Are We Pointing to God or Self?

Hey, this is Tim Pratt Jr. and I want to welcome you to the Student of Life Podcast. Listen, we're going to get into so many transferable truths throughout the content of these episodes that I believe God is going to use to help you apply, because he's going to reveal what's already been there the entire time. Enjoy.

Yo, what's up? This is Tim Pratt Jr. and I'm your host of the Student of Life Podcast, and today But I really have a good one for you that I really believe that's going to be just challenging more so in the aspect of really asking the question, you know, God or self. So that's the topic. Are we pointing to God or self? Are we pointing to our Lord and Savior? Are we pointing to self? Because we even know that the Holy Spirit himself draws people to God, not himself. So we live in a world today, and I actually put this up like 2 days before the Grammys on the marketing page for Student Life, I was talking about just more so the context. Hey, are we more so concerned about building disciples or we're more so concerned about being more influential for our following? And it seems that's very elementary. I mean, in the context of what I'm talking about now, of course the thing is like, oh, we live in an influential world. And that's true, we do. Everything is about influence, influence, influence. I mean, it is no shortage of content and information out here today. And people are trying to become very influential because, you know, you can literally make money off of just your influence alone. I believe influence in other areas— you know, leadership is influence. Leader, uh, you have influence with the right people at your company, you have the right influence with the people that you're— the ministry, do you have right influence with your friends, sports, you know, over your players if you're a coach or whatever, over your classroom. It's all about influence. But we got to be very careful in the context of ministry, or just more so discipleship, because I believe this goes for the marketplace as well. Um, are we pointing to God or ourselves, you know, and what does that look like from a practical standpoint? So that's what I want to talk to you about today. And I don't really have a foundational text, but we'll kind of hit on some scriptures, you know, here and there throughout this. So, or I more so give you something to look at. So that being said, man, let's jump into it. Uh, so I kind of want to open this up, uh, by something I want us to consider. I believe it was in Samuel when I read this. Is this in my notes? I have to go back and like verify, but I believe it's in Samuel. Uh, basically, you know, when I was reading through, uh, I was in a class, I believe it's the Old Testament survey, and then I was, uh, based on a podcast or something I was listening to. But I remember this being kind of an Old Testament survey, uh, when I was doing some studying for that. Uh, basically I had made a note in the observation because I was like, man, it really hit me uh, more so asking me, do I see myself in it? And basically what we have is that, uh, at one point Saul was building an altar to the Lord. In one chapter Saul was building an altar to the Lord, but then in the very next chapter he started building an altar to himself. And the reason why I, I'm sharing that with you is because I believe it put me on guard. We have to consistently ask ourselves, are we really pointing people to God to Jesus himself? Are we really pointing people to our Savior, or are we pointing people to ourselves? Because this is so easy to get caught up in, in a back and forth. I mean, like, God works through us with the power of the Holy Spirit. We know that we have gifts that he's given us, talents and, and things like that. And so because God can work through us, and we see basically his power, uh, through the power of the Holy Spirit working through us to reach people, to to help heal people, to help put people in position, and so on. Sometimes we can be doing it for so long that we think it's us. And we can go to this, you know, with the walls of Jericho and things like that, when those people were basically— the power of God was moving through them. And this was people that shouldn't have been winning no type of war. They shouldn't have been knocking down walls. They shouldn't have been winning battles or anything like that. But the power of God in the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord, was upon them. Long as they were obedient. And these people were winning things that they shouldn't have won. And sometimes with that, man, it can come a place of cockiness, it can come a place of arrogance, because like, look at me, I'm doing the work of the Lord, but also look at me, I, I want, uh, to be praised. I want people to see that they can't really get breakthrough unless it's my teaching, uh, they can't really get breakthrough unless they come to my church, they can't really get breakthrough unless they plug into my content. And that's the furthest from the truth. And I don't really too much care what people say because we're gonna get into scripture. I don't too much care what people say. Well, like, yeah, we should honor, we should— all of that, you know, we should honor people, we should recognize people. Some people are just really truly doing it for God and they're influential. But a lot of times if we're not careful, many of these, uh, many of these people, they can truly be pointing to self. And we're going to get into the text, not by what I'm saying. I'm not a person to say, oh, well, maybe that's because you don't have a big platform like them. No, that's not what it is, because you have people have small platforms that truly they still want to be God, and you have people with small platforms, they truly doing it for Christ. Vice versa, you have people with really big platforms that are doing it for God, you have people with really big platforms and they're doing it for self. So it all comes down to heart posture. We're going to prove that with scripture. But one thing that we have to be very cognitive of, we have to say, am I so focused on growing my platform Or am I more so focused with growing disciples? Which one is important— more important? Is it my platform more important than discipleship? Because truthfully, when it comes down to it, many of us would rather push our agenda than the kingdom agenda. And how do you know if you're pushing the kingdom agenda? Well, examine the scriptures, examine the text, really plug into the text and say, Lord, am I truly doing this for you? When you pair my life with scripture Am I truly in my heart posture? Am I convicted? Am I, am I convicted in a way to say, Lord, I am truly inspired by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I'm doing this for him and not for fame? I'm not doing this for influence. I'm not doing this because I want my name in the headlines. I'm not doing this simply because I can make money, money off of the influence in this world today. But I'm truly doing this because I really care about shepherding people and helping disciple people to the next level. I help— I love help growing people within the ministry. I love helping growing people within the ministry for the work of it, because of God has equipped me with these gifts, and then I'm nurturing these gifts, I'm developing these gifts through the grace of God. It's all about discipleship, it's all about seeing people grow in the Lord. So I understand that people might be saying like, well, that's what I'd be saying to him, and you know, all these conferences and all that. I'm not— I'm not saying that. I'm not Like, conference can be a good thing. We spend money everywhere, so why not go to a faith-based conference? But what I am saying is that we have to be very careful that we haven't turned this into a money grab, and it's just like, oh, let's get them high. And, you know, in the context of like, let's get them high in the Lord. And, you know, they have a good time and they shout and they break through, and then they go right back out there, and then we don't really care about them because it's all about giving them the next best content. Like, what does discipleship really look like? Because Jesus spent a lot of time with people. And I'm not saying this is always on the pastor. The pastor should be equipping everybody in the ministry truly to be disciples for, for us to go out. If, if we're not a, a senior pastor, or if you get into some associate pastors, just even elders to degree, we— if, if, if you are a person, and I, and I'm an associate pastor by title, I get it, But what I'm saying is that truthfully, I'm looking at myself as just a member as well. When the pastor is teaching and he's giving what God is telling, he's, he's working through the Bible study, the, the small groups, it should be inspiring us and placing a level of conviction in us that's like burning to the point where we're saying, I want to go out and participate in the work of the ministry. Everything that my pastor is teaching me, I want to go out and apply it in the marketplace. I want to go apply it on my job. I want to go apply it in the schools. I want to go apply it in the grocery store. I want to go apply it apply when I'm sitting down eating. I want to apply it in my day-to-day life, not just within these four walls. That's what your pastor is equipping you for— the work of the ministry— to the point where you should have a personal ministry, not just with your mouth but with your life as well. So we have to— are we really truly pushing the kingdom agenda? Are we pushing ours? Because even if we're turning it on and off, like one minute we're comfortable with talking a certain way at work, but then we can switch it on you're pushing your agenda. It's not the kingdom agenda, because living for God is just as much private that it is public. It's just as much private as it is public. So if you are basically like, hey, you know, man, I'm not really— I don't want to do this, I don't want to be in— it's your agenda because it's what you want versus what God is telling you to do. And so let's go back to what I was saying earlier. So I told you, Jesus himself said it. You can go read this in Matthew 7:22-23. But Jesus is basically talking. He said, many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, Lord. He like, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord. Many— that's the key word— many will say to him. And that verse basically talks about— many gonna say, because I cast out demons, I prophesy in your name, I did all of these great things, Jesus. I'm paraphrasing, I'm kind of exaggerating now. Lord, I healed the sick. Lord, people's eyes became open through the teaching and all this. And Jesus himself is saying many— that's the optical word— many Many people, many will say that they did all these things, but he's going to essentially say, depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you. Jesus himself is going to say, depart from me, I never knew you. And that should be a gut check or heart posture check for every one of us that are preaching and proclaiming and living the gospel in some capacity. And I'm not just talking about preaching and teaching from the pulpit, I'm talking about preaching and teaching with our lives. We're connected with the church and we're doing anything of purpose and saying that we're doing it for God, that verse should always stay at the forefront. That's one verse that always just at the forefront to say, Lord, am I moving in an iniquitous pattern or am I truly doing this for you? Lord, am I one of the many that you're talking about or am I truly doing this for you? Because Jesus himself said, many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, Lord, I did all of these things. So what he's saying is going to be some of the most well-known people in ministry and it's going to be some of the people that are out here that are not well known, but you look at like as a person of influence that somehow, somewhere they have influence over you. And it's a possibility. I'm not saying all, but caught up in there, many is gonna be like, nope, they were more focused on their agenda than mine. It looked very close, but their heart posture— they were a worker of iniquity. They wasn't truly doing it for me. I never knew them. This was all about what they wanted, not me. I wasn't in it. I wasn't in none of the stuff. I wasn't in none of the stuff that they were pushing. And so we have to be very careful with discernment, man, because we can get so caught up on gifts and talents and, and people— like I say, one minute they are, they have built the altar. It's like, oh man, one point they were. But that's the beauty in it. God doesn't take his anointing away. I mean, I'm sorry, he doesn't take the gift and the talents. He doesn't take that away. But the anointing, he can say, I'm not in it no more, I don't approve what they're doing. We've had content on this. And so if his anointing is not on it, look at Saul, how Saul was literally left in leadership and the Spirit of the Lord had left him, but he was still left in leadership. And think about all the people that were following him and still following his agenda was no longer— because they couldn't have been following God's agenda if God had no longer anointed him. God was dealing with David and raising up David. But think about the many people today, what that looks like today in a modern time, how God is like, yeah, at one point they probably was serving me, at one point they truly were, but along the line they became full of self and now it's all about them. They are pointing to self rather than pointing to me. So what Jesus is basically telling us, that is very possible to be effective in the work of the ministry without being faithful to him, to God himself. It is very impossible to be effective without being faithful to God. Many will come, many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, Lord. Many that— we need to focus on that. So just because we can't be so caught up on someone's effectiveness in the ministry, in the marketplace of what they're doing, we have to truly examine it by the text and through a spirit of discernment and context. This doesn't mean go be judgmental, start talking about people saying, I knew they was fake and I knew they was pointing— so no, pray for that person that they come into— that their spirit be convicted and they come into repentance. Because God can still use the influence that they have. Just because a person, some along the way— and we gotta, you know, we are the biggest sometimes hypocrites, truthfully, in the body of Christ. Just because a person lost their way along the way— Paul say, follow me as I follow Christ. So just, I believe Paul was saying, okay, if I, if I, if I missed the mark keep following Christ. Don't follow me, follow Christ. Keep following Christ. But I believe if he was also saying— I'm not— I don't want to stress the text, but if he— something happens and he repents or whatever, he said, no, no, listen, I'm back to following Christ. You should follow him as he follows Christ. Imitate him as he imitates Christ. But today— and I'm not saying, you know, some people might take this loophole and say, man, that's gonna get people. They— what about the people Listen, what's done— what's done in the dark will always come out. You have some people that are just habitual offenders versus just messing up and missing the mark, I should say. Some people are just habitual in their practice and their nature, and this just takes time from discerning, man. You have to discern and lean in and truly examine by the text. But what I'm trying to say is just pray, pray for those people that they come into true repentance and that they do the will of God and keep advancing the kingdom agenda. Not trying to build their platform so much to say, but they say, man, I want to advance the kingdom agenda. I don't want to be effective without being faithful to God. I want to be effective and faithful. I want— matter of fact, I want to be faithful to God being effective. But I don't want to just be effective and, and, and change a lot of things because I'm a good teacher, because I'm a good preacher, because I'm a good leader by world standard. I don't want to be so effective that I miss God continuously and habitually, because I don't want to stand before him and he say, depart from me, I never knew you. He's acknowledging that, yeah, you were very effective, you did do all these things in my name, but I didn't know you because I didn't— you weren't dedicated, you weren't consecrated, because you pointed to self rather than pointing to me. So let our lives, man, truly point to him. We say this all the time with our kids, You could tell me all day how great you want to be in something, but I'm looking at your actions, your habitual actions. So this is something, man, that we really truthfully have to like examine, and not just in the context of preaching. This is for all of us, because many of us think it was on the pastor and the leaders in church. No, everybody that's a believer, this applies to us, not just leadership. So you can't be one way in the marketplace and one way in the church. We can't. It's all inclusive. Me too. And there are times I get it wrong, but, but I, I always try to go back and say, man, listen, I was wrong. I try to— I take a lot of things not because I'm weak or because I'm scary or nothing like that. I take a lot of things, man, because like I don't want to be easily offended. Now there are things I will check in love and say, hey, listen, we're not gonna— this is a boundary line. And I talked about that in the last episode. But in this context, it's like, even in that, my hope is that, Lord, give me enough courage, uh, enough courage through the power of God, man, to live out what you're saying, that I'm not just so easily offended when someone says something to do something. And trust me, people do get up under my buttons. They do push the right buttons that really truly should get a reaction. But every day I'm striving through the power of God, man. This is more about pointing to Christ than myself, because the moment I start saying, what about me, me, me, me, me, I'm pointing to self rather than Jesus, because I should be handling situations like Jesus. Now we can be angry and sin not. So I'm saying we can deal with some things. Everything is not about being weak and just taking any and every thing. But in the context of this, we have to make sure that it's a righteous anger, not for us to be sitting up here acting like the world. So we don't want to be so effective to the point that at the same time we aren't in true intimacy and fellowship, true intimate relationship with God. So again, I want to ask you, who are you pointing to? Who, who, who are you pointing to? Who are we pointing to? And what is our heart posture like? Versus our outward expression. Does our internal heart posture match our outward expression in the context of, is it truly about pointing to Christ, or is it about pointing to self? Is it truly about saying, listen, I want this too, once my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our discipleship, and that we want to see and live for Christ, or is it more so about my interest?

Hey, what's up? I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to this Student Life Podcast today. If this content has impacted you in any kind of way, please take some time to share it on your social media feeds. And also, if you want to connect with me or just learn more about me, go over to www.timothyprattjr.org. Once again, thanks.