Digital Ministry Church Podcast_MP3

Digital Ministry Church Podcast

By Michael Hicks

[Sponsor Message] Supported by Faithlife, the makers of Logos Bible software, and the only complete platform for Holistic Ministry that combines time-saving apps with discipleship resources. 

Speaking Intro:

Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening, which ever that may be for you. Thank you for tuning in to my first introductory session of Digital Ministry Church. I am your host Michael Hicks, and this…is my digital ministry.

Topic 1: Who Am I

Main Point – Old Thoughts Die Hard

·        Supporting Point: Since I could remember, I have been aching to find my place in this world, a message that has reverberated since Michael W. Smith in the early 90’s. What I could never quite get right is my place, my purpose, my niche. It has been an uphill struggle to identify my strengths, weaknesses (of which I have many), and a way to fulfill that reason why I am here. Here is a brief look into the story of where I have been, what I have been doing, and where I believe I am headed.   

·        Supporting Data: Without completely boring my listeners let me just sum it up. As a young boy, I wanted nothing more than to be an actor or comedian. I carried this kind of naiveté around with me so much so that my peripheral blinders was at max and all I saw was the stage and screen, something I made out to be an idol. This is where I could shine until my heart was content. In retrospect, I never was content and at the time I had no idea that the Bible would tell me that following your heart is deceitful and untrustworthy. I followed my dreams all the way through completing my Associates of Arts in Theater. After completing a One Man Show called “Marx in Soho” by Howard Zinn detailing the life of socialist Karl Marx, I had change of mind. No, I am not a socialist, communist, or a fan of the proletariat working class who were rallied against the government in the 19th century. This was simply an exercise of skill for characterization and memorization sake.         

·        Supporting Quote: I kept asking myself, “Is this all I am? Do I really want to spend my life pretending to be other people for a few laughs while never really knowing who I am?” No, I took a hard turn after Coffeyville Community College and took many odd jobs, gained some work history, and never amounted to much in terms of what my preconceived thoughts were of success. After experiencing at least, a dozen spiteful employers and failed attempts to fly coined by Switchfoot’s rendition of Meant to Live, I hit bottom and found God waiting for me. In short, I got a D.U.I., changed my focus on life, and was blessed with a wife of eleven years and three crazy girls I would die to protect. It took a lot of self-loathing and financial loss to realize that I was following the world, not the Word.    

Segue

Topic 2: Who Are We?

Main Point – New Life

·        Supporting Point: Little did I know that after struggling to understand who I was meant to be, I realized that it was never about me. Initially, I just wanted to bring some levity and joy to an audience to give them a break from the trials of everyday life, if only for a short time. Altruistic as that seemed, there was a greater purpose for my pain, to be an example or testimony for those facing real issues like homelessness, drug abuse, mental health, and the many negative surprises that life can bring. Regrettably, realizing the last thing someone needs who is starving and living out of a cardboard box is to be entertained, I changed my approach to service, God needed Kingdom workers to serve those without the true essentials He provides us, bread, and the Bible. With this newly realized calling, it became less about me and more about us.     

·        Supporting Data: Working in the mental health field, all I had to share was what I gained from Regent University’s B.A. program in Christian Ministry. After a few years of doing social work, I found that this field is more of a band-aid to the real issue, which is sin, not skin per se. Most of my colleagues at work would disagree because they follow a science that does not comprehend spiritual matters. In Ephesians 6:12 it says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This is a foreign concept because they only see what is in the natural. Sadly, I have come to realize that this field of work will never change because its ruling authority is not God, but the State. For the last year or so, I had attempted to sway my employers to adopt the justification for a Chaplain, but they have no intention to budget for this position. Due to this ruling, I had to change my Major to a focus in Online Ministry so I could reach out to those who would have otherwise followed this world into perdition without considering an alternative. I have since taken steps to make contact with an organization that helps secure a 501(c)(3) for Digital Ministry Church. The aim for this ministry is to help bridge those who are looking for truth in all the wrong places via internet and direct them to an in-person house of worship so they may build a relationship with a church family.         

·        Supporting Quote: More than likely, this ministry would be fishing for more believers similar to Paul impressions on reconciling Jews and Gentiles which he sought to lead out of a strange land. In this case, the world wide web is the strange land, and the user is the xenos or foreigner. Paul says, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph 2:19-22) This is the purpose of Digital Ministry Church.

Topic 3: Who is He?

Main Point – Why Follow Jesus?

·        Supporting Point: I can say from experience that Jesus, who is also God in the flesh,  continues to guide my path in order to serve His purposes. I may only be able to see my next few steps, but it is He who “established them” (Pr. 16:9). Not only so, but He who is, “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

·        Supporting Data: Because of who He says I am to Him, I can now walk in my new purpose rather than searching out who I am to be for others, for the world around me. It was a tireless exercise, and frankly tortuous to grow up believing that we are self-made men, and you can be anything you want to be if you just work hard enough. Maybe true in a sense, but unrealistic and dishonest. Maybe it helped to start the journey but was never the expectation. We are more than conquers, not because Paul says we are, but because we are meant for more than winning temporal battles, we are eternal. This earth holds nothing permanent for us, unless we choose to die with our wealth and fame, then the second death awaits us. Christ came not to save the Earth but to save us from it. Our Heavenly Father will renew this world in His time, but Christ is the only way off this sinking ship. It is not about making your mark or leaving an inheritance, but following after His established legacy to which moth, rust, or thief could never destroy. (Mt 6:20)   

·        Supporting Quote: Knowing what I know now about the meaning of life, would I have chosen to follow Him sooner? No, I am much too happy with my current life to risk changing meeting my wife, having my children, and learning how to lead others to Christ. Changing anything about what I have done to expect a better outcome could never replace the joy I have now. It takes trials and tribulation to teach how to value their blessings rather than take them for granted and abuse His grace. If this is His way of lovingly chastising me, I would choose the same pain if it meant having the same outcome.   

Segue

Outro:

Recap: So, Who am I? I am a child of God who needs Jesus to guide me in all I do. I have a wealth of experience that has served disappointment after disappointment because my eyes were on myself not the sparrow. Where there once was no hope to succeed after drawing from barren sources of life, there is now a well that keeps me fully satisfied, despite the harshness of life.   

Call to Action: In the words of James Hamilton, author of Preaching the Word: Revelation-The Spirit Speaks to the Churches, he proclaims the urgency of Christ in saying:

We need Jesus not only for our own personal salvation. We need Jesus so there is hope for the world. By his death and resurrection Jesus has taken control of history. Jesus has seized destiny—not just his destiny—all destinies. Jesus is the one who ensures that the universe will have meaning. Jesus is the one who will judge the wicked and vindicate those who have trusted in him. Jesus is the one who will right the wrongs and heal the hurts and wipe away the tears. We need Jesus. Without Jesus there is no hope.”[1]

[Sponsor Message] Supported by Faithlife, the makers of Logos Bible software, and the only complete platform for Holistic Ministry that combines time-saving apps with discipleship resources. 

[Closing Music]