Podcast Summary

Dufresne Ministries Podcast

Episode: The Importance of Fullness | Joel Siegel | Collinsville, Oklahoma | JTH Crusades 2024 | Wednesday AM
Date: October 14, 2024
Host: Dufresne Ministries
Key Speaker: Joel Siegel

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the spiritual imperative of living in the "fullness"—being full of the Word and Spirit of God. Joel Siegel, ministering at the JTH Crusades 2024, passionately unpacks what it means to be a "full" Christian, why consistent praise and awareness of God is crucial, and how believers can participate in the continuous flow of God’s presence and power. The message is both deeply practical and spiritually stirring, blending theological teaching with lively anecdote and humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Habit of Praise and Spontaneous Worship

Timestamps: 00:08 – 05:29, 10:00 – 13:00

• Joel begins by urging the congregation to develop the habit of praise—not just in response to music or a worship leader, but spontaneously as a normal expression of the believer’s life.

• Emphasis on verbal praise, distinguishing between worship leaders and “worship extractors,” humorously describing the leader’s job as “to get you to hush when it’s time to do something else” (03:07).

  “We’re worship leaders, not worship extractors. It’s the job of the leader to get you to hush when it’s time to do something else.” – Joel Siegel (02:45)

• Reflection on the Charismatic Renewal and how spontaneous praise was a hallmark, making congregational engagement with God normal and expected.

2. God-Awareness and Living Full of the Word

Timestamps: 13:00 – 21:00

• Joel teaches that God’s presence is not distant; believers are meant to live in continual awareness and communion with Him.

• The analogy of marriage is used to illustrate intimacy with God. Just as love is not dependent on mood or outside stimuli, so too should praise and spiritual expression be a natural, unforced flow (15:20).

• Christians should be “God-aware,” recognizing their lives as intertwined with God’s life every day, in every activity.

  “All day long He and I are doing this thing called life together.” (16:44)

• Colossians 3:16 is unpacked: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, so much so that it overflows in expression.

  "When the word is dwelling in you richly, the word is coming back out...because it’s so rich. Rich chocolate cake talks back to you, doesn’t it?” – Joel Siegel (22:32)

3. What Does ‘Fullness’ Look Like?

Timestamps: 21:00 – 30:00

• The mark of fullness is when what’s being put in (Word, Spirit) flows back out (praise, thanksgiving, scriptural confession).
• Christians are to be “spirit-filled,” which Joel defines as the only acceptable state for a believer (20:25).
• Practical examples: responding to truth immediately, engaging actively with sermons and teachings, continually offering praise and thanksgiving—not just in church, but throughout daily life.
• Comparison to “snacking” spiritually throughout the day, referencing Smith Wigglesworth’s habit of frequent engagement with the Word (30:05).

4. Maintaining Consistent Spiritual Expression

Timestamps: 30:00 – 37:00

• Spiritual “fullness” is sustained by a loop or cycle: receiving from God and expressing it back through praise, thanksgiving, prayer (including praying in tongues).

• Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 34:1 emphasized—believers are to meditate on the Word and keep praise on their lips continually.

  “If you go too long, and how long is too long? Half an hour… If you’re in your vehicle and drive 25, 30 minutes and there was no interaction with God during that time, we might need to redefine your concept of Christianity.” (33:55)

• Fullness impacts outreach: as Christians remain at levels where God “can come out and reach the world,” the harvest is reaped and God’s purposes fulfilled.

5. Being Responsive and Intimate with God

Timestamps: 37:00 – 45:00

• Believers are not only to be aware of God but responsive to His presence—likened again to the touch and responsiveness in a “hot marriage.”
• Joel humorously references escalating degrees of intimacy, tying them to increasing levels of spiritual engagement: “A low-level response can lead to another response…and greater levels of intimacy and sharing.” (39:15)
• James 4 cited: “Draw near to me and I’ll draw near to you.” An illustration with his wife visually demonstrates mutual movement creating closeness.

6. Truth, The Full Truth, and Living in the Loop

Timestamps: 45:00 – 54:00

• Joel shares anecdotes about “partial” versus “full” truth, using personal stories to highlight the difference.

• John 16 (The Amplified Bible) is read and unpacked: The Holy Spirit guides into the whole, full truth.

• The spiritual “loop”: the Spirit draws on the Father and reveals to us, but our participation (coming toward God, engaging in prayer/praise) determines if the loop is complete.

  “We’re actually the element in that [loop] that can either complete the circuit or interrupt the circuit by where we’re living and what we engage in.” (55:24)

7. ‘Steeped’ in God: The Tea Analogy

Timestamps: 52:02 – 54:50

• Host brings out Matthew 6:33 (Message): “Steep your life in God reality, God initiative, God provisions.”

• Uses illustration of steeping tea: just as hot water and a teabag infuse, so too are we to be infused and intermingled with God.

• When believers live “steeped” in God, others will notice His presence as flowing out of them.

  “When I open my mouth, He comes out.” (54:50)

8. Prayer and Power for the Next Move of God

Timestamps: 56:00 – 64:00

• Joel quotes Kenneth Hagin on prophetic waves of revival, emphasizing the need for believers to take their place in prayer and spiritual engagement for God’s move to be fully realized.

• Unique analogy: Regenerative braking in electric cars, likened to how prayer and praying in tongues not only bring answers to us but generate power for God’s work in the earth.

  “When you pray in tongues, you give impetus to the next move of God’s spirit before that spiritual wave is ever seen with your natural eyes.” (59:22)

9. Corporate Prayer & Declaration

Timestamps: 64:00 – 77:40

• The congregation is led in corporate prayer for the harvest, the church, and the nations.

• Encouragement that persistence in prayer brings spiritual awareness and intermingling with God.

  “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to every nation. Then the end shall come.” (76:35)

• The message concludes with a call for fullness, joy-filled praise, and anticipation of the coming of the Lord.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 02:45 | Joel Siegel | “We’re worship leaders, not worship extractors. It’s the job of the leader to get you to hush when it’s time to do something else.” | | 16:44 | Joel Siegel | “All day long He and I are doing this thing called life together.” | | 20:25 | Joel Siegel | “A full Christian is the only acceptable Christian. Didn’t plan on saying this this morning, but no big deal.” | | 22:32 | Joel Siegel | “When the word is dwelling in you richly, the word is coming back out...because it’s so rich. Rich chocolate cake talks back to you, doesn’t it?” | | 33:55 | Joel Siegel | “If you go too long…30 minutes and there was no interaction with God…we might need to redefine your concept of Christianity.” | | 39:15 | Joel Siegel | “A low-level response can lead to another response…and greater levels of intimacy and sharing.” | | 45:27 | Joel Siegel | “There’s the truth, and there’s the full truth. He’ll lead you to the full truth.” | | 52:45 | Host | “We are to be steeped [in] him. We are infused with him. He infuses his strength into our inner man. He lives in us, and he wants to flow out of us.” | | 54:50 | Host | “It’s we. It’s me and him. And when I’m infused, steeped with God, when I open my mouth, He comes out.” | | 55:24 | Joel Siegel | “We’re actually the element in that [loop] that can either complete the circuit or interrupt the circuit by where we’re living and what we engage in.” | | 59:22 | Joel Siegel (Kenneth Hagin quote) | “When you pray in tongues, you give impetus to the next move of God’s spirit before that spiritual wave is ever seen with your natural eyes.” | | 76:35 | Joel Siegel | “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to every nation. Then the end shall come.” |

Key Takeaways

• Fullness is the standard for Christian life: a continual cycle of taking in God’s Word and Spirit, and consistently expressing them back out through praise, thanksgiving, and prayer.
• Intimacy and responsiveness to God must become the norm, not the exception. This requires habitual spiritual awareness and expression.
• The next wave of God’s move depends on believers maintaining fullness and taking their place in prayer; passive Christianity is not an option.
• The spiritual “loop” of receiving and expressing is not automatic—our engagement makes the difference.
• Living as “steeped tea,” not just hot water, is the aim: saturated, infused, and indistinguishable from God’s presence.

Suggested Listening Flow

To revisit highlights:

• Spontaneous praise and the “habit” of worship (00:08 – 05:29)
• Defining spiritual fullness and “the loop” (20:25 – 30:00, 54:50 – 56:20)
• Tea analogy and God-awareness (52:02 – 54:50)
• Quotes from Kenneth Hagin and call to prayer (58:35 – 64:00)
• Corporate prayer and declaration (64:00 – 77:40)

This episode is a call to live joyfully full of the Spirit and Word, aware, expressive, responsive, and engaged in God’s ongoing plan—both personally and corporately.