Walk With Me
Christian discussion of biblical topics, and a dose of daily application. Yes the Bible is still relevant, and we find out more and more each day how relevant it has always been.
Walk With Me
The Church as Hotel and Hospital part deux
Can the church truly be both a sanctuary for the saved and a hospital for sinners? Join us on this compelling episode of Walk With Me as we tackle this thought-provoking question head-on. Today, we promise to give you a deeper understanding of the church's mission, diving into the importance of context when interpreting the Bible and exploring why it remains an invaluable guide. With passionate debates and insightful discussions, we argue that the church must remain open to all, serving as a place where anyone can begin and enhance their spiritual journey. Anchored in the Word of God, we emphasize that everyone, no matter their past, should find solace and growth within the church community.
In a further exploration, we shift our focus to the metaphor of the church as a "spiritual hotel" for believers journeying toward the promised land. Drawing inspiration from Philippians 3:20 and Luke 21:20-24, we delve into the imminent rapture and the church's role in providing spiritual nourishment, protection, and community. Through personal stories, we underscore the subtle dangers of backsliding and the necessity of genuine faith. As we reflect on the need for judgment within the church to uphold spiritual integrity, this episode invites you to introspect on your own faith and the vital role the church plays in sustaining it. Don't miss this chance to enrich your understanding and fortify your spiritual journey.
Hello everybody and welcome to today's episode of Walk With Me. I am your host, jj. It's so good to have each and every one of you here with us today. I am so appreciative of everyone who's liking and sharing the program, even for you who have found me on YouTube. I appreciate you too. I love each and every one of you. We are going into our what is that? Towards our third year now. Oh man, this is great. Thank you, god for each one of you, each one of you who. We are going into our what is that? Towards our third year now. Oh man, this is great. Thank you, god, for each one of you, each one of you who are listening and watching outside of the United States. I love and appreciate you as well.
Speaker 1:And, if I haven't said it in a long time, this is a podcast where we talk about the Bible and how relevant the Bible still is, where we talk about the Bible and how relevant the Bible is still in A lot of people and even me. We kind of relegate the Bible to things that happened back then and we think that it's out of touch with today. But there's no other book, no other series of books, that is more important than the Word of God and more relevant than the Word of God. And, that being said, if you go back, there are going to be subjects we're going to touch on again. I don't want you to have to search back through prior episodes. We will cover a lot of stuff we've already covered. I don't feel like you really missed out on a lot of things, but, trust me, there are so many things to cover in the Word of God. We just want to make sure that you are studying correctly, and that's a thing. Thank God for my sponsors True Bars, lyricist, who helps with the intro and outro music. Thank God for the other sponsor, exquisite Creations. She will be back soon. She is recovering from surgery and she is in good spirits. I want to thank you all for all of your prayers. Thank you very, very much.
Speaker 1:If you hear anything that sort of piques an interest and it sort of generates a question, go ahead and send that question to walkwithmebiblestudy at gmailcom. Yes, yes, it's all one word, all lowercase walk with me bible study at gmailcom. I will get to them. If they are questions that are a little bit more involved, I don't care, I take all questions. If there are questions that are a little more involved that don't require like a one or two scripture answer and then it'll just be an episode. So, in that doing, if you want your name to be called or acknowledged, put your name in the subject line, okay, so that I know that you don't mind having your name said over the radio.
Speaker 1:A lot of people want to keep their walk with God private these days, and we all know why. But if you don't want your name read, then of course leave the subject line blank or put whatever the subject of your question is. Just don't put your name in there if you don't want me to read it off the air. That being said, this Bible study has two rules. First rule is the word of God is final. It doesn't matter what JJ says, it doesn't matter what JJ says, it doesn't matter what pastor says, it doesn't matter what doctor says, it doesn't matter what theologian says, it's all what the word of God says. The second one and this sort of relays back to the first rule is that when we cover a scripture, make sure you read a verse or two above or a verse or two below, because context is key and this will actually kind of focus in on the question that we're going to be talking about today, which is actually a part two of a question we started answering a couple weeks ago and we're just going to jump right into it.
Speaker 1:So the question was, there was actually more of a heated debate between a Bible theologian. And I say a Bible theologian, that means someone who's gone to seminary school got maybe a master's of divinity or master's of theology degree. This guy, I mean and I have nothing against going to school and wanting to learn more about the word of God, I'm not speaking against that. If that's what you want to do, that is that, is your God given right. It just seems to me and I could be wrong, I'm only speaking from one person's perspective but it just seems to me that people go to those seminary schools, they come out with weird doctrines and then they come out with the area of aura, of spiritual superiority. The Bible talks very stringently, very strictly against spiritual superiority. But that's just me. Again, I want to be proven wrong on that, but I'm waiting to do so.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, this is a kind of a heated debate we got into and the guy was basically telling me that we were having a debate on what church really is. Is it a hospital or is it a hotel? Now he was under the impression and this was his whole point that church is not for sinners. Now I understand a little bit. I kind of agree with him a little bit. The Bible agrees with him a little bit, in fact. If you're living for God, you don't sin Okay. It, in a little bit, is the fact that if you're living for God, you don't sin, okay.
Speaker 1:But that doesn't mean what the problem was. That he flatly rejected the idea that sinners come to church. And they absolutely do. And they must come to church, because every one of us were born in sin and every one of us, as we journey towards God and we start finding a church to go and worship, as somebody comes and witnesses to us and invites us out to church, every one of us is still in sin and we've all done it. And before we've decided to start living for God, before we started repenting of our sins, before we get baptized in Jesus' name and before we get the Holy Ghost, we are still sinners. It doesn't matter how long you've been sitting on the pew, we are still sinners. And the Bible says that he that sinned is of the devil. So now we got us a problem, because what you're telling me is that church is no place for me.
Speaker 1:When we talked about exactly how many scriptures where Jesus said go into the highways and byways and tell them to come into the house, we're the they were talking about going and going to all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. Now, if we're preaching the gospel to every creature, we're not only preaching it to people who are already quote unquote saved Right. Okay, so that was the hospital or hotels first part, which was a couple weeks ago. Verse first part was just a couple weeks ago and basically we were talking about how the church is a spiritual hospital and just for the sake of you know, to take a conversation, please understand, I'm not talking about a building. However, the building is sort of the visual representation for people who don't have the credit of the sins. It's the visual representation of people who have not gone through the salvation process or are looking for the truth. This is the church's building, but the church is actually the spirit of Jesus dwelling in the congregation. That is the church.
Speaker 1:When Jesus said unto Peter and Matthew, he says it is upon this rock I will build my church. And when he was saying this rock, he didn't point down his feet, he said thou art Peter. Peter is a name in the Greek that says Petra, which is rock. So he was saying upon this rock. He's pointing at Peter and he's pointing at Peter. And this same Peter was a very, very rough and tumble sinner. It's kind of God. So it is upon the center that the church is built, the sinner that the church is built.
Speaker 1:And, as people who are want to say when you try to talk about holiness standards, jesus says come as you are. Now, that's taking the right scripture and putting it in context. Yes, come as you are, you don't have to repent of your sins before you come to God. That's what this hospital reference is about. You come to God and you realize that your soul is sick and sick. Your soul and, matter of fact, in so many instances people are sick with sin, spiritually, and it manifests in the outward physical appearance. Take your local drug addict. This is a sin that has gotten so far out of control that now the physical is addicted to the sin. And this is not just your drug addict, I mean, we have people who are addicted to stealing, addicted to sin, addicted to all other things, addicted to gambling, all of these things, and it now has a physical manifestation. This is why I was referring to the church as the hospital. If you are bleeding from your eyeball because somebody stabbed you in it, don't go to the church. Okay, I have to say this because this came up in an argument. This came up in the argument no, no, no, go to the actual hospital first and and then deal with that. And if you want to be healed and and you know whatever, you want to come back to church to pray, yes, please do that. Please go to the hospital first. This is not about, you know, disparaging doctors and things of that nature Absolutely not.
Speaker 1:However, now that we've covered that and we've sort of recapped that, we want to talk about the church being also the hotel. Whoa, aj, what are you talking about? Hotel? Well, let's look at the definition of a hotel, of a hotel. It is Oxford sort of describes the hotel as an establishment for providing accommodation, meals and other services for travelers and tourists, and you have five-star hotels and you have one-star hotels. Well, that means these people are not in danger. They're just looking for a place to rest and they're looking for accommodations and they're looking for meals, and this is where the saint of God is actually coming to the hotel, or actually in the hotel.
Speaker 1:Just stop and think about that for a second, because we are on our way to the promised land. We are on our way to heaven. We are on our way to the promised land. We are on our way to heaven. We are on our way to you know, whatever that is that you know. You want to put it as Most of us Christians are getting ready for the rapture. We believe it is imminent. There are a couple little things that have to happen. Well, not little. There are a couple things that have to happen because a lot of the major prophecies that have already been fulfilled, a few other prophecies that have to be fulfilled, and we believe that they're going to be fulfilled very shortly and we can talk about that. But what does it mean when we talk about the Bible being a hotel first?
Speaker 1:In Philippians 3, it talks about our citizenship being a hotel First. In Philippians 3, 20, it talks about our citizenship being in heaven. From it we await a Savior, lord and Jesus Christ. Now, that's the ESV version. I prefer the King James version, but just for the sake of time, we're going to stay with that. Now, if we are a citizenship in heaven, then we know the church building isn't our home, the churches we come there.
Speaker 1:We get accommodations. What are these accommodations that we get? We get prayer. We get fed spiritually, because that's where your meal is. We get protection from the elements, which is the world and the things that the world are throwing at us. What else do you get? Sometimes you get entertainment at some hotels, like you go to a hotel and there's a rock concert or something in the lobby, or there's some guy playing the piano in the lobby in the real big hotels. This is also what we have in the church. This is also what we have in the church and this is what makes the church a hotel for the people who have already started living for God. Right, and what else is there in Luke 20, chapter 20, 21 to 24. And this is sort of. This is sort of it feels it's going to feel a little bit off topic, but we'll talk about it.
Speaker 1:When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near and let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and those who are in the side of the city depart and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and those who are nursing infants. In those days, woe be to those who have childbirth, and for there will be a great distress upon the earth and the wrath against the people. They will fall by the edge of the store and be led away, captive of all nations. I want you to take that last verse Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles. Until that time of Gentiles are fulfilled. Now let's be honest. You and I, we're born again saints of God. We are Gentiles. Unless you are of Jewish descent, then we are Gentiles. You and I are Gentiles.
Speaker 1:So when we go to church and we are in a church and we are taking up, are in a church and we are taking up, reside residence in a church. I'm not talking about sleeping on the field, I'm talking about spiritual residence in the church. This is a protection for our soul, our spirit, from the outside attack, and there always is an attack. As a matter of fact, I was talking to someone else and and basically we were like well, you know it didn't feel like an attack, but it absolutely was. It absolutely was an attack. And the best attacks feel like nothing, like there is no attack until the attack is over.
Speaker 1:I've been. You know I'm someone who has backslid before, had no idea I was backsliding until I looked up and I was outside the gates. And this is not just me saying this. I mean, I've watched a lot of people go from religious to reprobate in 2.2 seconds. They had no idea how they got there. There was a guy I used to go to church with I'm not going to say his name, but he also has a podcast and he was saying some stuff. I was stunned. Where did you get this from? And this is where you realize that the person was in the building, but he was not in the house, the hotel. He was not in the hotel. He was in the building but he was sleeping in the lobby. He was going because someone made him go, but his heart wasn't. And now he is far outside and he's saying some wild stuff and it's, it's really sad.
Speaker 1:So what do we? What do we do as God? How, how do we make sure that we are in the hotel? Well, the Bible says that judgment begins at the house of God. This is the house of God. You know that. You are in the hotel.
Speaker 1:If, every so often, you feel like you're being judged, now I get it. We talked about this before. People don't like to be judged these days, but I'm going to tell you like this, and this is from the book of JJ I would rather you judge me now that I have the opportunity to change it and stand before God and have to deal with judgment that I cannot change, and that's just how I feel about it. I would rather you tell me JJ, listen, I don't think what you said was from a godly point of view. And if it allows me an opportunity to go back and say, well, god, was that godly or was that blessed? And if it was blessed, I get to come back to you and say, oh man, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all that. Or oh man, yeah, I don't know where you got that from, but what I said was completely biblical.
Speaker 1:Be on your own if you got offended we talked about offense last week but the hospital or hotel, and this is where we kind of wrap it up it is absolutely possible. As one of my favorite podcasters says it is absolutely possible for two things to be true at the same time. It is absolutely possible for the church to be both the hospital where we come in up from the world. We come up, we come in abused by our sins, we come in injured from our iniquities, and then, all of a sudden, we decide that now we're in the hotel because we don't want to leave. And no, we don't want to leave, you do not not want to leave. That's where it's different from the hospital.
Speaker 1:You get in the hospital after two days, man, you're ready to go. You're not getting any rest. People are always coming in Every two hours. They're poking at you and shoving something in your mouth. The thing is taking your blood pressure, the thing is too tight, but whatever. And then, on top of that, right about the time you got to go to the bathroom, here comes 14 nurses. That's the hospital side of it, because the idea is to get you triage. Get you and me triage.
Speaker 1:Listen, you have yes, you have a problem with telling the truth. That is the spirit on you. Let's get it fixed. Let's pray you off. Let's pray it off, and you have this sin and that sin, and these are sins that you know. Let's not get it twisted, orphans. These are sins that you Know, that you have. I know that I have. I knew that I had a problem with the flesh, I knew it. I had a problem with the blood, I knew it. And I got mad when the preacher called me on it and haven't never knew me. This is where the doctor is. The doctor comes in and say, hey, man, you got to do something about your weight. And you know what. You get mad at the doctor, but you already know it's true. Same thing, when the preacher tells you, hey, man, you got to do something about this sin, you get mad. And now you know you already knew it was true. But now we're in the hotel part, because now you realize this is where the best care you get, this is the best spiritual care you're getting, this is where the best spiritual accommodation is, this is where the best, this is where the best you know spiritual meals you're getting. And guess what y'all this is. And I'll say this and then we'll wrap this up.
Speaker 1:There are some such things as the one-star hotel and there's five-star hotels, right? Yeah, that means there are one-star churches and there are five-star churches and there are zero-star churches. I've been to a few of those. I've been to a few of those. There are zero-star churches where people get up there and preach for 45 minutes and never crack the Bible. Those are zero-star churches, yo, and I hate to say it to you this way, but it's absolutely true. They say all kinds of wonderful things and then when you get out, you leave, you have no idea what they preach. Oh man, they so appreciate what they preach about, and then you might remember one or two phrases and then, oh yeah, that person always does preach good, but there's no spiritual edification, there's no spiritual surgery, there's no spiritual healing.
Speaker 1:You go out the same way you did when you walked in, even though you said amen, preach 252 times in that 45-minute period. I'm sorry If an image just popped into your head where you did that. I'm sorry, but I'm just saying this is a zero-star hotel and there's five-star hotels where it just feels like every time you go, god's got something directly to say to you. Some of it's nice and some of it's not so nice. Now, I'm not talking about spiritual abuse and I feel like I just sort of got that. I'm not talking about spiritual abuse and I feel like I just sort of got that. I'm not talking about spiritual abuse, I'm talking about God speaking to you. Jj, you need to work on this. If I came right now, you would miss me, then you would be lost and going to hell. That is the hotel part. That is the five-star part of the hotel.
Speaker 1:You can't just do anything in a five-star hotel. How many of y'all know the difference between going to Holiday Inn and going to the Ritz-Carlton? You can do anything at Holiday Inn. You can go have a live party, you can do a lot of crazy stuff, and when you go to that Ritz-Carlton, they expect you to behave a certain way. You will not make noise in that room, you will not run up and down the hall, you will not knock on other people's doors, you will not play your music loud enough in the parking lot. Likewise, in a five-star church, there are things you will not do. And there are things you will do gladly for the opportunity to be in that five-star hotel, that five-star spiritual hotel and you know we can talk about that more because we're almost out of time. But listen, yes, the church is not. Oh, one more thing. I really got to wrap up.
Speaker 1:A lot of people feel and this is where I had to agree with the guy I know that there are people out there who will abuse either side of this hotel or hospital sort of analogy. There are people who will come just because they're going through rough patch in their life. They'll come and they're repenting their sins and their lives will start going good and they'll leave. It's like you go, you out there in the streets and you get shot. You go to the hospital, they take the bullet out and you leave, but then you go back to the same lifestyle where you got shot, and then they bring you back to the hospital and they take the bullet out and you leave. Over and over, wash, rinse, rinse and repeat. We get a lot of this with drugs, but at some point, either A you are not going to make it to the hospital or the treatment that they give you will be ineffective, and then you'll be walking towards the white light Church is the same way. Light church is the same way. Church is the same way.
Speaker 1:Don't play with god like oh well, you know this thing is, you've been bothered with this thing and, um, I don't know. You're facing the eviction and you realize that your life is bad because of your bad decisions and you go to go and you know life was good for about three months and then you're back out into the world and then you're back into the same position that you were at Now usually. Usually it's a little bit worse on subsequent trips. So then you come back to church, boo hoo, ride, something happens, and then you go back out into the world and do the exact same thing and you watch it repeat at some point. At some point and we're going to talk about that maybe in a future episode, because that's an entire subject to itself. We call that reprobate mind. So that is a thing.
Speaker 1:And likewise, you can get into the hotel side of being in church and just become completely complacent. You're okay with leaving the room messy because you know room service is going to come and clean it up. Let that sink in. You're okay with living a spiritually messy life because you expect the preacher to come along and clear it up. That's not what we're supposed to be doing.
Speaker 1:When I say some things, it's actually God talking to me, about me, and you guys just have to hear it. So that being said, that being said, yes, church is a hospital. Church is a hotel. Church is where you know we run a strong power. We run into that we're safe from the world. There's also a place where we get clean.
Speaker 1:We die to God. We, the spirits, keep dying. That's what repentance is Death, burial and resurrection. We talked about that before. We will again. Okay, death, burial and resurrection. We die out to the world from the sixth point and then we are reborn in the newness of life. Death burial, reservation. All right, hey, listen, we are out of time. I do thank you to everyone who's joining us. I ask you, spread love in your local circle. If you see someone, tell them that you love them. Probably you might be the only person that they hear from today. They might hear it today because this world is in a very cold place. Let's just say it that way. But tell somebody you love them, tell someone that God loves them, Tell them that you're thinking about them. Thank you for liking and sharing. Subscribing. See you on the next one. Love you, bye-bye.