Midnight Jesus

Season 2: Episode 2 - Knowledge and Wisdom

Welcome back! This is Episode 2 of our second season of Midnight Jesus, where we share with you the same type of late-night Jesus talks that have been a big part of our journeys. This episode centers around Knowledge and Wisdom. For many folks, it has been impressed from a young age the importance of pursuing knowledge in a Christian walk. While we agree with that sentiment, we felt led to share a deeper look into what this really means. Come, learn with us.   Show Notes Additional Information/Explanation   * To add some additional insight into the notion of revelation… Revelation, in this context, can be defined as God sharing a divine truth or insight into his will with those who follow him. We stress a lot in this episode the necessity not to seek the next of these, but instead, to seek communion with the Lord. It is in moments like these that you open your heart and mind to what insight God may have for you. This is not limited to large-scale revelations; rather, it includes those smaller realizations about self, calling, and surroundings. It is easy to become so distracted by your expectation of God’s blessing of insight into one situation that you miss the wisdom he is offering in another. Instead, be open, honest, and ready for whatever God may offer. * Isaiah offered correction to Maliek at one point in this episode of the timeline of events based upon their telling across the gospels. For two guys who love the scriptures and every nuanced truth discoverable within them, this type of generally unnecessary correction is common. We scrutinize the details, not in an attempt to overly emphasize them, but to celebrate the beautiful complexity of the historical accounts offered in the Bible. Our gospels are a prime example of this: four accounts of one man’s life, work, and triumph; four men from different backgrounds, four men with different proximity to Christ; different details offered; different focuses held. Now that’s a stunning notion of the beauty of scripture. * Isaiah mentions, at one point, a connection to Proverbs 8:36, “but the one who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death.” (CSB) In this verse, the speaker is a personified wisdom expressing the idea that to hate them is to love death. This is an amazing insight, especially in light of one of the points we made in this episode. If the greatest wisdom is love, and to hate wisdom is to love death, and the ultimate source of love is God, and the greatest act of love was Christ’s sacrifice… I digress. You see the cyclicality of things. Seeking wisdom, the love and presence of God, is in direct opposition to death. After all, it was the love and presence of our God that stripped death of its power.   Scriptures Mentioned * John 5:39-41 * Matthew 12:2-4 * Luke 6:6-11 * Philippians 1:9 * Proverbs 8:36 * Proverbs 9:10 * Proverbs 1:1-7 * Matthew 18:3-4 * Luke 6:45 * Romans 12:2 * Psalm 119 * Psalm 1 * Psalm 46:10 * John 17:3 Blessing May you find yourself inspired to pursue the abundance of knowledge offered to us. May you find yourself ever-curious and ever-wondering of what you may discover. However, may that pursuit be in the name of knowing God better, for the purpose of seeking his will for your life. May you base yourself in love and uncover the wisdom that exists in it, and may that be the foundation for your pursuit of that knowledge. Go in peace, love then learn.

Season 2: Episode 1 - Personal Hope

Welcome to Season 2! We are so excited to be sharing our conversations with you all again! In our 1st episode of this season, we invite you to join our conversation on personal hope. It seems a common experience to have seasons of life where we struggle with feelings of stagnation. In this episode, we talk about the hope found in the ever-working hands of the Lord. Come, learn with us.   Show Notes: Additional Information/Explanations * An example of the reference to the scriptures expressing the power within testimony can be found in John 4:39 * The use of the phrase 'Saul’s transformation to Paul' by Isaiah is a misnomer for the process of spiritual change that Paul experienced, although it is functional in our conversation. For much-needed context, Saul is a Hebrew name, while Paul is the same name within the Roman context. Scripturally, Paul is referred to as Saul 11 times after his encounter with the risen Christ. The change of name we see in the book of Acts is not a direct reflection of the change that Paul underwent. Rather, this is a reflection of his shift of audience and interactions as his ministry focused on the Gentiles, thus changing from the Jewish context to that of Roman or Greek interaction.  * Directly after the discussion of what it would be like to have left early, missing the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, you hear Maliek reference the concept of being one of the 500 that did not stay. This is a reference to an idea seen expressed within the discussion of Christ’s visitation after the resurrection and the Day of Pentecost.. Firstly, in 1 Corinthians 15:6, we see it expressed that Christ appeared before 500 people. Additionally, we see the believers commanded to wait for the “helper” in Acts 1:4-5. Yet, in Acts 1:15, we see that the body of believers numbered only 120. It was these 120 who obeyed and stayed that experienced the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). * To clarify a major point made: The access that we find to the Holy Spirit is the result of the price paid by Christ. The payment was made in his sacrifice so that we may have access to the Fruits of the Spirit, a notion of the completeness within the Lord that awaits those who choose to pursue the Lord in eternity.  Scriptures Mentioned * Acts 9 * John 17:3 * Matthew 6:25-34 * Psalm 23:6 * 2 Corinthians 3:18 * Ephesians 1:11-14 * 1 Peter 5:8   Blessing May you find all the hope the Lord has offered. May you not be dissuaded by the hardships and stagnation that may test you. Rather, may you seek after the Lord despite these things so that the glory of his design may be realized. Know and trust that the Lord is working despite and through all hardship, that you are never truly stuck if your feet seek him, and that there is forever hope to be found in what God will do within your life.

Episode 4 - Vulnerability

In episode 4 we invite you to join for a conversation about vulnerability. In a world built on individualism, at times it is hard to open yourself up. This episode we discuss vulnerability through honesty with ourselves, openness among others, and submission to God. Come, learn with us.

Episode 3 - Community

In episode 3 we invite you to join us for a conversation about community. After diving into discussion regarding loneliness, in episode 2, we felt it only right to parallel that with a discussion about community. In our discussion we focused on the benefit and necessity of a Christ-centered community. Come, learn with us.

Episode 2 - Loneliness

In episode two we are diving into a topic that everyone can identify with. Loneliness is something we have all experienced, in one way or another, during our lives. We wanted to dive into this with a focus on the Lord. Come, learn with us.