Kingdom Pursuits - Transformation Authors

Hello this is Matt slick from the match lick live podcast right defend the Christian faith and lay out our foundation of the truth of God's word for chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds.

Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network kingdom pursuits you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion together we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love and let God turn their passion into the kingdom pursuits now live from the truth. Your host Robbie Gilmore. Now I am looking forward to the show. I hope you are because I've got some gas that I know got some stuff I can learn them. I love to learn and somehow fun is that. So were so glad you joined us today on King. First off, we have Mark Johnson back with us and you merriment may remember him as the author of the covenant, and now we got another book that went on about today which is the covenant of marriage.

So welcome Mark welcome back Mark.

Great to be somehow fun. I met Mark at the NRB circuited guy got to know him in person but where where you come from, today, right now I'm sitting in a little biblical media room overlooking beautiful value and a marvelous early summer morning that would be in the Nolan Tennessee which is south of Nashville.

Okay so in a different time zone so it's like 10. There I was on and I can tell you from having had a couple time in a meeting of the NRB and then have another interview that his insights in the covenant are amazing and I think you're going to just really enjoy what he has to share. Whether you're married or not, were all affected by it in then left a different way so I know this is going to be's fun but what would you say to the unmarried out there about the show today. Maybe those that are without.

It's important contemplating marriage even in remotely possible sent extremely poor 90 Robbie to realize what marriage is one reason.

Today people are very concerned about the idea of being married is looking around. It seems to be going so poorly. What I have seen and have been at this while I'm 65 right now and is a look around and I watch the way people conduct their marriages and I watch what happened next. Over time is amazing. If you conducted marriage in harmony with the actual nature and function and purpose of the marriage business can grow when turn out well. If on the other hand, you don't understand the basic nature of the relationship you're in and you try to treat you like it something it's not.

Which today, everyone's trying to make it up as they go and make it whatever they wanted to be. The problem is the marriage relationship is a very definite thing that is been the same thing for 6000 years throughout recorded history across cultures and it is been virtually the same thing for that entire time. Until recently in our country and United advanced countries court" were now people are beginning to try to turn it into all kind of things and if you look around the results just aren't very impressive and frankly will scare you from saying what I'm thinking about this to the question, how do we do marriage and awaited the work, great music, God has a plan that is been in place and prove successful only if just a matter of seeing the planned understanding, implementing it, and that's what I try the lead of the book will not to mention we do have an upcoming marriage. All of us in on time to say yes to the dress I mean Estes I'm saying to everybody out there because you you you going to be married and another disease like close involved if significant extra call they give you some gold to go around so you know talks all about that in the Psalms is very cool. So say yes to the dress as well talk about today with Mark but then spoke with Avenue Dean Breyer and Dean wrote a book that I'm really excited to know that because even the title.

I don't understand, but that you know that it's called the soft not the soft doesn't think there's a sloth initiative that moves very fast, but there exists 1/2 for initiative and deeds here to sure about that yet. Thanks so much for having me Robbie had the soft initiative is a book that God brought to be about two years ago and sought stands for sect of the healed, so it's actually a story about relatives of the people Jesus healed and when he healed them in touch than they had a DNA change as a result of the healing and that DNA change came with gifts and special powers and strengths. These people had that were passed down through the centuries and God use those to spread the Christian faith, along with the apostles. So it's an exciting story about the sect of the healed how they kept all of the artifacts down through the years and can expose these artifacts in the last days. That's of course they could do a lot of resistance and a lot of intrigue and pretty exciting so you can hear my friend Dean has a phenomenal imagination and how cool that he got a chance to express that through this book and Internet journey with God were to hear more about that but you know the covenant of marriage now so speaking of marriage in our I was going home is written so speaking of marriage. Batman allergen is that if a Way.

If a cowboy and cowgirl get married and they start bragging on this. It's it's a hitching post.

Now we need to start your ground and the disc can I say I know you will again. So in the two florists fell in love ride the bike, the bride, she thought, marriage, and I have a nice ring to admit them actually being florists. As you might imagine that the and it was in a range arranged marriage was the only way that I feel a bit of please whether marriage she got a new name and address. There you go you get that now can we do to eventually got a new name and address dress I can.

I they were married by candlelight, but the marriage only lasted a week away and and I'm telling you, my friend Mark will tell you that too many digs since marriage to an early grave. Every time that mainline grounding we make a covenant is so weird to get to the actual riddle that you could call it.

And so, which marriage in the Bible didn't because of a close middle and I was sort of post dramatic dress syndrome which Bible marriage in the Bible didn't happen because of the close and that means I can I will close it was sort of a post dramatic dress syndrome. If you know the answer to that van helmet that will actually Dean Breyer's mission and know in the digital version. Give us your email address to send it right to you. I had to do if you know this riddle about the close middle 866-348-7884 866-34-TRUTH. You might even say is below foxing with this riddle. Even if you know the story out of the eater you wanted to say some but anyway Mark so did you know I know you wrote the book the covenant and then you wrote this second did the covenant come out of the one of the one come out of the other I'm I'm curious what would happen to order Bible study covenant back in 1983 in that we record the book by Clay Trumbull was written in 1885. It is still ugly look. It covenant actually is. Today we tend to think of the covenant in terms of the contract and elephant have heard people say it's a contrite one written by God.

But if we look at the historic practice of blood covenant marriage. In the end of the new covenant is distinctly not a contract. In effect, that was the problem with people and what you started talking about and offering John everybody only because what he said about the nature of the relationship was different than expected. Having a break Mark. I hate that only come back with Stephan Alina and I will mention that if you have them, like my, you have all welcome back to kingdom versus where we hear how God takes your and uses it to build the kingdom we have of the day with Mark Johnson. He is the author of the covenant marriage and Dean Breyer, the soft and this may become enough of the Bob and our guy Bob Huber with a unity prayer meeting this cannot be happening in High Point this Sunday the 14th. The hero centers here little bit from them. But first off we have a red letter who has an idea about which by the way, if you have another idea. It's often the case, people have three or four answers to my little eat. We are always delighted if you want to call in and share that Samantha Keith is in High Point with us.

Keep your eye looking at pursuits good morning T, what would you I am good. I am actually having a lot of fun with Lincoln document yeah he did he he he he laid the whole close riddle on those people in his marriage now.

It may have happened. I don't think it was consummated went down bad and I don't know. It went down to it, that is true when you really think about it that the ones that you know that plow the wrong heifer you know they were in deep trouble is that you want to file his absence after I'm just made the case that that's what I was thinking anyway. So God bless you patient commented that Blakely you to Keith thank you thank you bye-bye so I'm very curious but I mean I really really love the idea of of the soft initiative Dean and the idea of you know what that DNA would you not to be actually touched by Jesus, and to do it and I do have a body that was it that been healed by Jesus. You know you in unless this is absently brilliant but I'm wondering is there a story like in your own life that may be perhaps ignited.

This idea, but I really think the idea came from the experience I had as a unbeliever in Philadelphia in the early 70s like most kids, I was looking for ways to fill the hole in my life that only Jesus could and I tried everything and to try cheesesteak ISI yet is trying to let you know I tried everything the world offered and nothing filled and I heard a guy describes in his ever-increasing diet desire for ever decreasing effect and I was increasing my self abuse on a regular basis and Jesus came into my life at a youth meeting Young life meeting where I saw a bunch of kids my age that were happy but they weren't drunk or on drugs or doing stuff that you know them and others, and I was interested in that in the next week when the pastor gave a invitation I received Christ, and get religious I got a relationship and this book really is meant to promote that relationship experience with God through his son Jesus Christ. A lot of the stories in the book relate back to healings and that personal experience of the people when they were touched by Jesus and then their life history as they passed that gift down and how they can had to keep it secret because during the different times of history.

People were not interested in people with gifts and supernatural gifts even even the church at the time, look down on it and sought is demonic in some ways that had a can keep a secret, but yet they used it to promote the church growth so that that relationship issue is what I try to address in the book relationship over religion pass that's absently beautiful and I get that on on all sorts of interesting levels in speaking relationship Mark segue so yeah can you kinda take us into yet. We talked about the covenant, the first time we had you in how I would you compare the marriage covenant to the original idea for covenant will what what you see trouble you laid out what this relationship is all about Natalie what you're supposed to people why you're supposed do it and even covenant. The reason to be. This is got to be altered by God because within the nature of the relationship we are transformed in a way that allows us if we understand what happened.

It allows us to do two things got to list the problem is you look you were told during marriage are told in relationship with God, and the list looks likely impossible and it is unless say visit plan inherent in the relationship for our progressively becoming the people that not only can do anything but enjoy them and find that this really is our best life. But what Jeffers said and then in the promote thing about we just do what God says because he says do it and while that certainly treat. The reason is when we are faithful to our covenant faithful to the word of God.

The oldest thing, the way God says to it is weird. We find the best relationship we find the deepest well with my love for life. What what God is trying to teach us in and transform us into these relationship are people who don't build with one hand and tear down with the other hand, were consistently building the relationship and each other and that turned into something really beautiful to look around people that are carrying each other apart as you say, just in the big grip if we understand the nature of the relationship and we can build it properly. If we don't just wing it and we see what data and and I'm thinking this the foundation that we build it and I loved what you just said, although I found myself quite guilty of it is on building with one hand and tearing down of the other my life attempted to get all of the art and we never expect that in his likeness at the point appointed growth and progress, because if were growing together, we will grow together like this marriage is not just the tie that binds in God's plan.

It's also a great extremely intricate and disabled development process that allows us to live and love in every realm of life better and better and better and were either walking that path or were not one of try to land in the book of the covenant of marriage is how you take the understanding of the cabinet and actually give build one in then I got take you through what our marriage looks like all the elements in their marriage because I would trade marriage is a buddy of ever heard. Not that it's perfect but it's still something that I want to write a book Jewish people begin at this young psychiatrist we see so often looking around and it just breaks my heart to see people struggling in this relationship because were were all equally married, but all marriages are equal.

Why is how we conduct the relationship well got got a plan for that as I'm listening and I'm thinking about the relationship and in the obedience that you talk about that when I start off my Christian walk and people discipling me. You know they likely got a getting an empty don't you read the Bible you read the Bible and read the Bible and you know initially that was a pretty sight. It was a very dry experience.

I really struggle to understand anything, but I began to pursue it as a relationship rather than you know, under the obedience of having to do this and at some point.

God let me break free where it was completely where we going today. Jesus, what are we gonna learn today. Jesus let's have fun together and it began to where I am playing in my Bible study it completely in the relationship and so I don't go in with any agenda ever by, and I try to get the bottle that I know a lot of people enjoy that and I'm glad they do and they can play with, and I'm glad that for me it's like I can't do that. It's not because I don't look for him to get up in the morning going all good either.

I get to go because I might that's that's the difference now what you're telling me, and I knew this inherently. However, I don't practice it is that through the obedience of trying to build with both hands at some point that that this begins to flow as you know that it it actually starts to take on a life of its own, as I am. I get the most important lesson of Lord is good. A contract is about what we do. We think our relationship with God and contracted to better doing certain things because God says so it's pretty dry the football the traffic laws grow your heart toward anybody yet. The person altered the stop sign is not like an object of my affection. But on the other hand, if we understand that this is about a relationship and how we build the relationship as deepest to be most rewarding to bankrolling a relationship with God. But like you say you consummately enjoyable says if we understand that everything doing this God says is about our benefit, like it really is relationship is Dean, you are saying and I was thinking about this.

These people were healed physically but that led to the relationship than I and I'm really fascinated how you make that happen in the book you know when we read a lot of the Bible healings I bring in the book and I make them a very personal experience. One. One of the news about the deaf and mute man who is standing by the road and I talk about how Jesus came to him and looked into his eyes and he described that experience of when God looks deep into her eyes and this person didn't know Jesus wasn't a Christian yet but he experienced the powerful relationship with Jesus at that moment that was impactful for the rest of his life passed it down to is relative, wow.

So we got so much marketing and pursuit coming up with Mark Johnson the covenant marriage and Dean Briar saw an initiative to hear from Bob Dupre. I believe in the minutes of Satan so much more welcome back to where we hear how your passion and uses it to build the kingdom and we are blessed to have Bob with us.

He is we actually have Mark Johnson and the environment is, but we just got Bob over with us and he has a passion for heroes in all sense of the word is that you especially from through our military, first responders, and that kind of thing, and under the current circumstances knee and set up an event. The unity prayer meeting in High Point is coming this Sunday the 14th at 4 PM at the hero center Bob could have young buddy, Robert. We do have an event that we are very good one on your intended conversation with one of Peter's diversity movement in art pretty reverent or quick. Robbie Gilmore you go. I am absolutely thrilled thrilled that you you took the time to be with us today and share kind of your vision for this event that's coming up tomorrow at 4 o'clock at hero center. I'm excited to be with you all on most deftly grateful to God that God has allowed me believe that when you are sent by God.

Miracle happened, happened when my God, I'm grateful grateful, or even the last Sunday Wayne went all came together that March will be March the High Point where the white, black, Asian, every different rate came together for our March 1.

Make your budget and so I'm excited because were all coming together but prayer anything that moved the hand of God in prayer when we come in when we turn our thing happened almost like… Over is happy to be a part of most of us about how the people live there in the High Point area, Greensboro, Winston-Salem. You want to come pray I'm this is on a lot of our hearts. All that's going on how to get to the hero center in High Point. Robbie unity why.

Why I'm great great. You be RID GES Drive for landmark where there I University were across the road from the old Oak Hollow ball. We are also identified during the day with John Wesley campground called same property. We have, we will be opening all the doors of the auditorium so that those who are concerned about thing you bring a lawn chair will be indoor outdoor auditorium at the open sound of prayer. The crescendo the neighborhood and hopefully beyond that's cancel Bob that's just wonderful. Thank you for doing that is an awesome thing so also with this. Along the same lines as we have Amy combo, who is the host of the cure and Amy's show comes on at 1 o'clock here in the Truth Network you and I'm so excited because you actually have a retired police sergeant, is it Amy it was good to be home with you today live I so I hero in a couple sentences. Yeah yeah right log. Hope L.can't wait to make the public can help you and everything that we want we can come together right goal.

That's that's what God wants his kids to play well together. There's no doubt about Amy, thank you again. You want to tune in at 1 o'clock or even a bow means you have a great lineup, got encouraging prayer, not the master journey and then Amy, comes on at one and you can call in with your view. You can even talk to the police officer asking to be on today at 1 o'clock thank you Amy God bless your precious con and bye-bye alright so we still have half as you might imagine Dean and Mark and Dean at threes elastic question that we left the house. We left that segment talking about.

There's a physical healing, and if you bid beautiful picture that you talk about when the character of your book looking in the eyes of Jesus and Jesus himself. This assumes person touching them or putting spit on her eyes. Whatever happened you know there's some pretty miraculous stuff while I myself.

It was interesting early on in my walk with Jesus. I had Lynn from which was actually supposedly killer cell lymphoma that was supposed to take me out and and you have to give the short story a lot of people for this many times for me but I'll give you the short story is I been a Christian maybe two or three years and I'm trying to wonder what the heck. But I did have this feeling like well if I die to be with Jesus. So I guess it's all good, but I don't want my family to be without you know when that was, where I was and I was the dealer I can't live Chrysler dealer in Winston-Salem and one day this pastor comes up and he tells one of my managers. He said God told me there was somebody here that needed to be healed and so I've come to pray over him and that manager said I must be Robbie because he's covered in these sewers that were the tumors that were all of my body at a cities back in his office.

He won't come out because he looks like Job the freak and I was just crazy and so here comes this little pastor and I thought he was nuts. I had no idea what getting anointed by oil lies or laying hands and this guys doing all this stuff I mean is just like oh my goodness. And so he he does all this and I could tell that something it happened and I understand that I was covered in what these lymphoma was cutaneous and so this but cancers words round things are all of my body while I was supposed to start chemotherapy that Monday and this was on Friday afternoon.

Monday morning I woke up I did not have and I know there are a lot of people praying for me but I was felt that almost comes special because God he told me gobs and part of the relationship that I woke up Monday morning without a single not know. I mean I went from like you had to see this to believe it to absolutely clear like nothing ever happened in the Texarkana pictures and did all sorts of biopsies and they ended up give me chemotherapy anyway but they decided that the cancer turn on itself and made itself. What I know is it I got Jesus as the based on what you're telling me now now and I am thinking that you know like wow, I had you know that's that's just a beautiful picture of how it really did for me personally it went from a physical healing to a come I mean where he's taken me relationally since you know that was in 1996. 00 my goodness, and if so is that kinda what your characters like I know that was a really long story to get to a really short question know it's a great story at this builds my faith that when I hear that and yen through the years I've seen people healed miraculously and I see people go through great suffering and one of the key characters Lindsay Batchelor tries to figure out why his godly father suffered 18 years with leukemia before passing away any kind of put his faith on hold and throughout the book he struggles with. Why do some get. He underwent a sum not get healed.

And so that that question is, is not related back to some of the healings that went on. You know Jesus walked out about my house and looked to his left and there is a mother carrying her dead son Gary. Nobody asked Jesus to do a thing. Nobody had faith. Nobody came and begged him to heal and he just said no there's death there and I am the Lord of life, and he walked over and touched that when woke him up and so you don't want a miracle we see healing and it does change an individual for the rest of their lives. Okay, we have so much more can well we don't have that much got one more segmenting since coming up staging for that were so excited again to have on Dean Breyer and Mark Johnson covenant marriage. Welcome back to kingdom versus where we hear how God thinks your kingdom were so blessed today to have with this Dean Breyer with his book the soft finish and of course it's available at Amazon and in you find the pursuits.com where everyone check it out again. The books called the soft initiative as well as Mark Johnson and he is the author of the covenant marriage and Mark's been very patient as we can get to the last segment.

I apologize for that program make up for now. Mark all right, as is you had a chance to listen to all that. I was wondering your thoughts on where that were covenant fits in the were talking about transformation of your talk about transform DNA.

Were talking about you. We are talking about healing leading to relationship and transformation it sometime okay. Let's look at the covenant. He said it is not a contract is not a list of to do that for what it is is actually an exchange of identity in nature.

Why did Jesus come to earth as a human like all of the things that Jesus did what will see is good because it can't overthinking ask of us are because the covenant so what is a covenant. Therefore, principal features of this type of covenant.

This applies to marriage in the new covenant into blood. Kevin is the sort of trouble came in analyzing all the step seeing the common almost what it is. First, there is an exchange of nature and identity which leads to a new identity for the participants in a marriage recall this 1/okay as we entered this the dignity of our wife or husband enters the other party through sexual intercourse is a physical exchange and marriage that it accomplishes this, which is why God said to be so guarded that sexual intercourse and only use it in a particular context because it creates this joining of nature and identity and said you got these two beings that now share in nature and affinity the model for which by the way is the Trinity children. Marriage is a reflection of the Trinity and the syzygy of individual beings with their joint, the nature and identity. So what you have is it being that is not the same as he or she was before the marriage and work through the new birth of a new creature now in the new covenant that language is specifically used your now born again hearing you creature and you being so you now have literally a new nature is unity relationship. What we see is God telling us in everything he says to do would be in the Scriptures to authentically express you. Being that we become what we run into in the practice of these things this week's route into these relationships, the guidance system inhabits the viewpoint of the quality were formed in our old life portal being that no longer fit the beauty genius of covenant is that we are transformed into something different. Literally become a new being that in most Christian teaching this reality, glossed over to school and do what you're supposed to call but if instead we realize that what God is inviting us to do is grow up you being that has been made and that really made in his image met jointly in the same bond. We originally had in the garden of Eden before we felt that communion with God. So we got this amazing relationship that we can develop.

The problem is we have to develop a marriage where now joined uniquely to another being told to love you the person as we love ourselves because in a real sense, they now have become ourselves in a suit that's a game changer list was for me as I'm looking at my wife seeing.

She actually had that completely change the way I approached her and to building on that foundation and then realizing that what were called on to do would be in these relationships and marriage. Only God is a growth process that leads to building the deepest love leads to building the best working relationship like that you said every element in God being God is made the perfect vehicle for this. If we understand it in the vehicle and go with it. You drive it the way it's intended to be driven partially. The problem is we see so little of this model around and strike the reader's a little bit taught in our churches that that was the tragedy motivated me to spend the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours it took to produce these books is another professional theologian – from a physician.

I have about a minute left, and so wanted to give Dean sentence in another opportunity to share a little bit what he would want the listeners to know about his book in 30 seconds. Some 30 seconds. It's a book about relationship with Jesus. It's a book about people coming in the Christ from all different walks in religions and it's a book that truly goes into the theological difference between a relationship and religious experience, and it's exciting because people that are seeking God and people that are knowing that can both be encouraged and challenged by the sum excited to get out of the sand have very cool. It's called again the soft SOT H initiative and again Mark Johnson second book, the covenant of marriage goes along with the covenant parcels are all available Amazon's great way to do it like with all offers you know after you read it back in five stars.

How much think about it or give one time to think about whatever it is they love feedback I put all these hours turnabout into it so were so grateful for you listening today we would have nothing. If he never listens and were so grateful and will hope that you would continue to pray for us at Truth Network that we would continue to have through encouraging prayer, Amy, one