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The Sojo Show
The Sojo Show makes Bible Study fun with spontaneous conversations between Arabah Joy and Jen Evangelista. Together we discover how the study of God's Word can impact our everyday lives.
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The Sojo Show
Finding Common Ground: Grace Across Generation
What if embracing our generational quirks could lead to deeper spiritual connections? On this episode of the Sojo Show, Jen and AJ humorously tackle the stereotypes surrounding Generation X while celebrating their roots. As they share laughs and fond memories, they highlight the beauty of extending grace and understanding across all age groups, reminding all of us that our true identity is found in Christ, transcending any generational label.
During the conversation, Jen and AJ discuss the profound notion of living a life poured out for the gospel, drawing inspiration from Philippians 2:14-17. Aging with purpose, sacrificial love, and an unwavering commitment to the gospel take center stage in this heartfelt discussion.
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Welcome to the Sojo Show with Jen and AJ, where you'll dig deep into God's Word alongside two imperfect, frequently ineloquent women, as we discover fresh ways to walk out God's truth together. Hello, welcome to the Sojo Show. My name is Jen.
Speaker 3:And I'm AJ and we are together.
Speaker 1:Together. We are sitting side by side. There should be a song about that. Is there a song about that? I'm sure there is. I'm sure there is too, but we're together and we are going to chat today.
Speaker 3:Yay, about some fun things, I know, and it's been a little bit since we've put out an episode. So yeah, welcome back.
Speaker 1:Jen. Yeah, welcome back, aj. So if you guys are listening and you want to keep listening, give us ideas of what to chat about, because we chat a lot but we don't know what you want to hear.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we don't know if it's any good or not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't know if it's any good or not. We don't know if we're actually hitting any anybody where they need to be hit, so but but welcome to the Sojo show.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:So I have a question for you really quickly. We used to start the shows with like personal questions I was going to say silly questions, but personal questions and this question is we've kind of been talking a little bit about this this weekend, a little bit. But so here's my question to you have you ever been called a boomer and are you a boomer? No offense to the boomers in the world.
Speaker 3:So are you asking me?
Speaker 1:I'm asking you. I'm asking you how often do you get? Are you asking me? I'm asking you.
Speaker 3:I'm asking you how often do you get? That is just mean. That was that was mean, because I'm not a boomer.
Speaker 1:Okay, we have a lot of boomers that are listening right, so it's.
Speaker 3:it's not mean to call somebody a boomer if they are one, but it is mean to call someone who is, like, not a boomer. So what are you? So I have Gen X man, I'm the best generation. I get this all the time.
Speaker 1:I know me too.
Speaker 3:I'm the best generation, me too.
Speaker 1:So we're both firmly Gen X. We're like the older Gen X too. No, you're like middle. I'm older Really. Yeah, you're that much older than me, I, yeah that much older than me, I think the youngest Gen X right now is about 45. And the oldest is like 58. I don't know, I don't remember exactly. I looked it up at one point, but the point is that we're kind of mid Gen X but we are firmly in the Generation X camp.
Speaker 3:Yes, and I'm so pro Gen Xers.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 3:I'm telling you, the older I get, the more I'm so pro Gen Xers. I know. I'm telling you like the older I get, the more. Just, I'm just a champion.
Speaker 1:Why I?
Speaker 3:don't know. I really do feel it's the best generation, and I'm sorry I'm so many people mad right now, I know that but so I just feel like it's the best.
Speaker 1:Okay, so maybe this podcast should be on our identity being in Christ and not in generation.
Speaker 3:Okay, so there's a reason that you asked maybe that ties into why I'm saying this, you know, and why we need to have this conversation. So why is is this question?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so we've heard a lot more about, I think that we've heard a lot more about generations recently, you know, and maybe it's because there's like the whole Gen Z generation is now old enough to kind of call themselves out and now there's a whole Gen Alpha, right so, but they're still babies, not babies, but they're littles. The Gen Z people are like grown up, they're like turning into, they're like grownups. Gen z people are like grown up, they're like turning into, they're like grown-ups. They are grown-ups, a lot of them.
Speaker 1:And then the millennials, who used to be the youngsters, the babies. They're like like starting, they're hitting their stride, man, yeah, and then, um, so so the point is is that I'm where people are identifying with different generations and they're generalizing the characteristics in many generations, right, and the reason I'm bringing this up is because sometimes we are not as gracious as we should be to other generations and I'm using that term very, very loosely, just to other people that we don't completely understand, and we saw this kind of exhibited recently. Someone who made, you know, made a comment that was interesting and it made it, made us kind of realize that we all have the same goal and as we get older, as we get, as we Gen Xers get older and boomers and what's above them, silent, there's still some of those around. Yeah, I don't know the ages, but anyway. But the point is that as we get older, we start to think about things more and how we should be living and how we should be pouring ourselves out for the gospel and how sometimes we don't do that well.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, and that's really what we're going to talk about today. Well, yeah, and that's that's really what we're going to talk about today. The. The crux, the crux of what we want to discuss is how we are to be lived, poured out. We are to lay it all on the field, we are to hold nothing tightly, and in order to do that, we need to be super gracious to others, especially when we don't understand them and when we think we're convinced in our hearts they're just flat out wrong, like what they're doing is wrong, their approach to whatever is wrong. You know, their ideologies are wrong and we have maybe even biblical backup for that, our stance, but that doesn't change the fact that we are still to serve and to be gracious and to love, and to love and to be generous, you know, to people who we don't feel give us the same thing in return.
Speaker 1:Right, right, and I think that as we do get older, where, however old you are, you're getting older, and I think that we do sometimes become more fixed in our ways, although I do think that we do think that this younger this is maybe just maybe it's already, but I think this younger generation is they have an identity and kind of they, they kind of believe in a lot. I'm not talking about biblical beliefs. Our theology should all be this, or not necessarily our theology, but our stance on the truths of the gospel should all be the same. But, um like, socially, culturally, I think that they have a lot of beliefs, but as we get older, the point is is that, as we get older, I think that we need to be clear on those things and what is the most important to like stick our flag in the ground about.
Speaker 3:So yeah, so what is like the verse that we are trying to kind of springboard off of, because I think this whole concept is part of a bigger concept thought, and so let's just kind of back out and look at the whole overall concept from scripture that we're trying to make clear, and I think that'll give us a better overview.
Speaker 1:Rail it in a little bit, okay, so rein it in a little bit, I should say so. In Philippians, the verse where we kind of are focusing on is in Philippians, chapter two, and this is when Paul is talking to the Philippians, obviously. And he says in verse 14, do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of God, without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, which I mean, how apical is that? Hello, right Among whom you shine as lights in the world. Okay, this is what he's telling the Philippian church, and the Holy Spirit is also telling us Holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. And then this verse 17, even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Speaker 1:So what does that mean?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I mean there's a lot there, but the key phrase we want to talk about on this episode is what it means to be poured out and what it means to be that kind of sacrifice. What kind of life does that look like? You know, especially in the middle of a perverse generation that we are honestly we are at odds with and they are at odds with us? There's no, and this has nothing to do with age.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're not talking about generations like Gen X and Gen Z. We're talking about the culture, the evil that is in the world today.
Speaker 3:Right the day and age that we live in. It is full of antagonism against the things of Christ, and so how do we willingly accept being poured out as a drink offering? I mean, what is the significance of that from the Old Testament, Jen, Because we talked about this a little bit before we came on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it comes from the verse. I mean the reference. There is the verse in Numbers, if you do cross-referencing, and it's just when they're talking about the offerings and they, you know, they offer a lamb in the morning and a lamb at twilight, and there's a drink offering that is poured out to the Lord onto the lamb. Basically, I mean it is, it is a, it's a sign of surrender, is what it was, and it was basically where they are. It was a sacrificial system. Of course we know that that sacrificial system is a precursor, is a look to the sacrifice that you know. We no longer have to sacrifice lambs in the morning, in twilight.
Speaker 1:Right, thank, goodness Thank goodness, because Christ came and he, of course, fulfilled the law, and so Christ was a sacrificial lamb, but in that day they poured out drink in order to show their reverence to a holy God.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and if I'm not mistaken, this was not like one of the required sacrifices. This is one that was done voluntarily, so it is a. So when Paul uses this, he's basically saying I'm voluntarily giving my life away, I'm letting it be poured out. It wasn't one of the you know requirements. It was to be freely given.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, well, and then. So then Paul uses this in this current setting, when he's talking to the Philippians and he's basically cause, he's comparing himself to that offering, to the, because he's comparing himself to that offering, to the drink, right, and so the drink offering was valuable, what was in the vessel was valuable, but it was poured out, completely for God, and he's describing himself like that, like, even if I am poured out and there's nothing left of me, he says this this is what I'm saying, I am glad and I rejoice, and you should be glad and rejoice with me. And so, of course, paul is most of his writings. He was not in, he was being poured out and he was in prison.
Speaker 3:Yeah, which that kind of is convicting to me. Because how many times have I thought in my heart when doing X, y, z task, or seeing a task that I'm doing as a burden, how many times have I thought this is a waste of my time? I've thought that a lot, you know, like if somebody needs me because they've forgotten something and I have to stop what I'm doing and go take care of their need, go pick up the book they forgot in their you know closet buried under their clothes, you know, and I'm thinking this is such a waste of my time. You know that is not a biblical perspective, because I'm not willingly saying okay, I am willing to be poured out, I'm willing to do things that don't feel like they're worth my time because I'm loving someone and I'm ultimately loving Christ by caring for this person.
Speaker 1:And we as the church it becomes. I mean it's part of our testimony, it's part of our witness to an onlooking world. I mean, you know, just that simple example of something. If we are grumbly, grumbly, grumbly about things in our lives, they don't have to be even particularly related to our service in the church, but if we're grumbly about it, then that is not a sweet aroma.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:And you know that it can be, it's convicted. We all fail in this, but I think it's important to recognize that our goal is to be poured out Right. It is to be poured out for the sake of the gospel and that's why I was saying at the beginning that as we get, as we're Gen X and as we get older, we recognize that this is important. I mean, I don't want to leave this earth and not have done all that that God wants me to do for the kingdom.
Speaker 3:And a lot of times, though, when we take that approach, we do start to think, we start to label things, we start to label activities as being worthy or not worthy, but the fact of the matter is being poured. Out can look any number of ways, and not only that, but we're not just to be poured out, we are to be glad in the pouring Right, and I think that is really significant too.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:And you know.
Speaker 1:It kind of goes back to how can we rejoice in this? Because we're following in Christ's footsteps, because Christ was the ultimate drink offer right, he poured himself out for us. Obviously it's different situation, but he, he gave his all for us and did it willingly, and we then can do, we can follow in that, and so we can pour ourselves out too, and I like to use the phrase leave it on the field when we were talking about this kind of concept. It always makes me think of a football game. I actually looked it up one time and I think it's more related to soccer, I know but, but I always knew it based on football, because I have a football player or raised one.
Speaker 1:He's not, he's grown now. But the point is that you know that's what coaches say. You know, leave it all out there, it'd be completely spent at the end of the game, completely spent, nothing left to give. And that's the way we're to be at the end of our lives for his glory, and that is when we're the most satisfied. I really, really believe that and that's it's a constant struggle.
Speaker 3:Well, and so just thinking about how we don't do that, how we fail to do, that is when we hold things too tightly, whether that's our time whether that's our affection, which we can do, ladies, whether that's generosity in our, in our pocketbooks, or just our emotional generosity, you know, of giving somebody what they need in that moment. Whatever that is, it's when we hold things too tightly because we don't, we're afraid of letting it go, or we just don't feel like we want to.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know that is the opposite of being poured out and leaving it all in the field.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And no matter how old you are, no matter which generation you fall in Z, millennial, x, boomer, silent or even alpha, no matter what generation I mean, you have life to live and you have life to give Right, and we should all be looking for ways to build one another up and to point others to the cross.
Speaker 3:I kind of like how you said that, because it's not just a life to live. It's, ultimately it is a life to give. And maybe if we thought of our lives not in terms of living but in terms of giving, then we'd be on more on point.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And and you know, going back to you mentioned, you know we can follow Christ in this. We can also look to him as the ultimate example of it being worth it, because you know, when we live this lifestyle, people may take advantage of us, people may hurt us, people may scam us. You know people will not appreciate us.
Speaker 1:And yet, well, they will hate us, the world will hate us, right, they will hate us, the world will hate us, right.
Speaker 3:They will oppose us but and that can make it harder to live open-handedly like that. But when we look to Christ, we know it's all worth it in the end. You know it, it will be worth it. We will not regret the decision to live this way.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, and I just think it's a good reminder. It's a really good reminder, and we can look at other people with so much more grace when we think through the lens of the gospel all the time and we think of living and giving. Yeah, I love. I think it's a reminder for me. It's a good reminder for me, me too.
Speaker 3:We needed this conversation.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I hope that we're. We would love to know. So, ladies, comment in the comment section of the podcast area-ish, if you, if you're listening on Apple, there's a comment section. I know I don't know about the other places, but leave us a comment and let us know what, what generation are you and how you know and and just recommitting to giving, leaving it all in the field and giving it all away for the gospel being poured out for the gospel.
Speaker 3:So yeah, it's a great way to live. It is a great way to give.
Speaker 1:It is a great way to give yes, and we are studying this in August of 2024 in Sojo Academy, the it's called. We're doing a study called Beautiful Emptiness, so if you're listening to this at a time around that, go check that out.
Speaker 3:We'll link it below, but um yeah, this is a study I think we all need, just it's such a good reminder.
Speaker 1:It is it is. And we hope that you are not, yes, maybe a little convicted, but mostly encouraged. Encouraged and ready to fight another day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. And to know that you can be countercultural. You know it's okay to not listen to all the messages out there that are like don't let anybody get one over on you and live for yourself and all all the things, and you can follow the voice of Christ and be rewarded for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent, all right. Well, you guys have a great day and we will see you next time on the Sojo show.
Speaker 2:Bye, hey guys. Is AJ here with a personal question? Do you ever long to connect with other women over God's word? If so, hey guys, it's AJ here with a personal question. Do you ever long to connect with other women over God's word? If so, I'd like to personally invite you to be part of our online Bible study community. Sojo Academy is where Jen and I meet via zoom every week with our global community to discuss God's word, pray and share what we are learning with each other. In Sojo Academy, you'll get a fresh Bible study every month, as well as weekly meetups, bible journaling kits, accountability community and an entire library of workshops and Bible study tutorials. Jumpstart your walk with God and come hang out with us. Live this week, visit sojoacademycom and we'll see you inside.
