WEBVTT - New Identity in Christ 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.120 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:13.480 Well, have you ever wanted to reinvent yourself? You know, 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:15.320 you could think about all the ways that that's what 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.759 January is for, right? January. You know, when I was 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:22.880 in high school, I wanted to reinvent myself. And I 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:26.680 went to I was a high school volleyball player, went 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:28.960 to a volleyball camp, a summer volleyball camp. So it 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:33.240 was only going to be maybe 3 to 5 days max. 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:37.200 And so I decided that I wanted to try out 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:42.559 a new name. Oh, you. You've got me hooked now. 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:45.960 So why is this new name? Although most people call 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:50.199 me Allie. My full name is Alexandra, which is actually beautiful. Well. 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.559 Thank you. I love that name. So I thought, I 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.120 don't really want to be known as Allie this week. 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:59.770 I think that I'd like to be known as Alex. Cute. Yeah, 0:00:59.810 --> 0:01:05.410 because I thought Alex was such a cooler, edgier nickname. 0:01:05.770 --> 0:01:08.730 So I go to this volleyball camp and I introduce 0:01:08.730 --> 0:01:13.530 myself as Alex. I'm feeling kind of cool. Yeah. Alex 0:01:13.530 --> 0:01:17.170 over here playing volleyball. Not a big deal. Move along. 0:01:17.209 --> 0:01:22.330 Just I got this. And so here was the problem. 0:01:22.330 --> 0:01:25.169 There came a point really early on, by the way, 0:01:25.810 --> 0:01:28.090 where one of the coaches or somebody was trying to 0:01:28.090 --> 0:01:33.690 tell me something. And they're going, Alex, Alex, I'm just 0:01:33.690 --> 0:01:38.569 looking around. I wonder why Alex is not answering. And 0:01:38.569 --> 0:01:42.970 then I went, oh, oh. Oh, wait. 0:01:43.209 --> 0:01:44.330 Are you kidding me? 0:01:44.730 --> 0:01:48.850 That's me. Remember, you're not Ali this week as you've 0:01:48.850 --> 0:01:51.610 been for the last. At that point, 17 years of 0:01:51.610 --> 0:01:54.730 your life, you're Alex. Or at least you tried to 0:01:54.730 --> 0:01:58.900 be Alex this week. Very, very short lived was my 0:01:58.900 --> 0:02:03.580 stint as an Alex. I went back to Ali pretty quickly. 0:02:04.060 --> 0:02:09.579 Trying to change yourself doesn't really work. You can try 0:02:09.580 --> 0:02:13.380 out a new name, you can buy new clothes, you 0:02:13.380 --> 0:02:16.420 can get a new career. You can move to a 0:02:16.419 --> 0:02:20.900 brand new place where nobody knows you. But here's the problem. 0:02:21.060 --> 0:02:25.340 You follow you wherever you go, right? 0:02:26.500 --> 0:02:27.500 Yes you do. 0:02:27.780 --> 0:02:32.820 And so we're stuck with this frustrating reality that I 0:02:32.860 --> 0:02:38.900 can't change me. I can't be different than who I am. 0:02:39.380 --> 0:02:42.740 Not in a very deep, meaningful way because I can. 0:02:42.780 --> 0:02:46.019 I can try on Alex for a couple of days 0:02:46.180 --> 0:02:52.540 and maybe fool some people. But the deep change that 0:02:52.540 --> 0:02:58.230 we seek seems very elusive. and ask anybody who's tried 0:02:58.870 --> 0:03:03.710 multiple times, countless attempts to make themselves different, to reinvent themselves, 0:03:03.710 --> 0:03:08.350 to be the quote unquote best version of themselves. Yeah, 0:03:08.510 --> 0:03:12.270 you follow you wherever you go. So this morning on 0:03:12.270 --> 0:03:15.190 Freedom Friday, we are going to be really celebrating and 0:03:15.190 --> 0:03:18.990 holding out at the forefront the power of the gospel 0:03:19.350 --> 0:03:21.470 to give us a new identity. 0:03:21.950 --> 0:03:22.669 Oh, Amen. 0:03:22.710 --> 0:03:27.790 In the deepest, most profound, most important way. Not window dressing, 0:03:28.470 --> 0:03:33.269 not a before and after extreme makeover. It's not losing 0:03:33.270 --> 0:03:35.470 a bunch of weight, getting a new hairstyle, getting a 0:03:35.470 --> 0:03:39.030 new wardrobe. The inside out change that we're seeking is 0:03:39.030 --> 0:03:42.710 actually something much, much deeper. And I want you to 0:03:42.750 --> 0:03:47.270 hear a testimony. This actually was from our live broadcast 0:03:47.310 --> 0:03:50.310 or our we're live every day, but our live studio 0:03:50.310 --> 0:03:53.470 audience broadcast that we had earlier this week from a 0:03:53.470 --> 0:03:59.880 pastor who explained how God gave him an absolutely new identity. 0:03:59.920 --> 0:04:03.560 He was no longer the same person that he was. 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.080 His whole life wasn't a name change. It was something 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.240 much deeper. You're going to hear the story from Pastor 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:13.760 John coming up here on Freedom Friday mornings. 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:18.719 Walking closer to Jesus every day. You're listening to Carl 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:19.320 and crew. 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:24.600 Well, sometimes people step into our studio and then we 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:25.440 hit them cold. 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.119 Which, Carl, you do so well. So, are we getting cold? 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.120 I knew you were going to bust me on that one. 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:33.680 John Kelly standing in front of us here. He got 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:34.680 a bio on this guy. 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:37.080 He is the lead pastor of Chicago West Church right 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:41.360 here in Chicago. We hear that you have a testimony. 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.280 You are pastoring. You are in the trenches. Tell us 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:47.040 a little bit about what God's done in your life. 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:49.080 Yeah, yeah. I was born in Chicago but grew up 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:52.760 in Philadelphia in a very, I would say very violent, Um, 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:57.440 under resourced community with a high level of prostitution. So 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:01.720 I wasn't exposed to maybe the best scenes, the best environments. Um, 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:03.880 by the time I was 12, I was selling crack 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:06.839 and crack houses. Really? The first time I ever got arrested, 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:08.840 I was about 12 or 13. That's the first time 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:10.880 I ever got convicted. I was in and out of 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:15.240 juvenile detention centers pretty much my whole juvenile years. I mean, 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:16.599 just to give you a context, I mean, I felt 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.200 the seventh grade went to four different high schools and 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:22.480 my freshman year dropped out. So it was high every day. 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.200 Always getting shot at, shooting at someone. Seen a lot 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:26.920 of stuff that I probably shouldn't have seen by the 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:30.360 time I was 14 or 15. Just following that path 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:32.720 of foolishness by the time I was 19. Let me 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:34.200 back up a little bit. Actually turned to Islam for 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:37.160 a little bit. So about six years was a professing 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.040 Sunni Muslim, but still was in the streets doing dumb stuff. 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.240 And then by the time I turned 19, went with 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:44.080 a group of friends to rob a drug dealer in 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:47.000 the neighborhood. And one of my friends shot and killed him. 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.159 So we all got arrested and I was 19 years old, 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.170 had just lost my son, who was still born at 0:05:53.170 --> 0:05:55.610 the time, was at the lowest point and was sitting 0:05:55.610 --> 0:05:57.530 in prison looking at the death penalty or life in 0:05:57.529 --> 0:06:01.690 prison with co-defendants. I was in solitary confinement, just at 0:06:01.690 --> 0:06:03.729 a low point when a prison guard gave me a 0:06:03.730 --> 0:06:05.530 copy of God's Word. I needed something to read. This 0:06:05.529 --> 0:06:08.050 was 2002. Back then, you could get a newspaper. So 0:06:08.050 --> 0:06:10.050 I was like, man, give me whatever you can. And 0:06:10.089 --> 0:06:11.690 he was like, I'll get you a Bible. I was like, whatever, 0:06:11.730 --> 0:06:13.970 give it to me. And he gave me a copy 0:06:13.970 --> 0:06:15.890 of God's Word. And I began reading for the first 0:06:15.890 --> 0:06:18.729 time in High School Dropout. And I began from Matthew, 0:06:18.730 --> 0:06:21.370 and I read nonstop. I probably would have been like 0:06:21.370 --> 0:06:23.929 24 hours straight until I got to Hebrews chapter four, 0:06:23.970 --> 0:06:26.049 verse seven. It says, today, if you hear his voice, 0:06:26.050 --> 0:06:28.210 do not harden your heart. And I gave my life 0:06:28.210 --> 0:06:30.050 to the Lord right there in the prison cell. So 0:06:30.089 --> 0:06:32.170 when I came to faith in Christ, I didn't go 0:06:32.170 --> 0:06:35.570 to a church service, didn't hear a sermon. God's word 0:06:35.570 --> 0:06:38.089 was enough. And so, as a preacher of the gospel, 0:06:38.089 --> 0:06:40.770 I have so much confidence in God's Word that he 0:06:40.770 --> 0:06:42.130 uses us, but he doesn't need us. 0:06:42.810 --> 0:06:42.890 To. 0:06:42.930 --> 0:06:44.650 Speak to that because the Word of. 0:06:44.650 --> 0:06:49.940 God, when given, we find here on air pastor, that 0:06:50.300 --> 0:06:52.940 when we feel like, Lord, where would you have us go? 0:06:52.940 --> 0:06:55.380 And we break open the word and read it? 0:06:55.420 --> 0:06:55.860 Yeah. 0:06:56.220 --> 0:06:58.339 There is something about the Word of God. 0:06:58.339 --> 0:07:00.900 The power is in the gospel and the spirit working 0:07:00.900 --> 0:07:05.339 through the living Word of God to soften hardened hearts 0:07:05.339 --> 0:07:08.539 and redeem souls to Christ. Yeah. And we can get 0:07:08.540 --> 0:07:10.700 so caught up in the vessels. And it was interesting, 0:07:10.700 --> 0:07:13.340 because God can still redeem a lost soul through a 0:07:13.340 --> 0:07:16.540 weak vessel that's not on their A-game that day. Amen. 0:07:16.580 --> 0:07:18.500 And for me, in that cell, it was just vital 0:07:18.500 --> 0:07:21.060 for me because I'm in solitary confinement. So like, in, 0:07:21.100 --> 0:07:22.660 you know, in the streets, if you get in trouble, 0:07:22.660 --> 0:07:24.940 you go to prison. In prison, if you get in trouble, 0:07:24.940 --> 0:07:26.860 you go to solitary confinement in the hole. You're in 0:07:26.860 --> 0:07:28.780 23 and one, and you come out one hour a 0:07:28.780 --> 0:07:32.060 day handcuffed and shackled. You're allowed no human contact. I mean, 0:07:32.060 --> 0:07:34.660 I couldn't even get toilet paper and a blanket sometimes, 0:07:34.980 --> 0:07:37.700 but God got his word into the, you know, the 0:07:37.700 --> 0:07:40.100 hardest place and got it into my hand. And his 0:07:40.100 --> 0:07:41.020 word was enough. 0:07:41.420 --> 0:07:43.900 How was that the grace of God that got you 0:07:43.900 --> 0:07:48.390 to that point? Some people, some people Pooh Pooh jailhouse faith. 0:07:48.430 --> 0:07:50.030 My lawyer did. He was Jewish. I was like, you're 0:07:50.030 --> 0:07:51.350 supposed to get this thing, you know? 0:07:51.390 --> 0:07:53.670 What's the matter with you? You're in the book here, man. 0:07:53.710 --> 0:07:54.790 It's to the Jews first. 0:07:54.790 --> 0:07:55.230 And then. 0:07:55.230 --> 0:07:55.830 The Gentiles. 0:07:55.950 --> 0:07:57.990 To jail and finds God and you know. 0:07:58.590 --> 0:08:00.230 But you said I really did. 0:08:00.270 --> 0:08:02.310 And I would say it's extremely hard to be a 0:08:02.310 --> 0:08:05.630 devout Christian in a penitentiary. It's not an environment that's 0:08:05.630 --> 0:08:09.630 conducive for you to to truly live. You don't turn 0:08:09.630 --> 0:08:10.550 the other cheek there. 0:08:10.790 --> 0:08:11.190 Yeah. 0:08:11.390 --> 0:08:13.710 And so my faith was really tested in the fire. 0:08:13.710 --> 0:08:16.830 So God was gracious. Here's a funny thing. It's not funny, 0:08:16.830 --> 0:08:18.950 but it's just what you do. About 2 or 3 0:08:18.950 --> 0:08:21.110 months went by and I really was feeling convicted that 0:08:21.110 --> 0:08:23.750 I'm pleading not guilty of a crime that I'm guilty of. 0:08:24.310 --> 0:08:26.230 And I felt convicted that I was going in front 0:08:26.230 --> 0:08:26.750 of the Lord. 0:08:26.830 --> 0:08:27.390 Holy Spirit. 0:08:27.430 --> 0:08:29.550 And not a judge. And so I told my lawyer 0:08:29.550 --> 0:08:31.670 some months later, hey, I'm a Christian now. I'm a 0:08:31.670 --> 0:08:34.110 Christ follower. I know you think this jailhouse religion, but 0:08:34.110 --> 0:08:36.790 I can't say I've repented of something that I'm pleading 0:08:36.790 --> 0:08:38.950 not guilty to. Whoa. And so you can go to 0:08:38.990 --> 0:08:40.790 the judge and tell them that I just want to 0:08:40.830 --> 0:08:42.790 ask for forgiveness and whatever they want to do to me, 0:08:42.790 --> 0:08:44.510 they could do to me. He was like, well, you know, 0:08:44.510 --> 0:08:46.670 this is foolish. You got an opportunity, I think, to 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:48.480 beat this thing. It's not about beating it. I'm going 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.240 in front of God's presence and I'm guilty paying you 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.360 to get me off. And so I went in front 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.040 of the judge. I went in front of the young 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.000 man's family, looked his mother in the eye and told 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.160 her my testimony and said, I'm a Christ follower now, 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:02.640 and you know your son lost his life, but he 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:04.760 was created in God's image. And if I could trade places, 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.200 I would. And whatever you want to do, it's right. 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:08.920 The Bible says, an eye for an eye, a tooth 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:11.640 for a tooth. And when it was her time to speak. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.559 You know what she said? Nothing. She showed me mercy 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:16.160 and grace. 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:16.920 Oh my goodness. 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:18.760 And so I ended up with 6 to 20 years 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.199 for third degree murder. And I went on to the 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.640 state penitentiary, and it's there. I got my GED. 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:25.640 How much time did you do? 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:28.120 I was supposed to do about 18. You know, you 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:31.520 do like, you know, 85%. I did six years and 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.800 came home on parole and a couple of years later 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:34.800 ended up at Moody. 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.480 Coming up, you've got a special guest here going, who 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:40.240 is this John Kelly with us right now, lead pastor, 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.160 Chicago West Church, right here in the city of Chicago. 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.290 Coming up, we're going to find out how he went 0:09:45.290 --> 0:09:48.930 from the penitentiary to becoming a pastor. More coming up. 0:09:49.330 --> 0:09:52.010 Your shot of hope to help you through the day. 0:09:52.290 --> 0:09:55.370 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:09:55.809 --> 0:09:58.450 Ali, this is an amazing story from John Kelly. 0:09:58.490 --> 0:10:01.130 Pastor here in Chicago. His name is John Kelly. He 0:10:01.130 --> 0:10:04.290 just shared his story. I spent six years of a 0:10:04.290 --> 0:10:08.330 much longer sentence. He was convicted of third degree murder 0:10:08.330 --> 0:10:12.449 that he confessed to after he found Jesus in solitary confinement. 0:10:12.490 --> 0:10:14.970 Reading the Bible got to Hebrews. What was your verse? 0:10:15.010 --> 0:10:17.610 Hebrews four seven which says, what? Hear his voice. Do 0:10:17.610 --> 0:10:18.650 not harden your heart. 0:10:18.770 --> 0:10:22.730 So you you get out. After six years, you're a 0:10:22.730 --> 0:10:25.490 brand new man than the man who went in. How 0:10:25.490 --> 0:10:27.690 did God call you to now, pastor? 0:10:27.730 --> 0:10:29.610 Well, I felt called when I first came to faith 0:10:29.610 --> 0:10:32.010 in Christ. I just wanted to preach the gospel. Make disciples. 0:10:32.010 --> 0:10:34.330 I didn't know what that meant. We were starting, you know, 0:10:34.450 --> 0:10:36.730 we were trying to plant churches on every cell block. 0:10:36.770 --> 0:10:38.410 We had prayer groups in every cell block. 0:10:38.450 --> 0:10:41.689 Planting churches on cell blocks. Now there's a church planting 0:10:41.690 --> 0:10:42.490 effort right there. 0:10:42.650 --> 0:10:45.340 We did that by God's grace. When I came home, 0:10:45.340 --> 0:10:46.860 I just submitted to the church. I was going to 0:10:46.900 --> 0:10:50.620 Christian Stronghold Church. Pastor Willie Richardson, and he used to 0:10:50.620 --> 0:10:52.460 do the pastor's conference here. We had quite a few 0:10:52.460 --> 0:10:54.940 pastors that had went to Moody, and so I had 0:10:54.940 --> 0:10:58.020 felt called to ministry. He recommended Moody. He supported that 0:10:58.020 --> 0:11:00.459 and moved out here in 2011 with my wife to 0:11:00.620 --> 0:11:02.900 walk in that call into the church and to get 0:11:02.900 --> 0:11:03.980 trained in the gospel. 0:11:04.420 --> 0:11:06.420 You know, I got to tell you something. Your bride 0:11:06.460 --> 0:11:13.860 sitting here maybe shooting some video right now. She loves her, man. 0:11:13.900 --> 0:11:16.700 I do. Yeah, you could hear that from a distant mic. 0:11:17.059 --> 0:11:20.220 How in the world did you meet this fine bride 0:11:20.220 --> 0:11:20.900 of yours? 0:11:21.020 --> 0:11:23.140 It's a long story, but I met her at church. 0:11:23.140 --> 0:11:25.260 We both served in youth ministries. A very large youth 0:11:25.260 --> 0:11:28.180 ministry was not for the faint of heart at all 0:11:28.179 --> 0:11:30.460 with those youth. And one of the men that was 0:11:30.460 --> 0:11:32.220 discipling me was like, you know, her dad's not in 0:11:32.220 --> 0:11:33.540 her life. If you're going to approach her, you need 0:11:33.540 --> 0:11:35.339 to go ask her mom for permission to talk to her. 0:11:35.460 --> 0:11:37.260 That's what I did. So I went to her mom 0:11:37.260 --> 0:11:39.620 after a Bible study. I was like, man, I've been praying. 0:11:39.660 --> 0:11:41.900 Your daughter seems like a sweet woman. If you say no, 0:11:42.350 --> 0:11:44.429 I'll walk away. I won't ask her permission. She gave 0:11:44.429 --> 0:11:45.030 me her blessing. 0:11:45.070 --> 0:11:49.069 Honorable man. You know what her mom saw what we 0:11:49.070 --> 0:11:53.070 see and hear right now. A broken, humble, dependent man 0:11:53.070 --> 0:11:57.110 on the grace of God. There's 20 plus percent. Who knows? 0:11:57.110 --> 0:11:59.949 Maybe upwards of 30% of people listening right now all 0:11:59.950 --> 0:12:02.710 across the globe who hear your story. And they're like, 0:12:02.710 --> 0:12:06.190 Could God? Is his arm too short for me? Could 0:12:06.190 --> 0:12:09.230 he reach me? Pour out your heart, man. What's the 0:12:09.230 --> 0:12:09.910 good news? 0:12:10.510 --> 0:12:13.550 Man, the good news of the gospel is that God 0:12:13.550 --> 0:12:15.950 not only loves us so much, but he's willing to 0:12:15.950 --> 0:12:20.070 go down the pit and get us himself that Christ died. 0:12:20.070 --> 0:12:22.390 When we say Christ died, it's not a cool slogan. 0:12:22.390 --> 0:12:24.910 It's not something we just say on Easter Sunday. It's 0:12:24.910 --> 0:12:26.910 a reality that God loved us so much that he 0:12:26.990 --> 0:12:29.110 sent His Son to come get us. And for me, 0:12:29.110 --> 0:12:32.870 when I'm in solitary confinement. What brought me to tears 0:12:33.510 --> 0:12:36.790 was that my Savior loved me so much that he 0:12:36.830 --> 0:12:39.670 was willing to become a convicted felon, that I might 0:12:39.670 --> 0:12:43.040 become free. And like the thief on the cross, he says, 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:44.880 today you will be with me in Paradise. So I 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.560 don't care how far you've gone, how much you've messed up. 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.120 You're talking to a guy that's had abortions, a guy 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:52.920 that's stolen from his family, been strung out, living in 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:55.319 his car, and took the life of a young man 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:58.280 who didn't deserve it. And Christ says, my love is 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.000 there for him, and I will change him and make 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.520 him whole and new. And I would just say, no 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:05.000 matter where you are, no matter what suicide, thoughts of 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:09.040 suicide is doing, depression, alcohol, giving up, you want to 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:12.200 harm yourself. Christ came that you might have new life 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:13.960 in him if you would just turn to him wherever 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:16.440 you are right now. Yeah. Your prayers don't have to 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:18.760 be all nice and clean. They have to be sincere 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:22.880 with a broken heart. And he won't forsake a broken heart. Yeah, man. Ever. 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:25.640 You know, I just the thing that hit me is 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.600 that there's a lot of people in solitary confinement, but 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:31.720 they aren't in a prison. They're in the prison of 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:32.559 their own life. 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:34.040 I learned that when I came out. 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:37.560 That there's a whole world of solitary confinement. Speak to 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.440 that person right now who feels all alone and out 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:41.760 of reach of God. 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:43.800 Yeah, well, I would just say is, you know what? 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.000 You might truly feel like the people around you don't 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:49.040 get you. And there might be some valid points of 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:53.040 that because of what you're going through. But God understands you. 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.000 We do not have a high priest. We do not 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:58.199 have a Savior who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. He 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:00.760 was tempted as we were, yet without sin. He knows 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.080 the struggle. He knows what it's like to be rejected. 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:05.040 He knows what it's like for people to turn away 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.640 from him. He knows what it's like to be homeless. 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:09.959 The Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:12.679 He knows like to endure pain. Yeah, he knows what 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.760 it's like to lose a stepfather, to lose someone you love. 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:19.200 And so I would just say, um, don't allow Satan 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:21.960 to bring the lie into your mind that God can't 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:25.240 relate to your pain. If anything, he enters into it 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:26.680 and he fully understands it. 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.400 So let's do this together. You and me, brother. Pastor 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.040 to pastor here. Uh, there were some troubled hearts one 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:34.200 day when Jesus was telling some men that he was 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.520 going away, and he said, don't let your hearts be troubled. 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:39.610 Believe in God, believe also in me. He said, I'm 0:14:39.610 --> 0:14:43.050 going to prepare a place for you. That's unbelievable. Then 0:14:43.050 --> 0:14:45.810 he said, I am the way. I am the truth. 0:14:45.810 --> 0:14:48.690 I am the life. What does it mean to come 0:14:48.690 --> 0:14:51.250 off the broad path and go God's way? There's repentance 0:14:51.250 --> 0:14:52.490 involved there, isn't there? 0:14:52.810 --> 0:14:55.170 Yeah. It means you have to acknowledge, right? I always 0:14:55.170 --> 0:14:57.370 say you can. You can't get healed from something you 0:14:57.370 --> 0:15:00.130 won't acknowledge. You got to acknowledge and say, man, you 0:15:00.130 --> 0:15:03.530 know what? Looking at my life, I'm pretty broken. I'm 0:15:03.570 --> 0:15:05.570 not perfect. I don't have it all together. I don't 0:15:05.570 --> 0:15:08.930 know one person. Yeah. And human history on this planet 0:15:08.930 --> 0:15:11.170 right now that will say I am perfect. I have 0:15:11.170 --> 0:15:12.050 it all together. 0:15:12.330 --> 0:15:13.650 But those that admit it. 0:15:13.650 --> 0:15:16.610 That admitted that God's like man. I can work with that. 0:15:16.610 --> 0:15:18.690 Come here and I will make you whole. 0:15:19.570 --> 0:15:21.930 I am the way he said. That means we got 0:15:21.930 --> 0:15:24.370 to turn around off the broad path. Just turn around 0:15:24.410 --> 0:15:26.850 and he'll do the rest. We're just turning toward him. 0:15:26.850 --> 0:15:30.210 I am the truth. Meaning we can no longer fly 0:15:30.210 --> 0:15:32.970 by the seat of our pants and our truth. It's 0:15:32.970 --> 0:15:38.540 God's truth. We're sinners, separated from God. What seemed impossible? 0:15:38.580 --> 0:15:41.780 Jesus bridged that gap and he saved us. While we 0:15:41.780 --> 0:15:44.860 were yet sinners. Christ died for us and he rose again. Pastor, 0:15:44.860 --> 0:15:47.060 pour out your heart. He wants to give resurrection power 0:15:47.060 --> 0:15:48.220 to everyone right now. 0:15:48.260 --> 0:15:50.540 Yeah. I mean, you know, we can go to therapists, 0:15:50.540 --> 0:15:53.220 we can go to counselors, we can listen to podcasts. 0:15:53.220 --> 0:15:55.020 But when we say that he is the truth, we're 0:15:55.020 --> 0:15:57.340 saying you are the primary voice in my life right now. 0:15:57.380 --> 0:15:59.860 I've tried every other way. I'm listening to your voice 0:15:59.860 --> 0:16:01.860 and your voice alone. I need you to direct me. 0:16:01.860 --> 0:16:04.060 And you are the life. I've been around a lot 0:16:04.100 --> 0:16:06.180 of death. I've been around a lot of suffering. But, Jesus, 0:16:06.180 --> 0:16:08.660 I'm turning to you right now to take these broken 0:16:08.660 --> 0:16:11.860 pieces of my life and build a beautiful mosaic that's 0:16:11.860 --> 0:16:13.900 a reflection of your image. And there's so much hope 0:16:13.900 --> 0:16:16.580 in that, because it not only means that God can 0:16:16.580 --> 0:16:19.100 change where we are right now, but it means we 0:16:19.100 --> 0:16:23.340 have an expectant future that's full of joy, that's going somewhere. 0:16:23.420 --> 0:16:25.660 We're going to see like man, like if we were 0:16:25.660 --> 0:16:28.700 to like, leave this planet in the next 24 hours, man, 0:16:28.700 --> 0:16:30.940 we could we could leave knowing that where we're going 0:16:30.980 --> 0:16:34.270 as far greater and far better than everything that's behind us. 0:16:34.310 --> 0:16:38.070 And so it's instant joy and it's guaranteed. It's not 0:16:38.070 --> 0:16:40.950 a wish. It's not something I hope for. It's practical 0:16:40.950 --> 0:16:44.070 and it's real. It's real as you are hearing my voice, 0:16:44.270 --> 0:16:47.229 I believe that right now God is pricking someone's heart. 0:16:47.270 --> 0:16:50.190 He's speaking to you right now. You know he is. 0:16:50.230 --> 0:16:52.190 And all he wants you to do is just surrender. 0:16:52.550 --> 0:16:55.230 You can take him out of Alaska, but you can't 0:16:55.270 --> 0:16:59.150 take Alaska out of him. Carl is in the crew. 0:16:59.350 --> 0:17:01.950 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:17:02.270 --> 0:17:06.389 You just heard an incredible testimony from Pastor John Kelly, 0:17:06.630 --> 0:17:10.550 who's a pastor right here in Chicago, Chicago West Bible Church. And, 0:17:10.590 --> 0:17:15.150 you know, we talked about this verse, John 14 six. 0:17:15.190 --> 0:17:18.150 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and 0:17:18.150 --> 0:17:21.430 the life. No one comes to the father except through me. 0:17:21.950 --> 0:17:25.630 That is the spiritual reality, that there is no path 0:17:25.630 --> 0:17:29.310 to peace with God apart from the work of Jesus Christ. 0:17:29.310 --> 0:17:34.080 So if today, if today, you hear his voice, don't 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.199 harden your heart. If you know that today is the 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:40.760 day that you need to surrender to Jesus Christ. I 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:43.159 want you to listen to these words. I want you 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:46.480 to confess that you are a sinner, that you have 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:49.760 missed the mark. You've not lived a perfect life. I 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:52.880 want you to confess that you need a Savior, and 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:55.240 that it's not just anyone who can save you. It's 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:58.359 not trying to be a better person, that it's Jesus. 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:01.720 Want you to say Jesus, today is the day I 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:05.359 surrender my life to you. I'm a sinner and I 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:08.720 know that only you can save me. And so today 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:12.680 I turn, I repent, which just means make that 180 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:15.600 degree turn. I turn from being the Lord of my 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.080 own life to making you my Savior and my Lord. 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:22.880 Today is the day I follow you. And if that's you, 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:26.040 you have that honest conversation with God. There's no special 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.920 set of words that like, seals the deal. You don't 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:31.729 have to be in a church. You don't have to 0:18:31.730 --> 0:18:35.450 be with a pastor. There's no magic formula to this. 0:18:35.450 --> 0:18:38.210 This is an honest cry of the heart between you 0:18:38.210 --> 0:18:43.010 and God, where you acknowledge Him as Savior, where you confess, 0:18:43.410 --> 0:18:47.729 you repent, and today you believe. If that's you, I 0:18:47.730 --> 0:18:51.690 want to pray for you. Lord, for this person in 0:18:51.690 --> 0:18:55.010 this moment, who by the power of your spirit is 0:18:55.010 --> 0:18:59.290 becoming a new creation, I pray that you would give 0:18:59.290 --> 0:19:02.490 them such great joy in that Lord, that you would 0:19:02.490 --> 0:19:05.210 bring them to a place where they can meet other believers, 0:19:05.210 --> 0:19:08.330 where they can flourish in you. God, I thank you 0:19:09.010 --> 0:19:11.410 that you loved us so much that you sent your 0:19:11.410 --> 0:19:15.850 son to die on a cross for our sin, that 0:19:15.850 --> 0:19:18.170 you rose him again on the third day so that 0:19:18.170 --> 0:19:22.850 we could have new life in Christ. Today, that new life. 0:19:23.170 --> 0:19:25.770 Someone's taking a hold of it, Lord. And you know 0:19:25.930 --> 0:19:29.820 their name. You've numbered the hairs on their head. God, 0:19:29.820 --> 0:19:34.300 you've always known them. And today they're right with you. 0:19:34.300 --> 0:19:37.859 And they know you. And they're called your child. So 0:19:37.859 --> 0:19:41.020 I thank you for that. I thank you, Lord Jesus, 0:19:41.020 --> 0:19:45.100 for what you're doing. In Jesus name, Amen. So if 0:19:45.100 --> 0:19:47.500 that's you, I want you to do something when you 0:19:47.500 --> 0:19:50.380 can safely do so, just text the word new just 0:19:50.380 --> 0:19:53.100 so we can follow up with you. Get some materials 0:19:53.100 --> 0:19:55.940 into your and into your hand really onto your phone. 0:19:55.940 --> 0:19:57.500 You can print them out if you like, but just 0:19:57.500 --> 0:20:03.340 text the word new to 800 555 7898. Text new 0:20:03.340 --> 0:20:10.379 new to 800 555 7898. Today you are new in Christ. 0:20:10.420 --> 0:20:12.340 You've been rescued. 0:20:12.980 --> 0:20:15.980 He was sharing the gospel on the radio and then 0:20:16.020 --> 0:20:20.340 he got saved. Young thunders in the crew. It's Carl 0:20:20.340 --> 0:20:22.100 and crew on Moody Radio. 0:20:22.580 --> 0:20:24.979 So. Well, coming up, we've got a special guest. We 0:20:25.020 --> 0:20:28.350 are going to be talking about ministry to the currently 0:20:28.350 --> 0:20:32.670 and formerly incarcerated. Now, lest you think that that's a 0:20:32.670 --> 0:20:37.990 narrow category, a narrow topic. It touches way more people 0:20:37.990 --> 0:20:41.030 than you even realize. We'll go there. Coming up. 0:20:41.230 --> 0:20:43.950 She was trying to earn her way to God, but 0:20:43.950 --> 0:20:47.390 God showed her she didn't have to. Ali is in 0:20:47.390 --> 0:20:50.750 the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:20:51.190 --> 0:20:53.790 Well, how is this for a statistic? Maybe a bit surprising. 0:20:53.790 --> 0:20:57.909 1 in 3 people in this country have a criminal record. 0:20:58.230 --> 0:21:02.510 2 million people currently incarcerated in a staggering 79 plus 0:21:02.510 --> 0:21:07.109 million more. Live with that criminal record. And all of 0:21:07.109 --> 0:21:10.149 the stigma that can sometimes go with that surprising to 0:21:10.150 --> 0:21:11.590 you that those numbers are so high. 0:21:11.790 --> 0:21:14.109 Pretty surprising. I mean, that's a lot of people. I 0:21:14.109 --> 0:21:16.070 know the country is big, but still, that's a lot 0:21:16.109 --> 0:21:16.630 of people. 0:21:16.950 --> 0:21:19.510 And maybe this is not a topic that you think 0:21:19.510 --> 0:21:22.230 about often. If prison has not hit home close to you, 0:21:22.230 --> 0:21:25.390 either through maybe your own experience or a loved one, 0:21:25.630 --> 0:21:29.879 but the challenge is to reentry into society. The barriers 0:21:29.880 --> 0:21:34.359 to employment, the stigma can be almost overwhelming. Heather Rice 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:38.280 joining us right now, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, 0:21:38.280 --> 0:21:42.440 the nation's largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners and their families. 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:46.080 It can be challenging for people who have served their 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:49.840 time and are now trying to reenter society. Why is 0:21:49.840 --> 0:21:52.920 there still so much of a stigma around having served 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:53.840 time in prison? 0:21:54.080 --> 0:21:57.159 Yes. You know, I think that for a lot of people, 0:21:57.160 --> 0:21:59.879 there's some fear that comes with someone who has a 0:21:59.880 --> 0:22:02.760 criminal record. But as you said, 1 in 3 Americans 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:06.000 do have one. And the reality is there are neighbors 0:22:06.080 --> 0:22:10.520 and they're hopefully sitting in our pews. And so, April, 0:22:10.520 --> 0:22:13.120 we celebrate a Second Chance Month to raise awareness about 0:22:13.119 --> 0:22:17.080 these barriers and to invite people to extend a second 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:20.879 chance to these neighbors, and to also realize the contributions 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:23.199 that people with a criminal record are making to our 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:24.720 communities and churches. 0:22:24.800 --> 0:22:29.360 95% of prisoners are released. Sometimes I think people think 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:32.720 about prison in very black and white, like somebody goes 0:22:32.720 --> 0:22:35.840 away and they're there for life, but for 95% of 0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:39.200 people they will reenter society. So this definitely is something 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:41.480 that concerns all of us. Give us a little bit 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:43.760 of the kind of the high level view of what 0:22:43.760 --> 0:22:45.320 Prison Fellowship does. 0:22:45.800 --> 0:22:48.240 Yes, I would love to. So we've been around for 0:22:48.240 --> 0:22:52.600 nearly 50 years, and we're the nation's largest Christian nonprofit, 0:22:52.600 --> 0:22:57.000 reaching people impacted by incarceration. That includes people living in prison. 0:22:57.000 --> 0:23:00.439 We provide faith based programming, really helping people step into 0:23:00.440 --> 0:23:03.360 a second chance, starting when they're behind bars. We work 0:23:03.359 --> 0:23:06.240 with wardens through our Warden Exchange program, helping them to 0:23:06.240 --> 0:23:10.000 think about transformational leadership skills, how to promote a positive 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:13.160 prison culture. And we also realize that it's not just 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:16.040 the individual behind bars who does time, their family is 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:20.120 doing time with them. And so our program, Angel tree, 0:23:20.160 --> 0:23:23.649 helps keep kids with incarcerated mom or dad connected to 0:23:23.690 --> 0:23:26.370 them starting at Christmas time with providing a gift on 0:23:26.369 --> 0:23:28.129 behalf of their mom or dad to them through our 0:23:28.130 --> 0:23:31.370 amazing church partners. Um, but really opens the door to 0:23:31.410 --> 0:23:35.530 year long outreach to those families. And then finally, we 0:23:35.530 --> 0:23:37.850 also realize, you know, we can't just tell someone you 0:23:37.850 --> 0:23:40.570 can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Um, 0:23:40.570 --> 0:23:42.170 but when you get out, as you mentioned, you hit 0:23:42.170 --> 0:23:45.810 those barriers to housing, to jobs. And that's why, um, 0:23:45.810 --> 0:23:49.370 for decades, Prison Fellowship has also been involved in advocating 0:23:49.369 --> 0:23:53.409 for justice reforms at the federal level and in several states. 0:23:53.730 --> 0:23:56.530 When you think about the hope of the gospel and 0:23:56.530 --> 0:24:00.050 that we've all been given a second chance as Christians, 0:24:00.050 --> 0:24:03.330 we are better positioned than anyone else to show the 0:24:03.330 --> 0:24:07.250 kind of mercy and compassion that's needed when it comes 0:24:07.250 --> 0:24:11.730 to helping prisoners reenter into society. Why is this sometimes 0:24:11.770 --> 0:24:13.770 still challenging for the church? 0:24:14.210 --> 0:24:18.129 You know, I think sometimes we accept that second chance 0:24:18.130 --> 0:24:20.689 from Christ and and we just, you know, don't think 0:24:20.690 --> 0:24:24.060 about the practical ways we can extend that second chance 0:24:24.060 --> 0:24:27.740 to others, extend that sense of belonging that we all 0:24:27.740 --> 0:24:30.580 get to feel as Christians. And so one of the 0:24:30.580 --> 0:24:33.580 things we're doing to help churches along on this path 0:24:33.580 --> 0:24:36.940 is encouraging them to host a Second Chance Sunday, where 0:24:37.140 --> 0:24:41.540 we preach on the message of redemption. We hear testimonies 0:24:41.540 --> 0:24:44.500 of people who have transformed their lives, and we give 0:24:44.500 --> 0:24:48.940 people an opportunity to volunteer through various opportunities at Prison Fellowship. 0:24:48.940 --> 0:24:51.940 And so I've been really encouraged to see churches take 0:24:51.940 --> 0:24:54.180 hold of this concept and have been able to attend 0:24:54.180 --> 0:24:57.580 some second chance Sundays across the country. And it is 0:24:57.619 --> 0:24:59.500 a powerful thing to see. 0:24:59.540 --> 0:25:02.500 And we are all about celebrating changed lives. Give us 0:25:02.500 --> 0:25:05.740 a story that has encouraged your own heart as you've 0:25:05.740 --> 0:25:08.500 done this work in this ministry through prison fellowship. 0:25:08.740 --> 0:25:13.020 Well, the one that comes to mind for me is, uh. 0:25:13.020 --> 0:25:17.260 Q pastor Q Marshall. But Q as we call him, 0:25:17.260 --> 0:25:21.669 and pastor Q um, was once in prison in Iowa 0:25:21.670 --> 0:25:25.910 and actually went through our academy program. The Prison Fellowship Academy, 0:25:25.910 --> 0:25:28.150 while he was there. And he had made a commitment 0:25:28.150 --> 0:25:30.350 to Christ but didn't know how to walk it out. 0:25:30.350 --> 0:25:33.230 And it was the volunteers coming in from a local 0:25:33.230 --> 0:25:35.830 church who showed him what it looked like to live 0:25:35.830 --> 0:25:39.430 as a man of God, and as he was experiencing 0:25:39.430 --> 0:25:42.830 this mentorship on the inside. That same church was also 0:25:42.830 --> 0:25:45.830 reaching out to his family through prison fellowship, angel tree, 0:25:46.230 --> 0:25:49.150 his then young daughter and girlfriend. He ended up getting 0:25:49.150 --> 0:25:51.670 married while he was in prison to to her, and 0:25:51.670 --> 0:25:54.390 when he got out, he couldn't imagine going to any 0:25:54.390 --> 0:25:57.189 church but the one that had come alongside his family 0:25:57.190 --> 0:26:00.510 during his time behind bars and also shared, you know, 0:26:00.550 --> 0:26:04.869 the Christmas gift through Angel tree and invited his wife 0:26:04.869 --> 0:26:07.950 and daughter to their church. And so they joined that church, 0:26:07.950 --> 0:26:12.109 and many years later, pastor Q actually had a church plant, 0:26:12.109 --> 0:26:14.430 and that church supported him. And so they planted Hope 0:26:14.430 --> 0:26:18.480 City Church in Iowa. It's a thriving congregation. They actually 0:26:18.480 --> 0:26:23.120 just opened another campus in prison and they do prison fellowship. 0:26:23.119 --> 0:26:26.120 Angel tree for children of the incarcerated now in Waterloo. 0:26:26.280 --> 0:26:30.199 And I'm so thrilled that pastor Q has joined the 0:26:30.200 --> 0:26:34.080 Prison Fellowship Board. It is such an honor for me 0:26:34.080 --> 0:26:36.760 to be under his leadership and to see his story 0:26:36.760 --> 0:26:38.200 really come full circle. 0:26:38.560 --> 0:26:42.040 How has this work affected your own faith? What is 0:26:42.040 --> 0:26:43.960 your why for this? 0:26:45.240 --> 0:26:48.400 Well, you know, I've received a second chance through Christ. 0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:53.120 And one of the things that amazes me about what 0:26:53.119 --> 0:26:56.240 our founder, the late Chuck Colson, called the church inside. 0:26:56.400 --> 0:26:59.359 Those brothers and sisters who are following Jesus behind bars 0:26:59.359 --> 0:27:05.119 is just their intensity of spiritual disciplines, their prayer lives, Scripture, memory, 0:27:05.280 --> 0:27:08.360 their worship. Um, just this last Friday, I was behind 0:27:08.359 --> 0:27:13.040 bars in a Virginia prison, worshiping with some brothers there. 0:27:13.160 --> 0:27:17.370 And there's just something powerful about that I come home 0:27:17.650 --> 0:27:20.530 recharged every time I get to experience a Hope event, 0:27:20.530 --> 0:27:23.250 or visit one of our academy, or grow programs and 0:27:23.250 --> 0:27:26.370 hear what those inside are learning, and they're sharing with 0:27:26.369 --> 0:27:28.850 me about the people that are coming to know Christ 0:27:28.850 --> 0:27:32.410 behind bars. And some of the best prison ministry evangelism 0:27:32.410 --> 0:27:35.850 that happens is actually because of the incarcerated. They can't 0:27:35.850 --> 0:27:40.170 help but talk about Jesus because they've experienced his grace 0:27:40.170 --> 0:27:43.970 in a raw and real way, and they don't take 0:27:43.970 --> 0:27:46.609 it for granted. And so that's what gets me up 0:27:46.609 --> 0:27:48.930 every morning. I love what I get to do. I 0:27:48.970 --> 0:27:51.210 love the team I get to do it with. And 0:27:51.210 --> 0:27:53.330 I'm so grateful for the volunteers and churches that we 0:27:53.330 --> 0:27:54.649 get to partner with as well. 0:27:54.890 --> 0:27:58.370 Final thought on what are some practical ways for our 0:27:58.369 --> 0:28:02.730 listener to get involved. You mentioned the Angel Tree Ministry, 0:28:02.730 --> 0:28:05.570 which some are familiar with. What are some some ways 0:28:05.570 --> 0:28:07.449 that people can get involved if they're hearing this and 0:28:07.450 --> 0:28:08.170 they're stirred? 0:28:08.490 --> 0:28:11.330 Well, I would love for anyone who's thinking about how 0:28:11.330 --> 0:28:14.610 they can step into taking part in the mission of 0:28:14.780 --> 0:28:18.020 encountering Jesus with those impacted by incarceration. There are some 0:28:18.020 --> 0:28:20.820 volunteer opportunities. One of them might be getting your church 0:28:20.820 --> 0:28:23.900 to sign up for Prison Fellowship Angel Tree program, which 0:28:23.900 --> 0:28:25.739 begins at Christmas. But this is the time to go 0:28:25.740 --> 0:28:28.139 ahead and sign up, because we will assign out those 0:28:28.140 --> 0:28:30.740 kids in the fall that are local to you, and 0:28:30.740 --> 0:28:32.699 you can decide with your church if you want to 0:28:32.700 --> 0:28:36.139 deliver gifts or host a Christmas party. You can volunteer 0:28:36.140 --> 0:28:40.100 behind bars at one of our local programs and Academy 0:28:40.100 --> 0:28:43.420 or grow. You can also advocate for justice. We train 0:28:43.420 --> 0:28:45.900 everyday Christians on how to go. Speak to your lawmakers 0:28:45.900 --> 0:28:50.700 about why you care about reforms from a biblical worldview. So, 0:28:50.700 --> 0:28:52.900 so many ways that you can get involved, even if 0:28:52.900 --> 0:28:55.380 it's signing up for our newsletter to hear more. And 0:28:55.380 --> 0:28:57.820 then my final plug is we have a conference, an 0:28:57.860 --> 0:29:00.620 annual conference, our Restore conference. It's taking place at Rock 0:29:00.620 --> 0:29:03.980 City Church this year in Columbus, Ohio, September 9th and 10th. 0:29:04.020 --> 0:29:06.300 You can come to our website to register for that 0:29:06.300 --> 0:29:06.860 as well. 0:29:06.980 --> 0:29:08.980 We've got a keyword for you to make it a 0:29:08.980 --> 0:29:14.229 little bit easier, just text prison to Five, 7898. If 0:29:14.230 --> 0:29:16.590 you want to explore the opportunities, get partnered up with 0:29:16.590 --> 0:29:21.470 this ministry. Just text prison to 800 555 7898. 0:29:21.830 --> 0:29:26.390 She's a choreographer extraordinaire and everything is Greek to her. 0:29:26.830 --> 0:29:30.550 Super die is in the crew. It's Carl and crew 0:29:30.590 --> 0:29:31.750 on Moody Radio. 0:29:31.790 --> 0:29:36.630 There are plenty of things that people try to reinvent themselves. 0:29:36.630 --> 0:29:40.230 On January 1st of every year, all of us have 0:29:40.270 --> 0:29:43.870 some thing that we're going to try this year that's 0:29:43.870 --> 0:29:48.030 going to make us different. New years resolutions, anyone? 0:29:48.270 --> 0:29:50.190 That's the big one. Yeah. How's that going? 0:29:50.790 --> 0:29:54.430 And we all know how that goes, right? It usually fails, 0:29:54.670 --> 0:29:58.750 and we just can't seem to make ourselves different than 0:29:58.750 --> 0:30:01.229 we are. And it's the kind of the struggle of 0:30:01.230 --> 0:30:03.709 the human condition is that we're trying to be better, 0:30:03.710 --> 0:30:08.070 but we just can't. Only in Christ do we actually 0:30:08.070 --> 0:30:12.600 get to reinvent ourselves. But it's not us reinventing ourselves. 0:30:12.600 --> 0:30:17.920 It's being given a new nature, a renewed nature, a 0:30:17.920 --> 0:30:23.160 new heart, a new way of thinking, a new power source. 0:30:23.840 --> 0:30:25.560 I want to read to you a verse. This comes 0:30:25.560 --> 0:30:30.880 out of Second Corinthians. Second Corinthians five verse 17. It says, therefore, 0:30:30.920 --> 0:30:34.160 if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 0:30:34.200 --> 0:30:38.440 The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. 0:30:38.680 --> 0:30:40.440 So then all of a sudden, when you are new 0:30:40.440 --> 0:30:44.560 in Christ, it's not about you trying to reinvent yourself. 0:30:44.560 --> 0:30:47.360 When you have the power of the Holy Spirit, you 0:30:47.360 --> 0:30:51.840 actually find yourself becoming different than what you once were, 0:30:51.880 --> 0:30:56.080 and you're not even trying. It's not you deciding I 0:30:56.120 --> 0:30:59.040 am going to be this or this. Now you have 0:30:59.040 --> 0:31:02.160 the power of the Holy Spirit and he's changing you. 0:31:02.160 --> 0:31:03.719 So on this Freedom Friday, I want to open the 0:31:03.720 --> 0:31:06.000 phone lines. And I want to ask you this question. 0:31:06.000 --> 0:31:10.880 When you became new in Christ, what's one thing you 0:31:10.920 --> 0:31:16.240 noticed change in yourself? Could have been obvious to everybody else, 0:31:16.240 --> 0:31:19.200 or maybe only obvious to you, but when you became 0:31:19.200 --> 0:31:21.040 new in Christ, I want you to tell me the 0:31:21.040 --> 0:31:26.400 thing that was most noticeable to you about yourself that changed. 0:31:26.800 --> 0:31:31.440 800 555 7898 I'm excited to hear your answers on 0:31:31.440 --> 0:31:34.600 this because I think literally, it runs the full gamut. 0:31:34.920 --> 0:31:37.560 There's so many different ways you can go with this. 0:31:38.200 --> 0:31:40.880 And it's so cool because it's so personal, right? I mean, 0:31:40.880 --> 0:31:43.640 so that's what makes it so interesting to hear and 0:31:43.640 --> 0:31:44.560 what God can do. 0:31:44.600 --> 0:31:46.280 All right. We're ready for you. When you became new 0:31:46.280 --> 0:31:50.360 in Christ, what's the biggest change you noticed in yourself? 0:31:50.480 --> 0:31:57.000 805 55 7898 let's hear from you. 805 5578, 98. 0:31:58.000 --> 0:32:00.960 You're listening to Curl and Crew on Moody Radio. 0:32:01.520 --> 0:32:05.720 Well, when you are in Christ, you are a new creation. Therefore, 0:32:05.720 --> 0:32:07.640 if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 0:32:07.640 --> 0:32:10.570 The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. 0:32:10.570 --> 0:32:15.090 That second Corinthians five, verse 17. I read some commentary 0:32:15.090 --> 0:32:17.130 notes on this, and I want to read this as 0:32:17.130 --> 0:32:19.010 a quote out of one of the commentaries. It says, 0:32:19.010 --> 0:32:21.930 the concept of being a new creation is rooted in 0:32:21.930 --> 0:32:25.250 the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. This transformation is 0:32:25.250 --> 0:32:29.130 not merely a moral or ethical change, but a fundamental 0:32:29.370 --> 0:32:34.250 renewal of one's nature, fundamental renewal of one's nature. So 0:32:34.250 --> 0:32:36.730 I'm asking you this question on this Freedom Friday when 0:32:36.730 --> 0:32:39.610 you became new in Christ, what's the biggest change you 0:32:39.650 --> 0:32:46.050 noticed in yourself? 800 555 7898 let's go to Jamie 0:32:46.050 --> 0:32:49.170 calling in this morning from Illinois. Tell me, what's the 0:32:49.170 --> 0:32:51.410 biggest thing you noticed that changed? 0:32:53.410 --> 0:32:55.610 Well, there's a few things that changed quite a bit. 0:32:55.850 --> 0:32:57.890 One thing I noticed in my nature that the Holy 0:32:57.890 --> 0:33:00.330 Spirit changed. That I was capable of compassion to other 0:33:00.330 --> 0:33:03.130 people and have mercy and forgiveness for other people. 0:33:03.170 --> 0:33:03.610 Wow. 0:33:05.290 --> 0:33:07.780 That was calmer and calmer. Like I can respond to 0:33:07.820 --> 0:33:14.420 things more calmly. And, uh, there's like revelation of the 0:33:14.420 --> 0:33:17.060 grace of God, the forgiveness and the grace of God. 0:33:17.100 --> 0:33:18.140 Yeah. Jamie. 0:33:18.180 --> 0:33:18.740 And, uh. 0:33:18.900 --> 0:33:19.700 Oh. Go ahead. 0:33:21.540 --> 0:33:24.740 Uh, as you know, I mean, the the mercy and 0:33:24.740 --> 0:33:29.380 the the mainly the. I don't know how to describe it. 0:33:29.380 --> 0:33:30.100 This the. 0:33:32.260 --> 0:33:34.140 I think I think I get where you're going, that 0:33:34.140 --> 0:33:36.660 mercy and grace, all of a sudden you receive the 0:33:36.660 --> 0:33:39.660 mercy and grace from him. And it shifts even how 0:33:39.660 --> 0:33:42.020 you view other people. Jamie, thank you so much for 0:33:42.020 --> 0:33:45.860 your call this morning. Let's go to Cathy in Illinois. Here. Cathy, 0:33:45.900 --> 0:33:49.020 what's the biggest thing you notice change in yourself when 0:33:49.020 --> 0:33:50.420 you become new in Christ? 0:33:51.380 --> 0:33:54.900 Well, when before I accepted Christ as my Savior for real, 0:33:54.900 --> 0:33:57.140 I was always in church. I was raised in church 0:33:57.180 --> 0:34:00.500 as pew baby, as it were. But when I sincerely 0:34:00.740 --> 0:34:04.180 accepted Christ for myself, I was no longer petty. When 0:34:04.180 --> 0:34:06.550 people would do things to me. You go low, I 0:34:06.550 --> 0:34:09.350 would go lower. We're going to go to Hades. But 0:34:09.350 --> 0:34:11.910 when Jesus came into my life and the Holy Spirit, 0:34:12.110 --> 0:34:14.950 he's like, uh uh, even now, as a grown person, 0:34:14.950 --> 0:34:18.190 many years after I accepted Christ in 1989, my cousin 0:34:18.190 --> 0:34:21.270 led me to Christ, my cousin Sylvia. So thankful to 0:34:21.270 --> 0:34:25.589 her for that. And she was 14. I was 11, 0:34:25.590 --> 0:34:30.750 and now I, I go ahead I he said erase 0:34:30.750 --> 0:34:33.710 that Facebook post and I erased it because the Holy 0:34:33.710 --> 0:34:34.750 Spirit is faithful. 0:34:35.510 --> 0:34:39.350 Oh, Cathy from Chicago. You know what I appreciate about you, Cathy? 0:34:39.510 --> 0:34:43.870 You are honest, and we all have been there. We're 0:34:43.870 --> 0:34:46.310 all of a sudden that text you want to send, 0:34:46.350 --> 0:34:49.910 that post you want to put up that conversation, you 0:34:49.910 --> 0:34:53.270 want to have the power of the Holy Spirit because 0:34:53.270 --> 0:34:55.830 we have a renewed nature. All of a sudden there's 0:34:55.870 --> 0:34:58.710 a check to that, and you have the ability to 0:34:58.830 --> 0:35:01.830 walk it back, to not say it, to delete it 0:35:01.830 --> 0:35:04.629 before you put it out there. I love that.