095: Dennis Paggi - Exhortation: Flee, Pursue, and Listen Quietly

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to the good Christian talks podcast. I’m Levi. And I’m Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast. We select one taco week to help each one of us. Get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to hear and now let’s hear more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:44

   For talk this week or listening to an expectation. That was given at the Simi Hills. Ecclesia back in May 24th. Just this past year, that was given by her brother. Dennis pagi from the Verdugo Hills, Ecclesia during see, nice live stream and he’s focusing specifically on 1st Timothy Chapter 6, verses 11 through 16.

3. 1:04

   If you would like to turn those up, while you listen to you his expectation, that would be a good place to go and he is taking a really close. Look at these six verses. And specifically, three words that come out of these verses, the words fully pursue and listen quietly. And also this expectation was given right after a baptism by a new sister, send during the excitation brother, Dennis is mentioning that sister a couple different times and mentions that these five verses, which are Paul’s expectation to Timothy, is Timothy starts his service to the effusion.

4. 1:42

   Ecclesia. That this excerpt Station this chunk of versus is applicable to all of us just in the same way that Paul mentored Timothy as a spiritual father. Also these words can be used to encourage and push us forward brother. Dennis has a really great manner about him when he gives these expectations where he’s very structured, he breaks it down but he has lots of little nuggets that he’ll almost like pull in at random points while he’s talking, he’ll make a comment and then he’ll make a little little side comment that brings just that little bit more depth. Into the topic that is looking at. So it was a really enjoyable one. I really encourage you one.

5. 2:20

   Uplifting 11 that kind of Lights a fire under you get you kind of passionate and moving forward and one of the other things that are really interesting throughout his brother, Dennis is really great Storyteller. So as a result, the provides these very detailed stories of some camping trips that he and his family used to go on that. Help, really give you a real visual anchor to grab hold of when it comes to describing these three words fully pursue and listened quietly.

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   It was a great expectation. I remember when I when I heard it it was one that sounded really good and wanted to share it with everybody here as always, please continue to send in recommendations. So if you have them, please continue to send them in. We’re appreciative as leave. I mentioned last week, we’re now going back to once a week.

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   So it’ll be being posted on Sunday for you to listen during the during the coming week. Please keep sending in your your recommendations. We really appreciate those. So as always, thank you for listening and we hope that we you find this to be an uplifting and encouraging place for you to find some little bit of spiritual upliftment in your week. And with that, we’ll turn it over to our brother. Dennis patchy for his extrication, flee pursue and listened quietly.

8. 3:40

   Good morning, everyone. Near and far here all of us and remote few. Thanks. First of all, thank you to the see me Ecclesia. And the see me brethren for providing all of us the spiritual life line. During this time of covid-19, and a special thank you to brother. Jim who has been behind the scenes working diligently from the very beginning. So we’re very, very appreciative. Thankful, very thankful to our Heavenly Father, for what we saw this morning and thank you to our new Sister Lisa, for making this a special Sunday for all of us. Our thoughts, this morning will come from 1st, Timothy Chapter 6, verses 11 to 16 and while you are turning it up. I would like to share two experiences to help all of us. Remember to keywords in Paul’s charge to Young Timothy Those who of you who know, our family know that we love the Virginia Lakes area, and the eastern Sierras and that we have had canoes and kayaks in our family for many decades. And I’d like to share two experiences from being on the water that will help us.

9. 5:02

   Hopefully, remember to keywords from the Apostle Paul. One evening about dusk is, I was fishing in my kayak. I witnessed a good example of the meaning of the word flee. There was a young woman. Perhaps in her mid-20s, who was fishing from the shore on the opposite side of the lake about 500 feet from me. All of a sudden she began to hoot and a holler. She had hooked a large trout, and was letting the world. Know what she had on the end of her line. After a few minutes, she was able to pull it to Shore and held it up for her companions to admire about five minutes before she had hooked the trout a bear had come out of the forest down to the lake and slowly began moving in the direction of the young woman.

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    It was making its rounds. Foraging for fish that had been that it died during the day and were floating on the surface of the water. The bear was heading generally in her Direction but very slowly. So she was in no immediate Danger. She and her friends were making so much noise, and we’re so focused on the big fish. They were unable to hear any of the warnings that were being shouted to her by the fishermen that were nearby when the young woman and her companions.

11. 6:38

    Finally looked up from their celebration, they too saw the bear. Now, about 200 feet away, they had plenty of time to get away from the bear but I Could see from over 500 feet away in darkening, light that there was panic in their movements. There were quick decisions about what to grab. Should we take the fish?

12. 7:02

    Especially that big one or just leave them all for the bear to eat rather than eating us. What about the chairs? What about the fishing tackle? What about what about my jacket over there so I could see all that activity going on. I’m happy to report that the woman and her friends were able to escape, taking all their gear and the big fish and they lived to tell the tale. It was a graphic example of the meaning of the word to flee. Another experience again on a lake. This time, Mono Lake usually on our trips to the Sierras. We drive down to Mono Lake, which is a very large and salty body of water.

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    It’s home to algae Alkali flies, and brine shrimp, and the feed. It is the feeding and resting spot for millions of migratory birds in the breeding and nesting grounds for a very large percentage of the Nia seagull. Mono Lake is famous in the water wars of the Owens Valley versus Los Angeles and has unique structures called tufas tall spires which are deposits of calcium carbonate which with the receding Waters over the past decades, to centuries are now in some places above the water and visible. Some even on dry land, some a few hundred feet offshore and some still deeply submerged in.

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    The depths of Mono Lake, we love to canoe and kayak around the two photos that are in the water. And we enjoy seeing the nesting, Ospreys owls and swallows in the tufas. Sometimes we paddle over to Rush Creek which is about three miles away towards the Western end of the lake and I’ve also paddled around two large islands on the Northwestern side of the lake also about three miles away.

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    We like to be off the water by 11 a.m. because on most summer days, there is a strong wind that usually blows from the south we park at Navy Beach on the southern shore of the lake. So when the wind comes up, it blows us across the lake away from where our vehicles are on a few occasions.

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    The wind has come up earlier and stronger than we have in Subpoenaed and we have had to work hard, to make it back to the southern Shore, where the trucks are parked. When you are paddling as hard as you can with your head down your legs braced against the sides of your craft, all your muscles being used to generate maximum power for each stroke.

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    It is a graphic experience that illustrates the meaning of the word to pursue. Back to First Timothy. Timothy. First Timothy is one of four letters written to individuals in the New Testament first and second Timothy Titus and Philemon are the four written to individuals in the New Testament and the letters to Timothy and Titus are considered to be pastoral letters.

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    For they deal with matters of organization within the Ecclesia. And Philemon is considered to be a private letter. But really all four of these letters contain, both pastoral and private encouragement from the Apostle Paul a bit of background on 1st Timothy. Paul Silas and Timothy and others were with Paul in Ephesus for the two years that he stayed and preached there.

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    And towards the end of his, it was towards the end of his third missionary journey and Paul left Ephesus soon after the riot that was instigated by Demetrius. The silversmith and we are told that Timothy and erastus had left just before that Riot the details of Acts. 19 make for very noisy reading.

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    You will remember that. The Ephesian mob was in the theater shouting for two hours. Great is Artemis. Great is Diana of the Ephesians The ruins in that area indicate that the theater was about 150 yards by 100 yards in size and it had excellent acoustics. And they estimate that it held between 17 to 22, thousand people at full capacity, think Staples Center in Los Angeles. As I think about that incident in Acts chapter 19, just as I think about it, my ears ring thinking of the constant noise and the constant intensity of those two hours. Imagine two hours.

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    Great is Artemis, the god of the Ephesians First Timothy chapter 1 verse 3 tells us that Paul urged Timothy, to stay at Ephesus, to help guide and organize, the Ecclesia Timothy was probably in his late teens. When he started to travel with Paul and he was still considered a young man. In 1st Timothy 4:12 from our readings yesterday, when Paul told him to let no one despise him for his youth.

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    And we’re now about 13 14 years after his first encounter with the Apostle Paul. And so Timothy is now in his early 30s. Brother Brad last week spoke to us about the mentorship of Joshua by Moses and we see the same pattern with Paul and Timothy in the acts and in the Epistles. So Timothy is perhaps in his early 30s when he is given the responsibility in Ephesus and it must have been a challenging task.

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    From what we are told in the epistle itself, the occlusal environment was at times chaotic and contentious, there was strong personalities, holding wrong beliefs and teaching wrong Doctrine. There were rich in poor, there were a Jew and Gentile, there was brother and sister slave owner in their brother and sister slaves within the Ecclesia. And the Great temple to Artemis Diana in Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and no doubt there were some in the Ecclesia who came from that background as well. The temple to Diana was a major tourist destination for its day. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and pilgrims from all over.

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    The Roman Empire would come not just to see the Great temple in the Statue of the Goddess, but to buy the silver shrines at Demetrius was so worried about They would also need places to stay food to eat entertainment of all sorts. And so, the whole city was affected by this Pagan Temple.

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    And would certainly benefit financially from The Busy tourist trade, We would like to focus our attention on today’s reading chapter 6 verses 11 through 16. We’re in a few words, a few verses Paul encourages, young Timothy after sharing instructions for the Ecclesia and the first five chapters. The Apostle moves to consider false teachers and true contentment in chapter 6, from the middle of verse 22 verse 10 and he concludes this section in verses. Nine and ten with warnings about the love of money and return to that same warning and verses 17 through 19. So, sandwich between those two warnings about money and about materialism, we find are many excitation to Timothy and for us this morning.

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    And if the apostle was concerned about materialism in the Ecclesia at Ephesus, he might well, be concerned about the same. Chewin, the cliches of our Western World, so let’s look over Timothy’s shoulder as he reads Paul’s warning. And First Timothy chapter 6, verses 9 and 10 he says, but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation into a snare and too many senseless and harmful desires that plunge, people into ruin and destruction.

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    And that first phrase is the key point, isn’t it? Those who desire to be rich because when he uses the word desire, he focuses on our inward attitude, our state of mind. The way we think the way we feel towards money and towards material things and perhaps, Paul has Demetrius, the silversmiths in mind here. If you remember an instigating, the riot and Ephesus, Demetrius says, a couple of things and we’ll turn back pretty quickly to Acts chapter, 19, verses 26 and 27. Context.

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    Again, this is Ephesus at the time that Paul had preached there now for two years And there arose verse 23, no little disturbance, concerning the way for a man named Demetrius. A silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis brought no little business to the Craftsman and here’s what he says to instigate the riot verses 26 and 27.

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    And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away. A great, many people saying that God’s made with hands are not Gods verse 27 and there is danger. Not only that, this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the Temple of the great goddess, Artemis may be counted as nothing and that Shane that she may even be.

30. 18:02

    Posed from her magnificence. She humo Asia in the world worship so insert it in his concern about the Great Goddess. Diana. Artemis is also the comment that this trade of ours maybe may come into disrepute it as well. And so he’s concerned about financial things, he desires to be rich and he desires that source of income to continue.

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    And Paul says those Those who desire to be rich to Timothy and to the Ecclesia fall into temptation into a snare and into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge, people into ruin and destruction. Then he goes on to verse 10 and it’s a verse that is often misquoted, isn’t it? And so because it’s misquoted we need to be sure we read it carefully. What does it say?

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    The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, not money itself but the love of money. And he goes on to say that it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pain. Was when Paul says Love of Money, it is the Greek word fill. Our gorya phileo is part of that word. And that’s our old friend, love friendship. So, Paul says it is friendship.

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    It is the love, friendship with money and the word that he used that is translated. Money is the Greek word for silver. And perhaps again, there is that reference back to the riot and Ephesus, where Demetrius the silversmiths with his love of silver, was instigating the riot that would result. Finally, in Paul leaving Ephesus. And not until Timothy would come back to continue to work with the Ecclesia.

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    So as Paul concludes this first epistle, he now begins to exhort Timothy about spiritual goals. About his courageous Savior and about his powerful, Heavenly Father. So, let’s think about his word starting in verse 11. He starts out this little section, but as for you, oh man, of God. Paul could see what Timothy was capable of and he challenges him to fulfill that vision and he names him with it, he gives him a title.

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    He gives him a new name if you will. Oh man of God, we just saw this morning, the beginning of a walk in Christ of a young lady who now has a new name. It is now Lisa woman of God. It is now Sister Lisa sister to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now as we apply as we imagine these words, applying to Timothy and to ourselves Sense.

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    How you feel when you hear this phrase addressed to you. But as for you, oh woman of God. But as for you o sister of the Lord Jesus Christ that applies to all of us, doesn’t it? Wherever we might be however long ago our baptism was and insert your name here in the passage but as for you Brad or James or Lisa or Paula or whatever that name might be as for you. Oh man and woman of God.

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    All of a sudden, you take a little deeper breath, and your shoulder is get back a little bit more because you are being called to a high position and great responsibility and wonderful blessing. So, this is how Paul begins this mini exhortation to Timothy as he closes this epistle. But as for you o, man of God flee these things and they are the these things that he just talked about with false teachers in true contentment with godliness with warnings against materialism. And flee here means to run away from Tashan to get away from. And think of our earlier example, realize what this action verb requires us to do it requires us to recognize Danger. Sure, for what it is.

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    And then run away from it. Now, it’s easy to recognize a 300 pound, bear, 200 feet away. That’s pretty easy to recognize, isn’t it? But sometimes in spiritual life, it’s harder to recognize what those dangers are quite often. They are attitudes and thought patterns and our own weaknesses at our that draw us away from God.

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    And so when Paul says to Timothy flee these things, it requires a perception, doesn’t it? And it requires us to run away from those things. He told the Corinthians to flee from idolatry and he will tell Timothy and second Timothy to flee, youthful passions. And again it requires a recognition of the danger that we find ourselves in.

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    And the wisdom in the energy to turn from them and go in a different direction. And then he says pursue notice that contrast flee from these things. And now pursue and Paul does that a lot, doesn’t he? And other Epistles? He talks about the works of the Flesh and the fruit of the spirit he speaks of putting off and putting on. He speaks of recognizing the man of the Flesh and choosing to be the man, the woman of the spirit. It.

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    And pursue here means to follow after to run swiftly in order to catch a person or a thing to press onto earnestly Endeavor. And again, think of the example of head down body braced muscle, straining to earnestly, Endeavor, to reach that Shore Against the Wind. Again it is an action verb. It tells us for one thing that we have, not yet completely attained. We need to pursue it.

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    We need to chase after it. We need to earnestly Endeavor. So, what are the things we need to pursue? Righteousness godliness Faith love steadfastness gentleness. It sounds like, attributes and list that Paul uses quite often in his writings. It’s the fruit of the spirit, it’s think on these things. So let’s let’s very briefly think about these things that we are supposed to pursue.

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    We are supposed to pursue righteousness being right with God, being right, with man being right with each other serving. God serving man. Godliness. Word means piety and reverence has the idea of living our lives in the presence of God faith. It’s not just the conviction, but the Trust In The God Who has promised Not just to understand intellectually what he has said in his word and what we see throughout the Old and New Testament about the covenants that he made those covenants of Promise.

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    He is a faithful God but it means as well and more importantly for us perhaps the trust that whatever happens in our lives. And in our world Our God will fulfill what he has promised we are to pursue love The love that God has for us the love which motivated. Jesus the love, which needs to change us.

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    And that word there is the agape. Love steadfastness In some versions, it’s translated patients. And it means perseverance under trial or during exertion. It means we have that goal and we want to get there and we have to keep working at it, not that in and of ourselves, we can achieve that. But with God’s help, we can get closer to the type of character that he has called us to become. The word means burying up to be able to overcome. and finally, gentleness, Word.

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    That means mildness my old nest, meekness, the ability to fight our own sin and struggle with our own sin, but to be able to forgive and to be patient with weakness in others, and that’s tough, sometimes isn’t it? And then he goes on and says, fight the good fight of the faith. And this phrase has the flavor of a wrestling match in the presence of Spectators, doesn’t it?

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    And we can hear Echoes back to Hebrews 12:1 where we have this great cloud of witnesses and we are in the middle of a stadium competing, it’s the same kind of idea, fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life and this is a funny phrase, isn’t it? It’s a bit of a paradox, the word itself means to grasp something. So as not to let it get away from you and again it’s the feeling of a wrestling match.

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    Think Jacob wrestling the angel, but in this case, it is take hold of eternal life. Well, how can we Mortals? Take cold and grass. Something that is immortality Perhaps a better way to think about this is not so much eternal life in terms of the immortality part of it. But rather the spiritual things in life, which are Eternal grasp, the life, grasped the values that are Eternal values.

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    Take, hold of that. Don’t let that go. And then Paul goes on and talks to him about the good confession that you made Timothy in the presence of many witnesses. That’s the end of verse 12, and perhaps, this is a reference back to Timothy as he now comes into contact with the Apostle, Paul back in lystra and in Derby.

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    And perhaps Timothy was before the occlusal elders and answering questions and talking to the Apostle Paul and he gave a good confession of his faith. and so he was chosen by Paul to go with him as a co-worker as a friend as one that Paul could trust in and send on any Aaron that he would have him go and in later life we know that Timothy did go to prison and so in later life he would give a good confession to Roman authorities and tradition has it that That Timothy died.

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    A martyr’s death. Just like the Apostle Paul. Paul doesn’t leave the matter. There he goes on and he reminds Timothy verse 13. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ, Jesus who in his testimony before, Pontius Pilate made the good confession. And so now, he begins to expand the mind of Timothy said, not only did you give a good confession before many witnesses but you’re following in the footsteps?

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    Of your Lord and Master think about him, he gave that good confession before Pontius Pilate. So Timothy now steps back and realizes that he is part of a pattern part of a fabric, if you will of spiritual life and he is reflecting in his life with the Lord Jesus Christ, did he is confessing and making a good confession before the Elders of an Ecclesia. Just as the Lord, Jesus Christ confessed before Pontius Pilate and made that good confession and showed his courage and his resolution His faith in his Heavenly Father. But Paul doesn’t leave it there either does, he verse 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul is challenging and exhorting and encouraging Timothy, not just to look back to his good confession and to the good confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, Timothy look forward to the appearing of the Lord. Jesus Christ.

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    Look forward to that Kingdom have that in your mind as you live your life, and make your changes and make your suggestions in the Ecclesia at Ephesus.

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    And then in verse 15, he takes his mind even further a field, because he reminds him of the God that he serves verse 15, which he God will display at the proper time, who is the blessed, and only Sovereign, the king of kings and Lord of lords. That’s just, it is, it is, as if Paul can’t contain himself now that pain just keeps going and going and they’re not too many.

55. 33:25

    As in this section are there. It’s one of those run-on sentences that the Apostle Paul. So often writes for us, Paul can’t contain himself and he wants Timothy to not contain himself as he thinks about not only the Lord Jesus Christ, and not only the coming Kingdom, but the god of gods who is king of kings, and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality who dwells in unapproachable light whom no man has ever seen or Or can see to him. Be honor and eternal Dominion.

56. 33:59

    Amen. So this is your excitation Timothy. These are the things I want you to remember. And here’s why I want you to remember them. until we’ve thought about Paul’s stirring words to a young brother and to a young sister, we come now to remember our Lord who demonstrated perfectly when and how to flee. And how to pursue and live those perfect virtues that we strive for, let’s return to our Lake in the Eastern Sierra for our final thought.

57. 34:41

    Most of the time at dusk there is a strong Breeze, down the canyons and Watershed which feed Virginia Lake the breeze requires that we throw out an anchor to keep us from drifting as we’re fishing. But every once in a while. Usually when the sky slips Into Darkness, there is complete Stillness, the wind dies down and it’s magical.

58. 35:14

    The water becomes Inky black and you can hear the Fish Feeding, see the faint outlines of deer coming down to the lake for a final drink of coyotes and yes Bears. Making their final rounds before dark the Osprey and the eagle died for their final Catch of the Day and the bats are about their business. So foraging for insects one that quietness Happens. I sometimes pull up the anchor and my fishing line and just listen quietly to the beauty of the world around me. And I allow the Deep slow current of the lake to take me where it wants to go.

59. 36:03

    Covid-19 has made us slow down. Perhaps to listen more carefully. To think more deeply to appreciate more fully the beauty of the age to come just as Jesus is the perfect example of when to flee and how to pursue. He is also the master of listening quietly We see hints of this attitude throughout his ministry when he spends the night in prayer and communication with his father.

60. 36:43

    when you take the 12 to a quiet place apart, as we remember him now and bread and wine. Let us be encouraged by Paul’s words, to Timothy the perfect example of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us resolve to flee to pursue. To listen quietly. Amen. Thank you for listening to the good Kristoff and talks podcast. Please Subscribe for new episodes and legal review and apple podcast or whatever service you are listening from to help people find the show when they search for it. If you enjoyed this talk, share it on social media. So other people can find it to for show notes and links to the talk that you just listen to visit our show page at anchor dot f, m / G.

61. 37:47

    CT We want to encourage everyone to share their thoughts from the talk this week on Facebook or Instagram where we are at. Good christadelphians, talks or on Twitter where we are at GCT underscore podcast if you know of a great talk we want to know about it. To send a suggestion to good christadelphians talks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media platforms. Thank you for listening.

62. 38:12

    God bless and talk to you next week.