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The key to leading others to Christ · Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News

• 0:46
  Well, hello again.
• 0:48
  This is Dr.
• 0:48
  Steve LeTulip.
• 0:50
  Thank you for joining me today on Unity Without Compromise.
• 0:54
  I hope I've got something interesting for you today.
• 0:57
  I know there's a lot going on in our country, and everybody seems to be a little bit in an uproar in these uncertain times, but you know what?
• 1:08
  God is in control, and sometimes we need to keep the important things the important things.
• 1:15
  Well, like many Christians, I too am hoping and praying for some kind of a spiritual Christian revival in America.
• 1:25
  We've had the winds of that, and people are saying, yeah, you know, the youth are coming back, Generation Z is finally getting some spirituality in their lives, and truthfully, I'm not sure how to assess that, because I don't know exactly what they mean by that.
• 1:43
  But I do understand all too well that nations can rise and fall practically overnight.
• 1:52
  And I think that needs to be something that should be on our minds because we as Americans, I believe, sometimes think that we are invincible, that we can exist forever and ever, and the United States of America is just too great to fall.
• 2:09
  And that's just a bunch of nonsense.
• 2:12
  Every empire that existed uh before us probably thought the same thing.
• 2:18
  You know, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the uh Grecian Empire, the Roman Empire, and they all fell.
• 2:28
  And they all fell for a very specific reason.
• 2:32
  And all it takes for a nation to fall, by the way, is the spoken will of God.
• 2:39
  If God says, okay, if you guys want to rebel that badly, you're going down.
• 2:43
  It's going to happen no matter what we do, no matter who we have as president, or uh as politicians or cabinet members, it's not going to make a hoot of difference.
• 2:54
  And that's what keeps me praying for revival.
• 2:58
  But revival means we need new converts to Christ, and that's concerning.
• 3:06
  Now, I would guess that most professing Christians have led very few people to Christ.
• 3:12
  It's a hard thing for people to do.
• 3:14
  Why are we as a Christian church body so inefficient at evangelizing?
• 3:21
  Well, there's probably a whole bunch of reasons.
• 3:24
  Uh, and maybe the greatest reason is because we called so led to stay instead of go as Jesus commanded us to do.
• 3:35
  And if we do go, where exactly do we begin?
• 3:40
  How do you lead someone to the Lord?
• 3:42
  And take it further.
• 3:45
  What would you say is the most important factor in leading someone to eternal life by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?
• 3:56
  Or to say it another way, how do you most effectively succeed in actually leading someone to follow Jesus Christ as an obedient disciple so that they will join you in heaven?
• 4:15
  Because that is our goal as Christians to lead others to the Lord, to bring others with us into the eternal kingdom.
• 4:22
  And of course, the single prerequisite is being willing to speak up and to speak the gospel truth, literally.
• 4:34
  But we have an awful lot of fundamental truths in Christianity, and frankly, we live in a time where Bible literacy is probably at an all-time low in our country.
• 4:48
  And that's a tremendous hindrance.
• 4:51
  Because if you don't know the word of God, it's you it's very intimidating to try and share something you don't know.
• 5:00
  And if we have so many fundamental truths, then we have to ask ourselves, where do we begin?
• 5:09
  Do we persuade someone, for example, that we're sharing with uh do we persuade them that Jesus Christ is Lord?
• 5:19
  Or should we just say, you know, as we were taught, uh, some of us were taught way back when with Campus Crusade for Christ, that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
• 5:30
  We take them through what's called the Roman road.
• 5:33
  Or should we just proclaim the gospel message in a very brief form?
• 5:38
  That is that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and that on the third day, Jesus was raised from the dead.
• 5:51
  Or do we just start with in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1-1, and then proceed through the entire Bible.
• 6:01
  Well, you know, there's a lot of different ways to lead someone to the Lord.
• 6:05
  I'll grant you that.
• 6:06
  You know, we might just share all the fulfilled prophecies, some would think about the Messiah.
• 6:12
  Look, we have a lot of evidence here that shows that Jesus was prophesied a long time ago when it happened.
• 6:19
  You think that might persuade some people?
• 6:22
  Well, some say we should just give our own personal testimony about how we came to the Lord.
• 6:29
  Uh, certain denominations really push that.
• 6:32
  And of course, I'm a non-denominationalist.
• 6:35
  I try to just stick to the Bible, and we do have some guidance in the scriptures, and I always like to get to the root of those sort of things because I want to be effective.
• 6:48
  But you know, time is precious, it's a precious commodity.
• 6:51
  If I'm going to have a few minutes of an opportunity, I don't want to blow it.
• 6:56
  I don't want to lead someone down a primrose path and never get to the gospel message.
• 7:00
  To the gospel message.
• 7:02
  So it's important to know where we start.
• 7:02
  So it's important to know where we start.
• 7:06
  And if not in one of the ways that I just shared, well, then do we start elsewhere?
• 7:06
  And if not in one of the ways that I just shared, well, then do we start elsewhere?
• 7:12
  And what is it?
• 7:12
  And what is it?
• 7:14
  See, for most Christians, this is a daunting question that intimidates most of us into silence because we just feel inadequate or shy, or you know, we're afraid to come off as being offensive or maybe.
• 7:14
  See, for most Christians, this is a daunting question that intimidates most of us into silence because we just feel inadequate or shy, or you know, we're afraid to come off as being offensive, or maybe we're just lazy or too busy, and we just can't be bothered, which is very unfortunate, because uh we have to reject God's command, God's word if we have that kind of attitude.
• 7:43
  But at least, you know, every genuine Christian, someone who truly is seeking to know God, every genuine Christian does want to grow personally, and they want to share their faith.
• 7:57
  They feel a burden to say, you know, I've got something really good here.
• 8:00
  It's been good for me personally, for my marriage, for my family.
• 8:04
  It has helped me at work, it has helped me through the hard times.
• 8:08
  I want to share that because I reaped the benefits even in the here and now, and of course, we shall reap them for all eternity.
• 8:20
  So if every Christian, genuine Christian wants to grow and wants to share their faith, well, what better news to share than the good news of eternal life?
• 8:32
  I mean, it truly is a great message, and especially in a time such as ours when Americans are feeling um so off balance because of all the things that are happening in our world, both here in our country, in our own states and in our own cities, but also across the whole planet.
• 8:52
  I mean, everything is upside down and topsy turvy.
• 8:56
  Um, so now is a great time to share the gospel of the Lord because people have a sense of need, like, whoa, you know, I want security in some way.
• 9:08
  I want to feel like I'm going to be okay, the world's going to be okay.
• 9:12
  And that's where the gospel message is so important to spread that.
• 9:17
  Now, there's been plenty of good books written on how to evangelize, how to share your faith.
• 9:24
  And I've read an awful lot of them, and some of them are very good.
• 9:29
  Many are actually inadequate.
• 9:32
  They don't give the complete biblical picture of how to share one's faith, or perhaps they're incomplete based on what all of the scripture says, what the Bible actually says about the process of conversion, being converted to Christ, the process of salvation.
• 9:51
  A lot of people just try to take shortcuts, and there's a lot of reasons for that, some of them being the denominational barriers that we have, because you can't say this, you can't say that, or people might take it wrong.
• 10:04
  And you know, we just got to be very careful about pushing our own agenda and not the Lord's agenda, the gospel message according to Christ, according to the scriptures.
• 10:15
  So what we teach them is very important.
• 10:19
  But if you don't feel like you know where to go or how to go about it, I want to try to help you a little bit today.
• 10:26
  Jesus himself, first of all, gave us the command of what to do, right?
• 10:31
  Matthew 28, 19 and 20, the Great Commission, Jesus said, go.
• 10:35
  And he says, as you are going, do this, make disciples.
• 10:40
  That's important.
• 10:41
  A disciple is a learner, a student of Jesus Christ.
• 10:45
  So he said, Go and as you're going, make disciples.
• 10:48
  And he told us how to begin the process, baptizing them and teaching them.
• 10:55
  Now, a lot of Christians in denominational Christianity have been taught that, oh no, no, baptism is just optional.
• 11:02
  Where in the world would they get that from?
• 11:04
  When you read through the book of Acts, it's it's ludicrous.
• 11:08
  But that's what denominationalism does.
• 11:10
  It divides, and it does so for a reason, and the reason is not good, and that is why Paul said, don't divide in this way.
• 11:21
  We follow the teachings of scripture if we are truly Christians.
• 11:27
  So if we are a genuine Christian, the words of scripture bear an awful lot of weight, and keep that in mind.
• 11:36
  So Jesus said, baptizing them and then teaching them what?
• 11:41
  All the things that I commanded you.
• 11:43
  All the things, not just the most important things, but all of the things.
• 11:48
  But how do we teach someone and then get them to the point that they will accept the words of scripture?
• 11:58
  How do we get them to the point that they want to be immersed in Christ, into Christ, and then get them to want to learn more and become more mature in the ways of Christ, what they once called the way.
• 12:16
  So important.
• 12:17
  Well, let me tell you something.
• 12:19
  The odds do seem against us sometimes.
• 12:21
  I will grant you that.
• 12:26
  We are being deceived every which way in our government, in society, in the world.
• 12:35
  You know, it's hard to get at the truth unless you really seek it.
• 12:40
  And that's another reason why the Bible is so important to grind, just ground you into the truth.
• 12:48
  So how do we get people to accept the Bible as truth?
• 12:54
  And uh that's the real challenge.
• 12:57
  I mean, the odds are against us.
• 12:59
  You if you look at even Jesus Himself, um, he had 11 apostles because Judas Iscariot went and hung himself after we betrayed Jesus.
• 13:12
  But all 11 apostles doubted Jesus when he first told them that he was raised from the dead.
• 13:20
  It wasn't just the doubting Thomas, they all doubted, and the scripture says that.
• 13:26
  And in Mark chapter 16, verse 11, uh, quote, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.
• 13:38
  Okay, they, all of them.
• 13:39
  Luke 24, 10 and 11.
• 13:41
  The women who had been at the tomb went and they were telling these things to the apostles, but these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.
• 13:52
  Even after seeing him and talking to him, some were doubtful.
• 13:56
  We read in Matthew 28, verse 17, when they uh they saw him, they worship him, but some were doubtful.
• 14:00
  Saw him, they worship him, but some were doubtful.
• 14:05
  Now think about that.
• 14:06
  Now, think about that.
• 14:07
  Jesus himself shares the good news with his disciples.
• 14:07
  Jesus Himself shares the good news with his disciples.
• 14:11
  I am risen from the dead, and some doubted.
• 14:11
  I am risen from the dead, and some doubted.
• 14:15
  Now that might discourage more than a few budding Christian evangelists.
• 14:15
  Now that might discourage more than a few budding Christian evangelists, but the disciples only doubted for a time.
• 14:19
  But the disciples only doubted for a time.
• 14:23
  What finally brought them around?
• 14:23
  What finally brought them around?
• 14:26
  That is key.
• 14:26
  That is key.
• 14:28
  It is what ultimately
• 14:28
  It is what ultimately convinces sinners that they should repent and be saved.
• 14:33
  And it is the most important factor in leading someone to Christ, so that they might reap eternal life.
• 14:43
  And here it is.
• 14:49
  It is the inerrant, inerrant, authoritative word of God.
• 14:54
  The Bible is truth.
• 14:56
  The Bible is ultimately, remember, the work of the Holy Spirit who guided and protected the writings of its authors.
• 15:08
  Could this be why the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is called the unpardonable sin?
• 15:14
  See, if we reject the scriptures, then what hope do we have of being saved?
• 15:19
  And the Holy Spirit protected the writings of the scriptures, the accuracy of the words.
• 15:25
  If we reject the scripture, we have no hope of being saved whatsoever.
• 15:30
  If we reject the prodding of the Holy Spirit, whose purpose after Christ's earthly work was finished, it was to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
• 15:45
  That's in John chapter 16, verse 8.
• 15:48
  Well, if we reject that, then we will die in our sins.
• 15:54
  See, the authority of scripture is what finally persuaded the apostles and the early disciples to live and be willing to die for their faith.
• 16:07
  But wait, wait a minute.
• 16:08
  You're probably thinking, don't Muslims do the same thing?
• 16:11
  I mean, look at these radical jihadists.
• 16:14
  They're ready to die and go and die for Allah so that they can get what they believe is uh all their women to have sex with in the afterlife.
• 16:25
  Well, what does the Bible say about that?
• 16:27
  We will not be given in marriage in sexual relationships in the afterlife.
• 16:32
  God has something far better for us.
• 16:36
  Well, we hear the Muslims, Allahu Akbar.
• 16:40
  That is one of the most recited expressions in Islam, by the way.
• 16:47
  Well, what's the difference between a Muslim and a Christian who is being persecuted?
• 16:53
  Well, the Quran is not truth, for one thing.
• 16:56
  Both the Quran and the Bible can be tested.
• 17:00
  So which one is true?
• 17:02
  Which one is worth following and even suffering persecution for?
• 17:07
  Although the persecution coming to Muslims generally comes from their own behavior, which is violence.
• 17:14
  But the Quran is not truth.
• 17:17
  And we can test it.
• 17:19
  We can test the Bible in a lot of ways, but the only the Bible itself holds up under scrutiny.
• 17:27
  And only the Bible is authentic and therefore authoritative.
• 17:33
  And that's so important to understand.
• 17:36
  When we look at the original autographs, well, wait a minute, we cannot look at the original autographs.
• 17:44
  We don't have them.
• 17:46
  So how can I rant right now about the authority of scripture and the inerrancy of scripture?
• 17:53
  Well, according to what the Bible itself claims, the Holy Spirit protected the original writings of the apostles and authors of the scripture.
• 18:06
  So we don't have original autographs, but we have a whole slew of scribal copies.
• 18:15
  And they are very, very closely parallel.
• 18:21
  They are extremely extremely accurate.
• 18:25
  And it would take me a whole show or two or three to really get into that in some detail.
• 18:30
  I won't do that today, but if you want to have some fun, get a documentary on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and you will find out for yourself.
• 18:40
  This find was just incredible.
• 18:44
  It backed up our earliest manuscripts by a thousand years, and guess what?
• 18:50
  They were incredibly accurate.
• 18:52
  The entire book of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the accuracy of these writings, which were copied by hand on scrolls, word for word, in a manner that assured accuracy, is just unbelievable.
• 19:11
  There's no other book in the world that comes close to that.
• 19:15
  But so what?
• 19:16
  Okay, we got tons and tons of copies.
• 19:19
  They seem to be very parallel, they say the same things, no conflicting evidence.
• 19:24
  There is a very, very tiny fraction of the Bible that we have today that some would say is disputable or questionable because of maybe scribal errors.
• 19:35
  We know exactly where those are, and they have zero effect on every teaching of scripture.
• 19:42
  Okay, so don't let anybody persuade you that the writings of scripture cannot be trusted.
• 19:50
  That is smoke screening.
• 19:51
  It is dishonest.
• 19:53
  Want to look at some examples.
• 20:02
  By the way, is ongoing, okay.
• 20:04
  If it has been authenticated, how and to what extent?
• 20:07
  Well, it's an ongoing process, and it's happening all the time, including right now.
• 20:12
  Looking at a few examples, uh, there were uh, if you look up the top 10 discoveries in 2025, a few people actually post these, but we have things like the tomb of Tutmos II in Egypt.
• 20:24
  This was the last of the missing tombs of an Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and it was the first royal tomb to be discovered in 100 plus years, the last discovery being that of King Tutankhamun in 1922.
• 20:41
  But just this last year, the tomb of Tutmosis II was found.
• 20:48
  He was famous for marrying his half-sister, Hatsheput Hatshapsut, uh, whom some Bible scholars identified as the quote, daughter of Pharaoh.
• 20:58
  Remember her.
• 20:59
  She's the one who pulled Moses from the Nile River in Exodus chapter 2, verse 5.
• 21:00
  One who pulled Moses from the Nile River in Exodus chapter 2, verse 5.
• 21:04
  You can read that.
• 21:04
  You can read that.
• 21:06
  And there's other findings.
• 21:06
  And there's other findings.
• 21:08
  They recently found um beneath the church of the Holy Sepulchre, traces of ancient garden.
• 21:08
  They recently found beneath the church of the Holy Sepulchre, traces of ancient garden.
• 21:17
  Now, this affirms John's description of the place where Jesus was buried from John 19 40 verse 41.
• 21:17
  Now, this affirms John's description of the place where Jesus was buried from John 1940, verse 41.
• 21:25
  Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden of
• 21:25
  Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden and in the garden, a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
• 21:32
  So looks like they just found evidence of that garden in 2025.
• 21:37
  That's pretty cool.
• 21:39
  There's all kinds of discoveries being made.
• 21:42
  The 10 big, some of that really big archaeological discoveries that confirm biblical events have been things like I mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• 21:53
  They have found the pool of Siloam.
• 21:57
  They have found Hezekiah's tunnel.
• 21:59
  They have found the Cyrus cylinder where the decree of Cyrus was written saying that the Jews could return to their homeland and rebuild.
• 22:09
  And then they found the Pontius Pilate inscription.
• 22:13
  But you know, the list of discoveries just goes on and on and on and on.
• 22:19
  And anyone can verify these findings.
• 22:21
  Anyone, you can look them up, and there they are.
• 22:25
  So check them out for yourself, because it it's it's very reassuring if you're doubting the authority of scripture.
• 22:34
  You know, try doing that same thing with the Quran or with the book of Mormon, even these corrupted writings that are pseudo-Christian writings.
• 22:44
  Try to authenticate that or any other ancient document for that matter.
• 22:49
  You just can't do it.
• 22:52
  And then some raise, some people will actually raise the issue of different Bible translations.
• 22:57
  Well, let me discuss that for a minute.
• 22:59
  It is not an issue affecting the authenticity of the original autographs, but rather one of accuracy in translation from the Hebrew, from the Aramaic from the Greek, the Koine Greek, to the English language.
• 23:16
  Now, some trans English translations are very accurately translated, such as the English Standard Version, the ESV, the New American Standard Bible, where they are seeking to be as literal as possible, word for word, without losing clarity of expression.
• 23:36
  Other translations are highly paraphrased, paraphrased, like the living Bible, um, where they kind of they they go thought for thought.
• 23:46
  In other words, they they use whatever words they want, and they give a thought for thought rendition, which means they convey the idea that is being portrayed in the uh the literal writings, but uh they take liberties instead of using a word for word translation.
• 24:05
  The NIV, which a lot of Christians like to use, is in the middle of these.
• 24:10
  So they take some liberties there, and sometimes when they do that, the translators do that, they lose some of the accuracy of the meaning of scripture.
• 24:21
  So we got to be careful with what translation you choose.
• 24:26
  Because when you take liberties, it always uh risks muddying some biblical concepts because of the loose translation.
• 24:34
  Some Bibles totally transcend the literal versus paraphrased spectrum, and they actually become cultic.
• 24:42
  For example, the Watchtower Societies or Jehovah's Witnesses, New World Translation introduces blatant heresy.
• 24:51
  And the reason for that is those that wrote that um had no language uh background.
• 24:59
  They didn't know the Greek, the Hebrew, the Aramaic, and the one person who claimed to do it under uh testimony, legal testimony, when he was under oath, he failed miserably.
• 25:11
  So they distort it for a reason, and that's because they want to change who is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
• 25:18
  So we must use discretion in choosing a modern Bible translation.
• 25:22
  Okay, enough of that.
• 25:24
  But as far as the historical scientific and literary accuracy of the oldest manuscripts goes, they are indisputably authentic.
• 25:37
  As an evangelist, if I can persuade you that the Bible is truly the authoritative, inerrant in its original writings or autographs, the inerrant word of God, then you are much more apt to take it seriously because it carries weight.
• 25:59
  Now, not every word of the Bible can be proven.
• 26:04
  You take the most quoted verse of scripture, John 3.16.
• 26:07
  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
• 26:13
  The Greek word there, monoganes means one of a kind, unique.
• 26:17
  The his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
• 26:24
  Now, how in the world do I prove that?
• 26:26
  Historically or otherwise, can I somehow prove it?
• 26:29
  No.
• 26:30
  I cannot prove that statement, not directly, but what can I prove?
• 26:35
  Well, I can prove historically that Jesus walked the earth in the first century.
• 26:41
  Nobody doubts that.
• 26:43
  Nobody.
• 26:44
  Doesn't matter if you're a Christian or not.
• 26:46
  Any historian knows Jesus walked the earth.
• 26:48
  And so also his death, his burial, and his resurrection.
• 26:53
  The evidence for a historical Jesus who died, was buried, and was raised from the dead is extremely strong.
• 27:02
  So we have a lot of external evidence, which means extra biblical writings to corroborate the Bible narrative.
• 27:10
  And many people reported witnessing firsthand the resurrected Jesus, hundreds of them.
• 27:17
  So Christian conversion is never based on blind faith.
• 27:23
  That would be foolish.
• 27:24
  The apostle Paul said, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile.
• 27:31
  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, he said, we are of all men the most pitiable.
• 27:40
  So we must do our homework, but we are told, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
• 28:00
  That is in you with meekness and fear.
• 28:04
  The point of this is that you should know the scriptures enough to be able to defend your Christian faith and to defend the authority of scripture.
• 28:04
  The point of this is that you should know the scriptures enough to be able to defend your Christian faith and to defend the authority of Scripture.
• 28:15
  Now, that point was really revealed to me recently.
• 28:15
  Now that point was really revealed to me recently.
• 28:18
  I mentioned this uh I think two or three weeks ago.
• 28:18
  I mentioned this uh I think two or three weeks ago.
• 28:21
  These Mormon elders were driving in a truck, and I was taking a walk near my home one early in.
• 28:21
  These Mormon elders were driving in a truck, and I was taking a walk near my home one early evening on a narrow, bumpy, dusty country road.
• 28:33
  You know, the place where you'd expect to be alone.
• 28:36
  It was uh not too long before sunset, maybe half hour or an hour before, probably an hour before sunset.
• 28:42
  And these guy, two guys in a truck pull up, excuse me, sir.
• 28:46
  Can we have a word with you?
• 28:47
  And I saw they were dressed up, they had the black ties, and I knew that these were um young Mormons, probably on their mission, 18 years old, and they called themselves elders, and they insisted on being called elders.
• 29:02
  But here I am in a place where you I would least expect to be ready to give a defense, you know, on this little tiny narrow country road in the middle of nowhere.
• 29:12
  But the Bible says always be ready.
• 29:15
  Now, being young LDS men, like I said, about 18 years old, they were probably on that mandatory mission duty, two years, I think they have to do.
• 29:24
  And since they insisted on calling themselves elders, I knew they had no handle on scripture.
• 29:31
  Uh, because they didn't know what the scripture says about the qualifications of elders or what being an elder really means.
• 29:38
  So, you know, and that's what I would expect from 18 year olds.
• 29:42
  And when I asked them on what basis all men would be judged by God, they simply could not answer me.
• 29:52
  When I asked, what must I do to be saved?
• 29:57
  Well, I couldn't get a straight answer.
• 30:00
  But I was ready.
• 30:03
  We had a very pleasant discussion on the authority of scripture.
• 30:08
  And actually, that was a lot of fun, and they learned a lot in about an hour's time.
• 30:13
  And then they had to go.
• 30:15
  The sun was about to set.
• 30:18
  On what basis will we be all judged by Jesus Christ when he returns on the last day for judgment?
• 30:25
  See, that's an important point.
• 30:26
  Well, it's going to be based on God's word.
• 30:29
  And that's why it is so important to establish the inerrancy and authority of scripture.
• 30:37
  Recently, an article came out criticizing Franklin Graham.
• 30:41
  Did Franklin Graham confirm that Trump's soul is secure and he is bound for heaven?
• 30:47
  Well, first of all, so it's a bogus question.
• 30:50
  But Franklin rightly rightly declared, he said, we do not get to heaven by good works.
• 30:56
  But not by our own good works.
• 30:58
  No, excuse me.
• 30:59
  I said that wrong.
• 31:00
  We do not get to heaven by our good works, not by our good works, but we do get to heaven by good works, but by the perfect work of God's son, Jesus Christ, when he came to earth, took our sins to the cross, shed his blood, died, was buried, and God raised him to life on the third day.
• 31:19
  There's the gospel message.
• 31:21
  It was God's good work that saved us.
• 31:23
  That is absolutely true.
• 31:25
  Now, our good works is merely a product of our genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
• 31:31
  That's what the Bible teaches us.
• 31:33
  The Bible says that apart from these good works, our faith is dead.
• 31:37
  Those are the words of James chapter 2, verse 17.
• 31:41
  So when I return from a pause, I am going to get back into it and really hammer this point home.
• 31:47
  I'm Doug Evans, author of the sprout book.
• 31:50
  And I'm also a father with a three-year-old daughter.
• 31:53
  And that's why we grow sprouts.
• 31:56
  Did you know that you could take seeds, add water, and get fresh organic vegetables in three to five days without soil, sunshine, or fertilizer for under a dollar a serving?
• 32:09
  That's the miracle of sprouting.
• 32:11
  And I want to share that with you.
• 32:13
  Go to the Spouting Company.com slash out loud and use the code out loud for a special offer.
• 32:22
  Successful weight loss is about changing the gut-brain relationship with food.
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  I'm Dr.
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• 32:58
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• 33:19
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  Oral hygiene hasn't changed in 50 years, but our diet and the way we eat has creating an environment in your mouth for bacteria to wreck havoc on your teeth and gums.
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  The toothpaste, mouthwash, mints, and gum all contain xylitol, and natural ingredients shown to dramatically improve oral health.
• 33:57
  Sprite can be found online and at all fine natural retailers.
• 34:03
  A man's country is not a certain area of land of mountains, rivers, and woods.
• 34:09
  But it is a principle.
• 34:11
  And patriotism is loyal to that principle.
• 34:14
  I'm happy to report that American patriotism flows freely once again.
• 34:23
  America Outlaw Doc News is that place to awaken your heart, soul, and mind to the outloud truth.
• 34:52
  And uh I've got some great words for you.
• 34:55
  For one thing, um, we have got a tremendous celebration that is coming up.
• 35:00
  That is coming up.
• 35:02
  America Out Loud 250 Nashville.
• 35:02
  America Out Loud 250 Nashville.
• 35:04
  This is going to be an event that you simply don't want to miss in person.
• 35:04
  This is going to be an event that you simply don't want to miss in person.
• 35:11
  I want you to know that anyone can purchase a ticket uh uh and a general ticket uh will be entered into a drawing for a free two night hotel stay from July 2nd through the 4th.
• 35:11
  I want you to know that anyone can purchase a ticket and a general ticket will be entered into a drawing for a free two-night hotel stay from July 2nd through the 4th.
• 35:25
  Also, keep in mind that children and young adults uh up to eight.
• 35:25
  Also, keep in mind that children and young adults up to age 18 will get free admission with a general admission ticket.
• 35:35
  Now I tell you, there is nothing like the experience of actually being there for a great patriotic event like that.
• 35:43
  If you've never experienced it, I recommend it to you.
• 35:47
  We're going to have some great speakers.
• 35:49
  We're going to have an opportunity to interact with radio show hosts, some of our authors.
• 35:55
  There's going to be live entertainment there and some really great food.
• 36:00
  And there is so much to see and do in Nashville.
• 36:04
  I look forward to it.
• 36:05
  I think it's going to be just an incredible experience.
• 36:08
  And then there'll be a big wrap-up with a great fireworks display on the 4th of July that evening.
• 36:15
  What a way to celebrate in person the semi-quincentenal of our great America.
• 36:23
  Well, I hope to see you there.
• 36:24
  I do plan on being there.
• 36:26
  Also, please remember that America out loud.news is your radio source, your news source for getting the information that is going to influence the direction of our country.
• 36:41
  We have a lot of uncertainty in this country right now, but we do know that if we continue to be a nation under God, then we actually have a chance of saving this blessed and beautiful country.
• 36:58
  But it's going to take your participation, and this is why I exist on this radio program to encourage you to be not just the best patriot, but the best Christian you can be, the best parent, the best child, the best student.
• 37:16
  Whatever you are, do your best and do it for the Lord, because that makes all the difference.
• 37:24
  Today I'm mentioning the most important factor in leading someone to Christ.
• 37:29
  There's a lot of confusion about that.
• 37:31
  A lot of Christians actually feel inadequate when it comes to actually leading another person to the Lord.
• 37:38
  But let me tell you, I have done it for decades, and it is one of the easiest things to do if you just have a genuine heart and a burden to share the good news of salvation, eternal life with other people.
• 37:54
  And that takes denying yourself a little bit.
• 37:57
  It takes time to do that.
• 37:59
  It takes a heart for other people.
• 38:02
  And that other people includes the Muslims.
• 38:05
  It includes people from every walk of life, from every culture.
• 38:12
  We have something incredibly good to offer.
• 38:15
  And the United States of America has been the product of a people as a nation abiding by the laws, the universal laws of this universe as described in the Bible.
• 38:31
  So I really want to emphasize that we are not going to save this country if we are not a Christian nation.
• 38:37
  We have to recall that and always, always remember that we need to get back to our Bible roots.
• 38:44
  And so if we're going to have spiritual revival in this country, we're going to need to lead a lot of people to the Lord who don't know the Lord, who don't know the Bible.
• 38:57
  Well, the Bible also teaches that we are not to judge one another regarding salvation, because only God can make that call.
• 39:11
  And so when you know Franklin Graham just declared that it is God's good work that gets us to heaven, he's absolutely true.
• 39:22
  But for any human being, I don't care who he is, any human being to declare that someone is saved or not, that is just bogus.
• 39:33
  That is not something within the realm of our authority.
• 39:37
  That belongs to God and God alone.
• 39:40
  No human has the mind of God or the wisdom to make that kind of call.
• 39:46
  You know, just ask yourself, is King Solomon saved?
• 39:49
  Well, he was he fell away from God toward the end of his life.
• 39:53
  Is his soul secure since he did write three Old Testament books, right?
• 39:58
  Well, the Bible doesn't say, and we don't have to be worried about that.
• 40:03
  If the Bible doesn't say, we have no right to say for sure.
• 40:07
  But according to the article uh that was written on Franklin Graham, he made no such statement about President Trump's salvation.
• 40:17
  And guess what?
• 40:18
  If President Trump is saved, then his salvation will be based on the words of Scripture and on how he responds to those words of Scripture, just like the rest of us.
• 40:35
  But what about those who have never heard the gospel message?
• 40:38
  I hear that all the time.
• 40:40
  Well, since I don't have a whole lot of time left to share with you, I would recommend that you just read the first three chapters of Romans.
• 40:48
  And that will tell you what about those who've never heard.
• 40:53
  Trust me, the God who created the universe can deal with that with justice, with truce, truth, with fairness, and um without any errors in judgment.
• 41:05
  He is impartial.
• 41:07
  Read Hebrews chapter 11 if you want to know what about those who have never heard the gospel message.
• 41:13
  That includes all the people in the Old Testament periods and the intertestament periods before the New Testament was written before Christ came.
• 41:22
  Well, they're important things to know.
• 41:25
  But leave it to God.
• 41:27
  That said, however, we do have a duty to confess our faith in Christ, to share our faith with words and by our actions, to demonstrate our living faith by good works.
• 41:42
  Don't deny that.
• 41:44
  Don't try to weasel out of that.
• 41:46
  Don't let anybody tell you that good works are not important in a Christian's life.
• 41:51
  They are extremely important.
• 41:54
  But good works on our part are not saving works.
• 41:59
  Nothing is more devastating to the testimony of our faith than a disconnect between our words and our actions.
• 42:00
  Is more devastating to the testimony of our faith than a disconnect between our words and our actions.
• 42:08
  And too often, you know, I'll I'll see a bumper sticker in a car that just goes barreling past me on the freeway, cutting people off and showing a callous disrespect for others, but that bumper sticker says something about I'm a Christian.
• 42:08
  And too often, you know, I'll see a bumper sticker in a car that just goes barreling past me on the freeway, cutting people off and showing a callous disrespect for others, but that bumper sticker says something about I'm a Christian.
• 42:26
  Well, this is the exact opposite of how a Christian ought to treat a
• 42:26
  Well, this is the exact opposite of how a Christian ought to treat others.
• 42:32
  Something we need to remember.
• 42:33
  I love Francis Schaefer's words in the book that he wrote on uh pertaining to Christian apologetics, and he wrote these words regarding the final Christian apologetic.
• 42:46
  He says, our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful.
• 42:56
  Christian community, he says, is the final apologetic.
• 43:01
  So it tells us that Francis Schaefer was definitely in the love camp, as opposed to being in the truth camp, and we in fact should be in both.
• 43:11
  He would not publicly debate a biblical truth because he was more interested in winning souls to Christ than winning an argument.
• 43:20
  Now, this is noble, but if taken too far, it can lead to heresy.
• 43:27
  He who stands for nothing falls for anything, right?
• 43:29
  Everybody's heard that saying.
• 43:31
  And we have biblical examples of where that balance is.
• 43:36
  Remember, Jesus, how many times did he call out the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees, for their hypocrisy and false teaching?
• 43:47
  Well, he did it pretty often.
• 43:49
  And think about how many times we read in the Bible Paul's persuasive words at the Aeropagus in Athens, Greece.
• 43:59
  And what about Peter to balance love with truth?
• 44:04
  And then Jude told us to contend earnestly for the faith.
• 44:10
  And how do we do that?
• 44:11
  He said, Do it by remembering the words of Christ's apostles.
• 44:16
  That's exactly what he said.
• 44:18
  And so was Francis Schaeffer right?
• 44:22
  Is love the final apologetic?
• 44:25
  Or are the words of Scripture the final apologetic?
• 44:33
  Or does it matter?
• 44:35
  Well, let me tell you, both are essential.
• 44:40
  The words of Scripture are extremely important.
• 44:44
  They're ultimately important.
• 44:46
  But so is a demonstration of love of Christians for one another and also for the unsaved.
• 44:56
  Both are essential.
• 44:58
  You should never have one without the other.
• 45:08
  Total indifference.
• 45:09
  If, you know, I find that most or those who most avidly refuse to defend the faith, and I've heard this from even uh Christian preachers and elders and deacons in the churches.
• 45:25
  They will avidly refuse to defend the faith.
• 45:28
  And the reason I find, to be honest with you, just to be bluntly honest, is that they are the least equipped to defend the faith.
• 45:37
  They don't know how to do it.
• 45:38
  They have not been taught how to actually defend the faith.
• 45:44
  So it's important to know what the word of God says and to divide it rightly to interpret it properly, using all the words or uh in the way that they were meant to be used and following the rules of human language.
• 46:02
  It is so important to do that.
• 46:06
  Obedience, obedience is huge to the Great Commission, for one thing, and it works two ways.
• 46:14
  The command to make disciples, and then the command to be discipled, to be disciples, to be followers of Christ.
• 46:26
  If we refuse to learn what the scriptures really say, then we're not meeting the commandment to be taught all the things that Jesus commanded us.
• 46:38
  We cannot possibly learn to observe all that Jesus commands us to do if we don't know the scriptures.
• 46:47
  A disciple is a student, a learner, a follower of the master.
• 46:54
  When we neglect those teachings, we become deceivers or false teachers, hypocrites, liars.
• 47:22
  Matthew 28, 18.
• 47:24
  So there he places a lot of importance on his words.
• 47:32
  Very, very important.
• 47:35
  And that is exactly why I want to emphasize emphasize today that the authority of Scripture as an inerrant and a perfect standard of righteous living and of salvation is so important to our heavenly Father and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• 48:03
  But is it important to us?
• 48:07
  Well, it's an easy thing to answer on a personal level.
• 48:11
  Just ask yourselves the question.
• 48:14
  Do we, or what do we emphasize in our own lives?
• 48:18
  What's important to us?
• 48:20
  Is it politics?
• 48:21
  Are we constantly chasing down the latest politics and living in fear of what's going to happen next?
• 48:27
  Or do we trust that God is in control ultimately?
• 48:31
  Or do we put a high emphasis on making money?
• 48:36
  I'm just too busy to fellowship with Christians.
• 48:39
  I got work to do.
• 48:41
  Well, it's great having a good work ethic, but the day of rest is also extremely important.
• 48:47
  That principle of rest and putting time, setting time aside to be in the Word of God to study.
• 48:57
  Where maybe we're just too busy collecting and worshiping worldly goods.
• 49:00
  Collecting and worshiping worldly goods.
• 49:05
  Well, what gives us more fulfillment?
• 49:05
  Well, what gives us more fulfillment?
• 49:08
  Would you rather read a mystery novel, a romance novel, or whatever your favorite genre of book is, or would you prefer to read the Bible?
• 49:08
  Would you rather read a mystery novel or romance novel or whatever your favorite genre of book is, or would you prefer to read the Bible?
• 49:18
  It doesn't mean you can't read other books.
• 49:18
  It doesn't mean you can't read other books.
• 49:20
  I read a lot of books, but I sure don't neglect reading the scriptures.
• 49:20
  I read a lot of books, but I sure don't neglect reading the scriptures.
• 49:24
  That's the first thing in the morning.
• 49:24
  That's the first thing in the morning.
• 49:27
  Ask yourself another question.
• 49:27
  Ask yourself another question.
• 49:29
  If you want
• 49:29
  If you want to know how important the authority of scripture is to you, who do you fear more?
• 49:35
  Do you fear God more?
• 49:37
  Or do you fear man?
• 49:40
  How far will we go to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints, to the Christians?
• 49:52
  You know, answer that truthfully and honestly, and you'll find out where you at with regard to how, what kind of an authority you place on scripture.
• 50:02
  Who are we really serving in words and in deeds?
• 50:07
  Think about your, you know, go through a week and think about how much emphasis you put on walking the Christian life, on practicing the Christian disciplines of humility, simplicity, of love and kindness and generosity.
• 50:30
  I need to have my nose in the Bible, because otherwise I will just very gradually stray, naturally.
• 50:39
  But when we answer the question of what and who motivates us, when we awaken first thing in the morning, you know, that kind of tells us where we are at in the process of us actually becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, because we are in the making.
• 51:00
  We are disciples in the making throughout our whole life on earth.
• 51:06
  Well, God's word has power, a lot of power to change lives completely on its own.
• 51:13
  In Isaiah chapter 55, verse 11, we read, so will my word be which goes forth from my mouth.
• 51:22
  It will not return to me empty without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
• 51:34
  And the author of Hebrews kind of defines that and explains what is it that God is trying to accomplish in us as or in anybody who hears the words of Scripture.
• 51:46
  Well, the author of Hebrews said calls God's word living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
• 52:06
  See, when you read the scriptures, it convicts you, it convicts me of what kind of a person should I be, and what kind of a person am I?
• 52:16
  And that's a hard thing to be honest with ourselves about, but the more that we strive to be Christlike, the more humble we become, the more willing we are to admit that I'm not the person I ought to be.
• 52:30
  24 7.
• 52:32
  You know, I am a work in progress, but I am making progress, and that is so important.
• 52:40
  And that's why on this radio program, I quote scripture so often.
• 52:46
  You know that if you're a regular listener.
• 52:50
  It has power, it has purpose, and it has perfection.
• 52:57
  We can never fail when we simply read the Bible and share scriptures with someone else.
• 53:03
  If they are hearing the word of God, it's going to have an effect, some impact on that person.
• 53:09
  Might even make them angry.
• 53:12
  But that's because it is cutting right to the bone and marrow, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and judging the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
• 53:28
  And that's why we all need to quote scripture, memorize scripture, and obey scripture.
• 53:35
  We need to really obey it.
• 53:37
  Real Christianity is a product of obedience to God's word.
• 53:43
  If you think otherwise, you're deceived.
• 53:46
  In the words of William Wilberforce, who wrote a great book on real Christianity, he gave us some sound advice about how real Christianity is forged in our own lives.
• 54:00
  He said, the virtues most strongly and repeatedly urged in Scripture, and in which by our progress we may advance in holiness, or the fear and love of God and of Christ, love, kindness, and meekness toward our fellow men, indifference to the possessions and events of this life compared with our concern about eternity, self-denial, and humility.
• 54:41
  You know, that's pretty good.
• 54:43
  Those are good words from William Wilberforce to fellow Christians.
• 54:49
  That comes from the scripture.
• 54:54
  Ultimately, we are going to meet the Lord, whether we accept him or reject him.
• 55:00
  We will be raised on that last day for judgment.
• 55:03
  Judgment and condemnation to those who reject Jesus Christ.
• 55:07
  And we will rape the reward of eternal life in a beautiful kingdom if we accept the words of Jesus Christ.
• 55:16
  In the Old Testament, the psalmist said, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
• 55:23
  I love those words.
• 55:24
  The corollary, of course, to that is that the cursed is the nation whose God is not the Lord.
• 55:31
  And we see the curses all over the globe in every nation that does not worship Jesus Christ.
• 55:38
  We're seeing it in Europe right now in a horrendous way, a tremendous falling away from the faith.
• 55:45
  And for that reason, I just pray for true spiritual revival in America.
• 55:52
  When we share the gospel, message of Jesus Christ, we must defend the authority that the Bible claims for itself.
• 56:00
  That the Bible claims for itself.
• 56:04
  It is inerrant.
• 56:04
  It is inerrant, it is God breathed, it is protected by the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God must forever be our highest calling.
• 56:05
  It is God breathed.
• 56:07
  It is protected by the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God must forever be our highest calling.
• 56:16
  Thank you so much for listening to me today.
• 56:16
  Thank you so much for listening to me today.
• 56:19
  This is Unity Without Compromise.
• 56:19
  This is Unity Without Compromise.
• 56:22
  Adieu.
• 56:22
  Adieu.