Dale Partridge - July 21, 2021


Real Christianity #155： 3 Biblical Principles To Consider Before You Move


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20 minutes

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3,131

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183

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Summary

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In this episode of Real Christianity, Dale Partridge shares three biblical principles to consider before moving to a new location with your family. God is sovereignly moving his people to places which will carry out his redemptive plan throughout his church. In other words, God is Sovereignly Moving His People to Places Which Will Carry Out His Redeeming Plan.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Welcome to this episode of Real Christianity. My name is Dale Partridge, where each week I
00:00:12.620 offer 15 to 20-minute answers to tough theological and pastoral questions. This is a 100% listener
00:00:19.920 supported audio ministry of relearn.org. And for those who don't know, our mission at relearn.org
00:00:26.820 is to educate and equip ordinary Christians to plant biblical, confessional, and missional
00:00:32.700 house churches. For more information, just visit relearn.org forward slash house.
00:00:39.780 Welcome to Real Christianity. My name is Dale Partridge. As many of you know, you can find
00:00:44.420 the show notes for these episodes at our website at relearn.org. Our mission at relearn.org is to
00:00:50.200 bring the church back to the Bible and to increase biblical literacy among Christians.
00:00:57.480 Welcome to today's episode titled, Three Biblical Principles to Consider Before You Move.
00:01:05.400 We have so many people. As COVID has changed the landscape of our culture and made it clear
00:01:13.600 that most modern jobs can be carried out remotely, and this cultural shift really has granted
00:01:20.400 millions upon millions of families the ability to relocate to a more desired location. But
00:01:25.260 as Christians who are slaves and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, how are we to think about
00:01:32.760 relocation? Are we to just use the same criteria as the rest of the culture? I mean, are we to just
00:01:39.700 move because we want to be closer to family or to have better political leaders or to make more
00:01:45.600 money or to be in a different climate. Now, there's nothing necessarily sinful about those
00:01:50.900 reasons for relocation, but are they the guiding criteria that Christians should use when planning
00:01:57.240 to relocate their family? And so in this episode, I'm going to explain why I think Christians should 0.96
00:02:03.560 use a different set of principles, and we'll be sharing the three overarching criteria that our
00:02:10.040 family used to choose our family's new location. But before we begin, just wanted to mention a few
00:02:16.920 things. If you have not heard, I did a pretty big life update post on Instagram. If you don't follow
00:02:24.680 our ministry on Instagram, it's just at relearn. You'll find it, or just type in relearn.org on
00:02:29.580 Instagram. I post it on Facebook as well. You can find it there and get a quick update on our life
00:02:36.540 and our move and why my health. So that's one thing. The second thing is I've shared several
00:02:44.680 times now on social media, but for those of you who are looking for a playlist of biblical worship
00:02:52.360 music. I have personally curated a playlist on Spotify. If you just type biblical worship
00:02:59.300 into the playlist search bar or to the search bar on Spotify, you'll likely find it. You'll
00:03:05.440 find my name there. And I also did one called biblical hip hop. Yes, I do love hip hop. And
00:03:13.320 you guys can find that there. I'm still working on that one. It's only got maybe 20 something
00:03:19.880 songs on there, but an incredible way to learn and consume theological truths through song.
00:03:29.180 So hopefully that's a helpful resource for you guys.
00:03:33.020 So as a preface before I begin, I want to make a few points.
00:03:37.300 Number one, each family must take their request to move to the Lord.
00:03:43.880 And in speaking to how God organizes the local church, I'm going to use a reference here from
00:03:50.220 Paul. He says in 1 Corinthians 12, 18, but as it is, God arranged the members in the body,
00:03:58.040 each one of them, as he chose. In other words, God is sovereignly moving his people to places
00:04:05.100 which will carry out his redemptive plan throughout his church. And so every family
00:04:10.900 is different, and these are principles that I'm going to share, not direct commands.
00:04:17.980 You have a unique story, and you have a unique journey the Lord has you on, and these are
00:04:24.400 just principles. 0.99
00:04:25.380 My next point is, if you're a Christian, your body is not your own, your time is not your 0.69
00:04:31.420 own, your money is not your own, your family is not your own, and your life is not your 0.81
00:04:35.220 own.
00:04:35.400 In 1 Corinthians 10, 26, in a reference to Deuteronomy, it says,
00:04:40.560 For the earth is the Lord's and all it contains.
00:04:44.980 Everything, including you, is the Lord's.
00:04:50.900 He owns it all. He's the maker of all.
00:04:53.700 Earlier in the same book, we're still in 1 Corinthians talking here,
00:04:58.200 Paul writes,
00:04:58.980 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
00:05:02.220 whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 0.70
00:05:05.400 For you have been bought with a price, speaking to Christians, therefore glorify God in your body. 0.88
00:05:12.620 Essentially, as a born-again Christian, you are not a free agent, but you're a slave to the king. 0.71
00:05:19.420 And slaves don't make decisions without the permission of their master.
00:05:24.260 What I'm saying here is you must seek Christ first to verify even if you've been called to move,
00:05:31.840 let alone where to move, when to move, and why to move.
00:05:36.540 My third point that I want to preface is before I get into these three principles
00:05:44.400 that we've used in our personal life,
00:05:50.500 I just want you to know that these principles require big boy and big girl faith.
00:05:56.120 They require you to have an established understanding of God's sovereignty, of his redemptive purpose, and how his children are involved in his mission.
00:06:09.140 And I say that because these three criteria are deeply self-sacrificial, and they demand a heart that's yielded to God and feet that are willing to walk even when you can't see.
00:06:23.960 And lastly, I would never preach on anything that I have not embraced myself.
00:06:31.560 Not to say that preachers don't preach on things that they struggle with, but the reality
00:06:37.120 is this is something that I've actually walked out with our family and am sharing the fruit
00:06:45.720 of it, and hopefully it will be fruitful for you as well.
00:06:49.700 So I will admit, at first, we almost embraced the process for moving that I think almost
00:07:00.500 everybody else embraces.
00:07:02.280 We almost moved because of our personal reasons and not the Lord's.
00:07:07.520 And it was God's mercy and grace that he convicted my spirit and brought me and my thinking
00:07:13.920 back in alignment with the scriptures.
00:07:16.860 So I'll give you the short version of the story.
00:07:18.920 When we felt the call to relocate for a variety of reasons, my health was a major driver for that.
00:07:27.980 We first looked for the best state with the most conservative politics, with the strongest homeschooling communities, and with an abundance of biblical churches and being nearby a great seminary.
00:07:40.280 We also looked at places close to people we love, with a low cost of living, somewhere we could make some money.
00:07:47.440 and ideally places of geographic beauty, right, and outdoor recreation, something that we could
00:07:53.140 live by. And we even went on a 10-week family RV trip to scope out several of these locations
00:08:02.660 under this guiding criteria, which is, again, what most people use when they
00:08:09.160 try to relocate their family. However, after returning from our trip,
00:08:15.060 we felt deeply conflicted. And after much prayer about some of the places that we had desired,
00:08:23.820 we actually even put down a deposit on a spot, on a piece of land somewhere that we actually
00:08:31.220 had to lose our deposit over. And we ended up choosing a completely different state. That state
00:08:39.160 is Arizona. And it was the last state that we wanted to move to and the last city we wanted
00:08:48.500 to be in. And I'm not going to share the specific city because we are deciding between two or three
00:08:55.960 local cities in this area, all within the same area. So I just don't want to share that quite
00:09:01.460 yet. But the state is politically moderate. The city we think we're going to go into is
00:09:08.620 politically liberal. And there's not even one homeschool group in the area. There's only one
00:09:14.680 tiny biblical church. It's got about 15 people in it. It's probably the most expensive area to
00:09:20.680 live in the entire state. And we don't know a single person there. Now, was it hard to trust
00:09:26.480 the Lord with these circumstances? Absolutely. Veronica even cried over it. We had several
00:09:34.080 difficult conversations as a family. We went to prayer, even asking the Lord for a change.
00:09:39.840 But finally, we just yielded over the past several months, and we've come to a sweet contentment and
00:09:47.900 even a joy over the adventure that the Lord has set before us in this new location. So here's the
00:09:54.520 three criteria that we used that brought relocation or the decision of relocation into alignment with
00:10:03.000 biblical principles. Number one, move for commission, not comfort. So I recently saw a
00:10:12.460 tweet from a young mom who said, quote, my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday.
00:10:18.940 My response was, the same thing any Christian mother wants, to move to Florida or Texas.
00:10:26.020 Now, as funny as that may be, it reveals a way of thinking that Christians need to be careful with. 0.90
00:10:34.680 And look, there's nothing wrong with Florida or Texas.
00:10:37.640 We actually, the place that we bought land and to put a deposit was Texas. 1.00
00:10:42.360 but lots of Christians, you know, move there and will move there. And God has called many
00:10:49.600 of his children to move to these very places. So I'm not anti-Florida or Texas. But as Christians,
00:10:55.880 the politics of a certain place shouldn't be the driving factor for why we relocate.
00:11:02.840 It's an important factor, but it shouldn't be the driving factor. If this was the case,
00:11:07.620 then the gospel would never make it to politically hostile countries or areas or states.
00:11:12.640 And we're starting to see many hostile states toward Christianity.
00:11:19.740 And while some are called to leave, we do need men and women who are bold enough to come
00:11:24.580 and be missionaries in some of these states and some of these cities 0.95
00:11:29.640 that are basically being completely abandoned by Christians left and right. 0.85
00:11:37.620 The truth is, we really just need to have a heart to move to places where Christ is not named. 0.97
00:11:44.260 I'm going to say that again.
00:11:45.520 We need to have a heart to move to places where Christ is not named in an effort to really witness to the lost in that community.
00:11:56.080 And I know that we are at varying degrees of callings.
00:12:00.820 We all are under the Great Commission, which we'll speak about in a second.
00:12:03.700 And then some are called as evangelists and are called as missionaries and pastors.
00:12:09.240 So you get to take this within the bounds of your specific calling.
00:12:14.960 But again, as a modernized, westernized American, our first inclination when choosing a place
00:12:22.960 to live is centrally comfort.
00:12:28.440 And, you know, where are we going to have the most fun, the least amount of stress,
00:12:33.120 the maximum income and opportunities, the greatest amount of relationships. But again,
00:12:37.420 these are not the questions that Christians should be asking. We must start to remember 0.53
00:12:41.920 that as Christians, the Great Commission is not the great suggestion. Therefore, I should say,
00:12:51.280 we can't think about relocation without thinking about how it'll affect our faithfulness to
00:12:56.680 our Christian duty. If our first criteria is comfort, then we are not evaluating our relocation
00:13:05.740 through our identity in Christ. J.D. Greer, in his book Gaining by Losing, had a really great quote
00:13:13.000 that captures what I'm saying. He said, the Great Commission is not a calling for some.
00:13:20.100 It is a mandate for all, all Christians. When it comes to a calling, we don't need a voice. We have
00:13:26.560 a verse, Matthew 28, 19. It is now our responsibility under the direction of the
00:13:32.100 Holy Spirit to evaluate how we are best suited to fulfill that call. We see every member of our
00:13:39.040 church as a potential missionary to be equipped and mobilized. Our goal is not to send some or
00:13:45.600 even our best, but to send all into the mission, to our city, across the country, or to the other
00:13:52.380 side of the world. You have to realize that that's how Muslims and Mormons and Jehovah's 0.97
00:13:58.460 Witnesses actually think. But sadly, that's not true of Christians. I believe it was James White
00:14:05.900 who once said, the cults have more passion for a lie than Christians do for the truth. 0.88
00:14:11.700 We really do need to start putting Great Commission thinking above our comfort. So 0.96
00:14:17.020 ultimately, if you're a born-again believer, you're not an inactive soldier. You're a gospel
00:14:21.560 worker who is to be trained, equipped, and sent to bear the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:14:27.420 in the community in which he has called you to live. Okay, number two, move for people,
00:14:34.960 not places. Let me begin just by talking about the local church for a moment.
00:14:40.740 There is no such thing as a churchless Christian, and true Christians will not be unchurched for
00:14:48.100 long, and they have a deep desire to be in regular fellowship with God's people. And I have a point
00:14:53.660 that I'm trying to get to here first, so just let me give you a quick analogy. How close could a
00:14:59.460 person be to me if he or she didn't want to be around my wife? In fact, let's just say that they
00:15:05.460 actually wanted to avoid my wife. Could we become intimate friends? Of course not, right? No way.
00:15:12.540 The same is true of Christ and his bride, the church. We have to remember that the local church
00:15:17.560 which is the very bride of Christ and the place God designed for his children to be strengthened.
00:15:23.480 And therefore, here's my point, when considering a relocation,
00:15:28.060 we shouldn't simply scope the schools and the restaurants and the recreation
00:15:34.600 and just expect God to miraculously bless us with a thriving, fruitful, and biblical local church community.
00:15:42.760 Now, unless we are, again, missionaries in the biblical sense,
00:15:46.140 we should really be seeking specific locations where there already is an established church or
00:15:53.380 church community in which we can become faithful members. So that's really important. So my point
00:15:58.380 is, don't move to a place because it's beautiful or scenic or has good food or is by the beach or
00:16:05.840 has conservative politics. These are great benefits, but a far greater benefit and reason
00:16:11.140 to move somewhere is because of who is there and where your family is going to find genuine
00:16:17.460 Christian fellowship and spiritual maturity for years to come. Point number three, move for
00:16:25.060 commitment, not curiosity. We live in a transient culture that comes and goes without much resolve
00:16:33.000 to remain in long-term faithful relationships. Veronica and I just left Bend, Oregon after
00:16:38.560 seven years. Now, that's not a long time, but it's not a short time either. And it was enough
00:16:45.440 time for us to establish deep relationships with several families, establish a local church,
00:16:51.160 show our kids how to remain still in the face of moments that make you want to leave,
00:16:58.380 and also how to stay put until the Lord genuinely calls us elsewhere. In other words,
00:17:06.200 And when praying about a place for your family to relocate, pray you'll find a place that
00:17:12.620 permits your family to establish roots.
00:17:14.460 Think five to 10 years minimum.
00:17:17.640 Pray the Lord permits you to have the time to become deeply involved in your local church
00:17:22.700 and where you can minister thoroughly with people and even model commitment and consistency 0.99
00:17:29.260 to a generation of detached and independent Christians.
00:17:33.700 That's vital. 0.94
00:17:35.280 And so, all in all, we have to start thinking like slaves and not free agents.
00:17:44.180 And I said this in the last podcast, but I'm going to say it again.
00:17:47.200 The word doulos is the most common New Testament Greek word to describe believers,
00:17:53.200 and it's translated as slave or servant.
00:17:57.700 We're not entities unto ourselves.
00:17:59.820 We're men and women of the cross.
00:18:02.620 And therefore, we must learn to think about the Great Commission and our personal ministry
00:18:09.700 and our plan for relocation.
00:18:11.800 We must learn to value the local church and seek fellowship before seeking secular benefits
00:18:16.440 of a particular area.
00:18:18.020 We must figure out how to fight to move to places where we can be committed long-term
00:18:27.980 and not just bounce from one place to another
00:18:30.480 when our preferences or our comforts
00:18:32.540 or we have conflict when those things change.
00:18:37.900 And I understand for those who are hearing this
00:18:40.120 and you have plans to move
00:18:41.200 and you maybe want to reevaluate those plans
00:18:44.540 through these criteria and take them to prayer,
00:18:47.380 I understand that this might put a stick
00:18:49.340 in the spokes of your family's plan.
00:18:50.980 It absolutely did with ours.
00:18:52.220 We lost several thousand dollars over it actually.
00:18:54.240 Um, but this may also send you to a place that maybe you didn't desire to go to, but
00:19:05.500 if you're in the Lord's will, doing the Lord's work, walking by faith, trusting in him, I assure
00:19:13.820 you that wherever the Lord puts you, it'll be the safest and most rewarding move that your family
00:19:20.600 can make. So may God give you wisdom in that journey. Hopefully this episode was helpful
00:19:27.080 for you guys in edifying in your walk with Christ. Thank you for listening to the Real
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00:19:52.720 Also, if you want to find out more about our ministries at relearn.org or also
00:19:58.060 reformationseminary.com, our house church planting school that teaches people how to
00:20:04.800 plant biblical house churches, we would love to have you over there. On that note,
00:20:09.520 thank you for joining me on this episode of Real Christianity. My name is Dale Partridge,
00:20:13.680 and I'll see you next week.
00:20:16.040 thank you for listening to this episode of real christianity if you're a regular listener to this
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00:20:53.820 this episode of Real Christianity. We will see you next Wednesday.