1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:05,960 S1: Broadcasting from Chicago, across North America and beyond its cast 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,680 S1: and crew. Come as you are an experienced guide. Overcome 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,440 S1: what seems impossible and live. As you never imagined. Start 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:16,880 S1: your morning with a laugh. 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:22,119 S2: Practical from the Bible. Tips and tricks to kill. Not tricks, 6 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:23,640 S2: but tips and tricks. 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,400 S3: Tips and tricks to kill. Tips and tricks. 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,400 S1: Delivering the truth daily. 9 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,280 S4: All of my attempts to, you know, prop myself up 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,760 S4: with achievement in good works. Well, God wasn't impressed by that. 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,239 S4: Even if other people were. 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,040 S2: The gospel changes everything. 13 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,519 S5: Freedom in Christ. Man, it's like that backpack of cement 14 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,440 S5: just falling to the ground. 15 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,920 S1: Now, from the call of Hope Studios, this is Carl 16 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:56,640 S1: and crew. Who are you? Now, you say that with 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,890 S1: different voice inflection, it comes out differently. Who are you? 18 00:01:00,490 --> 00:01:03,650 S1: Who are you? Who are. Who are you? 19 00:01:03,690 --> 00:01:04,130 S2: Who are you? 20 00:01:04,170 --> 00:01:05,970 S1: I mean, isn't that funny? It's just. 21 00:01:06,970 --> 00:01:11,050 S4: It's an interesting question because I grew up constantly hearing 22 00:01:11,050 --> 00:01:13,690 S4: not who are you? But what are you? I heard 23 00:01:13,690 --> 00:01:16,810 S4: that question for my entire life. All the. 24 00:01:16,810 --> 00:01:19,250 S1: Time. You got to explain, sister. 25 00:01:19,250 --> 00:01:23,929 S4: So I am a mixed kid. My mom is black, 26 00:01:23,930 --> 00:01:27,370 S4: my dad is white. And so growing up, in a 27 00:01:27,370 --> 00:01:29,850 S4: time when I didn't know a lot of other kids 28 00:01:29,850 --> 00:01:34,090 S4: who looked like me, people would ask me that. I mean, many, 29 00:01:34,090 --> 00:01:38,330 S4: many times adults, other kids, people would say, what are you. 30 00:01:38,370 --> 00:01:39,090 S2: What are you. 31 00:01:39,130 --> 00:01:41,690 S4: What are you? And even to this day, I still 32 00:01:41,690 --> 00:01:44,090 S4: get asked that question from time to time, because I 33 00:01:44,090 --> 00:01:47,570 S4: guess I would be considered sort of racially ambiguous looking. 34 00:01:47,810 --> 00:01:50,210 S4: And so people will often try to put me into 35 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:53,250 S4: a certain category. Are you this, are you this? Do 36 00:01:53,250 --> 00:01:56,450 S4: you speak this language or not? And so it's interesting 37 00:01:56,490 --> 00:01:58,580 S4: in the who are you question, my mind goes to 38 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:00,140 S4: what are you? Because that was such a big part 39 00:02:00,140 --> 00:02:00,740 S4: of my life. 40 00:02:00,780 --> 00:02:04,620 S1: Interesting. Yeah. What are you. I got asked that only 41 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:10,860 S1: because I was so incredible. I was so bucktoothed redheaded 42 00:02:10,860 --> 00:02:14,500 S1: and white skinned that people would ask the question, knowing 43 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:18,020 S1: good and well that I'm very Scandinavian. But, boy, I 44 00:02:18,020 --> 00:02:20,980 S1: was insecure about what I looked like. 45 00:02:21,020 --> 00:02:24,060 S2: The question phrased towards you was more of a. It 46 00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:25,940 S2: was they were making fun. 47 00:02:25,980 --> 00:02:28,620 S1: Yeah, they were making fun. Yeah. And I mean, I 48 00:02:28,620 --> 00:02:31,260 S1: had that all the time as a kid growing up. Yeah. 49 00:02:31,300 --> 00:02:34,260 S1: And you know, it's it's. How did that make you 50 00:02:34,260 --> 00:02:36,700 S1: feel when you, when you had that question. I mean, 51 00:02:36,740 --> 00:02:38,019 S1: people mean. Well. 52 00:02:38,139 --> 00:02:40,660 S4: Yeah. It was usually not asked in a, in a 53 00:02:40,660 --> 00:02:43,580 S4: mocking sort of way. It was usually genuine curiosity because 54 00:02:43,580 --> 00:02:45,540 S4: people really like to be able to put other people 55 00:02:45,540 --> 00:02:49,220 S4: in categories and kind of boxes. And so I didn't 56 00:02:49,220 --> 00:02:52,100 S4: mind it. I was proud of my family and I 57 00:02:52,100 --> 00:02:54,820 S4: was proud of my background, and it was very unique. 58 00:02:54,820 --> 00:02:57,980 S4: And people were kind of curious about it. thankfully. Some 59 00:02:57,980 --> 00:03:00,700 S4: of that curiosity has died down as there's many, many 60 00:03:00,700 --> 00:03:03,419 S4: more mixed race people. But I didn't mind it. I 61 00:03:03,419 --> 00:03:05,380 S4: was happy to, happy to share with people. 62 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:11,940 S1: And thanks for sharing. Ellie. That's that's super insightful. It's 63 00:03:11,940 --> 00:03:15,740 S1: funny the questions that we have to process in our life, 64 00:03:16,020 --> 00:03:20,220 S1: especially you, Ali, because you couldn't be put in when 65 00:03:20,220 --> 00:03:25,500 S1: you're when you're racially ambiguous and it's like, where does 66 00:03:25,500 --> 00:03:28,380 S1: she fit? What box is that girl in? 67 00:03:29,060 --> 00:03:31,700 S4: It's a it's a funny thing that human nature we 68 00:03:31,700 --> 00:03:34,459 S4: really like to and not always in a negative way, 69 00:03:34,620 --> 00:03:37,740 S4: but we really like to kind of categorize people. And 70 00:03:37,740 --> 00:03:39,620 S4: so we get kind of thrown off. And that's why 71 00:03:39,660 --> 00:03:43,060 S4: really tall people always hear about being really tall people 72 00:03:43,060 --> 00:03:46,420 S4: who are much shorter than average always hear about that. 73 00:03:46,420 --> 00:03:50,340 S4: People who have a disability. Often that's what people notice first, 74 00:03:50,340 --> 00:03:53,620 S4: because we see something that's different that we can't quite categorize. 75 00:03:53,620 --> 00:03:54,740 S4: And we're curious. 76 00:03:55,020 --> 00:03:58,910 S1: Yeah. It's fair. It's fair. So we're in this week 77 00:03:59,070 --> 00:04:04,710 S1: of not. Who are you? But you allowing the Lord 78 00:04:04,710 --> 00:04:11,030 S1: to ask you, who am I? Who am I? And 79 00:04:11,030 --> 00:04:13,670 S1: out of that is going to flow some very real 80 00:04:13,670 --> 00:04:16,070 S1: questions that we hope go below the surface. Right. 81 00:04:16,350 --> 00:04:22,029 S4: Yeah. That you are not just your race, your gender, 82 00:04:22,150 --> 00:04:28,310 S4: your occupation, your socioeconomic status, who we really are. Well, 83 00:04:28,310 --> 00:04:29,910 S4: only God can tell us that. 84 00:04:30,190 --> 00:04:33,469 S1: Yeah. We got a special guest coming in. We're going 85 00:04:33,510 --> 00:04:36,870 S1: to tackle the first question of the week. Am I 86 00:04:37,070 --> 00:04:41,070 S1: a Christian? Now we're going to get into some stats, 87 00:04:41,070 --> 00:04:42,910 S1: and we're going to get into some of these recent 88 00:04:42,910 --> 00:04:45,990 S1: studies that we've been referencing. But then we're going to 89 00:04:45,990 --> 00:04:52,270 S1: get into the theological reality of am I a Christian 90 00:04:52,430 --> 00:04:56,200 S1: as God would define it and then we can look 91 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:57,280 S1: at our own selves. 92 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,520 S6: He's a sports fanatic with a stat for anything you 93 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,760 S6: can think of. Young Thunder is in the crew. It's 94 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:07,960 S6: curling crew on Moody Radio. 95 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,400 S1: So we're talking all week. Who am I? And I 96 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:17,159 S1: want to ask you a question. Am I Christian? Now, 97 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,680 S1: the interesting thing about that word is that it's only 98 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:24,239 S1: used three times in the ESV New Testament. And every 99 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:29,279 S1: time it was used, it had implied a huge cultural 100 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:33,640 S1: cost with a doctor, Eric Redman, in studio. Buddy, to 101 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,640 S1: call yourself a Christian 2000 years ago. It was different 102 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:37,800 S1: than today, wasn't it? 103 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,040 S7: Yes, it was actually a moniker where they were trying 104 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,440 S7: to say something negative about us. Like they really do 105 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,600 S7: think they are like Christ, but it meant that the 106 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,800 S7: people living before society were so following Christ that the 107 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,570 S7: people outside could see it very different than what we 108 00:05:53,570 --> 00:05:56,170 S7: see in today's culture, where we look almost like the culture. 109 00:05:56,330 --> 00:05:58,970 S4: Doctor, Eric Redman, our guest right now, professor of Bible 110 00:05:58,970 --> 00:06:02,290 S4: at Moody Bible Institute, also the executive director of our 111 00:06:02,290 --> 00:06:06,530 S4: center for Biblical Preaching. Now, when we ask that question, 112 00:06:06,529 --> 00:06:08,530 S4: are you a Christian or am I a Christian? A 113 00:06:08,570 --> 00:06:10,890 S4: lot of people look at and figure, well, I must 114 00:06:10,890 --> 00:06:13,530 S4: have to be in some category. I'm not Muslim, I'm 115 00:06:13,570 --> 00:06:16,330 S4: not Hindu, I'm not fill in the blank. So yeah, 116 00:06:16,330 --> 00:06:18,170 S4: I guess I would say I'm a Christian if I 117 00:06:18,170 --> 00:06:21,050 S4: had to put myself into a category. A lot of people, 118 00:06:21,050 --> 00:06:23,850 S4: that's kind of their approach to answering this question. 119 00:06:23,890 --> 00:06:27,210 S7: Yes. And they do that on the basis of identifying 120 00:06:27,210 --> 00:06:30,770 S7: with the artifacts of Christianity. Like, well, my parents took 121 00:06:30,770 --> 00:06:33,250 S7: me to a Catholic church or this version of a 122 00:06:33,250 --> 00:06:36,810 S7: Protestant church. So I must be here. And because of 123 00:06:36,810 --> 00:06:39,250 S7: the exclusion of the other ones, well, I need to 124 00:06:39,290 --> 00:06:42,970 S7: label myself in the area not thinking, well, what does 125 00:06:42,970 --> 00:06:46,810 S7: it mean for me to label myself there and really 126 00:06:46,810 --> 00:06:49,850 S7: have all the elements of what I'm claiming to be? 127 00:06:49,850 --> 00:06:52,330 S7: People don't think that far. They just want to say, 128 00:06:52,370 --> 00:06:55,970 S7: leave me alone. Here I identify with this area on 129 00:06:55,970 --> 00:06:57,330 S7: the most minimalistic way. 130 00:06:57,730 --> 00:07:00,970 S1: We've got some staggering statistics, Eric, that you're going to 131 00:07:00,970 --> 00:07:04,210 S1: resonate with. In the most recent Barna report came out 132 00:07:04,210 --> 00:07:08,450 S1: December 10th of last year, he says. Now it's been 133 00:07:08,450 --> 00:07:12,450 S1: a decline of about 1,112%. Now 76% of Americans call 134 00:07:12,450 --> 00:07:15,610 S1: themselves identify as Christian. Well, then you go a little 135 00:07:15,650 --> 00:07:19,690 S1: bit lower into a Pew study that has 24% who 136 00:07:19,690 --> 00:07:24,930 S1: consider themselves evangelical Bible church, community church, you know, Protestant 137 00:07:24,930 --> 00:07:28,890 S1: in nature. They would identify as such. But then you 138 00:07:28,930 --> 00:07:34,490 S1: dig back into the Barna study and you find 4%, 4% 139 00:07:34,490 --> 00:07:39,810 S1: of our nation has holds a biblical worldview that guides 140 00:07:39,810 --> 00:07:44,410 S1: and directs their private and public lives. Boy, now we're 141 00:07:44,410 --> 00:07:47,410 S1: getting down to it. When we get to 4%, aren't we, Eric? 142 00:07:47,450 --> 00:07:50,450 S7: We are. And it means that in our churches, there 143 00:07:50,450 --> 00:07:54,020 S7: must be something that we're not preaching and teaching about 144 00:07:54,020 --> 00:07:56,100 S7: what it means to be a follower of Christ, if 145 00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:59,180 S7: it only means that we can label ourselves as as 146 00:07:59,220 --> 00:08:02,820 S7: Ali raised, or that it means that on Sunday we 147 00:08:02,860 --> 00:08:06,540 S7: can attend and participate in singing. But it has no 148 00:08:06,580 --> 00:08:10,739 S7: effect on my work, my relationships at home, my relationships 149 00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:14,860 S7: in the community, my my ethics that we're missing something 150 00:08:15,140 --> 00:08:18,380 S7: at at church. And that allows the statistic that we 151 00:08:18,380 --> 00:08:22,180 S7: see when it comes to what we're really doing, only 4% 152 00:08:22,180 --> 00:08:24,500 S7: of people are really following the scriptures on what it 153 00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:25,500 S7: means to be a Christian. 154 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:27,660 S4: So then I guess the obvious next question is, well, 155 00:08:27,660 --> 00:08:29,780 S4: what is that something that we're missing? How is it 156 00:08:29,780 --> 00:08:32,700 S4: that so many people would believe that they're a Christian 157 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:34,900 S4: based on their. Oh, you're itching to answer this one? 158 00:08:34,900 --> 00:08:35,780 S4: What are we missing? 159 00:08:35,820 --> 00:08:39,940 S7: I think we make a disconnect from the significance of 160 00:08:39,940 --> 00:08:43,660 S7: what it means that God came in the flesh, suffered, died, 161 00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:48,579 S7: rose again, ascended, and is Lord right now from Christianity. 162 00:08:48,580 --> 00:08:52,070 S7: There's some version of Christianity that we're preaching that says, well, 163 00:08:52,070 --> 00:08:55,670 S7: if you just say this prayer, that will be enough 164 00:08:55,670 --> 00:08:58,750 S7: and automatically with all the bells and whistles here you're 165 00:08:58,750 --> 00:09:02,030 S7: taking care of for the rest of life instead of no, 166 00:09:02,030 --> 00:09:05,830 S7: this means you've transferred kingdoms and that your life should 167 00:09:05,830 --> 00:09:08,830 S7: look radically different. I was teaching last night. If I 168 00:09:08,830 --> 00:09:11,070 S7: can just take another second here. Last night I was 169 00:09:11,070 --> 00:09:14,350 S7: teaching in my course in Romans. The stark difference that 170 00:09:14,350 --> 00:09:17,790 S7: Paul makes between Romans one, where he condemns the whole 171 00:09:17,790 --> 00:09:21,030 S7: world to Romans 12, where after he's explained the gospel 172 00:09:21,070 --> 00:09:24,510 S7: for for ten chapters, he now says, you have to 173 00:09:24,510 --> 00:09:27,470 S7: have a different mind and body the way you're living. 174 00:09:27,550 --> 00:09:30,870 S7: And he contrasts, you were evil in the world. Now 175 00:09:30,870 --> 00:09:34,069 S7: you must abhor evil, or you were haughty in the world. 176 00:09:34,070 --> 00:09:36,030 S7: Do not be haughty. And he sets it up to 177 00:09:36,030 --> 00:09:39,910 S7: show the gospel should completely transform who you are. So 178 00:09:39,910 --> 00:09:43,349 S7: you look radically different than you did before you met Jesus. 179 00:09:43,350 --> 00:09:46,470 S7: And that is something that we're not saying goes along 180 00:09:46,470 --> 00:09:49,520 S7: with what it is we're doing When we believe. We're 181 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,400 S7: saying we believe that he now rules and reigns over 182 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:54,079 S7: our lives. 183 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,120 S1: Doctor Eric Redmond, our guest right now, you know, we 184 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,360 S1: use that word believe and we throw that around. We 185 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,760 S1: we use other terms like, um, we tell little children, oh, 186 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,240 S1: invite Jesus into your heart. And I know these are 187 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:10,000 S1: well-meaning attempts. We use the word accept Jesus as opposed 188 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,920 S1: to receive. But even the word believe. My goodness, the 189 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,839 S1: demons are monotheistic. They know their doom is certain. They've 190 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,640 S1: got an understanding of the deity, the Trinity, and yet 191 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:28,400 S1: they're not regenerate. We need to redefine words because words matter, 192 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:29,200 S1: don't they, Eric? 193 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,760 S7: They absolutely matter when we're when we're saying believe, we're 194 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,560 S7: saying that we're going to trust Jesus. But we're not 195 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,160 S7: saying we're just trusting him for the initial salvation that 196 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,959 S7: pays for the penalty of sin. We're saying we're trusting 197 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,280 S7: him to supply power for us to overcome the way 198 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,360 S7: we were before, that he's invited us to new life, 199 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,640 S7: that what it means is that we are redeemed or 200 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,199 S7: pulled out of sin. And the picture of that in 201 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,520 S7: the Old Testament is the Israelites coming out of Israel, 202 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,800 S7: not out of Egypt. Excuse me? Not just having the 203 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,880 S7: plagues break the power of Egypt over them, but going 204 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,920 S7: to Mount Sinai and getting the law and meeting God 205 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,840 S7: and fearing him, and then going to the tabernacle where 206 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,160 S7: God brings down his glory. And walking with that God, 207 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,719 S7: trying to get to the Holy of Holies and all 208 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,320 S7: that means. That's what we need to say about the 209 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:19,280 S7: Christian life. 210 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:24,400 S4: So saved from something and saved to something. Doctor Eric Redman, 211 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,360 S4: our guest right now. Coming up, let's break this down 212 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,440 S4: a little bit more. How do we stay up on 213 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,600 S4: this high ridge? We don't want to make it seem 214 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,400 S4: like somehow the gospel is more complicated than it is. 215 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,320 S4: Than it is, or that we have to always wonder, 216 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,040 S4: am I saved, am I not? How do we stay 217 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:40,959 S4: up on that high ridge, as Carl likes to say? 218 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:42,840 S4: More coming up here on Carl and crew. 219 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:48,130 S6: Your spiritual pit stop to keep you going in the race. 220 00:11:48,170 --> 00:11:50,329 S6: You're listening to Carl and crew. 221 00:11:51,090 --> 00:11:56,010 S1: So the gospel is simple, but is the gospel easy? 222 00:11:56,530 --> 00:12:00,170 S1: Maybe that's the game breaker. Doctor Eric Redman, our guest 223 00:12:00,210 --> 00:12:02,610 S1: right now in studio with us, professor of Bible at 224 00:12:02,610 --> 00:12:08,290 S1: Moody Bible Institute. Prof. The gospel is simple, but the 225 00:12:08,290 --> 00:12:11,690 S1: gospel isn't easy. And it's not easy in the sense 226 00:12:11,690 --> 00:12:14,290 S1: that we've got work to do. But there is a 227 00:12:14,530 --> 00:12:17,770 S1: as Ali just iterated, she took your metaphor of coming 228 00:12:17,770 --> 00:12:22,770 S1: out of Pharaoh's grip. There is something about letting go 229 00:12:22,809 --> 00:12:27,089 S1: of first Thessalonians. One Apostle Paul champions the church of 230 00:12:27,090 --> 00:12:30,250 S1: Thessalonica by saying, man, you have laid down these idols, 231 00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:32,890 S1: and you have turned to the one true and living God. 232 00:12:33,170 --> 00:12:36,730 S1: So there is both letting go and taking hold, and 233 00:12:36,730 --> 00:12:40,730 S1: then there's a cross to pick up, but it's an 234 00:12:40,730 --> 00:12:45,780 S1: empty handed, I've got nothing moment where we say, I'm 235 00:12:45,780 --> 00:12:48,580 S1: letting go of what I thought I was building. Taking 236 00:12:48,580 --> 00:12:51,500 S1: hold of the one who can build something in me. 237 00:12:51,540 --> 00:12:53,620 S1: It's a radical change, isn't it? 238 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:56,740 S7: It absolutely is radical. When you look at just some 239 00:12:56,740 --> 00:12:58,620 S7: of the words of the Apostle Paul, some of that 240 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:01,540 S7: are our our favorite, like he who began a good 241 00:13:01,540 --> 00:13:04,620 S7: work in you will complete it until the day of 242 00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:08,100 S7: Christ Jesus. We focus on the beginning, but what is 243 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,900 S7: there left to complete? Why would Paul even say that? 244 00:13:10,940 --> 00:13:13,780 S7: Is it he did something so he initially believed, and 245 00:13:13,780 --> 00:13:16,699 S7: then he's finally coming back on the day of Christ Jesus. 246 00:13:16,700 --> 00:13:19,460 S7: But there's nothing in between. No. Paul says that God 247 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:22,060 S7: is completing something in us, and he works that out 248 00:13:22,059 --> 00:13:25,340 S7: in Philippians and says, work out your own salvation. God 249 00:13:25,340 --> 00:13:27,060 S7: is working in you to will and do of his 250 00:13:27,059 --> 00:13:31,460 S7: good pleasure. Or in Ephesians, Paul will say, now you 251 00:13:31,460 --> 00:13:34,100 S7: have a new life in chapter four. And then he 252 00:13:34,100 --> 00:13:37,860 S7: will say, hey, you know, no more malice. Be forgiving 253 00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:41,059 S7: to to one another. He's looking at change coming. And 254 00:13:41,059 --> 00:13:42,380 S7: that's what we need to emphasize. 255 00:13:42,550 --> 00:13:45,390 S1: Okay. There's a word that we've left out, and I 256 00:13:45,429 --> 00:13:49,750 S1: don't know why. Because it's in the gospel of Mark, 257 00:13:49,790 --> 00:13:53,950 S1: the first gospel ever written. We find that the gospel 258 00:13:53,950 --> 00:13:57,510 S1: is a gospel of repentance or it's not good news 259 00:13:57,510 --> 00:14:02,870 S1: at all. Now, repentance, metanoia means an absolute turning change 260 00:14:02,870 --> 00:14:06,590 S1: of mind, change of heart, change of direction, change of allegiance. 261 00:14:06,590 --> 00:14:09,670 S1: That's why we can say Romans ten nine and ten, 262 00:14:10,510 --> 00:14:13,510 S1: I confess you as Lord, I open my mouth and 263 00:14:13,510 --> 00:14:15,670 S1: I speak it. You are the leader of my life. 264 00:14:16,030 --> 00:14:20,950 S1: This is this is so much more than inviting Jesus 265 00:14:20,950 --> 00:14:23,910 S1: into my heart, my friend. I don't want to rain 266 00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:27,270 S1: on someone's parade. But words do matter here, don't they? 267 00:14:27,310 --> 00:14:29,590 S7: In the gospel of Mark, as you said, we see 268 00:14:29,590 --> 00:14:33,750 S7: this everywhere. If we only have a oh, we need 269 00:14:33,750 --> 00:14:35,710 S7: Jesus to die to take care of the penalty of 270 00:14:35,710 --> 00:14:39,150 S7: sin and nothing else, then we can have Mark chapter one, 271 00:14:39,150 --> 00:14:41,470 S7: where John the Baptist announces Jesus, and then we can 272 00:14:41,470 --> 00:14:44,310 S7: have Mark 15 and 16 where he suffers, goes to 273 00:14:44,350 --> 00:14:47,310 S7: the cross and dies and rise again. We don't need 274 00:14:47,310 --> 00:14:51,110 S7: everything from 2 to 14 where the disciples are walking 275 00:14:51,110 --> 00:14:53,990 S7: with him for three years, where he said, follow me, 276 00:14:53,990 --> 00:14:56,110 S7: and I'll teach you how to be fishers of men. 277 00:14:56,110 --> 00:14:58,430 S7: And that's what he did. That's the part where we're missing. 278 00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:01,790 S7: How do we become fishers of men? There's a transformation 279 00:15:01,790 --> 00:15:04,830 S7: that's taking place so that Jesus can say, The Son 280 00:15:04,830 --> 00:15:06,550 S7: of Man did not come to be served, but to 281 00:15:06,590 --> 00:15:08,390 S7: serve and give his life a ransom for many. And 282 00:15:08,390 --> 00:15:10,110 S7: that's what you're supposed to do. 283 00:15:10,590 --> 00:15:12,670 S4: So what do what do you say to the person 284 00:15:12,670 --> 00:15:15,670 S4: who listens to this conversation and goes, well, I, I 285 00:15:15,710 --> 00:15:19,110 S4: thought I accepted Jesus into my heart. I prayed a prayer, 286 00:15:19,110 --> 00:15:22,150 S4: I raised a hand, and now I'm wondering, are you 287 00:15:22,190 --> 00:15:24,590 S4: saying that like none of that mattered? None. I might 288 00:15:24,590 --> 00:15:27,150 S4: not really be saved? I mean, how do you wrestle 289 00:15:27,150 --> 00:15:30,670 S4: through this? We we're we're not to live scared. Like, 290 00:15:30,670 --> 00:15:34,830 S4: somehow we don't have it. Or we could lose it, right? 291 00:15:34,870 --> 00:15:39,030 S7: Yes, I would say, praise God that you answered and 292 00:15:39,030 --> 00:15:41,800 S7: that you have believed on Jesus and joy of joy 293 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,880 S7: that your sins have been forgiven. Now you need to 294 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,440 S7: go deeply into your local church and say, I'd like 295 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:52,120 S7: to learn more about how to live the Christian life 296 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,440 S7: as a fully obedient disciple of Jesus. And I'm going 297 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,160 S7: to say something now that might be controversy. Uh la. 298 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,440 S7: But if someone cannot show you how to do that 299 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:04,840 S7: at your church or direct that, you might need to 300 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,760 S7: think about going to a church where you can learn that. 301 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:13,120 S1: So there's a lot that say, I have been born again. 302 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:20,320 S1: I've experienced transformation, but we're noticing something here on air. Right, Allie? 303 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:20,880 S4: Oh, yeah. 304 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:22,920 S1: And it's I'm going to I'm going to let you 305 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:26,920 S1: finish my thought because it's that it's that epidemic that 306 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,800 S1: we see here every weekday morning, Allie. 307 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,160 S4: That there are many people who thought that they had 308 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,280 S4: the real thing but did not. And we hear it 309 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:40,330 S4: a lot reflected in testimonies where people will say, I've 310 00:16:40,490 --> 00:16:43,370 S4: always been a Christian, but it became real to me 311 00:16:43,770 --> 00:16:46,810 S4: or I became serious about it. Language like that. When 312 00:16:46,810 --> 00:16:49,370 S4: I was in my late teens, early 20s, or I 313 00:16:49,370 --> 00:16:52,290 S4: was walking with the Lord, and then I fell away 314 00:16:52,290 --> 00:16:54,850 S4: for a long time, and then I got back. And 315 00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:58,690 S4: there's like a lot of vagueness around being backslidden or 316 00:16:58,850 --> 00:17:02,930 S4: rededication that can leave people kind of confused about it. 317 00:17:02,930 --> 00:17:05,450 S4: And when it boils down to it, we are looking 318 00:17:05,450 --> 00:17:08,889 S4: at Scripture and we're honest about what it says. It 319 00:17:08,890 --> 00:17:12,690 S4: is very possible to have the illusion of salvation and 320 00:17:12,690 --> 00:17:15,129 S4: to not be in Christ at all. We have to 321 00:17:15,210 --> 00:17:17,210 S4: account for that because the Word of God does. 322 00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:19,810 S7: When we go to a place like Second Peter, as 323 00:17:19,810 --> 00:17:23,290 S7: you're alluding to, uh, Peter will say, here's how you 324 00:17:23,290 --> 00:17:25,890 S7: make your calling and election. Sure. And then he will 325 00:17:25,890 --> 00:17:30,210 S7: give us a list of character traits, brotherly kindness, adding 326 00:17:30,250 --> 00:17:33,929 S7: to your virtue in there that if the power of 327 00:17:33,930 --> 00:17:38,659 S7: Christ is working in us, these things should be becoming 328 00:17:38,660 --> 00:17:41,100 S7: part and parcel of who we are, and we see 329 00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:44,300 S7: this all over the New Testament that yes, we should 330 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:47,700 S7: be assured when we have prayed, but the assurance that 331 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:50,500 S7: we need to feel, to know that we have believed, 332 00:17:50,540 --> 00:17:55,020 S7: is that we see God doing something in our lives 333 00:17:55,020 --> 00:17:57,940 S7: so that we are becoming something we've never been before. 334 00:17:57,940 --> 00:18:01,780 S7: We're becoming meek. We're starting to become generous. We're gaining self-control. 335 00:18:01,780 --> 00:18:05,060 S7: We're starting to have peace in life. We're becoming loving 336 00:18:05,100 --> 00:18:07,540 S7: toward people in a way we couldn't. These are the 337 00:18:07,540 --> 00:18:10,180 S7: things that that we see, that we call fruit or 338 00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:13,980 S7: product of the spirit. We should find ourselves growing in 339 00:18:14,020 --> 00:18:18,020 S7: these graces, and that's what provides the assurance that we 340 00:18:18,020 --> 00:18:21,020 S7: have been transformed by Jesus. 341 00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,859 S1: Yeah. Something just hit my heart here. You know, one 342 00:18:23,859 --> 00:18:28,580 S1: of the great evidences of being transformed by Jesus is 343 00:18:28,580 --> 00:18:31,580 S1: that the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth. He 344 00:18:31,580 --> 00:18:36,580 S1: will comfort us. He will direct us. He will convict us. 345 00:18:37,820 --> 00:18:42,700 S1: A person without conviction, a person without Holy Spirit comfort 346 00:18:42,740 --> 00:18:47,379 S1: a person without a turning that causes, like the woman 347 00:18:47,380 --> 00:18:50,340 S1: at the well to jump and say, hey, he read 348 00:18:50,340 --> 00:18:53,060 S1: my mail, but he still loves me. A person that 349 00:18:53,060 --> 00:18:56,980 S1: was a tax collector like Matthew, who now wants to 350 00:18:57,020 --> 00:19:02,020 S1: make amends. If those things are not resident, it might 351 00:19:02,020 --> 00:19:04,220 S1: be a time to do business with God, right? 352 00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:08,140 S7: Eric, I absolutely agree. When when John the Baptist is preaching, 353 00:19:08,180 --> 00:19:11,780 S7: the soldiers hear his gospel preaching about the kingdom and say, 354 00:19:11,820 --> 00:19:15,020 S7: what do we need to do here? They recognize that 355 00:19:15,020 --> 00:19:18,500 S7: if there's they're repenting, it should be evident in their lives. 356 00:19:18,500 --> 00:19:21,740 S7: And he said, stop extorting from people. So I imagine 357 00:19:21,740 --> 00:19:24,380 S7: the believing soldier went away and said, I'm not going 358 00:19:24,380 --> 00:19:27,300 S7: to try to extort money out of people anymore. His 359 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:29,220 S7: other soldier friends probably looked at him and said, why 360 00:19:29,260 --> 00:19:31,500 S7: are you doing that? And he would say, Because I'm 361 00:19:31,540 --> 00:19:34,820 S7: getting ready for the Lord to come. I've given my 362 00:19:34,820 --> 00:19:37,870 S7: life to the Lord. That is the idea that we 363 00:19:37,869 --> 00:19:41,350 S7: see over and over again throughout the New Testament. Our 364 00:19:41,350 --> 00:19:42,990 S7: lives are transformed. 365 00:19:43,190 --> 00:19:45,909 S1: So, Eric, here's my heart right now. There's a lot 366 00:19:45,910 --> 00:19:49,190 S1: of people listening. And according to and we go here 367 00:19:49,190 --> 00:19:52,550 S1: all the time only because Jesus put it front and 368 00:19:52,550 --> 00:19:54,990 S1: center in the sermon on the Mount. Many will say 369 00:19:54,990 --> 00:19:58,670 S1: to me on that day, Lord, Lord. And it's unnerving 370 00:19:58,670 --> 00:20:01,750 S1: because these weren't, as I love to say, these aren't 371 00:20:01,750 --> 00:20:03,670 S1: the guys bellied up to the bar. These aren't the 372 00:20:03,670 --> 00:20:08,230 S1: guys that are that are, you know, causing all kinds 373 00:20:08,230 --> 00:20:13,670 S1: of mayhem in our culture today. These are religious people. 374 00:20:13,670 --> 00:20:20,110 S1: These are gospel champions. These are baptizing folks. They were 375 00:20:20,109 --> 00:20:26,070 S1: doing mighty works in the name of Jesus. They're spiritually active. 376 00:20:26,070 --> 00:20:29,629 S1: And we know, Eric, that we have this in the 377 00:20:29,630 --> 00:20:35,280 S1: church today. The West is littered on Sunday mornings loaded 378 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,760 S1: with people, uh, that are going to church but have 379 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,080 S1: never yet been in Christ. What's your appeal to someone 380 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,359 S1: listening today who is beginning now, by the power of 381 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:50,040 S1: the Holy Spirit, breaking through a veil of darkness and convicting. 382 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:51,720 S1: What do they need to do? 383 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,359 S7: I would say that they need to make sure they 384 00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:00,879 S7: are regularly meeting with the Lord and God's people in worship, 385 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,200 S7: week to week, because they're the word and sacrament or 386 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,800 S7: the word, and the ordinances are transforming us and need 387 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:12,879 S7: to sit under solid preaching, good preaching that has sound doctrine. 388 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:17,440 S7: And they need to go before the Lord's Supper, because 389 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,719 S7: there you are, confronted with your own sin and what 390 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,280 S7: Christ has done for us in his body and with 391 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,719 S7: his death. I would say after that, they need to 392 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,159 S7: be part of some place where they're growing in the 393 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,840 S7: knowledge and the grace of Christ, where they can see 394 00:21:33,090 --> 00:21:36,890 S7: this is what it means to live as a Christian. 395 00:21:36,890 --> 00:21:39,490 S7: I would ask them to seek out ask at their 396 00:21:39,490 --> 00:21:45,450 S7: church where is the the most challenging Bible study and 397 00:21:45,450 --> 00:21:47,650 S7: group in this church? I want to be a part 398 00:21:47,650 --> 00:21:50,530 S7: of that so I can learn how to have a 399 00:21:50,530 --> 00:21:53,489 S7: day to day relationship with my my father so that 400 00:21:53,490 --> 00:21:56,730 S7: I'm looking more like Jesus. Those would be the starting points. 401 00:21:56,730 --> 00:21:59,409 S1: Yeah. And and I love that. It wasn't even what 402 00:21:59,410 --> 00:22:02,050 S1: I expected you to say. But I love that because 403 00:22:02,530 --> 00:22:06,050 S1: when you are looking at communion not as juice and 404 00:22:06,050 --> 00:22:10,850 S1: cracker or looking at your spiritual trajectory, but you're coming 405 00:22:10,850 --> 00:22:14,610 S1: before a holy God, uh, you may be confronted with 406 00:22:14,609 --> 00:22:18,129 S1: the fact that you've been very Christianized, but you've not 407 00:22:18,130 --> 00:22:20,129 S1: yet become a follower of Christ. 408 00:22:20,170 --> 00:22:23,730 S7: Absolutely. That's part of you know, that we all know 409 00:22:23,730 --> 00:22:26,570 S7: that part of coming to the table is that I 410 00:22:26,570 --> 00:22:29,570 S7: don't want to come before my, my father and have 411 00:22:29,570 --> 00:22:32,860 S7: to say, you know, I've done this same thing again here, 412 00:22:32,859 --> 00:22:35,340 S7: and I'm not really appeasing you. That is part of 413 00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:38,460 S7: the point here that, oh my goodness, you gave your body. 414 00:22:38,460 --> 00:22:41,379 S7: So I would not do that anymore and that I 415 00:22:41,380 --> 00:22:44,460 S7: would have a new way of, of doing things. It's 416 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:47,540 S7: absolutely part of the way that God is changing us 417 00:22:47,540 --> 00:22:48,700 S7: to be more like Jesus. 418 00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:52,619 S1: We want to thank you, Doctor Eric Redman. And you 419 00:22:52,619 --> 00:22:54,660 S1: know what? I want to do a banner ad. Some 420 00:22:54,660 --> 00:22:57,859 S1: of you are listening to this going, man, I wish 421 00:22:57,859 --> 00:23:02,780 S1: I could, uh, sit under a guy like Eric. Well, 422 00:23:02,820 --> 00:23:04,619 S1: bada bing, bada boom. 423 00:23:04,740 --> 00:23:07,340 S4: We want to make sure you know about our experience. Moody, 424 00:23:07,380 --> 00:23:10,179 S4: this is your opportunity to come and visit and have 425 00:23:10,220 --> 00:23:12,619 S4: a day on campus so you can get to know 426 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:15,020 S4: what it's like to be a student here with great 427 00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:18,780 S4: professors like Doctor Eric Redman. Just text Moody to 800 428 00:23:18,780 --> 00:23:26,140 S4: 555 7898. Text Moody to 800 555 7898. Next one 429 00:23:26,140 --> 00:23:29,140 S4: in person is February 20th, but they're also ones in 430 00:23:29,140 --> 00:23:31,500 S4: March and April. And this link also has the link 431 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:34,140 S4: for Moody Online. For those of you who cannot become 432 00:23:34,140 --> 00:23:36,979 S4: an on campus student, you can be an online student 433 00:23:36,980 --> 00:23:41,220 S4: as well. Just text Moody to 800 555 7898. 434 00:23:42,619 --> 00:23:46,700 S6: Romans eight brought her to Jesus while broadcasting traffic overnight. 435 00:23:46,940 --> 00:23:50,980 S6: Super Dai is in the crew, its curling crew on 436 00:23:50,980 --> 00:23:51,980 S6: Moody Radio. 437 00:23:52,900 --> 00:23:55,980 S1: So on this Monday morning, we're going to mosh pit 438 00:23:55,980 --> 00:23:58,300 S1: this thing. I don't think we've ever done it like this, 439 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:01,100 S1: but we're going to we're going to tackle what the 440 00:24:01,100 --> 00:24:04,140 S1: good news is. And the good news is that repentance 441 00:24:04,140 --> 00:24:06,220 S1: I'm just going to begin with that is not good 442 00:24:06,220 --> 00:24:11,300 S1: news at all. Because salvation, true salvation, being born again, 443 00:24:11,300 --> 00:24:14,740 S1: being made new, regenerated by the power of the Holy 444 00:24:14,740 --> 00:24:21,580 S1: Spirit involves this miraculous change of mind and heart and direction. 445 00:24:21,580 --> 00:24:26,340 S1: It's laying down idols. First Thessalonians chapter one, verses nine 446 00:24:26,380 --> 00:24:30,350 S1: through 11 and taking hold of a relationship with Christ. 447 00:24:30,390 --> 00:24:34,830 S1: It's radical, but let's just break it down. What is Christianity, 448 00:24:34,869 --> 00:24:37,030 S1: not biblical Christianity? 449 00:24:37,230 --> 00:24:39,550 S4: Well, you have to understand if you want to understand 450 00:24:39,550 --> 00:24:42,350 S4: good news, you have to know that there's bad news. Okay, 451 00:24:42,670 --> 00:24:45,550 S4: so the good news is that you can be saved, 452 00:24:45,550 --> 00:24:47,590 S4: but it doesn't mean anything if you don't know that 453 00:24:47,590 --> 00:24:50,629 S4: you're lost. And so it's important to understand a starting 454 00:24:50,630 --> 00:24:52,910 S4: point that we are all born, as Carl likes to say, 455 00:24:52,910 --> 00:24:56,830 S4: with our back to God, our our position from the beginning. Yes, 456 00:24:56,869 --> 00:24:59,910 S4: God loves us, but we do not belong to him. 457 00:24:59,910 --> 00:25:03,389 S4: We are born into sin. We are born separated from 458 00:25:03,390 --> 00:25:06,949 S4: a holy God. And so even the most pure looking 459 00:25:06,990 --> 00:25:11,070 S4: innocent infant there status. We are born a sinner. We 460 00:25:11,070 --> 00:25:15,470 S4: are lost in our sin until we turn to Jesus Christ. 461 00:25:15,510 --> 00:25:18,030 S4: That's why we need good news. Because the bad news 462 00:25:18,030 --> 00:25:20,790 S4: is that we're lost in our eternity would be to 463 00:25:20,830 --> 00:25:22,350 S4: be separated from God. 464 00:25:22,510 --> 00:25:24,389 S2: And I think this is important too, as we talk 465 00:25:24,430 --> 00:25:31,240 S2: about sin. Sin is Rebellion to God that every sin 466 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,359 S2: is either making ourselves above God, or making something else 467 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,480 S2: above God, and saying to God, I don't want you 468 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:39,920 S2: a part of this, I don't. I don't want your way, 469 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,280 S2: I want my way. I want this thing's way. And 470 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,400 S2: I mean, you see that in lying we create a reality. 471 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,320 S2: We're creating a reality of our own choosing, of our 472 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:54,680 S2: own making. You see that with with greed. You want 473 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,360 S2: what you don't have, and you have to try to 474 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,600 S2: get it. You want your own way. Our own way never, 475 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,639 S2: ever works. Because it's apart from the life source, which 476 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,359 S2: is God. We need him and we're so far away 477 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:07,200 S2: from him. 478 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:09,840 S1: You guys are nailing it. You know, I think part 479 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:14,480 S1: of what has caused this grand illusion of salvation, or 480 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,480 S1: I love to call it a hallucination. People see something 481 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:21,679 S1: in themselves that isn't there. It's fake. It's not real, 482 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:26,969 S1: is that we have culture ized and we've tried to 483 00:26:27,010 --> 00:26:31,330 S1: add Jesus to our idols without laying them down. We 484 00:26:31,330 --> 00:26:36,210 S1: tried to add Jesus to our rebellion, our sin. And 485 00:26:36,690 --> 00:26:42,609 S1: it they don't. They don't work together. It's Pascal who said, man, 486 00:26:42,609 --> 00:26:45,970 S1: we got a God shaped void, and we've got to 487 00:26:46,010 --> 00:26:50,010 S1: let Jesus take full control of that void. It's not 488 00:26:50,050 --> 00:26:52,690 S1: adding Jesus to anything, is it, Ali? 489 00:26:52,730 --> 00:26:56,250 S4: No, it's accepting the free gift of salvation. Meaning he 490 00:26:56,250 --> 00:27:00,609 S4: takes over and I surrender my will. I lay down 491 00:27:00,609 --> 00:27:05,530 S4: my life, my desires, so that he can have ownership. 492 00:27:06,010 --> 00:27:10,810 S1: So, young Thunder, someone is right now being convicted by 493 00:27:10,810 --> 00:27:14,850 S1: the Holy Spirit that they've never yet repented. They've never 494 00:27:14,850 --> 00:27:17,690 S1: come to grips with the fact until now, that they 495 00:27:17,690 --> 00:27:20,810 S1: were born with their backs to God, and that repentance 496 00:27:20,810 --> 00:27:23,970 S1: and repentance alone, and crying out for God's mercy to 497 00:27:24,010 --> 00:27:29,570 S1: save them from sin is the answer for their life. 498 00:27:29,570 --> 00:27:33,409 S1: That's good news. What does someone do right now? You 499 00:27:33,450 --> 00:27:34,689 S1: are at that point, my man. 500 00:27:34,730 --> 00:27:37,330 S2: I was at that point, I. I lived the Christian 501 00:27:37,330 --> 00:27:41,410 S2: life for a really long time of adding Jesus to 502 00:27:41,650 --> 00:27:44,010 S2: what I wanted to add him to and keeping him 503 00:27:44,010 --> 00:27:47,690 S2: out of what I didn't want him speaking into it. 504 00:27:47,730 --> 00:27:52,370 S2: And and that isn't salvation. I believed in him, but 505 00:27:52,369 --> 00:27:56,650 S2: he wasn't my master. He wasn't my Lord. And when 506 00:27:56,650 --> 00:27:58,890 S2: he calls us to eternal life, he calls us to 507 00:27:58,930 --> 00:28:02,290 S2: follow him. And I believe that the Holy Spirit's convicting 508 00:28:02,290 --> 00:28:05,450 S2: you of that right now, that as we're talking, he's 509 00:28:05,450 --> 00:28:08,890 S2: convicting you, that maybe you did believe that Jesus existed 510 00:28:08,890 --> 00:28:11,090 S2: and died for your sins, but you've never followed him. 511 00:28:12,450 --> 00:28:17,130 S2: It's time to lay it down. Jesus asks us to 512 00:28:17,170 --> 00:28:20,889 S2: lay down our lives, to pick up our cross, which 513 00:28:20,890 --> 00:28:26,980 S2: is to fully surrender Everything that is our own self-will, 514 00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:31,460 S2: our own way, and give it to him and say, Lord, 515 00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:33,820 S2: just take this. Take it out of my hands and 516 00:28:33,820 --> 00:28:36,740 S2: do what you will with it. Make it into your will. 517 00:28:37,180 --> 00:28:43,260 S2: Completely transform it. Completely transform me. And he does. Through 518 00:28:43,300 --> 00:28:47,300 S2: the sacrifice of his son. He's made a way for 519 00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:50,980 S2: him to be accessible. But now we need to come 520 00:28:50,980 --> 00:28:54,740 S2: through that way, which is Jesus. Come to him and say, 521 00:28:54,780 --> 00:28:58,660 S2: take it all. And through that life is found. 522 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:03,660 S1: Ali, I feel prompted that if you could pray and 523 00:29:03,660 --> 00:29:07,540 S1: ask God to pierce the darkness, the veil, and allow 524 00:29:07,540 --> 00:29:10,140 S1: people to see their need for him in this moment, 525 00:29:10,140 --> 00:29:12,459 S1: some many are seeing their need for him, and we 526 00:29:12,460 --> 00:29:14,060 S1: can praise God for that as well. 527 00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:17,540 S4: Yeah. Lord, we thank you that by your spirit you 528 00:29:17,540 --> 00:29:20,940 S4: allow us to see truth. And so I pray, Lord, 529 00:29:20,940 --> 00:29:23,710 S4: for the person right now who's hearing this? And they're 530 00:29:23,710 --> 00:29:28,350 S4: a little confused. They're piqued because your spirit is drawing them, 531 00:29:28,350 --> 00:29:32,390 S4: but they're having trouble accepting it, making sense of it. Lord, 532 00:29:32,390 --> 00:29:34,990 S4: I pray that you would pierce through the darkness, that 533 00:29:34,990 --> 00:29:38,710 S4: you would clear any fog. And, Lord, that in this moment, Lord, 534 00:29:38,710 --> 00:29:40,830 S4: that it would be really clear that the person who 535 00:29:40,830 --> 00:29:44,190 S4: needs to see their desperate need for you, God, that 536 00:29:44,190 --> 00:29:47,710 S4: you would just allow their eyes to be open, the 537 00:29:47,710 --> 00:29:50,709 S4: veil to be removed, their ears to hear all of 538 00:29:50,710 --> 00:29:52,590 S4: it in a moment, you can do so. I pray 539 00:29:52,590 --> 00:29:56,390 S4: that you would work by your spirit. We rely on 540 00:29:56,390 --> 00:30:00,070 S4: no other power but yours, so I thank you for 541 00:30:00,070 --> 00:30:03,229 S4: what you're doing supernaturally. God, we can't explain it. We 542 00:30:03,230 --> 00:30:06,110 S4: can't manufacture it. It's a work of the spirit, and 543 00:30:06,110 --> 00:30:09,350 S4: we're so grateful. Lord, in Jesus name, Amen. 544 00:30:10,710 --> 00:30:14,430 S1: You know this. For some of you. This is you today. 545 00:30:14,470 --> 00:30:18,030 S1: This is you. God has put the finger on your soul. 546 00:30:18,030 --> 00:30:20,590 S1: And he said, this is the issue. You've never been 547 00:30:20,590 --> 00:30:25,440 S1: born again, but today you are today. You're surrendering all. 548 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,760 S1: You're giving it up. You're saying you are my lord. 549 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,240 S1: You're my ultimate authority I'm turning and I'm following you. 550 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,760 S1: And you might feel like, oh man, I got nothing. 551 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:39,560 S1: Praise God, because that's the reality of it all. You 552 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,000 S1: got nothing. But in Christ we have everything. And if 553 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,560 S1: today is the day and it's not doing it again, 554 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,680 S1: it's not ramping it up. It's a heartfelt surrender. Totally. 555 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:53,040 S1: For the first time in your life, I want you 556 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,680 S1: to get your phone right now. Wherever you are, grab 557 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,880 S1: your phone and I want you to text the keyword, 558 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,040 S1: and we're going to help you. And I'm going to 559 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,520 S1: raise the stakes here. We're going to offer you even 560 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:09,120 S1: the opportunity to connect with someone in your area who 561 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,080 S1: we trust, who will reach out to you and connect 562 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,840 S1: with you. So I want you to just text the 563 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:19,520 S1: word new right now. Wherever you are, text the word new. 564 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,280 S1: We want to help you in your first steps with Jesus. 565 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:29,120 S1: Text new to 800 555 7898. I'll say that slowly. 566 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:38,320 S1: Text one word new. Here's our number 800 555 7898. 567 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,280 S1: We're going to send this resource out to you. It's 568 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:44,760 S1: going to be, uh, just our heartfelt welcome to the family. 569 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,760 S1: Here's your first steps. And here's what I'm confident of 570 00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:50,440 S1: the Holy Spirit that began this work in you. He's 571 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,400 S1: going to carry it on to completion. He's going to 572 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,479 S1: show you what you need to do, because that is 573 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,920 S1: the nature of God. When he takes an old dead 574 00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:03,600 S1: person who was dead in their sin and changes them, 575 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:07,120 S1: transforms them, turns them around, and that's what he's doing 576 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:11,120 S1: in you. Welcome to the family. Text new to 800 577 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,400 S1: 555 7898. 578 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,840 S6: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 579 00:32:19,650 --> 00:32:22,850 S1: All right. I love it, boom! Crew. You guys are awesome. 580 00:32:22,850 --> 00:32:25,770 S1: And whenever you're wrestling with something that's said on here 581 00:32:25,970 --> 00:32:32,570 S1: from especially Ali, I mean, just be real here from 582 00:32:32,770 --> 00:32:37,450 S1: ourselves or a guest. Don't sit on those questions. Clarity's 583 00:32:37,450 --> 00:32:39,610 S1: great and we try to respond. We can't get to 584 00:32:39,610 --> 00:32:42,650 S1: everyone because sometimes our tote board of texts, as you 585 00:32:42,650 --> 00:32:46,650 S1: can imagine, just goes blur and they get buried, but 586 00:32:47,050 --> 00:32:50,930 S1: at minimum be like the Bereans. Open the word, check 587 00:32:50,930 --> 00:32:53,969 S1: it out, examine it, get some wise counsel from a 588 00:32:53,970 --> 00:32:59,450 S1: good Bible preaching preacher, maybe an elder, somebody with wise counsel. 589 00:32:59,450 --> 00:33:01,450 S1: But don't just sit on it. Ask it. We got 590 00:33:01,450 --> 00:33:03,810 S1: a good question that came in because we're talking today. 591 00:33:03,850 --> 00:33:07,130 S1: Am I a Christian? And we'll break that down here 592 00:33:07,130 --> 00:33:07,610 S1: for you. 593 00:33:07,650 --> 00:33:09,730 S4: Yeah. So someone listening this morning, I won't even give 594 00:33:09,730 --> 00:33:11,450 S4: your number. But you know who you are. And this 595 00:33:11,450 --> 00:33:13,650 S4: is maybe your question, too. They said, wait a minute. 596 00:33:13,650 --> 00:33:16,410 S4: Are you saying that someone who prays the sinner's prayer. 597 00:33:16,690 --> 00:33:19,260 S4: Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. Please forgive me 598 00:33:19,260 --> 00:33:21,780 S4: of my sins. Please come into in my heart and 599 00:33:21,780 --> 00:33:25,260 S4: save me. Does not make you a Christian. They're saying. 600 00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:27,300 S4: Is that are you saying that that doesn't make you 601 00:33:27,300 --> 00:33:30,620 S4: a Christian? Praying that they said as a Bible college graduate, 602 00:33:30,620 --> 00:33:32,220 S4: this makes me wonder if I'm going to have to 603 00:33:32,220 --> 00:33:34,660 S4: stop listening to Moody Radio after 35 years. 604 00:33:34,940 --> 00:33:35,660 S1: Do that. 605 00:33:35,980 --> 00:33:37,940 S4: Please tell me I heard you wrong. 606 00:33:38,340 --> 00:33:43,500 S1: No, there's I think you heard me rightly, but let's clarify. Um, 607 00:33:43,780 --> 00:33:48,380 S1: let's be really clear here because you're both right. And 608 00:33:48,620 --> 00:33:51,740 S1: we've got to be clear. So are you saying that 609 00:33:51,740 --> 00:33:54,660 S1: someone who prays the sinner's prayer. Dear Jesus, I know 610 00:33:54,660 --> 00:33:56,700 S1: that I'm a sinner. Please forgive me of my sins. 611 00:33:56,700 --> 00:33:59,180 S1: Please come into my heart and save me. Does not 612 00:33:59,180 --> 00:34:01,700 S1: make you a Christian. No way would I ever say that. 613 00:34:01,700 --> 00:34:05,180 S1: Here's what we are saying. First off, let's just break 614 00:34:05,180 --> 00:34:09,180 S1: it down. There's no patent prayer. I wish there was one. 615 00:34:09,180 --> 00:34:14,300 S1: In Scripture. You pray these words and you are born again. 616 00:34:14,580 --> 00:34:18,230 S1: Why would there not be a patent prayer to pray. 617 00:34:18,910 --> 00:34:21,950 S4: Well, I mean, I think for starters, just even the 618 00:34:21,950 --> 00:34:25,110 S4: suggestion that there's a set of words that you could 619 00:34:25,110 --> 00:34:28,509 S4: open your mouth and just say and then that somehow 620 00:34:28,750 --> 00:34:32,470 S4: indicates transformation. I think if you really parse that out, 621 00:34:32,670 --> 00:34:36,469 S4: we would it there has to be a a heart 622 00:34:36,750 --> 00:34:39,870 S4: posture as well. Right? Because if it were just words 623 00:34:40,150 --> 00:34:42,390 S4: and you could just go around and oh, okay. I'll 624 00:34:42,390 --> 00:34:44,950 S4: just anybody could say those words and that means that 625 00:34:44,950 --> 00:34:45,630 S4: you're saved. 626 00:34:46,350 --> 00:34:48,590 S1: Ali, I want to send you a curling crew prize 627 00:34:48,590 --> 00:34:53,830 S1: pack to your home. Yes. That's that is the inherent problem. 628 00:34:53,830 --> 00:34:54,870 S1: What do you say, my man? 629 00:34:54,870 --> 00:34:57,750 S2: It's like my my mom, when I was a kid, 630 00:34:57,790 --> 00:34:59,630 S2: taking me by the arm and leading me to my 631 00:34:59,630 --> 00:35:01,830 S2: brother and saying, now go say you're sorry. And I go, 632 00:35:01,830 --> 00:35:04,509 S2: I'm sorry. And then. But I'm not really sorry. I 633 00:35:04,510 --> 00:35:06,830 S2: just kind of want the situation to end. It's like 634 00:35:06,830 --> 00:35:10,390 S2: I yeah, the situation ended, but sorry was just a 635 00:35:10,390 --> 00:35:13,110 S2: magical keyword to get the situation to end. I didn't 636 00:35:13,110 --> 00:35:15,350 S2: have to actually mean it, you know? And it's so. 637 00:35:15,350 --> 00:35:18,310 S2: That's why there's no specific words. It's important that we 638 00:35:18,310 --> 00:35:18,709 S2: know that. 639 00:35:18,750 --> 00:35:20,390 S4: You know, I remember being in a service one time 640 00:35:20,390 --> 00:35:23,350 S4: and this was such an awesome service. It was a big, 641 00:35:23,390 --> 00:35:26,390 S4: a big kids event. There was probably like 4 or 642 00:35:26,390 --> 00:35:29,910 S4: 500 kids at this outreach event. And there was a 643 00:35:29,910 --> 00:35:34,550 S4: leader and awesome, well intentioned, and they shared the gospel. 644 00:35:34,750 --> 00:35:36,710 S4: And then they said to all the kids, okay, now 645 00:35:36,710 --> 00:35:38,950 S4: who wants to accept Jesus? And I watched this group 646 00:35:38,950 --> 00:35:41,350 S4: of kids. They were probably ranging in age from kindergarten 647 00:35:41,350 --> 00:35:44,910 S4: to about fifth grade, and you could see like some 648 00:35:44,910 --> 00:35:47,230 S4: hands went up and then eyes are looking around and 649 00:35:47,230 --> 00:35:49,629 S4: then more hands go up and and then soon, like 650 00:35:49,630 --> 00:35:51,830 S4: just pretty much everybody's hands in the air. And then 651 00:35:51,830 --> 00:35:54,350 S4: they all pray a prayer together. And on one hand 652 00:35:54,350 --> 00:35:57,030 S4: I thought, this is awesome. And this is really sweet 653 00:35:57,030 --> 00:35:59,190 S4: and really cool. But then on the other hand, I thought, 654 00:35:59,390 --> 00:36:02,350 S4: I I'm not. I was pretty confident that a good 655 00:36:02,350 --> 00:36:05,109 S4: percentage of the kids had no idea what was even 656 00:36:05,150 --> 00:36:08,390 S4: happening in the moment, but they their hand went up 657 00:36:08,390 --> 00:36:10,989 S4: because everybody around them was raising their hands, and they 658 00:36:10,989 --> 00:36:14,960 S4: all recited the prayer together. And I thought this could 659 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,320 S4: potentially be very confusing. 660 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:19,320 S1: In and deadly. 661 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:24,080 S4: Because a lot of these kids, I'm not saying that 662 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,360 S4: all of them were were not locked. 663 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:27,480 S1: In their hearts. 664 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,160 S4: We don't know their hearts, but there was a good 665 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:34,200 S4: percentage that it was kind of a peer pressure type thing, 666 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:36,600 S4: and I was pretty sure they were going along with 667 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,200 S4: it because everybody else was doing it. 668 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:41,400 S1: Yeah, and I was in that camp as a kid 669 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:46,400 S1: growing up multiple times where there was a call to 670 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:51,520 S1: do something, have a, have a, a word spoken. But 671 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,640 S1: do words alone mean that there is a heart that 672 00:36:55,640 --> 00:37:01,360 S1: is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit? No. 673 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:08,360 S1: So does it mean that a sinner's prayer is bad? 674 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,919 S1: Know somebody? So they asked this, Dear Jesus, I know 675 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:16,850 S1: I'm a sinner. Awesome. Recognizing that we are a sinner 676 00:37:16,850 --> 00:37:23,010 S1: is absolutely beautiful. Please forgive me of my sins. Awesome. Tremendous. 677 00:37:23,650 --> 00:37:27,050 S1: And those are. Those are great words to say. But 678 00:37:27,050 --> 00:37:30,529 S1: let's bring real clarity to the gospel. What do we find? 679 00:37:30,570 --> 00:37:33,730 S1: Just where do we find? What do we find in 680 00:37:33,730 --> 00:37:38,770 S1: the opening chapter of the gospel of Mark? What we 681 00:37:38,810 --> 00:37:43,250 S1: find here is that Jesus sent them out with the 682 00:37:43,290 --> 00:37:46,810 S1: gospel of repentance. It's a turning around. It's metanoia. It 683 00:37:46,810 --> 00:37:52,850 S1: means laying everything aside, declaring Jesus Christ as Lord. Romans 684 00:37:52,850 --> 00:37:57,009 S1: ten nine and ten. It's meaning. My mind is changing. 685 00:37:57,010 --> 00:38:01,650 S1: My heart is changing. I am surrendering all I am 686 00:38:01,890 --> 00:38:04,970 S1: to Jesus Christ. And this is why it's so important. 687 00:38:04,969 --> 00:38:07,810 S1: If you go to second Corinthians seven verses nine through ten, 688 00:38:07,850 --> 00:38:12,420 S1: it says, godly grief produces a repentance that leads to 689 00:38:12,460 --> 00:38:18,700 S1: salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. So here's 690 00:38:18,700 --> 00:38:23,739 S1: the problem, as Paul frames it. You can have deep regret, 691 00:38:24,620 --> 00:38:30,020 S1: tears of regret over something in your life and still 692 00:38:30,140 --> 00:38:35,140 S1: not be born again, not be saved. And again, let's 693 00:38:35,140 --> 00:38:40,299 S1: just parse this word Christian 76% according to Barna. Now 694 00:38:40,300 --> 00:38:46,740 S1: in America called themselves Christian 24% according to Pew. Reports 695 00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:49,939 S1: say that they belong. Belong to a church that is 696 00:38:49,940 --> 00:38:53,819 S1: preaching the gospel. They ascribe to it. They're there with it. 697 00:38:53,820 --> 00:38:59,219 S1: They attend it. But then you go back to Barnard's report. 4% 698 00:38:59,260 --> 00:39:04,580 S1: have a biblical worldview where the Bible directs their private 699 00:39:04,580 --> 00:39:09,220 S1: and public lives. Massive drop off. Right. So the word 700 00:39:09,219 --> 00:39:14,300 S1: And Christian is a is a. It may or may 701 00:39:14,300 --> 00:39:18,300 S1: not mean anything. So words matter. We know that from 702 00:39:18,300 --> 00:39:22,779 S1: Galatians one. All I'm proposing here is that if we're 703 00:39:22,780 --> 00:39:25,500 S1: going to share the gospel, we need to be clear 704 00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:29,140 S1: with what the gospel is. That's all I'm proposing here. 705 00:39:29,140 --> 00:39:32,140 S4: So then this I guess this raises the question, should 706 00:39:32,140 --> 00:39:36,180 S4: we continue to this, or should we find a way 707 00:39:36,180 --> 00:39:39,460 S4: to do it that doesn't involve raising a hand or 708 00:39:39,900 --> 00:39:43,220 S4: praying a prayer? I mean, are you suggesting that we 709 00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:46,580 S4: don't do those things, that they're okay? 710 00:39:46,580 --> 00:39:49,220 S1: So this is boy, you're pressing me, and I love this. 711 00:39:49,219 --> 00:39:52,020 S1: This is good. So let me just tell you what 712 00:39:52,020 --> 00:39:56,419 S1: the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said when the Great 713 00:39:56,420 --> 00:40:03,180 S1: Awakening was, were happening, um, his great concern was that 714 00:40:03,180 --> 00:40:05,660 S1: this emotionalism and I can't get my hands on a 715 00:40:05,660 --> 00:40:09,230 S1: quote right now, but it's powerful. He's concerned that these 716 00:40:09,230 --> 00:40:14,750 S1: public calls, without an adequate understanding of what people are doing, 717 00:40:14,750 --> 00:40:18,670 S1: are inherently dangerous. It can actually further blind the minds 718 00:40:18,670 --> 00:40:21,310 S1: of the unbelieving to their need for God. That was 719 00:40:21,310 --> 00:40:26,830 S1: his contention. So the this this phenomenal preacher that we 720 00:40:26,870 --> 00:40:30,030 S1: quote a lot, who was a great man of God, 721 00:40:30,030 --> 00:40:33,350 S1: he and many others said, whoa, this is dangerous stuff. 722 00:40:33,390 --> 00:40:37,150 S1: It creates an easy believism that isn't transformative at all. 723 00:40:37,630 --> 00:40:40,950 S1: So he would have what they called ready for this 724 00:40:40,950 --> 00:40:44,589 S1: rooms of inquiry after he preached. He would let you 725 00:40:44,630 --> 00:40:48,190 S1: go to a side room, and they would have these 726 00:40:48,190 --> 00:40:52,950 S1: disciples of Christ who led people into a biblical discovery 727 00:40:52,950 --> 00:40:54,989 S1: of what it meant to be born again. 728 00:40:55,030 --> 00:40:55,470 S4: Wow. 729 00:40:55,590 --> 00:40:59,390 S1: Rooms of inquiry. He never had an altar call. So 730 00:40:59,710 --> 00:41:03,230 S1: I am not going scorched earth on all altar calls. 731 00:41:03,630 --> 00:41:08,560 S1: But I am going clear on what you're calling them to. 732 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:13,600 S1: And what we're calling people to is not to accept Jesus. 733 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:17,880 S1: Because oftentimes we're asking people to invite Jesus in, to 734 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,800 S1: try to cohabitate with other idols that haven't been laid down. 735 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:26,040 S1: First Thessalonians one nine through 11, they laid down idols, 736 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:29,440 S1: all of them, and followed Jesus Christ. That's what they 737 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:34,840 S1: were cheered for. And my proposal is this it's not 738 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:39,520 S1: a sinner's prayer, it's clarity. And here's why. Because it's 739 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:42,520 S1: not about words you speak. It's a cry of the soul. 740 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,520 S1: I can tell you right now, when I was regenerated 741 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:48,800 S1: by the Holy Spirit, it wasn't some fancy prayer I prayed. 742 00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:52,959 S1: It was my soul cried out to God and go, 743 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:58,919 S1: I need a Savior. I need a Savior. His name 744 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:02,840 S1: is Jesus. I've got. I've got to have him. I repent, 745 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:07,610 S1: I surrender everything that I am to you, Jesus. I 746 00:42:07,650 --> 00:42:12,170 S1: abandon all my self-will, all my self-effort, and I throw 747 00:42:12,170 --> 00:42:16,049 S1: myself down at the foot of the cross. A heart 748 00:42:16,050 --> 00:42:19,489 S1: that cries out that way is a heart that is 749 00:42:19,489 --> 00:42:24,330 S1: transformed by God. If there's absolute earnestness in it to 750 00:42:24,370 --> 00:42:29,050 S1: radically different thing. So do we need to be clear 751 00:42:29,050 --> 00:42:33,010 S1: with the gospel? Yeah. My contention is that the reason 752 00:42:33,010 --> 00:42:36,090 S1: we have a lot of people who think they're Christian 753 00:42:36,090 --> 00:42:39,850 S1: in America is that we have not defined what biblical 754 00:42:39,850 --> 00:42:42,930 S1: Christianity is, full stop. Comment on that one. 755 00:42:43,210 --> 00:42:45,290 S4: Well, I want to actually make a resource because I 756 00:42:45,290 --> 00:42:47,650 S4: know that we've got other, at least one other question 757 00:42:47,650 --> 00:42:49,170 S4: I've seen come in on this and we won't have 758 00:42:49,170 --> 00:42:51,210 S4: time to answer all of them on air. So just 759 00:42:51,210 --> 00:42:53,529 S4: get this resource. It's nine ways to know you stand 760 00:42:53,530 --> 00:42:55,970 S4: with God. He stands with you. If you're sitting there going, okay, 761 00:42:55,969 --> 00:42:58,570 S4: well then how can I possibly know if I'm saved? 762 00:42:58,969 --> 00:43:01,810 S4: We definitely don't want to leave you hanging on that text. 763 00:43:01,850 --> 00:43:06,779 S4: Stand to 800 555 78. 98. This is a very 764 00:43:06,780 --> 00:43:10,300 S4: good read. One of our more popular resources. Just text 765 00:43:10,340 --> 00:43:14,900 S4: stand to 800 555 7898. 766 00:43:14,940 --> 00:43:20,060 S1: Yeah, yeah. It's great. It is great. Um, we're passionate 767 00:43:20,060 --> 00:43:23,859 S1: about this. And anecdotally, let me tell you, being a 768 00:43:23,860 --> 00:43:28,500 S1: pastor for nearly 40 years now, this has become my 769 00:43:28,500 --> 00:43:31,259 S1: greatest concern, my mission in life, the reason that I'm 770 00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,500 S1: sitting here and I feel called by God to be here, 771 00:43:33,820 --> 00:43:37,820 S1: is that I exist to inspire a spiritual awakening within 772 00:43:37,820 --> 00:43:40,899 S1: the church that reaches the world. And this is what 773 00:43:40,900 --> 00:43:45,620 S1: I believe our greatest enemy is not some political issue. 774 00:43:45,940 --> 00:43:50,300 S1: It's not radical Islam. It's not a bad economy. Our 775 00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:54,060 S1: greatest challenge that we face in the church is gospel 776 00:43:54,060 --> 00:43:59,939 S1: clarity and discipleship. And, you know, just just a quick word. 777 00:43:59,940 --> 00:44:01,620 S1: You know, what Barna said at the end of his 778 00:44:01,620 --> 00:44:06,100 S1: report from December 10th of last year, he said. His 779 00:44:06,100 --> 00:44:09,900 S1: conclusion is this maybe it's time when we stop inviting 780 00:44:09,900 --> 00:44:13,940 S1: so many people to church, thereby trying to bolster numbers 781 00:44:13,940 --> 00:44:17,180 S1: that are in the church, but start working with the 782 00:44:17,180 --> 00:44:21,020 S1: people that are already here and discipling them, making sure 783 00:44:21,020 --> 00:44:24,900 S1: they know what they need to know about saving faith. 784 00:44:24,940 --> 00:44:27,460 S1: That's pretty sobering coming from a guy like George Barna. 785 00:44:27,500 --> 00:44:28,940 S4: Yeah, it really is. 786 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:32,580 S6: He's a sports fanatic with a stat for anything you 787 00:44:32,580 --> 00:44:36,780 S6: can think of. Young Thunder is in the crew. It's 788 00:44:36,780 --> 00:44:39,020 S6: curling crew on Moody Radio. 789 00:44:40,060 --> 00:44:42,940 S1: Okay, the beautiful thing is, when we begin to understand 790 00:44:42,940 --> 00:44:46,100 S1: what the real gospel is and that the good news 791 00:44:46,140 --> 00:44:51,100 S1: is that we're sinners, and that by faith, through grace, 792 00:44:51,100 --> 00:44:54,420 S1: his power to do in us when we recognize we're sinners, 793 00:44:54,420 --> 00:44:58,100 S1: and that only through repentance alone do we follow Jesus, 794 00:44:58,100 --> 00:45:00,940 S1: and that the greatest indicator of where we stand with 795 00:45:00,940 --> 00:45:05,070 S1: God is where our feet are walking, where our soul 796 00:45:05,070 --> 00:45:08,870 S1: is headed, the direction and affection of our heart. And how, 797 00:45:09,070 --> 00:45:12,950 S1: although imperfect and stumbling and bumbling and sacred, scars all 798 00:45:12,950 --> 00:45:16,590 S1: over us from stupid choices we make even as authentic 799 00:45:16,590 --> 00:45:22,109 S1: disciples of Christ. The primary visible element is. Are you 800 00:45:22,150 --> 00:45:26,469 S1: following Jesus? And how this changes? Prayers for people that 801 00:45:26,469 --> 00:45:30,710 S1: we love is that when we get a correct understanding 802 00:45:30,710 --> 00:45:33,430 S1: of the gospel and just rehearse a couple things, that 803 00:45:33,830 --> 00:45:38,110 S1: there can be many who have a deception, thinking that 804 00:45:38,110 --> 00:45:41,270 S1: they have something that they don't have meaning, salvation. They 805 00:45:41,270 --> 00:45:46,109 S1: can have a cultural Christianity knowing that repentance and repentance 806 00:45:46,110 --> 00:45:49,150 S1: alone can transform the heart. And that's by the grace 807 00:45:49,150 --> 00:45:51,910 S1: of God. And we had a new direction. We can 808 00:45:51,950 --> 00:45:54,910 S1: begin to pray for people differently. As a pastor, here's 809 00:45:54,910 --> 00:45:57,710 S1: what I've seen over and over again. A lot of 810 00:45:57,710 --> 00:46:00,230 S1: parents will ask me, Carl, I don't know what's going 811 00:46:00,230 --> 00:46:02,720 S1: on with my kid. I don't know. How do I 812 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:05,680 S1: what do I do with them? And something is going 813 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:09,799 S1: on and they're passionate for their kid. And how do 814 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:12,719 S1: I pray for them? And I'll ask them a question. 815 00:46:12,719 --> 00:46:16,839 S1: Are they a follower of Jesus? Generally speaking, they will 816 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:21,440 S1: point back to a time, sometimes many years ago, when they, quote, 817 00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:24,040 S1: accepted Jesus into their heart or were involved in a 818 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:26,720 S1: youth group. I go, no, no, hold on. Slow down. 819 00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:29,880 S1: And I mean this in mercy. But is your son 820 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:35,240 S1: or daughter or loved one spouse? Do they exhibit a 821 00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:39,680 S1: heart for God and a desire, although imperfect, to follow 822 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:42,960 S1: Jesus with their whole heart and the generally? The response 823 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:49,919 S1: is no, not at all. Rather than praying, Oh God, 824 00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:52,640 S1: get my kid back to church. I think here's the 825 00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:57,560 S1: biblical prayer oh God, break my kid and do whatever 826 00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:00,370 S1: you need to do to show them that the gods 827 00:47:00,370 --> 00:47:03,490 S1: of this age that they are trying to derive life 828 00:47:03,489 --> 00:47:08,569 S1: from are empty. Reveal to them that your grace and 829 00:47:08,570 --> 00:47:13,210 S1: grace alone can bring them to repentance. God, don't let 830 00:47:13,210 --> 00:47:19,569 S1: them have themselves a cultural Christianity and God, thank you 831 00:47:19,570 --> 00:47:23,290 S1: for revealing to me that my prayer, most important prayer 832 00:47:23,290 --> 00:47:27,170 S1: is not God. Get them back in church, but God 833 00:47:27,170 --> 00:47:32,450 S1: get them in Jesus Christ. Game changer guys. 834 00:47:32,850 --> 00:47:36,250 S4: You know, and it's always so powerful when you share 835 00:47:36,250 --> 00:47:39,130 S4: that that's essentially what your dad said to you when 836 00:47:39,130 --> 00:47:42,530 S4: you sat you down on that hearth when you were 837 00:47:42,570 --> 00:47:44,489 S4: in your early 20s. And he said, I'm not going 838 00:47:44,530 --> 00:47:47,890 S4: to pray that God gets you back to church anymore, 839 00:47:47,930 --> 00:47:50,330 S4: that I'm going to pray that either you go all 840 00:47:50,330 --> 00:47:52,569 S4: in with him or he takes you out. 841 00:47:52,610 --> 00:47:53,410 S1: Takes you out of this world. 842 00:47:53,410 --> 00:47:56,489 S4: Because you're killing yourself with your decisions. And, you know, 843 00:47:56,530 --> 00:47:59,609 S4: I've heard it, I've heard this testimony. so I'm paraphrasing. 844 00:47:59,650 --> 00:48:00,610 S1: Yeah, you got it. 845 00:48:00,650 --> 00:48:03,370 S4: But I mean, what in a lot of ways that 846 00:48:03,370 --> 00:48:06,730 S4: can be a terrifying prayer as a parent. Right. I'm 847 00:48:06,730 --> 00:48:09,690 S4: sure that your dad said that with some real trembling. 848 00:48:09,890 --> 00:48:13,370 S1: Oh, of course. I mean, my dad loved me, and, 849 00:48:13,730 --> 00:48:17,050 S1: you know, he's he's in the presence of God right now. 850 00:48:17,090 --> 00:48:21,290 S1: My dad loved me so much, but he loved me 851 00:48:21,290 --> 00:48:25,969 S1: enough to pray tough prayers. And and I'm not saying 852 00:48:25,969 --> 00:48:29,049 S1: you love yourself, but there is a certain element of 853 00:48:29,050 --> 00:48:32,810 S1: self protectiveness to want our kids to be somewhere and 854 00:48:32,810 --> 00:48:35,850 S1: appealing back to something. In fact, I want to free 855 00:48:35,850 --> 00:48:44,210 S1: you from this. Don't let where your kids are at 856 00:48:44,210 --> 00:48:49,770 S1: with God. Don't let Satan make that an indictment on you. 857 00:48:50,210 --> 00:48:50,890 S4: That's good. 858 00:48:50,930 --> 00:48:51,810 S1: Don't do that. 859 00:48:51,850 --> 00:48:55,969 S4: Yeah. Is that that happens easily. It's almost like we 860 00:48:55,969 --> 00:48:59,860 S4: need to believe that certain things are true about our kids, 861 00:48:59,860 --> 00:49:02,779 S4: because to say that it's not, then it's like, well, 862 00:49:02,780 --> 00:49:05,500 S4: what does that say about me, about my parenting, about 863 00:49:05,820 --> 00:49:08,260 S4: all the times that I, that I took them to church? 864 00:49:08,260 --> 00:49:10,220 S4: Is this my fault that my kid is. 865 00:49:11,739 --> 00:49:14,180 S1: You know, here's here's the crazy thing about this. You 866 00:49:14,180 --> 00:49:17,540 S1: ready for this? I have seen people repent that had 867 00:49:17,540 --> 00:49:20,460 S1: the most screwed up parenting system that they were raised 868 00:49:20,460 --> 00:49:23,820 S1: in than you could ever imagine. And I've seen people 869 00:49:23,820 --> 00:49:32,460 S1: who were raised in freely good homes, imperfect but good homes, 870 00:49:32,620 --> 00:49:36,860 S1: whose kids don't even fake that they are Christian to 871 00:49:36,900 --> 00:49:42,660 S1: their parents. They're like, I'm out of here. At the 872 00:49:42,660 --> 00:49:44,779 S1: end of the day, this is the Holy Spirit that's 873 00:49:44,780 --> 00:49:47,859 S1: going to work. Is there value in going back to 874 00:49:47,860 --> 00:49:50,460 S1: a kid going, I gave you I crammed a cultural 875 00:49:50,460 --> 00:49:53,939 S1: Christianity down your throat. I just want you to know 876 00:49:53,940 --> 00:49:57,670 S1: that I. If there's something that you can own that 877 00:49:57,670 --> 00:50:01,190 S1: you say, forgive me for this, that's dynamite. But at 878 00:50:01,190 --> 00:50:03,710 S1: the end of the day, don't let your kids spiritual 879 00:50:03,710 --> 00:50:07,510 S1: condition be an indictment from Satan against you. Because, friend, 880 00:50:07,550 --> 00:50:11,590 S1: that's that's brutal. Instead, turn it back in his face 881 00:50:11,590 --> 00:50:16,590 S1: and say, I'm praying that you, um, who have deceived 882 00:50:16,590 --> 00:50:19,669 S1: many in this world today and even my kids, that 883 00:50:19,670 --> 00:50:21,830 S1: your work would be thwarted and that the Spirit of 884 00:50:21,830 --> 00:50:27,790 S1: God would bust through because the prayer of a parent 885 00:50:28,070 --> 00:50:32,390 S1: that says, my kid exhibits nothing as a disciple of Christ. 886 00:50:32,430 --> 00:50:35,030 S1: Now I'm no longer praying, God, get them to church, 887 00:50:35,030 --> 00:50:39,270 S1: get them found in Christ Jesus. And here's what I know. 888 00:50:40,030 --> 00:50:43,270 S1: Church is a called out ones group of people. When 889 00:50:43,270 --> 00:50:47,990 S1: someone is born again, there is a gravitational pull to 890 00:50:48,030 --> 00:50:53,109 S1: find people that have that same regenerated heart because all 891 00:50:53,150 --> 00:50:56,480 S1: of a sudden the old friends. They don't work anymore, man. 892 00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:00,840 S1: The old systems, they don't work anymore. So my appeal 893 00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:04,439 S1: would be. Just change your prayers from God. Get them 894 00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:06,440 S1: back in church. Get them back in the groove with you. 895 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:10,120 S1: Get them on track to God. There's a better chance 896 00:51:10,120 --> 00:51:12,200 S1: than not that my kids have never been on track 897 00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:15,320 S1: with you. Get them found in Jesus Christ, I pray. 898 00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:18,719 S1: And is that a hard prayer? 899 00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:20,280 S3: Absolutely. 900 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:22,000 S4: Absolutely. 901 00:51:22,120 --> 00:51:26,919 S1: Yeah, it's hard, but it's powerful. It's powerful. 902 00:51:28,480 --> 00:51:31,400 S6: You're listening to Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 903 00:51:31,800 --> 00:51:35,520 S1: Jonathan, the Holy Spirit bumped you with something, right? My man? 904 00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:35,960 S3: Yeah. 905 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:39,680 S2: I just wanted this to be an encouragement, uh, for you. 906 00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:43,799 S2: If this, you know, conversation about prayer for for your children, uh, 907 00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:47,359 S2: is really hitting you hard today. Uh, my brother, uh, 908 00:51:47,360 --> 00:51:51,000 S2: was was a kid just like me who who grew 909 00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:54,399 S2: up in church and was baptized early, and, he shared 910 00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:57,240 S2: this story actually on our radio show before. So I 911 00:51:57,360 --> 00:52:00,200 S2: can I can share what he's shared is that, you know, 912 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:02,680 S2: he he started to live a little bit of a 913 00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:08,680 S2: reckless life. He, he got into alcohol and drugs and, uh, 914 00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:11,759 S2: and things were crazy. And we knew that they were 915 00:52:11,760 --> 00:52:15,479 S2: crazy for him. And we had had these conversations on 916 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:19,240 S2: air about about that prayer that your dad prayed and, 917 00:52:19,400 --> 00:52:21,879 S2: and that kind of inspired me to start praying for 918 00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:23,280 S2: him in that same way. 919 00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:24,320 S1: Which is what way? 920 00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:30,800 S2: Which is Lord, save my brother or take him out, 921 00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:34,839 S2: which is because I knew how how hard things were, uh, 922 00:52:34,840 --> 00:52:38,000 S2: for him. Um, and so it was, God, don't get 923 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,840 S2: him into church. I want him, I want him to 924 00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:43,240 S2: know you. I want him to be transformed by you. And, uh, 925 00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:47,879 S2: sometime later, uh, he called me to let me know. Hey, 926 00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:51,480 S2: mom and Dad. Mom and dad called me and asked 927 00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:54,170 S2: me if I would be willing to go to rehab, 928 00:52:54,170 --> 00:52:57,450 S2: and I'm going to go. I'm willing. And and I 929 00:52:57,450 --> 00:53:00,450 S2: think the next day he took off for a rehab 930 00:53:00,450 --> 00:53:05,410 S2: in Georgia where he found the Lord. Genuinely, he was 931 00:53:05,410 --> 00:53:09,130 S2: out in their yard, uh, working through one of the 932 00:53:09,130 --> 00:53:11,770 S2: things that he was working through there. And, and he 933 00:53:11,770 --> 00:53:15,489 S2: heard from Jesus, there was like a Calvary kind of 934 00:53:15,530 --> 00:53:18,649 S2: replica in the, in the forest there. And he was 935 00:53:18,650 --> 00:53:21,290 S2: talking with God, and God said, go bow down in 936 00:53:21,290 --> 00:53:24,490 S2: front of the cross. And he said, God, that sounds 937 00:53:24,489 --> 00:53:26,890 S2: so stupid. I'm not going to do that. And and 938 00:53:26,890 --> 00:53:28,330 S2: he was like, no, go do it. He goes, you're 939 00:53:28,330 --> 00:53:30,689 S2: not actually there though. So that would look really dumb. 940 00:53:30,690 --> 00:53:32,170 S2: I'm not going to go do that. And he argued 941 00:53:32,170 --> 00:53:34,489 S2: with God, and God said, go do it. And he said, fine, 942 00:53:34,489 --> 00:53:37,529 S2: I'll go do it. And he walked over and he 943 00:53:37,530 --> 00:53:39,330 S2: kneeled in front of the cross. And he said, and 944 00:53:39,330 --> 00:53:41,330 S2: it was there that it was like I could see 945 00:53:41,330 --> 00:53:45,250 S2: the feet of Jesus hanging from the cross. And he said, 946 00:53:45,250 --> 00:53:47,330 S2: I broke down and I gave my life to him. 947 00:53:47,530 --> 00:53:50,930 S2: And for the first time transformed. He had the illusion 948 00:53:50,930 --> 00:53:56,020 S2: of salvation like I did, and it was from there 949 00:53:56,020 --> 00:53:58,180 S2: that he lived a new life, and he is now 950 00:53:58,300 --> 00:54:02,220 S2: a counselor at the rehab that he was a patient in. 951 00:54:02,540 --> 00:54:06,340 S2: And when his when his patients come into his office 952 00:54:06,340 --> 00:54:08,859 S2: for the first time, he shows him a picture of 953 00:54:08,860 --> 00:54:11,460 S2: the day he showed up to rehab. And he says, 954 00:54:11,460 --> 00:54:13,379 S2: this is what I looked like the first time I 955 00:54:13,380 --> 00:54:16,739 S2: walked into these doors. And and so he gets to 956 00:54:16,780 --> 00:54:19,739 S2: show people the hope he has in Christ because of 957 00:54:19,739 --> 00:54:22,899 S2: what God did in him. And and it was the 958 00:54:22,900 --> 00:54:27,020 S2: same way. And so be encouraged that God can perform 959 00:54:27,020 --> 00:54:32,060 S2: any miracle, uh, that that you may be having a 960 00:54:32,060 --> 00:54:33,980 S2: hard time believing him for. Yeah. 961 00:54:34,820 --> 00:54:37,180 S1: Yeah, it's really true. I mean, when you start praying 962 00:54:37,180 --> 00:54:39,379 S1: for your kids not to get back to church, but 963 00:54:39,380 --> 00:54:43,060 S1: to be actually found in Christ, that can be humbling. 964 00:54:43,060 --> 00:54:45,980 S1: It can be unnerving. Here's what you gotta hang on to. 965 00:54:46,580 --> 00:54:49,500 S1: As long as a person is alive on this earth, 966 00:54:49,870 --> 00:54:51,989 S1: They are not out of reach of God. And some 967 00:54:51,989 --> 00:54:54,189 S1: of you have kids that you're like, Carl, come on man, 968 00:54:54,230 --> 00:54:56,109 S1: you can't believe where my kids at. Yeah, they were 969 00:54:56,110 --> 00:54:59,150 S1: raised in church and I'm absolutely clear they were never 970 00:54:59,150 --> 00:55:04,310 S1: born again because of fill in the blank. But I 971 00:55:04,310 --> 00:55:08,549 S1: think the greatest. There are testimonies replete, and Satan's going 972 00:55:08,590 --> 00:55:10,710 S1: to try to have you go deaf to those. The 973 00:55:10,710 --> 00:55:13,870 S1: amount of people that have been called out of darkness 974 00:55:13,910 --> 00:55:19,070 S1: into light by the radical grace of God is just staggering. 975 00:55:19,989 --> 00:55:22,590 S1: And by the way, the the passage those who have 976 00:55:22,630 --> 00:55:25,509 S1: been forgiven much love much that has been taken out 977 00:55:25,590 --> 00:55:31,069 S1: of context. The context there is that when you understand 978 00:55:31,070 --> 00:55:38,190 S1: the grace of God, no matter how pristine you perceive 979 00:55:38,190 --> 00:55:46,310 S1: your life to have been. You love much? Yeah. And 980 00:55:46,310 --> 00:55:48,469 S1: that's what you want for your wayward kid. That's what 981 00:55:48,590 --> 00:55:50,910 S1: you want for your wayward brother. That's what you want 982 00:55:50,910 --> 00:55:54,830 S1: for your spouse who doesn't know Christ, but sometimes even 983 00:55:54,830 --> 00:55:58,029 S1: goes to church with you. So pray that they not 984 00:55:58,030 --> 00:56:00,430 S1: go to church, but that they'd be found in Christ, 985 00:56:00,430 --> 00:56:02,990 S1: and that God would do whatever is needed to bring 986 00:56:02,989 --> 00:56:04,989 S1: them to the end of themselves. Is it a hard 987 00:56:04,989 --> 00:56:08,070 S1: prayer to pray? Shoot. Yes, it's a hard prayer to pray. 988 00:56:08,910 --> 00:56:14,990 S1: Does it stink? Yeah. If it wasn't so bloomin effective. 989 00:56:16,110 --> 00:56:21,390 S1: Because it is effective. So cool day. All right, coming 990 00:56:21,390 --> 00:56:24,069 S1: up here. Allie's got some wingnut questions. She's going to 991 00:56:24,070 --> 00:56:26,029 S1: pitch my way. You want to save it or you 992 00:56:26,030 --> 00:56:27,710 S1: want to hit it? Or what do you want to do? 993 00:56:27,870 --> 00:56:30,270 S4: Yeah, I'll. I'll pitch it to you now, because I 994 00:56:30,270 --> 00:56:33,430 S4: think all of this leads. To what? How do I 995 00:56:33,469 --> 00:56:39,630 S4: share my testimony if my testimony involves some element of this? 996 00:56:40,110 --> 00:56:43,750 S4: How do I what language do I use? I find 997 00:56:43,790 --> 00:56:46,350 S4: that and this is true for myself, but I hear 998 00:56:46,350 --> 00:56:49,359 S4: this reflected in the way other people call in and 999 00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:53,080 S4: share too. Sometimes our language around what this all is 1000 00:56:53,120 --> 00:56:56,680 S4: gets really confusing. So let's talk about that coming up. 1001 00:56:56,719 --> 00:57:00,240 S1: I the reason I love that question is I think 1002 00:57:00,239 --> 00:57:04,279 S1: this story told rightly, especially raised in church and then 1003 00:57:04,280 --> 00:57:07,040 S1: found in Christ years later, could be the most powerful 1004 00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:09,520 S1: story ever, ever, for two reasons. Hang on. 1005 00:57:10,560 --> 00:57:15,120 S6: A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 1006 00:57:15,120 --> 00:57:18,720 S6: in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 1007 00:57:20,200 --> 00:57:23,280 S1: Flat out excited about this one. State the question again. 1008 00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:25,200 S1: I'm so giddy I can barely stand it. Ali. 1009 00:57:25,240 --> 00:57:27,200 S4: So a lot of times it's hard to share a 1010 00:57:27,200 --> 00:57:30,200 S4: testimony like this one. And so what you'll hear is 1011 00:57:30,200 --> 00:57:33,080 S4: people will use language like and I even saw this 1012 00:57:33,080 --> 00:57:36,760 S4: this morning, some someone said, I've, I've always been a Christian. 1013 00:57:37,080 --> 00:57:40,760 S4: I received Jesus as a teenager, but I really kind 1014 00:57:40,800 --> 00:57:43,400 S4: of became serious about my relationship with him within the 1015 00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:45,520 S4: last eight years. And so a lot of times you'll 1016 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:48,970 S4: hear people use language like that. I rededicated my life, 1017 00:57:48,970 --> 00:57:53,090 S4: I got serious, it became real to me, which all 1018 00:57:53,090 --> 00:57:55,250 S4: of it, let me not say all of it. I 1019 00:57:55,290 --> 00:57:58,490 S4: want to leave some room here for. But in almost 1020 00:57:58,490 --> 00:58:02,210 S4: all cases, that reveals that there was a time when 1021 00:58:02,210 --> 00:58:04,650 S4: you were under the illusion that you had something that 1022 00:58:04,650 --> 00:58:05,650 S4: perhaps you didn't. 1023 00:58:05,690 --> 00:58:08,450 S1: Yeah. And we haven't given language to the church for that. 1024 00:58:08,490 --> 00:58:11,729 S4: No we haven't. Yeah. So sometimes that feels very hard 1025 00:58:11,730 --> 00:58:14,050 S4: to describe and even a little shameful. 1026 00:58:14,290 --> 00:58:16,770 S1: Yeah, but there's no shame. Yeah. So you got to 1027 00:58:16,810 --> 00:58:19,450 S1: bust through that because that's a pride of what people 1028 00:58:19,450 --> 00:58:22,450 S1: perceive of me. Right. Let's just be real honest. Oh, 1029 00:58:22,490 --> 00:58:25,010 S1: what will they think? But if we can bust through 1030 00:58:25,050 --> 00:58:30,490 S1: that attack from Satan, there's two reasons why it is 1031 00:58:30,490 --> 00:58:33,770 S1: so important to share a story that you were raised 1032 00:58:33,770 --> 00:58:36,410 S1: in church. If that's you raised in a Christian culture, 1033 00:58:36,770 --> 00:58:40,050 S1: you had walked an aisle, you had prayed prayers, but 1034 00:58:40,050 --> 00:58:43,370 S1: you were never born again until I became a disciple 1035 00:58:43,370 --> 00:58:47,100 S1: of Christ here. That's when I had assurance of salvation. 1036 00:58:47,100 --> 00:58:49,340 S1: This is when I knew I was a follower of Christ. 1037 00:58:49,380 --> 00:58:54,340 S1: That's my story. Allie's young thunders. It's. And and by 1038 00:58:54,340 --> 00:58:56,460 S1: the way, that's the tip of the iceberg. You know 1039 00:58:56,460 --> 00:58:59,620 S1: how many people had that same experience that are in 1040 00:58:59,660 --> 00:59:03,140 S1: the church today? It is vast numbers of people. So 1041 00:59:03,460 --> 00:59:05,780 S1: the question is, how do you share that? Or and 1042 00:59:06,380 --> 00:59:09,660 S1: first off, I'd say straight up honestly. And here's why 1043 00:59:09,700 --> 00:59:13,580 S1: for two reasons. One is when you share with someone 1044 00:59:13,580 --> 00:59:16,460 S1: in this world, let's say they have no church affiliation 1045 00:59:16,460 --> 00:59:21,340 S1: at all. None when you share. Honestly, hey, here's my story. 1046 00:59:21,700 --> 00:59:24,060 S1: I was raised in church. Let's just grab young thunders. 1047 00:59:24,100 --> 00:59:26,220 S1: I was raised in church as a pastor's kid, went 1048 00:59:26,220 --> 00:59:30,540 S1: to Moody Bible Institute and then God, by his grace 1049 00:59:30,540 --> 00:59:33,420 S1: and power, caused me to repent of my sins and 1050 00:59:33,420 --> 00:59:37,180 S1: I surrendered all I was to Jesus Christ. There's two 1051 00:59:37,180 --> 00:59:41,860 S1: reasons that's powerful. One is they're hearing the gospel straight up, 1052 00:59:42,220 --> 00:59:46,500 S1: that it's about repentance, not about a culture, not about 1053 00:59:46,500 --> 00:59:49,500 S1: I was born into this religion. No, none of that. 1054 00:59:49,780 --> 00:59:53,900 S1: This is about a genuine relationship with the living God. 1055 00:59:53,900 --> 00:59:59,460 S1: That's powerful right there. It's called gospel clarity. Then there's 1056 00:59:59,460 --> 01:00:05,180 S1: something else I call cultural clarity. There are a lot 1057 01:00:05,180 --> 01:00:08,900 S1: of people confused about Christianity, because a lot of people 1058 01:00:08,900 --> 01:00:12,700 S1: who call themselves Christian aren't followers of Jesus Christ at all. 1059 01:00:12,700 --> 01:00:15,580 S1: And it's a massive turnoff. What you do when you 1060 01:00:15,620 --> 01:00:19,620 S1: share your story is you strip away from them. This 1061 01:00:19,620 --> 01:00:25,100 S1: notion that Christians do X and it and it clarifies 1062 01:00:25,100 --> 01:00:26,980 S1: things because they're going now in their mind, they're going, 1063 01:00:27,020 --> 01:00:29,900 S1: hold on a second. You mean to tell me there's 1064 01:00:29,900 --> 01:00:32,660 S1: a lot of people who claim to be Christian who 1065 01:00:32,660 --> 01:00:37,900 S1: genuinely aren't, and that's why their behavior is boom, this 1066 01:00:37,900 --> 01:00:41,460 S1: is what I experience from them. Yeah. So now all 1067 01:00:41,460 --> 01:00:44,110 S1: of a sudden they're off and Satan wants to hang 1068 01:00:44,150 --> 01:00:47,110 S1: them up on that. Well, if that's what Christians are, 1069 01:00:47,710 --> 01:00:50,910 S1: I ain't going there. So you've taken them off the 1070 01:00:50,910 --> 01:00:54,709 S1: hook of the cultural confusion. You've taken off the hook 1071 01:00:54,710 --> 01:01:00,230 S1: of gospel confusion, you've brought gospel clarity and cultural clarity, 1072 01:01:00,510 --> 01:01:04,310 S1: and God can use that mightily. Tell the whole story. 1073 01:01:04,350 --> 01:01:06,710 S1: Tell them how deceived you were, right, Allie. 1074 01:01:06,830 --> 01:01:10,990 S4: So should we back off of words like I? It 1075 01:01:10,990 --> 01:01:14,830 S4: became real to me, I rededicated, should we kind of 1076 01:01:15,110 --> 01:01:16,150 S4: maybe move those away? 1077 01:01:16,190 --> 01:01:17,430 S1: Yeah, yeah, I think. 1078 01:01:17,430 --> 01:01:18,670 S4: Just make it plain. 1079 01:01:18,710 --> 01:01:21,150 S1: Well, first off, we got to get real in our heart. 1080 01:01:21,190 --> 01:01:24,830 S1: When was I really born again? Pin that down as 1081 01:01:24,830 --> 01:01:28,030 S1: best you can. When was I truly transformed by the 1082 01:01:28,030 --> 01:01:31,510 S1: power and grace of God? Champion that moment and that 1083 01:01:31,510 --> 01:01:34,350 S1: brings clarity to everything else that was going on ahead 1084 01:01:34,350 --> 01:01:38,030 S1: of time. Then people make sense of this. 70% of 1085 01:01:38,030 --> 01:01:41,750 S1: Americans who call themselves Christian. Now it's clear.