Students at Asbury University in Kentucky are leading what has been called a revival, so what in the world is happening there and what are some things we should think about when it comes to revival? We'll also be reacting to Chelsea Handler's comments about not having kids at the age of 47, and then we will also be talking about a very disturbing trend, girls experiencing depression and thoughts of suicide at a higher rate than we ve ever seen before.
00:10:59.460In fact, I think that there's a lot to learn from it.
00:11:02.540I think sometimes in our kind of reformed circles, we can denigrate the Holy Spirit or
00:11:09.720we can belittle the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son.
00:11:15.500And so I think that there are things to appreciate about charismatic theology.
00:11:20.060However, I do think it is right in some ways to be skeptical about some forms of not just charismatic
00:11:28.740theology, but also charismatic worship and how it does emphasize the emotional and the
00:11:35.300experiential and the subjective rather than the objective word of God.
00:11:41.040And so I do think that just judging from what some people have said who are attending there, that that is some of what's going on.
00:11:50.700There's going to be competing in these cases, in some cases competing doctrine, competing denominational beliefs, competing styles and things like that.
00:12:00.900I am not at all hating on what's happening.
00:12:04.460I think that any genuine worship, any genuine repentance, any genuine confession, any preaching of the gospel, any preaching of God's word will not return void and will glorify the Lord and can change other people's hearts, as I said, across the country.
00:12:19.460But what I have seen and something that does kind of concern me here is that you do have the NAR types, which is the new apostolic reformation types who are hyper charismatic, who believe that basically that apostles are going to lead the church and that they have to lead the church into these kind of revivals in order to usher in the end times.
00:12:44.500It is really not biblically based and there can be a lot of emotional manipulation involved in that.
00:12:51.800I do worry about those types traveling to this revival and then taking advantage of what can be organic and genuine worship in an opportunistic way to try to either take credit for what's going on there, to gin up something that's not really happening, to make something that is God glorifying into something that is no longer biblical and is no longer sincere.
00:13:21.060And so I think that you have that possibility when it comes to amazing experiences like this one, that unfortunately there will be wolves.
00:13:34.280There will be people who try to prey upon those who are in a very vulnerable state, who are in a very malleable state and try to teach them things that simply aren't true.
00:13:44.580And so I simply have prayers for these students and for the people there that are in a very vulnerable moment that the Lord would just protect them, that even in moments of intense vulnerability, that they would have wisdom, that they would be able to discern not just right from wrong, but right from almost right, that they would be able to stand on the word of God and that they wouldn't use their feelings as their guide, but that they would use scripture as their guide.
00:14:12.580Because these experiences and even emotions and things like that are not bad.
00:14:18.600It's not bad to feel those things and to even be overwhelmed by those things, but we just have to remember where we are getting our truth, where we are getting our guidance.
00:14:31.520It's not guidance. It's not actually from our experiences and our feelings. It is actually from the word of God and the Holy Spirit.
00:14:39.800This is another thing we have to remember that the Holy Spirit is not going to contradict the Bible.
00:14:45.040You're not going to be led by God to do something that you cannot find in God's word.
00:14:49.700You are not going to be moved towards something that opposes God's word.
00:14:55.060And so we have to just make sure that we are aware of that.
00:14:58.300And that's another thing that I'm seeing. I'm actually seeing some progressives who call themselves progressive Christians who don't believe that homosexuality is a sin, who believe that it is possible to be the opposite gender.
00:15:11.100They are also going there and they have reported publicly that they are excited about what's happening because they believe that this is leading to some, quote unquote, like queer affirming movement at Asbury University.
00:15:24.960That really confuses me. I will say I haven't seen that from anyone else.
00:15:28.640That's not really like a big fear or source of anxiety for me when it comes to this, because, again, like if the gospel is really being preached and people are really relying on God's word,
00:15:38.380then the fruit that it bears will be good fruit. It won't be rotten fruit. It won't be unbiblical fruit.
00:15:43.740And if this is really a movement of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will never convict people or move people to do something that opposes the word of God.
00:15:51.380But as you can see, like anytime something is popular, anytime something is amplified on social media, anytime there is something good happening and the Lord is working,
00:16:04.120anytime emotions are involved or young people are involved or malleable hearts are involved,
00:16:08.480like there is always going to be an opportunity for manipulation and false teaching and things like that.
00:16:14.700So I'm so excited about what the students are experiencing there.
00:16:18.100I'm so excited about the worship. I'm so excited about the confession.
00:16:22.160I'm so excited about the testimony sharing.
00:16:24.180And I just hope and pray that this bears fruit for years and years and years.
00:16:27.600And I hope it does spread like wildfire.
00:16:29.780And I'm also praying for the protection of the people who are involved.
00:16:33.640I am praying that only the truth would be shared.
00:16:35.860I am praying that all deceit would be kept out.
00:16:39.080I am praying that God's flock would be protected from wolves.
00:16:42.540I am praying that people would stand strong, stand firm in their faith that is founded on Jesus and his word,
00:16:50.360and that they are able to discern between what they feel and what they know is true.
00:16:57.700We understand that the heart is deceitful.
00:18:15.900Sometimes it is just walking one foot in front of the other.
00:18:20.840And I just want you to know that that is just as genuine of Christianity.
00:18:25.080And actually, sometimes there's a better indication of what your salvation and what your sanctification is and looks like than some of these emotional experiences.
00:18:35.040Again, I'm not hating on those emotional experiences because I think that they can be really good.
00:19:06.240She visited and she said it was a very sweet kind of worship service when she was there that she didn't necessarily feel anything powerful,
00:19:15.860but she didn't have any concerns about what was happening.
00:19:19.200And I love how she kind of the phrase that she used to describe how some people erroneously think of these things.
00:19:26.760And it's as a Holy Spirit hotspot that you have to go there in order to really feel the Holy Spirit or to be a part of the church or to be a part of something big.
00:19:35.580And while it can be great to go there and encourage your fellow believers and to receive encouragement from them,
00:19:41.520it is not necessary to have the Holy Spirit Christian.
00:19:46.680Like if you are a Christian, you have been bought with a price.
00:19:59.680And he is just as much with you wherever you are in the depths of your loneliness or pain or whatever you are feeling as he is with those Asbury students.
00:20:41.140I think it can be a light and a darkness.
00:20:42.960But I don't want you to think that you are missing out or that you don't have access to what they have access to because you are not physically there.
00:21:24.000But also, Lord, thank you that you are not more present there than you are here with me right now.
00:21:29.180Thank you, Lord, that you love me just as much.
00:21:31.640You are with me just as much right now as I'm changing diapers, as I'm washing dishes, as I'm doing the mundane, as I'm sending emails from my marketing firm, whatever it is.
00:21:41.680As you are with those students who are just as pleased with me as someone who has been purchased by the blood of Jesus, as you are with them.
00:21:49.740Thank you for what you're doing there, Lord.
00:21:51.580But please help me remember, maybe this is your prayer, that you are just as much here with me, that there is a revival in my own heart that is always accessible and is always possible.
00:22:04.560And you can always access God through the truth of his word.
00:22:09.560If you own a Bible, if you have the ability to pray, and if you are a Christian, then you are close to God.
00:22:17.800So just remember that, that you are also playing a part in whatever God is doing, wherever you are.
00:22:23.000If you are a Christian, simply doing the next right thing in faith.
00:22:34.560Okay, so just a few things to consider.
00:23:34.040Emotional and even spiritual experiences do not equal conversion.
00:23:39.140So celebrate what's going on right now, absolutely, and make sure that there is a long-term investment also, not just in scripture reading, but also in discipleship and accountability.
00:24:12.820I wanted to make sure that I got them right.
00:24:14.120So for anyone who says, this is kind of what I talked about with the whole he gets us thing, like people getting so angry when Christians exercise any discernment whatsoever.
00:24:32.880It's like they think we're not supposed to be wise.
00:24:35.680We're not supposed to be able to tell false teaching from true teaching.
00:24:39.560But not only in 1 John, but also in Galatians, as we talked about earlier this week, like we are taken to task when we are undiscerning.
00:24:47.260We are told that we need to discern between false teaching, false spirits, true spirits, and true teaching.
00:25:11.040It's something that we learn over time through experiences and through applying integrity and weighing the consequences of the different choices that we make, also through God's word.
00:25:21.080But it's also a promise that God guarantees you through the Holy Spirit.
00:25:24.520So remember, you have access to that, students who are there and people who are not.
00:28:45.240We practice caution, because that is what we are called biblically to do.
00:28:49.020We make our emotions subjected to God's word, subjected to Christ.
00:28:53.120And we look out for that long-term fruit.
00:28:55.180And, hey, mature Christians who are at Asbury University, you have a major responsibility of discipleship and accountability for those people who have experienced things here but aren't sure where to go next.
00:29:11.280You start taking this very seriously, because there's a lot of questions.
00:29:15.680And these people who now have questions about Christianity who didn't before are going to be prey for people who want them to believe things that aren't true.
00:29:23.400They're going to be asking their questions to TikTok.
00:29:25.380They're going to be asking their questions to Instagram.
00:29:28.060They're going to be going to all kinds of people.
00:29:30.260And Satan still will try to get their hearts.
00:29:35.860He will still try to lie to them and move them toward that which is not true.
00:29:40.380God has placed you there to help guide these people towards truth and light.
00:29:45.280You have a major responsibility, mature Christians, students, ministers at Asbury University, to make sure that these students are led towards the truth.
00:29:54.520Pray that the Holy Spirit would empower you to do that.
00:29:56.280I know that you can, because I know God, and He is good, and He is sovereign, and He is powerfully working in your life.
00:30:02.060And thank you to everyone who is there sharing the gospel, sharing the truth, preaching God's word, and worshiping truly in the spirit of Christ.
00:30:46.720Let's move on to Chelsea Handler and things that she is talking about.
00:30:51.000We went from revival to Chelsea Handler to her making these videos, talking about how happy she is and how excited she is that she is not a mom.
00:38:38.100In fact, it doesn't really seem like she would be the best or kindest or most compassionate mother, just to be honest.
00:38:45.820Although I think she probably could have been if she would have allowed her kids to live and would have loved them and raised them and all of that.
00:38:53.580But I mean, I don't care what she does.
00:38:57.040She's the one who's constantly talking about it.
00:38:58.680She's the one who is constantly talking about how we moms are so miserable, how we have such a difficult life, how we can't do all of the things that she gets to do.
00:39:06.900She is the one who is obsessed with our reproductive decisions, not the other way around.
00:39:11.600She's the one who's constantly talking about it.
00:39:13.440I am not obsessed with what Chelsea Handler, you know, with what she does and whether or not she decides to have a child.
00:39:19.960She is constantly talking about it and celebrating it and in doing so, putting down motherhood, denigrating motherhood constantly and talking about how awful kids are.
00:39:31.660Like, I really, you know, it's one thing to say you're confident in your decision.
00:39:36.380And while I do think that Christians who are married should, if possible, have children, whether that's biological or through adoption, I do think that that is a call that we have.
00:39:48.200And we really need to analyze our hearts and look into our hearts to ask ourselves why we don't want kids or why we're not having kids.
00:39:55.580But like for single people, like that's not a that's that's not a calling that you have.
00:40:01.120It's not a responsibility that you have.
00:42:21.580Not just temporarily in this life, but also eternally.
00:42:26.520And so she can say that she's not miserable all she wants to.
00:42:29.100But we understand that since she doesn't have joy from Christ, we know that she's got a deficit of joy and satisfaction.
00:42:34.900And that's actually why she feels the need to constantly tell people that she's happy and she's fulfilled because she has all this money because she's probably actually really struggling.
00:42:43.480So as much as I would just like to bully her and make her feel bad about herself since she feels, since she's so mean to other people and mean to people who can't defend themselves, really, we should just be praying for her.
00:42:53.460Because that's honestly like the best change that we could possibly see that she would repent and that she would come to Christ and that she would feel guilt for how she treats this group of people and also just her life in general.
00:43:11.760She has another section of her new Netflix special where she's talking about how terrible motherhood is, where she tells her brother, like, you shouldn't be a parent.
00:43:34.300Again, this is not something that indicates like a healthy, happy woman.
00:43:39.080And I'm afraid that this kind of this kind of shtick and this kind of example is leading a lot of young girls into thinking that they will be happier and more fulfilled.
00:43:51.960The less sacrifice, the less inconvenience, the less responsibility that they have in their lives.
00:43:57.020I promise you the opposite will be true.
00:43:59.340There's a study that I can only I only have time to mention really quickly about young girls and how depressed they are.
00:44:06.620And I think this kind of example that they're seeing in celebrities like Chelsea Handler, I think it has a big role to play in them.
00:44:13.680Okay, so the Wall Street Journal reported on this and maybe I'll have time to talk about this more on a future episode.
00:44:29.460But teen girls experiencing record levels of sadness and suicide risk, CDC says.
00:44:34.780A CDC report, according to the Wall Street Journal, shows concerning increase in sadness and exposure to violence among teen girls.
00:44:40.420Nearly three out of five high school girls in the U.S. who were surveyed reported feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, a roughly 60 percent increase over the past decade.
00:44:59.240It's the pressure either to be a super sexualized girl at a young age or to not be a girl at all at a young age.
00:45:07.060Um, it's in some cases, not all, but in some cases, it's parents who are derelict parents who allow their kids to be on social media, who allow their minds to be sucked in by things that are unhealthy, who allow them to have examples on social media and in Hollywood that are simply not good for them, allow them to be sexualized at a super young age, allow them to grow up too fast.
00:45:28.640And in some ways, stay adolescence for way too long.
00:45:32.080I think that's probably one, like one phenomenon that we're seeing.
00:45:36.780On the one hand, you've got parents who are not protective at all when it comes to technology and what their kids are consuming, but are hyper protective when it comes to their physical safety, to the, to the point of being beyond rational.
00:45:46.560And so you have kids who are, have stunted growth in a lot of ways when it comes to their problem solving skills, to their maturity, but are way too advanced when it comes to what they've been exposed to sexually with violence and just the problems of the world.
00:46:22.660We didn't have the weight of the world on our shoulders.
00:46:24.280And I'm talking like I was in high school, 2006 to 2010.
00:46:27.300So it's not all that long ago, but it was before the dawn of all of this technology that has made even adults feel like we have to be everywhere at once and care about everything all of the time.
00:46:37.620We, as adults, with our frontal lobe already developed, we have a hard time like filtering through all of the information that we see.
00:46:45.920The actual, the sexual pornography, and then you've got the fear pornography that you have.
00:46:52.800And it's a lot of, it's a lot of stimuli all the time.
00:46:58.280A lot of information, a lot of things to think about, a lot of things to be anxious about.
00:47:02.020And I remember being in that stage, being self-conscious about my body and, you know, feeling, you know, maybe left out by some friends or wanting to hang out with some people that I felt were cooler than me.
00:47:14.780We had Facebook in high school, but it was, you know, basically nothing.
00:47:18.260Like you could write on people's wall and post some pictures.
00:47:20.600But I can't imagine being a teenager, feeling all those very natural things, being self-conscious, being insecure, comparing yourself to others, feeling left out, feeling like you don't fit in, and seeing that displayed on social media, on Snapchat.
00:47:35.120So not only do you find out like a week later, oh, you weren't invited to that party or that sleepover or whatever, you actually see it in the moment when you were sitting there by yourself, scrolling through social media, already feeling terrible.
00:47:45.260And then you see on Snapchat, all your friends got together and they're sending me and stuff or they're having fun without you or whatever it is or all of it.
00:47:54.340It's too much for kids to be able to wade through, especially for young girls who already have it harder, I think, when they're teenagers.
00:48:01.700So like parents, if you can, please get your kids off of social media.
00:48:05.480I know you might think it's too late because you've got a 16 or 17 year old, but you are still the parent and it is your responsibility to steward them.
00:48:11.340I'm not saying that we can't expose them to things in a way that is controlled and helpful and in a way that like we can actually guide them and show them what's right and wrong.
00:48:21.800But when we allow them to seek celebrities and social media as their guide, we cannot be surprised when their morality and their view of themselves in the world is completely warped.
00:48:32.140I really don't think that people should have social media until they're 18 years old, maybe 16, although I have a hard time seeing the benefit in that.
00:48:42.500Now, I think that we can teach them about social media before that.
00:48:45.180So it's not completely like wild, wild west to them when they leave the house, maybe for college or whatever.
00:48:50.140But I don't think the maturity is there.
00:51:11.780Okay, tomorrow, finally, we are going to be talking about the story that I saw a couple weeks ago about women being used, dead women or brain-dead women, brain-dead women being used as surrogates.