LifeLift

Solomon tells us it’s better to “go to a house of mourning than a house of feasting” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). That is, something in looking at life soberly— from the vantage point of our humanity— shifts everything into perspective.

In this talk I launch a new podcast series— Future Grace.

The event that spawned the thought process behind it was the death of my paternal grandfather— years ago. I attended the funeral ceremony (at the funeral home) and was told that “He’s not here.” The pastor explained that “to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

The implication was simple. His body is here, but he is NOT.

But then we attended the graveside service. There, the pastor told me something almost contradictory: “At some point in the future, the dead in Christ will rise,” I heard (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

I didn’t understand…

Was he there— in Heaven? Or was he waiting here… for some future-time in which he would arise…?

Thus began a quest to understand some of the concepts about this present NOW and how it relates to eternity. And, in the mess of it all, I stumbled upon a concept I refer to as FUTURE GRACE.

Though I unearthed more questions than answers, the exploration actually led me to a greater degree of certainty; You see, though we’re often afraid of the questions, God isn’t…

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Links

Take the free PTSD self-check = https://www.jenkins.tv/PTSD

Watch the healing video = https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/healed

The “Emotional Wholeness Checklist” video = https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/checklist

Culture trumps just about everything. If you create an environment where people can thrive, they generally come alive.

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Let me tell you where I’m headed in this talk…

Proverbs reminds us that the “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

On the other hand, “fools despise such knowledge and instruction” (also 9:10).

Notably, there are two kinds of fear presented in the Bible. That is, there are two different Hebrew words we translate the same in English.

Understanding the RIGHT KIND OF FEAR is essential…

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🙀 Pechad = dread, panic, hopelessness, and despair.

This is the “fear" David referenced in Psalm 23:4, when he said that he would “fear no evil” because God was with him. He didn’t need to sense dread and despair, precisely because of the Lord’s presence.

😻 Yirah = a sense of awe, wonder, amazement, and respect.

This is the “fear” with which we need to view God.
We should stand in awe and amazement of what He’s done for us— not anxiety over what He might do if we step out of line.

These two words are very different. And they describe two very different types of leadership.

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As such, the way we approach God— and earthly fathers— varies greatly depending upon which definition we apply to the concept of fear.

🙀 If we think respect— which husbands and fathers want— equates with Pechad, we’ll lead in such a way our families constantly live on edge, wondering if we’re pleased with them or not.

😻 If, on the other hand, we realize respect better relates to Yirah, we’ll walk in such a way that our wives, our kids, and even strangers are overwhelmed with gratitude and a sense of security simply by our interaction with them. We’ll embody grace in such radical ways people will consistently find themselves amazed.

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One weekend a friend of mine preached a sermon based on Psalm 128, where he outlined 3 results of the right kind of fear— three results of creating a culture of “yirah.”

Blessings flow from work…

They flow with the spouse…

And even the kids…

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Links referenced in this talk =

For the Stronger paperback, go to www.Jenkins.tv/stronger 

For the free audiobook, go to the webpage www.Jenkins.tv/stronger — use the coupon code STRONGER for free access to the audiobook at checkout. No purchase necessary.

Or, follow the direct link = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/CSkVfj2p?coupon_code=STRONGER 

Also, claim your free Purpose book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

We often create clear lines as to what men can do and what women can do. However, the Bible itself actually blurs cultural lines, empowering each of us.

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Here’s where we see it…

In Luke 10, Jesus visits His friends Mary & Martha (Lazarus’ sisters). You might know the story— Martha hustles around working while Mary “sits at Jesus’ feet.”

I’ve heard the story preached that “you just need to slow down and be with Jesus, and you don’t need to get overwhelmed doing all this work FOR God instead of being WITH God.”

True.

But there’s something more powerful going on in this tale…

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“To sit” at a rabbi’s feet meant that you were accepted by them as a student. Paul was “educated at the feet of Gamiliel,” for instance (Acts 22:3). Gamiliel was the famous rabbi who exhorted the Jewish tribunal not to sentence the apostles to death (Acts 5:34). In other words, Luke communicates to us that Mary was accepted by Jesus as a student in whom He would invest His time and focused teaching. And, back then, students didn’t choose their rabbi— their rabbi chose them.

Martha is the one who rushed to greet Jesus when He came to visit after Lazarus’ death. Mary remained in the house. When Martha stepped inside to let Mary know Jesus had arrived, she said, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you” (John 11:28).

Whereas most people called Him Master or Lord, these two enjoyed a unique rabbi-student relationship.

These female spiritual powerhouses knew Him as Teacher.

In accepting these sisters— women— as students, Jesus flipped the cultural script upside down. In fact, John also goes out of his way to let us know— in the shortest verse in the entire Bible— that “Jesus wept” (11:35). In that culture, weeping was “women’s work” and learning would have, typically, been a man’s.

Paul topsey-turvied the cultural script, too. He embraced women as co-laborers with him (Romans 16:3-4), and he acknowledged some as apostles and deacons (see Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2).

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And it got me thinking about the women that see see in the Bible… Just in the New Testament ALONE (aside from the warriors and judges and other stereo-type defying ladies we see throughout the entire narrative of Scripture, we see that the women…

… well, they were TOTALLY essential to Everything Jesus did…

I just flipped through my Bible…

Here’s a (small) sampling of what the LADIES did…

WOMEN (not men like me)—

✅ Encouraged Jesus to reveal His power, nudging Him to perform His first miracle (see John 2:3).

✅ Funded the ministry of Jesus (i.e., no women = no ministry $ (see Luke 8:3).

✅ Crashed parties to which they weren’t invited in order to honor Jesus publicly (see Luke Luke 7:37,44).

✅ Made some of the boldest faith claims— and took action— that we see in the Bible (Mark 5:25f.).

✅ A woman was healed, people heard of it, and it caused Jesus’ ministry to explode (Mark 1:30f.).

✅ “Sat at Jesus’ feet,” which is a euphemism from that culture meaning that they were accepted as disciples (See Luke 10:39 and John 11:28).

✅ Encouraged Him before facing the Cross, rather then denying it would happen or running away (see John 12:1f.).

✅ A woman encouraged Pilate that he had his facts wrong about Jesus (Matthew 27:19), that he was about to kill an innocent man.

✅ Stood at the Cross— after the men fled for their lives and even denied knowing Jesus (John 19:25).

✅ Were the first to the empty tomb, the first to see the resurrected Jesus, and the ones who informed the disciples (John 20:1, 20:15, 20:2). This happened while the men were “locked behind closed doors,” fearing for their lives (John 20:19).

✅ Were in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit fell the first Pentecost— meaning they received the full measure of the Holy Spirit just like everyone else (see Acts 2:14, where they are singled out).

✅ A woman was the first person to be recorded as being resurrected after Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 9:39).

✅ Started the church in Phillipi (see Acts 16:13-14f.).

✅ Instructed some of the men leading the early church on essential doctrinal issues (Acts 17:26)— thereby empowering those men to grow churches and fulfill their calling (1 Corinthians 3:6).

✅ Led in the top leadership roles in the early church (i.e., see Philip’s daughters who became prophetesses in Acts 21:9, the list of women in Romans 16:1f. as deacons, including Junia referenced as an apostle in 16:7.).

✅ Took the “lead position” in some matters (Acts 18:26— the order in which people were listed in the ancient world denoted importance on a specific project or issue— so it’s intentional Luke mentions the women first here).

✅ Were encouraged to stand and prophesy in the church as women— and not hide their femininity in doing so (i.e., you don’t have to act like / be like a man to participate— live from the image of God you have been given (1 Corinthians 11:2f.).

✅ Were imprisoned because of their leadership roles in the early church (see Romans 16:7).

✅ Are told to submit to the men… who are ALSO told to submit to them (see Ephesians 5:21).

✅ Are equal heirs of grace— not secondary or lesser ones (1 Peter 3:7).

And…

✅ It’s interesting that, way back in the beginning, God FORMED man (Genesis 2:7), but he FASHIONED the woman (2:22), a more artistic word that speaks of something exquisite and wonderful…

Read the beginning of the story. They were / are the crown jewel of Creation.

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Links referenced in this talk =

For the Stronger paperback, go to www.Jenkins.tv/stronger 

For the free audiobook, go to the webpage www.Jenkins.tv/stronger — use the coupon code STRONGER for free access to the audiobook at checkout. No purchase necessary.

Or, follow the direct link = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/CSkVfj2p?coupon_code=STRONGER 

Also, claim your free Purpose book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose  

We talk a great deal— especially in the church— about women submitting to men. And we go straight to Ephesians 5 to do it…

But…

… when you read the entire passage, it seems that Paul isn’t giving us of DO and DON’T type of behaviors. Rather, he’s telling us how to create a climate in which everyone thrives. 

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Look at Ephesians 5:2, which is the sentence that leads us into Paul’s exposition about husbands and wives and Christ and the church. 

“Submit to one another,” he writes. That is, live in a such a way you consistently seek the needs of the other above your own, promoting them and the purpose God planned for them.

(We often skip this part and move straight Into the “wives, submit to your husbands” verse.)

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Here are a few things the text clearly DOES say…

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In other words, the entire marriage relationship “says something” bigger and broader than the two people in the relationship. 

What does it say? 

You get to decide… 

What SHOULD it say? 

Perhaps something bigger and better altogether… 

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However, rather than beginning with behaviors and lists, perhaps we should go back to that “submit to one another” part— and see how creating the right environment and culture in the home causes everything to come alive.

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Links referenced in this talk = 

For the Stronger paperback, go to www.Jenkins.tv/stronger 

For the free audiobook, go to the webpage www.Jenkins.tv/stronger — use the coupon code STRONGER for free access to the audiobook at checkout. No purchase necessary.

Also, claim your free Purpose book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

After the Fall, something interesting happens with Adam and Eve. 

Feeling ashamed, they hid themselves. Yet God approaches them, as it seems must be part of their regular routine to meet each evening.

He looks for Adam.

Genesis 3:9 tells us the Lord called to the man and asked, “Where are you?”

God didn’t seek Eve— even though she technically sinned first. He sought the one to whom He entrusted His Word, the one He now held responsible, Adam. 

Why?

Remember, God gave Adam the commands about the tree (Genesis 2:17) before Eve was ever even created (Genesis 2:21f.). To be clear, according to the text, she was never told directly not to eat the fruit.

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Just a thought… 

The leader is responsible for everything under the oversight of the authority— even if the authority is not necessarily “guilty” of an action that occurs. 

(I see a difference between “fault” and “responsibility,” thought we can’t totally blame the fall on her— he was standing right there.)

Eve actually ate from the tree first. Adam did eat after her. However, 100% of the issue at hand (though perhaps her fault) remains his responsibility.

And sure…

I know these are “loaded” terms, words we’d like to just replace. But, since they’ve been misused and we all have an idea of what they are, let’s discuss…  

(And probably create more questions than answers in the process.)

… and see if we can make some practical headway.

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Links referenced in this talk = 

For the Stronger paperback, go to www.Jenkins.tv/stronger 

For the free audiobook, go to the webpage www.Jenkins.tv/stronger — use the coupon code STRONGER for free access to the audiobook at checkout. No purchase necessary.

Also, claim your free Purpose book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

The concept of spiritual leadership and Biblical authority hasn’t received much positive press lately. In any area— the home, business, church, politics, nothing. In fact, most discussions about the topic seem overtly negative— and with good reason. 

Over the past few years, we’ve seen an uptick in abuse. As well, many cases of hidden abuse (sins buried under the carpet or tossed into the closet for decades or more) have surfaced. 

Our society shudders at the idea of authority. Furthermore, our trepidation isn’t unwarranted. 

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Here’s the tension…

We forget that the Kingdom of God is precisely that– a Kingdom, not a democracy. Every kingdom features rank, order, and authority. Everyone doesn’t get a vote in a kingdom-- and some people carry more responsibility to serve and protect than do others. There are different levels of expectations and higher degrees of accountability. 

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When we see an extreme wrong, we tend to over-exaggerate the correction and go to an “extreme” ourselves in the opposite direction. Yet over-reacting to misuses of authority doesn’t make the truth of true Biblical authority— that some people carry greater responsibility and lead at a higher capacity— simply disappear. 

We must still wrestle with the concept because, again, the Kingdom of God is a kingdom. Not a democracy. And in a kingdom there is rank, order, and authority.

Now, all authority is called by God to give people what they need, not what they want. The authority is ordained to build people, not tear them down. 

Paul writes of his authority, “which the Lord has given me [to be employed, however] for building [you] up and not for tearing [you] down” (2 Corinthians 13:10 AMP).

He describes it in another verse saying, “even though I boast rather freely about our power and authority, which the Lord gave for your upbuilding and not for demolishing you, yet I shall not be put to shame [for exceeding the truth]...” (10:8 AMP).

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In the end, we see that the problem isn’t authority or leadership…

People in leadership actually DO need to do a better job. They need to lead STRONG.

But they need to love even STRONGER than they lead.

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Links referenced in this talk = 

For the Stronger paperback, go to www.Jenkins.tv/stronger 

For the free audiobook, go to the webpage www.Jenkins.tv/stronger — use the coupon code STRONGER for free access to the audiobook at checkout. No purchase necessary.

Also, claim your free Purpose book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

The Bible encourages us, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). 

This verse reminds us, first of all, that we’re born of the Spirit. When Nicodemus asked Jesus how a grown man could be "born again,” Jesus explained the nature of this new birth. Here’s part of the conversation (John 3:4-7 NKJV): 

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Jesus referred to being born of the water (i.e., a mother’s “water breaks” when she goes into labor) and of the Spirit (being born again) here. Whereas Nicodemus wondered if we needed to be “born of the flesh" again, Jesus taught that this Spirit-birth was a completely different kind of experience than physical birth.

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When we bring these concepts together, we see that: 

👉 You were born of the Spirit (John 3:5-7). 

👉 Therefore, continuing to “live by the Spirit” is the best way to move forward (Galatians 5:25). Or, to say it as Paul does, “keep in step with the Spirit.”

The term “keep in step” is a military marching term. Just as soldiers match step-for-step with the officer in front of them, so also should we align ourselves with the Spirit. And, just as a soldier does, this demands that we tune out the environment around us— the grenades and the bombs— and listen to His rhythm. That is, tune in to the cadence of Christ.  

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Paul also asks a great rhetorical question-- especially for those of us who might tend to move forward in our own strength, stepping to our own beat, “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3). 

Here, he beckons the Galatians to recall the way in which they attained the new birth. Quite simply, it wasn’t by their efforts, it was by the Spirit. He tells them, then, to continue by walking in the Spirit. 

The correlation for us would be to continue walking from the inner man.

Moreover, if you can trust God for your sins and your salvation, surely you can trust Him for the much smaller matters— things like overcoming the hurts, the habits, and the hangups of the past and rebuilding a restored life.

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In Romans we read the statement that “... those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

This verse is interesting, because there are two words for son Paul could have used.

👉 Tecknon refers to a “child, an immature offspring.” This son clearly has a relationship with his father. There’s no question.

👉 Huois refers to a “mature son, an heir.”  This is the son who receives the inheritance of his father.

Notably, anyone can be a tecknon, but only the mature are huois. To be clear, both are still sons, but one gets to experience more of the father’s wealth and goodness while walking in more freedom.

Here’s another way to view the difference: 

👉 You’re a tecknon by virtue of birth.

👉 You're a huois by virtue of your growth. 

The word used in Romans 8:14 is a form of huois— mature son, heir. You could read it like this: 

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the mature ones.

Mature sons of God demonstrate it by walking in sync with and being led by the Spirit. Immature sons don't. 

Both are still sons, though.

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We don’t earn our sonship by walking in the Spirit, that is, by living from 

the inner man. We are sons, either way… 

However, we display maturity when we walk in the Spirit. At that point, we show that we are not tecknon but huois.

And that changes our experience… this side of Heaven.

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Links = 

Listen to the complete audiobook of Freedom Recovery = https://www.freedomrecovery.online/podcasts/freedom-recovery

Watch the video, Emotional Wholeness Checklist = https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/checklist 

Watch the video, denoting the difference between the soul and the spirit = https://www.jenkins.tv/freedom  

Tell us where to ship your free paperback book, Purpose: How to Find & Fulfill God’s Plan for Your Life: www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

Soul wholeness involves recognizing your emotions, reading what they say before you react, and then responding to the world around you in a healthy + intentional way— one in alignment with the Spirit.

Let’s discuss this briefly, as it will help you in real life situations. 

✅ Something happens. It might be new information we gather, a phone call or text that is received, or something someone does. 

✅ The experience is felt. The data then enters our brain (via the spinal cord) and the experience is first felt (via the limbic system).

✅ We respond. Finally, after we feel the experience (yes, this happens before we logically think about how to respond!), we have two choices… 

♥️ Option 1: Healthy = we can work through the Emotional Wholeness Checklist (recognize what you’re feeling, read what it’s communicating, then respond in a healthy way).

💔 Option 2: Unhealthy = react immediately from raw emotion.

Remember, our emotions are one of the “parts” of us (they’re part of our soul). But we’re not required to react from them. 

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Many times we “live from our emotions” without considering the best response for the moment. When that happens, we refer to it— in everyday language— as “getting triggered.” 

To get triggered means you suddenly find yourself firing off— from the soul— in a certain direction based on some perceived threat from which you need to protect yourself. 

You can’t live triggered and live from the Spirit at the same time. It’s impossible. 

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The solution is to allow your feelings (and emotions) to serve you rather than to live enslaved to them. The Emotional Wholeness Checklist is a tool you can use to do this…

Here’s how it works.

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Step 1 of 3…

Recognize the feelings you experience. Even the ones you aren’t comfortable “owning,” the ones you’ve labeled in the past as “bad” (i.e., anger, sadness, depression, rejection, etc.). 

Feeling something isn’t a sin. And, there aren’t good emotions or bad emotions— just emotions. The more of them we recognize, the better we can read the temperature around us.

The book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 reminds us, “Emotions always serve a purpose.” 

Recognizing them is vital to understanding their purpose. And recognizing requires that we spend some time learning what some of those emotions actually are, so that we can read them properly when we encounter them.

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Step 2 of 3…

Read what your emotions are telling you— without reacting to them.  Many feelings trigger an auto-response. That is, we react without processing what’s happening around us— without hearing what the emotion is trying to communicate about the condition of our soul in that moment. 

Perhaps these two analogies will help: 

Emotions are to the soul what physical sensations are to the body. 

In the same way physical sensations of pain and pleasure alert us to what’s happening in our body, emotional joy and pain— and everything else— tell us the climate of our soul.

Emotions are like thermometers. 

They don’t control us; they simply provide us with valuable information (thermostats set the temperature; thermometers simply read the temperature).

If you learn to recognize the emotion and then read what it’s saying without first reacting, you’ll  find you are light years ahead of 99% of the people in the world around you. And, you’ll benefit from a growing EQ.

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Step 3 of 3…

Respond in a healthy way. After taking in what you sense, and after getting clarity on how you should respond (with intentionality, whatever that response happens to be), then move forward with clarity and humility, living from the Spirit when you respond.

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Links = 

Listen to the complete audiobook of Freedom Recovery = https://www.freedomrecovery.online/podcasts/freedom-recovery

Watch the video, Emotional Wholeness Checklist = https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/checklist 

Watch the video, denoting the difference between the soul and the spirit = https://www.jenkins.tv/freedom  

Tell us where to ship your free paperback book, Purpose: How to Find & Fulfill God’s Plan for Your Life: www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

Most of us understand that we have a body and Spirit. We often confuse “soul” and “spirit” as being the same thing, though. They are different.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (emphasis added). 

Notice, the Word of God will separate, dividing the inner parts of us, so that we can discern what is Spirit and what is soul.

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Notice what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He’s clear that God wants to restore our bodies. However, he reverses the order in which we typically place these three parts of us, thereby highlighting the actual order of relative importance. 

In another verse he tells us we should “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

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The Spirit is the part of us that is renewed immediately when we become a Christian. It is already totally redeemed. It is “one” with Christ. 

1 Corinthians 6:17 tells us, “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in Spirit” (NIV). 

As such, the Bible also says the following:

According to Ephesians 4:24, the inner man is created in God’s image— “in true holiness and righteousness” (AMP).

Proverbs 20:27 says, “The Spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart” (NKJV). 

From the Spirit we hear the voice of God clearly— not from the mind (which is part of the soul).

Your Spirit is whole and complete. Your Spirit transcended time and space and was crucified with Jesus 2,000 years ago (Galatians 2:20). And your Spirit now sits— in Heaven— at the right hand of  the Father with Jesus (see Ephesians 1:20, 2:6).

The problem is that the Spirit is often hidden beneath or behind the soul. This Spirit is the true “inner man” we are wanting to live from— it is the key to the “unseen” world. However, we must learn to distinguish the Spirit from the soul.

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Discerning the difference in these two is key to stepping into freedom and walking away from the old hurts, habits, and hangups…

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Links = 

Listen to the complete audiobook of Freedom Recovery = https://www.freedomrecovery.online/podcasts/freedom-recovery

Watch the video, denoting the difference between the soul and the spirit = https://www.jenkins.tv/freedom 

Tell us where to ship your free paperback book, Purpose: How to Find & Fulfill God’s Plan for Your Life: www.Jenkins.tv/purpose 

Many of us seem to think we need something “more,” that we don’t have the ______________ (fill in the blank to your unique situation) we need in order to move from where are are to where we’re designed to be.

But Scripture suggests something different.

The same power that raised Jesus form the dead now lives in you (Romans 8:11).

And, as Peter says, you have everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

Notice— everything for— 

In other words, the grace of God works in every area of life— there’s no facet it doesn’t touch.

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Access the Purpose book free - just pay the shipping and handling— www.Jenkins.tv/purpose