S1: Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio.
S1: This is Carl and crew.
S2: Mornings, helping you take your next step with Jesus. That's
S2: what we're all about here.
S3: Ali, do you. Have you ever counted your steps? Have
S3: you ever worn some sort of a tracker?
S2: It's funny that you say, oh, steps. I thought you
S2: were meaning steps with Jesus. Uh, yeah, I have. Do
S2: you still have your step tracker?
S3: Oh, I do. And my daughter wears one, too. So
S3: she's always trying to compete with me.
S2: That's great.
S3: It's never even a competition. Mom, how are your steps doing?
S3: I'm somewhere around 3400. I have 11,000. It's always way more.
S3: So mom doesn't take nearly as many steps in a
S3: day as my active 13 year old.
S2: All we need you to take today is one giant step.
S3: Just one.
S2: And we've got some content that will help you do that.
S2: Does anyone else glad it's God's battle and not ours?
S3: You can say that again twice.
S4: About every day.
S2: Man. How do we get aligned with the God who?
S2: It's his battle, and yet he wants us to be
S2: overwhelmed by his grace and power in our life. All right.
S2: What's the best formation you guys love to see? I mean,
S2: you know, I use a marching band as a metaphor
S2: because it's.
S4: Oh, yeah.
S2: Have you ever seen those videos where the bands are
S2: running into one another?
S4: I haven't, but it sounds funny enough to. I need
S4: to check that out.
S2: No. Have you super tight? Have you seen him?
S5: Oh, yeah. Like I said, and I love the, like,
S5: the 1 or 2 little stragglers.
S2: No, that's the stragglers. I, I was always freaked out
S2: because I was in band for a little bit. We
S2: had to do a parade. Oh. And I told I
S2: remember telling our band director because this was like the
S2: beginning of the end for me. I was already getting
S2: burned out on this. And I played the French horn
S2: for ten years, if you can believe it. How does
S2: a guy mush the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race and
S2: play the French horn? Those don't go together.
S3: They're multifaceted.
S2: No, that's. Well, thank you for that, Ali.
S4: But that's.
S2: Not it. Let's go with that. Okay, but but I
S2: got out of that one quick because the marching band
S2: thing was crazy. You had to walk and keep your
S2: lips on this mouthpiece.
S4: Yeah.
S2: And on top of it, I had braces for my
S2: buck teeth. So I had to be careful. In fact,
S2: I wore these wax things. You guys are seeing me
S2: in here, but you can't see me out there. But
S2: where these where these wax things. You press the wax
S2: over the braces. Otherwise, when you pushed your lips against
S2: that mouthpiece, I would gouge up my lips.
S3: Oh, wow.
S4: Oh, yeah.
S2: Braces are sharp.
S4: Yeah.
S2: And then my, uh, private French horn teacher, Dan Heinen.
S2: He was quite a guy. This guy could flap play
S2: the French horn. Oh, my goodness, was he amazing?
S6: Dan Heinen doodle doodle doodle doodle.
S2: Anyway, I digress, but he told me, well, that don't
S2: put wax on there because you shouldn't be pressing that
S2: hard against your lips. So I didn't do it for
S2: a while, and then I came back and my my
S2: lips are like hamburger.
S3: Oh.
S4: Oh! Ew. That's so gross.
S3: Oh, that sounds really painful.
S5: No.
S2: Well, it wasn't good.
S4: No, no, it was not.
S2: No. 14 year old should have bloody lips from playing
S2: the French horn, for crying out loud.
S3: So, did.
S2: You like.
S3: The marching band formation aspect of.
S2: It? Well, I, you know, we did a few moves
S2: going down Fourth Avenue in, in Anchorage, Alaska. We did
S2: a few moves, but they weren't like marching band moves,
S2: but they were just enough to make me feel like
S2: Gomer Pyle.
S3: Oh.
S2: If you've ever seen that movie you know he gets
S2: out of step and he can't get in step. And
S2: it's like and I wasn't the worst I wasn't one
S2: of those stragglers. But we had one drummer man. He
S2: got all messed up. He's like heading the other direction.
S2: Oh no it was da dum dum dum da dum
S2: da dum da dum. If you're old enough. Notice the
S2: rise I got out of everyone in the studio here.
S2: Boom crew. As I mentioned Gomer Pyle being out of step.
S2: Full glazed donut looks here. They have no clue.
S5: I don't know who it is you know.
S2: But you know the opening to that thing where he
S2: can't keep in step.
S5: Oh absolutely. Oh yeah.
S3: Was that from the Andy Griffith Show?
S2: No.
S5: Yes. He was a character. Yes.
S2: Yeah, he was a character in Andy. Yeah. You're right.
S5: Okay. And the show kicked off from there.
S4: He had his own show, a spin off.
S5: A spin off.
S4: Yeah, I just know the the little Shazam. Like this. Shazam! Yeah.
S4: I don't know anything else.
S3: We're totally clued in here.
S2: Okay, so here's the deal. Let me get us back
S2: on track here since I got us way off track.
S2: What's the most beautiful formation you have ever seen? Is
S2: it geese that are migrating north?
S4: That's a good one. I think for me, it's, uh,
S4: synchronized Olympic diving. That's a good formation.
S2: What are you on about? Super dive.
S5: You love the water. I was just surprised he picked that.
S5: It was more of like not laughing at the answer,
S5: but like that.
S4: It was Jonathan's answer.
S5: Yeah. Yeah.
S2: I love I it's it's the Chinese that do the
S2: minimal splash thing.
S4: I know it's insane.
S2: They do.
S4: That. They're very good at it. I don't I do
S4: not get it.
S2: All right. Other great formations that you love.
S3: I like to see birds fly in formation. I find
S3: that to be fascinating. And I remember being at a
S3: stoplight one time, and this was in the middle of,
S3: of Chicago. So it was kind of odd to just
S3: look up and see this. And these birds, they were
S3: in the perfect vee. And then all of a sudden
S3: it was like they all just took a dive left
S3: and they all did it except for like three birds.
S3: And so they were kind of like your straggler marching bands.
S3: There were like some straggler birds.
S5: That.
S3: Like, missed the memo that, hey, we're going to take
S3: a left. But I thought, wow, I just stared at
S3: the sky because I find the way that they move
S3: in sync to be totally awe inspiring. Like how?
S2: How do they.
S3: It's amazing in Information.
S5: I love dance chorus line like in the ballet. The
S5: ensemble of a really beautiful ballet. And that whole group
S5: of just. Just the dancers in sync. Oh, beautiful.
S2: Oh, how about the Rockettes?
S5: Well, there you go.
S2: I mean, that is an amazing thing, watching the Rockettes
S2: like those high kicks. Yeah, those high kicks and stuff.
S2: That's an epic formation thing. Okay, coming up here, what
S2: we're going to be talking about is formation. We're going
S2: to talk today about formation of the will. Now I
S2: need to warn you ahead of time. We've got so
S2: much content in here today on the formation of the will.
S2: And the central passage is Jesus on the Mount of Olives.
S2: Not my will, but yours. Be done. What a model.
S2: What a model. It's epic. So we're going to break
S2: that down here today. But you're going to want the
S2: show cast already. So we're going to give it to
S2: you right now because there's no way unless you hang
S2: around for a full two hours, You're not going to
S2: get all this content today. Take it away. Ali. How
S2: do they get the showcase?
S3: Just text show to 800 555 78, 98. Just that
S3: one word show to 800, 555, 78, 98. You'll get
S3: that back links for both iPhone and Android. So you're
S3: all set. Show 800 555 7898.
S2: Not my will, but yours. Be done. Getting aligned with
S2: our Savior. Well, spiritual formation is are one of my
S2: favorite topics on the planet because at the end of
S2: the day, we can be born again and still out
S2: of sync with God. Fair enough guys.
S4: Yeah, absolutely.
S3: What do you mean by what do we mean by
S3: spiritual formation?
S2: You know, let's just break it down. This simply. I'm
S2: going to use a Dallas Willard quote. Spiritual formation for
S2: the Christian basically refers to a spirit driven, Holy Spirit
S2: driven process of forming the inner world of the human
S2: self in such a way that it becomes like the
S2: inner being of Christ himself. That's Dallas Dallas Willard, one
S2: of the foremost modern authorities. He's gone on to his
S2: reward on spiritual formation, divine conspiracy. Phenomenal book. Guys. If
S2: you can get through the first third, you made it
S2: home and you'll get to back half. It'll be beautiful.
S2: But it's, um. It's an amazing thing to look at
S2: Jesus himself on the Mount of Olives, and he's facing
S2: crucifixion and he says, oh, God, if you can take
S2: this cup from me, that'd be great, but not my.
S2: Will yours be done? Now, our savior modeled something powerful.
S2: But there's a few things you've got to know about
S2: God's sovereign will. And in just a couple of minutes,
S2: we're going to break it down. Three things you need
S2: to know about God's sovereign will. This will anchor you
S2: big time. This is like revolutionary stuff when you get
S2: this etched in your etched in your brain and in
S2: your soul and in your spirit, it'll change everything. Hang on.
S1: Start your day moving closer to Jesus. You're listening to
S1: Carl and crew.
S2: I am so giddy today. I can barely stand it.
S5: Really?
S2: Yeah, I am fired up.
S3: Why does this get you so excited?
S2: This topic we often don't talk about kind of the
S2: path to sanctification, and that is a big fancy word
S2: for growing up in Jesus. But the spiritual formation of
S2: our will, getting aligned with God's who. Katie, bar the
S2: door and we're going to break it down. What is
S2: God's will for you? We're going to be hitting that
S2: later on this hour, but let me just break down
S2: a few here, Ali, if I could. And I want
S2: to give correct attribution. By the way, if you ever
S2: learn something from someone and then you repeat it, give attribution.
S3: I love that word. As a former journalist, attribution is really,
S3: really important. Tell us where you got your information.
S2: Yeah. So in Wayne Grudem systematic theology, he breaks down
S2: what he believes are kind of the three big buckets
S2: of things you need to know about God's sovereign will.
S2: Let me let me riff through them here. And then
S2: I'm going to let you guys comment on these and
S2: we'll take them one at a time. God's sovereign will
S2: is hidden until it happens. Fascinating. Look at this. Deuteronomy 2929.
S2: The secret things of God belong to the Lord our God.
S2: But the things that are revealed belong to us and
S2: to our children forever, that we may do all the
S2: words of his law. Here's the deal God's sovereign plans
S2: are often hidden from us until they unfold, but his
S2: revealed will is given for our obedience. So the secret
S2: things belong to the Lord. But the things that are
S2: revealed belong to us. In other words, whatever God shows us,
S2: do it. But oftentimes, God's will will not be revealed
S2: until Bada Bing, it shows up. Fair enough. We see
S2: that in our life, right?
S4: Yeah, I've seen that in mine. And you know, my
S4: dad's a pastor in something that he said to me
S4: before about God's will. He's like, I feel like God
S4: doesn't show us his will sometimes, because we like to
S4: give our own input about how his will might need
S4: to be changed and and how things may need to
S4: be different to fit what we want. And so I
S4: kind of like the fact that God doesn't let us
S4: in on everything all at once, all the time, because
S4: I am prone to try to go my own way.
S3: Okay, so can I kind of push back just a
S3: little bit what I think someone might say to this. Okay,
S3: so someone who would maybe be skeptical, say would, well,
S3: basically you're saying that anything that happens once I see
S3: that it happens, I can say that that was God's will.
S2: Absolutely. God is sovereign over all things. Now, the sovereignty
S2: of God does not delight in. And I'm going to
S2: get to a third point here. God's sovereign will does
S2: not delight over tragedy, but in a broken and fallen world.
S2: He will leverage those things. So this is a this
S2: is a difficult topic because this leads to the question
S2: of why does a good God let evil persist? Sure.
S2: And that's one of those that we're going to have
S2: to spend a week on down the road. Uh, in fact,
S2: we hit that hot topic here. When was that? Six,
S2: eight months ago. We brought in. I forget his name,
S2: but it's a good topic, and it's a hard one
S2: because you're like, oh, God, why does this happen? But
S2: sometimes God's sovereign will is hidden until it happens. And
S2: when it happens, it's like, wow, that's tough. In fact,
S2: that leads to the third point. But let me hit
S2: the second first here, Ali. That's great. I mean, let's
S2: always be honest with it here. Sometimes God's sovereign will
S2: you look at it and you go, wow, you allowed
S2: that to happen. And the answer is he did. And
S2: that's tough. The second one, though, is really good. And
S2: there's a red thread of redemption in it here. God's
S2: sovereign will cannot ultimately be thwarted. Remember, this is Isaiah
S2: 46 nine through ten. Remember the former things of old,
S2: for I am God, and there is no other. I
S2: am God, and there is none like me declaring the
S2: end from the beginning and from ancient times things not
S2: yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will
S2: accomplish all my purpose. God's purposes are going to prevail, guys.
S2: Nothing can hinder his plans. Now, I think the encouragement
S2: of that one. Ali, is it kind of buffers the
S2: first one. His his will is hidden until it happens,
S2: but ultimately his ultimate plan cannot be thwarted. What do
S2: we know from Scripture? We know that those who are
S2: in Christ Jesus have this new Jerusalem, this new abiding
S2: relationship with God for eternity. And we hold on to
S2: that knowing that's coming and that will cannot be thwarted.
S2: Anyone else fired up about that?
S4: Absolutely.
S3: We can't mess it up. We can't somehow do something.
S3: And then all of a sudden God's scrambling, going, okay,
S3: I had this plan, but now Carl did this. And
S3: so now I got to figure out a way to.
S3: No it doesn't. We don't have the power to thwart
S3: what he's going to do.
S2: Yes. And then I think this third point that Wayne
S2: Grudem highlights, that's so good is probably one of the
S2: greatest encouragements for why do evil things happen. So I
S2: think this will answer it. God's sovereign will. Number three
S2: involves both good and evil. Genesis 50, verse 20. You
S2: guys might remember this story, Joseph. As for you, he
S2: spoke to his brothers. You meant evil against me, but
S2: God meant it for good to bring it about, that
S2: many people should be kept alive as they are today. Boom!
S2: How encouraging is that?
S4: Yeah, it is encouraging because broken things are going to
S4: happen in a broken world. But the fact that God
S4: can say, listen, I'm not going to take away every
S4: broken thing right now, but I am going to use
S4: them for my glory and I'm going to use them
S4: to prosper you. And I think that that's important is
S4: that even when hard things happen, God is still letting
S4: them happen for our good.
S2: Yeah. I mean, and this all this does scripture echoes
S2: this truth from beginning to end. And then James, the
S2: half brother of Jesus, my favorite, maybe my one of
S2: my favorite passages in the New Testament is James one
S2: two through four. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever
S2: you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
S2: the testing of your faith develops, perseverance and perseverance Parents
S2: must finish its work so that you may be mature
S2: and complete, lacking in nothing. That's it. What a great example.
S2: That's Joseph's story. So there were greater purposes even through evil.
S2: So God's sovereign will involves both good and evil. Not perfect,
S2: is it?
S3: What do you mean, not it?
S2: It. If we could script this thing out, we'd have
S2: heaven right now.
S4: Absolutely.
S3: Yeah. I mean, there's a remember a pastor saying one
S3: time that to live as a Christ follower, you have
S3: to be comfortable with a certain element of mystery. I mean,
S3: you can, depending on the really hard thing you're facing
S3: right now to hear that this is God's will for
S3: your life, but he'll use it maybe doesn't feel so
S3: satisfying in this moment. It might feel a little hollow
S3: if we're just being honest. You're facing the worst case
S3: scenario in whatever you're dealing with and you're going, okay,
S3: I'm I'm trying to make sense of it. I'm trying
S3: to trust that God's going to use it for good.
S3: But maybe you're not there just yet. What do you
S3: say to that, Carl?
S2: All things work together for good. For those who love God.
S2: Those that are called according to his purpose. I've got I, I,
S2: I anchor myself in truths like that. I anchor myself
S2: in James one two through four. And you need to.
S2: To Allie's right. You're getting up this morning and you're
S2: facing something. You're like, Carl, I don't want this. I
S2: get that. We does anyone here not get that? Don't
S2: we all get that?
S7: Oh, yeah, we get that.
S2: And yet I've lived long enough to see things that
S2: I went through. Soul crushing up in the middle of
S2: the night crying. Yeah. Grown man crying 3 a.m.. Am
S2: only to see his wife crying so I can I
S2: got now I've got my. My buddy can't comfort me
S2: because I got to comfort her and we got to
S2: comfort each other and it's hard. And yet I can
S2: look back at that and I can say it is
S2: well with my soul because I saw God use it.
S2: Is it easy? No, it stinks man. But God is
S2: sovereign over all things. Coming up, we're going to break
S2: this down. In fact, I'm going to illustrate this in
S2: a really cool way. When Jesus prayed, not my will,
S2: but yours be done, he displayed something, didn't he? It's like, hey, um,
S2: is there any way you can get me out of
S2: going to the cross and bearing the sins of this
S2: world on my shoulders? Is there any way? But if not,
S2: your will be done. And the question is, is that
S2: good enough? Coming up, I'm going to try to give
S2: a picture of this from my first sled dog I
S2: ever had in my life. It might paint a pretty
S2: clear picture. Guys, ever go adopt a pet?
S3: Eh, no.
S5: Oh, yeah.
S4: Yes.
S5: For sure.
S3: Oh, sorry. Just me?
S4: Well. It's okay. Mine was for 24 hours. You remember?
S8: You remember that, I remember that.
S3: Oh, I remember, we remember that. That was.
S8: Well, was that the dog that pooped all over the
S8: house and wouldn't stop?
S4: Yes. Uh, that was in all in all honesty, I
S4: the the purchase was, uh, a heart purchase. It was
S4: a little premature in terms of what we could handle,
S4: what I could handle. I'll say that. Uh, I agreed, say,
S4: let's get this dog. Got it. Uh, you know, waking
S4: up early for a morning show. This dog did not
S4: want to go to bed. Sitting there crying, I stayed
S4: up all night trying to calm down and help him,
S4: and I let him out of his crate and was like,
S4: maybe the space will help. He just walked out and
S4: then he started pooping everywhere. And he was running. He
S4: was running and he was pooping and it was horrible.
S4: And I was getting sick. And I'm sitting on the ground, dry.
S2: Heaving, dry.
S4: Heaving. I'm dry heaving at 3:00 in the morning and
S4: I haven't slept one lick. And, uh, and then later.
S2: In the night, it's God's will that this guy go back.
S4: I said, I said, uh, I think Jonathan bit off
S4: a little more than he can chew. Uh, sweet wife
S4: of mine. Can we take him back? It's it's not
S4: too late. He hasn't attached himself to us. Can we
S4: just give him right back? And we did. Oh, man.
S9: Oh, boy.
S2: Well, if you want a story that went a little
S2: bit better.
S7: I.
S2: Adopted. I went down to the dog pound in Anchorage, Alaska,
S2: and I now had a full blown passion to someday
S2: compete in the Iditarod trail race. And you know how
S2: you start. You get one dog and I went down
S2: and I'm walking up and down death row, basically in
S2: the Anchorage dog pound. Yeah. And I'm looking up and
S2: down and my heart's breaking because all these guys, most
S2: of them are like, hey, take me. And it's it's tough, man.
S2: It's tough.
S7: It's tough.
S2: And I look down and I see this. I see
S2: this quiet girl, beautiful husky. And she's not asking, take me.
S2: She's just huddled up and looks sad as could be.
S2: I said, hey, come up here. And she got up,
S2: came to the fence and started licking me through the fence.
S2: And I said, dad, this is my first husky. He said,
S2: all right, Carl, let's get him. Took her home and
S2: I don't know why I named her this. I have
S2: no clue, but named her target. Maybe I was aiming
S2: for something, right?
S7: There you go. And.
S2: You know, I've. I started working with her and she
S2: was oh my goodness, she was a piece of work.
S2: I loved that girl. But boy, she didn't know anything
S2: about pulling in in a harness. I'm like girl, you're
S2: you're you're bred for this. This is.
S3: You're a husky.
S2: You're a husky. You got to. We got to go now.
S2: And I started putting plastic sleds with logs in them
S2: and kind of walking in front of her around the yard.
S2: And pretty quick, she's getting this thing and we start
S2: getting a couple more dogs, and she's getting into the
S2: team and she's working pretty well. And then it came
S2: time for me to get with a good friend of mine,
S2: and he's got a big string of dogs, and he
S2: was going up above the tree line in Anchorage and
S2: up an area called flattop. And we we went up there.
S2: He invited me to come along. He said, bring that.
S2: Bring that first dog of yours, target. Let's see how
S2: she does in a big, big dog team. I said great. Well,
S2: she had now bonded with me big time, and she
S2: was used to me getting out in front to get
S2: them going and all that. It's like, oh boy, here
S2: we go. The dogs are just screaming to go. And
S2: she's just like, I'm man, I'm I, I'm. She was ready.
S2: She's jumping in the harness. I'm like this is great.
S2: So I run back to the sled and I jump
S2: on the runners with my buddy. My buddy was about
S2: 30 years older than me. He was actually my pastor.
S2: And he pulls the snowhook, which is the dog mushing
S2: emergency brake, and off they go. Except target. She's sitting
S2: on her booty, looking back at me, getting drug at
S2: terminal velocity down the trail.
S7: Oh no.
S5: No no.
S2: And I'm like, whoa, target. Get up, get up girl,
S2: this is not going to feel good for you. Couldn't
S2: get her going. My buddy stops the team and he says,
S2: why don't you run out in front of her, run
S2: down the trail and hide behind a tree. So. I did,
S2: so I ran down the trail, jumped off the trail,
S2: hid behind a tree, and I looked through the branches
S2: and he let that team go. And she is full steam.
S2: I mean, she was pulling the whole team. She's like,
S2: I've got to get Carl. I got to find him,
S2: got to find him, got to find my buddy. And
S2: they go scooting on by. I quietly jump out of
S2: where I was hiding, jump onto the runners as a
S2: sled as it's going by. He didn't hit the brakes
S2: and she's going great until she turned around looking for
S2: me and she sees me back there. Boom! Plops on
S2: her booty again.
S4: She goes, all right, I'm done. I found.
S7: Him.
S2: She's like, hey, stop this, stop this thing. My buddy's
S2: behind me again. Coming up here in a few minutes,
S2: I want to tell you the rest of the story
S2: with target. It's a beautiful story, and it's going to
S2: reveal for us how a relationship with God can start
S2: to align our lives with him, even when he asks
S2: us to do things that we aren't naturally made to do.
S2: Not my will, but yours be done. Rest of the
S2: story coming up.
S1: Your spiritual pit stop to keep you going in the race.
S1: You're listening to Carl and crew.
S2: Not my will, but yours. Be done. Jesus said it
S2: on the Mount of Olives found in Luke 2224. What
S2: a model our Savior put on display. Did that have
S2: to be cited in the Gospels three times, by the way? No.
S2: It's there. Why? Listen, we are disciples of Jesus Christ,
S2: and he paved the way for us. I'm telling a
S2: story about my first sled dog, target. She was quite
S2: a girl, really? For a sled dog. Well built, you know. It's.
S2: She wasn't higher in the hind quarters than the front.
S2: Sometimes you get dogs that are built that way. That's
S2: not ideal for sled dog mushing. And she had a
S2: she had a great build for sled dog and she
S2: had great heart. As I continued to train target and
S2: next few years went by, she got stronger and stronger
S2: in that team. She wasn't the highest performing dog, but
S2: she was a good, faithful team dog. She was never
S2: in wheel right in front of the sled. She was
S2: never in lead. A couple of times that I tried
S2: to put her in lead, she would just look back
S2: at me like, man, this is this is not my jam, Carl.
S2: This is not what I made to do. And I
S2: had a certain affection for her because she was the
S2: first one I got into a race year before I
S2: competed in the Iditarod Trail Race. It was a 200
S2: mile sled dog race. I actually got a waiver to
S2: compete against adults. I was 17, but I got a
S2: waiver to compete because I appealed that I was getting
S2: ready for the Iditarod and they said, all right, we're
S2: going to we're going to let you do this thing.
S2: And I wanted to make a good showing in this race.
S2: I didn't want to let them down and go, oh, great.
S2: 17 year old gets lost in 200 mile dog sled
S2: race and dies thanks to the adults. That said, go
S2: ahead and do it. I didn't want to do that.
S2: I got out into this race and we were flying.
S2: I had an amazing team, but they had a poor
S2: musher and I was letting these guys go too fast,
S2: too soon. And we had 100 miles to go on
S2: this first leg of the race. I was about 30
S2: miles into it and I was in second place. And
S2: I shouldn't have been, I should have, I should have
S2: slowed the team down. I was going way too fast,
S2: and my lead dogs just started to kind of drop
S2: on me. They were getting a little bit discouraged. It
S2: can be a lot of head pressure on a sled
S2: dog when they're running lead, especially at that pace. And
S2: I had a couple of lead dogs go down, and
S2: by this time I'm on the big Susitna River when
S2: my final lead dog began to go down. And when
S2: I say go down, it just means that they their
S2: tug line loosens up, they look back and they're like,
S2: I got to stop now. And they just sit down
S2: and the whole team balls up around them. Now I'm
S2: getting nervous. It's getting cold. Teams are passing me. I'm
S2: trying to swap other dogs up in lead. I start
S2: going through the team, going through the team and guys,
S2: I'm out of lead dogs. I've got no one that's
S2: got the stuff to lead this team. And I'm thinking
S2: the only way I'm going to get my leaders to
S2: get out here and lead this team and continue in
S2: this race, get me off this river for which I'm stuck,
S2: and it's well below zero, and the wind's about to
S2: pick up. And I'm like, man, we got a problem here.
S2: And I went to my final dog, target. And I
S2: got down on that riverbed on my knees, and I
S2: looked her square in the eyes. And I said, girl,
S2: we've been together a long time. Goodness sakes, I'm going
S2: to get choked up here. I said, girl, we've been
S2: together a long time here and I need your help.
S2: I know you're not a leader, but the rest of
S2: this team is fried. And I'm just wondering, would you
S2: help me out? Because she understood what I was saying.
S2: I unclipped her from team, not knowing what she'd do.
S2: I put her up in single lead. No other dog
S2: with her. I snapped both tug lines to her. That
S2: normal normally would have been one for each dog and
S2: dual lead, and put her in single lead? Walk back
S2: to those runners. I said, target girl, are you ready
S2: to go? She looked back at me and she gave
S2: me one big lunge at that tug line like, let's go.
S3: Oh, wow.
S2: I pulled the snow hook. We got off the big Sioux.
S2: She leaned into that harness for another 40 or 50 miles.
S2: When I'd stop to snack them with little bits of
S2: salmon head and different snacks that I had, she would
S2: look at me like, let's go again. And we would
S2: go again. I ultimately got to the halfway checkpoint. My
S2: dad was concerned I was way behind the whole pack
S2: of mushers. He didn't know what was going on out there.
S2: My dad had his headlamp on by now. The sun's
S2: long been set. It's the middle of the night. And
S2: I remember my dad greeting me at the halfway point.
S2: Targets pulling hard and lead. The team goes by him
S2: and he gives me a big hug as I'm standing
S2: on the sled runner as he goes, what's going on?
S2: I said, man, we were stuck. He said, targets in lead.
S2: I said, yeah, targets in lead, dad. I had a
S2: talk with her on the big Sioux and she agreed
S2: she'd do this thing for me. You know, I never
S2: asked target to lead again. We made a deal that day,
S2: but she got me those hundred miles. And I share
S2: that story just to highlight for you that sometimes God
S2: is going to ask you to do things that seem
S2: very hard. You might not feel geared for it or
S2: wired for it. But if you can be a person
S2: today that says not my will, but yours be done.
S2: I think you're going to get a big old hug
S2: from God at the at the finish line of this
S2: trial that he's calling you to go through. I think
S2: it'll be beautiful. I've often thought about target. And how
S2: her story relates so much to mine and yours. We
S2: go through life and we hear the voice of God saying,
S2: I want you to have this tough conversation. God, I
S2: don't do tough conversations. I want to call you to
S2: leave this town. God. All my family's here. I want
S2: you to move to a new job. I want you
S2: to step up to be a small group leader. God,
S2: I'm not a small group leader. And if you listen closely.
S2: You might hear the father kneel down beside you, saying,
S2: I need you for this stretch of the race. I
S2: need you for this stretch of the race. Not my will,
S2: but yours be done. So I just want to ask
S2: you today. Do you hear the voice of God? Is
S2: there something he's calling you to do that you feel
S2: like I'm not wired for that? Could you get someone else?
S2: Could you? Could you tap someone else on the shoulder?
S2: But if you listen closely, you might in fact hear
S2: the voice of God calling you, saying, I need you
S2: for this role today. And here's the beauty of it.
S2: There's a lot of targets out there. That would stand
S2: and testify today. We got there. I got a big
S2: old hug from God. And it worked out. Well, God
S2: call you back into that position again? I don't know.
S2: But when you say not my will, but yours be done.
S2: Amazing things can happen today. I want that for you.
S2: We want that for you. Let God lead. Have you
S2: underestimated the power of your testimony. Possibly if you go
S2: into the book of revelation, the linchpin turning point is
S2: in the tribulation about half way through, and I'm going
S2: to back up and get some context here for one
S2: of the coolest verses of the power of your spoken testimony.
S2: Go all the way back to verse seven in chapter
S2: 12 of revelation. Now war arose in heaven. Michael the
S2: archangel and his angels fighting against the dragon and the
S2: dragon and his angels. So this is Satan. And all
S2: his demonic forces fought back, but he was defeated and
S2: there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
S2: And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent
S2: who was called the devil, and Satan, the deceiver of
S2: the whole world. This is where we get the theological
S2: premise and context for how Satan deceives, thrown down to
S2: the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
S2: Verse ten. And I heard a loud voice, This is
S2: John now repeating what he heard from from Jesus himself
S2: in heaven, saying, now the salvation and the power, and
S2: the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his
S2: Christ have come. For the accuser of our brothers has
S2: been thrown down or could be translated. Brothers and sisters
S2: has been thrown down. Who accuses them day and night
S2: before our God? So here we have in a few
S2: short verses. He's the accuser. He is the deceiver. But
S2: now he's thrown down. Theologians say this is the linchpin
S2: verse that I'm about to read, where everything shifts in
S2: the spiritual realm. Verse 11, and they have conquered him
S2: by the blood of the lamb, and by the word
S2: of their testimony. For they loved not their lives, even
S2: unto death. Here's what's going on. There are, no matter
S2: where you're at theologically, whether you're eschatology is that we
S2: are going to be here through the tribulation or the
S2: church is raptured out before the tribulation. There are God's
S2: kids who are so radically transformed that they stand strong
S2: no matter the cost, even under the point of death.
S2: And it's through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and
S2: the testimony of brothers and sisters that this all happened.
S2: Pretty powerful ally.
S3: When you think about the power of testimony. I mean,
S3: we would probably share our testimony more if we read
S3: this verse every morning.
S2: Yes. And this is why ally gets so fired up.
S2: And so many of you have been bolstered because there's
S2: something about hearing people's stories. It's why when you go
S2: to a church on a weekend, you hear someone's story. It's. whoa, good.
S2: It fuels you, it inspires you. It takes away some fear,
S2: possibly in you. But Ali has a whole podcast committed
S2: to this. This is what you do, right, Ali?
S3: Yeah. I've got over 100 testimonies that I've been able
S3: to collect and share over the last 3 or 4 years,
S3: and each one of them is unique. There's the pivotal
S3: moment that shaped your faith in Christ. That's the premise
S3: of it. And so people go a lot of different directions.
S3: And I've gotten to talk to higher profile guests. And
S3: then one person who we asked, hey, do you want
S3: to be on this podcast? And she said, what's a podcast?
S2: So that's awesome.
S3: She's 82 years old and she'd never heard of a podcast.
S7: So awesome.
S3: That's the full gamut.
S2: What do you think a podcast is? If you've never
S2: heard it and you hear it for the first time?
S2: It's like, uh, pea pods. You're casting them out into
S2: the wind. I don't know. What would a podcast be?
S2: A sleeping pod that you cast into the lake?
S7: I don't.
S2: Know. I don't know. Oh. That's precious. So I want
S2: you to get it. If you have not heard these
S2: stories and you want something more than Doomscrolling cat videos,
S2: we got it for you. Text the word snap to
S2: 855 five 7898. Text snap to 855 five 7898. The
S2: hope of Jesus Christ has been planted in you. You've
S2: been transformed by God and you've been asked on one occasion,
S2: where in the world does this hope come from? And
S2: God gave you a t ball setup to share the
S2: good news. The power of testimony. Are you kidding me?
S2: Revelation chapter 12, verse 11. And they have conquered him
S2: by the blood of the lamb, and by the word
S2: of their testimony. For they loved not their lives, even
S2: unto death. Oh my goodness, what an inspiring vision of
S2: those in the middle of the tribulation who are being
S2: used by God so powerfully that, yes, the blood of
S2: the lamb who saved them. But through the word of
S2: their testimony, Satan is deported from the presence of God.
S2: Everything shifts in this verse in revelation 12. Everything changes
S2: going forward because of a spoken word of testimony.
S4: You know, for me, this reminds me of a couple
S4: years ago I went to a wedding of my old
S4: high school buddy, and I was in in the wedding party,
S4: and so was another friend of ours from high school.
S4: And he isn't saved. And I wasn't at the time
S4: I knew him, but I was going to church all
S4: the time and, you know, but at the time he
S4: knew me in high school, I was living a very
S4: double life. He knew I went to church. I invited
S4: him to church sometimes, but then we would go and
S4: run off and do crazy things together. That absolutely proved
S4: that I didn't know God. And and so we we
S4: got together and were talking and he was like, dude,
S4: I think you'll be really excited. He goes, I'm doing
S4: a lot of like, spiritual searching right now. Um.
S7: Wow.
S4: And I was like, oh, this is awesome. And I said, well, dude,
S4: I was like, let me tell you about what God's
S4: been doing in my life lately, because this was this
S4: was just a couple years after I got genuinely saved.
S4: And so I was able to talk to him and say, hey, man, like,
S4: I know when you knew me in high school, I was,
S4: you know, I was going to church and I was
S4: doing all these things. And I said, but I don't
S4: I didn't really know God at the time. And I
S4: was like, I was living this life this way. And
S4: it was a wreck. And I go, but now he's
S4: really changed me. And there are these things. And I
S4: specifically laid them out and said, he's pulled these out
S4: of my life and he's allowing me to thrive in
S4: this way. And it was it was a great experience
S4: to be able to share with someone who I shared
S4: Jesus in an incorrect way in the past, but was
S4: able to say, hey man, I was wrong in that way.
S4: I lived Jesus for you. And I was like, now
S4: I can. Now he's changed me. And it was it
S4: was really cool.
S3: Oh, wow. Well, did he seem receptive? He he.
S7: Surprised.
S4: He did seem receptive. I think he was. He was
S4: very you know, I don't I don't think it it
S4: brought him to Jesus. I, I pray it planted a seed,
S4: but but he seemed really like. Oh, that's cool man.
S4: I'm I'm happy that this is what's going on in
S4: your life. And so he was at least receptive and not,
S4: you know, pushing me off.
S7: That's awesome.
S2: That's beautiful. What's your story, Anthony? In Illinois. Thanks for
S2: holding on. What's your story, my man?
S10: Hey, Carl. Ali, young son. I love you guys so much.
S10: I'm a soldier. And recently I got awarded a little
S10: coin for. For my hard work during this most recent exercise.
S10: And one of the traditions when you receive an award
S10: is everyone yells speech! Speech. So? So I. My heart
S10: was beating so fast. I was so nervous. But I
S10: was just praising the Lord in my heart. I'm like
S10: alright Lord. So I had an opportunity to tell everyone
S10: that it was because of my relationship with God that
S10: I was behaving the way that I was and and
S10: that I primarily tried to serve him to the best
S10: of my abilities. And, uh, I was too nervous to
S10: really get the whole gospel out. That was about it.
S10: And then everyone clapped for me. But later on that day, um,
S10: I got approached by one of my other fellow soldiers,
S10: and he was like, hey, man, you know, there's something,
S10: something different about you. You know, you always talk about
S10: God and and, you know, you're always kind of chill.
S10: And it was it was just a really it was
S10: a really amazing experience for me to see how God's
S10: working in me and around me. And I just was
S10: praising the Lord that day.
S11: Boom boom boom. I'm triple booming, you soldier. Couple of things.
S11: Number one, thanks for serving.
S2: Thanks for being a man. And thanks for being a
S2: man in the moment who spoke up for your God.
S2: Thank you. No speech required right now. You just get to.
S7: Say.
S2: All right.
S10: I'm too nervous.
S12: No, you just got a copy of your book, Carl
S12: Killing Sin.
S10: And I'm going through it, and it's a it's a
S10: great book, so thank you.
S2: Thank you Anthony. Epic.
S4: That's awesome.
S7: Man. Wow.
S4: What a blessing.
S2: How beautiful is that.
S4: Yeah. And that's a that's a hard thing to do
S4: to talk about your faith in Jesus in front of
S4: all the guys who, you know, might have the possibility
S4: of just ribbing you later for it, but it planted
S4: a seed.
S7: Speech, speech, speech.
S2: I'd like to thank my mom.
S7: And my handlers.
S2: I'd like to.
S7: Thank.
S2: I'd like to thank Sergeant Goomba sheets over here. I'd
S2: like to thank I'd like to thank the US Air
S2: Force or military. I'd like to know. Let me tell you,
S2: I want to thank God.
S7: Amen.
S2: Way to go, Anthony, man. You know, one of the
S2: greatest evidences that you've been transformed by God is that
S2: when you're asked to give a reason for the hope
S2: that lies within you, you. Yeah. A little bit of
S2: weak in the knees, of course. Are you kidding me?
S2: I'm convinced. Peter, on the day of Pentecost was not
S2: like I got this. He was clinging to Jesus the
S2: whole way through that message. The whole way through it,
S2: he was clinging to Jesus. There's no way he's like, ah, yeah,
S2: I got this. Because he remembers back to when he
S2: denied Christ, and now he's filled with the Holy Spirit,
S2: and he's like, I'm blazing a trail here. I'm blazing
S2: a trail here. Ooh, how about Anthony Alley?
S3: I love that story. And when he described that, sort
S3: of like the the heart racing lump in the throat
S3: when you when you're about to speak up. We've all
S3: felt that you're going, okay, how can I do this.
S3: And then by the power of the Holy Spirit, you
S3: open your mouth and you give glory to God.
S1: Get to know the team behind the scenes. Follow Carl
S1: and crew on Facebook and Instagram.
S2: When you're teed up, how in the world do you
S2: get through this? What do you say? Phillip in Illinois.
S2: We haven't heard from you in a while. Phillip. Tee
S2: it up, my man. What's your answer?
S13: You know something, man? That's so often I get people
S13: that say, dude, you're losing your sight. You're almost blind.
S13: You've been through tongue, neck and throat cancer. You've been
S13: through spinal fusion therapy, and yet you always have a
S13: smile on your face, and you always seem upbeat. How
S13: do you do it? And it's just a wonderful, you know,
S13: front porch for me to say. The Lord has shown
S13: me that he is sovereign in my life. I can
S13: choose to be either bitter or bitter. I choose better,
S13: and I know that I serve a risen Savior. And
S13: what's more, I know that in heaven I will see
S13: colors like I never seen before in my life.
S2: You know what, man? Only you can say that we
S2: can't tell your story for you. But, Philip, have there
S2: been moments when you're like, God, this glaucoma, this, this cancer.
S2: I mean, alone at night. There must be some discouraging
S2: moments where then God just gives you a big old hug, huh, bro?
S13: Oh, absolutely, my friend. You know, I tell people all
S13: the time, there are moments, especially when I was losing
S13: my vision and dealing with cancer, where Heather and I,
S13: my wife and I would just kneel by the side
S13: of our bed and we would just weep. I mean,
S13: we would weep with just our shoulders shaking. You know,
S13: snot flying tears. But, you know, at the end of
S13: that cry out that intercessory prayer, we would be able
S13: to laugh through our tears and know that God had
S13: us during the entire time, and that we knew, even
S13: though it was so hard and so painful, you know,
S13: that God was going to bring us through it. And
S13: there was such joy, not just on the other side crew,
S13: but there was such joy in this journey, in this struggle,
S13: because that's when you really know that you are God's child,
S13: when everything seems to be going sideways. And yet you've
S13: got a northern star that never wavers, that doesn't leave.
S13: That's always right there.
S2: Yeah. You know, our premise has been this morning, Philip.
S2: And hold on a second. Boom boom.
S7: Boom.
S2: I'm in triple boomed you, in a month of Sundays.
S2: But there's there's a notion, and I think a false one,
S2: that we need to be able to know now that
S2: we're going to be able to stand and deliver when
S2: we're asked for the hope that indwells us and to
S2: give reason for it. But don't you find, Philip, that
S2: it's in that moment that God shows up?
S13: Oh, absolutely. You know, it's hard for us, even as
S13: Christ believers, to be able to rest comfortably in the
S13: already and not yet. You know, it's like what Max
S13: Lucado said, we want dessert, and sometimes God gives us broccoli. Okay.
S13: He knows that we need the broccoli. You know, and
S13: that's really where it is. We have to also be
S13: comfortable in the struggle. And I know that's that's a
S13: lot of theology, but, you know, sometimes it's just as
S13: simple as just what our old grandma used to say, son,
S13: trust and obey. That's all.
S7: You got to.
S13: Do. Trust and obey.
S2: They had it right. They did. I mean, we get
S2: so theologically bowed up, and then it comes back down
S2: to trust and obey. For there's no other way to.
S13: No other.
S2: Way.
S13: Jesus, happy in.
S2: Jesus.
S13: Is to trust and obey. Come on.
S2: Now. Come on man. I got half a mind to
S2: make Young Thunder sing that right now a cappella. But
S2: I won't do it to you.
S7: Thank you. Thank you. It's time to prepare.
S13: You can.
S7: Do it.
S4: I gotta.
S7: Prepare.
S4: I gotta prepare, Philip.
S2: I love you, Phillip.
S13: Thanks.
S2: Thanks for calling in.
S13: God bless you all. Absolutely.
S2: It's in that moment, Ali, that God gives us the
S2: grace to deliver when it's teed up for us.
S3: You know, it's it's encouraging because you can start to
S3: think about all of the bad things. I mean, talk
S3: about doom scrolling. You can start to think about all
S3: the bad things that can happen in life, and that
S3: can take you down a crazy road. I mean, from
S3: persecution to Philip mentioned, you know, going blind, cancer, battle
S3: back issues, all of these things. And your mind can go,
S3: how in the world could I possibly give glory to
S3: God in the midst of that? Well, I think it's
S3: our daily preparation right now of seeking him, of taking
S3: our roots deep in him that prepares us for those
S3: tough moments when they come.
S2: Yeah, no doubt about it. You know, he's shared this
S2: on air before, so I'm going to share it again.
S2: He lost a big contract. He lost his agent because
S2: he wouldn't take a script that a big production company.
S2: I mean, Philip's been on big screen and small screen.
S7: Guys.
S2: A lot. And that's that portion of the story is
S2: for him to tell. But the portion that he shared
S2: here before is he he lost his agent because he
S2: wouldn't take a role. So sometimes standing up and speaking
S2: out is costly, Ali. It's costly.
S3: But even still, we trust that God will give us
S3: the grace in that moment and the courage to do
S3: the thing that he's calling us to do.
S2: Yeah. I got to go back and read this again.
S2: Middle of the tribulation. Satan is thrown down. Why? And
S2: they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb
S2: and by the word of their testimony. For they loved
S2: not their lives, even unto death. Oh my goodness! That
S2: is a faith. That is solid and secure. That is powerhouse.
S2: And that's what God wants to do in you. You
S2: might say, Carl, I don't know if I got the
S2: stuff to speak up. If I had it teed up
S2: for me like a Philip. I don't know if I've
S2: got the stuff. Well, we don't in and of ourselves,
S2: but the Spirit of God that indwells us has the stuff.
S2: All we've got to do is make sure that that
S2: connection is solid with God, day by day, moment by moment.
S2: Because then when the opportunity tees itself up, bam, you're
S2: going to hit a home run, you're going to do it.
S2: It's going to happen.
S1: Walking closer to Jesus every day. You're listening to Carl
S1: and crew.
S2: So I got my wife running some Intel for us. Ali.
S7: You do?
S2: Yep. Running Intel. She scoped it out. She said, hey,
S2: you know how much you've been wanting to talk about
S2: Iran and what God's doing over there? Well, I heard
S2: this guy on Janet Parshall Show and I said, well,
S2: who is he? Now we got him with us. I
S2: have been wanting to know forever what is God doing
S2: in Iran? And when you've got the Billy Graham of Iran? Ali,
S2: we got the right guy.
S3: We do. His name is Doctor Shariat. He's the founder
S3: and president of Iran Alive Ministries, which uses satellite broadcasting
S3: and the internet to reach Iranians with the gospel.
S2: What is going on, doctor? Shariat. What's God doing in Iran?
S14: I hope your audience are ready to be shocked. Oh, good.
S14: Watch what you hear in the news is so bad. Oh, Iran.
S14: Nuclear bomb threat to the peace in the world and
S14: all that. The ayatollahs. But inside Iran, spiritually, there is
S14: another story. God is working. Iran is the first Islamic
S14: nation that's turning to Christ. And Islam is experiencing its
S14: greatest defeat in its history in Iran Today. That's what
S14: you don't hear on the news. And people of Iran,
S14: they didn't. It didn't happen overnight. It took him 40
S14: years of Islamic rule, that the people of Iran come
S14: to the conclusion that Islam is not the answer. Islam
S14: is actually the root of their problems and they need
S14: to get rid of it. Iranians are done with Islam,
S14: so very open spiritually to the gospel when they hear it. Oh,
S14: it resonates with their heart. They say, we don't believe
S14: in a God that's cruel like Allah. But when they
S14: hear about the love of Christ, they receive that with gladness.
S3: Give us a little bit of your own background. Growing
S3: up in an Islamic household, you are a muslim background believer.
S3: Tell us your story.
S14: Yeah, I was born in Iran, in an Islamic family.
S14: I was pretty devout in my early years, but when
S14: I got to be a teenager, I said, hey, memorizing
S14: these prayers and repeating them five times a day, what
S14: does it add to my life? Hey, just be a
S14: good person and pursue your dream. My dream was to
S14: come to the United States, get a PhD, be a
S14: research scientist. So I work hard towards that. I came
S14: to us at the University of Southern California, USC, studying
S14: PhD in artificial intelligence, and that's when I said, hey,
S14: maybe there is God and you need to consider that.
S14: So I studied Quran. I wanted to be a good
S14: Muslim because I thought Islam is the last religion, best religion.
S14: Why don't I start with that? So I read Quran
S14: very carefully. It did not satisfy my soul out of
S14: my intellectual pride. I said, If God has written other books, okay,
S14: I will read it. So I got a Bible and
S14: I read the Genesis, then said what is who is Jesus?
S14: I jumped to Matthew and oh my gosh, a crisis.
S14: This Jesus. Who is this Jesus? This is not the
S14: Jesus that Quran teaches me. Islam teaches me. So I
S14: struggled for a few months. Is Jesus true? I mean,
S14: he makes such big claims. I went to a church
S14: in downtown Los Angeles, and that's where I heard the simple,
S14: simple message of the gospel that even a child can understand.
S14: You don't need to have a PhD to understand it,
S14: but it's powerful. It changes life and it changed my life.
S2: Oh, doctor, who is serious here? Uh, what an amazing thing.
S2: Then God providentially did. Because I'm okay with languages. But
S2: for me to learn Farsi and to get geared up
S2: to evangelize those folks, that's a reach. But here you
S2: are now fully equipped to somehow, some way, go back
S2: to reach the people that you love. You got to
S2: share with us a story. Jesus transforms your life. You're
S2: now set free in Jesus. You must then want others
S2: to hear this, right?
S14: Oh yeah. I hope everybody feels the same. You know,
S14: I was an engineer type. An introvert and nerd. I
S14: was more comfortable with books and then people. But when
S14: I got saved, I felt this way. And I hope
S14: everybody feels this way, that you are selfish if you
S14: keep this message to yourself. It's a powerful message that
S14: is an answer to your personal problems, to your addictions,
S14: to your anger, to your depression. It is a response
S14: or it's a solution to your relational problem. You know,
S14: I was at the verge of divorce and Jesus healed
S14: my marriage. So it's an answer to even society problem.
S14: Why don't you share this powerful message with others? He
S14: does the work. You just share and God changes lives
S14: and saves people. So let's let's get God's heart on that.
S2: Let's go. Okay, now I got to tell you, I
S2: am chomping at the bit to know what God is
S2: doing in Iran. Give us some facts and figures. Is there,
S2: as we hear, a movement of the spirit among the
S2: Iranian people?
S14: Definitely, yes. According to an independent survey, Iran has the
S14: fastest growing evangelical population in the world in terms of
S14: rate of growth. Iranians are coming to Christ. They're open.
S14: They're questioning Islam. They're looking for God. They're looking at
S14: eastern religions. They're looking at New Age. And of course,
S14: they're looking at Christianity. They're looking everywhere for God except Islam.
S14: So this is the time that you and I, if
S14: we do our part, which is if we share the gospel,
S14: we tell them about Jesus. There is no competition. But
S14: we have to say that's what we do in Iran,
S14: alive through satellite television. We go over the signal, go
S14: over the heads of the mullahs into people's homes, privacy
S14: of their homes. And I talked to them about God's love.
S14: And the government of Iran is mad, but they cannot
S14: stop that signal because it comes from the sky. And
S14: that's why people come to Christ. Um, so easy. They
S14: call me Billy Graham. And of course, I don't call
S14: myself that. And my response is this Iranians are so
S14: open to the gospel that if you share the gospel
S14: with them, you too can be Billy Graham of Iran.
S7: Oh.
S2: I got to stop right here. And I got to
S2: praise the Lord. I'm sorry. We're going to do this
S2: right here. I got to stop right now. Father, I
S2: give you praise for what you are doing in Iran. Uh,
S2: for those beautiful people who are under the yoke of
S2: Islam and under the yoke of performance and and kneeling down,
S2: but no one to talk back with them. God, thank
S2: you that you're bringing them out of darkness into the light.
S2: In Jesus name, Amen.
S14: Amen.
S3: We have Doctor Shariat with us right now, founder and
S3: president of Iran Alive Ministries. He talked about the use
S3: of media. Iran Alive is the most watched Christian television
S3: channel in Iran. An independent survey of over 10,000 Iranians
S3: found that 7.7% of the population say it's their favorite channel.
S14: That's what they told us. And by God's grace, you know,
S14: I don't know. I don't know why people of Iran
S14: like us, but they do. They love they sense the
S14: love that we have for them. You know, before I
S14: go before the camera and all of our stuff, I'm
S14: not the only one. People think I'm a televangelist. I'm not.
S14: I love people, and I. I'm a pastor kind of thing.
S14: When I go before the camera, I pray before that.
S14: God give your love for these people to my heart.
S14: I want to love them. And you know what? Even
S14: though through camera, when you genuinely love people, they sense that,
S14: they sense that you truly love them and they're touched.
S14: Because in Islam, there is no love. Perfect love casts
S14: out fear. And that's the cast out is a spiritual warfare.
S14: We're we have a spiritual warfare with the spirit of Islam.
S14: And the best power that we have is our love,
S14: because it casts us the spirit of Islam. That's what
S14: we do in our channel. Love people, share the love
S14: of Christ and many, many are coming to Christ. Let
S14: me share you just a recent story. On Fridays I
S14: have church service because that's their day off. We do
S14: church service, live church service on Fridays and the most
S14: watched program we have. You know, we have 24 over seven,
S14: but most watch program is our Friday service. And after
S14: my sermon we have like a two hour zoom open zoom.
S14: It's like a lobby where people come to meet their
S14: pastor and ask the pastor questions or get prayer. So
S14: I go to an open zoom meeting last Friday. Just
S14: last Friday, for two hours, I was leading people to Christ.
S14: They were there, lined up. They would come share a
S14: little bit about themselves, ask a couple questions to make
S14: sure what they're doing. They know what they're doing and
S14: then pray to receive Christ. Now what is amazing, if
S14: you ask any missionary who works among the Muslims, this
S14: will be amazing to them even more. These people on
S14: Friday last Friday are leading people to Christ. They did
S14: not have any questions. They didn't say, oh, how about Islam? Oh,
S14: why do you say Jesus is God? No, they were ready.
S14: They count.
S7: To.
S14: God and they would say, just I want to. I
S14: want to receive Christ. Do you have any question? No.
S14: And one of them was saying, hey, I was I
S14: was watching your sermon and I felt somebody is planting
S14: flowers in my mind, you know. Beautiful. Another one was
S14: saying I was eating dinner and I was watching you,
S14: and I just could not eat any more because my
S14: heart was filled with so much joy. This is what
S14: God is doing. Of course. Signs, wonders, miracles, visions, dreams
S14: also happens a lot.
S7: Yeah.
S2: What is the cost for the average Iranian who surrenders
S2: their life to Jesus Christ? What's at risk? What's going
S2: on in the real world?
S14: The risk. The risk of being in jail for many
S14: years and even death. But the government of Iran is
S14: very afraid of Christians because they know we are growing fast.
S14: So their response, you know, they cannot put millions there.
S14: At least 2 million Iranian Muslim background believers in Iran
S14: right now. They can't put everybody in jail. So what
S14: they do is a campaign of fear and intimidation. How
S14: do they do that? They arrest a few people. And
S14: for minor Christian crimes, you can call that and put
S14: them in jail. Just a couple weeks ago, three people
S14: were arrested. One of them beautiful young lady with a
S14: small child. They put her in jail for 17 years.
S2: What was her crime?
S14: Attending a house, church.
S2: But it's not stopping the forward movement of God's kingdom,
S2: is it Hermosa?
S14: No it's not. Working people are so desperate that they.
S14: You know, sometimes I'm more concerned about them than they
S14: among themselves sometimes say, hey, be careful. Be careful. You know,
S14: these young people say, I'm not afraid of this government.
S14: They are afraid of me. That's what they want to
S14: put me in jail. They're afraid of my message. Think
S14: of the desperation. These people have come to a point
S14: that they don't care to live or die. And that's
S14: when they find Jesus. So after they find Jesus, they
S14: have dealt with death. You know, I have a program
S14: on politics. I had this young man. He was not
S14: a Christian when he was on my program. And he
S14: told me, I said, you're so brave. He was inside Iran.
S14: He had been arrested. He had been tortured. They had
S14: shot him multiple times. When he was outside, they tried
S14: to assassinate him, and he was showing his face on
S14: my program. And I said, hey, you're so brave. Tell me,
S14: why are you so brave? Aren't you afraid of being killed?
S14: He said, no. I said, why? Why aren't you afraid?
S14: He said, because I love my people. I'm ready to
S14: give my life for my people. I said, I need
S14: to talk to you. So I talked to him. I
S14: talked to him a couple of times, and he came
S14: to Christ and he has become a political Christian activist.
S14: Right now. And he will be one of the future
S14: ministers of Iran when the government collapses.
S2: I can barely take this. I'm so overjoyed and thrilled
S2: with your work.
S14: Praise the Lord. It's all his grace, his spirit moving
S14: in Iran and we as Christians, we need to be awake.
S14: See what God is doing. Iran is the key to
S14: the Middle East and to the world. Can I shock
S14: your viewers another time? One more time? Yes. I make
S14: this outrageous statement. Iran will be a Christian nation and
S14: people say, are you crazy? Just. Just Google it. It's 98%
S14: when you Google it. I said, no, it's not 98%.
S14: And Iran will be Christians. And they say, where did
S14: you get that idea? I tell them I stole it.
S14: Where did you steal it from? I stole it from
S14: the Lord in Jeremiah 4938. He promises in Jeremiah 4938.
S14: He said, I will set my throne in Islam. Islam
S14: is completely inside the land of Iran today. So we
S14: know Iran eventually be a Christian nation and sitting his throne.
S14: What does it mean? It means that Iran will be
S14: a blessing to the Middle East and the world. You know,
S14: Jesus loves the world. So wherever he rules, that could
S14: be a sending nation. Iran will be ascending nation to
S14: the Middle East and the world, and we're approaching that
S14: very fast.
S3: Doctor Shariat, our guests right now. If you want more
S3: on this ministry, Iran Alive Ministries, just text alive to
S3: 800 555 7898. Text alive to (800) 555-7898.
S2: One of the things you're going to find there is
S2: Doctor Chariot's new book, Iran's Great Awakening, and I am
S2: going to read it cover to cover. Doctor, I got
S2: to tell you something. This has. absolutely lit a fresh
S2: fire in me today, and I thank you from the
S2: bottom of my heart. Godspeed to you, my friend. Would
S2: you pray for the people of Iran in Farsi before
S2: you go today?
S14: Uh, yes, I will do that. Uh. Iran. Iran. Iran. Iran. Iran.
S14: That name is on me.
S7: Amen.
S2: Wow. Text alive to 800 555 7898. Just that one word.
S2: Alive to 800 555. 78. 98. And let's be in
S2: prayer for our brothers and sisters and those to be
S2: in Iran.