WEBVTT - The Simplicity of the Gospel 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.080 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:12.920 Sometimes we make the gospel way too complex. We bring 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:17.200 complexity when it doesn't have to be complex. It just 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:21.119 needs to be simple, pure, undiluted. You just need a 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:23.640 little bit of real gospel. You don't need you don't 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.560 need to have all this highfalutin, crazy stuff. 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:30.440 You know, I saw this video on, um, social media 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:32.400 over the weekend that caught my attention. And it was 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:36.479 this young woman, and she was she was talking about how, 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:38.240 you know, she was kind of crying. She's like, I 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:40.920 can't believe that this. I've been in church my whole life, 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:43.000 and this is the first time I'm hearing the gospel. 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.160 And she as she continues to talk, she gets more 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:49.559 and more emotional. She goes, it's not about trying to 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:51.720 be as good as I can be. And it's not 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:54.560 about trying to be at church for three services out 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.040 of every week and trying to be holy. And and 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.890 she's going on and on and about all the things 0:00:59.890 --> 0:01:03.130 that she clearly her whole religious life has been, has 0:01:03.170 --> 0:01:05.930 thought it was. And she was like, you mean that 0:01:05.930 --> 0:01:09.290 this is the gospel? I haven't heard it my whole life. 0:01:09.290 --> 0:01:11.090 I've been doing this my whole life. And I'm just 0:01:11.090 --> 0:01:14.250 now hearing the gospel. And it was it was really 0:01:14.450 --> 0:01:17.850 it was both heartbreaking and powerful at the same time. 0:01:17.850 --> 0:01:19.890 Heartbreaking because you think, man. 0:01:20.170 --> 0:01:20.890 How do you miss it? 0:01:21.450 --> 0:01:24.490 But you can miss it because you, you, you absorb 0:01:24.490 --> 0:01:26.730 the message that if I just go to church this 0:01:26.730 --> 0:01:29.130 many times a week, and if I serve this often, 0:01:29.130 --> 0:01:31.889 and if I wear these kind of clothes or don't 0:01:31.930 --> 0:01:34.770 or go to these kind of places or don't, I mean, 0:01:34.770 --> 0:01:36.410 I related to it a lot. 0:01:36.450 --> 0:01:38.250 That's well, that's your story, right? 0:01:38.290 --> 0:01:40.770 Like, oh, that's not the gospel. 0:01:41.450 --> 0:01:43.810 Yeah. It's interesting because I think we do create a 0:01:43.810 --> 0:01:46.610 cultural norm without even saying it. I mean, who would 0:01:46.650 --> 0:01:52.770 say Christianity is going to church regularly keeping your act together, 0:01:52.810 --> 0:01:54.410 being good? Well, somewhat. I guess. 0:01:54.410 --> 0:01:56.930 I think if you went out and asked most people 0:01:56.930 --> 0:01:58.700 what it means to be a Christian. They would say 0:01:58.700 --> 0:01:59.620 exactly that. 0:01:59.660 --> 0:02:00.140 Really? 0:02:00.620 --> 0:02:02.940 I think it means you go to church. I think 0:02:02.940 --> 0:02:05.100 it means that you try to be a good person. 0:02:05.140 --> 0:02:07.060 Oh, you're talking the man on the street? Yes. Yeah, 0:02:07.060 --> 0:02:07.380 I think. 0:02:07.420 --> 0:02:09.780 But I think sometimes even that creeps into church. 0:02:09.820 --> 0:02:14.540 Oh, yeah. Well, it does creeps into that. Gets into 0:02:14.580 --> 0:02:18.180 my noggin. Not those kind of metrics, but different metrics 0:02:18.180 --> 0:02:23.820 that have. No. There's no biblical basis for it. In fact, 0:02:23.820 --> 0:02:26.260 those are the metrics of the Pharisees, by the way. 0:02:26.300 --> 0:02:28.860 And why do we get this so confused? Then we 0:02:28.860 --> 0:02:32.500 have the Word of God. Why does it become so complicated? 0:02:32.660 --> 0:02:35.540 I think you said it right there. It's the complexity. 0:02:35.740 --> 0:02:40.420 When the gospel was meant to be simple. Paul has 0:02:40.419 --> 0:02:44.220 an interesting warning for the church of Corinth, and it's fascinating. 0:02:44.419 --> 0:02:46.780 So there must have been some circuit preachers out there 0:02:46.780 --> 0:02:49.860 that were dishing up some other information, because he had 0:02:49.860 --> 0:02:52.500 a warning for them. That's really powerful. We're going to 0:02:52.500 --> 0:02:53.820 get to that straight ahead. 0:02:54.180 --> 0:02:56.910 You can take them out of Alaska, But you can't 0:02:56.950 --> 0:03:00.750 take Alaska out of him. Carl is in the crew. 0:03:00.990 --> 0:03:03.550 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:03:03.830 --> 0:03:06.950 Yeah. There's a warning given to the church of Corinth 0:03:06.950 --> 0:03:09.669 that is a little bit shocking. And it's in the 0:03:09.669 --> 0:03:13.830 sticky pages. You don't turn to Second Corinthians 11 very often, but, boy, 0:03:13.830 --> 0:03:15.830 it's insightful. Ali, take it away. 0:03:15.870 --> 0:03:18.110 This is Second Corinthians 11, verse three. It says, but 0:03:18.110 --> 0:03:20.829 I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by 0:03:20.830 --> 0:03:23.710 his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a 0:03:23.710 --> 0:03:26.510 sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 0:03:26.550 --> 0:03:28.829 Okay. How beautiful is this? He's talking to Church of Corinth. 0:03:28.830 --> 0:03:31.869 He's saying, listen. So there's an assumption here. They've got 0:03:31.870 --> 0:03:36.990 a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Doesn't sound highfalutin, right? 0:03:37.030 --> 0:03:38.470 It's pretty basic. 0:03:38.630 --> 0:03:39.110 Simple? 0:03:39.150 --> 0:03:42.590 Yeah. Simple. Um, when we go on, though, looking at this, 0:03:42.590 --> 0:03:46.350 something amazing happens here. So he goes on to say, 0:03:46.350 --> 0:03:49.270 for if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the 0:03:49.270 --> 0:03:51.750 one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit 0:03:51.750 --> 0:03:55.410 from the one you received, or if you accept a 0:03:55.410 --> 0:03:59.210 different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up 0:03:59.210 --> 0:04:03.650 with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am 0:04:03.650 --> 0:04:07.730 not in the least inferior to these super apostles. Is 0:04:07.730 --> 0:04:12.930 that hilarious? Super apostles? Even if I am unskilled in speaking, 0:04:12.930 --> 0:04:17.169 I am not so in knowledge. Isn't this interesting? He's 0:04:17.170 --> 0:04:20.089 saying I'm not very good at public speaking, but I 0:04:20.089 --> 0:04:24.729 know some stuff. Indeed, in every way we have made 0:04:24.730 --> 0:04:28.530 this plain to you. In all things. So here's what 0:04:28.529 --> 0:04:30.810 he's up against. In Corinth, there's a group of people 0:04:30.810 --> 0:04:33.730 that are called super apostles. Quick note I might add here, 0:04:33.730 --> 0:04:36.489 there is no evidence that the super apostles had any 0:04:36.490 --> 0:04:40.770 of their letters canonized as Paul did. So it proved 0:04:40.770 --> 0:04:43.410 out to be real. But these are super apostles. These 0:04:43.410 --> 0:04:45.890 are the hot dogs. And here. Are you ready for this? 0:04:46.130 --> 0:04:51.890 These guys were great speakers, but. And I'm not, I suspect, 0:04:51.890 --> 0:04:54.900 when he calls them super apostles. I think that there 0:04:54.900 --> 0:04:58.580 were some people that were genuinely born again who were 0:04:58.580 --> 0:05:03.980 giving not a different gospel as in heresy, but a 0:05:03.980 --> 0:05:08.580 twist on the truth that brought a level of complexity 0:05:08.580 --> 0:05:13.779 that was going to steal away from their sincere, simple 0:05:13.779 --> 0:05:21.260 and pure faith. Isn't that fascinating? It's not high falutin stuff. Hey, big, 0:05:21.260 --> 0:05:24.820 listen to the big eloquent guys. It's just that good 0:05:24.820 --> 0:05:28.900 old fashioned street knowledge of what God wants to do 0:05:28.900 --> 0:05:30.980 in our life. That's what Paul was appealing for. 0:05:31.260 --> 0:05:33.980 So in what ways do you think we're susceptible of 0:05:33.980 --> 0:05:38.620 this today, of being kind of led astray from the pure, 0:05:38.660 --> 0:05:42.140 sincere devotion to Christ, from the simplicity of the gospel? 0:05:42.220 --> 0:05:44.859 Well, I think we can take it at face value. 0:05:44.860 --> 0:05:48.099 I think the biggest one at face value here is 0:05:48.460 --> 0:05:52.349 you've got, he calls them super apostles. And then he 0:05:52.390 --> 0:05:57.830 says of himself, even if I am an unbeliever, even 0:05:57.830 --> 0:06:01.790 if I am unskilled in speaking. What that means is 0:06:01.830 --> 0:06:07.309 these super apostles were great orators. So great oration does 0:06:07.310 --> 0:06:08.830 not mean good gospel, right? 0:06:08.870 --> 0:06:13.190 Okay. So we can be susceptible to people who are 0:06:13.190 --> 0:06:14.990 very persuasive and speak well. 0:06:15.029 --> 0:06:20.109 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, multi-level marketing ministers kind of, 0:06:20.150 --> 0:06:20.589 so to speak. 0:06:20.630 --> 0:06:25.230 When you think about the, the, the prevalence of social 0:06:25.230 --> 0:06:28.150 media and the ability of so many people to have 0:06:28.150 --> 0:06:32.350 a platform, I think discernment is so important. Important, particularly 0:06:32.350 --> 0:06:35.110 for younger people, people of all ages, but particularly for 0:06:35.110 --> 0:06:38.909 younger people, because you can easily listen to somebody on 0:06:38.910 --> 0:06:42.310 TikTok or Instagram or pick your platform, and they can 0:06:42.350 --> 0:06:46.390 sound so convincing in whatever it is they're presenting that 0:06:46.390 --> 0:06:50.680 you can go, okay, that sounds really good. Is it true? 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:52.440 And I think that's the question that we have to 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:55.240 be teaching our kids to ask. Is it true? It 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:56.560 sounds good, but is it true? 0:06:56.600 --> 0:07:00.480 Yeah, and it's really good. And be careful here, because 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.719 then you can start getting pretty suspicious of anyone who's 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:07.520 got a gift of communication at all. It's not about that. 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.320 This is about an eloquence that could lead people away 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:14.960 from the pure and sincere gospel. And what's I think 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:20.200 what's here is that there's a risk of having so 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.840 much complexity to the gospel. And when I think of pure, 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:27.880 I don't think about heaps. I think about little bits 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:29.480 that are totally pure, you know what I mean? 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:29.920 Yes. 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:33.760 Like, here's a little bit of purity. And, and it 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:38.200 was sincerity of heart. And Paul's just saying don't let 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:42.120 that sincere and pure faith fade away. You know, I 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:47.280 was talking with Christopher. I took him with me to, um, Arizona, 0:07:47.850 --> 0:07:50.650 And it was good, man. I love a jet. You know. 0:07:50.770 --> 0:07:51.250 Your right hand. 0:07:51.290 --> 0:07:54.570 Guy is my right hand guy. I mean, Young Thunder. 0:07:54.570 --> 0:07:55.850 How cool is it? Jet. 0:07:55.890 --> 0:08:00.130 A jet is one of the most genuine, kind characters 0:08:00.130 --> 0:08:01.730 I've ever met. Love him. 0:08:02.010 --> 0:08:04.530 Yeah. He's just he's just as real as real can be. 0:08:05.050 --> 0:08:07.250 I love to poke fun at him because he likes 0:08:07.250 --> 0:08:09.890 formula one racing. And I'm like, wow, that's one area 0:08:09.890 --> 0:08:12.450 of your life that needs lordship in a big way, man. 0:08:13.970 --> 0:08:16.250 In fact, he told me, he told me yesterday on 0:08:16.250 --> 0:08:19.170 a flight home from Arizona. He goes, man, you know, 0:08:19.210 --> 0:08:20.930 you ever dream about if you had all the money 0:08:20.930 --> 0:08:24.210 in the world? I go, yeah, what's your dream? I'd 0:08:24.210 --> 0:08:27.210 go to every Formula One race there was if if 0:08:27.210 --> 0:08:30.490 it didn't compromise my ability to be doing my calling. 0:08:31.250 --> 0:08:35.530 I said, well, you have just torpedoed any Ray's recommendation 0:08:35.530 --> 0:08:37.370 I may give to you for the ultimate. 0:08:37.690 --> 0:08:38.490 That's awesome. 0:08:39.050 --> 0:08:42.250 You just torpedoed it. But I digress. What we were 0:08:42.250 --> 0:08:44.650 talking about on the plane was he was looking at me. 0:08:44.650 --> 0:08:47.140 He says, and you got to remember, Ajit is a 0:08:47.140 --> 0:08:52.700 brilliant guy. 200,000 kids matriculated in Chennai. That's his where 0:08:52.700 --> 0:08:55.459 he came from in India. And this is a tech 0:08:55.500 --> 0:08:59.980 kind of region of India 200,000. Guess where Ajit scored? 0:09:00.020 --> 0:09:01.980 Top of the heap. Number one. 0:09:02.140 --> 0:09:02.540 Wow. 0:09:02.700 --> 0:09:02.940 Wow. 0:09:02.940 --> 0:09:04.780 That's a big deal. But this is what he said 0:09:04.780 --> 0:09:06.700 to me and I thought it was so good. He said, 0:09:07.500 --> 0:09:09.660 we've got to make sure that we don't let the 0:09:09.700 --> 0:09:15.580 gospel get too fancy for for what it is. He said, Carl, 0:09:15.580 --> 0:09:22.940 it's just so simple. And that's what it is. It's 0:09:22.940 --> 0:09:27.180 pure and sincere. And when we get away from purity 0:09:27.179 --> 0:09:32.660 and sincerity, you might know a lot of stuff, but, boy, 0:09:32.660 --> 0:09:34.540 it doesn't have the kind of fruit anymore. 0:09:34.580 --> 0:09:37.060 And it's. That's why it's. We need to continue to 0:09:37.100 --> 0:09:40.500 remind ourselves of this, to boil it down to the 0:09:40.500 --> 0:09:47.760 absolute basics, the pure, simple gospel that a child can understand. 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:49.360 I mean, that's what we have to remember is that 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:52.880 Jesus called children to to come to him. We were 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:56.079 supposed to embrace him as a child, have faith like 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:58.200 a child. Well, have you ever heard somebody say, break 0:09:58.200 --> 0:09:59.800 it down to me like I'm 12 years old? 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:00.520 Yes. 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:04.800 Yes. If it was easy enough for a child to understand, 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:07.439 it was easy enough for a child to understand. 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:08.800 And it's good enough for you. 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:09.800 Exactly. 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:14.120 Okay, coming up here, we're going to give you three simple, pure, 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:17.600 sincere disciplines. And I'm convinced of this. These are. These 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:21.360 are the unseen disciplines that are out there. They don't 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:25.280 they don't show up until you've done them for a while. 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:27.920 And then the fruit is evident. We'll break them down 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:28.280 for you. 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:28.920 Coming up. 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:33.920 A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.600 in the crew. It's Karl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:41.280 So here's the deal, guys. We have got a man. 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.770 We got people showing up. We got a live studio 0:10:43.809 --> 0:10:45.770 audience showing up in here in just a minute. We're 0:10:45.770 --> 0:10:49.690 broadcasting live from downtown Chicago all across the United States. 0:10:49.690 --> 0:10:52.130 We've got Bruce Everett, Bruce, Bruce, come on in here, man. 0:10:52.170 --> 0:10:53.810 You can't stick your head in without getting on. 0:10:53.809 --> 0:10:54.209 Microphone. 0:10:55.050 --> 0:10:57.570 We're in a different studio, and we have a live 0:10:57.570 --> 0:10:59.690 studio audience that's going to be coming in at eight. 0:10:59.730 --> 0:11:01.569 Well, we got to get his mic turned on. We're 0:11:01.570 --> 0:11:02.850 going to get that going right now. 0:11:02.890 --> 0:11:03.730 We have the ability to turn. 0:11:03.850 --> 0:11:05.090 Yeah we got him. We got the mic on. 0:11:05.330 --> 0:11:06.490 This is so cool. Good morning. 0:11:06.530 --> 0:11:08.850 Yeah, yeah. So what's going on? You're bringing in some 0:11:08.850 --> 0:11:09.970 live folks here today. 0:11:10.010 --> 0:11:14.010 You know, a lot of people are interested about what 0:11:14.050 --> 0:11:16.490 goes on here in the morning and how you do 0:11:16.530 --> 0:11:19.449 what you do. And yeah, we're going to bring a 0:11:19.450 --> 0:11:22.210 few friends of Moody in here and just kind of 0:11:22.250 --> 0:11:24.290 watch over your shoulder, see how you do this. 0:11:24.330 --> 0:11:24.810 Okay. 0:11:24.850 --> 0:11:28.450 This this thing called, uh, Carl and crew. Yeah. And 0:11:28.610 --> 0:11:33.090 we're great supporters of this ministry. Strong supporters and champions 0:11:33.090 --> 0:11:34.250 of Moody that are going to be. 0:11:34.250 --> 0:11:34.410 Here. 0:11:34.770 --> 0:11:37.610 This morning and just wanting to add to their story. 0:11:37.650 --> 0:11:39.970 You think they can handle curve balls if we throw 0:11:39.970 --> 0:11:40.569 them at them? 0:11:40.610 --> 0:11:43.579 You know, how do you think they are? They're pretty experienced. 0:11:43.620 --> 0:11:47.819 Are they? They. They have their owners of businesses. There are. 0:11:47.940 --> 0:11:51.900 They are just influential people all over the country. Florida. 0:11:52.179 --> 0:11:55.780 We've got folks from Tennessee, West Michigan, here in Chicago. 0:11:55.820 --> 0:11:59.020 I think we got professors and workers and everything. 0:11:59.220 --> 0:12:00.180 This is going to be a great day. 0:12:00.220 --> 0:12:01.179 Really exciting. 0:12:01.220 --> 0:12:03.699 Yeah. You guys are kind of like in a different environment. 0:12:03.700 --> 0:12:06.100 Here we are. And a quick plug if you're not 0:12:06.100 --> 0:12:09.740 following us on social media Facebook Instagram, Carlin crew. We 0:12:09.740 --> 0:12:11.820 will have some updates and behind the scenes pictures and 0:12:11.820 --> 0:12:13.780 videos so you can be a part of it too, 0:12:13.780 --> 0:12:15.820 even though you're not in studio. We're going to allow 0:12:15.820 --> 0:12:16.020 you to. 0:12:16.059 --> 0:12:18.060 Wait a minute. There's cameras in here. Yes. 0:12:18.100 --> 0:12:19.180 Oh, you're on camera. 0:12:19.780 --> 0:12:21.980 I've got a phone that has a camera so I can. 0:12:22.260 --> 0:12:24.340 Get a fresh haircut, too, man. It looks good. 0:12:24.380 --> 0:12:27.660 Well, I'm. You know, it's. I just got back from Colorado. 0:12:28.059 --> 0:12:30.660 I was visiting my daughter, who works for focus on 0:12:30.660 --> 0:12:32.579 the family. Graduated from Moody two years ago. 0:12:32.580 --> 0:12:34.020 What's that got to do with the haircut? 0:12:34.020 --> 0:12:36.339 Well, I tried to look good for her. Oh, I see. 0:12:36.380 --> 0:12:36.860 I was. 0:12:36.860 --> 0:12:38.540 Trying to figure out what was the line. 0:12:38.540 --> 0:12:40.390 There. I just, you know, I try to look for 0:12:40.390 --> 0:12:41.189 my daughter, you know? 0:12:41.390 --> 0:12:43.350 You know what? You handled pressure really well. I tried 0:12:43.350 --> 0:12:45.390 to put you on tilt, but it was impossible. You're 0:12:45.390 --> 0:12:46.990 a good man, Bruce. Thank you. Thanks. We love. 0:12:46.990 --> 0:12:48.070 You. Hey, we love you guys, too. 0:12:48.110 --> 0:12:48.990 We'll see you in a bit. 0:12:49.070 --> 0:12:51.590 Uh, we're talking about the basics, and I want to 0:12:51.590 --> 0:12:54.710 give you three, because sometimes that pure and sincere faith 0:12:54.710 --> 0:12:57.110 that Paul speaks of can be lost. And I just 0:12:57.110 --> 0:12:59.030 want to break it down really simply. I'm going to 0:12:59.030 --> 0:13:00.350 give you three words. I'm going to give them to you, 0:13:00.350 --> 0:13:01.709 and then we're going to break them down. We're going 0:13:01.710 --> 0:13:06.950 to do it together. Okay guys. So humility before God. 0:13:07.550 --> 0:13:11.030 It truly is the one virtue that gives birth to 0:13:11.070 --> 0:13:14.270 every other virtue. Just think about that. If you can 0:13:14.270 --> 0:13:16.709 just get up this morning and go, God, I'm going 0:13:16.710 --> 0:13:19.949 to approach this day humbly. I don't need to be seen. 0:13:20.190 --> 0:13:23.430 I don't need to win at this. I don't need to. 0:13:23.470 --> 0:13:26.230 What are other things where pride manifests itself? I don't 0:13:26.230 --> 0:13:28.790 need to put myself in front of someone I'm not. 0:13:28.830 --> 0:13:32.310 My worth is not based in how people respond to 0:13:32.350 --> 0:13:33.870 me today. It's based in. 0:13:33.950 --> 0:13:36.390 Need, the approval of other people. And I think just 0:13:36.390 --> 0:13:40.080 also the humility of if I if you don't show up. 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.240 I got nothing today. Like there's nothing in me that 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.679 can tackle anything that's coming my way. Apart from your 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:47.520 grace and power. 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.400 Boom! And that leads to the second one. So the 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:51.360 one is how we relate to God is humbly. And 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:53.520 by the way, these are part. This is how we 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:56.000 relate to the father, son, and Holy Spirit. How we 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:59.480 relate to the son is Jesus said it. He said, 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:05.720 have proximity to me. Quit worrying about producing fruit, proximity 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.439 over performance. And this weekend I did this. I got 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.280 two guys on stage, got one big dude that has 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:14.960 just surrendered his life to Jesus a few hours before he's. 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.200 I put him in the role of Jesus being the vine, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:19.440 and he's got tears streaming down his face while he's 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:22.360 doing this. He's like, oh, I can't believe he's just 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.560 this big old guy. And then I had a guy 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:27.200 being a branch, and it's as simple as this. If 0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:29.200 you've not heard it before here on Carlin Cruz, it's 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:31.800 one of our anchor passages. It's out of John 15. 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:33.720 Jesus said, I am the vine, you're the branch. You 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.610 abide in me and I in you. You will bear 0:14:36.610 --> 0:14:39.290 much fruit. Apart from me, you can do. Let's get 0:14:39.290 --> 0:14:40.570 a spot. Check here. Ali. 0:14:40.610 --> 0:14:41.330 Nothing. 0:14:41.610 --> 0:14:42.370 Nothing at all? 0:14:42.410 --> 0:14:42.890 Nothing. 0:14:42.930 --> 0:14:50.250 Okay. So proximity. If we can focus on talking with Jesus, 0:14:50.250 --> 0:14:52.290 open in his word. And by the way, word is 0:14:52.290 --> 0:14:54.170 central here because he says, if you abide in my 0:14:54.170 --> 0:14:57.810 word and my word abides in you, ask whatever you 0:14:57.810 --> 0:15:00.970 wish and it will be done. That's a big, bold statement, 0:15:00.970 --> 0:15:04.370 but proximity by way of being in the Word of God. 0:15:04.930 --> 0:15:08.729 See how simple these are? Humility before God, proximity to Jesus, 0:15:08.730 --> 0:15:12.570 and then liberty in the Holy Spirit. Three big bodies 0:15:12.570 --> 0:15:16.530 of teaching on the Holy Spirit John 14. John 16. 0:15:16.570 --> 0:15:18.570 Romans eight. I'm going to tell you this right now. 0:15:18.570 --> 0:15:22.729 You go John 14, John 16, Romans eight. You camp 0:15:22.730 --> 0:15:25.810 out there for this week. You will have a better 0:15:25.810 --> 0:15:27.810 understanding of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in 0:15:27.810 --> 0:15:30.890 your life than you've ever had. I promise you that. 0:15:31.130 --> 0:15:33.770 But the bottom line is this the Spirit of God 0:15:33.770 --> 0:15:36.780 gives liberty. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there 0:15:36.780 --> 0:15:40.820 is liberty, there is peace, and God wants to give 0:15:40.820 --> 0:15:43.380 that to you today. Now why do we mention that? 0:15:43.580 --> 0:15:46.540 Because the Apostle Paul said, man, I'm concerned that the 0:15:46.540 --> 0:15:49.180 super apostles are coming in and they're leading you to 0:15:49.220 --> 0:15:54.060 this distorted gospel, which would have been convoluted and off 0:15:54.060 --> 0:15:56.620 the point of grace. It would have been leaning into 0:15:56.660 --> 0:16:01.620 man's performance. And he said, listen, keep it sincere and pure, 0:16:01.620 --> 0:16:03.660 my friends. And he says, I know I'm not as 0:16:03.660 --> 0:16:06.540 eloquent as some of those guys. But then he says, 0:16:06.540 --> 0:16:10.820 I know some stuff. Don't you love how he says that? 0:16:11.220 --> 0:16:15.780 I know some stuff. Come on, hang with me here, people. 0:16:16.060 --> 0:16:18.500 And it's I think it's cool that Paul's letters are 0:16:18.500 --> 0:16:20.780 in the canon, and I don't know that any of 0:16:20.780 --> 0:16:23.220 those super apostles have a letter in the canon that 0:16:23.220 --> 0:16:24.100 we read every day. 0:16:24.140 --> 0:16:26.620 Yeah. You know, we interviewed somebody a couple weeks ago, 0:16:26.660 --> 0:16:28.540 or maybe, maybe it's been a little longer now, but 0:16:28.540 --> 0:16:31.660 at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. And I was so 0:16:31.700 --> 0:16:33.840 struck by what he said, he was talking about sometimes 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:36.680 the difference between the church globally versus the American church. 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:38.480 And he said, there are places in the world where 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:43.080 access to the information around the gospel is very limited. 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:43.640 Limited. 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.120 The podcasts, the books, all of the resources, even radio, 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:51.000 is limited. He goes, but the level of obedience is high. 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:54.440 Knowledge may be low, but obedience is high. He said, 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.119 and we have to work on that. A shrinking, that gap. 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:00.640 Here in the West between knowledge and obedience. 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:01.800 That was a profound statement. 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.560 And it stuck with me because he was so right. 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.320 We can have knowledge sometimes that's off the charts. We 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.960 have podcasts and books and resources and blogs, and you 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:13.760 can fill yourself up with all of that. And yet 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:18.200 our level of obedience is low. And when I thought 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:20.760 about that, when you're talking about the simplicity of the gospel, 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:23.800 sometimes our level of knowledge can actually work against us 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:27.440 if it keeps us from understanding that it's not the 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:30.240 knowledge that's going to get us closer to God. 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:32.810 It's interesting, too, that Paul says, I know some stuff, 0:17:32.810 --> 0:17:35.450 I have knowledge, but he's the same one who said 0:17:35.450 --> 0:17:37.770 knowledge can puff up, so we have to live down 0:17:37.770 --> 0:17:43.409 that up on that high ridge and we can boom crew. 0:17:43.450 --> 0:17:46.450 I want you to know something. Keep it sincere, keep 0:17:46.450 --> 0:17:51.970 it pure. Don't let it die on orthodoxy and ritual. 0:17:51.970 --> 0:17:55.090 Don't let it die. Keep it pure. Keep it sincere 0:17:55.690 --> 0:17:59.690 and keep it simple. And we're going to be okay. 0:17:59.810 --> 0:18:01.530 God's going to do something amazing. 0:18:02.650 --> 0:18:05.690 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:18:06.490 --> 0:18:08.169 We're going to have Joe Stoll coming in here in 0:18:08.170 --> 0:18:11.929 a little bit. And a whole live studio audience, no 0:18:11.930 --> 0:18:14.210 matter where you are in the world. Ali's going to 0:18:14.210 --> 0:18:16.609 load up pictures for you and all that good stuff. 0:18:16.609 --> 0:18:18.970 We got this. Look at these green lights going up 0:18:18.970 --> 0:18:21.730 the walls and everything around in here. Really cool. We 0:18:21.770 --> 0:18:24.570 got cameras behind us, cameras in front of us. Look 0:18:24.570 --> 0:18:27.369 at these guys. A bunch of tech guys behind the glass. 0:18:27.410 --> 0:18:29.250 Look at them in there, waving their hands around. 0:18:29.420 --> 0:18:33.780 At us. Acting like, acting like we've like. We've not like. 0:18:33.820 --> 0:18:37.380 Look at the lights. Ooh, they're so pretty. We're normally. 0:18:37.660 --> 0:18:37.820 Well. 0:18:38.580 --> 0:18:40.100 We're usually in a box. 0:18:40.140 --> 0:18:43.180 This is a much bigger space than we're used to, 0:18:43.500 --> 0:18:44.820 so we're acting like I'm. 0:18:44.820 --> 0:18:45.420 On a field. 0:18:45.460 --> 0:18:45.980 Trip. 0:18:46.900 --> 0:18:49.179 Didn't you get giddy about field trips when you were 0:18:49.180 --> 0:18:49.659 a kid? 0:18:49.700 --> 0:18:51.540 Okay. No, I hate. 0:18:51.540 --> 0:18:51.940 Field trips. 0:18:51.940 --> 0:18:52.260 But that's. 0:18:52.260 --> 0:18:53.260 Okay. See? There we. 0:18:53.260 --> 0:18:56.340 Go. Oh, Ali. 0:18:56.380 --> 0:18:58.780 Ali wanted to be. Hold on a second. Ali had 0:18:58.780 --> 0:18:59.340 an aversion. 0:18:59.340 --> 0:18:59.700 To school. 0:18:59.740 --> 0:19:00.220 Buses. 0:19:00.260 --> 0:19:00.660 I did. 0:19:00.700 --> 0:19:01.140 Oh, yeah. 0:19:01.340 --> 0:19:02.900 Go ahead and explain your version of school. 0:19:03.140 --> 0:19:04.060 Why? Why do we need to? 0:19:04.180 --> 0:19:04.940 Well, you brought it up. 0:19:04.980 --> 0:19:06.179 You said you hated field trips. 0:19:06.660 --> 0:19:09.780 Okay, so I developed a bit of a phobia of 0:19:09.780 --> 0:19:13.619 school buses. It started from when somebody puked on a 0:19:13.619 --> 0:19:16.020 school bus. And you can't get off a school bus. 0:19:16.060 --> 0:19:16.780 That'll do it. 0:19:17.020 --> 0:19:20.419 And so I became terrified of school buses. And so 0:19:20.460 --> 0:19:21.580 how do you get to field trips? 0:19:21.580 --> 0:19:22.620 Well, load on the big. 0:19:22.619 --> 0:19:24.939 Yellow school bus. And I would say, no, thank you. 0:19:25.060 --> 0:19:27.379 And to this day, if I have to chaperone my 0:19:27.470 --> 0:19:30.590 kids field trip. I'll just meet you guys there. I'm 0:19:30.590 --> 0:19:33.030 gonna drive my car. Thank you very much. 0:19:33.109 --> 0:19:34.990 Are you okay to see the school bus? You can 0:19:34.990 --> 0:19:35.270 see it. 0:19:35.310 --> 0:19:37.990 Yes, I can see him. I just, ah, the whole 0:19:38.030 --> 0:19:39.830 the whole thing. It's just like being in just like 0:19:39.830 --> 0:19:41.070 a big, stinky tube. 0:19:42.150 --> 0:19:46.150 Big stinky tube. It's okay. Well. 0:19:46.790 --> 0:19:50.710 In all seriousness, don't don't diminish what Ali's feeling, because 0:19:50.710 --> 0:19:52.630 the fact is, this is how it's real. 0:19:52.630 --> 0:19:54.510 I'm afraid of dolphins. I mean, what am I supposed 0:19:54.510 --> 0:19:55.790 to laugh at her about? Yeah. 0:19:55.790 --> 0:19:58.270 We're not gonna just keep throwing stuff in that needs 0:19:58.470 --> 0:19:59.910 so much explanation. 0:19:59.950 --> 0:20:02.110 Yeah, okay. Your fear of dolphins. Now, are we going 0:20:02.109 --> 0:20:03.990 to go all the way around Macready's barn? We're going 0:20:03.990 --> 0:20:05.070 to get our little phobias. 0:20:05.109 --> 0:20:05.910 Strange phobias. 0:20:05.910 --> 0:20:07.430 What's the problem with dolphins? 0:20:07.830 --> 0:20:09.910 It's not that it's not that crazy. It's just. It's 0:20:09.910 --> 0:20:12.150 really sea life in general. I just. 0:20:12.990 --> 0:20:13.310 That's. 0:20:13.310 --> 0:20:14.670 Better. Way better. 0:20:14.950 --> 0:20:16.550 I don't want to. I don't want to be in 0:20:16.550 --> 0:20:19.109 their home territory, man. If I get in the ocean 0:20:19.109 --> 0:20:21.470 and they decide they don't like me, I'm done for. 0:20:21.470 --> 0:20:23.870 I can't, like, I kind of fight them off. I'm 0:20:23.869 --> 0:20:27.000 in their home territory. Re. They're way better in the 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:27.919 water than I am. 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:30.520 Wow. Did you have an incident with. 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:33.320 Did something happen? Something did a did a dolphin throw 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:35.159 up in close proximity to you? 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:36.720 Were you on a bus with a dolphin? 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:36.879 Yeah. 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:37.880 No. Okay. 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:40.520 No, I just, uh, I can I can see it now. 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:41.959 They're coming to get me. If they don't like me. 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:43.640 And I can't do anything about it. 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.119 Huh? All right. Super guy. What's your phobia? 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:49.120 Do not put me on a roller coaster. They go 0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:52.920 straight down. No, that one feels way more normal. On 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:55.080 anything kind of thing. But do not put me on 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:55.639 a roller coaster. 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:57.960 It does not feel normal. And I had this happen 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:00.560 once where somebody threw up in a little splatter. Got 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:01.480 on me. Okay. 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:02.280 Great. 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:05.240 This is not the whole thing. Just a little splatter. 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:06.480 This is not good. 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:06.920 No. 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:10.720 Stop! I got Chris Seeger in here. Just. 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:11.680 This is not good. 0:21:12.240 --> 0:21:13.680 He's got napkins over his mouth. 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:16.080 You want to. You want to wrap us up? 0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:18.920 Yeah. Let's let me take us back, because these guys 0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:22.439 got this show out of control here. Let's have the 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:23.040 cooler here. 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.290 In the studio with a live audience that thankfully didn't 0:21:26.290 --> 0:21:28.490 have to see any of this. They've got 20 more 0:21:28.490 --> 0:21:30.370 minutes before they are. 0:21:30.410 --> 0:21:32.330 Subjected to our craziness. 0:21:32.970 --> 0:21:34.730 Oh, where are we at here? Here's what I want 0:21:34.770 --> 0:21:37.090 to talk to you about. And this is important. I 0:21:37.090 --> 0:21:40.290 think sometimes we think about boy, talk about whiplash here. 0:21:40.450 --> 0:21:44.010 It's like a roller coaster. Um, when we think about 0:21:44.010 --> 0:21:51.290 being light in this world, we can think about. Having 0:21:51.290 --> 0:21:56.450 a prominent role or a visible role. And nothing could 0:21:56.450 --> 0:21:58.649 be further from the truth. Have you ever noticed that 0:21:58.650 --> 0:22:01.210 the people who shine most brightly, our number one, they 0:22:01.210 --> 0:22:03.210 stand out in the contrast of darkness? 0:22:03.250 --> 0:22:07.369 Yes. And they stand out almost quietly, which seems like 0:22:07.410 --> 0:22:10.490 kind of a juxtaposition of being able to do that. But, 0:22:10.530 --> 0:22:12.450 you know, I think sometimes we think that in order 0:22:12.450 --> 0:22:15.609 to be a light, we have to be loud. 0:22:16.050 --> 0:22:18.730 Yeah, I think you're right. I think we think that. 0:22:19.290 --> 0:22:22.570 And the fact is, nothing could be further from the truth. 0:22:22.630 --> 0:22:24.030 Let's break it down. Coming up here. 0:22:25.030 --> 0:22:29.070 Romans eight brought her to Jesus while broadcasting traffic overnight. 0:22:29.390 --> 0:22:33.110 Super die is in the crew. It's curl and crew 0:22:33.109 --> 0:22:34.390 on Moody Radio. 0:22:34.550 --> 0:22:36.910 You know, if if love's got away. You know what 0:22:36.910 --> 0:22:40.830 it's got? It's carrying a light. It's got light. 0:22:41.030 --> 0:22:41.670 Yes. 0:22:42.030 --> 0:22:45.070 Light is very important. And we can be that. 0:22:45.590 --> 0:22:48.670 I love it. I keep going back to. I know 0:22:48.670 --> 0:22:51.390 I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. 0:22:52.590 --> 0:22:56.750 Effie Latham. That was her name at the AD building. 0:22:56.750 --> 0:23:01.230 Administrative building in downtown Anchorage. My dad said, man, Eva 0:23:01.430 --> 0:23:04.430 talking to my mom if he nails it. Joe, we 0:23:04.430 --> 0:23:07.070 just need to let our light shine. Don't make it shine. 0:23:07.070 --> 0:23:09.710 Just let it shine. And boy, was he a champion 0:23:09.750 --> 0:23:12.869 of her. And she. He said she had some of 0:23:12.869 --> 0:23:17.870 the most simple, powerful gospel understanding going. And when I 0:23:18.030 --> 0:23:21.760 remember my dad, whose seminary trained, came home and says, Eva, 0:23:21.760 --> 0:23:24.080 we just let it shine. We don't make it shine. 0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:27.119 If he's right on this one, she is. 0:23:27.600 --> 0:23:31.399 She absolutely is. So how can we live lives like that? 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:33.160 Special guest Joe Stoll coming up. 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:36.560 You're listening to Curl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:40.320 So light is important. You'd agree with that, right? 0:23:40.880 --> 0:23:42.119 Uh, I prefer. 0:23:42.160 --> 0:23:44.560 To have a night light still on at night. I 0:23:44.560 --> 0:23:45.840 don't like dark rooms. 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:48.920 That's too stubborn. Or something else, aren't they? One of 0:23:48.920 --> 0:23:51.960 the funniest little things from the Iditarod was not me, 0:23:51.960 --> 0:23:55.480 but I pulled into the village of. Or the town 0:23:55.520 --> 0:23:58.120 little small town of McGrath, and I got my team 0:23:58.119 --> 0:24:01.280 bedded down and a musher came in behind me, and, uh, 0:24:01.400 --> 0:24:04.560 he's offloading some stuff from his sled, and he looked 0:24:04.560 --> 0:24:07.200 a little bit gruff and disappointed. I said, what's going on? 0:24:07.720 --> 0:24:09.880 And he said, Carl, you won't believe it. He said, 0:24:09.880 --> 0:24:12.800 I got lights for my headlamp. I didn't test them 0:24:12.800 --> 0:24:16.920 before I plugged them in. And I am going down 0:24:16.920 --> 0:24:19.159 the trail and my headlamp. That's supposed to be a 0:24:19.290 --> 0:24:22.890 solid light, right? He got blinkers. 0:24:23.090 --> 0:24:23.490 So. 0:24:23.970 --> 0:24:26.370 The light would come on and it would go off 0:24:26.570 --> 0:24:28.530 and it would come on and it would go off, 0:24:28.530 --> 0:24:33.330 he says. It's driving me and my dog team absolutely crazy. 0:24:33.650 --> 0:24:37.490 So he he forged around in hardware store the next morning, 0:24:37.530 --> 0:24:39.810 and McGrath found some solid lights and he was off 0:24:39.810 --> 0:24:44.609 and running. There's something about solid light that even Jesus champions. 0:24:44.930 --> 0:24:47.770 Very much so. This light of mind, the title of 0:24:47.770 --> 0:24:50.570 a book we're featuring today. Living Like Jesus in a 0:24:50.609 --> 0:24:54.490 non Jesus world. The author, Doctor Joseph Stoll, joining us 0:24:54.490 --> 0:24:58.330 right now. Light is important as Christians were called to 0:24:58.330 --> 0:25:01.650 be salt and light. But man, it can be difficult 0:25:01.650 --> 0:25:04.370 when you feel like the world is getting darker. 0:25:04.609 --> 0:25:07.690 So true. And one of the reasons I wrote the 0:25:07.690 --> 0:25:10.850 book is because Christians need to be called to be 0:25:10.850 --> 0:25:13.210 the light in the darkness. And you know, this is 0:25:13.210 --> 0:25:16.609 such a season of great opportunity, guys. You know, to 0:25:16.650 --> 0:25:20.419 attract people to Christ. It's such a broken world, right? 0:25:20.420 --> 0:25:25.620 The chaos, the divisiveness, anxiety, despair, angry. The long list, right? 0:25:25.660 --> 0:25:28.980 Of lonely, confused people. And I just want the light 0:25:28.980 --> 0:25:31.540 of Jesus to rise up. Remember when he said, come 0:25:31.540 --> 0:25:34.179 on to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 0:25:34.300 --> 0:25:36.419 and I will give rest to your soul. You know 0:25:36.460 --> 0:25:40.780 I want that light to be shouted into our culture. Unfortunately, 0:25:40.780 --> 0:25:44.139 I think as followers of Christ, we tend to lapse 0:25:44.140 --> 0:25:48.700 into the darkness ourselves. Matthew chapter five Jesus so clearly 0:25:48.700 --> 0:25:52.220 calls us to light up our world with our good works. 0:25:52.220 --> 0:25:55.340 Interestingly enough, the good works the power of good works. 0:25:55.380 --> 0:25:59.060 The book basically says, Jesus has a plan. Let's get 0:25:59.100 --> 0:26:01.340 on the plan and light up the darkness. 0:26:01.540 --> 0:26:05.620 You know what I love about Matthew 516? It's let 0:26:05.619 --> 0:26:09.340 your light shine before others so they may see your 0:26:09.340 --> 0:26:12.020 good works or good deeds and some translations, and give 0:26:12.060 --> 0:26:15.420 glory to your father who is in heaven. This is 0:26:15.420 --> 0:26:19.389 a low threshold. This isn't being apologetics pro. This doesn't 0:26:19.390 --> 0:26:22.109 have the Roman road memorized or anything like that. Not 0:26:22.109 --> 0:26:25.070 saying that those aren't valuable. They are. But this is 0:26:25.070 --> 0:26:28.270 a all swim. Everyone who's in Christ is called to 0:26:28.310 --> 0:26:29.790 let it shine. Right, Joe? 0:26:30.030 --> 0:26:33.070 Absolutely. You know, Carl, you know, we live in a 0:26:33.070 --> 0:26:34.990 world that doesn't want to hear what we have to 0:26:34.990 --> 0:26:38.270 say anymore. Yeah. So I think it's interesting that when 0:26:38.270 --> 0:26:40.869 Jesus said that. Let your light so shine, that people 0:26:40.869 --> 0:26:44.390 may hear the message you're preaching. No may see a 0:26:44.390 --> 0:26:47.150 different kind of a life, a life that lives to 0:26:47.190 --> 0:26:51.870 bless others. And that becomes an initial stage of attraction 0:26:51.869 --> 0:26:54.870 so that they are curious about where did these people 0:26:54.869 --> 0:26:57.510 get this kind of thing? Right. Then we can answer 0:26:57.510 --> 0:27:01.389 the curiosity with the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. And again, 0:27:01.430 --> 0:27:05.590 Jesus's ways are so upside down to us, we think 0:27:05.590 --> 0:27:07.909 we ought to go out and fight our culture and 0:27:08.070 --> 0:27:11.429 win the war for our culture. And he's going, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, 0:27:11.470 --> 0:27:13.910 we don't win it like that. So we just have 0:27:13.910 --> 0:27:16.880 to understand that when we think he's so upside down 0:27:16.880 --> 0:27:19.400 that we're the ones that are upside down, actually, and 0:27:19.400 --> 0:27:21.399 he's trying to flip us right side up. 0:27:21.560 --> 0:27:22.600 Now, many people. 0:27:22.600 --> 0:27:23.600 Listening, I mean. 0:27:23.640 --> 0:27:24.240 Have a lot. 0:27:24.280 --> 0:27:28.280 Of different opinions about what's going on in the world, 0:27:28.280 --> 0:27:32.280 what we see culturally, what are some of the actions 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:36.720 and the attitudes that you find most concerning among Christians 0:27:36.720 --> 0:27:39.480 that actually could be hindering our gospel witness? 0:27:39.720 --> 0:27:42.440 Well, I think one of the attitudes are the way 0:27:42.440 --> 0:27:45.920 we feel about this slip in the culture, right? The 0:27:45.920 --> 0:27:49.320 sense of despair, the anger that we have at the 0:27:49.320 --> 0:27:53.680 cultural realities that violate the convictions that we hold so 0:27:53.680 --> 0:27:57.200 dear in our hearts, the sense that we're the losers and, 0:27:57.240 --> 0:28:00.080 you know, nobody's going to be attracted to that. I 0:28:00.080 --> 0:28:03.000 find it very interesting that Jesus, when he was here, 0:28:03.000 --> 0:28:07.000 walked into a very hostile culture. The Jewish state was 0:28:07.000 --> 0:28:10.760 under the thumb of the oppressive Roman government, and yet 0:28:10.760 --> 0:28:13.649 people were so attracted to him because he had a 0:28:13.650 --> 0:28:18.609 very positive, redemptive message of his kingdom. So I think 0:28:18.609 --> 0:28:21.010 we've got to have a huge attitude shift. And I 0:28:21.010 --> 0:28:23.890 think to one of the things that has alienated people 0:28:23.890 --> 0:28:28.970 from Jesus is the politicisation of our faith. Barna survey 0:28:29.010 --> 0:28:32.890 says that the people look at evangelicals as though we 0:28:32.890 --> 0:28:36.210 are a political force, and I think Jesus called us 0:28:36.210 --> 0:28:39.330 to be him. You know that he is what people 0:28:39.370 --> 0:28:42.130 see in us, not our political force. Not that we 0:28:42.130 --> 0:28:44.770 don't vote. We ought to vote for our values. We 0:28:44.770 --> 0:28:47.330 ought to run for office, run for school boards. But 0:28:47.330 --> 0:28:50.290 when the world gets the impression that we're a political force, 0:28:50.290 --> 0:28:53.090 then we become a political enemy. And how are they 0:28:53.130 --> 0:28:56.130 going to accept Jesus when we're their enemies? So I'm 0:28:56.130 --> 0:28:59.010 thrilled that we don't have to do head scratching. Okay, 0:28:59.050 --> 0:29:01.850 then what will we do? Well, we'll do the Jesus way. 0:29:01.890 --> 0:29:04.050 Yeah, I love it. Joe Stoll, our guest right now, 0:29:04.050 --> 0:29:06.170 has written a new book called This Light of Mine 0:29:06.210 --> 0:29:10.210 Living Like Jesus in a non Jesus World. You know, remember, Ali, 0:29:10.210 --> 0:29:13.430 we had a question here. Not too many days ago 0:29:13.470 --> 0:29:17.630 where we said, how has God used compassion in someone's 0:29:17.630 --> 0:29:20.990 life to draw you closer to God? The responses were 0:29:20.990 --> 0:29:25.830 pretty amazing, Joe. I think we undersell the impact of 0:29:25.830 --> 0:29:28.270 letting our light shine. I don't think we've got a 0:29:28.270 --> 0:29:30.270 big enough vision for what it can do. 0:29:30.310 --> 0:29:32.910 Here's where I think you know it's working. When your 0:29:32.910 --> 0:29:36.150 boss says, you know, I don't get Christians, but our 0:29:36.230 --> 0:29:38.790 office is a lot better place because they work here. 0:29:39.310 --> 0:29:42.670 Or your neighbors say, oh, I don't get Christians. But 0:29:42.710 --> 0:29:45.030 I tell you, our neighborhoods are much better place because 0:29:45.030 --> 0:29:47.990 they live here, or our town's a better place because 0:29:48.030 --> 0:29:51.350 Christians are here. When we start living that kind of 0:29:51.390 --> 0:29:55.190 a light into our world, then they may be just 0:29:55.190 --> 0:29:58.470 interested to know something about our Jesus who makes this 0:29:58.510 --> 0:30:02.030 light shine everywhere. My favorite thing in kindergarten was show 0:30:02.030 --> 0:30:04.230 and tell, right? Anybody? You guys remember? 0:30:04.270 --> 0:30:05.790 Show and tell. I remember it. 0:30:06.990 --> 0:30:09.960 You know? But it's that way with this light of 0:30:09.960 --> 0:30:13.200 mind that Jesus called us to, we have to show 0:30:13.200 --> 0:30:16.360 him to our world through our lives, and then we 0:30:16.400 --> 0:30:19.320 earn the right to tell them about this Jesus that 0:30:19.320 --> 0:30:20.680 makes the light shine. 0:30:20.720 --> 0:30:22.840 The book is called This Light of Mine. Living like 0:30:22.840 --> 0:30:26.680 Jesus in a non Jesus world. Author doctor Joseph Stoll. 0:30:26.720 --> 0:30:29.400 Our guest right now. Text light. If you want the details, 0:30:29.400 --> 0:30:34.840 text light to 800 555 7898. Just that one word. 0:30:35.000 --> 0:30:37.360 Try not to put the emoji in there. I know 0:30:37.360 --> 0:30:40.160 it's tempting, but it'll keep you from getting the auto reply. 0:30:40.200 --> 0:30:44.400 Just the word light to 800 555 7898. 0:30:44.760 --> 0:30:47.800 He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then 0:30:47.840 --> 0:30:52.160 he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl 0:30:52.160 --> 0:30:53.880 and crew on Moody Radio. 0:30:54.720 --> 0:30:57.160 A lot of stuff we do around here just got 0:30:57.160 --> 0:31:00.200 aligns things here for I'm not ashamed of the gospel, 0:31:00.200 --> 0:31:03.040 for it is the power of God for salvation to 0:31:03.080 --> 0:31:06.560 everyone who believes, to the Jew and also to the Greek. 0:31:06.720 --> 0:31:09.850 I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the 0:31:09.850 --> 0:31:14.770 power of God unto salvation. You know power. You know, 0:31:14.810 --> 0:31:18.050 sometimes we're all grappling for it. Somebody wants the power 0:31:18.090 --> 0:31:20.770 brokers all over this world. Everybody wants a chunk of 0:31:20.770 --> 0:31:21.969 the action. Right, Ali? 0:31:22.010 --> 0:31:23.770 It's so true. You know, my my daughter made a 0:31:23.770 --> 0:31:26.170 comment over the weekend. That was hilarious. She's a teenager, 0:31:26.450 --> 0:31:28.290 and they had to volunteer to do something. And all 0:31:28.290 --> 0:31:30.690 the other teenagers were kind of hanging back, and she 0:31:30.690 --> 0:31:32.410 was the first one to volunteer. She goes, you know, 0:31:32.450 --> 0:31:35.650 it's funny when you're when you're a Christian, like, you're 0:31:35.650 --> 0:31:39.010 just bold. So like, nothing fazes you. So volunteering to 0:31:39.010 --> 0:31:41.209 be in this video, that's no problem. Like if you're 0:31:41.210 --> 0:31:43.810 going to live for Jesus as a 15 year old, 0:31:43.810 --> 0:31:46.250 you got to be bold. So it works in her favor. 0:31:46.250 --> 0:31:48.890 I guess it's a beautiful thing. So we're going to 0:31:48.890 --> 0:31:51.130 be talking about the power of God. It seems that 0:31:51.130 --> 0:31:53.610 there's something going on in our culture today. I was 0:31:53.610 --> 0:31:57.770 in Arizona over the weekend. I got back last night, um, 0:31:58.010 --> 0:32:00.970 got to bed about 11. It's good. Got a few hours, 0:32:01.010 --> 0:32:05.050 couple hours. And, uh, it was an awesome thing. Gave 0:32:05.050 --> 0:32:08.380 an invitation. We had scores of men surrendered their life 0:32:08.380 --> 0:32:11.060 to Christ. These are guys from churches all around Arizona. 0:32:11.220 --> 0:32:14.860 About 500 men packed into a retreat center. And to 0:32:14.900 --> 0:32:19.540 watch scores of men flock to aisles in a sloped 0:32:19.540 --> 0:32:23.820 floor kind of auditorium and fall to their knees. Surrendered 0:32:23.820 --> 0:32:25.460 to Jesus for the first time was one of the 0:32:25.460 --> 0:32:27.820 most overwhelming things. In fact, there was a sound. There 0:32:27.820 --> 0:32:30.860 was a guy running sound and lighting and all that 0:32:30.860 --> 0:32:34.340 stuff in the back, and he's a young man, and 0:32:34.340 --> 0:32:35.860 he came to me and he said, you know what? 0:32:35.860 --> 0:32:37.860 I've been praying that I could see the power of God. 0:32:37.860 --> 0:32:40.220 He says, I've been praying over broken down cars, just 0:32:40.220 --> 0:32:42.660 thinking the cars going to get healed. And it hasn't been. 0:32:43.020 --> 0:32:45.860 And he said, I was starting to think, where's the power, God. 0:32:45.900 --> 0:32:49.300 And he said, I saw something today, Carl. I said, 0:32:49.300 --> 0:32:53.380 you saw it too. I said, I did to see 0:32:53.380 --> 0:32:58.740 these guys. I've I've seen responses to calls for salvation, 0:32:58.740 --> 0:33:01.380 but I've never seen anything like this in many, many years. 0:33:02.460 --> 0:33:05.230 When I said, if today is your day of salvation, 0:33:05.230 --> 0:33:07.150 I want you to come to one of these aisles, 0:33:07.150 --> 0:33:09.110 and we're going to have all the other men lay 0:33:09.150 --> 0:33:11.470 hands on you. We're going to pray together because today 0:33:11.470 --> 0:33:16.270 is your day. The guys were stumbling over one another 0:33:16.270 --> 0:33:19.430 to hurry to that aisle. It wasn't a hesitancy. It 0:33:19.430 --> 0:33:23.070 was just a just a a sea of men just 0:33:23.430 --> 0:33:27.390 dove into those aisles. And I can honestly tell you, 0:33:27.390 --> 0:33:31.110 although God had chosen me to share the gospel, goodness sakes, 0:33:31.150 --> 0:33:32.950 going to get choked up here? Probably because we got 0:33:32.950 --> 0:33:36.310 some friends sitting in front of us right now. It 0:33:36.310 --> 0:33:40.950 was it was something else to sit back and watch. 0:33:40.990 --> 0:33:44.870 Look at God move here. Watch God move. And there's 0:33:44.870 --> 0:33:47.830 something about that kind of power that we love to see. 0:33:47.870 --> 0:33:51.630 And you know what? I it's not presumptive to believe 0:33:51.630 --> 0:33:54.430 that if you look at the book of acts, you 0:33:54.430 --> 0:33:59.709 see power everywhere. And can we are we presumptive to 0:34:00.030 --> 0:34:00.950 believe God for that? 0:34:01.150 --> 0:34:01.430 No. 0:34:01.430 --> 0:34:05.040 Because we have his word and so we can, on 0:34:05.080 --> 0:34:08.440 good record, say, God, this is what you did, then God, 0:34:08.440 --> 0:34:10.160 will you move in power today? 0:34:10.320 --> 0:34:14.480 Do it again. Give me that song. Loaded up. Young Thunder. 0:34:15.000 --> 0:34:15.320 Coming. 0:34:15.320 --> 0:34:18.480 Up. You know it. Yeah, I gotta do it. We 0:34:18.520 --> 0:34:21.920 got a studio audience filled with good people here. You know, 0:34:21.960 --> 0:34:24.919 there's stories behind every one of these faces. I think 0:34:24.920 --> 0:34:26.360 we better get a couple of those stories. 0:34:26.400 --> 0:34:28.120 Okay, let's do it. Who do you want to start with? 0:34:28.160 --> 0:34:29.200 We've got a whole room full. 0:34:29.200 --> 0:34:31.319 You know what I think we need to get? I 0:34:31.320 --> 0:34:35.640 think we need to get. John Kelly is going to 0:34:35.640 --> 0:34:36.600 be the first up here. 0:34:36.760 --> 0:34:37.520 He's going to step. 0:34:37.520 --> 0:34:38.480 Up to the microphone. 0:34:38.520 --> 0:34:40.640 You don't have to step up right now. We got 0:34:40.640 --> 0:34:42.520 a little bit of time. You got to get warmed up. 0:34:42.520 --> 0:34:44.400 We might we won't have you sing a tune or 0:34:44.400 --> 0:34:46.800 anything like that. But we're going to have you jump 0:34:46.800 --> 0:34:50.120 up here for sure. And we got a great room 0:34:50.120 --> 0:34:54.480 full of people here this morning broadcasting from Chicago all 0:34:55.360 --> 0:34:58.480 around the globe today. And we're glad that you're with us. 0:34:58.480 --> 0:35:01.180 We got some folks that can testify to the power 0:35:01.180 --> 0:35:02.860 of God. He's done it in the past. 0:35:03.060 --> 0:35:04.300 And he can do it again. 0:35:04.340 --> 0:35:05.340 He can do it again. 0:35:05.739 --> 0:35:08.500 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:35:09.219 --> 0:35:11.460 Among the studio audience here. 0:35:11.500 --> 0:35:12.540 We don't get to say that. 0:35:12.580 --> 0:35:15.660 I know among the studio audience here, we've got Joe Stoll. 0:35:15.660 --> 0:35:17.420 And I was just bragging on him to the whole 0:35:17.420 --> 0:35:21.660 group here. There's something about staying in that grace pocket. 0:35:21.700 --> 0:35:24.259 You know, it's unmerited favor if you want to pass 0:35:24.260 --> 0:35:29.540 a seminary course, but it's unmerited favor and unlimited power. 0:35:30.060 --> 0:35:32.739 I think we miss that aspect of grace. It's the 0:35:32.739 --> 0:35:35.820 grace of God that saved us. Titus 211 and 12 0:35:35.820 --> 0:35:40.460 and trains us to renounce ungodliness, worldly passions, and live self-controlled, 0:35:40.500 --> 0:35:44.580 godly lives in this present age. Wow. That's the grace 0:35:44.580 --> 0:35:47.580 of God. Anyone in here this morning fired up about 0:35:47.580 --> 0:35:48.300 that grace? 0:35:49.100 --> 0:35:49.500 Yeah. 0:35:50.219 --> 0:35:53.540 Yeah. I told you they were their boom crew. Some 0:35:53.540 --> 0:35:55.700 guy in Canada is going. You say there's an audience. 0:35:55.700 --> 0:35:56.339 I don't hear. 0:35:56.340 --> 0:35:57.260 Them. They're very quiet. 0:35:57.300 --> 0:36:00.589 All right, so let's hear it right now. See? There 0:36:00.590 --> 0:36:03.029 they are. There they are. All right. Coming up here 0:36:03.030 --> 0:36:06.150 in a moment. I've been hearing about this guy. 0:36:06.390 --> 0:36:08.950 His name is John Kelly. He is a pastor right 0:36:08.950 --> 0:36:10.830 here in Chicago. We're going to hear a little bit 0:36:10.830 --> 0:36:13.149 of his story. It's not a Freedom Friday. Maybe it's 0:36:13.150 --> 0:36:13.830 a Freedom Monday. 0:36:13.870 --> 0:36:14.950 It's a Freedom Monday. 0:36:14.989 --> 0:36:15.709 That's coming up. 0:36:16.630 --> 0:36:20.590 Walking closer to Jesus every day. You're listening to Carl 0:36:20.590 --> 0:36:21.190 and crew. 0:36:21.870 --> 0:36:26.509 Well, sometimes people step into our studio, and then we 0:36:26.550 --> 0:36:27.350 hit them cold. 0:36:27.830 --> 0:36:30.990 Which, Carl, you do so well. So, are we getting cold? 0:36:31.230 --> 0:36:32.950 I knew you were going to bust me on that one. 0:36:32.989 --> 0:36:34.750 You can't get a room full of people in front 0:36:34.750 --> 0:36:36.630 of us and Carl not call on somebody. 0:36:36.710 --> 0:36:38.910 Got to get someone up here. This is a this 0:36:38.910 --> 0:36:40.390 is a. Let me just tell you, we've got a 0:36:40.390 --> 0:36:44.910 studio audience this hour and these are some really sincere 0:36:44.910 --> 0:36:48.150 is I think about we were in Second Corinthians 11 0:36:48.190 --> 0:36:52.550 this morning that this call to this sincere and pure 0:36:52.590 --> 0:36:56.989 faith that Paul talked about that is so sweet. Hang 0:36:56.989 --> 0:36:59.120 on to it. to it. He said, don't let's not 0:36:59.120 --> 0:37:02.359 get this thing so complicated that we lose out on 0:37:02.360 --> 0:37:04.880 what is most important. And I think we got a 0:37:04.880 --> 0:37:07.359 guy like this, John Kelly, standing in front of us here. 0:37:07.360 --> 0:37:08.759 He got a bio on this guy. 0:37:08.800 --> 0:37:11.200 He is the lead pastor of Chicago West Church right 0:37:11.200 --> 0:37:15.480 here in Chicago. We hear that you have a testimony. 0:37:15.480 --> 0:37:18.359 You are pastoring. You are in the trenches. Tell us 0:37:18.360 --> 0:37:21.120 a little bit about what God's done in your life. 0:37:21.160 --> 0:37:23.200 Yeah, yeah. I was born in Chicago but grew up 0:37:23.200 --> 0:37:26.880 in Philadelphia in a very, I would say, very violent, um, 0:37:26.920 --> 0:37:31.560 under-resourced community with a high level of prostitution. So I 0:37:31.560 --> 0:37:35.880 wasn't exposed to maybe the best scenes, the best environments. Um, 0:37:36.160 --> 0:37:38.320 by the time I was 12, I was selling crack 0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:41.680 in crack houses. Really? The first time I ever got arrested, 0:37:41.680 --> 0:37:43.680 I was about 12, 13. That's the first time I 0:37:43.680 --> 0:37:46.840 ever got convicted. Um, I was in and out of 0:37:46.880 --> 0:37:51.160 juvenile detention centers pretty much my whole juvenile years. I mean, 0:37:51.200 --> 0:37:52.560 just to give you a context, I mean, I felt 0:37:52.560 --> 0:37:55.160 the seventh grade went to four different high schools in 0:37:55.160 --> 0:37:57.850 my freshman year, I dropped out so it was high 0:37:57.850 --> 0:38:00.810 every day, always getting shot at, shooting at someone. I've 0:38:00.810 --> 0:38:02.450 seen a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have 0:38:02.450 --> 0:38:06.130 seen by the time I was 14 or 15. Um, 0:38:06.170 --> 0:38:08.170 just following that path of foolishness by the time I 0:38:08.170 --> 0:38:09.969 was 19. Let me back up a little bit. I 0:38:09.969 --> 0:38:11.729 actually turned to Islam for a little bit. So about 0:38:11.730 --> 0:38:15.370 six years was a professing Sunni Muslim, but still was 0:38:15.370 --> 0:38:17.569 in the streets doing dumb stuff. And then by the 0:38:17.570 --> 0:38:19.650 time I turned 19, went with a group of friends 0:38:19.650 --> 0:38:22.210 to rob a drug dealer in the neighborhood. And one 0:38:22.210 --> 0:38:24.450 of my friends shot and killed him. So we all 0:38:24.450 --> 0:38:28.050 got arrested and I was 19 years old, had just 0:38:28.050 --> 0:38:31.490 lost my son, who was stillborn at the time, um, 0:38:31.650 --> 0:38:33.810 was at the lowest point and was sitting in prison 0:38:33.810 --> 0:38:36.850 looking at the death penalty or life in prison with co-defendants. 0:38:36.850 --> 0:38:40.569 I was in solitary confinement, um, just at a low 0:38:40.570 --> 0:38:42.770 point when a prison guard gave me a copy of 0:38:42.810 --> 0:38:44.969 God's Word. I needed something to read. This was 2002. 0:38:45.010 --> 0:38:47.130 Back then, you could get a newspaper. So I was like, man, 0:38:47.130 --> 0:38:49.130 give me whatever you can. And he was like, I'll 0:38:49.130 --> 0:38:50.650 get you a Bible. I was like, whatever, give it 0:38:50.650 --> 0:38:53.210 to me. And he gave me a copy of God's Word, 0:38:53.210 --> 0:38:55.779 and I began reading for the first time. High school 0:38:55.780 --> 0:38:59.700 dropout and I began from Matthew, and I read nonstop. Yeah, 0:38:59.780 --> 0:39:01.740 I probably would have been like 24 hours straight until 0:39:01.739 --> 0:39:04.620 I got to Hebrews chapter four, verse seven that says, today, 0:39:04.620 --> 0:39:06.740 if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. 0:39:07.140 --> 0:39:08.500 And I gave my life to the Lord right there 0:39:08.500 --> 0:39:10.660 in the prison cell. Wow. So when I came to 0:39:10.660 --> 0:39:13.140 faith in Christ, there's I didn't go to a church service, 0:39:13.140 --> 0:39:16.940 didn't hear a sermon. God's word was enough. And so, 0:39:16.980 --> 0:39:18.980 as a preacher of the gospel, I have so much 0:39:18.980 --> 0:39:21.460 confidence in God's Word that he uses us, but he 0:39:21.460 --> 0:39:22.180 doesn't need us. 0:39:22.780 --> 0:39:26.260 Yeah. Speak to that, because the Word of God, when given, 0:39:26.420 --> 0:39:33.300 we find here on air pastor, that when we when 0:39:33.300 --> 0:39:35.660 we feel like, Lord, where would you have us go? 0:39:35.660 --> 0:39:38.180 And we break open the word and read it? 0:39:38.219 --> 0:39:38.660 Yeah. 0:39:39.020 --> 0:39:41.140 There is something about the Word of God. 0:39:41.140 --> 0:39:43.700 The power is in the gospel and the spirit working 0:39:43.700 --> 0:39:48.140 through the living Word of God to soften hardened hearts 0:39:48.140 --> 0:39:51.299 and redeem souls to Christ. Yeah. And we can get 0:39:51.300 --> 0:39:53.590 so caught up in the vessels. And it was interesting 0:39:53.590 --> 0:39:56.190 because God can still redeem a lost soul through a 0:39:56.190 --> 0:39:59.510 weak vessel that's not on their A-game that day. Amen. 0:39:59.550 --> 0:40:01.470 And for me, in that cell, it was just vital 0:40:01.469 --> 0:40:04.029 for me because I'm in solitary confinement. So like in, 0:40:04.070 --> 0:40:05.589 you know, on the streets, if you get in trouble, 0:40:05.590 --> 0:40:08.110 you go to prison. In prison, if you get in trouble, 0:40:08.110 --> 0:40:10.069 you go to solitary confinement in the hole. You're in 0:40:10.070 --> 0:40:11.989 23 and one, and you come out one hour a 0:40:11.989 --> 0:40:15.230 day handcuffed and shackled. You're allowed no human contact. I mean, 0:40:15.230 --> 0:40:17.830 I couldn't even get toilet paper and a blanket sometimes. 0:40:18.150 --> 0:40:20.870 But God got his word into the, you know, the 0:40:20.870 --> 0:40:23.310 hardest place and got it into my hand. And his 0:40:23.310 --> 0:40:24.190 word was enough. 0:40:24.750 --> 0:40:27.190 How was that the grace of God that got you 0:40:27.190 --> 0:40:31.910 to that point? Some people, some people Pooh Pooh jailhouse faith. 0:40:31.950 --> 0:40:33.030 I did. 0:40:33.150 --> 0:40:33.390 Was. 0:40:33.390 --> 0:40:35.029 That my lawyer did. He was Jewish. I was like, 0:40:35.030 --> 0:40:36.509 you're supposed to get this thing, you know? 0:40:36.550 --> 0:40:38.830 What's the matter with you? You're in the book here, man. 0:40:38.830 --> 0:40:39.630 It's to the Jews. 0:40:39.630 --> 0:40:41.030 First and then the Gentiles. 0:40:41.110 --> 0:40:43.110 To jail and finds God and, you know. 0:40:43.790 --> 0:40:45.430 But you said I really did. 0:40:45.469 --> 0:40:47.509 And I would say it's extremely hard to be a 0:40:47.510 --> 0:40:51.400 devout Christian in a penitentiary. It's not an environment that's 0:40:51.400 --> 0:40:55.319 conducive for you to to truly live. You don't turn 0:40:55.320 --> 0:40:58.080 the other cheek there. Yeah. And so my faith was 0:40:58.080 --> 0:41:01.640 really tested in the fire. So God was gracious. Um, just, 0:41:01.760 --> 0:41:04.239 you know, I here's a funny thing. Well, it's not funny, 0:41:04.239 --> 0:41:06.360 but it's just what you do. About 2 or 3 0:41:06.360 --> 0:41:08.520 months went by, and I really was feeling convicted that 0:41:08.520 --> 0:41:11.160 I'm pleading not guilty of a crime that I'm guilty of. 0:41:11.719 --> 0:41:13.640 And I felt convicted that I was going in front 0:41:13.640 --> 0:41:14.160 of the Lord. 0:41:14.239 --> 0:41:14.920 Holy Spirit. 0:41:14.960 --> 0:41:17.080 And not a judge. And so I told my lawyer 0:41:17.080 --> 0:41:19.239 some months later, hey, I'm a Christian now. I'm a 0:41:19.239 --> 0:41:21.640 Christ follower. I know you think this jailhouse religion, but 0:41:21.640 --> 0:41:24.320 I can't say I've repented of something that I'm pleading 0:41:24.320 --> 0:41:26.520 not guilty to. Wow. And so you can go to 0:41:26.520 --> 0:41:28.360 the judge and tell them that I just want to 0:41:28.360 --> 0:41:30.319 ask for forgiveness and whatever they want to do to me, 0:41:30.320 --> 0:41:32.200 they could do to me. He's like, well, you know, 0:41:32.200 --> 0:41:34.560 this is foolish. You got an opportunity, I think, to 0:41:34.600 --> 0:41:36.239 beat this thing. It's not about beating it. I'm going 0:41:36.239 --> 0:41:39.120 in front of God's presence and I'm guilty paying you 0:41:39.120 --> 0:41:41.200 to get me off. And so I went in front 0:41:41.200 --> 0:41:42.879 of the judge. I went in front of the young 0:41:42.880 --> 0:41:45.919 man's family, looked his mother in the eye and told 0:41:45.920 --> 0:41:48.080 her my testimony and said, I'm a Christ follower now, 0:41:48.080 --> 0:41:50.819 and you know, your son lost his life, but he 0:41:50.820 --> 0:41:52.940 was created in God's image. And if I could trade places, 0:41:52.940 --> 0:41:55.339 I would. And whatever you want to do, it's right. 0:41:55.340 --> 0:41:57.060 The Bible says an eye for an eye, a tooth 0:41:57.060 --> 0:41:59.739 for a tooth. And when it was her time to speak. 0:41:59.980 --> 0:42:03.660 You know what she said? Nothing. She showed me mercy 0:42:03.660 --> 0:42:04.260 and grace. 0:42:04.300 --> 0:42:05.020 Oh my goodness. 0:42:05.060 --> 0:42:06.859 And so I ended up with 6 to 20 years 0:42:06.860 --> 0:42:09.259 for third degree murder. And I went on to the 0:42:09.260 --> 0:42:11.780 state penitentiary, and there I got my GED. 0:42:12.300 --> 0:42:13.700 How much time did you do? 0:42:14.060 --> 0:42:16.779 I was supposed to do about 18. You know, you 0:42:16.820 --> 0:42:20.700 do like, you know, 85%. I did six years. Wow. 0:42:20.780 --> 0:42:22.860 And you came home on parole and a couple of 0:42:22.860 --> 0:42:24.260 years later ended up at Moody. 0:42:24.820 --> 0:42:27.700 Tell us then how. Coming up, you've got a special 0:42:27.700 --> 0:42:30.420 guest here going. Who is this? John Kelly with us 0:42:30.420 --> 0:42:33.500 right now, lead pastor, Chicago West Church, right here in 0:42:33.500 --> 0:42:35.299 the city of Chicago. Coming up, we're going to find 0:42:35.300 --> 0:42:39.140 out how he went from the penitentiary to the pastor. 0:42:39.500 --> 0:42:42.180 She was trying to earn her way to God, but 0:42:42.180 --> 0:42:45.700 God showed her she didn't have to. Ali is in 0:42:45.700 --> 0:42:49.029 the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:42:49.630 --> 0:42:54.110 We got someone here who is a miracle child. We're 0:42:54.110 --> 0:42:57.870 picking it up midstream. Recap this. Ali, this is an 0:42:57.870 --> 0:42:59.590 amazing story from John Kelly. 0:42:59.630 --> 0:43:02.310 Pastor here in Chicago. His name is John Kelly. He 0:43:02.310 --> 0:43:05.670 just shared his story. I spent six years of a 0:43:05.670 --> 0:43:09.030 much longer sentence. He was convicted of a third degree 0:43:09.030 --> 0:43:12.710 murder that he confessed to after he found Jesus in 0:43:12.710 --> 0:43:15.670 solitary confinement. Reading the Bible got to Hebrews. What was 0:43:15.670 --> 0:43:16.350 your verse? 0:43:16.469 --> 0:43:19.069 Hebrews four seven which says, what? Hear his voice. Do 0:43:19.070 --> 0:43:20.150 not harden your heart. 0:43:20.790 --> 0:43:24.790 So you you get out. After six years, you're a 0:43:24.790 --> 0:43:27.509 brand new man than the man who went in. How 0:43:27.510 --> 0:43:29.589 did God call you to now, pastor? 0:43:29.910 --> 0:43:31.830 Well, I felt called when I first came to faith 0:43:31.830 --> 0:43:34.230 in Christ. I just wanted to preach the gospel. Make disciples. 0:43:34.230 --> 0:43:36.550 I didn't know what that meant. We were starting, you know, 0:43:36.670 --> 0:43:38.950 we were trying to plant churches on every cell block. 0:43:38.989 --> 0:43:40.630 We had prayer groups in every cell block. 0:43:40.670 --> 0:43:43.910 Planting churches on cell blocks. Now there's a church planting 0:43:43.910 --> 0:43:44.709 effort right there. 0:43:44.710 --> 0:43:45.150 Yeah, we. 0:43:45.310 --> 0:43:47.640 Did that, by God's grace. When I came home, I 0:43:47.640 --> 0:43:49.440 just submitted to the church. I was going to Christian 0:43:49.440 --> 0:43:54.279 Stronghold Church. Um, Pastor Willie Richardson loved Doctor Stoll, and, uh, 0:43:54.280 --> 0:43:56.080 he used to do the pastor's conference here. We had 0:43:56.080 --> 0:43:58.319 quite a few pastors that had went to Moody, and 0:43:58.320 --> 0:44:02.360 so I had felt called to ministry. He recommended Moody, and, uh, 0:44:02.360 --> 0:44:04.640 he supported that and moved out here in 2011 with 0:44:04.640 --> 0:44:08.000 my wife to walk in that calling to plant a 0:44:08.000 --> 0:44:09.680 church and to get trained in the gospel. 0:44:10.280 --> 0:44:12.280 You know, I got to tell you something. Your bride 0:44:12.320 --> 0:44:19.719 sitting here maybe shooting some video right now. She loves her, man. 0:44:19.760 --> 0:44:23.240 I do. Yeah, you could hear that from a distant mic. How? 0:44:23.280 --> 0:44:26.080 How in the world did you meet this fine bride 0:44:26.080 --> 0:44:26.640 of yours? 0:44:26.680 --> 0:44:30.200 Yeah, I, um, it's a long story, but I met 0:44:30.200 --> 0:44:32.160 her at church. We both served in youth ministries. A 0:44:32.160 --> 0:44:34.160 very large youth ministry was not for the faint of 0:44:34.160 --> 0:44:37.600 heart at all with those youth. And one of the 0:44:37.600 --> 0:44:39.200 men that was discipling me was like, you know, her 0:44:39.200 --> 0:44:40.839 dad's not in her life. If you're going to approach her, 0:44:40.840 --> 0:44:42.279 you need to go ask her mom for permission to 0:44:42.280 --> 0:44:44.450 talk to her. That's what I did. So I went 0:44:44.450 --> 0:44:46.569 to her mom after her Bible study. I was like, man, 0:44:46.570 --> 0:44:48.610 I've been praying. Your daughter seems like a sweet woman. 0:44:48.610 --> 0:44:51.290 If you say no, I'll walk away. I asked her 0:44:51.290 --> 0:44:52.570 permission and she gave me her blessing. 0:44:52.610 --> 0:44:53.650 Honorable man. 0:44:54.130 --> 0:44:54.490 Yeah. 0:44:54.530 --> 0:44:58.049 You know what? Her mom saw what we see and 0:44:58.050 --> 0:45:01.930 hear right now. A broken, humble, dependent man on the 0:45:01.930 --> 0:45:04.810 grace of God. You know, there's people listening right now 0:45:04.810 --> 0:45:08.969 because we were just talking in here. Wes Ward, VP of, uh, 0:45:08.969 --> 0:45:11.129 Moody Global Media, is in here with us, too. And 0:45:11.130 --> 0:45:13.690 he was just saying this, and it's true. There's 20 0:45:13.730 --> 0:45:17.210 plus percent. Who knows? Maybe upwards of 30% of people 0:45:17.210 --> 0:45:20.370 listening right now all across the globe who hear your story. 0:45:20.370 --> 0:45:23.610 And they're like, Could God? Is his arm too short 0:45:23.610 --> 0:45:27.130 for me? Could he reach me? Pour out your heart, man. 0:45:27.130 --> 0:45:28.250 What's the good news? 0:45:29.050 --> 0:45:32.130 Man, the good news of the gospel is that God 0:45:32.130 --> 0:45:34.489 not only loves us so much, but he's willing to 0:45:34.489 --> 0:45:38.690 go down the pit and get us himself. That, um. 0:45:38.930 --> 0:45:41.609 That Christ died. When we say Christ died, it's not 0:45:41.610 --> 0:45:44.299 a cool slogan. It's not something we just say on 0:45:44.300 --> 0:45:46.739 Easter Sunday. It's a reality that God loved us so 0:45:46.739 --> 0:45:48.740 much that he sent His Son to come get us. 0:45:48.739 --> 0:45:52.299 And for me, when I'm in solitary confinement. Um, what 0:45:52.340 --> 0:45:57.580 brought me to tears was that my savior, um, loved 0:45:57.580 --> 0:45:59.380 me so much that he was willing to become a 0:45:59.380 --> 0:46:02.740 convicted felon. That I might become free. 0:46:03.060 --> 0:46:03.500 Yeah. 0:46:03.780 --> 0:46:06.260 And like the thief on the cross, he says, today 0:46:06.260 --> 0:46:08.180 you will be with me in Paradise. So I don't 0:46:08.180 --> 0:46:10.580 care how far you've gone, how much you've messed up. 0:46:10.940 --> 0:46:13.180 You're talking to a guy that's had abortions, a guy 0:46:13.219 --> 0:46:15.980 that's stolen from his family, been strung out, living in 0:46:15.980 --> 0:46:19.100 his car, and took the life of a young man 0:46:19.140 --> 0:46:22.700 who didn't deserve it. And Christ says, my love is 0:46:22.700 --> 0:46:24.420 there for him, and I will change him and make 0:46:24.420 --> 0:46:26.940 him whole and new. And I would just say, no 0:46:26.940 --> 0:46:29.660 matter where you are, no matter what suicide, thoughts of 0:46:29.660 --> 0:46:33.660 suicide is doing, depression, alcohol, giving up, you want to 0:46:33.700 --> 0:46:36.819 harm yourself. Christ came that you might have new life 0:46:36.820 --> 0:46:38.620 in him if you would just turn to him wherever 0:46:38.620 --> 0:46:41.190 you are right now. Yeah. Your prayers don't have to 0:46:41.190 --> 0:46:43.430 be all nice and clean. They have to be sincere 0:46:43.750 --> 0:46:47.790 with a broken heart. And he won't forsake a broken heart. Yeah, man. Ever. 0:46:48.630 --> 0:46:50.509 You know, I just the thing that hit me is 0:46:50.510 --> 0:46:53.469 that there's a lot of people in solitary confinement, but 0:46:53.469 --> 0:46:56.629 they aren't in a prison. They're in the prison of 0:46:56.670 --> 0:46:57.470 their own life. 0:46:57.510 --> 0:46:58.910 I learned that when I came out. 0:46:59.070 --> 0:47:02.430 That there's a whole world of solitary confinement. Speak to 0:47:02.469 --> 0:47:05.270 that person right now who feels all alone and out 0:47:05.270 --> 0:47:06.630 of reach of God. 0:47:07.230 --> 0:47:09.109 Yeah, well, I would just say is, you know what? 0:47:09.110 --> 0:47:11.270 You might truly feel like the people around you don't 0:47:11.270 --> 0:47:15.150 get you. And there might be some valid points of 0:47:15.190 --> 0:47:19.150 that because of what you're going through. But God understands you. 0:47:19.670 --> 0:47:21.469 We do not have a high priest. We do not 0:47:21.469 --> 0:47:24.989 have a Savior who can't sympathize with our weaknesses. He 0:47:24.989 --> 0:47:27.589 was tempted as we were, yet without sin. He knows 0:47:27.590 --> 0:47:29.910 the struggle. He knows what it's like to be rejected. 0:47:30.430 --> 0:47:32.149 He knows what it's like for people to turn away 0:47:32.150 --> 0:47:34.950 from him. He knows what it's like to be homeless. 0:47:34.989 --> 0:47:37.150 The Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 0:47:37.790 --> 0:47:40.770 He knows like to endure pain. Yeah. He knows what 0:47:40.770 --> 0:47:43.810 it's like to lose a stepfather. To lose someone you love. 0:47:44.450 --> 0:47:47.410 And so I would just say, um. Don't allow Satan 0:47:47.410 --> 0:47:50.290 to to to bring the lie into your mind that 0:47:50.290 --> 0:47:53.730 God can't relate to your pain. If anything, he enters 0:47:53.730 --> 0:47:55.489 into it and he fully understands it. 0:47:55.969 --> 0:47:58.170 So let's do this together. You and me, brother. Pastor 0:47:58.170 --> 0:48:00.810 to pastor here. Uh, there were some troubled hearts one 0:48:00.810 --> 0:48:03.009 day when Jesus was telling some men that he was 0:48:03.010 --> 0:48:05.370 going away, and he said, don't let your hearts be troubled. 0:48:05.370 --> 0:48:08.330 Believe in God. Believe also in me. He said, I'm 0:48:08.330 --> 0:48:12.049 going to prepare a place for you. That's unbelievable. Then 0:48:12.050 --> 0:48:14.850 he said, I am the way. I am the truth. 0:48:14.850 --> 0:48:17.770 I am the life. What does it mean to come 0:48:17.770 --> 0:48:20.250 off the broad path and go God's way? There's repentance 0:48:20.250 --> 0:48:21.570 involved there, isn't there? 0:48:21.890 --> 0:48:24.250 Yeah. It means you have to acknowledge. Right? I always 0:48:24.250 --> 0:48:26.410 say you can't. You can't get healed from something you 0:48:26.410 --> 0:48:27.370 won't acknowledge. 0:48:27.570 --> 0:48:28.610 Acknowledge it friend. 0:48:28.650 --> 0:48:31.490 You got to acknowledge and to say, man, you know what? Um, 0:48:31.730 --> 0:48:35.290 looking at my life, I'm pretty broken. I'm not perfect. 0:48:35.290 --> 0:48:37.170 I don't have it all together. I don't know one 0:48:37.300 --> 0:48:40.420 person in human history or on this planet right now 0:48:40.420 --> 0:48:43.140 that will say I am perfect. I have it all together. 0:48:43.700 --> 0:48:44.820 But those that admit. 0:48:44.820 --> 0:48:47.580 It, that admitted that God's like man. I can work 0:48:47.580 --> 0:48:50.180 with that. Come here and I will make you whole. 0:48:51.340 --> 0:48:53.700 I am the way he said. That means we got 0:48:53.700 --> 0:48:56.140 to turn around. Off the broad path. Just turn around. 0:48:56.180 --> 0:48:58.620 And he'll do the rest. We're just turning toward him. 0:48:58.620 --> 0:49:02.020 I am the truth. Meaning we can no longer fly 0:49:02.020 --> 0:49:04.739 by the seat of our pants and our truth. It's 0:49:04.739 --> 0:49:10.259 God's truth. We're sinners, separated from God. What would seemed impossible? 0:49:10.300 --> 0:49:13.500 Jesus bridged that gap, and he saved us. While we 0:49:13.500 --> 0:49:16.620 were yet sinners. Christ died for us and he rose again. Pastor, 0:49:16.620 --> 0:49:18.819 pour out your heart. He wants to give resurrection power 0:49:18.820 --> 0:49:19.979 to everyone right now. 0:49:20.020 --> 0:49:22.300 Yeah. I mean, you know, we can go to therapists, 0:49:22.300 --> 0:49:24.980 we can go to counselors, we can listen to podcasts. 0:49:24.980 --> 0:49:26.780 But when we say that he is the truth, we're 0:49:26.780 --> 0:49:29.140 saying you are the primary voice in my life right now. 0:49:29.140 --> 0:49:31.620 I've tried every other way. I'm listening to your voice 0:49:31.620 --> 0:49:33.660 and your voice alone. I need you to direct me. 0:49:33.660 --> 0:49:36.390 And you are the life I've been around a lot 0:49:36.430 --> 0:49:38.550 of death. I've been around a lot of suffering. But, Jesus, 0:49:38.550 --> 0:49:41.030 I'm turning to you right now to take these broken 0:49:41.030 --> 0:49:44.149 pieces of my life and build a beautiful mosaic that's 0:49:44.150 --> 0:49:46.189 a reflection of your image. And there's so much hope 0:49:46.190 --> 0:49:48.870 in that, because it not only means that God can 0:49:48.870 --> 0:49:51.390 change where we are right now, but it means we 0:49:51.390 --> 0:49:55.629 have an expectant future that's full of joy, that's going somewhere. 0:49:55.670 --> 0:49:56.149 We're going. 0:49:56.310 --> 0:49:56.430 To. 0:49:56.430 --> 0:49:56.629 Be. 0:49:56.630 --> 0:49:59.270 Like, man, like if we were to like, leave this 0:49:59.270 --> 0:50:01.910 planet in the next 24 hours, man, we could we 0:50:01.910 --> 0:50:04.470 could leave knowing that where we're going is far greater 0:50:04.469 --> 0:50:07.430 and far better than everything that's behind us. And so 0:50:07.430 --> 0:50:11.109 it's instant joy and it's guaranteed. It's not a wish. 0:50:11.110 --> 0:50:14.550 It's not something I hope for. It's practical and it's real. 0:50:14.550 --> 0:50:17.550 It's real as you are hearing my voice, I believe 0:50:17.550 --> 0:50:20.670 that right now God is pricking someone's heart. He's speaking 0:50:20.670 --> 0:50:23.270 to you right now. You know he is. And all 0:50:23.270 --> 0:50:24.950 he wants you to do is just surrender. 0:50:25.190 --> 0:50:29.830 Today is your day. He's speaking to you of your salvation. 0:50:30.270 --> 0:50:33.470 And you know what's amazing? The Holy Spirit is beginning 0:50:33.510 --> 0:50:37.520 to convince you and convict you that it is true 0:50:37.719 --> 0:50:44.480 what Pastor John is saying. So right now. If you 0:50:44.520 --> 0:50:47.600 confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in 0:50:47.600 --> 0:50:49.600 your heart that God raised him from the dead, you 0:50:49.600 --> 0:50:51.720 will be saved. You know, it's amazing. There's no patent 0:50:51.760 --> 0:50:55.200 little prayer. We pray. It's a faith is a heart 0:50:55.239 --> 0:51:00.960 surrender totally to Jesus, a turning around and saying, Jesus, 0:51:00.960 --> 0:51:02.280 you're my Savior today. 0:51:02.760 --> 0:51:06.440 Lord, I am broken. I am turning to you to 0:51:06.480 --> 0:51:10.480 be my everything and my Savior. I'm believing that by 0:51:10.480 --> 0:51:11.280 faith today. 0:51:11.640 --> 0:51:13.759 And if that's you right now, I want you to 0:51:13.800 --> 0:51:15.920 text the word new to a number I'm going to 0:51:15.920 --> 0:51:18.359 get you, get your phone out and get to the 0:51:18.360 --> 0:51:21.160 side of the road. Some of you are wiping away 0:51:21.160 --> 0:51:26.359 some tears. That is healthy and normal. Get to the 0:51:26.360 --> 0:51:27.920 side of the road right now. I'm going to give 0:51:27.920 --> 0:51:31.120 you a moment. Grab your phone and as soon as 0:51:31.120 --> 0:51:33.049 you get that phone, we want to help you. We're 0:51:33.050 --> 0:51:35.170 going to send you an auto response right back to 0:51:35.170 --> 0:51:37.810 you that's going to help you. It's got embedded three links. 0:51:37.810 --> 0:51:39.609 It's going to help you find where you can get 0:51:39.610 --> 0:51:44.330 a Bible that you can read. It's going to help 0:51:44.330 --> 0:51:47.330 you learn how to find a group of people, just 0:51:47.330 --> 0:51:49.810 like Pastor John, who loved the Lord just as much 0:51:49.810 --> 0:51:51.850 as you do right now and are going to help 0:51:51.850 --> 0:51:55.130 you keep walking with Jesus. And then we're going to 0:51:55.210 --> 0:51:57.410 in the third link in this link that we're going 0:51:57.450 --> 0:51:59.770 to send you, we're going to ask for your snail mail, 0:51:59.770 --> 0:52:02.410 your home address, and there's no strings attached. We're going 0:52:02.450 --> 0:52:04.609 to send you a resource that tells you how you 0:52:04.610 --> 0:52:07.729 do not have to live in self-help. You can live 0:52:07.730 --> 0:52:09.890 in God's power moment by moment. So we're going to 0:52:09.890 --> 0:52:12.609 send that to you. All right, Ali, there's people out 0:52:12.610 --> 0:52:16.210 there right now responding to God by faith. Brand new 0:52:16.250 --> 0:52:17.810 followers of Jesus. 0:52:17.850 --> 0:52:18.290 Yes. 0:52:18.330 --> 0:52:19.170 How do they get this? 0:52:19.170 --> 0:52:25.170 Just text the word new N-e-w to 855 five 7898. 0:52:25.210 --> 0:52:28.489 If today that's you, today is the day of salvation. 0:52:28.530 --> 0:52:37.299 Text new to 800 555,898. New to (800) 555-7898. 0:52:37.340 --> 0:52:40.700 You know, we're we've got a live studio audience here, 0:52:40.700 --> 0:52:44.500 and there's plenty of evidence. Jesus said it that there 0:52:44.500 --> 0:52:49.740 would be celebration in the presence of God for one 0:52:49.739 --> 0:52:53.899 person who turns toward home today. And I don't care 0:52:53.900 --> 0:52:55.739 if it's 1 or 100 of you right now. We 0:52:55.739 --> 0:52:57.020 want to celebrate with you. 0:52:57.060 --> 0:52:59.620 Yes we are. Yes we are. 0:53:01.739 --> 0:53:06.140 Again, text just that one word right now. New to 0:53:06.180 --> 0:53:13.660 800 555 7898. Just text new to 800 555 7898. 0:53:13.660 --> 0:53:15.260 I'm going to keep it right here for a moment. 0:53:15.260 --> 0:53:18.339 This is really awesome what God is doing here. Shout 0:53:18.380 --> 0:53:20.700 out the last four numbers of your phone numbers. Those 0:53:20.700 --> 0:53:26.940 of you surrendering to Jesus today. 92, 67, 84, 2242 0:53:26.980 --> 0:53:32.630 59 To five three. They're zipping off my screen here quickly, Ellie. 0:53:32.790 --> 0:53:35.910 I mean, they're flying in here right now. All right, 0:53:35.910 --> 0:53:39.029 let's let's just take it, boy. Ellie, they're pouring in here. 0:53:39.230 --> 0:53:45.950 92, 67, 84, 22, 42, 59, zero two, 53, 44, 0:53:45.989 --> 0:53:57.029 oh four, 74, 82, 34, 65, 85, 86, three, eight, three, nine, 68, 1540, 50, 81, 69, 27, 0:53:57.070 --> 0:54:08.430 oh seven, 55, 95, 1582, 58, 88, 35, 32, 038, five, six, nine, nine, eight, 76, 0:54:08.469 --> 0:54:10.390 oh seven, 52, 44. 0:54:10.430 --> 0:54:12.070 Yeah, and I'm sure they're still coming. Yeah. 0:54:14.630 --> 0:54:14.990 Yeah. 0:54:17.830 --> 0:54:19.630 And the door never closes with the Lord. 0:54:19.630 --> 0:54:23.390 No. And we're here for you. Some of you're scrambling 0:54:23.390 --> 0:54:25.830 for your phone going, that's me, man. I'm sitting in 0:54:25.830 --> 0:54:28.169 my life to Jesus today. Just text the word new 0:54:28.170 --> 0:54:30.170 when you get your phone. We'll be here for you. 0:54:30.530 --> 0:54:37.290 Just text new N-e-w to 800 555 7898. Just text 0:54:37.330 --> 0:54:42.089 new to 800 555 7898. And what we want to 0:54:42.090 --> 0:54:46.609 say is welcome to the family. Welcome to the family. John, 0:54:46.610 --> 0:54:47.450 thank you so much. 0:54:47.650 --> 0:54:48.009 Thank you. 0:54:48.210 --> 0:54:50.690 We are messengers. God you are. 0:54:51.810 --> 0:54:55.610 He was running from God, but God's love brought him home. 0:54:55.810 --> 0:54:59.690 Carl is in the crew. It's Carl and crew on 0:54:59.690 --> 0:55:00.690 Moody Radio. 0:55:00.730 --> 0:55:02.050 What an amazing day. 0:55:02.050 --> 0:55:02.850 Right, guys? 0:55:03.850 --> 0:55:08.730 Great broadcasting live right here, as always from downtown Chicago. 0:55:08.730 --> 0:55:10.609 But we've got a bit of a studio audience. You 0:55:10.610 --> 0:55:13.370 just heard a story from a great man of God, 0:55:13.370 --> 0:55:16.290 Pastor John Kelly. Uh, coming up here in a moment. 0:55:16.330 --> 0:55:20.370 What a great blessing we have. Doctor Joe Stoll is 0:55:20.370 --> 0:55:24.609 with us, and I've asked him to help us understand 0:55:24.610 --> 0:55:28.419 for those new in Christ scores this morning. Well over 0:55:28.420 --> 0:55:32.460 30 and many more who are listening right now who 0:55:32.460 --> 0:55:35.860 want to know how do I walk with this Jesus? 0:55:35.860 --> 0:55:38.900 What are my first steps look like? Hang on. Doctor 0:55:38.900 --> 0:55:40.500 Joe stole straight ahead. 0:55:41.700 --> 0:55:44.739 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:55:47.219 --> 0:55:49.060 We have had a morning here, and we got a 0:55:49.060 --> 0:55:53.380 live audience right down here in downtown Chicago. And, Ali, 0:55:53.380 --> 0:55:56.859 this has been epic. Um, Pastor John Kelly just shared 0:55:56.860 --> 0:56:03.020 his story. The power of God to transform is undeniable. 0:56:03.140 --> 0:56:06.100 And so we saw at least 30, maybe close to 0:56:06.140 --> 0:56:09.460 40 people respond with new. Today is the day of 0:56:09.460 --> 0:56:12.259 salvation for me. So we've invited another special guest who's 0:56:12.260 --> 0:56:15.020 in studio with us, uh, Joe Stoll, former president of 0:56:15.060 --> 0:56:17.460 Moody Bible Institute, also an author. You heard from him 0:56:17.460 --> 0:56:20.020 earlier this morning about a book he's got out. What 0:56:20.020 --> 0:56:22.420 would you say to those who are just turning to 0:56:22.460 --> 0:56:25.910 Jesus for the first time? What are some practical next steps? 0:56:25.950 --> 0:56:28.149 Well, I would just want to say what Carl. Already said. 0:56:28.150 --> 0:56:30.390 Welcome to the family of God. 0:56:30.430 --> 0:56:30.750 Yeah. 0:56:30.790 --> 0:56:32.350 And to remember. Hold on. 0:56:32.550 --> 0:56:33.190 That deserves. 0:56:33.230 --> 0:56:33.790 Yeah. Yeah. 0:56:35.390 --> 0:56:38.870 And to remember you're never alone again. Because not only 0:56:38.870 --> 0:56:41.870 have you accepted Christ, but he now lives within you. 0:56:42.430 --> 0:56:45.390 And you're going to hear a lot of voices. From 0:56:45.390 --> 0:56:46.310 the dark side. 0:56:46.310 --> 0:56:46.910 Yes you will. 0:56:47.030 --> 0:56:50.350 Doubts. You just need to listen to the voice of Jesus. 0:56:50.710 --> 0:56:53.109 So keep asking him to speak to you, and he 0:56:53.110 --> 0:56:54.830 will speak to you. But he speaks to you. Through 0:56:54.870 --> 0:56:57.710 his word. So I'd say get a Bible. Yes. And 0:56:57.710 --> 0:57:00.910 I would also say start reading the. Gospel of John. 0:57:00.910 --> 0:57:04.990 So you can meet Jesus personally in the pages of Scripture. 0:57:04.989 --> 0:57:07.350 And then better. Go to the three links. Right. Carl, 0:57:07.390 --> 0:57:08.910 what would those three links again? 0:57:08.950 --> 0:57:11.830 Yeah. We've got three embedded links in this that that 0:57:11.830 --> 0:57:15.270 will allow you to not only get a. Good Bible, 0:57:15.469 --> 0:57:18.110 but it will help you understand what to look for 0:57:18.150 --> 0:57:19.910 in a church because you got. To land with a 0:57:19.910 --> 0:57:21.670 group of people that are going to walk with you. Yeah. 0:57:21.670 --> 0:57:24.040 You took my next step away. Okay, let's go there. 0:57:24.080 --> 0:57:24.960 Right. Right away. 0:57:25.000 --> 0:57:28.320 You know, you're never alone because God now dwells within you. 0:57:28.880 --> 0:57:32.000 You know what a wonderful partner in life. But there 0:57:32.040 --> 0:57:35.040 are other people around who believe like you believe and 0:57:35.040 --> 0:57:37.800 who have Christ in them, who will speak to you 0:57:37.800 --> 0:57:41.000 and pray for you and comfort you. And so find 0:57:41.000 --> 0:57:43.400 a good church, a church that really believes that the 0:57:43.400 --> 0:57:46.280 Bible is the Word of God. Make sure of that 0:57:46.280 --> 0:57:49.840 and get involved in that church. And, uh, a good 0:57:49.840 --> 0:57:52.520 church is a safe place. There aren't many safe places 0:57:52.520 --> 0:57:55.640 left in our world anymore, but a good church is 0:57:55.640 --> 0:57:58.160 a safe place finally, for you to be, where you'll 0:57:58.160 --> 0:58:02.200 be loved, where even your failures will be helped. And 0:58:02.320 --> 0:58:07.360 you know where our downsides are tolerated. Because nobody's perfect, right? 0:58:07.560 --> 0:58:10.160 And you'll. You'll have to tolerate others downsides. 0:58:10.160 --> 0:58:12.960 Too, right? Exactly. That may be the toughest job, but 0:58:12.960 --> 0:58:15.520 how important it is to be in community? Yeah, I 0:58:15.520 --> 0:58:17.880 know that when Jesus came, he didn't choose one person. 0:58:17.920 --> 0:58:22.209 He chose 12. There was a community of belief. And 0:58:22.210 --> 0:58:25.130 then that 12 went out and built communities of belief 0:58:25.130 --> 0:58:29.010 because we desperately need one another and to love one another. 0:58:29.010 --> 0:58:31.770 So get a good Bible, read the book of John. 0:58:31.810 --> 0:58:34.530 Know you're never alone. Get in community. 0:58:35.210 --> 0:58:38.130 I want to double back to the Bible and the word. 0:58:38.210 --> 0:58:40.970 I think we that can even sound. I want to 0:58:40.970 --> 0:58:44.050 I want to say this. The word of God. I 0:58:44.050 --> 0:58:47.450 think we miss this sometimes. The word of God. And 0:58:47.450 --> 0:58:53.010 I'm the voices. You're going to hear them. This won't stick. This, this, 0:58:53.010 --> 0:58:55.010 this is going to be another. Tried it before. You've 0:58:55.050 --> 0:58:59.570 tried it before. And it goes on and on. Jesus himself, though, 0:58:59.610 --> 0:59:03.610 did battle with the tempter coming out of a desert experience. 0:59:03.610 --> 0:59:07.810 It was a vicious fight. But Jesus used the Word 0:59:07.810 --> 0:59:10.330 of God. In fact, he said, man shall not live 0:59:10.370 --> 0:59:13.450 by bread alone, but by every rhema word of God, 0:59:13.450 --> 0:59:16.050 the spoken word of God. Joe Stoll I just set 0:59:16.090 --> 0:59:18.930 up a tee ball for you, man. How important is that? 0:59:19.020 --> 0:59:22.260 Yeah. It is so very important because we meet Jesus 0:59:22.260 --> 0:59:26.020 and we meet God in His word. He spoke to us, right? Yeah. 0:59:26.060 --> 0:59:28.900 God's not silent. He's not like somewhere over there. I 0:59:28.900 --> 0:59:32.700 hope I can find him. He's now found you this morning? Yes. 0:59:32.740 --> 0:59:34.900 And he was ready to speak to you. And he'll 0:59:34.900 --> 0:59:38.020 speak to you through his word. And you always have 0:59:38.020 --> 0:59:41.300 to measure what other people speak to you by his word, right? 0:59:41.340 --> 0:59:43.700 Because like you said, there's a lot of other voices 0:59:43.700 --> 0:59:47.020 coming at us. And so to meet him in his word, 0:59:47.020 --> 0:59:49.540 and I would read the Bible to hear him speak, 0:59:49.540 --> 0:59:51.100 not just to read the Bible. 0:59:51.140 --> 0:59:51.460 Amen. 0:59:51.500 --> 0:59:54.580 You know, Lord, speak to me, read one verse and 0:59:54.580 --> 0:59:56.580 he speaks to you, and then cling to that all 0:59:56.580 --> 0:59:59.060 day long. And I think another thing that we all 0:59:59.060 --> 1:00:01.780 need to know is that some of us who today 1:00:01.780 --> 1:00:06.340 accepted Christ as our Savior, that's it. I'm perfect because 1:00:06.340 --> 1:00:08.500 we are going to trip, right? Yeah. And we are 1:00:08.500 --> 1:00:09.140 going to fall. 1:00:09.180 --> 1:00:10.140 We're going to grow. 1:00:10.180 --> 1:00:12.540 And the wonderful thing is that God is always there 1:00:12.540 --> 1:00:15.660 to pick us up, right? And to forgive us afresh 1:00:15.660 --> 1:00:19.440 because we're his children now and he loves us. And 1:00:19.760 --> 1:00:22.400 so then he wants us to grow. And the joy 1:00:22.440 --> 1:00:25.120 of like a year from now, how different your life 1:00:25.120 --> 1:00:27.200 will be in Jesus. You have to have that hope, right? 1:00:27.240 --> 1:00:30.600 Like a year from now, I'm going to be so different. 1:00:30.640 --> 1:00:31.360 You will. 1:00:31.480 --> 1:00:34.400 You know what the difference is? It's being like Jesus. 1:00:34.440 --> 1:00:34.760 Yeah. 1:00:34.800 --> 1:00:37.400 To be in his image and to reflect it. And 1:00:37.400 --> 1:00:39.560 by the way, not only get in community, but it's 1:00:39.560 --> 1:00:41.440 time to share it too, right? Do you have some 1:00:41.440 --> 1:00:43.920 friends that need Jesus? Like you just found him? 1:00:44.320 --> 1:00:46.480 Share it. Tell him. Tell him what happened. 1:00:46.480 --> 1:00:48.640 Doctor Joe Stoll. Our guest this morning. We got about 1:00:48.640 --> 1:00:50.360 two minutes to go, but I want you to speak 1:00:50.360 --> 1:00:53.400 to a different group of people when you. There's the 1:00:53.400 --> 1:00:56.120 excitement of the new believer. And then there's some people 1:00:56.120 --> 1:00:58.520 who think, man, I've kind of lost the joy of 1:00:58.760 --> 1:01:01.240 my salvation. Maybe I need to text in new again 1:01:01.240 --> 1:01:03.960 and get saved again, because I want to have that joy, 1:01:04.000 --> 1:01:07.040 that fresh relationship with Jesus. Speak to the person who's 1:01:07.080 --> 1:01:09.680 maybe been in Christ for some time, but that joy 1:01:09.680 --> 1:01:13.480 is not there. That freshness, that vitality is absent. 1:01:13.520 --> 1:01:15.600 Yeah, well, I would think. Let's talk a little bit 1:01:15.770 --> 1:01:19.330 about what's what. What has been the joy spoiler in 1:01:19.330 --> 1:01:22.210 your life. Maybe there's a joy spoiler in my life, 1:01:22.210 --> 1:01:25.210 some sin that I continue to do, or some doubt 1:01:25.210 --> 1:01:29.050 that I have, or not really deeply believing that Jesus 1:01:29.090 --> 1:01:31.530 is all that I need. And so I just come 1:01:31.530 --> 1:01:33.930 on back. Come on back to the freshness of Jesus, 1:01:33.970 --> 1:01:36.530 and again to meet him in His word and to open. 1:01:36.570 --> 1:01:38.970 Maybe you haven't been, in a word, for a long time. 1:01:38.970 --> 1:01:41.890 That's a real joy killer right there all by itself, right? 1:01:42.130 --> 1:01:44.490 Get back in the word and read to hear him 1:01:44.490 --> 1:01:47.970 speak to you. And if there's those unconfessed sins that 1:01:47.970 --> 1:01:52.130 are joy killers, deal with those effectively in your life. 1:01:52.370 --> 1:01:54.690 And maybe find a friend that you guys can pursue 1:01:54.690 --> 1:01:56.290 the Joy road again together. 1:01:56.570 --> 1:01:59.850 Yeah. You know, there's a great work of the Lord 1:01:59.850 --> 1:02:03.890 moving right now across this listening audience. And you may 1:02:03.930 --> 1:02:07.970 be in Canada, you may be in Europe, you may 1:02:08.010 --> 1:02:13.650 be an Islander, you may be in Chicagoland. All points between. Joe, 1:02:13.690 --> 1:02:21.980 it's important. And we've got people still responding to the gospel. 074077569955. 1:02:22.580 --> 1:02:26.260 In 30s what's their first step they take right now, Joe? 1:02:26.300 --> 1:02:29.300 First step is to be thankful and tell God how 1:02:29.300 --> 1:02:32.980 thankful you are that he has received you to be 1:02:32.980 --> 1:02:36.580 his child. And then run for the word and find 1:02:36.580 --> 1:02:37.180 him there. 1:02:37.540 --> 1:02:41.780 Yeah, what a day. We've got a studio audience here, 1:02:41.780 --> 1:02:45.020 and I know that it's resonating in your heart. We're 1:02:45.020 --> 1:02:48.580 getting so much feedback. You began a good work in you. 1:02:48.620 --> 1:02:50.700 He'll carry it on to completion until the day of 1:02:50.700 --> 1:02:51.580 Christ Jesus. 1:02:51.620 --> 1:02:53.140 I want to give you one more link. If you 1:02:53.140 --> 1:02:55.020 missed any of today and want to listen again, or 1:02:55.020 --> 1:02:57.220 want to share this with a friend, just text the 1:02:57.220 --> 1:03:02.980 word show to 800 555 7898. Text show to 800 1:03:03.020 --> 1:03:05.340 555 7898. 1:03:05.380 --> 1:03:06.020 What a joy. 1:03:06.060 --> 1:03:06.740 Guys. 1:03:06.780 --> 1:03:07.500 Huh? What a. 1:03:07.500 --> 1:03:07.940 Joy. 1:03:09.020 --> 1:03:11.660 Carl and crew broadcasting live in Chicago with a live 1:03:11.660 --> 1:03:13.460 audience this hour. Godspeed.