Episode 2
How to Persevere and Be Encouraged In The Local Church in Anxious Times
In Episode 002 of To Be Encouraged Bishop Julius C.Trimble speaks about How to Persevere and Be Encouraged In The Local Church in Anxious Times
Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Mehtodist Church.
Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad MIller.
Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality and state of the United Methodist Church.”
To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.
Transcript
My name is Reverend Dr. Brad Miller and it is my
Brad Miller:pleasure and privilege to host the Be encouraged podcast. With
Brad Miller:Bishop Julius tremble. He has a mission to bring an encouraging
Brad Miller:world word to the world that is discouraged. And today we're
Brad Miller:gonna be talking about encouragement in the local
Brad Miller:church, Vishal Tribble, welcome to be encouraged with Bishop
Brad Miller:triple.
Bishop Julius Trimble:A Thank you, my friend, Brad, it's good
Bishop Julius Trimble:to be with you as we stepping into a new year, ending up the
Bishop Julius Trimble:first month and stepping into the second month of, of 2022.
Bishop Julius Trimble:God is able to keep us and we've got to help keep care of each
Bishop Julius Trimble:other.
Brad Miller:Well, that is an awesome way for us to get
Brad Miller:started here today, bishop and the whole theme of your podcast
Brad Miller:is to help people to be encouraged. And as we embark,
Brad Miller:especially the first few episodes, this is episode number
Brad Miller:two, which is awesome. They've made it through number one and
Brad Miller:episode number two, would you just remind us again about your
Brad Miller:mission statement that you have, which is kind of the foundation
Brad Miller:of what we're doing here on the Be encouraged podcast?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Yep, thank you, Brad, this has been
Bishop Julius Trimble:my mission statement for some years now. And it's just
Bishop Julius Trimble:blooming like a flower. My mission statement is to
Bishop Julius Trimble:encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to
Bishop Julius Trimble:their highest potential. And often people just hear me say be
Bishop Julius Trimble:encouraged, which is something that I try to share in, in, in
Bishop Julius Trimble:the church and outside of the church, as I engage people, in
Bishop Julius Trimble:relationships, and as I engage people, just in their day to day
Bishop Julius Trimble:lives. People have been encouraged.
Brad Miller:Absolutely, because it is because a lot of
Brad Miller:encouragement needs to be done. Particularly in some of the
Brad Miller:areas that you have an interest in and you have an interest in a
Brad Miller:lots of areas of life. We'll be talking about those throughout
Brad Miller:the course of our weekly conversations here on the Be
Brad Miller:encouraged podcast, we talk about lots of things, but really
Brad Miller:you are a bishop of the Church of The United Methodist Church.
Brad Miller:And therefore you have a responsibility to the church,
Brad Miller:both the church in terms of The Connectional denomination
Brad Miller:system, but particularly to the local churches in Indiana, where
Brad Miller:you particularly serve it all everywhere. So let's our
Brad Miller:conversation today is going to be about the church,
Brad Miller:particularly the local church, and particularly how the local
Brad Miller:churches, kind of taken some hits, especially the last couple
Brad Miller:years it's a there are churches that are struggling, there are
Brad Miller:churches that are closing. And there is a lot of pressure on
Brad Miller:churches with the pandemic and all the other issue that going
Brad Miller:live politically, socially, the culturally all kinds of things.
Brad Miller:Let's talk about the church a little bit. I know what some
Brad Miller:things say about this. But I'm really interested Bishop and
Brad Miller:what how you define church.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Churches is the people of God. When we
Bishop Julius Trimble:gather, and when we are scattered church, we often think
Bishop Julius Trimble:of churches, the worshipping congregation are the gathering
Bishop Julius Trimble:of people who are followers of Jesus Christ. And that is true.
Bishop Julius Trimble:But we are the people of God. When we are gathered, we are the
Bishop Julius Trimble:people of God when we are scattered. The church is also
Bishop Julius Trimble:from a biblical standpoint, the body of Christ, a theological
Bishop Julius Trimble:standpoint, we are the body of Christ, we are the living
Bishop Julius Trimble:expression of Jesus Christ in the world. Those of us who
Bishop Julius Trimble:profess to be Christians are followers of Christ, and
Bishop Julius Trimble:participate in local congregations. We've we have a
Bishop Julius Trimble:community of faith, often people refer to churches, their their
Bishop Julius Trimble:place, their community of faith,
Brad Miller:their community of faith. And so that's kind of
Brad Miller:describes what it is. My next question is, what is the church
Brad Miller:for and what's our purpose right now, in particular, in our
Brad Miller:context today?
Bishop Julius Trimble:I think our purpose is to be an
Bishop Julius Trimble:instrument of God's grace, to be to be love, in real time, with
Bishop Julius Trimble:real people who have real problems, who have real hopes
Bishop Julius Trimble:and aspirations we are we are, we don't save people, but we
Bishop Julius Trimble:introduce people to the Savior, Jesus Christ. So I like the
Bishop Julius Trimble:image of the church as an instrument of God's grace. God
Bishop Julius Trimble:is using we who are in the church for to carry out God's
Bishop Julius Trimble:will, that everyone might live with hope and have opportunity
Bishop Julius Trimble:for for life eternal.
Brad Miller:That's a very well said. and very much kind of
Brad Miller:along the line of what we understand kind of definition
Brad Miller:wise and what to do. And yet you know, the church is a part of
Brad Miller:our world and our world has taken some lumps in the last few
Brad Miller:years and in churches are involved with what's going on in
Brad Miller:the world and just kind of give me your take bishop on the state
Brad Miller:of the local church, how how healthy is it? How's it doing
Brad Miller:mitts the pandemic other things? You're out there, you're
Brad Miller:visiting local churches, you're part of the life and you have
Brad Miller:connections all over the place. what's your what's your view of
Brad Miller:the state of the church?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Well, I think that that church has been
Bishop Julius Trimble:battered, I think you may have mentioned that in early in the,
Bishop Julius Trimble:in the podcast, the church has been battered. I would say it's
Bishop Julius Trimble:not tattered, though. It hasn't been battered. We've obviously
Bishop Julius Trimble:faced that these last two years going on past two years now
Bishop Julius Trimble:bread, something we we never faced before. That churches
Bishop Julius Trimble:actually closing not because of a tornado or hurricane or a
Bishop Julius Trimble:flood. But closing because of a global pandemic, closing from
Bishop Julius Trimble:the sense of not being able to gather on a regular basis, many
Bishop Julius Trimble:of our ministries have been disrupted. So the church has has
Bishop Julius Trimble:been battered, like the society has, as well. And one of the
Bishop Julius Trimble:challenges has been this whole notion of what what I've talked
Bishop Julius Trimble:about his his his resilience. The church is and has been, for
Bishop Julius Trimble:our communities, what many refer to as endure an enduring
Bishop Julius Trimble:institution, an institution that's been around a long time,
Bishop Julius Trimble:and will continue to be around and enduring institution. So
Bishop Julius Trimble:it's not the church is not a fad, or a fashion that comes and
Bishop Julius Trimble:goes, but it has been battered, it has faced some. So we've been
Bishop Julius Trimble:in a storm. Yes, a long, prolonged storm, if you will.
Bishop Julius Trimble:And the resilient resilience is the capacity to withstand
Bishop Julius Trimble:adversity, the ability to bounce back from difficulty, the
Bishop Julius Trimble:capacity to experience recovery. Even though we've been in a
Bishop Julius Trimble:storm, that's not over yet. Sure. So the churches that I've
Bishop Julius Trimble:been inspired, I've been I'm preaching this Sunday, preach
Bishop Julius Trimble:the last couple of weeks. We'll be preaching over the next
Bishop Julius Trimble:several months in local congregations across Indiana.
Bishop Julius Trimble:And in every place bread every place. I've seen the, the both
Bishop Julius Trimble:the hunger, and the enthusiasm and the thanks the gratitude
Bishop Julius Trimble:that people have just to be back together. It's not the same. I
Bishop Julius Trimble:never imagined that this this quarter of my ministry that I
Bishop Julius Trimble:would be going to churches, where we all would be wearing
Bishop Julius Trimble:surgical mask. I mean, who could have dreamed anything like that?
Bishop Julius Trimble:It's that people would be the surgical mask, and that we would
Bishop Julius Trimble:be practicing social distancing, and almost seems contradictory
Bishop Julius Trimble:to Church itself, social distancing, and are we not
Bishop Julius Trimble:supposed to be coming together? So it's been a it's been a
Bishop Julius Trimble:challenging time. Sure. But it's also been a time of resilience,
Bishop Julius Trimble:where the church has proven once again, that, as Jesus says, Upon
Bishop Julius Trimble:this rock, Peter, I have built my church and the gates of hell
Bishop Julius Trimble:shall not prevail against it. So the church is an enduring,
Bishop Julius Trimble:lasting instant tution that has Holy Spirit resilience, I call
Bishop Julius Trimble:it
Brad Miller:I want to come back to all of this, as you
Brad Miller:mentioned, the, the biblical passage there and also about
Brad Miller:resilience, and but you know, this is nothing new is that the
Brad Miller:church would be challenged. You know, I went, you know, to talk
Brad Miller:about Paul's writings to the church at Corinth, and Ephesus,
Brad Miller:and, you know, in Philippi, and so on, he was all about dealing
Brad Miller:with issues at the time, wasn't it? You know, and so, you know,
Brad Miller:we, there was conflicts within the church, there was
Brad Miller:persecution of the church, there was issues around giving and
Brad Miller:resources, there was issues around faith and other things
Brad Miller:like that. So, what are some of the lessons you mentioned one
Brad Miller:there, what do you think are some of the biblical lessons we
Brad Miller:can learn either from Paul's writings or other parts of the
Brad Miller:Bible or the work of Jesus, which can really speak into a
Brad Miller:church or a church leadership there may be feeling a little
Brad Miller:bit okay. Here, you know, we've got to keep going. We got to
Brad Miller:persevere in the midst of all this, we're weary. What are some
Brad Miller:of the biblical lessons here?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Well, I think that we got to not just
Bishop Julius Trimble:start with with the Epistles or the god But lessons, but from
Bishop Julius Trimble:the very beginning, remember that this is the Church of God,
Bishop Julius Trimble:the God who the God who the giving God, the God who gave his
Bishop Julius Trimble:only Son, that, that whoever believe it would not perish but
Bishop Julius Trimble:have everlasting so this is still the Church of God
Bishop Julius Trimble:Deuteronomy says reminds us, which is a message Brad, I
Bishop Julius Trimble:really think we need today somebody needs to hear this
Bishop Julius Trimble:today, you are not doing this alone. We're not doing church
Bishop Julius Trimble:alone. This is not this is not an invention of, of some
Bishop Julius Trimble:scientist said, Hey, let's come up with an institution. We are
Bishop Julius Trimble:we are doing that which is been ordained and initiated by the
Bishop Julius Trimble:Creator, Deuteronomy 31, Verse eight says the Lord, God's self
Bishop Julius Trimble:goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor
Bishop Julius Trimble:forsake you. Now that's repeated again in the New Testament. But
Bishop Julius Trimble:this is Deuteronomy, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.
Bishop Julius Trimble:God will be with you. It's hard. That's a hard message. But we
Bishop Julius Trimble:need to kind of remind ourselves, wait a minute, God
Bishop Julius Trimble:has already made some promises that even when you get to a
Bishop Julius Trimble:pandemic that you never even had conceived could be God has
Bishop Julius Trimble:already promised I will be with you, and will not leave you. So
Bishop Julius Trimble:I don't think that that didn't expire, when we when we get the
Bishop Julius Trimble:book of Malikai. Or when we started Matthew, therefore, the
Bishop Julius Trimble:writer of Hebrews says, we got a run, run a marathon race. Yes,
Bishop Julius Trimble:since we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
Bishop Julius Trimble:Hebrews twill, let us throw off everything that hinders the sand
Bishop Julius Trimble:it so easily entangles us, let us run the race with
Bishop Julius Trimble:perseverance. It's in the Bible perseverance, the race that has
Bishop Julius Trimble:been given to us some translations say bread, the race
Bishop Julius Trimble:that's been handed to us, or the race that's been marked out for
Bishop Julius Trimble:us. So we are picking up the baton is the church in 2022.
Bishop Julius Trimble:From first century church from the beginning of God from from
Bishop Julius Trimble:Pentecost, yes, we're picking up the mantle and running the race
Bishop Julius Trimble:of faithfulness. And we're not doing it alone. We're not doing
Bishop Julius Trimble:it alone.
Brad Miller:And there's obviously a lot of guidance
Brad Miller:there for us about how we do it as well, for instance, you know,
Brad Miller:talks about we're talking about to neither Jews, not Greeks, or
Brad Miller:folks, whether it's differences or whatever, you know, within
Brad Miller:the body or the pressures from outside the body. And, but those
Brad Miller:are real pressures there nonetheless, and real, you know,
Brad Miller:people get siloed in all kinds of ways being racially or
Brad Miller:socially, economically or politically, or what have you,
Brad Miller:technologically all kinds of things that are impacting the
Brad Miller:world. So what do you think are some of the, you know, you met
Brad Miller:you hear about some great things from the Bible here? What do you
Brad Miller:think are some practical applications for churches, you
Brad Miller:know, that are maybe feeling the pressure feeling the stress a
Brad Miller:little bit or for pastors or church leader? What are some
Brad Miller:practical ways that we can help to reconnect and reignite
Brad Miller:passion for Jesus in the church? Or what are some ways that
Brad Miller:you're seeing out there, there's some good things are happening.
Bishop Julius Trimble:I think there's a resurgence in people's
Bishop Julius Trimble:interest in hunger to participate in, in prayer
Bishop Julius Trimble:partnerships, and to participate in small group accountability
Bishop Julius Trimble:studies. And now a brand with with Zoom calls, and with
Bishop Julius Trimble:telephone, smartphone technology, we can stay
Bishop Julius Trimble:connected, and really take on the mantle and responsibility of
Bishop Julius Trimble:all of us to become acquire, if you will, an army if you will
Bishop Julius Trimble:have encouragers. So what I'm seeing is people saying, well,
Bishop Julius Trimble:what is it that we can do we know that we know, we're
Bishop Julius Trimble:constantly being told what we cannot do? What is it that we
Bishop Julius Trimble:can do? Maybe we can embrace children, we've got an
Bishop Julius Trimble:initiative in the Indiana conference, United Methodist
Bishop Julius Trimble:Church of children matter most, maybe we can find ways in which
Bishop Julius Trimble:we can be supportive, that the school systems are being just
Bishop Julius Trimble:battered, teachers are exhausted with this in school, out of
Bishop Julius Trimble:school, lost time because of virtual learning. So I think
Bishop Julius Trimble:there are things in which we can do that we all do. And the main
Bishop Julius Trimble:thing we ought to do is is pick up the mantle of prayer and
Bishop Julius Trimble:encouragement as a individual calling but also as a calling of
Bishop Julius Trimble:the church.
Brad Miller:I think that's awesome, but I'm what I'm
Brad Miller:hearing you also say Bishop is the churches, the place the
Brad Miller:vessel, if you will, where that can happen, you know where and
Brad Miller:can be very practically done. And, you know, intentionally
Brad Miller:done, not just saying you're praying, I mean, but to actually
Brad Miller:write a card or make a goal, or a email or a Facebook, post
Brad Miller:whatever have that say, Hey, I am praying for you, if I'm, and
Brad Miller:I'm going to be accountable to you that I'm going to check in
Brad Miller:with you, you know, once a week or something, just let you know,
Brad Miller:I'm here for you that whatever that would be. And that could be
Brad Miller:in some organized fashion in a small group, within a church, or
Brad Miller:maybe one of the beauties of technology is that even as you
Brad Miller:know, I are speaking on a podcast, I can go throughout the
Brad Miller:world, you can make connections with people, not only in your
Brad Miller:local church body, but you can make interpersonal connections
Brad Miller:with people who you have some affinity with whatever, maybe
Brad Miller:people like to ride bicycles, or whatever it would be. But you
Brad Miller:can make some of those connections, as well.
Brad Miller:Absolutely. Yeah.
Bishop Julius Trimble:And I'm sorry, this is an opportunity,
Bishop Julius Trimble:an opportunity for us to saturate the, the social media
Bishop Julius Trimble:platforms with spiritual encouragement. I see a lot on
Bishop Julius Trimble:social media that it has nothing to do with lifting people up.
Bishop Julius Trimble:It's you know, we're expressing our opinions about everything
Bishop Julius Trimble:from politics to pollution, but or we're chasing celebrities, no
Bishop Julius Trimble:knock on celebrities, many celebrities are saved folks, as
Bishop Julius Trimble:well. But I think we could saturate social media with
Bishop Julius Trimble:spiritual blessings and spiritual encouragement. We can,
Bishop Julius Trimble:as you mentioned, you know, my mother still still is a card
Bishop Julius Trimble:writer, I have sisters and brothers, and a spouse who we
Bishop Julius Trimble:still send notes, I still send handwritten notes is right, call
Bishop Julius Trimble:me old school. People, people are receptive to knowing
Bishop Julius Trimble:somebody today. In fact, somebody wants to know right
Bishop Julius Trimble:now, today that they are loved, and they are a child of the Most
Bishop Julius Trimble:High God. And I'm saying that with with my friend, Brad, as
Bishop Julius Trimble:we're, as you're, you're interviewing me, or we're having
Bishop Julius Trimble:this conversation or knowing somebody, somebody who's always
Bishop Julius Trimble:looking for a sign or waiting for a signal. And hearing us
Bishop Julius Trimble:talk about hope and talk about faith and talk about hanging in
Bishop Julius Trimble:there may be just that sign that somebody has been looking for.
Brad Miller:Yeah. And to be intentional about it. That's,
Brad Miller:that's great. I think it's also perspective, bishop in the
Brad Miller:church would maybe be a place where people can get some
Brad Miller:perspective outside of the pressures that they find in
Brad Miller:their life. And I was reading Hebrews 12, this morning, and I
Brad Miller:came across a phrase that just struck me about what our
Brad Miller:conversation is about it about, kind of talk a little bit about
Brad Miller:enduring, hardship, and for and discipleship. And basically, I'm
Brad Miller:paraphrasing here, but to talk about how you can have a
Brad Miller:mountain of fear, or a mountain of joy, to come on, come on,
Brad Miller:come on, and how you can look at it. And so we got this mountain
Brad Miller:of fear that's been, you know, all around us for a couple years
Brad Miller:now. And beyond that, of course, but I think the church is the
Brad Miller:place where we can transform that into a mountain of joy if
Brad Miller:we, if we choose to. So let's go with this for kind of bring us
Brad Miller:out here, Bishop, let's, you know, your podcast your message,
Brad Miller:as we indicated, the top here is all about encouragement to a
Brad Miller:discouraged world, that discouraged world is that
Brad Miller:mountain of fear. What's your word of encouragement today for
Brad Miller:the church? And for folks who may be listening to us today?
Brad Miller:What's your encouraging word today?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Well, there's a there's an old gospel
Bishop Julius Trimble:song, I don't know all the words, I will have to come back
Bishop Julius Trimble:to you. But it's, it's entitled, Lord, don't move this mountain.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Give me the strength to climb, though move the stumbling block.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Let me let me let me overcome and be an overcomer. My hope for
Bishop Julius Trimble:Word is that I saw this on the wall when I was at a Catholic
Bishop Julius Trimble:retreat center doing a retreat, center and painful moments, we
Bishop Julius Trimble:ought to trust God. In difficult moments, we should seek God. But
Bishop Julius Trimble:every moment, we should think. And Brad, I like what you said
Bishop Julius Trimble:about a mountain of fear or a mountain of joy, a mountain of
Bishop Julius Trimble:despair or a mountain of hope. It was maybe Martin Luther King,
Bishop Julius Trimble:Jr. was it not a safe carve out of this? This this mountain of
Bishop Julius Trimble:despair of a mountain of hope so indeed, we need to trust God in
Bishop Julius Trimble:difficult times. But in every time, we ought to start with the
Bishop Julius Trimble:spirit of thanking God. Why should we be thanking God
Bishop Julius Trimble:because God has said that we are not alone. And that even though
Bishop Julius Trimble:we may know, suffering, suffering does produce
Bishop Julius Trimble:perseverance and perseverance produces character according to
Bishop Julius Trimble:Romans and character produces hope. and hope will not
Bishop Julius Trimble:disappoint us.
Brad Miller:Awesome. What a great place for us to conclude
Brad Miller:our conversation here today Bishop How about having a prayer
Brad Miller:for the church and for others who may need a word of
Brad Miller:encouragement today?
Bishop Julius Trimble:Sure. God bless everybody today, Lord God,
Bishop Julius Trimble:we thank you for loving us. Sometimes as my wife would say,
Bishop Julius Trimble:even when we don't act, lovable Lord, we thank you, oh god for
Bishop Julius Trimble:for caring for us for claiming us for counting us worthy. Oh,
Bishop Julius Trimble:God, we thank you for the handprints of grace and mercy
Bishop Julius Trimble:for our sacred worth that cannot be taken away by bullies, or by
Bishop Julius Trimble:those who seek to define us other than anything other than a
Bishop Julius Trimble:child of God. Bless us, oh God, and those who are sick, we pray
Bishop Julius Trimble:for healing. Those who are mourning we pray for comfort.
Bishop Julius Trimble:Those who are looking or in experiencing depression and
Bishop Julius Trimble:discouragement. We pray oh god, that they would be still and
Bishop Julius Trimble:know that you are God and you are present. Oh God, we pray
Bishop Julius Trimble:that the love that you have showered upon us would be so
Bishop Julius Trimble:overflowing, that we can help ourselves, but love others. This
Bishop Julius Trimble:we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Brad Miller:Amen. This has been B encouraged with Bishop Julius
Brad Miller:C triple an encouraging word for a discouraged world.