again by the spirit. You could say that someone someone that's someone that's bought by the blood of Christ, someone that's been made new, purchased, ransom, redeemed, restored, forgiven, all of those, all those are appropriated.
You think that you would say he was answering in terms of what a Christian does. You are now answering into what has been done to the Christian to define it happens.
So let's go back to the light bulb. Is a light bulb?
What is a sandwich? Well, it's it's meat that has been sliced and has been carved and put on bread. Yeah, and if you'd like lettuce and tomato and mayo, then that's on there too. Yeah, there's your sandwich.
YEA. The illustration of the light bulb. What's a light bulb? Would say, let's it's a a glass globe with filament inside, and you plug a cord into a power source and electricity flows through the power source and lights up the filament and the light bulb is is is the new life caused by the plugging into the power source and it omits light, that's a light bulb instead of the opposite would be saying a light bulb shines or makes bride or that's all the result. That's true. What he
said is true of what Christians do. But but a Christian is a new creation, in plugged into the power source of Christ, made new, restored, ransom, forgiven, Once a child of wrath by nature, now a child of God, adopted as a son, an heir to the kingdom.
Yeah, it's an offensive message. You are telling people that they're dead and sick.
And that they need to there's also you know, go ahead, I'm sorry.
I'm just gonna say when you said for grace, for by grace you have been saved through faith, it's like that's in every girl's Instagram bio or or you know, and it's like and it's it's amazing. It's an amazing verse. And it is true. It comes from the Bible. It is true. Just go back up to the beginning with
what you were saying. How many of those people that have that in their bio know that you were dead and your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, like just the fear and the wrath of God and who he is. It's just so important. Like I used to cherrypick verses all the time too, and then it's like I have no idea what else this means or what in context we're talking about.
So you said that that is offensive and very well known either agnostic or atheist. Part of the duel, the magic duo Penn and Teller. I think it's pen Is he was. I've been seeing this video that's going around of him talking about how much you have to hate the other person to not share the gospel with them. If you're a Christian and you believe that, how much do you have to hate the person to not share this news with them? Yeah, that's from an atheist.
So the illustration I started the whole service with was Steve Yes.
Yeah.
And when I first read that, I thought, oh, this is this is us Because Steve Jobs was told he had cancer and it was treatable cancer if he had just had surgery. Doctors urged him, you need immediate surgery, we can fix this and he said, now I'll try to fix it myself acupuncture and special diet, and yeah, that was me. That's my testimony. Yeah, I thought I could do it all too So when you said that about Steve and the sermon, I was like, Yep, that
was me. Yeah, I said he was. He was an extraordinary thinker, so it's no surprise he could try to outthink cancer.
Yeah.
Eventually he got so sick he had to have the surgery, but it was too late.
And he died, went everywhere else in his body. Right.
He died because he thought he could fix himself. That is the story of moralism, and that is the story of character modification that we preach as as we think we're Christians and we think we're we're supposed we think being a Christian is living a good life and stamping Jesus on that and keep doing that. Keep doing that, man, I'm going to disciple you to keep on doing good things.
And what you're doing is you're teaching people to heal themselves from a cancer that is killing them unless they get a heart transplant surgery.
Well, who here growing up, did you hear that the word Christian meant someone who follows Christ in a essence something that you do.
Yeah, it reminds me of the It reminds me of the WWJD bracelets And what would Jesus do? And that can be a great message, but I think it can also be extremely hazardous when you think that the primary message of Christianity is just do what Jesus did. That's the message be a good person when you can't be. And so I always remember the quote in the documentary American Gospel. They say the message of Christianity is not.
What would Jesus do?
Now go and do that. The message is what has Jesus done?
Believe that? Oh that's Awesome's always remember that.
Yeah, we that And to be fair, idea, the idea of that, I mean that that word Christian actually comes from little Christ. That was that was a derogatory phrase to the like, look at those little Christs, you know, they fallen their little savior Jesus there. Yeah, don't give you on that. They're following that. That was a derogatory term, but we have it since embraced it. It happens in the Bible and antihok was the first time they were called
Christian's book of Access. So that that Parker's right, following Christ, that's absolutely what a Christian does.
You Paul says, yeah.
Absolutely, So be a little Christ absolutely do what he would do? What would Christ what was.
Do this?
But that message is for believers. That's for butterflies who were already out of the cocoon and you're telling them to go drink nectar. At good point, but not a caterpillar. Caterpillar needs to be reborn.
Yeah.
You can't tell a caterpillar to eat nectar. Yeah, or fly, I don't know what you're talking about. They need to be reborn.
Great point. That was a great message. And like you said, how long have I been talking too?
Well, Hey, you're going to say something, do you remember?
No, No, it wasn't a sorial show. It wasn't important. It was important, you remember, I No.
I just my default is always just like when when you're talking about your acts and what you do, whenever I find myself saying me and what I'm going to do, I'm backtracked about you. And if I don't, I'm just like Jesus. It's because of what Jesus did, not what anything that I did.
So good John, that's actually this is actually John three. Sorry, this last thing I'll say, But you're talking about the caterpillar can't because it's not been born again, John three, nineteen, right after right after your sermon, this is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and people love the darkness rather than the light because their works for evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the lights and does not come to the light lest his works be exposed.
Like not only do they not want to like they they don't want to and they cannot like they must be born.
Again, Marshall. By the time this podcast comes out, Marshall will have just preached that yesterday. So if he wants to hear whatever he has to say about it, it is on the.
Okay, now, I'll put me in Marshall's Yeah, in the links. You want to answer a.
Question, yes, thank you. We haven't done that in a while.
This one comes from James. This is uh, not the book of James the person James. Hey Granger. My name is James. I'm twenty and I'm currently deployed overseas and will have been gone for ten months in July. I really value your advice and right now, with the environment I'm in, I could really use some godly wisdom. I'm dating a girl named Kris. We've been dating for nineteen months now and we've been discussing marriage. She's a Christian
in her family is a good, godly family. I came from a pastor's home, being brought up in a holiness church. My views on lots of things differ from my girlfriends. She goes to a church that believes in Calvinism pretty much, so we differ greatly. She believes in once saved, always saved, which I find extremely difficult to agree with from a logical standpoint and from a biblical perspective. We've discussed this all before and she's confident that we can make it work,
but I'm not so sure. I'm positive we could run into lots of issues, especially with parenting children together. I guess my question is, do you think that these are things that we can that we could work out with some time, or is this where we need to go our separate ways. Any advice would be appreciated.
Marry her as quick as possible.
He's overseas, so we jump on zoom.
Come home and marry. Or she sees a marrying type. No kidding, right, Okay, you guys got I mean my favorite There's two chapters James that I that I would love to see kind of marinate on it. John six. We're still in John here, I guess John chapter six and John chapter ten. I I would marinate on these. I would just kind of meditate on these. And Chapter ten is the the chapter of Jesus being the good Shepherd, and he says, I have trouble in this light. We need to figure out a way to a way to
read this in the light. Okay, So okay, I can't read it. Let me just do it my memory. I could do it my memory. Jesus says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Yeah, okay, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me, and they will never perish. I give them eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
You said, And it may be the no one at the end of your message you were on Sunday. You're talking about this. Who the Father gives me come to me? Now?
That's just so. That's John six. Yes, And what happens when Jesus says these kind of things is people get really angry. Verse thirty one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. They're going to Stone. And when Jesus talks like this, people get really offended. At the end of chapter six, they get really offended because he says, no one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws from you. And all that the Father gives to me will come to me. And whoever comes to me,
I'll never cast out. Yeah, and and people are leaving and droves when Jesus is saying these things. So once saved, always saved, it is always it's it's all over the Bible. And there is such Oh, brother James, there's such comfort in that doctrine. Yeah, there's such comfort to know everything we've talked about so far on this podcast. Everything we have a new creation. The spirit moves and blows life and wakes up dry bones like in Ezekiel thirty seven.
The dry bones come to life as the spirit blows over them, and he makes new whoever's in Christ is a new creation. Behold the oldest or the oldest passed away. Behold the new has come. And you're you're born again. And you in John three, and you you're awakened that you're no longer dead in your trespasses. By grace, you've been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. And and then you think to yourself, can I possibly
lose that? No, you can't lose that. You can't. When the spirit blows and moves and wakes up dry bones, you can't lose it. So take that. And anytime you sin, you you fall short or you drift, and you go no, no, no, I am his He's got me. I hear his voice. I hear the good shepherd. He has got me. And he said that I'll know his voice, and I know it, and he knows me, and I follow him, and I'll never perish and no one will snatch me out of his hand, including me and my and me being an idiot,
I can't even I cannot mess this up. So I follow again, and then we're reassured that he's got us. That's what your fiance, your girlfriend.
Because that sounds like that that's their issue. Is the Calvinist part of it?
Yeah, and well we're not even dressing like calvin don't Yeah, look, don't talk about Calvinism. Talk about the scripture. Read from scripture exactly what Granger just said. Just leave Calvinism out of it.
And I'm trying to define that part.
That's right. We would have to define what he's talking. What does Calvinism mean? I don't know what it means unless I hear what you're defining it as.
Because there's horrible very this read Go read it and go do you believe that? I believe that you believe it? Yeah? Okay, cool, we both believe the same thing.
Yeah, let's let's take these silly definitions and titles out of it, and let's just let's just go look what Jesus says in Johnson and don't look at that as.
A bad thing.
That is a beautiful thing. And then someone goes, you're telling me I can be a Christian, go murder someone and I'm still good. I'll say no, brother, Once that spirit blows over you and you're born again, you won't want to sin. And when you do, you'll turn from it as fast as you can. Why because you the good Shepherd has got you in his hands.
You had nothing to do with your first berth, Oh would you have anything to do? What would make you think that you had any power over the second one?
I butchered James's question. That's not what he wanted to hear at all. I like you responsible marrier right now, maybe what's your t about earlier about what is a Christian? Will help? And that's true. Whatever he's asking, it's a beautiful it's a beautiful truth. It's like, that's like Lincoln saying, Daddy, if I mess up too much, will I not be your son?
Mm hmm yeah.
Can you imagine what would I say? I say you are my son, and there is nothing you could do to ever take that away from you. Your identity is you are my sons, like I have claimed you your mind. You've come from my blood. And Lincoln, there is nothing you could ever do that's so bad that I would say I disown you as my son. And if I could do that as an evil father, as an earthly,
fleshly father, what would our father in heaven do with this? No, when he has claimed his children, he does not let them go.
So good he who began good work, and you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ, who is called you as he is called, He's also predestined.
He's presestined.
He's also justified, and he who is justified will also be glorified.
Hey man, think we in there.
Grant you ever been in this passion on the podcast, you see him all the time. I'll watch them, but I like Bible on the table, my bros here and Man one.
I think conversations. I think he's great at having conversations, and I'm glad we.
Can the It's also different because when you have a guest here, you obviously want to ask and hear their story, and you obviously talked a lot. It was great, man, It's like I was at a sermon or something. That's how we ended, right there were Yeah, but let me make sure that this guy hasn't replied yet. He hasn't replied, just making sure that wasn't going to be the final part of the podcast. Is He replied and said, I believe Where can I get