Jerusalem Will Be Trampled On Until... - Apples of Gold - October 27, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 27, 2009

“Jerusalem Will Be Trampled On Until…”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

In Luke chapter 21, Jesus’ disciples marveled at the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem.

It was an awesome structure, built just a few years before by King Herod, with huge chiseled blocks of stone weighing around 30 tons each.

As they raved about the temple, Jesus sobered them up with this statement, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

That was a little hard to fathom, considering how massive the temple was, and that Jerusalem was a thriving city.

Then in verse 24 Jesus made this cryptic statement, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

What exactly did Jesus mean by that?  Well what we do know is that Jerusalem was thoroughly trampled on in 70 AD when Titus and his Roman legions destroyed much of the city, including the temple.

Around the year 135 the Roman Emperor Hadrian began to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city.  When the Jews revolted, he killed about half a million of them, then forbid all Jews from even entering Jerusalem except for one day a year.  That ban stayed pretty much in place for hundreds of years thereafter.

In the 300’s, Byzantine Emperor Constantine rebuilt Jerusalem as a Christian center of worship, and constructed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335.

In the 600’s, Arabs conquered Jerusalem, and Jews were allowed once again to live and worship in the city.

Around the turn of the millennium, the Arabs ordered the destruction of all the churches in Jerusalem.  At this time the Jews joined the Arabs in fighting against the Crusaders.

When the city fell, the Crusaders gathered all the Jews into the synagogue and burned it down. 

Jerusalem was recaptured by the Arabs in 1187, and for a time there was freedom of religion in the city.

In 1219 a sultan ordered the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem, leaving it defenseless.  During that century there was a steady stream of fighting and various factions controlled the city.  Eventually it was captured by the Egyptians. 

In the 1500’s, Jerusalem became part of the Ottoman Empire, and once again there was religious freedom in the city.  Not that they got along with each other, but you could find a church, synagogue and mosque on the same street.

By the mid-1800’s, the Ottoman Empire was declining, and Jerusalem was not much of a city, with maybe 8,000 residents. 

However, more and more Jews became interested in immigrating to Jerusalem, and Christians began sending missionaries.  Soon the city, of only one square kilometer, became overcrowded, and new settlements were formed on the outskirts.  Jerusalem was now a growing patchwork of ethnic communities.

In World War I, the British defeated the Turks in the Middle East, and on December 11, 1917 British General Sir Edmund Allenby took control of Jerusalem from the Ottomans.

The Arabs resented the British rule, and more and more Jews were immigrating to the city.  There were violent anti-Jewish riots in the 1920’s and 30’s, and the Jews organized their own defense forces. 

When it appeared that the British were aligning with the Arabs, the Jews attacked the British, and the violence escalated in the 30’s and 40’s.

After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations decided that Jerusalem would fall under international control.

At one point, however, Arabs cut off all the roads to Jerusalem and placed the Jewish population under siege.  The British grew more and more reluctant to intervene, and finally in 1948 they withdrew.

The British Mandate ended in May 1948, which marked the beginning of the Arab-Israeli War. 

After the war, Jerusalem was divided.  The western half of the new city became part of the newly formed state of Israel, while the eastern half, along with the old city, was annexed by Jordan.

In 1967, East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the Six Day War.  Since then, the status of East Jerusalem has remained highly controversial.

And that’s pretty much where Jerusalem is today.  Now I know that only scratches the surface of the history of Jerusalem, and I got all that information from Wikipedia.

But go back to the words of Jesus.  He said, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Have you ever seen a city that has been so trampled on for 2,000 years?  Yes, most cities have had their times of war, but Jerusalem has been a hotbed of conflict since Jesus walked its streets. 

And it will remain that way.  It will be a city that is trampled on by the Gentiles until…

Until I don’t know when, but Jesus said it.

Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until that fateful and awesome moment in history when “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”


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-

Come to Daddy - Apples of Gold - October 26, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 26, 2009

“Come to Daddy”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

I did the same thing with all my kids.

I would stand them up in front of me, step back and say, “Come to Daddy.”

Then they would wobble and shake and finally plop down on their Pamper-padded posterior.

It took a few times, but finally they would take that first shaky step or two, then fall again.

Eventually they began walking, of course, so what did we do?  We put up little fences in the doorway.  And then what did I do? 

I would stand them up in front of the fence, then hike their little baby shoe up, you know, just to give them an idea, to open their mind to the possibilities.

I did the same with their crib.  “Oh, you don’t like being in the crib?  Here, give me your foot and let me show you something.”

This seems to be more of a dad thing, because as soon as I visit someone’s house and I take their baby’s foot and show them a thing or two it’s always the mom that squeals, “What are you doing?  Don’t give them any ideas.”

But I think this is my role as a dad, to open their eyes to the possibilities, then encourage them to go for it, to learn something, to master it.

It starts with simple things like teaching them to walk and climb out of the crib.  Then it graduates to things like riding a bike and eventually driving a car. 

I remember teaching my son to drive a stick-shift.  It was much the same as teaching him to walk.  “Come on, you can do this.  One step at a time.  Don’t give up.  Just keep trying.  You can do it.”

Do you recognize that pep talk?  We give it to them with their grades and sports and everything else.

It’s called encouragement, and it’s something we must offer our children every day.

In First Thessalonians 2 we find three ways that a father deals with his child, and the first thing it mentions is encouragement.  The King James uses the word “exhort.”  It means we support our kids, we inspire them and build up their confidence.

Dads, are you inspiring your children?  Are you building up their confidence?

How can you build up their confidence?  Well one way is with positive words.  Just last night my wife told our 20-year-old son, “You can do anything you set your mind to.”  Those are confidence-building words.

But you can use more than just words.  I like to build confidence by having them do something. 

For example, my daughter’s brake light went out.  Now I could have easily changed it for her, but instead I saw a chance to help her grow, to build her confidence.  I handed her the screwdriver and the light bulb.  I told her what to do, but she did the work herself. 

I remember when we bought our middle daughter a shelf for her bedroom, one of those you have to put together yourself.  I gave her the box and the tools and said, “All the instructions are in there.  Figure it out.”

Now some people might think that’s just lazy fathering, but that’s not it at all.  I would gladly have put it together for her, but then she would have only had a shelf.  Instead she ended up with a shelf, plus the confidence that came with doing it herself.  So a couple of shelves ended up backwards.  That only added to the memory!

So we are to encourage our children, and it’s something we never stop doing.

First Thessalonians 2:11 also mentions fathers comforting their children.  That may sound more like a mother’s role, but fathers should do it, too. 

And you know one great way a father comforts his children?  By being there.  I know many fathers end up being away due to their positions, but try to remedy that if you can.  Yesterday I heard of a dad who is gone five days a week.  Saturday I heard of a dad who has been living and working apart from his wife and child for six months.  That is no comfort to the child.  I say Dad, try to find a way to be there.  A father’s mere presence brings comfort to a child. 

It also brings comfort to a child when a dad sets a steady course.  He keeps his word.  He is reliable.  He is a sure foundation. 

So comforting is more than just wiping away a tear when they skin their knee.  Yes, that’s part of it, but it also includes things like listening to their teenage struggles, etc.    

So dads, be a comfort to your children.

And finally it talks about urging them to live lives worthy of God.  Yes, we urge them to walk, but more importantly we urge them to walk with the Lord.

It starts with little Bible stories at bedtime, and carries through urging them to live for the Lord through adolescence and fanning the flame on their own when they move out.

So that’s three points, especially for fathers, but applying to all parents. 

We are to encourage our children.  And we are to comfort them.  And we are to urge them to live lives worthy of the Lord.


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-

The Voice of the Good Shepherd - Apples of Gold - October 22, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 22, 2009

“The Voice of the Good Shepherd”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

When my feet hit the floor, I say basically the same thing every day.

“Lord, I surrender myself to You today.  I want Your will to be done, not mine.  Please lead me and guide me and help me to follow You in all things.”

Each day is full of choices, so many paths – which ones are right?  Which ones are best?  God knows.  I don’t.

That is why I surrender myself to Him and His leadership everyday.  He is the Good Shepherd.  I am a humble sheep. 

Every day I need divine guidance.  Only God knows what lies ahead.  God sees everything that is going on in all the world, I don’t.  How can I make wise choices on my own when my data is so extremely limited?  That is why I must tap into the Lord’s divine guidance.

Here is one of my favorite stories of divine guidance, from First Kings chapter 17.

The prophet Elijah announced to King Ahab that there was going to be a long drought in the land.  Then God specifically told Elijah to head east and hide by a certain brook where he would have fresh water to drink, and God said, “I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah stayed there for a while, and I wonder if he ever thought, “God, why do you have me hiding way out here in the middle of nowhere?”

Then Elijah’s source of fresh water dried up.  Now what?

Now the Lord told him to go to another place, and there a widow would provide his food.

If I was Elijah I would have thought, “Good.  A woman to feed me instead of birds.”  I would have pictured a wealthy widow with great means to provide for me during the drought.

But that was not the case.  Elijah went to the exact place the Lord told him only to find a very poor widow who was about to starve to death along with her son.

Now I wonder if Elijah ever thought, “Why am I here, so far from home?  And the woman who is supposed to feed me is about to starve to death herself.”

Well the widow had a handful of flower in a jar and a little bit of oil in a jug.  And long story short, God kept the jar and the jug from going empty for the duration of the drought.

So Elijah was provided for, but certainly not in the lap of luxury.  And he had to move twice, once way out in the country, and once to another country, to a place of poverty.

Can you see any logic in those two moves?  Can you connect the dots?  Could you plot those two places on a map and say, “Oh yes, it makes perfect sense that he went here then there.”

Not really.  In a way they were just two random spots on the map, yet two very specific places chosen by God.  Why?

Remember what I said earlier – God sees everything going on in the world.  We can try to make decisions based on logic and reason, but our data is limited.  It’s hard to make good choices with limited data.  But God has all the data, so to make the best decisions possible we need His divine guidance.

Elijah received God’s very specific guidance about where to go, and First Kings 18 sheds light on the situation. 

Later on Elijah came across Obadiah who had some very interesting news.  He told Elijah that King Ahab had been looking for him everywhere.  “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” Obadiah said, “there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you.  And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.”

So with the resources of the whole kingdom behind him, why couldn’t Ahab find Elijah?  Because God Himself told Elijah exactly where to go!

That is the glory of divine guidance!

On his own Elijah probably would have been easy to find.  But as he listened to the Lord and did what He said, he was tucked away safely from the king’s manhunt.

Look, I know how limited I am.  I understand why I am called a sheep. 

But the good news is, we have a Good Shepherd in Jesus Christ.  And according to John 10, He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.  And He goes on ahead of them and they follow Him because they know His voice.

That’s what I want to be – a sheep that knows His voice and follows Him as He leads.

And that’s why I hit the floor every day and say, “Lord, I surrender myself to You today…Your will be done, not mine…”


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-

How Did I Know Which Church to Join? - Apples of Gold - October 21, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

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 
 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-

Christ Redeemed Us So That We Can Receive the Holy Spirit - Apples of Gold - October 19, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 19, 2009

“Christ Redeemed Us So That We Can Receive the Holy Spirit”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Why did you get saved?  Why did you become a Christian?

Was it to get your “fire insurance?”  Was it because you had a “heaven to gain and a hell to shun?”

Was it to take care of your sin and guilt and find forgiveness?

Was it for the fresh start, to be “born again?”

Or maybe you aren’t even sure why.  Maybe you were at a service and you just felt strangely drawn.

Well let’s look at Galatians 3:14.  Look at the opening words to this verse:  “He redeemed us in order that…”

When you see the phrase “in order that,” you know that what’s coming up is a reason.  Why did Christ redeem us?  Here is the reason. 

Now I’m going to share the entire verse, and it gets convoluted, so bear with me.  Galatians 3:14 in its entirety says, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Yes, there’s a lot packed into that verse, about like the MapQuest directions from my house to the capitol.  So instead of following every turn, let’s focus on the start and the finish.

That verse starts with, “He redeemed us in order that…”  And it ends with, “…we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

So here it is, in a simplified way.  “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit.”

Have you ever thought about it that way?  Why did Jesus save me?  So I could receive His Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4:6 says, “…God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…”

This was foretold by Jesus in John 14.  The Holy Spirit is called the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, and Jesus said He “will be in you.”

The Bible talks about being filled with the Spirit and baptized with the Spirit and receiving the Spirit.  Acts 10:45 talks about “the gift of the Holy Spirit” being “poured out.”

In Acts 19:2 Paul asked the Ephesians, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

Ephesians 3:16 talks about God’s Spirit in our “inner being.” 

Second Corinthians 1:22 says that God “put His Spirit in our hearts…”

First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

First Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

So think about that simplified version of Galatians 3:14, “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit.”

Now let me talk about my goals in raising my children.  In the long run, I’m not going to be around to help them make wise decisions.  I can’t follow them everywhere.  I can’t advise them in every situation. 

And even if I was, I don’t know the best thing to say, or the best way to say it.  A dad can easily give a lecture that young ears don’t hear.

Plus, they grow up and move out.  Then they make almost every decision on their own, only consulting you once in a while.

And eventually I will be dead and gone.  I couldn’t give advice even if they wanted it.

So what is my goal?  What is my hope that their lives will turn out all right?

It is that the Holy Spirit of God dwells within them. 

Christ redeemed them so they could receive His Holy Spirit – and that is the best hope I could have for my children – that the Spirit of God would live inside them!

And the same is true as we make disciples in our churches.  The best thing that can happen to them is to receive the Holy Spirit. 

And the same is true for me.  I need to be filled with Holy Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to live by the Spirit.  We need to be led by the Spirit in all things.

The Spirit of God will give us wisdom.  Jesus said in John 16 that the Spirit will guide us into all truth.

Listen to this list of good things we will have through the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Galatians 5:22 calls these the “fruit of the Spirit.”

In John 7 Jesus said the Spirit will be like streams of living water flowing from within us.  Yes, from within us, because that’s where the Holy Spirit is – inside us!

Have you ever heard someone talk about having a personal relationship with God?  This is what it is – the Holy Spirit living inside you. 

This is what I want for my children, my best guarantee that they will have all they need.  This is what I want for new believers who are trying to figure out what to do with their new Christian lives.  It’s what I want for everyone – for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

It’s a main reason we were redeemed in the first place.

Just like it says in that simplified version of Galatians 3:14, “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit.”


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-

It's Hard to Play the Harmony (But It Makes For Beautiful Music) - Apples of Gold - October 16, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 16, 2009

“It’s Hard to Play the Harmony (But It Makes For Beautiful Music)”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Have you ever heard “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond?

You know that’s not the only version of the song.  There was another version by the Waverly Elementary School Band.

I doubt that version is on iTunes, but I remember it well.  I was just learning to play trumpet – and let me just say to all those parents out there who go to elementary school band concerts:  “What are you thinking?”  Is there anything worse than a grade school band concert?

Well actually, there is.  It’s listening to your child practice his trumpet part at home.

And there’s even something worse than that.  If he was playing a nice little chorus of “Sweet Caroline,” well at least you would recognize the tune.

But in my case, since I was not a “first trumpet,” I didn’t even get to play the melody.  It was just some awful, unrecognizable harmony part.

And let me tell you, I hated that.  I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t like it.  It said “Sweet Caroline” at the top of the page, but when I played the notes it didn’t sound anything like “Sweet Caroline.”  It just sounded dumb.

In my heart I rebelled against the whole idea.  If I’m going to play a song, then I want every note to sound just like the singer on the radio.

Obviously I had no understanding of the word harmony.

And it took quite a while to sink in, that my part was just one part of the overall presentation.

The first time I remember actually appreciating harmony was when our family went to a show at a high school and there was a barbershop quartet.  I was fascinated by what those guys did with their voices.  One would sing, then another would join in, then one went real high, then another went real low – all different parts, but all sounding great together.

On the flip side, have you ever heard people get up and sing and there is no harmony, everyone just sings the melody together?

Yes, maybe that means that everyone gets to sing their favorite part, but listen to this.

Without harmony there is no depth.

The melody may be catchy, but the melody alone is thin and shallow. 

I remember a guy playing a song for me one time.  He wrote it and produced it, and he admitted he was no music producer.  Well the first thing I noticed was that the keyboard was playing the melody even as the singer sang the melody.  Instead of the keyboard complementing the singer, they just played the same thing.

Music is really shallow when there is no harmony.  It’s limited.  The melody alone can be good, but add harmony and it becomes awesome.

Go see the best singers in the world.  Do they stand up there alone and sing?  No, they bring along back up singers and musicians.  The place is full of people adding depth to the presentation.

And notice this.  There are always a lot more harmony parts than there are melody parts. 

Now why am I going on and on about this?

Because it applies so well to our lives. 

First Peter 3:8 says, “…all of you, live in harmony with one another…”

Back in my Waverly days there was a popular song:  “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.”

It wasn’t so much about singing, but about living in harmony. 

Living in harmony doesn’t mean we all become identical.  We still have our individual parts, but we work to blend them all together.

And it is work.  Anyone who has ever played in a band or been part of a concert can tell you, it’s a lot of work.  That barbershop quartet put in untold hours of work to create that pitch-perfect harmony.

Playing a harmony part doesn’t come naturally.  It’s harder to learn and you don’t get the recognition.  You aren’t front and center on the stage.  But when we willingly and skillfully play our harmony parts, it adds so much depth to our lives.

We need harmony in our home and harmony in our marriage.  Parents and children need to be in harmony.  We need harmony in our churches and businesses and government. 

But that’s hard to do if everyone wants to be the melody.  It’s the old cliché, “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”

Yes, sometimes your part is the melody.  You take the lead.

But most of the time we are playing along with the band, finding just the right harmony part to turn the whole thing into beautiful music.


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
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There Were Impurities in the Marriage - Apples of Gold - October 15, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 15, 2009

“There Were Impurities in the Marriage”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Here is what God would say to you today.

“Please be holy.”

First Peter 1:15 says, “…be holy in all you do…”

This week I received a depressing e-mail.  There is an old friend of mine that I lost contact with many years ago.  I asked someone who lives in his town, “Whatever happened to so-and-so?”  She said he got married and had four kids.  Then they divorced and he married another woman.

For some reason that news has been following me around like a little black cloud all week. 

We were childhood friends.  When you’re a kid, your whole life is before you and the future is bright.  There’s a purity, an innocence, and lots of hope.

It’s kind of like that at the start of a romantic relationship.  It’s exciting!  There are high hopes.  The sky’s the limit!

And then what happens?  What happened to my friend?  How can we fast forward 40 years to a broken home, a broken marriage, a broken family?

I don’t know any details, but I do know this.  Impurity sneaked in.  There were impurities in the marriage. 

Impurities weaken. 

It’s something we all learned in chemistry class.  Impurities weaken crystal structures and lower their melting points. 

Now don’t miss that.  I know you may have slept through chemistry class, but listen.  If you have a pure metal on one side, and a metal with impurities on the other side, the metal with the impurities can’t stand as much heat. 

The same is true in our own lives.  If we allow impurities into our lives, we melt faster.  It takes less heat to break us up.

Second Corinthians 7:1 says, “…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates…”

Do you want to be strong?  Do you want a strong marriage?  A strong home?  A strong family?  Do you just want to be a strong person?  Then purify yourself from everything that contaminates.  The more pure you are, the more heat you can take without melting into a pathetic puddle of ruin.

There are some things I can’t listen to because I can feel them contaminating me.  There are things I can’t watch and things I can’t read.  There are thoughts I can’t think.

Now I know that the American way is freedom.  And I know that what I’m advocating sounds like – now here comes a dirty word, at least what some Americans consider the dirtiest word of all – censorship. 

Yes, I believe in personal censorship.  We censor out of our lives the things that contaminate. 

When we don’t, then impurities sneak in, and we grow weak.

First Timothy 5:22 says, “Keep yourself pure.”

Well you can’t let impurities in and keep yourself pure at the same time.  Yes, we live in a very impure world, but James 1:27 warns us:  don’t be polluted by the world.

And remember, impurities don’t just come from “out there” somewhere.  We can come up with impure thoughts all by ourselves, with no help from anyone.  Back to James 1 where it says that we are dragged away by our own evil desires.

So what can we do?

James 4:8 has good advice.  We should draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.  Then in His presence we will clearly see our impurities and be able to purify our hearts.

How?  By confessing our impurities.  First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

And how can we keep our lives pure?

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to Your word.”  Then verse 11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

I want to be a Psalm 24 man, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”

Hebrews 12:14 tells us to make every effort to be holy.

Second Peter 3:14 says we should make every effort to be spotless and blameless.

These impurities in our lives, we allow them in…to our peril.  They weaken us.  They lower our melting point. 

So strengthen your marriage.  Strengthen your home.  Strengthen your family.  Strengthen yourself and your walk with God.  Be the strong person you are meant to be.

Do it by purifying yourself from everything that contaminates.

This is what God would say to you today.

“Please be holy.”


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-

For Those Who Did You Dirty - Apples of Gold - October 12, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 12, 2009

“For Those Who Did You Dirty”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My son is teaching a series on spiritual training.

He sent me a text message asking what I thought were the most important areas of spiritual training.

I sent him a list of all the usual suspects.  I mean, what do you think of when you think of spiritual training?  Bible study.  Prayer.  Worship.  Fasting.  Giving.  Loving your neighbor.  Obedience.

And then I mentioned a subject that I think is super important in spiritual training:  forgiveness.

Recently Shane Little, who owns Papa Johns here in Tallahassee, was in the studio talking about the changes the Lord has made in his life.  And he said the biggest change as far as relationships go is that he now has the desire and the ability to forgive people.

Before, he said, he was very prone to hold a grudge.  If you did him wrong, then he was going to remember it and hold it against you.  There was basically a bitterness toward those who he thought did him dirty.

But becoming a born again Christian changed that.  “The people in my life will tell you,” he said, “there’s a dramatic, drastic change.”

What makes him so willing to forgive now, where it was so difficult before?

“It’s a very simple reason,” he said.  “I can’t imagine why God would forgive me for what He’s forgiven me of, He’s forgiven me for so much.  So based on that, I don’t know how I couldn’t forgive.”

And that’s exactly how we are supposed to feel about it.  As Christians, the Lord has forgiven us so much, how could we do anything but forgive others?

Colossians 3:13 states it very simply.  “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us.

So it’s pretty clear what we are supposed to do.  Forgive people.

But that’s not enough for some people.  They want more guidelines, maybe even some loopholes.

And maybe that’s what Peter was looking for, because in Matthew 18 he asked Jesus, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  Up to seven times?”

This was the springboard for Jesus’ “Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.”  A man owed the king more than he could possibly repay, so the king ordered that the man and his family be sold as slaves to repay the debt.  The man begged for mercy, and the king forgave his entire debt and set him free.

So far so good.  But the man turned right around and demanded payment from another man who owed him much, much less.  That man begged for mercy, but he refused and had him thrown into prison.

Well the king heard about this, called that first man back in, and restored his debt!  He was thrown into prison and tortured until he should pay back all he owed.

That’s the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, and what’s the lesson for us?  That we must forgive as we have been forgiven.

So back to spiritual training.  How can we train people to forgive?

One key is to never forget that God has forgiven us.  We must keep one eye on that.  We didn’t deserve forgiveness from God, and we certainly didn’t earn it.  Jesus Himself paid the price for our forgiveness, not us.  And the price was His own precious blood. 

So we receive forgiveness simply because of the grace and mercy of God.  And that is how others should receive forgiveness from us.  Not because they deserve it or earn it, but simply out of grace and mercy.

And one thing that will help us be gracious and merciful to others is to keep one eye on God’s grace and mercy toward us.  It’s a pay-it-forward kind of thing.  God forgave us, so we forgive others.

And if we don’t forgive?

Jesus answered that in the Sermon on the Mount, right after the Lord’s Prayer.  In Matthew 6:15 He said, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

In Mark 11:25 Jesus said, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

In Luke 6:37 Jesus said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Does that mean if I don’t forgive someone, then I won’t be forgiven by God?  Well, there is a lot of teaching that dances all around that subject, but if you take it at face value, in plain English, what does it sound like?

But I say, why look for loopholes?  Why try to drill down into it and figure out if Jesus meant this, that or the other?

It’s completely obvious what God wants us to do.  He wants us to forgive people who have sinned against us.

And when we do, we open the door for so much more joy and peace and blessings from the Lord!

So when we talk about spiritual training, I think this belongs in the foundation somewhere.

Based on the immense debt that God has forgiven us, we must teach people the importance of forgiving others.


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-

Is Christianity Just a Bunch of Don'ts? - Apples of Gold - October 9, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 9, 2009

“Is Christianity Just a Bunch of Don’ts?”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Brad Pitt told Parade magazine that Christianity is mostly “about what you can’t do.”

He was raised in a Christian home, he said, “But it was very stifling.” 

“To me, I just found Christianity to be, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that.’”

So what do you think?  Is Christianity just a bunch of don’ts?  What is Christianity to you?

To me it’s about Jesus saving me from sin.  I am forgiven and I can walk with God without sin coming between us, both for now and for eternity.

However, I do still have a sin nature and I have the responsibility to keep it in check.  And that’s where the don’ts come in.

Now if you only see Christianity as a bunch of don’ts, that’s like seeing football as a bunch of don’ts.  Don’t hold the lineman.  Don’t block in the back.  Don’t step out of bounds. 

It’s like seeing parenting as just a bunch of don’ts.  Yes, there are a lot of don’ts, but there is a good reason.

Now listen closely to this next line.

Every action moves us toward a consequence.

See, our lives are not standing still.  We are barreling down the highway of life, and every move of the steering wheel stands for something we do.  Our actions affect our direction.

Imagine flying down I-10 at 70 miles an hour.  Can you do just any old thing with that steering wheel?

Yes, you can.  And every action will move you toward a consequence.

As long as you limit your steering, your consequence will be good.  But as soon as you steer the wheel too far in either direction, your consequence will be bad.

So when steering, there is a wide range of don’ts, and we disobey them to our peril.

The same is true in life.  Yes, there is a wide range of don’ts, but they keep us on the road to good consequences.

Now some people act like they are steering a parked car.  “I can whip the wheel this way and that!  I’m having the time of my life!”  They are only thinking about the thrill of the moment, but nonetheless, their life is moving forward, and every action is moving them toward a consequence.

So anyway, Christianity is a lot more than just a bunch of don’ts, but even if you just look at the don’ts, it’s a good thing.  God gave us those don’ts in order to protect us from bad consequences.

And really, you can sum them all up in this:  Don’t sin.

Why not?

Galatians 6:8 says, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.”

Sin is just like oversteering your car on the freeway.  It leads to destruction.  There will be damage and pain.

So just like parents have a lot of don’ts for their child, God has a lot of don’ts for us.  Here are just a few I gleaned from the New Testament. 

Don’t murder.
Don’t commit adultery or any sexual immorality.
Don’t steal.
Don’t lie.
Don’t swear or slander or let anything unwholesome come out of your mouth.
Don’t covet or envy.
Don’t be arrogant or proud or conceited.
Don’t grumble.
Don’t get drunk.
Don’t get harsh with your wife or exasperate your children.
Don’t look down on children.
Don’t cause anyone to stumble.
Don’t judge.
Don’t worry or fear men or be anxious about anything.
Don’t take revenge, or repay evil for evil.
Don’t conform to this world or be yoked with unbelievers.
Don’t store up treasures on earth.
Don’t be foolish.
Don’t let anyone lead you astray.
Don’t be involved with witchcraft or idolatry.
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.
Don’t be ashamed of Christ or the Gospel.
Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.
And don’t give in to evil desires or the sinful nature.

Yes, I can see where someone might say that Christianity is a bunch of don’ts, but that’s missing point.

The main thing about Christianity is Jesus paying the price for our sin so we can be forgiven, opening the door for sweet fellowship with our Heavenly Father both for now and for eternity.  And then, out of love for us, He gave us certain don’ts to keep our sinful nature in check. 

Yes, in Christianity there is a wide range of don’ts, and that’s a good thing because it’s the don’ts that help keep us on the road to good consequences.


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-

Expand Exponentially the Ministry of Your Church - Apples of Gold - October 7, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 7, 2009

“Expand Exponentially the Ministry of Your Church”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

We host a home Bible study.

We have someone who works with hospice, a contractor, an accountant, a physical therapist, a teacher, a student, a Doctor of Psychology, a business owner, and one very popular radio personality.  It’s racially diverse, gender diverse, and age diverse.

And there’s not one pastor in the group.  No worship leaders or anyone employed by the church, and yet you should hear the powerful stories of ministry that takes place through these people.

By the way, this Bible study is through our local congregation, so don’t think this is some renegade group we started.  We are not trying to be our own church, but we are trying to be fully engaged members of the church.

When that happens, the ministry of the church expands exponentially.  So many more people are reached, so many more lives touched, as each member gets involved.

So the question is, what are you doing?

“Well Doug, I’m just not qualified.  I’m not a preacher.  I don’t sing.  I’ve never been to Bible college, and I’m certainly no evangelist.”

Okay, you just described most people in the church.  Does that mean most people don’t really have a role to play?

Let’s open our Bibles to First Corinthians chapter 12.  Verse seven says something very powerful.  It says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

That means, as a Christian, a certain manifestation of the Spirit of God is given to you!

The Scripture goes on to describe us as parts of a body.  Verse 12 says, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.”

Many times in the Bible we Christians are referred to as the body of Christ.  He is the head, and we are the body.  You are a part of the body, and I am a part of the body.  There is just one body, and there is one Holy Spirit that works through each of us.

That is very important.  There is one Holy Spirit, just one, and He is in you and in me and in all true Christians.  It’s the same Spirit, but He manifests Himself in different ways through each of us. 

First Corinthians 12 lists some of these manifestations, then verse 11 says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.”

Verse 18 says something similar, and uses the body analogy.  It says, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.”

You are a part of the body.  You have a manifestation of the Spirit, and it’s just what God has chosen for you.

Verse 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

So the million dollar question is, which part are you?

“I don’t know, Doug, and I don’t even know how to know.”

Well, guess what?  It’s not rocket science.  The Holy Spirit inside you will reveal it to you.  Just ask God to show you your part in the body.

Now here is a helpful tip.  The Bible talks about grace, and it talks about gifts.

Ephesians four says that “…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”  And verse 8 says that He gave us gifts. 

Grace and gifts show up again in Romans 12:6.  “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”

That word “gifts” can sound very mysterious, and some spiritual gifts are mysterious, but when you are unsure about your part in the body of Christ, one thing you can ask yourself is, “What am I gifted at?”

Think of things you can do that just not everyone can.  It’s a gift you have, something that was just there, by the grace of God.

If you are gifted at something, then you do have a gift.  So how can you use it for the body of Christ, or as First Corinthians 12:7 says, “for the common good”?

We are all members of the body, and we need to become fully engaged members.  Then the body will be healthy.  Then the body will grow.

The ministry of the church will expand exponentially as we each do our part in the body of Christ.


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-

Music and the Power of Suggestion - Apples of Gold - October 6, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 6, 2009

“Music and the Power of Suggestion”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

The number one song in the land, according to the Billboard Hot 100, is “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas.

The lyrics say, “I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night.”

So far, so good, right?

Okay, according to the song, what’s going to make it a good night?

“Tonight’s the night, let’s live it up,
I got my money, let’s spend it up.”

And that’s exactly what millions of people will do.  No, not because the song said so, but listen – the song is an ingredient in the decision.

I don’t think these are Dave-Ramsey-approved lyrics.  He would have said:

“Tonight’s the night for financial health,
Let’s pay off debt and build up wealth.”

But who would listen to a song like that, right? 

So anyway, the number one song right now is all about going out and partying and blowing all your money and, like one line says, “losing all control.”

A great Friday night song, right?  Nope.  The lyrics spell out everyday of the week.  What’s a good day to spend all your money and lose all control?  Every day!

No, a song can’t make you do that, but it’s an ingredient in the decision.  It’s the power of suggestion, and when your song is number one in the country, you are suggesting it to a huge percentage of the nation.

Don’t believe me?  Well get this, the number three song in the country is all about the power of a song to influence behavior!

It’s called “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus – yes, the girl who plays Hannah Montana. 

In the song she talks about flying into Los Angeles and feeling nervous and homesick.  But then in the taxi cab a song by Jay Z comes on the radio and she starts moving and grooving and feeling all right.

Then little 16 year old Miley sings about going to the club and feeling out of place with all the big city partiers.  She feels out of place and wants to get out of there and go home, until the DJ drops a song by Britney Spears, which helps her decide to stay at the club after all.

Many times she feels like leaving the big city and going back home, but “something stops me every time,” she says.  And what is that something?  A song. 

So at number three is a song about the power of a song to influence behavior.  She would have left the club, but a song kept her in the club.  She would have left the big city, but a song kept her there.

And so what did she do?  She nodded her head and moved her hips and got her hands up.  “Yea, it’s a party in the U.S.A.”

I know, some of you think it’s just silliness, but there’s little Miley promoting Jay Z who has the number four song on the Hot 100 called “Run This Town.”  No, it’s not about the mayor and the city council, and no, I can’t share the lyrics on this radio station.  It has the “n word” and guns and lyrics that are degrading to women and on and on.  And this is exactly the kind of lyrics they are pumping out day and night on the most listened to radio stations in Tallahassee and around the country.

Look down the list of the top songs.  Look at the number one songs in other parts of the world.  I can’t even share with you some of the song titles.  And some of you, if you read the lyrics, you would be stunned, alarmed, even revolted.  And these aren’t the lyrics of some dark basement bar band.  They are the most popular songs on the planet.

I’m talking today about the power of suggestion, and when you throw together a cocktail of lyrics and catchy music, the suggestion can be pretty powerful.

No, your music won’t make you do something, but it is an ingredient in your decisions, so pay attention.  That music you listen to – what is it suggesting that you do?

Romans 12:2 tells us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world.  That is very hard to do if the pattern of this world is pulsing through your iPod.

But there is a big payoff.  When we choose to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, Romans 12:2 says, “…then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

So would you like to know what God’s will is for your life?  One step toward finding out is to stop conforming to the pattern of this world.

And one way to stop the conformity is to stop listening to worldly music full of worldly suggestions.

No, your music won’t make you do something, but it’s a powerful ingredient in the decision.


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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