Student Ministry: The Holy Spirit

Welcome to Celebration Baptist Church Podcast, where we help people connect with God and others.

Each week you'll find biblical teaching, practical encouragement, and conversations designed to help you follow Jesus in everyday life.

To learn more about Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida, visit iCelebration.org.

Now let's get started.

What's up, CBC students?

Guys, this is our first podcast.

Oh no, get ready for greatness coming your way.

Super exciting.

Okay, well, we have decided that we're gonna start with a little intro.

And today's intro is going to be, and maybe this is really just for people that have previously listened to podcasts.

Um, Mila was kind of mentioning that she's not a super huge podcast girly, so maybe she will be after we started.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I love these.

But uh the question is if you are a big podcaster, do you like listening to the intro of podcasts where they're usually like the people that are hosting the podcast are usually just kind of yapping about nothing and just like talking and hanging out?

I'm a yapper, so I'm a yapper too.

Yeah.

And I just enjoy listening to like they might be talking about chicken fingers on the front end of a podcast about the Holy Spirit.

And I'm I'm here for the conversation about chicken fingers.

No, no, no, no.

What do you want to yap about right quick?

What would you like to?

Well, right now we're we're yapping about do you like the intro of podcasts?

And my answer is yes, I do enjoy that part.

But some some students I'll be sending them a podcast and they'll be like, Yeah, I really like that podcast that you sent me about the Holy Spirit, but um I had to fast forward through the first 15, 20 minutes of it because it's just them talking about something stupid.

I'm like, I love listening to them talk about something stupid.

So, anyways, do you have a favorite podcast that you listen to, Jesus?

You know, I mean, I mean, my the podcasts I tend to listen to, you know, they tend to be just to get my mind off of ministry.

So I'm a big I listen to politics, I listen to finance.

And a lot of them are always like the headings, the first conversations are also like doom and gloom.

And so you gotta listen to me.

So I'm accustomed to listening to that.

Most of the folks that I listen to are just straight up give me the business.

And so yeah, there's not much yapping going on, only because it's like one person talking.

Yeah, I don't listen to too many podcasts where there are multiple people in.

But when I have listened to ones where there are multiple folks, I I love to just listen for the personalities and stuff like that.

So that's what's great about the intros of podcasts.

Yeah, I agree.

If if you were a podcaster, Mila, would you be interested in the intro of a podcast where they're just like talking about nothing?

You know, no.

I I will skip until we get to the point.

But I think I really think that after this conversation, I will start listening to podcasts more and not skip because I think it's personal, I think it's fun.

Yeah.

Well, let me ask you, Nila.

You listen to music on the radio, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Right, you know, sometimes the DJs have like the assistant DJ and a couple and they start having conversations about you heard what this girl said, you heard what this guy said.

Do you listen to that kind of part, or do you like, is that when you switch stations?

I'd be switching stations.

Okay.

But I will listen because of this podcast to more podcasts.

Okay.

Oh, that away.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's what I'm talking about.

Okay.

We look forward to hearing what podcasts you find yourself.

I'm locked into.

Okay, well, um, yeah.

So we haven't even explained to the students like what this podcast is going to be about.

So uh the podcast is going to be on whatever whatever we have kind of talked about at Converge in previous weeks.

And so this week's conversation is on the Holy Spirit.

I was kind of throwing that out as like a funny uh example of a topic, but that's what we're talking about today is uh the Holy Spirit and uh really just super thankful for Jesus' lesson on that.

Because honestly, like I've learned some things about the Holy Spirit.

I remember the first time that you talked about the Holy Spirit uh at our very first D now together, you brought you taught on it at a breakout.

And I think you gave me the material to look over.

And uh I just had never like I think it was pretty new information to me that the Holy Spirit, the whole idea of the Holy Spirit being a down payment on our salvation.

I just love that.

I was like, man, that's so good.

I never thought about the Holy Spirit in those terms before.

So, anyways, um, so I really enjoy listening to you teach on the Holy Spirit and appreciate the uh preparation you have put into the lesson on the Holy Spirit.

But I do have a question from last night.

Was there anything you wish you could have touched on that you didn't get to touch on last night?

That's a great question.

That is, and just to put it in context, you know, we're having a conversation about the Holy Spirit because we're about to do a deep dive into Acts.

And I just thought, you know, instead of just starting with Acts one when we came out of school, you know, in terms of what the Holy Spirit did through these uh disciples um and through these apostles, um, I figured let's have a conversation on who he is, what he's done, and all that kind of stuff, right?

So that's that's where this two-week conversation about the Holy Spirit uh came from.

But you asked the question, you know, um repeat it one more time, the question.

Was there anything last night that, you know, because when you get in the nitty-gritty of preparing to teach something on a Wednesday night or for me, like a Tuesday night, usually when I'm going home at night and thinking about, man, I wish I had included this and I forgot to say something or whatever.

So I guess that's my question.

Like, was there anything last night that you weren't able to touch on that you wish you had touched on in regards to the Holy Spirit?

Yeah, I mean, there was a statement that I kind of made at the end.

I kind of just quoted uh Dr.

Tony Evans, you know, with regards to, you know, the Holy Spirit being the most misunderstood and the most underutilized.

Right.

And so when I first heard him say that, um it just brought up, you know, when you start thinking of, you know, when you go to church or you go to student ministry, it we we have a lot of conversation about salvation.

Right?

So a natural question you should have is now what?

And so the whole now what piece is where I think the Holy Spirit really steps into the equation.

So it might have been something either that I should have asked during small group in terms of the questions came up, hey listen, everybody in here at this particular point, if you're a believer, great, a question you should have is now what?

Is it what was being a believer the goal?

Or is there more?

And once you realize that you know there is more, right?

And you know, I mean I got two awesome ladies here that just run discipleship great, there's obviously more.

And so this whole more is where the Holy Spirit comes in.

This is where the whole underutilized piece is.

That's good.

So I either should have maybe just brought it in right to the end of the message or added it as a question, but you know, that was that's my answer to your question.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's something I would have I would have probably brought in.

Yeah, you know.

That's good.

I feel like we don't think about the Holy Spirit in terms of uh our now what.

But if we don't have the Holy Spirit, there is no now what.

There's no power to do anything that the Bible says if you don't possess the Holy Spirit.

I mean, we were just somewhat talking about that.

I'm looking at Mila.

Y'all can't see me looking at Mila right now, but we were just talking about just in terms of discipleship, like if the Holy Spirit doesn't show up on the scenes of the girls that were discipling, we have no hope.

But because the Holy Spirit has been given to us to direct us to reveal certain sins that are in our life or reveal to us, even maybe strengths that we have or whatever.

Um, we don't hear stories of people who once struggled with anxiety for years and years, and now that they are being discipled and the spirit is moving in their life are now off of anxiety medication.

Like that's such a cool testimony to who the Holy Spirit is and what he does.

So, anyways, that's good.

Love that.

Um, okay, well, my other question from last night was this, and this is for we can all answer this.

Yeah, for sure.

Um, when did the Holy Spirit become a person to you?

Like at what point?

Because I I know I remember a time in my life where I was like, the Holy Spirit is not an it.

Yeah.

It's not like a because sometimes I I think I grew up thinking that it was a tool, you know, like you get saved and then the Holy Spirit is a tool that you're able to use uh to get to a certain, I don't know, end goal or an end to a means, I guess is what I'm saying.

Um so do y'all have like a time in your life where you were like the Holy Spirit became a person for you?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I mean I I have I I may not be able to put my finger on it, but I I tell you how I got there.

Um it did get to a point where you try to do so much independently on your own that Christianity gets heavy.

And so I I it just like nothing I read told me it was supposed to be heavy.

It's supposed to be joyful, there's supposed to be peace.

But when it became like that, I I knew I was missing something.

And so at that particular point, you know, I was blessed, you know.

I mean, I I I got saved as a graduate student, right?

So uh, you know, he figured you have twenty plus years kind of doing it on your own, problem solving, coming up with the best solutions that benefit you, right?

Now all of a sudden you're in there and you're trying to apply the same skill set now, being a believer.

So that's you know, you you want to become a a a better Christian, let's just call it a better Christian or a more mature Christian on your own strength.

Yeah, I had to get to the end of that.

I had to really try and then fail, and then realize this I'm missing something.

And so I was just surrounded by some good people that just reminded me where my strength is supposed to go.

And uh that's when I was like, oh, like Nola.

Nola was talking about the Holy Spirit being a tool that I use.

And the reality is is once you once we dive into Acts, it's not gonna be uh I I I I don't want to present the Holy Spirit as something the apostles use.

But it's more like the apostles or the vehicle that the spirit used.

Right?

So all of a sudden, when we start talking to the students, you know, it isn't like they're it isn't like they're just uh independently choosing either to not share or grow.

I mean, they're actively going against where the spirit wants them to go.

Right?

So all of a sudden it's like, okay, who's zooming who?

Right?

Who's running this ship?

And so, yeah, so I mean I had to get to the end of uh me running this ship and uh you know Christianity at times becoming heavy and just not a joy.

And so all of a sudden it's like this is not what you read.

And if I read, if I say what I'm reading is true, all of a sudden, then my feelings related to it, something's off.

I'm not gonna, I'm gonna trust the word, not my feelings, right?

And so I got to that particular point.

And that's when it became like, wow man, the Holy Spirit is like a for real thing.

It's like living, you know.

Talk about that living hope like we talked about yesterday.

But that's what that's what it took for me.

You know, I mean, uh a lot of the students that we're we're talking to, you know, they they've accepted the Lord or in the process or just maybe they're just asking questions, they're curious or whatever it may be, but they're they're they're they're getting they're getting access to something way earlier, maybe like a decade before I did.

So it didn't generate all those a decade-long more bad habits.

So yeah, that's what we're looking to do.

That's that's my answer to that.

Okay.

Yeah, I remember mine.

I was 16 and I was just tired of feeling alone.

And I think like a big part of my story is like I would put in my self-impositions, like to where I felt alone intentionally, like I just didn't want community because I just had no desire for it and I was okay with that.

And I just felt alone alone and alone.

And then I just came to church, and it was really you guys who really helped me and taught me and kind of helped me rebuild how I thought about Christianity and the gospel and my relationship and the Trinity.

And I just was tired of feeling alone and I was like, God, I I always come to you, right?

I don't know like Jesus, Holy Spirit.

I would always just be like God, and one day I was just like, no, they're three in one.

Like, I want to feel the peace that I know the Holy Spirit can give me because I see it in the people around me who are teaching me, but now I desire it for myself.

And I remember I was just 16 and I was reading first Samuel, and I was like, I don't want to feel alone anymore.

I don't want to feel like a nobody, like a nothing, but I see how you've used the story of David, right, in 1 Samuel, and and I want to feel like that.

I want to feel like I'm not alone, like I'm a victor because I have you.

And I just really, really, really worked and read my Bible and took time to understand the Holy Spirit and didn't show up just so I could be a part of the community, but showed up because I really desired that and I really wanted to be poured into and to pour into others.

And I just really took a lot of time to understand who the Holy Spirit was instead of just being comfortable with not knowing.

And that's really when my perspective changed.

It wasn't too, too long ago because I'm 19 now, but um, it's given me time to to really understand and be okay with not knowing everything, but having that desire to know more.

So and you know, I mean, that that whole idea you have of of wanting to be in community, I think we covered it a couple weeks ago, which is you know, God Himself is triune.

Yeah, He is a community in and of just Himself.

And so if you wonder why you need to be social, why you need to connect, why you need to belong.

It's just it you're in it, you're made to be that way.

Yeah.

And so, you know, you know, doing this walk, I think I say it sometimes, a lone ranger is a dead ranger.

Yeah, you know, you you hit them you hit them screaks and uh you're doing it by yourself.

Oh man, watch out, watch out.

You just get tired of like feeling that way, and then it's just like, why am I shoving away what I know is the truth?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then you just gotta lock in.

Just gotta lock in.

Just gotta lock in.

Um yeah, I as I kind of mentioned, um I think I was in college when I first started putting together the pieces that like the Holy Spirit wasn't an it.

It's not something that we use.

Um, it's a person and he's ever present with us.

But the reason that it was put on my radar was by a professor at my Bible college um who was who just straight up was like, This is are are you seeing the Holy Spirit as a person, not as something that you use?

And then, but it's crazy how transformative that mindset shift was, because then I went from like, okay, the Holy Spirit's not just producing fruit in me.

He is present with me in situations that I need to produce fruit in, right?

So I went from just riding in the car to then being like, okay, as I'm riding in the car by myself, and it it really did come back to kind of a relational loneliness thing.

It was such a sweet reality to be like, the Lord, the spirit is in the car with me, right?

As I'm, you know, crying down the interstate, feeling lonely, or as I'm stressed out, because I commuted back and forth to college, uh, stressed out about my, you know, exam that I probably didn't study well enough for, or whatever.

Like the spirit of the Lord was present with me in those moments.

And so, um, anyways, uh a scripture that reminds me of that time in my life where I was kind of realizing, okay, I would have obviously said Emmanuel God with us, like he's always with us.

I understand his uh omnipresence with us.

Um, but Romans 8, 26 says, likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes for us without groaning, or excuse me, for us with groanings too deep for words.

Um, and so it's kind of interesting to kind of think about, we talked about this in our small group last night, how different the Christian life would be if the Lord kind of just said, Okay, I'm gonna ascend and I'll catch you on the flip side of eternity and didn't leave the Holy Spirit with us.

Yeah, I feel like we would be a total wreck.

But thank goodness that He has given us the Holy Spirit to reside with us to intercede on our behalf to be an ever-present help in time of need.

So anyway, that's my story.

Um do you think we have time for one more question?

We we may have time for one more question, but just remind me at the end.

I I have a little bit of an announcement to make.

Okay.

Remind me.

Okay.

It involves um, what's it called?

Uh, the little uh the thing, the dumplings.

Dumplings.

Yes.

Yes.

Remind me of that.

Remind me of that student podcast when we're talking about the Holy Spirit too, Squish Time.

Remind me of the dumplings.

Okay, I'm ready.

I'm ready.

Rock it.

Anyways.

So I'm gonna try to go through the acronym REDPEG, but I don't remember all of the things.

Let's go talk about normal bring it.

Oh, red peg.

The Holy Spirit, which I thought that was so funny because it was so randomly.

Anyways, um, so we mean we talked about how the Holy Spirit reveals, directs, provides, yes, empowers, empowers, and then guarantees.

Okay.

The E was what I was missing, but you reminded me.

Okay.

So my question is how's the Lord doing that in your life right now?

Like, is there a I mean, I'm sure he's doing all those things actively all the time, right?

But is there one that stands out to you more in this season than others?

And if so, in what ways is he like revealing things to you?

In what ways he uh encouraging you that he's a guarantee of your salvation and you know, one day a redeemed, glorified body and presence with him?

Like in what way is that most tangible to you in this season?

Yeah, who wants to lead that off?

Okay.

All right, let's do it.

He is definitely empowering me to share more of my story with especially the girls I'm discipling, but also all the girls.

I feel like there has not been a Sunday morning or a Wednesday that I haven't shared something either really good in my walk or something I'm like, hey, I need to work on that too.

And it's just it's not something that I have shared before, at least not enough.

But I feel like the more I do it, even today, I was in discipleship with someone, and she was so quickly to be like, oh, like I relate with that so much.

I feel like no, that's not talked about.

And I was like, Thanks, God, like I'm glad I shared that because I'm not alone, and he's he has really been empowering me to just share my story and be like, hey, I'm imperfect, but I'm saved and I love him, and that's what I can offer.

So that's good.

I love that.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, for me, I think I I'm a big fan of uh reveal, right?

I mean, you may want to immediately jump into oh, you know, the Holy Spirit reveals the sin in my life, which is it does that too.

But in my particular case, you know, I I I I read the word as I prepare, right?

I mean, I'm I'm I'm blessed that being a pastor is is my vocation, right?

Like that's that's that's where the Lord has me, right?

Um, and so as as I'm looking just to prepare to have conversations with students or with adults or with college-age kids, whatever it may be, but in this particular case, I'm having conversations with students.

I like I like need a deeper level of understanding in order to communicate it more simply.

Right?

If I'm just reading for myself, I may skip over something that may be overly complicated and just move on by thinking, okay, in context, I'll figure it out later.

But the Lord has helped me that when I come across those moments that that He's kind of just made connections, right?

Because we talked about revealing being like an unfolding, right?

So the Lord as I read has has has been faithful to continue to unfold and make connections that I I haven't put together.

Uh, you know, I'm surrounded by conversations I have with with the both of you, you know, Mila and Nola, but all you know, conversations I have with the other pastors based on different things.

And he just has just been making the connections that that I need.

And and trust me when I tell you, it it helps when I'm able to make the connection.

If I can explain something to myself, I can talk to a kid about it.

And so I really I really have difficulty moving forward either prepping or just with anything unless I completely understand it, and that that just makes it easier for me to explain.

So that you know, my my my thing, you know, how's the Holy Spirit?

He's been he's been you know, he's been working hard on me revealing more of himself to me and just making connections.

That's my thing.

Yeah, that's good.

Yeah, I was kind of talking about that with a student earlier this week.

Um, I was not at Girls' Bible study on Tuesday night.

I was speaking at a women's event at Thomasville Road.

And so I had one of my students cover for me, and she was telling me, like, Nola, uh, the Lord just totally interceded, kind of similar to what you're talking about.

Like, she was like, I I don't, I'm not married, but my the chapter in Genesis that I was supposed to be covering and teaching on was about marriage.

And then she was like, I don't know nothing about the Sabbath, but I was also supposed to be talking about the Sabbath.

And so she said, like, she was kind of getting nervous about it and being like, How am I supposed to talk about these things?

How am I supposed to explain these things to when I don't fully understand what I'm reading?

So, like, how am I gonna teach it to people who also don't understand when I don't fully understand it?

And so, anyway, she just mentioned like sitting down on Sunday and being like, I just Lord, I just need you to help me kind of put these pieces together.

And she said, after she honestly like sought the Lord on it, she was like, the Holy Spirit just opened my eyes to put the pieces together.

And she said, I mean, and I didn't know any of this previous to today, uh, but I had a bunch of people after Bible study being like, That was an awesome Bible lesson.

And she was like, the Lord literally just was speaking through me.

And so Anyway, so I love that uh that's yeah, that is one definitely one of the functions of the Holy Spirit.

I've experienced that as she was saying that I was like, Oh, I've absolutely experienced like going into something, teaching something that I wasn't super confident on, but the Lord just kind of filled in the blanks and helped provide me with the information that I needed, uh, provide me with the illustrations that I needed to help make it understandable for students or whatever.

So, anyways, God's good like that.

Yeah.

So, well, that's good.

Okay.

Well, those are all the questions I had.

Did y'all have anything else that y'all wanted to talk about in relation to the Holy Spirit?

I mean, we could be here all day.

We really could.

Because there's so much.

But, Pastor Jesus, you wanted to talk about your dumbling announcement.

I do.

I do.

I have to talk to you about the dumpling because I'm ready, I guess.

Whoever was at the kickoff.

Oh, God.

Whoever was at the kickoff of the Holy Spirit kickoff, right?

Because the Holy Spirit took two weeks and then we're gonna jump into Acts.

You remember there was a moment when we were talking about the Holy Spirit being a person, right?

I mean, how?

The Bible describes message, right?

It can be insulted, it could be lied to, it could grieve.

And at that moment, I took out a dumpling at the message.

Everybody?

Everybody in the crowd, the crowd, you hear me, you feel me?

I took out this dumpling, a nice white dumpling.

I mean, you squeezed that thing, it felt so good.

Listen, you know what I found out today?

Somebody popped it.

Listen, listen.

There's only been one dumpling that's ever made at the center stage at Celebration Baptist Church, and uh after one week it's gone.

Um there'll be more there'll be more dumplings in the future, but um I I'll I'll do a better job taking care of it and making sure the that the right people hold it, that don't have these claw nails like Wolverine.

Okay, everybody, everybody with me?

So that dumpling is done.

New dumplings will come to be, but it did connect to the Holy Spirit.

Just want to let you know that's so you can't lie to anybody object, but you can pop.

Kill it.

You can't kill it.

It's in the garbage, you can't lie to it, can't grieve it, but you can't get it.

That's crazy.

They did it, they did it.

All right, well, R.I.P.

Anybody want to um, you know, one of the things that I like to do and I want to start doing more of is before the students are released to go to small groups, just leave them with a blessing.

Right?

Not, you know, just leave them with a blessing.

And so would anyone love to lead or just finally say a little goodbye?

Let's let's start let's start this little thing since this is our first podcast, always leaving the students with a little bit of a blessing.

Yeah.

I love that.

I'll I'll do that.

And I'll before I give my blessing, um, our the way that we're gonna kind of close our podcast is by giving you some announcements, some things that we maybe have already given you on a Wednesday night, but just as a reminder, as another plug for different things we have going on.

Yes.

Uh first of all, we do have Girls Bible study.

So please be inviting your friends to that.

We have Guys' Bible study on Wednesday nights in group room seven at the church.

And that's at what time, Pastor Hazes?

That's 4:30 to 5:30.

Group room.

4:30 to 5:30.

Girls' Bible study is six to eight.

Hit me up for the address if you need that.

Um, what else do we have coming up?

We also have the girls' retreat coming up.

So we already have 11 people registered and it's only been open for 48 hours.

So uh you need to get your spot if you're planning to attend the girls' retreat.

Very, very important that you go ahead and register.

Um, we also have rec night coming up on September 13th.

So plan to invite your friend.

I was just having a conversation with a student last night.

She said, I don't know.

I really want to invite my friend to converge.

I just don't know if she'll come with me to converge.

And I was like, better idea.

Invite her to recnight.

That's a great that's a great inn where literally all you have to say is just come play games.

Yeah.

It's at the church grounds, but literally just come play games.

And then from there invite her to converge.

So anyway, September 13th, that will be from five to seven.

So come hang out with us at Rec Night.

Is there anything else that I'm missing?

No, no.

I mean, I will say, you know, part of the reason why we're diving into acts is just to help our students transition from, you know, we've been together with them for approximately four years.

Like some of these kids, if they if there's a kid sitting with us that's in high school, chances are we had them their entire middle school.

And so now we're gonna be jumping into application.

You know at this particular point.

And now the issues are gonna be tied to applying and sharing and seeing what the Lord can move you toward becoming.

And so Yeah, just I mean, that only plug is Amen.

I asked you guys to come on in and get strengthened up so that we can go do that work.

Love it.

Okay.

Well, uh, I'll just close this out by saying we love you guys.

We have the best job in the world.

It's super a blessing to be able to uh work in student ministry.

I was literally just hollering in the in our cheer, in our uh whatever, our church office cubicles, just being like, yes, this is what student ministry is all about.

So we really do love being able to serve you guys.

Pray, we pray for you guys often that you would um continue to know and desire and love the Lord uh more and more all the time, and that that would turn into um further obedience and faithfulness to him.

And um, and so yeah, we just leave you with that charge.

All of that comes from the Holy Spirit.

The desire to know the Lord comes from the Holy Spirit, the desire to be obedient to him and to be faithful to him comes from the Holy Spirit.

So um, yeah, lean into your ever-present help in times of need.

We love you and we will catch you next week.

Bye, guys.

Bye.

Thanks for joining us on the Celebration Baptist Church podcast.

We hope today's conversation helped you take another step in your faith journey.

For more resources, upcoming events, and to join us live, visit iCelebration.org.

Until next time, keep connecting with God, connecting with others, and whipping on mission.