Skip to content Week 6: Is Your Faith Real? – The Great Uncomplicating Feb 26 · 16 min ...more
Week 6: Is Your Faith Real? – The Great Uncomplicating
February 26, 2026 · 16 min
Live your purpose with God. In Part 6, learn how surrender and simplicity lead to lasting faith. Free resources + book at hosannawong.com/uncomplicate-it
Series Uncomplicate It: A Small Group Video Series February 26, 2026 · 16 min · Uncomplicate It: A Small Group Video Series
Live your purpose with God. In Part 6, learn how surrender and simplicity lead to lasting faith. Free resources + book at hosannawong.com/uncomplicate-it ...more Show the full description Show less Live your purpose with God. In Part 6, learn how surrender and simplicity lead to lasting faith. Free resources + book at hosannawong.com/uncomplicate-it
Series Uncomplicate It: A Small Group Video Series
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Signs of True Connection: Tenderness and Flexibility 0:18 How can we be sure this is real and that it lasts? Friends, I am so glad we've had this time together to unpack how we can uncomplicate what a relationship with God looks like. I'm Hosanna0:30 Wong. And for our last session, this last mini teaching video, I wanna tell you how to know if you are in fact connected to God and how that relationship can continue to grow and flourish. We wanna0:42 know our soil, where we've come from, and know our vision. Then we navigate through what seems like roadblocks standing in the way of flourishing, but we speak truth to those lies and we see how God has made a0:54 way through them with more permission to enjoy him than we've ever known. And then we discover our shortcuts, the unique ways we've been wired to encounter God in our1:06 specific details in our specific seasons, and we start to see our own personal pathway to flourishing. And then we arrive here to what I've called a great uncomplicating, a1:18 light and free and joy filled life where we don't overcomplicate a relationship with God and we don't over complicate it for others either. A world where everyone knows they have permission to enjoy God in their own1:30 way. A world where every vineyard with their own unique soils and their own unique trellises is flourishing. And so 1 of the questions I want to answer as we close out is1:41 this, how do I know if I am truly connected to God? The answer is actually found in the same passage that we've been looking at throughout these sessions. In1:53 John 15, when Jesus said to abide in him, when Jesus said he's the vine and we're the branches, the verse I once read and asked the question, how how do I do this practically? That same2:05 passage actually holds the answer to how to tell if you are indeed connected. It is in John 15 where we learned that as branches, we must be connected to the source of life, the vine to live, thrive, and2:17 flourish. That part we've covered. But what was new information to me was the exact Greek word used here for branches. Upon further study, I learned that this is the only place in the Bible2:29 where this specific word is used. Jesus is referring to a very specific kind of branch. This word emphasizes 2 things about this particular branch, tenderness and2:40 flexibility. Are you tender? Are you flexible? As I read these 2 words, I had to stop and consider my own temperament even this past week. The ways I've been irritable, short, judgmental,2:52 selfish, prideful, and holding on to my expectations of people and my personal preferences that I deemed perfect. I could see that while I love Jesus and I'm in a real relationship with him, I am not always demonstrating3:04 the characteristics of a person living at home in his presence. How about you? Have you ever wondered how your relationship with God is really going? As it turns out, the word of God gives us a few good ways3:16 to measure our spiritual maturity and our true intimacy with God. It tells us there are literal actions that come out of our lives when God's spirit lives in us, and we are connected to Jesus.3:28 I was shocked as I read some passages I had known for a long time, now with a new lens. I was amazed at how well these words paired with tenderness and flexibility. In Galatians, the writer Paul tells us of all3:40 the ways we know if our fruit is sour, if our life is not producing good fruit, and then it goes on to say, the Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit, unconditional love,3:52 joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. These are the good fruits, the actions that come out of a life that is connected4:04 to God through Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. Here are some questions to help us measure. When there's a change of plans, do you quickly derail, or are you able to be flexible and let go of your4:16 expectations? When someone is going through a hard time and they open up to you, do you rush to get out of that conversation as quickly as possible, or are you tender, willing to be uncomfortable, and possibly a bit late4:27 for the next thing you need to do? How present and compassionate are you willing to be for someone who longs to feel seen? When someone doesn't agree with you, are you quick to judge? Cut them off and make them feel less4:38 than, or are you able to be kind and treat them as if they are loved by God and their feelings are important to him? If they are cutting you off and rude to you, are you able to graciously excuse yourself? And once you4:48 walk away, shoot up a prayer for them and move on. When someone hurts you, are you quick to hurt them back? Are you mentally rehearsing a list of things you would like to say to them, Perfect comebacks to5:00 make them feel small or do you demonstrate self control considering what words or actions would or would not be helpful in the situation? Are you able to see what would cause more division and5:12 what might cause more unity or peace and choose the latter? When you're in a difficult season at home or at work, do you lash out at others, treat everyone like they're against you, and live on the defensive, or do you5:24 try to find ways to bring joy to people and peace situations? These are very broad examples, and they may not all apply to you. I don't know every specific situation in your life, but I know that the word of God5:35 gives us a framework of what kind of posture we will have toward others when we are truly and intimately connected to him. It's not a perfected schedule and it's not pristine rhythms.5:48 It's a tender, selfless, and open handed life of actively loving God and others well. It's active good fruit. I have no idea if your relationship with God is real and thriving6:00 or burned out and dry. You don't know if mine is either. You don't know if your kids is. Is your wife's relationship real? Is your husband's thriving? Is your pastor's? I don't know. Neither do you. I6:11 wanna emphasize this. This list is not for the purposes of measuring someone else's relationship with God. This, my friend, is for you. The question is not how can I tell if it's real for them? That leads to an6:23 exhausting life driven by judgmental behaviors, religious pride, and moral superiority. That's the last thing we want in our lives. Our question is, how can I tell if this is real for me? Jesus did not say that6:34 impressing people would be the measure. Jesus said loving people is the measure. Jesus said, here is the measure. Your love for 1 another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.6:47 Reading your Bible more than other people does not make you a better follower of Jesus. Volunteering at church more than other people in your family does not make you a better follower of Jesus. Your6:59 routines can be impressive, perfectly planned, and you can live them out flawlessly. You can be the king of spiritual disciplines, the queen of structure and rhythms. But if these rhythms do not7:10 help you be with Jesus himself, and if they don't make you more like Jesus and it's not resulting in a life of more active, tangible, patient, grace filled, forgiving, and tender love for people,7:22 then none of your practices matter. Your accomplishments hold no weight in light of eternity. Jesus said, love is the measure. Finally, I wanna end our time togetherEmbracing the Harvest: Joy in the Midst of Intensity 7:34 with where we started. Talking about farmlands, we've ventured through the hills of Tuscany, the vineyards of Italy, learned from wine specialists in Oregon and California and those who worked in vineyards in New7:45 Zealand. And now I wanna take you to a farm in Cherokee, Iowa to talk about harvest. There's quite a bit in the Bible about harvest since agriculture was a common way of life to the people Jesus was talking7:56 to. Jesus specifically refers to the harvest as people who are in need of God, and he called the great opportunity for people to know him as a huge harvest. In fact, Matthew 9 says8:08 this, when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, the harvest is great, but the workers are few.8:20 Jesus, Niccolo, and my wine specialist friend in her cool research lab all talked about how a harvest is coming. But since I didn't grow up on a farm, I I didn't know much about it. But I figured a farmer8:32 would. So I called my father-in-law, papa Bill. He is fourth in a generational line of farmers in Iowa. I asked him, is harvest time easy or hard? I wasn't sure. I'd heard preachers who are not farmers8:44 talk about harvest in a variety of ways. 1 preacher said it should be the easiest thing because as it relates to scripture, we're made to do it because God says he's in charge of the harvest. The harvest should be easy.8:54 It should involve leaning back, kicking up our feet, and trusting God to do the work. And I get that. Yes. Okay. Yet, I heard another preacher say the harvest is the hardest part. You wake up early and you go to bed9:06 late. It's rough. The corn isn't going to pick itself, he said. It's time to get to work. The point was that the harvest part is difficult, but it's worth it. And I get that too. Yes. Okay. So I've heard 2 different9:18 perspectives, and I just don't know the truth. But I figured a farmer would. Someone who has been a part of an actual harvest. I explained all this to my father-in-law and was expecting him to pick 1 of these 29:29 categories. I pressed, which is it? Is it the easiest time or is it the hardest time? And he laughed, and he said, well, it's the best time. He said it's fall. Everything is9:41 crisp and clear, and the smells are amazing and vibrant. Grain has a great smell. The weather is inviting. We all look forward to this moment. This is what we've been working for. This is the whole point. And I said, so9:53 it's easy? And he laughed out loud at me before he said, no. It's intense. Oh, it's such hard work, and it's certainly not always pretty. But then he paused as if reminiscing about10:05 the days he worked in those conditions, recalling the truth of what they were really like. And he said, but because of the atmosphere of a harvest, it doesn't feel too intense. We're all10:17 doing it together. We're excited together, working together. Yes. It's intense, but it's the best part. We didn't go through all this to miss enjoying the harvest. The work fails in comparison to the joy.10:29 And this is true when it also comes to sowing and watering and reaping in the harvest of souls. Let me tell you, from growing up on the streets of San Francisco with our friends living without homes and battling10:38 addiction, to preaching in prisons throughout the US and in schools and churches around the world, to seeing families coming to know God in local churches, praying for miracles in hospital rooms, to hearing sin confessed10:48 across tables at coffee shops, to seeing people on their knees in stadiums, to seeing 1 person on their knees in the middle of a kitchen, to seeing broken lives restored through the power of Jesus in so many different11:00 ways. Let me tell you, the harvest, it's intense. It's hard. It's not for the faint hearted, and, also, it's the best. Today, through my lens of what I've seen of the global church, the ones with11:12 stained glass windows and choirs, the ones with loud music and bright lights, the various outreaches around the world and individuals sharing about Jesus, I can say it with more certainty than ever. It11:24 is still the best. And we didn't go through all this, the sowing, the watering, and the patience, and the generosity, and and the stretching of our lives, the trials we've overcome to not reap the harvest.11:35 This is Jesus' kind and wonderful invitation to us. Come to God with your background, personality, and unique details, and tell others that they can come with all of theirs11:47 too. Invite everyone you know into this freedom. Tell everyone you know that they also have permission to enjoy God in their unique way. Come be a part of the intense and the amazing and the awkward and the11:59 hard, the best thing you'll ever be invited to. And let me tell you something else Jesus said to his students, his disciples that wanted to know how to live. When Jesus said the harvest is plentiful,12:11 but the workers are few, Jesus was not saying the world isn't ready. Jesus was saying the world is ready. The church is not. It's possible the harvest is12:23 plentiful, but the workers are unprepared. It's possible the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are overcomplicating it. It's possible the harvest is plentiful, but the workers have some things we need to surrender.12:33 Here's something I know. 1 reason why so many people outside the church are far from God is because so many people inside the church are far from God. And12:45 we need a real relationship with Jesus ourselves first. We need to surrender our sin, our pride, our egos, and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Then we can know Jesus for real12:57 and show a watching world what he is actually like. It starts with us. If we wanna complete the great commission, we must first have a great uncomplicating uncomplicating13:09 what a real relationship with Jesus looks like for ourselves and uncomplicating what a real relationship looks like for others as well. And when we do that, a great harvest will happen. The harvest will be ready,13:20 and the workers will be too. That is what I hope you've unlocked through my book, Uncomplicate It and through this mini video series. I hope our time together has unlocked for you this beautiful, freeing, simple13:32 truth. You have permission from God to encounter and enjoy him in your own unique way, And you have the glorious invitation to give others that same permission. And I promise you,13:45 it's the best. My prayer for all of us is that we release any unrealistic expectations we have put on ourselves or put on others and that we start to walk in13:56 a great uncomplicating, enjoying God in our real lives as who we really are. Here are some questions to consider today. In what ways are you tender and14:08 flexible? In what ways do you wanna grow? Consider the 9 actions that come out of your life when you're filled with the Holy Spirit. The 9 fruits of a life that is close to God listed in Galatians 514:20 22 and 23. What sticks out to you about this list? Who is someone in your life that does not yet know how much God loves them? What would it look like to uncomplicate loving them and praying for them to14:32 know God's love? What would it look like to show them how they too can uncomplicate it? What would the world and the church look like if we were all a part of a great uncomplicating? How14:44 might it change people's lives, postures, and sense of purpose if everyone knew they had permission to enjoy God in their unique way? What is your favorite lesson or key takeaway that you got out of these14:55 sessions? Let's end our time together in prayer. God, thank you for inviting us into a real and lasting relationship with you. Thank you for reminding us that love is the measure of our connection with15:07 you. Help us to stay close to you in every season to live with tenderness and flexibility and to share your love with others. God, help us to uncomplicate that. May we live lives that reflect your grace and bring glory15:19 to your name. May our friends, family, and loved ones come to know you in their own unique ways as well, and help us see how to be a part of that. We want every person to know you, Jesus. In the name of Jesus,15:30 amen and amen.In this video 0:00 Signs of True Connection: Tenderness and Flexibility7:32 Embracing the Harvest: Joy in the Midst of Intensity
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