Takeaways
The commandment is to remember Shabbat and keep it holy.
Entering God's rest is a present reality, not just a future promise.
Unbelief and disobedience can lead to spiritual death.
The Israelites had the gospel preached to them, yet many did not believe.
Engaging with God requires a willingness to die to the flesh.
The pre-trib rapture doctrine is a false doctrine.
The opportunity to engage with God was presented to the Israelites, but they rejected it.
True faith involves a daily commitment to follow Christ.
The new covenant was part of God's plan from the beginning.
Religion can often distract from a genuine relationship with God. We often operate in manmade works instead of resting in God.
The journey of Israel serves as an allegory for our spiritual journey.
Transformation requires dying to the flesh and trusting God.
Listening to God's voice is essential for spiritual growth.
Tradition can hinder our relationship with God.
The world today is akin to Egypt, a place of bondage.
The process of spiritual growth involves reprogramming and trust.
Our spirit man does not sin; it's our flesh that does.
Many Christians are on the wide road to destruction.
We need to rebuild our foundation on the truth of God's word.
Transcript:
David Doty (00:02.272)
It is the Think About It podcast. Michael Mishkin, David Doty here today talking about Hebrews chapter four, entering into God's rest. And we're talking a little bit offline about how it seems like the Lord has us in the season. He's been speaking to you about Shabbat, remembering Shabbat, did you say? Is that the command?
Michael Mishkin (00:22.944)
Thank
Michael Mishkin (00:26.888)
Yeah, the commandment at least says to Zahar in Hebrew, which means to mark or remember. It's not the word honor. Some people say honor the Shabbat, but it means to remember the Shabbat and keep it holy is what the actual commandment is describing. So it's a matter of really understanding because here we got in chapter four of Hebrews, whoever wrote Hebrews is really digging into
concept of entering into his rest as in today but he relates it to Shabbat. So we know that the whoever wrote Hebrews has a deeper understanding from sounds like a Levitical you know pharisaic or some type of pharisaical depth and is describing you know a spiritual meaning behind that concept which he does with a lot of things and that's what the Jews do.
The Jews are there. He's talking to fellow Jews in Hebrews. That's who he's talking to. Trying to remind them of certain things. In certain ways, he actually says, you guys are becoming lazy and I have to remind you a lot of these things. You're not catching and remembering certain things, so he's going over them. And he brings us to chapter four, where he talks about.
Those who are truly of God will strive to enter into his rest, which is today. If it is still called today, you shall strive to enter into his rest. And the rest, which is to cease, is actually what Shabbat means, to cease, to stop. And then six days, God created the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, he rested. And he's reflecting that to us, but he's calling it today. And then he's reflecting in chapter four. I mean, we could read this so people could see.
context, which is the most important thing. But we could see he's talking about how those who were hearers, but didn't believe, a lot of people of God he's reflecting at, because he's talking about those who died in the wilderness, and then he's reflecting it to them, how this was an example for us that if we don't, we could easily be, in some ways, they even says rejected, and which is, I know, counter to
Michael Mishkin (02:53.408)
Christianity and their belief system. But this is an important factor to understand how to walk in a way of entering into his rest, you know.
David Doty (02:57.528)
some.
David Doty (03:07.35)
Right. So you want me to start reading in verse one?
Michael Mishkin (03:11.517)
Yeah, let's read in verse one and we can stop and examine.
David Doty (03:13.166)
you
Okay. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. Which is what you're referencing. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. So who was he? Who's the them?
Michael Mishkin (03:28.713)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (03:41.738)
That's exactly. So we notice he's coming off in chapter four from chapter three. So maybe we should go back into chapter three into the last couple of verses to bring it down. So maybe we should read from like verse 14 and three and go through to the 14.
David Doty (04:07.918)
Okay. Yeah, I mean, chapter three verse once is, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus the apostle and high priest of our confession. So he's saying brothers, fellow believers.
Michael Mishkin (04:23.167)
So he's talking to fellow brethren, brothers, and in certain ways you could see it's actually Jewish brethren.
David Doty (04:31.713)
Mm-hmm. Verse 12 again, take care, chapter three, verse 12, take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God. So again,
Michael Mishkin (04:43.997)
That can't happen. That can't happen. What are you talking about?
David Doty (04:48.76)
Some people believe that's impossible, but there's a very clear warning again and again, take care, brothers, believers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. So, encourage one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Michael Mishkin (04:51.037)
Yes.
David Doty (05:14.252)
So when we let sin creep in and fail to repent of that, it hardens our hearts, we become deceived and the result is if we don't repent of falling away. Verse 14, we can fall away if we allow sin into our lives and do not repent. Right? Verse 14, for we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold on, again,
Michael Mishkin (05:27.495)
We fall away.
Michael Mishkin (05:33.951)
There you
David Doty (05:41.804)
we share in Christ if we hold on our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
Michael Mishkin (05:48.767)
Amazing that that word if Christianity doesn't believe in the word if
David Doty (05:52.067)
Yes.
Well, not all Christians. Let's not overgeneralize.
Today, if you hear his voice, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? So we're going back to Exodus. And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
Michael Mishkin (06:16.745)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (06:25.47)
And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient. So disobedience is sin. So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. So
Michael Mishkin (06:41.93)
and he's talking to his fellow brethren who are supposed to be believers, and he's relating it to his forefathers, all their forefathers that died in the wilderness. And he says to them, he says, for some having heard, rebelled. He says, in fact, he said it just before that, day we hear heart and whom.
Where do you say it's, or maybe it says it a little bit further, but he's basically saying they heard, but they rebelled. So he's saying what they did is relative to us. It's not they're separate. It's not Old Testament, New Testament. He's using them as an example on purpose that you could be exactly like them. If you've heard and you are not following and obeying, you could be just like them.
David Doty (07:34.321)
So verse chapter 3 verse 16 of Hebrews who were the For who were those who heard and yet rebelled was it not all of those who left Egypt led by Moses? So God was provoked to anger because of their hardness of heart because of their lack of belief which resulted in their sin and These were the same people who got protected through the ten plagues who was
They walked across the Red Sea on dry ground, but they were lost in the wilderness. Their lives were lost in the wilderness for during that 40 years, because even though God had taken them out of Egypt, they had not allowed God to take Egypt out of them.
Michael Mishkin (08:05.096)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (08:21.055)
Shouldn't we tell this guy that God wouldn't do that with us? That God's gonna take us away and everybody else is gonna go in tribulation? Doesn't this guy know this? I don't understand. Why doesn't he know this? Why is he telling us this?
David Doty (08:35.254)
Surprise surprise the pre-trib rapture is a false doctrine. I'm sorry. It's just it's just wrong So back to chapter 4 Therefore while the promise of entering his rest still stands let us fear Lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it for good news came to us Just as it just as to them, but the message they heard
Michael Mishkin (08:37.567)
Okay.
You
Michael Mishkin (08:52.201)
Fear.
David Doty (09:03.394)
did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
Michael Mishkin (09:08.543)
So they heard the good news, he just said. Wait a minute, I thought the gospel only came in the New Testament. He just said they heard the good news, did he not?
David Doty (09:11.31)
They heard it.
Michael Mishkin (09:20.319)
for even we are being announced good news just as those also. Does yours say the same thing? For we are being announced, yeah. What does yours say verse two again?
David Doty (09:20.504)
Bye.
David Doty (09:30.254)
You're talking about verse two? Yep, yeah, it says verse two. So I'm reading from the ESV, for good news came to us just as to them. So apparently, I'm gonna look at, I'm gonna go in the interlinear over here in chapter two.
Michael Mishkin (09:40.028)
Ooh, they got good news?
Whoa, that's interesting.
I got mine open. Here's my interlinear.
David Doty (09:52.18)
Okay, so in the interlinear and in verse chapter four verse two of Hebrews, and four, we are those having had the gospel preached.
Michael Mishkin (10:04.649)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (10:06.486)
just as they did, but not did profit the message of their hearing them, not having been united with the faith of those having heard. The gospel preached is, looks like it's the word that we get evangelized from, to proclaim good news.
Michael Mishkin (10:16.711)
so they had an opportunity.
Michael Mishkin (10:32.017)
Interesting stuff.
David Doty (10:38.146)
the message. So it is a different word in the Greek than
David Doty (10:47.092)
Michael Mishkin (10:47.731)
which were the hearing.
David Doty (10:50.976)
It's the message, agolos, it's a compound word, you and agolos. Agolos is the same word that we get messenger or angel from in the New Testament.
Michael Mishkin (11:01.951)
The angles.
David Doty (11:03.951)
and the word you which is well, good, rightly.
Michael Mishkin (11:09.661)
Mm-hmm. Your angle leads, though, to bring good news, to announce.
You know, and you know, I've understood this. The thing is, it's like you're seeing from Hebrews where he's illustrating that the people of Israel had an opportunity. I always said this. think we've even talked about this before that they had an opportunity because if you read Deuteronomy in chapter five, few verses down, I if you want to go to it, I could show you where that is. And you could see where they had the opportunity because this is what he's talking. He says they had an opportunity and they rejected. I could read to you.
Deuteronomy chapter 5 and I think it was like verse 16 or something but Let me see
David Doty (12:19.576)
So Deuteronomy 5 in the giving of the Ten Commandments.
Michael Mishkin (12:24.255)
It gets afterwards.
Michael Mishkin (12:28.763)
Alright, think it's at verse 24. Alright, verse, I'll read from 23.
David Doty (12:36.192)
And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And you said, Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man and man still live. Now, therefore, why should we die?
for this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, we shall die." So, well, mean, this is their fear, right? So this is why they wanted Moses to intercede for them to be a priest, really.
Michael Mishkin (13:08.639)
You
Michael Mishkin (13:20.061)
Read the next verse.
David Doty (13:22.146)
Verse 26, Deuteronomy 5 26, for who is there of all flesh that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have and has still lived? Well, we know Moses did.
Michael Mishkin (13:32.127)
There you go.
Michael Mishkin (13:36.106)
Well, but the whole point is that it's illustrating the cross. The good news of what Yeshua did, he's saying, hey, I'm bringing you back to the Father that you can have relationship, you could talk with him. but you gotta kill your flesh. They're seeing that back then. Hey, we could talk with God, but it means my flesh has to die. We don't wanna do that. We don't wanna go through that suffering. Moses, can you go up there, please? Find out what he wants and bring it down in a law.
that we could follow by rules and regulations. That's what they're talking about here. Does that not make sense?
David Doty (14:11.97)
Yeah, it does. It does. That's the thing where I think most Christians don't make that connection because it's not been taught. When it's talking about dying, a lot of times it's talking about the flesh. We have to be willing to put to death our own desires, pick up our cross daily and follow after him. We don't get to just do what we want to do all the time.
Michael Mishkin (14:19.219)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (14:37.076)
We and humanity especially like especially unlearned Christians are still in a compounded simplistic mindset. That's I guess they called the linear mindset. look, they're saying that we we die means if we talk to God, we're going to physically drop dead. No, he's illustrating exactly the same concept. That Yeshua is telling you if you want to go and grab ahold of this that I have you have to take up your cross and follow me. What does that mean to take up your cross? It means.
Your flesh has got to die, means your carnal way, your way of thinking, your way of walking, your way of doing things has got to go. And that's the relationship we have to understand. We gotta understand that it's not a actual finite physical death of an instant that we're used to, people dropping dead and not operating anymore. It's a death of your way. That's the whole purpose of the good news is if you kill your way, you can have access back to God. But the whole point that Hebrews is saying,
David Doty (15:24.483)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (15:36.648)
is that they had that opportunity back with Israel when they were in front of the mountain and they didn't want to take it. They preferred religion. They preferred a man to give them rules and regulations instead of engaging God. And it comes through, if you want to engage God, it goes through fire. means I'm going to burn up your old guy and I'm going to build you in a new guy. That's what they don't get. That's why the altar of God existed in the temple.
It was all symbolic of burning up the old flesh in order to be able to engage God. Interesting.
David Doty (16:13.518)
It's very interesting. Emily, can you hear me a little bit better now? Hello. Glad you're here. we were, she said Emily's on the, YouTube helping us out. So I appreciate it. Emily. So good to see you and hear from you.
David Doty (16:36.396)
Where were we? Thank you, I turned up my mic.
Michael Mishkin (16:38.752)
So we were making the comparison starting from Hebrews, where he's talking to his fellow brethren and using the example of the forefathers of their fellow brethren, Jews, and how they had the opportunity and they all died in the wilderness because they did not want to walk by faith, which is the death of the flesh and really being led by the spirit. then we just went to Deuteronomy chapter five and started reading those verses from chapter
from verse 23, that shows the actual illustrated time where they had the opportunity to exactly what we have now, it was offered to them. That we see today that it's possible for man to speak with God and live, but why should we die? Because who of all flesh can speak with man and live? Flesh cannot engage God, but God can incinerate the flesh man and give you the spirit man.
If you're willing to go through the fire and though they did not, they were not willing. They chose religion through Moses. That's why he came back down with a veil over his face, covering the glory of which was the new covenant, the true covenant under Yeshua, because the new covenant was always in existence from the foundation of the world says he was the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. But we didn't have access. People of Israel sort of had an access, but they refused.
David Doty (17:40.302)
If.
Michael Mishkin (18:06.205)
And now that we have the access through what Yeshua did, He's warning that we don't go backwards like they did and start operating in a religious manner and not with faith and resting in God. Because the rest in God is what? Sit down, relax, and if I need you to do something, I'll let you know. If not, sit down, shut up, and just study or spend time with me.
David Doty (18:18.114)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (18:32.872)
And that's the peace and the freedom and the joy of the Lord. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. But most of our operation in Christianity is manmade works because we want to do for God. And they don't realize a lot of our doing for God is like Peter trying to do for Yeshua when he said, I will never let you go to Jerusalem, be executed. And then he gets called Satan because his good intentions for God is actually opposition to the way of God.
David Doty (18:55.148)
Hmm. Hmm.
David Doty (19:03.309)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (19:07.628)
Yeah. So we, are in that battle of trying to enter into his rest on a daily basis. And we were talking about Shabbat and the importance of remembering Shabbat and not
Michael Mishkin (19:17.161)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (19:29.514)
not, we're not trying to force our way into the kingdom of heaven. We're not trying to earn our way. We know this, right? Academically, we know this and yet we feel like, I've got to go to church. I've got to share the gospel. I've got to, I've got to not do certain things. I have to not cuss and not, you know, whatever, fill in, fill in those blanks, right? And then I'm a good person. Therefore, God's going to be pleased with me and spend time with me and
Let me go to heaven someday.
David Doty (20:03.63)
Alright, let's go back to where we were in Hebrews 4.
David Doty (20:13.39)
He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way and God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And again, in this passage, he said, they shall not enter my rest. And so this is the people of God. These are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were slaves for 400 years who
Michael Mishkin (20:29.278)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (20:32.861)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (20:39.734)
were delivered, they made it through the Passover. They were in the land of Goshen. They went through all of the 10 plagues, including obviously the Passover. They were delivered at the 11th hour, walking through the Red Sea on dry ground. And then they died in the wilderness. They failed to enter God's rest. Then if we come to the end of this 40 years, we have the 12th spies who are sent into the promised land.
Michael Mishkin (20:44.052)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (20:59.017)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (21:08.456)
And only two of the 12 say, this land is beautiful. We're going to take it. We're going to do it. And the other 10, instead of looking by a lens of faith, said, there's no way we can do this because they were viewing it through the lens of the flesh. There's, we're like grasshoppers next to these people. And so they didn't enter.
Michael Mishkin (21:45.162)
So again, a lot of Christians are gonna look at, well, that was them, we don't do that, but yet the Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews is going out of his way to say, that is us. You can easily fall into exactly what that whole concept was that they fell into because again, what is not understood is that these aren't just stories, these are allegories.
These are figures and people and storylines that actually represented a greater concept of understanding that does reflect to us today. And that's why it's legitimate. And the writer of Hebrews understood that and was able to bring this scenario as a warning to fellow brethren here today in their time that you could fall away just the same way as they did because you're in a process. That's what it is. When you accept the Lord,
David Doty (22:34.37)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (22:43.178)
Churchianity at large teaches you you've received the prize you got it you won. That's a false gospel. They lied to you. The true gospel is Yeshua made the way for you that now if you continue to walk it out to the end as Hebrews 3 early on speaks of then you are a part of his house those who hold their faith to the end and many other places affirm that. Paul is talking about the same exact event that happened to the forefathers in
1st Corinthians chapter 10 and he gives the same exact warning to Gentiles that you could fall away just like them. So this was a very important happening in process and both guys are relating it to us believers back then and today that we could easily fall away. Why? Because Christians don't understand
David Doty (23:17.858)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Mishkin (23:38.996)
that the process of Israel coming out of Egypt and going through the waters, baptized into Moses, and then being in the wilderness before entering the promised land is exactly what you are going through, which is called the cross. It's a process of leaving the world, being immersed into a new teaching, and being brought into a place where you can't sustain yourself on your own. You have to trust God.
And if you keep bucking and kicking and trying to do it yourself, you will die in your own way. And you will not enter in what God has actually planned for you. The cross is about dying to the flesh and learning how to be one with the Father, become like Him, being built in His character by His Holy Spirit. And if you are doing that, then you are truly achieving what the good news is. Good news.
You don't have to be that old flesh guy anymore that is cursed through Adam. You can be transformed into the new man, which is in the image of Yeshua. He is the first amongst many brethren. So he is our model of what God can make us into and like if we let his spirit do it. Now the problem is when you're arguing and complaining and bucking and doing things your way, you are not letting him do it. And if you're not letting him do it,
You're still the flesh guy. And if you're still the flesh guy, you're not going to be with God forever and eternity because he does not unite with flesh.
David Doty (25:13.272)
Right. So one of the things you said was that these are allegories. These Old Testament stories are literal historical fact. They actually did happen in the way that they're described in the Bible and they apply to us today. And if you take into account 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 that says all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching for reproof.
Michael Mishkin (25:29.513)
Yes.
David Doty (25:42.072)
for correction and for training in righteousness, then that makes sense. Think about the Israelites going into Egypt, being enslaved, coming out of it. Why do those stories matter? Because they're allegories, because those stories are useful for teaching. They're profitable for teaching.
for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Michael Mishkin (26:17.469)
And what does that mean? You know, the people of Israel were in Egypt. So who is that today? Us. We're in Egypt. The world today is Egypt. It's the same exact reflection. Egypt back then was the world system and it was governed by Pharaoh, who is Satan, and his task masters, which are the demons. And they make you work and they burden you with work. And if you start thinking about God, they make it harder on you, make bricks without straw.
David Doty (26:23.244)
It's us in the world.
Michael Mishkin (26:47.816)
and they will challenge you. It's a fight. They will not just let you leave. You're gonna have to fight with determination in God, crying out to God for God to deliver you from that. And then once God does deliver you from that, you're not done. Now, this person who is made, built, and designed all from Egypt, which has the programming and operational code of Egypt, has to be deprogrammed.
reprogrammed and that is done in a wilderness zone. A wilderness is a symbolic understanding concept of a place where you have no power under your own to sustain yourself. You must trust God. So you have a choice either you trust God or you die in the wilderness because he's not gonna let you in your own strength sustain yourself. So if you do trust God, he will bring you through, reprogram you,
David Doty (27:35.566)
Mm-hmm.
David Doty (27:40.258)
Right.
Michael Mishkin (27:45.716)
rebuild you in his image, which is his design, which is his character, his fruits, his, you know, all the aspects of his spirit, you will be aligned with automatically. And that's what it means to have the law written on your heart. It's automatically you operate by that in the spirit. Your spirit man does not sin. Only your flesh does. It's you choosing the flesh that allows sin to propagate again.
If you stay in the spirit man, stay focused on him and allow his spirit in, you won't sin. You'll walk by the spirit because the law is written on your spirit man and you're being built in his image. And therefore you can now walk in that and then we can now bring him into the world because then he comes in us and through us to then shine in the world. And that's where Yeshua said, let your light shine before men that they may see your good work.
and praise your Father in heaven. So this is all done by the Holy Spirit. The only thing He's looking for you to do is to be open and let Him be willing and don't shut down. Oops, sorry. I gotta put, you know, effects behind what I'm saying.
David Doty (29:00.0)
Getting a little animated over there, Mr. New York.
David Doty (29:07.822)
Yeah, for all the world to hear. Amen. Well, you're absolutely right. I completely agree with you. It's all scripture. And if we continue reading in chapter four of Hebrews, verse six says, since therefore it remains for some to enter it, talking about the rest, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.
Michael Mishkin (29:37.311)
David Doty (29:37.876)
Again, he appoints a certain day, today, meaning now, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
David Doty (30:00.034)
Fine, verse six there, that word translated in good news.
Michael Mishkin (30:04.831)
That's pretty much what I was just saying is exactly what was just said there in the scripture. Harden your hearts means don't say I'm gonna do it my way, know. The hardening of the hearts is a subtle thing. We don't think we are. We're hardening our hearts by I have set up this way that I'm going to do God and we're not letting His Spirit lead, because God will be like, no, no, I don't want you to do it, like I want you to do this. And I know God, this is how I do.
David Doty (30:32.078)
Hmm.
Michael Mishkin (30:34.601)
do God. This is what I do. That's called idol worship. That's what he's trying to get us to stop doing.
David Doty (30:42.05)
Think about the way we do church. we were talking about you've been attending a new home church up there, and it's giving life, right? John White, one of the founders of Luke 10 Ministries, teaches people how to do home church. One expression of that, he says, like, when you get together to do church, don't even pray.
unless the Lord tells you to. Don't sing any songs unless the Lord tells you to. Don't stand up and preach. Don't even open your Bibles unless the Lord tells you to.
We do so many things out of habit. We go to church, we sing our three songs, there's a sermon with three bullet points and a nice story and an altar call. Why do we do all of that stuff? It's all tradition. It's not necessarily wrong, but is the Lord directing all of those steps or are we doing it out of tradition? Why do we go to this church or that church?
Michael Mishkin (31:54.675)
I think you just.
you're hitting the nail on the head there. It's like just in those examples, it's fundamental in our carnal being that we have to have some sort of formality. We have to like, well, we're here, we gotta now do some sort of thing. No, we don't know how to just release unto God and trust him to lead. All you gotta do is be open and he'll lead you. He's not gonna just, sorry guys, you're on your own there, you know, he's.
You know, like when we sat down last Saturday, we just sat down and we just start talking. yeah, I'm from here, I'm from there. All of a sudden it just starts to flow into scripture and then we start talking about this and that. And that's all by design, by the Spirit. You know, again, that's the thing. We don't have to prefigure out. You know, you come together and you sit down. If you're just standing there staring at each other, it's like, all right, well, let's ask the Lord what He wants to do.
That's the basics that you could even just say, well, all right, let's ask the Lord, Lord, come show us what you want. And that's how simple it should be. That's what my yoke is easy and my burden is light and means.
David Doty (32:55.214)
in.
David Doty (32:59.949)
Amen.
Michael Mishkin (33:08.691)
But just as simple as, all right everyone, before we get started, we should do this, we should do that. You actually could be contrary to what you should be doing in the spirit if you get that kind of a mindset. We have to learn this.
David Doty (33:22.702)
This is why, this is the way we do home church is exactly this.
David Doty (33:31.896)
How are you doing? So we'll go around, everybody shares two minutes. How am I doing? Somebody might be really upset and then, know, struggling with something hard. Okay, how can we best support you in this? Do you want us to pray for you? I think it's so important that people are given agency. But before we even do that, it's like, okay, let's listen to the Lord. Let's listen to the Lord. What does the Lord want us to do? And
We will break up into, you know, we'll sit, we usually gather around the dining room table. It's getting harder because it's just growing. Like new people are coming every week, which is really cool. But, and our goal is to train those new people up. So the first thing we do is, okay, let's listen to the Lord. What's the Lord saying? What should we do? Let's start with the check-in round. Okay, let's go around. Mike, how are you doing? You know, we go around the circle. Everybody shares how they're doing. If somebody shares something really heavy,
loss of a loved one, struggling, whatever it is, sadness, anything really negative and heavy, stop, okay? How can we best support you? Would you like us to pray for you now, later? Would you like us to lay hands on you? Would you like us to share? Would you like us to listen to Jesus together to see what He might say? Would you like to hear stories of what it was like when I went through this? Sorry, I'm going down this dogleg.
But it's all relational. It's relational with God. We're listening to Him and doing what He wants us to do. We don't sing songs. We don't begin with announcements or anything else. It's all just relational with Him and then with each other.
Michael Mishkin (35:20.403)
And we have scripture that backs that. When you gather, some will come with a word, some will come with a song, some will have a psalm. Again, what that means is that God puts something on each person's heart, which is the leading of the spirit, and it's legitimate. I feel that the Lord has a word I want to say to everybody that the Lord put on, okay, speak brother, go ahead. there you go.
David Doty (35:44.974)
1 Corinthians 14 26.
Michael Mishkin (35:47.9)
And that's really the simple formality of gathering church formality today as great and as nice some of it may be and how wonderful your pastor may be. The system is anti-Christ. It is. It is against the anointing. If you've gone through the Bible school system, if you've established a 501 C three, if you're having the formalities coming in,
There could be great things and the Spirit of God does move on a low level, but it's not the fullness you're missing out. There's so much more if you truly all learn how to let the Holy Spirit lead. And that's what the key of the gospel is. If you're getting to know the Father through Yeshua, then you have His Spirit to guide you. You don't have to come up with stuff.
David Doty (36:43.406)
Right. Yeah. If, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. And it's all, it all comes down to that. Are you listening for his voice? So often I'm finding that people are not listening. We, because I'm like on this thing all day long, I am checking messages. I'm scrolling Instagram, whatever, whatever it is that I'm doing.
And so God's speaking. And so what we've done over the last few months as we've been practicing listening to the Lord together, it's amazing how the things that's three or four months ago when I would have this like inkling in my heart. Yeah, don't do that. You know, don't eat that cookie, right? They turn off the TV. I'd be like, that's just my subconscious. I'll dismiss it.
But as I've practiced listening to the Lord, that voice isn't getting any louder or stronger, but I'm starting to recognize more and more that it's Him. And so what's happening is I am changing and able to deal with situations in a different way. I am being transformed from glory to glory, right? That's what the scripture says. As we...
Behold his glory, we are transformed from glory to glory. We behold his glory by stopping and listening and looking to him. That's what Christians are supposed to do. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter if you go to church or you, ultimately it doesn't even matter if you read your Bible or if you pray.
If you're not listening to him, if you're not doing it for the sake of getting to know him, none of it matters.
Michael Mishkin (38:44.298)
very is very foundational and powerful. If people will break down and go back to the foundations and reconstruct by the spirit in this kind of understanding, their walk could potentially skyrocket like they've never thought before. They don't realize that why don't I really get out of it what I should be? It's because you're being bogged down with so many foundational doctrinal things that are a lie.
and they're actually cutting you off from the Spirit because it's not actively allowing you to engage the Holy Spirit to knowing God the Father by His Spirit. Instead, you're doing, you know, pre-determined understandings. We should do this. We should do that. This is how we do this. No, that's called idol worship. That's what Israel was doing and God was not having it. God has
ways that he wants you to follow and it's by his direction. When it's not his direction, you're hardening your heart and you're going to die in the wilderness.
David Doty (39:51.778)
And nobody wants that.
Michael Mishkin (39:53.404)
No. But that's why it's spoken of that, you know, wide is the road to destruction and many are on it. Narrow is the road to life and few are on it. He's not talking about the lost outside. He's talking about all those who claim to be of God. Wide is the road to destruction and narrow is the road to life. That's why he says there's only a remnant, not a remnant of the whole world, a remnant of those who call themselves of God that are going to be saved.
because they're the ones who hold their faith by spending time with God and being with him to the end.
David Doty (40:32.439)
Amen.
Michael, can you close this in prayer?
Michael Mishkin (40:40.288)
Father in heaven, I thank you for another opportunity for us to come together, fellow brethren who love you and truly want to grow in you. And we know we are flawed. We are still, regardless of what we talk about, we still fall short. Our flesh still pops up and distracts us, but we're able to see and we can turn to you and submit that to you. And we ask that your Holy Spirit will kill that flesh.
all distractions, all ways that we are misaligning you, misinterpreting you, all ways that we have preconceived of you. We want to submit to you and die to all the inclinations, not just the obvious things of being a sinner in the world, but the religious things is what gets most of us, where we have all of our formulated ideas around you that are dead.
that are not truly allowing us to follow you by faith, by hearing your voice, being led by your spirit, and truly growing up into your nature as we die to the flesh man. We need your help. The church body, those who call themselves by your name, we need help because we've been fed lies. And we need to break down to the foundation and rebuild the foundation solid on the rock of Messiah Yeshua.
so that we could grow up mighty and strong as you design us in the relationship with you and being transformed into your likeness by your spirit. we are asking that you move now upon the whole world for those that you've known from the beginning, the sons of God, call them out of Babylon, the confusion of the world, the confusion of the false prophet of the church, which has the horns of the lamb but speaks like the dragon.
that has lied to us and instead of directing us to you, it directs us to the first beast, which is the carnality of mankind. We cut that off in the name of Yeshua. We cut off Antichrist, which is the dominating spirit over the church at large. And we pray for us to be set free. I command like Moses, let my people go. In the name of Yeshua, amen.
David Doty (42:58.24)
Amen. Amen. Hello to George in Columbus, Georgia and Emily. So great to see you as always. God bless you guys.
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