Empowered by the Spirit: Living a Transformed Life

### Summary

In today's sermon, we delved into Romans 8, focusing on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We began by discussing the dichotomy between living according to the flesh and living according to the Spirit. Paul shifts the conversation from an external locus of control to an internal one, emphasizing that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now resides within us. This internal empowerment by the Holy Spirit enables us to live a life that aligns with God's will, something impossible to achieve on our own.

We explored how the Holy Spirit is not just a theological concept but a living presence that actively participates in our daily lives. This presence is a down payment on the future restoration of our bodies and creation, a promise of the full redemption to come. The Holy Spirit's role is not limited to grand, miraculous events but extends to the mundane, everyday moments, guiding us, comforting us, and empowering us to make choices that reflect God's love and wisdom.

We also touched on the importance of recognizing the Holy Spirit's work in our lives, especially for those who may have grown up in traditions that did not emphasize the Spirit's role. Personal anecdotes were shared to illustrate how the Holy Spirit has been active in various life situations, from overcoming personal challenges to making significant life decisions.

Furthermore, we discussed the concept of restorative justice within our church community, highlighting the importance of bringing issues to light for healing and growth. This process is not just about addressing past wrongs but also about creating a culture of transparency and care that reflects God's love and justice.

Finally, we encouraged everyone to be more aware of what fuels their lives. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, or are we driven by other influences? By aligning our lives with the Spirit, we can experience a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God and others.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Internal Locus of Control**: The Holy Spirit within us shifts our focus from external circumstances to internal empowerment. This internal locus of control means that we are not merely reacting to the world around us but are guided by the Spirit within us, enabling us to live out God's will in our daily lives. [09:28]

2. **Everyday Miracles**: The Holy Spirit's work is not confined to grand, miraculous events but is evident in the mundane, everyday moments. Whether it's making a wise decision, showing kindness, or overcoming a personal challenge, the Spirit's presence is a constant source of guidance and strength. [11:20]

3. **Restorative Justice**: Addressing past wrongs within our community is crucial for healing and growth. By bringing issues to light and working towards restorative justice, we create a culture of transparency and care that reflects God's love and justice. [15:53]

4. **Awareness of the Holy Spirit**: Recognizing the Holy Spirit's role in our lives can transform our faith journey. By being more aware of the Spirit's presence, we can better align our actions and decisions with God's will, experiencing a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him. [30:06]

5. **Fueling Our Lives**: It's essential to examine what fuels our lives. Are we driven by the Holy Spirit or by other influences? By allowing the Spirit to guide us, we can live a life that reflects God's love and wisdom, making a positive impact on those around us. [27:36]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[01:54] - Introduction and Personal Anecdotes
[07:51] - Romans 8: Living by the Spirit
[09:28] - Internal Locus of Control
[11:20] - Everyday Miracles of the Holy Spirit
[15:53] - Restorative Justice in the Church
[20:01] - Personal Story of Overcoming Abuse
[27:36] - What Fuels Your Life?
[30:06] - Awareness of the Holy Spirit
[35:19] - Unique Awareness of God's Presence
[41:41] - Theological Perspectives on the Holy Spirit
[44:00] - Closing Remarks and Encouragement

### Bible Reading
1. Romans 8:9-11 (ESV): "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."
2. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV): "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
3. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."

### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 8:9-11, what is the significance of the Spirit of God dwelling in us?
2. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, how does Paul describe our bodies in relation to the Holy Spirit?
3. What does 2 Peter 1:3-4 say about the power and promises given to us by God?
4. How did the sermon describe the shift from an external to an internal locus of control? [09:28]

### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to be a "down payment" on our future restoration, as mentioned in the sermon? [09:28]
2. How can recognizing the Holy Spirit's presence in everyday moments change our daily decisions and actions? [11:20]
3. What are the implications of viewing our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20?
4. How does the concept of restorative justice within the church community reflect God's love and justice? [15:53]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent decision you made. How might it have been different if you had been more aware of the Holy Spirit's guidance? [11:20]
2. Think about a personal challenge you are currently facing. How can the Holy Spirit's power help you overcome it? [09:28]
3. In what ways can you create a culture of transparency and care in your community, similar to the restorative justice process discussed in the sermon? [15:53]
4. Identify one area of your life where you feel driven by external influences rather than the Holy Spirit. What steps can you take to shift your focus? [09:28]
5. How can you become more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily routine? Share a specific practice you can implement this week. [30:06]
6. Consider the relationships in your life. How can you show God's love and wisdom more effectively through the guidance of the Holy Spirit? [27:36]
7. What fuels your life currently? Reflect on whether it aligns with the Holy Spirit's guidance and discuss any changes you feel led to make. [27:36]

Day 1: Internal Empowerment by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit within us shifts our focus from external circumstances to internal empowerment. This internal locus of control means that we are not merely reacting to the world around us but are guided by the Spirit within us, enabling us to live out God's will in our daily lives. The transformative power of the Holy Spirit is not just a theological concept but a living presence that actively participates in our daily lives. This presence is a down payment on the future restoration of our bodies and creation, a promise of the full redemption to come. The Holy Spirit's role is not limited to grand, miraculous events but extends to the mundane, everyday moments, guiding us, comforting us, and empowering us to make choices that reflect God's love and wisdom. [09:28]

Romans 8:11 (ESV): "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you find yourself reacting to external circumstances rather than being guided by the Holy Spirit within you? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to empower you in those specific areas today?


Day 2: Everyday Miracles of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit's work is not confined to grand, miraculous events but is evident in the mundane, everyday moments. Whether it's making a wise decision, showing kindness, or overcoming a personal challenge, the Spirit's presence is a constant source of guidance and strength. Recognizing the Holy Spirit's role in our lives can transform our faith journey. By being more aware of the Spirit's presence, we can better align our actions and decisions with God's will, experiencing a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him. [11:20]

1 Corinthians 2:12 (ESV): "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you made a wise decision or showed kindness. How can you see the Holy Spirit's guidance in that moment? How can you become more aware of the Spirit's presence in your daily life?


Day 3: Restorative Justice in the Church
Addressing past wrongs within our community is crucial for healing and growth. By bringing issues to light and working towards restorative justice, we create a culture of transparency and care that reflects God's love and justice. This process is not just about addressing past wrongs but also about creating a culture of transparency and care that reflects God's love and justice. By aligning our lives with the Spirit, we can experience a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God and others. [15:53]

Micah 6:8 (ESV): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Reflection: Is there an issue within your community or church that needs to be brought to light for healing and growth? How can you contribute to creating a culture of transparency and care that reflects God's love and justice?


Day 4: Awareness of the Holy Spirit
Recognizing the Holy Spirit's role in our lives can transform our faith journey. By being more aware of the Spirit's presence, we can better align our actions and decisions with God's will, experiencing a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit's role is not limited to grand, miraculous events but extends to the mundane, everyday moments, guiding us, comforting us, and empowering us to make choices that reflect God's love and wisdom. [30:06]

John 14:26 (ESV): "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Reflection: How can you become more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily life? What steps can you take to better align your actions and decisions with God's will?


Day 5: Fueling Our Lives with the Holy Spirit
It's essential to examine what fuels our lives. Are we driven by the Holy Spirit or by other influences? By allowing the Spirit to guide us, we can live a life that reflects God's love and wisdom, making a positive impact on those around us. The Holy Spirit's role is not limited to grand, miraculous events but extends to the mundane, everyday moments, guiding us, comforting us, and empowering us to make choices that reflect God's love and wisdom. [27:36]

Galatians 5:16 (ESV): "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

Reflection: What influences are currently driving your life? How can you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you more fully, and what changes might you need to make to align your life with God's love and wisdom?

Shout out to Horton and Megan, though. They did a great job. That was a fun conversation. That was really fun. I do listen to the podcast, but I'm not on it. I think the description is the most interesting man alive. So cool. Yes. And he's also our finance director. And he's also into bees. Like apiary. Yep. Yep. And he's also really big into gardening. He likes to go for hikes.

And the person I've just described, if you just interacted with him in the office as the director of finance, he'd be like, I don't see any of that. I don't think that's true. And I'm telling you, it's true. It's amazing. So Peter, if you're listening, great dude. Super thankful for you. Was a part of our San Mateo community before joining our staff and has been a great addition. I was just emailing with him last night. Great.

Oh, yeah. Sure. I mean, I am one. I know. So yeah, I think I would just say places that I've lived before, I feel like there is more consistency in drivers. Sure. Where everybody is pretty aggressive. Like I really learned to drive in Midwest cities. Okay. And I did undergrad in Chicago. And in Chicago, everyone drives aggressively. And you just kind of go. Like you're in trouble if you're like, I'm going to wait for someone to let me in. Like that, wherever you are is where you're going to die. That is just the way that it works in Chicago.

Okay. You will never, like if you want to merge onto the highway, you just have to merge. Yep. And so I think, and then, you know, you go, like if I flip the script and go to like, we lived in Texas for grad school or definitely in Seattle, everybody's a pretty chill driver. And I feel like California is this funny combination where it's people that are either going two miles an hour or 200 miles an hour. And for whatever reason, Tesla drivers in California just seem like they are not going anywhere in a hurry.

So, yeah, it's good. It's good for my patience. It's good for my spiritual formation. I'm choosing to believe it and receive it that way. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, that's a great question. I've thought about it before. I think that part of it is how socioeconomically diverse the community that you're in is. I remember when we were in Seattle, there were a lot of pretty cautious drivers. And a lot of the people that I knew who had recently come to America and had not normally driven on American roads, I think their caution as drivers was really like, we don't know necessarily. Like we don't feel as comfortable doing this here.

And so that maybe would change kind of generationally in Seattle. I'm not sure if it's different now. That was, you know, going on, what, 10, 12 years ago now for us. I think, yeah, a place like California, maybe it's just like, hey, this place is awesome and it's super chill and we pay a bunch of taxes already. So let's just ease into it. I don't really know. But, you know, if you're listening, you have a hot take for why you think California drivers are either going a million miles an hour or appear to be coasting.

Yeah, I would love your thoughts.

Yeah. Are you just making up for lost time?

Yeah. That's a good question. I do think that it's funny to watch in like Silicon Valley because we just have really good weather a lot of the time. It feels like people's driving patterns are disrupted. Like it doesn't even take rain, like clouds. They're like, oh gosh, what are we doing? Light drizzle.

Yeah. Yeah. Go everybody. Okay. Just calm down. So, uh, yeah, that is an interesting, I bet weather is more of a factor than I think about. And you did. Yeah. I mean, when we lived in Colorado, you did see people, uh, you could tell very quickly who had lived in Colorado or a snowy climate for a while and who hadn't. And it was like the first rain in Seattle, right? Like the first real snow you'd see somebody in their like two-wheel drive, rear-wheel, just like, you know, trying to get up a hill and you'd watch them kind of slide down.

Uh, so yeah. And I mean, it got real. I remember I met a guy in our neighborhood that became a very good friend of mine. I didn't know he was attending our church. Um, but it turned out he was, and I was driving at the time I drove a Nissan Leaf. I've been in the EV game for a while and, uh, it's front-wheel drive. Um, but it's pretty heavy. And so I thought, okay, I'm going to be okay. But the snow was actually, they don't plow side streets in where we were in Colorado. They only plow main roads.

And so I was going up this pretty steep hill out of our neighborhood and just couldn't get enough traction. And so I was that person that was going up and then kind of sliding down and I was furious about it. And, uh, but you know, you're just in your car and you're fuming. And, uh, so he comes in and is like monster truck, puts his window down next to me and he's like, hey man, you need a ride? And I was like, yes, I do. And so I just abandoned my car on the side of the road and he took me to work and then it sparked a friendship. And yeah, we're still friends today. So pretty fun.

That's okay. Okay. Okay. Alyssa is not going to be caught dead in unsafe driving conditions. She does not like giant monster.

Yeah. She might drive that. She might drive that actually, but no, I think, I think she's okay with what she's got. Awesome. For sure.

Yeah. So, uh, hopefully Romans eight has like lived up to the hype so far and in whatever way it hasn't.

Yeah. So, uh, I think, uh, you know, we've been in this like kind of building conversation over the course of the first couple of weeks and, you know, talking about the choices between, uh, how we live according to the spirit and then how we live according to the flesh.

And up to this point, it's kind of been this like sort of directional choice in our life. And now Paul moves, you know, there's, uh, sort of a philosophical framing in the way we think about life in terms of the internal locus of control and the external locus of control. Like what am I giving control of my life to?

And the way that Paul has talked about it up to this point in Romans eight, it feels like an external locus of control thing. It feels like, well, there's these good things out here and these bad things out here. And what am I going to focus on and what choices am I going to make?

And then really he shifts pretty dramatically in this passage to make it very clear that particularly if you're a follower of Jesus, uh, the locus of control is actually internal, not just philosophically, but theologically because the spirit of God, you know, he says the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside of, uh, men and women who choose to follow Jesus.

And so all of a sudden the things that Paul has been talking about, um, referencing in the past and in the future of chapter eight, all of a sudden now you realize like, well, the reason that these things seemed impossible, uh, is that is because they were, right? Because there is no capacity for us to do this on our own and it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit, uh, indwelled in the believer and then the believer choosing to be empowered by that indwelling that it really changes things.

And so, um, I think that there's hopefully, uh, a lot of, you know, just hope for your day-to-day life to say, hey, I can't do this. And God's saying, I got you. There's something that's bigger than what you're facing or feeling right now that he says, even in like the deepest, darkest parts of who we are, our mortal flesh, the stuff that's dying, uh, around us and within us, God's spirit, pure life is pulsing through us.

And it's this sort of down payment on the future restoration of our own physical body, of our physical creation, of our relationship with God. That everything we experienced now is a shadow of that future light. And the Holy Spirit is this incredible marker that when we live in light of, we experience a whole new way of following God.

And I think what can be so hard and I don't, you know, for people, I don't know what your, uh, personal experience with faith has been. You know, I think sometimes depending on how you grew up, I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. And so the joke is in Southern Baptist church, it's like father, son, and Holy scriptures. Like the Holy Spirit's just not really involved. You don't talk about him.

And so, uh, I think that it was later in life for me where it wasn't necessarily that I like became aware of the Holy Spirit. It was that someone showed me, hey, when this happened in your life and when that happened in your life, and when that happened, like it wasn't, it wasn't the Bible that did that for you. It was God himself.

And, uh, we can be so incredibly thankful for the scriptures and God's work inside of them. But the Bible is not a member of the Trinity. And so, um, in my story, right, what God was doing in my own home and what God did with my own gifting and how God addressed medical needs in my life and how God, uh, changed this really crazy speech impediment that I had. Those were Holy Spirit moments in my life.

And, uh, I think I just stacked enough of those up in these sort of miraculous moments that all of a sudden it was like, oh, the Holy Spirit can show up, not just miraculous in these big moments, but miraculous in the day-to-day moments that when I study scripture and something is, uh, sort of awakened in me when I'm making a different choice with people in my life that I'm choosing to care about and function in step with the spirit, according to all of that is this internal locus of control that the spirit of God is waking up in me.

And so hopefully it was an encouragement, uh, for people that they believe the Holy Spirit is a central component of their life and they just needed sort of the Holy Spirit booster shot, not intended.

Um, and then for other people, maybe it was the very first sort of dose of the Holy Spirit that you got and you were going, wait a second, what does this mean? And, um, you know, we bounced over into first Corinthians and, um, you know, Paul's saying to the church at Corinth, you know, he's talking about the body, but he says the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit inside of us.

If we went to Hebrews, we would see that really the way the author of Hebrews talks about it is that, uh, the Holy Spirit is getting like a front row seat to our lives. And actually in the context of the verse talks about how, um, the Holy Spirit actually grieves our sin, right? Because he's seeing it as we're choosing to live it.

And so, um, I hope that there's like just such a, uh, a personal understanding people have as they experience the love of God in them, the presence of his spirit in and through them. And then again, like just such a, such a powerful picture that the same, the same power infusion that brought a dead Jesus back to life is keeping us alive right now.

And, um, you know, then we bounced over, uh, I think it's second Peter, uh, his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us, uh, to his own glory and excellence by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises.

Okay. Okay. So the verse says, we literally do have Jesus called him the helper. Uh, we really genuinely do have help to walk out this life of following Jesus. And if you don't live empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Christian life is not difficult. It's impossible.

And so hopefully we'll continue to see that and have our mindsets challenged by that in Romans 8, and maybe for you this week, the Lord is just graciously showing you where the Holy Spirit wants to show up and how He wants to reveal things in your life. So powerful, powerful passage.

I was glad we were having a conversation with campus pastors yesterday because they're preaching in this series, and I work with them usually about a month beforehand to, like, we come up with a common outline and common key principle and do some work in the text, and, you know, we're working on a passage that I'm like, oh, I'd love to preach this passage. You know, like, I just love chapter 8, and so I'm so pumped for people at Menlo to be able to continue to hear it and hopefully be challenged by it and be encouraged.

So it was great, man. That's so good. And then, yeah, we started the message this weekend giving an update about restorative justice, and if that was brand new to you, maybe you've kind of connected to Menlo along the way, this is really a part of our story as a church, and we don't shy away from it.

I think, you know, the things that we want real healing in, we got to bring them to the light. We got to ask God to bring healing to them, and this is not an issue. These are people, people made in the image of God with infinite dignity, value, and worth, and really, this was a group of survivors who demonstrated the courage to come forward from the events, really largely centered from about 30 years ago.

And so, you know, I think it's a great way to bring healing to the light. Here at Menlo, when abuse happened of a student, and then the sort of shrapnel that took place of that, the mismanagement that took place of that. And so we've been working with a restorative justice organization that listens to staff and leaders and primary and secondary survivors that want to come forward and have their story told.

And so we took that step, not because we like, quote unquote, had to, but because we felt like just morally we had to. It was the right thing to do. And so we're working with an organization, it's not a Christian organization called Ampersand, it's led by two Jewish ladies.

And really, if you're like, why wouldn't you do it with a Christian organization? Well, a lot of times in situations like this, the people that you're trying to really hear from, actually a Christian organization may be a barrier for them. Like, for a lot of them, this experience, they would say, was a reason that they walked away from faith or walked away from church.

And we really want to set the frame that they want to be involved in. And then when initially none of those survivors had come forward in the process, we were given the chance to just shut the process down, because it was like, well, nobody's coming forward. But then we were also given a choice, or we can do these listening sessions internally, hear how people are processing this, and then develop training for staff.

Dr. Justin Marchegiani And so we're developing these experiences with the help of our community leaders, and key leaders that help us continue to improve, and then become just a part of the way we think about and care for people. And then if survivors were to come forward later, maybe because they see we're not just waiting for an excuse to be done with this, we would listen to them.

And so thank God, we did a bunch of this work, and we released a report. And then, yeah, there's some of those secondary survivors. So people where maybe the primary initial harm was not done to them but they were immediately in vicinity of it and so they were harmed as well and they're trying to process that and advocate for others usually as well.

And so some of them have come forward so I know conversations are actually happening with the restorative justice organization and one of those secondary survivors this week. So yeah, I would say there's 17 pages, there's a report that identifies some of those key themes of training that, uh, they're going to bring forward for us this fall, um, and then, uh, some of the specific points of feedback in those listening sessions.

So if you're a part of Menlo, I would really encourage you to go take a look at it. Your feedback would absolutely be welcome. And then if you're not and you're somebody though maybe that, um, you've experienced abuse, it may be a vehicle we're having the chance right now to help some people where they experience abuse not even at Menlo.

Um, but this conversation has helped them to feel safe, to come forward, that we really do care. Uh, I was literally having a conversation with someone, uh, about abuse unrelated to this moments before we started this. So, uh, I think again, this is not something we're just trying to like get past, get over, be done with.

Um, is Menlo going to continue to move forward?

Yeah. Well, I mean, I think oftentimes God, um, He intertwines His Spirit with us. And so I think that's, I think that's, I think that's our calling with our story. And so I think I came to Menlo not knowing that any of this had happened. I mean, I assumed that in 150-year-old church, there were things that we were going to need to deal with, but I didn't know this specific circumstance.

Uh, this group of people reached out to me about 30 days after I started. Uh, and I think in the providence of God, sort of how God works behind the scenes, uh, and the Holy Spirit using my story, if you don't know it, I grew up in a home with abuse.

And so physical abuse for my brothers and I, sexual abuse for my sister, from my father, it was a mess. It was an absolute mess. And, um, you know, my brother, James would run away from home when I was eight and he was 16 and he'd be gone for 15 years. Uh, he overdosed a year ago, got out of prison a number of years ago while serving a lifetime sentence for international drug trafficking.

Uh, you know, my family's a mess. And so I think that navigating a conversation like this, uh, unfortunately I have some experience with it. And I know because I've lived it that when you go, well, like, what are the, what are sort of the secrets we just keep, you know?

Uh, yeah, we don't, you know, we don't, that, that, uh, the worst stuff grows in the dark. And so, uh, I know that to be true in my own family of origin. And I think, uh, almost every, yeah, every faith community I've ever been a part of, uh, we've learned to shine the light on things that other people would rather the light not be shined on.

And, uh, yeah, I think there is this, there is this belief of, uh, hey, how can we do this? Like, well, this is a lot and, you know, we're all doing a lot of things anyway, and we're adding this thing on top of it. And there are plenty of times for me, like one of my most consistent Holy Spirit prayers is, uh, Holy Spirit, would you give me the capacity today to do the things that I need to accomplish today?

Uh, and it's a bit of the serenity prayer. And would you give me the discernment to know what I need to do today and what I don't? Because for most of us, we, this is true. Maybe this is a prayer you can pray. For most of us, there are more things for us to do today than we have time to do those things today.

Like that's true for almost all of us. And so figuring out what does it look like for me to walk in faithfulness and to be empowered? And I would say that most people probably look at my day-to-day and they go, well, Phil, you get a lot done. Like that's probably true of me.

Um, and I don't say that to be like braggadocious, but I'm just saying like that is a simple prayer that I believe the Holy Spirit uses in my life of, hey, this is the number of hours that I have to give to this thing. This is the number of minutes that I have to give to this thing.

Uh, Holy Spirit, would you help me to be fully present in the moment? Not just indwelled by you. That's unshakable, empowered by you. Uh, that what I'm doing, God is not just Phil doing to God or do that?

Yeah. I mean, I, I do think, uh, I probably instinctively pray a little bit differently to different members of the Trinity. Like I had a professor in grad school, Hebrew prof, and he noted that, uh, no one ever prayed to Jesus. No one ever prayed to the Holy Spirit in the scriptures, which is interesting.

Um, uh, but I, I don't think, I mean, I don't, I just think we, you know, Menlo is like a generous orthodoxy place. And I think when we go, well, God, you know, if you say this word, God can't hear you. Like he's omniscient. He can hear you.

Um, and so I think really that, uh, is probably more for me with awareness. Like, I don't think the other members of the Trinity are covering their ears when I say Holy Spirit, right? Like, I don't think they're covering their ears when I say Holy Spirit. That's not how the, that's not how the triune God works.

Um, but I think for me to be reminded, hey, Holy Spirit, would you, right? Like, I know that there's a helper inside of me flowing through my veins. What does it look like to make myself more aware? I think a lot of our prayer is really about that awareness.

Um, and then, yeah, I mean, I think when I, uh, think about enduring rejection, when I think about, uh, things about atonement, either for my own shortcomings or the shortcomings of others, I think it's really important for me to be reminded that, you know, I think it's easy to, like, think about and direct prayers to Jesus.

Uh, I think about when I face temptation, right, in my life, I bounce in my head immediately over to Jesus who literally faced every type of temptation that we did, but yet was without sin. Jesus who, uh, existed as God, did not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant and becoming obedient even to the point of death.

Like, I think that there are just some sort of emotional semantic ranges in my life that's easy to float to the Holy Spirit or to Jesus. And then I think for me, uh, probably father has been a newer thing in my life. If you ever see a tattoo on my arm, it's, uh, the word Abba in Hebrew about father.

And a lot of that came from intensive work, counseling, intensive work after my dad died, um, to really honestly grow in my appreciation of God, the father, when you experience abuse from your father. And my dad and I had a, uh, the healthiest relationship ever.

And I think that's, I think that's, I think that's my dad and I ever had was the last few years of his life, like tremendously thankful for those years. Uh, but there was work that needed to get done and I knew it.

Uh, and one of the byproducts of that was a deeper connection to an appreciation with the fatherhood of God. And I think, uh, that has become my sort of primary address of God is God, my father, God, our father.

And, uh, to be able to say, hey, there's a plan that's bigger than what I'm in the middle of. Uh, I think there's a, like, we're having this conversation right now about some like really big stuff that we're doing this fall. Some like, I'm not easily intimidated. That's not usually a feature for me, but I'm like, there are times I'm like, okay, this is going to be a lot.

And, uh, just this sense in which I'm going, hey father, I really believe you want us to do this. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not control the outcome. I'm not in control of the outcome. God, I surrender the outcome to you. Would you just give us faithfulness? Just faithfulness in the steps you're calling us to take.

And I think that probably represents.

Yeah. I mean, I think that Paul's words are so helpful in Romans eight, even if you were to go back into the verses that we were already studying in the first verse, the first eight verses, I think a little bit, you know, we talked about mindset and we talked about diet.

I think a little bit of asking the question, not, do I understand that the Holy Spirit is available to fuel me? But really maybe starting with the question of what is fueling you? You know, like, because something is fueling all of us.

And I think that the misnomer is like, it's either me or it's the Holy Spirit. And that's just not true. You have never gotten into a car and driven a car and I bet, I bet this car is, is self-powered. I bet. No, no, no.

Like there's no car you got into that. It's like EV or hybrid or gas or a premium or diesel. Like they all take something. I was watching an Instagram reel. That's my love language with my wife is we send reels back to each other. I don't really, I'm not really a social media person, but like reels with Alyssa is like, she feels loved and appreciated.

And there was a lady that, and you never know, you never know. And she's like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't ever know if these were setups, but there's a lady that got into the truck with her husband or boyfriend or something. And she's like, hey, I just want you to know, I filled up your truck for you.

And he's like, what? He's like, yeah, I filled up the tank for you. And he's like, oh, amazing. And she's like it. And I just want you to know, like, I don't know what you're always complaining about. It was like 70 bucks. And he's like, what are you talking about? Like it should be like 150.

And she's like, yeah, they were trying to sell me on that diesel stuff, but I know regular is fine. So I just put it. So I was like, oh, you just ruined my truck. And so I think we are actually designed, especially if you're a follower of Jesus, but I would argue all humans are designed to run on the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so, you know, we spent some time in Philippians eight, we spent some time looking at Galatians five and what does it look like to understand what we're really designed to be fueled with? So if you're going, how can I be designed by the, how can I be more aware that I'm designed to be fueled by the Holy Spirit?

I think step one, what are you currently fueled by? What are the things you're letting into your life? What are the types of conversations you're consistently in? Describe the quality of relationships you have. Are things and people pointing you to the word and ways of God in your life?

Because the more they are, the more the Holy Spirit is going to align with the direction of those things. And the more aware you will become in my opinion and experience, uh, with the Holy Spirit's working power to show up in special moments.

You'll notice things you wouldn't have noticed before. You'll say things you wouldn't have said before. You'll trust God for you. Uh, and I think that is sort of a growing muscle inside of us. It's not that the Holy Spirit's getting bigger. It's that our ability to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit becomes greater.

And so, uh, I think being gracious to yourself and recognizing that for you this week, candidly, it might mean as you, uh, consume different media content or you are more intentional with your relationships, or maybe you incorporate, like we talked about this week, um, some kind of new routines of connecting with God, like Bible study through this, those things are not giving you power.

Those things are reminding you of the power you already have. And the outcome this week, honestly might just mean, uh, you don't swear as much this week. And that's like the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Uh, and just being kind with yourself because God is being kind with you of the process of sanctification is a process.

I mean, I think so much of the awareness increase is really about customizing, right? We create an experience if we're not careful. And I think for good reason, I get it. But it's like sometimes in church history, I think Spurgeon calls it the offices.

He would hold offices. Typically he had two offices, one in the morning and one at night. And it's everything you think about. It was like, all right, I'm gonna pull the Bible and I'm gonna study it. And I'm gonna journal about it. And I'm gonna pray about it.

And for some people, that's like a really cool, great thing. Honestly, for me, I sort of love that, but I also know that not everybody's built that way. And I know that even in different seasons of life, like for me in my life right now, that can be more difficult to access, especially during certain days of the week.

So like today, I'm doing like the Bible reading plan or whatever, but my Bible reading plan, it starts as I'm getting ready in the morning in my ear through the dwell app. So I'm listening to it. Now I'm an auditory learner. So that works for me.

Mm-hmm. For other people, that may be terrible. For other people, they may go, hey, how people go to sleep. Right, right, right. For other people, they may be thinking, okay, what is the spiritual practice that I really need to do to be reminded of God's power?

One of those that's a monastic practice that if you ever pay attention to me in crowds, or if you ever pay attention to me, like under stress, you may see me do this thing, right? Have I ever told you this, where I touch the tip of my fingers?

I've noticed, yeah. Um, and it's, uh, it's just this monastic practice. You have, you know, four fingers outside of your thumb and it's just Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord.

And, uh, and I just am reminding myself of that in whatever the situation is. If I feel overwhelmed, if I feel frustrated and it's not like he's Lord over the universe, I know that it's, uh, no, no. Jesus is Lord over this right now.

Whatever I'm in the middle of, whatever I'm thinking about, whatever thing I'm about to face, whatever obstacle, whatever conflict, whatever HR issue, like Jesus Christ is Lord.

And, uh, I think for me, it's like little stuff like that, uh, that can be really helpful in sort of those big moments and milestones, and you know this already, but, uh, if you don't know this, this week, so you're listening to this on Wednesday, I am likely on my way, uh, to Montana to a ministry there that I've gone to for the last six years, thank the Lord, uh, where I fly fish with a group of friends and our pastors.

We're going to get Mark there someday. Um, anyway, it's, that for me, uh, is like a, like a divine experience. Uh, I get unhurried time with the Lord. I usually take a day and just, that's literally all I do is scripture and study and prayer.

Um, and then you get onto the river and you're with friends and you're fishing and there are these like, these moments that just feel like a slice of heaven. You know, you're, you're in a boat, you're hearing somebody's story.

There are these guides that are younger guys that are investing in pastors. Um, and you're hearing their story a little bit, but my favorite times of the day are usually like after lunch, the sun is cooking and it's going to be cooking, dude. It's gonna be like 1:03 on the water in the afternoon.

Um, but you're, maybe you're in shade, maybe you're floating and the water's calm and it's quiet and you're just, you know, for me anyway, I'm just doing a lot of casting practice and, uh, yeah, I just feel the presence of the Lord in a really special and unique way.

And there may be a specific place for you like that. Um, maybe for you, there's like a specific rhythm. There's a coffee shop in a space that I work at a lot on Mondays. And I would say, uh, that physical space for me, I don't think God's presence uniquely dwells in that space, but I think I'm uniquely aware of God's presence in that place.

And so I think being gracious with yourself to understand, uh, God's presence is universally available, but for you, you may be uniquely aware of it with specific habits, specific locations, specific rhythms in your life.

And so, um, you know, I know at Menlo, we are deep in the Dallas Willard world. And so this is kind of the Dallas Willard deal, like everything we're talking about right now and sort of what does this divine conspiracy look like?

Of being able to trust God in the ordinary, everyday steps of our life. And it's not just about a disembodied state with God someday in heaven. It's about understanding that God's given you your body right now. He's indwelled your body with this Holy Spirit and that Holy Spirit should help you to be able to live as an ambassador in all the places you go today.

That's so good.

Yep. Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah. So it means different things to different people. It's such a good question. Such a good question.

Um, typically, you know, so Menlo, we are a reformed church. That doesn't mean that everyone at Menlo is reformed theologically.

Uh, that's actually going to come up in Romans 8, 28 through 30 here in a few weeks. It's the passage I was working with campus pastors on.

Um, and so, yeah, not everybody is a five-point Calvinist at Menlo or reformed. It's a bigger, um, it's a big tent place, but on the other end of the theological spectrum, a lot of times you'll kind of find the more, um, we'll call it like charismatic expression of the gifts.

It doesn't mean that they're mutually exclusive. There are reformed churches that are more charismatic theologically, uh, but charisma, right, which is, uh, connected to, uh, an original word for a spirit, uh, charismatic churches are oftentimes prioritizing the role of the Holy Spirit, uh, quite, quite heavily.

And some of those churches, they believe in, um, I would say a subsequent indwelling. So you would become a Christian, like make a decision to follow Jesus. But the thing that really confirms that you have made a sincere commitment to follow Jesus is what's called baptism of the Holy Spirit, where the Holy Spirit comes into you.

Uh, sometimes you'll hear it used the phrase used slain in the spirit. Uh, some traditions will teach that, uh, in order to confirm that the expression of that is that you speak in an angelic tongue.

Um, and so, you know, you're like, whoa, that feels different. Uh, we're, um, not cessationists as a church. So we think that all the gifts, including tongues, uh, exist today.

However, I don't think, and I mean, the apostle Paul says this, I don't think that all people have the gift of tongues. So that'd be a difficult theological bridge for me to cross that only Christians who speak in angelic tongues are legitimate Christians.

Um, but that's not all people who are charismatic. Um, not even all people who are charismatic believe that the indwelling of the spirit is a subsequent event.

Um, I would say that, uh, sort of mainline Christian Protestant Christianity believes, uh, marked from the book of Acts and how we see the shift take place, uh, at Pentecost that, um, even though Jesus' earliest followers made decisions to follow him, and then it was, in some cases, years later before the spirit entered in them, it's because Jesus said, hey, the Holy Spirit, the helper can't come till I go.

And so that's why he waited then. But now when you make a decision to follow Jesus, if you're going to use this baptism of the Holy Spirit language, you are baptized in the Holy Spirit. You receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of your choice to follow Jesus.

You also receive spiritual gifts at the time you decide to follow Jesus. Those are not subsequent acts, you don't earn them, uh, they're gifts, that's the nature of the gift.

So, um, yeah, when we think about baptism at Menlo, there are kind of two expressions of baptism that we talk about.

Uh, one is when you see an influence. Uh, when you see a child being baptized, and that's really the specific reformed understanding of baptism, uh, identifying the fact that God is working in our lives before we even know, before we're making a conscious choice.

And we say, as a community, hey, we're sort of, we're baptizing this child, um, recognizing and partnering with this family, believing that the work God is doing in this child's life has actually already started, right?

That's sort of the theological underpinning. That's sort of the theological underpinnings of that. And then you'll see people, uh, who become a follower of Jesus, didn't grow up in a reformed tradition, and they get baptized.

Sometimes it gets called believer baptism. They get baptized, maybe not as an adult, but they get baptized, uh, as an external sign of an inward change.

And so, for us, those are the two forms of baptism we talk about. Sort of infant baptism, believer baptism, baptism of the Holy Spirit for us, we would recognize it as just the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Mm-hmm. And that happens theologically at the point that I decide to follow Jesus.

Interesting.

Yeah, not, not according to our tradition.

Right. And, and I think, uh, not according to the scriptures.

Mm-hmm. Interesting.

So, I think there are probably people that are like, I think whenever Phil's talking, it's a nerdcast.

And that's hurtful, but I receive it. I, I, that's, everybody drives a Tesla. That, that's just not, I mean, not everybody drives, that's not true. But there's a lot of Teslas.

Sure. In Silicon Valley. There's a lot of Teslas.

Yeah. And I would say, uh, I got made fun of from some people this weekend.

Yeah. That I drive a Model Y.

Sure. Because that's like one of the, like, more affordable ones.

And so, you know, it's just a, it's just a different.

Yeah. And then there are people that are like, I never thought, I have, like, a crazy story about how I ever even got a Model Y.

Uh, and so, I, you know, there are people that are like, oh my gosh, I would just love to drive a Model Y.

Yeah. To be able to drive a car that nice.

Mm-hmm.

And so, I'm, I'm aware. Like, I've lived at both tiers.

Mm-hmm. Of cars in my life.

And I'm very thankful for what I have. I also try to be, uh, like, really generous with it because we have two cars.

And, uh, so, like, when people are in town or whatever, especially friends that don't normally drive Teslas.

Yeah. I'll just let them use mine.

Yeah. And they're like, oh gosh.

And I'm like, man, it's a thing. It's just a car.

You know? Just drive it. Have fun.

So, uh, that's the, my second favorite thing to driving a Tesla.

Yeah. Is watching someone who's never driven one drive one for the first time.

Yeah. Because it's like, it's like you're driving a go-kart on the road.

You've experienced that with me.

Yeah.

Yeah. It was fun.

It's fun.

It's really fun.

Yeah.

Well, Phil, thank you for being you.

Of course.

Yeah. Always.

Thanks for being you, dude.

Thank you.

And we're gonna, I'm gonna put in a good word for you to get, to get you to come to the refuge.

I would love that.

And do some fishing.

Hey, man.

Yeah.

I really appreciate it.

It's gonna be a good week.

I don't do it, I don't do it like this at any other point during the year.

Somebody said to me years ago that Jesus had this rhythm of the way he would sort of connect with his father, that he would divert daily.

We think about that, like how do we connect with God every day? He would withdraw weekly, which for me is kind of my Monday, and then he would abandon annually.

And I never really knew what that third one meant until I did this six years ago. And it's become more and more of that.

So now, like my work apps on my phone, I delete for this week and I will oftentimes not even take my phone with me on the river.

So it's a really special place. It's a really special season.

But I would also say, let Mark know that you're listening, that you're watching.

I'm a podcast person, and it is funny to me how many podcasts at the end of June are like, see you in a couple months.

So thanks for continuing to do this and offer resources that people can use to hopefully take deeper and more meaningful steps in their faith and with one another.

And we know that your faith doesn't have... We don't want your faith to have an off season.

Our faith shouldn't have an off season.

So thanks for continuing to walk with us. Whether you're on a plane or in a train, or I was trying to come up with a rhyming scheme there in real time and I couldn't, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, thanks for being a part of it.

It really makes a difference.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "I think that there's hopefully, uh, a lot of, you know, just hope for your day-to-day life to say, Hey, I can't do this. And God's saying, I got you. There's something that's bigger than what you're facing or feeling right now that he says, even in like the deepest, darkest parts of who we are, our mortal flesh, the stuff that's dying, uh, around us and within us, God's spirit, pure life is pulsing through us." [09:28] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "We can be so incredibly thankful for the scriptures and God's God's work inside of them. But the Bible is not. Not a member of the Trinity. And so, um, in my story, right, what God was doing in my own home and what God did with my own gifting and how God addressed medical needs in my life and how God, uh, changed this really crazy speech impediment that I had. Those were Holy spirit moments in my life." [11:20] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "I hope that there's like just such a, uh, a personal understanding people have as they experience the love of God in them, the presence of his spirit in and through them. And then again, like just such a, such a powerful picture. That the same, the same power infusion that brought a dead Jesus back to life is keeping us alive right now." [13:01] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "If you don't live empowered by the Holy spirit, the Christian life is life is not difficult. It's impossible. And so hopefully we'll continue to see that and have our mindsets challenged by that in Romans 8, and maybe for you this week, the Lord is just graciously showing you where the Holy Spirit wants to show up and how He wants to reveal things in your life." [14:32] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "I think we are actually designed, especially if you're a follower of Jesus, but I would argue all humans are designed to run on the power of the Holy spirit. And so, you know, we spent some time in Philippians eight, we spent some time looking at Galatians five and what does it look like to understand what we're really designed to be fueled with?" [28:45] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


### Quotes for Members

1. "So, uh, hopefully Romans eight has like lived up to the hype so far and in whatever way it hasn't. Yeah. So, uh, I think, uh, you know, we've been in this like kind of building conversation over the course of the first couple of weeks and, you know, talking about the choices between, uh, how we live according to the spirit and then how we live according to the flesh." [07:51] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "And so all of a sudden the things that Paul has been talking about, um, referencing in the past and in the future of chapter eight, all of a sudden now you realize like, well, the reason that these things seemed impossible. Uh, is that. Is because they were right, because there is no capacity for us to do this on our own and it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit, uh, indwelled the believer and then the believer choosing to be empowered by that indwelling that it really changes things." [09:28] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "And so, um, I think that there's hopefully, uh, a lot of, you know, just hope for your day-to-day life to say, Hey, I can't do this. And God's saying, I got you. There's something that's bigger than what you're facing or feeling right now that he says, even in like the deepest, darkest parts of who we are, our mortal flesh, the stuff that's dying, uh, around us and within us, God's spirit, pure life is pulsing through us." [09:28] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "And, uh, we can be so incredibly thankful for the scriptures and God's God's work inside of them. But the Bible is not. Not a member of the Trinity. And so, um, in my story, right, what God was doing in my own home and what God did with my own gifting and how God addressed medical needs in my life and how God, uh, changed this really crazy speech impediment that I had. Those were Holy spirit moments in my life." [11:20] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "I think for me, it's like little stuff like that, uh, that can be really helpful and sort of those big moments and milestones, and you know this already, but, uh, if you don't know this, this, this week, so you're listening to this on Wednesday, I am likely on my way, uh, to Montana to a ministry there that I've gone to for the last six years, thank the Lord, uh, where I fly fish with a group of friends and our pastors." [33:29] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)