The David Spoon Experience

The David Spoon Experience 5-15-23 Part 1

A) A Bishop: Is this a pastor? Or is this a regional manager/overseer? 3:1 The position of a bishop is not the monarchical episcopate, which developed later. The Greek word episkopos designates a local pastoral oversight. Hence, a better word than “bishop” to express its meaning may be “supervisor” or “overseer.” Paul elsewhere uses the words “presbyter” or “elder” to refer to the same office.
B) Must be: Here comes the boom. I love y’all. But there is no possible way that this refers to the past. Sorry. It is all present tense. And when we add to the Word because of style or traditions, we do a disservice to the truth. The entire premise is for Timothy to find a currently qualified person. They are not disqualified because of their BC days.
C) Blameless: Not perfect. Not perfect, but one against whom no evil charge can be proved. Accusations from Satan and The Worldly fly all the time at Christians.

The David Spoon Experience 5-12-23 Part 2

1) I want to talk to you about something I hate discussing, but that’s how it goes. This is actually a sermon outline from a book I encountered that has a lot of really great material. I’ve told you often and will tell you again that none of this is my material. And scripturally, nobody’s material is their material since everything belongs to God. I’m utilizing this sermon outline from John Lewis from 1979 because it’s a really good one, and the topic is investments.
2) Christians can miss the importance of the resurrection in the scheme of the trials we face. Let’s just keep it super easy. Without the resurrection, everything is a drag. Without the resurrection, Christianity is a complete drag. The truth is that Paul explains that we would be people to feel sorry for if there’s no resurrection. Without our hope, we are nothing but dopes. And don’t tell me what’s a better life lived if it doesn’t matter for eternity. Ouch.
3) And again, I’m trying something new. I have a devotional that I want to break apart into two different segments. It comes out of the book of Titus. It’s from a new study program that I’ve used a few times. And the breakdown really helps me seize and see that much more of the truth of the Lord and His holy Word. Let’s just call this one. Fun in the Son. Let’s go!

The David Spoon Experience 5-12-23 Part 1

Well, Boy, Howdy, you guys know how it goes. Sometimes we make plans, and often, God does not care what our plans are because He has His plans. Our brother, Sergio, an awesome brother in the Lord, calls and asks an excellent question. How do we walk between the tension of when we're being blessed and when we feel we're struggling? How do we operate in the tension between the two? The answers to the questions are two-fold. Number one; maintain a Thanksgiving attitude and number two; remember that we are stewards, whether we have a little or a lot. He who is faithful in little will be faithful and much. Be bold and listen to it. It can change your life.

The David Spoon Experience 5-11-23 Part 2

1) Today’s teaching in the Book of Acts will be a little tougher for some people. We’re at the point where Paul and Barnabas come forward to the church in Jerusalem and tell everyone about all the things that God has done. But at the same time, “some” Pharisees, who have become Christians, are in contention with them. They want everybody to follow the old ways and the new ways. The truth is, it’s hard to let go. That’s even more true for people of faith. After all, the way that we have walked must be the right way, right?2) Upon this moment, the church gets together to confirm and affirm what’s going on and what the messaging will be to the church at large. There are many commentators who claim that this is the most pivotal moment in the early church. And that if they made the wrong decision, the whole thing would collapse. Hogwash! Jesus said I build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The church wasn’t going to collapse, Period!3) This is an amazing text in Acts 15:8. It is proclaimed and confirmed that God accepts people because He gives them His Holy Spirit. And …that there is no difference for anybody, in regard to salvation and salvation alone, who is a genuine believer. A final piece of this argument is how can the Jewish believers require the Gentiles to follow a code that the Jewish Believers could not follow. That’s why the gospel was proclaimed; to free us from what we could not do on our own.

The David Spoon Experience 5-11-12 Part 1

A) Therefore, we are always confident. It’s worthwhile to note that it doesn’t say... Therefore, we are always arrogant. It says we are always confident. As the previous verse states, we can be confident because the Holy Spirit is the pledge inside of us. And the Spirit guarantees us what is to come. B) Here is a classic verse oftentimes used when people depart this planet. The reality is that we are walking at a disadvantage while we’re in this current body. We are away from the Lord by the separation of our sinfulness in these sinful bodies. While we are forgiven, we are not unaware that we are. It will be a whole different ballgame when we are with the Lord fully. C) The classic verse to live by: We walk by faith, not sight. It could be the hardest thing for many of us because what we see is how we process the problem. The bigger problem is that what we see is not always what is being seen. I point to the situation with Elisha and his servant, Gehazi whom Elisha had to pray for his eyes to be opened just to see what was really going on.D) So, we aspire to please him. We aspire to please God because everything we are and do find its source and resource in our connection with Him. And we all long for is to honor Him for all the grace, mercy, kindness, love, faithfulness, and comfort that He’s poured upon each and every one of us.

The David Spoon Experience 5-10-23 Part 2

1) Okay, we are going to weave into our thinking the importance of working in THE POWER of the Lord. We know that we need faith. We know that we need confidence in the authority of Jesus Christ. We know we must remain submissive (not dismissive) to the Lord. We don’t manipulate or try to coerce god to say yes. We ask, we believe, and we truth Him. Yet, there is ONE MORE element that we need to operate in to most effectively win in spiritual warfare, which operates in the power of God requires.
2) I have to apologize to the audience. The reason is that I made a gash against formulas. I want to correct that statement. Man-made formulas mean nothing. They are useless and ineffective. God-ordained formulas or ordered steps of the process are legit. Yep…guess why I am saying this?
3) We could also explore the power of shared testimonies with one another. We ask our audience to share praise reports because hearing them creates an increase in other people’s faith. How do I know this is true? Because when we read the Bible, we find out that numerous stories of power are linked directly to sharing this information with the children of God. God’s work inspires faith in others, even if the testimonies are from others. Cool stuff.

The David Spoon Experience 5-10-23 Part 1

A) The Lord sees; the Lord hears. The Lord is “on” it. He sees everything you see. Think about this; everything YOU see with your eyes, God also sees that simultaneously. Remember, He is omniscient. Think about this; everything YOU hear with your eyes, God also hears simultaneously. Remember, He is omniscient. B) He delivers them from ALL their troubles: How many? All. How many is all? Every. Is every all? Yes. It does not say that God helps us avoid all the troubles. That is Fantasy-Land and a false Gospel. The promise is that God gets us THROUGH the troubles. C) Broken heart, contrite spirit: Remember being yielded and broken? This is a verse that I should have included. A broken heart is moldable. A contrite spirit is yielded. But in this context, God promises to be close to and save those with this going on. But He will also use this to strengthen us in Him. D) Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But that doesn’t matter. Oops. I mean, it does matter that MANY are the afflictions. But it doesn’t matter how many because none of them will stop us, with Him, in Him, through Him, and because of Him.

The David Spoon Experience 5-9-23 Part 2

1) I did not consult with anyone else. If our faith is genuine. We don’t need to have that verified by somebody else. If God has revealed Himself to us, He just revealed Himself to us. Our accountability is between God and us. It doesn’t depend on somebody else’s approval. It does, however, require obedience. 
2) After quite some time. Approximately three years, the Apostle Paul ended up meeting with the Apostle Peter and James, the Lord’s brother. This is one of those elements within scripture where we understand that James, who wrote the epistle, is the James who’s in charge of Acts 15. And the other James was dead by this time. So, there’s that.  Doubters often become powerful believers.
3) At the end of this first chapter of Galatians, Paul mentioned something that most of us don’t think about. The things that happen to us can connect to various people. But we don’t know the full ripple effect of people telling other people, telling other people. And with that in mind, there are times when our testimonies, seemingly small and insignificant, reach people who don’t even know us. And they praise God because of the testimony of God and the work that God has done inside our lives. That, my friends, is cool.

The David Spoon Experience 5-9-23 Part 1

A) Don't imagine that I came to bring peace: Sorry, Christmas fans, but "peace in earth" is NOT amongst man...but between God and man... through Jesus Christ. While bringing peace with God...Jesus brought distinctions with absolute clarity between people. How do you know that you are at peace with God? You are not at peace with the world or the worldly. Other so-called Christians... (political or otherwise) don't get our obsession with Jesus.2) So here is a headscratcher for many. Within your own household, there is strife. But Dave, if I get saved, then my household gets saved. It says so in the Book of Acts. NO...IT DOES NOT! It says the jailor was saved, he and his household, because they ALL believed. Salvation is not by proximity. Ask Esau.3) Then Jesus puts the pedal to the metal. If you love mom, dad, or children more than Me, you can't be Mine. Why didn't Jesus include spouses? Because while the design is for only one, there are a plethora of possibilities for more than one spouse. But parents and children cannot be switched the same way (Abe is a good example). The reality is that the purpose of the passage is to make a clear-cut requirement to have our allegiance to Jesus first. OR...not at all!

The David Spoon Experience 5-8-23 Part 2

1) If you return, then He will be your gold and silver. This is a hidden gem in the Book of Job. We can have moments where we drift a little. No, we don’t have to, but if we sin, we have an Advocate in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). The gem is what happens when we turn (or re-turn) to the Lord. There are riches beyond belief.
2) Help him, Lord. The same picture is painted in the New Testament by Jesus when He offered the third commandment. John 13:33-35 states, 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, I tell you now: You cannot come where I am going. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
3) East, west, north, south: He knows where I am going. Another gem to hold on to is that God knows our pathways before we do. He knows the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:19). He is the A to the Z. And His eyes are upon us all. 4) He controls my Destiny (Remember the quality of God). God is in the driver’s seat regarding our purpose, our prudence, and our future. He has us in His hands.

The David Spoon Experience 5-8-23 Part 1

A) Universalism is a LIE! Galatians 3:24-28 > 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you, as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
B) Saved in childbearing: Three meanings have been proposed: (1) This speaks of the godly woman finding fulfillment in her role as wife and mother, thus being “saved” from the evils besetting the Ephesian church (see 5:11–14); (2) it refers to women being saved spiritually through the most significant birth of all, the incarnation of Christ; or
(3) it refers to women being kept physically safe in childbirth, not in any absolute sense, but as an outgrowth of the Christian commitment to care for one another.
 A possible forth? (4) Saved IF …they continue in the faith.

the David Spoon Experience 5-5-23 Part 2

1) Ladies and Germs. We dive back into Spiritual Gifts and those wacky Pentecostals and those starchy Baptists. We have covered the overview previously. And now, we start to pick apart, exposit, review, and examine the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We tackle a big one to start. And we will give space to the good and the bad of all of it. Nobody has to agree with me, or ANYONE else, regarding this. You must decide between you and God as you test everything, biblically and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we disagree with others, love is still required. 2) Part 2: What is prophecy? “The speaking forth of the mind of God.” And why is there so much controversy? Because of Christian immaturity. First, there is more controversy over salvation and its sticking power than any spiritual gift argument. And that’s NO EXCUSE for being a crummy Christian about it.| 3) In the prior teaching, we discussed the reality that prophecy is foretelling and forthtelling. But now we dive into how it applies to us at the church. How is it possible that everybody can prophecy? That’s an excellent question and one that Paul directly answers in 1 Corinthians 14. Again, it may surprise you to know that you have likely operated in prophecy in the past. Have you said something and thought where did that brilliant piece of wisdom come from? Yeah…you have, and that was prophecy. How about them apples?