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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 25, 2010
“The Most Important Question You Can Ask Someone”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Mike buzzed me a week ago today.
I’m talking about Mike Floyd, the owner of Wave 94.
He buzzed me through the intercom, from his office to mine.
“Doug? Hello. You know that little thing on people’s radios that says Wave 94 when they tune in? See if you can make that show our website, Wave 94.com. Okay? Thanks.”
Little did I know that those would be Mike’s last words to me.
That night Mike collapsed unexpectedly. At the hospital, doctors discovered an aneurism, and before it could be treated, he died.
Five pastors spoke at the funeral Saturday, to honor this great man of faith. And, fittingly, the service closed with an altar call for salvation.
I say “fittingly” because that is what Mike would have wanted. Mike was an evangelist at heart, always sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
He shared the gospel during the 12 years he was a pastor himself. Then as a business owner he shared Christ with people he did business with. He was even prone to witness to waiters and waitresses and anyone else he came in contact with.
And he went about it with such ease and grace. He wasn’t condemning or “preachy.” He would simply slip the Good News into the conversation.
Mike also believed in the power of sharing the Gospel through the mass media. He had his own radio and television programs, and in 1998 he bought Wave 94 and turned it into a fulltime Christian radio station.
Mike himself was a product of mass media evangelism. When he was only 13, he trusted in Christ while watching a minister share the Gospel on television.
So in honor of Mike, and for the sake of the souls in attendance, there was an altar call at the funeral.
And then they took it up a notch. The preacher asked everyone to turn to their neighbor and ask them if they were right with God. We were to ask those next to us if they were saved, if their sins were forgiven, if they were ready for eternity.
And you know what? That is the most important question you can ask someone.
Recently I was talking to a young man and he told me about his life, how he was ready to make a new start, to get back in church, things like that.
Well I just point blank asked him, “Would you say that you are a born again Christian? Have you repented of your sins and asked God to forgive you? Have you accepted Christ as your Savior?”
“Oh yes,” he said.
“So you’ve had a born again experience,” I said. “There is a time in your life that you can point to and say, ‘Right there. That is when I became a Christian, a follower of Christ.’”
“Yes.”
“And the Holy Spirit is at work in your life? You can sense Him leading you and teaching you and convicting you of sin?”
“Yes.”
And then we went on with our conversation.
You see, those are very important questions – eternally important questions – and we can’t be afraid to ask them.
It’s not something we do to condemn people. We aren’t judging them or being “holier than thou.” We do it out of love, really caring for them and the condition of their soul.
My son-in-law is a youth leader, and we were talking about the teenagers he picks as leaders under him.
I said, “Do you ask them if they are saved?”
“Well…”
“That’s a question you have to ask,” I said. “You have the right to ask, you need to ask – if they are going to serve in ministry under your authority. You must ask them about their salvation, and the current work of the Holy Spirit in their life.”
Pastors, ministry leaders, don’t be afraid to ask your people about the condition of their soul.
We can’t just assume that people are saved because they go to church or because their religion says Christian on Facebook.
Instead of assuming, we can simply and lovingly ask them.
And we must, because here’s the thing. A week ago today we had no idea that Mike Floyd would not be with us the next day.
The same is true about Trey Watson, an 18 year old football player at Lincoln High School here in Tallahassee.
And Jimmy Kalfas, a 59-year-old businessman in Tallahassee.
These were all well-known local people who died unexpectedly in the last few days.
And their passing reminds us, tomorrow is not guaranteed.
So start with yourself. What is the condition of your soul? If you die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?
And if you are right with God through Christ, then turn to your neighbor, turn to your family members and friends. Then follow the example of Mike Floyd and turn to those you come in contact with and ask them, “Are you saved? Are you right with God? Are you ready to meet your Maker?”
These are the most important questions we can ask someone. So, in honor of Mike Floyd, and for the sake of the souls around us, let us not be afraid to ask.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 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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