Christian Trail Bros
EP 4 | Christmas & Baptism
We discuss the struggles of Christmas, what is baptism and why is it important, and so much more on this episode of the Christian Trail Bros.
Topics, Questions
Email us TexasOutlawRunning@gmail.com
Briston's Social Media
Instagram/Facebook/YouTube - @BristonRains
Billy's Social Media
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/william.kent.5249
His Story - https://texasoutlawrunning.buzzsprout.com/
Asher's Social Media
Instagram/Facebook - @AsherFreakinHamlin / Asher Hamlin
Texas Outlaw Running Company
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter - @TexasOutlawRunning
Website - www.TexasOutlawRunning.com
We discuss the struggles of Christmas, what is baptism and why is it important, and so much more on this episode of the Christian Trail Bros.
Topics, Questions
Email us TexasOutlawRunning@gmail.com
Briston's Social Media
Instagram/Facebook/YouTube - @BristonRains
Billy's Social Media
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/william.kent.5249
His Story - https://texasoutlawrunning.buzzsprout.com/
Asher's Social Media
Instagram/Facebook - @AsherFreakinHamlin / Asher Hamlin
Texas Outlaw Running Company
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter - @TexasOutlawRunning
Website - www.TexasOutlawRunning.com
Welcome, welcome, welcome to episode four of the Christian Chorbros podcast. This is your host, Preston Rains. I know the last three episodes I have not introduced myself, but here I am. Right next to me on the screen we have BHB, bald headed Billy drinking his spinach gallon of something.
Speaker 2:Well, howdy everybody.
Speaker 1:Welcome, billy, and he's also wearing. He's wearing a lumberjack button up, so that's a bonus. Next up, we got Asher the non-trail running Hamlin. If you didn't get my accent there, I'll pronounce better Asher the non-trail running Hamlin. Asher Hamlin is his name and he doesn't trail run. He hops on these podcasts with his phone lagging all the time.
Speaker 3:Introducing Asher, hamlin, dang, y'all coming at me Also, I feel left out. I don't have a plaid shirt on.
Speaker 1:I don't either. You're okay. I got my St Nick's run fest shirt on today. St Nick's run fest.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you just did a race right, Was it a 5K?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a 5K all the way up to a 20K trail race and yeah, it's called the St Nick's run fest. We donate stuff to children all over the world, so that's pretty cool. But welcome to the episode four of the podcast today. Listeners, if you haven't already and this is your first time tuning in go back and listen to our last three episodes. We really encourage you to do that. Also, I wanted to note, if you want to be a part of this podcast, you want to talk, discuss, say things, join our Facebook group. We have a group called the Christian Trail Bros Form and that's how we communicate with people that listen to this podcast. So if you got any questions, testimonies, whatever it is, hop in that podcast or not the podcast, hop in that Facebook group. Right now we have Nea, asher and Billy on that Facebook group and then we also have Matthew, nathan, adam, jeremy and Rachel. So that's who's in the group right now. Shout out to everybody in the group, but that's there if you want to be a part of the conversation.
Speaker 1:So Christmas was, I guess from this podcast release two days ago. We're going to insert the new year here, but with Christmas just passing Christmas just passing I was kind of reminded of something. So the other day and I talked about this on our one of our other podcasts we do a little bit, just slightly. But the other day, as we were driving down for Christmas, I was listening to Christmas music and listening to the classics and I really felt like that Christmas has become a idolization of Santa Claus, saint Nick and presents and gifts and all these things. And Christmas is a time that we do celebrate the birth of Christ, but I feel like it's really taken a turn on to be a day that's a celebration of other things, which is, I mean, it's fine. There's no more in the Bible it says to celebrate the birth of Jesus or to celebrate Christmas. So it's not like it's like a biblical command that we need to celebrate Christmas, but we didn't. It's something we choose to do and so I guess, with that perspective, if someone wants to celebrate Santa and gifts and us Christians want to celebrate the birth of Christ, I guess that's okay. I mean it is okay. But the point being is, I was listening to Christmas music and I was like that's not what this day is about. This day is about the birth of Jesus. So I switched the playlist over to a Christian playlist of, like Christian Christmas music, all about the birth of Jesus Christ. But yeah, something really stood out to me is, within the birth of Christ, the angel that came to Mary said that you're going to bore, basically, the Son of God and he is going to set the people free from their sins. So the angel is basically saying Jesus is coming through you and he's going to set everybody free from their sins and that's his purpose. And I thought that was really cool. I thought that was really cool.
Speaker 1:Man, I look at us as birds in a cage when we are born into this world and Jesus came to set us free from our cages. Our cages represent sin. So Jesus came to set us free from our cage of sin, our trap of sin, and he did that by becoming sin on the cross and then dying, meaning when he died, sin died and then he went down to Hades and he took the keys of death. He took the keys of sin and he sinned back out into heaven, on earth and into heaven, and he used that key to put it into our cage of sin and to unlock it and to allow us a life to where we're no longer slaves to sin. We're no longer trapped by sin, but we are now set free from it through his spirit. Beautiful, beautiful thing. That is the birth of Jesus, and what we celebrate. So that being said, brothers, did y'all get any Christmas miles in?
Speaker 3:What did you just say?
Speaker 1:Did you get any Christmas miles in Did? You go around 26 miles on Christmas day or something, Billy.
Speaker 2:I'm broken, I'm out, man, I'm out.
Speaker 1:I forgot your injury, bro. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know you're not running.
Speaker 3:You don't even run trails, so I already know what you're going to say, but I'll hear it. Whoa, whoa. You come at me from a lot of angles, man.
Speaker 1:You don't even run, but I think you might Whoa whoa.
Speaker 3:No, I got my miles in the day before and the day after, but yeah, I did Not really Christmas You're going to now.
Speaker 1:You said you did what on Christmas.
Speaker 3:I said I did not run on Christmas and I really made that day about other people. We were just doing a lot of traveling. But anyways, I didn't get my 26 in y'all.
Speaker 1:Did you get any miles in? Like Christmas Eve, the day after anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got some miles in the day before, day after today.
Speaker 1:How many?
Speaker 3:I got like three in the day before and five in the day today, both good runs. I got new goals. I got new goals.
Speaker 1:Something like ETD.
Speaker 3:I'm going forwards into 2024, so you should be. Oh crap. Well, I'm out here in the Bonis. What's crazy is I'm out here where Bristol is from, so, like I'm going to have bad reception, I'm driving past Tyler, texas, right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right by where I am. That's right where I am. Man, what a great way to start a running podcast where one guy is running three to five miles. The other one's injured. So hey, you know what, you know what. Praise the Lord, we love trail running.
Speaker 2:I was struggling all through the, so I ran one mile on Christmas and then I went home and iced my leg. It's starting to wear on me. This is the problem when you put all your eggs in one basket, better make sure Jesus is holding that basket, because you bust your leg. I'm telling you right now I am struggling with a lot of things because that's our outlet and that's kind of what we do. But Christmas was good. My family was here and I got to enjoy fellowship with some other friends of mine.
Speaker 1:Well, praise the Lord, man, Praise the Lord, yeah, I mean. Hey, like we said before, it ain't all about running. That's just a side thing. It's not supposed to be all about that. But I want to hear, billy, I want to hear. We started off the podcast talking about what Christmas was man To you? What do you think about Christmas, man? What do you think about this thing that we call Christmas? What do you think about it?
Speaker 2:I just want everybody to give me presents, no, so I did a poll at work the other day. I go around and do these periodically and I think it really annoys everyone and so I said so. We had a spirit week, not Holy Spirit Week, but just Spirit Week. And they said red and green day. And I said so. I went around with a notepad and pen, I was not doing my job, I was so dumb. But I said what is the red and green? Why are you wearing these colors? And they said I don't know. I said so.
Speaker 2:I went to the next person and they said I don't know. So I think I asked maybe 16 or 17 people and they all said we have no idea what we're doing. I said so you're celebrating a holiday, you know nothing about what it means and you're wearing a bunch of colors for no reason. And so what it's supposed to mean, what it's supposed to symbolize? The red is supposed to be the blood of Jesus Christ and the green is supposed to be a representation of eternal life, and the evergreen tree is a tree that lasts all through the winter. And they were like we don't care, go back to work.
Speaker 2:But you know Christmas used to be. What can I get For me? That's what it used to be before I was saved and before I, you know, I was like this is the day that I win and give everybody lists of everything I wanted to buy all year and they could just buy it for them this year. Man, this year was really good. That's because it's I mean, obviously, it's the birth of Jesus Christ, but it also you'll never see anywhere in the Bible people are celebrating their birthdays. Like it's just not a thing. It just shows you like how into ourselves we are and how self-focused we are all the time. I'm like, yeah, I'm 32 and like no one cares. This year I asked my family if we could just not do presents. But I mean, I get it. I know like the kids and everybody wants to. You know, just have fun and I'm just trying to get away from that whole, that whole order of deal, um, but I don't really got much on that subject.
Speaker 1:You said a lot of interesting things. I thought it was really cool that you did the poll at work. Next time you do polls, I want to hear more about them on the podcast. That's really funny too. And let's see, you said you said that you wanted to kind of not do gifts this year with your family. Why was that?
Speaker 2:It's just so because one not too much detail, but my family's not extremely wealthy and I don't want anyone to be in a position where this is a time that we're supposed to kind of be in the word and just being appreciative that you know, Jesus came to save us all and we're over here, stressed out because of finances and not being able to buy everything and get everybody all these things they want, and I'm already a people pleaser like to the max and that's the point where I suffer from it and Christmas is really difficult for me and I have I go into a deep depression during Christmas time and the holidays in general Just because of you know, it's because I feel like I need to do all these extra things for people.
Speaker 2:That really it's all in my head and it's all with this world. This world has made the holidays something to. It's all about who has the best this and who has the best that, and we're all comparing ourselves. Well, his Christmas was better than my Christmas. It's like that makes no sense. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life and it's just a lot. I'm sad to say this, but I'm kind of glad it's over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, man, I mean me personally, like it's kind of weird what I'm doing this year, but like I really haven't received really much of anything so far this Christmas. Honestly, man, it's been nice. It's been really nice. Like you said, man, trying to please people, I feel like even as you open a gift, you have to please who gave it to you. You know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, man, I really do get that. I get that. And it's sad that now the focus of a lot of people in our country is material things and stuff. You know, and, yeah, man, I mean that's kind of just what this time has become. It's just kind of turned into that. It's sad, man. I think, if anything, the gift should be being around people, friends, family, whoever and just being in each other's time without having something to do. Just taking that time to just like come together and talk To me. That's the best gift you can get for this time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love on each other, encourage each other, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's good man. Well, glad, glad we got to talking about Christmas. That's the Christmas portion of the episode. It was two days ago, but, that being said, I I Through these episodes serious, you know we explain, like, how do we know God's will?
Speaker 1:One of the first steps we believe, when you do want to come to Christ is, you know, repentance and what it means to just battle sin. And and then they kind of had a sidetrack because a listener asked a question about going to church, so we kind of had a sidetrack question about that and so we answered that in that episode three. But episode four kind of follows what we talked about in episode two. So you know, when someone comes to Christ, you know they do need to repent of their sins. That's they believe they repent of their sins. All right, they're wanting to live for God. Now what do they do? What do they do and I think that's a really good question of what's the next step in following Christ. And I think the best way to answer that is just simply by going to Scripture, acts two, thirty eight. I'm going to, I'm going to give you guys a scene real quick.
Speaker 1:So Jesus ascended into heaven and all his disciples were together in a top room and in this room the Holy Spirit came on them and then, shortly after, they went out preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, boldly, boldly, and. And the leader of these apostles, or these disciples, was Peter. Peter, his name is Peter, and Peter preached a gospel. It's one of the first sermons in or really after Jesus ascended. It's one of the first sermons we see, and in the sermon, peter completes the sermon and it says that everybody in the crowd was pierced to the heart. They were convicted and they said what do we do? What do we do? Peter says to them. He says these words repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We covered repentance. He says repent All right, we talked about that in episode two, episode four, here now and be baptized.
Speaker 1:Baptism, what is that? Why do we need to get baptized? Why does he? Why does Peter say and be baptized, why does he say that? And that's two really good questions. What is it and why does he say it? And those two. If we just answer what it is, I think it'll answer why we need it. So, that being said, I love to use scripture to answer questions. I don't like when preachers stand on the stage and share and answer your question from the Bible with non-Bible answers. I want to answer from the Bible. I don't know about you, billy, I don't know about you Asher, but I want to answer from the Bible man.
Speaker 1:So let me give you an answer real quick. This is Jesus talking here. John three, five. Jesus is talking to a Pharisee and he says, truly, truly, I say to you Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Unless someone is born of water and of spirit, they cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It's a commandment of Jesus, it's a requirement of the kingdom of God. You must be what Born again of water and spirit. Let me continue down.
Speaker 1:Mark 16, 16 says whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And then I'm going to share, first Peter, what baptism does. So we can see that baptism is important. It's commanded by the disciples and the apostles, it's commanded by Jesus. Paul even says that.
Speaker 1:The writer of Acts says that every time someone came to Christ they were immediately baptized. Immediately baptized. It is urgent and important. I don't want to go into the debate of if it's needed for salvation or not. If you need it to be saved, that's not the reason you even get baptized. The reason you get baptized is this you ready, it's this. So first Peter says baptism which corresponds to this. Baptism now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal for good conscious, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is an appeal to God for good conscious, your consciousness, good conscious, it's an appeal to God. It's showing God that you have repented and that through His Spirit, through His Spirit, you are a new person. Your mind is renewed, your consciousness is renewed through baptism.
Speaker 1:I also want to share Roman 6.4. It says we were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism and to death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in a newness of life. And so this is exactly what baptism is. I'm going to go deep here and really explain this in simple terms. Baptism is bearing, bearing. I can't bear something like that. It's being, it's being buried, it's bearing our own bodies, our own selves.
Speaker 1:So when you go into a baptism whether it's spiritual or water, which needs to be both you're bearing your old self. And when you come out of that water, or when you get baptized by the Holy Spirit, you are a new creation, a new person. So look at it this way You're living for the world, doing your thing. I'll just give my example I was living for the world and I was just doing things that I was not supposed to be doing, I found out God was real. I repented of my sins and not even I don't know how much longer later not much longer later, I was baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit, and when I was baptized, whenever I went into the water the old me was being buried, and when I got pulled out of the water I was a new person and God, in that moment, he did not remember anything I've ever done before. He deleted it from his remembrance.
Speaker 1:When I came out of that water, I was a new person. I was zero days old well, I guess one day old and I became a new person and I was a new creation. In that moment, and everything I've ever done in my past was completely erased and God gave me a new name. He gave me a new name. I was no longer Bristol, I was a different Bristol. I was a new person. That's what baptism is. It's bearing the old you, the old self, and coming to life. Just as Christ came back to life, we come to life in a life that allows us to be set free from our sins and to have the fruit of God to have to produce, to say things and to do things with our hands that glorify God.
Speaker 2:Billy Snaps, snaps son. Um, yeah, I kind of did some looking up of some things. I got some scriptures here, but also I got some stuff I want to say. So I was baptized in water November 20th of last year, and so for those of you that are Christians and you're feeling that, you're thinking that you would like to be baptized in water, just know that it's not a magical cure all cure all. It doesn't do anything per se.
Speaker 2:Now there's four, there's four different there's repentance, there's forgiveness, there's water baptism and then there's the reception of the Holy Spirit. So when the Holy Spirit takes over, after you show the symbolism with water, water baptism, that's you know that's when things become more difficult. You think it's, you're going to be a shiny new pain, like everything's going to like, like everything's just good after that. No, it's going to be way harder. Things are going to get a lot more difficult. You're going to start feeling conviction, the Holy Spirit is going to be inside of you and things are not going to be as fun as they used to be because you're not. You're not, you're not living for the world anymore.
Speaker 1:Billy, what was that? So what was that like for you man? Like like you, you got baptized. What was it like after you got baptized?
Speaker 2:It was kind of a um, the fact that I had other believers around me and people to talk to and love on and to be encouraged by, that was really beneficial. But, to be honest with you, it's scary, it's. It's like owning your own company, like everything you do now is not for you, it's for the company. Now you have to, like make sure you're doing everything correctly and and and and not tarnishing. You know the name, the name of God, like you know, you're just publicly told, told the world that, apologies, is Christ. So now you can't just walk around and be the same guy you used to be.
Speaker 2:There's a scripture that said uh, so this is Matthew three, I'll do all my stuff out of the new living translation. Um, so Matthew three, chapter three, verse eight, is proved by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. But it also says don't just say to each other we're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham. That means nothing, for I tell you, god can create children of Abraham from these very stones. So you know, after you say oh well, I repent, I'm saved, I did the baptism, and so, like I can do no wrong, no, like I can abuse grace now, like there's, there's multiple scriptures.
Speaker 2:I don't have a moth Super, super, look up scripture guy. Yeah, I like Mark 1616, the first verse chapter you say. You say anyone who believes in this baptized will be saved. That's great, that's beautiful. So when I, when this happened, I almost did think that, like everything was going to be like magical or something. I felt like I was going to come out of the water and be like like nothing could harm me anymore or hurt me or I don't know what I thought and that just wasn't the case.
Speaker 2:Um, like, we suffer for Christ, like that's he suffered for us. We suffer for him. Like we're waiting on, you know, we're waiting on Jesus to return, but at the same time, it's hard. It's hard to. I think you said people were making fun of the podcast or something you know in the last episode and for something something like that, and you said, well, I'm rejoicing, you know that people are, you know, persecuting us for for loving Christ. And, uh, I mean, it's still hard. It's really really difficult. Like I don't think that this is going to be.
Speaker 2:Like, if you're fighting for something and you're fighting for a cause, that's never easy. It doesn't matter what cause is. Like more French fries and McDonald's can be hard to change people's minds. It's going to be hard to do that. So I got here, um, I said, uh, so, like, these are just some things that I wrote down. I said, when you are water baptized, this process does not cleanse people spiritually from sin, it is only a symbol. Trust and belief in Jesus leads to cleansing.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, I, things have just gotten a lot difficult since since that day, but I have somebody to fight through it Like when the world throws you things and when the world, when, when, when things go bad in the world, you have nowhere to turn. Like if you're not following Christ, like who do you turn to? What do you go to? You just going to rely on your own strength and your own will? Like I would rather have somebody fighting in my corner. Like you know, even if it's harder, it's still nice to know that. Like I have a father like looking over me and watching over me in every single situation I go through this life. That's all I got.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought you said something interesting there. You said you said that baptism it doesn't. It doesn't cleanse you From your sin. Right, that's what you said. Could you go more in the detail of what you mean by that like, like what? What gave you that that thought? I guess I'm asking.
Speaker 2:I had some scripture for that exact question. I felt like somebody was gonna ask that question.
Speaker 1:Asher, are you on?
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm here you're here.
Speaker 1:Okay, I sure I want real quick. I want to know, man Um, when you got born again. I sure when you got born again were you baptized.
Speaker 3:Yep, so my belief on that is that that is the moment, like you see, like you were saying, that we receive the spirit, and that's whenever we Are conscious of the fact that our lives are different. There is a like we know what right and wrong is beforehand. We're taught what right and wrong is. You are changed from that moment forward and every time you sin, you know that's a sin against.
Speaker 1:Cut out. Asher you cut out, I assume you're gonna say that's a sin against God.
Speaker 3:And his standard. That's my belief on that.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, we got that, I came through. Yeah, man, I mean, you know you got. For me, personally, let me share this. When I, when I was 13 years old, I Went to a church and I remember walking through the process of Confirmation and baptism and when we did our baptism, I remember we rehearsed several times what it meant before we went into it. But I, I feel like, honestly, I feel like I truly never knew what it meant Until I was baptized that second time, because the first time when I was baptized, I remember I knew, I knew what the word said, like I knew, I knew what the Bible said about it at that time, but I didn't know, like I Knew about it, but I didn't know what it was actually like. Because in that moment, like there was no Turning away from the lifestyle I was living, it was just like, you know, getting baptized, you know, go to church is the thing to do here's, here's what it is. Oh, okay, but there's never a change in my life. It was just we got water sprinkled on a forehead and that was it, and, and, and. Whenever I came to know Christ, I Realized in that moment like this this is actually a real thing, like a real moment and I actually am changing. And so for me, I want to say that, looking back, I didn't have to question if I needed to be baptized again. I knew I needed to because when I first baptism, there wasn't a change. There wasn't anything happening. Second baptism, my whole world was changed 180 degrees. I was a new person, man. I repented of my sins, I gave it to God, I was living my life for God and I said God, this is gonna be my purpose forever. And I laid down my sin. And I think it was like I was talking to my friend on the phone and this guy he helped me a lot, but he was like, man, you need to get baptized, you need to get baptized. And I was like, oh well, I'll just. I was like I remember asking him Can I just baptize myself? He said, no, man, you need someone to baptize you. Like. He's like, just go to a church and have them baptize you. But I ended up getting baptized back at our home church in Arkansas at the time and, and I remember, before I went into the tub, he was my buddy, was talking to me and he said he said, dude, you're gonna feel like. You're gonna feel like completely different when you come out of that water. He's like you're gonna be a new person, man. He's like, think about that, you're gonna be a new person. I was like I know man. So I went in there, I went down, came back up and man, I from what I remember I was, I was just so happy man. I was so happy that the old me was completely Flooded, fleshed away, forgotten, and I was a new person. And I remember I called him and I was just like man. I did it like I. I got baptized man and and I'm not me anymore, I'm not my old person, I'm a new person and and it's it's. It really is such a powerful, powerful thing.
Speaker 1:I want to share this Story with you guys. This is a very interesting story. The guy who shared this story, his name, is David Pauson and he has YouTube videos, spotify playlist, david Pauson. He does a series called unlocking the Bible. He's an old guy. It could be hard to sit through, but if you love God, you'll be able to get through some of the stuff. He has some really good stuff, but he shares this story. He shares the story of this man and this man he.
Speaker 1:I Want to say. I want, I want to say this story correctly. It's a very good symbolism of what the whole baptism really is. But this man, he had come to God and and he had repented and everything, but he didn't get water baptized yet and he had some type of issue with, basically, like the demonic realm. I want to say and I don't remember the exact story, I wish I did I remember telling so many people this story. Actually, if you know it, you can hop in. But I told a lot of people this story when I heard about a couple years ago. But basically he got, he got baptized and His struggle that he had with the demonic realm, like these attacks he's getting from the devil and stuff, oh, I Remember it now, I remember the exact story.
Speaker 1:So this guy I think he was in prison or no he went to school. He went to school with another guy. So let's say this guy I'm talking about we're gonna call him Christian because he's a Christian. And then he got Dave. He's living for the world, he's up the devil. You got Dave the devil. He got Christian the Christian.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Christian, he was best friends with this guy named Dave in high school. Christian goes on to Find Christ, start living for Christ, whereas Dave, dave, he is living for the world, he goes to prison, all this stuff. Well, when they get older, dave remembers his friend and wants to meet up with him and and find him and meet him again. And at this point it's been like 20 years and this is a true story. This is a true story. So, dave, he goes to a a psychics house.
Speaker 1:Dave goes to a psychics house and he tells a psychic, I want to find my friend from high school, christian. So the psychic says, okay, let me do my thing. It was like a palm reader kind of person and they did some of switchcraft stuff and this is a true story, man, they did this witchcraft stuff and and she told Dave, she said, your friend, that you're Christian. He died on this day and she gave him a day and he died at this location and she gave him like an address to a house. So, dave, he goes to the house and he knocks on the door and, lo and behold, his friend answers. Christian answers the door. And that psychic that would that which person Knew the address and where he lived, and isn't that crazy.
Speaker 1:But listen to this, it doesn't end there. He walks up and he's like man, he's like I'm so glad to see you, like, and he Christians, like how'd you find me? And he tells him the story of how he went to this. Basically a witch, and she gave him the address of where he had died. And he said, like she said you died on this day.
Speaker 1:Well, christian, christian said how. Christian said um, what day? What day did she give you? And Dave told him what the date was. Christian said that day. She said I died, that's the day I got baptized. Wow, so when you're baptized within the demonic realm of Satan, you're dead in the realm of Satan, in the realm of the demonic, the demons which are real, by the way, deep Christian, if you believe in Jesus, jesus cast him out of people. But when you, when you're baptized, you die in the demonic realm, isn't that crazy, like you literally die. So these witches and these people that cast spells and stuff which, by the way, believe it or not, it's a real thing. You might be like bristening crazy. No, it's a real thing, because Jesus cast these things and these spirits out and there were people that perform magic and stuff using witchcraft during the time of Jesus, but you, you literally die in the demonic realm, and it no longer has strong hold over you and it and it can't.
Speaker 1:It can't Harm you in a bat in a bad way, like you're still gonna get pressed and tempted and there's gonna be challenges from the demonic realm, but they didn't have the shock hold on you as they did before you were baptized. What do y'all think about that? Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2:Pretty intense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, it's a wild that that that kind of just shows like the power power of it. And so if you're some guy and and and you've came to Christ, you're a pitted, you need to get baptized ASAP. Water baptized. But we've been talking a lot about water baptism, but I kind of want to share about Spiritual baptism, because Jesus says you have to be born of water and spirit, not water or spirit. He says water and spirit. I think that's really water baptism, which is spiritually it's tied into it. But there's a spirit baptism too, because Jesus says you must be born of water and spirit. Peter says repent and be baptized so that you may receive the Holy Spirit. So when you repent you can get the Holy Spirit and then be baptized. Or when you repent you can be baptized and then get the Holy Spirit. It goes either way. But Spiritual baptism it's whenever the spirit, the, the spirit of God, comes to live and dwell inside of you and inside of your soul.
Speaker 1:As crazy as it sounds, think about it this way the person who created. Think about I just want to take in your head a picture of the universe. Just think about it, man. It's beautiful. Think of all the colors and the in the planets. Think about it, the person that created all of that, and like look around wherever you're listening to this podcast, look around, like, like this world that God created, that God gave you a special, special spirit that's from him and it lives inside of you and what it does is it gives you special abilities. Let me explain Not power ranger your abilities. No, it gives you the ability to bear fruit. Bear fruit from the Holy Spirit. Some of the. There's a list of like a fruit of the spirit. I'll list some off the top of my head, but it's like. It's like peace, patience, kindness, gentleness. There's a big list, but you start to do things that you didn't do before and it's through that Spirit that comes to dwell inside of you that you're able to battle sin and and battle against the enemy and to have the gifts of the spirit, things like that.
Speaker 1:But I think a good, quite a good question is guys like, how do you get baptized in the Holy Spirit? And for me personally, how I've seen it, you, just you can get it different ways, like there's times in the Bible where people were someone's preaching and the Holy Spirit falls on everybody. There's times in the Bible where they lay hands and the spiritual gifts or whatever, but the Holy Spirit comes on people. And there's another scenario to where you believe in your baptize and then you receive the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:But when you, when you have the Holy Spirit, or when you're receiving the Holy Spirit, if you haven't received it yet and you're like, yeah, I definitely don't have it, if you're saying that, I think the best thing to do is just ask God for it. The Bible says God is a generous father and he gives to his children who ask. And so I think if you just ask God, god can I have. Can you please baptize me in your Holy Spirit? He will. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you know it's gonna be on you. Billy, I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, man, because I'm sure you do, though.
Speaker 2:So I just want to let everybody know if they have any questions or concerns there's ever something that doesn't make sense to them they can reach out, you know, on the app or however they want to, or the Facebook group or whatever they'd like to do. But Also want to point out something that that if there's any new people listening that I'm not a I don't know much about the Bible. It's important that you know that about myself. So if there's any things that don't match up, I sure would like somebody that bring that to my attention.
Speaker 1:And Billy Billy, and the reason I love having you in this podcast is because Even though you might not know a bunch of things I'm not sure if you know what I'm talking about Even though you might not know a bunch of things, you know from experience, just from what you've seen in your life. You know the basics man like whenever you went from living to the world to living for Christ.
Speaker 2:You have the Holy Spirit, dude, and so right, I just yeah, when you confess and you know with your mouth and then that you know that the Lord is Lord over your life, you know, I mean like you, I invited, I invited. This morning I laid on my, I got on my knees and I said this I invite you to live in me, holy Spirit, this is a safe place. I invite you to take over. Like I have to say that daily Just to confirm like my own, I know the Holy Spirit lives within me but I just it just helps me to Assure me that I have someone working inside of me and Then I'm not working off of my own strength. Yeah, there's just things that'll happen. It's so hard to explain. I wish that I could have. I had some really cool examples right off hand and I don't. But like Things will just happen.
Speaker 2:Like, for instance, last week this guy came up to me at work and I barely even know him. He was like hey, have you read Hebrews, chapter 6? And I was like no, I ain't really read the book of Hebrews. So then I I come to and someone just sends me a text message. They're like hey, read Hebrews today? And I was like what? And then I get home and there's a pastor, bobby Chandler, I don't know. He's pretty cool pastor if you want to look him up on YouTube and he's preaching on the book of Hebrews and Then like my little Bible app thing, like dude, there was like six or seven different things that day that just was screaming Hebrews at me and I'm like Billy, it sounds like you need to read Hebrews dude.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean coincidence is. I don't believe in coincidence is anymore. I believe that oh, god's trying to tell you something and it's sometimes it's not gonna be in the audible voice, it's gonna be the Holy Spirit, like nudging you. There's just a gentle correction, uh, showing you. You know, maybe you know you got your own free will, but like, hey, you can do this as well. Like it's never, like you know there's not no bright light and no like pigeons flying and you know rainbows, and you know, you, just know you, you have to be silent, you have to be still, and that's something that is very difficult for me to do.
Speaker 2:I run a lock and a while. I used to, and I I Would never take the time and I think that's one of the most important things is taking time to listen to God. And he gave you the Holy Spirit because when Jesus left, he left the Holy Spirit to work inside of us. So, like, how do we listen to him? We have to stop, we have to rest, we have to be silent. And that's so hard because we're scrolling through our phones and we're we're worried about what presents we're gonna get everybody for Christmas, for this crazy holiday or whatever. You know work and then we're driving. Do you ever just stop, turn everything off, have everything be still, get on your knees and just listen and say here I am God, I'm your vessel. Tell me what to do, I'm listening. That's something that I'm gonna try to practice Moving forward. So what? Yeah, we all stop.
Speaker 1:Sorry, would you okay? No, it's okay. I want to go off there real quick. So you got all this. Confirmation is to read Hebrew. Did you end up reading Hebrews and what would you find in it?
Speaker 2:This was a while, I can't remember now.
Speaker 1:Okay, this was a while back then.
Speaker 2:Oh, it was Hebrews 10 chapter, or who Hebrew hold on. Oh, it was a little bit ago, but wait a second.
Speaker 1:So basically, what you're saying is like the Holy Spirit, like spoke through other people and things as well, right?
Speaker 2:Absolutely like. Well, I'm about to look it up, it's. I know I highlighted it and yeah, you find that.
Speaker 1:You find that. Yeah, man, I, I, yeah it Always. Fear definitely shows up in different ways and through different people. But I think a good way to know if you have the Holy Spirit Cuz I know it's a big question, it's like, oh, do I have it? Do I have it I think a good way to know that you have it is through conviction. Like if you get convicted about things that you didn't used to get convicted about, I Think that's pretty dang good evidence that you probably have the Holy Spirit. But you know, when you got it, man, like there's times to where I Either say something, do something or think about something and I get so convicted man, I'm like, oh, I get does not feel good at all and I could just fill it in my chest, dude, and that is the Holy Spirit, bro. That's the Holy Spirit. You can't tell me it's not man, it's not, isn't it?
Speaker 2:I mean salvation, you know it's like when you're saved, you receive the spirit. Yes, now, if you want, like to listen I mean it's your choice to listen or not. So, like if you feel like you don't have the Holy Spirit and you probably need to go repent and go go back to basics there and humble yourself real quick. I haven't heard from the Holy Spirit a long time. Well, you probably doing some things that is blocking him.
Speaker 1:Man.
Speaker 2:Where is Hebrews?
Speaker 1:I'm an amateur, it's okay, bro, it's okay. Yeah, man, I remember when I first came to Christ we'd be in church and the pastor would say go to this Book, or whatever. He would say, like whatever Hebrews. And I remember everybody would just so quickly, boom, get to it. And then he'd start, he start reading out of it immediately. And I remember thinking I don't know where this thing is and I'm just flipping through the Bible, man, trying to find it, taking me forever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe, yeah, I can't find it. Okay, maybe it's not the Lord's bullet, it's okay, it's okay. Well, yeah, man, well, I think I think I pretty mo pretty much pretty well wraps up Our topic today. Yeah, I think that wraps it up pretty dang well, man, for those listening, if, if you want to help this podcast, help get it out, help get it out to the trail running community, the best thing you can do is to give the show a rating. Like, if you scroll down, there's like some star buttons we got a lot of them, actually and if you just leave a five star review, that's gonna help us out with algorithms, everything.
Speaker 1:And if you don't like it, just go listen to something else. Please, you can go listen something else. There's a bunch of different podcast out there, but don't hurt what we're trying to do for the kingdom of God, especially if you're a Christian, especially if you're Christian. But yeah, man, I I think it's so cool that we're able to, in a way, be a light for the trail running community and to give them something that can be a God, the God other than running, instead of running me and they're.
Speaker 2:God man.
Speaker 1:We can try to share within the true God, you know, and so, or whatever their God is I mean, it could be anything. But it's pretty cool that we're able to Use this to help people get to where they need to get. And you know, I think I think these first few episodes it's just kind of basics, right, it's going through Kind of the first you know, things you need to do. But I think as this podcast goes on, it's really gonna just turn more into about life and running and the gospel, you know, or Christian matters. It's like I really feel like this first few episodes have been really heavy in the Bible and being a Christian, right, but I think as these go on, it's gonna be more about Running life and the Bible equally, and I think I think that's the sweet spot, man, I think it's a sweet spot.
Speaker 2:But I'm sitting here thinking like. I'm sitting here thinking like, with this injury, my hip flexor I don't know even what a hip flexor is, I just know I run on and a lot and I'm just I'm like you know, I'm almost like mad at God. I'm like why would you do that? What's to happen to me?
Speaker 2:almost I immediately took, took that away, but this podcast has really been beneficial to me. First I thought I was gonna be speaking on here to help others, and it may help others and that would be great, but it's really helping me more than it's helping y'all, because some Of these questions I've needed to ask my own self for quite some time, and now I I'm I'm over here studying for the podcast Because I'm like, oh man, like, oh, I didn't know that. Like I didn't know that, like I'm learning along With people that might not know about you know, jesus, I'm learning too this is great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, that and that's good. Man, I mean that's good and I'm not saying like I I know everything, but I mean I've. I'm pretty much I've been doing like a yearly Bible reading and I'm pretty much about a year in, like I'm almost done. I think I got like two days left and I'm gonna be able to say that I've read the Bible from front to back, completely, from Genesis to Revelation, which is pretty cool, man, and I am starting to go to Bible school, so that'll help out. But you know, honestly, man, it's just the amount of time. I mean it's been Three, four years now at this point where I've been following Christ and I've learned these things.
Speaker 1:But what I love about having you on the podcast is that not only are you learning, but you're able to bring a brand new and different perspective in that I might not be able to see, because You're able to kind of, in a way, see it like an outside view, as if you are learning, and so if there is something I say that you don't agree with or you're like, uh, you can bring that to attention. Another cool thing is, like I said before, you have a really unique and cool testimony where you can't come to Christ. That's legit, it's a legit testimony and In a way, man, that's all you need to be able to share the light with others. It's just your testimony, man, like it's all you really need Um for his purpose. So yeah, man, it's good, but and then after didn't really say much today, but that's okay. He's always driving or lagging or something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm always going somewhere. I do have three things to say, because I didn't really get to interject at any point, but I took some notes and hopefully my voice is clear right now, is it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're good to go, dude.
Speaker 3:All right, so I got three notes for episode four. First, kind of going back to what we were talking about initially, we shouldn't hate on the, the gift-giving of Christmas. I think it's an opportunity. It's an opportunity to be selfless, right To give freely, just as Christ did, I think. I think the gift getting is a rep. Gift giving is a representation of you know, him dying and then, and you know, I mean, he gave up everything so that we could have everything right and then. So If giving is in a way representation of that I'm not saying they are hating on it, but that was just kind of my thought. I Think, if you are doing it correctly, there should be no monetary expectation, you know like.
Speaker 3:So if you if you give what you say like before, or you go ahead.
Speaker 1:Go ahead about what we're saying.
Speaker 3:Well, I was just saying, if you, if you are giving gifts correctly, then you shouldn't be placing any monetary expectation on like on that, because I'm thinking about that for you. Billy is man, don't think about the money, think about Just an opportunity to give somebody something. It doesn't have to be worth a million dollars, you know, it can just be. Hey, I thought of you and this is what I feel like I should give you, you know. And then my second thing is Baptism, and I think I kind of touched on this but I really didn't Save my full point.
Speaker 3:Baptism is convincing initially, or convicting initially, and I believe that baptism is in Spirit, is the beginning of God's work in your life. For some it is immediate, so, like in Billy's case, it might have been immediate and some it is a slow roll. We shouldn't judge another's walk with Christ and the time it may take, because God's timing is perfect. So that was my second note. Oh, my last thing I want to say yeah. And then my last thing I want to say is I Don't know how people walk without Christ. I look, I look back on my life Prior to Christ and I genuinely am sorry towards my past self and I wish I could just go back and be like man. It'd be so much easier If you just you know we're convicted of these things and you and you choose to walk with him earlier. But, like I said, god's timing is perfect, so that's all I got.
Speaker 2:Man, that was really good after.
Speaker 1:Thank you, sure. Thank you. Thank you for for giving giving some extra insight, elder Asher, to the listeners. But Thank you, elders, thank you elder Billy and elder Asher I guess that's what you are in this church, I don't know. Well, the HB man, the HB baldhead, billy, well, that was good guys. That was good. It was good podcast. I really appreciate you guys coming together. I have church and for us to just be able to share it with other people. That's really what this is, man. It's a conversation between us three and it's us discussing it, and then we're just recording it, and I want y'all to look at it with that perspective too. I want y'all to look at it with the perspective that it's not us talking to someone in the unknown which it is, but it's a look at it this way. It's us talking to each other and talking about ideas and and, and discussing them together and sharpening each other. That's what this is. That's what this is.
Speaker 2:There will be. There will be a lot more talk of running whenever I start running again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. I'm also. I mean, I Think I think there's more talk of running when we have races going on. Honestly, bro, might just be me, but I feel like when we got, when one of us just ran a race or something, it's like we have so much to talk about, right. And then when we're not running races and we're just training, it's just kind of like yeah, I went ran, that's all I got. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So it's all right. My god, I got a race in two weeks. I'm just gonna run it with this broken hip flexor. Geez, though, watch the tall switchbacks.
Speaker 1:That's a different what races and races ability you said it's a watch.
Speaker 2:Back, it's a 50k. Okay, 50k nice and it's Roughly about 5,000 feet of gain. It's a rough they claim to be the most technical course in Oklahoma, and which may not be too technical, but We'll see if I can run it with a broken hip. I'm going. If I paid money for it, oh, I'm going. I'll walk the whole thing. I paid money for that.
Speaker 3:I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1:Well, that would be interesting story to talk about on the, whenever the, whatever the next episode is, and we complete it, but without me. You said, guys, thanks for listening to the podcast and we'll see y'all next one day, or one day. We'll see y'all next one day, wednesday. I said it right, I'm the Christian show bros podcast. I should listen y'all.