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The Potter's House Podcast
Walk It Out Wednesday: After the Resurrection — The Road to Pentecost | Pastoral Panel
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Podcast Host
You're tuned into the Potter's House Podcast where we are encouraged by powerful testimonies and life changing truth. Let's go.
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Dr. Cynthia James
Go.
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Pastor Don Dobbins
And we welcome our Our E Church audience. We love you. We're so grateful that you're with us. And maybe this is your first time, or maybe you've been coming. Maybe you've been logging on. Or maybe this is your first time logging on. This is what we call Walk it Out Wednesday. Walk it Out Wednesday. What are we walking out? We're walking out the word. We're walking out the sermon. We're walking out the precepts of what God put in His Word so that we can be stronger and withstand the wiles of the enemy. And there's something that we started not too long ago. Something new where in the middle or doing our session, we open the floor for questions that you have. If you hear something, if something pricks your heart, whether you're online or in the sanctuary, we invite you either to put your question in the comment section, or if you're in the sanctuary, you can come. We have our deacons in the aisles. They have mics. And we're going to answer those questions on. On the spot. Because I don't know much, but the rest of these, they know everything. I'm so grateful for Pastor Don. You all give it up for Pastor Don. We're grateful for Pastor Dobbins. You all give it up for Pastor Dobbins. And we are so elated. Anytime the Dean of Deans comes in our presence, you all give it up for Dr. Cynthia James. We gonna have a time tonight. I love it. I love it. So, so. So we're going to dive in this, but I want to just open the floor. We loosely titled this Life After Resurrection, or After the Resurrection, the Road to Pentecost. Because a lot of times we focus on the death, the burial, and even the resurrection. But what happens after? After that, what was Jesus doing? What. What. What is the period? What does it call in our calendar? What does it look like? So we want to have a discussion about life after Resurrection. Road to Pentecost. But first, sticks and stones. If you don't know what I'm talking about. Bishop Jakes preached probably the most enlightening resurrection message from the Old Testament at that, called sticks and stones from Exodus. Pastor Dobbins, come on.
- [03:51]
Pastor Dobbins
Whoa, you're gonna just throw it to me like that? First of all, I'm nervous because I see Dr. Felicia Ford in the building who's pioneering our Jake's Divinity School. Praise God for her. This message touched me in such a deep place, it's probably not good for me to talk about it.
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Guest Speaker
What?
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Pastor Dobbins
Been what? When Bishop started talking about rolling the stone away, this means that whatever tried to hold me could not handle what the master already rolled away. So as we see to my left and to my right, if you guys were attending our service on Sunday, which was incredible, and if you would also like to. Today we pin particular things on. On the cross to our left and on the right that we wanted to nail to the cross sins, things we've been caught up in, habits, you name it. So nothing behind the stone could be left in the grave, including my dreams, my vision, my purpose, and my destiny. So for me, it touched me in such a deep place. So I'm just happy to be saved. We're gonna. We're gonna mention a litany of scriptures and we're going to talk about profound truth. But I just thank God for the blood of Jesus Christ. Am I by myself?
- [05:14]
Pastor Oscar
I think the thing that got me on Sunday, as he talks about sticks and stones, it's what we call types and shadows. It's this correlation between the Old Testament and New Testament, between the stone and the stick. And it captured my attention because when he strikes the stone, it's God's ability to take what's unusable and do something new with it. And I thought about me in my own life, how God can take something that others deem as unusable and he can use it for another purpose. Because how in the world can a rock become a water cooler? I just. Because I thought about it so many times. We throw other people away, we throw ourselves away because you see a stone, but God see an opportunity. And we walk away from things because of what it looks like, not knowing that God is trying to introduce another opportunity. And we give up too easy because we say it's hard right now. Maybe God is positioning to be that way because you need to strike the rock. Because Moses what's in your hand? When he says, what's in your hand? He goes back with bishop is so eloquently put. He goes, he said, what's in your hand? What's in your hand at the Red Sea, he literally says, it's a staff. Now, if you juxtaposition that to a corporation, which means your staff can help you with your deliverance.
- [06:36]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Come on.
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Pastor Oscar
If you're a manager, if you handle your staff properly. So that's what ended to me on Sunday.
- [06:43]
Pastor Don Dobbins
We starting all you starting early. But I wanted. You said something about typing shadows. Because the stone in that type and shadow. We know that Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected. And so I love seeing. And God is so such. I call him the Great Orchestrator to give us a picture of the stone that brings out water when it is engaged. And the first time being struck, the second time, instructions are to speak to it. But this is the stone that we can go to that has everything that we need. And the more we walk with him, the greater access that we give. This is not about Moses, but part of the reason of Moses disobedience is God is saying, the first time you struck it. The second time I wanted you to speak to it. Because don't expect me to do the same thing every time when you get into a habit like that. Now we want God to show up the same way every time. And we're looking for God to be predictable. And God is saying, I want you to be more heeding to my voice. If you listen to my instruction you'll get what you need. But the reason why you are missing me is because you're catching me in a place I'm no longer there. And so those types and shadows that we're going to see it, even with the garden a little bit. But Dr. James, anything you want to. Come on now.
- [08:05]
Dr. Cynthia James
A couple things. Thank you. Occur to me this text is entirely subversive. And it's subversive we can't hear about sticks and stones without thinking of the old idiom. Sticks and stones may break my bones,
- [08:19]
Pastor Oscar
but words would never hurt.
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Dr. Cynthia James
And it's subversive in that the chiding, murmuring tongue of the rebellious Israelites do not receive the stick, but instead the Rock of Ages absorbs the punishment, and the rod of punishment becomes the rod of atonement. In the typology, the Old Testament, the rod is two edged. And so the law and the ruling government that should punish the rebellious tongue does not do so. So it's subversive in that the stone, the Rock of Ages absorbed my punishment, took my penalty, instead quenched my murmuring and my chiding tongue with water. And then out of the Rock of Ages comes the river of life. And so it is. Certainly they didn't have that idiom then, but it is contrary to what we would expect because Jesus doesn't, or I shouldn't say Jesus, but the Word does not punish them for being murmuring, for chiding, for being rebellious, but instead gives them into atonement. And so God knows that we do murmur and we do complain and we do say, it doesn't look right, but the rock, which seemed to be an immovable system of oppression, a steady course of lack of consideration, lack of sensitivity, becomes porous and is gushing out. So out of my hard places, God sends an oasis of relief and joy and testimony.
- [10:07]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Out of my hard places.
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Pastor Dobbins
This is why we brought Dr. Cynthia James.
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Pastor Don Dobbins
Okay?
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Pastor Oscar
Because, Dr. James, you can't just leave me like that.
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Pastor Don Dobbins
That.
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Pastor Oscar
Because I know you can. But I don't want you to. You. You said he absorbed our punishment. I thought about that on the cross. The. The punishment we should get, he took it for us. That alone is a reason to serve him. Because we know. I'm sorry. You don't know you, but I know me. Maybe you don't know yourself, and there's some punishments I deserved, but he took the punishment for us. See, this is another reason why when you should lift your hands, it's like, man, I know what I did yesterday. I know what I did day before yesterday. And the rock absorbed that punishment and he gave us grace and say, here's what you don't deserve. I'm going to take it for you on the cross. I'm going to take the punishment the enemy should do to you, and I'm going to take it out of his hand and I'm absorb it for you. All that. Oh, my God.
- [11:15]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Go ahead. Because I just saw so much in there. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
- [11:19]
Pastor Dobbins
No, it's. I wasn't sure.
- [11:21]
Pastor Oscar
We.
- [11:22]
Pastor Dobbins
We have so many different things to probably talk about tonight, but I think the spirit is sitting in the stick and the stone. When you look at the process of which rocks or stones are made, it is actually what is left over from the residue of sand or dirt. Dirt and water. Which means that when God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, it doesn't say he used water, but he blew the breath of life in him. I wonder. I'm not putting anything in the text that is not there. I just wonder if there was H2O in God's voice in some aspect. I just wonder what he blew into us. Obviously, it's his spirit, but I'm looking at the sediments of this dirt and the mixture of water. And then the rock is a collection of the sand and the sediments coming together. And then I think about the sticks we see in the text. The man says, I see men as trees often, this correlation between the man and wood representing humanity. And it is amazing to see to your point, that the first time he says, smite the rock, but the second time he said, speak to it. So to me, there is an elevation between the action and the force, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, say the Lord to now the voice. I just wonder if there's something in that.
- [12:46]
Dr. Cynthia James
You're looking at me. It's. It's also how the text reframes suffering. And almost in every subsequent passage, there's a reinterpretation of it. And I think to go from the physicality of striking to the speaking, we have in the sticks and stones a miniature of the gospel where the Old Testament was so physical. But we learn his presence now, and we learn his presence by his voice and knowing that he's there, even though we may not always recognize him. That's your segment.
- [13:26]
Pastor Don Dobbins
You know, what is so amazing is how in one passage, there is so much to extrapolate. There's so much meat in that one passage because we're all hearing things as we talk. Because when. When Dr. James and Pastor Don started talking about how the rock absorbs, how Jesus took on by his stripes, we are healed. So all of what he absorbed then out of the pores of the rock, come water, come grace, come forgiveness, come deliverance. That everything that we strike him with, out of his side came blood and water. Everything we strike him with. Now, he doesn't give us the same in return, but he gives us grace. That's enough to praise him for. I am just grateful. I am great.
- [14:14]
Pastor Dobbins
And.
- [14:14]
Pastor Don Dobbins
And I see. Listen, I'm getting excited all by myself. But. But we. But with that, we have some. Some things we want to share that talk about this resurrection timeline. So some of it we have a graphic just to show real fast that gives and hopefully you can see it. I know it's a little small, but this is a timeline, if you will, of from crucifixion, burial in the tomb, resurrection, the appearance, Ascension, and then Pentecost. And there are some unique things. I don't know if we can dive into it, but when we talk about types and shadows from crucifixion, burial and in the tomb, this. I was looking at it and it's very reminiscent of Genesis. God makes man. On day six, Jesus dies. On day six, God rests. On day seven, Sabbath, Jesus is resting in. In the grave. And then on day three or day eight, he rises to new beginning and we find him in a garden. And so this type and shadow, what happened during creation, how even the first Adam and Jesus being the second Adam, like all of these balances back and forth from the Old Testament to the New Testament, like what we just said about the stone, how the stone, this remnant of what happens in the Old Testament becomes a softer approach as God is now wanting us to be more inclined to his ear. So I wanted us to see what this looks like from a timeline perspective and how we go from the cross to the grave to the resurrection. But let's stop at the tomb for a second if we can. And I think we have a clip from, from Sunday.
- [16:08]
Guest Speaker
I'm not gonna take up much time, but I feel something pushing me in the back. I feel something stirring in my soul. The Bible says that he borrowed a grave from Joseph of Armathea. But let me understand something here. Anytime you borrow something, you don't plan to stay there. He borrowed it because he only was going to use it for three days. When I came to Earth on June 9, 1957, I borrowed this body because I didn't plan to stay here. For I know if this earthly house or tabernacle shall be dissolved I got another building eternal in the heavens Somewhere over in Glory I already understand Somebody's gonna drive my car Somebody's gonna wear my clothes Somebody's gonna sleep in my bed but that's all right cause I just borrowed it I've got a mansion over in Glory and it's mine yes, it's mine I got a mansion somewhere beyond the Jordan and it's mine yes, it's mine they took Jesus to a bar tomb and they rolled the stone in front of him and they left him there all day Thursday, all day Friday, all day Saturday. But Sunday morning
- [17:49]
Pastor Dobbins
yes,
- [17:53]
Guest Speaker
Sunday morning, Sunday morning, Sunday morning Michael. Sunday morning, Sunday morning, Sunday morning. He got up out of the grave. Yes it did. He got up out of the grave. I never could understand how he would later appear in a gardener suit. He didn't get to go to the store, he didn't get to stitch anything. But when he rose from the dead, he spoke him some clothes into existence. I couldn't understand how he could walk around in the grave because they wrapped him in one inch strips of linen. And you remember Lazarus had to be loosed. But who loosed Jesus? He loosed himself. He set himself free.
- [18:59]
Dr. Cynthia James
That's deserving of a hand. Applause for sure. This, this burial scene that Bishop speaks of with such extravagance is a time when the scripture begins by talking about when evening had come. So you would think it was night, that this would be the darkest, most destitute, desperate moment. But it says when evening was come. And so it was getting dark, but it was not yet night. And though the powerful and the oppressors thought they had written the last line, God rewrites the the story. And it says when evening was come, these two, I add unlikely disciples. One Joseph of Arimathea, who was a part of the council that had condemned Jesus. But he had never agreed. He was overruled by the majority. But he had been a secret disciple. He pairs up unlikely couples of another man who came to Jesus, Nicodemus at night in secret. Now we wonder about people who say I'm with you, but I just don't want anyone to know it. But when the moment came, the testing moment came. They both came out of the shadows. Don't just be my friend behind the COVID But when the pressure is on, they came boldly. It says that Joseph, whose name means May God at increase of Arimathea, which is the same thing as rhema, which means a high place when Joseph goes to. It's good to have someone on the inside of the system. He goes to Pilate as a member of the council, and the Scripture says he begs the body of Jesus. He does not come with pompous words, but he comes entirely committed. And he begs, am I taking too long? He begs for the body. And you and I should not be embarrassed of the body of Christ. We should be beggars for the body. We should be petitioners for the body. We should uphold the principles of the body of Christ. We should discern the body. And they did not leave the body of Jesus to a criminal's death, which would have been without a proper burial and left to the vultures. But they brought dignity even in death. Nicodemus brings 75 or 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes and gives a king's royal birth even in death. So death is not the end, but dignity is given in the face of defeat. We see defeat when I'm not careful. It's a closed door and a blank wall on the end of the road. But there is dignity. And so as these two Nicodemus risking defilement as a Pharisee and bringing that which is fit for a king. Joseph gives his own tomb, Bishop said, a borrowed tomb, which means he made preparation in advance. The tomb of hewn out of a rock. That's the rock again. And they lay the body of Jesus in this burial and bring the myrrh and the spices to dignify him. Defeat is never final. It's never finished, it's never fatal. It is man's pronouncement, but not God's last word.
- [22:08]
Pastor Dobbins
Everything I studied today, she just talked about. I thought it was interesting. After the stone, the Rock of Ages was crucified on the stick. The cross that these two men had in common, their secrecy, they had in common the fact that they did not really have initially a bold faith to me. I look at this as two people understanding each other, that they both have to get restoration and a rebirth of sorts to be able to redeem themselves. Not only did the Master redeem him by dying on the cross, but this. This revelation had not come yet. They said we must take matters into our own hands. £75 to £100 in terms of myrrh, aloe. I just thought for myself. I thought when Jesus was born, the wise men give him gold, frankincense and myrrh. And it's almost the reverse, in a sense now when he's on the cross, he's getting back. It's almost like the frankincense and the myrrh because he is to me, the pure gold. And when I look at this text, I'm seeing the kingship, the proper burial. Isaiah 53 and 9 begins to talk about the fact that he was buried with the rich. They tried to bury him with the criminals. A thief on the left and a thief on the right. But these two men said, we denied him before. To me, I, I, this is my mind. I see this as alliteration for giving Peter the courage to later stand up. Because Peter had denied them. These two men came to G. Well, Nick, you know, Nick at night comes to Jesus at night. And then Joseph Ramaphia, he was really a disciple, many texts say, but he was not out front and bold. Now they say we must show forth our faith and resolve the issue. I'll leave this one point with you. I think it is our responsibility to take matters into our own hands, for justice, in the right way, using the law. Sometimes we go to churches, we pray, we go to people. But it is your responsibility to say, this is where I fell short. This is why I denied God. This is why I kept my faith in secret. Now I must do something that shows God that I am serious about serving him openly.
- [24:36]
Pastor Don Dobbins
You know what's interesting is that when we're talking about the burial, the power of resurrection, I was looking at something and maybe we can just dive to that real fast that crucifixions were common in that day. So many times we feel like we put a lot of focus on a cross. And that is true. But the cross is only brought to life because of the resurrection. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, it would have just been another crucifixion that happened in that period. And so the power of his resurrection. I want us to hear this. The power, the reason why we celebrate resurrection is because this is now the evidence of Jesus being the King of kings and Lord of Lords. This gives all power to the cross. So when we nail stuff to the cross, the power in the cross, the life of the cross, is only brought to fruition because of the resurrection.
- [25:34]
Pastor Oscar
In this, what's important is Joseph Arimatheus. This whole pivoting teaches us a lesson. It teaches us a lesson that we should live by. One of the lessons, we call it a borrowed tomb. What it says to me is a temporary season, can seem permanent when you in it. Because the tomb, what's a grave really isn't a grave, is really a birthing canal. It is birthing Jesus into who he's going to be. So in other words, don't Find your identity in the moment. It's only an assignment. He's not to die and stay there in the grave. So sometimes we confuse temporary moments for permanent moments. And you're not to stay in that grave. And that grave could be your mindset, it can be your thinking. It could be who you're around. He said, no, I only created this to birth you into a new person, into a new identity. Because he has to die. He has to go to the grave. He has to have the Joseph Arimatheus. He has to have that Nicodemus, because the people that were with him ran away from him. Okay? The disciples now are gone. So he uses somebody who we don't think he should use. He uses a system. The same system that reject him now supported him.
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Pastor Don Dobbins
Come on. Come on.
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Pastor Oscar
So we got to be careful on how we judge a temporary situation, because wheat and judge people because we'll think I. They talked about me last season. Yeah, but you may need them next season because God will use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. So that Joseph and Arimatheus, to me, is absolutely important. I think God uses wealth. I think God uses people that has substance. So we can't get mad at rich people. We can't get mad. We need them. We need this system. It's how we use the system for God's glory that is extremely important.
- [27:27]
Pastor Don Dobbins
It's still that type of shadow. It's the stick in stone. It's the stick. The humanity burying the stone. It's the stick, the cross and the stone. We need both of them. The stick has to hit the stone in order to get grace out of it. Dr. James. Oh, my.
- [27:43]
Dr. Cynthia James
There's so much. Thank you. Because we really do need every aspect of our society and we need their privilege, their positions, their influence. But there's a part that talks about no one had ever been in this grave, which suggests to me that death had no power and no place and no history. You used the word. It's new. And new reminds me that the old Adam had hid in the garden. But this is the new Adam. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Who is being buried like a seed in the garden, the first garden. Here's another garden. And you'll take us further later. But they are instrumental in sowing into the ground what was the living word now the dead word. So they are sowing in the ground, and they become the gardeners of a new creation. And so we need things to die, we need things to end. And yet it's not an end. We need things to be submerged. We need it to be reframed again. That same word and a redefinition of what it was to bury him. And I kept struggling because I kept hearing the scripture where Jesus said to others, let the dead bury the dead. And I'm like, okay, but is this a contradiction why they're making so over him. And he's told others that let others dead, but there was no redemption in that burial. And this was not really. He was physically dead, but he was the one that was going to live again.
- [29:20]
Pastor Dobbins
Am I the only one that's thinking of the scripture? Unless the grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone.
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Pastor Oscar
Wow. It is. I think we. We talk about burying, we talk about gardens, but truly that is a hidden season. It's a season where nobody sees you. It's a season that nobody sees Jesus. It's Saturday that they're partying Saturday, not knowing that Sunday is coming. So just because they don't see God working on you doesn't mean God isn't working on you. Cuz what's really. It's really not a grave do. It's really a garden. It is the garden. It is the garden. And sometimes we think because God is hiding us, he's not hiding you just to protect you. He's hiding you to grow you. So he puts us in an uncomfortable situation. He puts us. This may make some of you mad, but I still love you. Maybe the compliment that God is giving you is that he's hiding you.
- [30:23]
Dr. Cynthia James
He hides with us.
- [30:24]
Pastor Oscar
Oh, that's so good.
- [30:27]
Dr. Cynthia James
He always hides with. With us. He does not hide us from his sight, from his voice. But if we are hidden, he is hidden with us. As we see in the other post trauma, post resurrection.
- [30:39]
Pastor Oscar
We have to add that in the narrative that we say we're not hidden from God, we're hidden with God because
- [30:44]
Pastor Don Dobbins
He'll come looking for us.
- [30:46]
Pastor Oscar
Even.
- [30:48]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Even when we try to hide from him, he'll come looking for us. So that this parallelism between Jesus, Genesis, garden and now the garden we find. We. We. I'm trying to itch there, but you said something. You said two things. And we have a question and we. You said a whole bunch of stuff. But. And we encouraging again, online questions or in the house questions. But I just have to reiterate what you said, that this was a new tool and so death had no power. Y' all didn't hear that death had no power in this tomb.
- [31:22]
Dr. Cynthia James
Jesus said, satan has no place in me. Satan said. Jesus said Satan had no place in him, no territory there.
- [31:34]
Pastor Don Dobbins
So. So we have. Let me get to this question. Nicole Jackson. There was one before this. Can you go to the one before it? Want to make sure we get everybody's question. Are you looking it up, Nicole? There we go. Dominique says, how can I tell the difference between what God is revealing to me and what I might be unintentionally projecting or creating myself? Wow.
- [32:03]
Dr. Cynthia James
We have tests, ways to examine. And one is, does it line up with the Scripture? Does it line up with the truth? Part of my prayer is to ask the Lord to help me not to respond according to the anxieties of the age I'm in. I don't mean my. I don't mean my growth age. I mean the times I live in, but instead respond to the depth of an unchanging word. So we compare it to what the scripture teaches. We know that as we read the Word, we come to know his voice, and we can distinguish his voice from our voice. The. The more time we spend with him, the clearer his voice is to us. And then something that may not be as common among those of us who are more apostolic, Pentecostal, evangelical, is that we have the test of the scripture and we have the affirmation of the sacraments of the church, that is the receiving from the Lord's table, Baptism. In some churches, that might be foot washing, but these are things that have been given to us so that we can discern the body of Christ. We don't take communion without discerning our connection and our relationship and our intersection. So we have been given, not a trick question, not something to deceive us, but we can spend time and immerse in the Word and look for that conversation where the Word confirms the voice of God.
- [33:34]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Yeah, that was another question. Thank you, Dr. James. That was another question. We go to that question. Nicole Jackson says, how can you adapt and grow as the seasons of life change?
- [33:45]
Pastor Dobbins
I would tag team for both Sister Dominique as well as Sister Nicole. I think these questions are somewhat bridged together because adaption and growth are not just about season. They are about reason. Most times, if you don't know the purpose of why you're in a particular trial, you will hate it, and you will not turn the pain into power. Somebody listening to me feels like you're in a mess, but God is trying to show you how there's a message in disguise. Somebody feels like you're. You're facing great opposition, but there's opposition, opportunity in hiding. Somebody thinks that you're, you're frustrated but there's fruit on the other side of it. This goes all the way back to lining it up with the word of God, understanding that instead of you being buried, you're actually being planted. It just depends on the vantage point of how you see yourself. The last question, and I'm going to bridge it to this question talked about how do I know I'm project. How do I know if I'm projecting on myself? Yourself. And you have to ask yourself, did this thought come from God or did this thought come from Satan? We all wrestle, but line it up according to the word of God. Most of us are not used to healthy self talk. Can we be honest? You're not used to telling yourself that I'm going to make $750,000 today. You're not used to saying I'm going to buy 15 homes next month. You're not used to saying I'm going to create a joint venture. I'm investing in west Texas crude oil, Brent crude oil and my money is going up in spite of the war. You're not used to talking to yourself on a high level that I'm secure in who I am. I'm beautiful, I'm smart, I'm fearful and wonderfully made. Healthy self talk determines oftentimes the season because your mouth, death and life are in the power of the tongue. Dr. James so eloquently talk to us about going from the physicality to actual words. When you use your voice to change season, you understand the reason and the purpose and the destiny, the calling on your life. Last thing, the adaption. How do I adapt and grow in the seasons of life? By being submerged in the word of God, allowing God's word to spring up. Last little bitty thing. Give me 15 seconds on this. Here's what I sense prophetically. Many of you are having these visions, you're having these glimpse and instead of seeing them as great commercials for a coming movie, you see them as something horrible and something horrific. Because your last season don't base what you're going through now based upon what you went through before. Could it be possible that God is about to bless you in a ways that you, you've never even imagined but you're stuck on the trauma of your past.
- [36:36]
Pastor Oscar
That's good. Oh, that's good. If I'll probably echo and just put what Dr. James and what Pastor Davis put together, I would say this be intentional about concentrating on your roots. We talk about that sycamore tree. We talk about the Tree. Because life is going to happen. As my son said, life be life, and daddy life just happens to. So in other words, the storms are going to come. Make sure you're rooted enough in the word of God that when the storm does come, it doesn't blow you over. So that that's how you adapt. And the closer you get to God, the closer you, the more you're intentional about that relationship as life is happening, it won't affect you the same way. So when I can say positive things to myself, even in the middle of a storm, I can sleep in the middle of a storm. It doesn't prevent the storm from coming. I just know I'm sleeping in the back of the boat because I've already got a word. Let's go to the other side. So once you get that word before the storm, once you intentionally root it in the word and you do that, it's not just reading your Bible. It's finding yourself in a circle around a circle of people who think like your future and not thinking like your past. Who's around you? Who are you with? Because what I want, I don't want to adapt and be loyal to last season. I want to adapt and grow. Because you're going to grow regardless. Even if you grow bad, you're going to grow and grow old. But what I want to do is I want to make sure I grow old.
- [37:59]
Pastor Dobbins
Right? Right.
- [38:01]
Pastor Oscar
I want to be 90, 95 years old, still saying, I'm getting ready to go buy 15 homes next month. So you put yourself in that circle of people being intentional? Yes, oh, yes, I do. Maybe not 15, 1500. No.
- [38:13]
Pastor Don Dobbins
But you know, with that, when we're talking, when we're talking about seasons, the, the what I will add to that, I'm looking at the cross. Every season has purpose. The cross had a purpose. That was a season. The, the grave had a purpose. That was a season. Resurrection had had a purpose, and that was a season. And when we learn to appreciate the season, we won't be frustrated. Many times, especially sometimes in church, we're all trying to get to. To a sunny season. We just want it to be sunshine all the time. But anything that's buried that has to grow needs rain. There has to. There is a purpose for every season in your life. And maybe God is trying to mature us, all of us, to see God in every season. Jesus saw God on the cross. Jesus saw God in the grave. Jesus became was God in resurrection in every season. So while we're trying to grow out of it, I love what you said, roots. Maybe God is trying to grow you deeper in it. Because as I learn to navigate these seasons, because the other thing, here's the other realistic thing about life. Life is a cycle. So these seasons come around and what happens is if we don't learn how to navigate seasons of uncertainty, when it comes back around again, you'll have that same dilemma. You have that same prayer. You'll be back at the altar. How do I get through this? Because we're just focused on getting out instead of being sustained in the season. Jesus was on the boat with them while they were worrying about the storm. That's a picture of Jesus saying, I know that it's storming. I am not out of the storm. I'm in the boat with with you. I just learned how to navigate this season where when I am tired of the storm, I know how to speak to it and call something to come out of there. Go that stick and stone that stone again. Jesus spoke to the winds and the waves and said, peace, be still. Because he understood, I don't have to get out of the boat. I don't have to do anything. All I have to do is learn to navigate this season. Use the power that's in my tongue because I have relationships and discernment and I understand what to do in the season that I'm in.
- [40:35]
Pastor Oscar
Before you get to that question, we're talking about seasons and life changing and the Tomb is a season. I say this to encourage everyone here and online. The Tomb is where the old version of you needs to stay.
- [40:53]
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- [41:23]
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- [41:42]
Pastor Oscar
The tomb is where the old version of you needs to stay. Jesus does not come out with the same old clothes. He comes out with a new version of himself. And so many times we try to take the old us into the new version of what God wants to create. I. I'm just this how God made me. No, he left that in the tomb. Leave the old version of you in the tomb. I'm just. No, no, no, no, no.
- [42:08]
Pastor Dobbins
Keep.
- [42:08]
Pastor Oscar
That's not me anymore. You need to start declaring yourself. That's not me anymore.
- [42:13]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Because what is buried, any seed that is buried then has to break off its shell. It has to germinate in the ground. So the acorn seed does not come out as an acorn, as a seed. It comes out as it what it was created to be. So what is buried has to shed. So you can now be the manifestation of what God spoke over you from the very beginning. If you never get buried, you'll never shed and you can never grow. If you never get buried, you can never become the manifestation of God's promises over you. We're trying to avoid being buried. We're trying to avoid death because we don't like like that season. But there's a greater you on the inside of you that you haven't seen because you don't want to go into the season where you can shed off the stuff that's keeping you from being fully who God has called you to be.
- [43:06]
Pastor Oscar
Oscar, a butterfly can never be a caterpillar again.
- [43:12]
Pastor Don Dobbins
It can never go back into the cocoon.
- [43:14]
Pastor Oscar
It can never go back. Imagine if we take that mindset. I can never go back to the old version of me. Old things are passed away. All things becometh new. I can never go back to the old version of me because my mind has shifted. I can never. I have seen the stick and the stone. I could never. Jesus cannot come back in the same
- [43:39]
Pastor Don Dobbins
form, which is why they couldn't recognize him, because. Because the way he went in, he didn't come out the same way. So it's a part of the timeline. I'm trying to. Go ahead, go ahead.
- [43:52]
Dr. Cynthia James
I want to reiterate what you're saying. He was same but different. He came out and he was physical but not recognizable because he was transformed. But the impact of that. And I'm straying a little bit, the text is that when the woman in the garden wanted to grab him, we must demand that others treat us differently. He said, don't touch Me because I have not yet ascended. The old way you related to me is not acceptable. Do not touch me because I've not yet ascended. And so he was. It might have sounded a little crude to us, but we insist if we're truly transformed, that others must change the way they not only come to know us, but how they approach us and interact.
- [44:42]
Pastor Oscar
We gotta say something about that.
- [44:48]
Pastor Don Dobbins
We got a question. Any questions in the room. Remember there's deacons in the aisle. I want just. If we could put the. That graphic, that timeline, because I want to. What we're talking about is in the timeline of the resurrection. It is where we have come from, the burial and in the tomb. Now there is a period of resurrection and appearances. And what we're referencing in this road to Pentecost is now Jesus has been resurrected on the third day and now he's making appearances and the first appearance that he makes, we find him in the. In John, I believe it's chapter 20. We find Jesus, we find Mary. Looking into the tomb. Mary Magdalene. Thank you. We got to make the Mary's, we got to be specific. Mary Magdalene, she's looking in the tomb and the angels start to say to her, what are you looking for? And she says, they've taken my Lord and I don't know it. I just want to find him. And the Bible says, there is a Jesus is in the garden. But Mary misstates him as a gardener. And Jesus now has dialogue with Mary. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? John 20, verse 15, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She supposing him to be the gardener said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. 16 says Jesus says to her, Mary. He says her name, My sheep know my voice. She turned and said to him, rabboni, which means teacher. So she's having a conversation with the gardener in the garden. The second Adam has showed back up in the garden and Mary Magdalene is having this conversation. She doesn't recognize him until he calls her name.
- [46:41]
Dr. Cynthia James
The seed has now been harvested. There it is buried as a seed. But now it's the harvest. And sometimes we don't recognize our harvest. He gives her identity and restores her personhood because it always says, this is Mary, out of whom was cast seven devils. So she has to drag around her history. That's how she's known. But this time there is a, I think a delineation between who she is now, who he is now, because you can't touch me. I'm a new person. But so are you. And so. And as she hears her name, she recognizes her new relationship and she says, rabboni. And so now her identity and her personhood are restored. Because it's harvest time.
- [47:26]
Pastor Dobbins
I want to relate it back if you. If tv, if our TV team. Thank y' all for working with us. If you all can put that question back up. Because everything we've said, I think, ties into the question that is being asked in terms of change, childhood versus now. The question that Amber asked is, how does God restore the parts of our lives that were affected in childhood? See, especially since we never go back and experience those years again. 0 to 9, 0 to 10. Is that kind of restoration something that only happens in heaven? Or can it also happen while we're still on earth? Earth. I do believe absolutely emphatically that it can happen right on Earth. God is about to restore everything that the devil, the canker worm, the locust worm, the palm worm, everything that he thought he ate up and stole. It might look different. Your seed does not look like your harvest. There is no reason that she mistakes Jesus for a gardener. This is the gardener saying, I'm taking it back to the Garden of Eden in my aspect and reversing the curse that you thought was placed on you. Dr. James also mentioned in terms of don't touch me, I have not yet ascended. We can tag team with Hebrews. We believe that his blood was shed. This is when the blood hits the mercy seat in heaven, it's everything is forgiven. But as it relates to the childhood portion, this is the enemy's job to keep you thinking. Because you can't go back to your childhood. Because you, you'll never be a little girl again. You'll never have your innocence again. You'll never be a little boy again. You'll never have your innocence again. So you're messed up for life. But the Lord gave me a revelation as they were talking. The seed is underneath the ground so that it can soak up the water on its head. The reason why it's so soaking up the water is so that the outer encasement can now break off. The outer encasement of the seed does not break off. The shell does not fall off until the seed receives enough water. Because this is a mind change. This is why we read the water of His Word to change your mindset. The enemy might have taken your body, hurt your body, hurt you. But if you get a renewed mind, it is absolutely over. Your mind has to Be renewed. But your brain is rewired in prayer. It is rewired. When you're filled with the Holy Ghost. It is rewired. The blood of Jesus has regenerated us. You can be a brand new man and a brand new woman. It can happen right now on Earth. It can happen tonight. Amber, don't chase the waterfalls of going back to. To being a child. God has already set you free.
- [50:19]
Pastor Oscar
That listen. That pastor. That's so good. Because sometimes grief can distort your vision, looking at things through the perception of grief. The Bible says Mary is crying. She is grieving, which now can distort who's right there in front of you. But everything changes when he speaks her name. And sometimes a storm can cause us to see Jesus the wrong way. The disciples on the boat. It's a ghost. No, it's not. It's how you see him in a storm. So now you're afraid because how you see him in a storm. So you got to be careful how you see him and how you discern the storm. Because the same storm you think meant to kill you can be the water that you need for the seeds that you planted. So now the harvest has come. Based off the rain that you walk through. And for anybody that's listening and hearing my voice, you're a testimony all by yourself. Because you're still here. You survived it. And that thing is. Stop letting the enemy replay that grief over and over and over in your head or the traumatic experience and say, I went through it, but I'm still here. I went through that, but I'm still. And sometimes God has to wake us up by calling our name.
- [51:41]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Mary. You know what if there's a graphic with that? I think it's the graphic number four or something, but something that was said earlier. What we lost in one garden, we gained in the other one.
- [51:53]
Pastor Dobbins
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
- [51:55]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Well, the. Yeah, not the next one. You can go to the next one after that.
- [51:59]
Pastor Oscar
What?
- [51:59]
Pastor Don Dobbins
The garden in there. There it is. The garden in Genesis, what Adam and Eve lost. Now we come to this garden at the tomb, and we gain. And something that you just said really brought it home, where Jesus now restores the ability to hear. Because what Eve did was distorted what she heard. And out of what she heard, we lost. But now we gain that hearing back because Jesus speaks Mary Magdalene's name. And now that hearing of the Savior has now been restored in this second
- [52:37]
Dr. Cynthia James
garden, I would offer not in contradiction, but actually in support, even if it sounds like it, that the voice of the Lord also speaks to the child. And I don't want to go totally out of our sequence, but when the woman with the issue of blood, when he speaks, then he calls her daughter. And so his word goes back to the beginning because he knew the end from the beginning. So his word is not just a seasonal word, but if it redeems, it speaks and heals the childhood wound as well as the adult wound. And I just offer that for. For thought. And it was.
- [53:21]
Pastor Dobbins
That is a great offering.
- [53:26]
Pastor Don Dobbins
So if, if, if. So part of this and what we're doing again is walking through this resurrection. But I just want to go back to this Mary Magdalene again. And Dr. James, if you could. There's something in it that I saw where not only does he call her name, but he gives her instructions. And I thought about how Mary carries the word. The first Mary carried the word Jesus and birthed him into the world. And now Jesus gives Mary Magdalene an assignment to carry the word forth to the apostles and disciples. Tag, Dr. James, you, the man and
- [54:04]
Dr. Cynthia James
the woman lost, as you said, in the first garden. And now in giving identity and restoration, he also gives position, because just before this, remember Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus without a priest, they offer whatever the last rites are for the body. And it lets us know that the body of Christ is no longer formed by official titles and positions, but by humble hearts who are available and committed. So now that brings us to Mary. She becomes the apostle, Apostle to the apostles. And I don't offer that as some feminist statement, although it could be used that way just in case you really want to make it a womanist dialogue. But she become. And he tells her, go tell my disciples to meet me in Galilee. But one of the synoptics, I don't remember which one it is. He tells them, if you can find it. He gives her the message. We don't even know most of what Jesus messages were, but he tells her what the sermon is. And the sermon, I wish I could remember what the text is, but he actually tells her one of them what to say. And the essence of it to me is that he gives her the whole gospel in terms of my God is your God, and your God is my God and my Father is your Father. All of that is wrapped up in the message. So he chooses this woman whose history and past had shackled her down and not only restores her personhood and identity, but he takes her from grief, where she's confused, to encounter, to mission. And every one of our scenarios, they end up with the mission to Go tell someone to go do something. It's not just for the sake of meeting him. Did I make up that text or did you find that scripture?
- [56:00]
Pastor Dobbins
I love it. You, you're basically, it's like he takes her from grief to growth.
- [56:04]
Dr. Cynthia James
That's the growth. Grief, encounter, grief, confusion, then encounter, then mission. That's the growth. If we stop short of mission.
- [56:14]
Pastor Oscar
What's so good about what Dr. Sh is not, even if you want to see it from a feminist standpoint, you absolutely can because it's biblically sound, it's in there. But it also says to me that God or Jesus elevates the overlooked. In spite of your past, in spite of your history, in spite of everything you've done, you're still usable. And the one thing I don't like that the Church is we try to determine who's usable. Because if you study Mary Magdalene history, you would assume that she's unusual usable, but because she is hungry, she becomes usable because she's the one that decides to go where he told her to go. When you're the one that goes the extra mile.
- [56:58]
Pastor Don Dobbins
And what I love, I, I, oh,
- [56:59]
Pastor Oscar
I don't want to walk.
- [57:00]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Doctor.
- [57:01]
Pastor Oscar
If, if, if, if we let people throw us away because of what we did in the past, you throw yourself away because you've what did in the past. But Mary Magdalene now becomes the template for all of us that you're still usable. Stop trying to let disqualified people try to qualify you. The people that try to qualify you is not even at the grave, but the hungry person, the person that's willing to sit at the feet and say, I heard you call my name. I thought you were a gardener, but now I know you, Rabbi, watch this. I'm even willing to be corrected.
- [57:36]
Pastor Don Dobbins
And because she lingers at the grave, because she didn't come by herself. John and Peter came. They looked in, they saw, and they left. But she stayed. And it's John 20 where he gives the instruction. Yeah, John 20:17. Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have yet, not yet ascended to my Father, Father. But go to my brethren and say to them, and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.
- [58:12]
Dr. Cynthia James
That wipes out all division, all separation. My Father is your Father, my God is your. That was the message of unity that she took. The testimony of women was not believable in court. It wasn't considered credible. But now to have the testimony of the most central news and core of the gospel given to someone who the system would not find credible. And to have the fullness of the Gospel as he was. So are we all, all the scriptures wrapped up in what he tells her to say? My father is your father. He's elevated her. And so as he sits at the right hand side, so are we. Everything is in that text.
- [58:57]
Pastor Dobbins
What I like about it is the fact that the disciples are locked up for fear of the Jews. They're locked up and it takes a strong woman to me who this is my aspect to be filled with the Holy Ghost to now go and tell men who were wimping around, scared, you can come out. Most men will not admit that it was either your mother, your aunt, your grandmother, a sister, a girlfriend, somebody you were close to that built you up like a Deborah did to a Barack that gave you the mighty man image and power that you are. We owe it to ourselves for every man in the room to stand up and give God praise for the mighty women. Do I have any men who will appreciate the women, who will hunt hungry, who were thirsty for the power and the presence of God and not just to see it for themselves, but to be able to spread the gospel abroad to sons and nephews and husbands and so many more people.
- [59:56]
Dr. Cynthia James
Did they receive it from her, oh Lord? The Word says they didn't believe.
- [60:01]
Pastor Oscar
They didn't believe it.
- [60:02]
Dr. Cynthia James
They didn't. But they didn't believe the disciples, the male reports either, they didn't believe. So it wasn't a gender issue. They just did not believe the Word.
- [60:11]
Pastor Oscar
I'm glad you said that, Dr. James, because so many times as the person that's giving the Word, one of our own guilty egos is we're waiting to see if people received it from us when our job is only to make sure we give it, give the seed. Whether you receive it or not, that's entirely up to you. So what I'm not going to do is I'm not going to waste energy to know, did you receive it? I don't care. I'm only doing what I got instructions to do in the garden. And what I love about Jesus, Jesus giving the word to the woman. Say what you want to say. A woman is a multiplier. You give a woman a vision, you give her something, she gonna multiply that thing.
- [60:44]
Pastor Dobbins
Well, and, and it caused the men to be curious to now go and investigate. I don't even think they would have got up and moved. The other point is that it's like Jesus didn't say Mary Magdalene, he says Mary I could, I could Just in my mind wondered if people said oh, that's Mary from Magdalene. But Jesus didn't call her past, he, he just called it by her name.
- [61:05]
Pastor Oscar
Yeah, the old stuff is at the tomb.
- [61:08]
Pastor Don Dobbins
I, I'm still stuck at the fact of, of the placement like so because, because what intrigues me about this and, and we've been talking about tree, we've been talking about sycamore, tree, we've been talking about roots and planted. And because I believe God is so strategic in everything that he does. It is this picture of Mary Magdalene having a conversation. It is this garden that Jesus has all, all of this action that is happening. And it is her posture and her position that allows her to get a word. And I wonder, are we missing the word go from God because we have moved too far or moved, moved too fast from where we went to find him. Maybe if Peter or John had just stayed a little while longer, but Jesus, but he was in the vicinity. He was in the area. He was there in the place. If they had stayed a little while longer, could they have heard his voice too? Or seen him or gathered that evidence they were looking for because that's all they needed was evidence. And because Mary had the right posture, because Mary had the right position, she was able not only to hear him, but to see him too.
- [62:33]
Pastor Oscar
Is it possible, is it possible that God so orchestrated it that Mary Magdalene is the only one that he wanted to give that message to at the time because he know it probably could have been a male dominated society and he needed someone else to carry something that didn't have an ego problem, but who was just hungry enough for me. Is it possible that God is saying, I'm not going to use you because of your ego. Is it possible that some of us say, watch what I did in church, look at me, I did this. God says I can't use you. And now you confuse God use of you as his approval of you and what he simply is saying, I'm looking for somebody that's hungry and not walking around with false humility looking for a title. Are you hungry enough just to sit at the garden?
- [63:22]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Are you hungry enough just to. Are you hungry enough just to linger where you know he is? Are you hungry enough to just stay? Yeah, listen, so, so I, we're going to be talking about this if, if they let us about this passageway from resurrection going through these sightings because this was just the first. There are several other sightings. There's several other moments that Jesus shows up
- [63:55]
Pastor Oscar
just case y' all there she Said that's what's killing her because she wants to go there now. But y', all, we have a whole series the Road to Pentecost. But Dr. James, you go ahead.
- [64:05]
Dr. Cynthia James
I'll choose try not to really put a whole foot there. But he waits for us in the place of failure and disappointment. He's either on the beach with the cooked fish, he's on the road walking away from where they're supposed to be. So not just in the safe places. That's what we said. He's hidden with us. He is already in the places that we would retreat to, where we would go a fishing or where we would abandon.
- [64:37]
Pastor Don Dobbins
He shows up in the house while they locked away. He shows up.
- [64:40]
Dr. Cynthia James
He is in those places of defeat. He brings out the destiny out of those places.
- [64:46]
Pastor Oscar
So it's okay on Wednesdays as we're going to walk this with Dr. James and some other theologians, because can you imagine the journey we get ready to take to know that God is with us in every step that we take? So now that means the enemy has lied to you all the times you thought God wasn't with you. He was there the entire time.
- [65:10]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Say that. Say that and say that on that
- [65:13]
Dr. Cynthia James
we walked away from God because we can't walk away from him.
- [65:16]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Yes, it's impossible. It's impossible. Which is why he came again. It goes back to that Genesis garden where he already already showed us his posture when he came looking for Adam. And it's the same posture that Jesus has when he shows up in these various places that we'll explore when he is showing them who he is as the resurrected Savior.
- [65:38]
Pastor Dobbins
So we, this is, this is a synopsis to say we're going to go from the cross to Pentecost as we take this road. In these two chapters, we, we will probably go beyond, but John 19 as well as John 20. It's just how I'm. My brain works. You've got A thousand and ten words in John 19, 749 in John 20 put together. I mean, it just, I'm sorry, just this how my mind works. It's like 1859 words specifically focus on getting you from a grave to a full resurrection to the Holy Ghost being down on the inside of you. Because it's also in this text, John 20, where Jesus says receive the Holy Ghost, but they don't receive it until Pentecost. He's already telling them, since you can't fully receive me, receive the Holy Ghost. I'm already transforming you. We're. This is going to be interesting. So if you have questions you can jump on out. I think we have a question now and bring whatever questions and study study through study with us throughout the week and let's bring it together on Wednesdays.
- [66:49]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Good evening. Thank you all so far for discussion. It's been really amazing.
- [66:54]
Audience Member Danika
Dr. Oscar, you mentioned that we might miss God by being out of position.
- [67:02]
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- [67:50]
Audience Member Danika
But you also said earlier that sometimes we expect God to be in the
- [67:54]
Dr. Cynthia James
same places and he's already level.
- [67:56]
Audience Member Danika
So how do we discern when to
- [67:58]
Dr. Cynthia James
stay in the same place that we
- [68:00]
Audience Member Danika
found him before or when to leave and basically find him elsewhere?
- [68:04]
Dr. Cynthia James
Like basically when he's trying to show us something.
- [68:07]
Pastor Don Dobbins
That's. That's a great question. And Dr. J, I'm going to use something that Dr. James said. It's discernment. So one of the things that I love about the the journey of Moses and the Israelites in Exodus is how God is teaching them who he is as they walk through the wilderness and through their situations and their trials and their battles and all of that. God is showing Himself to them in different ways. And it is a journey as we go with God. And one of the things is that we learn how to be sensitive to how God is moving and navigating us. And so we never approach God with a spirit of predictability like God, I know you're going to do it like this, or God, I want you to do it like this. But we always stay hungry for what is God pouring out now. God.
- [68:57]
Pastor Dobbins
God.
- [68:58]
Pastor Don Dobbins
It is. It is. There's a scripture, we use it a lot. This is not the one I really want. But when we talk about the deer panting, we've said this many times before, but the panting is this hunger, it is this thirst. It is the way as the deer panted for the water, so my soul, long it after thee. It is this idea, this I want to be wherever you are. And so I am going to do. I'm going to seek you. I'm going to go after you seek. I'm going to be searching for you. I'm going to be following your voice and not using my senses. And so I would encourage all of us that as we walk this journey, Pastor Dobbin said something. The more we get the water of the Word, our minds now become in alignment. And then the more we are in communication, I become acquainted with his voice. And now, because I'm acquainted with his voice, it is like Abraham. I can move on a dime. I can have. I think Bishop said this a couple of weeks ago, where Abraham had an assignment, had a word from God to slay his son. But it was in the quickness of Abraham being able to discern the new instructions from God that he did not follow that same path. Cuz that was still a word. But God was saying, you have to be so inclined to my voice that when I shift you, your ear is so inclined to hear me that you can go with the shift.
- [70:29]
Audience Member
Hey, how are y'?
- [70:30]
Pastor Dobbins
All?
- [70:31]
Audience Member
So my question is personal because in 2010, I lost my twin sister and I felt like I dealt with a season of extreme loneliness. And I know you said we go through a season where God is hiding you. However, my question is, where do you find the balance? Because even in a garden, nothing is planted alone. I feel like there are nutrients and things that go into it. So it's like God speaks of companionship. He said Adam was alone. That wasn't good. So how do you find a balance from being obedient and still desiring for companionship, friendships, when you feel lonely?
- [71:12]
Pastor Dobbins
I want to first say my heart goes out. Because even though that was in 2010, 16 years ago, for you to lose a twin, I can only imagine the pain that you still feel on your birthday, particular holidays. So I approach this lightly. What I'm hearing you talk about is companionship. Is this in friendship? Is this in a relationship in terms of eros or romance?
- [71:38]
Audience Member
Platonic friendships.
- [71:39]
Pastor Dobbins
Just platonic friendships. So you're looking for someone who should really be within your circle that you can either confide in, trust, and grow together with God in.
- [71:49]
Audience Member
Yes, because I think what I experienced was because it was so extreme and people didn't know what to do, they abandoned me and they were like, it was too much for them to deal with. Sometimes people don't have the capacity. And I've learned to understand that.
- [72:04]
Pastor Dobbins
Yeah, a lot of people don't even know what to say during grief. We say various statements and it just seems silly because they've not gone through it. We have here at the Potter's house, you know, various community groups as well as aspects of counseling and grief shared that might help. I know your situation seems to be extremely unique, but somebody has dealt with some of that portion before. Then also some of it is going to be physical in terms of people. Then a lot of it is going to be you. And, and I. I'm not relegating it just to spiritual. That's why we started natural but deep prayer, being cleansed and clean and cleansed by the Holy Ghost. Because for you to still be surviving and to have lost a twin 16 years ago, my. My question becomes, who. Who are you? What does God have for you? How special, how creative, how gifted, how anointed are you that you are still left here to walk in your destiny? And if I have some sisters who will be able to surround my sister, it's okay. It's okay. Because there is a call on your life. This is why the enemy has tried to isolate you. That's why platonic relationships and flesh friendships did not work. Because the enemy was trying to use this darkness to keep you from realizing the deep light that is on the inside of you. There is a queen in you. There is a mighty woman in you. There is a leader in you. There is a prayer warrior in you. There is somebody so significant in you that the enemy took his best shot. And here you are standing, blessing thousands of people watching you. You're going to grow through this. Somebody else might be able to offer some other sentiments, but you are going to grow through this situation.
- [73:53]
Pastor Oscar
Yeah.
- [73:54]
Pastor Don Dobbins
And just from the same perspective. But my prayer is that God give you language to say to this community in your garden. Because sometimes we have to teach people, people how to love us in different seasons. And it's okay. And sometimes it's just. It's getting the right language. It's saying, hey, this is how I'm feeling today. And finding that community that you can be vulnerable with, you can be transparent with. Sometimes people want to console us, but they don't know the trigger points and they're waiting on us to give them permission to say. And then the second thing I'll say is we all of us probably have dealt with a level of grief. And so there's grace for those that are trying to comfort us in grief because they're going to say the wrong thing, they're going to get it wrong, and we have to have grace to Say, you know what? Not right now, or I hear what you're trying to say, but let's say that for another day, because now you're teaching them how to love you. And we don't. We don't again, because we get it wrong. We have to have that same grace that they'll get it wrong. But because we're in community, because we're growing together in a garden, I don't want to just pluck you up and throw you away, but I'm going to nurture this and I'm going to be honest with you and you be honest with me. And then we're going to learn a new language together in this season, as I'm learning who I am and you're learning who you are, all of that. So I would encourage you to pray. God, give me. Give me the language to say for those you are bringing in my life today that can offer healing and restoration for me.
- [75:36]
Dr. Cynthia James
Thank you.
- [75:41]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Okay, last two, we got this one and that one over there. And then we're going to.
- [75:47]
Audience Member Danika
Good evening.
- [75:48]
Dr. Cynthia James
This.
- [75:49]
Audience Member Danika
This question, I guess will be for Pastor Dobbins you mentioned earlier. So just, I'm just going to give you all the story. So I am a saved again Christian. I backslidded once upon a time and I have a client who isn't a believer. And so today I found myself with that client and something happened and I want to call on the name of Jesus. And I caught myself. I said, gee, gee. I caught myself pausing and not calling on the name of Jesus in a moment of praise. After that, I felt so ashamed on the inside. I felt like I was afraid to call on the name of Jesus because I was in front of the non believer. I. I began to pray and ask God for forgiveness. But Pastor Dobbins, you spoke on and you said that. That I must do something publicly to show God that I'm serious. What does it look like? Like to redeem myself publicly?
- [77:04]
Pastor Dobbins
Absolutely. Can you tell me your name, sis?
- [77:07]
Audience Member Danika
Danika.
- [77:08]
Pastor Dobbins
Danika.
- [77:09]
Audience Member Danika
Yes.
- [77:09]
Pastor Dobbins
Danika. You look familiar. What. First of all, what hits my spirit is to tell you God doesn't care what you did or who you did it with. You have been fully redeemed. You've been fully redeemed. Fully redeemed. The enemy is trying to use the situation with the client or whatnot, where you couldn't get Jesus out to remind you that you backslid once upon a time. Don't let him have that victory. Continue to give God the glory. Showing ourselves publicly standing for God looks different for Each and every person. Some people in this room have to stand for God in the courtroom. Some have to do it in law enforcement, some in school, some in a cubicle, some in a corporate space. It looks like different for everybody, but it will not just be one act. It will be a full dedication to just glorify God every chance you get. And we're not even trying to prove it to the people on the outside. We're building ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, doing deeds like Joseph of Arimathea, as well as the Nicodemus. In private, in secret, being revealed, open, so that the world would understand our heart and our care and our love for Jesus. Worship publicly, pray publicly. It doesn't mean you had to walk in tongues, walk in and speak in tongues and lay hands on everybody in the office. Just be the authentic you and know it in your knower. Hope that helps. Bless you. Thank you. Bless you, Danique. I think we have one last.
- [78:56]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Our last one.
- [78:58]
Podcast Host
Hello, everyone. I want to give honor to God and all the pastors. And I came up and talked to the pastors a few weeks ago, and I didn't realize. I didn't know if they would be able to hear me or not at that time. And so it was a few weeks. Now it's here it is a few weeks later. And I was nervous the first time I did it, and I'm nervous now. But I just wanted to say thank you to the pastors because some people don't realize that the pastors really do come out. I don't know if people. Well, I know people. The pastors here know Pastor. Pastor Bonnet Moon, and she was my pastoral counselor for seven years. And I've been coming here since 2006 because my son had cancer at four years old, and he had it at 18. He just finished chemo about now, almost four years ago, I held their dad's hand until he died of cancer. Pastor Moon called Pastor Dobbins to come to the hospital and pray over my son. Because my son said, how long do I have to live? And I said, you're going to live. The devil is a lie. And Pastor Moon said the same. She came. Pastor Dobbins came and prayed over my baby. And now today, my son is cancer free. He ain't got no more cancer. So when you say grief, you may not understand the grief, but at the end of the day, if you tell your story and speak out and step out of your comfort zone and say, God, you used me. And it may not be Understood at that time why he's doing it, but he's doing it through you to touch somebody else. So I don't know why I endured so much and enduring so much, but it's not for me. Maybe it's for other people to see that. It doesn't look like I've been through. I almost died. I was in the hospital for 30 days because I'm a veteran as well and lost half my intestines and colon. And people see me and they prejudge me. But at the end of the day, When I told God, I'll go, I didn't understand what go meant. So now I'm understanding a little bit more. I still don't understand all of it because I still go through, But Pastor Dobbins, thank you, and thank you to all of you.
- [81:26]
Dr. Cynthia James
That's it.
- [81:28]
Pastor Don Dobbins
Come on. I think that's. That's a good place to give him praise. Come on, give him praise for who God has put in your garden to help you. Give him praise for who God has put in your circle in your community to help lift you. Come on, let's give God. This is a praise to God. You are planted in the right place, and God has everything that you need for your growth. Hallelujah. In this. In these last few moments of the service that we do an altar call, we're just. We're going to make this really, really simple. We've been talking about resurrection and the tomb. And so anybody I want to call to the altar, anybody that feels like they are seed that's been buried, and you want to make sure that when God that you don't. That you don't take out of the tomb what God has buried in the tomb, that you're seeking direction. You're saying, God, I know that you resurrected me to something. Now give me direction. Let me hear your voice. I invite you. We're gonna pray real fast. I invite you to the altar. I invite you to join us here at the altar. God, I thank you for resurrecting me. I thank you for lifting me. I know that I'm a seed. I know that I've been called. I know that I have purpose now. Father, I need your vision. I need your eyesight. I need your ears. I need your understanding. I need your mindset. Because I'm coming out of the tomb and everywhere looks a little different now. And I know people are going to be looking for me in that old place, but I'm no longer there. But I don't want to go back there either. So let this not just be another resurrection weekend, another resurrection, but let this be a resurrection that counts for me. I see you coming. Yeah. Hallelujah. Maybe you are like Mary Magdalene. Maybe you're one that's lingering, just trying to see where is Jesus? And he's calling your name. If he's calling your name. I want you to meet us down at this altar. If you hear the Lord, Lord calling your name, calling your name, calling your name. Not calling what you did, calling your name. Not calling your past, but calling your name. Not calling you what other people are calling you, but calling your name. You know, you hear him calling you. He's calling you because he's getting. He's trying to send you. God, I hear you calling me now. Give me the strength to go and tell it. I'm give you 30 more seconds if that is you rush down to this altar. I can imagine that Mary Magdalene may have had a little apprehension going back to the disciples. Because what if they don't believe me? Or what if they don't receive me? Or what if they turn me away? Or what if they don't open the door? And somebody needs the courage to take the word God gave you and go. If that's you, make your way down to this altar. God, I want to take the word you gave me and I want to go. I want to go. I want to go. Whether it's on my job, whether it's in my family. I don't want to be afraid of their faces. I don't want to be afraid of the rejection. I don't want to be afraid of the no God. I want the whole boldness that if you call my name and give me a word like you did with Mary Magdalene. I want to go. I want to go. I want to go. I invite our ministers, our elders to come and surround, surround, surround them at the altar. I see you. I see you.
- [85:39]
Pastor Dobbins
I see you.
- [85:40]
Pastor Don Dobbins
I see you. I see you. I see you. I see you. More importantly, he sees you. He is the one calling your name. He's calling your name. He's calling your name. He's calling your name. He's calling your name. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. He's calling you. He's calling you, my sister. He's calling you. He's been calling you. He's been calling you. He's been calling you. He's been calling you. All you got to do is say yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes can be scary sometimes. But remember, wherever he sends you, he goes with you. He doesn't send you a place where he doesn't go with you. He told the disciples, and lo, I'll be with you always, even unto the end of the world. So your yes is not a yes to go by yourself, but your yes is a yes, a Father, where you send me, I go because I know you're going with me. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Come on. We got a couple of people on this end. Need some ministers over here. Some ministers over here. Thank you, Father. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for every soul, every at this altar. I thank you for. For those that have that came because they heard you calling their name in the midst of all that they're dealing with, in the midst of where they are, God, they heard you calling their name. Not because they're perfect, not because they do everything right. But they have an ear to hear now. God, I thank you that they're coming to the altar is an answer to your call. It is a yes. I'll you give go a yes. I'll give a yes. I'll say a yes. I'll serve a yes, God, yes. And we are saying yes, God, at this altar, God. Not because we have it all together. Not because we know what we're doing, God, but. But because we trust you. And we trust that if you called us, there's purpose in the call now. God, Strengthen my brother. Strengthen my sister. Empower my brother. Empower my sister. Give them the holy boldness that they need. As you bread breathe on the disciples. Breathe on them right now, God. Breathe your Holy Spirit, God, on them afresh. And a new Holy Spirit. We thank you because you're empowering us right now. You're giving us the strength, God, to go and go unafraid and go unashamed and go and go and tell the good news. Thank you. Thank you. That out of the grave has come a resurrected creature. That old things have been passed away. And behold, all things are new. Thank you, God, that my past does not hold me. Thank you that what I did was buried in the grave. And when you resurrected me and you got me up, you didn't resurrect the old stuff. But I'm a new creature. And so we praise you for the newness in Jesus name Somebody give him praise because of the new you. Come on, give him praise because of the new you, because of the resurrected you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. HalleluJah. Dr. James. Dr. James, will you just go minister to my sister? She's in my spirit. Right there in the blue jean. Right there. Yes, ma', am. Right there. Life after resurrection. This is going to be a series you don't want to miss, because I believe God is going to give us direction in this next season of our life. My sister. God is giving you direction. God has given you direction. God is. Every. Every question he's getting ready to answer. It's not. It may not be the answer that you want, and it may not come in the way that you want, but seek him. Seek him early. The Bible says, seek him early. While he may be found, seek him early. Pray. And when you pray, ask God. God, speak to me more than I'm speaking to you. Speak to. To my heart and God, I'm gonna and.
- [90:05]
Dr. Cynthia James
And.
- [90:05]
Pastor Don Dobbins
And continue to come to the garden and linger in your prayer time. Linger. Don't rush out. Linger and wait to hear him call your name. If you're glad you came to Wednesday night, come on, praise him. We're getting ready to give and go. But you do me a favor and just hug your neighbor and say, I'm glad to see you resurrected. We all leaving together. There you go. Help. Hug somebody else. Say, I'm glad to see you resurrected. Folks are still at the altar being ministered to. I welcome you right now to put a seed in the ground. It's our time for ties and offering. And this is the best time to put a seed in the ground because I believe God is going to do something with this seed that you put in the ground tonight. I believe that there is an extra blessing on this seed. I believe that there's an extra miracle on this seed. It is tithe and offering time. There are ways of giving are on the screen. If you need an envelope, just wave your hand. Our PMTs will give you one. But if I were you, I would rush to put seed in the ground because his resurrection and God is raising those seeds up. And they're getting ready to bless everything in your life. If you're ready to give, stand to your feet. Stand to your feet. Hallelujah. Come on, stand to your feet. All over the building with that seed. Maybe tonight is a tangible seed, but maybe you are the seed. Maybe this seed that you give tonight is your yes again to God. Hallelujah. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. Everybody standing. Everybody standing. We're gonna give and go. Come on, wave that seed in the air. Wave it in there. My sister. Waving it already. I see you, sister. That's it. Come on, wave it. Wave it. Father, we thank you for these seeds. We thank you Father for being the seed giver and thank you God that we are able to sow into good ground. We wave our seeds because God we believe you see us and this seed lets the world know that we've been resurrected to new life and we place it and plant it into good soil knowing that as you water it, it will grow up and not only bless us, but bless the community, bless the country, bless our family family. And it will be a hundredfold blessing, God, that it will show up in ways that we never imagined. God. We don't give frivolously, God, but we give intentionally. We give rejoicing. We give on purpose because we trust you with our seed, God. We trust you with our vision, we trust you with our dreams. And so we give God with a grateful heart knowing that you receive it and will give right back to us in Jesus Name Somebody praise them, praise them, praise them. If you got that seed, pass it all the way to your left, to your left. Pass your seed to your left. Pass your seat to your left PMT Serve the people of God
- [93:15]
Podcast Host
that's a wrap for today's episode of the Potter's House Podcast. Subscribe for more. Keep your fire lit and your faith immovable.
- [93:29]
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