Remembering Voddie: A Short Road Trip DL

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So I just finished setting up the fifth wheel here in West El Reno, Oklahoma, I think is where I am anyway,

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I'm trying to get home as quickly as I can I have a Marathon day tomorrow way too far in one day quite dangerous.

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Hope you pray for me. I Eventually got it going and The first thing

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I see when I finally get things working is something about Votie Balcom and I'm looking at it and look you can't believe anything you see today

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Most of what you see has been created by somebody else and isn't true but of course it didn't take too long to verify that Votie had gone to be with the

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Lord and At age 56

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Six and a half years older than Votie and almost seven and So I was gonna possibly do a dividing line

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There's obviously there's always things to be talking about Ways to try to edify the brethren

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But you know, this is a situation where here's here's a man that I knew and He and I both had

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Spoken at the g3 conferences for years and years back when they were at Praise Mill Church.

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That's the church. I Remember, I believe it was in 2014 at least that's what summer says that Summer was there.

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It's my daughter and we sat in the back, you know little non -fancy room in back behind We're you know

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Any decent sized church has those rooms back behind where you store all this stuff you used for the

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Easter play seven years ago and had a great time talking and Chatting at that time and if I recall correctly it was the year before 2013

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Votie had had me down to his church outside Houston to Do a presentation.

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I have a few pictures. I posted one picture on on X this afternoon from that and And then sometime after that I was

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Awakened in the morning by my phone going off and I think it was before I had a

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Smartphone, so I think it was a flip phone that still had a screen on it. But it was a flip phone type thing and I remember

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Looking at this tiny little picture that had been sent to me and It looked like Votie but it was so small it was

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I couldn't tell and so later I I called and The night before he had won the

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Pan American ultra heavyweight jujitsu championship and He had sent me a picture of him

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I think he was holding the trophy or they're holding his hand up or it was sometime right after the match and He shared that with me and So You know,

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I think The last time that I spoke with Votie even briefly was at the last national g3 conference

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That's my recollection. Anyways, and it was just brief just shaking hands. I I think it was a another one of situations where you know, you have the ubiquitous speakers panels and People coming from all different directions y 'all go up there do your thing

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Scatter afterwards and But in 2018

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I Had from I think it was 2013 or 14 for a number of years.

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I have been going down to South Africa and Doing lots of debates lots of teaching even enrolled in a school down there

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Doing doctoral work in textual criticism and So Votie was like look, you know, if you're in South Africa, we need to fly you up to Zambia so you can teach to college and So as we did

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I flew up to Zambia and I spoke and Votie had tried to set up a debate between me and an imam

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At the school, but then right before it happened the imam backed out and so Votie took his place and role -played the imam

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And I have a couple I took just a couple pictures. I was sitting there next to Votie while he was speaking and Just a mountain of a man.

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Just just a mountain of a man and At that time

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I Had a couple other guys we were invited over for dinner at the

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Malcolm household and Votie wanted to show us his dog

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Evidently and I don't remember the name. Sorry. It's a technical Belgian something. I don't know It's supposed to be a like kill a lion or something

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I I don't remember all the details, but he was showing us all the Training he had done with this thing.

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It just looked like a huge running pile of muscle it was big anyway

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Votie was wearing flip -flops and And so he told the dog to stay and he's walking out of the yard and there's a gate and So he's still in the gate

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When I think he said free or whatever it is you say to the dog to let it know it can move

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Well this thing takes off Toward that gate at an astonishing rate of speed.

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It's a big dog It's I don't know what it weighed, but like I said, it's all muscle and It got to the gate before Votie got it closed and it jumped up and hit the gate with its full weight and The gate swings back and I and there's two of us out there with him

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Me and this other guy Sorry, I don't remember who it was but me and this other guy we saw what happened before Votie realized what happened the gate swung back and it caught his big toe and I can still remember very clearly to this day his the toenail on his big toe standing up at a 90 -degree angle to his his big toe and me and the other guy saw it and Evidently it took a second.

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You know, it's a long distance from Votie's toe to his head and He sees us looking down with our eyes wide open and Then he looks down.

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It's like oh and so he goes limping inside and I go running inside.

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I Go right inside and his wife was working on dinner This large group of people and I can't just miss

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Malcolm, um The gate just hit Votie in his toe and it's like it ripped his toenail off She didn't even look up what she was doing.

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She said he does that all the time That's like oh, okay Well, I just thought

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I'd let you know so he comes in eventually with this big old bandage on his on his toe and You know, we went through the rest evening but um

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Yeah, that was that time in Zambia was the last time that we really had a lot of interaction with one another talk with one another and So it's been a while our work has taken us in different circles and and So But like I said at the last

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G3 conference the full national conference. I think we're on at least one speakers panel together

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That's my recollection. I could be wrong might have been a Regional conference just like I but that's my recollection

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So When when people younger than you are pass away

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You know in this situation from it, I mean, I don't know the details but it seems fairly obvious to me that In light of what happened to vote you a few years ago with a heart condition

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That this was related to that Possibly something they miss something that got worse.

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I I Said to my wife just a few minutes ago when she called me I said well,

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I'll be honest with you. I would imagine That Bodhi was as good a patient as I am

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I had cardiac ablation That's not a failure type thing It actually became the worst when

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I was in my best shape But I Think my dad had the same thing.

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I think it's genetic But it never really bothered him because he he never worked out and he didn't

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He didn't work out. So If you don't work out you're not gonna be pushing your heart to that level and so probably nothing's gonna happen and I could avoid that type of stuff if I wouldn't push myself, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't and I know

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Bodhi and So Large African men

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Have heart issues. I mean, that's just a given that's a there's no questions about that We've seen it happen over and over again.

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You see Black athletes and they have enlarged hearts and things like that.

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It's it's part of the genetic makeup just as there are Aspects of my

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Scottish heritage that I have to live with now Everybody gets to deal with that kind of thing and so I Wasn't You know when

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I said on X that I'm stunned I'm stunned at his loss, but I'm not stunned that this type of thing happened

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And Knowing his theology Knowing that he was reformed

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I know what he believed and I know how he would want us to view this event.

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I have already seen I made, you know brief mention of it on X and one of the people that responded was was like, oh, please please don't tell me that God caused

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Bodhi's death and Obviously, that's extremely imprecise language

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But The the reality is Bodhi believed in the 139th

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Psalm beginning of verse 13 for you formed my inward parts

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You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made

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Wonderful are your works and my soul knows it very well My frame was not hidden from you when

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I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth Your eyes have seen my unformed substance and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me and that term

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That's used there Translating the NASB as ordained And The LSB has your eyes have seen my unshaped substance

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And in your book all of them were written the days that were formed for me When is it there was not one of that one of them that is more literal the term that is translated ordained in the

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NASB From Yetzar is Part of the

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Hebrew terms in regards to creation forming making as in making pottery but it's also the same root of God creating and hence ordaining and so The days that were formed for me when is it yet?

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There was not one of them So they're written down they're fixed

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This is part of God's decree even before Any of them come into existence and Vody knew this

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Vody understood that the day of his departure was known to God and That God uses

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God has his decree and God uses means to bring those things about and He didn't struggle with What causes a lot of people to struggle and That is well, but you know if we are really, you know

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We need to be careful with our health and that will give us longer life. Well from a human perspective

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Yes, but that's a human perspective the reality is that From eternity past God knew exactly when

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Vody, Balcom would be brought into his presence and This is not a surprise to him.

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This is a part of his good and sovereign decree and He believed this and he taught this this is foundational to your being able to do

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Grief counseling going into the hospital dealing with death there are a lot of different ways of dealing with that but The Reformed understanding is very straightforward and I believe it is to be the biblical understanding and You are not trying to make excuses for God You're not trying to try to make

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God look better He's so far beyond us that having

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Wisps of vapor Arguing about God's power and wisdom is

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Well, it's just that it's it's foolishness we Even the most longest living person is still but a wisp of vapor in comparison to God's eternity

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And That same person even if they use their entire life to gain knowledge would still know nothing in comparison to the

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God who created all things and So we know that we do not judge God and we do not judge his purposes and we do not judge his timing

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God does all things. Well, and So this day has not caught

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God by surprise and That is part of the comfort that a believer has that we worship the

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God who Works all things according the council of his will Ordains all things and Hence is

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Not in heaven tonight going. Oh, I had so many plans. Oh There was you know, oh he was gonna get to teach all these things and all these next generation and You know we've had a number of high -profile deaths and As a result people are thinking they're thinking

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John MacArthur long Life lived well, at least in most people's opinions.

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There are some people Disputing that these days Charlie Kirk short life lived like a flash of lightning

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Voted Malcolm not a long enough life by any stretch the imagination Standing tall and saying tough things that need to be said and A lot of people are just like oh,

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I just what's going on. How can we continue on? and I just have to I Just have

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I've sat back and I've gone look Ever heard anybody saying that You know you were

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Complimenting them on all the stuff they've done for the Lord's like that. No, they'll say something like are you kidding? I I will be so far away from the throne of God in the throngs of those who have served him that that I won't

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I'll need I'll need binoculars to see what's going on There are so many

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Believers Who entered into the Lord's presence every day that no one has ever heard of who have done so much more

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For the kingdom than the vast majority of anyone who has been heard of before That's the reality

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We just don't know their names. We won't know until eternity and I You know,

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I'm pretty convinced John MacArthur would not want people arguing about MacArthur ism.

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He would want The truths that he preached to be written

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Upon the hearts of those who heard him and the errors that he preached to be forgotten

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I think

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Charlie Kirk would be embarrassed by some of the stuff being done as his name right now there's a lot of good things yeah, but Um The human tendency is to exalt the mechanism the means rather than the divine truth that actually changes hearts and minds and Vodie in the same way

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Would simply want to be remembered as A an unworthy

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Servant he would know his own heart. He would know the number of times when he could have done something and he didn't do something and You know, we look at when

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Scripture talks to us about men of old Scripture is honest about their weaknesses their failings you look at David and Was all that do it it points you to Deep thankfulness for the grace and mercy of God and you

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Know since MacArthur You know, I've been thinking a lot about this and I think one of the worst things that could ever happen to me is to be remembered for Who I was or what

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I did rather than What I sought to represent which is pointing away from me and everybody's well, you've done turn debates now.

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Well, that's true, but You know, I wasn't even seeking that kind of stuff we just we just wanted to faithfully present the gospel to people and if you get the opportunity of doing that great fine wonderful, but I'm really afraid of People of Me getting in the way

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Or Charlie Kirk getting in the way or what about him getting away or John McCarthy anyway getting in the way of Of the gospel truth and message that changes people and that gives us the opportunity to truly be grounded and Just and to serve

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Christ in the next generation and then the next generation It's not about the servants it's about the one they serve and it just seems that the tendency of This is okay.

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Look You look at What Christians have done in reference to Saints godly people martyrs in the past and very early on When someone would stand firm stand tall would not give in under pressure would not give in under persecution and They gave their life

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Well Other believers they want that example And yes scripture gives us tells us to look to those who came before us to learn from them all those types of things but that same scripture is very clear in warning us against idolatry and Making sure that we understand even our heroes were fallen heroes, they were sinners saved by grace and We're not to you know start the cult of Isaiah or the cult of Hosea We're not supposed to you know gather up their bones and Spread them out amongst the people of Israel and you get you put a shrine over there with his femur and you put a shrine over there with his skull and All this kind of stuff which is eventually what ends up happening and what called itself

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Christianity at the time as Calvin said the human heart is an idol -making factory and Christians can do it too.

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And the last thing that anyone standing before the throne today

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Absorbed in the worship and praise of Christ the last thing they would want on their mind is that back on earth

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They and their memory is getting in the way of what they tried to do in In presenting

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God's truth as imperfectly as they did it and I've been thinking more and more about that You know, one of my fellow elders often before preaching says hide the preacher

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Let let your truth be what is heard and what is remembered may

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I be forgotten and And You know when

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I think of the things that I teach If I've helped you to understand the reliability of Scripture, okay

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Who I am Should not have anything to do with your conviction that Scripture has been

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Preserved for us and Transferred to us in a particular particularly amazing way

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So that we can know What God has given? When men spoke from God as they were carried along by the

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Holy Spirit use Peter's terms It shouldn't matter who I am. It shouldn't matter who you learned it from I mean if if I went and became a

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Buddhist would that change? Don't worry, I'm not that's last thing you think of but if that happened would that change what

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I said now if I if I Came out and start attacking those things, but you know, most people convert they don't do that the truthfulness

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The truth content of what someone proclaims and teaches is

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Not dependent upon who they are If if that were the case since we're all

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Imperfect human beings since we're all sinners Since we all have ignorances and traditions and none of us could ever speak the truth.

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You would never be able to trust anything But that's not the case

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That's not the case. It shouldn't be the case So we give thanks to God for servants who have blessed us

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That's fine. That's wonderful But we need

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The next generation the generation after that We thank

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God for the servants who have delivered God's truth to us but We need to make sure that we do not confuse those servants with the message many

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Believers die every day around this world Anonymously not before God but in our experience and yet they held firmly to the truth

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They held firmly to the truth and that should be our goal as well whether we're known or not

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That part shouldn't matter so we pray for the Balcombe family We pray for the folks of founders my goodness and unless I am mistaken and again,

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I'm on the road. So it's hard to Keep up with things as to what day everything was but I get the feeling that they're opening convocation ceremonies were just very very recently and In fact,

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I I think I saw a picture of you know, three primary teachers and Vodi was one of them.

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And so Wow What a challenge, you know that that is going to present and and And You know again, it's easy for us to step back and go.

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Well, why would God do this? And why would God do that? You know? The why part

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Yeah, you do see that in some of the some of the Psalms Even Job did that and eventually put his his hand over his mouth and there was a reason for that God has his purposes

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We live at a certain time in human history and We have to remain faithful Even when from our human perspective

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It just looks like things are coming apart the seams. They're not So all the reasons we study church history, there are lots of times in history when it looked like things were done

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It's all over with No hope of the future and yet there was still Great things

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God had to do in the future so we can trust him in those areas as well So we thank God for Vodi and his life thank

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God that I got to know him and minister with him and we pray for the family wife children and for the church as a whole to Honor his memory by not

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Believing what he taught because he taught it But believing what he taught because what he taught was true

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That's how you you honor someone's someone's memory so We'll have more to say

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I would imagine next week when I get back Again prayers for the next two days marathon days both days

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Two three hours four hours longer than I am comfortable Traveling so Remember I can't do caffeine.

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So pray the Lord Sends me something that will keep me Bright and bushy -tailed all the way home a little concerned about that.

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But anyway, thank you for listening I hope these words were of some comfort and some guidance at this at this time and once again, we we thank