A WOW Moment - September 3rd 2020

Oh, I don't need to be answering those questions, too. I'm gonna need you to put your stuff there.

I don't need any text messages. So it looks like I'm a straw shoved up my shins. It's perfect for my size.

But it adds to the... I wonder what it was for dupes. I can't hear you. I can't hear you.

Oh, hey, look. It's just my arm. Yeah, you're really centered. Chicken wing, chicken wing. You can sit closer. Well, why not? It's fine. I take it back. There you go. She always tries to give me 20 feet.

See, I knew you were gonna say something.

I tried so hard, and instead I cut my own self off.

To save that. I know I'm large, but I don't have to have that. I'm extra, extra large.

I haven't even started nights pretty much. We've been too busy talking. Oh, well, that's okay. Well, you didn't have to go through a runker with her since she's already done it once.

And then it didn't record because... Her son wasn't there, so it was her fault. Oh, goodness.

We've had a blast so far tonight, y 'all. We've done our wow moment. Did y 'all enjoy that?

You don't even have this opened. How are you gonna participate? All right. Good evening, everybody. I hope we have some people on. If not, y 'all can catch up later.

I think there's three. Welcome to our wow moment. Forgot my glasses. But, hey, she didn't have to go in the car. She's my stool. She didn't have to go in the car to get them. They're right inside one of those side pockets.

Inside the backpack. Okay, Miranda, in the backpack. Anyways, forgot my glasses. But, welcome to our Bible study tonight. Are you gonna wear a pair also? She doesn't wear all the pairs. That's all there is.

Two pair. Welcome to our Bible study tonight, y 'all. I'm sorry. We've been here for about an hour, and you would think we done got our chattiness out, but we haven't. Apparently, Mercedes is doing a lot on the goofy side.

I know, they're stupid. You all know me. Yeah, I'm Vicky, and there's Mercedes. I have so much fun doing this. Anyways, tonight we are in, we were at a church, and this is our wow room. I had planned on y 'all being able to see the stuff we have on the walls, but we're on the floor.

Mercedes says you're not gonna be able to see the stuff on the walls. I was right. But it's okay. You can see the bottom part. But tonight we have Courtney Lynch with us again because the last time she was on, we had Wi-Fi issues.

There was all kind of issues that night, so we've invited Courtney back. And we're really, really, really excited.

It's been so much fun already.

Anyways, because these two together, I know I gotta start watching. I just started watching them just a little bit closer on Sundays and Wednesdays and every other day, I think. Anyways, Courtney's been coming to Whitten for several, many, several years.

Eight. Sophie was five months old when we started coming. Okay.

You're a late bloomer. It's all right. I could go one day. So anyways, her and her wonderful husband are members here at the church, and they have three of the cutest kids. Two and a half. Well, yeah, two and a half because John's still a little.

I want to thank you for coming up here tonight. I know she gets on your nerves just like she gets on mine a lot. She's been with me all day. It's fantastic. We love her. Her? Her. So anyways, Courtney, the last time you picked a verse, Gwen said you look like Jeff with two pair of glasses on.

I should have done it and jacked my eyes up for a minute. She can double with everything. She picked up a verse, I think, that was her go-to verse. What have you picked for us tonight, though?

Ephesians 1:7-14 and the Down Payment of the Holy Spirit

So tonight, I chose a, well, it's actually a few verses, but it's in Ephesians chapter one, and it's a passage that I've read a bunch, but when I was on the youth trip, we had, and we had our quiet time every day.

This was the passage that I studied a few days out of the week, and it just, I guess just how I read it was a lot differently than I've read it before. Like, you read the same verse you've read over and over and over, and then all of a sudden it just hits you with a different meaning, I guess.

That hits a lot. So this has become one of my favorite. What is the verse? Ephesians chapter one, but it's gonna be seven through 14. My certain ones are 13 and 14, but you have to read seven through 14.

To get the gist. Yeah. To get the whole story.

Correct. To get what you're trying to say. Correct. To put the mayonnaise on the bread. To pick up what is put down. All right, Mercedes, let's read, let's get started. Let's read Ephesians one, seven through 14, please.

That's right. Oh, man. It's on a roll. You are also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

Courtney, that's good. 13 and 14 is my favorite because, I mean, I've read it a lot, but because I've studied Ephesians quite a bit, but when it says that the Holy Spirit is the down payment, just the more that I read about that, how it's worded, you know, when we think of down payment, you know, when we buy something or whatever, you put a down payment on something that's important, you're going to finish it out or you're going to see the end of it.

You're not just going to waste a down payment on something. So, I don't know. It was really cool to me how that was worded. Like, we get something now, the Holy Spirit as the down payment, but because of what's to come when we get the rest, you know.

This is another Bible I studied. It's a New Living Translation, and it just puts things, just work. I understand the wording a little bit better. And now you have heard the truth, the good news that God saves you.

And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit of God's guarantee, the Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

There is another thing in verse 13 where it says, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. So, in that part, I kind of looked it up a little bit, and it's talking about the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

And that was basically, it meant like you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit and with that comes ownership, the sealing. To be sealed with the Holy Spirit, it was talking about ownership and being secured from Satan.

It secured and sealed you with the Holy Spirit. And it would identify you as being sealed. It's like protection, your identity. That's part of your identity now to set apart. It was pretty cool.

Redemption, Predestination, and God's Purpose in Ephesians

Yeah, in verse 7, he is so rich in kindness, he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us along with all wisdom and understanding.

Yep. And also in, let's see, in verse 11 where it says, in him we have also received an inheritance because we were predestined, according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will.

Predestined. Predestined.

So, when you think about these people that don't believe in the predestination,.

It's used a lot. I mean, you know. It's a common, I think people choose to not because they don't know a lot about it. So if you study the Bible, I mean, it's pretty obvious. I think people that say they don't, they just either try, like they don't look into it, or they don't try to understand it, or whatever,.

There's definitely the elect. I mean, it's apparent. Yeah, I mean, because there's, you know, he knows who's going to be saved, and he knows who, he knows who's going to believe on him and in him, and he knows who's not.

There's foreknowledge there. Because he knows everything. Right. But that's why it's so important for us to spread the word, because we don't know who is and who isn't. And so, because we don't know, that's why it's so important for us to do that.

Because you might be, you might see somebody every single day at work,.

And, you know, whether it's actually supposed to be you or not.

That's used to point them to Christ, you don't know that either. Well, and that's why it's not only in your words, either. It's your actions. You know, it's a lot in how you live your life, and a lot of how you present yourself.

Because I'll be the first one to tell y 'all, this grandma right here, used to all what not, y 'all wouldn't have known me had you met me many, many years ago. I mean, if you'd have been like that, there's no way.

No way. But, and it's not, and always remember too, though, it's not up to you. Nope. And you're supposed to plant the seed. Plant the seed. Because then, once you plant the seed, it's the Holy Spirit that does the rest of the work.

He does actually all the work, because he does the work through you, for someone else. That's why our pastor says all the time, he ain't never saved nobody. One point or two, Chris. Because we don't have that ability to do so.

And, you know, I used to get so hurt when people didn't see things the way I did. Like, especially coming to church forever, you know, forever, and leaving with your family, and you're going, man, that was a good sermon, and nobody's getting it.

Nobody's like, yeah, it really was. You know what I mean? Because they didn't get the same thing you got out of it. And some of that was because they didn't understand it, because they didn't have a relationship with the Lord at the time.

So, now it's good just to say, like, especially on Tuesday nights, because we listen every Tuesday night at home, it's good whenever, like, you know, I can see my husband, his eyebrows are going. And I know he wants to say something like, are you listening to what he's telling you?

But he doesn't, he doesn't. So, but yeah.

Sometimes I look at him like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like, I don't understand. So, but yeah, the predestination thing that everybody gets.

Ephesians Written by Paul to Encourage a Young Church

Well, and to me, like, because Ephesians was written by Paul, and it was to a church, and it was a young church. So, to me, also, the passage is uplifting, because, you know, he's speaking to a church, a new church.

And so I think it's supposed to be some encouragement. Like, this is what's coming. Like, you have a down payment of the Holy Spirit. Like, God's got you. You're taken care of. You know, it's going to happen.

He's going to be there at the end. Like, this is how you can be sure you have a down payment. So, to me, it kind of helps that part, too. And he wrote it while in prison. Well, it's a prison to encourage people.

And he's encouraging other people. Yeah. I mean, don't you want to do that? Honestly, I don't know how encouraging I'd be able to be if I was sitting in prison somewhere.

I mean, there's no coffee.

She's not very encouraging before she has coffee. Coffee encourages me. She's not going to be encouraging for you. So, we pray for that.

But we have redemption in him.

Verse 4, For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for himself according to his favor and will through the praise of his glorious grace that he favored us within the beloved.

And that's, again, his will. Mm-hmm. Did you know this was Mercedes' favorite book of all time? Oh, I love a few things so much. It's one of my favorites, too. Especially the first couple chapters. Because this was where that light bulb clicked for me.

So, have you told anybody else your story when you started reading it? Yeah, I've talked about it a few times. I don't know. Sorry. I don't know if I told Gordon or not. It's just something I just thought about.

So, Mercedes, you don't have us flipping to 1 ,500 books in the Bible? Yeah, so, in relation to verse 7,. Yeah, in relation to verse 7, and really probably 4 as well, Hebrews 9, 12.

He entered the most holy place once for all,.

Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkling those who are defiled sanctify for the purification of flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serving the living God.

What was that? 9, 12 through 15. Therefore he is a mediator of a new covenant so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

17. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never enforced while the one who made it is living. That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.

Hey, Courtney, how's the passage? It's fine. I know I made a note in my other Bible before I turned it over. Well, actually, on the way home from the youth trip, I just dumped it and dumped it on my Bible.

So I had to get a new one, but I got the same one. So going back to 13 and 14, because that was kind of the focus, in 2 Corinthians 1 .22, it says, He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

So it just goes back to the down payment with the Holy Spirit. I think just a lot of times people think of, you know, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Three parts, three in one, but they don't really think, like, we have the Holy Spirit right now.

And, like, that's something that you have if you're a Christian, then you have it right now. And it's something that you, I mean, it's with you every day, all day, no matter what. So to me, just reading that, like, reiterates, like, it's the down payment.

We have it. It's something you have right now. Like, I think people just, they focus more on, you know, God the Father, because we can relate to a father figure. God the Son, we can relate to a figure of a son.

But the Holy Spirit, I feel like, is such a foreign thought. Like, we don't have anything to compare it to, really. But, you know, the Bible talks about all the ways you can think of it, such as a down payment.

You know, and it is one of, you know, the three parts, so it is equally important.

But... Well, and right now, at this moment, it's what we have. Right. It's what we have, like... Right now. It's also what helps us understand Scripture. Yeah. As we read it, you know. Yeah, because some people, they don't understand why they don't understand.

They don't understand why they can't understand. For instance, since you brought it up earlier, well, a few minutes ago, for me, when I was, you know, it was suggested to me to read Ephesians, the first chapter, and I had opened up the app on my phone, and I'm reading it, and I'm going, I don't know why, I just, I don't know why I'm so nervous.

I don't get this. And, so I put it down. Then, the next day, I tried again for a couple days. I tried, and I'm like, I'm just not getting it. And then, this was just last year. And, you know, I've never understood Scripture.

Ever. Not really. Just kind of always thought it was something pastors were able to understand. Nobody else was, and that's why they were, you know, do their sermons or whatever to teach us because we can't.

So, finally, that, you know, after a couple times, I stopped, and I prayed for the first time, and I don't know how long, and I said, just help me understand. Just help me understand this. And, I'm not even kidding you.

I opened my eyes, started reading, and it was instant. Oh! Make a note. Oh! Make another note. And, it just, like that. And, I didn't know that in somewhere else, and I can't remember where it's at in Scripture, but it says, you know, just asking for wisdom, and it will be given to you.

And, you know, I didn't know that at the time, and I also didn't know that also in Scripture it says that Scripture is foolish to those who don't believe. You know, and so, for an unbeliever, you cannot, and I'm not saying I didn't believe in God, but it was, it was more, you know, it wasn't heart service.

Right. It was always lip service. Oh, you said heart service. Yeah. Like,.

Wasn't that, you were just mouthing? Yeah, like, I believed in God, but I didn't believe on Him. You know,.

And so, when my heart changed, my mind changed, and then your eyeballs said, wow! Yeah. And so, you know, for me, I think that was when, like we talked about, that was the point of my true conversion, and for me, that was when the Holy Spirit said,.

I got you. Yeah. James 1, maybe, James 1, 5. Now, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives to all generously and encouragingly, and it will be given to him. Yeah, and I didn't know that that was there.

James 1, what? 1, 5. I thought.

It was James 1, but I couldn't remember, so I didn't want to quote it without looking it up to make sure. I didn't, I had no clue that that was there.

But then when I came across that, I go, um, I did that. This has been the best day. And it happened.

And it worked. And it worked. Because the Bible says that it would work. Yeah. And.

Scripture's true. You know, a lot of people have said a lot of bad things. I mean, 2020 has not been the best year ever.

But spiritually, I can't.

Speak for y 'all, but spiritually, it has been amazing. COVID has put a lot of people through the ringer. Um, but at the same time, God has done.

Incredible things with it. I mean, us doing the.

Wow moment and things like that. That would have never happened. Chances are. Oh, no, it would not have happened. There is no way you would have gotten me and her on Facebook. There ain't no way. And not just that, but any of the things that our church does now, wow, probably would not be taking place right now.

And, um, it's really opened eyes, and it's opened a lot of hearts. And, um, so I can't, you know, I was sitting there last night thinking, God, this year is almost over. We're getting there. We're getting there.

But then I got to thinking about it, and I thought, but it hasn't been a bad year for the Lord.

Of course, I don't think. He has a bad year. Even for me and Courtney, it was work. I mean, we work with so many of our Witton family. We get to hang out with Witton every day. We hang out in New York.

You're stellar. I know.

You're not supposed to be jealous. You can come have lunch with us anytime. From downtown? Can we drive from downtown? Yeah. I don't get better at having lunch. Bring us some, uh... I don't get better at having lunch.

Do not bring us rendezvous. Maybe I will just drive her down here. I have to drive her. We can be halfway. Drive it, drop it off, and leave. We'll meet you halfway. Really? So this year hasn't been that bad of a year.

How cool is it to know that God chose us? I mean, we don't have anything to offer. We didn't bring anything to the table. We weren't seeking Him. You know, I mean, He chose us. He found us. True. I was looking for something.

I didn't know what I was looking for. He provided a living sacrifice.

For us. Mercedes wasn't looking for Jack.

Not Jack. Poor Jack. Jack never gets looked for.

Oh, I do appreciate that. That one was for you, Elena. Aisha has more Jack jokes if you want.

Look, so I walked... I walked into John's office. I go, hey John. He goes, what? I go, guess what? I'm exercising my 5th amendment rights. And he was like, I think it's 5th amendment. And he was like, what's that?

It's probably not. Whatever the right to bear arms is. Is that 2nd amendment? Yeah. 2nd amendment? Cool. So I'm like, yeah I'm exercising that right or whatever. And he goes, oh yeah? I go, yeah. The right to bear arms.

Smith and Wesson. And he just looked at me. My God. And I walked out.

Oh my God. Really?

Elena, you came up to work and didn't say hello?

Okay. Anyway, I'm sorry. What were you saying? She lost it. You said 5th amendment. Sorry. I was wrong. The Smith and Wesson just blew me out of the world. It is a pretty powerful gun. Well, I'm not saying it's not, but your arms are not Smith and Wesson.

And then he goes, and then he goes, I'm just going to walk around with bear arms. Like, bear arms. Anyway, what were you saying? See, aren't you jealous? You don't get to put up with that every day. Which she does because there's a thing.

Called Marco Polo. Thank you, pastor. Thank you for my assistance. That's another thing. COVID, we probably would never use Marco Polo if it wasn't for COVID.

So what were you saying, Vicki? I'm sorry. I lost it.

We were talking about Can somebody tell us where we were at? We were talking about being chosen. We weren't seeking him. Oh, no. What I was saying is you weren't looking for Jack and you went off the pun rant.

Because Mercedes came to church going, I don't want to meet nobody. I don't want to know nobody. Man, I walked in the doors with a whole bunch of I'm nots. And guess what? She is. Yeah, they did. God said, I bet.

God said, I bet. Saying you're not one more time. I've really gotten to the point where I just quit saying I'm not. Yeah, me too. And that's the only reason. That's the other reason, too. And honestly, as women, that's the whole thing.

That's the whole kit and caboodle. Caboodle? That didn't even come out right. Hush, let me get my thought out. I lost it again. Oh, women. That's just like us sitting here talking about not saying that you're not going to do something anymore.

Especially when it comes to ministry and stuff like that. Women also have got to get it through their heads that the worry is no good either. Nope. The worry to worry is no good.

Matthew 6 and 10 on Worry and the Father's Care

Hey, that has to deal with my verse from last time that didn't get recorded. Just for fun, can I read it?

Yes, you can. We're going to recap Courtney's first verse. Just really quick.

Because it didn't get recorded. And it really is my all-time favorite verse. And it does help with worry and anxiety. Both of which I deal with. So it's Matthew chapter 6. And it is starting in verse 25.

The heading of this section is The Cure for Anxiety. Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Consider the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns. Yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying?

And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow. They don't even labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.

If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't he do so much more for you, you of little faith? So don't worry, saying, what will we eat, or what will we drink, or what will we wear?

Matthew 6 .34 is. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. And that's always been a super favorite of mine.

That was your first one, wasn't it? I believe so, when you blew up.

The Holy Spirit was, uh... He took over our first land. I'm afraid that he takes all of them. But, yes.

Women and worry. Stop it. Yeah, and the second part that I went with that was in Matthew chapter 10. It talks about the stupid sparrows that don't do anything for anybody. Yeah, you were talking about how they weren't even worth eating.

They're so tiny. Our two sparrows sold for a penny, yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted, so don't be afraid. You're worth more than many sparrows.

So you had to do two in one. Yeah, I did. The sparrow one is my... Pastor Josiah and I were talking about it at work the other day. Well, a little while ago. About how sparrows will literally do nothing.

They're not pretty. You don't eat them. You don't look out the window and go, Oh, look, a pretty little sparrow. Like, oh, red bird. They're not colorful and all that. But that even a bird that really doesn't benefit us in any way, God knows exactly when it falls to the ground, when it hits the door at work, and slides down the window.

He knows that that happened. And he knows about the little stinking bird. And then he knows all the hairs on our head. And they're all numbered and counted. Not only the hairs that you have now, but all the hairs you've ever had.

As boy as my mom. And the hairs that you will have. That you will have. Or you won't have.

Depending on how old you are. He missed that one. It's pretty easy for bald people. I mean, he'd be like, you know, there's not much.

I think that's Briggs for his 80s. That'll be him. Anyways. I think we've.

Run out of time. Probably. I have to say that we should have recorded the entire time we were up here tonight. Tonight has been a really fun evening. But I also know that there were parts of tonight that didn't need to be recorded, so there's that.

I want to thank... I think we were kind of everywhere a little bit for a minute there. We didn't really stick with Ephesians 1, 7 -14. But that's the whole point of studying. The whole point of this Bible study is just to put something out there and where it takes us, it takes us.

And where we end up, we end up. Well, I mean, we did kind of, in a sense of you know, with what she read in Ephesians or with what she picked in Ephesians, it's one of those we're sealed with the Holy Spirit, like she said, like God's got us.

And so, tie that in with worrying, there's no reason because we were sealed with that promise God's got us. Look at Mercedes being the super glue. I can connect that sometimes. I'm not always squiggly lines.

We're getting somewhere, y 'all. We're getting somewhere. She makes me so proud every week. Never mind the other days of the week. Just all Thursdays. Thursdays. I'm kidding. I'm really kidding. But Courtney, thank you so much for coming.

Thank you so much for doing this again with us. No problem. We actually have done this so many, several, so many times, several times now. And when we finish, the ladies that we have studied with, they're like, so when are you coming back?

But when we first get there, or when they first sit down in the seat, they're kind of like, I don't know. I don't know why I decided to do this. I don't really know if I'm going to be okay with it. We usually get a text later that night, I'll do another one.

Yes, yes. And Rachel said, when we finished, she said, I'll do that again. She hadn't even left the church yet. I'll do another one. We need to do one with Alaina. So, y 'all can do that. No, no, never mind.

I was about to say y 'all can do that while I'm on vacation. Yes, yes we can. No, no, no. I will have somebody to chaperone.

While I'm on vacation. While I'm on vacation.

I might have the pastor sit with Mercedes. How about the pastor sit with you, Mercedes? I mean, that's fine. He can sit with us, Alaina. He'll enjoy it just as much. Hobbit jokes. I'll put somebody in.

I'm looking to go on vacation sometime in October, and I don't know quite sure when yet, but I have to have somebody sit in to make sure this goes properly.

No, you're good. We got a plan. You can have fun on vacation.

You can watch us from vacation. I will be watching from vacation. I don't think she trusts us. Can she call us in the middle of a cut out or something? No, I'll put my phone on mute. But if you're here, I bet you I can call you on your phone and dare you say, are you.

Calling? I don't hear you. I'm sorry.

I'll just push the do not start or I'll call you back later. Somebody will be here. It will not go awry.

We'll make you proud, Mom. Carrie? Gwen? Gwen? I don't know. Y 'all, please. Don't worry, Vicki. We just talked about that. You need to be worried. Anyways, thanks y 'all again for joining us tonight in this crazy 45 minutes that we've been here.

I hope that you've received something out of it that you may be able to use or that maybe the Holy Spirit brought the word to you in a different way and you'll use it. But if you are in the area this week, come join us Sunday morning.

Service starts at 1030. I will give you the address of the church, but guess what? I can't even think of it. 6773 Macon Road. That's it. I've heard it said so many times you would think I would I don't mail anything here.

Also, all the other stuff that us along with Pastor Ben, Pastor Josiah, Pastor Jeff, Brother Andrew are all on YouTube. If you want to go check those things out. Witten Media Ministries. Thanks again, Courtney.

It was fun. It was fun. Thanks, y 'all. And this has been a wow moment. She's gonna get fired.