Do you ever ponder if knowing Jesus equates to being known by Him? We delve into this intriguing question in our latest podcast episode, reflecting on the profound Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25:11-13. We challenge listeners to prepare themselves, actively participating in Kingdom work, and understanding that faith and works should not be seen as polar opposites but as complementary aspects of our Christian journey. Salvation may not be work-based, but we emphasize that there's Kingdom work waiting for each one of us.
What if we could demonstrate our faith and make Jesus known through our everyday actions? We explore this very possibility, picking cues from Matthew 25:35-45, analyzing Jesus' differing responses to the righteous and unrighteous. We urge you to find those small cracks in your daily routines to serve the Kingdom, to make God look bigger than ourselves. And, as an eye-opener, we discuss the remarkable work of Destiny Rescue, a nonprofit organization actively engaged in the fight against child sex trafficking. We wrap up by inviting you to introspect, to reflect on your relationship with Jesus, to foster a deep reverence and fear of God. Let's embark on this soul-searching journey together, balancing biblical insights and practical applications of faith in our daily lives.
Do you ever ponder if knowing Jesus equates to being known by Him? We delve into this intriguing question in our latest podcast episode, reflecting on the profound Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25:11-13. We challenge listeners to prepare themselves, actively participating in Kingdom work, and understanding that faith and works should not be seen as polar opposites but as complementary aspects of our Christian journey. Salvation may not be work-based, but we emphasize that there's Kingdom work waiting for each one of us.
What if we could demonstrate our faith and make Jesus known through our everyday actions? We explore this very possibility, picking cues from Matthew 25:35-45, analyzing Jesus' differing responses to the righteous and unrighteous. We urge you to find those small cracks in your daily routines to serve the Kingdom, to make God look bigger than ourselves. And, as an eye-opener, we discuss the remarkable work of Destiny Rescue, a nonprofit organization actively engaged in the fight against child sex trafficking. We wrap up by inviting you to introspect, to reflect on your relationship with Jesus, to foster a deep reverence and fear of God. Let's embark on this soul-searching journey together, balancing biblical insights and practical applications of faith in our daily lives.
Welcome back to the Two Fish podcast. My name is Nick, I'm Aaron and this week we're going to look at the thought you know Jesus, but how does Jesus know you?
Speaker 2:Welcome back to Fish Community. We are excited to be here with you. We hope that you have shared this episode not this episode, the last episodes with one of your friends and you've invited them along to join you in Bible studies and dive even deeper, after you listen to the episode, into what we had talked about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, last, the last weeks we've been running through Titus and we finally finished that up. Titus, is that right? Philoman yes, that's right, we did do that. Just a one pager out of the Bible. It's almost been a month. Two months ago we had this conversation of you have a friend that came to Christ. What do we do now? We talked about that coming to know Jesus, and then this week Aaron and I were just kind of discussing some stuff and we had the thought of okay, well, we know Jesus. Maybe we have this mountain top experience. We have this emotional experience where we've come to a place of repentance and of knowing that we need God and we become Christ followers. Yeah, but through our journey. There's just this question in my mind is yeah, we know Jesus, but does he necessarily remember who we are? Of course he does, but why?
Speaker 2:Why is?
Speaker 1:he remembering us. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's an interesting thought. Actually, I ran across the thought from. It was a kid on, like TikTok or something, and the story kind of went like this how great would it be, when you get to heaven, that you don't have to plead your case at all. When you show up there, jesus says Father, this is my servant, nick. He has been faithful. He has served me well. I know him by name. I know him inside and out. His heart was for you. When I called his name, he did what I asked him to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He fell short here and there, but this is my brother Nick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's an amazing thought, just to know that we don't have to do that pleading, because I mean, now you walk in front of a judge, the judge probably has a couple pieces of paper explaining what the case is, but he doesn't know, or she doesn't know the actual ends and out. She doesn't know who you are, and that's your chance to explain why maybe you're not guilty and why you deserve freedom or whatever it had to be in the legal way. But you have to get up there and you have to plead for that. You have to prove yourself or the other side has to prove that you're guilty. And in this conversation we're Christ followers and we don't have to do that because Jesus does it for us.
Speaker 2:But that's where you ponder the question I know Jesus. Does he know me? When I get there, is he gonna say who are you? Which? If you go to the parable of the ten versions, at the end of it Matthew 25, 11, 13. Later the others also came. Lord, lord. They said open the door for us. But he replied truly, I tell you I don't know you. That's his reply to them, saying I understand, you know who I am, but I don't know who in the world you are. And then in the next verse, it tells you therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day and the hour which would be the day and the hour of Jesus coming back. Yeah, you need to be prepared for that day. If it's tomorrow, if it happens in the next ten minutes, are you, are you prepared for that? Is Jesus going to know you? Or, when you knock on that door, if you're gonna open the people and say I don't know you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that. And that story really calls to the part of the Christian walk that says you need to be ready, you need to be looking for the day that I return, because I promise I'm gonna return. And what's cool is and actually this past week this is interesting that we start to talk about this this week because this past week I don't know if I said this on the podcast, but we started going to a new church and he brought this new guy, brought this message and he was basically saying we're in the last days. Now, of course, every generation before us has thought the same thing. Right, I remember my grandpa and I was a little kid hey, in my lifetime it's coming. Of course, he's since past. Obviously it didn't come during that time and I think every generation has always said that and the pastor at this new church we're going to, he said that's a good thing, because we should always be on the edge of our seat in anticipation.
Speaker 1:For that day Ready for that day and what do we need to be doing? We need to be doing Kingdom work, and that was kind of what his message is about us doing the Kingdom work Right up to the very end, being ready, and what the Parable of the ten virgins is hey, there's half of you that are gonna be ready and half of you that aren't. They probably think you're ready. That aren't Right, and when the time comes, you realize you missed it. These ten virgins are saying hey, oh, actually you weren't ready, you weren't doing Kingdom work, now that that's required, but you thought you knew me, but you really didn't, because I didn't know you.
Speaker 2:And it is. It's a very like we're probably only gonna be surface level here, right, like this is a very deep topic, because you brought up the work thing. Well, it's not work-based, yeah, but yet there is work to be done and it's faith-based, but yet there's work to be done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what good is your words without the faith? Yeah, what good your faith without the words? And then you come to the concept of well, god created everybody, so how does he not know me? Which is where my mind gets all twisted up, and like this is a rabbit hole, yeah just a huge cluster up there of like Well wait a minute.
Speaker 2:He created me. He knew me before I was even born. He knew the rabbit hole I would go down in life to eventually come to him and and to know that I am called at this point. So, now that I'm at that point, and like you brought up we talked about after Easter. Well, your friend got baptized. Now, what right I'm still sitting in that category of of now.
Speaker 2:What, as I'm pondering this question, well, does Jesus know me? And through talking with some friends, I was like you know, I think a part of it is when you hear him, do you respond when he calls on Aaron, aaron, I need, I need you to go pray for that guy. You're like Jesus, it's the middle of service, I'm not gonna go pray for that guy. He's like well, you'd pray for him after service. Well, that's gonna be really awkward, jesus, I don't think I want to do that. And then you give him the ultimatum Well, if he gets up early, I'll get up and I'll go pray with him. So, of course, the guy gets up early, right, and do you go pray with them? Yeah, well, I don't know, I did. It was a real life scenario, but earlier in my stage in Christianity or thinking I'm a Christian um I probably wouldn't have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's the side of it, as do we know Jesus? Are we diving into God's word? Are we constantly in prayer, in the spirit, trying to feel his spirit, trying to understand those callings? I think that points to us knowing Jesus and here being able to distinguish the voice and a nudge from the Holy Spirit versus you know some bad tacos. It's understanding that. To me that's the, that's that when I think about it, that's the do I know Jesus? But then the other flip side of that is does he know me and how does he know me? I think for a lot of us and I can sometimes put myself in this category is he knows me because he's constantly dealing out grace.
Speaker 1:He's constantly saying Nick, all right, I got you. I died on the cross for you. I'm wiping this slate clean. Oh, you came to me for repentance again. Oh, yeah, did this again. Oh, you did that again. Oh, you know, through my life, I feel like sometimes Jesus knows me because of the wrong I did. Or does he know me because I am constantly in that prayer mode or I'm constantly in his word meditating over that, and a lot of times I'm not. A lot of times it's not the case that that's how he knows me. I feel like a lot of times he knows me because he's constantly having to go to God and he's like God, I know, I see it, I get it, but he's one of ours. Yeah, you know what I mean. He. I'm not Christian who's needing that grace, not that we don't, we all need it, but I'm the one. Maybe that I don't know. It's been a while, but dammit's on here on the show and he was like that cheap grace, yeah.
Speaker 1:That I got the grace card, I can do whatever I want.
Speaker 2:Man, I wish I had that card. We do.
Speaker 1:We just shouldn't use it everywhere we go.
Speaker 2:It's not a big card.
Speaker 1:It's supposed to be a little card right.
Speaker 2:Like we're cashing in a little card is the goal. No, I think that's really good, but that's not the way you want them to know you know, like. You don't want to constantly have to know, you constantly want to go back and repentance.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:You got to be trying to walk away from that too, like it can't be just continual. What am I trying to say?
Speaker 1:I think it can't be our only relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with him is the constant hey, I need out of this, I need that. Get out of jail free card. Right, and Jesus was like this was get out of eternal jail card. You're like, yeah, well, I need to swipe it a couple more times, but if that's the only reason you're going to him I think about parent child relationship. If all your child does as a teenager just come to you for how to eat some money for gas or I need this and I need that. You're wanting to help your child out, you're wanting to do those things, but at some point it's like it's the only reason you're coming to me. Yeah, at some point there's got to be this hey, you know what? Not today. You to grow up and you need to figure this out. You'd figure.
Speaker 1:I will always be here for the big stuff, but you got to do this for yourself. You got to figure this out. Sometimes that's where my mind goes is is that parent-child relationship?
Speaker 2:No, I think that I think that's a good relationship thing there, and when you, when you bring in, and times are the second coming of Jesus, and you think about that and like the people without the oil for their lamps, they went to beg For some from the other people and they're like I only got enough for myself.
Speaker 2:Yeah and Ultimately, like Nick can't build my relationship with Jesus. He can help me to know Jesus, but he probably can't help Jesus to know me, like on a deeper level, if I'm not willing to try and build that relationship, if you're unwilling to try and work on that relationship and that Communication, what the vertical relationship? And then you have your horizontals right, like if you're not willing to go above your horizontal Relationships to work on it with with God, then how, how?
Speaker 1:is he?
Speaker 2:gonna know you. Yeah, he's gonna know that he created you, he knows those things, but you didn't return that respect at all. Yeah, so you go and knock on the door and he's like hey, buddy, I'm sorry but I knew you.
Speaker 1:I offered you that Citizenship card. Yeah, you didn't accept that card you you remember that day, april 12th 2022?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, do you remember when I spoke to you there and then you lived the next 30 years and didn't respond? To any of that and I had to go to the next person.
Speaker 1:I think the way you said that flows really well into the next part of Matthew 25. Actually, let's drop down to 31. It says when the Son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people From one another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, and he will place the sheep on the right but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right come, you, who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you From the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. And here's where I think this really ties in is well, how? How will Jesus know me? How? What are those things that I can be? You know we talked about prayer, we talked about, you know, re-scripture, but here's some other things. Verse 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked, in your clothes, me, I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer, because they're confused. Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you and thirsty and give you drink, and when did we do all those things? Drop down a 40.
Speaker 1:And here's the king's response. He says, truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it for me. Verse 21. Then he will say to those on his left depart from me. You cursed and enter it into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food. And he continues on there, like we said.
Speaker 1:Verse 44. Then they also will answer Lord, when did we see you hungry? I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not cloak me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they will also answer Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked or sick and in prison, and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them saying truly, I say to you, as you did not do this for the least of these, you did not do this for me, and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Speaker 1:So it's kind of really repetitive there, but basically he's saying to the righteous, because they were confused Lord, we didn't see you, can't physically see you. He's gonna be like no, but remember what you did to my people, to the least of these, and and then to the same, to the same thing, to the unrighteous. They're saying well, we didn't see you. Try to make excuses. It's like no, if we would have seen you, we would have done those things Right. He's saying you should have seen me, though. Should have seen me within these lease of these people, and you did, I think just that section there makes me think, and again, room for growth here Makes me think of one of those ways where we could Know, where Jesus would know us, because we're doing the things that he's called us to do.
Speaker 2:Man, you're reading that and I'm I'm just thinking like come back to that the comment I made earlier. Like Jesus knows us, he created us. We didn't just create you. You created the least of these. You created everything around us. And how do you put God in the midst of everything? But yet we have a tendency to ignore it all.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The opportunity is presented every day, in everything that we do, to thank God, to worship God, to maybe feed somebody, to maybe clothe somebody, to maybe give somebody five bucks. That's how he's going to know us is. We're constantly trying to do kingdom work for his glory not for our own glory, but as we're walking in our daily lives, are we trying to make Aaron look big, or are we trying to make God look big? I?
Speaker 1:love that, and this whole thing here made me think, and when I was thinking this earlier I thought of it and now again I'm thinking about it again. But we have done an episode before with a group called Destiny Rescue and what they do is they rescue children out of the sex trafficking world across the world. And we've actually had Chris Russell on the show. No, that's probably been two years ago now. I think we've talked about getting him on, but he's a pretty busy man. Maybe if he hears this he'll want to reach out.
Speaker 1:But one of the things they do to help raise money for that I think it was like $1,500 rescues is what's needed by the end of the day to get a child out of that industry, and this will be for the local people. But they're having a huge garage sale at one of the local churches Actually, it's your church, I think this year, and they're going to start taking donations here soon. But people donate their stuff and then they sell it and 100% of the proceeds go towards towards getting those kids out of that industry. And I just happen to see this come across Facebook the other day. The sale starts on Thursday, august 24th, and so that would be a way in my mind when I think of this, a way to support the lease of these, the way to do those things. I think that's a.
Speaker 2:That is one of obviously, many ways, but that is a very good way locally and even if you're not local, if you reach out to us, we can send you a link that will directly go to that that fund, as they always end up with cash donations as well. Yeah, during that and the one year, nick and I actually sat at the garage sale and just talked to people. Yeah, and we released an episode at that garage from that garage sale was part of the Destiny Rescue. Yeah, jessica, serious.
Speaker 1:Jessica puts this on every year. She takes donations and I'm telling you they have so much stuff oh, that's crazy, and they sell so much stuff. And I think right here in the post she says they've raised over $100,000 from a garage sale that they do every year. Yeah, and it's saved over 60 children from being in that. And again, this is not a hey, come support this cause. You can support any cause you want. You can do anything.
Speaker 1:That, just this, just popped in my mind. They didn't ask us to say this, but I had seen this on Facebook. To me, this is one of those ways. The least of these need help. Lots of people need help, everyone needs help, but the least of these. When did you see me? Did you see me unclothed and did you help me with clothes? Did you see me when I was sick and did you help me? Well, no, I didn't see you, lord, yeah, but you had an opportunity to see me through other people, I don't know. We'll link that in the description of the video. You can go check that out. Do with it what you want. That just popped in my mind.
Speaker 2:Just an opportunity You're saying like did you feed me? Did you come see me when I was sick? Were you the hands and feet of Jesus? Like, are you being his hands and feet? That's how he's going to know you. Yeah, that's how you're going to build the relationship and oftentimes, when, when you go and you pray for that individual and their life is altered rather, if they're sick and they're healed, like you have that opportunity to pray for them and then you get to see the fruits of it. Now, it doesn't always work that way.
Speaker 1:Right yeah.
Speaker 2:But when you get to see it, it is such a stinking blessing. Yeah, Now you didn't do the healing, Jesus did it right. Yeah, but he granted you the privilege of seeing his work.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think that's a huge part of how you know that you know that you know is that you get to see him do miracles, because miracles still happen. It's not him walking the streets and healing the blind, and but it still happens to this day and that's a huge to me. That's like we're sitting here talking. That's a huge part of knowing that you know that you know he knows you.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:I think. I think another great example. And a guy was all over the place. He messed up too Right, like he was on the highs of the highs and lows of the lows. But if you go and read some of the Psalms David, we're going to go to 139, verse 1 through six here is a great example of you realizing that Jesus is in every aspect of your life.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it starts out. You searched me, lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and you know when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all of my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, lord, know it completely.
Speaker 2:You hem me and behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain, just like the realization that he knows when you're going to sit and knows when you're going to stand. He knows the words are going to come out of your mouth, of the tongue that you can't control, before you even speak them. Like just putting God in every aspect of your life as you go throughout the day.
Speaker 1:And I think that relationship that you know me, lord, that David's talking about, is not just a hey, we're coins, is down the road. This is a deep relationship, yeah, and he has with Jesus, with God, and he's saying we're so tight. You know all this about me. Yeah, that's where we need to be.
Speaker 2:And I think there's that fear behind that too, the fear of God, and you know what's going to come out of my mouth. I need to learn to control my thoughts and my and my tongue but just that deep reverence and that deep fear of God, not knowing you know, so that when you knock you know who you are. So I think I think this week and just sit back and reflect, reflect on what you think your relationship looks like, maybe write it down. What is my relationship actually look like?
Speaker 1:Do I know Jesus? That's good, but does he also know me? Yeah, I love that. All right, so that's it for today.
Speaker 2:Thanks for tuning in this week. If you enjoyed this episode, hit those like and subscribe buttons. Also, head over to to fish podcast dot com to join the rest of the to fish community and all of our social media platforms.