{"id":303527,"date":"2015-06-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-holy-spirits-presence\/"},"modified":"2015-06-10T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T15:00:00","slug":"the-holy-spirits-presence","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-holy-spirits-presence\/","title":{"rendered":"The Holy Spirit&#8217;s Presence"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jesus beside you or Jesus inside you. What would you prefer? Pastor J.D. Greear talks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a believer&#8217;s life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-06-10.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"22.81M","filesize_raw":"23917356","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[5688,4252,5687,4960,5689],"podcast_series":[8085],"cwp_profile":[9391],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303527","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-apostle","tag-holy-spirit","tag-j-d-greear","tag-scripture","tag-unreached-people-groups","podcast_series-jesus-continued","cwp_profile-jd-greear","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303527\/the-holy-spirits-presence","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303527\/the-holy-spirits-presence","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nWmkFYpsGa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-holy-spirits-presence\/\">The Holy Spirit&#8217;s Presence<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-holy-spirits-presence\/embed\/#?secret=nWmkFYpsGa\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Holy Spirit&#8217;s Presence&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"nWmkFYpsGa\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Jesus beside you or Jesus inside you. What would you prefer? Pastor J.D. Greear talks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-06-10.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>One of God\u2019s greatest gifts given to us is the gift of His Spirit. Yet, Pastor J.D. Greear says, \u201cA lot of us don\u2019t fully appreciate the goodness of that gift.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>If you ask the average Christian:\u201cChoose right now\u2014you could have Jesus beside you this evening or the Holy Spirit inside of you,\u201d most of them, if they were honest, would say, \u201cI choose Jesus beside.\u201d\u00a0 If you told them that Jesus was going to come and be the new pastor of their church, they would be ecstatic: \u201cJesus of Nazareth teaching every week.\u201d Yet, they are not nearly as excited about the Spirit of God inside of them, and that shows us just how far removed we are from the reality of the promise that He was giving us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Wednesday, June 10<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Do you understand and appreciate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life, in your marriage, and in your family?\u00a0 We\u2019re going to talk with J.D. Greear about that today. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. Anytime there is a book that crosses my desk on this particular subject, I think to myself, \u201cDennis is going to want to call and have this guy on as a guest.\u201d\u00a0 <br><br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think the body of Christ does not understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit; and, I think, as a result, we\u2019re anemic, spiritually. We are not powerful; and we need to be powerful today in the culture\u2014in our marriages\/families. I\u2019m just glad J.D. Greear has written this book, <em>Jesus Continued\u2026<\/em>. It\u2019s subtitled <em>Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better than Jesus Beside You<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to the broadcast, J.D. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>I\u2019m so glad to be here, Dennis. Thank you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>J.D. is the lead pastor at the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe and his wife Veronica have been married since 2000. They have four children, ages four to eleven\u2014today, at least\u2014that\u2019ll probably change next month. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Let\u2019s hope not. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I\u2019m excited you\u2019ve written on this. You begin the book with the story of a man who was sitting in your office. Describe this man who was seated there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Well, he was burned-out. He was tired in ministry. He felt like he knew all the things he was supposed to know about God\u2014he certainly could have passed any doctrinal exam that he would have encountered. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>In fact, he was educated; wasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>He was educated. He had degrees in theology. He just\u2014he could articulate many things about God, but he just felt a relational disconnect from God. As he read the Bible, what he saw in the Bible made him\u2014I guess you could say jealous because it seemed like people in the Bible had this encounter\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014where God wasn\u2019t just somebody, who recorded some stuff in the past, and then gave them assignment\u2014but God actually interacted with them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>This guy felt like God was almost like an absentee teacher\u2014Jesus was an absentee teacher, who would give him an assignment, and then left the room. You are busy trying to get the assignment done because He\u2019s going to come back, and He\u2019s going to hold you responsible for it. He just felt this relational disconnect. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, he\u2014the other thing that began to happen is\u2014he started to feel like no matter what he was doing, it was never enough. I mean, how do you, in a world\u2014where there are so many people have never heard about Jesus and so many people that are captors in the sex slave trade\u2014I mean, how do you ever enjoy any part of your life, knowing that that\u2019s out there?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, this guy sat as a weary and burned out man. His relational disconnect, I think, was making him susceptible to the lusts of the flesh. This guy was the pastor of the church\u2014his name was J.D.\u2014it was me!\u00a0 It was\u2014I had taught on this for years, and I just felt like: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cSomething is <em>missing<\/em>\u2014something crucial is missing from my walk with God.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, when I read that story, I thought, \u201cThat could be true of a lot of us, at some point in our Christian faith, until we find out about who the Holy Spirit is, why He came, what He came to do in our lives, and then, begin to experience Him.\u201d\u00a0 And that\u2019s really what you\u2019ve attempted to do here\u2014is trying to bring people into an experience \/ a personal experience in their lives\u2014as a man, a woman, a wife, a husband, a mom, a dad, a grandparent. He came to live within us \/ empower us and live through us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob: <\/strong>But you knew that\u2014you knew about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Even sitting in your office, feeling defeated, you could answer all the right questions about the Holy Spirit. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>You know, it seems like\u2014when it comes to the Holy Spirit, Christians \/ orthodox Christians fall into one of two categories. On the one side, you\u2019ve got some that are, shall we say, obsessed with the Holy Spirit. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt seems like the Holy Spirit always appears in some random confluence of events\u2014you know: \u201cThe billboard was the same background color as the color of her eyes\u2026\u201d \u201cThe last two digits of the phone number was the same as her age, and I just knew the Holy Spirit was telling me to ask her out.\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 Ahh, sounds like a preamble to a restraining order to me\u2014you know, I would go with that. Or they\u2019ve had these kind of like manifestations, where the Holy Spirit makes them do just really bizarre things. That would be one side. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe other side\u2014and this is probably more where I was coming from\u2014is, maybe, in reaction to that, they ignore or neglect the ministry of the Holy Spirit all together. I believed in the Holy Spirit, but I related to Him in the same way I relate to my pituitary gland\u2014I know that it is in there. I know it is essential for something. I certainly would not want to be without it\u2014but I don\u2019t have any interaction or relationship with the Holy Spirit. You know, I worship the Holy Duet\u2014is how I would say it\u2014God the Father and God the Son; or my functional Trinity was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>But there was <em>something<\/em> that Jesus indicated that was so important about the Holy Spirit that He told His disciples that they should see this to their advantage\u2014that He go away and they receive the Holy Spirit. I didn\u2019t know the Holy Spirit that way. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, it actually an astounding statement that Christ makes\u2014He said, \u201cIt is to your advantage\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Yes, to your advantage. I mean, think about\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cthat I leave, and that I go back to the Father.\u201d\u00a0 Now, that sounds contradictory; doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Think about how absurd that must have sounded to those first disciples when they heard it. How awesome would it have been to have had Jesus as a constant companion for three years? Every night, you go back, you sit around the campfire, you\u2019ve got a theological question\u2014bam!\u2014Jesus answers it. You\u2019re at a party, you run out of Chex<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Mix\u2014bam!\u2014Jesus multiples the Chex Mix. Your dog dies\u2014bam!\u2014Jesus raises the dog back from the dead. [Laughter]\u00a0 Your cat dies. Jesus digs a hole to help you bury the cat because, you know, that\u2019s how He feels about cats. [Laughter] That\u2019s probably not exactly what it was like, but\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We have a large, large degree of listeners who love cats. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Cat-loving listeners. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We apologize.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>I\u2019m sure that will be edited out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We apologize for our guest, right now. Continue on. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>So, I mean, it would have been just <em>amazing<\/em> to have Jesus as a companion. Yet, Jesus said, \u201cIf you really understood who the Holy Spirit is and what is being offered to you in Him\u201d\u2014\u201cIf you had to choose Jesus beside you or the Spirit inside of you, you would choose the Spirit inside of you.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think it\u2019s a very sobering question. If you ask the average Christian, \u201cChoose, right now\u2014you could have Jesus beside you this evening or the Holy Spirit inside of you,\u201d\u2014most of them, if they were honest, would say, \u201cI choose Jesus beside.\u201d\u00a0 If you told them that Jesus was going to come and be the new pastor of their church, they would be ecstatic: \u201cJesus of Nazareth preaching every week.\u201d Yet, they are not nearly excited about the Spirit of God inside of them. That shows us just how far removed we are from the reality of the promise that He was giving us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, from sitting in your office\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014feeling exhausted, feeling empty, feeling dry, and going, \u201cI need something more,\u201d where\u2019d you go?\u00a0 I mean, how do you go from \u201cI have an awareness of my pituitary gland,\u201d to having a functional relationship with the Spirit inside of you?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Well, having seen and experienced a lot of\u2014I guess you would say\u2014mystical things that are really more in line with the New Age movement than they are with biblical Christianity, I wanted to really uncover: \u201cWhat does the Bible say about the experience of the Holy Spirit?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI knew that it wasn\u2019t the pituitary-gland thing because you just don\u2019t see that in Acts. The Holy Spirit shows up 59 times in the Book of Acts. In 36 of the 59, He is speaking. Now, I get that the Apostles are in a different category than we are. I mean, they could write the Bible\u2014that sets them apart\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014but you just can\u2019t convince me that the only book that God gave us that records stories of people walking in the Spirit are filled with stories of people whose experiences have nothing in common with us. So: \u201cWhat are the ways that we experience the dynamic, moving, and leading presence of the Holy Spirit?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I like where you start\u2014you don\u2019t start with experience\u2014you start with the Bible as the authority. I want our listeners to hear that because some of them are training sons and daughters to know how to think, biblically, as they grow up because they are going to encounter all kinds of mystical religions as they go away to college, to work, to service. They need to think from the Bible, not merely to the Bible. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Absolutely. Spirit divorced from Bible\u2014when you leave out either side of that\u2014you\u2019re going to end up in spiritual disaster. Bible without Spirit leads you to dryness\u2014spiritual deadness. Spirit without Bible leads you to\u2014there is no telling where. More havoc has been wreaked in the church, following the words:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cGod just told me\u2026\u201d than probably any other phrase there has ever been. So, it\u2019s when you combine the Word and the Spirit\u2014I mean, Jesus did it\u2014He said, \u201cMy words are Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 When you combine those two, that\u2019s when Christianity explodes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And we could even go so far as to say that Bible without Spirit is nothing because apart from the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, we can\u2019t understand the things of God. One of the things the Spirit does for us is to give us understanding; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Yes. The Holy Spirit\u2014this is sort of a provocative statement\u2014the Holy Spirit is a better teacher than Jesus was because the Holy Spirit was able to take the truth of the gospel, and in the right places and the right time, apply them to the recesses of our heart. That\u2019s one of the reasons Jesus said, \u201cIt\u2019s to your advantage\u2026\u201d Now, I\u2019m not taking, at all, away there from the primacy of Christ or the fact that His work is finished. I mean, that\u2019s not taking anything away from Jesus\u2014it is recognizing that the Spirit has a vital and dynamic role that He plays in each believer\u2019s life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>He guides us. He teaches us. He directs us. He comforts us. He corrects us\u2014brings conviction of sin we need to deal with in our lives. He\u2019s at work in all kinds of relationships. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou tell the story of how you met Veronica and how the Holy Spirit\u2014even though you weren\u2019t really fully aware of the Holy Spirit\u2019s work in your own life\u2014how the Holy Spirit brought you guys together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Yes. There was a sense\u2014I mean, she was walking with God \/ I was walking with God. We were fairly mature Christians. I had a sense that God was prompting me to pursue a relationship with this girl. I saw her leading worship and just knew some things about her\u2014I thought, \u201cI really feel like\u2014I feel like God wants me to go talk to her.\u201d\u00a0 She shot me down. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Now, wait, wait, wait!\u00a0 Was it \u201cI really feel like God wants me to talk to her.\u201d or \u201cThat girl is so hot\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>See, that\u2019s the beauty of it! I have no idea how to unscramble that egg; but something in my heart was saying, \u201cMan!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI prayed about it; and I was like, \u201cGod?\u201d\u00a0 The first few times, she shot me down. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I remember\u2014I was leaving the place where she and I were both working\u2014at a camp for one week for high school students. I was leaving. As I was walking out to my car, I felt this just\u2014I know it sounds a little mystical and weird\u2014but I felt this sense of \u201cYou need to go back and talk to her.\u201d\u00a0 I argued: \u201cLord, I\u2019ve already had this conversation twice. It didn\u2019t go anywhere,\u201d\u2014a man\u2019s got an ego he\u2019s got to protect. I go back\u2014now, had she shot me down that third time, I would have just assumed that was more biology than it was pneumatology\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>\u2014the Spirit at work in me. But\u2014and I went back, and I talked to her. That\u2019s where this remarkable train of events began to open up that led to our marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat I think is key in that is\u2014\u201cWhat was the foundation of what I was doing?\u2014was the Scripture. The Scripture told me what to seek in life, what to seek in a wife, and I was obeying those things. It was like I was pedaling the bike in obedience\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014and the Holy Spirit, as was necessary, was turning the handlebars to get me where He needed me to go. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Okay. You and Veronica have now been married for more than 15 years. Undoubtedly, in the past week, the Holy Spirit has spoken to you\u2014led you, guided you, convicted you in your relationship with her. Give me an illustration, from a practical standpoint, how this works out. The Holy Spirit in me, who is at work\u2014He is teaching us, guiding us, comforting us, convicting. How has He worked in your marriage in the past week?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>You know, I think it was actually in my time with God in the mornings that was a part of my relationship with her where I did not cherish her\u2014was taking her for granted. It was just in the middle of a prayer time\u2014sometimes, it almost feels like a random thought; and I have random thoughts all the time. So, not every random thought is from the Holy Spirit; but it was like: \u201cThis is an area where I want you to honor her more. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThis is a specific application of what it means to love her like Christ loves the church.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tInterestingly, Dennis, I acted on that later that day. Just the response that I got from her\u2014I knew it was the Holy Spirit guiding me in obeying His Word so that I could be a blessing to my wife. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll extend the circle just a little bit with my kids. I try to practice what I call \u201clistening prayer,\u201d which is to\u2014as I pray for my kids: \u201cWhat is the Holy Spirit showing me about their lives?\u201d\u00a0 There was something about one of my daughters\u2014you know, just some fear that she has\u2014and so, I start praying about that thing and using Scripture to pray over her. You know, seeing sometimes the way that the Spirit of God uses those particular verses for healing and exhortation in their lives is\u2014I mean, yes, the Bible is complete; but there is something about the Great Physician that takes the full medicine cabinet\u2014and takes the right medicine, at the right time, and speaks a word that is healing.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, you say you\u2019re a guy, who has a lot of random thoughts. How can you tell when a random thought you have is a Spirit-prompted random thought versus something that just came into J.D\u2019s head?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Well, unfortunately, this is the point in the program where I\u2019m supposed to give a really tight three-sentence answer that everybody writes this down. There\u2019s just\u2014there\u2019s none that\u2019s in Scripture. Even Jesus indicated there would be a mystery to this because, in John 3:8, He said, \u201cIt\u2019s something like encountering the wind.\u201d\u00a0 And so, there is a mystery about it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs I mentioned in the Book of Acts, He doesn\u2019t always tell us how He spoke. I think one of the cardinal rules is\u2014I never feel certain that God has said something if I don\u2019t have a chapter and verse attached to it. I think there is just this sense that we got Scripture, which is certain; and then, we\u2019ve got Spirit guidance, which we are always to hold loosely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And how do you test those random thoughts to go: \u201cOkay, I just had this thought. I wonder if that\u2019s from the Spirit \/ I wonder if that\u2019s the pizza I had last night.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow do you know\u2014or how do you put it to the test?\u00a0 Maybe, you don\u2019t <em>know<\/em>; but how do you try to discern in that process?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Yes. So, in the book, I identify that there are, at least, five ways the Spirit of God speaks: One is through the Word. One is through our giftings, where the Holy Spirit puts a particular gift in us. One is through the church. One is through <em>our spirit<\/em>, where God puts something heavy on our spirit to go and pursue. And the other is circumstances. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAll of those\u2014the last four, except for Scripture\u2014are the ones I\u2019m saying to hold loosely, and always in tension with each other, and always subject to the Word. I will give you an example, personally. I was\u2014early in my ministry, I travelled with a friend, who was preaching at a very small church. We had this deal\u2014we were fresh out of college\u2014that if ever one or the other of us played a joke on the other one, publicly, you had to go along with it\u2014you had to see it through. He knew that I could play three songs on the piano: one was <em>Hallelujah<\/em>, one was <em>As the Deer Pants for the Water<\/em>, and the third was <em>Faithfully<\/em> by Journey. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, at the end of his sermon\u2014there is like 30 people there in this church\u2014the piano player was sick. He gets this little twinkle in his eye; and he says: \u201cI brought my friend along today, and he\u2019s a pianist. I\u2019d like for him to come up here and lead the invitation hymn.\u201d I walk up\u2014and like I said, I can play three songs. I knew <em>Faithfully<\/em> wasn\u2019t appropriate in that context. So, I played <em>Hallelujah<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s only three cords\u2014I can twiddle my fingers. The pastor\u2019s wife comes up afterwards; and I could tell she\u2019s like: \u201cGod\u2019s given me a revelation for you boys. He put something on my spirit.\u201d\u00a0 I think this happens sometimes\u2014I think God guides us this way. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, she says to my friend\u2014she says: \u201cYou\u2019re going to be the next Billy Graham. You\u2019re going to preach, and <em>thousands<\/em> \/ tens of thousands of people are going to come to Christ.\u201d\u00a0 She looks at me and says: \u201cYou\u2019re going to be his concert pianist. You\u2019re going to travel with him, and you\u2019re going to play and bring the multitudes in.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Cliff Barrows. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Yes, that was who I was going to be. [Laughter]\u00a0 Now, my hands\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014you\u2019re listeners can\u2019t see them\u2014are more like meat cleavers than finely-tuned instruments. That\u2019s just God\u2014genetically, I do not have any rhythm. So, while I believe that God sometimes\u2014and He has spoken to me before through people and given me different words of guidance\u2014I hold that loosely. In that case\u2014weighing out the prophecy\u2014clearly, she was not telling me something that was from God, even though she was sincere. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You didn\u2019t go enroll in Juilliard the next day as a result of her word of knowledge there?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>I did not!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>If we could call Veronica right now and ask her, \u201cVeronica, what quality best illustrates the work of the Holy Spirit in J.D.\u2019s life in your 15 years of marriage?\u201d what do you think she\u2019d say?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Our first three or four years of marriage were rough. Part of the reason was because I knew all the answers and I was a Pharisee when it came to Christianity. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was constantly judging her for where she wasn\u2019t living up to\u2014I had these expectations: \u201cThis is what you should be.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the first things she would probably say is: \u201cAt a point where our marriage could have really dissolved, in answer to prayer, God spoke a word to me that illuminated the right part of my heart, at the right time, that completely changed how I saw the gospel, and then in response, how I saw her.\u201d\u00a0 Over the years, God has been faithful\u2014neither of us are perfect, and sometimes, we go months without realizing errors\u2014but she sees that, as I pray for her and she prays for me, God will illuminate a certain part of our hearts. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDennis, there comes a point at which arguing about stuff only gets you so far\u2014and then, the Spirit of God\u2014\u201cBecause she told me that stuff before!\u201d\u2014but the Spirit of God suddenly turns the light on; and you say, \u201cNow, I see.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, what you are describing is a teachable heart. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tRight now, we have to be speaking to listeners, whose hearts are hardened \/ whose hearts are no longer responsive. And I just want to encourage our listeners to take what we\u2019re talking about here\u2014this is not theoretical\u2014this is Christianity. This is the living and breathing experience of Almighty God, the One who created a billion galaxies and slung them into outer space, who is here, right now, working in your heart \/ your life\u2014who wants to break through, who would like to live in and through you to impact your spouse, your children, your relationships, your church, your community. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J.D: <\/strong>Scripture says, \u201cGod resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble in every area.\u201d\u00a0 C.S. Lewis used to say: \u201cThe reason the proud never hear from God is because they are so busy looking down on everybody else, they can\u2019t see anything that is above them; and God is above them. He\u2019s talking to them, but their eyes are always looking downward.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, the question is: \u201cAre you looking down, or are you looking up?\u2014and are you listening?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. Are you aware of the fact that the Holy Spirit is with you, that He is in you, that He is bringing conviction, or comfort, or humility, as you\u2019re talking about here?\u00a0 Do you understand the role of the Holy Spirit?\u00a0 I think a lot of folks are going to get a better understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit when they get a copy of your book, J.D.\u2014it\u2019s called <em>Jesus Continued\u2026: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You<\/em>. We\u2019ve got it in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>Go, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link that says, \u201cGO DEEPER,\u201d\u2014that you see in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. You can order J.D\u2019s book from us, online. Again, the website: FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the \u201cGO DEEPER\u201d button; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY and order over the phone\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u20141-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I\u2019ve been thinking, as we\u2019ve been talking today about the fact that, really, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential for us to know and to understand if our marriages and if our families are going to be lived out as God would have us live them out, we have to walk in and live by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are relying on our own strength \/ our own power, then, we are headed in the wrong direction. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd that\u2019s a part of what we want to make clear, every day, as you listen to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Our firm conviction is that your marriage needs to be grounded on the bedrock of God\u2019s Word, in the hand of God\u2019s Spirit, because it\u2019s the Spirit using the Word that brings transformation and hope in a marriage and a family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I want to thank the folks who partner with us to make this daily radio program possible\u2014it\u2019s those of you who are Legacy Partners, and you give monthly in support of this ministry\u2014or those of you who make a donation, from time to time. We appreciate anyone who says, \u201cI think what you\u2019re doing is important, and I want to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry,\u201d\u2014you go to the website, or you pick up a phone, or you mail a donation to us. We\u2019re grateful whenever we hear from you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tRight now, if you go to FamilyLifeToday.com, click the link that says, \u201cI CARE,\u201d and make an online donation, we\u2019d like to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a couple of books\u2014a book for men from Dennis Rainey\u2014the book, <em>Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood<\/em>, and a book from Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Mary Kassian\u2014it\u2019s called <em>True Woman 201: Interior Design<\/em>. So, it\u2019s a book for men \/ a book for women; and we\u2019ll send that out when you can help with a donation of, at least, $50 in support of the ministry. Again, you can donate, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u2014make your donation by phone. Or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR. And our zip code is 72223. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019ll continue our conversation with Pastor J.D. Greear talking about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I hope you can tune in for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2015 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303527"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303527"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303527"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}