The following program
discusses sensitive issues.
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Parents are
cautioned that some material
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may be too candid
for younger children.
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Hello, and
welcome to Pure Choices.
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I'm your host
Pastor Joshua Nelson.
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And I'm so excited that
you decided to join us again
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for another
edition of Pure Choices.
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And today we're gonna talk
about being a Pure Witness.
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How do you use your
purity as a witness for Jesus?
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And before we
introduce our panel,
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we're going to just say a
word of prayer, let's pray.
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Dear heavenly
Father, we just ask
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that Your Spirit
would be here now
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and guide this conversation.
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In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.
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Amen.
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All right, let's begin by
introducing our panel here.
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My friend here to the
left to me is James Brandon,
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who is university
chaplain in Tampa, Florida.
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And then we have
here Kyle Scarlett,
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who is a Oakwood
University theology student,
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so a rogue scholar here.
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Here we have Pastor Kory Douglas
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who is a pastor
of the Grand Avenue
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in New Life
Fellowship Church in Missouri.
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And David Anderson who is also
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a Oakwood
university theological student.
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So we have some great
panel, panel is here today.
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And so let's talk
about this idea of purity
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and being a witness.
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First question
that I'm going ask is
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how is purity a blessing?
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Purity is a blessing
when you realize that God,
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you have journeyed with
God to have a pure life.
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You have a sense of freedom,
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a release in Christ and
your conscience is clear
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of, not that you
don't make mistakes
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or that you
haven't made mistakes
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but the effort
that you put forward
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along with God's grace
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has allowed you to
live a life of autonomy,
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of freedom and a clear
mind, you can sleep well,
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it effects a lot
of different things.
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And that's how I
find it a blessing.
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Well, I love what you
said and he said freedom
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because, you know,
just from the experience
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of making impure choices,
when you're in that lifestyle,
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you really feel
bonded, you feel trapped.
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And being out of that,
not having to worry anymore,
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having that freedom is something
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that is just priceless.
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So that is
definitely a blessing.
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Right, right.
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I believe it's a also a blessing
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because, you
know, we know purity
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is not something that
we do in and of ourselves
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but of course as a
gift of God, you know,
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the process of purity.
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So I believe, in order to
be living a pure lifestyle,
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you have to be in
communion with God
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and that's always a
blessing to be in relationship,
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fellowship with our
Creator, our Savior.
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And also because we
know that it's a process.
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It's confirmation as you
become more and more pure
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that God is
actually real, you know.
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Every day when new
things are taken out of you,
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you become more
and more like Him.
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God is proving to
you that, "I am real."
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You know, and I believe
that's a blessing as well.
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Wow.
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Yeah, I like that,
really realizing who God is
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and seeing Him
better just through
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the process of purification
because of ourselves,
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we are just impure, messed up.
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Any new pure choice that we make
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is really a revelation
that God does really exist.
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Amen.
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So also in saying that, in
fact that God is making us pure,
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then how can our
purity be used as a witness?
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What do you think, James?
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I think that our purity
can be used as a witness
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because just the implications
of living a biblical lifestyle
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and one that is
rooted and grounded
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in biblical principle,
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you by default
be counter-culture
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in your actions.
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You'll be going
against the current,
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you'll be going
against, you know,
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what's popular and
what seems normal actually.
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So it could be a
witness because, you know,
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other people will kind of
want to know you by default,
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kind of, be
singled out or you'll be in
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a different category,
different place, you know,
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and people would definitely,
they want to know why that is.
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And that can
definitely be a point
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in which we can witness
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that not only are
the choices that we make
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give us a better life
now or more free life now
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or more
liberating experience now.
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But then in the life to
come, so we went both ways.
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Yeah, yeah.
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You know, going
off of that if I could,
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I think a big part of it is that
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because impurity is so natural,
you know, to the carnal man,
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that people look
at purity as something
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that's unattainable.
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And so when you
live a pure life,
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you're walking living proof
that it's possible, you know,
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to be engaged in a lifestyle
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that is against the
culture, against the norm,
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and the one that
people think is impossible.
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So as much as we live
out that pure life, you know,
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we prove to people
that changes can be made.
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And as you said that I
thought about something
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because a lot of people
are going to look at you
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if you're being, you know, pure
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and they're going to
say to you, well, you know,
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either they're
going to say first of all,
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"No, you're not
really pure, you know,
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you're just faking it."
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Or they're gonna
say, "Okay, you are,
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so what you think,
you're better than me?"
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You know, that type of thing.
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So and I know we've got
some young brothers here
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who are in college right
now and in the university
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kind of in their hope, you know,
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I don't know peer
pressure kind of thing.
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Talking about how can
you really be pure on,
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let's say a university campus
or school campus, you know.
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David, you want to go with that?
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How can you be pure on a
university campus, well...
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And use that
really as a witness.
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Yeah, because... Right.
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I can say it is hard
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because you have a
lot of beautiful women
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walking around the campus.
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Mercy, mercy.
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Talk about Oakwood.
And as men we do see.
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And how...
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You set a standard
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and you setting that standard,
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God really sets
the standard in you
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but you naturally set a
standard for other people.
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And so when they see
that you're a pure brother
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on campus, yes, some females
will come but some won't.
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And a lot of the
temptation by you,
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by default with you
hearing yourself to God,
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they just not
going to come your way.
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And so I think that the
way to keep yourself pure
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on a campus is to
really submit to God.
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Right, right, right.
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And to go off of what
he said, let's expand.
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Purity isn't just
about sex or physicality.
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It's about how you
act, how you speak,
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what you do on a regular
basis, what your routine is,
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and if it exudes
purity and godly figure.
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And I think it goes deeper
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into what you do in
that quiet time with God
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and that helps
push out the purity
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that you have with inside you
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because whatever's
inside is going to come out.
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And so I think that's
how you go around on campus
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and give a pure
example for all to see
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and it's not just to
women, it's to guys as well.
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It's to the friends
that you hang out with,
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and it's an example.
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And so I think
that's what you should do.
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Okay. Yeah, go ahead.
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You know, one of the things
that I would even add to that
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and it was as
for my own testimony
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because you know, one
thing they say about college is,
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you can find
everything on a college campus.
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So just as much as you
can find the impure stuff,
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you can find people
who are about good stuff,
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who are about living good lives.
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And my testimony was
that I engaged with people
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who are about what I was about.
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I hung around people who
were not holier than thou
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but they weren't just doing
all they want to, you know,
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all out in the world.
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People who were
real I said, "You know,
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we have struggles but
if we all stick together
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and hold each other accountable,
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then it will be easier
for us to do what is right."
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Which of course,
it mean, you know,
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you always just
did what was right
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but it would be
definitely easier
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when you had people around
you to hold you accountable.
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Yeah. Okay.
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And I appreciate you
saying that, you know,
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especially the whole
accountability thing,
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if you hang around
the right people...
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But let's just be
honest here because, I mean,
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this is their
college experience, you know.
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This is when, you know,
the movies are made about,
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you know, people will
talk about that all the time.
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People look forward to
getting out of high school
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and going to college
to just running a muck,
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just doing what
they've got to do.
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So aren't you two
brothers, you know, in college
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and now aren't you're
missing out on something
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right now, you know?
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Missing out on
some things, I think.
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Yeah.
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I think some things
aren't really missing out
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on in the long run.
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It's more that you,
it's more of a blessing
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that you didn't
experience in the first place.
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It's being able to say,
"Well, I didn't do this.
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I didn't do that."
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Not to brag or boast
but to have a clear mind on,
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"Hey, this is the
choice that I made.
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This is the decision I made."
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And in the long
run you live with it
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and it affects
things down the line.
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Years and years later, "Oh,
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I saw you had this
and then, the third."
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And not that you're worried
about what other people think,
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well, only God can judge
you but I think it follows into
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what choices you make now
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affects what
happens to you later.
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You know, how
people view, you can't...
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For instance, you
can't say to somebody,
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"Hey, you shouldn't be
doing this than the third."
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But you back then
were doing the same thing
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you're telling them not to do.
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And so that's what, you know,
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that's what
making a pure choice is.
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It's making the
choice that affects you
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in the long run right now.
00:10:01.10\00:10:03.33
I think that's how
that goes. Yeah, yeah.
00:10:03.37\00:10:04.70
And that's an
example you can really give.
00:10:04.73\00:10:06.07
And that's really what
it means to be a witness
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because a lot of
the older people like
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they say, "Well, you know, yeah,
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I did all that stuff in the past
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but you should do this,
you know, do this better now."
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I mean, you have an
opportunity now to say,
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"Look, I could have
done this but I chose not to
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and this is my life
now because of that."
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My father says something,
"Work now, play later.
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Play now, work later."
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And I associate that
with if you're in college
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and you're playing
around with everybody
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and not being pure,
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you will basically
spend the rest of your life
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trying to work for that purity.
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But if you submit yourself
to God now and you're pure now,
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you can pretty much get
married and play a lot later.
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All right, all right, now.
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You know what too, I
can testify to that, man.
00:10:50.58\00:10:52.58
I can testify to that someone
in other part of spectrum
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who didn't make
all the best choices,
00:10:55.65\00:10:57.49
you know, because
when I started college,
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you know, I did have the
same cafe, I did my thing, man.
00:10:59.92\00:11:02.69
I thought this is
the time to have fun.
00:11:02.72\00:11:04.29
And in hindsight now
00:11:04.33\00:11:06.03
I'm having to
submit myself to God
00:11:06.06\00:11:08.33
and work even harder
being more intentional
00:11:08.36\00:11:10.30
about being pure,
00:11:10.33\00:11:11.67
and also there
are things that yeah,
00:11:11.70\00:11:13.37
I might have experienced
them but now I'm wishing that
00:11:13.40\00:11:15.50
I had not experienced them.
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You know, there are
things that I experienced
00:11:16.91\00:11:18.47
that have shaped who I am today.
00:11:18.51\00:11:20.58
You know, the mind like
we said on previous episodes,
00:11:20.61\00:11:24.61
the mind is a
serious thing, man, you know,
00:11:24.65\00:11:26.35
and they just warn
our mind, there are images
00:11:26.38\00:11:28.42
that you just are
not going to forget,
00:11:28.45\00:11:30.39
they are sensations
you're not going to forget
00:11:30.42\00:11:32.75
that you wish you
could forget later on
00:11:32.79\00:11:35.42
when you finally made
that decision to become pure.
00:11:35.46\00:11:37.43
And so, you know, we just
got to while we can, you know,
00:11:37.46\00:11:40.30
be as pure as possible.
00:11:40.33\00:11:41.66
All right.
00:11:41.70\00:11:43.03
And, James, I want to
kind of get you in here
00:11:43.06\00:11:44.40
because I know you're a
chaplain on the university
00:11:44.43\00:11:46.60
and, you know,
00:11:46.63\00:11:48.77
are these type of things you see
00:11:48.80\00:11:50.44
and what kind of
thing would you say then
00:11:50.47\00:11:51.81
to someone who is
trying to even use purity
00:11:51.84\00:11:54.64
as a witness in their life?
00:11:54.68\00:11:56.85
Yeah, absolutely.
00:11:56.88\00:11:59.11
I'll tell my students,
you can come to school at 18,
00:11:59.15\00:12:04.12
stay for 4
years and leave at 18.
00:12:04.15\00:12:07.96
You're going to come
and put all your morals
00:12:07.99\00:12:09.92
and all your
values and everything
00:12:09.96\00:12:11.66
that is you on the
side and just live your life
00:12:11.69\00:12:14.60
and do whatever you want to do.
00:12:14.63\00:12:16.36
But when you
graduate and when you leave,
00:12:16.40\00:12:18.60
you have gained nothing.
00:12:18.63\00:12:20.20
There's no
growth, you haven't made
00:12:20.24\00:12:21.94
any progression in
your life besides a degree.
00:12:21.97\00:12:25.47
So it's definitely...
00:12:25.51\00:12:27.64
I always try to
encourage my students
00:12:27.68\00:12:29.61
to make pure choices
what cause that was major
00:12:29.64\00:12:33.08
because every
impure choice that you make
00:12:33.11\00:12:36.99
or every sin is
not an isolation.
00:12:37.02\00:12:42.52
There's always pain
00:12:42.56\00:12:45.06
and ultimately that is
attached with that sin.
00:12:45.09\00:12:49.70
That's kind of like
a hitchhiker, you know,
00:12:49.73\00:12:51.93
whatever you want to do is cool,
00:12:51.97\00:12:53.64
whatever sin it is
that you want to do is fun
00:12:53.67\00:12:55.97
but it's not an
isolation, there's pain,
00:12:56.00\00:12:59.14
and there's
regret, and there's remorse
00:12:59.17\00:13:02.61
and ultimately if
that's not taken care
00:13:02.64\00:13:04.58
of there's death.
00:13:04.61\00:13:05.95
So looking at things
further than the next party,
00:13:05.98\00:13:11.19
or the next thing
is definitely paramount
00:13:11.22\00:13:13.99
to your success
as a college student
00:13:14.02\00:13:16.02
where you have so
many things pulling you
00:13:16.06\00:13:18.19
so many different ways.
00:13:18.23\00:13:19.79
And that's a hard
thing for young people to do,
00:13:19.83\00:13:22.96
you know, to really
look past their, you know,
00:13:23.00\00:13:26.40
what's happening
tomorrow whatever, you know.
00:13:26.43\00:13:28.90
Let's look a
little further, you know,
00:13:28.94\00:13:30.47
what I'm going to be
doing five years from now,
00:13:30.51\00:13:32.24
what I want my legacy to be?
00:13:32.27\00:13:33.88
You know, so I really
appreciate you saying that.
00:13:33.91\00:13:36.64
So let's talk, okay,
00:13:36.68\00:13:38.01
so we're talking
about being pure, a witness,
00:13:38.05\00:13:41.82
so this is all not
just for, just because
00:13:41.85\00:13:45.82
I want to say I'm
good, I'm able to be pure,
00:13:45.85\00:13:47.69
but we're doing this
because of Jesus, right?
00:13:47.72\00:13:49.66
Doing this because
we have a responsibility
00:13:49.69\00:13:51.76
to Jesus, right?
00:13:51.79\00:13:53.19
So what really is...
00:13:53.23\00:13:55.76
What is Jesus requiring of
us, you know, in our purity?
00:13:55.80\00:13:59.87
Well, what I can
say is that it's doable.
00:13:59.90\00:14:05.57
Jesus wouldn't
have us do something
00:14:05.61\00:14:07.21
that He hasn't done Himself.
00:14:07.24\00:14:08.81
He was here on earth,
you know, He was human,
00:14:08.84\00:14:11.85
all God and all
human at the same time
00:14:11.88\00:14:14.28
and people like to
say that, you know,
00:14:14.32\00:14:18.69
it was easy for Him to hold,
00:14:18.72\00:14:21.76
you know, not to
fall into temptation.
00:14:21.79\00:14:24.39
But the truth is, I'm sure
He was tempted several times
00:14:24.43\00:14:28.16
not being accepted by His own.
00:14:28.20\00:14:30.57
And not only
that, there are things,
00:14:30.60\00:14:34.30
being human that
you are naturally prone
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.97
to natural proclivities.
00:14:37.01\00:14:39.14
And so Him on the cross
for instance, let's go there,
00:14:39.17\00:14:43.91
He could have blinked a thought.
00:14:43.95\00:14:46.68
"I don't want to
be up here anymore,"
00:14:46.72\00:14:48.38
and it would have been
done, and that would be in it.
00:14:48.42\00:14:50.89
And so for us we have
to look at His example
00:14:50.92\00:14:54.56
of self discipline
or godly discipline
00:14:54.59\00:14:58.03
and fortifying himself
in God on a regular basis,
00:14:58.06\00:15:02.86
keeping our will His will.
00:15:02.90\00:15:06.57
And just subjecting what we have
00:15:06.60\00:15:09.54
inside of us to Him
so that whatever happens
00:15:09.57\00:15:12.91
we line up with
Him and we can say,
00:15:12.94\00:15:14.28
"Hey, this is what
I can fall back on."
00:15:14.31\00:15:15.74
Amen.
00:15:15.78\00:15:17.11
You know, one of
my favorite verses
00:15:17.15\00:15:18.48
in the Bible right,
one of my favorites verse,
00:15:18.51\00:15:20.22
the Bible says that God
was working through Christ
00:15:20.25\00:15:22.58
to reconcile us to himself.
00:15:22.62\00:15:24.49
But that He has also given us
the ministry of reconciliation
00:15:24.52\00:15:28.62
that we are not
saved for our own sake,
00:15:28.66\00:15:31.06
we are not
saved just to be pure,
00:15:31.09\00:15:32.56
just to be
righteous, just to be changed,
00:15:32.59\00:15:34.60
we are saved so that God
can also reach other people.
00:15:34.63\00:15:37.37
And so we have a responsibility
and that God is cleaning us up
00:15:37.40\00:15:40.77
to make sure we
do what is necessary
00:15:40.80\00:15:42.77
so that others
too can be cleaned up.
00:15:42.80\00:15:44.71
And so our purity
is not just about us,
00:15:44.74\00:15:47.68
you know, our responsibilities
is also to those we meet
00:15:47.71\00:15:50.45
and come in
contact with every day.
00:15:50.48\00:15:52.18
We just talk about witnessing,
that's what it's all about,
00:15:52.21\00:15:55.15
you know, so.
00:15:55.18\00:15:56.69
You know, so we can hold up
our purity badge as a trophy
00:15:56.72\00:16:00.56
to say, "Look, what I've done.
00:16:00.59\00:16:01.92
Look, this is what I made."
00:16:01.96\00:16:03.29
And even, you know,
00:16:03.32\00:16:04.66
the three prongs
of Christian life,
00:16:04.69\00:16:06.53
you know, prayer,
Bible study and witnessing.
00:16:06.56\00:16:09.66
You know, a lot of
times as Christians
00:16:09.70\00:16:11.07
we focus so much on
the prayer and Bible study
00:16:11.10\00:16:12.73
and get ourselves okay,
almost like hermits, you know,
00:16:12.77\00:16:14.97
kind of making sure
we're fine, that we're perfect,
00:16:15.00\00:16:16.77
and we got everything together.
00:16:16.81\00:16:18.14
But then what about
witnessing and sharing that
00:16:18.17\00:16:20.21
with someone else in
the practical, you know,
00:16:20.24\00:16:22.01
Christ loving way, you know,
00:16:22.04\00:16:24.08
so that's what
we really got to...
00:16:24.11\00:16:25.71
We have to do as Christians
we are trying to be pure.
00:16:25.75\00:16:29.38
So let's go a
little further then
00:16:29.42\00:16:30.82
with this whole
pure witness thing
00:16:30.85\00:16:32.19
and really talking
with the young guys here.
00:16:32.22\00:16:34.89
We're talking about
this the media, not the media
00:16:34.92\00:16:38.96
but the social
networking, you know,
00:16:38.99\00:16:40.60
and how that is being
used to kind of put out
00:16:40.63\00:16:43.50
a lot of different agendas.
00:16:43.53\00:16:44.97
But how can we not take
that Facebook, or the Twitters,
00:16:45.00\00:16:47.70
and stuff and use
that to be a pure witness?
00:16:47.74\00:16:50.67
What do you think?
00:16:50.71\00:16:52.04
Well, I believe first
of all you don't want to be
00:16:52.07\00:16:54.28
a false witness
on social network.
00:16:54.31\00:16:56.51
So if you're not mature
enough to be on social networks,
00:16:56.54\00:16:59.51
don't get on that,
00:16:59.55\00:17:01.18
because you have a lot of people
00:17:01.22\00:17:03.49
on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
00:17:03.52\00:17:05.52
posting things
that they're not...
00:17:05.55\00:17:07.76
If their parents saw
what they are posting,
00:17:07.79\00:17:10.23
they would get in trouble.
00:17:10.26\00:17:11.76
And so if you're
not mature enough
00:17:11.79\00:17:13.13
to be on social networks,
don't get on social networks.
00:17:13.16\00:17:15.13
Now with me, I'm on
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
00:17:15.16\00:17:20.60
and I have
limited myself the time
00:17:20.64\00:17:24.44
that I'm actually
going to be on those.
00:17:24.47\00:17:26.37
And then I will post
only consistent things.
00:17:26.41\00:17:29.98
So say if on Friday night
I'm posting something godly,
00:17:30.01\00:17:33.92
I'm doing the
same thing on Sunday,
00:17:33.95\00:17:35.58
doing the same thing on
Monday, so on and so forth.
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.02
I don't
necessarily follow people
00:17:38.05\00:17:42.69
who are posting negative things
00:17:42.72\00:17:45.06
because I don't want to see it
00:17:45.09\00:17:48.23
and I don't want to behold
that because it's going...
00:17:48.26\00:17:50.40
By beholding we become changed.
00:17:50.43\00:17:52.33
And if we're
looking because, I mean,
00:17:52.37\00:17:54.20
social networks have
basically taken over.
00:17:54.24\00:17:55.70
We have them on our cell phones,
00:17:55.74\00:17:57.07
on the computers and
everything like that.
00:17:57.11\00:17:58.84
So you don't want to
be beholding anything
00:17:58.87\00:18:02.78
at all times
that's just worldly.
00:18:02.81\00:18:06.31
I want to behold
something that's godly,
00:18:06.35\00:18:08.22
that's going to
bring me closer to God.
00:18:08.25\00:18:10.15
So I don't
necessarily follow those people
00:18:10.19\00:18:12.42
or I'm not
Facebook friends with those.
00:18:12.45\00:18:14.32
Yeah, unfriend some people, huh.
00:18:14.36\00:18:15.69
Yeah. You have to.
00:18:15.72\00:18:17.06
Yeah, they'd be liking
stuff and you're like, "What?"
00:18:17.09\00:18:18.43
You know, stuff
on you're feeding.
00:18:18.46\00:18:20.50
Yeah, it's good
stuff, good stuff.
00:18:20.53\00:18:22.93
Go ahead.
00:18:22.96\00:18:24.30
I think, it goes to what...
00:18:24.33\00:18:27.90
Like I stated, it
goes to what's inside.
00:18:27.94\00:18:30.61
And so whatever you put
out there is going to come out.
00:18:30.64\00:18:34.61
It's focusing on things above
00:18:34.64\00:18:37.25
and I'm not saying
to be holier than thou,
00:18:37.28\00:18:39.45
but being
positive, being uplifting
00:18:39.48\00:18:44.09
is a completely different thing,
00:18:44.12\00:18:45.89
it's kind of taboo these days
00:18:45.92\00:18:48.96
compared to what
is always put out.
00:18:48.99\00:18:50.99
So much sexuality, immorality
00:18:51.03\00:18:53.56
and the language
we use, how kind of...
00:18:53.60\00:18:57.53
I want to say,
it's very, it's tainted.
00:18:57.57\00:19:02.24
And so it goes back to
purity being a blessing.
00:19:02.27\00:19:05.44
Once you've lived a pure
life and not that it stops,
00:19:05.47\00:19:10.08
it's always a continual thing,
00:19:10.11\00:19:12.11
it's always a process,
it's a learning process.
00:19:12.15\00:19:15.08
Once you've lived that pure life
00:19:15.12\00:19:16.48
and that you're secure in
that pure life that you have,
00:19:16.52\00:19:20.29
everything that you
do will become something
00:19:20.32\00:19:22.76
and an example of purity.
00:19:22.79\00:19:24.39
Yeah, yeah.
00:19:24.43\00:19:25.76
You know, to add to that
I think that it goes beyond
00:19:25.79\00:19:27.86
on social media, it
goes beyond what we do,
00:19:27.90\00:19:31.23
you know, what we put out there.
00:19:31.27\00:19:32.60
I believe that we
also have to take a stand
00:19:32.63\00:19:35.00
for what is right and
often call out what is wrong.
00:19:35.04\00:19:38.61
To give an example, I
know someone who put up a video
00:19:38.64\00:19:41.21
of their daughter
dancing and whining, you know,
00:19:41.24\00:19:43.75
just a funny video
but the caption she puts,
00:19:43.78\00:19:46.95
"Oh, when she grows up,
she's going to be a stripper."
00:19:46.98\00:19:49.35
You know, and people
in commenting saying,
00:19:49.38\00:19:52.95
"Oh, ha, that's
funny," you know,
00:19:52.99\00:19:54.62
and all these
comments and nobody says,
00:19:54.66\00:19:56.89
"Why would you
want your daughter
00:19:56.93\00:19:58.26
to be a stripper?"
00:19:58.29\00:19:59.63
Even if you're
just joking, you know.
00:19:59.66\00:20:01.26
I know for myself,
when I'm on social media
00:20:01.30\00:20:03.73
my little brothers, friends,
00:20:03.77\00:20:06.53
old students that I
taught, people I've gone to...
00:20:06.57\00:20:08.80
If I see it, maybe you
might just take it for real.
00:20:08.84\00:20:12.27
You know, "Really?"
00:20:12.31\00:20:13.64
And they'll respond,
"Oh, I'm just joking."
00:20:13.68\00:20:15.01
And I'm like,
"Well, it's not funny."
00:20:15.04\00:20:16.38
You know, sometimes
you got to just stand up
00:20:16.41\00:20:17.75
and let people know
because usually the reason...
00:20:17.78\00:20:20.18
Now, social media is
all about getting attention.
00:20:20.22\00:20:21.98
If everybody is eating it up,
00:20:22.02\00:20:23.52
nobody is going to change
what they're putting out there.
00:20:23.55\00:20:24.89
Exactly.
00:20:24.92\00:20:26.25
Yeah, that's what you
said it because, you know,
00:20:26.29\00:20:28.19
as a pastor, you know, I
think so many young people
00:20:28.22\00:20:31.89
are kind of mad on
their Facebook friend.
00:20:31.93\00:20:33.43
I have to quote in and watch it.
00:20:33.46\00:20:34.80
Definitely. Definitely.
00:20:34.83\00:20:36.16
But, I mean, you
know, I'd be telling them,
00:20:36.20\00:20:37.93
I'd be calling them
out because, you know,
00:20:37.97\00:20:40.80
that's what it
means to be a witness.
00:20:40.84\00:20:42.34
We have to hold people
accountable, you know, say,
00:20:42.37\00:20:44.11
"Okay, is this
what you really feel?
00:20:44.14\00:20:45.47
Do you really think, I mean,
00:20:45.51\00:20:46.84
I thought you were doing this
last week or that last week?"
00:20:46.88\00:20:48.68
You know, and challenge
people because, I mean,
00:20:48.71\00:20:51.25
we have to be our
brothers and sisters keepers.
00:20:51.28\00:20:52.88
You know, we
have to help people,
00:20:52.91\00:20:54.42
when we see them
falling into sin,
00:20:54.45\00:20:56.35
we have a duty, a biblical
duty to bring them back up,
00:20:56.38\00:20:59.19
to save them from their sin.
00:20:59.22\00:21:02.12
Yeah.
00:21:02.16\00:21:04.06
That's true, we
are brothers' keepers.
00:21:04.09\00:21:05.43
And I heard the word
earlier accountability
00:21:05.46\00:21:08.23
and oftentimes,
whenever we think of the word
00:21:08.26\00:21:09.90
accountability, it's kind of
more of a negative connotation
00:21:09.93\00:21:13.34
like, "Oh, man, I got to be
accountable to this person."
00:21:13.37\00:21:16.71
But I think if we shifted
our view on that and said,
00:21:16.74\00:21:19.57
"Okay, me and this
person, we're just going
00:21:19.61\00:21:22.44
to shrive to
challenge each other to better."
00:21:22.48\00:21:28.25
You know to...
00:21:28.28\00:21:30.39
You know, every way
that Christ grew in wisdom,
00:21:30.42\00:21:32.25
and stature, and
favor with God and man.
00:21:32.29\00:21:33.79
So physically, you
know, better, you know,
00:21:33.82\00:21:36.36
spiritually better,
intellectually better,
00:21:36.39\00:21:38.79
socially better.
00:21:38.83\00:21:40.36
So I think if you see
it like that rather than a,
00:21:40.40\00:21:43.23
"Oh, if I fall I'll call you,
00:21:43.26\00:21:45.20
but let's be a
proactive about it."
00:21:45.23\00:21:46.80
Yeah.
00:21:46.84\00:21:48.27
"Yeah, what are you
doing man, what are you doing?"
00:21:48.30\00:21:49.97
You know what I'm saying?
00:21:50.01\00:21:51.94
You know, saying,
we have a standard
00:21:51.97\00:21:53.54
where we're trying to go,
so let's connect and make sure
00:21:53.58\00:21:56.54
that we continue to
pour into each other
00:21:56.58\00:21:58.41
so that we can get to
where we really want to go
00:21:58.45\00:22:00.45
and impurity is over
I can think of that too,
00:22:00.48\00:22:04.79
purity in all of our areas.
00:22:04.82\00:22:06.49
Yeah, I like that.
00:22:06.52\00:22:07.86
I have to, I got touched there.
00:22:07.89\00:22:09.22
I mean, this is important.
00:22:09.26\00:22:10.59
It's not something we
could do by ourselves, you know,
00:22:10.63\00:22:12.53
it's all about our
relationship with God
00:22:12.56\00:22:14.30
but it really has a lot to do
00:22:14.33\00:22:15.66
with our
relation with each other.
00:22:15.70\00:22:17.03
We cannot do it by ourselves.
00:22:17.07\00:22:18.40
I immediately think of living
in New York, going to Oakwood,
00:22:18.43\00:22:21.30
trying to make the drive
down to Huntsville in a car
00:22:21.34\00:22:23.37
by myself, it's hard.
00:22:23.41\00:22:25.61
But if I've got three
or four people in the car,
00:22:25.64\00:22:27.04
you don't even have to drive,
you just got to be in the car
00:22:27.08\00:22:29.94
and I can make it to
Huntsville with no problem.
00:22:29.98\00:22:31.51
Yeah, exactly.
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.01
Somebody with you
makes all the difference.
00:22:33.05\00:22:34.78
Right, right, right.
00:22:34.82\00:22:37.09
Now, I want to see if we can get
00:22:37.12\00:22:39.19
some practical
testimonies or examples
00:22:39.22\00:22:42.32
of some ways that
we have been witnesses
00:22:42.36\00:22:45.43
maybe in our scope or our
frame of friendship whatever.
00:22:45.46\00:22:49.33
How...
00:22:49.36\00:22:51.23
Give me a story
about how you were able
00:22:51.27\00:22:52.60
to be a pure witness?
00:22:52.63\00:22:54.97
Who wants to start? Somebody.
00:22:55.00\00:22:59.81
I'll start it while
you're still thinking.
00:22:59.84\00:23:01.41
Okay.
00:23:01.44\00:23:04.01
One thing that I realize
that a lot of people nowadays
00:23:04.05\00:23:05.78
have a different understanding
00:23:05.81\00:23:07.15
the standard of
purity, you know.
00:23:07.18\00:23:09.05
And of course, as you go
down that road you kind of,
00:23:09.08\00:23:11.02
your own standard
of it kind of deviates.
00:23:11.05\00:23:13.36
But one thing is some
of the kids at the church
00:23:13.39\00:23:17.53
were asking like, "Oh,
you know, don't you stay,
00:23:17.56\00:23:21.93
you and your
fiance stay together?"
00:23:21.96\00:23:24.27
And I said, "No, you
know, we're not married.
00:23:24.30\00:23:26.10
We're not
married yet," you know.
00:23:26.13\00:23:27.47
And they were just surprised
and wondering like, "Whoa.
00:23:27.50\00:23:30.44
I thought you are just
supposed to live with someone
00:23:30.47\00:23:32.04
who you're dating," you know.
00:23:32.07\00:23:33.41
But it was an
opportunity, a teaching moment
00:23:33.44\00:23:34.78
to even a show
witness, say, "Look,
00:23:34.81\00:23:36.88
we're taking a
stand of purity so much
00:23:36.91\00:23:38.28
that we're not
gonna live together.
00:23:38.31\00:23:39.65
We're not gonna
try this thing out.
00:23:39.68\00:23:41.02
You know, we're
going to stay separate
00:23:41.05\00:23:42.62
and be able to, you
know, keep that purity."
00:23:42.65\00:23:45.35
And I think that when I
said that to them on that,
00:23:45.39\00:23:48.52
what they realized that
that just open their eyes
00:23:48.56\00:23:50.73
up to a whole
another standard, you know,
00:23:50.76\00:23:53.13
God is trying to call us to.
00:23:53.16\00:23:54.50
Definitely. David.
00:23:54.53\00:23:55.86
You know, I haven't always
been on the road to God in this.
00:23:55.90\00:24:00.74
And I'm not perfect but
00:24:00.77\00:24:02.77
people know when you're genuine.
00:24:02.80\00:24:04.21
Right.
00:24:04.24\00:24:05.57
And when people
see a genuine person
00:24:05.61\00:24:08.21
striving to be like Christ,
they will commend you on it.
00:24:08.24\00:24:11.58
And I've gotten
many Facebook messages,
00:24:11.61\00:24:14.72
many text
messages so on and so forth
00:24:14.75\00:24:17.32
about I respect the
fact that you're being real.
00:24:17.35\00:24:20.96
Not perfect but real,
people can see through a facade
00:24:20.99\00:24:24.96
and somebody who's just
trying to fake being pure.
00:24:24.99\00:24:28.56
And when you're really
trying, people can see that too.
00:24:28.60\00:24:32.13
I like that. Yeah, all right.
00:24:32.17\00:24:35.70
You got an example, go ahead.
00:24:35.74\00:24:37.57
Another example would
be and I can go off again
00:24:37.61\00:24:40.88
off of what he
said, not all of us
00:24:40.91\00:24:43.75
have been on this
path in our entire lives.
00:24:43.78\00:24:46.35
Sometimes we
deviate and make mistakes.
00:24:46.38\00:24:48.68
But being real
about those mistakes
00:24:48.72\00:24:50.89
is also part of purity.
00:24:50.92\00:24:52.72
Impure is also being honest
with yourself and what you were
00:24:52.75\00:24:57.36
and what God has
created you to be
00:24:57.39\00:24:59.53
and what He's doing
in establishing in you.
00:24:59.56\00:25:02.00
And I think that,
when you, for instance,
00:25:02.03\00:25:07.37
it goes as simple
as opening the door
00:25:07.40\00:25:09.14
for more than just somebody
you're with or who you know
00:25:09.17\00:25:13.94
and because it's so foreign
right now when it's done,
00:25:13.98\00:25:17.98
it's like, "Oh, I have...
00:25:18.01\00:25:20.02
That hasn't been done before,
you holding the door for me?"
00:25:20.05\00:25:22.48
So it goes into actions
00:25:22.52\00:25:25.59
and just being
honest with oneself
00:25:25.62\00:25:28.99
about what you were and
what God has called you to.
00:25:29.02\00:25:31.59
Yeah, that's
such a powerful point
00:25:31.63\00:25:32.96
because that right there,
the authenticity, you know,
00:25:32.99\00:25:35.16
that David was talking about is
00:25:35.20\00:25:36.53
what people are striving
for, they're looking for.
00:25:36.56\00:25:38.00
And maybe tough
sometimes, you know, kind of,
00:25:38.03\00:25:39.47
hard especially for
those who made mistakes
00:25:39.50\00:25:40.87
and really be real and
say, "This is what I've done."
00:25:40.90\00:25:43.14
But, you know, that's
what the devil wants us to do.
00:25:43.17\00:25:45.67
He wants us to
hide those things,
00:25:45.71\00:25:47.08
keep those things aside
because he doesn't want people
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.54
to see that there is victory.
00:25:49.58\00:25:51.01
He want people to still see
you in that light, you know,
00:25:51.05\00:25:53.62
so that's a powerful point.
00:25:53.65\00:25:55.48
Yeah. You know, that would go...
00:25:55.52\00:25:57.55
My testimony would be
along those lines too.
00:25:57.59\00:25:59.15
I remember, I began
teaching academy Bible
00:25:59.19\00:26:01.79
right out of
Oakwood and mind you,
00:26:01.82\00:26:03.59
I'm not that far removed
00:26:03.63\00:26:04.96
from the kids that I'm teaching.
00:26:04.99\00:26:06.33
You know, 6 to 11
but I had, you know,
00:26:06.36\00:26:07.70
high school age kids
00:26:07.73\00:26:09.13
and what separated me
from the rest of the teachers
00:26:09.16\00:26:11.67
and this is no
credit this to myself,
00:26:11.70\00:26:13.03
was that I was real with them.
00:26:13.07\00:26:14.54
I was able to say
to them, you know,
00:26:14.57\00:26:16.30
just 6, 7, 8 years ago,
00:26:16.34\00:26:17.97
I was living in
outright sin and I struggled
00:26:18.01\00:26:21.14
and now I'm on a path
where me and God are walking
00:26:21.18\00:26:23.78
and there still
are some struggles,
00:26:23.81\00:26:25.35
but let me show you
how God has changed me.
00:26:25.38\00:26:27.45
Let me show you how my
conscious intentional effort
00:26:27.48\00:26:29.92
to stay and communing
with God has changed me.
00:26:29.95\00:26:32.02
And surprisingly, you
know, in contrast to...
00:26:32.05\00:26:34.72
that's in
contrast to the teachers
00:26:34.76\00:26:36.09
who are just
saying, "You got to do this,
00:26:36.12\00:26:37.46
you got to do that."
00:26:37.49\00:26:38.83
And I was showing
the students this persona
00:26:38.86\00:26:40.90
of I've always been
good like this, you know.
00:26:40.93\00:26:43.67
And so when the
students needed to get away,
00:26:43.70\00:26:46.20
they ran to my classroom.
00:26:46.23\00:26:47.67
You know, when they wanted
to talk about real life issues,
00:26:47.70\00:26:50.31
"Oh, man, Mr.
Douglas, let me tell you man,
00:26:50.34\00:26:52.54
you know, I was touched to,
00:26:52.57\00:26:53.91
somebody used touch
me when I was a kid.
00:26:53.94\00:26:55.44
You know, I've been this,
I feel like killing myself,
00:26:55.48\00:26:58.11
I mean, what
should I do about..."
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.48
They came to me, you
know, and like I said
00:26:59.51\00:27:01.28
it's not about me
but people they can,
00:27:01.32\00:27:03.22
they know when
you're being genuine.
00:27:03.25\00:27:04.89
And sometimes, you
don't have to be perfect,
00:27:04.92\00:27:06.55
you just have to
be real, you know.
00:27:06.59\00:27:08.12
And people can see, "Well, yeah,
00:27:08.16\00:27:09.89
he might have been, you
know, one way once upon a time
00:27:09.92\00:27:12.43
but look, I can
see the change in him
00:27:12.46\00:27:14.93
and so it must be
possible for me also."
00:27:14.96\00:27:16.83
Wow.
00:27:16.87\00:27:18.20
So, really using that purity
that God has given you now,
00:27:18.23\00:27:22.54
you know, to use
that as a witness,
00:27:22.57\00:27:24.11
that's
powerful, that's powerful.
00:27:24.14\00:27:25.47
And Brandon, you wanna
share real quick in few seconds?
00:27:25.51\00:27:26.94
Yeah.
00:27:26.98\00:27:28.31
I just want to say that
it is definitely possible
00:27:28.34\00:27:29.91
to be pure.
00:27:29.94\00:27:31.51
Someone challenged me and said,
00:27:31.55\00:27:32.91
"Well, can you be
pure for one second?
00:27:32.95\00:27:35.15
Can you be pure for 10 seconds?
Can you be pure for a minute?"
00:27:35.18\00:27:39.39
So, you know, as it goes
you can be pure for a day
00:27:39.42\00:27:42.12
for your lifetime as
long as you are states
00:27:42.16\00:27:44.86
in a submissive
position of Christ.
00:27:44.89\00:27:46.59
Amen.
00:27:46.63\00:27:48.50
Well, that's where
we'll end it right there.
00:27:48.53\00:27:50.50
God wants us to be
pure, and in fact our purity
00:27:50.53\00:27:53.47
can be even a
spiritual act of worship.
00:27:53.50\00:27:55.74
So I challenge you to be pure.
00:27:55.77\00:27:58.57