To listen to the radio version, click here.
To search archives, click here.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for August 26, 2009
“Fuzzy Doctrine”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I have now spent over half my life working full time in Christian radio.
It’s a job that gives me a rare opportunity – to work with Christians from many different churches.
Yesterday a man asked me about people whose doctrine is fuzzy. “What do you think about those people? What do you say to them? I mean, we have to get them straightened out. They believe things that don’t line up with the Bible. Why, they’re believing in the wrong Jesus.”
Well, here is what I’ve found over the years. Jesus Christ has powerfully changed the lives of people from a variety of congregations.
“Yes, but what if their doctrine is wrong?”
Well let me tell you, I’ve met people whose doctrine I thought was off-center, and yet the testimony of what Jesus has done in their life is glorious.
“What do you say to those people?”
Well here is what I want to know from them.
Did you realize you are a sinner? Did you believe in Jesus as your savior? Did you repent of your sin and ask the Lord to forgive you?
And of course, they all did.
Do you believe that Jesus walked the earth a sinless man, was crucified and shed His blood for our sins, died and rose again?
And they all do.
Now if they don’t believe that, then yes, their doctrine is way off. They may believe something, but they aren’t believing in the truth.
But now let’s get down to where I think the rubber meets the road. When I am talking to someone who claims to be a Christian, I don’t drill down into what they believe about 12 key points of doctrine, or whatever.
Now don’t get me wrong. I believe in correct doctrine. We need to seek and find the rock solid truth in every area.
But look around. There are Christians all over the place who believe a variety of things, and yet say that Jesus Christ changed their life.
So when I’m talking to someone who claims to be a Christian, here is what I want to know. This is the evidence I am looking for that God is truly working in their life.
First of all, do they love people they didn’t want to love?
I think this is a key evidence of salvation. In the natural, there are just people we don’t want to love. There is no love in us for certain people.
But when we become Christians, and God goes to work in our heart, all of a sudden we love people we didn’t want to love.
Look at Paul. He hated Christians, but then he loved Christians. And he loved his fellow Jews all the more. And he loved the Gentiles. He went from being a man of violence to being a man of love for all people.
That’s what you look for in someone who claims to be a Christian. Do they love people they didn’t want to love?
Also, do they forgive people they didn’t want to forgive? This is something people don’t fake. They don’t even want to fake it. If someone wrongs us, we have no problem being angry and bitter towards them.
But when Jesus forgives us, when Jesus does His powerful work in our lives, all of a sudden we are ready and willing to forgive. I think, for a Christian, forgiveness is natural. Like it says in Colossians 3:13, we forgive as the Lord forgave us.
And third, do they feel convicted about things they didn’t feel convicted about before? I heard the testimony of a man who had a very foul mouth. He even went to church, but he had a foul mouth. Then he got saved. He truly became a born again Christian. And suddenly he was very convicted about his language. He repented. He asked the Lord the clean up his speech.
Some people lie about everything, but when Jesus comes into their life, all of a sudden they are convicted about lying.
So those are three things I look for in someone who claims to be a Christian. Yes, I want to know what they believe about Jesus, but instead of checking every single point of doctrine, what I am looking more for are things like: Do you now love people you didn’t want to love? Do you forgive people you didn’t want to forgive? And do you feel convicted about things you didn’t feel convicted about before?
To me, these are signs that someone has Christ in their life and the Holy Spirit of God is at work within them.
On the other hand, I’ve met Christians who could recite all the right doctrine, but where was the love? Where was the forgiveness? Where was the conviction?
So anyway, it’s been 23 years now – and 2 months and 10 days – over half my life I’ve been working in Christian radio full time.
And one of the great privileges has been to meet and work with people who truly love the Lord Jesus, whose lives are changed, and who, no matter what congregation they are part of, truly show the evidence that God Almighty is at work in their life.
And when I know that the Spirit of God is at work in their life, then I know that He will lead them to all truth, and He can open their eyes to any fuzzy doctrine
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment