Marked // SO8E6

We have been marked for Christ and so we ought to live in his service! Pastor Jackson Kepue joins us in todays episode to discuss the Mark of the Beast, as well as the marks of salvation and of servanthood as believers. Pastor Jackson urges us not to get caught up in complacency, but to instead to live according to what God dictates and in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Verses from Marked:

Revelation 13:16-18, John 15:15, Isaiah 40:31, Ephesians 1:13, 2 Corinthians 4:4

Guest Info:

Pastor Jackson Ole Kepue pastors King Jesus Faith Church in Kisumu, Kenya
Visit this link to support Pastor Jackson through our website: https://thepantrypodcast.com/kenya/

Turning point ministries

“One of the works of Satan is to blind people’s minds so that you think you see, but you walk in darkness. Can you imagine God parting the Red Sea?  What’s it going to affect me to be free tomorrow? And right now I’m dying of hunger. I want to satisfy my immediate needs. And that is the trap many people fall into. How do you compare the food of angels with the onions of Pharaoh?”

Pastor Jackson Kepue, The Pantry Podcast, Marked

“We like to get into the weeds and get into the, this or this or this, and really divide out every issue that we might see in the world. But I think sometimes when we’re doing this discernment, we have to take a step back. We have to sit back and we have to sit there and say, okay, God… I should probably pray about it first.”

Shea Watson, The Pantry Podcast, Marked

“When you value the things of the Lord, they can threaten, take many a thing from you, but you won’t be blinded by that. And that won’t be the thing that forces your hand. But instead you will walk away from that. “

Michelle Watson, The Pantry Podcast, Marked

Annotated Transcript:

Shea: You’re listening to the Pantry Podcast, part of the spark podcast network. Now playing on the Edify app. Hey, I’m Shea  

Michelle:  I’m Michelle, and this is the pantry podcast. Season eight road to Revelation.  

Shea:  We’re here to help you crave a healthier spiritual diet by teaching you to ask the right questions, seek the right answers in the right place. God’s word and break free. The junk food. The world wants to shove down your throat. 

Michelle: We live in a broken world. We can fall down in despair or rise up for our wedding day. This season, we’re looking at what it really means to be the bride of Christ in the end times. And the many things we can learn from the book of Revelation that will guide us today, tomorrow, and to the end of time.

Shea:  Join us and fellow listeners in 47 states and 66 countries. As we marinate on the word of God, clear the junk from our pantries and feast on real everlasting food.

Michelle: Support the show by sharing this episode with two friends that need a godly snack and becoming a partner at patreon.com/the pantry Podcast for as low as $5 a month.  

Shea: And now let’s dig into the meal. 

Shea:  Hey, what’s up!  

Michelle:  Hello. This is our hundredth episode.  

Shea: Should I go, should I say it  

Michelle: I think you should…

Shea: It’s so awesome to be here. It is awesome to be here with you guys, both those that are listening, those who are watching. It is exciting. I always say that too. It’s exciting.  

Michelle: That’s what I expected you to say. And then you threw out awesome. I was like, all right then hundred, switch it up.

Shea: singing… Our God is awesome. Oh, I bet I go too far. I go too far. We might get shut down not because of the songs. Cause we’re saying that God is awesome. I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding… 

Michelle:  That only happens later,  

Shea: Right? This is our, this is our hundredth episode. And man, I think that,  I’m going to turn it over to Michelle to just kind of bring us in  

Michelle: Yeah so, welcome to the hundredth episode of the pantry podcast. We started this back right when the world, the world’s always been crazy, but right. When everyone across the globe pretty much agreed. And now it’s crazy. And what’s funny is we did not start this podcast because of the shutdowns and we didn’t start it because we were locked in together and just needed something to do. We’d been praying about it since the very beginning of the year. And  it’s been amazing what God has done, and we want to shout out some people that have done a lot for us. Now, this is different where we acknowledge every listener and we thank you for listening and joining us each week. We shout out everyone who funds us through Patreon, but this list is a little different because these are people who have done something other than listen,  that we haven’t shouted out before today.  

Michelle: And so we want to shout out Jeremiah Ferris of Eternity ready radio for always being there. He hosts an online Christian radio station and it’s an amazing place to listen to music from the word, podcast from the word, it’s awesome.  and he’s always been there and supportive of us and he’s always promoted us to everybody he talks to.  We also want to thank Peter and Misty from spark collective for all that they’ve done, to support us, to build us, to inspire us and give us a community. We also want to thank my mom,  because we do have a little girl and sometimes we’re like, mom, can you watch Calia while we recorded episodes? And that, so most of the guest interviews that we have are because my mom was able to watch our daughter while that was happening. And then finally, normally we take our own photos. We’re about to drop a brand new podcast, cover art, super exciting, but normally we take photos ourselves. This time, Anugraha Ayer. He’s amazing. We’re going to link to him in the show notes, as well as Maddie Perry, who was another photographer back in season two, that’s taken our photos. Both of them have not asked for much. They just wanted to help us. So we want to shout out all of them for making a big difference.  

Shea: I’m telling you cool, cool platform, man. There’s all kinds of things to do. I want to shout out some countries. This is something we always do. These are our most downloaded countries. So these are the ones that had the most. So US India, France, Australia, and watch this, the Ukraine. That’s really cool.  

Michelle: If you’re listening from any other country, I challenge you to leave us a review. So we shout you out next time.  

Shea:  I’m going to say something real quick to Georgie hits me up the other day from India, right? And he’s got his college student from, you know, there, you know, he works with college people at the church and this, this person shows him the pantry podcast and says “yo you gotta check out this podcast.” And, and Georgie, he’s a good friend of ours from India. Who’s been on the show a couple of times and it’s like, Georgie. He’s like, I know them. They’re like my family. And so that was really cool. That was really cool.

Michelle: Well, bam. So again, shout out to India. We know you guys, as well as Australia, you guys are going through a very significant turn of events, which leads us in to, as a guess, we did not originally, originally this was going to be us. And then this is the most fitting guest ever. So I’m going to let you introduce,  

Shea: So, so tonight we’re gonna be talking about marked. So the name of this episode is marked.  Hello. I think if you walk down the street and you said the mark of the beast, she said 666. I mean, most people even nonbelievers would at least catch 666, and they would be able to associate it to something, whether they believe in it or not believing it, that terminology exists.  where does this come from? Revelations 13, 16 through 18. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or the forehead so that no one can buy or sell, unless he has the mark. That is the name of the beast of the number of its name. That isn’t the only marking in the Bible. We’re going to dig into this as we get into this cause we’re also as believers we’re marked.  And it’s kind of awesome. So we’re just going to dig in man, our guests, honestly, I didn’t shout him out because he’s here. Right? And that is like a complete blessing to me.  I met pastor Jackson eight, eight years ago, eight or nine years ago. And I’m telling you what it started out. Like he was discipling me and you know how discipleship works. It kind of like you start to just become friends and like, you know that now we just edify one another all the time we talk at least two or three times a week. He’s all the way from Kisumu, Kenya. He’s a part of King Jesus faith ministry. He’s also part of turning point ministry, which is a ministry for building up leaders in the church. He is all over Kenya. I’m telling you this guy travels. He’s also, I liked this part. He’s a Messai, you guys can look that up or you can email me and ask me questions. It’d be in the show notes. But he, what is beautiful about his heart is he loves God so much that when he came to Christ, he gave up everything. He gave up tradition, he gave up culture and he decided, you know what, I’m going to go into Kasuma which isn’t even the tribal lands where he’s from and say, I am going to be a part of a different people. And I am going to share the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hey, pastor Jackson. Welcome to the show. It is awesome. My friend, I love you.  

Pastor Kepue:  Thank you very much Shea and Michelle Watson what a great honor, I’m privileged to be on this show. Thank you very much.  

Michelle: Thank you. For everyone who doesn’t know, like Kenya, doesn’t always have, I mean like there’s some places with strong wifi someplace not. He is up in the middle of the night so that the wifi is super strong so that he can be on here. So forgive any glitches, but hey, the spirit is faithful. And also if you have supported our ministry at all, when we were working, we still are,  with the food pantry that started at the beginning of all of the COVID stuff. This is the recipient who has been figuring out where this money would best be served prayerfully and helping the community that he pastors, as well as surrounding churches, everybody in the community, regardless of if they go to church. So this is the fruit of the labor 

Shea: And we still have those links up. And so there is still a need in Kenya. And if you want to be a co-labor with us in this mission to help support a community, a church, a community, and like other brothers and sisters in Christ, from different churches, Hey, get online, go to the pantrypodcast.com/kenya. That takes you straight there. That’s what I’m talking about.  

Michelle:  So pastor Jackson, I’m excited cause Shea talks to you so much more than I do, but so give us your take on being marked by the Lord. So not the mark of the beast, but what does it mean to you to be marked by the Lord?  

Pastor Kepue: First of all, just as Shea said at the beginning of the show, there are different kinds of marks. First of all the mark of eternity, that is salvation because nobody can come to Christ until they are marked. Jesus said that no one can come unless they are pulled by my father. Those people may be lost in sin right now but they are already marked for salvation or something like that. To be marked by God is to be set aside, one for salvation in Christ Jesus, and two set aside for the service of God. You can be at a place where you are marked for  salvation, and then go to move you to the next level where you are for his service. Because we have very many people who are believers. They are already marked, but they are not in the service, but I do this anytime. God is moving us from just being level of being a normal believers to being co-laborers with Christ  

Shea: Well, I like that, but right there co-laborers with Christ. What does that look like? I mean, you know, people can sit here and say, oh, that’s works that’s works based but I think you had two distinct separations there, right? When you’re a marked for salvation. I mean, what is that seal like? How powerful is that seal? Can that seal be taken away?  

Pastor Kepue: No, that’s seall cannot be taken away. Salvation makes you a member of the family of God. John chapter number one basically means the one who is the writer of the promise. When a person is marked for salvation and they receive Jesus Christ, that cannot be taken away. That possibly may have some little issues here and there. But once a person is a member of the family of God, as Jesus sees in them, that my father has given me, nobody can take them or snatch them away from me, because the mark of salvation is any tunnel monk. The only requirement to be a member of the family of God is to believe in Jesus Christ. And from that point, God begins to walk in me and walk in you as you begin to grow in the knowledge and in that understanding of God

Shea: So then on that second point, what drives you to work?  

Pastor Kepue: My drive to work is because I love the Lord and I want to share the same experience I have with people. I don’t work for God to save me because he has already saved me. I work for God because I’m already saved. You understand? So I’m not working so that I earn something from God. I am working because I’ve already have something from God.  

Michelle: I was telling one of our most avid listeners today who hangs out at our house a lot, Abby Shibley. I was telling her today, you know, that’s so important. The love and a way to help understand is, you know, my life with my husband. I don’t just want him to not divorce me. I want to have a relationship with him. And I want that relationship to grow. Not because it prevents divorce, but because I’m not even thinking about divorce because that’s the point, right? The point of marriage is to grow in it and to help one another and serve one another and work together to serve others and bear fruit through our children and our other, you know, works. But it’s not where I’m sitting there. Like I have to wash the dishes or he’ll divorce me, or I have to act right and behave, or he’ll divorce me. It’s ordained by the Lord. But this is like on this physical plane, a marriage between two people. Now, when you add in that, you’re married to Christ. Isn’t that so much more perfect because your husband is Christ. And I love that because the ring that I wear with my husband, it’s a physical ring. But like you said, you know, it’s a seal, you know, in Ephesians 1:13, we’re sealed with the promised holy spirit. And that’s, you know, the thing that signifies it  

Shea: Now to get into the weeds. So when we look at history, there’s been several different times when people could sit there and say, oh, well this is the mark of the beast. I think that anytime something had a requirement to where somebody had to do something in order to purchase something or buy something or gain something we would have to sit there and look at like the similarity to it. People won’t be able to buy or sell, you know, in the Bible. That’s actually in revelation 2. And, and so when we’re looking at these markings, you know, I think it’s important. That’s why we brought out the sealed from the holy spirit is because you have to understand something as believers in Jesus Christ, that we’re secure. That doesn’t mean that we’re not a part of what’s going on. That just means that we have an eternal destiny that is secure and can not be shaken or moved or taken away from us. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to feel the impact of what will go on around us. And it’s this necessity to be, and continue to be enslaved by the world. We were the benefactors of this beautiful kingdom. So, you know, I’ve heard this a thousand times,  Pastor Jackson and, and you can help us clear it up that people are saying, you get injected with the vaccine. You’ve received the mark of the beast. True or false?  

Pastor Kepue: I don’t think this vaccine really is the mark of the beast. Let me put it easier so that we understand. More or less and copy and paste how God works. And you have to understand that even when God does something, he may not introduce it once. It’s just the levels. I never leveled into something. Let me put it this way. Do you know before Adam fell, not like God woke up one morning and he said, oh, Adam must fall. What am I going to do? In fact, the revelation, the Bible says about Jesus Christ. John say, he’s so wild. Like the lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. In other words, even before Adam fell, God had a plan, but that plan of God will not be just been introduced once. And God started process and level by level. Adam, when he fell and go to say, okay, fine, let me look for something temporary to cover his sin and his physical nakedness. But I have a long time eternal plan. And then God began to move. He brought Noah into place, he brought Abram into place. He brought the children of Israel into place. He brought the law into place and he brought the prophets, all these plans and leading to salvation. The enemy also has copied that, that the enemy could be achieving something, but he put his strategies and mechanism in places that today this may not be the mark of the beast, but he’s laying a foundation for the same, more or less is a system being introduced so that you have no place to turn so that you have no option. There is a something going on in Africa, in a nation called Cameroon in the Western part of Africa, there is a football tournament that is an African kind of…

Shea: Soccer 

Pastor Kepue: Ah soccer. They had to say, everybody who’s going to watch football. They have to have a job. And some people had to walk away. And all the people that who are vaccinated only 3% and the other number are not. And so there were, there was an option. And this is, and this is my point. Anything that takes my freedom and rights away is not from God. Anything that make me choose between this and that is not from God because Galatians chapter number 5 and verse number 1, the symbol of Christ in the Bible is a symbol of the olive leaf. But if you are to mention Christ in one word in the Bible it would be liberty, that is why Jesus saved. And I’ve come that you may have life and have it abundantly. And John chapter number eight, say that when you know that truth, that truth will set you free. So at this point, let me, let me not talk so much, but let me say, this may not be the mark of the beast, but it may be bringing and introducing a certain process and a certain setup.  

Michelle:  I said that the sign of the Lord is Liberty. And I look at the other sides that would come against that and say, well, liberty allows you to do so many bad things. That’s not of God, either The conversation of as well, you know, you can’t drive without car insurance in America. You can’t, you know, it’s illegal to ride without a seatbelt. So they have things in place where you can’t do this without this. You can’t go in a store without money and walk out with food. And so don’t, you already have a thing where you have to have something to get something. So how is this different? what would you say to the people who say, well, you know, there’s already rules in place. How is this any different?  

Pastor Kepue: I might not be able to drive a car without a seatbelt, because if something happened it might be harmful too. Every other vaccine that you take. You can’t get polio if you take the polio vaccine. You understand what I mean? But current vaccine, you’re talking about you take the vaccine but you are still vulnerable. What is the use? We are not saying that if your conviction allows you to take it you shouldn’t take, but I’m talking at this moment from my personal conviction, my personal walk with the Godl, I feel like anything that, to make me a slave to another thing, then that would remove the work of Christ Because just like, as I said, this, the symbol of Christ is liberty. But I’m not talking over Liberty to do whatever I want but Liberty to do every makes Christ happy and everything that glorifies God, because my freedom is not to fulfill my desire. But my freedom is to express my divine passion.  You know, there is a rule for you can’t drive a car without a seatbelt. You can’t drive a car without an insurance. The policeman or the government cannot take children away from me because I don’t have insurance. The police can’t tell me you can’t work in this place because you don’t have an insurance. Why this one particular thing. Why does this thing matter so much that it is essential and basic things of life so that when I have to choose between, and I’m sorry, if this talk is hard, but it’s okay because that is my heart, black and white, but where am I? Where am I supposed to choose between my wife and freedom? Remember this always what makes man different from animals, is the soul. To make choices. The reason I’m born again is because God has made all the choices available that Jesus Christ is a choice that is available. And then I choose that. And now I am a son of God for that matter. I reject to him. And then I’m condemned as the word of God say, basically saying, I don’t understand all this pressure, right?  

Shea:  As humans, when we start to feel the pressure, like the pressure cookers starting to go, we tend to run towards seen things and avoid trusting the unseen. And so a little breakdown. What causes that? What brings us to this, this ideology that you know, I’m God, God, God, God, God, God, God. And then when things get hard, it’s like, oh.. world.  

Pastor Kepue: The nature of man is I want to solve my problems immediately. Like, okay.  okay, fine. But now my problem is that I have to be vaccinated so I could walk and have food. And the enemy has a mastered that, and the other day we were talking with you and I give you the story of the children of Israel. You can imagine people have been in slavery for 400 years and freedom has come. One of the effect of darkness, it blind people’s minds, all of the work of satan is to blind people’s mind so that you think you see you walk in darkness. Can you imagine God parting the red sea, the weight, and the pressure God took to deliver those people, to show that I want you to be free. God was going out of the way. Eventually the freedom came and in all they all on the other side, they are on their way to freedom.  And, but this voice came back. Things are hard. This is a women is because Elijah is a process. Somebody saying, Hey, have you brought us here to die? What will it benefit to me to be free tomorrow? And right now I’m dying of hunger. I want to satisfy my immediate needs. And that is the trap many people fall into. How do you compare the food of angels with the onions of pharaoh? You cannot see the food of angels. You think of cucumber. You’re thinking of watermelon. I don’t know whether you people have in America,watermelon, or onions for that to matter. But I’m saying this my brother. And I’m saying this my sister. Freedom is very expensive. One of the things that every human being must appreciate is the fact that Christ brutally bought. 

Shea: This I’m going to throw a verse out for, for everybody in  2 Corinthians 4:4, it says the God of this age. That’s, that’s the enemy. That’s the principality of this air. This is the one who rules this atmosphere in the world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so that they can not see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Israel wanted to go back to slavery.  Israel saw all these beautiful miracles and saw how God was working and how God was powerful. And yet they get into, you know, into of course, you know, they fell 11 days in 11 days in, they had the promised land sitting in front of them and they were again, afraid to make that step in trusting God. And so that created an incidence where they’re 40 years in the desert now.  And so when we think about this and we think about what is going on, I really want to warn the believers and maybe those who might be listening to the show for the first time that we have to move forward very cautiously.  I think to run into anything because of a fear or to run into anything because of a security or to run into anything for pure safety, we have to take a step back and do a spiritual assessment so that we understand what’s really taking place. You know, like I said, I’m not going to sit here and beat anyone up for any decision that they make. But what I’m saying is we have to start looking at the world and start wondering what is going on, you know, and we’re, where is the Christian supposed to be? And how are we supposed to move forward 

Michelle: The world’s been conditioned, including a lot of believers. They hear this conversation. They say, oh, you’re anti-vax and they dismiss you and they walk away. But what we’re saying, and this is the challenge for believers, a system where you’re not allowed to function in society and you’re reduced to living, I mean, the way it’s going to being homeless, because you can’t work to begging for food because you can’t buy it yourself to having your children taken away because you can’t supply a home for them. All of this can come with the way that things are going and it could come no matter what they require. It could come. If they require you to wear a funny hat or wear a patch on your shirt, or just put a microchip in you. That’s one of the biggest conspiracy concepts about the mark of the beast. No matter what it is. Okay. It’s not this one. Okay. We defeated in court. It’s not constitutional. Okay. What about the rest of the world? But here’s the challenge, no matter what you decide, whether or not you decide that this jab or that patch or whatever it is, whatever you decide personally, I challenge you do not be complicit in an antichrist system, regardless of if you agree with the thing they’re trying to use as the gateway to all the goodies, because that’s the actual issue. Whether or not you decide this is the right thing for your health, whether or not you decide that this, that, or the third is the thing for you, what they’re currently building around. They’re insulating this choice with a lot of stuff that makes it hard for people who are genuinely convicted against it, to function as a human being in this system. And so I challenge you to not be complicit in the system, even if you agree with the original thing. And I also encourage people to not take this and say, well, the hill I’m going to die on is the mark of the beast. And until then, I’ll just comply because I don’t care. This is not always the thing. You know, it already seems to be losing some steam and people are seemingly fighting against the tyranny that surrounds it, because that is the definition of what it is. But there’s another thing coming. And I don’t know how many other things are coming, but we know revelation exists. And so it’s going to come in its absolute form one day and we don’t believe we’re going to be here for that. So does that mean you’re just going to comply your way and devil may care, keep it easy for you while everyone else that really is convicted suffers just because you won’t lose your salvation. I think that that’s the biggest thing. So I’m not interested in preserving my life and keeping my life easy, because that’s not Christian. And I am more concerned with our people being treated with dignity. Do people have access to the things that we all commonly need or are there groups of people being treated like second or third class citizens against the will of God because of a man made decision of what’s best. That is the definition of how the antichrist is going to come. 

Shea: So we got this mark of the beast thing. We got this idea of what we believe the direction is. I know for a fact, 100%, since COVID started, there’s been days when people in your own congregation or people around you in the community have gone days without food. Now this doesn’t have to do anything with a vaccine. This doesn’t have anything to do. This just has to do with the condition of how the world is right now and the pandemic that we’re going through and, and what’s happening. How do you encourage them? How do you propel them forward in, you know, as their day to day walk goes? 

Pastor Kepue:  Just like,  I would say one of the things about crisis Liberty, we also have to look on the other side, how does the enemy thrive? Through division. These are not vaccinated. These are vaccinated with fear. And I tell people is a way to encourage them. However, difficult life is don’t fall for deception, do not exchange fruit for anything. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs, acquire truth and do not sell, it is very central in the kingdom of God. Christ is proof. My spiritual life is important more than my stomach. My relationship with God is more important than anything else. And that’s one of the ways that I encourage people. And secondly, I tell people, let us continue pulling together. Let’s not allow the enemy separators. That’s all you will see sometime I’ll call brethren from other churches. Those people may not necessarily live on the same messages, but those people are believers in Christ.  And I go beyond a doctrine to reach out to them, encourage them. And number three, I said, do not walk by fear, fear itself, make more people affected. Then even the virus itself, we must maintain unity by all means, we maintain unity. We lock off division and you know, let me say you are white and I’m black, but when we fellowship, there’s no color. You, you never talk to me and say like, Hey, you know, you, the skin of your color is black. Oh, you know, you come from a country that does not even exist in the map and all those kinds of stuff, because there is that bond of unity that when I’m talking to share, I can be naked, I will not be afraid. I can, I can express myself. I can even say, when I’m disappointed, I don’t like what you say, but that does not mean I break the relationship. People must be brought together. We must refuse division and separation. We must refuse a message that leaves some people and separates some people. We must reduce walls. The Bible says in the book of Ephesians, for Christ has destroyed the wall of hostility that was between us. And that wall, at that time, Paul was talking of the world between the Jewish and the Gentiles. In this time, we’re talking about the wall between the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated because that is the concept we are talking here. Unity is very important. Unity is very important. Let me say this. The enemy does not think well of you. Just like in the time, the children of Israel, they were being taken to Canaan. And the enemy is telling them, you don’t have to go to Canaan. Even people that they are projecting under. There could be other deeper underlying issues that you may, you and me may not be knowing about. And therefore, this level on time, we must remain united. I may not be vaccinated and I may never be, but I’m still a part of the human race. Those people who were vaccinated are still as equal as me, and that is a fact. And I still lean into them and we must protect our unity. Number two, we must refuse fear because fear is not of God. The Bible say perfect love, casts out fear. When I love people genuinely, I don’t fear them. When I love the Lord genuinely, I don’t fear him in the way I fear a snake and unity must be maintained by all means. Faith must be preached by all means. And when I say faith, we must refuse fear because the enemy thrives in that fear. That is why the Bible say, I know hopelessness. You remember the story of Israel in the wilderness. Have you brought us so that we die in the wilderness. We are not dying in this wilderness my friends, because our father loves and cares for us under Michelle and Shea. God cannot allow the enemy to have the last word. He may have some words, but eventually God will have the last one.  

Michelle: That is a very important distinction that we are not sealed based on our choices, except for a single choice. And that’s whether or not we accept Christ. And there’s things like social credit scores and surveillance and AI and Metaverses this is not a vaccine conversation though. We’ve plugged and dived into that because that’s the thing that’s happening worldwide. Right now, there are many things coming down, the pipe that we have accepted in that only make it easier to be controlled if we value the things in this world, more than the Lord. When you value the things of the Lord, they can threaten, take many a thing from you, but you won’t be blinded by that. And that won’t be the thing that forces your hand. But instead you will walk away from that.  

Pastor Kepue: You cannot sacrifice freedom or food. When Elijah refused to bow with a system, of Jezebell, God still opened a way. And he fed him. Your job is just one of the sources that God is using to provide for you. And there’s nothing wrong. If you lose the current job because of your conviction, it may be painful and hurting temporarily. But remember the story that I just quoted the story of Elijah, go and say to him, go to the brook. When the brooke was drunk, he said there go to the widow of Serepha when that was over and God laid in step after step after step and therefore the most basic word that I want to speak to those people without sounding religious. God will have his own way in your life, right? I want to know how and when, but I’m telling you, God will not abandon, do something out of foolishness, but because you are doing it in the name of God, God will receive that as an offering. As I’m afraid, people may mock you, but God will say, Hey, these are honoring out to me because he knows me. Because he knows me. I will satisfy him with a long life. That long Life is not just eternal life, when people go to heaven, even here on Earth, is that long life, that provision of God. And so I want to tell everybody that is listening to me. Yeah, things might be tough, but God will not abandon you. Hold on to Christ, hold onto freedom. Hold on to Liberty, hold onto family values, hold to freedom in Christ Jesus

Shea: I liked that. I like that. That, you know, just a lot, a lot of details here. Y’all,  speaking to our online, one’s listening and our ones that are watching, a lot to unpack. But I think at the end of the day, when we’re thinking about this for number one, I mean, we could get hit left right to Sunday on this one, but honestly, mark of the beast, to me in the position that I believe and what I believe is biblical, isn’t going to happen until the believer is gone anyways. So really it’s kind of also hard for me to believe that my God, who knows exactly what’s happening as I sit here speaking, as he knows exactly the words that are coming out of my mouth, he knew that pastor Jackson was about to sit backwards in his chair. He knows that my wife just clicked a button to put his back up on the zoom chat. You know what I’m saying? That he has abandoned us. And I love what pastor Jackson said. It’s like, he is there. He is waiting. Isaiah 40:31 says, but they who wait on the Lord for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall Mount up life wings like Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They walk and not run faint. That is what we’re trying to get at here. We’re really trying to bring in, in this, in this season of roads or revelation that we have to be more discerning.  We like to get into the weeds and get into the, this or this or this, and really divide out every issue that we might see in the world. But I think sometimes when we’re doing this discernment, we have to take a step back. We have to sit back and we have to sit there and say, okay, God, you know, before I just run out and I buy, I mean, okay, I should do this more often though, before I just run out and buy some chocolate snacks, I should probably pray about it first. You know what I’m saying? God might be like, yo bro, you don’t need no chocolates snacks. You getting a little chunky, you know, I’m just saying, but in reality, it’s about taking a step back. It’s about really letting the Lord speak to you because I think sometimes the world creates a bunch of thunder and a bunch of earthquakes and we get caught up in the thunder and the earthquakes and it’s just, it’s overwhelming to us. And if, and, and really in this season for me,  what God’s taught the guy who likes to engage all the time and go fight stuff is to take a step back, put it to the word of God. Like pastor Jackson was saying, it’s not, you know, when you start to see divisive, you start to see, you know, all of these like distortions and confusion and all of these things. That’s not God, that is not God. That is the enemy. And we have to sit there and say, okay, look, we need to relax for a minute and let God tell us what we need to do. And if you go forward, knowing that God is telling you what you need to do, then at least, you know your with God and you’re walking forward. Amen.  

Pastor Kepue: Romans chapter 8 verse 1. Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh there, I mean the desire of this human body being led by the spirit. I want to say to those that are watching us or listening to us, everything, according to the spirit. Even with all these noises, you who is watching. What is the spirit saying to you as a person so that you don’t just follow noises and follow things. Because sure Paul says in Galatians 2:20 that Christ the love and gave himself for me and Paul says the life that I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the sight of God. And it is not I who live anymore. It is Christ who lives in me. And therefore, what is the spirit saying to you. Not what is your pastor saying to you on sunday? Some pastors are saying good, some are saying bad. But every, every single child, of course, even if they go to born again, three weeks ago, the holy spirit clears so much for them, so much for Jesus Christ, the head of the church, he cares for you. He cares for you. He minds about your life in minds about your daily living. And so as you go and as you make choices and you make choices based on our discussion here today, make choices based on what the Spirit is saying. Thank you very much for having me.  

Shea: Thank you for being here, pastor Jackson, you know, I’ll get to talk to you a lot more. So I just appreciate this. You being here for our hundredth episode, a milestone for us, a little heavy topic, but I think it’s a good topic. I think that, you know, people should be allowed to hear different sides. And so, Hey, thank you, everyone who’s listened to us. We’re thankful for you. We’re thankful that we’re praying that God is doing a work in your life.  

Michelle: All of the amazing verses that you heard, all of the different references, you can access those at thepantrypodcast.com under this episode’s show notes. Once again, shout out to Josiah for always doing the best. And if you have, I’m sure there’s going to be conversation about this episode above all. But do it with love and pray about it.  Don’t do it out of emotion. Don’t do it out of offense. Do it out of a desire for godly conversation. Now this episode and every conversation that you have from here on out. So until next time!

Shea: Bye.

Michelle Bye! 

Shea: Thanks for listening to the pantry podcast. Subscribe to the show, wherever you listen and check out other great shows on Edify app and eternity ready radio.