Ep 73: Wounds, Kisses, and Echo Chambers

1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,280
Hey, good morning, I'm Daniel
Dalp and this is for your Sunday

2
00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:05,560
morning drive.
The short podcast with the goal

3
00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:09,360
of providing some motivation,
Dr. encouragement and maybe even

4
00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,240
challenging you a little on your
way to worship and helping you

5
00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,880
recenter your mind on those
spiritual things on a hectic

6
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,880
Sunday morning.
We are brought to you by the

7
00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,000
Ministry League network of
podcasts.

8
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,360
You can always check out the
great podcasts and resources

9
00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,320
that they offer through
ministryleague.com or you can

10
00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,440
download their app.
Let's go ahead and get the show

11
00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,200
on the road this morning.
This is episode 73.

12
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,480
Wounds, kisses and echo
chambers.

13
00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:42,440
Let's go to church.
Are we there yet?

14
00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,280
Have you ever gotten stuck in an
echo chamber?

15
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:58,720
I feel like all of us have at
some point.

16
00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,240
It is really easy to do because
we surround ourselves, sometimes

17
00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,400
even unconsciously and
unintentionally, with people

18
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,600
that we mostly agree with,
whether that is theologically,

19
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,360
politically, culturally, or
academically.

20
00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,200
We align ourselves in certain
camps or with certain

21
00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,520
individuals with certain
mindsets.

22
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,360
We even tend to pick out which
national news networks we watch

23
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,320
based on if we agree with what
they tell us rather than if they

24
00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,080
report what's factual.
And then there's the digital

25
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,720
echo chamber, the one we are all
stuck in, whether we want to

26
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,320
believe it or not.
You see, we are primarily fed

27
00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:40,080
the content that we want to
hear, not what we need to hear.

28
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,320
And that's not a radical idea.
In fact, test it for me.

29
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,880
When was the last time that your
timeline, your FYP or your

30
00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,160
Instagram page showed you
something that you really

31
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,400
disagreed with?
Let me say that another way.

32
00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,520
When was was the last time the
algorithm told you that you were

33
00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,840
wrong?
Probably not a ton of examples

34
00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,120
coming to mind, right?
I'm right there with you.

35
00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,240
And if we're not careful, we can
do the same thing with the

36
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,600
people in our lives, our
friends.

37
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,280
I've been doing a lot of
thinking lately about what it

38
00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,360
means to be a good friend and
what a good friend looks like.

39
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,520
And one of the things that I
keep coming back to is that a

40
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,440
good friend is not an echo
chamber.

41
00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,160
Now we may share some
fundamental beliefs.

42
00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,920
So that is to be expected and,
and it's a good thing,

43
00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:27,800
especially if we are brothers
and sisters in Christ.

44
00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:33,320
But a good friend will tell us
what we need to hear regardless

45
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,280
of if we want to hear it.
In short, a good friend will

46
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,560
tell us when we're wrong.
And we don't like that all the

47
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:42,040
time, do we?
Because it can hurt.

48
00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,880
It can hurt our feelings, our
egos, but it doesn't have to

49
00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,080
hurt our friendships.
In fact, I'd say that Scripture

50
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,360
supports it.
Proverbs 27 verse 6 says

51
00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,400
faithful are the wounds of a
friend, but deceitful are the

52
00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,440
kisses of an enemy.
What are those wounds?

53
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,360
Hard truths.
Maybe it's what Scripture is

54
00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,160
designed to do according to
Paul.

55
00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,400
Second Timothy 316 says all
Scripture is inspired for God

56
00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,800
and is profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, and

57
00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,560
for training in righteousness.
Maybe it's a rebuke.

58
00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,760
Maybe it's simply being blunt
and telling us to get our act

59
00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:20,840
together.
Maybe it's lovingly holding each

60
00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,640
other accountable, especially
when there's a recognition of a

61
00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,480
shared struggle.
And maybe it's a moment where we

62
00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,800
see a friend drifting away from
faithfulness and instead of a

63
00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,600
betraying false word of
affirmation, we offer instead a

64
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,000
loving and concerned word of
correction.

65
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,000
Yeah, it might sting in the
moment, but at the end of the

66
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,800
day, what truly makes a better
friend now, it goes without

67
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,080
saying, or at least it should,
that these wounds are not out of

68
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,760
malice, but are, for our
friends, ultimate good.

69
00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,240
And there are a few things I
appreciate more in a friend than

70
00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,440
when they tell me how it is for
my own benefit.

71
00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,160
Why is that?
Well, I've come to find friends

72
00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,800
that rarely are we as self aware
as we think we are.

73
00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,760
Sometimes we are blind or
purposely ignorant to both hard

74
00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:11,640
truths and the encouraging ones.
A good friend will tell you both

75
00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,160
those hard things that we don't
want to see about ourselves, but

76
00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,880
also those positive attributes
that we might also ignore.

77
00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,040
And the goal here, of course, is
to love each other.

78
00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:26,640
Like Jesus, that's what agape
love is like that sacrificial,

79
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,880
unconditional love.
The goal is always for the

80
00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,800
benefit of our friend's best
interest.

81
00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:38,680
And of course God, not us or
anyone else, gets to decide what

82
00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,880
their best interest is.
Proverbs chapter 28 verse 23

83
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:47,280
says he who rebukes a man will
afterwards find more favor than

84
00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:51,320
he who flatters with the tongue.
The truth is always the best

85
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,960
course, even when it's hard.
Yes, friends, echo chambers and

86
00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,320
algorithms make for bad friends.
The question is, are we willing

87
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,680
to be good ones?
Are we willing to offer loving

88
00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,080
wounds instead of deceitful
kisses?

89
00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,800
Because you know, deceitful
kisses.

90
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,360
They were offered to Jesus too.
Remember Matthew 2649 through 50

91
00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,400
says immediately Judas went to
Jesus and said, hail Rabbi and

92
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,840
kissed him.
And Jesus said to him, friend,

93
00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,240
do what you have come for.
Then they came and laid hands on

94
00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,880
Jesus and seized him.
We see the betrayal of a false

95
00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,320
and deceptive kind act.
Ah, but then there's Jesus, the

96
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,160
one who we are supposed to mold
our lives after.

97
00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,080
A true friend.
You know Jesus said many things

98
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,360
throughout his earthly ministry,
and many were hard truths and

99
00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,520
few, if any were accepted by all
that heard them.

100
00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,480
But you know, every word He
spoke was for the ultimate good

101
00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:46,880
of His people.
It might have been a teaching, a

102
00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,680
rebuke, A chastisement, A
condemnation, or a command, but

103
00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:52,600
He still spoke them all the
same.

104
00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,960
If we want to be good friends,
if we truly want to love one

105
00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,720
another like Jesus, then let's
take a page out of his book.

106
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,680
Speak the hard truths.
Let our friendships not be echo

107
00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,520
chambers, but instead let them
echo the relationships modeled

108
00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,720
by Christ.
After all, a good friend always

109
00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,200
points to Him.
Well, those are my thoughts for

110
00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,840
your Sunday morning drive.
Now it's time to hear yours.

111
00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,040
Our discussion questions for
this week are, are we good

112
00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,320
friends?
Do we surround ourselves with

113
00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,080
honest friendships or do we seek
the comfort of the echo chambers

114
00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,600
around us?
Do we tend to give faithful

115
00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,480
wounds or deceitful kisses?
What were some of the hard

116
00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,600
truths that Jesus spoke to his
friends, and what can we do to

117
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,400
be better friends to those
around us?