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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for October 21, 2009
“How Did I Know Which Church to Join?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
My wife and I came to Tallahassee so I could interview for the job at Wave 94.
We had never been here before, and didn’t know a soul.
The station owners took us out to eat and drove us around on a Saturday afternoon. And they pointed out several churches along the way.
That night my wife and I drove around on our own. This would be our new home.
Have you ever moved your family halfway across the country to a place where you don’t know anyone? It’s a really big deal.
And part of the big deal is finding a church. In a city full of churches, how can you possibly know which one is best for you and your family? Do you write out your list of demands then go on the hunt?
Yes, you should find a Bible-believing church that shares your core beliefs. That knocks out a lot of them, but still leaves plenty to choose from.
Then there is the worship style and kids programs and the preaching and the facility and location and service times.
Listen, you could go on and on with your demands, “Things you must have if you want me to come to your church.”
You know what? That kind of thinking concerns me, because at what point am I making my decision in the flesh rather than the spirit?
Oh, that just changed the tone of the whole conversation, didn’t it?
But if anything is a spiritual matter, then choosing a church should be, right? I don’t want to go where I want to go, I want to go where the Lord wants me to go. He knows what is best, where my family’s needs will be met, and my family will be able to meet the needs of others.
So how did we do it when we rolled into Tallahassee? Well here’s how it went.
That day that we drove around, I felt drawn to one particular church.
Okay, what does that mean, “drawn”?
Well our entire move was a spiritual experience, surrendered to God. We wanted His will, and His will alone. We bathed our decisions in prayer. We were seeking God’s wisdom in every detail, and expecting to receive it.
And honestly, and I know this won’t sound very spiritual, but I hadn’t given a minute’s thought to choosing a church. I was only concerned with discerning if this was really God’s will for me to take this job and move to Tallahassee.
But I really had a sense that God was orchestrating things. You might say it was kind of a “hyper-spiritual” time in our lives. So my heart and mind were really sensitive, really open to this big thing that God seemed to be leading us into.
So like I said, I felt drawn to one particular church, so that Saturday night, as we drove around town, we drove back to that church and pulled in the parking lot. As we sat there we saw people going in, so I said, “Well, let’s just go inside and take a look.”
People were going in, carrying food, so there was some kind of a get-together, but it was not a regular service. We stepped inside and just stood there. The people were going off to the back somewhere, but we didn’t dare venture in too far for fear of someone actually speaking to us, or worse yet, inviting us to join them.
We saw no sanctuary or auditorium. All the doors were closed. We heard no preaching or singing. We met no leaders or greeters or ushers or deacons.
And yet, as we were just standing there in that hallway, I heard a little voice say, “This is it.”
I believe that was the voice of the Holy Spirit inside me, letting me know that this was the church for us.
And just to show the impact of that decision on my family, my son ended up marrying a fine young lady from that church that he met in the youth group, and my oldest daughter is getting married next month to one of the worship leaders – their lives forever changed because of those three little words I heard in that hallway, “This is it.”
Earlier this week I talked about the Holy Spirit coming to live inside us when we are saved. And one advantage of this is that the Holy Spirit actually speaks to us.
In the book of John, Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would be inside them and live with them. He would teach them all things and testify about Jesus. He would speak to them and guide them into all truth and even tell them what was yet to come.
Repeatedly in the New Testament we read things like, “The Holy Spirit said” and “compelled by the Spirit” and “sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,” and “The Spirit told me,” and “The Spirit clearly says.”
This is one of the most exciting and dynamic things about being a Christian. This is not just another religion with a holy book. This is Jesus making us right with God so that we can receive the Holy Spirit inside of us, and now the Spirit is there teaching and leading and guiding.
The Holy Spirit speaks to us, leading us into the perfect will of God.
The only question is, are we listening?
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
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(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
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