WEBVTT - Hour 1: Serving Jesus 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.800 Hi friend, thank you so much for downloading this podcast 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:06.920 and I truly hope you hear something that edifies encourage, equips, enlightens, 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:09.520 and then gets you out there in the marketplace of ideas. 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.440 But before you go, I want to tell you about 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:14.680 this month's truth tool. It's called Have You Ever Wondered? 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:17.720 And I absolutely love this topic because if you're like me, 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:19.600 going out into the night sky and looking up and 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:22.439 seeing a million stars, don't you just stop and think 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:24.560 about God? And are you not in a moment of 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:27.960 awe and wonder or looking out over the vast expanse 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:30.600 of an ocean and you start thinking, what is man, 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:32.800 that thou art mindful of him? And it makes you 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.240 wonder about the magnificence of God? I think that sense 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:39.480 of wonder was put there on purpose, and this wonderful 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:42.720 book includes a composite of multiple authors who have written 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.879 from their perspective as a scientist, or a historian, or 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.160 a mathematician or an artist, on why they all have 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:51.599 this sense of awe through the work that they do. 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:54.120 In other words, the heavens declare the glory. And as 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:56.440 it tells us in Romans, we are really without excuse 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:00.150 because his handiwork is everywhere. And this book invites you 0:01:00.150 --> 0:01:03.550 to walk through the chapters written by people who all 0:01:03.550 --> 0:01:06.310 have a sense of awe and wonder when it comes 0:01:06.310 --> 0:01:09.110 to God through their various disciplines in life. It's an 0:01:09.110 --> 0:01:11.429 amazing book and it's yours. For a gift of any amount. 0:01:11.430 --> 0:01:16.350 Just call 877 58. That's 877 Janet 58. Ask for 0:01:16.350 --> 0:01:19.350 a copy of Have You Ever Wondered? And we'll send 0:01:19.350 --> 0:01:20.630 it right off to you as my way of saying 0:01:20.630 --> 0:01:23.030 thank you, because we are listener supported radio. Or you 0:01:23.030 --> 0:01:25.390 can go online to in the market with Janet Parshall 0:01:26.550 --> 0:01:29.389 and you're also on the website, consider becoming a partial partner. 0:01:29.390 --> 0:01:31.630 Those are people who give every single month at a 0:01:31.630 --> 0:01:34.110 level of their own choosing. You always get the truth tool, 0:01:34.150 --> 0:01:36.270 but in addition to that, you get a weekly newsletter 0:01:36.270 --> 0:01:39.069 that includes my writing and an audio piece just for 0:01:39.069 --> 0:01:43.190 my partial partner. So 877 Janet 58 or the website 0:01:43.190 --> 0:01:46.830 in the market with Janet parshall.org consider becoming a partial 0:01:46.830 --> 0:01:49.790 partner or asking for this month's truth tool. Have you 0:01:49.790 --> 0:01:53.110 ever wondered? And now please enjoy the broadcast. 0:01:53.710 --> 0:01:55.230 Here are some of the news headlines we're watching. 0:01:55.510 --> 0:01:57.830 The conference was over. The president won a pledge. 0:01:57.950 --> 0:02:00.030 Americans worshiping government over God. 0:02:00.350 --> 0:02:03.710 Extremely rare safety move by a major 17 years. 0:02:03.710 --> 0:02:05.790 The Palestinians and Israelis negotiated. 0:02:06.150 --> 0:02:07.470 By the Bush tax cuts. 0:02:21.389 --> 0:02:23.950 Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall. 0:02:23.950 --> 0:02:26.350 I'm thrilled. We're going to spend the hour together. You know, 0:02:26.389 --> 0:02:28.550 each and every day we start our broadcast with you 0:02:28.590 --> 0:02:31.910 hearing the cacophony of the marketplace of ideas. That's why 0:02:31.910 --> 0:02:34.669 all of those voices blend together. And we do that 0:02:34.669 --> 0:02:37.870 on purpose. This program is designed to get you out there, 0:02:37.870 --> 0:02:41.190 to go and tell, to influence and occupy, to let 0:02:41.190 --> 0:02:44.070 your light so shine because you just can't keep the 0:02:44.070 --> 0:02:46.910 good news to yourself. Like Jeremiah, this message is like 0:02:46.950 --> 0:02:48.630 fire in your bones and you want to go out 0:02:48.630 --> 0:02:51.070 and share, but we want to help you when you 0:02:51.070 --> 0:02:53.190 get there, not to be put off by the vain 0:02:53.190 --> 0:02:56.230 and hollow philosophies like the book of Colossians talks about, 0:02:56.230 --> 0:02:58.220 that are being bought and sold in the marketplace. And 0:02:58.220 --> 0:03:00.660 so one of our jobs, we hope, is to help 0:03:00.660 --> 0:03:02.660 you grow up in him, to get off that diet 0:03:02.700 --> 0:03:04.579 of milk, move to a diet of meat, get some 0:03:04.580 --> 0:03:07.420 spiritual heft on your bones, and really know what you 0:03:07.419 --> 0:03:10.300 believe and why you believe it while you are contending 0:03:10.300 --> 0:03:12.340 for the faith. It doesn't get any better than that. 0:03:12.340 --> 0:03:13.739 By the way, that is what I love to call 0:03:13.740 --> 0:03:16.460 the athleticism of the Christian life. And you and I 0:03:16.460 --> 0:03:18.860 should be so excited to get up every single morning 0:03:18.860 --> 0:03:21.139 and realize that God's given you the precious gift of 0:03:21.139 --> 0:03:23.700 another day, which means the potential to be able to 0:03:23.700 --> 0:03:26.060 tell his good news to somebody and for you to 0:03:26.100 --> 0:03:29.140 experience his grace, his mercy, and his love. Do you know, 0:03:29.380 --> 0:03:31.579 before your feet hit the floor this morning, the word 0:03:31.580 --> 0:03:34.220 says that he had given you sufficient grace for the day, 0:03:34.380 --> 0:03:36.740 that nothing and no one can separate you from his love. 0:03:36.740 --> 0:03:39.580 And that, as if that wasn't enough, he's crowned you 0:03:39.580 --> 0:03:41.780 with loving kindness and tender mercies. Now, I don't know 0:03:41.780 --> 0:03:44.220 about you, but that that's like more than enough. Not 0:03:44.220 --> 0:03:47.140 just for today, but for a lifetime. And then, because 0:03:47.140 --> 0:03:49.860 of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we've got 0:03:49.860 --> 0:03:52.020 the quickening and the direction of the person of the 0:03:52.020 --> 0:03:54.620 Holy Spirit who helps us to know what to do, 0:03:54.660 --> 0:03:57.010 why we should do it, and to press on to 0:03:57.050 --> 0:04:00.250 being conformed and transformed to the image of Christ. And then, 0:04:00.250 --> 0:04:03.050 as if that weren't enough, he gives us the illumination 0:04:03.050 --> 0:04:04.850 of his word so we don't have to stumble in 0:04:04.850 --> 0:04:07.650 the dark. Wow, what a great and glorious God we have. 0:04:07.890 --> 0:04:09.850 But while we're in the marketplace, I'd love to introduce 0:04:09.850 --> 0:04:11.810 you to various people along the way. People that you 0:04:11.810 --> 0:04:14.410 might not know, people who are there in the marketplace 0:04:14.410 --> 0:04:17.810 already influencing and occupying. And one of the people you're 0:04:17.810 --> 0:04:19.849 going to hear from this hour is a gentleman just 0:04:19.850 --> 0:04:23.330 like that. I love this man. I have worshipped him 0:04:23.330 --> 0:04:26.289 from afar. And I don't mean that in a non-biblical sense. 0:04:26.290 --> 0:04:28.890 What I mean is there's nothing like someone who is 0:04:28.890 --> 0:04:31.370 like Jeremiah, who does have fire in his bones, who 0:04:31.370 --> 0:04:35.930 with absolute clarity can teach line upon line, precept upon precept, 0:04:35.930 --> 0:04:38.729 what the word has to say. And that is exactly 0:04:38.730 --> 0:04:41.570 who Doctor Lon Solomon is. Now, this is a man who, 0:04:41.570 --> 0:04:45.250 in 1980 became the senior pastor at McLean Bible Church 0:04:45.250 --> 0:04:47.570 in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.. And I have to 0:04:47.570 --> 0:04:50.210 tell you, just so that you understand, there are all 0:04:50.210 --> 0:04:52.010 kinds of churches in our neck of the woods here 0:04:52.010 --> 0:04:54.720 in Washington, D.C. but this is one of those churches 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:58.800 that draws all kinds of people. I mean, this is 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:01.240 a man who's talked to presidents as members of Congress 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:03.880 who were sitting in his congregation, talks to judges, gets 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:06.719 appointed to a council by a past president. We'll talk 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:09.640 about that in a moment, but also is so good 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.240 at what he does that he's captured the attention of 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:15.200 the culture. So there are multiple news outlets that would 0:05:15.200 --> 0:05:18.560 do stories online about McLean Bible Church and the impact 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:22.919 it was having on the world in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:25.640 and the globe at large. And I can't wait for 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:27.680 you to understand who this man is and to follow 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:30.880 him now at Lon Solomon Ministries, because there's so much 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:33.080 going on there. So let me just tell you quickly, 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:35.600 he has served in that capacity. He's had that job 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:40.159 until 2017, and it was the birth of his disabled daughter, Jill. 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:41.880 We're going to talk more about this. That led to 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:45.520 his initiating and organizing Jill's House, a ministry to serve 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:49.000 the needs of disabled children and their families. He is 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:52.320 on the board of one of my most favorite ministries, Industries. 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:55.720 Jews for Jesus. He's been there since 1987. He now 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:59.440 serves as chairman of the board's executive committee. In September 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.800 of 2002, he was appointed by President George W Bush 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:04.840 to serve in his administration as a member of the 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:08.960 President's Committee on Intellectual Disabilities. That was a position he 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:13.760 held until 26, 2006. We get the whole hour with Lon, 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:16.400 and that's a treat, Lon. The warmest of welcomes. I 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:18.680 am thrilled you have so many things you could be 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.080 doing with your time. And you're giving me the gift 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:23.920 of time. I can't possibly return it. So let me 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.160 just say thank you. And on behalf of people listening 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:28.760 all across the country, we're thrilled to spend this hour 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:29.320 with you. 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:33.600 Thank you. John, it's it's my pleasure, honestly. 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.120 Oh, thank you so much. Well, let me start in 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:39.279 the present first, and let me ask you about Lon 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:41.640 Solomon Ministries. And I want to tell my friends I've 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:45.200 got a link on our information page, Lon Solomon ministries.com. 0:06:45.200 --> 0:06:47.240 Easy to remember if you're driving. Don't worry about it. 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:49.160 It's right there for you to do it. And it 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:53.190 is chock full of information, including but not limited to. 0:06:53.670 --> 0:06:56.430 You were at McLean for over 37 years. There's a 0:06:56.430 --> 0:06:59.190 boatload of sermons there. But tell me about Lon Solomon 0:06:59.190 --> 0:07:01.870 Ministries today. What is it doing and what's it all about? 0:07:02.670 --> 0:07:08.350 Well, thanks for asking. Um, hello, everyone out there. Um, and, uh, well, 0:07:08.350 --> 0:07:13.270 when I left McLean in 19, in 2017, I really 0:07:13.270 --> 0:07:15.950 wasn't sure what the Lord wanted me to do next. 0:07:16.270 --> 0:07:20.430 And so I just kind of said, I just need to. 0:07:20.590 --> 0:07:22.630 I was tired, and I just said, you know, I 0:07:22.630 --> 0:07:26.230 just need some time to rest. And then it became 0:07:26.230 --> 0:07:29.510 clear that the Lord was leading us to begin Lon 0:07:29.510 --> 0:07:33.990 Solomon Ministries. So we do a number of things. We 0:07:33.990 --> 0:07:38.630 are on about 2000 radio stations across America, uh, with 0:07:38.670 --> 0:07:41.910 using sermons that I did when I was at McLean, 0:07:42.110 --> 0:07:44.790 which were already prepared for the radio, because we were 0:07:44.790 --> 0:07:49.470 on Wava here at Salem station, here in D.C., uh, 0:07:49.540 --> 0:07:53.260 and then, uh, we started uh, after that and of course, 0:07:53.300 --> 0:07:57.580 social media platforms as well. And then we started using 0:07:57.580 --> 0:08:00.140 something that we did in DC that I know, you 0:08:00.140 --> 0:08:04.060 know about called not a sermon, just a thought. Uh, 0:08:04.060 --> 0:08:07.420 it's a little one minute. Um, it's a little it's 0:08:07.420 --> 0:08:10.980 like an ad that we would buy on secular stations 0:08:10.980 --> 0:08:14.860 here in DC, and we would run them just like 0:08:14.860 --> 0:08:18.860 an ad on the rock station, the country station, the 0:08:18.860 --> 0:08:22.100 talk station, whatever. Uh, and the whole idea of not 0:08:22.100 --> 0:08:26.020 a sermon, just a thought was to give people a 0:08:26.020 --> 0:08:30.220 thought about the Lord. We didn't use it for church growth. 0:08:30.220 --> 0:08:33.579 We didn't even talk about the church, ever. We used 0:08:33.580 --> 0:08:36.940 it to talk about the Lord Jesus. And just to 0:08:36.980 --> 0:08:39.900 give people a little ding in the paint, uh, to 0:08:39.940 --> 0:08:44.180 get them thinking and then to end it always with 0:08:44.380 --> 0:08:48.020 not a sermon, just a thought. I'll give you an example. 0:08:48.059 --> 0:08:51.689 I mean, these were only 46 seconds long, but one 0:08:51.690 --> 0:08:54.970 of them that we did was went something like this. 0:08:56.890 --> 0:09:00.770 It's opened by my quoting a line from Hotel California. 0:09:00.809 --> 0:09:03.610 You can check out any time you want, but you 0:09:03.610 --> 0:09:06.890 can never leave. Hi there. This is Lon Solomon, pastor 0:09:06.890 --> 0:09:09.570 McLean Bible Church. And, you know, hell is a lot 0:09:09.570 --> 0:09:13.730 like the Hotel California. Uh, you may want to check out, 0:09:14.010 --> 0:09:17.530 but you can't leave. Which means that the best solution 0:09:17.530 --> 0:09:20.170 for this is never to go to hell in the 0:09:20.170 --> 0:09:24.449 first place. And that is done by trusting Jesus Christ 0:09:24.450 --> 0:09:26.809 in what he did on the cross for you to 0:09:26.850 --> 0:09:30.370 pay for your sin. Not a sermon, just a thought. 0:09:30.650 --> 0:09:31.730 And we. 0:09:31.770 --> 0:09:32.130 And I have. 0:09:32.130 --> 0:09:32.210 To. 0:09:32.210 --> 0:09:33.050 Believe that. 0:09:57.530 --> 0:10:00.170 So many in our culture today are spiritually curious but 0:10:00.210 --> 0:10:03.570 hesitant about religion. That's why I've chosen. Have you ever wondered, 0:10:03.570 --> 0:10:07.130 is this month's truth to explore how everyday experiences might 0:10:07.130 --> 0:10:10.330 be the signposts pointing to deeper biblical truths? As for 0:10:10.330 --> 0:10:12.450 your copy of have you ever wondered when you give 0:10:12.450 --> 0:10:14.530 a gift of any amount to in the market, call 0:10:14.530 --> 0:10:19.290 877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58 or go to 0:10:19.330 --> 0:10:24.490 in the market with Janet Parshall. We have the privilege 0:10:24.490 --> 0:10:27.610 of spending the hour with Doctor Lon Solomon, who is 0:10:27.610 --> 0:10:30.530 with Lon Solomon Ministries, and we're talking about his ministry 0:10:30.530 --> 0:10:33.809 right now, for years, led one of the most important 0:10:33.809 --> 0:10:37.370 churches in the Washington, DC area. And God has said, oh, 0:10:37.410 --> 0:10:39.330 you're not retiring, Lon. We've still got a lot of 0:10:39.330 --> 0:10:40.890 work to do. So I want to go back to 0:10:40.929 --> 0:10:43.970 this brilliant idea that you had, because I, like millions 0:10:43.970 --> 0:10:46.920 of people in the DC D.C. area would be driving along, 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.160 and whether it was a Christian station or a secular station, 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:53.360 I would hear your voice doing one of those 46 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:57.160 second long pieces saying, not a sermon, just a thought. 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:00.080 And every time I thought, Lord, plant those seeds and 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.160 reap a harvest out of what Lonnie has just shared, 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:05.400 and it was just enough to get busy Washingtonians to 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:08.880 start thinking about things eternal, to start thinking about their 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.280 relationship with the Lord. And it was an absolutely brilliant idea. Now, 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:15.079 if I've done my homework right as part of Lon 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:18.080 Solomon Ministries, now this is going all over the country, 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:18.800 is it not? 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:23.520 Yes it is. We call it not a sermon. America 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.760 is the name of the initiative. And, you know, we 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:29.440 realized a few several years ago that people in Washington 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:31.640 were very used to this. People would come up to 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.680 me and say, you know, my boss ended our business 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.120 meeting the other day by going, not a sermon, just 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.760 a thought. So it kind of became a byword around 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:44.190 the city. But people around America had never heard these, 0:11:44.750 --> 0:11:47.790 of which we have several hundred. So we said, hey, 0:11:47.830 --> 0:11:50.390 why don't we take this on the road? And so 0:11:50.390 --> 0:11:53.550 we picked two, two cities every quarter. This quarter we're 0:11:53.550 --> 0:11:57.990 in Minneapolis and Las Vegas, and we buy thousands of 0:11:57.990 --> 0:12:02.550 dollars of radio time on secular stations. And then we 0:12:02.590 --> 0:12:04.750 we run not a sermon in direct people to the 0:12:04.750 --> 0:12:09.990 website where they get the full gospel. So in 2024, Janet, 0:12:09.990 --> 0:12:12.150 you're not going to believe this because I didn't believe 0:12:12.150 --> 0:12:15.830 it in 2024. This is according to the radio stations, 0:12:15.830 --> 0:12:21.790 not us. Over 25 million radios were tuned when not 0:12:21.790 --> 0:12:26.190 a sermon played in the four quarters. That's amazing. I 0:12:26.230 --> 0:12:27.630 had trouble believing that. 0:12:28.190 --> 0:12:28.630 But. 0:12:29.030 --> 0:12:32.070 But hey, you know what? I'm not a sermon. Just 0:12:32.070 --> 0:12:32.670 a thought. 0:12:33.429 --> 0:12:37.150 Yeah, exactly right. But what a great God we serve. 0:12:37.150 --> 0:12:40.470 And how marvelous that he is. So enlarging your territory. 0:12:40.470 --> 0:12:43.179 But there's just something attractive about that. Don't lecture me. 0:12:43.179 --> 0:12:44.860 Let me just think about it. I want to discover 0:12:44.860 --> 0:12:47.220 truth on my own. And what you're doing is you're 0:12:47.220 --> 0:12:51.300 planting these so important seeds, uh, all through the radio. 0:12:51.300 --> 0:12:53.580 And I think it's just a brilliant idea and so 0:12:53.580 --> 0:12:56.980 excited that this is continuing to grow, which is fabulous. Now, 0:12:57.020 --> 0:12:59.340 talk to me about the sermons themselves, because I'm telling 0:12:59.340 --> 0:13:01.620 you the reason why so many people went to McLean 0:13:01.620 --> 0:13:04.380 when you were senior pastor is because of who you 0:13:04.380 --> 0:13:07.620 are and how you preached. I am so thankful that 0:13:07.620 --> 0:13:09.860 those sermons have been preserved because if we go to 0:13:09.900 --> 0:13:13.500 Lon Solomon ministries.com, we can download a lot of these sermons. 0:13:13.500 --> 0:13:14.620 Talk to me about that. 0:13:14.900 --> 0:13:17.820 Yeah, you can download them all. Well, when I was 0:13:17.820 --> 0:13:21.420 in seminary I had a wonderful professor, doctor Tom Edgar 0:13:21.580 --> 0:13:28.300 from Dallas Seminary, who, uh, taught us preaching, um, homiletics. 0:13:28.500 --> 0:13:30.860 And he, he had two things he used to always 0:13:30.860 --> 0:13:35.620 say to us, number one, uh, 1.1 sermon. Don't give 0:13:35.700 --> 0:13:39.699 us six points in one sermon because people can't remember 0:13:39.700 --> 0:13:42.180 it all. If you want to make three points, preach 0:13:42.179 --> 0:13:45.900 three different sermons. And that was brilliant. And then number two, 0:13:46.340 --> 0:13:51.100 he used to always say, uh, that, uh, preach to 0:13:51.260 --> 0:13:55.380 junior high schoolers, because if you make it understandable to 0:13:55.420 --> 0:13:59.900 junior high schoolers, the adults will think you're wonderful. And 0:13:59.900 --> 0:14:02.700 so I always follow that advice. I didn't try to 0:14:02.740 --> 0:14:07.140 make it simplistic, but simple enough. You know that a 0:14:07.140 --> 0:14:11.180 12 year old could understand exactly what I was saying. 0:14:11.460 --> 0:14:15.940 And so it's not rocket science. And it, you know, 0:14:15.980 --> 0:14:19.180 it just it worked. And the basic thing that I 0:14:19.180 --> 0:14:22.780 used to tell people when they asked was, if a 0:14:22.780 --> 0:14:27.380 preacher doesn't tell you so what and how? What good 0:14:27.380 --> 0:14:31.300 is he? And so after teaching the word, you know, 0:14:31.300 --> 0:14:34.020 people want to know. All right. So what what difference 0:14:34.020 --> 0:14:36.700 does this make to me tomorrow morning and how do 0:14:36.700 --> 0:14:40.330 I do it. And if you give them that so 0:14:40.330 --> 0:14:44.970 they can put handles on what you're teaching, uh, then 0:14:44.970 --> 0:14:47.570 they can apply to their life. And so that that's 0:14:47.570 --> 0:14:48.410 what we did. 0:14:49.530 --> 0:14:51.330 You know, I have to tell you exactly the way 0:14:51.330 --> 0:14:53.890 you just described that, I think, is why you are 0:14:53.890 --> 0:14:58.450 so unbelievably effective as a pastor teacher is because it's 0:14:58.450 --> 0:15:01.410 applied Christianity. I always say on this broadcast that we 0:15:01.410 --> 0:15:03.690 underline on Sunday, we've got all our magic markers in 0:15:03.690 --> 0:15:06.010 our notes in the margins of our Bible. Monday rolls 0:15:06.010 --> 0:15:07.890 around and we're like deer in the headlights. We don't 0:15:07.890 --> 0:15:10.330 have a clue how to take and apply what we 0:15:10.330 --> 0:15:13.250 just heard on Sunday to the world around us. Your 0:15:13.490 --> 0:15:16.210 approach toward your preaching was always now. You've been. You've 0:15:16.250 --> 0:15:18.770 gotten the hermeneutics. You broke this all down. Now what 0:15:18.810 --> 0:15:20.530 difference does it make and how do you apply it 0:15:20.530 --> 0:15:24.050 to your life personally without doing that? Is it not 0:15:24.050 --> 0:15:27.490 an open door for us to compartmentalize our Christianity, rather 0:15:27.490 --> 0:15:29.850 than to have it weave into every bit of who 0:15:29.850 --> 0:15:30.410 we are? 0:15:31.450 --> 0:15:35.010 Well, I certainly think so. I you know, I think 0:15:35.050 --> 0:15:38.370 the God gave us the Bible for two reasons. Number one, 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.040 to tell us how to get eternal life and get 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:43.640 to heaven. Number two, to tell us how to live 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:47.040 until we get there. And the Bible is meant to 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:51.000 be life changing. It's meant to change the way we think, 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.760 the way we live, our value system. So if we're 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.200 not helping people make that connection, I mean, a few 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:02.080 people sitting out there will make that jump to lightspeed 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:06.560 all by themselves. But most of us, including me, um, 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:10.360 we we need help. And so when the pastor helps 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.680 you make that jump to light speed and like, oh, okay, 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.880 I see, I see what I need to do. That 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.400 is invaluable. 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.160 Yeah. Amen to that. I mean, again, I made that 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:26.080 comment when I was starting our conversation together about the 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.440 power of the word. Let me just pause for a 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:30.240 moment and ask you, and I'm going to tap into 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:33.600 your pastor's heart here. You know, I follow George Barna's 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:36.920 research at, uh, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian 0:16:37.030 --> 0:16:39.870 University very closely. And it's a wake up call for 0:16:39.870 --> 0:16:42.430 anybody who's in ministry, because we're not moving in the 0:16:42.430 --> 0:16:45.430 right direction. We're moving in exactly the opposite direction. We're 0:16:45.430 --> 0:16:49.390 practicing a kind of synchronicity where we're like a buffet restaurant. 0:16:49.430 --> 0:16:51.030 We'll take a little bit of this worldview and a 0:16:51.030 --> 0:16:52.670 little bit of that and put it all together and 0:16:52.670 --> 0:16:55.030 amalgamate it. And as a result of that, we've got 0:16:55.030 --> 0:16:58.470 this shattered Christianity where now, if you look at Barna, 0:16:58.470 --> 0:17:00.950 his research says that far too many people who profess 0:17:00.950 --> 0:17:03.710 to have a faith in Jesus Christ believe that Jesus 0:17:03.710 --> 0:17:06.190 committed sin. There is no actual devil. They're not even 0:17:06.190 --> 0:17:08.590 sure who the person of the Holy Spirit is. And 0:17:08.590 --> 0:17:10.830 if that is not a wake up call for churches, 0:17:10.830 --> 0:17:12.790 I don't know what is but the question, Lon, and 0:17:12.790 --> 0:17:14.070 let me see if I can get you to answer 0:17:14.070 --> 0:17:17.070 this when we get back is the antidote to that. 0:17:17.070 --> 0:17:19.229 Seems to me to be in the word. How do 0:17:19.270 --> 0:17:22.429 pastors make it more attractive for people to get into 0:17:22.430 --> 0:17:25.270 the word? Because you are such a superb teacher of 0:17:25.270 --> 0:17:27.990 the word. Lon Solomon is with us, head of Lon 0:17:28.030 --> 0:17:30.830 Solomon Ministries. He's got a powerful testimony we're going to 0:17:30.830 --> 0:17:32.550 get in to later. And I've got a link to 0:17:32.550 --> 0:17:35.149 his website so you can download his fabulous sermons. You 0:17:35.150 --> 0:17:38.270 can learn more about. Not a sermon, just a thought. 0:17:38.270 --> 0:17:40.550 And he also takes a lot of tours to Israel 0:17:40.550 --> 0:17:59.630 back after this. We're spending the hour with Doctor John Solomon, 0:17:59.630 --> 0:18:02.430 who is the head of Lon Solomon Ministries. He also 0:18:02.430 --> 0:18:05.750 has been on the board of Jews for Jesus since 1987. 0:18:05.750 --> 0:18:08.390 He now serves as chairman of the board's executive committee 0:18:08.390 --> 0:18:11.590 there as well. So, Lon, I have so many questions 0:18:11.590 --> 0:18:14.189 to ask. I want to talk about your testimony because 0:18:14.350 --> 0:18:17.070 if you're on the board of Jews for Jesus thinking 0:18:17.070 --> 0:18:20.230 people are going to figure out you are a messianic believer. 0:18:20.430 --> 0:18:23.470 So tell me about how you came to know Yeshua 0:18:23.510 --> 0:18:24.470 as your Savior. 0:18:25.350 --> 0:18:27.629 I would love to do that, but can I answer 0:18:27.630 --> 0:18:31.310 the question you asked me first? Yes, please to break. 0:18:31.630 --> 0:18:33.429 Yes and forgive me for not going back to that. 0:18:33.430 --> 0:18:33.830 Please do. 0:18:33.869 --> 0:18:37.380 Oh no. That's okay. That's okay. No, I think you're 0:18:37.380 --> 0:18:42.619 absolutely right. I think that it's very disturbing to me. 0:18:43.180 --> 0:18:48.100 The leaders of our of the evangelical church today who 0:18:48.140 --> 0:18:53.340 don't believe that the Scripture is 100% true. Uh, whether 0:18:53.340 --> 0:18:56.180 it's from the Garden of Eden to the flood to 0:18:56.220 --> 0:19:02.379 Abraham being real, to, uh, David being real, all of this. Uh, 0:19:02.380 --> 0:19:06.220 it's very disturbing because of the power of the Bible 0:19:06.580 --> 0:19:11.060 has to be applied to people's lives by a teacher 0:19:11.300 --> 0:19:14.340 who believes the Bible is true. God's not going to anoint. 0:19:14.340 --> 0:19:18.220 Somebody's trying to teach the Bible who doesn't believe it. 0:19:18.340 --> 0:19:23.899 And it's very disturbing that we've got so much leakage 0:19:24.380 --> 0:19:29.020 on that issue. And I you know, I've done 63 0:19:29.020 --> 0:19:32.020 tours to Israel. You mentioned that. And one of the 0:19:32.020 --> 0:19:35.449 mantras we we use when with my group, when we 0:19:35.450 --> 0:19:38.090 go through Israel is as I show them things, I 0:19:38.090 --> 0:19:40.850 say to them, now say it with me. The more 0:19:40.890 --> 0:19:43.290 they dig out of the ground, the more the Bible 0:19:43.290 --> 0:19:48.570 proves to be right. Because that's indeed true. Um, and 0:19:48.570 --> 0:19:53.330 so I'm not going to bore everybody, but but except 0:19:53.330 --> 0:19:57.210 to say that there's never been an archaeological discovery that 0:19:57.210 --> 0:20:01.370 has ever definitively proved the Bible was wrong. I mean, 0:20:01.369 --> 0:20:04.890 there are people who've interpreted them that way, but they 0:20:04.890 --> 0:20:08.090 can be interpreted to prove the Bible is right as well. 0:20:08.369 --> 0:20:12.409 So you gotta believe the Bible. Uh, yeah. And you 0:20:12.450 --> 0:20:14.850 got to believe all of it. If you don't believe 0:20:14.850 --> 0:20:17.010 all of it, then you don't believe none of it. 0:20:17.250 --> 0:20:20.889 You know? So, uh, anyway, uh, that would be my 0:20:20.890 --> 0:20:22.929 answer to that. And you got to. You got to 0:20:22.930 --> 0:20:26.170 teach it with excitement. I mean, my gosh, if the 0:20:26.170 --> 0:20:30.330 person preaching it is not excited about it, well, then 0:20:30.330 --> 0:20:32.520 why in the world should I sitting in the audience, 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:36.600 get excited about it? So those would be my thoughts 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:37.359 on that now. 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.280 My testimony before you go to the testimony line, because 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:42.680 what you said is so rich and so important and 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:45.200 needs to be shouted from the rooftops. Because I loved 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:47.320 your word. There's a leakage going on here. And I 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:50.560 guess we shouldn't be surprised, because if you're reading the word, 0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:53.439 you understand that as we move forward in these latter days, 0:20:53.720 --> 0:20:56.360 we're not listening to sound doctrine. We want stuff that 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:58.920 tickles our ears. We want it to be, um, culturally 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:02.200 relevant as long as it doesn't offend. It's diverse, it's inclusive, 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:04.199 and all of the other whatever. Words are trendy in 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:06.960 the marketplace right now. But the bottom line is, is 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:09.960 that the word doesn't change, just like the author. The 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:13.080 same yesterday, today, and forever. So what happens when you're 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:16.040 in a church and the pastor goes, well, that was then, 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:19.560 this is now. So let me just pick a topic out. So, uh, 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:23.200 when we when Paul was talking about homosexuality, he was 0:21:23.200 --> 0:21:26.040 referring to people who were licentious. These were not people 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:29.399 who were living in monogamous same sex relationships. And you're 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:31.639 a sheep, not a shepherd. You hear a shepherd say that. 0:21:31.640 --> 0:21:34.520 You start with the presupposition that the shepherd knows the word, 0:21:34.520 --> 0:21:37.160 and he starts doing what's right in his own eyes. 0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:40.240 How does a person sitting in the pew know better? 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:42.080 I mean, if they're not being a Berean, if they 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:44.920 don't check this, they're going to be taken captive again. 0:21:44.920 --> 0:21:46.639 And this is a hallmark of these latter days. So 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:48.000 what's the antidote for that? 0:21:48.840 --> 0:21:52.159 Well, the simple answer is get out of that church 0:21:52.160 --> 0:21:54.359 and go find one that believes the Bible. 0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:55.520 Um, yes. 0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:58.639 You're not going to change a church from the bottom up. 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:01.720 It doesn't happen that way. So if you're in a 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:05.240 church where the preaching is not honoring the the, the, 0:22:05.600 --> 0:22:10.520 the veracity of the scripture, go find a church that does. Um, 0:22:10.560 --> 0:22:14.439 or a Bible teacher or a Bible study that does. Um, 0:22:14.560 --> 0:22:18.720 but it is sad that many people do not understand 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:22.760 the truth of the Bible enough to even recognize when 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:26.520 the when the Bible teachers going off, you know, on 0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:30.550 a tangent and that's that's tragic. And they sit there 0:22:30.550 --> 0:22:34.270 and they don't even recognize that he's going off or 0:22:34.270 --> 0:22:38.350 she's going off. That's tragic. And that happens. 0:22:38.630 --> 0:22:39.669 Um, yeah. 0:22:39.830 --> 0:22:42.670 So that would be that's my quick answer. Get out 0:22:42.670 --> 0:22:43.550 of the church. 0:22:44.470 --> 0:22:47.310 I couldn't agree more. And not only that, but stay grounded. 0:22:47.350 --> 0:22:49.910 You know, I've often shared with my friends on radio 0:22:49.910 --> 0:22:52.790 that when the Bereans said to test all things for years, 0:22:52.790 --> 0:22:55.110 I thought they were testing the Greeks. And they were 0:22:55.150 --> 0:22:58.149 checking what the Epicureans and the Stoics might be saying. 0:22:58.150 --> 0:23:00.669 But in reality, they were fact checking. Paul. They were 0:23:00.670 --> 0:23:02.990 the original fact checkers. So if the Bereans are fact 0:23:03.030 --> 0:23:06.469 checking Paul, just because someone standing in a pulpit. You 0:23:06.510 --> 0:23:09.830 stay grounded in the word and you do the fact check. No, 0:23:09.830 --> 0:23:12.430 that's not what the word says. And test all things. 0:23:12.430 --> 0:23:14.790 It seems to me in these latter days, it's more 0:23:14.790 --> 0:23:16.669 important than ever to do a fact check on what 0:23:16.670 --> 0:23:18.709 you hear from the pulpit. Not in a condescending way, 0:23:18.710 --> 0:23:20.990 but to make sure that that word of life that's 0:23:20.990 --> 0:23:22.910 being held out is being handled carefully. 0:23:23.350 --> 0:23:27.460 Yes, absolutely. The Bereans were more noble than the Jews 0:23:27.460 --> 0:23:31.100 in Thessalonica, in that they checked the scripture every day 0:23:31.100 --> 0:23:33.660 to see what Paul was saying, whether it was true. 0:23:34.020 --> 0:23:37.820 So you're right. And and if anybody ever called, as 0:23:37.820 --> 0:23:41.179 you know, anybody ever calls you a Berean Christian, that's 0:23:41.180 --> 0:23:42.060 a compliment. 0:23:43.660 --> 0:23:46.500 I couldn't agree more. That's. And more than ever we 0:23:46.500 --> 0:23:49.659 need that. But again, if we want instant popcorn, if 0:23:49.660 --> 0:23:51.740 we want instant money out of a machine. Boy, the 0:23:51.740 --> 0:23:55.020 idea of studying to show ourselves approved unto God is 0:23:55.020 --> 0:23:58.420 so passé. We want quick stuff. We don't want time 0:23:58.460 --> 0:24:00.340 spent in the word. So I'm coming up to a 0:24:00.340 --> 0:24:02.980 break and afterwards I want to get your testimony. But, 0:24:02.980 --> 0:24:05.100 and I promise I will remember my question on the 0:24:05.100 --> 0:24:07.740 other side of this break. How does one get into 0:24:07.740 --> 0:24:10.859 the routine of being in the word on a regular basis? 0:24:10.859 --> 0:24:13.260 For a lot of people, they'll grab their iPhone before 0:24:13.260 --> 0:24:15.500 the word, they'll check their email before they check what 0:24:15.500 --> 0:24:18.060 God has to say. So what's a good place to 0:24:18.060 --> 0:24:20.500 start for someone to say, okay, that's it. I realize 0:24:20.500 --> 0:24:23.060 I can't move forward and grow up in him unless 0:24:23.060 --> 0:24:25.340 I'm immersed in his word. How do you do that? 0:24:25.380 --> 0:24:28.300 Doctor Lon Solomon is with us of Lon Solomon Ministries. 0:24:28.300 --> 0:24:31.340 We're going to hear his wonderful testimony. And he's got 0:24:31.340 --> 0:24:32.859 a thing or two to say about what's going on 0:24:32.859 --> 0:24:34.619 in the Middle East as well. As you can imagine, 0:24:34.619 --> 0:24:38.740 a man who's taken tours to Israel 67 times pretty 0:24:38.740 --> 0:25:04.899 good back after this with Lon Solomon. Tired of the endless, 0:25:04.900 --> 0:25:07.580 biased spin you hear on mainstream media and in the market, 0:25:07.580 --> 0:25:09.660 we're using God's Word as our guide as we examine 0:25:09.660 --> 0:25:11.780 today's events, and we want you to be informed and 0:25:11.780 --> 0:25:14.580 bold about his truth. This is a listener supported program, 0:25:14.580 --> 0:25:16.180 so if you value what you hear and you want 0:25:16.180 --> 0:25:18.500 us to continue on your station, become a partial partner 0:25:18.500 --> 0:25:24.609 with your monthly support, call eight 7758. That's eight Than Janet, 58, 0:25:24.650 --> 0:25:27.610 or go online to in the market with Janet Parshall. 0:25:31.090 --> 0:25:33.689 We are spending the hour with Doctor Lon Solomon, who 0:25:33.690 --> 0:25:37.290 became the senior pastor at McLean Bible Church in 1980, 0:25:37.330 --> 0:25:41.250 was there 37 plus years, by the way, and then 0:25:41.250 --> 0:25:45.290 he founded Lon Solomon Ministries. And his influence just continues 0:25:45.290 --> 0:25:47.650 to grow. And we're so pleased to know that, by 0:25:47.650 --> 0:25:50.770 the way, fact checking, I said 67 tours to Israel. 0:25:50.810 --> 0:25:54.010 He led 63. Lord willing, it'll be 67 in no 0:25:54.050 --> 0:25:56.410 time at all. But the question I left hanging before 0:25:56.410 --> 0:25:59.450 the break, Lon, was this idea of how do we encourage? 0:25:59.450 --> 0:26:01.130 First of all, I love what you said before if 0:26:01.130 --> 0:26:04.090 you're not sensing an enthusiasm. And I referenced Jeremiah before 0:26:04.130 --> 0:26:06.889 this fire in your bones coming from the pulpit, it 0:26:06.890 --> 0:26:08.449 sure isn't going to be fire that gets caught by 0:26:08.450 --> 0:26:10.450 the people sitting in the pews. But for people who 0:26:10.450 --> 0:26:13.410 are listening to you now saying, okay, uncle, I can't 0:26:13.410 --> 0:26:15.770 put this off anymore, I will confess, I'm one of 0:26:15.770 --> 0:26:18.770 those people that grabs my iPhone before the Word of God. 0:26:18.970 --> 0:26:22.490 I really want to start spending time in that book 0:26:22.490 --> 0:26:25.680 that doesn't contain but is the Word of God. Where 0:26:25.680 --> 0:26:26.840 do you tell people to start? 0:26:28.400 --> 0:26:30.800 Well, I was very fortunate to have a man who 0:26:30.800 --> 0:26:35.439 led me to Christ in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1971. 0:26:36.600 --> 0:26:39.840 Excuse me, who drilled that into me? That if you 0:26:39.880 --> 0:26:42.160 will never amount to anything for the Lord, if you're 0:26:42.160 --> 0:26:46.680 not in the word. And so I had a great beginning, 0:26:47.040 --> 0:26:51.200 and he modeled it for me. And then, uh, so 0:26:51.720 --> 0:26:54.560 you need you you know, I think we need people 0:26:54.560 --> 0:26:57.840 around us who are doing it and people around us 0:26:57.840 --> 0:27:01.359 who are telling us to do it. And, uh, it's 0:27:01.359 --> 0:27:05.800 just a matter of of two things. One, understanding. For 0:27:05.800 --> 0:27:09.800 without me you can do nothing. Jesus said. And number two, 0:27:09.840 --> 0:27:12.280 that the Word of God is living and alive and 0:27:12.280 --> 0:27:16.120 like a two edged sword. And it it it changes 0:27:16.119 --> 0:27:19.800 your life supernaturally. I don't know how. I don't need 0:27:19.800 --> 0:27:23.390 to know how, but I know it does. And it's 0:27:23.390 --> 0:27:29.070 like rebooting your computer when you're reading the word. And so, uh, 0:27:29.470 --> 0:27:33.150 you know, we need to have that sense of need 0:27:33.150 --> 0:27:36.149 for the word. And then we just need, frankly, to 0:27:36.390 --> 0:27:39.550 to just do it. Uh, you know, I think we're 0:27:39.550 --> 0:27:42.110 all tempted to get up and read the paper and 0:27:42.109 --> 0:27:46.070 check our email and, you know, whatever, whatever. And, uh, 0:27:46.070 --> 0:27:48.669 but we just need the discipline to do it. 0:27:49.470 --> 0:27:52.710 Yeah. Amen. Such wise counsel. Okay. Gave us a little 0:27:52.710 --> 0:27:55.030 sneak peek when you talked about Chapel Hill. We're going 0:27:55.070 --> 0:27:57.190 to talk more about that in a moment. But you 0:27:57.230 --> 0:28:00.790 came from Portsmouth, Virginia, raised in a Jewish home. Tell 0:28:00.790 --> 0:28:01.830 me what that was like. 0:28:02.510 --> 0:28:04.870 Yes, that's exactly right. And can I say one quick 0:28:04.869 --> 0:28:08.030 thing that I forgot? Neither I nor any member of 0:28:08.030 --> 0:28:12.110 my family takes a dime from Lon Solomon Ministries. 92% 0:28:12.109 --> 0:28:14.990 of the money that comes in goes to radio time 0:28:15.270 --> 0:28:18.950 and not a sermon time. And I'm very happy that 0:28:18.950 --> 0:28:23.750 the Lord's Enabled me to to do that. So back to. 0:28:23.790 --> 0:28:24.389 Wonderful. 0:28:24.510 --> 0:28:29.630 Portsmouth. Yeah, I had Jewish parents, Jewish grandparents. I mean, 0:28:30.109 --> 0:28:32.830 you know, I'm as Jewish as lox and bagel. 0:28:32.990 --> 0:28:35.230 I mean, uh, yeah. 0:28:35.430 --> 0:28:40.390 And so I was bar mitzvahed the whole nine yards. And, uh, 0:28:40.590 --> 0:28:44.070 then I had a girl. I was in acting. I 0:28:44.070 --> 0:28:47.630 did Thespian troupe in high school, and she began witnessing 0:28:47.670 --> 0:28:50.390 to me and telling me I needed Christ. So I 0:28:50.390 --> 0:28:53.550 asked my rabbi at the time, I said, hey, do 0:28:53.550 --> 0:28:56.830 Jews go to heaven or to hell? And he said 0:28:56.910 --> 0:28:59.790 he was a little taken aback. And he he told me, 0:28:59.790 --> 0:29:02.950 you know, no, hell is a Gentile problem. So I 0:29:02.950 --> 0:29:07.390 was like, wow, that's great. Uh. That's awesome. So that 0:29:07.390 --> 0:29:11.630 pretty well ended my my, um, uh, connection with the synagogue. 0:29:11.790 --> 0:29:12.590 I figured if I was. 0:29:12.590 --> 0:29:13.990 Going to heaven, then. 0:29:14.150 --> 0:29:16.190 Then why go do this boring thing? 0:29:16.230 --> 0:29:17.630 Exactly, exactly. 0:29:17.670 --> 0:29:18.030 Yeah. 0:29:18.310 --> 0:29:22.260 So, uh, but then I got to college and, um, 0:29:22.300 --> 0:29:27.140 got into a social fraternity, uh, partied hard, drank hard, 0:29:27.340 --> 0:29:34.820 womanized hard, did dope hard, sold dope hard. Uh, and 0:29:34.820 --> 0:29:38.180 my life was just. It was just emptier and emptier. 0:29:38.540 --> 0:29:41.900 And finally I just got to the point where I said, 0:29:41.900 --> 0:29:46.820 all right, something's not right here. I'm missing something somewhere. 0:29:47.300 --> 0:29:50.980 So I started trying to find, you know, trying to 0:29:50.980 --> 0:29:55.540 find whatever it was that would fix this, uh, emptiness 0:29:55.580 --> 0:29:59.220 inside of me. And I ran into this guy, Bob Eckhardt, 0:29:59.820 --> 0:30:03.020 who would come to town every Saturday. He worked in Durham. 0:30:03.020 --> 0:30:05.540 He was in his 40s. And he would stand on 0:30:05.540 --> 0:30:08.860 Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, and he would hand out tracts. 0:30:09.260 --> 0:30:13.180 And I thought he was the weirdest man in the world. 0:30:13.420 --> 0:30:15.460 I'd never seen anything like this. It looked like it 0:30:15.460 --> 0:30:17.810 was right out of a circus. Yes and. 0:30:18.330 --> 0:30:20.650 No. But, but, but but. 0:30:20.650 --> 0:30:23.290 I felt bad for the poor guy. People would curse 0:30:23.290 --> 0:30:25.450 at him and throw his tracks at him and spit 0:30:25.450 --> 0:30:28.010 at him. I felt bad for the poor guy. So 0:30:28.010 --> 0:30:33.170 we struck up a friendship and little by little he 0:30:33.170 --> 0:30:35.570 began to share the Lord with me. And I'll tell 0:30:35.570 --> 0:30:38.890 you what it was Janet. The first time I met him, 0:30:38.890 --> 0:30:43.850 I looked directly into his eyes. Our meeting wasn't 20s, 0:30:44.010 --> 0:30:46.650 but a minute. I looked in his eyes. I knew 0:30:46.690 --> 0:30:48.890 he had exactly what I was looking for. 0:30:49.130 --> 0:30:50.090 I can't put it. 0:30:50.090 --> 0:30:53.650 In words, but the Holy Spirit was shining through him, 0:30:54.090 --> 0:30:57.570 and I. My spirit leaped and I knew. I said 0:30:57.570 --> 0:30:59.810 to myself when I walked away, now that guy's got 0:30:59.850 --> 0:31:02.650 what I'm looking for. I didn't know it was Christ, 0:31:02.970 --> 0:31:06.330 but I knew it was something. So, you know, so 0:31:06.330 --> 0:31:09.490 often when we're out and about, I don't think we 0:31:09.490 --> 0:31:13.290 realize how often, if we're full of the spirit that 0:31:13.290 --> 0:31:16.480 day or that moment, I don't think how often we 0:31:16.480 --> 0:31:20.240 realize the impact that the Holy Spirit shining through our 0:31:20.240 --> 0:31:25.120 life can have, even on a non-verbal level. But man, 0:31:25.120 --> 0:31:28.240 I knew and I knew he had it. And so 0:31:28.240 --> 0:31:30.800 that's why when he started talking to me about Jesus, 0:31:30.800 --> 0:31:32.160 I was willing to listen. 0:31:33.280 --> 0:31:37.280 Wow. So how long from the you're willing to listen to? 0:31:37.320 --> 0:31:40.360 You decided to make the decision that Yeshua is exactly 0:31:40.360 --> 0:31:41.360 who he said he was. 0:31:41.920 --> 0:31:44.720 I wasn't long, he gave me a Bible, which I 0:31:44.720 --> 0:31:49.160 still have to this day, 54 years later. And he 0:31:49.160 --> 0:31:51.880 encouraged me to read it. So I started reading it. 0:31:51.920 --> 0:31:53.960 I didn't know where. I didn't know what it was. Well, 0:31:54.200 --> 0:31:56.320 we never had I never had a Bible. I didn't 0:31:56.320 --> 0:32:00.480 know if this thing went. Introduction, main body, conclusion, anti-climax, 0:32:00.480 --> 0:32:03.280 and anthology of poems. I didn't know what this thing was. 0:32:03.640 --> 0:32:06.360 So I started at the beginning. In the beginning, God 0:32:06.360 --> 0:32:08.560 created the heavens and the earth. And I thought, okay, 0:32:08.600 --> 0:32:11.000 I can deal with that. And then I read about 0:32:11.000 --> 0:32:14.360 this Adam guy, and I thought he, without a doubt, 0:32:14.760 --> 0:32:18.720 is the stupidest person I've ever heard of in the 0:32:18.720 --> 0:32:20.880 whole world. Only one thing he couldn't do, and he 0:32:20.880 --> 0:32:23.720 did it. What's wrong with this guy? And then I 0:32:23.720 --> 0:32:26.120 got to so and so begat so and so. And 0:32:26.120 --> 0:32:29.000 I thought, oh my gosh, how long does this go on? 0:32:29.480 --> 0:32:31.880 And so finally I said, all right, forget it, I'm 0:32:31.920 --> 0:32:35.400 going into the New Testament. Uh, because I knew that's 0:32:35.400 --> 0:32:39.080 where Jesus was. And I started reading Matthew's gospel, which 0:32:39.080 --> 0:32:42.840 was very appropriate. And I got to Matthew 11, come 0:32:42.840 --> 0:32:46.280 to me, all ye that are heavy laden and burdened down, 0:32:46.480 --> 0:32:49.160 and I'll give you rest. You'll find peace for your soul. 0:32:49.160 --> 0:32:54.200 And I remember saying, bingo! That is exactly what I'm 0:32:54.200 --> 0:32:57.440 looking for. I couldn't have put it into words as 0:32:57.440 --> 0:33:00.400 well as Jesus did, but that's what I'm looking for. 0:33:00.400 --> 0:33:04.280 So that was maybe a month after I met this 0:33:04.280 --> 0:33:06.920 guy and I put the Bible down. I got on 0:33:06.920 --> 0:33:10.600 my knees in my bedroom and I said, okay, God, 0:33:11.760 --> 0:33:14.070 I don't even know for sure if you exist in 0:33:14.070 --> 0:33:18.870 this Jesus character I'm really confused about. But my life isn't. 0:33:18.910 --> 0:33:21.070 I don't even know why I get up in the morning. 0:33:21.070 --> 0:33:24.070 So here's the deal. I'm going to give you my 0:33:24.070 --> 0:33:27.430 life for a month, and if you can give me 0:33:27.430 --> 0:33:30.110 this rest in this peace that you're promising here in 0:33:30.110 --> 0:33:32.950 Matthew 11, you can have my life for good. And 0:33:32.950 --> 0:33:35.590 if you can't, then I reserve the right to take 0:33:35.590 --> 0:33:38.230 my life back at the end of the month. Amen. 0:33:38.910 --> 0:33:43.590 Now that's the worst salvation prayer ever prayed. The worst. 0:33:44.110 --> 0:33:47.190 And I'm sure God punched Gabriel in the ribs and said, oh, 0:33:47.230 --> 0:33:49.270 that poor boy, we need to go down and help 0:33:49.270 --> 0:33:53.510 this man. Uh, but you know, God looks on the outward. 0:33:53.550 --> 0:33:55.630 I mean, man looks on the outward appearance, but the 0:33:55.630 --> 0:33:59.030 Lord looks on the heart. First Samuel 16 seven and 0:33:59.030 --> 0:34:02.910 I think the Lord said, lon horrible prayer. But your 0:34:02.910 --> 0:34:07.390 heart is sincere, and I'm going to honor that. And, Janet, 0:34:07.430 --> 0:34:09.350 you know, all I can tell you is within a 0:34:09.350 --> 0:34:12.540 week I knew something had happened on the inside of 0:34:12.540 --> 0:34:16.500 me that it never happened before. I can't, you know. 0:34:16.540 --> 0:34:18.620 You know, if you've come to Christ, you know what 0:34:18.620 --> 0:34:22.859 I'm talking about. And, uh. And I just came back 0:34:22.900 --> 0:34:25.700 a week later and I said, okay, God, I don't 0:34:25.739 --> 0:34:27.419 know what you're going to do with a hippie with 0:34:27.460 --> 0:34:30.100 hair out to his shoulders and love beads and bell 0:34:30.100 --> 0:34:36.620 bottoms and motorcycle boots and a goatee who stinks and smells. But, Lord, 0:34:36.620 --> 0:34:39.380 you got me, uh, for whatever you want to do 0:34:39.380 --> 0:34:42.940 with me. A deal was the deal. And, uh. And, 0:34:42.940 --> 0:34:45.580 you know, God healed my dog. That was the other 0:34:45.580 --> 0:34:48.820 part that was so important. I had a dog named Noah. 0:34:48.860 --> 0:34:52.780 Big German shepherd. And he had mange. And the medicine 0:34:52.780 --> 0:34:56.500 wasn't working. I'd been using it for weeks. It was 0:34:56.500 --> 0:35:00.819 getting worse. So after I prayed that horrible salvation prayer, 0:35:01.060 --> 0:35:03.260 I got back on my knees and said, okay, God, 0:35:03.260 --> 0:35:07.219 one more thing. I need a God who's powerful enough 0:35:08.180 --> 0:35:10.810 to heal my dog. So I want you to heal 0:35:10.810 --> 0:35:14.290 my dog. And then I got up and I thought, wow, 0:35:14.330 --> 0:35:17.730 you know, Lorne, you're kind of putting your dog's life, 0:35:18.210 --> 0:35:20.770 you know, on the line. I'm going to stop using 0:35:20.770 --> 0:35:22.930 the medicine. So I thought maybe I should have asked 0:35:22.930 --> 0:35:26.130 God to levitate the bed or something, you know? But 0:35:26.130 --> 0:35:29.290 but I said, no, no deals. Deal. And I'm telling you, 0:35:29.330 --> 0:35:32.170 three days later, you can believe it if you want to. 0:35:32.489 --> 0:35:35.969 But I'm telling you, that dog's hair had come back, 0:35:36.530 --> 0:35:39.529 and I knew it was not the medicine because I'd 0:35:39.570 --> 0:35:43.330 been using the medicine for weeks and I knew God 0:35:43.330 --> 0:35:45.930 had healed my dog. I ran into one guy at 0:35:45.930 --> 0:35:49.690 Liberty University who tried to convince me theologically, God doesn't 0:35:49.690 --> 0:35:53.089 heal dogs. And I said to him, sir, I said, 0:35:53.090 --> 0:35:57.609 you know what? I'm not really interested in your theology. 0:35:57.650 --> 0:36:00.569 God doesn't live in those little cubbyholes you put him in. 0:36:00.570 --> 0:36:02.969 I'm telling you, God healed my dog. Now you can 0:36:02.969 --> 0:36:05.690 believe it if you want or not. But God healed 0:36:05.690 --> 0:36:09.770 my dog, and and that was important because I figure 0:36:09.770 --> 0:36:12.010 if I don't have a God at least powerful enough 0:36:12.010 --> 0:36:14.730 to heal my dog, then what good is he going 0:36:14.730 --> 0:36:16.370 to be to me? Uh. 0:36:16.650 --> 0:36:17.410 Exactly. 0:36:18.090 --> 0:36:20.490 And so? So he showed himself strong in Christ. 0:36:20.890 --> 0:36:23.930 Wow. Wow. Amazing. All right, so question I have to 0:36:23.930 --> 0:36:25.450 ask you, and then I do want you to give 0:36:25.450 --> 0:36:27.450 me some of your impressions of what's been going on 0:36:27.450 --> 0:36:30.010 in the Middle East. But you're a good Jewish boy 0:36:30.050 --> 0:36:33.370 from Portsmouth, Virginia, raised in a Jewish home. Now, you've 0:36:33.370 --> 0:36:38.049 said Yeshua is the much anticipated, much longer Messiah. How 0:36:38.050 --> 0:36:39.810 does that play when you tell your folks back home, 0:36:39.810 --> 0:36:41.850 I want to know about that, because this is something 0:36:41.850 --> 0:36:44.009 that particularly Jews for Jesus has to deal with on 0:36:44.010 --> 0:36:46.290 a regular basis as well. So we'll get an answer 0:36:46.290 --> 0:36:48.850 when we return. All of the information you need to 0:36:48.890 --> 0:36:51.770 know more about Doctor Solomon is on our information page. 0:36:51.810 --> 0:36:56.370 Lon Solomon Ministries comm sermons. Great references. Check it out. 0:36:56.370 --> 0:37:04.370 Back after this. We're visiting with Doctor Lon Solomon of 0:37:04.370 --> 0:37:08.560 Lon Solomon Ministries. He's heard on radio all across the country. 0:37:08.600 --> 0:37:11.000 Just an absolutely fabulous teacher of the Word of God. 0:37:11.000 --> 0:37:13.919 So you just gave us part of your testimony. And 0:37:13.920 --> 0:37:16.239 I just love the way you shared that and how 0:37:16.239 --> 0:37:19.959 you saw something. And that street evangelist in Chapel Hill 0:37:19.960 --> 0:37:22.480 that you said, boy, that's what I want. But now 0:37:22.480 --> 0:37:23.919 you've got to go home, and you've got to tell 0:37:23.920 --> 0:37:27.960 the people closest to you that Jesus is exactly who 0:37:27.960 --> 0:37:30.000 he said he was, the way, the truth, and the life, 0:37:30.000 --> 0:37:33.080 and that nobody comes to the father but through him. 0:37:33.360 --> 0:37:34.560 How does that play at home? 0:37:35.360 --> 0:37:36.960 Oh, well, it didn't play well. 0:37:37.880 --> 0:37:38.480 Um. 0:37:38.920 --> 0:37:41.000 And, you know, I think when I told my parents 0:37:41.000 --> 0:37:43.080 I had come to believe in Jesus, I think they 0:37:43.080 --> 0:37:46.719 honestly would have preferred that I had told them that 0:37:46.719 --> 0:37:50.000 I was still on drugs. Well, because they weren't real 0:37:50.000 --> 0:37:52.439 fond of that. But, you know, Bob Eckhardt, the man 0:37:52.440 --> 0:37:55.359 who led me to Christ, told me, Lon. God saved you, 0:37:55.400 --> 0:37:58.040 at least in part, to be a missionary to your family, 0:37:58.520 --> 0:38:01.839 and nobody else is going to do it. And so 0:38:01.840 --> 0:38:04.760 I took him seriously. My mom came to Christ before 0:38:04.760 --> 0:38:07.550 she died. My dad came to Christ before he died. 0:38:07.870 --> 0:38:11.830 My brother, my only sibling, is an active believer in 0:38:11.830 --> 0:38:16.150 Jesus and my whole nuclear family. Praise the Lord. 0:38:16.550 --> 0:38:17.669 Came to Christ. 0:38:17.910 --> 0:38:22.230 And and we had a maid. If you ever saw 0:38:22.230 --> 0:38:25.189 the movie The Help You, that's how it was with 0:38:25.190 --> 0:38:28.589 my family and so many Jewish families in Portsmouth that 0:38:28.590 --> 0:38:32.790 we knew. And her name was Callie Goodman, and she 0:38:33.070 --> 0:38:35.910 prayed for me for 22 years. I found this out 0:38:35.910 --> 0:38:37.629 after I came to Christ, I didn't know. 0:38:37.670 --> 0:38:38.310 Oh, wow. 0:38:38.790 --> 0:38:42.270 And she prayed for my whole nuclear family, uh, and 0:38:42.270 --> 0:38:45.750 prayed my whole nuclear family, uh, into the kingdom of God. 0:38:46.310 --> 0:38:49.069 Praise God, what a story. Oh, what a reminder of 0:38:49.070 --> 0:38:53.430 the power of prayer. A very effectual right availeth much. 0:38:53.590 --> 0:38:57.190 So you graduate from Chapel Hill with a degree in chemistry. 0:38:57.190 --> 0:39:00.069 But then God is obviously changing your heart because you 0:39:00.070 --> 0:39:03.350 go on and you get a degree from Capitol Hill Seminary, 0:39:03.350 --> 0:39:07.859 but you focus on Hebrew and Old Testament. Then you 0:39:07.860 --> 0:39:10.339 go on and you get another master's degree, and this 0:39:10.340 --> 0:39:13.980 one is Near Eastern Studies. I find this fascinating. So 0:39:13.980 --> 0:39:16.819 what is drawing you a to Hebrew. And the Old 0:39:16.860 --> 0:39:19.379 Testament might be a self-evident truth there, but I want 0:39:19.420 --> 0:39:21.900 to hear your answer. And also, why were you interested 0:39:21.900 --> 0:39:23.420 in Near Eastern studies? 0:39:24.260 --> 0:39:27.020 Well, I mean, I happen to be fairly good at 0:39:27.060 --> 0:39:30.980 Hebrew because I'd taken it, you know, in Hebrew school as, 0:39:31.020 --> 0:39:34.580 as a kid. So it was easy for me where 0:39:34.620 --> 0:39:39.500 so many of the Gentile students, I mean, Hebrew is tough, uh, 0:39:39.620 --> 0:39:43.899 if you've never done it before. So I was just 0:39:43.900 --> 0:39:47.660 good at it. Uh, so, um, uh, but I also 0:39:47.660 --> 0:39:52.140 taught some Greek, uh, some homiletics. I mean, I, you know, 0:39:52.180 --> 0:39:58.620 I just loved being involved in, in the Bible. And so, yeah, 0:39:58.660 --> 0:40:01.939 Hopkins they didn't really have a department called Hebrew. They 0:40:01.940 --> 0:40:07.940 had Near Eastern Studies, which included Egyptology and Assyriology, and 0:40:07.980 --> 0:40:12.020 Hebrew and Aramaic. So that, you know, that was the 0:40:12.020 --> 0:40:13.660 department I had to major in. 0:40:14.219 --> 0:40:14.540 Wow. 0:40:14.580 --> 0:40:17.340 How absolutely fascinating. And then I should point out, also, 0:40:17.380 --> 0:40:19.819 you go on to get a Doctorate of Divinity from 0:40:19.820 --> 0:40:23.540 Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Hence the doctor, Lon Solomon. But 0:40:23.540 --> 0:40:25.779 let me in an hour. That's going far too quickly. Lon, 0:40:25.780 --> 0:40:28.460 let me take your love of all things Hebrew, your 0:40:28.460 --> 0:40:31.739 understanding of Near East studies, and what's going on in 0:40:31.739 --> 0:40:35.180 the world today as you're watching what's going on? You know, 0:40:35.219 --> 0:40:37.459 it's so fascinating. It's causing a lot of people to say, well, 0:40:37.460 --> 0:40:39.460 is this it? Is this the beginning of the end? 0:40:39.700 --> 0:40:41.620 I don't know about that, but all I do know 0:40:41.620 --> 0:40:43.900 is that people need to understand that Israel is the 0:40:43.900 --> 0:40:46.299 only country on planet Earth that was built with a 0:40:46.300 --> 0:40:48.660 shovel in one hand and the rifle in the other. 0:40:48.780 --> 0:40:51.140 This tiny little piece of land the size of new 0:40:51.140 --> 0:40:54.300 Jersey has been fighting for its life since its inception, 0:40:54.300 --> 0:40:56.899 and it just continues to this day. Give me your 0:40:56.900 --> 0:40:58.899 take on what you're seeing in today's headlines. 0:41:00.219 --> 0:41:04.650 Well, sure. I think you said it well. The people 0:41:04.650 --> 0:41:07.049 in Jesus's day should have been able to look back 0:41:07.050 --> 0:41:10.770 at the Old Testament prophecies and put together what was 0:41:10.770 --> 0:41:13.370 going on, but they weren't. I'm sure we're going to 0:41:13.370 --> 0:41:16.450 look back one day and say, my gosh, this was 0:41:16.489 --> 0:41:18.530 we should have been able to put all this together 0:41:18.530 --> 0:41:21.370 for the end of the age. But but I don't 0:41:21.370 --> 0:41:24.489 know anybody who can. I mean, you know, we see 0:41:24.530 --> 0:41:28.569 through a glass darkly. So I don't know what all 0:41:28.570 --> 0:41:31.129 of this has to do with, you know, that. Does 0:41:31.130 --> 0:41:34.010 that mean the return of the Lord is more imminent? Less? 0:41:34.330 --> 0:41:37.089 I don't know, I'm not that smart. What I do 0:41:37.130 --> 0:41:42.410 know is that, uh, God has promised the land that 0:41:42.410 --> 0:41:46.810 the that the Jewish people are occupying today to them 0:41:47.090 --> 0:41:52.009 started with Abraham. Genesis 15 repeated to Isaac, repeated to Jacob, 0:41:52.290 --> 0:41:55.689 and all the way down repeated to David, you know 0:41:55.730 --> 0:42:00.450 that they once they were gathered back in 1948, that 0:42:00.560 --> 0:42:04.200 they were never leaving that land again. So that I 0:42:04.200 --> 0:42:08.160 do know. So if I, if I. If you know, 0:42:08.200 --> 0:42:10.440 if I had any money to bet, I'd bet on. 0:42:10.480 --> 0:42:13.000 If I were you. I'd bet on Israel staying there. 0:42:13.680 --> 0:42:17.520 Me too. Me too. So in parallel to that, and 0:42:17.520 --> 0:42:20.520 I couldn't agree with your perspective more. Talk to me 0:42:20.520 --> 0:42:24.960 about what is this unbelievable increase in anti-Semitism. You know, 0:42:25.000 --> 0:42:26.719 one would have thought that after the Holocaust, when the 0:42:26.719 --> 0:42:31.640 clarion cry was never again, we meant never again. But 0:42:31.640 --> 0:42:34.399 the voracity with which this has come back, particularly after 0:42:34.440 --> 0:42:39.520 October 7th, 2023. For me as a gentile is absolutely stunning. 0:42:39.680 --> 0:42:42.280 Why do you think the uptick in anti-Semitism right now? 0:42:42.680 --> 0:42:45.000 Well, you know, that is a really good question. It 0:42:45.000 --> 0:42:49.440 is so disturbing to see it in our country is 0:42:49.440 --> 0:42:54.000 so disturbing among our young people who have been corrupted 0:42:54.000 --> 0:42:59.630 by these liberal college professors and whoever, uh, these activists. 0:42:59.670 --> 0:43:02.350 I mean, it is. I don't have another word. It's 0:43:02.350 --> 0:43:07.870 just disturbing. And but but you know what? Satan hates 0:43:07.989 --> 0:43:12.830 the Jewish people. Always has. Always will. And revelation 12, 0:43:12.830 --> 0:43:15.710 when he gets thrown out of heaven in revelation 12, 0:43:15.950 --> 0:43:19.350 it's there's a warning there to for the earth to 0:43:19.390 --> 0:43:24.870 look out because he's coming angry. He has wrath. And 0:43:24.870 --> 0:43:27.430 one of the places that wrath is directed is the 0:43:27.430 --> 0:43:28.910 Jewish people. He hates. 0:43:28.910 --> 0:43:29.549 Them. 0:43:29.750 --> 0:43:34.790 And he is out to get them. And I just 0:43:34.790 --> 0:43:37.870 think all of this goes back to him. He's behind 0:43:37.870 --> 0:43:38.670 all of this. 0:43:39.070 --> 0:43:43.069 And exactly what do you think? And I couldn't agree 0:43:43.070 --> 0:43:45.550 with your assessment more. At its core, I always say this. 0:43:45.550 --> 0:43:47.790 This is a spiritual battle. And if you're not looking 0:43:47.790 --> 0:43:50.350 at this through spiritual lenses, you're blind. You don't understand 0:43:50.350 --> 0:43:53.109 what's going on. How what should the church do? And 0:43:53.110 --> 0:43:55.390 I've got about 30s left. But what does the church 0:43:55.390 --> 0:43:58.270 need to do when they hear anti-Semitism. 0:43:59.270 --> 0:44:01.189 Well, the first thing we need to do is know 0:44:01.190 --> 0:44:05.310 our Bible and understand what the Jewish people represent to 0:44:05.350 --> 0:44:07.989 God and the promises he's made to them. And the 0:44:07.989 --> 0:44:10.910 second thing we need to do is, is be convinced 0:44:10.910 --> 0:44:14.230 that Satan is out there causing all of this. Remember, 0:44:14.230 --> 0:44:17.709 the greatest victory Satan ever had is convincing the world 0:44:17.710 --> 0:44:19.150 he doesn't exist. 0:44:19.630 --> 0:44:20.790 And exactly right. 0:44:21.190 --> 0:44:23.710 But he's out there, and he. And we have to, 0:44:23.750 --> 0:44:25.190 you know, we need to fight back. 0:44:26.190 --> 0:44:28.430 Amen. I want to note to end on. This went 0:44:28.469 --> 0:44:30.350 far too quickly. There are a thousand more questions I 0:44:30.350 --> 0:44:32.870 want to ask. Let's talk again soon in the future, 0:44:32.870 --> 0:44:35.790 because you have such a wonderful perspective. And I do 0:44:35.790 --> 0:44:37.790 want to talk about more about the Middle East and 0:44:37.790 --> 0:44:40.150 Bible and prophecy. And I just want more and more 0:44:40.150 --> 0:44:42.910 people to know about Lon Solomon Ministries. So in the meantime, 0:44:42.910 --> 0:44:45.390 let me direct them to my information page in the 0:44:45.390 --> 0:44:50.150 market with Janet parshall.org red box. It says program details, audio. 0:44:50.150 --> 0:44:51.870 Clicking on takes you to the page where you're going 0:44:51.870 --> 0:44:54.470 to get all the information you need on Lon Solomon. 0:44:54.469 --> 0:44:56.630 Thank you Lon. Thank you friends. We'll see you next time.