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Speaker 1: The Early Church spoke of the Trinity not merely as doctrine,
Speaker 1: but as something that could take a lifetime of exploring
Speaker 1: and pondering and could deepen and enrich our worship in
Speaker 1: wonderful ways.
Speaker 3: Welcome to a special scripture focused bonus episode of the
Speaker 3: Jesus Calling Podcast, where we think about the concept of
Speaker 3: the Trinity, the Father, and the Holy Spirit and what
Speaker 3: their presence and purpose means to each of our individual lives. Pastor,
Speaker 3: author and speaker Timothy Jones helps us contemplate this relational
Speaker 3: view and how the communing of God, Jesus and the
Speaker 3: Holy Spirit brings a new level of intimacy and belovedness
Speaker 3: to each of us.
Speaker 1: I'm Timothy Jones. I'm a pastor and author and speaker
Speaker 1: and retreat leader. I live near Nashville, and I love
Speaker 1: to write and teach. One of the things that gives
Speaker 1: me joy is seeing people grow closer in their relationship
Speaker 1: to God. And I've just in fact, spent the last
Speaker 1: couple of years exploring and writing about how God comes
Speaker 1: close to us in the Trinity. While some of us
Speaker 1: find that ancient belief to be intimidating or confusing, I
Speaker 1: found that knowing God as Father's son and Spirit warms
Speaker 1: our view of God. There's a real tenderness here, and
Speaker 1: that surprises some people. I see in that three personed
Speaker 1: portrait of God a wonderful invitation to know all three
Speaker 1: in more intimate ways, to realize how God comes close
Speaker 1: to give us help even for our everyday life. The
Speaker 1: idea of a highly relational God goes back to the
Speaker 1: very beginning. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible,
Speaker 1: we hear God say, let us make humankind in our image,
Speaker 1: and for centuries scholars have puzzled over that moment when
Speaker 1: God said, let us make people in our image. It's plural.
Speaker 1: That seems a little odd when we profess belief in
Speaker 1: one God. But I see a hint here, a glimmer
Speaker 1: of the trinity. There's one God, and yet there's so
Speaker 1: much richness in that oneness suggested in that odd little
Speaker 1: quirk of grammar. Let us make, I think shows us
Speaker 1: that there's a blessed, wonderful complexity in God's own being
Speaker 1: in nature. For from before time began. This is telling
Speaker 1: us there was conversation. There was already a communion, a
Speaker 1: community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They've always commune.
Speaker 1: That kind of boggles the mind, I know, to think
Speaker 1: that eternity past grims with relationship, before humankind even appeared
Speaker 1: on the scene. God already was busy relating from before time,
Speaker 1: and it makes sense that that God, already full of
Speaker 1: love and communing, would create to create befits, a triune
Speaker 1: being who overflows with love and life. As the creation's
Speaker 1: story unfolds, we see this communal aspect in action. We
Speaker 1: see how, for example, a wind, the breath of God,
Speaker 1: the Spirit, as Genesis tells us, moved over the face
Speaker 1: of the unformed waters. This was not something flighty even
Speaker 1: in these primordial beginnings. The spirit didn't just kind of
Speaker 1: hang around or hover. It brooded, as some say that
Speaker 1: word could be translated. It moved with tender care, like
Speaker 1: a bird minding its eggs or hatchlings. So order and
Speaker 1: beauty grow out of the Spirit's active participation. And Jesus
Speaker 1: was there too. Again, God said, let us make he
Speaker 1: was there. Jesus was, as John would later say in
Speaker 1: his Gospel, he was there the word of God, and
Speaker 1: God's word had a hand in calling forth, in speaking
Speaker 1: forth the world. So I like to think of it
Speaker 1: like this. If you picture an artist, how an artist
Speaker 1: can fashion something wonderful out of marble or clay or
Speaker 1: oil paints. Consider all the more Jesus Vincent van Go
Speaker 1: with the artist, pained though he was by despair at
Speaker 1: times in his life, saw Jesus as the supreme artist.
Speaker 1: He was, and he was with God the Father and
Speaker 1: God the Spirit at the very creation of the world.
Speaker 3: Stay tuned for more with Timothy Jones after a brief message.
Speaker 3: These uncertain times bring anxiety and fear, but Jesus listens
Speaker 3: prayers for every season gives you daily prayers of comfort
Speaker 3: with seasonally inspired illustrations. This beautiful book includes prayers that
Speaker 3: speak to your situation, whether it's a time of stress
Speaker 3: or strength. Look for Jesus listens prayers for every season
Speaker 3: wherever you buy books.
Speaker 1: Throughout the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the Father with words
Speaker 1: of profound closeness. I and the Father are one, he said,
Speaker 1: The Father loves the Son. I just think it's amazing.
Speaker 1: It's almost jarring, how intimate that all seems. But that
Speaker 1: says to me that at the living center of our faith,
Speaker 1: God is not some aloof distant being. This is not
Speaker 1: some deity who can't understand and what it means to
Speaker 1: be an intimate relationship. This is not a being who
Speaker 1: is impossible to know, or experience or have a conversation with.
Speaker 1: We see that in this picture as God, the Father
Speaker 1: and Jesus the Son relate and converse. They've been living
Speaker 1: in joyous communion throughout eternity. There's communion among the Father,
Speaker 1: the Son, the Holy Spirit. And he has revealed. God
Speaker 1: has revealed this picture to us to give us hope.
Speaker 1: We wouldn't have thunked up ourselves. But because God has
Speaker 1: shown us this picture, we glimpse a delight that grows
Speaker 1: out of a communion that's already at play between the
Speaker 1: three persons of the Trinity. And I would say, if
Speaker 1: you think that's a stretch, remember how at jesus Baptism
Speaker 1: we see the son in the water, the spirit descending,
Speaker 1: and the Father's voice declaring, you are my beloved son.
Speaker 1: They're used to having conversations. They always have, they always will,
Speaker 1: and that should encourage us. I love how in John
Speaker 1: chapters fourteen through seventeen, Jesus speaks repeatedly about the shared
Speaker 1: life he has with God and our invitation into it.
Speaker 1: In John fourteen twenty he says, on that day you
Speaker 1: will know that I am in my Father and you
Speaker 1: and me and I in you. And in John fifteen
Speaker 1: four he says, abide in me and I in you.
Speaker 1: And that word abide is a rich word. It has
Speaker 1: to do with not just being next to somebody, but
Speaker 1: sharing their life, being in communion. This belief in the Trinity,
Speaker 1: And in light of passages like these in John, lets
Speaker 1: us talk about God in family like words, with intimate names,
Speaker 1: terms of affection. Sometimes when people think about the Trinity,
Speaker 1: they get kind of intimidated by all of the philosophical
Speaker 1: speculation that surrounds it. But when you think about it,
Speaker 1: what is more appealing or inviting than words like father, son,
Speaker 1: living spirit. And the amazing thing to me is we're
Speaker 1: invited into that loving kind fellowship. And I think this
Speaker 1: is really important right now. We are in a cultural
Speaker 1: moment defined by epic even epidemic lonelines. There are fractured
Speaker 1: relationships we experience. Who of us hasn't recently had a
Speaker 1: polarizing conversation, And I think in the midst of all
Speaker 1: of this, all the more we're searching for a more
Speaker 1: lasting love, something that's reliable, sturdy, dependable, and abundant. This
Speaker 1: is what I see in this picture of the Trinity.
Speaker 1: The Trinity because of all of this relational depth, it's
Speaker 1: not intimidating as much as it is life changing. We compete,
Speaker 1: we strive. Sometimes when we're online, we're worried about how
Speaker 1: we present ourselves or if we're going to get that
Speaker 1: coveted like from somebody visiting our sites. And I think
Speaker 1: that leaves us searching for a deeper connection, not to
Speaker 1: know that we're liked, but to know that we're beloved.
Speaker 1: To discover also, then in the midst of that that
Speaker 1: human tenderness alone will not cannot satisfy our deepest longings,
Speaker 1: our deepest selves. So what I'm seeing here can heighten
Speaker 1: our anticipation for a life with God, for a relationally
Speaker 1: richer life, and we may translate that into our relationship
Speaker 1: with God feeling like, well, I've somehow got to impress God,
Speaker 1: I've got to earn his favor, and that just doesn't work.
Speaker 1: What we most want to know and experience is found
Speaker 1: in that experience of being fully beloved, knowing we're loved,
Speaker 1: not just tolerated, but cherished. Here's another thing that's important
Speaker 1: to me in this We get here vivid pictures that
Speaker 1: God knows and cares about the most heartbreaking questions of
Speaker 1: everyday existence. Jesus himself, of course suffered, he became a
Speaker 1: human person, he was rejected, he died a painful death.
Speaker 1: And we see in that segment, or in that chapter
Speaker 1: of the Story of the Trinity, how God cares about
Speaker 1: our most daily worries, about the hardest things that happened
Speaker 1: to us, cares about whether we're loved and valued. The
Speaker 1: answer we see and witness in the Trinity is a
Speaker 1: three word sentence, you are loved. The early Church spoke
Speaker 1: of the Trinity, not merely as doctrine, but as something
Speaker 1: that could take a lifetime of exploring and pondering and
Speaker 1: could deepen and enrich our worship in wonderful ways. There's
Speaker 1: mystery here, but not mystery that puts us off, but
Speaker 1: rather something intriguing that invites us to draw closer to
Speaker 1: experience more of that relational richness of God. And I
Speaker 1: have found that picture sometimes drawing me into prayer. So
Speaker 1: sometimes I will address a prayer to the Father, sometimes
Speaker 1: to Jesus, like Jesus at Mercy. Sometimes to the Spirit.
Speaker 1: I will pray, Come, Holy Spirit. That's a genuinely biblical prayer.
Speaker 1: But often the Trinity, the Three, the fellowship of the Three,
Speaker 1: is the bigger backdrop to all that I ask, or
Speaker 1: say or pray. And I realize in those moments that
Speaker 1: I'm addressing a God who is already actively relating and communing.
Speaker 1: I become part of that conversation. That delight and that
Speaker 1: picture actually makes me want to pray more because there
Speaker 1: is an invitation that's hinted at when we look at
Speaker 1: that picture of God, an invitation to join the fellowship
Speaker 1: God already enjoys. God likes to hear us talk. We
Speaker 1: can pray freely. Nothing is too little or an insignificant
Speaker 1: to bring to God. Nothing is too big to bring
Speaker 1: to God. And I believe God will communicate with us.
Speaker 1: Jesus will turn toward us a tender face. Jesus listens.
Speaker 1: He bends his ear close to our lips. This is
Speaker 1: about grace, isn't it? Grace through and through this promise.
Speaker 1: The conviction that we are fully beloved isn't something we
Speaker 1: claim through our effort. His nearness is not a standing
Speaker 1: we earn or somehow achieve. It's a gift we receive.
Speaker 1: And that's where daily attentiveness comes in. Jesus listens. April sixteen,
Speaker 1: My loving Lord, thank you for loving me regardless of
Speaker 1: how well I'm performing. Sometimes I feel uneasy, questioning whether
Speaker 1: I'm doing enough to be worthy of your love. But
Speaker 1: I realize that, no matter how exemplary my behavior may be,
Speaker 1: the answer to that question will always be known. You've
Speaker 1: been showing me that my performance and your love are
Speaker 1: completely different issues. You have loved me with an everlasting
Speaker 1: love that flows outward from eternity without limit or conditions.
Speaker 1: You have clothed me in your robe of righteousness and
Speaker 1: This is an eternal transaction. Nothing and no one can
Speaker 1: reverse it. This means that my successes and failures have
Speaker 1: no bearing on your love for me. I've discovered that
Speaker 1: even my ability to evaluate how well I'm doing is flawed.
Speaker 1: My limited human perspective in the condition of my body
Speaker 1: with its mer curial variations, distort my assessment of my behavior. Lord,
Speaker 1: I bring my performance anxiety to you, and I ask
Speaker 1: you to replace it with your unfailing love. Help me
Speaker 1: to stay aware of your loving presence with me in
Speaker 1: everything I do. Please direct my steps as I go
Speaker 1: through this day in your precious name, Jesus am In.
Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to this special scripture focused bonus episode.
Speaker 3: To learn more about Timothy, please visit Reverend Timothy Jones
Speaker 3: dot com and be sure to check out his book
Speaker 3: Fully Beloved, Meeting God and Our Heartaches and Our Hopes,
Speaker 3: available at your favorite retailer. Enjoy our entire series of
Speaker 3: scripture studies, each with different Bible teachers and experts guiding
Speaker 3: us through specific books, topics, and people in the Bible
Speaker 3: on the Jesus Calling YouTube channel. To discover more inspiring
Speaker 3: stories of faith, visit Jesus Calling dot com slash podcast.
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to the Jesus Calling Stories of Faith
Speaker 2: podcast on the Life Audio Network. Every week, we'll bring
Speaker 2: you stories from people who share their journeys of faith
Speaker 2: and how prayer and a relationship with God transformed their lives.
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