The David Spoon Experience

The David Spoon Experience 6-26-23 Part 1

A) Deacons: it's worth noting that the word means minister or servant. They'll call it the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Justice in political offices. That is supposed to translate into political people being servants for the people. That, of course, is rarely the case. B) Deacons must be reverent. Reverent does not mean quiet. Reverent does not mean that a person dresses a certain way. Reverent does not mean unnoticeable. It means respect, honor, with dignity, and with appropriateness. C) They can't be double-tongued, given to too much wine, or greedy for money. Right here, you have three negatives in a row. Double tongue, too much wine, too much money. It's amazing how alcohol, money, and a clever tongue all connect.D) One of the most missed qualifications is that they have to hold the mystery of faith with a pure conscience. This means there has to be a real, sincere faith. Not a spectacle of faith, which people often try to demonstrate with their piousness, their words and their self-aggrandizement. That has nothing to do with these people that hold the mystery of faith. These people truly know who Jesus is in a relationship. The mystery must be held without doubting its truthfulness.
 

The David Spoon Experience 6-23-23 Part 2

1) When we speak of reasoning together, we refer to the act of engaging in discussions. Unfortunately, the current culture often lacks the permission to openly discuss, review, think, and present counterpoints without destroying one another. Yet, this approach of open discussion and free speech was foundational to our country's formation and deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where God used it to challenge mankind's understanding of their position with Him.2) Although it may sound repetitive, it remains crucial to emphasize that while people may start their faith journey with good intentions and faithfulness, there are instances where they deviate. One such deviation revolves around worshiping the Earth or creation instead of the Creator. When a person's faith becomes fixated on the creation rather than the Creator, their faith becomes distorted. Those whose commitment revolves around this earthly existence have gravely missed the mark.

The David Spoon Experience 6-23-23 Part 1

A) Endure suffering as discipline. Suffering is seen as a form of pain. Ouch, discipline is seen as a teaching exercise. Ouch again. It is very difficult for us to see the allotted trials as for our benefit. Some Christians even come close to blasphemy when they mock other believers who suffer. They forget that these sufferings connect the believer to Jesus. And Jesus suffered on the cross for our eternal sins, but our suffering is for character building, not the redemption of sins. That is where the other groups (more suffering, please) also go too far.B) God is dealing with you as sons. A father is expected to discipline his children. A mother also disciplines, but the scare of a father, in the regular sense, tends to look larger. My mom disciplined me. But when it got out of hand, the threat of the father was a card she would use. And if the woke joke people of delusion to like this truth, tough tatters.C) Not of this? Then you may NOT be legit. No discipline from God should raise red flags. He disciplines those He loves. Jesus said, as many as I love, I rebuke. God develops our entire system of discipline for our benefit. And solely for our well-being. To believe anything else is to believe that there is something wrong with God’s parenting. There is nothing wrong with His parenting. There is something wrong with His kids.

The David Spoon Experience 6-22-23 2

1) Let's begin the text from the point where the people become alarmed that Paul and Silas have disrupted their income by casting out a spirit. Due to this, a typical response to Christian persecution unfolds they are immediately stripped, beaten, and thrown into jail without a trial or review. To make matters worse, they are confined to the inner dungeon and their feet are locked in stocks. The rationale behind this unjust treatment is that they are Christians who do not align with the prevailing "cultural agenda.2) However, as is often the case in the midst of the most challenging times, God intervenes. Verse 25 of Acts 16 reveals that Paul and Silas, despite their imprisonment, respond by praying and singing hymns to God. Instead of complaining, whining, or becoming bitter, they choose to worship the Lord.3) It is noteworthy that the other prisoners are listening, emphasizing a key aspect of Christian living mentioned in the same verse. Even if it may not appear that people are paying attention, or if you cannot see or hear those who are attentive, the Lord has a way of using your response to trials as a means of communication with others in ways beyond your imagination. Their testimony would have been compromised if Paul and Silas had complained and grumbled.

The David Spoon Experience 6-22-23 Part 1

Chapter 7 of 2 Corinthians presents a concluding message. The apostle, in this chapter, employs the term "therefore" to emphasize the response that is expected from us based on his earlier teachings. The preceding discourse revolves around the remarkable and profound promises made by God to us. As recipients of such extraordinary promises, it is incumbent upon us to purify ourselves from anything that contaminates our lives. The passage does not imply that we are incapable of achieving this; rather, it emphasizes the necessity of making a deliberate decision to pursue this purification. The underlying motive for undertaking this endeavor lies in our deep sense of awe, reverence, respect, and gratitude toward God.B) When the passage mentions "perfecting holiness," it does not imply that holiness alone brings salvation. Rather, it clearly teaches us that we can strive to attain a state of complete separation and dedication to the Lord while still actively participating in the mission here on Earth. In simpler terms, there is no aspect of our lives that cannot be overcome.C) In verse two, however, Paul undergoes a shift and begins to plead with the church at Corinth, asking them to show him more love. He requests them to open up their hearts and make room for him. He explains that as disciples and servants of the Lord, they have invested their time, effort, and even endured hardships on behalf of the church. Thus, he would appreciate receiving some reciprocal love in return.D) Despite any potential feelings of being overlooked, Paul expresses his confidence and pride in the church. In fact, he tells them that he is greatly encouraged by the authentic quality of their Christianity. It brings joy to Paul that they are striving to draw closer to Jesus. He states that his connection with them is so strong that he feels tied to them, whether in life or in death.
 

The David Spoon Experience 6-21-23 Part 2

1) As most of you know, I just have to preach a classic occasionally. Today would be that day. I want to talk to you about Abraham's connection with God. It was to such a degree that he was called a friend of God. What’s most amazing about this truth is that Abraham was closer to God than you and I may be able to comprehend. And yet he did that whole thing without having a Bible. So what is it that he had with God? What enabled him to be so close? We know he had faith. But the key component is understanding how that faith was used. That faith was used when God would talk to him, and he would talk to God. We call that prayer.2) Before we get super religious, I want to point out that while we most generally understand prayer as talking to God. That does not seem to be the real issue regarding prayer. The struggle regarding prayer appears to be the discipline of prayer, the process of prayer and the rules and regulations we’ve stuck alongside prayer. Today’s show aims to move us away from rules and regulations and deeper into relationship. 3) There’s another part of prayer that’s exceedingly important. Jesus said, ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. Answered prayer brings joy into our hearts. It helps us understand that we’re connected to God and that He hears what we say and responds to us. Of course, unless it’s a prayer the size of the Red Sea splitting open, we don’t seem to make much of a proclamation about it, which is a definite fault on our side. But there’s something else that takes place in prayer that moves beyond moments of joy. Prayers that are lifted to God, and prayers that are answered by God, do something more impactful in the universe. That’s what we’re going to discuss today. Our answered prayers affect the universe around us.  

The David Spoon Experience 6-21-23 Part 1

A) Continuing in Psalm 37, we pick it up with verse 4. Delight yourself in the Lord, and HE will give you the desires of your heart. I cannot express this enough because I cannot teach it well enough. But to delight yourself in the Lord is to enjoy God. For all the stuff that we complain about and all the stuff that we don’t do well, the one thing we should learn to do better than anything else is enjoy the presence of the Lord and His love for us.B) It is important to note that He will give us the desires of our hearts. Not, He will give us the desires that our flesh thinks, and not the desires of our heart that are contrary to who He is. In fact, God will never do anything contrary to Himself. He gives us the desires of our hearts that are in line with the Kingdom of God. If your desire is to be the ruler of the universe, He’s not going to give you that desire.C) V.5 teaches us to commit our way to the Lord and to trust Him. When we trust, we lean. When we commit, we lift. So, the Lord encourages us to do is take that which we’re dealing with and lift it to Him, commit it into his hands, and let Him be the one that handles it.1 Peter 5:7 states, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

The David Spoon Experience 6-20-23 Part 2

1) As we enter Galatians 2:6, we come to an extremely important portion of Scripture. Unfortunately, for many Christians, it will not make them feel special. By special, I mean more special than other Christians. Paul is making reference to his meeting with Peter, James, and John. And he makes it absolutely clear that God plays no favorites. So that we can understand this in its fullest measure, God loves each and every one of us. And the way we receive that love is special and unique. But God doesn’t love you more than me. And he doesn’t love me more than He loves you. No one gets a special pass when it comes to the application of truth. We all have the same requirements. We function differently, but the same standard applies to all.2) Paul makes clear to his readers that the same God who worked through Peter, James, and John to bring the Gospel to the Jewish people is the same God who was working through him to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. He makes a point to say it is for the benefit of the Gentiles. As he also makes the point to say that it was the benefit for the Jews. I want to point out to everybody that God bringing His Gospel into our lives is for our benefit. He’s not a Fuddy Duddy. He’s saving us from ourselves, the world, and Satan.3) It’s wonderful to know that the maturity of the disciples after spending three years with Jesus has finally reached the point where they understood that other people could do things for the Kingdom of God. It would even be awesome if the church today would think along the same lines. James and John were upset because somebody else was preaching about Jesus because he wasn’t one of the group. Jesus’s response was to leave that person alone.4) In this section, Paul reiterates that the pillars of the faith, Peter, James, and John encouraged him and Barnabas to keep going, keep preaching, and keep continuing the work. That could be the best message for each and every one of us. We have to keep going. We have to keep preaching and keep teaching. We have to keep sharing; we have to keep loving and keep doing the stuff.

The David Spoon Experience 6-20-23 Part 1

A) Let’s remember that Jesus always said nice things to people. Ohh, wait, that’s not true at all. Matthew, Chapter 11, verse 20. Jesus begins to denounce the cities where He did most of His miracles. He denounces them because they didn’t turn away from their sins and turn to God. The Lord does many things for people. Even miraculous things for people. But they don’t acknowledge that it comes from the hand of God. And that receives denouncement from God.B) Now, we step into some territory that might freak you out a little bit. Jesus specifically talks about the need for these cities to be in deep repentance. He then compares them to other cities that have been overthrown and destroyed. Catch this; then He lets them know that on judgment day, those cities that have already been destroyed will fare better than those that have not repented. That brings a looming question to our thoughts.C) Just in case we’re not getting it, Jesus takes it to the next level. He tells the people at Capernaum (who think they are so great and wise) that they have ignored all the miracles that have been done in their territory. And then Jesus says, Sodom will be better off on judgment day than they will. It sounds like Sodom is going to get a second judgment. Think about that for a second. There is a judgment now and an eternal judgment to follow. Boy, I hope Washington D.C. is listening.

The David Spoon Experience 6-19-23 Part 2

1) We came to the part of Job’s speech where he begins his final descent and reaches the lowest of the low. He starts comparing himself to the people who are his peers and their children too. And quite frankly, he’s disgusted by this because the kids are people who aren’t devoted or committed to the Lord the right way. These aren’t 15 and 20-year-olds. These are 30 and 40-year-old people who think that they know better. Youth often does. Ironically, they could be our own family. But the key is that anytime we compare ourselves with others, the godly or the ungodly, we are NOT WISE! 1 Corinthians 10:2 states, but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
2) Chapter 30 and verse 16. Job expresses the darkness of the moment when he says his heart is broken and that depression haunts his days. There are many people that we know who suffer from depression. Making fun of anybody who struggles with this is dark and evil. Some of these people need very powerful healing from the Lord directly. Some of these people need medication, which is also a gift from God. Some of these people just need to be loved right out of the darkness.

The David Spoon Experience 6-19-23 Part 1

Well, there is just no way to know what is going to happen. So, instead of following through with the 1 Timothy 3 teachings, David gets involved in prayers for people in the audience. The power of prayer is not in how it's said. The power of prayer is in the Answers. 
And if you need prayer, these prayers can apply to you by your simplistic AMEN.
Then David gets into the deeper need for devotions. The reality is that without spending time with God, we are robbing ourselves. He passionately purses us. Our reciprocation demonstrates our loyalty and our love. 
 
 

The David Spoon Experience 6-16-23 Part 2

1) Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. We have a special show for you today. We have our first in-studio interview since the COVID experience fell upon us a few years back. Now, please keep in mind that my interview skills are a little rusty and also, remember that the person being interviewed has never been in this studio before. This would normally put great pressure on both of us …IF… this was professional radio. But it ain’t.  We told you early and we will tell you again, we don’t know what we’re doing, and we have no idea what’s going to happen, and we don’t care. Because in the end, I just want to talk faith with you. 2) Who is this person that is willing to be brave and give it a try in the studio today? Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Tanya Magnus. Tanya helps direct the minister called CHOOSE TO SOAR. CHOOSE TO SOAR is a ministry that is designed to equip and empower women to become all that God intended them to be. And because this ministry has the recommendation of our very own Aunt Deb as well as the encouragement of my very best friend (and certainly better half, Noelle), we’re going to give Tanya all the help we can.   Choose To Soar3) An Amazing testimony by Roslyn. Watch out. It's as powerful as a locomotive!4) And finally, our goal is simple: Present other authentic Kingdom-building ministries, not just this radio show or your church. As brothers and sisters, we need each other, and we need to be connected to what’s taking place that advances the Kingdom of God. We are not paying Tanya, and she is not paying HMIM. We are here to bless. And in this interview, which has almost no structure whatsoever, we will find out about the ministry, how it came to be, its goals, Tanya’s connection, and some of her testimony. Buckle up little campers; here we go.