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Chris Fabry Live - Ordinary People Sharing Jesus · The Word On Demand

0:06
S1: What if we've made it too complicated? What if all
0:09
S1: the tension you feel about sharing your faith, and how
0:12
S1: that other person is going to respond, or the feelings
0:15
S1: of the enormity of the task to reach the unreached?
0:19
S1: What if you didn't have to live in that tension
0:22
S1: or with that pressure? What if there's another way to live?
0:28
S1: Welcome to Chris, baby. Live the program from the heart
0:30
S1: to the heart for the heart. I have a guest
0:31
S1: for you today who has spent 40 years in radio
0:34
S1: when he had no earthly plan to do that. I
0:37
S1: want you to hear a little of his story today
0:39
S1: and why he believes that sharing your faith could be
0:42
S1: natural and simple. If you'll begin with one prayerful question.
0:48
S1: And the question is this Lord, who is the one
0:53
S1: you want me to reach? David McIver is standing by
0:56
S1: today at the Radio Backyard fence. Thank you for joining us.
0:59
S1: Find out more about David and other resources we have
1:01
S1: for you at the website. Chris Fabry live.org. Thank you
1:06
S1: to our team. Ryan McConaughey doing all things technical. Trish
1:10
S1: is our producer. Lisa is helping out. Josh is not
1:12
S1: going to answer your calls today because our program is recorded.
1:15
S1: Don't call us, but don't you dare tune away. This
1:18
S1: is one of the best programs we've done in the
1:20
S1: last few months. And if you'd like to support this
1:23
S1: program and keep these conversations coming, would you consider becoming
1:28
S1: a back fence partner with us? Give a gift any
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S1: size each month and you'll get my back fence post
1:34
S1: every Thursday. It's a video we send out for your encouragement.
1:38
S1: You'll be able to receive our monthly. Thank you that
1:40
S1: I choose personally for you to enjoy, benefit from, and
1:45
S1: you'll get a signed copy of my novel, The Promise
1:48
S1: of Jesse Woods. Oh, what are you waiting for? Go
1:50
S1: to Chris fabry.org, scroll down, see how you can become
1:54
S1: a back fence partner today. Chris fabry.org. You can give
1:58
S1: a one time gift there as well. It helps us
2:01
S1: continue these discussions. If you call 186695 Faber, you can
2:06
S1: talk to an actual person, a real living live person
2:10
S1: and say, hey, I want to want to support that
2:12
S1: back fence guy. (866) 953-2279. Join the team and become a
2:20
S1: monthly partner today. And thanks for your support of the
2:23
S1: Radio Backyard Fence. As I mentioned just a minute ago,
2:27
S1: today's program is recorded. Don't call our number. Our on
2:30
S1: air number today if you hear it and disregard any
2:34
S1: other dated information. I think today's conversation has the potential
2:39
S1: to change your life. And I try not to say
2:41
S1: that with each program, but I feel it, you know,
2:43
S1: in some form or fashion with every conversation we have.
2:47
S1: But as I've gone through some of David's book and
2:50
S1: I've listened to him talk about things that God has
2:52
S1: done in him and through him, I really believe this
2:56
S1: message might be the most freeing concept I've heard in
3:00
S1: an awful long time. David McIver led praise FM radio
3:04
S1: as executive director, guiding its reach across the Upper Midwest
3:09
S1: all the way to Africa and the Middle East. He
3:11
S1: and his wife, Sherry, also ministered with Baseball Chapel and
3:15
S1: the Minnesota Twins for 14 seasons. David's mission is to
3:19
S1: equip ordinary followers of Jesus like you and me, to
3:23
S1: look for the one. He lives in Blaine, Minnesota. Is
3:28
S1: that where you are right now, David in Blaine?
3:30
S2: That is correct.
3:32
S1: And the title of the book is looking for the One.
3:35
S1: We have a link at Chris Fabry live.org. Let's start
3:38
S1: with radio. I saw a podcast that you did where
3:41
S1: you said that 40 after doing this for 40 years,
3:45
S1: you didn't plan to be in radio, right?
3:48
S2: Well, when I gave my life to Jesus at age five,
3:51
S2: shortly thereafter, I'm feeling called into ministry and I made
3:54
S2: a deal, quote unquote, with the Lord. How many of
3:56
S2: us can relate to that? And the deal was no
4:00
S2: public speaking, because I was terrified of of anything with
4:04
S2: a microphone or anything in front of people. And so,
4:07
S2: of course, the very thing that we resist, of course,
4:10
S2: many times is the place that God is calling us
4:13
S2: to and, and has an anointing waiting for us once
4:17
S2: we step into that, that obedience.
4:19
S1: Yeah. And so you got started with praise FM. There
4:24
S1: was a tell the story of the woman who came
4:26
S1: into the station who had lost her son.
4:29
S2: Oh, so the station began in 1985, rural Minnesota. We
4:34
S2: have a cornfield on one side, a gravel road trailer
4:37
S2: park next to us. And and just this out of
4:40
S2: the way place. And one day a woman walked in
4:45
S2: with a gift and I happened I started off as
4:47
S2: the receptionist and she said, this is in memory of
4:51
S2: my son and, uh, growing up on a farm. You know,
4:55
S2: I recognized immediately that she's from a farming background. Just
4:59
S2: just her hands and her coat that looked like it
5:02
S2: was just so worn. And she just hands this gift
5:05
S2: and turns around and starts walking out. And I came
5:09
S2: running after her and just took her by those hands
5:12
S2: and just started to, to weep over her and to
5:15
S2: pray over her and to give thanks for her, for
5:18
S2: her son. And the. The first station manager was in
5:22
S2: the other room. He had, he had felt called to,
5:24
S2: to come and start this, you know, this fledgling new ministry.
5:28
S2: But the Lord had really spoken to him that he
5:30
S2: was going to be a the start up person, but
5:32
S2: that he was going to find a shepherd who would
5:34
S2: love the people to manage it. And so that was
5:38
S2: the day as he listened, as he listened to that
5:41
S2: moment next, next door, the Lord just said, I found
5:44
S2: you a shepherd. And so no radio background at Bethel College.
5:49
S2: My roommate was the head of the campus radio station,
5:52
S2: but I had no interest even in stopping in to
5:54
S2: see it, you know, because. Because, keep in mind, I'm
5:57
S2: still doing that. I'm not speaking for you. You know,
5:59
S2: I'm still I'm still holding the arm arm's length, you know,
6:02
S2: in terms of that. But that was I began in 1987. And, um,
6:09
S2: can I take just a second and say thank you
6:10
S2: about something?
6:11
S1: Oh, absolutely. Go ahead.
6:14
S2: So, you know, I take over in 1987 and incredible
6:18
S2: financial pressure, uh, to the point where we're not paying
6:21
S2: the electric bill, which when you're in radio and you
6:23
S2: have a transmitter, you know, is, is really near the edge. Uh,
6:27
S2: the phone bills behind by months. But we are, we
6:30
S2: are moody broadcasting affiliates, you know, open line and prime
6:34
S2: time America and just overnights weekends. And we're behind. I mean,
6:40
S2: I mean, like 2 to 3 years behind and getting these,
6:44
S2: these gentle phone calls, you know, when can we expect
6:47
S2: a payment? And very gracious. And, um, I knew that
6:51
S2: the one thing that if we lost Moody, if Moody said,
6:54
S2: we can't support you anymore, that it wasn't. You know,
6:58
S2: we could maybe lose our phones, but we could not
7:00
S2: lose the programming. So a letter arrives one day and
7:03
S2: it's from Moody. And I sat down thinking, you know,
7:05
S2: if this is if this is goodbye, it really is goodbye.
7:08
S2: I don't know any way out. And I opened the
7:10
S2: letter and, um, a donor to Moody had sent a
7:17
S2: gift if there was a station struggling somewhere. And so
7:21
S2: instead of a request for thousands of dollars, it was
7:24
S2: a gift of thousands of dollars. So whoever that was,
7:29
S2: maybe you're listening today. Um, so thank you because everything
7:34
S2: turned around shortly after that. And then in 1999, I
7:38
S2: read Andrew Murray's book on prayer, um, with Christ in
7:42
S2: the School of Prayer and asked for the first time, Jesus,
7:44
S2: what's on your heart? I'd never prayed that before. Um,
7:48
S2: and so one night I'm awakened. And it's a vision
7:51
S2: for taking worship to Africa, into the nations and to
7:54
S2: change the way that nations worship, and to create this
7:57
S2: format based on biblical patterns of worship. And, you know,
8:02
S2: within a few months of launching this, you know, we're
8:04
S2: covering all of Africa 75 FM signals. Beirut has an affiliate.
8:10
S2: And Chris, we're on the air for a few a
8:14
S2: few days. And a manager from Ghana, Africa said, we
8:18
S2: need an emergency meeting. And the emergency was they're in
8:21
S2: a they're in a city that Christianity is in like
8:24
S2: 3 or 4 percentile. And the emergency was they had
8:27
S2: a line of people at their station, um, just waiting
8:31
S2: to give their life to Christ because they, they tuned
8:35
S2: into this worship station coming from this cornfield. Um, and,
8:41
S2: and so they didn't know what to do. They had
8:42
S2: 20 volunteers there and they couldn't keep up with the
8:44
S2: people lined up wanting to give their lives to Christ. So, uh,
8:48
S2: to moody Broadcasting, to the affiliates, to the listeners, everyone
8:52
S2: who's ever made a gift of of $5 or $5000.
8:57
S2: Thank you. Thank you so much.
9:00
S1: And look at what happened with that, you know, because
9:03
S1: if if praise FM had gone belly up at that point,
9:06
S1: then there would would have been no, well, God would
9:08
S1: have figured out somehow to do it. But look at
9:11
S1: how he did that. And now. And now here's the thing.
9:15
S1: You've stepped away from praise FM because of this message
9:21
S1: of looking, looking for the one. And this is what
9:24
S1: I think might there's somebody there might be one listening
9:28
S1: today who you have felt this burden in your heart
9:32
S1: to share your faith, but you're scared to do it.
9:35
S1: There's fear there. What's going to be the reaction or
9:39
S1: you've held back because there is so much, there's so
9:42
S1: much need out there. There's so many people who need
9:45
S1: to hear that message. I want you to hear what
9:47
S1: David has to say today at the back fence, because
9:50
S1: I think this might be the way that God will
9:54
S1: free you up to be who you are, to allow
9:58
S1: him to work first in you and then through you.
10:02
S1: The title of the book is looking for the One.
10:05
S1: Stories of seeing the lost, lonely, and broken through the
10:08
S1: eyes of Jesus the Christ. fabriclive.org. I don't know about you,
10:21
S1: but for me, stories help me process my life. It
10:25
S1: helps me see myself through the prism of somebody else's story.
10:30
S1: It's the same. The gospel is a story. Basically, it's
10:33
S1: what God has given us about what he has done
10:37
S1: and what we can do in response to it. So
10:40
S1: I want you to hear David's story today, and our
10:43
S1: featured resource at Kris fabriclive.org is looking for the one.
10:48
S1: Stories of seeing the lost, lonely and broken. Through the
10:52
S1: eyes of Jesus Christ. fabriclive.org. Click through today's information. You'll
10:57
S1: see it right there. So, David, how did you stumble
10:59
S1: onto this?
11:00
S2: Well, my friend Tim, it's all his fault. He called
11:02
S2: me up and he told me he'd been on his
11:04
S2: face before the Lord. And, and just, you know, in
11:07
S2: the midst of owning businesses and he's in excavating every
11:11
S2: now and then, there'd be a God moment, and then
11:13
S2: there would be weeks and months with nothing. And he
11:15
S2: was before the Lord just asking him, what? Why is that?
11:20
S2: And so he was telling me that he had he
11:22
S2: had felt prompted to ask Jesus for one a day.
11:24
S2: So he started calling me with these one day stories,
11:27
S2: and pretty soon it gets completely out of hand. He has.
11:30
S2: He's having days with six and seven God encounters in
11:33
S2: one day, and they're all lined up sequentially like Legos.
11:37
S2: And as I'm listening to him, I, I said, I
11:40
S2: want to try this. And I in my background, you know, I've,
11:44
S2: I've done very little witnessing at Bible camp. One of
11:47
S2: the counselors, we went door to door and he got
11:49
S2: into this huge fight with a guy about something from
11:51
S2: the Middle Ages. And I'm, you know, Chris, I'm standing
11:54
S2: there going, this is this is just really awkward. Um,
11:58
S2: but as I started to then tell the stories around
12:01
S2: our listening area, uh, it was, it was unlike any
12:06
S2: other response. I would give a, I'd tell several stories
12:10
S2: and then invite people. Would you like to, to walk
12:14
S2: into a room soul aware of Jesus that you know
12:17
S2: who he's looking for because he is. He's the one
12:20
S2: who describes himself as as leaving the 99 to go
12:23
S2: look for the one and. And would you like to
12:27
S2: know his voice so that when you're speaking to that,
12:30
S2: that one, you know, something that would unlock their heart.
12:33
S2: And when that approach is taken, where Jesus is at
12:37
S2: the center of this, you're so aware of him in
12:41
S2: finding the one and speaking to the one. You're in
12:44
S2: two conversations at once. You're, you're, you're a worshiper, you're
12:47
S2: a Biden. And in the midst of this Jesus, Jesus
12:50
S2: is revealed. And someone, someone opens up their heart, opens
12:55
S2: up their eyes. And, um, I have a, I have
12:58
S2: a quick story that just happened at a grocery store.
13:00
S2: Do we have time for that?
13:02
S1: Well, I want to say first that what you did
13:06
S1: with the woman who came in with the gift at
13:08
S1: the radio station, she was the one. And you saw
13:12
S1: her and you, you responded to her and prayed with
13:16
S1: her for her, and that unleashed an awful lot. Yes.
13:20
S1: Take me to the grocery store.
13:21
S2: So I love walking into a store or a gas station.
13:26
S2: And when you start doing this during your day, Chris,
13:29
S2: instead of this distracting you or wearing you out, what
13:31
S2: happens is you're actually experiencing a kind of revival. It
13:36
S2: actually is revival because you're so aware of Jesus. And
13:41
S2: I walked up to a grocery store and as I'm
13:44
S2: approaching the store, a young man walks past me. Now
13:47
S2: he's wearing a Minnesota Twins baseball cap, so I've got
13:49
S2: a starting point. Your producer tells me that it should
13:52
S2: have been a Cubs cap, but that's. We're just going to.
13:54
S2: We're just going to. That's just a brief aside. Um,
13:58
S2: so as this guy walks past me, I just hear
14:02
S2: the phrase, I sense that he's hopeless and I he's
14:06
S2: he's not acting hopeless. He's just walking by. And I
14:09
S2: walked over to him and opened with, are you a
14:11
S2: twins fan? He says, oh, no, you know, just I
14:13
S2: don't I'm not a fan of baseball, just a cap and.
14:17
S2: And I have come to the place when Jesus gets
14:21
S2: my attention. And as you're thinking of, of doing this
14:24
S2: through your day, just notice who you notice when you
14:28
S2: walk into your home or your, your church or the
14:33
S2: mechanics working in your vehicle. Just notice who you notice.
14:36
S2: And I notice this guy and I opened with, I
14:40
S2: don't know why I feel prompted to ask this, but
14:44
S2: as you walk by, I just I just sense that
14:46
S2: there's something going on that's troubling to you and something
14:49
S2: that that we could talk about for a minute that
14:51
S2: might encourage you. And when it's the one, the minute
14:56
S2: you reach out to them and the minute you say
14:58
S2: the name of Jesus, they respond almost every time. And
15:02
S2: this guy responds with, well, uh, you know, I'm just
15:07
S2: recovering from a battle with drugs and alcohol and I've
15:10
S2: been to treatment, but, um, I can't hold down a job. I'm.
15:14
S2: He adds, I'm embarrassed to be living at home with
15:16
S2: my mother. He's in his 30s. And then he launches into.
15:21
S2: And he said, I can't stop thinking about the hunger
15:23
S2: issues around the world and, and how can this happen? And,
15:28
S2: and he's talking faster and faster and he's more and
15:30
S2: more discouraged. And the Holy Spirit just whispered this question,
15:36
S2: which I which I whispered to him, you know, I
15:38
S2: just reached out and took him by the hand, and
15:40
S2: I just said to him, would you like to be
15:43
S2: a lost lamb that's found by a good shepherd? And
15:47
S2: he just, he just freezes. And I just started sharing
15:50
S2: some scriptures that came to mind about Jesus leaving the
15:54
S2: 99 to go look for the one and walked them
15:57
S2: through the basics of the gospel. Romans three. We've sinned.
16:00
S2: Romans six, the wages of sin is death. Um, and
16:04
S2: then I just felt prompted to pray for him, to
16:06
S2: pray over him and thinking that then the conversation would
16:10
S2: start again. And I prayed for him. And before I
16:13
S2: could open my eyes, he just said, Jesus, forgive me.
16:17
S2: Forgive me. I repent of my sin. And just pours
16:20
S2: his heart out in in prayer. And that is also
16:24
S2: different than us at the center of the gospel where
16:26
S2: we're we're focused on our material. We're not seeing the
16:29
S2: person and asking Jesus to show us who he's looking
16:34
S2: for to join what he's already doing.
16:37
S1: So what you're talking about is not a program, it's
16:39
S1: not a 50 questions. And you go through this or
16:43
S1: get this material and hand this to you. Just allow
16:47
S1: God to open your eyes or see who you're sitting
16:51
S1: beside on the plane, or who walks into the radio
16:55
S1: station or whatever. Whoever that person is just allows you
16:58
S1: to open your eyes to see them as as he
17:02
S1: would see them. Right?
17:04
S2: Chris. That so well worded because when you start your day,
17:09
S2: I do three things each day. It's a, B, c
17:12
S2: I ask Jesus who he's looking for from from Luke ten.
17:15
S2: Ask the Lord of the harvest be is be prepared.
17:18
S2: And so I have something called the salvation poem that's
17:20
S2: in my wallet and care. See care. Jesus said, take
17:25
S2: care of my sheep. And when that's your posture and
17:30
S2: you see someone and you perceive something, it's Jesus. It's Jesus, his.
17:36
S2: It's his breath. And he's the one who, um, we
17:41
S2: sometimes make sharing the gospel kind of kind of businesslike
17:45
S2: or a transaction. And instead of that, it's, it's from
17:51
S2: Ezekiel 34. This is what the sovereign Lord says. I
17:54
S2: myself will search and find my sheep. I'll be like
17:58
S2: a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I'll find my
18:02
S2: sheep and I'll rescue them from all the places where
18:06
S2: they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. So
18:09
S2: the ones that you're looking for belong to Jesus. And
18:13
S2: your part in this is to walk with him because
18:16
S2: he knows where they are.
18:18
S1: So what you're doing is you're taking the fear out
18:22
S1: of this. Because if you're, if you're trying to see
18:25
S1: who is the one, you know, who's Jesus looking for today?
18:29
S1: You're not thinking of yourself because that's, that's where I
18:33
S1: get hung up is I get into a situation and
18:35
S1: I think, Okay, so what am I supposed to give
18:38
S1: the four spiritual laws here supposed to do this or that?
18:41
S1: So I start thinking of and then I start thinking, well,
18:44
S1: what if I don't know the answer to the question
18:46
S1: that they're going to ask? And it doesn't that doesn't
18:48
S1: matter that you've taken that out of the equation. So
18:50
S1: I don't have any I don't have if Jesus is
18:53
S1: the one who's in control here, I don't have any
18:55
S1: reason to fear.
18:57
S2: And that's the aha moment. I spoke at a church
19:01
S2: a few months ago, and I'm, I'm walking out to
19:03
S2: my vehicle and I can hear steps somebody running after
19:06
S2: me and I turn around and it's a guy, he
19:08
S2: suit and tie and he's yelling. He's yelling as he
19:11
S2: approaches me. This changes everything. And I'm like, I'm like,
19:15
S2: what changes everything? He said. He said, Jesus is in
19:19
S2: charge of this. He's the one looking for these people.
19:22
S2: And he said, if it's if, if he's the great pursuer,
19:25
S2: if he's the good shepherd, if he's the one looking,
19:30
S2: he said, I, I can join him. I can do this.
19:32
S2: And he and he turns and he runs back into
19:34
S2: the church. And I'm going, okay, my kind of guy.
19:36
S2: A man of action.
19:39
S1: Have you ever had like a a server at a restaurant?
19:43
S1: And you and you think he or she is the
19:46
S1: one and you know, you you can't really go through
19:50
S1: a lot of Scripture when the person is serving and
19:53
S1: is busy in there. Uh, you know, tip might be
19:56
S1: the best way to get to the heart. Yeah. Walk
20:00
S1: me through that.
20:01
S2: So a few weeks ago, I'm having lunch at a
20:05
S2: golf course in the dead of winter in Minnesota. My
20:07
S2: friend read. He wanted to introduce me to the chapel
20:11
S2: leader for the Minnesota Vikings. And I was like, yes,
20:14
S2: I'd love to meet this guy. And just doing great things.
20:17
S2: Not enough to beat the bears, but doing great things.
20:19
S2: In terms of a Minnesota Vikings fan. So our server,
20:23
S2: I'm trying to talk to him and to interact with him. Um,
20:28
S2: my friend read asked me to pray a blessing over
20:30
S2: him when we bless the food and this the server,
20:33
S2: he doesn't again doesn't respond. A young guy about 20
20:36
S2: years old. And I'm thinking, you know, I was really
20:40
S2: thinking because we were the only guests in the entire place,
20:44
S2: there was no distractions. I really felt that this was
20:46
S2: going to be a God connection, but this guy had
20:48
S2: no interest. So near the end of the meal, I've
20:51
S2: been taking notes with my with my pen. That's it's
20:54
S2: not a ballpoint pen. It's more of an ink pen.
20:57
S2: And the server reaches down. He spills my water right
21:01
S2: on top of my notebook. The entire page just whoosh.
21:04
S2: The Red sea and and, uh, he's apologizing profusely. And
21:09
S2: the Spirit of God. This is why so many of us, uh,
21:14
S2: we sometimes hold the Holy Spirit at such a cautious distance.
21:19
S2: But the Holy Spirit just gave me this, this verse.
21:23
S2: And I said to him, um, you didn't spill that bite.
21:27
S2: This is not an accident. Um, I'm just going to
21:30
S2: tell you for a minute about a book Look called
21:32
S2: the Lamb's Book of Life. That when our names are
21:35
S2: written in it. No one can take that name out
21:39
S2: of there. And I and I, and that's the opening
21:42
S2: to sharing the gospel with him. And he's still saying
21:45
S2: very little. His body language. And Chris, you said it
21:47
S2: a minute ago. We're not at the center of this.
21:49
S2: So so if they're not responding, they're not responding to Jesus.
21:53
S2: It's not us that they're responding to. And so I
21:57
S2: walk them through the gospel. And then I ran outside,
21:59
S2: I sold something on Facebook Marketplace and a guy's pulling
22:02
S2: up and I, and I go out and I meet
22:04
S2: this guy and I give him this item, and I
22:06
S2: come walking back into the the golf course to the cafeteria,
22:12
S2: and guess who is standing at the window with his
22:14
S2: face pressed against the window, just waiting. It's this young guy.
22:20
S2: And he opens with the door opens and he said,
22:23
S2: my roommate and I were just talking that we needed God,
22:26
S2: but like, we don't we didn't know what to do
22:28
S2: or where to start. And he, I mean, take him
22:32
S2: by the hands. Would you like. Would you like your
22:34
S2: own relationship with Jesus? And you're asking that to. The
22:37
S2: one that Jesus has already pointed out is the one
22:40
S2: that is that that's the game changer. And would you
22:43
S2: like your own relationship with Jesus? And he, he said
22:46
S2: yes and prayed this beautiful prayer of repentance. Jesus spills
22:52
S2: a cup of water so that someone's name can be
22:55
S2: written in his book of life.
22:58
S1: But isn't everybody the one I mean? Is it? Is
23:02
S1: it the whosoever will? Isn't it everybody that you see
23:06
S1: today is the one in a sense. Uh, because I
23:12
S1: can see somebody saying, well, I've got to find the
23:14
S1: one because I don't hear the Holy Spirit. And I
23:17
S1: don't see, you know. So how do you how do
23:19
S1: you answer that?
23:20
S2: I love Q and A's. And that question really almost
23:23
S2: every time comes up. And so I so I've actually
23:27
S2: have a quote from from Billy Graham, who talks about.
23:32
S2: Here it is. He said, I speak to great crowds,
23:35
S2: but some of the greatest opportunities I've ever had have
23:38
S2: been with one person. One of the greatest sermons Jesus
23:41
S2: ever preached, he preached to Nicodemus. One of the greatest
23:44
S2: sermons Paul ever preached was to Felix. Just witness to
23:48
S2: one person about Christ, and then he. Then he adds this.
23:52
S2: And this is so thought provoking, because the one that
23:55
S2: Jesus is leading you to oftentimes holds the keys to
23:59
S2: a family, a city, a business, or in this case,
24:04
S2: a continent. Billy Graham says Philip was told to leave
24:07
S2: a crowd and go speak to one man trying to
24:10
S2: understand Isaiah 53 because God wanted the gospel to go
24:14
S2: south into Africa. God was opening up a whole continent
24:18
S2: through one man. So. So back when we were doing
24:23
S2: Twins Chapel, there was there's a player on the team,
24:25
S2: Brian Dozier, all star second baseman, At 2 or 3 chapels.
24:29
S2: He brought this up. He said, you know, I'm just
24:31
S2: not comfortable with this. He said, I want to reach everyone.
24:34
S2: So a few weeks later, he comes into chapel and
24:36
S2: he says, guys, I wasn't reaching anyone. When I was
24:39
S2: trying to reach everyone. I didn't have an action step.
24:42
S2: I didn't have a starting place. And he said, now
24:45
S2: every day I walk into the locker room, every day
24:47
S2: I walk onto the field. I asked Jesus just to
24:50
S2: show me one person. Just show me that one through
24:53
S2: your eyes. And he says, now it's crazy how many
24:57
S2: people that I'm getting to share the gospel with in
24:59
S2: terms of a daily basis.
25:01
S1: Yes. Well that's it. Find out where God is at
25:04
S1: work and join him there. And usually I want to
25:07
S1: ask you this in the next segment. And that is
25:10
S1: when Jesus, like you said with Nicodemus, the woman at
25:13
S1: the well, look what happened there. The very same thing
25:16
S1: that you just described happened when he moved into one,
25:21
S1: this one conversation with this one person. So I call
25:24
S1: time out. If you go to the website Chris chris.org.
25:28
S1: You'll see. Looking for the one stories of seeing the lost,
25:32
S1: lonely and broken through the eyes of Jesus. It's by
25:35
S1: David McIvor. MCIVER. He led praise FM radio as executive
25:41
S1: director for some 40 years, and now God is doing
25:45
S1: something different and God is moving him into this, looking
25:49
S1: for the one ministry. And you're hearing about it today,
25:52
S1: and you'll hear more straight ahead on Moody Radio. Thanks
26:05
S1: for joining us today for a Best of Chris Fabry
26:08
S1: live with David McIvor. He led praise FM radio as
26:13
S1: executive director for a lot of years, his book as
26:17
S1: our featured resource. And I'm hoping this is going to
26:19
S1: free you up in some way on the inside to
26:22
S1: let God work in you and through you. The title
26:26
S1: is looking for the one. Stories of seeing the lost,
26:29
S1: lonely and broken through the eyes of Jesus. It's our
26:34
S1: featured resource@chris.org. As I mentioned, this program is recorded. We
26:39
S1: are not with You live today, but when we first
26:42
S1: aired this conversation, there was a caller on the line
26:47
S1: who called and said something that when you're doing live radio,
26:52
S1: it's like, this is an immediate thing, and we're going
26:55
S1: to go back to that. I want you to hear
26:57
S1: what she said. My home is in the path of
27:00
S1: a severe storm in the Midwest tonight. Would you? I
27:03
S1: would like prayer for protection. And Josh prayed with her,
27:07
S1: I think, before, but I mentioned this to you and
27:10
S1: and you said, oh, can I pray? Absolutely. Go.
27:15
S2: Marsha. Years ago on our farm, there was a. There
27:19
S2: was a fire approaching our farm. It was a grass fire.
27:22
S2: And my mom called. She did the appropriate thing. She
27:25
S2: was ready to run for shelter. She was running. She.
27:28
S2: She called the fire department, but she, um, she stood
27:33
S2: and she declared the authority of Jesus over the wind
27:39
S2: and the waves and over that fire. And she said
27:42
S2: as she declared the authority of Jesus Christ, the wind changed.
27:46
S2: And so, father, in the name of Jesus, we lift
27:49
S2: up Martha and her family, her home, and her heart
27:54
S2: of hearts. And we say, in the name of Jesus,
27:58
S2: be still to this storm. We thank you for your
28:01
S2: word from Psalm 107, that you stilled the storm to
28:04
S2: a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
28:08
S2: And God, we pray, be the covering. Be the shelter
28:10
S2: for your for your daughter. And may today be a
28:13
S2: day she looks back on. No matter. Even if there's
28:16
S2: something damaged. God. Um, this is your daughter. And I
28:22
S2: pray there's a fresh revelation of what it means to
28:26
S2: be adopted and to be held and to be loved
28:29
S2: by you. And I pray you, place your hand upon
28:32
S2: your daughter and that you, Jesus, would say, peace, be still,
28:37
S2: peace be still. In Jesus name.
28:40
S1: Amen. Amen.
28:42
S2: Amen.
28:42
S1: Alright, so we got a hold of Marsha. She's back. Marsha.
28:46
S1: You just. You just heard that? How are you feeling now?
28:50
S3: I'm feeling better. I was I was calling mostly to
28:54
S3: issue a call to prayer to your listeners.
28:57
S1: Yeah.
28:58
S3: Because this storm that the way that man is talking
29:01
S3: is enormous. It's talking about covering all of Indiana and
29:06
S3: part of Ohio and part of Illinois.
29:10
S1: So it's not only you that you and your area
29:13
S1: that you're cared about. It's it's everybody in the path, right?
29:16
S3: Yeah.
29:17
S1: Yeah.
29:18
S3: Yeah. And I said, since Jesus saying I calmed the
29:21
S3: was done before. Asked me to do it again.
29:24
S2: Yes. Yes. And, Marcia, we're going to believe that there's
29:29
S2: at least one conversation when someone says to you in
29:33
S2: the next few days, um, I noticed you're calm and
29:38
S2: I noticed your piece. Then I can hear you saying,
29:41
S2: you know, Jesus told me to not let my heart
29:43
S2: be troubled. And and because I've given my heart to him,
29:47
S2: he's my keeper. He's my good shepherd. And I'm. We're
29:50
S2: going to pray, Lord, at least one open door show
29:53
S2: Marcia who it is that she can. She can give
29:57
S2: the reason for her hope, and I pray I. I
30:01
S2: just spoke of I spoke a few weeks ago at
30:02
S2: County Line Church, uh, near Fort Wayne Church of about
30:06
S2: 2000 people. And Lord, I pray over that church family
30:09
S2: in particular people, people that I know and I love. Um,
30:12
S2: and God, I thank you for Pastor Stu describing the
30:17
S2: revival going on in this church. What's happening in Indiana
30:20
S2: right now. God, we say yes. In the mighty name
30:23
S2: of Jesus.
30:26
S1: That's what you're talking about. One person and another person
30:30
S1: and another person. So it's not this mass evangelism of,
30:34
S1: you know, nothing wrong with that. But if it's just
30:37
S1: one heart to one heart and and that happens. Back
30:42
S1: in January, there was this conclave, this roundtable that you
30:48
S1: participated in. Tell me about that.
30:52
S2: Well, here it is. When you gather ministry leaders like
30:56
S2: Luis Palau and and from Billy Graham, from the goal movement,
31:01
S2: every home for Christ, Child evangelism fellowship. You know, Chris,
31:05
S2: it's just this amazing gathering of global evangelism. And the
31:11
S2: host asked the question, what is God saying to you
31:15
S2: in this next season of ministry? Just in a sentence
31:17
S2: or two. And the first person said, he's showing us, yes,
31:21
S2: continue with crusades and digital and media, you know, Christian radio.
31:27
S2: But but this is a time to go 1 to 1,
31:30
S2: you know, teach my people to, to, to share the
31:34
S2: gospel 1 to 1. And I'm of course I'm in
31:37
S2: the corner going, why am I in this room? You know,
31:39
S2: because I'm, I'm certainly not a global ministry. And, and
31:43
S2: the second person, same thing, third person almost verbatim. And
31:47
S2: you're going around the room and one of the one
31:50
S2: of the hosts said, we've been studying the hundreds of
31:53
S2: attempts to fulfill the Great Commission, and all of them
31:56
S2: are worthy in every single one of them. People are
31:58
S2: getting saved. But but this what if we banded together
32:03
S2: as these 50 global ministries and equip people to look
32:07
S2: for the one and. And based on our research, this
32:11
S2: would be the first attempt to fulfill the Great Commission
32:15
S2: equipping one person to look for one person. And the
32:20
S2: minute that was spoken, you know, like when you're in
32:22
S2: a meeting, when it's, you know, like it's over. It
32:24
S2: was over. People on their knees, people signing a declaration together,
32:29
S2: ministries sharing resources together. Hey, hey, we're huge over in
32:33
S2: this nation, this area. And then from, from this gathering
32:36
S2: that took place in Orlando was at the crew headquarters.
32:39
S2: Then there was a meeting held in Australia with creating
32:43
S2: a round table. That's what this was called, a round table.
32:46
S2: And so the question was raised in Australia. Would you
32:49
S2: gather would you unite together to go 1 to 1
32:52
S2: across all of Australia? So so business leaders, ministries like Hillsong,
32:57
S2: all these ministries, business leaders gathered together there in one
33:01
S2: room strategizing, asking Jesus for his strategy. How do we
33:05
S2: equip people to look for one? And in the adjoining room,
33:10
S2: there's over 100 intercessors who've been praying for over 20
33:13
S2: years for this moment. And so they came back from
33:17
S2: Australia with with a signed document from these ministries were
33:21
S2: banding together. And the document that we talked about and
33:25
S2: looked at in Orlando, this is a goal of raising
33:29
S2: up 100 million worshippers to share Jesus 1 to 1.
33:34
S2: So it's every believer, a witness, and it's 100 million
33:37
S2: raised up by the year 2033 in honor of of
33:42
S2: what happened 2000 years before 2033. So it says God
33:47
S2: sized vision, but it's going to be accomplished. As you
33:49
S2: said moments ago, Chris, we're declaring that the everyone is
33:54
S2: reached one at a time. So please, please pray for
33:58
S2: the The Evangelism roundtable. Please pray for all of us
34:01
S2: involved in that.
34:02
S1: And that means everybody, every ordinary. The person who feels
34:07
S1: very ordinary and very small. You have a part in
34:12
S1: this of looking for the one. Right?
34:16
S2: Well, that's exactly it. And as the ministry started sharing,
34:20
S2: they were talking about some of their internal data on
34:23
S2: how few people. There was one ministry that was sharing,
34:26
S2: working with youth and discipling people in high school and college.
34:31
S2: And the frustration of being stuck at 30% of these
34:35
S2: kids would ever have a conversation even about Jesus, much
34:39
S2: less share the gospel. And that was in a semester.
34:42
S2: So one conversation about Jesus in a semester, only 30%
34:45
S2: of the students are doing that. And that's despite all
34:48
S2: the resources and all the in-depth teaching and, and even
34:53
S2: t shirts and things to break the ice with other students. And,
34:57
S2: and now when you take this approach of looking for
35:01
S2: the one I'm hearing from youth groups that are doubling
35:04
S2: in a week or two, I'm hearing from Pastor Stu
35:08
S2: at County Line Church just north of Fort Wayne and
35:12
S2: and hearing him describing, you know, what's happening or a
35:16
S2: church that they had 200 new members in a year.
35:20
S2: Now there's 200 new members a month. And it's and
35:24
S2: it's and it's and it's when Jesus said go. He
35:28
S2: wasn't launching a business enterprise. Um, he, he said, go.
35:33
S2: And I'm, I'm going with you and I'll show you
35:35
S2: who it is. And it's like the woman at the well, when,
35:38
S2: when Jesus says it's time to reach the Samaritans, his strategy,
35:43
S2: his scandalous strategy is to ask a sinful woman who's
35:48
S2: been through how many divorces to ask this woman for
35:52
S2: a drink of water and and not to not to
35:56
S2: commission her at first, but to see her at first,
35:59
S2: to know all about her past and to have her
36:03
S2: understand that her heart is safe, that she is safe.
36:07
S2: And so her response. The woman left her water jar
36:10
S2: beside the well and ran back to the village after
36:13
S2: Jesus sees her, the one. And she told everyone, come
36:18
S2: and see a man who told me everything I ever did.
36:23
S2: Could he be the Messiah? And for you as a business,
36:27
S2: there's a business owner. Today I was praying about this program.
36:30
S2: You're wondering how to begin with your staff. Let's say
36:32
S2: let's say you have 100 people. Ask Jesus for the
36:36
S2: first one who holds the keys to several other hearts
36:41
S2: and relationships in your in your team. Just ask him
36:45
S2: to show you that first person. And when. That's your prayer, Jesus.
36:50
S2: He hears that prayer. When you say, when you raise
36:53
S2: your hand and say, pick me, here I am. Send me,
36:55
S2: pick me. He does. He sends you. And don't be
37:00
S2: surprised when the starting place is. Is that one person?
37:04
S1: Well, that's what you got to do. You've got to
37:06
S1: be ready. You know, who is it? And then be
37:09
S1: prepared when that actually happens and your jaw might hit
37:12
S1: the floor. If the you know the worker for you
37:15
S1: comes up and says, I've noticed you. You know, you have.
37:19
S1: You have a strong faith and I don't. And I
37:21
S1: really would like to have what you have. It doesn't
37:23
S1: happen that way every time. But but you, you can
37:27
S1: be ready so that then you move into their life. Okay,
37:30
S1: let me take again one more time out looking for
37:32
S1: the one is our featured resource. If you go to
37:35
S1: Chris fabriclive.org. It's by David McIvor, MCIVER. Subtitled Stories of
37:42
S1: seeing the lost, lonely and broken through the eyes of Jesus.
37:46
S1: We have it linked right there. Chris fabriclive.org. See why
37:50
S1: I told you that this might be a game changer
37:53
S1: for you? A life changer for you. There's more stories
37:56
S1: coming up straight ahead on Moody Radio. Now you know
38:08
S1: why I said at the beginning of the program. What
38:10
S1: if we made it too complicated? What David McIver is
38:13
S1: talking about here today is so simple, and it's basically
38:19
S1: inviting God into your life, into my life to say,
38:23
S1: all right, who is it that you're going for here?
38:26
S1: Looking for the one is our featured resource. Deborah is
38:29
S1: in Bemidji, Minnesota. Hi, Deborah. What did you want to
38:33
S1: say today?
38:34
S4: Hi. I just wanted to say thank you so much
38:36
S4: for this program. Um, this last week I was it
38:41
S4: was my turn to facilitate in our small group Bible study.
38:43
S4: And it turned out it was on evangelism, the Great Commission.
38:46
S4: It was just like, oh boy, that's something that I
38:49
S4: feel like I've been neglecting. And the Sunday before that,
38:53
S4: we had a message on evangelism, which isn't always, always
38:56
S4: what we hear. So today is like, okay, three times
38:59
S4: I think I'm hearing from God that it's time to
39:02
S4: step out. And I just love what you're saying. It
39:05
S4: just simplifies, um, the process of being so worried about.
39:10
S1: Yes.
39:10
S4: What? What I'm going to prepare in order to be ready.
39:14
S4: You know. I know you need to be prepared in
39:15
S4: some way, but, um. Yeah, so I and one other
39:19
S4: thought I had was to I know my brother's an
39:22
S4: unbeliever and I've shared with him since I became a
39:25
S4: Christian like 40 years ago. And, um, he's very resistant. Um,
39:31
S4: and I think I kind of got stuck there and, um,
39:36
S4: I was so focused on family on him that it
39:39
S4: took my eyes off of everybody else. Um, if that
39:43
S4: makes sense.
39:44
S5: Oh it does. It does. Yeah.
39:46
S1: Not that God doesn't care about your brother, you know,
39:50
S1: and and don't stop praying for him. But what do
39:53
S1: you say about that? David.
39:56
S2: What is your brother's first name? Because I'm going to
39:58
S2: pray something over him that I have kind of marveled
40:01
S2: at how God unlocks this. What's his first name?
40:05
S4: His first name is Dan.
40:07
S2: Okay, Jesus. I lift up Dan and I am praying
40:12
S2: that there's a revelation of the first place, the first
40:16
S2: time that he he believed a lie about you. And
40:19
S2: we know from your word that when Adam and Eve.
40:22
S2: That when the serpent came, there was. There was a
40:26
S2: lie about about who you are and about your goodness. And, uh,
40:31
S2: and God without the healing of that first place. Um,
40:35
S2: there's always going to be that place for the evil
40:37
S2: one to push this man away from you. So in
40:40
S2: the name of Jesus, we pray Jesus, reveal where it
40:44
S2: is that he first believed that and restore his trust
40:48
S2: and restore. Let. Let his heart heal. Let that wound
40:51
S2: be healed and that resistance slip away. And give your servant.
40:56
S2: Give your daughter the incredible privilege of of watching you
41:00
S2: open his eyes and being there just to, just to celebrate,
41:05
S2: just to celebrate what you're about to do. And over
41:08
S2: this church in Bemidji. Jesus. Thank you God. Um, send
41:12
S2: them send them out one at a time, two at
41:14
S2: a time. And the stories we're hearing of people going
41:18
S2: out together and standing outside grocery stores asking who you're
41:21
S2: looking for. God, make it that supernaturally simple and wonderful. Um,
41:27
S2: bring bring the city of Bemidji alive. We pray in
41:30
S2: Jesus name.
41:32
S5: Amen.
41:33
S1: Deborah. Thank you. Thank you for calling here. Being the
41:36
S1: one to to get on this half hour. Um, I had,
41:41
S1: I was telling you as I'm listening to you, I'm
41:43
S1: thinking about conversations. I'm thinking about relationships that I've had
41:46
S1: in the past. And there was one place I was
41:48
S1: at a tire store in this fellow acted real ugly
41:51
S1: to me, and it was kind of a toxic thing.
41:55
S1: And I, you know, I wanted to get out of there.
41:57
S1: But the more you talk, the more I think, well,
42:00
S1: maybe he was the one and I, if I had
42:04
S1: gotten over my the affront, you know. So, uh, is
42:08
S1: there a story you can think of that would would
42:10
S1: help in that situation?
42:14
S2: Well, when you ask Jesus who he's looking for and
42:16
S2: someone is antagonistic in their language or anything with the gospel,
42:21
S2: they're just rough around the edges. Uh, my wife, Sherry,
42:24
S2: and I are at a medical clinic, and we start
42:27
S2: visiting with this husband and wife. They're from Australia and
42:30
S2: they've come to this clinic for treatment. Um, Ron has
42:33
S2: stage four cancer in his throat. And, you know, medically,
42:38
S2: medically it's over. He has he has at the most
42:42
S2: a few months, probably a few weeks. And then they
42:45
S2: launched into, you know, his wife Karen, just shaking her
42:49
S2: fist at God, how Jesus can't be the Son of God.
42:51
S2: And there's all this violence in the Old Testament and
42:55
S2: on and on it goes. There's so rough around the
42:57
S2: edges and so antagonistic, and the still small voice is
43:00
S2: whispering to me, just pray for them. Pray for them.
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S2: And I'm whispering back. I don't want to get punched.
43:06
S2: You know, I'm having this conversation in the background. And
43:10
S2: and I finally asked, I looked at Ron and just said,
43:13
S2: is it okay if Sherry and I was very clear.
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S2: Can we ask Jesus to help you? And he nods
43:20
S2: his head. And so we held out our hands. So
43:23
S2: I'm holding Karen's hand and Sherry's holding Ron's hand, and
43:27
S2: I prayed for 2 or 3 minutes and then I
43:30
S2: just have to say for you introverts, my wife is
43:32
S2: an introvert. If she knew I was talking about right now,
43:34
S2: I'd be in trouble. Um, she's a, she's a huge
43:37
S2: introvert and huge instincts and insight into people's hearts. And
43:42
S2: so instead of praying for Ron's healing, I was praying
43:45
S2: about his healing. She starts praying about his heart and
43:49
S2: she starts praying about him like, like she has known
43:51
S2: him for decades. And the Spirit of God is praying
43:55
S2: through her and whispering through her. And as she is praying,
43:59
S2: I hear this little voice whispering, thank you, Jesus. Thank
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S2: you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. And I, and I peeked,
44:06
S2: I opened my eyes and it's Karen who, seconds before
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S2: Jesus can't be the Son of God. And now when
44:12
S2: she hears that Jesus loves her husband and loves her
44:17
S2: and sees them. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. So
44:21
S2: we're back in the same clinic setting. It's like five
44:24
S2: days later and Ron comes walking in, gets the attention
44:27
S2: of the whole room and just said, my scans just
44:31
S2: came back. The doctor just called, the scan came back
44:34
S2: and it's all gone. Stage four lung. I mean, throat
44:37
S2: cancer gone. And he looked and he's looking at me
44:41
S2: and I said, is it okay if we thank Jesus?
44:43
S2: And he says, yes. So in front of this, you know,
44:46
S2: here we've got a room full of people and the
44:48
S2: believers at their tables, many of them with cancer, some
44:51
S2: of them with stage four cancer. These precious believers get up,
44:55
S2: are lay their hands on Ron and Karen and give
44:59
S2: thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Give thanks
45:01
S2: to the Lord, for he is good. Jesus anoints your
45:04
S2: sons and daughters. We repent of making this complex or
45:08
S2: making it about us, making it awkward when it's you
45:12
S2: drawing them in, washing their feet, holding them, healing their hearts.
45:17
S2: Do that through us, Jesus. One by one we pray. Amen.
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S1: Amen. There's a story. And it's not just the people
45:26
S1: who don't know Jesus. There's a story that you tell.
45:29
S1: You were on a plane ride and it was a
45:32
S1: grandfather going back to speak to a grandson, or just
45:36
S1: spend time with a grandson who had contemplated suicide, actually.
45:41
S1: And you just had this conversation with this man. And
45:45
S1: the people around, you know, you didn't try to be
45:48
S1: loud or anything, but the people around heard that. So
45:51
S1: the one might be a believer who's really struggling or
45:55
S1: a believer who's got a storm, you know, in their life.
45:59
S1: Who is that one? Jesus, lead me to them today
46:04
S1: and help me be faithful. That's what the book is about.
46:07
S1: Looking for the one. It's our featured resource at Chris
46:10
S1: Fabry live.org. By David McIver. David, thanks for sharing your heart.
46:16
S1: Anything else in 30s or less?
46:20
S2: I would just say over you, the listening family, you.
46:24
S2: The spirit of the Lord is upon you and he
46:27
S2: has anointed you to walk with him, to touch the
46:31
S2: pain in people's lives and to speak a word of
46:34
S2: hope and to and to speak the matchless name of Jesus.
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S2: He's anointing you to do that in Jesus name.
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S1: Chris Fabry lives production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of
46:47
S1: Moody Bible Institute. Thanks a lot for listening.