WEBVTT - I Need His Grace More Than I Thought 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:09.040 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. What a beautiful. 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:11.559 Thing that you can come as you are experienced God. 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:15.520 You can believe God to overcome what seems impossible and 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:18.880 live as you never imagined. Our hope and our dream 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:21.200 for you is that you would get a God sized 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.239 vision for your life. It's easy to get a very 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.040 small vision for our life and think, yeah, that's pretty 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:31.640 good until we realize from Ephesians 320 and 21 that 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:35.520 God can do amazingly, abundantly more than we could ask 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:39.000 or even imagine, which is a powerful text. The fact 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:41.440 that Paul would write that is pretty cool. So you 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:43.960 get together all you can imagine for your life, and 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:47.680 God wants to exceed that. It's pretty cool, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.440 it's really awesome. Well, today, as we've been doing all week, 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:55.200 we're going after stories here. And why are we doing this? 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:59.040 Ali, you know this. It's so helpful to to. I 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:02.140 love story. First of all, I love hearing people's testimonies, 0:01:02.180 --> 0:01:03.820 and I think it's helpful for those of you who 0:01:03.820 --> 0:01:06.740 are new to us to get an understanding of who 0:01:06.860 --> 0:01:09.780 we are as people, what drives us a little bit 0:01:09.780 --> 0:01:12.740 of our background, but also, you know, the power of 0:01:12.740 --> 0:01:16.180 testimony to put the gospel at the forefront, to understand 0:01:16.180 --> 0:01:18.260 how God works in a life. There are parts of 0:01:18.260 --> 0:01:20.980 each story that maybe you relate to more than others, 0:01:20.980 --> 0:01:24.540 but you know, I've really enjoyed this week. I've heard 0:01:24.540 --> 0:01:27.300 parts of I've worked with all of my team for 0:01:27.340 --> 0:01:30.819 seven plus years, and there were aspects that I'd heard, 0:01:30.860 --> 0:01:33.100 but there were new things that I've heard this week 0:01:33.100 --> 0:01:35.660 from people who I've worked with for some time. That's 0:01:35.660 --> 0:01:36.380 been fun. 0:01:36.420 --> 0:01:39.140 It's been really fun. You know, if you ever listen 0:01:39.140 --> 0:01:41.420 to something, hear, hear something, and you go, man, I'd 0:01:41.420 --> 0:01:43.220 like to hear that again. We put it all down 0:01:43.220 --> 0:01:46.700 in our showcast, we crunch it all together and it's 0:01:46.700 --> 0:01:50.220 really accessible for you. All you've got to do is 0:01:50.220 --> 0:01:52.220 text the word show to our number, and you can 0:01:52.220 --> 0:01:56.060 get Super Story for Monday and Young Thunder from yesterday. 0:01:56.060 --> 0:01:59.590 My own from excuse me young Thunder from Tuesday, my 0:01:59.590 --> 0:02:03.470 own from yesterday. And then Ali's up for today. So 0:02:03.470 --> 0:02:06.550 you can just text the word show whenever you hear something, 0:02:06.830 --> 0:02:10.630 you might hear. Um, we have some of the greatest 0:02:10.630 --> 0:02:13.070 guests on here that are helping you take your next 0:02:13.070 --> 0:02:17.590 step with Jesus, challenging you at that core level to 0:02:17.630 --> 0:02:21.230 work from the inside out rather than from the outside in. 0:02:22.150 --> 0:02:25.590 And we just we want to serve you. That's our heart. 0:02:25.590 --> 0:02:27.870 We just want to serve you. So you can text 0:02:27.870 --> 0:02:32.910 the word show to 800 555 78, 98. Just text 0:02:32.910 --> 0:02:38.590 the word show to 800, 555, 78, 98 and you'll 0:02:38.590 --> 0:02:41.510 find a two links embedded there. One is for iPhone, 0:02:41.550 --> 0:02:45.109 the other one for Android. And if you need some 0:02:45.110 --> 0:02:48.910 help with that, find someone who looks rather young and say, 0:02:48.910 --> 0:02:51.350 how does this work? And they'll hook you right up. 0:02:51.550 --> 0:02:52.110 Definitely. 0:02:52.669 --> 0:02:55.670 Easy peasy. Right up. Uh, grateful for this. A lot 0:02:55.710 --> 0:02:57.649 of links going out right now. Just text the word 0:02:57.690 --> 0:03:03.810 show to (800) 555-7898. Just that one word. And that's the 0:03:03.810 --> 0:03:05.730 one stop shop for all of our links here. And 0:03:05.730 --> 0:03:08.489 by the way, just a word. We're not asking everyone 0:03:08.490 --> 0:03:12.210 to click every word or send it in. It's it's 0:03:12.250 --> 0:03:15.169 as you feel prompted to the Lord as God's working 0:03:15.169 --> 0:03:18.330 in your heart, as you hear something of interest. And. 0:03:18.370 --> 0:03:20.690 But if you get our show cast, you're going to 0:03:20.690 --> 0:03:23.130 have all the content you need for the past year. 0:03:23.690 --> 0:03:25.690 And we're going to we're going to put a glossary 0:03:25.690 --> 0:03:27.850 to this that's going to make it even more accessible here, 0:03:27.889 --> 0:03:29.570 aren't we? It's going to be kind of sweet. 0:03:29.690 --> 0:03:30.329 Oh, yeah. 0:03:30.810 --> 0:03:34.970 Yeah. I love what God's doing here. I'm just grateful 0:03:34.970 --> 0:03:38.450 there's so many cool people behind the scenes. I sent 0:03:38.450 --> 0:03:40.850 a letter out this morning just thanking someone on the 0:03:41.010 --> 0:03:44.690 on the moody team for their selflessness and their desire 0:03:44.690 --> 0:03:47.850 to not say what we can't do, but explore what 0:03:47.850 --> 0:03:50.530 we can do. That's the kind of spirit we want. 0:03:50.610 --> 0:03:52.410 Those are the kind of folks we have around us here. 0:03:52.450 --> 0:03:56.140 It's just a dynamite dynamite thing. So grateful for all 0:03:56.140 --> 0:03:58.860 of you. Okay. Coming up here in a couple of minutes. 0:04:00.940 --> 0:04:05.420 Can good be the enemy of God's greater plan for 0:04:05.420 --> 0:04:08.260 our life? I think it can. I think you're going 0:04:08.260 --> 0:04:09.940 to get a picture of this in a big way. 0:04:09.980 --> 0:04:12.180 Ali's going to be sharing her story. 0:04:12.500 --> 0:04:15.220 She was trying to earn her way to God, but 0:04:15.220 --> 0:04:18.740 God showed her she didn't have to. Ali is in 0:04:18.740 --> 0:04:22.100 the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:04:22.820 --> 0:04:24.500 Yeah, we got a pit stop for you. Pull it 0:04:24.500 --> 0:04:26.580 on in here. Take a listen to a story. We've 0:04:26.580 --> 0:04:29.580 been covering stories of our team all week long, by 0:04:29.580 --> 0:04:32.500 the way. We're going to we're going to throw open 0:04:32.500 --> 0:04:36.980 the phone lines tomorrow, and we are going to receive 0:04:37.020 --> 0:04:38.380 stories from you. 0:04:38.420 --> 0:04:39.779 Yes, that'll be fun. 0:04:39.820 --> 0:04:42.340 Aren't we looking forward to that? I am, but right 0:04:42.339 --> 0:04:48.260 now Ali is an incredible woman of God, imperfect but dynamite. 0:04:48.260 --> 0:04:50.380 And boy, what a joy to have her on this team. 0:04:50.380 --> 0:04:52.380 How many years have we been rolling here? 0:04:52.660 --> 0:04:55.520 Seven and a half. I've been here seven and a 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:56.440 half years. Crazy. 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:59.159 Yeah. Sometimes it must feel like 20 to you. And 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.200 sometimes it must feel like two. Yeah, it's kind of both. 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:03.000 It's flown. 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:05.840 Yeah, it's gone fast. What's on your heart, Ali? 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:09.120 You know, I want to take you back to eighth grade. Me? 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.920 I think about the end of the school year and 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:13.880 they handed out awards. I don't know if they did 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.200 this at your school, but they, you know, they would do, like, 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:20.800 the class clown and best hair and funniest all of 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:23.320 those little, you know, a lot of them were lighthearted. 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:27.880 And I took home two awards that day, got certificates 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:32.720 and they were these two most likely to succeed. Hardest worker. 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:33.960 Wow. 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:37.640 And when I think about that, it's a good place 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:41.839 to start because for me that was like the gold star. 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:46.840 That was I lived for. I lived for that kind 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:51.080 of praise. You know, I grew up in a great family, 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:56.610 a Christian home, and some of my earliest memories of 0:05:56.610 --> 0:06:02.330 being in church instilled, I would say, a reverence for God, 0:06:02.810 --> 0:06:06.650 a deep sense of culture and tradition. You know, I 0:06:06.730 --> 0:06:10.850 sang in the Sunshine Choir at a little Baptist church. 0:06:11.410 --> 0:06:15.450 I was on the junior usher board, which you took 0:06:15.490 --> 0:06:18.169 very seriously. You wore your black and white. You slipped 0:06:18.170 --> 0:06:20.730 on your white gloves when it was your turn to usher, 0:06:21.690 --> 0:06:26.050 and it was very serious. You had to walk in formation. 0:06:26.050 --> 0:06:29.849 And we were young, but we knew the rules. You 0:06:29.850 --> 0:06:32.690 had to stay in line with the person on the 0:06:32.690 --> 0:06:35.650 other side. So picture a bunch of like anywhere from 0:06:35.650 --> 0:06:40.570 probably 6 to 16. And we've all got our little 0:06:40.610 --> 0:06:44.210 gold offering plates and we're walking two by two looking 0:06:44.210 --> 0:06:48.289 down across the aisle. Because staying in formation was very important. 0:06:49.170 --> 0:06:50.170 Very important. 0:06:50.210 --> 0:06:51.510 You wanted to get that right? 0:06:51.870 --> 0:06:54.350 Had to get it right. I understood to honor the 0:06:54.350 --> 0:06:57.270 mothers of the church. I understood how to do what 0:06:57.270 --> 0:07:02.110 was expected of me. And I probably would have told 0:07:02.110 --> 0:07:05.070 you that thou shalt not walk through the pulpit. Had 0:07:05.070 --> 0:07:07.470 to be somewhere in the Bible, because that was one 0:07:07.470 --> 0:07:09.990 of the biggest things that was emphasized. We were young person, 0:07:10.030 --> 0:07:12.390 don't walk through the pulpit. That's the place where the 0:07:12.390 --> 0:07:15.470 the reverend preaches. So that was like a sacred space. 0:07:15.470 --> 0:07:18.510 Even on a Saturday afternoon, when you're practicing for the 0:07:18.550 --> 0:07:22.030 upcoming Easter program, you do not walk through the pulpit. 0:07:22.030 --> 0:07:25.230 Those were the kind of rules that I absorbed, that 0:07:25.230 --> 0:07:29.030 I thought were pretty important to this whole Christianity thing. 0:07:30.190 --> 0:07:32.750 I had a deep sense from an early age of 0:07:32.750 --> 0:07:35.990 really wanting to do what was right. I had a 0:07:35.990 --> 0:07:41.470 deep sense of morality and values, but I honestly did 0:07:41.470 --> 0:07:44.230 not know much about Jesus. I remember being at that 0:07:44.230 --> 0:07:48.390 little Baptist church, and I saw up close, we were 0:07:48.390 --> 0:07:51.280 practicing for the Easter program, and I saw up close 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:53.880 the communion table, this big wooden table that was at 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.560 the front of the church and inscribed in the front 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.240 were the words, do this in remembrance of me. And 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:03.760 I looked at that and I thought, huh? Seems like 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:07.080 someone must have been pretty important at this church. 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:07.920 Wow. 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:10.920 Someone must have died. And this must be in honor 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.480 of someone here. Wow. That's what I thought. I remember 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:18.280 thinking that thought, and then it was just a fleeting thought. 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.080 Fast forward. And I was in sixth or seventh grade. 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.720 We moved to a different house to a neighboring town, 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.600 and we started to go to a different church, a 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.760 different type of church. And that was the first time 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:33.600 I heard any version of the gospel. I heard that 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:39.000 anything was required of me. Up until that point, I 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:42.679 had no idea that there was anything required. So I 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:46.160 started to hear about heaven and hell and about the 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.420 need to be Saved, and that was really new language. 0:08:49.420 --> 0:08:51.699 Despite having been in church my whole life, I didn't 0:08:51.700 --> 0:08:54.100 have language for that. And as a kid who was 0:08:54.100 --> 0:08:59.460 prone to some anxiety, some fearfulness. Hell was terrifying to me. 0:08:59.780 --> 0:09:02.140 And so I spent a lot of time thinking about 0:09:02.140 --> 0:09:06.620 death and hell and how awful that was. And so I, 0:09:06.740 --> 0:09:10.020 I would say that was the primary driver. I start 0:09:10.059 --> 0:09:13.819 I heard enough of the sermons. I heard enough from 0:09:13.820 --> 0:09:15.660 the youth group that I started to go to on 0:09:15.660 --> 0:09:19.260 Wednesday nights. And on a Wednesday night, my freshman year 0:09:19.260 --> 0:09:22.500 of high school, I responded to an altar call. I 0:09:22.500 --> 0:09:24.940 remember the night. I remember what I was wearing a 0:09:24.980 --> 0:09:27.420 white sweatshirt with a big orange volleyball. I was on 0:09:27.420 --> 0:09:30.020 the volleyball team, so my volleyball sweatshirt on, I had 0:09:30.059 --> 0:09:34.140 on some white socks and some black Nike slides and 0:09:34.140 --> 0:09:37.060 I walked forward. I remember it, and I walked forward 0:09:37.059 --> 0:09:40.579 to the front of the church and I prayed a prayer. 0:09:40.900 --> 0:09:44.740 I stood at the altar, and that was the day 0:09:44.860 --> 0:09:49.640 in my mind that my journey with Christ began. The 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:53.479 problem was I didn't really know what that meant beyond 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.960 just I did not want to go to hell, and 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.680 this was the thing that would keep me from hell. 0:09:59.920 --> 0:10:04.080 And so when I walked out that night, there was 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.760 an idea that started to be formed in my mind 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.400 that there was sort of this imaginary line, this dividing line, 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:15.360 if you will, between good Christian and hell bound sinner. 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.720 And so my job was to stay on the right 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:20.080 side of that line. 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:20.520 Wow. 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:24.840 That's what I thought it meant. So I created all 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.000 kind of boxes and rules and do's and don'ts based 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:32.679 on what I had absorbed. What meant being a good Christian. 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:36.839 So you didn't drink alcohol. You didn't cuss. You didn't 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:40.240 have sex before marriage. I treated people really well. I 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:43.320 did volunteer work. I obeyed my parents. I turned in 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:47.290 my homework on time. I ran for class office. I 0:10:47.330 --> 0:10:50.490 invited people to church. I checked a lot of the 0:10:50.490 --> 0:10:53.370 boxes because I really wanted to be a good kid, 0:10:53.370 --> 0:10:56.810 and I really didn't want to go to hell. That's 0:10:56.809 --> 0:11:01.490 what I thought it meant to be a Christian. For 0:11:01.490 --> 0:11:04.130 a while. Being good didn't seem like it was that 0:11:04.130 --> 0:11:08.449 hard to do. Honestly, it came pretty naturally, and I don't. 0:11:08.809 --> 0:11:11.250 I understand now, biblically, that's not the case, but I'm 0:11:11.250 --> 0:11:14.130 just taking you into the framework of what I was thinking. 0:11:14.450 --> 0:11:17.010 Being good did not feel that hard for a while. 0:11:18.090 --> 0:11:22.290 I got into high school, into college, into my young 0:11:22.290 --> 0:11:25.690 adult years. Some of my rules got harder to keep, 0:11:26.650 --> 0:11:30.490 so I just adjusted them. I just loosened them. I 0:11:30.490 --> 0:11:34.410 could justify giving myself more leeway in certain areas, because 0:11:34.410 --> 0:11:36.890 in my mind, I was still so much better than 0:11:36.890 --> 0:11:39.850 everyone around me. When your peers are doing X, Y, 0:11:39.850 --> 0:11:44.510 and Z, and you can keep yourself solidly morally superior. 0:11:45.150 --> 0:11:48.510 I thought that's what was required of me. So although 0:11:48.510 --> 0:11:52.790 there was this quiet sort of rebellion toward sin, this 0:11:52.790 --> 0:11:56.470 pull toward sin that was growing in my heart, I 0:11:56.470 --> 0:12:01.350 was careful to not give myself fully over to it, because, again, 0:12:01.350 --> 0:12:05.070 that dividing line between good Christian and hell bound sinner. 0:12:05.670 --> 0:12:10.030 I wanted to be good. I wanted to be moral. 0:12:10.309 --> 0:12:13.390 I wanted to be better, and not even in a 0:12:13.390 --> 0:12:16.390 self-righteous sort of sense at the time. I just that's 0:12:16.390 --> 0:12:21.550 what I thought it meant to be a Christian. That 0:12:21.550 --> 0:12:24.870 was so baked into my identity that I fought hard 0:12:24.870 --> 0:12:25.670 to keep it. 0:12:26.510 --> 0:12:26.950 Wow. 0:12:27.350 --> 0:12:31.430 I fought hard to maintain that goodness. And when you're 0:12:31.470 --> 0:12:33.710 that kind of a kid, you get a lot of 0:12:33.710 --> 0:12:37.990 praise for that. You're usually the one picked for special assignments. 0:12:38.150 --> 0:12:40.709 You know, in college, you're usually the one recommended for 0:12:40.710 --> 0:12:44.360 the scholarships You get a lot of affirmation and praise 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:48.319 when you can keep rules. Well, the world rewards people 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:53.560 like me. They do. And so quietly, there was this 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.800 sort of self-righteous pride building that I would not have 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.559 been able to identify it at the time. I had 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:05.160 deep moments of wrestling because none of us can keep rules. 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:09.280 So where I failed, I felt deep guilt and shame 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:13.560 and conviction. I had many moments at the altar crying 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:16.640 out to God, because I had this sense that I 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:20.600 couldn't live up to what I thought was good. That 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:22.920 started to become more of a struggle. And so I 0:13:22.920 --> 0:13:25.640 would get myself back up, maybe wipe away tears, and 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.480 I would resolve in my heart, I'm going to be better. 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:33.360 And it was this vicious cycle of trying to be 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:39.280 good where I failed, feeling shame and guilt and then 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:44.140 trying harder to be good again. Throughout these years of wrestling, 0:13:44.140 --> 0:13:48.340 I still faithful to attend church. I served in leadership 0:13:48.340 --> 0:13:51.660 in college ministry. I remember at one of those meetings 0:13:51.860 --> 0:13:55.540 we were reading Luke 15, which, if you are familiar 0:13:55.540 --> 0:13:58.860 at all, it's the story of the prodigal son. And 0:13:58.860 --> 0:14:00.860 so I'm sure at some point in time I had 0:14:00.860 --> 0:14:02.620 been exposed to this story. But this is the first 0:14:02.620 --> 0:14:05.179 time I remember really hearing about these two sons, the 0:14:05.179 --> 0:14:09.300 one that ran off and Reckless Living and comes back 0:14:09.300 --> 0:14:11.500 and the father throws a party. And then there's this 0:14:11.500 --> 0:14:15.660 older son. And I read about him and he's mad 0:14:15.820 --> 0:14:19.380 because how dare his dad throw a party for this 0:14:19.380 --> 0:14:22.660 reckless son who had been out there living crazy, spent 0:14:22.660 --> 0:14:26.100 up the money, shamed the family, and now he's back 0:14:26.100 --> 0:14:29.540 and we're celebrating. And I remember thinking in my heart, 0:14:29.540 --> 0:14:32.100 I don't think I said it aloud, but I distinctly 0:14:32.100 --> 0:14:34.860 remember thinking in my heart. Of course he's mad. He 0:14:34.860 --> 0:14:38.860 has every right to be. Yeah, every right to be mad. 0:14:39.310 --> 0:14:43.590 How dare they honor that son when clearly it's the 0:14:43.590 --> 0:14:48.910 older one who's kept the rules. Why? Because, of course, 0:14:49.430 --> 0:14:52.950 I identified so much with the older son. I didn't 0:14:52.950 --> 0:14:55.150 see that that was a problem in my thinking. Maybe 0:14:55.190 --> 0:14:57.990 someone could have warned me that. Hey, your theology may 0:14:58.030 --> 0:15:00.190 be a little off here. I don't know that you're 0:15:00.190 --> 0:15:03.670 getting out of this story. What? You should. I'd been 0:15:03.670 --> 0:15:07.670 praised my whole life for being good. Looking back, it 0:15:07.670 --> 0:15:15.190 kept me blinded to how prideful, sinful, stubborn, self-righteous I 0:15:15.190 --> 0:15:18.550 actually was. I, I had genuine moments with God. I 0:15:18.550 --> 0:15:21.670 can tell you that with confidence. Genuine moments where God 0:15:21.670 --> 0:15:27.150 met me even in my careless, prideful state. But I 0:15:27.150 --> 0:15:30.030 wasn't fully surrendered to him. It was always on. It 0:15:30.030 --> 0:15:32.510 was a goodness on my own terms. I didn't read 0:15:32.510 --> 0:15:36.790 my Bible frequently enough to have my theology of rules 0:15:36.790 --> 0:15:40.850 and this imaginary line. I didn't know enough. I wasn't 0:15:40.890 --> 0:15:45.130 taught enough for that to be confronted or corrected. So 0:15:45.130 --> 0:15:47.370 it was based on what I knew. It was a Christianity, 0:15:47.410 --> 0:15:51.490 a version of it. It was pretty shallow and self-focused. 0:15:52.090 --> 0:15:54.170 I didn't understand the power of the Holy Spirit. I 0:15:54.170 --> 0:15:57.770 didn't really understand grace. And so all of this achieving 0:15:57.770 --> 0:16:02.570 and striving and box checking kept me solidly ahead of 0:16:02.570 --> 0:16:06.730 everyone around me, morally in my mind, but pretty far 0:16:06.730 --> 0:16:14.530 from Jesus. So as a 20 something started going to 0:16:14.570 --> 0:16:21.010 a church where the people were different. And looking back, 0:16:21.050 --> 0:16:24.810 maybe I was different because I think there was wrestling 0:16:24.810 --> 0:16:28.810 already going on that prepared me for this sort of confrontation, 0:16:28.810 --> 0:16:31.730 because surely somewhere along the way I met other genuine 0:16:31.730 --> 0:16:34.650 Christians I know I had to have. But this was 0:16:34.650 --> 0:16:37.220 the first time that maybe be in my spirit. I 0:16:37.220 --> 0:16:41.940 was ready to have that sort of honest confrontation. These 0:16:41.940 --> 0:16:46.300 people were different. Remember being in a meeting with, you know, 0:16:46.340 --> 0:16:49.540 children's workers? I volunteered to to work with the kids. 0:16:50.020 --> 0:16:53.540 Had a two year old at the time. And these 0:16:53.540 --> 0:16:55.780 people were just the way they talked about God, the 0:16:55.780 --> 0:16:58.620 way they talked about the Bible. There was an ease 0:16:58.620 --> 0:17:01.660 and there was an it was an inside out approach 0:17:01.660 --> 0:17:04.100 to living that was new to me for so much 0:17:04.100 --> 0:17:05.820 of my life. It had all been sort of about 0:17:05.820 --> 0:17:11.420 the outside, what people could see, and they were different. 0:17:11.420 --> 0:17:13.500 And I started to kind of develop this sort of 0:17:13.540 --> 0:17:17.580 jealousy of man, whatever they have, I don't I don't 0:17:17.580 --> 0:17:21.020 seem to have that, but I would like to, because 0:17:21.060 --> 0:17:24.020 living with this sort of imaginary line where you have 0:17:24.020 --> 0:17:28.260 to try to be good enough is exhausting. And failure 0:17:28.460 --> 0:17:33.620 is so devastating because it all depends on you. And 0:17:33.619 --> 0:17:37.560 so I can't point to one specific moment where I 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.159 know that there was a light that that switched. I 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:43.280 can think of several moments along those, what I call 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:48.560 kind of my rebuilding years, where I learned how to 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:51.639 what our church calls build an altar. I learned how 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:54.600 to seek God. I learned how to study the word. 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:56.680 I learned how to worship, and I learned how to pray. 0:17:56.680 --> 0:18:00.120 And there was a sense of like, how after all 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.119 these years, do I feel like I'm sort of learning 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:05.840 these things for the first time? And, you know, there's 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.200 a wrestling that can go on when you feel like, 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:12.399 maybe I didn't have the real thing. There's a, there's 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:16.720 a I've wrestled with that. So was my whole life 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:20.960 from this point. Like was it all fake? You know. 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.560 And that was kind. That was a terrifying feeling because 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:27.000 that was never my intent. I never sought to be duplicitous. 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.560 I never tried to live a kind of quote unquote, 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:34.980 double life that was so against what I believed goodness was, 0:18:35.500 --> 0:18:40.180 but I was confronted like, man, this is something different. 0:18:40.619 --> 0:18:45.260 And so, you know, those rebuilding years, there were moments 0:18:45.260 --> 0:18:48.300 where it was like, man, there's a there's a lighter, 0:18:48.300 --> 0:18:51.580 I was lighter, I was more free. All of a 0:18:51.580 --> 0:18:55.820 sudden I started to get opportunities in ministry, and I 0:18:55.820 --> 0:19:01.900 was so keenly aware that I could not do anything 0:19:02.060 --> 0:19:06.860 apart from Jesus that I that was handed and presented 0:19:06.859 --> 0:19:10.100 with things that I had to rely on God differently. 0:19:10.300 --> 0:19:13.260 And he was in his grace and his mercy. He 0:19:13.260 --> 0:19:19.300 was rebuilding me. Yeah, kind of carving away a lot 0:19:19.300 --> 0:19:23.620 of the religion and the performing and the trying to 0:19:23.619 --> 0:19:27.580 be good and showing me how much that I came 0:19:27.619 --> 0:19:32.389 up short, but also like meeting me with his grace. 0:19:35.630 --> 0:19:38.470 And so, you know, when you start to do that, 0:19:38.470 --> 0:19:42.230 there's growth that happens. And it's I started to grow 0:19:42.590 --> 0:19:46.030 so much like I hadn't grown in 15 years, I'd 0:19:46.030 --> 0:19:48.390 kind of been at a plateau. And then it was 0:19:48.390 --> 0:19:50.310 like God allowed me to grow, and he allowed me 0:19:50.310 --> 0:19:54.510 to minister to other people, and I probably shortcut it. 0:19:54.869 --> 0:19:57.790 There's no shortcuts. But it was like a like I 0:19:57.830 --> 0:20:02.070 had been kind of the root system. Yeah, it was 0:20:02.070 --> 0:20:04.590 a fast tracking and the root system started to be 0:20:04.590 --> 0:20:07.909 built and I started to learn about being privately healthy 0:20:07.910 --> 0:20:12.830 and then publicly fruitful. And so I remember standing in 0:20:12.830 --> 0:20:15.470 the kitchen of a friend of mine, and this was 0:20:15.470 --> 0:20:18.790 coming off of a season of just like, man, God, 0:20:18.790 --> 0:20:22.030 this is different. This is new. And and I told her, 0:20:23.230 --> 0:20:26.550 I don't know what's coming. Like, I don't know what 0:20:26.550 --> 0:20:28.670 God has for me, but I know that I want 0:20:28.710 --> 0:20:32.530 to be ready. And so I was this season of preparation, 0:20:32.530 --> 0:20:34.970 of not even knowing what I was preparing for. But, 0:20:35.250 --> 0:20:39.649 you know, Moody came up, you know, some years after 0:20:39.650 --> 0:20:43.210 that and, you know, there was a song that I 0:20:43.290 --> 0:20:45.530 actually want to play because I feel like it. It 0:20:45.570 --> 0:20:49.650 captures my story. And it's it's a song called Grace 0:20:50.090 --> 0:20:53.090 by Jonathan McReynolds. Young Thunder, will you pull up the 0:20:53.090 --> 0:20:56.250 lyrics for that song? Grace by Jonathan McReynolds? Because I'm 0:20:56.250 --> 0:20:59.369 not going to get through it. Someone asked Jonathan to 0:20:59.369 --> 0:21:01.530 read the lyrics to this song, and then I want 0:21:01.570 --> 0:21:05.450 to play it for you. It's hard to share a 0:21:05.450 --> 0:21:09.970 story like this, I get it. It's awesome because these 0:21:09.970 --> 0:21:13.730 aren't the kind of stories that get featured. It's easier 0:21:13.730 --> 0:21:18.730 to share drugs to Jesus. It's easier to share the addiction, 0:21:19.810 --> 0:21:23.570 the whatever it is. It's hard to share the goodness 0:21:24.770 --> 0:21:27.570 into falling on your face and realizing that even good 0:21:27.570 --> 0:21:30.859 people Both, quote unquote, because there's no one good. I 0:21:30.859 --> 0:21:37.859 get that. But high performing, high achievers, straight-A students, the 0:21:37.900 --> 0:21:41.780 model student, the model kid who never got so much 0:21:41.780 --> 0:21:45.580 as a detention that you need Jesus to. You have 0:21:45.580 --> 0:21:46.780 those lyrics I do. 0:21:47.180 --> 0:21:49.860 I needed your grace more than I thought I ever would. 0:21:50.020 --> 0:21:53.340 You forgave more than I thought you ever could. I 0:21:53.340 --> 0:21:56.260 was stronger in my head. But the truth is I 0:21:56.260 --> 0:21:57.220 need your grace. 0:21:58.380 --> 0:22:02.460 Romans eight brought her to Jesus while broadcasting traffic overnight. 0:22:02.780 --> 0:22:06.459 Super die is in the crew. It's curl and crew 0:22:06.500 --> 0:22:07.780 on Moody Radio. 0:22:08.340 --> 0:22:12.100 We are so grateful this week that we can just 0:22:12.140 --> 0:22:17.980 hunker down and frankly, over a period of a few days, 0:22:18.020 --> 0:22:21.899 share and share and share the stories of grace in 0:22:21.900 --> 0:22:26.619 our life. And here's what's going on right now. There's someone, 0:22:26.619 --> 0:22:30.520 and maybe this is you. And maybe more. Many more 0:22:30.560 --> 0:22:34.200 than just you who feel like, oh my goodness, that's 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:41.400 my story. I'm Luke 15. You see, the first son, 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:44.720 he is an easy one to identify, right? 0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:45.480 Yeah. 0:22:46.320 --> 0:22:49.200 He's the one that's a victim of his passion and 0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:52.800 everyone can point him out. It's my story. It's so 0:22:52.800 --> 0:22:58.480 many people's stories out there. But that second son, it's 0:22:58.480 --> 0:23:02.640 almost more dangerous. It's a little more elusive. You can 0:23:02.640 --> 0:23:05.760 hide a little bit more because the second son is. 0:23:05.800 --> 0:23:07.159 And I'm going to call it what it is, a 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:13.439 victim of pride performance. And this performative Christianity is no 0:23:13.440 --> 0:23:16.840 Christianity at all. You know, the beauty of, of the 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:21.080 gospel is that it is God who works in us, 0:23:21.800 --> 0:23:25.930 as we find in Philippians two. It's God that produces fruit. 0:23:25.970 --> 0:23:30.290 Apart from him, we can do nothing. John 15 and 0:23:30.290 --> 0:23:33.330 the beauty is today that the Holy Spirit is revealing 0:23:33.369 --> 0:23:36.330 to you. You might have been on the treadmill of 0:23:36.330 --> 0:23:38.890 trying to find life in the things that you can 0:23:38.890 --> 0:23:42.250 do for God. And God says all the running is over, kid. 0:23:42.290 --> 0:23:46.570 It's time today to surrender your life to the one 0:23:46.570 --> 0:23:50.170 who wants to do his work in you. Get off 0:23:50.170 --> 0:23:54.930 that wheel of performance Christianity. And for some of you, 0:23:54.930 --> 0:23:57.650 the Spirit of God is prompting you. Because and this 0:23:57.650 --> 0:24:01.010 is let me be really clear with this. Some have truly, 0:24:01.010 --> 0:24:05.650 genuinely received salvation from Jesus at a young age, but 0:24:05.650 --> 0:24:09.330 you never got out of that works mentality. But for some, 0:24:09.330 --> 0:24:12.570 you were just grafted into works right from the jump. Boy, 0:24:12.570 --> 0:24:14.729 this is what I got to do. And then it 0:24:14.770 --> 0:24:18.330 hit you boom. And it's maybe hitting you right now. 0:24:18.570 --> 0:24:21.410 It's God's grace and his alone that can save me. 0:24:21.410 --> 0:24:25.710 And you're free. You can get off of that crazy 0:24:25.710 --> 0:24:30.990 madness wheel and find new life in Jesus today. You see, 0:24:30.990 --> 0:24:35.150 both sons were lost. And the question is, are you 0:24:35.150 --> 0:24:37.350 ready to be found today as the Spirit of God 0:24:37.390 --> 0:24:41.990 telling you, come on in. You know, this is repeated 0:24:41.990 --> 0:24:45.270 over and over in Scripture, common word we've been featuring 0:24:45.270 --> 0:24:49.629 all week. Repentance is the turning around and turning toward Jesus. 0:24:50.550 --> 0:24:53.630 It's a it's a freeing thing when you realize, I've 0:24:53.630 --> 0:24:57.150 been on this broad path of working to be good enough, 0:24:58.190 --> 0:25:01.909 but Jesus has done all the work, and you turn around. 0:25:01.910 --> 0:25:04.190 And what causes us to turn? The Spirit of God 0:25:04.190 --> 0:25:07.270 convicts us that we're a sinner and we need a Savior. 0:25:07.270 --> 0:25:12.710 We're not good enough, and it's okay. And if this 0:25:12.710 --> 0:25:15.630 is you today, the work of the of the Lord 0:25:15.630 --> 0:25:17.989 has already been done in your heart. He's already done it. 0:25:17.990 --> 0:25:20.429 He's called you out of darkness. The amazing thing about 0:25:20.430 --> 0:25:24.080 salvation is that we don't choose him. He chooses us. 0:25:24.600 --> 0:25:28.040 That's what's awesome about it. And I want to invite 0:25:28.040 --> 0:25:31.200 you today to not only follow Jesus for the very 0:25:31.200 --> 0:25:36.120 first time to you, but to let us help you 0:25:36.119 --> 0:25:39.640 on this path. As a matter of fact, there's one 0:25:39.640 --> 0:25:41.600 resource in this little link we're going to send you. 0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:43.840 If today is your day of salvation, that and we're 0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:45.399 going to have you key in a keyword here in 0:25:45.400 --> 0:25:48.960 just a moment. But there's one resource the third link. 0:25:49.400 --> 0:25:51.120 The first two are awesome. But go to that third 0:25:51.119 --> 0:25:56.760 link because it's all about how self-help ends in your life. 0:25:56.760 --> 0:26:00.480 And God's power begins in you're like, okay, I want 0:26:00.480 --> 0:26:03.160 some of that. And if today is your day that 0:26:03.160 --> 0:26:05.400 you are surrendering your life for the first time, that 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:08.840 you are aware of fully to God's leadership of your life, 0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:12.800 no longer your own performance, I want to welcome you 0:26:12.800 --> 0:26:15.800 to the family. I just want you to declare with 0:26:15.800 --> 0:26:18.760 your mouth right now, wherever you are driving, maybe on 0:26:18.760 --> 0:26:21.860 a path, walking at home, wherever you are, just say, Jesus, 0:26:21.859 --> 0:26:26.260 I'm done. I'm done trying to be good enough. Today 0:26:26.260 --> 0:26:30.459 I turn to you. I'm turning around today. God, I 0:26:30.460 --> 0:26:34.020 want to acknowledge that I was not good enough. But 0:26:34.020 --> 0:26:38.139 you were. You died for my sins. And today I 0:26:38.140 --> 0:26:43.219 acknowledge I'm a sinner who needs a Savior. Today I 0:26:43.220 --> 0:26:46.379 give you all that I am. All that I've tried 0:26:46.380 --> 0:26:49.140 to do. I say it's been exhausting. But boy, your 0:26:49.140 --> 0:26:52.020 Grace is powerful. Just tell them that your grace is powerful. 0:26:52.020 --> 0:26:56.139 I turn around today, I follow you. Today I acknowledge 0:26:56.140 --> 0:26:59.220 I'm a sinner. Just if that's the cry of your soul. 0:26:59.220 --> 0:27:03.020 Welcome to the family. And God's probably mopping up tears 0:27:03.020 --> 0:27:06.860 right now because it's exhausting. And then when you finally 0:27:06.859 --> 0:27:10.940 realize I can get off of this treadmill and walk 0:27:10.940 --> 0:27:14.500 in God's grace, it's free. So if that's you right now, 0:27:14.500 --> 0:27:17.699 I want you to text the word new to 800 0:27:17.700 --> 0:27:22.280 555 898. To all of you that have texted this 0:27:22.280 --> 0:27:24.960 link this week, don't let it just sit there. Use it. 0:27:25.000 --> 0:27:27.600 It's our help to you to take your first steps 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:32.280 with Jesus. And especially that third link. Just give us 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.240 enough information so that we can shoot you some resources 0:27:35.240 --> 0:27:38.440 your way. Text the word new right now to 800 0:27:38.440 --> 0:27:47.960 555 7898 800 555 7898. Just one word new to 0:27:48.000 --> 0:27:56.720 800 555 7898. So grateful. Ally. God's using your story 0:27:56.760 --> 0:27:57.879 big time, sister. 0:27:57.920 --> 0:28:00.479 Praise God. God is good. 0:28:01.680 --> 0:28:06.200 It'll flatten out, man. Sharing the heartfelt things. Again, welcome 0:28:06.200 --> 0:28:08.280 to the family. If you just got your phone, just 0:28:08.280 --> 0:28:15.200 text the word new to 805 five, five, 7898. And 0:28:15.200 --> 0:28:19.850 welcome to the family. Welcome to freedom in Christ. 0:28:20.250 --> 0:28:24.010 He was running from God. But God's love brought him home. 0:28:24.250 --> 0:28:28.090 Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on 0:28:28.130 --> 0:28:29.170 Moody Radio. 0:28:30.210 --> 0:28:33.090 You know, this has brought up a ton of discussion 0:28:33.090 --> 0:28:36.530 this week. A lot of question marks are raised. It's like, 0:28:36.530 --> 0:28:40.210 what do we do? And we're introducing something for many 0:28:40.210 --> 0:28:43.090 of you that you've not heard a lot about. Hallucination, 0:28:43.130 --> 0:28:45.010 of salvation. What in the world is that? You might 0:28:45.010 --> 0:28:47.010 be tuning in today going, yeah. What in the world 0:28:47.010 --> 0:28:51.170 is that? Sure. And that's fair. So what we want 0:28:51.210 --> 0:28:54.490 to break down for you coming up is the beauty 0:28:54.490 --> 0:28:58.490 of being honest to God and yourself, with yourself and 0:28:58.490 --> 0:29:01.250 those you love and those you want to reach. And 0:29:01.250 --> 0:29:07.209 there is something hugely freeing. Is that right phraseology. Yeah. 0:29:07.290 --> 0:29:13.610 That'll work. There's something enormously freeing about knowing how to 0:29:13.610 --> 0:29:20.630 pray for somebody. It's it's a how many times have 0:29:20.630 --> 0:29:23.790 you worked at a company or worked in an organization? 0:29:24.190 --> 0:29:27.910 And they're and they're, they're busy looking at and measuring 0:29:27.910 --> 0:29:30.550 all the stuff that doesn't matter two hoots. We've all 0:29:30.550 --> 0:29:31.270 seen that before. 0:29:31.310 --> 0:29:33.350 Yes. Yeah, absolutely. You know what I mean? It's like. 0:29:33.830 --> 0:29:37.870 Hey, when did the main thing stop being the main thing? 0:29:38.870 --> 0:29:42.150 And that can happen. So coming up here in a moment, 0:29:42.150 --> 0:29:45.110 we are going to powerhouse you with a resource that 0:29:45.110 --> 0:29:47.190 is going to help you understand. We're going to have 0:29:47.190 --> 0:29:51.510 a little discussion about why understanding the reality of a 0:29:51.510 --> 0:29:55.030 hallucination of salvation and some of that's new to you 0:29:55.830 --> 0:30:00.230 is so important. Why? It's why Jesus spent so much 0:30:00.230 --> 0:30:02.750 time on that issue 2000 years ago. Why it's so 0:30:02.750 --> 0:30:06.390 relevant today. And then if you got the courage to 0:30:06.430 --> 0:30:09.990 look at yourself and be honest to God with yourself 0:30:09.990 --> 0:30:12.230 and those you love, man, it can change the way 0:30:12.230 --> 0:30:13.790 you pray. And then we're going to have a resource 0:30:13.790 --> 0:30:14.790 for you. Hang on. 0:30:15.230 --> 0:30:18.360 He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then 0:30:18.360 --> 0:30:22.640 he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl 0:30:22.640 --> 0:30:24.360 and crew on Moody Radio. 0:30:24.640 --> 0:30:30.280 Proximity to Jesus is everything. And we're just going to 0:30:31.000 --> 0:30:32.960 we're going to cut it to you straight here. One 0:30:32.960 --> 0:30:35.240 of the most freeing things that can happen in your 0:30:35.240 --> 0:30:39.560 life is when you are measuring what matters most and 0:30:39.560 --> 0:30:43.120 being honest with God, honest with yourself, and honest with 0:30:43.120 --> 0:30:48.720 those around you. And it's easy to get distracted from 0:30:48.720 --> 0:30:53.560 what is most important, and to get focused on the 0:30:53.560 --> 0:30:57.040 stuff that isn't really most vital. As a pastor here 0:30:57.040 --> 0:31:00.440 in Chicago, I've got a phenomenal team. Thank God these 0:31:00.440 --> 0:31:03.520 guys are just so great. But I joined them for 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:06.800 a staff meeting here recently for both of our campuses, 0:31:06.800 --> 0:31:11.680 and we were meeting together, and it was one tremendous 0:31:11.680 --> 0:31:16.979 new staff person. She is amazing and she helped us 0:31:17.020 --> 0:31:22.459 see are we focused on the right things? And it 0:31:22.460 --> 0:31:26.180 was awesome having a newcomer coming in going, what about this? 0:31:26.180 --> 0:31:28.420 What about that? And she wasn't condemning at all, but 0:31:28.420 --> 0:31:32.500 she's like, we might benefit from narrowing our focus on 0:31:32.500 --> 0:31:38.140 what really matters. And whenever you get confronted with something 0:31:38.140 --> 0:31:40.860 like that, if you've got any ownership in it, it 0:31:40.860 --> 0:31:43.980 could tweak you and you could go, oh yeah, okay. Right. 0:31:43.980 --> 0:31:45.940 So we haven't been focusing on what matters. I mean, 0:31:45.940 --> 0:31:49.220 that's human nature until it's submitted to to the Lord. 0:31:51.020 --> 0:31:53.940 But the same is true not just in an organization. 0:31:53.980 --> 0:31:56.020 I mean, this is true wherever you work. I mean, 0:31:56.060 --> 0:31:59.860 you can work for the government, you can work for you, 0:31:59.860 --> 0:32:05.700 you name it, a startup, a fortune 500 company, you 0:32:05.740 --> 0:32:07.300 name it. You can work for any of these things, 0:32:07.300 --> 0:32:09.740 and you can find yourself doing work that's like, oh, 0:32:09.740 --> 0:32:13.750 that's not the most important stuff, Right? 0:32:13.790 --> 0:32:15.710 No, it's so true. I mean, the way my brain 0:32:15.710 --> 0:32:20.550 is wired, I. I'll often find myself tinkering around with, like, 0:32:20.590 --> 0:32:23.030 avoiding the big thing that needs to be done. Like, 0:32:23.070 --> 0:32:26.830 I really need I really should be finishing up this 0:32:26.830 --> 0:32:29.790 right here. But instead, I'm going to go ahead and 0:32:29.790 --> 0:32:32.030 dust the baseboard over here because. 0:32:33.750 --> 0:32:36.990 Oh my goodness, like, what am I doing? Get back 0:32:36.990 --> 0:32:40.150 over there to the thing that is the big thing. 0:32:40.190 --> 0:32:40.590 That's really. 0:32:40.590 --> 0:32:42.430 Funny. There's a guy that wrote a book called Eat 0:32:42.430 --> 0:32:43.150 That Frog. 0:32:43.230 --> 0:32:43.710 Yes. 0:32:44.070 --> 0:32:47.590 And his whole contention is that it's the. It's those 0:32:47.590 --> 0:32:50.510 frogs in your life, those things that, you know, matter most. 0:32:50.510 --> 0:32:52.070 But it's like, how in the world do I get 0:32:52.070 --> 0:32:53.070 a bite out of this sucker? 0:32:53.110 --> 0:32:55.390 So you do you clean the baseboards? 0:32:55.750 --> 0:32:59.150 Yeah. You're you're playing with the tadpoles while this frog's 0:32:59.150 --> 0:33:01.870 sitting here. You know what I mean? Exactly. So it's 0:33:01.870 --> 0:33:04.790 just it can be painful. So let me break this 0:33:04.790 --> 0:33:06.150 down for you. I'm going to cut to the chase. 0:33:06.150 --> 0:33:08.110 I'm going to be honest with the word of God. 0:33:08.110 --> 0:33:11.570 This is why we leverage God's Word. Yes, our opinions 0:33:11.570 --> 0:33:16.290 matter two hoots compared to the Word of God. So 0:33:16.290 --> 0:33:18.450 I just want to break it down for you. Just 0:33:18.450 --> 0:33:22.050 take just take. First Corinthians 11. Examine yourself to see 0:33:22.050 --> 0:33:24.330 if you're in the faith. Sometimes we don't even read 0:33:24.330 --> 0:33:27.370 that when we're taking communion. And that's a central passage. 0:33:27.490 --> 0:33:30.090 Why would Paul say that to a church in Corinth 0:33:30.090 --> 0:33:34.810 that is filled with people who supposedly love God? Simply 0:33:34.810 --> 0:33:37.930 this you can go to church and not be in 0:33:37.930 --> 0:33:42.450 the faith. That's clear deduction, right? Examine yourself to see 0:33:42.450 --> 0:33:44.530 if you're in the faith so that can that can 0:33:44.530 --> 0:33:47.090 be there. I'm going to back up through the Gospels. 0:33:47.690 --> 0:33:52.490 You go to Matthew 25 and you've got a picture 0:33:52.490 --> 0:33:56.450 of ten bridesmaids waiting for the return of Jesus, or 0:33:56.450 --> 0:33:59.930 so that's Jesus's metaphor that he's using for his second coming. 0:34:00.530 --> 0:34:03.170 And five of them, they're all dressed up. They all 0:34:03.170 --> 0:34:07.570 look the same. Five of them have lamps. No, no, 0:34:07.770 --> 0:34:12.030 ten of them have lamps. Five of them have oil 0:34:12.030 --> 0:34:17.270 in the lamp and five don't. Representing the life giving 0:34:17.270 --> 0:34:20.750 light and power of the Spirit of God and the 0:34:20.750 --> 0:34:24.109 Son of God and the other five don't even have 0:34:24.110 --> 0:34:28.950 time to get their act together. And the Lord comes, 0:34:29.430 --> 0:34:31.430 and then you back up from there, and you start 0:34:31.430 --> 0:34:33.989 seeing what a disciple looks like. Go to Matthew 13 0:34:34.390 --> 0:34:37.469 and it's like, whoa! Look at the story of the 0:34:37.469 --> 0:34:40.430 seed scattered on different soil types, which is a metaphor 0:34:40.430 --> 0:34:43.270 for different heart types. And what do you find? You 0:34:43.270 --> 0:34:47.230 find some on hard ground, shallow ground, thorny ground, and 0:34:47.230 --> 0:34:51.509 then one is scattered onto a ground that is so fertile, imperfect. 0:34:51.510 --> 0:34:54.629 But fertile produces a crop 30, 60, 100 fold. And now, 0:34:54.630 --> 0:34:56.150 let me give you I'm going to cut to the 0:34:56.150 --> 0:34:58.950 chase on this. There is only one of those soils, 0:34:58.950 --> 0:35:02.350 according to every great theologian, young and old, that is 0:35:02.350 --> 0:35:07.630 truly born again. And that'll make you go. Whoa! Really? Yeah. 0:35:07.670 --> 0:35:11.280 Just one. So then you got to ask the question 0:35:11.280 --> 0:35:13.360 when you go to Matthew seven and then you understand 0:35:13.360 --> 0:35:15.719 Jesus's first words on the sermon on the Mount, he said, 0:35:15.719 --> 0:35:17.720 many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord. 0:35:17.960 --> 0:35:20.560 And he's going to say, I never knew you. And 0:35:20.560 --> 0:35:23.680 their appeal is going to be, listen, we preached in 0:35:23.680 --> 0:35:26.959 Jesus name, we baptize in his name, and we did 0:35:26.960 --> 0:35:29.840 mighty works in his name. And he says, I know, 0:35:30.120 --> 0:35:32.879 but I never knew. You depart from me. So that 0:35:32.880 --> 0:35:36.400 is sobering, and that will rattle you a little bit. 0:35:36.920 --> 0:35:40.200 But it's an opportunity for us to understand what the 0:35:40.239 --> 0:35:43.920 gospel is, what it does, and how to know we 0:35:43.960 --> 0:35:50.839 are really changed. It's not about performative Christianity. Full stop. Well, 0:35:50.840 --> 0:35:52.399 then you got to ask the question, well, how can 0:35:52.400 --> 0:35:54.200 we know? So we got a resource for you in 0:35:54.200 --> 0:35:56.239 a second here, but I want you to explain why 0:35:56.239 --> 0:35:59.000 this is such a great resource for moms and dads 0:35:59.000 --> 0:36:01.280 and wives and husbands and you name it. 0:36:01.520 --> 0:36:03.560 Well, this nine ways to know You stand with God. 0:36:03.560 --> 0:36:06.899 He stands with you. It really breaks down based on 0:36:06.900 --> 0:36:09.219 what the Word of God says. What? How do I 0:36:09.219 --> 0:36:13.779 know if I'm saved? Do I have the hallucination of salvation? 0:36:13.780 --> 0:36:16.379 Or am I allowing the enemy to beat me up 0:36:16.380 --> 0:36:19.460 with accusations? Sorting that all out for yourself, but also 0:36:19.460 --> 0:36:23.299 praying rightly. You want to be praying for salvation for 0:36:23.300 --> 0:36:25.100 those who in your life who you look at this 0:36:25.100 --> 0:36:27.900 and go, I don't think that my child is actually saved, 0:36:27.940 --> 0:36:30.260 or I don't think that my spouse is actually saved. 0:36:30.260 --> 0:36:31.660 You want to pray rightly? 0:36:32.020 --> 0:36:35.540 Yeah, and it's tough, but it's truth. And these are 0:36:35.900 --> 0:36:39.819 characteristic of someone who's been born again. Young Thunder, you've 0:36:39.820 --> 0:36:43.460 leveraged this resource as I have after we've you know, 0:36:43.500 --> 0:36:44.979 this is a good one to go back to. 0:36:45.020 --> 0:36:47.340 Oh, absolutely. Just because you feel like you got to 0:36:47.340 --> 0:36:49.540 go look back at it again. Don't feel shame about that, 0:36:49.540 --> 0:36:51.620 because sometimes the enemy doesn't want you to go there, 0:36:51.660 --> 0:36:54.739 go back, look at it again, reread it, and be 0:36:54.739 --> 0:36:58.220 confirmed that you stand with God, and God stands with you. 0:36:58.660 --> 0:36:59.060 Or. 0:36:59.260 --> 0:37:03.340 Or realize that you don't stand with God and then 0:37:03.340 --> 0:37:05.219 go stand with him. Fall on your knees before him 0:37:05.310 --> 0:37:06.150 and surrender all. 0:37:06.750 --> 0:37:09.350 I know that sounds simplistic, but it really is. And 0:37:09.350 --> 0:37:11.270 we want you to grab this resource. 0:37:11.270 --> 0:37:17.029 Text the word stand to 855 five 7898. Stand to 0:37:17.070 --> 0:37:22.550 855 five 7898. Get this one. Maybe print it out, 0:37:22.590 --> 0:37:27.149 forward it, share it. Stand to 855 five, 7898. 0:37:27.870 --> 0:37:30.910 This is Colonel and crew on Moody Radio. 0:37:31.870 --> 0:37:36.430 Talking about salvation, authentic faith all week long. And we've 0:37:36.430 --> 0:37:39.430 been tackling this alley forward and backward. But I think 0:37:39.430 --> 0:37:41.629 one of the beautiful things is when we can get 0:37:41.630 --> 0:37:46.790 a picture of people who are under persecution, we get 0:37:46.790 --> 0:37:51.870 a picture of, my goodness, they're standing tall for Jesus 0:37:52.270 --> 0:37:57.950 under the fires of accusation, mocking, and many at risk 0:37:57.950 --> 0:38:01.589 of losing their lives. That becomes a new touchpoint of 0:38:01.630 --> 0:38:03.190 do I have the real thing? 0:38:03.230 --> 0:38:05.450 And so we want to bring in a special guest 0:38:05.489 --> 0:38:09.450 who is with an incredible ministry, call of Hope Ministry 0:38:09.450 --> 0:38:14.050 to Muslims for over 120 years. Reverend Stefano Ferrer joining 0:38:14.050 --> 0:38:16.890 us right now. Give us a story that's fresh on 0:38:16.890 --> 0:38:20.650 your heart as we've been featuring salvation stories all week. 0:38:21.130 --> 0:38:25.450 Hallucination of salvation is not as prevalent in places where 0:38:25.450 --> 0:38:28.370 the cost to follow Jesus is very high. 0:38:28.850 --> 0:38:33.850 Absolutely. Um, the first thing which really comes to my 0:38:33.850 --> 0:38:37.730 mind is Nigeria. Because Nigeria, at this point we don't 0:38:37.730 --> 0:38:43.730 hear much, but are Christians are so persecuted. You know, um, 0:38:43.890 --> 0:38:47.850 Easter time, more than 200 got killed. That happens all 0:38:47.850 --> 0:38:50.450 the time. I mean, you know, when you are a 0:38:50.450 --> 0:38:56.330 Christian in northern Nigeria, you risk your life without any question. 0:38:56.570 --> 0:39:00.410 And we work with 45, what we call farmer missionaries. 0:39:00.450 --> 0:39:06.300 They go into Who Muslim villages areas and talk about Jesus. 0:39:06.300 --> 0:39:11.299 And you think that when they do this people would 0:39:11.300 --> 0:39:14.900 be hesitant because I mean they see what happens to 0:39:15.100 --> 0:39:19.060 the Muslims who become Christian. I mean, they see how 0:39:19.060 --> 0:39:22.860 they get persecuted, they see how they get killed. And 0:39:22.860 --> 0:39:28.219 now people are open. And, you know, even for our co-workers, 0:39:28.219 --> 0:39:33.779 many are from Muslim background. They are ready to risk 0:39:33.820 --> 0:39:37.299 their lives. I just saw two weeks ago one of 0:39:37.300 --> 0:39:40.940 our missionaries, his name is Ishani, and he told me 0:39:40.940 --> 0:39:45.219 how he got kidnapped 3 or 4 weeks ago. Um, 0:39:45.940 --> 0:39:49.299 you know, that is happening in northern Nigeria all the time. 0:39:49.300 --> 0:39:52.859 He told me he was in his hut with his family, 0:39:53.300 --> 0:39:58.500 Fulani militia people came, Muslims, they took him away. They 0:39:58.500 --> 0:40:05.640 also took all his cattle. Everything. And we thought we 0:40:05.640 --> 0:40:12.120 might not see him again. Um. He was brought from 0:40:12.120 --> 0:40:15.520 them into the bush, and he told me he didn't 0:40:15.520 --> 0:40:19.960 know where to go. And then he was bound with 0:40:21.040 --> 0:40:24.200 actually iron, and he didn't know what to do. And 0:40:24.200 --> 0:40:26.919 then one guy comes in and he's the leader, and 0:40:26.920 --> 0:40:29.200 he asks him, well, he mocks him and says, ah, 0:40:29.239 --> 0:40:34.400 you are Christian, right? Yeah. Why are you Christian? And 0:40:34.400 --> 0:40:37.640 and well, he told him, he said, well, because I 0:40:37.640 --> 0:40:42.720 can go to Paradise. I will go to Jesus when 0:40:42.719 --> 0:40:47.160 I die here. And this guy listened to him and said, okay, 0:40:47.680 --> 0:40:50.279 tell me more about it. Oh, my. And and he 0:40:50.280 --> 0:40:54.080 was able to talk to this guy, tell him more 0:40:54.080 --> 0:40:55.880 or less the whole full gospel. 0:40:56.080 --> 0:40:56.520 Wow. 0:40:56.640 --> 0:41:01.049 What he did not know is that in the background, 0:41:01.050 --> 0:41:06.170 in his village? The villagers, the Muslims, actually, they knew 0:41:06.210 --> 0:41:10.850 this Fulani terrorists because they are also Fulanis and they 0:41:10.890 --> 0:41:13.130 called the terrorists. And they said, what are you doing? 0:41:13.170 --> 0:41:16.930 You took our pastor away. Are you crazy? That's the 0:41:16.969 --> 0:41:21.610 guy who helped us with drilling of water holes. That's 0:41:21.610 --> 0:41:25.330 the guy who helped us with goats for our children. 0:41:25.890 --> 0:41:30.330 And he shows us love. This love of his Jesus. 0:41:30.530 --> 0:41:34.530 And you take him away. Are you crazy? You are 0:41:34.570 --> 0:41:37.450 going to release him. They said no, no no no no. 0:41:37.450 --> 0:41:41.770 We are already in negotiations with this church. We work 0:41:41.770 --> 0:41:45.730 together with the church there. Um, about the ransom. And 0:41:45.730 --> 0:41:48.370 they will give us ransom. And then the people from 0:41:48.370 --> 0:41:52.290 the village said, no, listen, you are going to release him. 0:41:52.330 --> 0:41:57.570 Otherwise we will kidnap your people. You release him now. 0:41:57.610 --> 0:42:00.110 And you know, we have never seen. I have never 0:42:00.110 --> 0:42:04.350 heard something like this. He was not only released, they 0:42:04.350 --> 0:42:08.190 also gave him some money for a taxi to drive home. 0:42:08.230 --> 0:42:13.150 You know, I mean, unbelievable. But and and then you 0:42:13.150 --> 0:42:17.390 see how the Lord is at work. And I was 0:42:17.390 --> 0:42:21.390 so happy because I was together with our 45 farmer evangelists. 0:42:21.390 --> 0:42:25.589 And I saw how much that encouraged them. You know, 0:42:25.630 --> 0:42:28.830 I mean, yes, they know they can be killed, but 0:42:28.830 --> 0:42:33.390 they are ready for it because they know they have 0:42:34.230 --> 0:42:38.270 the way to salvation to give. So so they do it. 0:42:38.270 --> 0:42:41.509 But then the Lord sometimes also gives them special moments, 0:42:41.510 --> 0:42:43.030 like the one I just told you. 0:42:43.830 --> 0:42:48.790 Stefano Ferrer, he is. He's a leader of call of Hope, 0:42:48.790 --> 0:42:51.750 and he's a good man of God. And I'm. I'm 0:42:51.790 --> 0:42:55.030 blown away by your humility. This must be almost born 0:42:55.030 --> 0:42:57.410 out of the people that you work with. It's hard 0:42:57.410 --> 0:43:00.730 to be prideful when you see so many humble people, right, Stefano? 0:43:00.969 --> 0:43:05.050 Well, that's very true. And, you know, I'm always aware. Yes. 0:43:05.050 --> 0:43:08.490 When we Westerners go there, there is some risk, but 0:43:08.930 --> 0:43:12.490 they risk their life on a, on a daily level, 0:43:12.530 --> 0:43:17.290 you know, every day. And, and I also see that 0:43:17.290 --> 0:43:21.290 this is nothing what they can do from themselves. I 0:43:21.290 --> 0:43:26.490 just see that they allow the Lord to give his 0:43:26.489 --> 0:43:31.090 strength into them. And this is what encourages me then. 0:43:31.090 --> 0:43:34.170 And you are right then, um, we we we are 0:43:34.170 --> 0:43:36.410 not getting proud. You're very right. 0:43:36.610 --> 0:43:38.690 Talk a little bit more about the ministry of helping 0:43:38.690 --> 0:43:42.529 Muslims come to Christ. I mean, interestingly enough, we're we're 0:43:42.530 --> 0:43:46.009 starting to see more and more pushback against even the 0:43:46.010 --> 0:43:50.690 idea of evangelizing or suggesting to someone who believes something 0:43:50.690 --> 0:43:54.210 differently that they should consider what you believe. Talk a 0:43:54.210 --> 0:43:55.260 little bit about that. 0:43:56.340 --> 0:44:00.060 Yes. But you know, when you are in this situation, 0:44:00.060 --> 0:44:04.500 in a muslim majority situation, you either keep quiet and 0:44:04.500 --> 0:44:08.020 then you keep quiet, that's it. Or you know, hey, 0:44:08.060 --> 0:44:11.980 the Lord has laid it on my heart to talk 0:44:11.980 --> 0:44:14.979 about it. And then you will our one of our 0:44:14.980 --> 0:44:18.660 co-workers in Lebanon passed a tumor. I was in discussion 0:44:18.660 --> 0:44:21.859 with him for quite some time because he lives in 0:44:21.900 --> 0:44:25.420 a in a Christian city, but at the border of 0:44:25.420 --> 0:44:29.260 the city. So that means all of his or most 0:44:29.260 --> 0:44:33.980 of his neighbors are Hezbollah people, terrorists. And we were 0:44:33.980 --> 0:44:37.259 discussing he has a small church there. And one day 0:44:37.260 --> 0:44:40.540 he told me, okay, we are now putting a very 0:44:40.540 --> 0:44:47.020 big illuminated cross on the church. And I said, okay, okay, 0:44:47.020 --> 0:44:51.420 let's talk about that for a moment. I understand, but 0:44:51.739 --> 0:44:55.760 you live in a Hezbollah neighborhood. And you have this cross. 0:44:55.800 --> 0:44:58.000 Do you really think that's a very good idea? And 0:44:58.000 --> 0:45:01.520 he said, absolutely. People need to know. They need to 0:45:01.560 --> 0:45:06.600 know where they can come. And here, I mean, for us, 0:45:06.600 --> 0:45:09.799 putting a cross is one thing, but for them and 0:45:09.840 --> 0:45:12.319 and I wasn't able to stop him. And then of course, 0:45:12.320 --> 0:45:15.200 I also did not stop him. But, um, this is 0:45:15.200 --> 0:45:19.000 what they do. And, uh, passed the tumor. I mean, 0:45:19.040 --> 0:45:23.480 you might know that a lot of Lebanese were actually 0:45:23.480 --> 0:45:27.280 refugees in their own country because of the war. Mhm. Um, 0:45:27.560 --> 0:45:31.760 and that was end of last year. He was visiting 0:45:31.800 --> 0:45:35.160 is still visiting many of them in their tents, in 0:45:35.200 --> 0:45:40.400 their rooms. And you know, it's all about the love 0:45:40.400 --> 0:45:46.640 of Jesus. Um, when he introduces himself then he always 0:45:46.880 --> 0:45:51.480 gives his testimony. He is from a nominal Christian Catholic 0:45:51.650 --> 0:45:56.810 background and he always tells these Muslims are, well, see, 0:45:57.170 --> 0:46:01.330 you killed my relatives. You actually killed my grandmother in 0:46:01.330 --> 0:46:05.890 her house. Her house was burned from Muslims. You shot 0:46:05.890 --> 0:46:09.089 my brother and his wife and some of my uncles. 0:46:09.610 --> 0:46:13.330 And I hated Muslims. He said I hated Muslims. I 0:46:13.330 --> 0:46:17.689 was ready to actually shoot you. But then I heard 0:46:17.690 --> 0:46:20.770 about Jesus. And then the first time, I really understood 0:46:20.770 --> 0:46:23.410 that Jesus loves me. What Jesus did for me, I 0:46:23.410 --> 0:46:29.450 gave my life to Christ. And then my life got changed. 0:46:29.850 --> 0:46:34.730 As much that I'm able to love you now. And 0:46:34.770 --> 0:46:40.089 in one of these meetings, there was a Shiite imam, 0:46:40.969 --> 0:46:44.930 and this guy was listening to it. And after he 0:46:44.930 --> 0:46:49.489 heard this introduction, he said, okay, go on, tell me 0:46:49.489 --> 0:46:56.150 more All about this Jesus who is able to change 0:46:56.630 --> 0:47:01.390 a hater of Muslims like you to come and help 0:47:01.390 --> 0:47:06.350 us with food and with mattresses and blankets. Tell me 0:47:06.350 --> 0:47:09.109 more about it. And he told it. And you know, 0:47:09.150 --> 0:47:11.950 for me, when I see this photos and when I'm there, 0:47:11.950 --> 0:47:15.190 I see these Hezbollah people with Bibles in their hands. 0:47:15.190 --> 0:47:19.709 They sit there and read, you know, they read together, um, 0:47:19.710 --> 0:47:24.710 in this case, with this imam, uh, tumor sat with 0:47:24.710 --> 0:47:28.029 him for a few weeks. You know, it's not an 0:47:28.030 --> 0:47:30.830 instant thing. You need to sit with people. You need 0:47:30.830 --> 0:47:32.990 to explain to them the gospel. You need to read 0:47:32.989 --> 0:47:36.109 with them the Bible. And after a few weeks, he 0:47:36.110 --> 0:47:41.190 invited him to our Sunday service. And he actually came. 0:47:41.230 --> 0:47:45.470 And during the first Sunday service, after the service, he 0:47:45.510 --> 0:47:48.029 stood up and he said, yes, I want to go 0:47:48.030 --> 0:47:51.120 to Paradise and I want this Jesus to get me 0:47:51.120 --> 0:47:55.160 to Paradise and just think about it in. In an 0:47:55.640 --> 0:48:00.080 open service, Muslims sit there, Hezbollah people sit there. And 0:48:00.080 --> 0:48:03.759 for an imam to actually get up and say, yes, 0:48:03.760 --> 0:48:08.319 I want to follow Jesus because he brings me to Paradise. Oh, 0:48:08.320 --> 0:48:11.400 certainly he risks his life, no doubt about it. But 0:48:11.400 --> 0:48:14.399 but they don't think about it because, you know, this 0:48:14.400 --> 0:48:17.560 is what what you just said about the salvation. They 0:48:17.600 --> 0:48:20.960 only have salvation on their mind. They only have in 0:48:20.960 --> 0:48:25.759 mind I am going to be with Jesus in eternity. 0:48:26.760 --> 0:48:29.560 Stefano, I've got one final question for you, and I've 0:48:29.560 --> 0:48:35.120 thought about this. What do you equip these saints that 0:48:35.120 --> 0:48:39.400 are on the ground in this, in this war torn, 0:48:39.840 --> 0:48:45.600 very persecuted area areas across the 1040 window? What are 0:48:45.760 --> 0:48:49.779 you equipping them with? What are they most hungry for? 0:48:50.620 --> 0:48:53.580 And that might give us some insight what we need ourselves. 0:48:54.140 --> 0:48:58.779 Prayer. Carl, that's really true. When I talk to them, 0:48:58.780 --> 0:49:01.020 when I'm out there, when I ask them, what do 0:49:01.020 --> 0:49:04.219 you need? They all. The first thing they tell me 0:49:04.219 --> 0:49:06.860 is tell the people in the West we need prayer. 0:49:06.900 --> 0:49:10.819 Tell them they should not forget us. Please pray for us. 0:49:10.860 --> 0:49:13.420 You know they tell me. Pray for Lebanon. Pray for Jordan. 0:49:13.420 --> 0:49:16.580 Pray for Nigeria. This is really on their mind. And 0:49:16.580 --> 0:49:19.419 and I'm usually stunned because I think maybe I would 0:49:19.420 --> 0:49:22.219 go like, you know, I need a higher salary and 0:49:22.219 --> 0:49:24.980 I need this and I need a better car and. No, no, no, no. 0:49:25.020 --> 0:49:31.060 It's really prayer. Um, we equip our brothers and sisters 0:49:31.060 --> 0:49:35.420 out there by praying for them. I mean, Paul also says, 0:49:35.540 --> 0:49:39.700 pray for me that I am able to share the gospel, 0:49:39.700 --> 0:49:42.940 and this is exactly what they are asking us. Pray 0:49:42.940 --> 0:49:46.270 for us. Of course, we also equip them with This 0:49:46.270 --> 0:49:51.629 seminars with knowledge. Um, and, you know, uh, when you 0:49:51.630 --> 0:49:55.150 talk to Pastor Touma in Lebanon and you say, well, 0:49:55.750 --> 0:49:59.550 would you be able to, to use some higher budget? 0:49:59.590 --> 0:50:02.190 I mean, he he would always say, oh, yeah, the 0:50:02.190 --> 0:50:07.030 need is so great. You know, I mean, it's never enough, but, um, 0:50:07.190 --> 0:50:09.950 that's not the number one. Yes, of course they need 0:50:09.950 --> 0:50:13.630 money for, for for mattresses and for blankets and for food. 0:50:13.630 --> 0:50:16.989 But but the number one is tell our brothers and 0:50:16.989 --> 0:50:19.430 sisters out there to pray for us. 0:50:20.469 --> 0:50:22.830 Stefano Feher, our guest right now, call of Hope. If 0:50:22.830 --> 0:50:25.950 you want more on this ministry, just text Hope to 0:50:25.989 --> 0:50:31.310 855 five 7898. For more on call of Hope, just 0:50:31.310 --> 0:50:35.990 text Hope to 805 55 7898. 0:50:36.469 --> 0:50:39.589 Inspiration comes in a lot of different packages and this 0:50:39.590 --> 0:50:42.350 is one of my favorite ones. Stefano we love you brother. 0:50:42.350 --> 0:50:45.750 Thank you for your ministry with call of Hope. Come again.