Ep 118: Robotic Disciples

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What can a robotic monk teach us
about sincere service? 

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Let's talk about that in just a 
SEC. 

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Welcome to the show. 
I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for 

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your Sunday morning drive. 
We're the short podcast with the

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goal of providing some 
motivation, Dr. and 

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encouragement and helping you 
recenter your mind on those 

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spiritual things on a hectic 
Sunday morning. 

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I'm thankful that you decided to
spend some time with us today. 

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If you enjoy the show, please 
share it with a friend. 

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And if you've been a listener 
for some time, please check out 

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the link in the show notes. 
I do have a listener survey that

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I'm trying to get some feedback 
on. 

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I'd sure appreciate it. 
Well, let's go ahead and get the

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show on the road. 
This is episode 118. 

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Robotic Disciples. 
Let's go to church. 

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Are we 
It's 2026. 

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We live in a science fiction, 
become science fact kind of 

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world. 
For better or worse, that's 

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where we're at. 
AI, automation and robots, all 

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of that being adapted to fulfill
what have been traditionally 

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human jobs and human roles. 
And those of you who are fellow 

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sci-fi fans, we have to admit 
robots are awesome. 

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They fill our minds and our 
daydreams and are absolute icons

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of pop culture. 
Can you imagine the sci-fi 

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landscape without the likes of 
R2D2, Optimus Prime and of 

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course RoboCop that are alive? 
You are coming with me. 

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The robots of our sci-fi fantasy
worlds are of course much more 

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advanced, much more capable and 
much more exciting than their 

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real world counterparts. 
We've all seen the havoc caused 

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by early self driving cars, 
automated delivery bots and the 

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many videos of malfunctioning 
humanoid robots that are just as

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humorous as they are disturbing.
And it's interesting to me that 

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anytime we as humans find a 
problem or any inconvenience, 

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eventually someone somewhere is 
going to throw an automaton at 

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it. 
We just can't help but try to 

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sub in the robot for those jobs 
we find tedious, repetitive, or 

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difficult. 
We do it with secular things all

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the time. 
Is it any surprise then that 

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some try to automate the 
spiritual? 

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I recently came across the story
of a Buddhist temple in South 

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Korea. 
They've recently accepted a 

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robot into their order of monks.
Yes, it's true. 

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Check out the link in the show 
notes if you don't believe me. 

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And during the ordination 
ceremony, the humanoid robot 

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wearing traditional Buddhist 
robes vocalize the words, yes, I

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will devote myself becoming the 
first robot to take up their 

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vows and participate in a 
purification ritual. 

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Now, I would hope that you see 
the absurdity in all of this. 

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And you might be saying, just 
like I am the mechanical, the 

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robotic, the artificial cannot 
possibly offer valuable service,

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sincere devotion and authentic 
faith. 

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And you'd be right. 
My question for us this morning 

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is do we tend towards the 
robotic when we devote ourselves

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to Christ? 
Do we say, yes, I devote myself,

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but then offer to God a worship 
devotion that is mechanical, 

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robotic and artificial, going 
through the motions without 

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either thought or feeling. 
Romans chapter 12 verse one 

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tells us. 
Therefore, I urge you, brethren,

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by the mercies of God, to 
present your bodies a living and

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holy sacrifice acceptable to 
God, which is your spiritual 

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service of worship. 
Notice that living sacrifice, 

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our worship to God is given in 
part by how we live every day in

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obedience to Him, not just 
following the programmed 

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behaviors of long held habit. 
In Matthew chapter 15 verses 8 

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and 9, Jesus quotes the prophet 
Isaiah when he says this people 

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honors me with their lips, but 
their heart is far from me. 

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In vain do they worship me, 
teaching his doctrines, the 

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precepts of men? 
Are the things we do for Christ 

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empty, vain, robotic or do they 
have intentions? 

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Are they motivated by the love 
we have for Jesus because he He 

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also says this when talking to 
the woman at the well in John 

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424. 
God is Spirit and those who 

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worship Him must worship in 
spirit and truth. 

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The mechanical is incapable of 
worship. 

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Our gratitude that we are flesh 
and blood and spirit should 

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motivate us to go above and 
beyond. 

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All of this to say, as much as 
we love robots, because yes, 

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they are awesome, we should be 
cautious lest we become robotic 

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in our service towards God. 
So as you head out today, as you

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are on your way to worship, or 
as you are sitting down to 

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listen to this with a cup of 
coffee, don't settle for being 

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spiritually automated. 
God isn't looking for perfectly 

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programmed little Christians, 
He's looking for faithful ones. 

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So don't just execute your 
weekly routine. 

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Love Him, seek Him, serve Him, 
and worship Him with your whole 

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heart. 
After all, Christ didn't come to

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save robots. 
He came to redeem people. 

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That was His prime directive. 
Serving Him should be ours. 

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Anyway, those are my thoughts 
for your Sunday morning drive. 

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Now it's time to hear yours. 
Our discussion questions for 

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this week are has your worship 
ever become routine instead of 

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relational? 
How can you tell? 

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What is one way you can worship 
God more intentionally this week

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instead of just going through 
the motions? 

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And if someone watched your 
daily life, would they see 

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programmed habit or genuine 
devotion to Christ? 

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Hey, thank you for listening. 
Thank you for making us a part 

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of your weekly routine. 
I hope you're still having fun 

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listening to the show. 
I'm still having fun making it. 

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Make a daily choice to serve God
and do it with your whole heart,

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and I'll see you Sunday.