Be still my beating heart. The Mrs. has returned.

Transcribed with OpenAI Whisper (base.en). Timestamps are approximate. Lightly cleaned for readability; quotations from on-air callers may include filler words. Use the audio player above for the authoritative recording.

1. 0:00Darkness is not an affirmative force.
2. 0:03It simply reoccupies the space vacated by the light.
3. 0:07This is the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.
4. 0:11It should be uncomfortable for a believer to live as a hypocrite.
5. 0:15Delivery people out of the bondage of mainstream media.
6. 0:18And the philosophies of this world.
7. 0:20God has called you and me to be his ambassador.
8. 0:24Even in this dark moment.
9. 0:26Let's not miss our moment.
10. 0:28And now the Hamilton Corner.
11. 0:31Good evening, everyone.
12. 0:35Welcome to the Hamilton Corner here on American Family Radio.
13. 0:38I am your host, Abraham Hamilton III, broadcasting live this evening for the third and final
14. 0:47evening of the program here at the Sheraton Music City Nashville Hotel where we are attending
15. 0:54the homeschool legal defense association's national leaders conference.
16. 0:59has been an amazing event. The conference actually doesn't end today. There's some more
17. 1:04events tomorrow. I will be speaking again tomorrow. Someone asked, I meant to put this
18. 1:12to share this whether or not this conference is being recorded. It is being recorded, but
19. 1:16I don't know how soon the recordings may be available and they may only be available in
20. 1:21a limited fashion. So I wanted to give that update because I learned that information.
21. 1:28Thank you so much for tuning into the program Abraham Hamilton the third is my name.
22. 1:32I am host the host of the Hamilton corner joined by the corner contingent right to my right
23. 1:37produce extraordinary often imitated never duplicated and you all have to forgive me but
24. 1:41I do believe the best producing the business.
25. 1:43Mr. J. Mack ladies and gentlemen and back at the home base running the controls not literally
26. 1:51but figuratively on the ones and twos, my man a hundred grand, Mr. Bobby Roosa, and enabling
27. 2:01us to deliver the video imaging. So if you wanted to watch the show in addition to listening
28. 2:07to it, today bringing that to you is none other than our friendly, perpetually recovering
29. 2:13neighborhood with a haulik, none other than Mr. Marty Sparks, ladies and gentlemen. And
30. 2:17we are ready to rock and roll with today's edition of the program. At this very moment,
31. 2:22of you if not most of you are making your moves from your part time jobs where you generate an income
32. 2:28to your full time jobs where you cultivate an outcome and as you do so I want to encourage you
33. 2:33to focus on this outcome cultivation as an externalization of your vertical personal commitment to the Lord
34. 2:42it is impossible to love the Lord without loving what he loves and hating what he hates frankly
35. 2:49I know a lot of people don't like to think about that wait a minute you say God hates something
36. 2:52read the scripture. Read the scripture. There is such a thing as a righteous indignation
37. 2:59and righteous indignation should be something we share in appropriate measure at appropriate times.
38. 3:05We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history. Among the things, I'll say this now,
39. 3:11I know we're in elections season. A lot of times people focus on the top of the tickets,
40. 3:15the presidential races, every four years unfortunately, but we need to make sure we understand far more
41. 3:21than just the presidential races. One of the major things that is significant in this election
42. 3:25cycle is the down ballot races, particularly in the United States Senate. The U.S. Senate
43. 3:32is vitally vitally important as well as all of the down ballot races are all the way down
44. 3:37to your local level. And when I say down, I don't say down because it's lesser in significance.
45. 3:43In fact, the government closest to us is the government that has the most consistent ability
46. 3:50to impact our daily lives.
47. 3:52And so we need to make sure we are directing
48. 3:55what is happening at the local level.
49. 4:00As usual, we begin the program by turning to the word of God.
50. 4:03And I wanna go here because it is a great reminder
51. 4:09to us, this conference has been a great reminder
52. 4:12of what is the main thing.
53. 4:13This is something that I point out on this program regularly.
54. 4:17That disciple making is not a, you know,
55. 4:20a pyatistic suggestion. It's not like Jesus was,
56. 4:24let me get a suggestion box and see what wouldn't may fit you well,
57. 4:27but it's actually a command of God that his people are to make disciples.
58. 4:32Every single believer is called to participate in the disciple making function.
59. 4:37Every single believer,
60. 4:40much of what has befallen our nation can rightly be described as the refusal or
61. 4:45the lack of disciples being made generationally in our country.
62. 4:48I can give you data, show you statistics, I support that.
63. 4:52But that truly is a story of what has transpired in our country.
64. 4:56So I want to begin the Word of God by revisiting Jesus' articulation of the Great Commission from the scripture Matthew 28 is where we're going to begin the program today.
65. 5:08Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20, Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20, and this is Jesus
66. 5:16conferring with his disciples after his resurrection prior to his ascension,
67. 5:20immediately prior to his ascension. This is prior to Matthias filling Judas's
68. 5:28empty spot on the roster so to speak. But in verse 18 this is what Jesus says,
69. 5:33And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
70. 5:38all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
71. 5:45Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
72. 5:49baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
73. 5:53teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.
74. 5:58and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
75. 6:06It is instructive for us to remember
76. 6:08that the bases or the authority upon which
77. 6:10that we make disciples is not our own.
78. 6:13Jesus says all authority in heaven and earth is mine.
79. 6:19Therefore, verse 19, go there for.
80. 6:21So when we respond to Jesus' instruction,
81. 6:24Jesus' command to make disciples,
82. 6:27we are not responding humanistically
83. 6:30our own whims. We are not responding. We're not looking at, well, look is going on in the world.
84. 6:35Oh man, we want to make the world right. So let's go and make disciples know. We are operating in the
85. 6:41authority that Jesus wields. We are obeying in the capacity that Jesus has instructed the authority
86. 6:51to do the duty, the do the task to execute the mission is Jesus' authority. This is why
87. 7:02We don't have to look to see have some type of humanistic externalized mechanism for evaluation
88. 7:07You know, we don't look at success and failure the way the world does
89. 7:11Successful the believer is in the obedience and the confidence for the
90. 7:16For the fruit that is born from the obedience is what we place in the one who has the authority and summoned us to obey
91. 7:24According to his authority
92. 7:27Then the Lord says go therefore
93. 7:29The scripture says, go. The going instruction is a direction to the fact that this is not
94. 7:35a passive enterprise. This is not something that you expect to occur at random on its
95. 7:42own, that this is something, yeah, oh, I'm on my way really to go and consume a little
96. 7:48bit of soccer and in the process if and when maybe perhaps that there might come a pop on
97. 7:53us the opportunity for some Christ-filled conversation, then we'll partake of it at that point.
98. 8:00That is always so good.
99. 8:03No, the instruction, go, is an affirmative command.
100. 8:05Go.
101. 8:06It's an affirmative pursuit.
102. 8:08It is something that the believer, the disciples of Jesus Christ, the children of God, the
103. 8:12members of the eternal family of God that we are to affirmatively engage in.
104. 8:19Affirmatively engage in.
105. 8:22I want to underscore for you that God knows very well when he blesses us with children,
106. 8:28those of us who have children still in our homes, that the margin, the capacity, the
107. 8:35ability that you have, if you're in a season of life where that disciple making function
108. 8:40is focused on your children, don't feel bad about it.
109. 8:44Don't allow the world or anybody that calls you to think, well, I'm not doing enough.
110. 8:48Man, God knows the seasons that you're in.
111. 8:50God knows the stage of life that you're in.
112. 8:52And many of you are listening to me year at the grandparents stage or or you may be empty nesters, you know
113. 8:58Better than I can even say it
114. 9:01Man that time is gonna fly by
115. 9:03The time is gonna fly by
116. 9:06My wife and I was talking today. We were at lunch
117. 9:10Merci, hey, look it look look at Christian's mustache. His mustache is getting thick
118. 9:15Stashed starting to get thick. I told y'all the story already when I thought there was somebody in my house
119. 9:19And it turned out as my son who after one day his voice went over like this to like this
120. 9:24in the day. And we were like, hey, have you seen this boy mustache?
121. 9:28Like, man, this dude here got a stash and it's thickening.
122. 9:33The time flies, man. And guess what? After that season,
123. 9:38should the Lord tear you and he continues to give you his oxygen,
124. 9:43that's not the end of your life. There's more work to be done, more
125. 9:47fruitfulness. I was talking yesterday about the fact that the common understanding of retirement
126. 9:51is not a biblical notion. In the body of Christ, we don't retire. We refire, man.
127. 9:55fire, man, because the calling to execute the Lord's commission, and it's not my opinion,
128. 10:02look back at the Word of God.
129. 10:04Verse 20, just get right to the end and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
130. 10:09age.
131. 10:11So if you give me...
132. 10:12Ayo-wee.
133. 10:13You know, cuz at one time, I had a conversation, not really, with Rocky Balbo.
134. 10:18Ayo-wee.
135. 10:19Ayo-wee.
136. 10:21How long am I supposed to do this?
137. 10:24That's the disciple-maker thing, eh?
138. 10:25You know, following I was talking and we're going to continue making disciples.
139. 10:31This is what we do until there is no more time for us.
140. 10:37This is what we're about.
141. 10:39We know retire.
142. 10:40We were fired.
143. 10:41I'm not saying that you have to stay on the stand in the employment sector for the
144. 10:46entire day of your days.
145. 10:48No, if God has blessed you, you have enough money to change the way you function in
146. 10:52your life.
147. 10:52You don't have to stay employed in a particular capacity, naturally speaking.
148. 10:56but guess what we are remaining in?
149. 10:58The disciple making occupation.
150. 11:02I found that some of the most fruitful life
151. 11:06in times for believers in ministry
152. 11:08is during the commonly understood retirement years.
153. 11:11Why? Because you have more money you have had before
154. 11:13and you have more time than you have had before.
155. 11:16So you have more resources, more flexibility
156. 11:18and more time to invest yourself
157. 11:21in building the Lord's kingdom than you've had before.
158. 11:25And when I say some of the most fruitful,
159. 11:27I'm not saying it most root when terms of being better in quality.
160. 11:32Because when you're in that season, God knows that you're in that season of your life,
161. 11:35just as he knows you're in the season of your life when you're in different stages.
162. 11:39But the point that I'm endeavoring to convey is that the body of Christ must normalize this reality
163. 11:47that we're not looking to come off the field, so to speak, back to the text.
164. 11:55Go there for and make disciples. Some people say more money when I understand.
165. 12:00Not everybody may have more money. I say it sometimes.
166. 12:03But if I didn't say it, I was thinking it.
167. 12:06Sometimes you may not have more money,
168. 12:08but you may have more time.
169. 12:11But y'all get my point.
170. 12:18Disciples, you wanna know what the root word of discipline is?
171. 12:23Disciples, give you an idea what discipleship should consist of.
172. 12:29And Jesus told us we ought to make disciples of all nations.
173. 12:32The root word for nations, there is ethnos.
174. 12:35From all ethnicity, all nations.
175. 12:40Baptizos, the next word, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
176. 12:44teaching them to observe or to obey all that I commanded you.
177. 12:49Whoa.
178. 12:51One of the most enduring aspects of being disciple makers is that we are disciples
179. 12:56ourselves.
180. 12:58We are not merely instructed and called to teach obedience.
181. 13:04We are called to obey ourselves.
182. 13:07obey ourselves. Holiness is not something that is a
183. 13:13pass-aid concept.
184. 13:15Dude, why don't you get with the times?
185. 13:17Dude, holiness is something we should talk about back then.
186. 13:20That's not what the word of God teaches.
187. 13:23Holiness is right, is still right.
188. 13:26The Lord said of himself, the Lord said, I should say,
189. 13:30be ye holy for I am holy.
190. 13:32Isn't that amazing that though God knows we're in a fallen world,
191. 13:37that we are fallen people, that we were,
192. 13:41as David said born in iniquity.
193. 13:44The Lord nevertheless calls us to be holy.
194. 13:46Ain't that something?
195. 13:49I'm reiterating this right now,
196. 13:51because we simply have to stop using humanity as an excuse
197. 13:53for living flesh-filled, flesh-centered, self-absorbed,
198. 13:56self-focused lives.
199. 13:58God knows everything about the flesh
200. 14:02and still calls us to follow Him in holiness.
201. 14:07And then just as He stated at the beginning,
202. 14:10that the authority upon which we execute great commission
203. 14:12is His, look at what He hits us with at the end.
204. 14:16Hey, yo, just in case you might have forgotten, I am with you.
205. 14:20Always, even into the end of the age.
206. 14:24Christ following is a win-win.
207. 14:25The only way we lose is if we quit.
208. 14:29The only way we lose is if we allow external circumstance to lull us
209. 14:34or invite us into being living rebels.
210. 14:39Let us be about our father's business.
211. 14:42We all have different stages of life that we're in, different context,
212. 14:46different economic revenue generation capacities, but guess what doesn't change?
213. 14:52It is not a variable to call to execute his commission.
214. 15:04Shining light into the darkness, this is the Hamilton Corner, an American family radio.
215. 15:10Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner, Abraham Hamilton the third here.
216. 15:14I am joined by my absolute favorite, not one of my favorites, all right?
217. 15:20This is a category all of her own.
218. 15:22Y'all know who it is.
219. 15:24Hey, hey, that's right.
220. 15:28What's up?
221. 15:29I'm serious.
222. 15:30Oh, my name, my guest is none other than my lovely wife, mother of my children, co-baligerent
223. 15:38and contesting for the kingdom of God.
224. 15:43Apologist in her own right, I told her that the other day she said, babe, come on, man,
225. 15:45you put too much sauce on you.
226. 15:46But I said, babe, that's what you do.
227. 15:48That's what you do.
228. 15:49It is my lovely bride, Mrs. Maria Hamilton.
229. 15:52Thank you for joining me here on the program.
230. 15:54Thank you for having me, sir.
231. 15:55it is truly my pleasure. Well, you have been with me for the entirety of this conference
232. 16:00that began in earnest, that began in earnest Thursday and actually continues through tomorrow.
233. 16:09Some people aren't leaving until Sunday. We're actually going to leave here on Saturday. But
234. 16:15I want to get your initial impressions. I'm going to talk a couple of other things. What
235. 16:20What are some of the things that are really resonated with you so far through this HSLDA
236. 16:26National Leaders Conference?
237. 16:28Yeah, so first is the organization itself, you know, the HSLDA as an organization and what
238. 16:34they stand for, their mission and their work they're doing is amazing for homeschoolers.
239. 16:40And so getting to know some of the staff and some of the people, the families, it's been
240. 16:44awesome to see their heart and their commitment, you know, to really freedom for homeschoolers,
241. 16:50and that's been awesome.
242. 16:51And then also seeing different representatives from each of their states, leaders in homeschooling,
243. 16:57it's been awesome to even get to know them because it's, they're co-laborers, you know,
244. 17:01they're working in their respective states, not only for freedom, but also, you know, to
245. 17:08equip families on what it looks like and how do we do this thing called homeschooling
246. 17:13or discipleship at home the way we like to refer it to it.
247. 17:17So it's been awesome to see their heart and just get to know who they are, connect with
248. 17:21them and then seeing that we are like minded in many respects.
249. 17:26Now I'm excited for a number of things and for someone who may not know, the layout for
250. 17:32this conference is that you have as Marie just mentioned leaders and it's commonly described
251. 17:38as home schooling but we call it discipleship in the home all across the country.
252. 17:41And HSLDA is an organization that exists for one major purpose.
253. 17:45And that is to provide legal heft for families who may find themselves crossways against the
254. 17:52government frankly and to provide the legal muscle to empower, or should I say to allow
255. 17:59the continued facilitation of parents to take their leadership in discipling their own children.
256. 18:04So it is a membership organization.
257. 18:07You become a member of HSLDA.
258. 18:09If you ever have a situation, you get a notice from a governmental entity, anything, you don't
259. 18:13even have to respond to the notice, you pick up your phone, you call HSLDA, and there is an
260. 18:17attorney dedicated to your portion of the country that will take the legal fight to whoever it
261. 18:22is trying to encroach upon your function.
262. 18:24And you know, I was surprised to learn because we've homeschooled in states that have been
263. 18:28very welcoming and friendly to homeschooling.
264. 18:32And of course, during a time period where a lot of the pioneers and the people that are
265. 18:35here who've worked hard to ensure that we had the freedoms that we have in regards to
266. 18:40training our children at home are really anywhere like just the freedom to be able to have the
267. 18:45control over who who educate your children and how you educate them. And so seeing not
268. 18:51only the work that they've done but really the work that is still needing to be done and
269. 18:55the amount of cases that they still have like I was talking to a lady today whose husband
270. 19:01is an attorney for HSLDA and she was telling me the amount of cases that they get on their
271. 19:05desks, it's never ending. So they need even more legal help because you have
272. 19:10families that are really being persecuted, like they're really, you know,
273. 19:13seeing them finding themselves in those scenarios. And so much prayer for the
274. 19:17organization and for those attorneys and also for those families. But it's also
275. 19:21the work they're doing. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I should have
276. 19:25mentioned that if a family finds themselves crossways against the
277. 19:29government or entity somewhere, when you pick up that phone, HSLDA represents
278. 19:33with no charge. So you don't have any legal expenses personally because your
279. 19:38membership covers that and memberships are like $100 a year or something like
280. 19:41that. You can get a lifetime membership for one static amount. I think it might
281. 19:45be $1,500 now if you are able to afford that amount for the remainder of your lives.
282. 19:50You have a presentation. As a homeschooling family you have that and one of the
283. 19:53things we discussed because you know I mean some of you guys know the story
284. 19:59Marie and I met in a law office I remember her getting off the elevator to come and
285. 20:03watch me in trial. I feel capable sufficiently to handle any legal issue that
286. 20:09would come our families way, but we wanted to be members of HSLD and we were
287. 20:13members, lifetime members long before I was ever invited to join the board
288. 20:16primarily because we wanted to make sure other people around the country would
289. 20:20have that legal support. So if there were concerns about navigating
290. 20:24governmental difficulty, rare table, whatever, that concern could be laid aside
291. 20:28because you know if you run a teeny issues you have attorneys who are
292. 20:32excellent in this particular discipline that will have your back and doing that.
293. 20:36So if you're listening right now, you might be thinking, well,
294. 20:38I may not have children in my home or how maybe on those years,
295. 20:43still consider joining HSLDA because you could help provide that freedom and
296. 20:48that clarity of heart and mind for another family or other families all around the
297. 20:54country and HSLDA actually is now expanded internationally where the
298. 20:58organization as a presence in other countries around the nation.
299. 21:02The world?
300. 21:02I'm sorry, around the world.
301. 21:04Man, you know I said that earlier in the week I've been meant around the world.
302. 21:06I'm saying nation.
303. 21:07My bad, Joe.
304. 21:10Now, I wanted to also ask you because I mentioned that I'm excited about this.
305. 21:13And some of you know this because y'all asked me, when is Maria coming back on all the time?
306. 21:18And is when we talk about the full time job, it's real.
307. 21:20It's a full time job.
308. 21:21So we have to navigate our own family, but as she's available and able to come on,
309. 21:26she comes on.
310. 21:27But my wife is doing the something I wouldn't necessarily say she seeks.
311. 21:34No, I know for a fact she doesn't.
312. 21:35She doesn't necessarily enjoy this.
313. 21:37But if God calls her, she's willing to obey.
314. 21:40You, babe, are speaking tomorrow at the conference, at the Women's Luncheon.
315. 21:45Would you share with our audience here in the Hamilton corner just a little bit
316. 21:49about what you plan to encourage the ladies attending this conference with tomorrow at
317. 21:55the Women's Luncheon?
318. 21:55Yes, so you are correct.
319. 21:57That is not something I seek at all.
320. 21:59No, I know.
321. 22:00I remember the president of HSLD,
322. 22:01I said, hey, what do you think you know
323. 22:03your wife doing this ladies lunch?
324. 22:04And I was like, no, no, no, no.
325. 22:06You give the mic to Abe, not to me, thank you.
326. 22:09But in the moment, I just felt like though it was like,
327. 22:10come on, like you know what I want you to tell them
328. 22:14type of thing, right?
329. 22:15And so I prayed about it.
330. 22:16And the Lord really just wants us as not only homeschoolers,
331. 22:21but even homeschool leaders, those who are training
332. 22:23other families and who have the influence and the impact to uphold the mission and not
333. 22:31allow themselves or the families that they kind of oversee or help or serve to drift from
334. 22:39that mission.
335. 22:40And the mission really is discipling the heart of the child in the home.
336. 22:44And so yes, we fight for freedom legally and we, you know, and politically and all these
337. 22:48things and we lobby and all the things that we need to do to ensure that we remain free
338. 22:52to do this. But we have seen in the homeschool world many families who have removed their
339. 22:58children from the system, which praise God for that step, right? That's a big step.
340. 23:01That's difficult to make. But they removed their children from the system and then they
341. 23:05just keep them away from the system. And they are at home and so it's a safer place in comparison.
342. 23:11Safe or physically? Yes, physically in comparison, right? But there is something that gets lost
343. 23:17in it is first, kind of like Peter says, right?
344. 23:21To sanctify Christ as Lord first.
345. 23:23And then, that's right.
346. 23:25And then to be able to really defend.
347. 23:27And so we are wanting to raise up soldiers.
348. 23:30That's what we're wanting to do.
349. 23:31I feel like the Lord has really stirred us up lately
350. 23:34to really do His work.
351. 23:36And His work is to shape the hearts and minds of children
352. 23:39to be soldiers in the army of the Lord.
353. 23:41And so they have to have roots that are deep.
354. 23:44They have to understand who He is, who God is,
355. 23:46and have a relationship with Him first and foremost to uphold the scriptures as they should be.
356. 23:52And to be able to stand in this culture, I don't see another way. There is no other way. And so a
357. 23:59lot of homeschoolers I have seen have drifted from that. And so I'm just here to encourage, really,
358. 24:05the Lord wants to encourage all of us to have that perspective, to have that heart, to really
359. 24:12understand why do we even do this? Like, why are we homeschooling? Is it Harvard or is it really
360. 24:16that we want them to serve God and to really be steadfast in their commitment to the Lord.
361. 24:21And so just an encouragement for all of us that this is what the Lord desires of us,
362. 24:26that we would exalt Him in the heart and minds of our children and that the daily grind,
363. 24:31the daily work at home, the opening of scripture, the shaping the character, the discipline,
364. 24:37those things are not small, you know, and so we have to do that. We have to shape them and we have to
365. 24:42equip them, we have to train them so that when they go out into the world, whether it's high
366. 24:46school, college, wherever, work, they are ready.
367. 24:50They're ready for this culture.
368. 24:51We're not going to change anything if we just keep them from it without the heart and commitment
369. 24:56to discipleship.
370. 24:57Yeah.
371. 24:58Yeah.
372. 24:59And I think that's good not only for attendees at this conference and those who have already
373. 25:04made the decision to disciple their children in the home.
374. 25:07But even those who are listening, you're considering what's going on, recognizing that
375. 25:12God established parents for that very purpose.
376. 25:15You know, a brother who I'm growing to love and getting to meet and hear
377. 25:20minister in many different times, Dr. Renton Rathbun.
378. 25:24Amazing.
379. 25:24The director of world view above university.
380. 25:26He says often the reason why children who grow up in the church end up
381. 25:31abandoning their faith is because they find themselves defending their parents
382. 25:36faith.
383. 25:36Man, right.
384. 25:37It's a faith that they've never really had
385. 25:42and taken ownership of personally,
386. 25:44but it's just what they've been.
387. 25:46It's kind of the social milieu in which they've been,
388. 25:49right, the culture they've been in.
389. 25:52They've gone from prepubescent to post-pubescent
390. 25:56in a church-friendly environment,
391. 25:59but they've never been disciples themselves
392. 26:01and then a bit of physical liberty has given them room
393. 26:06to express what it is they really believe or don't believe.
394. 26:09And what you're saying is vitally important
395. 26:13because we all as human beings,
396. 26:15we all have the capacity to drift in mission.
397. 26:19You know, those who, who we're discipling in the home
398. 26:22is very easy to become so focused on this curriculum,
399. 26:24so focused on this is our organizational schedule
400. 26:26and this is today we need to turn in this paper
401. 26:28and this is we need to have this and we need to have this
402. 26:30course and we can allow this centrality of Christ
403. 26:34to drift ever so slightly.
404. 26:35And if we're not intentional about keeping the main thing,
405. 26:38the main thing, we could find ourselves,
406. 26:40because you and I say this all the time,
407. 26:42homeschooling is not selfish.
408. 26:44Just because we take them out of the government school system
409. 26:46doesn't mean they automatically become, ta-da Christian.
410. 26:49It don't work like that at all.
411. 26:51And the Lord has ordained us as parents
412. 26:54to be the first line in evangelizing
413. 26:57and teaching and training and making disciples
414. 26:59of our own children.
415. 27:00And so I'm looking forward to the Lord really ministering
416. 27:05to attend these here through you in this regard
417. 27:07and really to see how the Lord continue to glorify himself
418. 27:11through you.
419. 27:12Praise God.
420. 27:13No, I, you know, as you were talking,
421. 27:15I was thinking, what are we doing this for?
422. 27:18Like, what is the goal?
423. 27:20What is the purpose?
424. 27:22Are we not in election year?
425. 27:23And are we not wanting to see better results?
426. 27:27Do we hear it all the time?
427. 27:29We want, you know, the culture that is so wicked
428. 27:31and our nation is going in the wrong direction.
429. 27:33And here comes socialism and communism
430. 27:35and Marxism and all these things and those are real
431. 27:37and they're literally knocking on the door,
432. 27:40if not already here, really in some respects.
433. 27:44So how are we gonna attempt to do anything about that?
434. 27:47Are we just gonna lobby, which is good, we need that?
435. 27:50Are we just gonna run for office,
436. 27:51which is good we need that too, as believers?
437. 27:54But if we do not raise a generation of believers
438. 27:58and you can picture him five years old,
439. 27:59you can picture him seven years old,
440. 28:00you can picture him 12 years old and 18,
441. 28:03but they're believers if they're believers, right?
442. 28:05So are we gonna raise a generation of believers
443. 28:08that when they get to our age,
444. 28:10those of us are nice and young, right, Jeff?
445. 28:12We're young.
446. 28:12Those of us that are young.
447. 28:14If you can't see the video, my wife stroked her.
448. 28:16Grace, that I have many.
449. 28:18One of the peppered blocks.
450. 28:19And though she may be chronologically younger than me,
451. 28:22I have not yet been blessed with the salt to accommodate
452. 28:24the peppermint. Not one, you hear me like,
453. 28:25I'm like, what's happening?
454. 28:26However, she has.
455. 28:27That's right.
456. 28:28We'll call them natural highlights.
457. 28:30That's right, lovely.
458. 28:31Okay, so but here's the thing, right?
459. 28:33Those of us that have grown up, maybe in church, maybe not,
460. 28:36but we've walked with the Lord a certain time in our lives.
461. 28:40Do we really have roots deeply rooted?
462. 28:43Have we, has he captured us?
463. 28:45The way that Paul says?
464. 28:47Is he our passion?
465. 28:50Do we love him?
466. 28:51Are we willing to live for him and die for him?
467. 28:54Are we willing to daily die?
468. 28:56When the government is knocking on the door
469. 28:58or when the CPS is or when whatever it's, whoever is,
470. 29:02knocking on our door, are we gonna say for Christ,
471. 29:04I'll let for Christ, I die, are we those soldiers?
472. 29:07And if we're not, let's get in prayer,
473. 29:09and let's get in his word,
474. 29:10and then let's raise up a generation that can do that,
475. 29:13because nothing is going to change in this country
476. 29:14if we don't do that.
477. 29:16We have, we need all of it, but if we don't do that,
478. 29:19then we can do it work and we can labor, labor, labor, labor,
479. 29:22and the next generation is gonna lose it all again.
480. 29:24We have to raise them up to be steadfast believers,
481. 29:27to be able, like Dr. Rathbun said today,
482. 29:29to be able to love Christ so much that then you can give a defense,
483. 29:34then you can understand what it is that the Bible says
484. 29:36and how it can be trusting, why it's true,
485. 29:38and then advocate for it and then stand fast.
486. 29:40Because you know it's true, because you're certain
487. 29:41and you're convinced.
488. 29:42We have to do that.
489. 29:44That has to be the mission.
490. 29:47So very well said.
491. 29:48So very well said.
492. 29:49And understanding, and this is gonna carry us over
493. 29:53into the next segment I know,
494. 29:56because we only have a few minutes left in this segment,
495. 29:57but it's obvious to me.
496. 30:03I don't think it's obvious necessarily everywhere else,
497. 30:06but when you consider the centrality of the family
498. 30:08to God's plan and how I say it on this show almost daily,
499. 30:13the first institution, the first human institution
500. 30:15to God established was the family with marriage
501. 30:17at the center because of the centrality of marriage
502. 30:23and the family to God's plan for his kingdom.
503. 30:27So if you stop and think about it, many of us,
504. 30:31we've had to overcome deficiencies in the home.
505. 30:34We've had to overcome negligence from our experiences
506. 30:38with our fathers and not being loved in certain ways,
507. 30:41just to get to some level of stasis.
508. 30:44And then we can, oh, this is what this
509. 30:46is supposed to look like, which is why, what I'm saying,
510. 30:49is obvious to me why Satan attacks marriage in the family
511. 30:53so aggressively is because he doesn't like to continue
512. 30:57full-grown oppositions, right? You don't have to worry about the potency of the Lord's church.
513. 31:03If you can destroy the family, yes, if you can have young men in perpetual adolescence,
514. 31:08regardless of their age or their musculature, having the bodies and the stature of men with the
515. 31:13minds, the emotional capacity of boys, having young ladies with the physicality and the stature of
516. 31:20women, but with the minds and the hearts, the emotional instability of little girl, it is,
517. 31:26it is so wicked and so devious, it's obviously demonic. Yes. But we as members of the body of
518. 31:33Christ have the wherewithal to refuse, as as the scripture says, we're not ignorant to Satan's
519. 31:39devices, to refuse to allow Satan's devices to continually impede the work of the body of Christ.
520. 31:48And so I want to ask you and talk a bit about the reality of marital unity being necessary
521. 31:54for the fulfillment of marital mission.
522. 32:04Hamilton Quarter Podcast and One-Minute Common Terrets are available at aFR.net back to the
523. 32:10Hamilton Quarter on American Family Radio.
524. 32:15Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner Abraham Hamilton the third here my guest.
525. 32:19And y'all have to excuse me if my heart skips would be not getting a little short of breath
526. 32:23because she still takes my breath away.
527. 32:27It's my wife, Mrs. Maria Hamilton, thank you, babe.
528. 32:30So, before we went to the break, I was setting up the question
529. 32:35about the necessity of marital unity as the Lord brings spouses
530. 32:40together because I think sometimes the tension
531. 32:43that may occur in marriage, we have the wherewithal to only
532. 32:46endeavor to assess it naturally, not recognizing, wait a minute.
533. 32:50Could it be that the enemy of our souls is attempting
534. 32:53to throw a rock and hide his hand. You know, I taught a series at our church one time, I
535. 33:00mentioned a guy's name and asked anybody, does anybody know who this guy is? Jonah dad, from
536. 33:05scripture, you know, and a lot of people know about Amnon and Tamar, but a lot of people don't
537. 33:09remember, wait, wait, because Amnon ended up physically overpowering and taking advantage
538. 33:17of his half-sister sexually or his sister sexually. But we don't often remember who
539. 33:23who planted the seed for that whole scheme.
540. 33:26It was Jonah dad.
541. 33:28None of us remember Jonah dad usually,
542. 33:30but Jonah dad was the one and just set up the fact
543. 33:33that sometimes we have the difficulty that arises.
544. 33:35We don't recognize, man, who, where did that seed come from?
545. 33:39She don't listen to me or he never does.
546. 33:42What, did that come from the Lord of the thing?
547. 33:44I come in and the next thing you know, you beeped out,
548. 33:46you ain't talking to one another,
549. 33:47you want to sleep in separate rooms
550. 33:48and all these other places,
551. 33:49not realizing man, that's the enemy that's coming in.
552. 33:54mentioning that because we should never be surprised that when we're
553. 33:58endeavoring to follow the Lord, when difficulties arise, we should never be
554. 34:02surprised by it, but we should make sure, make sure that we're always taking
555. 34:08stock of you in ourselves personally. And if if we are married, that we refuse to
556. 34:12allow any day like to come between us. And so Maria, I wanted to ask you in light
557. 34:16of what we're doing here, what we have been doing in our lives and ministry
558. 34:19together in our own family and what you're planning to present tomorrow, how
559. 34:24How would you describe the necessary importance for spouses to remain unified as the endeavor
560. 34:33to follow the Lord of fulfilling the mission He gives to that marital unit?
561. 34:38So God doesn't make mistakes.
562. 34:40He doesn't make mistakes.
563. 34:41He's not surprised when He joins people together.
564. 34:45And I understand that sometimes we marry people that either we weren't ready or they
565. 34:50weren't ready or whatever.
566. 34:53God is not surprised by who he joins in marriage.
567. 34:58And if they're unbelievers, we already know scripture,
568. 35:01it supports us, if they're unbelievers and then they get saved,
569. 35:04the Lord does a work in the lives of people.
570. 35:07So in all of it, he's sovereign is my point, right?
571. 35:09And however we got together, God is sovereign.
572. 35:11The reality is that God has made me a certain way
573. 35:14and made you a certain way and given us both gifts and talents
574. 35:18and character traits and there's shaping
575. 35:21in rough corners, I have many of those, and they need to be silt
576. 35:26out and you to too. And so God transforms us, but He gives us a
577. 35:31mission together. He gives us our mission. And He reveals it to
578. 35:37you and He reveals it to me, and we know exactly what it is, and
579. 35:39we're doing this together. The enemy does not want that mission
580. 35:42to come to fruition. He doesn't want us to accomplish what God
581. 35:46has called us to as a unit and as a family. And so He does it.
582. 35:50There was a rock and hide to sand.
583. 35:51But in reality, God has perfectly knitted us together
584. 35:54with my strengths and your strengths, my weaknesses,
585. 35:56even in your weaknesses, to build the mini force, if you will,
586. 36:04as we lock arms with other believers and other families
587. 36:06within the kingdom that mini force to be able to accomplish
588. 36:10exactly what he's called us to.
589. 36:12And I'll tell you really quickly, kind of,
590. 36:13some information here.
591. 36:15So when I met Abe, he was holy, just bottom line.
592. 36:19the man new scripture left the right.
593. 36:21And I was like, I don't know about that.
594. 36:22So he said he wanted to have a wife.
595. 36:25I didn't know that I could live up to that.
596. 36:26Like, you know, I was like, I don't know.
597. 36:28So he prayed, he told me, yeah, I've been praying, you know,
598. 36:30and I want my wife to be able to run with me
599. 36:32in the things of God.
600. 36:32And I was like, sir, sir, I'm like this deep in the word.
601. 36:36Like, oh my God.
602. 36:37So I was so intimidated by that, just that reality.
603. 36:40And the years have gone by and really, I just praise God.
604. 36:44He's so good.
605. 36:45The reality is that God will transform you.
606. 36:49Like he changes you from the babe, the unpolished, non-biblically literate person to know him.
607. 37:00You know what I mean?
608. 37:01I know him.
609. 37:02And I'm not saying that from a braggadocia, please.
610. 37:04I'm talking about I want to know him, right?
611. 37:07I want to know him and he makes himself known to me.
612. 37:10And so we study his word together and we know who he is and we've been transformed and I've
613. 37:13been transforming you, grown and continually transformed.
614. 37:16Amen, continuously, there's no like we arrive,
615. 37:18but the more the transformation,
616. 37:20the more that we are effective in the mission.
617. 37:23If we are not transformed at a heart level,
618. 37:25we will never be able to do what God called us to.
619. 37:28When it once upon a time was very intimidating to me
620. 37:30to do, to be, not necessarily just be your wife,
621. 37:33but like, you were very like learned.
622. 37:36And to be able to like say, let's do this.
623. 37:39It was like, nah, he got it.
624. 37:40I'm a viewer here, you know?
625. 37:42And that's this unity.
626. 37:43And so, but the Lord had a plan.
627. 37:44Wait, say that again, because I think people might miss that.
628. 37:47Go ahead, you could say it because you probably could.
629. 37:49No, you were saying that if your perception is,
630. 37:53well, you run a, when I'm a B over here on the side,
631. 37:56that could present disunity.
632. 37:58Yes, okay, yes, yes.
633. 38:00So if you have more to add there, go ahead.
634. 38:01But yeah, what I'm explaining in that,
635. 38:03what I'm thinking at that time is the reality that
636. 38:07because we have different strengths and different,
637. 38:10I don't know, makeups of how we are,
638. 38:12like you, you're a words person
639. 38:13and you can articulate and you can express yourself very clearly
640. 38:15and all that.
641. 38:16And so I'm always like, give him the mic.
642. 38:18Like I don't even, you give him the mic,
643. 38:19I don't need the mic and I don't need the mic.
644. 38:21But I understand that God has put us together
645. 38:25for a mission bigger than ourselves individually.
646. 38:28So I can very easily say, I'm gonna be here,
647. 38:30which for the last couple of years,
648. 38:32I've been in my home with my children,
649. 38:33which praise God, that is not something
650. 38:34to be little at all, but that's where I've been.
651. 38:37The Lord lately wants to stretch me for us
652. 38:40to do things somewhat together.
653. 38:42And I'm freaking out, but the Lord is faithful
654. 38:45and he desires for his work to be done.
655. 38:47And so we, I have seen even more so the last eight years,
656. 38:51or so where the Lord has really brought us together,
657. 38:55where we understand that we are both equally,
658. 38:58but with the right roles and the right order.
659. 39:01Okay, so don't hear me, I'm not saying something
660. 39:03that I'm not saying, right?
661. 39:04With the right roles, but equally advancing the mission
662. 39:08that God gave us.
663. 39:09It includes what I do in the home.
664. 39:11It includes what you do for AFA, for example,
665. 39:14and it includes what we do when we travel as a family,
666. 39:16includes those speaking engagements.
667. 39:17All that you do is intertwined with what I do,
668. 39:21and that's the mission that God called us to,
669. 39:22and none of it is like smaller or less significant
670. 39:25than the other.
671. 39:26All of it is encompassing what the Lord is calling us to do.
672. 39:29One of the major things that we talk about this before,
673. 39:34off air, you and I talk about this all the time,
674. 39:36one of the major things, and I'm gonna be very clear
675. 39:39in specific that I know that Christian couples fail
676. 39:45to recognize many times is that the major,
677. 39:48the major undergirding underlying cause
678. 39:51of lots of the difficulty is a personal submission
679. 39:55to the Lord by one or the other spouse.
680. 39:58Or if not both.
681. 40:00Like there often is an inappropriate expectation placed
682. 40:05upon the other spouse to do something
683. 40:08that only God himself can do.
684. 40:11And that the unity is not a unity that is humanistic
685. 40:15in its origin.
686. 40:16Let me be clear, when I say humanistic,
687. 40:17it's not just, come on Maria, can't we all just get along?
688. 40:21The unity that is provided the same way the scripture says,
689. 40:25for preserving the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
690. 40:30It is a unity that manifests itself horizontally
691. 40:33because there's a unity verdant.
692. 40:35There is a equal reciprocal investment in following the Lord personally that superimposes a unity
693. 40:42between you and I because we both have our eyes focused on the king of kings and are running
694. 40:46after him that he forges in us a unified commitment to doing that together.
695. 40:52Because the humanistic way, the way it manifests itself is that you try to force me to be you
696. 40:58and I try to force you to be me.
697. 40:59And whatever mission that we feel like or whatever mission I feel like I have in my life, you
698. 41:03get with it and come do it with me because if not, or then vice versa, you want me to be like you and do what you do.
699. 41:10And in reality, well, the best case scenario in marriage is like that, honestly, we've seen it, is that I'll do me and you do you.
700. 41:17And we are two ships, I've said this so many times, two ships sailing in the same direction as, you know, in the same direction praise God, but still separate.
701. 41:23But separate, but separate, and that's not the will of God. And I don't become him and he doesn't become me,
702. 41:28But we complement each other so well that the mission is then fulfilled continuously,
703. 41:33because we're always growing and there's always, you know, God has a work.
704. 41:35So the reality is that humanistically we cannot just come together and say,
705. 41:40we're going to do this, because at best it's just impossible to do that,
706. 41:44because we're so different. Period. Just husbands and wives, not just you and I.
707. 41:47We have to have the Spirit of God be what governs and we obey. And in that obedience,
708. 41:52not only are we obeying an action and in doing, but we are obeying in character transformation.
709. 41:57we are open to be transformed and be changed and be stretched.
710. 42:00Man, one of the most enduring necessities is a display, not the verbalization, but the
711. 42:11display of humility within marriage.
712. 42:13And that display of humility includes living the lifestyle of repentance.
713. 42:22And I know what I can hear right now.
714. 42:23I'm telling you, I get so many emails about this.
715. 42:26What do I do with my spouses and saves?
716. 42:28I won't do this.
717. 42:30I can't tell you the number of communications that get all.
718. 42:33I just desperately want my husband to be the spiritual head of our family.
719. 42:38And I understand the natural frustration, things that can occur.
720. 42:40But let me just tell you plainly, you will never accomplish the will of God by fleshly
721. 42:47means.
722. 42:48Amen, that's right.
723. 42:49You will never nag your way into a God honoring marriage.
724. 42:52will never intimidate your way into a gone out or in marriage.
725. 42:57You will never lead your way.
726. 43:00Take the reins of your marriage and lead into making him who he needs to be.
727. 43:04Yes, yes. And vice versa. I've talked to men. I just want my wife to be
728. 43:08submissive. My wife needs to be submissive. My wife needs to be submissive.
729. 43:11And often tell the guys, are you leading in the love of Christ?
730. 43:15Yeah. Because one of the major things about who post also
731. 43:17Ephesians 5's, why submit yourself to your own husbands.
732. 43:20It's a military term, but it's a voluntary submission.
733. 43:22It's not one that can be compelled.
734. 43:24It's not one that can be compelled.
735. 43:26And so I'll have to say, if you have to announce
736. 43:28and pound yourself the leader of this family,
737. 43:30it often reveals that you may not be leading.
738. 43:33Because leadership is an action word.
739. 43:35It's not an adjective.
740. 43:37It's not really a description.
741. 43:38It's an action word.
742. 43:40People ask me, remember we had this conversation,
743. 43:42hey, how did you get really submissive?
744. 43:44And I say, I didn't.
745. 43:46I never got her to be.
746. 43:50I was born to be the via a doormat.
747. 43:52I'm just playing.
748. 43:54And submission is not a doormat.
749. 43:56I didn't her submission is a voluntary submission because she
750. 44:00submits to me as unto the Lord as a head of our family.
751. 44:03It's not because she doesn't have her own will, her own opinion, own thoughts.
752. 44:06But she is endeavoring to honor the Lord.
753. 44:08And because that is such a precious reality, man, I am accountable to God for
754. 44:13what I do with that.
755. 44:14And I referenced the Lord too much to take advantage of his daughter.
756. 44:20to abuse his daughter in pursuit of my life as a rebel.
757. 44:22It don't work like that man.
758. 44:25That's why the twain components, wives, submit yourselves to your husband's ass unto the
759. 44:32Lord.
760. 44:33Husband loves your wives and give yourself for your wives as Christ does for the church.
761. 44:39It's a self-sacrificial leadership.
762. 44:41It's not a domineering lording over somebody.
763. 44:45That belies the fact of what we're doing.
764. 44:47And so to come full circle to the unity in the lack thereof, first and foremost, if we're
765. 44:53talking about spouses who are Christians, the foundational need for these Christian spouses,
766. 45:02the husband and the wife is to hunger and thirst after righteousness personally.
767. 45:06Amen.
768. 45:07Amen.
769. 45:08It'll come with human.