Bible, Bros & Brew
Bible, Bros, & Brew is all about helping you navigate your relationship with God in practical, real-life ways. Hosts David and Phil dig into scripture—'chopping up the word'—and bring it to life with insights you can actually use every day. And while they’re at it, they share their favorite 'brews'—don’t worry, it’s not booze! Just a solid lineup of classic coffees and teas to keep the conversations flowing.
Bible, Bros & Brew
How to Keep From Falling (Part 6) | Dodging the "Land Mines" in Your Walk of Faith
In our walk of faith, all of us are a work in progress to one degree or another. While it's foolish to expect flawlessness or perfection from ourselves or others, living a life of blatant, willful, unrepentant sin is not an acceptable route to go either. So how do you navigate the pitfalls and land mines, or as Hebrews 12:1 calls it, the "sin that so easily entangles us", while staying strong in your walk with God? In this latest installment of our series titled "How to Keep From Falling", David & Phil explore the foundational passage of 2 Peter 1:5-10 as a prescription of character traits and virtues that will help you avoid spiritual derailment. So grab your Bible and your coffee, and joint us as we break down the Word together!
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Over the past few weeks we've been talking about the topic how to keep from falling, and we're coming from the book of 2 Peter, chapter 1, when he goes into the detail of a list of things called the virtues, where he says here are some things that you should be adding to your faith, and we're going to talk about why that's so important to be proactive in your life of faith and how, by doing the things that are prescribed in the scripture, then you can actually keep yourself out of a lot of trouble and keep yourself focused on the right things. Up next, on Bible Bros and Brew, my name is Philip and of course with me are my resident bros. I've got David here to my this side. I've got Ryan tilt my finger the right way that somewhere down there. I've got John directly underneath here and we want to welcome you to the podcast.
Phillip Rich:We have been on the subject of how to keep from Falling. It's a new series that we started. It kind of feels new, but I guess we've been at it for a few weeks now. But the series is all about discovering from the Bible the biblical prescription for making sure that you stay steady on track and not get derailed, because, as we've seen and you guys, we've talked about it already in past episodes, but there's been a lot of scandal breaking out in the body of Christ, things that have popped up lately and not even just in the past few weeks, but over the past year, I would say it seems like there's been, the floodgates have opened and it's like things that have been hidden for years, things that have been going on for, in some cases, decades, that all of a sudden are just now coming to light. And we're talking about prominent ministers, popular Christian musicians. All of a sudden you're finding out that some of them have not only fallen into sin quote unquote but some of them have just been living a total double life of sin, just as if they're not even saved. And I hate to sound so harsh, but it's just like you look at some of the things that have come out and go. How in the world, man, what it's just? It's been a wild ride, and so, as we all know, when you first get saved, you don't ever imagine yourself ending up in that kind of a place. I can't, you know, I can't, for the life of me, think that anybody gets saved and goes. You know what? In about 10 years, I'm going to totally ruin my life. You know, I don't think anybody's planning for that, you know.
Phillip Rich:So, of course, over time, it's just things have happened, different detours maybe they took that they shouldn't have, or things they never actually dealt with that they should have, that maybe crept into their new life in Christ, his hooks in them, and now they're being pulled back into stuff. And as second peter, uh, chapter two says, if they get entangled again in these things after they've come to the knowledge of the lord jesus, it says the latter end for them is worse than the beginning. So you don't want to end up like that, man. Um, I always say this, like, if you can't find something like positive to shoot for or maybe a goal to shoot for, you can always look at what you don't want to end up being right.
Phillip Rich:It's like I never wanted to end up being one in that situation and and I my heart goes out to the people who have dealt with this stuff or have fallen into these things because, man, you know, I think Warren Buffett said it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only a few minutes to ruin it. And that's, that's what you, you know, at all costs. Let's try to avoid stuff like that man. So that's why we're on this topic of second Peter, chapter one, when he talks about the list of virtues. And in chapter one he goes over I think it's actually seven things. So that's God's number, as we know, but he goes over seven things that we should be adding to our faith. And he said at the end of the list of seven things he said if you do these things, you shall never fall. Now he used the word never. That's a pretty strong word, it's like very definitive, and so we want to take a look at that and just we're just kind of kind of set the table for a little bit here.
David McIntyre:And can I just say something to that? Yeah, please. Yeah, just something that's in my mind from what you just said, and it is that you know one of the things about falling. You know my, as you guys know, my wife and I have done marriage ministry for many years, many, many years, and one of the things that has helped keep us together is our many experiences working with couples who are on the edge of divorce, yeah, and who were on the, who were or ended up actually divorcing and going their separate ways. And it's like you just said, it was like there was a desire in us that said I don't want that to be us.
Phillip Rich:Amen.
David McIntyre:I don't want that to be us, amen. I don't want that to be our end result, and so we were actually motivated to work because of what we saw happening in other people's lives. One other quick thing I never thought, you know, when you were talking in the intro about all these ministries and musicians and stuff. And I can, can I be honest?
Phillip Rich:Please.
David McIntyre:As a Christian, you can see all this stuff and I would understand why you'd be a little jaded.
David McIntyre:Yeah, you saw this band that you followed and you see the absolute ludity that you know members of the band were involved in and the things that they were doing. I remember I followed one band back in a little bit ago and then found out, you know, you know, when the cameras and lights weren't on them they were, you know, drinking heavily backstage. They were into some other stuff and their real desire was just to be. They wanted to be a rock band. So when they crossed over, that was right in their alley. Yeah, that's where they really wanted to be and that's the case for so many musicians and stuff. But when you look at all this stuff that's happened, look at what the outcomes are, one of the ministers that you know I'm not going to name his name, but you can look at what's happened he's been found. You know he's already confessed to inappropriate relations back that date back some 20 years ago or 30 years ago with uh at the time a young girl, when he was single.
David McIntyre:Yeah, that happened 20, 30 years ago. He has a mega church in texas and now, with all of this stuff that's going on because people in the church knew leaders in the church and people felt like they didn't do enough or did nothing at all or cover it up, and all that you know they're literally talking about right now the ability of that church to even survive yeah, yeah, it's complete destruction yeah, and it's like when we people fall, there's always the ripples from that fall, that's right, and there's waves and waves of people who are so impacted by what happens.
David McIntyre:And sometimes you just got to brace yourself and hold on to the sides and let the waters pass yourself and hold on to the sides and let the waters pass, but it's when you think about falling. One of the things to think about is, if you give up on your faith, if you quit, if you fail, what are the ripple effects of that? And that can be a motivation to keep you where you're supposed to be.
Phillip Rich:That's so good, man, and it's true, it's like collateral damage. You don't, you can't, estimate how much damage is this thing's actually going to cause. And I'm telling you, man, I think about that too, cause I've seen, I've seen you and I both, david, we've been over, and over and over again working at a ministry.
Phillip Rich:I worked at a large church for what he, david and I both the same church for 14 years and you see a lot of stuff in that time and I've seen over and over again families get destroyed from the faith period over certain things that happened that were, you know, just a sin coming out or an adulterous affair you know or somebody you know doing some shady stuff, and those were far even in just our own little, our own church back then when we worked together, yeah, adulterous affairs were so common.
Phillip Rich:Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
David McIntyre:I mean, there was enough of them going on just on staff, not.
Phillip Rich:Let's not talk about the congregation, let's talk about the staff.
David McIntyre:Yeah, that's right. Right, you know what I mean. And I would always wonder how can you know God and do that?
Phillip Rich:That's a. That's been my question for a long, long time and I remember too and I'm not trying to go too far off on this right now but I remember when I first got on staff and I started seeing and finding out stuff about what was actually going on. It disturbed me so badly that I resigned.
Phillip Rich:I don't know if you remember that, David, but I resigned a little bit and I was like, okay, this must not be the place for me, you know, and I wouldn't say that like I'm some, oh, I'm the only one doing it right, you know. No, I don't think I was even doing it right. Number one, but number two, you know, it's kind of like what Elijah said you know, nobody's serving you but me, god, and then God's like bro, I've got 7,000 people over here, right, you know so that.
Phillip Rich:But I was so I don't, I hate to say it, but like I probably had a little bit of unrealistic expectations, I probably, you know, and that kind of thing, and so I got disillusioned quickly, if you want to call it that yeah, oh, go ahead I was just gonna say to the point like I did resign and then one of the my co-workers like had to to beg the person at hr to let me back when it was when I finally realized that I needed to come back to the ministry, you know. So it was just a rough situation.
David McIntyre:But anyway, I'm sorry, David, go ahead, we have to, and you can attest to this, Philip. You know Ryan and I worked, though not at the same time, at another church together, and you can attest to the fact that if you don't go into a church environment and with, I think you need to have this thought first everybody here is human there you go just like me yeah, all human.
David McIntyre:That's right, there are no. There are no pedestals to be found and there's, there's. You know none of that stuff, because if you lose sight of the fact that these are human beings, you'll start making occasion to put people in places that they don't belong that's right and then when they fail you, then you're going to be extra hurt. But sometimes you've got to ask yourself am I hurt right now because of what they did or because of the place that I put them in?
David McIntyre:that they should have never been in the first place. That's right, because if I would have remembered that we were all human here from the very top and that it's inevitable that somebody's going to fall, that somebody is going to come up short, someone might offend me, someone might say some things that are hurtful and harmful and mean it or not mean it or whatever. If I walk into that community of the church and realize the reality of what it could be like, then I'm going to be better equipped to deal with stuff when it happens.
Phillip Rich:And.
David McIntyre:I will be if I just go in and I'm looking for a holy and righteous place, just fool. You know everybody being perfect and all of that. That's, that's, yeah, that's an that's. That's not except a believable outcome to expect from a church full of broken, hurt, people who are gathering every week to hear the word of God and be transformed.
Phillip Rich:Yeah, and that's the whole thing.
David McIntyre:And Philip, just one other thing, no, you're good. One of the people put in the comments, that's hard for a new believer to do. You're absolutely right. That's why it takes some of us who are older and more mature.
David McIntyre:So that's why we need discipleship yeah that's why we need people to help us and to walk us along and point these things out to us as we're growing, so that we don't fall prey to expectations that are defeated. We tell people in our marriage, our marriage couples you guys are going to find this unbelievable but we tell people all the time that the lower your expectations of your spouse are, the happier you'll be. And some people are like what do you mean? I can't expect for them to do. The lower your expectations are of your spouse, the happier you'll be. While I appreciate that Lori cooks for me, it's not my expectation that she's always going to be there to cook for me and I can run up to the corner and grab a burger or something like that hopefully a healthy alternative like a hot dog from costco.
David McIntyre:No bun, vitamin c, all right, but I don't expect her to cook for me. I don't expect her to cook for me. I don't expect her to clean. I don't expect her to do any of those things. She does those things and I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful that she does it and it puts me in a position to be grateful because I wasn't expecting it in the first place. So when she does it, I'm thrilled, so grateful for her. And that she does it every week and sees it as part of her responsibilities, I think that's fantastic. But I still don't sit around in expectation that that's the way it's going to be. I don't expect everybody that's in the church to, a be a Christian and B to know everything that God's word says about how to treat me, and see that they're walking that out to such a high level I couldn't possibly be offended or hurt. So lower your expectations.
Phillip Rich:Yeah, yeah, that's so good, david. And that's the thing, man, I was a new believer. I was a brand new Christian. Honestly, I had gotten on staff at that church only maybe two years after I got saved, so I was very, very new to everything and my thing yeah, I was.
Phillip Rich:I was green, I, I I didn't know how the ways of the world yet, um, and so I had some, some, some unrealistic expectations, and I wasn't even really aware of myself either, to be honest with you, you know. So you know it was one of those things. But but and what's funny is like later on, after I'd been on staff for several years, a new guy got hired and he was just like I was when I first came in, you know, on fire for the Lord and praise God and all you know, all this kind of stuff you know. And, and one day he comes into the break room he's like hey, man, you know, you got any tips for me, man, about working here. I'm new. What did you?
David McIntyre:tell me.
Phillip Rich:I told him. I said try not to be easily surprised, yeah, and he gave me the strangest look. I'll never forget that man. I was like, yeah, I gave him something to think about, if nothing else, man. But it is true, man, it's like people are people, dude, and all of us have the potential, if you want to call it that, to miss the mark, dude, to totally go off track, to get derailed. And so you got to. You know, jesus said whatever measure you mete out, that's what's going to be measured back to you. So if you're putting out this ridiculously high standard, like you're supposed to be a Christian, you know, like nobody's ever going to screw up, don't be surprised if you find yourself in some issues later. You know.
David McIntyre:Look and don't forget that if you point that you're supposed to be a Christian finger at somebody, you better be prepared to hear back. Well, so are you. Right, and that means you're supposed to be a Christian in your response? Yeah.
Phillip Rich:I mean.
David McIntyre:So you know, we've all got a lot of work to do.
Phillip Rich:Yes, we do, yes, we do. And it's funny, man the more you mature in the things of God, in the word and in your walk with God, the more you realize you ain't hitting on two cent man. You may have thought you was this big faith warrior when you first got saved, but, dude, you start realizing I need to stay, I need to humble myself under the mighty hand of him, but that's all I need to do Right, dude.
David McIntyre:I'm 30 years years. I think I got saved for real. I can't even call it 2000, maybe 2002, in North Carolina. And here we are, 25, almost 30 years later, and the one thing that I have questioned me is this concept that I've arrived yeah, yeah, the moment you believe you've arrived, you you realize that you're probably just a step outside of the starting gate and You've got some room to run. I'm sorry, phillip, I dragged that out further we didn't even get to the coffee yet.
Phillip Rich:It's good. By the way, you were saved well before then, dude, because I got saved in 96. I came down to it. You at least had to be 95.
David McIntyre:Yeah, it was. So it was. If you got saved in 96 and I think it was like we got, Lori and I started dating in 90, we became a thing in 94.
Phillip Rich:And I know, right.
David McIntyre:So I think that's it, that for me got getting saved for now. Look, I've been in the it all Right. So I think that for me got getting saved Now. Look, I've been in the church all my life. You know, my dad's a pastor, my grandfather was a Sunday school teacher, all of my family were involved in the church and all of that, and so as a young man I got born again. But then I say for real, for real, I went from born again to actually living like it. That was in the mid, early 90s, and so sorry about that 2000s thing, I didn't calculate that oh no, you're good man.
Phillip Rich:Time has been flying by, so yeah seriously.
David McIntyre:Just remember we can go through this life together y'all, and none of us ever arrive no way we'll arrive when we see jesus and the half that we have. He makes whole as he talks about in first corinthians uh, or I think it's 1 Corinthians 13, where he says when we know in part, but when we are with him, then we'll know the whole thing.
Phillip Rich:There you go. That's right, man. Until then, you're very much a work in progress.
Phillip Rich:All of us are you know, that's right and that's the thing too, like, like if we can just share from our heart for a minute on Bible, bros and Brew. But but it's truly is a thing where, as you continue to walk with God and grow with him, you start learning how to be content with where you're at in him, with where you're at in him. You know you're not putting these extremely I don't know what to call it like ridiculous expectations for yourself out there, and I think this is one of those things that a lot of Christians get wrapped up in when they I don't know. It's like they get into a thing of what's my calling, what's my gift, what's my this, what's my that, what's my purpose. And sure enough, you should definitely be, you know, moving towards those things and trying to learn and discover them. But don't let them be a source of frustration for you if you're not where you think you should be.
Phillip Rich:You know, as we said before, like people get this idea when they get saved. Sometimes you get like radically on fire saved at first and you think you're gonna be a prophet to the nations in two or three months or whatever it is, or you're gonna have this big international ministry, and so that kind of stuff can come back to haunt you later when you realize God has another path that he might take you on. That may seem like he just put you on the shelf and is just leaving you there. You know you gotta be patient with yourself. You also have to trust in God and in his timing, that he's growing you in certain things. And like we talked about I think it was maybe I forgot what it was it may have been a different conversation actually that David and I were having that you know, you think you're heading a certain way, but then all of a sudden there's this detour and now you're looking at it like, oh, this is taking me away from my goal. You know I'm being led, you know, down a different path and now I don't know if I ever get where I want to go. And what you may not realize is that maybe something along that path is necessary, that it'll build a quality in you or an element of character in you that you need for the ultimate thing that you're going to be doing. And it's very important to remember that and that's why, when Peter said it in excuse me, 2 Peter 1, he said you know, take heed to make, or be diligent to make your calling and election, sure that that is a process, that's not something that's going to happen overnight, you know, shoring up and firming up what your calling and election is. It may take months, years, maybe even decades at times. And, david, I know I'm talking a lot, but I'll say one last thing.
Phillip Rich:John the Baptist you know his ministry lasted maybe six months, you know, but he prepared his whole life for it. Right Same thing with Jesus he was. He didn't get into ministry officially until he was 33 and his ministry lasted three and a half years. And was it so he? He what? 10 of his life was his ministry, that's it. But he prepared. The other 90 of his life was his preparation for it right you know.
Phillip Rich:So we have to remember that, like I mean, in this path with god, our main thing to do is focus on fellowshipping with him, developing that connection and relationship with him, and he'll bring you into those other things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all the other stuff.
David McIntyre:All these things. Yes, praise God. That's good. That's good Philip.
Phillip Rich:Thank you, Jesus.
David McIntyre:Let's talk. You want to talk about what's in our cups, now that we're a half hour into this thing, by the way?
Phillip Rich:Yes, by the way, let's actually take a quick commercial break and talk about what's in our cup, man.
David McIntyre:That might be the better way in the future.
Phillip Rich:Hey, why not? John? You're on mute. I know you're saying something, but I apologize.
Ryan Holdeman:I just want to know what's been fueling this whole conversation, because, man, whatever it is, it must be good, it must be real good.
David McIntyre:I had a sneaking suspicion for myself. I can't speak.
Phillip Rich:Dude. Well, let me, I'll start. I guess I can start with me. I was gonna say I'm fueled by peregrine. That's what I was getting ready to say. But yes, speaking of which, I'm actually doing the decaf tonight. Columbia Atunca I guess that's how you pronounce that Atunca decaf, beautiful stuff. I guess that's how you pronounce that A Tunkud decaf, beautiful stuff, Wonderful chocolate.
Ryan Holdeman:I was going to say. That's how you know. You've been fueled by the spirit tonight.
Phillip Rich:Yes, I'm telling you, man, I'm loving it dude, no caffeine required. Yeah, no caffeine required, dude. You know I was geeked up on some caffeine earlier, so this has been like my calm down phase here. But how about you, john, what you got in your cup, man?
Ryan Holdeman:man. Well, what I had in my cup was a salted caramel, bourbon coffee, dark roast with that was from um, I believe from sam's club marks, the marks brand I forget what it's called, but no, it's really good. I mean, I'm always going to be a fan of salted caramel and that'll never change, and so this is very satisfying personally.
Phillip Rich:Simple pleasures of life there, man, yeah, yes sir, that's right. How about you, David? What's going on with your cup?
David McIntyre:Tonight I'm trying a new coffee and I think I'm going to have to admit that it has made me very conversational, as is evident by our current conversation. It's kind of funny because the coffee that I'm drinking tonight is called Happy. Ah and you'll notice down at the bottom there it's got notes of chocolate and confidence. So I'm not here, wild in these streets, with this coffee, right now.
Ryan Holdeman:Do you feel confident?
David McIntyre:I feel confident I really do. That's why I've jumped in and said some stuff in a time where I wouldn't so I feel a little bit like Ryan Haldeman, with just all the confidence in the world just out here doing the dang thing that's right it's a good coffee and it is again.
Phillip Rich:It's made me very calm station yes, yes, that's what it's all about, man All right Well. Ryan, take us home, man, what's your coffee?
Ryan Holdeman:I got the cold brew, the stock yes, cold and smooth.
Phillip Rich:I love that coffee. It's so good man, it's very refreshing. You drink yours with no cream or nothing, you just roll with straight black.
Ryan Holdeman:it's right to the point.
David McIntyre:I love it that's the source of his confidence.
Phillip Rich:That's what's going on yes, man, I don't wake you right up the last thing Ryan's trying to be right now is woke up well, in the spirit of continuing what we started, we will go ahead and check out 2 Peter, chapter 1 and, if you don't mind putting that on the screen for us, ryan, or John, whoever's in control of that tonight we've been talking about this list of. We call them the virtues. That may or may not be, or John, whoever's in control of that. Tonight We've been talking about this list of. We call them the virtues. It may or may not be theologically correct to call them that, but we're doing it now.
Phillip Rich:So Peter told us here in 2 Peter 1, verse 5, he said for this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue. Now, when he talks about adding to your faith, he's talking about okay, now that you're a believer, now that you're born again and a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, here's what you need to add to that. It's interesting that he didn't make it a. It wasn't optional. I don't think in Peter's mind he's like okay, now that you're saved, here's your to-do list, here's the stuff you got to start focusing on and, as David and I talked about it maybe last week or the week before, when you get saved, you're not only getting saved out of your past life, the things you may have been involved in that you don't want to be involved in anymore, whatever, whatever. But you're also being saved unto something you know. And so this uh is giving us the things that we should have in our sights as things to aim for and to and to add to our faith. So he said add to your faith virtue and to virtue, knowledge and to knowledge, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control and to self-control, perseverance and to perseverance, godliness and to godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness. Love Okay, so that's seven things.
Phillip Rich:And he said in verse eight for if you possess these qualities, okay, we can call them qualities. How about that? The seven qualities. And he said in verse eight for if you possess these qualities, okay, we call them qualities. How about that? The seven qualities? If you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them. So there is a growth process. Even as you begin to develop in these things, you're going to stay in a growth process with them.
Phillip Rich:He said if you possess these things and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective oh, that's good and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's two things that I want to try to avoid at all costs is being ineffective and unproductive man, because it does not feel good to be spinning your wheels right. So at all, he said. But in verse 9, whoever lacks these traits? So we got qualities and traits call me the one. Whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. And now David. When I look at that, I can't help but get the implication that if I'm not focused on these things and focusing on developing them and adding them to my faith, it seems like there is a chance or potential for me to forget that I've been saved out of that old life of sin, meaning you might end up drifting back into some stuff that you don't want to be a part of right.
David McIntyre:Absolutely, and so that's it doesn't. Do you notice? They're not timeframes here.
Phillip Rich:Right.
David McIntyre:You know there are, but there is a call to grow in all of these things and you don't just. Once again, we're like trees. You know, psalms 1 tells us that we are like trees planted by the rivers of water whose leaves shall not wither and fade. And so here we are, planted trees right, and we're very small trees and we begin to learn about these things, add to our faith, virtue and to virtue, knowledge, etc. And we're growing in these things and over the years we become mighty oaks, it not? You don't start off as a mighty oak, you start off as a little weeping willow, even though that's not necessarily the same kind of tree. But you get what I'm saying.
Phillip Rich:Emphasis on the weeping actually.
David McIntyre:Right, but it's that you start from the small, and because you add these things to you, you grow and you mature. And I actually think that part of what the growing and maturing process is it is that over time, you begin to understand what's good, what's bad. You begin to understand the knowledge of God. You become aware of God's mindset, how he thinks, how he sees things and what he wants from us and how he wants us to live, and you begin to bring these things into your life. You grow, but you also grow in awareness, and so as you grow in your awareness around, you begin to see Ooh, that thing may not be good for me. Oh, that thing could hurt. Okay, I need to go this way.
David McIntyre:The path is clear here, and you start letting the word shape and guide you as you add more of the knowledge of the word to your life and you see, and you grow and you mature and you become this mighty oak tree that it's very difficult to follow you. It's very difficult because, although you become the mighty oak tree, you're also the person carrying the axe that can chop you down if you start going the wrong direction. So I love the concept here that it's not a singular event, but it is an ongoing process and it's not singular either. It's not now that I have faith. Now let me add virtue. Okay, I've got virtue. All completely fooled up. Now let me add knowledge. Okay, I got all of the knowledge. You're not going to ever get all of the knowledge, I can tell you that right now. But you want to continue to grow in it, and so it's.
Phillip Rich:it's taking all of the knowledge.
David McIntyre:I can tell you that right now, but you want to continue to grow in it, and so it's taking all of these things and letting them grow and mature in you. And sometimes you may focus on one thing. You know, you might say I need to work on self-control right now and you might nurture that self-control, but it doesn't mean that you leave behind all of the other things, but it doesn't mean that you leave behind all of the other things.
Phillip Rich:That means that, along with those, you're shaping this other thing, you're honing it to be better and better, and so I love the concept that it's a process, not an event, and it's just an ongoing thing in your life, absolutely. And I love what you said, david. I think it was last week you said how those different things on that list, they work synergistically. I like how you put that. It's like I think you gave an example of like the different supplements that Lori is helping you to work with and how they work together. Like you know, you might have your turmeric with black pepper and it all kind of combines to be cool, and you know you might have your turmeric with black pepper and it all kind of combines to be cool, and you know stuff like that. So that that that's exactly what I think Peter's laying out here is. Is this biblical prescription or a recipe to say, hey, these are some things to to, to focus on and pursue as you develop in your life of following Christ, and they are not, like David said, are not sequential, like you know. Okay, I've got virtue figured out, now I'm going to go to knowledge. You know now, man, at any given day, the Holy Spirit will lead you as to what to focus on, and it may be more than one at a time, it may be just one.
Phillip Rich:That seems to be a real point of emphasis for you. You know, because you may be the most patient person in the world and the most self-controlled person in the world that's cool. But you may not be, you know, actively pursuing brotherly kindness. Maybe you feel more comfortable being isolated and kind of an island to yourself, you know. So God may start working on you in that direction, kind of nudging you and saying, okay, yeah, you're patient and that's good. You've got self-control figured out, that's great.
Phillip Rich:But you know you need to reach out to people more, you need to check on your friends more, that kind of thing. Maybe that's an area of development for you. So and I know I'm kind of taking a trail, but this is something where you know, take this list from 2 Peter 1, and I encourage everybody to meditate on this thing and ask God what do you see in my life now that I need to focus on or that I could kind of move towards? And it may not happen as a voice from heaven to tell you well, you need to focus on this, you know, but it just may be going through your life, you're led into different things and you get these promptings in your mind and in your heart that go I should do that or I should really stay away from that, and that's the things. Those are the little whiffs that you need to catch. You know that you start following those paths and it'll help you develop in these things in a very organic or natural kind of a way.
David McIntyre:You know, philip, I also. Can we just go back a step, if I could please? Because In in this, in this verse, ryan, if you put it back up, thank you buddy. In verse five it says for this very reason. It says make every effort. But in the King James it says with all diligence yeah, yeah.
David McIntyre:I think it is giving all diligence, sorry. Giving all diligence, sorry. Giving all diligence, right, and whether it's make every effort or giving all diligence. This word diligence comes from the Greek word spude. I know that's a wild pronunciation but it is correct. It is spude, though there's a little. Anyway, but one of the definitions for the word spude. It says for the believer, spude means quickly obeying what the Lord reveals is His priority.
Ryan Holdeman:Ooh, that's good.
Phillip Rich:Wow.
David McIntyre:So this elevates the better over the good, the more important over the important, and does so with earnest swiftness. There's an intensity, wow, wow, as a new believer and even as experienced older believers. There is a pace at which God wants us to add these things to our lives. There is an effort and a drive that we should be efforting to put these things to work in place in our lives, and so we are to diligently go after those things and I, I wanna, I just wanna bring out that there's a sense of urgency. Yeah, if you will. You know that word also means swiftness to show zealots. Swiftness to show zealous diligence, to put one's best, full effort by making haste. So it's your best effort and the concept of doing it quickly, right to say. You know, I'm a Christian now and the only way that I'm not going to fall is to quickly begin to apply these concepts to my life.
David McIntyre:That's right, that's good, and so I shouldn't delay to do that. In other words, I don't want to offend you, but I want to say to you. For you to then say that I'm going to do one Bible study a week is not haste and it's not making every effort, but to study, to show yourself approved, a workman who needs not reproved, rightly dividing the word of truth. Then you're going to do what I believe Joshua says, which is to meditate in the word day and night, observing, to do all that is written therein.
Ryan Holdeman:There, you go.
David McIntyre:So you know that means spending some time in the word at night spending some time in the word in the morning, and allowing this word the opportunity to lay hold to take hold in your life.
David McIntyre:In other words, quickly plant the seed, quickly nurture the seed make haste in every effort to protect your garden and allow this seed to come up and grow in your life.
David McIntyre:So just don't forget that there is a sense of urgency with adding these things and even as we go through things in our everyday lives, you know, right now we've got we've got this Texas flood going on and there's another flood in North Carolina, there's another one just like it in New Mexico, and for the people who are in those places, you know, while they're going through and grieving, we as believers have a responsibility to again bring these virtues into place and to know when it's our time to pray for people, when it's our time to move and give.
David McIntyre:You know, all of the action that we take in our spiritual lives comes from our active engagement with these virtues, and these virtues are also directly connected with the fruit of the spirit. So we've got all of these things that are pouring out of our lives, that are a result of our urgent application of these things to help us to grow and walk more closely with God, so we can better know what his will is, what his desire is and what his plan is, so that we can be a partaker in it. That's good man.
Phillip Rich:That's good stuff, david, and I think to back up on what you said about Joshua 1, when I talked about meditating the word day and night and how you know, especially as a new believer man, I encourage you to hit it hard, dude, like get into your Bible every day, read your Bible every day, read it several times a day. You're developing roots and it's going to become very important as you go along in the things of God. It's going to become very important that you set that foundation and develop those roots early on, because, believe me, when I say yeah, thank you, thank you, ryan. Let's look at that real quick. In verse seven this is Joshua one verse seven he said above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that my servant Moses commanded you Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. So he's telling Joshua already get focused and stay focused.
David McIntyre:Look at the promise right here.
Phillip Rich:There you go, so that you may prosper wherever you go. I love that man. He's saying here's the benefit for doing this. I'm not telling you this for no reason. And then, in verse 8, he says this book of the law must not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it, for then you'll prosper and succeed in all you do. Now here's the interesting thing, david. It's like when I first read that very, very beginning like ever seeing this scripture as a new Christian I didn't understand what it meant to not depart from the mouth. I thought it meant don't say anything, don't let it depart from your mouth.
David McIntyre:It makes.
Phillip Rich:In my mind it sounded like don't let it depart from your mouth. It makes in my mind it sounded like don't ever say it, you know. But that's exactly the opposite of what it means. Um, the the scripture actually means don't ever stop speaking this word. He said don't ever let this word depart from from your mouth mean meaning keep it on your mouth, so keep speaking it. It keep meditating on it, the word meditate there it actually means to mutter to oneself, which I find interesting. It's almost like you're you're rolling it over in your mind.
David McIntyre:You're thinking about it.
Phillip Rich:You're imagining it. I think there was one one I don't know what it was like, some kind of Bible study tool that I remember reading. It was saying that the picture in the Hebrew is like a cow chewing the cud you know it's just sitting there, just yeah, just kind of masticating, as they would say.
Phillip Rich:And so it's meant to be a thing where you take time to really think through what the scriptures are saying. And to me, the best way that I have found just for me and David, you can, you know, share your side I have to read it out loud, like when I do my word time I read it out loud and I've got to be in a private place where I don't bother nobody else private place where I don't bother nobody else, but it's like I have to hear myself saying it and something about that locks it in my mind better. Other people may be different. Some people can just read silently and they can just absorb it. I've never been that kind of person, man.
Phillip Rich:I've got to read it out loud to really kind of register it in my mind, and so I'll do that with multiple translations of the same verse A lot of times. I'll do that with multiple translations of the same verse A lot of times. I'll do that Like I'll take even this verse here Joshua 1.8. I'll use that and find I'll read 10, 12 other translations of that same verse just to kind of keep that thought rolling in my mind. What did he mean when he said this, that and the other? David, your thoughts on that.
David McIntyre:Now I was going to say. A good example of this meditating day and night and finding opportunity to put the word in your mouth is Philip. Back in the day when we, philip and Holland, first moved here to Atlanta with us, we were working at a restaurant called Steak and Ale, in a sense defunct restaurant.
Ryan Holdeman:But while we were there, it was open.
David McIntyre:But one of the things I would observe, philip and Philip was working at the host state and what was so interesting about Philip is that, you know, while there were no crowds or no people at the host stand, philip had a little green Bible Yep, one of those little green Bibles that you know about, and Philip would, in between customers. He'd be reading that little green Bible. I'm like those words are too small, but he would sit there and day in and day out he was reading and taking in the word in between customers. You know he'd wipe tables, taking in the word in between customers. You know he'd wipe tables, do all that. But he'd come back to the host stand and if there was nobody there he'd ask the boss and then the boss told him he could and he read his little green Bible there and just diligently took it in.
David McIntyre:It's no wonder that now he's such a whiz at the word and, you know, knows where every scripture is. That's why, you know, I've been in the scripture a long time but I don't remember exactly where everything is, uh, especially like I used to know it. Uh, so, my philip, what's that verse? Again, you know, that's proverb 22, verse 3, but it's also, you know it's also in Luke 10, 12 and 13 and that good stuff and so, but you see the example of meditating in the word day and night, in other words, giving the word opportunity and doing it frequently, or as frequently as you can. Now, we always tell people, though, to just get started. Give yourself a Bible study time in the morning and give yourself 10 to 15 minutes to pray and invite God into your day and to read some of the Bible, but what we don't ever encourage you to do is stay there.
David McIntyre:You should grow in your time spent with god, and that should come naturally, because you should want to spend more time with him yeah, even sometimes when you don't and I'm, there are times when I just I'm like, oh, I don't have it today and that's the best day to do it anyway that's right that's the day where you find hidden treasure, and you realize how much you needed him, how much you needed him in that day.
David McIntyre:So you've got to really dig and you've just got to make opportunity for the word to start percolating in your life and and watering your garden and planting the seed as well that's right and and actually you know, david, that ties into Mark 4, when Jesus talked about what the word really is.
Phillip Rich:It is the seed, and it's like, oh yeah, I'll take his word, because his word is seed, I plant it in my heart because that's where the ground is for this seed, and as I do that, I protect that word. I tend to it like a person would tend to a garden. Then after a while it will produce a harvest in your life. And I just wanted to get, ryan, if you could go to Psalm 1, because this actually ties into what we're talking about in the second Peter passage, because he said the second item on the list was to add to your faith knowledge and knowledge. As we see here, it can be found in God's word. First of all, I think if you, the more you study the word a lot of times when God talks about knowledge in particular, he's talking about knowledge of him. It's interesting and I could go into a whole thing about that, but suffice it to say the number one place that we should be trying to pursue knowledge and find knowledge is in his word, because it gives us knowledge of God and that is like that's priceless man.
Phillip Rich:But here we talk about it in Psalm 1, verse 1 through 3. David mentioned it earlier Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or set foot on the path of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord Once again God's word and on his law he meditates day and night. So this is very much similar to Joshua 1.8. And in verse three he said here's what happens when you do this Verse three he's like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither and who prospers in all he does. Same outcome that Joshua 1 told us we would have if we meditate.
Phillip Rich:And it's like man. I think God's trying to tell us something. You know, as we add to our faith knowledge by getting into the word, it's only going to yield good results. You know we have to recognize. God said I'm a rewarder of those who diligently seek me. And if you look at what the reward is, I like that he prospers in everything he does. I want that life, man. You know what I mean. I want to be able to be successful in the things that I'm doing. I don't want a life of frustration and failure all the time. And he says well, here's how you can avoid that Get into my word, meditate on it, let the roots grow deep and you'll bear fruit and your leaf won't fade, meaning what you do produce won't fade away, which I love.
Phillip Rich:That and then whatever he does will prosper.
David McIntyre:Whatever he does will prosper. Yeah, when you look at the Greek word for knowledge, it's the Greek word gnosis, g-n-o-s-i-s, and it means, of course, knowledge, knowing or understanding way, and it refers to the act of knowing or, by implication, knowledge. And so, as you dig into the word study, one of the things that I find interesting is that it's talks about that. Gnosis, me is an experience, means experiential knowledge. It's functional working knowledge gleaned from firsthand personal experience, connecting theory to application. Wow, so it means that it's like knowing your spouse right, or getting to know your spouse. Those who do that, you know. When you first start dating, you don't know their favorite color, you don't know what they drink or anything like that you know. But as you get to know one another, you begin to learn those things about it.
Phillip Rich:Yeah.
David McIntyre:Then you date more and you get engaged, you learn more, then you get married and over the years of your marriage you get to become intimately acquainted with your spouse to the degree that not only is it just her favorite color is X, she likes to eat Y, she drinks tea. You know, she likes to eat wise, she drinks tea, and all of that good stuff it's to.
David McIntyre:It's to know that when somebody says something and wants to, for example, do something for your spouse, you're like she's not gonna like that yeah, yeah because you know her, you, you're intimately acquainted with her, you understand her, and and that's why, if I'm going to throw a left curve here, philip, please this is also why sex is so important. Right, one of the the central or one of the cruxes of marriage is the marriage bed, and it is the sex that you have with your spouse. And when you knit yourself together with your spouse, it expands and amplifies your knowledge of one another. You become intimately acquainted internally and externally, and your lives are deeply woven and knit together with every act of sex. And so when you come out of it and you know things are going on, or you see that she's just in a mood, you can kind of almost get a sense of why she might feel that way right right.
David McIntyre:You know you're connected to her, so you understand. And this gnosis is asking us to do the same thing with God, to become so intimately acquainted with him that when we see things like the opportunity to get involved with porn again, we're like no, god's not down with that, that's not. He wouldn't want that for me or for him.
David McIntyre:And so it's easier to turn away. You get to understand now why it's difficult for you to fall, because you become so intimately acquainted, you are so personally engaged in and spiritually know God, that you are and are acquainted with God and what he likes, what he dislikes, what he wants, what he doesn't want. That's so ingrained in you over time and over connection over gnosis, over knowledge of him, that you begin to bypass potholes that may be in your path because you see them for what they are and not for what they're prettified to look like. That's good. You know, porn doesn't. Porn doesn't sit before a man and necessarily look like a bad thing, right, whatever reason he might have in his mind it looks like this or that or it just looks like satisfaction or that kind of thing and all that, but really it's a pothole. And so many of the drugs and man looks at sex and doesn't see that it's a pothole outside of marriage but, inside of marriage.
David McIntyre:It's a beautiful bed of flowers that God has created for you and welcomes you into. It's a completely different experience. So to just know that when we're talking about knowledge here, it's deep, it's firsthand, it's a personal experience, and then it allows you to connect theory what you hear and what is said to you about the things of God to actual application, what you actually know and are aware of and have knowledge of about the things of God that helps you guide and shape your lives.
Phillip Rich:That's good.
David McIntyre:And then just one other quick thing this word also, and this is why a caution is also where we get the term Gnostics. And so the Gnostics were the ones who boasted that they had special knowledge of God, and it was, if you know, you know which means it wasn't founded or grounded on anything.
David McIntyre:It was just based upon your personal experience. Well, I heard a girl on YouTube the other day said that she was a Christian, she believed in God, but when she kissed this woman, this other woman that she knew, god was in it.
Phillip Rich:Oh boy.
David McIntyre:And it's like but his word says and she's like no, no, no, no, Don't throw the word at me. I know what I experienced, and so Gnostics exalt the experience over what the word says, over knowledge, and we have to be so careful not to fall into this trap of my personal experience versus what the knowledge of God says through his word. Now I can have an experience with that word, but my experience and what the word says have to match. I can't have an alternative experience to what the word says and try to make my experience what God says.
Phillip Rich:That's right, that's good. David, we have to remember the ultimate thing that's going to help you in your walk with God is to make the word the final authority. It has to be central. Hmm, it has to be central. It can't be this ancillary thing off to the side that you know. Okay, I'll consult with it after I've already kind of reasoned my way into something else. Or maybe if what the word says lines up with my own reasoning, then I'll accept it.
Phillip Rich:Whatever the case is, you don't change the word to fit what you think. You change what you think to fit what the word says. That's what Paul meant when he said you know, don't be conformed to this world, but be Romans 12, 1 and 2, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. He was talking about taking the things that God said, taking the thoughts and ideas of God that he's put into his word, and planting them in your own heart and mind to the point that your own thinking gets altered or conformed, rather, into his way of thinking. And when we do that, we finally understand what truth really is, because his word is truth and like, and like david said, it's a dangerous place to get off into experiences thinking that, oh, because I felt some chills, you know, or whatever else it might be. Or I saw angel feathers floating down from the ceiling. You hear all kinds of kooky stuff about what people experience. Supposedly that sounds spiritual or sounds miraculous and maybe just complete hogwash most of the time. But we can't exalt any experience we have, whether it's, you know, wild and crazy and sensational or whatever it is. We cannot exalt that thing over what God's word says.
Phillip Rich:The word is meant to be the anchor for our soul, as Hebrews six says. You know, we have to have it as the central thing that we we shape our lives around, and that's something that I've always appreciated about David. It's something that I took cues from him and as I was coming up in my walk with God, every time they faced him and Lori facing his situation, no matter what it was, one of the first things they would always say is what does the word say about that? Over and over again I heard them say that even if they were counseling other people, talking with people, let's find out what the word says about that. You know, and it was always the go-to, and to me that became something that I adopted, and now my wife and I.
Phillip Rich:We're both that same way, like if we hear a preacher saying certain things on YouTube, or even if we visit a church somewhere, and the first thing going through our minds is we got that thing running through a filter of the word. It's like, okay, what this guy's saying can I find it in the scripture? You know, and just like David said earlier about the knowledge of God and knowing God by experience, that's what begins to happen After a while. Enough time spent in the word. You really do get the sense of what God is behind and what he is not behind. And so if you hear something, a weirdo, novelty, kind of doctrine or some kind of something off to the fringes that maybe a minister says or a preacher says on TV, that little signal, that little bell should be going off in your spirit like I don't know about that. And the next thing you know, you may end up finding three or four or five scriptures that go no, that's definitely not right.
Phillip Rich:You know, so again, you may end up finding three or four or five scriptures that go.
David McIntyre:No, that's definitely not right, you know. So again, I found this thing I think it was last week. I saw it on social media where people are using their accounts and they're posting scriptures and just to look at it off the cuff, you're like, okay cool, some scriptures, but then when you look at them closely, they're not scriptures at all, not bible scriptures. Wow wow they're. They're made up scriptures that people are just posting and they're getting a lot of likes on them, a lot of amens but, people aren't paying close attention to what's actually being written.
David McIntyre:And if you're new to the Bible or if you're still an amateur or beginner in the Bible and your knowledge of the word, just because you see a scripture on social media doesn't mean that it is a scripture that's in the Bible. You should grab that title, because what I saw that they would do is they would use psalms 81, verse 16. Well, there is a psalm 81, there's verse 16, and but what they would put it says and what it actually says are two different things. Even take the stuff that you're seeing on the internet and social media and check it to your bible. You just really have to guard. Look, proverbs 4 says it guard your heart with all diligence.
Ryan Holdeman:Yes.
David McIntyre:Out of it flow the issues or the forces of life. Nobody else is going to guard your heart for you. You've got to guard your heart and so you've got to watch these things. You've got to watch the deception that is in this world, because there is deception and you need to be very aware of it.
Phillip Rich:Dude, you just reminded me and I'll make this real quick because I know we've got to wrap up but Stephanie came across something like that on Instagram the other day. It was like a little scripture kind of thing on a paper background and it said like God is with you even in the hard times, and it was like Isaiah 66, 33. And I remember when I first saw it I was like okay, maybe it's some very loosely like new living translation style
Phillip Rich:of some scripture in Isaiah. And then she was like, no, look at it closer. And I was like, oh, dude, there is no Isaiah 66, 33. And we looked it up, it was like Isaiah 66 stopped at, like verse 14 or something like that. And it's like, man, you got to be careful, these people put stuff out. It's not even accurate, you know.
David McIntyre:Yes, they will, yes, they will, and I don't know what the motivation behind people doing that is and I pray that God deal with them about doing that.
Phillip Rich:Yeah.
David McIntyre:But it's up to you. It's up to you to guard your heart and know these things. Amen, phillip, we hardly made it anywhere tonight, but we had a great conversation. It was awesome. Yeah, I think it was a great conversation too.
David McIntyre:We're so glad that you guys have joined us in this episode. Take to heart the things that we talked about and really consider some things, because there's much to be considered in the things that we talked about. And remember your job is to know God, to know him for yourself, and he's made it possible for you to know him through his word. And through his word you begin to have the spirit of God speak to you not only through what's written on the paper, but he'll speak into your heart and help to guide and lead you, and beautiful things can come of that with us. If you're not, please find us on TikTok, on Instagram we're also out there on Facebook. You can find us on YouTube and Rumble as well. We're so glad. Thanks, Rumble folks for joining us, thanks YouTube people and everybody for connecting with us.
David McIntyre:Typically, our at is at Bible Bros and A&D Brew in most social media platforms. So find us, like us, subscribe to the channel here on youtube. Make sure you like uh. Or, as I say, smash that like button, uh, and let the algorithm know that you really like us, you really really like um. So until next time, uh. Let me also just point out that, uh, our new Bible study guides. We have guides for every episode we're doing now. The first one goes out this Monday coming. So if you look down in the description, you'll see an opportunity for you to click on the uh Bible study guide link and get each week's Bible study guide delivered out to you on Monday mornings so you can use it as part of your study during the week. We love you guys, we're so grateful for you and we pray for you. Philip, could you just do a really quick prayer, prayer of everybody, and then we'll wrap up.
Phillip Rich:Absolutely. Father, thank you for this podcast and we just ask you for every person who's been listening or will listen to this podcast. Lord, we pray that you will guide them into the things that they should be adding to their faith. Lord, Give them wisdom to know what to focus on, what to stay away from. Just lead and guide them, Father, so they can come to know you better. We pray that now in Jesus' name, Amen.
David McIntyre:Until next time. I'm David, he's Phillip, he's Ryan and John's back there somewhere. He's playing in a cup, though I don't know why. He's something about being a furry. We'll deal with that, because it's not of God. So we'll deal with that later. Oh, this is the ultimate revival. These tandem mugs john's gonna be so mad at me. You.
