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00:00:01
The Importance of Spiritual Transformation and Community
54 Plays3 months ago
In this episode, Dan Sanchez and Pastor Ridley Barron dive into the story of Saul’s conversion to Paul from Acts 9. They explore why God chose Saul, how suffering shapes our faith, and the transformative power of a new identity in Christ. Pastor Barron shares personal insights and experiences, illustrating the profound impact of trials and the importance of embracing one’s new purpose and family in Christ. The conversation also touches on the unique culture of Grove Hill Church and the vital role of community in spiritual growth.
Timestamps:
00:01 Welcome and Introduction
00:31 Discussion on Saul’s Conversion and God’s Choice
02:32 The Significance of Saul’s Background
07:29 Suffering as Part of the Christian Journey
13:20 The Meaning of Name Changes in the Bible
19:04 The Process of Spiritual Transformation
27:25 The Role of Church Family and Community
34:37 Encouragement for Those Resisting Transformation
37:17 Overcoming Guilt and Embracing God’s Grace
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Transcript
00:00:01
grovehillchurch
Welcome back to the Grove Hill Church podcast. I'm Dan Sanchez, and I'm joined here with Pastor Ridley Barron, who's preaching through the Blueprint series. It's a long series. i think we're We're halfway through the series? Is that where we're at?
00:00:12
Ridley
Uh, yeah, pretty close, pretty close.
00:00:12
grovehillchurch
Three months in? Okay. um more today a Last Sunday, you preached out of Acts 8, I believe.
00:00:21
Ridley
Yup.
00:00:22
grovehillchurch
Get that right? Yeah. And you talked about Acts 9.
00:00:23
Ridley
Well, no, it it was ax nine, ax nine.
00:00:26
grovehillchurch
Okay, I'm going getting getting them all mixed up now.
00:00:26
Ridley
Yup.
00:00:29
grovehillchurch
But I know you preached about the conversion of Saul to Paul.
00:00:31
Ridley
Right. hu Yes.
00:00:34
grovehillchurch
um Big topic. And I wanted to dive into a number of awesome things you talked about in the sermon, it resonated a lot with me. um But I wanna kick it off with the man, ah Paul, um specifically like to dive right into it. Why do you think God called Saul and not somebody else? You know, it was something I was wondering as you were preaching, I'm like, why why why this guy?
00:01:00
Ridley
Yeah, you know, the be clear that God can actually call anybody and shape anybody to be whatever they need to be.
00:01:01
grovehillchurch
You ever wonder that?
00:01:05
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:01:08
Ridley
But um Paul had a good resume.
00:01:10
grovehillchurch
Thank
00:01:12
Ridley
I mean, his his background, his training uniquely prepared him not only because he was a highly educated guy, but he was specifically highly educated in the Jewish traditions and ways.
00:01:16
grovehillchurch
you.
00:01:22
Ridley
And so for him to have all that pedigree and then to turn and stand in the face of that hierarchy of power and say, this no longer matters. you know These aren't the things that are important. What's important now is grace and faith and and all these things that Jesus has opened the door to. That was that was key, it was beneficial.
00:01:44
grovehillchurch
So you have to ask yourself, like, why didn't he just use one of the disciples? Why, or on the other end, why didn't he call the high priest?
00:01:48
Ridley
Yeah, exactly.
00:01:51
grovehillchurch
You know, if you're, if you're knocking people off their horses and making them blind and forcing them to like, see you for who you are. I'm like, he could have picked a lot of people.
00:01:59
Ridley
You know, he could have, and I, you know, I think probably at this point, the question turns to a lot of speculation as to why, because we don't have any real clear answers given to us from scripture.
00:02:00
grovehillchurch
He could have picked Caesar.
00:02:08
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:02:10
Ridley
But I think you can pick up some hints in the fact that Paul was a very zealous guy. I mean, whatever he did, he did full bore. There was no halfway with him. And so when, and as you put it, is Jesus knocks him off a horse. He's quickly back on that horse and he's riding across the Mideast, sharing the name of Jesus with a lot of passion.
00:02:32
grovehillchurch
It's interesting because I find that if you look through scripture, it's pretty common that God goes and picks the least person, like the person who's like the least qualified of all time, like the least tribe and the least family and the least person within the family.
00:02:41
Ridley
Right. Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:47
grovehillchurch
You know, you think of David, Gideon, you think of a lot of those situations, but in this case, it it wasn't
00:02:49
Ridley
Gideon.
00:02:51
Ridley
Yeah.
00:02:55
grovehillchurch
It wasn't the bottom of the barrel as far as like you would judge people in a human sense ah He picked somebody else and there's evidence in history where like somebody gets saved and because they were already in a high position maybe in a government position It ends up having a much stronger influence because they have connections.
00:02:57
Ridley
No, this is very different.
00:03:12
grovehillchurch
They have influence. They have authority in some places um And it's interesting to see God sometimes choose the least of the least and sometimes not but usually he can work there anybody
00:03:19
Ridley
Yeah, I mean, because again, if you go back and look at, if you go back and look at his apostles, those guys were just ordinary guys. I mean, fishermen, you know,
00:03:25
grovehillchurch
Yeah, from Galilee.
00:03:28
Ridley
Yeah, from Galilee, some guys up around Capernaum.
00:03:29
grovehillchurch
like
00:03:32
Ridley
You've got Matthew, who's a traitor to his people. Simon, who's a zealot that wants to overthrow the Roman government. Yeah, you don't have the upper educated kind of people that Paul was.
00:03:39
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:03:43
Ridley
And so um maybe this was this was God's way of saying, hey, let's bring an eclectic brunts bunch together and let's launch this thing in a bunch of different directions. so
00:03:53
grovehillchurch
Where, what location in the U S would be the equivalent of Galilee if you were in Jerusalem, you know, you're from Jerusalem, which is maybe like New York city.
00:04:00
Ridley
Wow.
00:04:02
grovehillchurch
And you're like, Oh, you're from Galilee. Oh, trying to think of what that would be.
00:04:05
Ridley
Yeah. um You know, i it's hard for me to say because I'm not from those parts of those areas.
00:04:08
grovehillchurch
It's not like Mississippi. I'm trying to think of like, what's that? What's the backwoods? Oh, it's West Virginia.
00:04:14
Ridley
the Yeah, I don't know if you remember.
00:04:14
grovehillchurch
That's gotta to be what it is.
00:04:17
Ridley
There used to be a book called the Cotton Patch version of the Bible. And it was and it was a guy who wrote it in modern terms and tried to bring it to the the 21st century.
00:04:27
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:04:27
Ridley
i I guess at that point it was the 20th century. I read it in college.
00:04:29
grovehillchurch
yeah
00:04:29
Ridley
But anyway, his comparison was that Atlanta was Jerusalem and that Galilean places like that were like Macon and Columbus, Georgia. So if you're familiar with towns like that, yeah.
00:04:39
grovehillchurch
interesting Interesting. Yeah.
00:04:41
Ridley
So it was, it was pretty interesting the way he tried to pull that forward, but it's kind of hard to compare it. Galilee was just a, it was and a a place that was known for nobodies, you know, people that really never accomplished much.
00:04:53
grovehillchurch
Yeah, they do a good job of the chosen kind of like playing up like how they thought about the Galilee, right? I mean, there's a lot of creative license in there, but I'm like, ah, that one was probably, it really gives you a sense for like, we never expected to pick up a a member of the council from that backwater town.
00:05:08
Ridley
Right, right.
00:05:09
grovehillchurch
They give they give you that feel. You're like, huh, interesting.
00:05:12
Ridley
Yeah, and you know, I think it's a, it's always been a funny thing to me to read the Bible where where they go, does anything good come out of Nazareth? You know, that question, and and the answer is, um not only is it something good, it's something great for the whole world.
00:05:21
grovehillchurch
Yeah. Yeah.
00:05:28
Ridley
So kind of speaks to the fact that as human beings, we all have our biases and prejudices we have to deal with.
00:05:34
grovehillchurch
So Saul is different because he's like, he says he's like a Pharisee of Pharisees and these guys are intense already, but he's like intense amongst the intense. It's like a Navy, it's like Navy SEALs are intense, but then you have some people that are like even more intense than Navy SEALs. You think of like a David Goggins.
00:05:50
Ridley
Right.
00:05:51
grovehillchurch
I don't know if you're familiar with him, but he's like an intense ultra runner, like a thousand times over.
00:05:52
Ridley
Yeah, yeah.
00:05:58
grovehillchurch
You're like, the Navy SEALs are like, dude, calm down.
00:06:00
Ridley
Yeah.
00:06:00
grovehillchurch
They literally wouldn't let him into the next level because he was too intense.
00:06:03
Ridley
You know, we need to rein you in.
00:06:04
grovehillchurch
But that's like Paul right there.
00:06:06
Ridley
Yep. It really is. That's a great comparison because he was ah just an absolutely passionate and driven guy. And I mean, you had to be, if you're going to face the things that, you you know, later we read in the course of Paul's biography, the things he went through, the persecution, the trials. I mean, ah God uniquely knows us. So he knew the character he was getting in Paul.
00:06:29
grovehillchurch
What I love about it is that some people have intense backgrounds or intense, just desires and appetites for success or achievement. And sometimes those are, come from unhealthy places and sometimes, but sometimes they just need to be redirected. You know, like Paul, like God literally just takes Paul and like redirects his intensity and his zeal for himself.
00:06:48
Ridley
Yes.
00:06:49
grovehillchurch
And I'm like, God often uses that from all kinds of different people. Like everyone's got something to offer. Sometimes it is that kind of intensity driving things forward and God can use it.
00:06:59
Ridley
Right. Yeah. ah You know, as a pastor, I can tell you that's been a fun experience for me and it's probably not a great comparison. Those moments when you see a guy, especially a guy for me, a guy who gives his life to Christ and you take that old background of his and go, dude, if we could just turn that loose for the kingdom of God and you do and you watch it become a success, it's kind of like, now that's that's amazing. That's cool to watch how God can take a broken man and use his past and turn it into something good for himself.
00:07:29
grovehillchurch
One of the things you just mentioned is that Paul had to go through a lot of suffering. And we've talked about this on the podcast multiple times, but it's like suffering is almost like part of the job description of being a Christian.
00:07:35
Ridley
yeah
00:07:42
Ridley
yeah
00:07:43
grovehillchurch
It's going to be something.
00:07:43
Ridley
yeah
00:07:45
grovehillchurch
Should you be concerned if you aren't suffering that much? Or I think you've said it multiple times, like if you're not suffering now, just wait a minute, because something's about to come around the corner and get you.
00:07:53
Ridley
right You know, I don't know who said this the first time. I've heard it numerous places with other pastors, but when it comes to suffering in the Christian life, you're either coming out of a trial, going into a trial, or you're in the middle of a trial. Trials are just a natural part of the beat. I think for an athlete, the comparison would be it's all the practices you have to go through to get to the game. you know For most of us, we don't face a ton of suffering. The good times outweigh the bad. But there are some of us who have so much suffering that our life is characterized by suffering. ah You think about some of the stories of people and in the past who dealt with sickness, handicaps,
00:08:40
Ridley
um coming from poverty, those kinds of things, but even the persecution that comes with following Jesus closely. And Paul experienced a lot of that. I mean, on a regular basis, almost from the moment he fell on his knees and accepted Christ.
00:08:55
grovehillchurch
It's hard to get away from suffering. We see it all the time. Even even on the path, the things that are good. you know If you're going to win the championship game, you've got to force yourself through a lot of pain and trial.
00:09:04
Ridley
Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:05
grovehillchurch
Pre-chosen, like you chose to go through it, but you've got to do it on the front end in order to get the gains on the back end.
00:09:07
Ridley
Right.
00:09:12
Ridley
Yeah, suffering remakes a man and it's based on the man's willingness to get back up after the suffering, you know, and to keep going. Sadly, too many people who go through suffering quit or give up or allow it to overwhelm them, mostly because they try to handle it on their own. I think I think the cool thing about the conversion, if you read the the story carefully, is that Saul is told by Ananias, hey, God's going to show you the suffering you will have to go through. And Paul says, all right, bring it on. you know um Nothing's deterring me. I have seen the Savior. I know who He is. I know he's He is indeed risen. And because of that, I'm willing to take on whatever Christ brings to me.
00:09:54
grovehillchurch
i've seen ive I've seen some case studies of like trees in ah in a biosphere that can't grow strong and straight and true because there's no wind. It's almost like they need the wind in order to grow the roots down right and deep in order to be healthy, period.
00:10:05
Ridley
Yeah.
00:10:08
Ridley
and Yeah.
00:10:12
grovehillchurch
And I find that sometimes I wonder if God lets suffering happen. It's actually more of a gift. Like if God's like, look, if I don't let some of these things happen to you, like this is gonna go, it's gonna go poorly for you.
00:10:25
Ridley
yeah I don't want to take us too far down this side road, but you know that's one of the things you see in bad parenting. Parents who come and rescue their kids from every trial, every struggle, every time they are opposed to anything. A parent who does that too much raises a child who will never be able to stand it on their own as ah as an adult. um And so so many things in life, you mentioned the trees, we all have heard the stories about caterpillars, that part of their becoming a butterfly is the struggle to get out of the cocoon.
00:10:53
grovehillchurch
Yep.
00:10:55
Ridley
If they can't do that, they don't do that, then their wings never transform and aren't able to be used. And I think every true believer who follows Jesus Christ will expect suffering, will go through suffering, and it's actually a gift, you use the word, it's a gift that God gives us to make us stronger in the faith that we're following.
00:11:13
grovehillchurch
And it certainly brings him more glory. to It just brings more praise and glory to God when you choose Him and choose it to be joyful and and choose to be at peace, even though it makes difficult suffering.
00:11:21
Ridley
Yeah. Right.
00:11:28
grovehillchurch
Not that there isn't times to mourn and grieve and go through all these things, um but when you choose to lean into God in those times, it actually says a lot more about your faith in Him.
00:11:31
Ridley
Right.
00:11:39
grovehillchurch
When people get to watch you do that versus like if you're praising God and you know thinking I'm when you're at the podium accepting the win Accepting the trophy be like, I like think my maker you're like, yeah, sure.
00:11:46
Ridley
right right
00:11:50
Ridley
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:50
grovehillchurch
That's good But it makes a lot more sense when you're you're at the rock bottom. You're like God's God's enough. God's good
00:11:58
Ridley
Yeah, and I think the stories that we like to watch in the news and on the sports and stuff are the ones, the ones that resonate with us better are the ones we have watched to walk through those trials, who've had to struggle, who've had to fight to get where they are. Those kinds of stories really impact us more than the guy who had an easy way.
00:12:16
grovehillchurch
Oh yeah.
00:12:16
Ridley
no um
00:12:17
grovehillchurch
It's not a good story without a struggle to the end, right?
00:12:20
Ridley
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of sad and at the same time, funny to watch. I don't know if you pay any attention to it because I hate the NBA. I don't even watch it anymore. But LeBron James' son got drafted after one year in college, and the 55th round of the draft, and he's not succeeding. And I'm like, and no wonder. I mean, his name is what got him there.
00:12:38
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:12:38
Ridley
It's not because of his talent. And so, I mean, they're they're actively, sadly, they're actively people pulling against this poor kid because he's never had to work to get to anything.
00:12:48
grovehillchurch
Yeah, I mean, he's probably had to do something, but yeah, it's not the same.
00:12:51
Ridley
Yeah.
00:12:53
grovehillchurch
The the amount of adversity you've got to be able to get up and to go through in order to play well at that level.
00:12:53
Ridley
and
00:12:58
Ridley
it It definitely doesn't rank right there with the story of a guy like Michael Jordan who didn't play until he was in high school and then got kicked off the varsity team and then finally makes his way, makes a break and becomes like a world champion seven times or whatever, you know.
00:13:08
grovehillchurch
Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:11
Ridley
Those are the stories that really touch our hearts.
00:13:14
grovehillchurch
One of the things that happened to Paul. was that he had to have a name change, like God changed his name. And it's funny as I just watched the episode of the chosen last night where ah Jesus does the same for Peter and it's a big deal.
00:13:28
Ridley
Right.
00:13:28
grovehillchurch
Of course, they play it up and make it a bigger and even bigger thing in the in the chosen, to the disciples get all jealous like, oh, he changed his name.
00:13:33
Ridley
Right.
00:13:36
Ridley
Yeah.
00:13:36
grovehillchurch
It's funny, God didn't doesn't change everybody's name, but there's a few times and and and and in the Bible where he does.
00:13:41
Ridley
It's great. Yeah.
00:13:44
grovehillchurch
Why do you think he changes it in here?
00:13:46
Ridley
um I think that Jesus was by proclamation saying, you belong to me now. um This was part of the Jewish heritage, the tradition that when somebody changed somebody else's name, it meant that I'm now an authority over you. um And so Jesus was saying to Simon, you're no longer going to choose the path of your life. I'm going to choose the path of your life. You're going to follow me, even to the point where he went on to prophesy how Peter would die later on in life, you know.
00:14:14
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:14:14
Ridley
um So I think ah think it does two things in in Peter's specific case. Number one, it says Jesus has authority over him. I think number two, it started to build some real confidence in Peter that maybe I am capable of doing what Jesus is about to call me to do. He believes in me enough to do this.
00:14:33
grovehillchurch
I think the change in name is to change the identity of a person.
00:14:35
Ridley
so
00:14:41
Ridley
Right, right.
00:14:42
grovehillchurch
And we act out of our identities, even if we don't understand what they are. We have a story of who we are in our heads and who we should be.
00:14:51
Ridley
Yeah.
00:14:52
grovehillchurch
And we make choices based on that all day, every day.
00:14:55
Ridley
yeah
00:14:55
grovehillchurch
Um, which is why I think the Bible talks about like renewing your mind, like in making an image of like be like Christ, it's giving you an identity in him to be like, no, don't be like who you, that story you have in your have be like this gives you an identity or something to imagine to be like.
00:14:57
Ridley
All right.
00:15:10
Ridley
yeah We've all heard the stories of abusive parents who tell their kids they're nothing but losers and they'll never amount to anything. And that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because the kid never really believes in themselves. And on the other hand, I've heard the stories of maybe a kid who grows up in that situation, but they meet a teacher or a coach or a grandmother who comes along and says, don't listen to those voices. I believe in you. And all it takes is one really strong voice or a couple of strong voices saying that to somebody and it can change the whole outlook of their life in a really radical way.
00:15:42
grovehillchurch
I've heard psychology study psychological studies saying like a lot of our behavior is based on who we want to be in the future. Like every decision we make, we make based on the the person we're trying to become, not just even who we are in the past, unless who you are in the past dictates who you're going to be in the future, like if someone's told you that all your life.
00:15:54
Ridley
Right.
00:16:01
grovehillchurch
um So it's critical. And I find that just lines up with what the Bible says, who knew science so
00:16:07
Ridley
There you go. That's proving the Bible once again.
00:16:10
grovehillchurch
gotta get your mind away from your old identity into the new identity.
00:16:16
Ridley
Yeah. And so parents take that as a lesson.
00:16:17
grovehillchurch
Some people, it comes with a name change.
00:16:19
Ridley
You know, take that as a lesson as as you're raising kids. um Yes, you have to sometimes bring negative words to them in correction, or you have to point out a negative thing. But it's really important that you reinforce the love, the affirmation, your belief in them to offset those things so that your kids don't buy into those negative messages.
00:16:42
grovehillchurch
I remember I had a friend in mission in missions who went on a mission trip to India. And it's very common if someone gets saved in India, that they do a name change pretty quick because they're often named after Hindu things.
00:16:53
Ridley
Right? yeah
00:16:54
grovehillchurch
So they usually change their name to, I don't know, usually something from the Bible. But as as part of that identity change from the old thing to the new thing, it's like a total step away from the culture, which is kind of a big deal over there in a lot of tribes.
00:17:07
Ridley
Yeah, that's huge.
00:17:07
grovehillchurch
so
00:17:10
Ridley
That's Yep.
00:17:11
grovehillchurch
One thing you said in the sermon that I've been thinking a lot about is that all conversions have transformation. Some of them are fast. Most of them are slow.
00:17:21
Ridley
Right.
00:17:23
grovehillchurch
I think we all wish it could be a fast thing. I remember praying for it actually and being like, God, like, can't you just help me change all the stuff?
00:17:27
Ridley
yeah
00:17:33
Ridley
right
00:17:33
grovehillchurch
Like God, like, like hit me hard, like bam, like do it again.
00:17:38
Ridley
Well, we live in, yeah, we live in a culture that has that mindset.
00:17:38
grovehillchurch
I have a few friends that have happened too, but not me.
00:17:42
Ridley
We have a microwave mind mindset, right? That dinner's ready in three minutes and we we pull up to the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A and if they don't have our meal in two minutes, we can't figure out why it's taking so long, those kinds of things. So we approach our our maturity in Christ the same way and we want to know why can't I i can't have all these things just resolved, you know, in 24 hours?
00:17:55
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:18:04
Ridley
and I mean, um I'm at the point where my birthday is next week. I will have been a Christian 39 years next week. And um there's still things that I've at age eight that I recognize that I'm still dealing with that I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done over. But God chooses not to let that thing go right away.
00:18:24
grovehillchurch
I've had a few friends where it's like one dramatic evening, you know they came forward on an altar call and then God got them and bam, and they were just different afterwards.
00:18:32
Ridley
Mm hmm.
00:18:33
grovehillchurch
Not that everything changed in their life, but a few dramatic things changed their life and they never went back.
00:18:34
Ridley
Yeah.
00:18:38
Ridley
huh
00:18:38
grovehillchurch
I feel like the the joke with me and God has always been, ah yeah I feel like I've always gotten a picture from him of like ah like a chicken on like a rotisserie. It's like a slow cook, you know what I'm saying? He's like, slow.
00:18:50
Ridley
That's a good example. Yeah.
00:18:52
grovehillchurch
I'm like, got it, got it, slow burn, slow burn.
00:18:52
Ridley
Yeah.
00:18:55
Ridley
yeah
00:18:55
grovehillchurch
At the same time, I'm thankful for it because we've all experienced the people that are also fast in, fast out, right?
00:19:02
Ridley
Right.
00:19:02
grovehillchurch
Like the length of progress into something can often, like if it's too fast, oftentimes it's not a good indicator. Kind of like you look like Kanye West, right?
00:19:08
Ridley
Yeah.
00:19:10
grovehillchurch
You're like really big and oh, gospel album, great album. I don't know if you've heard it, but it it was fun.
00:19:15
Ridley
Yeah, yeah, that was good.
00:19:17
grovehillchurch
But then, like, where is he at now?
00:19:18
Ridley
And now, now he's back on the tab, back on the tab with headlines, man.
00:19:19
grovehillchurch
I don't know. i've I've heard rumors of where he's at now, and it's not a Christian anymore.
00:19:24
Ridley
He's just, he's lost it again.
00:19:26
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:19:26
Ridley
Um, yeah. And that, that's a lesson for us too, as we're looking for role models in our culture. um There's a lot of people who will shoot like a rocket to the top of recognition with their faith and all this kind of stuff because of their celebrity status. I encourage you very strongly to be slow to jump on the bandwagon with those people until their faith has been tested and their character has been proven.
00:19:45
grovehillchurch
Yep.
00:19:49
grovehillchurch
Yep. That's why I don't know. That was actually a big. big thing when I actually joined Grove Hill, um because i'd been I'd worked for many different Christian leaders over time and found that that is a really good principle to stick by. I find people who had been slow and steady through a long time and been through some trials and sometimes significant trials.
00:20:05
Ridley
Yeah.
00:20:08
grovehillchurch
so and i was And as much as like your story of the car crash and everything that happened is like a tragic thing, at the same time, it's made you who you are today.
00:20:12
Ridley
Mm-hmm.
00:20:17
Ridley
That's right.
00:20:19
grovehillchurch
And I think it's made, I don't know, it's like Grove Hill wouldn't be the same had that had not had that not happened a long time ago.
00:20:26
Ridley
Absolutely.
00:20:27
grovehillchurch
So I know God's using that to bring a lot of fruit through you, but also through the community and it's like spreading down from there.
00:20:30
Ridley
Yep. Mm-hmm.
00:20:35
grovehillchurch
So that was one of the big reasons why Grove Hill became our home church, because I could see the fruit that God used that I'm stumbling over my words because it's a sensitive topic, but you know what I'm saying.
00:20:40
Ridley
Yeah, I agree with you 100%. No, I understand 100%. Yes, because the first church I planted was in 2000. And so for four years, I was a pastor before that accident happened. And the pastor I was then compared to who I am now, absolutely night and day difference. And some of that is just, you know, age and experience, but man, uh, The maturity that came from that accident was a little bit of a hyper speed. It put you in a rapid process, the fast lane, if you will, and growing up a little bit. And I think that might've been because I was taking too long to mature as a Christian. And God said, okay, well, let's speed up this process a little bit, because I've got things I want to do with you.
00:21:27
grovehillchurch
Yeah, it's always hard to wonder if like God causes these things to happen or if the rain falls on the the righteous and the wicked. And for the righteous, it counts for something.
00:21:35
Ridley
Right, right.
00:21:37
grovehillchurch
For the wicked, it just it's just raining.
00:21:41
Ridley
if Yeah, that's a great way to put it.
00:21:42
grovehillchurch
It's kind of how I look at it rather than, I don't know, it depends on which theological camp you're in.
00:21:42
Ridley
and Yeah.
00:21:47
grovehillchurch
Because some people, it's like, no, God willed that really, really bad thing to happen to you. You're like, well, maybe.
00:21:51
Ridley
yeah Yeah, I've always taken the stance that maybe God didn't cause it, but God knew it was going to happen and said, I sure can use it.
00:21:58
grovehillchurch
Yeah. Yeah.
00:21:59
Ridley
You know, I can make this turn out to be something really good. um Because, you know, as I was asked a long time for years after my son's death, my wife's death, don't you think God could have healed either one of them or prevented it? And the answer is absolutely, I believe that. I just think because he's the wisest creature, I mean, not even creature, the wisest being there is, that he said this is, it's better off to go this route. um And man, because I'm not the wisest being, I don't understand it, but I have to accept it because I trust him. I think Paul's attitude was probably that same way too, you know, because ah Paul was not, that That experience on the Damascus raid was not an introduction for Paul to Jesus. he
00:22:44
Ridley
He had heard the stories and he had been around Jerusalem in those last you know few days and heard everything that was going on. And I would venture he probably had sat in on some of those meetings of the Sanhedrin as they probably tried to figure out what to do with Jesus.
00:22:56
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:22:56
Ridley
um So when when he's hit with that information, it's not a new thing for him. But in that moment, he he has to come with a crisis of faith there. OK, am I going to trust the man who's just introduced himself to me personally? to be exactly what he has said all along. And because he chose well, his story was written differently.
00:23:18
grovehillchurch
Yeah, you almost wonder what his thinking was.
00:23:21
Ridley
Yeah.
00:23:22
grovehillchurch
Walking back blind, you're like, huh.
00:23:23
Ridley
Right. Right.
00:23:24
grovehillchurch
I mean, I'm sure he was thinking like, where am I going and how am I going to get there? But he's probably also thinking, rethinking his entire life.
00:23:28
Ridley
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's one of those things where you, my, my, my active imagination I sit around sometimes, I think you're kind of this way too, Dan.
00:23:36
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:23:38
Ridley
I wonder if there were ever points where Paul and Nicodemus were talking before Jesus was crucified, where Nicodemus is going, come on, Paul, you gotta, you need to go sit down and talk with this guy. There's something to this. And then after Damascus, Paul's going, dang, if I had just listened to Nicodemus, I wouldn't have had to go through all that. um You know, a lot of what ifs in our journey if we are careful.
00:23:55
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:23:58
grovehillchurch
Yep.
00:24:01
grovehillchurch
Coming back to the the suffering though, you you came out on the other end refined and clinging more to God.
00:24:09
Ridley
And.
00:24:12
grovehillchurch
But I know there's a lot of people who some walk away from them in those those moments or some
00:24:17
Ridley
Yeah.
00:24:19
grovehillchurch
don't They don't necessarily walk away from them, but it becomes like a piece of glass in their foot.
00:24:22
Ridley
Hmm.
00:24:23
grovehillchurch
But it's, you know, it's in their emotions and their heart and their mind. I almost wonder if some people need to revisit some of those tragic things that have happened and let God do some work in there to transform that story from not just from a tragedy that actually gets you used for good somewhere.
00:24:34
Ridley
Hmm.
00:24:39
Ridley
Right. um ah You know, I've talked about this a little bit Sunday in the beginning of the sermon because I'm afraid that too many of us miss an opportunity to grow closer to God because we'd rather hold on to the suffering than to hold on to God. It's like we get some kind of badge of honor because of what we've been through. I have a friend that years ago went through the loss of a child miscarriage. And um I mean, at this point, we're five or six years down the road and she just can't get over it. And like every, every miscarriage that another friend goes through is a personal thing for her. ah she She adopts it as her own. She personalizes it, you know, and I'm like, okay, I get it. It's hard. I mean, 20 years later, it's still hard that I lost ah a son and a wife, but you got to choose to live.
00:25:34
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:25:34
Ridley
you You can't just sit in that grief and that pain. You gotta choose to pick up your feet and start moving again. um And like I said, I feel like a lot of people miss what God wants to do in their life because they're too comfortable sitting in the mud.
00:25:48
grovehillchurch
Yeah. I mean, it happens with that with our physical bodies, too. If you don't allow your body time to heal, well, we'll just stay on unhealed. You know, we prefer it that like way.
00:25:57
Ridley
ah Yep.
00:25:59
grovehillchurch
We sometimes write as uncomfortable as it is sometimes.
00:26:01
Ridley
ye
00:26:05
grovehillchurch
I think addressing it and actually moving on is can be more painful, but sometimes you have to go through the pain more in order to get to the other side.
00:26:11
Ridley
Yep.
00:26:14
grovehillchurch
One of the things you talked about was that when you become a new person, you also receive a new purpose and a new family.
00:26:20
Ridley
Yeah. yeah Yeah.
00:26:23
grovehillchurch
which coming through the suffering is like the part that makes it all.
00:26:27
Ridley
Mm
00:26:28
grovehillchurch
I mean, you get, I guess this is really like the sprinkles on top of the cake. Cause like, ultimately you get salvation, right?
00:26:32
Ridley
hmm.
00:26:34
grovehillchurch
The cake, uh, eternity with God. Um, but man, it's so nice to come on the other side with a new purpose and a new family to come alongside, which really the purpose is like all wrapped up in the family and serving him together. But, um,
00:26:50
Ridley
Yeah. And that's a great point. I think God knowing the suffering that all of us would face said, listen, never been my intent that you have to deal with this on your own. You need a family around you. And sometimes that's your blood family. um But astonishingly, for most believers, The family that they worship with, serve with, go on mission trips with, that actually becomes a closer family than even blood family, even if that blood family is a faith-filled family.
00:27:16
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:27:18
Ridley
like um So that family is really, really important for helping you to achieve your purpose. and it It goes from the beginning of that journey to the end. It starts with helping you define that purpose, you know, to define how that purpose will be carried out in your life and then helping you cheer you on in your journey as you carry out that purpose. As we said on Sunday, all of us have the same ultimate purpose once we are saved. That is to make Jesus known to the rest of the world. How we carry that out is much more personal and intimate for each one of us based on the gifts that God gives us and our personalities, those kinds of things. so
00:27:56
grovehillchurch
I love the family part of church. I don't know what I would do if I weren't a Christian. I'm like, I don't know. It would just be life would be be such a struggle.
00:28:01
Ridley
oh
00:28:03
grovehillchurch
I'm like, I don't know. Where do people get this from?
00:28:05
Ridley
m
00:28:05
grovehillchurch
No wonder why people get, I mean, people in the church get lonely too, but dang, I've lived all over the US. And it feels like I've always just been able to like, well, let's go find a gospel preaching church and find other people who love them. And it's like, it's almost like being welcomed and finding out about family. I didn't know I had, but there's that instant connection of finding out we're family and we're like, yeah, it looks like there's a camaraderie there that I had never really experienced anywhere else.
00:28:22
Ridley
Yeah.
00:28:30
grovehillchurch
I mean, other teams and companies like to talk about family sometimes, but I'm like, nah, it's not.
00:28:31
Ridley
no
00:28:34
Ridley
right yeah Well, um ah I feel like there's a there's a camaraderie that comes from being a fan of a team and sitting next to another fan of that same team. There's a camaraderie that's a link there.
00:28:51
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:28:52
Ridley
But it's not the same camaraderie as the two guys on the team who are serving next to each other, who've been through the practices and the trials and the wins and the losses and have spent time. There's something different that happens there dynamically. And so when you and I go into a place where we become close with other believers and we're doing life together, it's a different kind of connection than people who are outside the church feel with other people. um And I mean, i it's really, and ah you might expect me to say this as the pastor, it's really special here at Grove Hill Church.
00:29:27
grovehillchurch
oh yeah
00:29:28
Ridley
People do a fantastic job of just loving each other. And, you know, to my introverted friends, if you're in the Grove Hill area, you live near us and and you're an introvert, let me encourage you, come try, come just extend your hand to somebody and just see if the door doesn't open up and it just kind of radically changes the way you look at your life. But if you're not around us, go find you a Bible believing, Bible teaching, Jesus exalting church, and take a step of, I know it's risky, but reach out to somebody and say, hey, I'm looking for a friend and see if it doesn't open some doors for you that can change your life.
00:29:53
grovehillchurch
Oh yeah.
00:30:03
grovehillchurch
There's something going on that's different at Grove Hills. I've been part of a lot of different churches and all really good. Lots of lots of really good church churches, lots of brothers and sisters.
00:30:08
Ridley
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:30:10
grovehillchurch
But I'm like, there's something different at Grove Hill. And I've actually thought about trying to put my break it down a little bit. um One, I think it's an overflow from you and Lisa, because you guys do a great job. And it's apparent like as soon as you walk into Grove Hill, like you're hugging, you're grabbing everybody's neck, man. and It's like, you're hugging, you're shaking hands. like I feel like you're getting, I mean, you're probably exhausted after Sunday, but.
00:30:27
Ridley
Yeah.
00:30:31
grovehillchurch
It seems like you're picking up a lot of energy from the people wandering through.
00:30:34
Ridley
I do.
00:30:34
grovehillchurch
it um So there's that component.
00:30:35
Ridley
I do. Absolutely.
00:30:38
grovehillchurch
There's also just a really well structured Deakin team.
00:30:40
Ridley
Yes.
00:30:42
grovehillchurch
And after being here for over two years, I can feel it because it's consistent.
00:30:45
Ridley
Mm hmm.
00:30:47
grovehillchurch
And as a business guy, I love consistency. That's ah that's what business admin is all about is creating consistency.
00:30:50
Ridley
Yeah. yeah
00:30:53
grovehillchurch
for usually for profit, but to also to serve customers and do good things because they expect consistency. um And that's that's a good thing because administration is ah a gift, a gift from the Lord.
00:31:04
Ridley
Yep.
00:31:04
grovehillchurch
And so that's that's working well and they are consistent in reaching out and writing birthday cards. And if they find out you're sick, they're going to reach out to you. Shoot, when we crashed our car, Deacon certainly called me twice and made sure and followed up with me multiple times on Sunday. But I'm like, i don't I don't know if they assigned it out and Deacon meetings being like, oh, we have a problem here and people are volunteering or what, but I'm like, I know it's someone got assigned to me and it's somebody I knew.
00:31:23
Ridley
no
00:31:26
grovehillchurch
And I'm like, but I know it wasn't just out of like responsibility. He was, he's genuinely concerned and trying to follow up.
00:31:32
Ridley
Yeah, yeah, and that's the best part. It's not just you can sense it when they check on you. It's not a duty. It's a man. We love you people.
00:31:38
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:31:38
Ridley
and We want to make sure you're okay.
00:31:40
grovehillchurch
Absolutely. But it's good that it's consistent and administrative so that nothing falls through the cracks, just in case.
00:31:47
Ridley
Right.
00:31:47
grovehillchurch
The thing is, it's not even those two things, not just coming from you and not just coming from the deacons, but there's also just a culture of it within the church because even a couple of weeks, I admit, I told you we had ah we had that car accident, but like multiple people stopped over, multiple phone calls, lots of people found out and helped in a bunch of different ways.
00:31:55
Ridley
yep
00:32:05
grovehillchurch
But it just kind of came out of an overwhelming culture that's part of the church. Some of me is like, is it culture partly just because a lot of us have moved here from out of state?
00:32:14
Ridley
Yep.
00:32:15
grovehillchurch
We're not we're not near family. We all want roots. And so there's kind of a need and desire driving it that makes it a little bit unique to Chapel Hill.
00:32:18
Ridley
I do that
00:32:24
grovehillchurch
We're all kind of like expats here in the middle of Tennessee.
00:32:26
Ridley
Yeah, I do think that's a part of it because you don't come with a lot of family like that.
00:32:31
grovehillchurch
Yeah.
00:32:32
Ridley
So you're looking for those connections and makes you a little well hungry for them. I think it's also a huge credit to that original core group of people who started it because they made it a part of the culture.
00:32:40
grovehillchurch
Hmm.
00:32:42
Ridley
They made it a part of the DNA of this church. We're going to love people well.
00:32:44
grovehillchurch
Yup.
00:32:45
Ridley
And it's just, as other people have come in, they've just kind of, it's kind of morphed into this thing.
00:32:51
grovehillchurch
Yeah, but it's more than it has to be more than that because just because people have a need for it They can come in needing and not reciprocate right and overwhelm of a committed few really easily so there's something about this giving and relationship building nature of Grove Hill that's Say I want to say it's contagious because it's continuing to grow at least my ability to experience it has grown I don't know.
00:32:57
Ridley
Right? Yeah.
00:33:13
Ridley
I agree.
00:33:16
grovehillchurch
I'm sure it's I'm sure more people are experiencing it. You've mentioned things from the stage multiple times I didn't even know about so
00:33:21
Ridley
Yeah. I think, you know, ultimately you got to credit to the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit in me that appeals to the Holy Spirit in the next person who comes in the door, who then turns and uses that Holy Spirit to minister to the next person.
00:33:25
grovehillchurch
Oh, yeah.
00:33:31
Ridley
So yeah.
00:33:33
grovehillchurch
So Holy Spirit, we ask for more, keep coming.
00:33:35
Ridley
Amen.
00:33:37
grovehillchurch
It's what makes the the suffering easier, but also worthwhile.
00:33:37
Ridley
Amen.
00:33:43
grovehillchurch
And also just, I don't know, it just makes everything work more smoothly, like a body does, right?
00:33:48
Ridley
one
00:33:49
grovehillchurch
If one part stops working, everything suffers. So it's good when you're plugged into community for the rest of the ah your new life in Christ or continued life in Christ.
00:33:59
Ridley
Yes. yes
00:34:02
grovehillchurch
So new purpose, new family, new identity, and in some cases a new name. But ultimately the point was it really takes transformation. You go from one old thing to the new thing. What would you say for those who are resisting that transformation?
00:34:27
Ridley
Oh, i would say I would absolutely say don't resist because at the end of this journey, even with the pain that comes in the suffering, the end of this journey is greater satisfaction and fulfillment in your life, knowing that you're fulfilling your purpose. Contentment. you know If you've ever seen somebody who is in the midst of suffering and yet there's this overwhelming peace and joy in their life, then you see somebody who has gotten it, who has understood, man, I just need to be still and let God do his work.
00:34:59
Ridley
So don't give up on the process. Don't try to rush the process. Just let it happen in God's time and lean on the people that God has given you that you call your family.
00:35:10
grovehillchurch
There's one thing that I haven't really figured out how to overcome and maybe it can't be overcome to some degree other than through prayer and the Holy Spirit. And that's the, you mentioned it from the stage, but instantly I recognized it because I've seen it in even old family members who were passing and don't want to let go of God, like, almost like this, a sense of God wouldn't accept me.
00:35:26
Ridley
Mm-hmm.
00:35:32
grovehillchurch
Like you don't know what I've done. I think is the exact words used from the stage.
00:35:35
Ridley
Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:36
grovehillchurch
I'm like that that's happened. I mean, you've probably heard that one a lot of times, right?
00:35:40
Ridley
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:35:42
grovehillchurch
And there's something about that, that thing. It's that major thing that keeps people from turning to God, that sense of guilt.
00:35:46
Ridley
Mm.
00:35:47
grovehillchurch
And even before we started recording, I was talking about a project I'm working on on the topic of shame.
00:35:55
grovehillchurch
that keeps people from turning or keeps people from that keeps people resisting the Holy Spirit and actually embracing humility. It's ultimately pride. To some degree, and I'm not sure why it is because it seems so obvious on the other side to be like, dude, let go of that.
00:36:07
Ridley
Yeah.
00:36:12
grovehillchurch
Yeah, we've all done bad things. and I mean, you could be Hitler like turn to God. because There's <unk>s always a point where you can literally transform and be like, I've I've been an evil person.
00:36:17
Ridley
Right. Yeah. Some of the best news of the gospel is what Paul writes in Romans. I think it's eight one where he says there's now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. If you're feeling condemned, it's not from Christ. It's from the enemy who's trying to keep you from Christ. He wants you to feel shame. He wants you to feel like there's absolutely no way out. And most of the time, and in fact, I might even argue all of the time, if you're saying things like, you don't know about my past, it's because you're trying to work out your salvation on your own instead of trusting in the grace that God wants to offer you.
00:36:56
grovehillchurch
You'll never be able to earn it.
00:36:57
Ridley
Nope.
00:36:59
grovehillchurch
You just have to throw your arms up and ask for forgiveness. Really. It's the only way forward.
00:37:06
Ridley
Yep, and if you're too stubborn, he might have to knock you off a horse.
00:37:11
grovehillchurch
Well, with that, thanks for listening to the Grove Hill Church podcast. Remember, it's the church's mission, and therefore these podcast missions to ah to impact the life of every person with the whole gospel by any means possible.
00:37:21
Ridley
Mm-hmm.
00:37:25
grovehillchurch
That includes this show. So, if this has touched you, think about sharing it with a friend or family member. Maybe they're the ones who are on the edge, holding on. to essentially the lie that they might be able to work it out themselves or that they're they've done things that are too bad and can't be confessed. ah Or maybe you got to go through some more transformation. Maybe you need to choose transformation.
00:37:49
Ridley
Mm-hmm Yep
00:37:49
grovehillchurch
Maybe you need to look at the suffering you're going through, through a different perspective, like we've talked about. Ultimately, we're here for you. We're family.
00:38:00
grovehillchurch
Let's make them known.