S1: Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: Carl and crew helping you take your next step with Jesus.
S2: And we're so grateful that you're with us here today.
S2: We've got a whole week committed to bedrock rock solid truths.
S2: And the truth is, we could do this for a
S2: month of Sundays. This could go on and on, but
S2: we're trying to anchor some of these things with some
S2: of our frequent flyer guests. That'll really put your teeth
S2: into something. And there's guests that we bring in who
S2: are in the mix in their specialty, the way really,
S2: they're calling what God's called them into. And it's a
S2: beautiful thing when it comes to salvation of young people.
S2: I think there's a lot of presumption that maybe we
S2: can never really know how to do that, and so
S2: we need to outsource it. We get the young guys, right? Sure.
S2: I mean, that can be I think I think that's
S2: one of the greatest misses going. I think the gospel
S2: is way more relevant than we give it credit for. Now,
S2: that's a little bit tongue in cheek because we all
S2: know that, right? Right. But I think there's a tendency
S2: to think if we're going to reach young people, we
S2: better outsource this to young people.
S3: Yeah, I get that.
S2: But isn't there more than that? I think back to
S2: my buddy that was genuinely born again when I was
S2: in youth group at Sand Lake Baptist Church in Anchorage, Alaska.
S2: Mark Donner, who Mark was quite a guy. I mean,
S2: looking back, I'm like, wow, Mark, you put up with
S2: a lot with me. And he was my buddy. But
S2: I saw him live so righteously and so differently. And
S2: there were a few kids that lived that way. Most
S2: of us had this great hallucination of salvation that were
S2: in that youth group. And I know that because we
S2: go back now, years later and we find out, wow,
S2: a lot of these kids are walking with God, but
S2: they didn't really get surrendered to Christ until they really
S2: rubbed their nose in the world and they got the
S2: full dose of what their life was like. Religiosity did
S2: not save them. And that's one of the things that
S2: we constantly wrestle with here. In fact, next week we're
S2: going to tackle this one. Uh, there's a there's a
S2: great myth flying around out there. It's a big one.
S2: How does it go, Ali?
S4: I've been a Christian my whole life.
S2: I've been a Christian my whole life. That that's. We're
S2: going to debunk that one day next week. Because that's.
S2: It's impossible. You're born with your back to God. You're
S2: born as an enemy of the cross of Christ. And
S2: then the question is, how are we going to reach
S2: kids and what are we bringing them into? Are we
S2: bringing them into a culture or into a living, breathing
S2: relationship with the Son of God? Those are two totally
S2: different things.
S4: Very much so. And with you're looking at Gen Z,
S4: you're going to hear a few very few Gen Zers say,
S4: I've been a Christian my whole life. That is not
S4: the norm for Gen Z when you just look at
S4: their world, the prevailing worldview.
S2: Boom. And maybe that's the secret sauce. Maybe the beautiful
S2: thing with Gen Z and even some late stage millennials,
S2: is that a kind of post-Christian here? We don't have
S2: to feign that we've always been saved because we haven't.
S2: And so maybe that baseline is one of the kickers here.
S2: Coming up in a moment. Man, I love this guy.
S2: R-york more is being used so powerfully. The Lord. Some
S2: of the stats of the reach that he has through
S2: social media are going to blow your mind. And what
S2: we want to pin down with York is get after
S2: these three bedrock truths for evangelizing the next generation. I'm
S2: flying blind here. I don't know what York's going to say,
S2: but I can't wait. You guys ready?
S4: Ready.
S2: Coming up. Three minutes. Are York more? How are we
S2: going to evangelize young people? And are any of these
S2: principles transferable to lost boomers who think they know Jesus
S2: but don't. Let's get after it. Hang on.
S1: Your spiritual pit stop to keep you going in the race.
S1: You're listening to Carl and crew.
S2: We've got great data points that prove that this generation
S2: Gen Z boy, God is doing something. And especially with
S2: the young men. At least that's what we're hearing. Our
S2: York more. Are we missing it, or is God doing
S2: something out there, my man?
S5: Absolutely. God is on the move, and he is alive
S5: and well on our college campuses. And with Gen Z.
S2: Our York Moore, speaker, revivalist and a president, CEO and
S2: national evangelist of the coalition for Christian Outreach. That's a
S2: lot of lot of stuff there, York. Boil it down.
S2: What do you do? What's your passion?
S5: Well, the coalition for Christian Outreach, we partner with local
S5: churches to reach college campuses with the gospel. We've been
S5: around for 50 years, but the Lord has called us
S5: to grow nationally. So I'm leading a national growth story
S5: over here. We're now working in about 16 states with
S5: a few hundred churches. And our model, you know, taking
S5: college students to church is part of what we do.
S5: So we don't just go to the campus, we take
S5: the church to the campus. But we're seeing young people
S5: come to faith in this generation, and we're bringing them
S5: into the into the church, and they're getting baptized. We've
S5: had a rash of baptisms this school year. That's just
S5: mind blowing. We've never seen anything like it in 50 years.
S5: You know, you mentioned earlier in the last segment that
S5: this generation is open and man, are they open to
S5: the gospel. But allies, right. Like they don't refer to
S5: themselves as having been Christian. Uh, in fact, the largest
S5: segment of our population would be considered nones. They have
S5: no affiliation whatsoever. But we make the mistake of assuming
S5: that that means that they're not interested in the gospel.
S5: This isn't European secularism. This is the greatest opportunity for
S5: the gospel in American history.
S4: Are York more with us right now? I'm looking at
S4: an article from the Gospel Coalition on this. Uh, tell
S4: me how this statement hits you. It says an increased
S4: majority of Gen Zers are biblically illiterate, anxious, digitally native,
S4: and uninterested in church. And then it goes on to say,
S4: we must understand these obstacles, but also crucial that we
S4: see them as opportunities for growth. How does that hit you?
S4: Do you think that that's an accurate description of Gen Z?
S5: Yeah, absolutely. And the operative word there is, you know,
S5: it's an opportunity. I don't know that I would say
S5: that they're not interested in church. It's just nobody's really
S5: inviting them. They don't really think of church like it's
S5: just not on their top ten list. They you know,
S5: they're binging Netflix. They're they're on TikTok. They're they're doing
S5: these kinds of things. And church is almost like this
S5: invisible world to them. So in the coalition for Christian Outreach,
S5: when we invite them to church, almost always it's their
S5: first opportunity to go to church. Now, what they find
S5: at church is a very strange world, and so we
S5: need to prepare them for that. There's a culture in
S5: our churches, but yeah, that that actually describes Gen Z
S5: pretty well. The idea that they're digital natives, that's a
S5: phrase that we like to throw around and use a lot.
S5: But you know, what I like to say is that,
S5: you know, our life will forever be what I call
S5: phygital the integration of physical and digital. There's no separation
S5: between the digital self and our corporeal existence, our physical
S5: existence and the relationships that we have online. Those lines
S5: don't exist for Gen Z, and really, for most of us,
S5: those lines are getting blurred every day. But Gen Z
S5: is the first real, true generation of digital natives, if
S5: we like to use that phrase.
S2: Love it R-york more is our guest. Before we get
S2: into three bedrock truths for evangelizing this next generation, I
S2: want you to give some stats. Our audience needs to
S2: know what God's doing through your ministry. Uh, blow our
S2: mind here. We haven't had you in here for a while.
S2: What's God doing?
S5: Well, the God is always on the move, and it's
S5: all the Lord. All glory to the Lord Jesus. But
S5: you know the coalition for Christian Outreach is probably a
S5: name that your listeners have never heard of. We've been
S5: around for 50 years. I spent 27 years with a
S5: very well-known ministry called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, was their national evangelist.
S5: That's a juggernaut. I mean, they are 50 states. Uh,
S5: you know, 1400 employees. You know, part of 173 nation
S5: movement of college students. We're tiny, tiny, tiny. And I
S5: took this job because the invitation was nationalized. This movement,
S5: I started the Every Campus coalition with a couple of
S5: friends back in 2017. Now, that includes every single college
S5: ministry in America. 130 college ministries are a part of
S5: the every campus movement. You can go to every campus
S5: comm and check that out. But I said yes to
S5: being the CEO of the Co, which has taken me
S5: three years now to to say, you know, with elegance,
S5: I'm the CEO of the Co Karl and that's harder
S5: to say.
S6: It is.
S5: And basically I said yes because our model is the
S5: local church. Now, I love all of the campus ministries,
S5: and so this isn't a competition. We're not in competition
S5: with one another. But I think we are the only
S5: college ministry at scale that's actually predicated upon working directly
S5: with the local church. We put our missionaries on staff
S5: with the local church, and then through the local church.
S5: We're reaching students for Christ, and then we measure how
S5: active are they in the life of the church. And
S5: the exciting thing is, in the last three years, we've
S5: seen 50% growth. We're now operating in 16 states. We
S5: have a strategic plan to grow an additional 30%. So
S5: God is on the move. But listen, it's not just
S5: about the big numbers and these kinds of things. It's
S5: about discipleship. We are a disciple making movement. And so
S5: as we're seeing young people come to Christ, we're discipling
S5: them into this passionate worldview that integrates the lordship of
S5: Jesus into every square inch of their lives, not just
S5: a Sunday faith. We call it our Beyond Sunday effect.
S5: We're discipling students from Monday through Sunday. Faith.
S4: Are your guests right now. So let's get on these, uh,
S4: these three bedrock truths for evangelizing this next generation. I
S4: know you spend time with your TikTok ministry. You work
S4: a lot with college students. Uh, sum up, give us
S4: the first of those bedrock truths is going to help
S4: us evangelize this generation.
S5: Yeah. The first one is, is really what we've already
S5: touched upon. Listen, when you have an entire generation, let's
S5: just say let's recognize the opportunity here. Gen Z is
S5: literally the largest generation in American history. They are not
S5: just the largest unchurched generation. They are the largest generation. Period.
S5: So that means something. And so then when we dive
S5: into the stats and, uh, you know, you know, Kinnaman
S5: will tell us over there at Barna and these stats
S5: are true. 84% of Gen Z, uh, are either extremely
S5: open or moderately open to spiritual dialogue.
S6: That's amazing.
S5: And he also tells us that they're looking for mentors.
S5: That's new. I'm an Xer. I wasn't looking for mentors.
S5: I wasn't looking for somebody to feed into me spiritually
S5: and walk in life. I had to be taught that
S5: that was a good thing. This generation is actually open.
S5: So the first bedrock truth is, listen, when you're sharing
S5: the good news with people, the assumption that they're resistant.
S5: The assumption that they have lots of kind of hostile questions,
S5: that's that's gone. So when you now they do have questions,
S5: they're different questions. They're not the classic apologetic questions. The
S5: evidence for the resurrection. And you know, what's the historical
S5: evidence for the validity of the Bible. And they're not
S5: asking those kinds of questions. They are asking questions. And
S5: their questions are challenging, but they're not hostile. This is
S5: a generation that's incredibly open. So that first bedrock truth
S5: is really this is the greatest evangelistic opportunity in American history.
S5: And so if you're sitting on a board of a foundation,
S5: if you're an elder in a church, if you're a
S5: businessman or a woman who loves to invest in kingdom initiatives. Listen,
S5: get your checkbook out. This is an opportunity to underwrite
S5: a movement of God that we're seeing in this generation.
S5: Don't miss this opportunity. This isn't this isn't just like
S5: a a small little blip. This is a great opportunity. Listen,
S5: I've been talking to people around the country. I was
S5: just talking to somebody in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
S5: which is a wonderful ministry. My organization does work with FCA.
S5: They had 2000 students come to faith at a single
S5: event in Jacksonville, Florida.
S6: Wow.
S5: We heard about 2000 coming at Western Western WVU, Western
S5: Virginia University. It's not just, you know, these little revivals
S5: on these Christian college campuses that we're hearing about. There
S5: is a move of God across America and Gen Z,
S5: and I think we're just getting started.
S2: I love it. Anecdotally, this is so weird. I haven't
S2: even told my team this. But at our new campus
S2: that we opened up here for 180 Chicago, we had
S2: three high schoolers come to the church and I started asking, hey,
S2: does anyone know these kids? They were there for a
S2: few weeks in a row. Campus directors started to get
S2: to know them a little bit. Here's what we found out.
S2: Ready for this, guys? No one invited him. York. They
S2: showed up, they sought us out. And they sit in
S2: the front row, leaning forward, hanging on every word. No
S2: parents coming to church. No parents with any spiritual interest
S2: at all. And they're there every week. York isn't that.
S2: Does that shock anyone else here? I mean, yes, that's wild. Okay,
S2: give us a second to bedrock here. Truth for reaching
S2: these kids.
S5: Yeah, well. And this this will tie in exactly with
S5: what you're saying. Listen, the Holy Spirit is on the move.
S5: God is never inactive, and God is at work in
S5: every population center, every people group, throughout time, throughout space.
S5: God is always on the move. But some of us.
S5: I'm not one of those people, but some of us
S5: are old enough to remember the Jesus movement in the 1970s.
S5: I had dinner last night with a very important Christian
S5: leader here in Pittsburgh, where we're headquartered, and he and
S5: his wife became Christians during the Jesus movement. And, you know,
S5: they went on to a very storied career in corporate
S5: and then became Christian leaders in Pittsburgh here. And they
S5: recounted the story of being swept up by a move
S5: of the Lord with a Holy Spirit was moving in power,
S5: where people were getting saved by the hundreds everywhere you went. And,
S5: you know, we think about that as kind of a
S5: historic lure. That's what we're living in right now. You know,
S5: we're seeing ministries like the circuit riders in Southern California
S5: baptizing people by the thousands in the ocean like we
S5: saw in the Jesus movement. Yes, the Holy Spirit is
S5: moving in power. And I believe in many of my
S5: colleagues in these other Christian ministries believe that revival is coming.
S5: It is not yet here. What we're actually seeing are
S5: the initial tremors of revival. So this second bedrock truth is,
S5: listen to the Holy Spirit is.
S6: Alive and active and well, and.
S5: He's doing.
S6: Something unique.
S5: In power with this generation.
S2: All right, give us the third one, my man. You're
S2: on a roll here.
S5: Well, the third one is a timeless truth. And I.
S5: You know, I wouldn't be an evangelist worth my salt
S5: if I didn't say this, but it is absolutely true. Listen, Carl,
S5: the gospel cannot fail when we proclaim the gospel, God's
S5: word goes.
S6: Out and.
S5: It comes back and it doesn't come back empty. It
S5: doesn't come back void. The gospel doesn't fail. And it's
S5: great to teach the great, you know, depths of the scriptures.
S5: And but listen, you start with the good news of
S5: Jesus death on the cross and the power of his
S5: resurrection and the absolute authority of his lordship. And when
S5: we proclaim that gospel, it's not coming back empty. It
S5: always wins. And so I've been an evangelist now for
S5: 30 years. I've had the privilege of speaking to audiences
S5: as small as five at a rehab center and as
S5: large as 100,000. You know, I've been on TikTok, I've
S5: been on TV, I've been on the street corners, and
S5: I've been, you know, intimate coffee shops with people who
S5: are giving their lives to Christ. And one thing that
S5: is common in all of those experiences is that it
S5: all comes down to Jesus. If we just make much
S5: of Jesus, if we lift him up and focus on
S5: the good news of the gospel, it cannot fail. It
S5: will not fail. It will always produce fruit. Now, it
S5: doesn't mean that always people become Christians, but it will
S5: always produce fruit. How many of these stories do you hear?
S5: Where somebody hears the gospel, they're offended, and it seems
S5: as if there's rejection, but it's like a seed that
S5: God puts in their heart, aggravates them and convicts them
S5: of sin, of judgment or righteousness. And over the course
S5: of time they end up repenting, giving their lives to Christ.
S5: So my third bedrock truth is listen to gospel cannot fail.
S5: Make much of Jesus. Lift him up. Make him known.
S2: Yeah. You know what, York? I was just sitting here
S2: cogitating on this. So you got two stories in the Bible.
S2: You got the Samaritan woman, and she responded. So much
S2: so Jesus had to extend his stay in Samaria. And
S2: then you got the rich young ruler. And he walked
S2: away disappointed because he had a lot of wealth. Both
S2: of those stories for 2000 years have been impacting people
S2: for Christ, even though the rich young ruler apparently didn't respond.
S2: That just that just hit me like a ton of bricks.
S2: I guess the bottom line here is York. You put
S2: these together. Don't assume they're resistant. The Holy Spirit is
S2: on the move. Timeless truth is timeless truth. The gospel
S2: changes everything. We got to keep our story out there,
S2: no matter what age and stage we are. Right? York,
S2: speak to our folks. That I mean, our average age
S2: here is somewhere between 40 to 60, probably. However, lately
S2: we've been finding a lot of teenagers and young people listening.
S2: Just one final challenge. What do you say, my man?
S5: Well, next week, I'll have the privilege of joining my
S5: friend Bob Lenz at Life Fest in Oshkosh, and I
S5: think they'll probably be about 70,000 people there. And it's
S5: a Christian festival with all the bands. And, you know,
S5: at the end of each day the gospel will be proclaimed.
S5: And I've been there a few times now, and I've
S5: seen little kids with their mothers and dads, you know,
S5: come forward to give their lives for Christ. And I've
S5: seen teenagers and I've seen people smack dab in the
S5: middle of your demographic, which I am. I'm 56. And
S5: people who have lived their life coming to Jesus. And
S5: then I've seen the elderly come to Christ. And so
S5: the thing that I'm trying to say there, Carl, is, listen,
S5: you know, God is no respecter of persons. God loves
S5: us with an everlasting love. And he's not done working
S5: until we're done breathing. And and listen, the gospel is
S5: good news. The gospel is good news.
S2: Our York more. I love you, man. I do. God's
S2: using you, and it's so inspiring. Yeah. Okay. You want
S2: to get some goods? You want to get the goods
S2: on this guy. We got it for you.
S4: Just text York to 800 555 78, 98. Text York
S4: to 800 555 7898.
S2: Again. Text the word York to 800 555 7898.
S1: She's a choreographer extraordinaire, and everything is Greek to her.
S1: Super die is in the crew. It's Carl and crew
S1: on Moody Radio.
S2: Guess what? She slid back in here today. From parts
S2: unknown around the world. Her name is Ali.
S7: Remember me?
S2: And if you've been suffering withdrawals. Boy, have we got
S2: some hope for you.
S1: Making herself laugh no matter who joins her. It's time
S1: for Ali. Thinks it's funny.
S2: Did you say remember me?
S4: Remember me? Boy, I've missed these jokes. I did try
S4: out a couple on my on my trip.
S2: Oh, good for you.
S4: Yeah. They didn't go over great.
S2: But you gave it your. You put the mustard to it, right?
S4: It's never good when somebody's like. So tell us a joke.
S4: Killing time on the bus between stops. You ready? Okay, then.
S4: But I've got a I've got a loving, welcoming audience
S4: in you. Listening. You. You enjoy these jokes? Uh, a
S4: couple animal jokes for you today. How did the dog
S4: get all A's on its report card? How did the
S4: dog get all A's on? Say it's a boy dog
S4: on his report card?
S8: Oh, I'm thinking hard. Nothing's coming.
S4: He was the teacher's pet. Of course. The teacher's pet.
S4: That was rough. All A's. Wow.
S9: Thank you. Thank you.
S4: And now for a joke that. I've got to be honest,
S4: when I first heard this one, my husband gave me
S4: this one, and I said, I cannot wait to tell
S4: this one on air. I laughed so hard.
S2: I can't wait. Wow. You've built.
S4: This.
S10: You've built it up. I've built.
S4: It up. And either you're gonna get it and you're
S4: going to laugh, or you're going to go. That is horrible.
S4: There's no in between. All right, I'm gearing up for it.
S4: Favorite cat you have a you have a house cat?
S2: Yeah, we have two rescue cats.
S4: Rescue cats? Any anyone else a cat person? No. Cat. Okay,
S4: then you might have a you might have an advantage.
S4: How do cats like their steaks cooked? How do cats
S4: like their steaks cooked?
S11: I can't wait.
S12: Rare. Okay. We need to flip that and save that. That's.
S3: That was great.
S12: I when I tell you.
S11: Oh, I applaud you on that one. That was too good.
S4: I've been.
S12: Waiting.
S11: That was so good.
S2: Oh, you did it.
S3: I love that.
S4: I have a I had one shot at it, I
S4: knew I.
S2: Had one shot. You can't mess.
S4: That one up. Mess it up because there's no there's
S4: no redos. And so when you get this joke, I
S4: didn't quite indicate that you got to say it in
S4: the voice.
S2: So you just have to.
S4: It's all voice. You've gotta. It's the voice inflection that
S4: makes this.
S3: So when your husband told you your your big basketball
S3: player husband told you.
S2: Did he do it.
S3: Well? Did he do that?
S4: Killed it.
S2: Killed it. That's coming out of Henry's mouth.
S3: That's what I want to.
S2: Crazier than Ali.
S4: He knows that I love these things. He hates these jokes.
S4: But because of his love for me, he's a good husband.
S4: And when he hears one or sees one online, he
S4: saves it for me. And this one he delivered with
S4: such gusto.
S12: You laughed.
S4: I was doubled over to hear.
S12: Him say ringer. I would pay.
S3: I pay.
S12: $5.
S2: To see Henry.
S12: Do it. Boy, it was. It was just a pure moment.
S4: Of gold in our household. If you want these jokes,
S4: text Five, 78, 98. Just text jokes to 800 555 7898.
S2: I still can't picture Henry saying that. It was so.
S4: Good. I loved him more in that moment.
S2: Well, of course you did, man. That endeared you to
S2: that hunk of burning love, man. Oh my goodness. Sex
S2: jokes stayed under five. Five. Five. 78, 98. And I
S2: can't see anyone texting in today.
S4: Oh, your.
S2: Machine is broken.
S4: Systems a little down.
S2: It's called simple texting. Well, that's simple enough for this Boomer.
S2: All right, we'll work on that one. But we know
S2: they're going out. Right, guys?
S4: Yes. I'm loving those of you who are giving me
S4: a little puns. I'm feeling that joke. You're feeling it,
S4: feeling it. Love it. Text jokes to 800 555 7898.
S2: Okay. Coming up, Ali is back. Man, I keep wanting
S2: to say where you're back from, but I can't say
S2: it and I hope it doesn't slip out of my mouth.
S2: She went off on a missions trip to a to
S2: a location in the planet Earth where.
S4: There are some restrictions. So I got to be restrictions.
S2: Yeah. Yeah. So we're going to break it down. We've
S2: got lessons learned from this thing and we're going to
S2: get them all day long. You ready to go, sister?
S4: Ready?
S2: She's got tears under her eyes. Guys, I'm not kidding you, right.
S4: And there may be more when I start talking about
S4: this trip.
S2: Oh, but different ones.
S4: Different ones though.
S1: You're listening to Curl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: Allie's back in town, and she's been in a in
S2: a country that we can't disclose for practical reasons. But. Allie,
S2: break it down, sister. What's on your heart? What did
S2: you learn?
S4: You know, I had an opportunity to go with a
S4: small group of people to a country of. It's a
S4: very country that lives under a lot of oppression. And
S4: what this particular ministry does is they're able to take
S4: resources and practical things to help meet the needs of
S4: the pastors and the missionaries. So part of this was
S4: just an encouragement trip. Were we able to go and
S4: meet a lot of pastors, encourage some missionaries, bring lots
S4: of things in that are difficult to get in this
S4: particular country. Just really love them well, and it was
S4: such a cool thing to be a part of. And
S4: but it was challenging. I mean, if you've not done
S4: a trip like this where you go to a country
S4: that's very impoverished, where a lot of the first world
S4: sort of comforts are stripped away, you know, that was
S4: my first time taking a trip like this. And so
S4: I remember sitting in this one particular gathering of people
S4: and it it's so hot there. And so we're in
S4: this kind of cramped sort of space. And it was
S4: probably about, I would say 95 degrees. And there were
S4: people I mean, a crowd doesn't even describe it. I mean,
S4: it was to the point where there wasn't a space
S4: where there wasn't a body. And so everybody sort of
S4: pressed together in this 95 degree space. There was electricity
S4: until there wasn't because there they have rolling blackouts, brownouts.
S4: And so the power goes out. And so the little
S4: bit of of air circulation that was coming from the fan.
S2: It's now done.
S4: It's now done. And I'm seeing the worship of these people.
S4: And the joy in their faces as they've gathered come
S4: from very, very humble homes that are kind of makeshift
S4: where they're, they're they're just doing life in a very
S4: under such hardship. And I thought, would I stay.
S2: Home.
S4: Would I? The power's out. There's no secular circulation. It's
S4: 95 degrees.
S2: It's a good question.
S4: Every part of my body honestly wanted to kind of, like,
S4: get out of this space just to breathe. But there
S4: was such a desperation for God in that place. I
S4: was confronted with would I stay?
S2: You know that. I wonder if we might just shut
S2: it down.
S4: If I showed up to my church on Sunday morning
S4: and the air conditioner. Just. Let's just take that out alone.
S4: And it was a one of those days like we
S4: had in Chicago and in my church had no air conditioning.
S4: Would I stay 95 degrees?
S2: I don't even know if they would. I wonder if
S2: they would even have it.
S4: Would we even have a service? And it was such
S4: a funny little thought, but I think.
S2: That's a great thought.
S4: I thought the hunger and the desire that, you know, when, when,
S4: when I think it was Peter who asked the question,
S4: where else would we turn? Yeah. And so not only
S4: did these people come desperate to, for, for the support
S4: of each other, the exhortation of seeing other believers as
S4: we kind of go through this life, we're struggling together,
S4: the encouragement of one another, hanging on to every word
S4: that's being spoken. Because these really are the words of life.
S4: And we know that there's nothing else. We've got nothing else.
S4: And I thought, boy, you know, this heat, this many people,
S4: this many bodies pressed together, this much sweat pouring off
S4: of me might be a deterrent, but it's not. When
S4: you're hungry for God.
S2: These are such great lessons, and I'm so glad you
S2: brought them back. Because it's your story can help us.
S2: Even though we weren't there with you. And I was
S2: in Burundi recently, so it's same. Very similar. But but
S2: it's it's good because. Not because it's the old. Well,
S2: the kids in Africa don't have it guilt trip. It's
S2: a sobering like hold on here. What are we intolerant
S2: of that a hunger for God makes people tolerant of.
S4: I mean, the things that we allow to kind of
S4: keep us from, keep us from church, keep us from
S4: gathering together because it feels kind of optional. That's what
S4: I realize is that it sort of it can feel optional.
S4: Do I go, do I show up today?
S2: It's really good. Got a question for you. Boom crew.
S2: You hear that? And I want a lightning round response
S2: to our text message line. What is the thing that
S2: has been an inconvenience for you around the gospel that
S2: you're like? In light of that, I'm going to quit
S2: letting that be a point of impediment. I'm not going
S2: to let that get in the way of me anymore.
S2: What is it for you think about it for a second.
S2: You just get sobered up. These are. Here's what's beautiful
S2: about this. This isn't just a story. God allowed Ali
S2: to go to this country that we can't share to
S2: and come back and go, all right, this rocked Ali.
S2: You can feel it. You're shoulder to shoulder. You got
S2: sweat pouring off your arm or her arm and it's like,
S2: hold it. Whose arm is sweating, you know? And then
S2: you realize it's both of us. And now and then
S2: you're like, whoa! Now the fan's off. It's 95 degrees.
S2: No one's leaving. What's that do for you? What's it
S2: do for you? Just text us in a in a
S2: word or a sentence? One sentence. What's it do for you? Anything. 805, five, 578, 98, 805, five, five, 78, 98.
S2: Sometimes the best way to take a step forward with
S2: God is to appreciate what we have, and to maybe
S2: put up with a little bit of inconvenience if the
S2: gospel is really the thing that changes everything. 805 55 7898.
S2: What's God saying to your heart right now? 800 555 7898.
S1: Start your day moving closer to Jesus. You're listening to
S1: Carl and crew.
S2: Yeah, we're getting some good responses here, I tell you.
S2: You are the boom crew. That's why we love you.
S2: This is a sobering thing. Some of you like, what
S2: are we responding to? Because people tune in. This is
S2: kind of the really unusual kind of church service here,
S2: the gathering of saints that we have because we come
S2: and go at totally different times. Thankfully, we don't see
S2: people getting up or coming in to the front row,
S2: but that's really what we are. We're a gathering of
S2: people from every nation, tribe and tongue across North America
S2: and beyond. And when you hear a story like Ali's,
S2: it'll get you sobered up a little bit. And you go, yeah,
S2: I'm not shoulder to shoulder dripping sweat. 95 degrees fan
S2: just went out. And you look around you and you
S2: saw this, didn't you? You saw the hunger in their eyes.
S2: They didn't flinch.
S4: No. You know, and this was in such a remote place.
S4: I mean, we had we were in this kind of
S4: this bus. It was we were sort of off road,
S4: drove at least 20 minutes into what felt like the
S4: forest didn't I mean, everything. It was such poverty everywhere
S4: you look around and it was almost overwhelming. But then
S4: to walk in this little space where these people were
S4: so hungry for God, and it was humbling because I thought,
S4: would I, would I stay under if if this was
S4: the circumstances on a Sunday morning, would I stay?
S2: Yeah. I mean, it's a great question to ask. You know,
S2: a lot of responses here. Um, it's bringing conviction to some, um,
S2: they've got people that are going through health problems, but
S2: it gives perspective to that. Um, it shows that some
S2: people said, don't let this do this conviction is good.
S2: Shame is not good.
S4: Yeah. No, that's.
S2: That's from the evil one. Um, but conviction is good.
S2: It humbles me. It brings fire to my soul. I mean,
S2: the responses here are immense, and we can't cover them all.
S2: But praise be to God. Praise be to God. You know,
S2: sometimes you can look at the hunger of the gospel
S2: for people around the globe that don't have it as
S2: well as we do, and don't let that guilt you
S2: or shame you. But what if it just drove us
S2: to our knees in deeper appreciation for the little stuff
S2: in life, right? Ellie?
S4: Absolutely.
S1: She's a choreographer extraordinaire, and everything is Greek to her.
S1: Super dei is in the crew. It's Carl and crew
S1: on Moody Radio.
S2: Sometimes you get your cage rattled, and it's one of
S2: the most beautiful things on the planet. And I don't
S2: know how this went down, except that we got this
S2: common friend named George. George cook.
S4: Okay.
S2: And George invited me out. He said, hey, Carl, you
S2: got to come listen to this guy. I'm bringing this
S2: guy in. You got to come listen to him. I'm
S2: going to be serving lunch. And so I'm like, ah,
S2: it's one of those meetings. You're like, all right, George,
S2: I'll show up. And when I got there, I'm like, God,
S2: this is why I'm here. So the back story is
S2: God had just broken me and brought me back to
S2: the beginning of it all. And that is pastors first
S2: and foremost. Calling is to make disciples. And then I
S2: run into this character, David Nelms, and I'm like, who
S2: is this guy? He talks funny. He's got an accent. Guys,
S2: I'm not saying he talks funny. He thinks we talk funny. Okay.
S2: But his heart is so sincere and it rocked my world.
S2: You remember that lunch, David? By chance? I don't know
S2: if you do or not.
S13: Yeah, I do. And? And I'm sure glad George introduced us.
S13: It was a great day.
S2: Yeah, it was a great day. I sure love you, bud.
S2: All right, we're going to start with something totally different here.
S2: Ali and I were rocked by something you said in
S2: this studio. Goodness sakes. A couple of years ago. Ali,
S2: take it away. You remember the statement?
S4: Yeah. Doctor David Nelms with the Timothy Initiative, You said
S4: that we are not called to plant churches. We are
S4: called to make disciples. And it was like all of
S4: a sudden something became clear that had maybe gotten a
S4: little foggy with sometimes the model that is put forth.
S4: First of all, what's the difference between planting a church
S4: and making a disciple? Why are they not one and
S4: the same?
S13: Yeah, well, and let me let me be clear. Uh,
S13: planting churches is probably my hobby. Okay. Yeah. Uh, you'll
S13: be hard to find anybody more excited about planting churches
S13: than me, but I. I used to think I knew
S13: the Great Commission was to make disciples. I thought the
S13: best way to make disciples was by planting churches. But
S13: I came to realize that I had it backwards. Uh,
S13: more accurate would be the best way to plant churches
S13: is by making disciples for Jesus. The Great Commission. Jesus
S13: did not say, go therefore, and plant churches. He said,
S13: go therefore and make disciples. And so that should be
S13: our priority. Now if you make disciples who make disciples,
S13: you can't stop it from happening. The fruit of that
S13: will be churches will spring up. And so I'm not
S13: saying don't plant churches. I'm saying the best way to
S13: plant churches is by obeying the Great Commission, going and
S13: making disciples.
S4: Doctor David Nelms with the Timothy Initiative. It's a global
S4: movement that makes and multiplies disciples, churches and leaders. They're
S4: committed to getting a church in every village, everywhere around
S4: the globe.
S2: Uh, let's. David, I want to go back to something
S2: before I brought you on air. I don't know if
S2: you heard what I was sharing, but there is a gravitational,
S2: I mean, force field that to get out of that
S2: orbit is difficult. And it's. And a lot of pastors
S2: and a lot of people listening right now struggle with. Yeah,
S2: we're validated by how many people are coming and how
S2: much money's given. How do you get out of that
S2: gravitational pull into a genuine heart for disciple making?
S13: Well, for me, Carl. And let me let me say
S13: this to your listeners, I about the only thing I'm
S13: really good at is not being good. Okay. So you're
S13: with Paul and me?
S2: Yeah.
S13: Yeah. I don't see myself as as an example by
S13: any means, but, you know, uh, I would define a
S13: disciple as someone who lives like Jesus and leads others
S13: to do the same. And Jesus reached thousands. He preached
S13: to thousands of people. But I don't think his motivation.
S13: Excuse me, I don't think his motivation was was numbers.
S13: I think his motivation was bringing glory to his father. Yeah.
S13: And the the the Great Commission, to me, first and foremost,
S13: it's about honoring God, bringing glory to God. And I
S13: think I think, as you said before, there's nothing wrong
S13: with counting our attendance. I certainly did for the many
S13: years I was a pastor. There's nothing wrong with that.
S13: But I don't think Heaven is impressed with the fact
S13: that we're running a hundred more this year than we
S13: were last year. I, I think what matters there is,
S13: you know, when we get to heaven, the rewards are
S13: going to be based on well done, good and faithful servant,
S13: where we faithful to do what God's called us to do.
S13: And his great commission is to make disciples who make disciples,
S13: so that that needs to be the focus.
S4: Doctor David Nelms, talk a little bit about or explain
S4: for our listener what this looks like, the work that
S4: you're doing with the Timothy Initiative, this disciple making making
S4: disciples who make disciples.
S13: Yeah. Well, much of the world is made up of
S13: what's called unreached people, groups and ethnicities that are very few,
S13: if any, believers. And we're talking about 40% of the
S13: world's population. 40% plus. And forgive me, I got a
S13: little cough here. I don't mean to be coughing into
S13: your microphone there, but, uh. And so we focus there.
S13: It's basically it's your Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, animist parts of
S13: the world. And we're not a sending agency. We simply
S13: we have national teams who train pastors that we call
S13: the Pauls. The Pauls recruit members of their church that
S13: we call Timothy's. The Pauls trained the Timothy's to share
S13: their story, share God's story out where they live, work, study, shop, play.
S13: And as those Timothy's lead new believers to Christ, the
S13: Timothy begins discipling the new believer. Don't bring them back
S13: to the Paul. The Paul is equipping the Timothy to
S13: do the work of the ministry, which, if it's anything,
S13: it's the Great Commission making disciples. And so as the
S13: Timothy begins discipling his or her Timothy, we call the
S13: Timothy's Timothy, Titus, just the next generation. That's great. Then
S13: pretty soon that Titus says, hey, I got a husband
S13: or I got a wife, or I want my mom
S13: to hear about this. And they begin bringing in their
S13: their oikos, their friends and family. And the next thing
S13: you know, wham! A little churches sprung up. And because, uh,
S13: because multiplication is in the DNA, the we're not focused
S13: on making disciples, but disciple makers. The goal is not
S13: to plant a church. It's to plant a church that
S13: plants a church. And so it just continues to move.
S13: And we're just seeing God do some, I mean, book
S13: of Acts type stuff. Incredible stuff.
S2: Yeah. And I don't want people to get derailed by
S2: these numbers because they're so astronomical. But how many churches
S2: do you anticipate, by the way? These are churches visited
S2: twice to verify that there's leadership and that there's a
S2: a gathering that can that constitutes called out ones that
S2: meet together to grow up in a relationship with God.
S2: How many churches do you hope to plant here in 2025?
S13: Five. Well, we're we're on. Uh, we're as it looks
S13: right now. It looks like it's going to be somewhere
S13: between 40 and 45,000 churches this year.
S2: Is that staggering, guys?
S4: It is staggering.
S2: And they're verified. This is not just some pipe dream
S2: or numbers for numbers sake. It's just awesome. Okay, David Nelms,
S2: I love you, dude. You are such an inspiration to me.
S2: And I mean that. And you know, I love this
S2: guy so much. I went to the brass here at
S2: Moody and I said, I appeal to you, if we're
S2: looking for a global partner, could we please have the
S2: Timothy Initiative? So guess what? In 2026, I'm going to
S2: be going to one of their sites. I don't even
S2: think I've told you all this. Ali, you've been out
S2: of the country. I'm going to be going to one
S2: of their sites. We're going to see unreached people groups
S2: that are being reached with the gospel and then discipled,
S2: and then we're going to come back home and we're
S2: going to have a big investment in what Ty is doing.
S2: Isn't that cool?
S4: Oh That's.
S2: Awesome. Okay, so let's break it down here. David. Uh,
S2: what I want from you today is three rock solid
S2: truths of disciple making. And I just got a hunch
S2: these things are going to jar us a little bit,
S2: so let's go. What are they for? You, my man.
S13: Yeah. Number one, I would say for me personally. Now,
S13: this is for me. I would say more important, the
S13: most important thing about the Great Commission or about making
S13: disciple makers, which is the Great Commission, is not what
S13: you do, but why you do it. Uh, I believe
S13: God is more concerned with why we do what we
S13: do than he is with what we do. Making disciples
S13: who make disciples, that's what we do. That's the Great Commission.
S13: But why do we do it? I think the why
S13: behind the what, the why behind the Great Commission is
S13: the great commandment. Yes. When Jesus, when Jesus was asked,
S13: what is the greatest of all the commandments. He did
S13: not say, go make disciples. He did say, Love God
S13: with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. And
S13: what I have found is this Carl. I grew up
S13: being taught to keep the main thing. The main thing. Yup. And.
S13: And what the pastor's always meant by that was the
S13: main thing was the Great Commission. But they were right
S13: that we should keep the main thing. The main thing.
S2: But that's the what?
S13: Yes. That's the what. The the main thing is, is
S13: loving God, loving people and watch. If you love God,
S13: you're going to want to please him, honor him, obey him. I,
S13: I have a bunch of grandkids. I don't have any
S13: problem talking to people about my grandkids because I love
S13: my grandkids, and I want them to know about my grandkids.
S13: If I love God, I'm going to want people to
S13: know about my father. And if I love people, I'm
S13: going to want them to have to experience God's grace
S13: and his forgiveness and have joy and peace in their
S13: hearts and and be able to walk on gold one
S13: day for all eternity in heaven. So if you love
S13: God and love people, the the Great Commission will just
S13: naturally it's not a it. It's no longer a duty
S13: or a command even see outflow.
S14: Yeah. Yeah.
S13: So so the main thing see, I think, I think
S13: our problem is not the great. I think our problem, Karl.
S13: My problem. It's a love thing.
S14: Yes.
S13: When I love God with all my heart and I
S13: love people, the great, the great Commission is like taking
S13: candy from a baby bro.
S2: This is so spot on. I mean, come on, we
S2: could stop right there. Let's get two more, though. What
S2: are these rock solid truths of disciple-making? Number one, love
S2: God and the Great Commission will flow out of it.
S2: Number two, what do you say?
S13: Yeah. Really? Really. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
S13: And in acts one and verse eight, when his last
S13: statement before he went back to heaven. His last words,
S13: and I'm going to paraphrase it, he said, I'm sending
S13: the Holy Spirit and he is going to give you
S13: the power you need to be my witnesses. I know
S13: the Holy Spirit has many ministries, is given for many reasons.
S13: But in our Lord's final statement, he directly connected the
S13: dots of the coming of the Holy Spirit with power
S13: to witness. And I believe, I believe, by the way,
S13: a witness is just simply someone who tells what they've seen, heard,
S13: know to be the truth. It's not techniques. It's not strategies.
S13: It's being filled with the spirit.
S14: And.
S13: Filled with the spirit. The spirit produces the fruit of
S13: the spirit in your life. And it is that love,
S13: that joy, that peace, that patience. It's all that fruit.
S13: That's what God uses to draw like a magnet people
S13: to Jesus Christ. And so I would say, uh, make,
S13: make much of the Holy Spirit, uh, every day. My
S13: first prayer in my life, every single day is, father,
S13: fill me with your Holy Spirit. And so, Carl, this
S13: is important to me because I grew up, uh, to me,
S13: the Holy Spirit was more of a doctrine. Uh.
S14: I'm with you.
S13: Yeah. And so, you know, see? Oh, God the father,
S13: God the son, God the Holy Scriptures, as opposed to
S13: God the Holy Spirit. So when the Holy Spirit is
S13: alive in your heart and and and you are, you're
S13: listening to him, and and your desire is to be
S13: under his control. Again, the Great Commission just flows out
S13: of that.
S4: Doctor David Nelms, our guest right now, founder of the
S4: Timothy Initiative. Okay. In these last minute or two, give
S4: us that third. What's that third rock solid truth of
S4: disciple making.
S13: Yeah, I would say it's understanding, uh, what's often called
S13: obedience based Base discipleship here in the States, most of
S13: our discipling is knowledge base. It's just knowledge on top
S13: of knowledge, fact on top of fact. So we know it.
S13: But knowing it and doing it are two different things. Um,
S13: the Great Commission passage, Matthew 2820 Jesus did not say,
S13: teach those new believers everything I commanded you. He said,
S13: teach them to observe or obey everything I commanded you.
S13: And so, uh, I heard somebody say once, there's no
S13: please in the Great Commission. It's it's not a request.
S13: It's it's it's it's it is a command. It's more
S13: than a command, but it is a command and understanding
S13: that that it's it's not learning. It's not memorizing the
S13: Romans Road or the three circles or the four spiritual laws,
S13: or even how to share your, your story. It's it's
S13: understanding that the King of kings, the one with all authority,
S13: the one that snaps his fingers and heaven jumps. He
S13: has told us to go out, share the gospel, make disciples.
S13: When we obey him, that is what brings him glory.
S13: So it's obedience based disciple making.
S2: This is so right on. You know, I actually called
S2: David guys here. Just, uh, what was this a couple
S2: of months ago? I said, what's the what's the game changer?
S2: You get this love guy, you get all this stuff
S2: cooking here, and he goes, at the end of the day,
S2: we've got to we got to get rid of this
S2: notion that calling for obedience is legalism. That's another thing
S2: that's happened here, David, is that we've we've reduced obedience,
S2: discipleship down to, oh, that must be legalism. That's not legalism.
S2: Legalism is foisting something on people that God never intended.
S2: Obedience is alignment of our life with God so that
S2: our lives change. And this is beautiful. I got to
S2: tell you, great Commission is the what? Here's the three
S2: really whys. You might ask, why do you do this, guys?
S2: That's what David just said. Love the Lord your God. Heart, soul, mind, strength.
S2: Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes, an obedience based discipleship.
S2: David Nelms I love you, hot dog. You are such
S2: a blessing and we're grateful to have you in here.
S4: If you want more, text disciple to (800) 555-7898. Text disciple
S4: to 800 555 7898. Thank you so much, Doctor David Nelms,
S4: for being with us this morning.
S13: Thank you. My pleasure.
S2: What a guy, huh?
S14: Yeah.
S2: Is that rich?
S4: That's a lot to chew on.
S2: Three little points. That's a lot to chew on.
S4: Text disciple to 800 555, 78, 98.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: One of the challenging things living in the West is
S2: that we look at experiences through our grid. Oftentimes, our
S2: absence of experiences dictates how we make judgments on other people.
S2: Just take what's going on in Afghanistan. I heard a
S2: story just recently. Uh, I think this was it might
S2: have been Pakistan, but here again, I heard an amazing story.
S2: This is my bride that was telling me this when
S2: she heard it on Moody Radio. Um. A woman has
S2: a vision of Jesus. This is happening all the time.
S2: And the. And the words were. She had never heard
S2: anything about the Bible. Come to me. You're weary. You're
S2: heavy laden. I'm going to give you rest. Take my
S2: yoke upon you. She didn't know it was Jesus, but
S2: she knew that this was God talking to her. So
S2: she went on this hunt to find out who is.
S2: Who is this God? And what came out of it
S2: was she. She actually met someone who knew the Lord
S2: and said, I can tell you where that quote comes from,
S2: opens the scriptures and shows her. And she says, this is,
S2: this is my God, bowed and knee surrendered to Jesus,
S2: and the rest is history. And now it's having ripple
S2: effects throughout her family. The tendency can be to get
S2: fixated on the miracle rather than the miracle worker, which
S2: is God. Yeah, that's the point of where you were.
S2: They are.
S4: Totally.
S2: Totally enamored with the God of miracles, not miracles.
S4: Absolutely. And the I mean, the occupational hazard of living
S4: in a wealthy nation is that your wealth and are
S4: even the poorest people.
S2: In.
S4: America. The world is wealthy compared to the rest of
S4: the world. So this is all of us in the
S4: same boat of living in a place where physical needs,
S4: for the most part, are are met. There's access, at least,
S4: to things that modernize and make life a little bit easier. Yeah,
S4: the occupational hazard is that the gospel can mean less
S4: to you when you're not desperate for him.
S2: This is why we love to say here when you
S2: feel like, oh man, I am so down. I'm so
S2: kicked in the teeth I'm at the end of myself.
S2: That's when you're most strategically positioned. It is to take
S2: hold of the God of miracles. And if we can
S2: uninsulated ourselves from the things of earth, and they grow
S2: strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Katy,
S2: bar the door. We don't know what's going to happen.
S4: Absolutely. Because this is not a oh, you know, I
S4: feel like guilty for having. No it's not. It's stewarding
S4: well what God's given you. But recognizing that man every
S4: opportunity we need God, whether we have much or little
S4: in the physical sense.
S2: Yeah. So here's here's an exercise, just a quick one
S2: just on my heart here. Let's let's just imagine that
S2: all the stuff that we're trusting in that just faded
S2: to the background and all we have is Jesus. That's
S2: all we have. And in truth, that is all we have.
S4: It is. That's the only thing that we have that's certain.
S2: But what if we could really cling to the Lord today?
S2: I mean, cling to him and say, God, you are
S2: Jehovah Jireh. You're my provider. You're my healer. You're the
S2: banner of love. You. You are everything. God. And if
S2: we could just for a moment, right now. Just let
S2: the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light
S2: of God's glory and grace. Look out, look out!