Reflections on Faith, History, and the Impact of George Whitefield's Great Awakening
Jeff Chamblee Welcome to Real Truth for Today with Pastor Jeff Schrieve, Senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas. Now, here's Pastor Jeff.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Well, good m Monday morning and welcome to Real Truth for Today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve here. I hope you're having a good start to your work week. we had a great weekend at First Baptist Texarkana. We invited, my friend, Marine evangelist Tim Lee, in honor of Veterans Day, which is this Wednesday. Tim Lee, if you know his story, he served in Vietnam. And in 1971, he stepped on a landmine as they were doing a, mine sweep and it blew his legs off. should have cost him his life, but God spared his life. And through much prayer and God's intervention, he was able to keep, at least some part of his legs on both sides. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. But, it was really close to them taking everything, taking the hip and everything which would have made him be in a bed, just lying flat for the rest of his life, which is really no life at all. And God, intervened in his book, wonderful book of his life story. Born on the 5th of July. So Tim came yesterday and preached, the gospel and gave the invitation. And we had 45 people that indicated, came forward, raised their hand and said, yes, I want to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, I want to bow the knee. And so that was exciting. And then, Sunday night we gathered again to watch the movie A Great Awakening, the sight and Sound Downs movie A Great Awakening about George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin. And the, the movie is all based on this, this statement before there Was a revolution. There was an awakening, there was a revival. There was George Whitfield coming to the colonies in the late 1730s and, and 1740s, I think he came, seven different times and would preach, going up and down to all the different, places in the thirteen colonies and preached the gospel. And there was an awakening of people's souls to the lord. And that set the stage for the American revolution and, the American experiment that is 250 years old. Well, that movie really, if you haven't seen a great awakening, I encourage you to watch it really struck me.
Exploring George Whitefield's Ministry and Benjamin Franklin's Move Toward Prayer
Now I love George Whitefield. I love the fire that that guy had. Willingness that he had to, be mocked and laughed at and have, rocks thrown at him, coal thrown at him, rotten fruit thrown at him. All the things, that he endured and, to give his whole life. Never married, never had a family. To give his whole life to preaching the gospel and seeing men, women, boys and girls come to Christ. He had this powerful voice. They said, it's like the, thunder of God going forth. And in the movie, they depict Benjamin Franklin, denying that, the claim that Whitefield could be heard by 30,000 people without voice amplification. He said, no way, that's impossible. And then when Whitefield came, Franklin is doing calculations. All these thousands of people are hearing George Whitefield. And he goes back to the furthest point and he says, yes, based on my calculations, he could be heard by 30,000 people. Well, that struck up a friendship between Whitefield and Ben Franklin. And Franklin would do, the printing and get the word out. And, Whitefield would witness repeatedly to Benjamin Franklin, it seems to no avail. Although Benjamin Franklin at the end of his life, One of the most famous things about him was him standing up at the, gathering. Gathering of the states for the, constitutional congress. And he brought them together because he said, hey, we need to pray. Obviously, my paraphrase, but guys, we need to pray. Unless the lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. And if a sparrow doesn't fall to the ground without God's okay, does it make sense that we could build this nation without God's help and without his aid? And so he turned, the tide of, that divided group. as he said, we need to have preachers come in here and we need to call upon the lord together. That doesn't sound like a deist to me.
The Uncertain Faith of Benjamin Franklin and the Assurance of Eternal Life
A deist says, well, God has nothing to do with this world. He's the clockmaker he put it all together, he wound it up and then he went off and went fishing or whatever he did. But he's not concerned about it anymore. Well, you wouldn't pray in that instance. And so Benjamin Franklin encouraged prayer. Who knows if Benjamin Franklin ever prayed to receive Christ and gave his life to Christ. He had all the, information, he knew the truth. Whitefield, implored him to trust Christ throughout his life and throughout their 30 year friendship. So we'll see. Time will tell. You know, it is said there's kind of a little joke that says, you know, there are three big surprises when you get to heaven. You're surprised who's there, you're surprised at who's not there. And thirdly, you're surprised that you're there. Now that third one is really tongue in cheek because these things are written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know k n o w that you have eternal life. You don't have to be surprised that you're there.
Focusing on Souls and Christian Involvement in Politics Amidst Difficult Times
first Jon, chapter 5, verse 13. But you are going to be surprised at who is there and who is not there. The Lord knows those who are his. Now I wanted to read to you from Acts chapter one. You know, with all the things that have gone on in the last, week in America with the vote and it just reminds me again that we need to be about, the subject of souls. We need to be focused in on souls and doing what the Lord has called us to do. difficult times in the last days. Difficult times will come. Difficult times are here. Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money. they're going to be boastful, brutal haters of God. all the long list that Paul gives to Timothy in second Timothy, chapter three. And so we need to focus in on, okay, what are we here for now? My friend Bill Federer says the most important thing is share the gospel. Second most important thing is to make sure that we have the freedom to do the most important thing. And Christians need to be involved, as we have said repeatedly, we need to be involved in the process of electing our leaders. And we need to have good leaders on the ballot. And so more Christians need to get involved. Many political people in the Bible, great people in the Bible, people like Joseph, one of the greatest, Old Testament characters. He's a political person. He was prime minister in Egypt for 80 years. Daniel a political person. And then David, the man after God's own heart. He was king, he's a Political person. And so this idea that we keep away from politics is not a biblical idea.
Jesus's Commission to Be Witnesses and the Power of the Holy Spirit
We need to get involved so we can be the salt and light and affect the culture. So Acts chapter one. Jesus is getting ready to ascend to heaven. The resurrected Jesus says. So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? They thought that, the reign of Messiah was coming, Right then I would have thought that too. but he said to them, it is not for you to know times or epics, which the Father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses. Literally, that's the Greek word, that we get our English word martyr from. You shall be my martyrs. And, you know, in the Greek, that word meant a witness. But witnesses were killed. So that word became used as, you're a martyr. You die for your faith, you die for your witness. You shall be my witnesses, my martyrs, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of, of the earth. And after he said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, obviously angels. They also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. And they went back to Jerusalem. And you know what they did? They prayed. They prayed for 10 days. And 10 days after the ascension was the day of Pentecost. And that was the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Examining True Christianity and the Disconnect Between Self-Identification and Biblical Worldview
And 3,000 people were saved on the day of Pentecost. Now, I was listening just, just this weekend, just on Friday or Saturday, I was listening to a, podcast with Ken Ham and Todd Friel. And Ken Ham and Todd Friel were talking about, this issue and this question, how many Christians, true Christians, born again Christians, how many are there in America? And I mean, obviously nobody knows the exact number, but just, you know, take a guess. And so Todd Friel asked Ken Ham that question. And as I was watching, I was curious about his response because I had an idea in my mind. And, he said what I said, probably about 5%, no more than 10%, 10% of Americans, max, are genuine born again believers 60% claim, over 60% claim to be Christians, self identify as Christian, but that, you know, Barack Obama says he's a Christian. James Talarico says he's a Christian. You're not a Christian just because you say I'm a Christian. You're a Christian, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when you bow your life to his, salvation, to his cross, an empty tomb, to his word, his will and his ways. When you surrender yourself to Jesus, that's what makes you a Christian. You turn from sin and turn to the Savior. And you say, along with that song lyric, in my hand, no price I bring, but simply to your cross I cling. You trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation. That's what makes a Christian.
The Christian Walk of Faith, Repentance, and Viewing the World Through a Biblical Lens
And then you live your life as you therefore have received Christ, Jesus the Lord. Colossians 2, 6 says, so walk in him, you received him by, grace through faith. How do you walk in him? By grace through faith. And repentance is not a one time thing. It's a one time thing to get saved. But we're constantly dealing with sin in our own lives. In the Christian life, we're confessing that to the Lord. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now here's the problem. Over 60% say they're Christians. Only 6%, according to George Barna, have a biblical worldview. Only 6% of those who say they're Christians have a biblical worldview. There's a major disconnect. And so what does it mean to have a biblical worldview? It means you view the world through the lens of the Bible. We have so many today who view, the Bible through the lens of the world, through the lens of culture. Give you an example. So I was looking at some, posts on X and one pastor who's notorious for being, in my opinion, wrong on pretty much every issue. He was talking about how, he and his friends, liberal, pastor friends, were so excited about the results of the election on Tuesday.
Critique of Secular Worldviews and Political Choices Contrasted with God's Direction
And one of them said, you know, God did his thang T H A N G. And it's like, really, you think that that was God's thang to, have immorality elected to have insanity, elected to have people who can't define the word woman, elected, to have people who call the brutal murder of the unborn reproductive health care? That's calling evil good and good evil. You think it's God's thing to, want to mutilate young kids and give them drugs and have them go through gender affirming care, which is calling evil good and good evil. That's not what God is about. we could go on and on about all the evils of this candidate, that candidate, the other candidate that are supposedly conservative. But when you look at overall, what does the party stand for, what direction is this taking us? Well, we made a decision Tuesday as a country to go in this direction. That is not God's direction. It's calling evil good and good evil. And the Bible says about that.
Returning to the Program and the Call to Be Witnesses for Christ
Woe to those who do that. Well, you're listening to Real truth for today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve. Here we are, listening on American Family Radio. We are, up against a break, but we will be right back. Just a couple of minutes. Don't go away.
This July we celebrate the birth of our nation and remember the heroes who fought for our freedoms. But did you know there are Americans today who don't have the freedom of life and liberty. Every day, unborn babies very lives are under attack. But because of preborn, we can rescue them.
Speaker E I got to hear and see my baby for the first time. Hearing the heartbeat made me cry and it was certain that I was going to keep my baby forever.
Ultrasounds save lives. And when you save a life at a PreBorn Network clinic, you often save a Soul as over 85,000 women have come to know Christ. To learn more about preborn's life saving work, call pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's 250 baby. Or visit preborn.com afr that's preborn.com afr all gifts are tax deductible. Your love can save a life.
The Power of the Holy Spirit in Witnessing and the Loss of Sound Mind
Jeff Chamblee This is real truth for today. Podcasts of the program are available on the podcast [email protected] now back to Pastor Jeff Schrieve.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Welcome back to the program, Pastor Jeff. Here we're talking about, being the witnesses God called us to be. The main thing above all else, why are we here? But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses. We don't witness in our puny strength. We witness in the power of the Holy Spirit as we surrender, freshly surrender our lives to Jesus so he can fill us and control us. We can make a difference. And, it was said of Paul and Silas, these men who have upset the world, Acts 17:6 have come here also. And, they came to Thessalonica. Wow, they have upset the world. They have made such a difference now, even the unbelieving world, if they're honest enough to assess things. Now, I got dinged because, I had said that, we have people that are not honest and not of sound mind on the left. And somebody said, how dare you say that? Well, why do I say that? That some people on the left don't have a sound mind. Well, Romans, chapter one. God gives them over to a reprobate mind, a depraved mind, a mind that no longer functions.
Debunking Secular Morality and the Essential Role of Religious Structure and Humility
Listen, if you call, reproductive abortion, the brutal murder of the unborn reproductive health care, you don't have a sound mind. You're not fair minded about that. That's not what it is. Bill Maher even said, well, it is the murder. I can understand the absolutist position because it is the murder of the unborn. He said, that's okay. I'm okay with that. at least he's honest about it. He's just okay with murder, and murdering the most defenseless of all. And as I said, if you call poisoning, a child's mind and encouraging them in the way of transgenderism and then putting them on drugs and even, giving them surgery and being the doctor who actually does that, the butcher that did that to Chloe Cole, she's now suing him. Good for her. I hope she wins, big and that guy is put out of business. I mean, the butchers that Hitler employed, under the guise of being a medical doctor, the tortures that they did at Auschwitz and Ravensbruck and other concentration camps, I mean, the people that are doing this stuff today, man, it's even worse than what they did in Nazi Germany, in my opinion. And they know better and yet they're still doing it. It doesn't make any sense at all. So I ran across a clip today from Joe Rogan. I don't know when he did it, just, ah, maybe a few days ago. Didn't, give a timestamp on it. But he was talking about Democrats, and Republicans, the left and the right, progressives and conservatives. And this is what he had to say. I thought it was insightful from a guy who is not a believer.
Joe Rogan I have a theory about why the left is so much more loony in my opinion, currently. I mean, it's not like the right isn't loony, but the left is loony. And some like, things that don't make any sense. And, I think it's because the left is secular, like almost Universally, like, when you think about the left, you generally don't think about, like, Christianity or any religion, really. It's more of, like, a science based. Like, we're too smart for that thing. I think they're just lost. There's no. There's no moral scaffolding to hold on to. There's no not. And I'm not saying, you know, religion is 100% great. But what I am saying is there's something about having a structure, like ten Commandments or, you know, whatever they have in whatever religion we're talking about, where there's rules to abide by because there's a higher power. And then you worship. And in worshiping, there's. There's a humility to that and a humbleness to that. And then there's this community where everyone's drawn together and we're all agreeing on certain rules. Like, I always talk about, like, the church parking lot is proof that Christianity works. Because everybody's so nice. They all let you go. Like, you go. You go. Like, it's all so orderly, like, nowhere on earth. I'm like, just. That alone proves that Christianity can work and that there's something to that.
The Bible as God's Standard for Morality, Laws, and the Fear of the Lord
Pastor Jeff Schreve Okay, that was Joe Rogan. Now, what does he hit on? He hits on something that's very important. So Christianity, you have a standard, which is the word of God. Which is. What is the word of God? It is God's mind in print. It's God telling us, who he is and what he requires of us. What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? Where do we learn about justice? From the word of God. And, where do we learn about morality? From the word of God. How are we supposed to set up laws from the word of God? And so Christianity has a standard. And then there's the fear of the Lord. Knowing the fear of the Lord. Paul says, we persuade men. 2 Corinthians 5, 11. And so we have this internal, check from the Holy Spirit because we have a fear of God. The fear of the Lord recognizes that God is God and that we're not God. And, our job is to serve God. God doesn't serve us, we serve him. The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good. And so we know that God is watching. So, that gives us an internal motivation to not steal from my brother, to not lie about my brother, to not murder my brother or harm my brother. And so that's why that works. And that is not based on what does the government say? That's based on what God says. But as Joe Rogan said, what does he see on the left? The left is totally secular. So this idea, that a pastor would say, well, on Tuesday, you know, the left, one big God did his thang. Well, even Joe Rogan knows, well, that's not God doing his thang. that's the opposite. And, I played the clip, a couple of different times where Dinesh d' Souza is talking to that, that once radical imam who once.
The Red-Green Alliance and the Incompatibility of Islam with Progressive Values
He's still an imam, and he still wants to bring about Sharia law all over the world, and especially in the United States. But I don't think it's more political jihad as opposed to military, jihad. But he said, you know, how do we vote as Muslims? Well, we vote left. We always vote left. He said, why do you do that? He said, because we see the left as people without any principles. I mean, they're just going to say and do whatever to gain power so we can use them. They are. He didn't use this term, but, they are useful idiots. that's a socialist term. Now, the irony is that the progressives think they're using the Islamists to gain power, and the Islamists know they're using the progressives to gain power. Islam has nothing to do with lgbtq, with abortion, with transgender. They don't have anything to do with that. what happens at Bill Maher's pointing this out, you know, can you be gay in Gaza? And he had one guest said, oh, of course. And he said, well, can you be alive? are there gay bars in Gaza? Obviously not. Islam doesn't put up with that. And so what do they do with gays? They execute them. So you have this red green alliance that doesn't make any sense at all. But they're people on the left who don't have principles. They're not guided by the standard of the word of God.
Challenging Liberal Interpretations of the Bible on Life and Gender
And then you have liberal progressive liberals who claim to be Christian. We mentioned James Tallarico as one. well, he discounts the Bible. He makes it up. He says, the Bible is silent on abortion. God is non binary. There are six genders. He just makes all this stuff up. And he tries to say, well, you know, when does life begin? Well, obviously in Genesis chapter two, it didn't begin until Adam took his first breath. And it's like, well, Adam wasn't in a womb. that's how God's Creating, man from the dust of the earth. And he breathes into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. That's not the same as Cain being in Eve's womb. That's a different beast. And so you can't say, well, that proves that, life doesn't begin until you breathe. Jon the Baptist was six months in his mother Elisabeth's womb. And when Jesus, Mary, who was carrying Jesus in her womb, when she walked in, all of a sudden, Jon the Baptist leaps in his mother's womb, knowing that his Lord was there, and he is a person there in the womb. Well, I thought that was interesting. And, you know, I go on to say in my post on Facebook that, we have to remember, you know, these people get this idea, too.
The Necessity of Speaking Truth in Love and the World's Rejection of Jesus
And I hear this all the time. You know, I get people coming at me. You're not very loving. You need to be loving. You need to be more accepting. You need to be more like Jesus. I wrote this. People erroneously think that Jesus walked around Israel preaching nothing but sweetness and acceptance and love. Well, he ended up getting crucified. He had to say some things that tick some people off. And this is what he said to his brothers. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it, that its deeds are. Are evil. Jesus loved people enough to tell them the truth. And how does the world respond when you tell the world the truth? They hate you for it. You know, there was a reason why, when Pilate posed the question, who do you want me to release for you? This man or Barabbas? And they said, barabbas. What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? Let him be crucified. Why? What evil has he done? Let him be crucified. Shall I crucify your king? We have no king but Caesar is what they said. Now, did they, choose Barabbas over Jesus because they loved Barabbas so much? No, it's because they hated Jesus. And why would they hate the one who is love in the flesh? God is love. Jesus is God. God. He is there, love personified. Because they want affirmation in their sin. And he didn't do that. He called them out for it. He testified against them, that their deeds were evil. Ah, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not, comprehend it. It does not want it. Men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds are, evil. Jon, chapter three. And so they hate the light. They come after the light. They want to put out the Light. And listen, you and I are the light of the world.
Being the Light of the World and Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
And so when we start shining, when we get the bushel basket off the light and we start shining, and it starts first, what did Jesus say? You put the lamp, you put the light on the lampstand, and it illuminates the whole house. You start shining from your house first. your marriage is your greatest testimony. Your home is your greatest testimony. And we need to have the spirit of God just filling every nook and cranny of our lives and of our homes, that the sweet aroma, the knowledge of him would go forth everywhere we go. Hey, when that light starts shining from your life, well, people notice that, and, they can be uncomfortable because the light comes, and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds are evil. And so they can get mad at you. Quit shining the light. But that's our job, to be his witnesses, to shine the light, to share, to tell people about Jesus, who's mighty to save, to let people know that they are in serious, serious trouble.
Assessing Donald Trump's Faith and the Christian Imperative to Pray for Enemies
Now, some watched, the interview Last night on 60 Minutes that was aired on 60 Minutes with Donald Trump. I have maintained that, there's never been anything Donald Trump has said that. I would say, well, that guy understands the gospel. That guy is a believer. He's not. He can't articulate a relationship with the Lord. He says, well, I'm a religious person, so therefore, I guess I'll go to heaven. And the guy said, well, what if you had to forgive your enemies? He said, well, I can't do that. I hate them. Well, what does the Bible say about that? If you have hate in your heart toward another person, First Jon, chapter three. This is the message which we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Donald Trump, we pray for that guy's soul. I mean, regardless of the politics, you know, you can take the person you disagree with the most politically. And from a Christian perspective, as I've said numerous times, you don't want that person to perish. Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, you Don't want that person to perish and be in hell.
The Unlimited Power of the Gospel to Save Sinners, Even the Worst
You want them to come to their senses. And if God can save, a cannibal, mass murderer like, Jeffrey Dahmer, then he can save anybody. You know, the gospel is not limited. The blood of Jesus doesn't hit certain sins and say, oh, I can't wash that one white as snow. That's too wicked. That's too evil. David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, he came to know Christ. He put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And the blood of Jesus, God's son, was able to wash that filthy sinner. And the terrible things that he did, killing, and maiming people, God can forgive. Paul said he's the chief of sinners. And his testimony is basically this. If God can forgive me, he can forgive anyone because I'm the chief of sinners. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And, you know, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and that's a true statement. And that's what we get to share with people. And hopefully that shows up when we elect people. And we need to have, as I said, we need to have good and godly people running for office and people that we can say, hey, I can get behind this person. Nobody's perfect. when George Whitefield was sharing the gospel with Ben Franklin, Franklin pointed out some inconsistencies in Whitefield's life. And he said, don't base your faith on me. Base it on Jesus and what he did on the cross. Well, you're listening to Real Truth for today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve here. When we come back from the break, we'll be taking your calls. 888-589-8840. That's triple 858-98840. If you have a question or comment, I'd love to hear from you. So pick up the phone and let's talk.
The Importance of Being Witnesses and the Necessity of Repentance for Salvation
Jeff Chamblee If you'd like to contact Pastor Jeff, email pastor jeffromhishheart.org now back to Real Truth for today with Pastor Jeff.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Welcome back to the program. Pastor Jeff here. I, just want to mention, in case you don't know, we are going to Israel. April 2nd, 11th, and, looking forward to that trip. I know Tim, Wildmon is leaving this week for Israel. And so, if you are not on Tim's trip, but you said, oh, I wanted to go, well, you can come with me. we are going to have a great time April 2nd through the 11th. And you can get all the information by going to fromsheart.org fromisheart.org and just click on Holy Land 2027. Gives you all the places we're going, gives you the costs of everything. And, we'd love to have you go with us. So we're going to the phone lines 888-589-8840. We've been talking about, our number one job, which is something that we need to constantly remind ourselves of, and that is to be his witnesses. That is why we are here. And one of the things I think that is difficult for us, Tim, Lee brought this up yesterday, is to continue to pray and to pray that God would soften hearts and to pray that God would give us a heart for lost people and to speak the truth in love and to call men, women, boys and girls to repentance. There has to be conviction of sin. You can't get saved without repentance. Luke 13:3, Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And you say, well, he probably didn't mean that. Luke 13:5, he says it again.
Personal Testimony of Salvation Through Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ
Truly, I say to you, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Paul said in Acts, chapter 20, he was solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of two repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. When I got saved, I got convicted of the fact that I was a sinner. And I was lost. And I couldn't save myself. I couldn't be good enough that if I died, I'd go to hell. And when that realization came into my heart, that's when I cried out, jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. I, got down on my knees and I just prayed this prayer. Save me, Jesus. Save me. And he did, because he'll save anybody who will come to him in repentance and faith. Well, we're going to the phone lines 888-589-8840. And we have our friend Lee on the line from Virginia. Lee, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline good morning, Pastor.
The State of the Church in America and the Need to Return to the Gospel
Pastor Jeff Schreve Morning.
Caroline I'd like to kind of think, take it just a little bit different. you said a while ago, and I think you were, correct, 60% of American people say they're Christians. That probably it's less than 10% or less. Yes. How many. How many of the percentage of churches in the United States of all denominations are actually NewSong Testament churches? Really? People are in churches that are not preaching the total gospel, that have turned away from the gospel. You know, the Bible says it's impossible for a, bad tree to bear good fruit. So people are in churches that think they are saved, that thinks they're hearing the gospel, that see no need of repentance. And to me, what we see going on in America today goes right back to the church. I heard a man Years ago, I'm 75, and I heard a guy one time holding, revival, I was probably 35 at the time. And he said, what's wrong in America is what's wrong with the church. And he kind of made me mad. But I got to thinking about that years later, he's right. What's wrong with America is wrong with the churches. And, and there's only one prescription for America that's to turn back to the gospel. And you're talking about George Whitefield. Those people were lost, but they had never had heard the true gospel.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Right? You're exactly right. So you know, the, the phrase that keeps coming back to me, Lee, is from Jon Adams, we designed the constitution. It's only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other.
The Church's Role in Morality and the Potential for Revival in America
Who's the job of keeping the people moral and religious? That's not the job of the politician. That's the job of the church. And churches and pastors have dropped the ball. And so we're supposed to make a difference in the culture. The culture is not supposed to make a difference in the church. And so we see the reverse, of the way God designed it taking place. Right now we have the culture coming into the church and not the church impacting as salt and light impacting the culture. And we have an opportunity to get back to that and to see God bring about a revival. Hey, if wicked Nineveh in Jonah chapter three can respond to the preaching of Jonah, who, who didn't even want to go there and who wanted God to send the judgment of the fire of judgment upon them if they can turn to the Lord and see great revival take place. The greatest revival in the Old Testament was in Nineveh. well, what can happen in America when we have, even at Lee, even at that 5 to 10% of genuine born again Christians. obviously, you know, lots of churches don't preach the gospel, but there are some that still preach the gospel and are on fire and pray and believe, God can do great things. You know, he wouldn't have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Admah and Zeboiim if he had found 10 righteous.
Discussion on Oaths, Islam's Incompatibility with American Values, and Political Dangers
And so we have way more than 10 righteous and so, we can trust that God is going to use us and God is going to answer as we, we pray. Always a joy to hear from you my friend. You always have great comments, so God bless you. Well, we have, Barb on the line from Nebraska. Barb, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline Good morning, Pastor.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Good morning.
Caroline Something that's been on my mind a lot is, the swearing in. Is Vance going to let Elad from Michigan, Is he going to let him swearing on the Quran? Can he make him swear in on the Bible? that's our history and
Pastor Jeff Schreve yeah, good, question. I'd have to look that up. I think, I think he probably will. I think we had somebody else that wanted to swear in on the Quran. That might have happened, a, couple of years ago. it's. Our country is not founded on the Quran. Our country is founded on, the Bible. And that is obvious. As Bill, Federer points out, nine of the 13 colonies they had written in their state constitution that you had to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to hold public office. And so, the Constitution of the United States left that kind of language out, but it's obviously that's where those guys were coming from. And so the, the Quran and Islam's totally incompatible with, incompatible with the Bible. It's incompatible with, the Constitution. And so it's just, it's just lunacy. It's letting the fox into the hen house.
John Fetterman's Critique of Radical Politics and Unconventional Republican-like Stance
I do have a clip from Jon Fetterman. And you, know he's the Democrat, but he sees this, Abdul El Sayed as poison coming in. This is what he had to say.
Caroline I mean he's absolutely pro Iran and Hamas. I mean he even said he wants to define the police. and he's in a spiritual union with Hasan Piker, who really thinks that we deserve 9, 11. I mean, so overall I don't get along with communists and socialists and people that hate America, or people that pick on women, you know, like El Sayed. So overall,
Pastor Jeff Schreve so that'll be an interesting, combination there. Senator Jon Fetterman, he, sounds more like a Republican than some Republicans, so I'll look that up. Barb. I'm assuming he's going to want to do that in, I guess, I guess we're going to foolishly let him do that. So that remains to be seen. But I appreciate the question. Well, we have, David on the line from Virginia.
The Famine of the Word and the Power of Sharing Scripture
David, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline Good morning, sir.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Good morning.
Caroline hey, so I'm hearing you, I'm hearing you speak and, I can't help but think about that verse. There's a, ah, there's a famine. a famine of the Word. people aren't. They don't want to hear it. They're not hearing it. I mean, it's. We're in a time where we have it so ready available apps and books and how can the Word wash us if we're not being washed by the word? I'm so thankful for afr. And, and all the great godly content on it. And I'm super thankful that I, I drive a truck and I get to be in the, you know, to listen to this daily. Because I, to be honest, I'm not in the Word at home. Like, I don't crack my Bible every single day. Like I know I'm supposed to. And I think it was Joshua189. but man, it is so hard to, to listen and to see just that the answer is all around us. I mean, like, I don't know. I wonder. I wonder. I would love to see the expression on people's faces when they, when they open the Bible and God gives them revelation to his Word. Like, because I thought back on my word, I went all this time with just beating my head against the wall. But now I've been given a light, like salt and light. and I want to share it. and I, I hope that other people will come to that conclusion soon.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Yes, me too. Well, I appreciate it.
The Promise of God's Word and the Importance of Being Ready to Share the Gospel
David. Yeah, the verse you were, you were quoting there, Amos 8, 11. The Lord says, behold, days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. And so that's what we get to share. You know, Isaiah 55. For as the rain and snow fall down from heaven, and do not return there, without watering the earth and making it barren, sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be, which goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty or void, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. So when you don't know what to share with somebody, share a, ah, verse of scripture with them. and that's why it's important to hide God's word in your heart to have it ready to go, so that you're ready in season and out of season. And you can give an answer to anyone who gives, who ask you to give an account of the hope that is in you yet with gentleness and reverence. First Peter 3:15. And we're always to be ready with that. And so if all you know is Jon 3:16. I shared, a, testimony from Adrian Rogers when he was just a young teenage kid, a young believer, and that's the only verse he knew was Jon 3:16. And he shared Jon 3:16 with this guy who was living on the street. And that guy prayed to receive Christ. Because Jon 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell. But the Lord promises my word will not return empty. And so they can forget what you tell them, just even from your own testimony. But when you have the word of God in there, you have the promise from God that he's not going to let, that word fall empty. So God bless you, David. Thank you for listening to American Family Radio and thank you for calling in today. Well, we have Norman on the line from Mississippi. Norman, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Concerns About US Aid to Israel and Praying for Enemies Like Abdul El Sayed
Caroline All right, brother.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Hey,
Caroline I just wanted to call in. I got two questions. Number one, did I hear correctly, Mr. Trump say that at the end of the year, Israel will receive no more assistance from America?
Pastor Jeff Schreve I, haven't heard that. If he said it, I haven't heard it.
Caroline well, it was, it was broadcast on the, on the news. And the other thing that I, I have, I keep hearing people call in and almost spewing out hate for Abdul. But I thought the Bible told us that we should pray for our enemies and there's a reason why we should pray for them. That God could see your God can reach your enemy. God can cause Abdul to, excuse me, receive him and accept him as he is.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Yeah, well, I think people recognize I don't hate the guy, but I recognize he's a danger. You know, it's, it's kind of like if somebody were trying to break into your house to murder you, you would, you would pray for them. You, don't hate them, but you're on guard against them too, because you know that that person wants to do you harm and do your family harm and, the things that, El Sayed believes are dangerous. And as Jon Fetterman said, he doesn't like us, he doesn't like America, and yet we vote him in, which is just mind blowing.
Identifying the Wrong Team: A Call to Recognize and Reject Unbiblical Alliances
You can't have somebody on the team that wants the team to lose. You know, if the I Hate America flag burning crowd is, voting you into office, that's a dangerous thing. And they're joining the team. I've said many times that, you know, you look around and see who's on your team when you have no Christians on your team, no true Christians, no Bible believing Christians. You have the James Talarico Christian and aren't Christian at all, along with the LGBTQ crowd, the Planned Parenthood crowd, the, socialist and communist crowd, the transgender crowd. You're on the wrong team. The flag burning I Hate America crowd, the Islamic crowd, that's the wrong team. And so you need to come to your senses and say, wait a minute, this is not going to go well for me. Well, we're out of time. Thanks for the calls.
Concluding Thoughts: Shine for Christ and Be His Witness
And go out today. Shine for Christ. Share what great things the Lord has done for you. And know that God will you use you as his witness. God bless you.
Caroline The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Reflections on Faith, History, and the Impact of George Whitefield's Great Awakening
Jeff Chamblee Welcome to Real Truth for Today with Pastor Jeff Schrieve, Senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas. Now, here's Pastor Jeff.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Well, good m Monday morning and welcome to Real Truth for Today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve here. I hope you're having a good start to your work week. we had a great weekend at First Baptist Texarkana. We invited, my friend, Marine evangelist Tim Lee, in honor of Veterans Day, which is this Wednesday. Tim Lee, if you know his story, he served in Vietnam. And in 1971, he stepped on a landmine as they were doing a, mine sweep and it blew his legs off. should have cost him his life, but God spared his life. And through much prayer and God's intervention, he was able to keep, at least some part of his legs on both sides. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. But, it was really close to them taking everything, taking the hip and everything which would have made him be in a bed, just lying flat for the rest of his life, which is really no life at all. And God, intervened in his book, wonderful book of his life story. Born on the 5th of July. So Tim came yesterday and preached, the gospel and gave the invitation. And we had 45 people that indicated, came forward, raised their hand and said, yes, I want to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, I want to bow the knee. And so that was exciting. And then, Sunday night we gathered again to watch the movie A Great Awakening, the sight and Sound Downs movie A Great Awakening about George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin. And the, the movie is all based on this, this statement before there Was a revolution. There was an awakening, there was a revival. There was George Whitfield coming to the colonies in the late 1730s and, and 1740s, I think he came, seven different times and would preach, going up and down to all the different, places in the thirteen colonies and preached the gospel. And there was an awakening of people's souls to the lord. And that set the stage for the American revolution and, the American experiment that is 250 years old. Well, that movie really, if you haven't seen a great awakening, I encourage you to watch it really struck me.
Exploring George Whitefield's Ministry and Benjamin Franklin's Move Toward Prayer
Now I love George Whitefield. I love the fire that that guy had. Willingness that he had to, be mocked and laughed at and have, rocks thrown at him, coal thrown at him, rotten fruit thrown at him. All the things, that he endured and, to give his whole life. Never married, never had a family. To give his whole life to preaching the gospel and seeing men, women, boys and girls come to Christ. He had this powerful voice. They said, it's like the, thunder of God going forth. And in the movie, they depict Benjamin Franklin, denying that, the claim that Whitefield could be heard by 30,000 people without voice amplification. He said, no way, that's impossible. And then when Whitefield came, Franklin is doing calculations. All these thousands of people are hearing George Whitefield. And he goes back to the furthest point and he says, yes, based on my calculations, he could be heard by 30,000 people. Well, that struck up a friendship between Whitefield and Ben Franklin. And Franklin would do, the printing and get the word out. And, Whitefield would witness repeatedly to Benjamin Franklin, it seems to no avail. Although Benjamin Franklin at the end of his life, One of the most famous things about him was him standing up at the, gathering. Gathering of the states for the, constitutional congress. And he brought them together because he said, hey, we need to pray. Obviously, my paraphrase, but guys, we need to pray. Unless the lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. And if a sparrow doesn't fall to the ground without God's okay, does it make sense that we could build this nation without God's help and without his aid? And so he turned, the tide of, that divided group. as he said, we need to have preachers come in here and we need to call upon the lord together. That doesn't sound like a deist to me.
The Uncertain Faith of Benjamin Franklin and the Assurance of Eternal Life
A deist says, well, God has nothing to do with this world. He's the clockmaker he put it all together, he wound it up and then he went off and went fishing or whatever he did. But he's not concerned about it anymore. Well, you wouldn't pray in that instance. And so Benjamin Franklin encouraged prayer. Who knows if Benjamin Franklin ever prayed to receive Christ and gave his life to Christ. He had all the, information, he knew the truth. Whitefield, implored him to trust Christ throughout his life and throughout their 30 year friendship. So we'll see. Time will tell. You know, it is said there's kind of a little joke that says, you know, there are three big surprises when you get to heaven. You're surprised who's there, you're surprised at who's not there. And thirdly, you're surprised that you're there. Now that third one is really tongue in cheek because these things are written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know k n o w that you have eternal life. You don't have to be surprised that you're there.
Focusing on Souls and Christian Involvement in Politics Amidst Difficult Times
first Jon, chapter 5, verse 13. But you are going to be surprised at who is there and who is not there. The Lord knows those who are his. Now I wanted to read to you from Acts chapter one. You know, with all the things that have gone on in the last, week in America with the vote and it just reminds me again that we need to be about, the subject of souls. We need to be focused in on souls and doing what the Lord has called us to do. difficult times in the last days. Difficult times will come. Difficult times are here. Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money. they're going to be boastful, brutal haters of God. all the long list that Paul gives to Timothy in second Timothy, chapter three. And so we need to focus in on, okay, what are we here for now? My friend Bill Federer says the most important thing is share the gospel. Second most important thing is to make sure that we have the freedom to do the most important thing. And Christians need to be involved, as we have said repeatedly, we need to be involved in the process of electing our leaders. And we need to have good leaders on the ballot. And so more Christians need to get involved. Many political people in the Bible, great people in the Bible, people like Joseph, one of the greatest, Old Testament characters. He's a political person. He was prime minister in Egypt for 80 years. Daniel a political person. And then David, the man after God's own heart. He was king, he's a Political person. And so this idea that we keep away from politics is not a biblical idea.
Jesus's Commission to Be Witnesses and the Power of the Holy Spirit
We need to get involved so we can be the salt and light and affect the culture. So Acts chapter one. Jesus is getting ready to ascend to heaven. The resurrected Jesus says. So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? They thought that, the reign of Messiah was coming, Right then I would have thought that too. but he said to them, it is not for you to know times or epics, which the Father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses. Literally, that's the Greek word, that we get our English word martyr from. You shall be my martyrs. And, you know, in the Greek, that word meant a witness. But witnesses were killed. So that word became used as, you're a martyr. You die for your faith, you die for your witness. You shall be my witnesses, my martyrs, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of, of the earth. And after he said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, obviously angels. They also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. And they went back to Jerusalem. And you know what they did? They prayed. They prayed for 10 days. And 10 days after the ascension was the day of Pentecost. And that was the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Examining True Christianity and the Disconnect Between Self-Identification and Biblical Worldview
And 3,000 people were saved on the day of Pentecost. Now, I was listening just, just this weekend, just on Friday or Saturday, I was listening to a, podcast with Ken Ham and Todd Friel. And Ken Ham and Todd Friel were talking about, this issue and this question, how many Christians, true Christians, born again Christians, how many are there in America? And I mean, obviously nobody knows the exact number, but just, you know, take a guess. And so Todd Friel asked Ken Ham that question. And as I was watching, I was curious about his response because I had an idea in my mind. And, he said what I said, probably about 5%, no more than 10%, 10% of Americans, max, are genuine born again believers 60% claim, over 60% claim to be Christians, self identify as Christian, but that, you know, Barack Obama says he's a Christian. James Talarico says he's a Christian. You're not a Christian just because you say I'm a Christian. You're a Christian, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when you bow your life to his, salvation, to his cross, an empty tomb, to his word, his will and his ways. When you surrender yourself to Jesus, that's what makes you a Christian. You turn from sin and turn to the Savior. And you say, along with that song lyric, in my hand, no price I bring, but simply to your cross I cling. You trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation. That's what makes a Christian.
The Christian Walk of Faith, Repentance, and Viewing the World Through a Biblical Lens
And then you live your life as you therefore have received Christ, Jesus the Lord. Colossians 2, 6 says, so walk in him, you received him by, grace through faith. How do you walk in him? By grace through faith. And repentance is not a one time thing. It's a one time thing to get saved. But we're constantly dealing with sin in our own lives. In the Christian life, we're confessing that to the Lord. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now here's the problem. Over 60% say they're Christians. Only 6%, according to George Barna, have a biblical worldview. Only 6% of those who say they're Christians have a biblical worldview. There's a major disconnect. And so what does it mean to have a biblical worldview? It means you view the world through the lens of the Bible. We have so many today who view, the Bible through the lens of the world, through the lens of culture. Give you an example. So I was looking at some, posts on X and one pastor who's notorious for being, in my opinion, wrong on pretty much every issue. He was talking about how, he and his friends, liberal, pastor friends, were so excited about the results of the election on Tuesday.
Critique of Secular Worldviews and Political Choices Contrasted with God's Direction
And one of them said, you know, God did his thang T H A N G. And it's like, really, you think that that was God's thang to, have immorality elected to have insanity, elected to have people who can't define the word woman, elected, to have people who call the brutal murder of the unborn reproductive health care? That's calling evil good and good evil. You think it's God's thing to, want to mutilate young kids and give them drugs and have them go through gender affirming care, which is calling evil good and good evil. That's not what God is about. we could go on and on about all the evils of this candidate, that candidate, the other candidate that are supposedly conservative. But when you look at overall, what does the party stand for, what direction is this taking us? Well, we made a decision Tuesday as a country to go in this direction. That is not God's direction. It's calling evil good and good evil. And the Bible says about that.
Returning to the Program and the Call to Be Witnesses for Christ
Woe to those who do that. Well, you're listening to Real truth for today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve. Here we are, listening on American Family Radio. We are, up against a break, but we will be right back. Just a couple of minutes. Don't go away.
This July we celebrate the birth of our nation and remember the heroes who fought for our freedoms. But did you know there are Americans today who don't have the freedom of life and liberty. Every day, unborn babies very lives are under attack. But because of preborn, we can rescue them.
Speaker E I got to hear and see my baby for the first time. Hearing the heartbeat made me cry and it was certain that I was going to keep my baby forever.
Ultrasounds save lives. And when you save a life at a PreBorn Network clinic, you often save a Soul as over 85,000 women have come to know Christ. To learn more about preborn's life saving work, call pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's 250 baby. Or visit preborn.com afr that's preborn.com afr all gifts are tax deductible. Your love can save a life.
The Power of the Holy Spirit in Witnessing and the Loss of Sound Mind
Jeff Chamblee This is real truth for today. Podcasts of the program are available on the podcast [email protected] now back to Pastor Jeff Schrieve.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Welcome back to the program, Pastor Jeff. Here we're talking about, being the witnesses God called us to be. The main thing above all else, why are we here? But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses. We don't witness in our puny strength. We witness in the power of the Holy Spirit as we surrender, freshly surrender our lives to Jesus so he can fill us and control us. We can make a difference. And, it was said of Paul and Silas, these men who have upset the world, Acts 17:6 have come here also. And, they came to Thessalonica. Wow, they have upset the world. They have made such a difference now, even the unbelieving world, if they're honest enough to assess things. Now, I got dinged because, I had said that, we have people that are not honest and not of sound mind on the left. And somebody said, how dare you say that? Well, why do I say that? That some people on the left don't have a sound mind. Well, Romans, chapter one. God gives them over to a reprobate mind, a depraved mind, a mind that no longer functions.
Debunking Secular Morality and the Essential Role of Religious Structure and Humility
Listen, if you call, reproductive abortion, the brutal murder of the unborn reproductive health care, you don't have a sound mind. You're not fair minded about that. That's not what it is. Bill Maher even said, well, it is the murder. I can understand the absolutist position because it is the murder of the unborn. He said, that's okay. I'm okay with that. at least he's honest about it. He's just okay with murder, and murdering the most defenseless of all. And as I said, if you call poisoning, a child's mind and encouraging them in the way of transgenderism and then putting them on drugs and even, giving them surgery and being the doctor who actually does that, the butcher that did that to Chloe Cole, she's now suing him. Good for her. I hope she wins, big and that guy is put out of business. I mean, the butchers that Hitler employed, under the guise of being a medical doctor, the tortures that they did at Auschwitz and Ravensbruck and other concentration camps, I mean, the people that are doing this stuff today, man, it's even worse than what they did in Nazi Germany, in my opinion. And they know better and yet they're still doing it. It doesn't make any sense at all. So I ran across a clip today from Joe Rogan. I don't know when he did it, just, ah, maybe a few days ago. Didn't, give a timestamp on it. But he was talking about Democrats, and Republicans, the left and the right, progressives and conservatives. And this is what he had to say. I thought it was insightful from a guy who is not a believer.
Joe Rogan I have a theory about why the left is so much more loony in my opinion, currently. I mean, it's not like the right isn't loony, but the left is loony. And some like, things that don't make any sense. And, I think it's because the left is secular, like almost Universally, like, when you think about the left, you generally don't think about, like, Christianity or any religion, really. It's more of, like, a science based. Like, we're too smart for that thing. I think they're just lost. There's no. There's no moral scaffolding to hold on to. There's no not. And I'm not saying, you know, religion is 100% great. But what I am saying is there's something about having a structure, like ten Commandments or, you know, whatever they have in whatever religion we're talking about, where there's rules to abide by because there's a higher power. And then you worship. And in worshiping, there's. There's a humility to that and a humbleness to that. And then there's this community where everyone's drawn together and we're all agreeing on certain rules. Like, I always talk about, like, the church parking lot is proof that Christianity works. Because everybody's so nice. They all let you go. Like, you go. You go. Like, it's all so orderly, like, nowhere on earth. I'm like, just. That alone proves that Christianity can work and that there's something to that.
The Bible as God's Standard for Morality, Laws, and the Fear of the Lord
Pastor Jeff Schreve Okay, that was Joe Rogan. Now, what does he hit on? He hits on something that's very important. So Christianity, you have a standard, which is the word of God. Which is. What is the word of God? It is God's mind in print. It's God telling us, who he is and what he requires of us. What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? Where do we learn about justice? From the word of God. And, where do we learn about morality? From the word of God. How are we supposed to set up laws from the word of God? And so Christianity has a standard. And then there's the fear of the Lord. Knowing the fear of the Lord. Paul says, we persuade men. 2 Corinthians 5, 11. And so we have this internal, check from the Holy Spirit because we have a fear of God. The fear of the Lord recognizes that God is God and that we're not God. And, our job is to serve God. God doesn't serve us, we serve him. The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good. And so we know that God is watching. So, that gives us an internal motivation to not steal from my brother, to not lie about my brother, to not murder my brother or harm my brother. And so that's why that works. And that is not based on what does the government say? That's based on what God says. But as Joe Rogan said, what does he see on the left? The left is totally secular. So this idea, that a pastor would say, well, on Tuesday, you know, the left, one big God did his thang. Well, even Joe Rogan knows, well, that's not God doing his thang. that's the opposite. And, I played the clip, a couple of different times where Dinesh d' Souza is talking to that, that once radical imam who once.
The Red-Green Alliance and the Incompatibility of Islam with Progressive Values
He's still an imam, and he still wants to bring about Sharia law all over the world, and especially in the United States. But I don't think it's more political jihad as opposed to military, jihad. But he said, you know, how do we vote as Muslims? Well, we vote left. We always vote left. He said, why do you do that? He said, because we see the left as people without any principles. I mean, they're just going to say and do whatever to gain power so we can use them. They are. He didn't use this term, but, they are useful idiots. that's a socialist term. Now, the irony is that the progressives think they're using the Islamists to gain power, and the Islamists know they're using the progressives to gain power. Islam has nothing to do with lgbtq, with abortion, with transgender. They don't have anything to do with that. what happens at Bill Maher's pointing this out, you know, can you be gay in Gaza? And he had one guest said, oh, of course. And he said, well, can you be alive? are there gay bars in Gaza? Obviously not. Islam doesn't put up with that. And so what do they do with gays? They execute them. So you have this red green alliance that doesn't make any sense at all. But they're people on the left who don't have principles. They're not guided by the standard of the word of God.
Challenging Liberal Interpretations of the Bible on Life and Gender
And then you have liberal progressive liberals who claim to be Christian. We mentioned James Tallarico as one. well, he discounts the Bible. He makes it up. He says, the Bible is silent on abortion. God is non binary. There are six genders. He just makes all this stuff up. And he tries to say, well, you know, when does life begin? Well, obviously in Genesis chapter two, it didn't begin until Adam took his first breath. And it's like, well, Adam wasn't in a womb. that's how God's Creating, man from the dust of the earth. And he breathes into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. That's not the same as Cain being in Eve's womb. That's a different beast. And so you can't say, well, that proves that, life doesn't begin until you breathe. Jon the Baptist was six months in his mother Elisabeth's womb. And when Jesus, Mary, who was carrying Jesus in her womb, when she walked in, all of a sudden, Jon the Baptist leaps in his mother's womb, knowing that his Lord was there, and he is a person there in the womb. Well, I thought that was interesting. And, you know, I go on to say in my post on Facebook that, we have to remember, you know, these people get this idea, too.
The Necessity of Speaking Truth in Love and the World's Rejection of Jesus
And I hear this all the time. You know, I get people coming at me. You're not very loving. You need to be loving. You need to be more accepting. You need to be more like Jesus. I wrote this. People erroneously think that Jesus walked around Israel preaching nothing but sweetness and acceptance and love. Well, he ended up getting crucified. He had to say some things that tick some people off. And this is what he said to his brothers. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it, that its deeds are. Are evil. Jesus loved people enough to tell them the truth. And how does the world respond when you tell the world the truth? They hate you for it. You know, there was a reason why, when Pilate posed the question, who do you want me to release for you? This man or Barabbas? And they said, barabbas. What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? Let him be crucified. Why? What evil has he done? Let him be crucified. Shall I crucify your king? We have no king but Caesar is what they said. Now, did they, choose Barabbas over Jesus because they loved Barabbas so much? No, it's because they hated Jesus. And why would they hate the one who is love in the flesh? God is love. Jesus is God. God. He is there, love personified. Because they want affirmation in their sin. And he didn't do that. He called them out for it. He testified against them, that their deeds were evil. Ah, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not, comprehend it. It does not want it. Men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds are, evil. Jon, chapter three. And so they hate the light. They come after the light. They want to put out the Light. And listen, you and I are the light of the world.
Being the Light of the World and Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
And so when we start shining, when we get the bushel basket off the light and we start shining, and it starts first, what did Jesus say? You put the lamp, you put the light on the lampstand, and it illuminates the whole house. You start shining from your house first. your marriage is your greatest testimony. Your home is your greatest testimony. And we need to have the spirit of God just filling every nook and cranny of our lives and of our homes, that the sweet aroma, the knowledge of him would go forth everywhere we go. Hey, when that light starts shining from your life, well, people notice that, and, they can be uncomfortable because the light comes, and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds are evil. And so they can get mad at you. Quit shining the light. But that's our job, to be his witnesses, to shine the light, to share, to tell people about Jesus, who's mighty to save, to let people know that they are in serious, serious trouble.
Assessing Donald Trump's Faith and the Christian Imperative to Pray for Enemies
Now, some watched, the interview Last night on 60 Minutes that was aired on 60 Minutes with Donald Trump. I have maintained that, there's never been anything Donald Trump has said that. I would say, well, that guy understands the gospel. That guy is a believer. He's not. He can't articulate a relationship with the Lord. He says, well, I'm a religious person, so therefore, I guess I'll go to heaven. And the guy said, well, what if you had to forgive your enemies? He said, well, I can't do that. I hate them. Well, what does the Bible say about that? If you have hate in your heart toward another person, First Jon, chapter three. This is the message which we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Donald Trump, we pray for that guy's soul. I mean, regardless of the politics, you know, you can take the person you disagree with the most politically. And from a Christian perspective, as I've said numerous times, you don't want that person to perish. Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, you Don't want that person to perish and be in hell.
The Unlimited Power of the Gospel to Save Sinners, Even the Worst
You want them to come to their senses. And if God can save, a cannibal, mass murderer like, Jeffrey Dahmer, then he can save anybody. You know, the gospel is not limited. The blood of Jesus doesn't hit certain sins and say, oh, I can't wash that one white as snow. That's too wicked. That's too evil. David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, he came to know Christ. He put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And the blood of Jesus, God's son, was able to wash that filthy sinner. And the terrible things that he did, killing, and maiming people, God can forgive. Paul said he's the chief of sinners. And his testimony is basically this. If God can forgive me, he can forgive anyone because I'm the chief of sinners. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And, you know, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and that's a true statement. And that's what we get to share with people. And hopefully that shows up when we elect people. And we need to have, as I said, we need to have good and godly people running for office and people that we can say, hey, I can get behind this person. Nobody's perfect. when George Whitefield was sharing the gospel with Ben Franklin, Franklin pointed out some inconsistencies in Whitefield's life. And he said, don't base your faith on me. Base it on Jesus and what he did on the cross. Well, you're listening to Real Truth for today. Pastor Jeff Schrieve here. When we come back from the break, we'll be taking your calls. 888-589-8840. That's triple 858-98840. If you have a question or comment, I'd love to hear from you. So pick up the phone and let's talk.
The Importance of Being Witnesses and the Necessity of Repentance for Salvation
Jeff Chamblee If you'd like to contact Pastor Jeff, email pastor jeffromhishheart.org now back to Real Truth for today with Pastor Jeff.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Welcome back to the program. Pastor Jeff here. I, just want to mention, in case you don't know, we are going to Israel. April 2nd, 11th, and, looking forward to that trip. I know Tim, Wildmon is leaving this week for Israel. And so, if you are not on Tim's trip, but you said, oh, I wanted to go, well, you can come with me. we are going to have a great time April 2nd through the 11th. And you can get all the information by going to fromsheart.org fromisheart.org and just click on Holy Land 2027. Gives you all the places we're going, gives you the costs of everything. And, we'd love to have you go with us. So we're going to the phone lines 888-589-8840. We've been talking about, our number one job, which is something that we need to constantly remind ourselves of, and that is to be his witnesses. That is why we are here. And one of the things I think that is difficult for us, Tim, Lee brought this up yesterday, is to continue to pray and to pray that God would soften hearts and to pray that God would give us a heart for lost people and to speak the truth in love and to call men, women, boys and girls to repentance. There has to be conviction of sin. You can't get saved without repentance. Luke 13:3, Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And you say, well, he probably didn't mean that. Luke 13:5, he says it again.
Personal Testimony of Salvation Through Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ
Truly, I say to you, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Paul said in Acts, chapter 20, he was solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of two repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. When I got saved, I got convicted of the fact that I was a sinner. And I was lost. And I couldn't save myself. I couldn't be good enough that if I died, I'd go to hell. And when that realization came into my heart, that's when I cried out, jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. I, got down on my knees and I just prayed this prayer. Save me, Jesus. Save me. And he did, because he'll save anybody who will come to him in repentance and faith. Well, we're going to the phone lines 888-589-8840. And we have our friend Lee on the line from Virginia. Lee, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline good morning, Pastor.
The State of the Church in America and the Need to Return to the Gospel
Pastor Jeff Schreve Morning.
Caroline I'd like to kind of think, take it just a little bit different. you said a while ago, and I think you were, correct, 60% of American people say they're Christians. That probably it's less than 10% or less. Yes. How many. How many of the percentage of churches in the United States of all denominations are actually NewSong Testament churches? Really? People are in churches that are not preaching the total gospel, that have turned away from the gospel. You know, the Bible says it's impossible for a, bad tree to bear good fruit. So people are in churches that think they are saved, that thinks they're hearing the gospel, that see no need of repentance. And to me, what we see going on in America today goes right back to the church. I heard a man Years ago, I'm 75, and I heard a guy one time holding, revival, I was probably 35 at the time. And he said, what's wrong in America is what's wrong with the church. And he kind of made me mad. But I got to thinking about that years later, he's right. What's wrong with America is wrong with the churches. And, and there's only one prescription for America that's to turn back to the gospel. And you're talking about George Whitefield. Those people were lost, but they had never had heard the true gospel.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Right? You're exactly right. So you know, the, the phrase that keeps coming back to me, Lee, is from Jon Adams, we designed the constitution. It's only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other.
The Church's Role in Morality and the Potential for Revival in America
Who's the job of keeping the people moral and religious? That's not the job of the politician. That's the job of the church. And churches and pastors have dropped the ball. And so we're supposed to make a difference in the culture. The culture is not supposed to make a difference in the church. And so we see the reverse, of the way God designed it taking place. Right now we have the culture coming into the church and not the church impacting as salt and light impacting the culture. And we have an opportunity to get back to that and to see God bring about a revival. Hey, if wicked Nineveh in Jonah chapter three can respond to the preaching of Jonah, who, who didn't even want to go there and who wanted God to send the judgment of the fire of judgment upon them if they can turn to the Lord and see great revival take place. The greatest revival in the Old Testament was in Nineveh. well, what can happen in America when we have, even at Lee, even at that 5 to 10% of genuine born again Christians. obviously, you know, lots of churches don't preach the gospel, but there are some that still preach the gospel and are on fire and pray and believe, God can do great things. You know, he wouldn't have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Admah and Zeboiim if he had found 10 righteous.
Discussion on Oaths, Islam's Incompatibility with American Values, and Political Dangers
And so we have way more than 10 righteous and so, we can trust that God is going to use us and God is going to answer as we, we pray. Always a joy to hear from you my friend. You always have great comments, so God bless you. Well, we have, Barb on the line from Nebraska. Barb, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline Good morning, Pastor.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Good morning.
Caroline Something that's been on my mind a lot is, the swearing in. Is Vance going to let Elad from Michigan, Is he going to let him swearing on the Quran? Can he make him swear in on the Bible? that's our history and
Pastor Jeff Schreve yeah, good, question. I'd have to look that up. I think, I think he probably will. I think we had somebody else that wanted to swear in on the Quran. That might have happened, a, couple of years ago. it's. Our country is not founded on the Quran. Our country is founded on, the Bible. And that is obvious. As Bill, Federer points out, nine of the 13 colonies they had written in their state constitution that you had to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to hold public office. And so, the Constitution of the United States left that kind of language out, but it's obviously that's where those guys were coming from. And so the, the Quran and Islam's totally incompatible with, incompatible with the Bible. It's incompatible with, the Constitution. And so it's just, it's just lunacy. It's letting the fox into the hen house.
John Fetterman's Critique of Radical Politics and Unconventional Republican-like Stance
I do have a clip from Jon Fetterman. And you, know he's the Democrat, but he sees this, Abdul El Sayed as poison coming in. This is what he had to say.
Caroline I mean he's absolutely pro Iran and Hamas. I mean he even said he wants to define the police. and he's in a spiritual union with Hasan Piker, who really thinks that we deserve 9, 11. I mean, so overall I don't get along with communists and socialists and people that hate America, or people that pick on women, you know, like El Sayed. So overall,
Pastor Jeff Schreve so that'll be an interesting, combination there. Senator Jon Fetterman, he, sounds more like a Republican than some Republicans, so I'll look that up. Barb. I'm assuming he's going to want to do that in, I guess, I guess we're going to foolishly let him do that. So that remains to be seen. But I appreciate the question. Well, we have, David on the line from Virginia.
The Famine of the Word and the Power of Sharing Scripture
David, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Caroline Good morning, sir.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Good morning.
Caroline hey, so I'm hearing you, I'm hearing you speak and, I can't help but think about that verse. There's a, ah, there's a famine. a famine of the Word. people aren't. They don't want to hear it. They're not hearing it. I mean, it's. We're in a time where we have it so ready available apps and books and how can the Word wash us if we're not being washed by the word? I'm so thankful for afr. And, and all the great godly content on it. And I'm super thankful that I, I drive a truck and I get to be in the, you know, to listen to this daily. Because I, to be honest, I'm not in the Word at home. Like, I don't crack my Bible every single day. Like I know I'm supposed to. And I think it was Joshua189. but man, it is so hard to, to listen and to see just that the answer is all around us. I mean, like, I don't know. I wonder. I wonder. I would love to see the expression on people's faces when they, when they open the Bible and God gives them revelation to his Word. Like, because I thought back on my word, I went all this time with just beating my head against the wall. But now I've been given a light, like salt and light. and I want to share it. and I, I hope that other people will come to that conclusion soon.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Yes, me too. Well, I appreciate it.
The Promise of God's Word and the Importance of Being Ready to Share the Gospel
David. Yeah, the verse you were, you were quoting there, Amos 8, 11. The Lord says, behold, days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. And so that's what we get to share. You know, Isaiah 55. For as the rain and snow fall down from heaven, and do not return there, without watering the earth and making it barren, sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be, which goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty or void, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. So when you don't know what to share with somebody, share a, ah, verse of scripture with them. and that's why it's important to hide God's word in your heart to have it ready to go, so that you're ready in season and out of season. And you can give an answer to anyone who gives, who ask you to give an account of the hope that is in you yet with gentleness and reverence. First Peter 3:15. And we're always to be ready with that. And so if all you know is Jon 3:16. I shared, a, testimony from Adrian Rogers when he was just a young teenage kid, a young believer, and that's the only verse he knew was Jon 3:16. And he shared Jon 3:16 with this guy who was living on the street. And that guy prayed to receive Christ. Because Jon 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell. But the Lord promises my word will not return empty. And so they can forget what you tell them, just even from your own testimony. But when you have the word of God in there, you have the promise from God that he's not going to let, that word fall empty. So God bless you, David. Thank you for listening to American Family Radio and thank you for calling in today. Well, we have Norman on the line from Mississippi. Norman, welcome to Real Truth for today.
Concerns About US Aid to Israel and Praying for Enemies Like Abdul El Sayed
Caroline All right, brother.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Hey,
Caroline I just wanted to call in. I got two questions. Number one, did I hear correctly, Mr. Trump say that at the end of the year, Israel will receive no more assistance from America?
Pastor Jeff Schreve I, haven't heard that. If he said it, I haven't heard it.
Caroline well, it was, it was broadcast on the, on the news. And the other thing that I, I have, I keep hearing people call in and almost spewing out hate for Abdul. But I thought the Bible told us that we should pray for our enemies and there's a reason why we should pray for them. That God could see your God can reach your enemy. God can cause Abdul to, excuse me, receive him and accept him as he is.
Pastor Jeff Schreve Yeah, well, I think people recognize I don't hate the guy, but I recognize he's a danger. You know, it's, it's kind of like if somebody were trying to break into your house to murder you, you would, you would pray for them. You, don't hate them, but you're on guard against them too, because you know that that person wants to do you harm and do your family harm and, the things that, El Sayed believes are dangerous. And as Jon Fetterman said, he doesn't like us, he doesn't like America, and yet we vote him in, which is just mind blowing.
Identifying the Wrong Team: A Call to Recognize and Reject Unbiblical Alliances
You can't have somebody on the team that wants the team to lose. You know, if the I Hate America flag burning crowd is, voting you into office, that's a dangerous thing. And they're joining the team. I've said many times that, you know, you look around and see who's on your team when you have no Christians on your team, no true Christians, no Bible believing Christians. You have the James Talarico Christian and aren't Christian at all, along with the LGBTQ crowd, the Planned Parenthood crowd, the, socialist and communist crowd, the transgender crowd. You're on the wrong team. The flag burning I Hate America crowd, the Islamic crowd, that's the wrong team. And so you need to come to your senses and say, wait a minute, this is not going to go well for me. Well, we're out of time. Thanks for the calls.
Concluding Thoughts: Shine for Christ and Be His Witness
And go out today. Shine for Christ. Share what great things the Lord has done for you. And know that God will you use you as his witness. God bless you.
Caroline The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Pastor Jeff Schreve reflects on a Veterans Day weekend sermon by Marine evangelist Tim Rice and the film A Great Awakening, Jeff considers how George Whitefield’s preaching helped shape the spiritual climate of the American colonies, and why faith and public life have long intersected in the United States.
Live
Did you know American Family Radio is listener-supported? Your monthly financial support will allow us to continue upholding Godly values through our numerous channels, like American Family Radio, One Million Moms, The Stand magazine, and many more.
Become a Great Commission Partner TODAY to help AFR transform culture by rebuilding the family. When you donate today, you’ll get access to:
