Is Someone's Sexual Immorality Any of Our Business? - Apples of Gold - August 20, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 20, 2008

“Is Someone’s Sexual Immorality Any of Our Business?”

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

“Two please, nonsmoking.”

“Oh, the whole restaurant is nonsmoking.  In fact, you can’t smoke in any restaurant in the state.”

That’s what we heard when we first moved to Florida.  It was a surprise because it wasn’t that way back in Illinois – until this year.  Now they have smoking laws that are tougher than Florida’s.  Kids can’t even smoke in the dorms anymore. 

Now wait a minute.  With so many preaching that we must keep government out of the bedroom, how can we ban kids from smoking in their dorm room? 

Oh well.  These new laws would have thrilled the old time preachers.  They used to preach against smoking with a vengeance, saying it was a subtle device of Satan to ruin mankind.* 

If there would have been late-night TV shows they would have mocked these preachers for their ridiculous stand against smoking.  Now the tide has turned and society at large sees the damage smoking causes and we’re passing laws to restrict it.

On the other hand, we don’t want to restrict anything that has to do with sex.  Keep government out of the bedroom, they say.  (Unless you are a dorm kid trying to sneak a Marlboro.)

Meanwhile, sexually transmitted diseases are taking their toll.  The New York Times reports that the number of AIDS cases has risen “significantly” among a certain subgroup of men in the last few years.**  But you sure don’t want to be the jerk that tells these men to stop doing that.

Another report in the New York Times shows that one in four teenage girls has an STD, and almost half of the African American teenage girls has one.***  But you sure don’t want to be the jerk that brings up abstinence.

And these statistics don’t show the whole picture.  What about the emotional fallout?  All the entanglements.  All this giving yourself away, sacrificing your dignity, anything to make yourself feel good, if only for a moment.

Society is seeing the light about smoking, and we’re passing laws to restrict it.  I wonder how long it will take us to see the light about sexual immorality?

I know, I know.  There is a tidal wave, and it’s going the other way.  Our culture is more hyper-sexed than ever, and clamoring for more.  And if you dare speak out against it, well, aren’t you the prude?  Why don’t you get off your high horse and join the party?

Instead of passing laws to restrict people’s behavior, there is talk of passing laws to restrict people who speak out against it.  And the funny thing is, it’s called hate speech.

Here you are, trying to help people by teaching them how to be sexually moral, which will help them avoid so much pain and sorrow – I mean sexual immorality causes so much damage and trouble – and yet you are accused of hatred.

So why are we restricting smoking and not sexual immorality?  If we are all about the freedom, then what about the freedom to smoke? 

“Oh Doug, you can’t even compare the two.” 

That’s right.  Sexually immorality causes so much more damage to individuals than smoking. 

“But Doug, you can’t legislate morality.” 

No, what you legislate is actions.  You pass laws against actions that are harmful to society. 

“But you can’t control people like that.”

Look at all the people who are in jail for having marijuana.  You don’t even have to smoke it or sell it.  If you just have it.  If it’s just a decorative plant, you can find yourself in the pokey.

“So are you advocating jail time for sexual immorality?”

What I want to do is call attention to it.  First of all, I want to say that there is such a thing as sexual immorality.  We need to call attention to it, and we need to steer people away from it.

Look at Hebrews 12:16.  It says, “See that no one is sexually immoral…” 

That is a huge statement.  “See that no one is sexually immoral.”  Who is it talking about?  People in the church?  People in your family?  The population at large? 

I think it’s talking about anyone you care about, because sexual immorality hurts people.  It causes damage.  When something hurts someone you love, you try to keep them away from it.

Now how to do that, I don’t know.  I’m not ready to lobby for sexual immorality laws, and our nation certainly isn’t ready for that.  The disease rates will have to skyrocket before our society will dare pass any such restrictions.

But that verse in Hebrews is pretty clear.  We must take responsibility to steer others away from sexual immorality.  They may say it’s nobody’s business, but the Bible says it is.  It is our business to see that no one is sexually immoral. 

It starts with us.  Then it goes to our family.  We must work to keep our family members sexually moral.  We need this in the church.  We need to define biblically what is sexually moral, then work to keep everyone on the right side of the line. 

I know our culture is demanding that it’s none of your blankety-blank business.  But so what?  It is.  The Bible says it is.  And not to be prudish and hateful, but to be loving and caring.  To prevent the damage that results from sexual immorality.

Look, if it’s the compassionate thing to restrict smoking, then it is certainly the compassionate thing to do like it says in Hebrews 12:16 – to “see that no one is sexually immoral.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 

*  From the book “Good Words” edited by Norman Macleod and Donald Macleod, published in 1880.
**  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/health/research/27hiv.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=nyt
***  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E6D6113BF931A25750C0A96E9C8B63

© 2008 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-

Baptism, Just Do It - Apples of Gold - August 19, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 19, 2008

“Baptism – Just Do It”

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

Why did I get baptized?

I believed in Jesus, that He died on the cross and was resurrected.  I repented of my sins and received His forgiveness.  I wanted to leave my old life behind and follow Him.

And as I read the Bible it appeared to me that there was a gate.  Everyone who followed Christ went through this gate – the gate of baptism.

I didn’t understand every nuance of baptism.  I didn’t seek out every possible teaching about it.  I just saw the simple truth that everyone who followed Jesus was baptized.  And since I so deeply wanted to follow Him, my Savior and Lord, I knew that I too must pass through that gate.

While Jesus walked the earth, when people came to Him, they were baptized.  In John 3:26 one man said, “He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

Then when Jesus was preparing to leave the earth, He gave His disciples the Great Commission.  Matthew 28:19 says, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

When Peter preached his first big sermon, he said in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

Notice that phrase “every one of you.”  They were all to be baptized. 

Then Acts 2:41 says, “Those who accepted his message were baptized…”

Several times in the book of Acts we read of people who believed and were baptized.  Of the jailer in Acts 16 we read, “...then immediately he and all his family were baptized.” 

They didn’t wait around to let it soak in.  They didn’t need a six week class on the doctrine of baptism.  They simply heard the Gospel, believed it, and were baptized.

Sometimes I hear of people who are reluctant to be baptized, and I don’t know what to say because I don’t see that in the Bible – at least not from believers.  Those who believed were eager to be baptized.

For example, look at the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8.  Philip explained the Gospel to him as they rode along in a chariot.  Now look at verse 36.  “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water.  Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 

The Ethiopian was so eager to be baptized that he stopped at the first water hole he came to.  When it was done, verse 39 says he “went on his way rejoicing.”

Some people want to pick baptism apart.  They want to deconstruct it and know exactly what it does and how it works and the reasons for it.  But I love the spirit of the Ethiopian.  Just do it, then go on your way rejoicing.

The Bible tells of no one who believed up to the point of baptism, but then didn’t do it. 

Why would someone who says they believe not want to be baptized?  The only reason I can think of is pride.  The rich young man didn’t follow Jesus because it would cost him his money.  But what does baptism cost you?  The only thing I can think of is pride.  It’s kind of humbling to submit yourself to a strange ceremony with water. 

And I think that’s part of the point.  It’s a step of faith, an act of obedience, a sign of your belief. 

For me it was saying, “I do want a new life in Christ.  I want to be His disciple.  I am willing to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him.  And if that means getting baptized, then where’s the water?  Let’s do it.”

So have you believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but for some reason put off baptism?

Then this message is for you.  Go through the gate.  Pass through the doorway that’s been entered by all the great believers.  Now is the time.  You say you believe.  It’s time to step forward and act on it. 

Follow the example of the Ethiopian eunuch.  Find some water and just do it.  Then go on your way rejoicing!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 

© 2008 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-

Kuriai Doxai de Xristos - Apples of Gold - August 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 18, 2008

“Kuriai Doxai de Xristos”

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

“Dude, why do you have a tattoo of a fish on your neck?”

“It’s not just a fish.  It’s the Pygocentrus Nattereri, the symbol of the Mekong Kuriai.”

“Say what?”

“The Mekong Kuriai.  Haven’t you heard of him?”

“Not hardly.  Has anyone heard of him?”

“Oh yes, he’s a great teacher in Vietnam.  I became his follower three years ago.”

“So you are a follower of the Mekong Kuriai?  What exactly does that mean, besides having a fish tattoo on your neck?”

“It means I follow the teachings of the Mekong Kuriai.  I do whatever he says.  Last year he said all his followers were to prominently display the ‘Symbol of the Centrus,’ and you’ve got to admit, it doesn’t get much more prominent than this.”

“So you do whatever he says?”

“Oh yes.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

“And what does he tell you to do?”

“It happens once a year, when he publishes his Kuriai Doxai.*  It includes all of his current teachings, and that’s what we focus on all year.  We study it and master it.” 

“And whatever it says, that’s what you do?”

“Absolutely.  Like I said, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

- - - - - - - - - -

Now let that echo through your brain.  “If I didn’t do what he said, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

That’s a lesson all of us Christians need to learn.  We say we are followers of Christ, but do we study what He said?  Do we master it and live it?

I confess, I just made up that whole story about the Mekong Kuriai; but can you imagine someone like that, someone who just dove into someone’s teachings hook, line and sinker?  Some people do that with Eckhart Tolle or Wayne Dyer or Rhonda Byrne. 

But do we Christians do that with Jesus? 

When someone is a fanatic follower, we say, “They don’t even think for themselves.  They just do whatever their leader says.  It’s some kind of cult.” 

But you know what?  Those cults are a counterfeit of something real.  The real thing is to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

In a cult, you lose your freedom.  But followers of Christ find freedom.  Listen to what Jesus said in John 8, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Follow that progression to freedom.  It starts by holding to the teachings of Jesus.

That means we must know what they are.  We need to study them and master them.

Have you been studying the teachings of Jesus?  It never ends.  We constantly look into the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice.  It’s a life long pursuit.

I said I made up the Mekong cult, but what about the name of his teachings, “Kuriai Doxai.”  That means “principal doctrines.”

Do you know the Kuriai Doxai of Jesus?  Do you have notebooks where you have written down the Kuriai Doxai and how it applies to your life?

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”  But do we even know His teaching? 

It’s time to dive into the teaching of Jesus.  We need to study it and memorize it.  We need to compile it and organize it and learn it inside and out. 

So get out your Bible and let the learning begin.  Be a radical follower of Christ.  And it starts with a thorough study of His master teachings – the Kuriai Doxai de Xristos.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  Pronounced COOR-eee-eye DAWKS-eye, according to Dr. John Marincola, professor of Greek historiography and rhetoric at Florida State University.  He said the phrase means “important or principle doctrines.”

© 2008 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-

Take the Shopping Fast Challenge - Apples of Gold - August 14, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 14, 2008

“Take the Shopping Fast Challenge”

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

It was the first time I ever heard of Bose speakers.

My high school buddy Bill invited me over to check them out.

He put on an album by Mannheim Steamroller just to show off the pristine sound, and I was impressed.

Then I went back home to my 8-track player and one speaker the size of an ant.

Hey, at least I had the sweet new 8-track from the Commodores.

Did you ever stand in line to buy a group’s album on the first day it came out?

Did you ever go see a movie at midnight on opening night?

Did you ever pour over a Christmas catalog and go ga-ga over all the new toys?

What about the iPhone?  Or the PlayStation? 

Come on ladies.  Have you ever walked through a clothing store and gotten excited by the new clothes?

Men, have you wandered through Home Depot and lusted over the new tools?

There is just something about new.  Like the new ride at the theme park. 

Who wants to play with Woody when you’ve got Buzz Lightyear?

I just read a new study and here’s what it said, “When you are faced with something new or thrilling, the brain’s pleasure centers get fired up.”

Then it said this, “When you shop, everything you see is new.”

Let me go over that again.  It said when we find something new, we experience pleasure.  And when we shop, everything we see is new. 

It’s human nature to get excited about new things.  And when we go shopping, everything we see is new, so it’s only natural that we get excited about shopping.

The study went on to say that, for that very reason, shopping can become an addiction.  They say shopping makes you feel good by flooding your brain with dopamine.  It gives you a “shopping high.” 

But then what?  When the shopping high wears off, the study says you end up with a somewhat empty feeling a few hours later. 

“But Doug, I don’t like to shop.”

I think the main reason people don’t like to shop is because they can’t have everything they want.  Or they put it on credit cards or break the bank or whatever, and the money problems kill the shopping high.

But would you like to shop if you could buy what you wanted? 

That was King Solomon’s situation.  He could have what he wanted, and listen to what he said in Ecclesiastes 2:10, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired…”

Every time the shopping high wore off, Solomon got another fix.  Whatever he wanted, he got.  He said, “I refused my heart no pleasure.”

Wow, he must have been the happiest person on earth! 

Now look at Ecclesiastes 2:11.  After living from one shopping high to the next, Solomon finally said, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done…everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

How could that be?  He gained everything he wanted under the sun.  Why did he say he had gained nothing?

Because once the “thrill of the new” wears off, you realize it didn’t really matter. 

Two years ago I went on a shopping fast.  For two years I bought myself nothing.  No clothes or shoes or books or CDs or tickets or trinkets or electronics.  Nothing new for two years. 

First of all, I realized that, even though I was never a big shopper, my desire for new things did have a bit of a grip on me.  I’m excited by new stuff as much as the next guy. 

But my shopping fast broke that.  I realized that it didn’t really matter.  It made no difference at all that I wore all the same clothes for two years.  The only difference was that shopping lost its hold on me.  I was set free in an area in which I didn’t even know there was a problem.

What it boiled down to was self denial.  I was denying myself the pleasure of shopping in order to draw near to God.  It was setting aside one big thing in my life, pushing it aside to make room for more of the Lord.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

So let me ask you, do you think you could do the shopping fast?  It means denying yourself for a period of time. 

Pray about it.  Say, “Lord, would you want me to do a shopping fast, to buy myself nothing for a period of time?”  Then ask Him how long He wants you to commit to. 

It’s not a matter of self improvement.  It’s not for your budget or anything else.  It is simply a way to deny yourself; a way to set aside one thing in your life in order to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.

So there it is.  Your question of the day – will you take the shopping fast challenge?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 
© 2008 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-

What Was John Edwards Thinking? - Apples of Gold - August 13, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 13, 2008

“Sin Will Sell You Down the River”

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

What was John Edwards thinking?

He wanted to be the next president of the United States.  He had a family – a wife who battled cancer, a daughter at Harvard, and two little ones at home.  And yet he had an affair.

With whom?  Not a celebrity.  Not a national leader or rich young heiress.  No, it was just some woman.

Why did he do it?  To what advantage?

He must have seen some advantage to having this affair. 

But now listen to this.  An affair is sin, and when we sin, we enter into a master-slave relationship.  Sin is the master and we are the slave.*

Now let me ask you, in a master-slave relationship, things are done to whose advantage?  It’s always to the master’s advantage.  If you are the slave, you can count on this.  Things are not being done to your advantage.

The instant John Edwards gave in to sin, he became a slave.  But I’ll bet he didn’t see it that way.  I’ll bet he still thought he was in control.

What does a master do when his slave thinks he’s in control?  He knocks him down a peg or two, lets him know who is boss.

John Edwards has been knocked down a few pegs.  He stands humiliated before the whole world.  And it all goes back to the moment he surrendered to sin. 

I’ll bet he thought he could just get in and get out and walk away.  That’s like thinking you can sign up for slavery, but quit anytime you want.  It may be your choice to get in, but once you are a slave, you no longer have the power to get out.  The master has all the power.

John Edwards is a warning for everyone else.  There is no such thing as tinkering with sin.  As soon as we agree to sin, we become a slave. 

Here is a word I like:  talons.  Imagine a huge falcon sinking its talons into its prey. 

Sin does that.  Sure, you may reach your hand in the cage for a quick thrill, but then it has you.  You can feel the talons sinking in.  You don’t have a grip on your sin.  Sin has a grip on you.  It is the master and you are the slave. 

And sin is not a good master.  It will sell you down the river.

Do you know what that means, “sell you down the river”?  I’m reading “Pudd’nhead Wilson” by Mark Twain.  In the book there are some slaves in Missouri, and one day their master threatens to “sell them down the river.”  They considered that to be like sending them to hell because conditions were so much worse for slaves farther south.

And that’s what sin will do.  It won’t leave you where you are.  It will sell you down the river.

So is there a sin in your life that has a grip on you?  Can you see that it has become the master and you have become the slave?

Now what?  What can you do?

As you probably know, you can’t get out on your own.  You must appeal to a higher power, someone with power to break the bondage of sin.  And that someone is Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:15 says that Jesus died as a ransom to set us free from our sins.

Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus frees us from our sins by His blood.

Romans 8:2 says that through Jesus we are set free from sin.

So cry out to Jesus.  Repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness.  Ask Him to be your Savior.  Ask Him to set you free from the bondage of sin.  Then offer yourself up to serve Him.

Now you might say, “But Doug, I’ve done all that.  I am a born again Christian.  I’ve repented of my sins time and again, but this one sin keeps sinking its talons into me.”

Then I urge you to study Romans chapter six.  Here are some highlights:

It says, “…you have been set free from sin…”

It says, “…count yourself dead to sin…”

It says, “…do not let sin reign in your mortal body…”

It says, “…do not offer the parts of your body to sin…”

It says, “…sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace…”

When you come to Christ, you are set free from sin.  Sin is no longer your master.  The problem is, it will still insist that you obey.  But as a child of God, you are not bound to sin.  You don’t have to do it.  God says, “Don’t do it.  I have set you free!”

“But Doug, I feel like I’m bound to do it.”

If you are a saved child of God, you are not bound to do it.  You have been set free.  The chains have been broken.  It’s time to walk away from sin and walk towards God.

Romans 6:13 says, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God…and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.”

That’s the key – offering ourselves up to God as instruments of righteousness.

Have you ever heard that idle hands are the devil’s tools?  It’s not in the Bible, but it makes a point.  If you are struggling with a certain sin, don’t just try to not do it.  Instead, replace it with something good, something for God.  The time and effort you’ve been spending on that sin, instead offer that same time and effort up to God for His purposes.

Sin is a terrible master.  It will humiliate us then sell us down the river.  To overcome it we need a higher power, and thank God we have just that.  We are set free from the slavery to sin by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 
*  Romans 6:16, “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

© 2008 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-

Did We Evolve From Single Cell Organisms? - Apples of Gold - August 12, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 12, 2008

“Did We Evolve From Single Cell Organisms?”

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

To me, the idea that humans evolved from some single cell organism is ridiculous.

Just think about this whole idea of eating. 

Don’t you just love to eat?  I mean, just think of all the food you have enjoyed in your lifetime.  Isn’t it marvelous? 

First of all, it’s amazing that we have taste buds and actually enjoy food so much.  Second of all, it’s amazing that our bodies take that food and use it for energy.  In addition to the pleasure, food literally keeps us alive.

And you’re trying to tell me that just sort of happened randomly, a really lucky accident?  Think of the odds of that happening.  A mouth develops on its own?  A mouth that eats and tastes?  And it just so happens that it eats things that energize the body?  The odds are so staggering that it’s actually impossible.  It is impossible that such a thing happened without a creator.

When I think about such things, all I can do is look up and marvel at our great God.

Now try this.  Try slipping the Adam and Eve story in on your science teacher.  They will likely laugh you right out of the building.  But take a good, hard look at what they believe instead.

Let’s say by some miracle we did evolve from a single cell organism.  If so, how did they reproduce?  Oh, they just divided, you say.  They just multiplied.  Oh.  Okay.  Then let me ask you this.  If that system worked so well, why did it switch over to requiring two people to procreate?  If you had an efficient system of procreating by simply multiplying yourself, why would it ever evolve into requiring two organisms?  And how did it make that leap? 

I’m telling you, asking these questions is like taking a machine gun to a football.  It rips it full of holes and lets all the air out.

Oh, but throw in millions of years.  That’s our answer to everything.  Gee, that’s a really long time.  I guess anything could happen if you give it a million years.

Now let’s go back to that Adam and Eve story.  What an incredible and beautiful thing, this idea of a man and a woman.  Without them both, there is no procreation.  One can’t produce babies without the other.  And it’s not some scientific duty.  The whole man/woman thing is an amazing cocktail of excitement and thrills.  Take a look at the internet.  What websites dominate?  Things having to do with men and women, everything from dating sites to sex sites to relationship advice, and on and on.  I’m not saying it’s all good.  I’m just saying it dominates the internet, showing how powerful the man/woman thing is.

Some will say that “evolution” gave us that great desire for one another in order to propagate the species.  Oh really?  Which came first, the desire or the mechanical ability to procreate together?  You know what?  It better have happened all on the same day!  Otherwise how would it have happened at all?

I’m telling you, it makes no sense.  It is impossible.  It couldn’t have slowly evolved from one thing to another.  It all had to happen at once, all of a sudden.  The mechanics.  The ability.  The desire.  The pleasure.  The results. 

I know many otherwise intelligent people scoff at the idea of Adam and Eve, but to me it makes perfect sense.  All of the billions of wonderful details that had to be in place at the same time to make the whole man/woman thing work.  Again, I just look up toward heaven and say, “God, You are awesome!”

Now let me ask you, have you ever studied about the earth’s “magnetosphere”?  It’s a magnetic shield around the planet that protects the earth from the sun.  Now I’m no sun expert.  I just saw this on a DVD from the library.  But it pointed out how powerful the sun is (remember, they say at the core it’s like 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.)  It’s so powerful that it would hammer the earth – if it weren’t for that magnetic shield.

Now, are you going to try to tell me that we have evolution to thank for that shield?  And evolution to thank for the sun?  And, praise evolution, it all happened at once, because the sun sustains life on this planet, yet at the same time we must be shielded from the full affect of the sun.  It all had to happen at exactly the same time.  What are the odds of it happening by chance?  It’s impossible!

There is only one way that we could have the infinite complexity of life we enjoy on planet Earth, with all these things clicking along simultaneously.  It could not possibly have happened by chance, and it could not have evolved from some simple organism.  It had to be designed and created and kicked off at the same time.

So, yes, many people scoff at the story in Genesis and the whole idea of God creating the world and Adam and Eve.  But all I can say is, compared to evolving from a primordial soup, the creation idea makes much better sense to me.
 

Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

For more reading on this subject, here is a good website:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/wow/did-humans-really-evolve

© 2008 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-

A Word to Christian Communicators - Apples of Gold - August 11, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 11, 2008

“A Word to Christian Communicators”

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

Mark 12:37 says that the large crowd listened to Jesus “with delight.”

Can the same be said of us?

If you are a Christian communicator, would you say that the crowd listens to you with delight?

Cicero was one of Rome’s greatest orators, and he said great communication needs three elements.  It should teach, it should motivate, and it should delight.

We Christian communicators are usually pretty good at teaching.  We can pass along facts all day long.  We lecture and preach, and we feel like we are doing our duty as long as we are communicating Godly truth.

But Cicero said in addition to teaching, great communication should also motivate.  He’s saying that it’s not good enough just to state the facts.  We should state them in such a way that it moves people.

Many Christian communicators are also great motivators.  Congregations are moved to action by great preaching.  Millions of Christians have been motivated by great speaking and writing and various uses of the media.

But what about Cicero’s other point?  Yes, we teach and even motivate, but what about this thing he called delight?

When I think of delight, I think of children when they see puppies.  I think of teenagers when they have a crush on someone.  I think of grownups planning their dream vacation.  Or, like it says in Mark 12:37, I think of an audience listening to Jesus.

When was the last time you were delighted by some form of communication?  I am often delighted when I hear a great new song.  I’m delighted when I hear a truth stated in a way that really turns on the light.  I’m delighted when I read a story that is so well written that I’m just sucked into it.  I’m delighted by a clever turn of phrase and by a creative video.  I’m delighted by the painting of Christian artist Ron DiCianni.

Now let me ask you.  If you are a Christian communicator, what are you doing to delight your audience?

When I think about delighting an audience, I think of the shepherds in Luke chapter two.  There they were, watching their flocks by night, and suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  He announced the birth of Christ, then was joined by a great company of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Did God have to go to all that trouble to announce the birth of His Son?  Of course not.  He could have just passed on the facts.  But instead He made it a grand spectacle!

Think of the Day of Pentecost in the upper room, with the tongues of fire and the rushing wind. 

Think of Moses and the burning bush.

Think of Paul on the road to Damascus.

Think of Jesus’ baptism, with heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending like a dove and a voice from heaven declaring, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Let me tell you, God knows how to delight His audience!

And you know what?  So does the world.  In fact, the world thrives on it.  When they make a hit movie, it’s all about delighting the audience.  They are so delighted they can’t wait for the next one.

Is that the way our audience feels about us as Christian communicators? 

Now listen, I’m not talking about watering down the Gospel.  We still communicate Christ in all His glory, and we do it in such a way to delight the audience.

What’s the difference between delighting the audience or not?  I think it comes down to work.

Have you ever had a Sunday school teacher who simply read the book to you?  They did no work on the lesson, and it delighted no one.  And with no delight, is anyone listening at all?

Compare that to a Sunday school teacher who studies the lesson, then thinks of ways to delight the class – while teaching the lesson. 

One time I was asked to teach a seminar for school teachers.  Instead of lecturing them, I took a lot of extra time to write out a skit to illustrate the point.  Then I had the teachers get up and read the script.  It really brought the lesson to life and delighted the audience in the process. 

This applies to preaching and teaching.  It applies to all forms of Christian communication.  If you have a website, does it delight?  If you have a radio show or a TV show, are you working to delight your audience?  If you are a writer, if you’re in a singing group, what are you doing to delight your audience?

Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

We can do that poorly, or we can do that to the best of our ability.  And if we want to do our best, then I think we need Cicero’s three elements of great communication.  We need to teach, we need to motivate, and we need to delight.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


© 2008 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-

What Should I Look For in a Spouse? - Apples of Gold - July 31, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 31, 2008

“What Should I Look For in a Spouse?”

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

“What is the most important thing I should look for in a spouse?”

The question was kind of abrupt, and I answered off the top of my head.

“Faithfulness,” I said.  “Look for faithfulness.  It doesn’t matter how wonderful someone is, if they are not faithful, your life will be a wreck.”

So what exactly is faithful?  I think someone is faithful if, first of all, they consistently love you.  First Corinthians 13 says love is not self seeking.  Instead of always looking out for themselves, a faithful person looks out for you. 

Second of all, someone is faithful if their character is consistent.  They aren’t one way today and another way tomorrow. 

The perfect example of faithfulness is God.  Over and over the Bible describes God as faithful.

Second Thessalonians 3:3 says, “…the Lord is faithful…”

Lamentations 3:23 says, “…great is Thy faithfulness…”

Isaiah 25:1 talks about His perfect faithfulness.

Psalm 33:4 says the Lord is faithful in all He does.

Psalm 108:4 says His faithfulness “reaches to the skies.”

And Psalm 146:6 says the Lord remains faithful forever.

What does it mean that the Lord is faithful? 

To me that means He is looking out for our best interest, and His character is consistent.

God doesn’t change.  In Malachi 3:6 He declared, “…I am the Lord, I change not…”

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

So when you are looking for faithfulness in a spouse, watch to see if their character is consistent.  If they operate by situational ethics, look out.  If they change their behavior based upon who is watching, look out.  This is not a faithful person.

And when you are looking for faithfulness in a spouse, watch to see if they consistently look out for your best interest – or are they just in it for themselves?  If they spend all their time looking out for number one and don’t seem to care much about looking out for you – look out.  This is not a faithful person.

Why is faithfulness so important?

Because you must marry someone you trust.  If you don’t trust them, to marry them is to pour yourself a heaping bowl of agony.

It won’t matter how good they look or how much money they have.  It won’t matter how smart they are or fun or successful.  If you can’t trust them, you will wake up every day to the feeling of maggots in your gut.

Sound extreme?  Talk to a few people who don’t trust their spouse.  It’s misery. 

That’s why it is so crucial to find this out before you get married.  Can you trust them?  Are they faithful?  If they aren’t faithful before marriage, that little ceremony is not going to change them.

This thing of faithfulness goes beyond marriage.  It’s something to look for in your friends as well, even business partners.

Listen to what King David wrote in Psalm 101.  “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me…” 

Who was going to get close to the king?  Faithful people.  People who had his best interest at heart.  People whose character was consistent.

You have to look beyond someone’s words.  Proverbs 20 verse 6 says, “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”

Now let me ask this.  Are you a faithful person?  Do you truly care about the interests of others, or are you looking out for number one?  And is your character consistent, no matter who is watching?

The good news is, if you are a Christian, and you let the Holy Spirit work in you, then you will have the fruit of the Spirit which includes faithfulness.*

Like I said, this all goes back to the person who asked me one day, “What is the most important thing I should look for in a spouse.”

My answer came off the top of my head, but the more I think about it, the more I see the truth in it.  One primary quality you absolutely must have in a spouse is this:  faithfulness.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 *  Galatians 5:22

© 2008 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-

Get a Job Sha-Na-Na-Na - Apples of Gold - July 30, 2008 -vi-

If you want to actually listen to today’s program, with its featured song, you can do so on our homepage:  www.wave94.com.  

You can also search all of the Apples of Gold scripts.  Just look at the column on the right side of our homepage.

 

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 30, 2008

“Get a Job Sha-Na-Na-Na”

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

Dude, you don’t quit your job until you have your next job lined up.

For one thing, all your new employers are going to want to know what happened to your last job.  Who wants to hire a quitter?

The exception would be if you have plenty of money saved up so you don’t have to mooch off anyone.  And that includes mooching off the government.

And when you are looking for a job, treat that like your job.  Start at 8 a.m. and do the hard labor of hunting for work all day.  You should put in a minimum of 8 hours a day of actually looking for a job.  You need to mentally clock in and clock out during your job hunt. 

Over the years I have run into so many people who are out of work, but who spend too little time looking.  They wrap their hopes up in that one manager who said he would call.  “He’s gonna call, I just know it!  Why should I keep looking when this job’s in the bag?”

Because no job is in the bag until you are hired. 

“But I’ve already applied at all the places I want to work.”

Then you better start applying at some places you don’t want to work.  Maybe God has a plan for you there, you never know. 

But whatever you do, if you are physically capable, and if you are old enough, you need to provide for yourself and not mooch off others, including your parents.

The Apostle Paul set a good example in First Thessalonians 2:9.  He said they worked hard in order to “not be a burden to anyone…”

And that’s the goal – to not be burden to anyone. 

Apparently they had a problem with that in Thessalonica.  Paul addressed the situation in both First and Second Thessalonians.

In First Thessalonians 5:14 he wrote, “…we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle…”

In chapter 4 verse 11 he told them to mind their own business and to work.

In Second Thessalonians chapter three Paul wrote, “We hear that some among you are idle…such people we command and urge to…settle down and earn the bread they eat.”

Then Paul told them not to put up with it.  In fact, in Second Thessalonians 3:6 he told them to avoid those people who weren’t prone to work.  Keep away from them, he said.

If someone doesn’t want to earn the bread they eat, guess what?  They shouldn’t get any bread at all!  Second Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

It sounds to me like some moochers were living off the kind-hearted Christians in Thessalonica.

So why does Paul say to stay away from them?  If you have ever dealt with moochers, you know why.  Because moochers are pot-stirrers.  They play on people’s emotions, and when they sense opposition, they know how to stir it up.  Listen to how Paul describes them in Second Thessalonians 3:11, “They are not busy; they are busybodies.”

What do you call a moocher who is not a smooth talker?  There aren’t any!  Who wants to help a rough talker?  Nobody, so to be a good moocher you have to be a good talker. 

So they don’t work, but spend all their time talking.  They get into everyone’s business, then play that to their advantage – anything to get what they want without working.  They will manipulate and lie if they have to.  This is why Paul says to avoid them.  People like this usually won’t change until they realize that if they want to eat, they are going to have to work.

Back when my dad was in high school one of the most popular songs was called “Get a Job” by The Silhouettes.  It went like this:

(play this portion of the song)

“Get a job – Sha na na na, sha na na na na (bah-doo) Sha na na na, sha na na na na”

The song is from the point of view of an unemployed young man. Everyday his mother gets him out of bed with these words, “Get a job.”  One lyric goes like this, “At breakfast every day she throws the want ads my way, and never fails to say ‘Get a job.’”

The guy even says that his girlfriend is hunting down jobs for him!  Then every day he tells his mom there aren’t any jobs out there, so she starts, “Preachin’ and a-cryin’, tellin’ me I’m lyin’ about a job.”

If the Apostle Paul would have had a podcast, I think this is the song he would have used to close out his message to a few of those Thessalonians:

(begin playing more of the song)

Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

(end program with more of the song)


One more thought.  This is a good reason to get a good education – to put yourself in a better to position to provide for yourself and not end up being a burden to others.
 
© 2008 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 the Way You Pray Biblical? - Apples of Gold - July 29, 2008 ***Happy 30th Birthday to my sister Jennifer!!!*** -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 29, 2008

“Is the Way You Pray Biblical?”

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

Just because you see other Christians do it doesn’t mean it’s right.

People do a lot of strange things for a lot of strange reasons.

That’s why I always stress that we go back to the Bible.  If you want to find out how something should really be done, dig into the Word. 

I also stress that you grasp the big picture of the Bible, not just a little verse here and there.  You can come up with all kinds of strange doctrines by picking out one verse and ignoring the rest.

Let’s take a look at one thing we (hopefully) all do.  I’m talking about prayer.

If you grew up in a Christian home, then you learned about prayer from your family and from your church.

At my house growing up we were taught to fold our hands when we prayed.  This was official.  And you closed your eyes.  That was the authorized prayer posture.  The same thing at church, “Fold your hands and close your eyes.”

When and where did we pray?  We prayed at church, of course.  We prayed around the dinner table before we ate, and we prayed wherever we happened to get our “Quiet Time Story,” which might be in bed or the kitchen table or sitting on the living room floor.  And in case of emergency, we prayed wherever we were when we got the bad news.

And to whom did we pray?  As Lutherans we prayed the “Lord’s Prayer” a lot, so we were praying to “Our Father which art in heaven.”  We also prayed a lot to “Dear Lord,” and “Dear Jesus.”

That’s what I learned about prayer growing up, and many of you probably have your own childhood stories.

But just because that’s the way we were raised doesn’t mean it’s Biblical.  To find out the proper way to do things, we have to go back to the Word of God.

First of all, to whom does the Bible say we should pray?

Well, like I said, Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven.  In Matthew 6:6 He said, “…pray to your Father, who is unseen.” 

This is the way Jesus Himself prayed.  In Matthew 26:39 He began His prayer by saying, “My Father…”

Luke 6:12 says that Jesus prayed to God.

In Acts 4:24 the early church prayed together to God, addressing Him as “Sovereign Lord.”

In Acts 7:59 Stephen prayed to the “Lord Jesus.”

So when we pray, we can address God in a variety of ways, from God to Our Father to Sovereign Lord to Lord Jesus.  Any name the Bible uses for the Lord is an appropriate way to address Him.

The next question is, where should we pray?  Let’s look where people prayed in the New Testament.

In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said we should pray in secret.  He said, “…when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”

You could easily make that a legalistic rule.  You’ve heard the term “prayer closet.”  However, from there on out you don’t read about people going privately into a little room to pray – not even Jesus Himself.

Mark 1:35 says that Jesus got up early one morning, while it was still dark, left the house and went off to a solitary place to pray.

Luke 5:16 says that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Mark 6:46 says that Jesus went up to pray on a mountainside.

Luke 6:12 tells of a time when Jesus went to a mountainside and spent the whole night praying to God.

In Acts 10:9 we read about Peter going up on a roof to pray.

So it kind of sounds like you can pray most anywhere, just as long as you are alone, right?

Well, with Bible people as our example, we don’t always have to be alone when we pray.

Acts 12:12 says many people gathered to pray at someone’s house.

Acts 16:13 says some people went out to a river to pray.

Acts 21:5 says they knelt down right there on a beach and prayed.

In Acts 22:17, Paul says he was praying at the temple.

James 5:14 pictures church elders praying at the bedside of a sick person.

Some people only think of prayer going on at a church building.  But in the New Testament, prayer is going on in all sorts of places.

Another question about prayer is, in what posture should we pray?  It’s obvious, right?  Heads bowed, hands folded, eyes closed…

Well, let’s look at the examples of posture from the New Testament.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:39 says that Jesus “fell with His face to the ground and prayed…”

John 17:1 tells of a time when Jesus “looked toward heaven and prayed.”

Acts 20:36 says they all knelt down and prayed.

In Ephesians 3:14 Paul said he knelt before the Father.

First Timothy 2:8 says, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer…”

And oddly enough, I didn’t find anything about folding your hands, closing your eyes and bowing your head.  I think the lesson here is that there is no prescribed posture for prayer, but one thing they all have in common is a reverence for the Lord.

Our next question is, how often should we pray?  Five times a day?  Just during church service?

Again, let’s turn to the New Testament.

Luke 18:1 says that we should “always pray and not give up.”

Acts 1:14 says the early church “all joined together constantly in prayer…”  And, by the way, it was a mixed group of men and women praying together.

Acts 2:42 says the early church devoted themselves to prayer, and Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer…”
 
Romans 12:12 says we should be “faithful in prayer.”

First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “…pray continually…”

Ephesians 6:18 says we should pray on all occasions.

First Timothy 2:1 says to pray for everyone.

So if you were taught to “pray without ceasing,” that is Biblical.  Prayers are not something we just toss up at church or when we get in a jam.  We should be talking to our Heavenly Father consistently throughout the day.

Is there such a thing as too much prayer?

Well, there are a couple of times when the Bible says things like, “When Jesus had finished praying…”  And Jesus Himself warned about our prayers turning into incessant babbling.  In Matthew 6:7 Jesus said, “…when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

So that’s just an example of what the Bible says about the practice of prayer.  How does that square with your tradition?  Remember, it’s what the Bible says that matters.

So I encourage you, don’t just keep doing whatever you’ve been doing.  Find out what the Bible says.  We should all be willing to remold our habits to fit with the Word of God.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 
© 2008 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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Music Moves You and the Lyrics Point the Way - Apples of Gold - July 28, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 28, 2008

“Music Moves You, and the Lyrics Point the Way”

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

Music moves you, and the lyrics point the way.

A lot of people say it doesn’t matter what kind of music they listen to because they don’t pay attention to the lyrics anyway.

But they admit that music moves them.  It touches them at some deeper level.  Maybe it excites them or motivates them.  It gets them going in the morning.  Music can make us happy or sad or goofy or serious.  If you are a normal person, then music moves you.

The question is, in what direction?

Here is what I think.  The music moves you, and the lyrics point the way.

I was flipping through the paper this weekend and saw that the #1 pop song once again is a song entitled, “I Kissed a Girl.”  The title sounds innocent enough, like just another bubble gum pop song. 

The problem is, it’s sung by a girl, Katy Perry.  It’s set to a catchy pop beat as she sings, “I kissed a girl and I liked it.”

This is the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song has only been on the charts for 11 weeks, so maybe you’ve never heard it – but if you Google the phrases “I Kissed a Girl” and “Katy Perry” it returns about 2.4 million hits.

By comparison, a search of “Billy Graham” returns only 2.8 million hits.

So this song is being enjoyed by millions of people.  Would you say that this song is “moving” people?  I don’t think any song gets that popular if it isn’t moving people at some level.  It’s the beat.  It’s the sound.  It’s the latest catchy thing.  It’s popular precisely because it’s connecting with people.

But what about the lyrics?  Will the millions of girls who like the song suddenly start kissing other girls?  I’m guessing that most of them won’t. 

But here is how lyrics work.  They plant ideas in your mind, and ideas have consequences.  The more you hear an idea, the more seeds you plant in your mind; and the more seeds you plant, the more likely they are to bring a harvest.

Now most of us aren’t robots.  We don’t hear song lyrics and immediately do what they say like mindless zombies.  But here is what happens.  They affect us when we are vulnerable.  When we are vulnerable, we are much more open to the power of suggestion. 

Even in the song the singer admits that, on the day she decided to try kissing a girl, she had been drinking.

When people are inebriated, they are definitely open to the suggestion of song lyrics.  When someone has just been hurt, they are vulnerable.  When someone is at a fork in the road, they are vulnerable.  Even when someone is really excited, they are vulnerable. 

What does a married person do when they find themselves attracted to someone else?  When that happens, they are vulnerable.  I think one thing that will guide their actions will be the lyrics they have been listening to.

If they have been ingesting a steady diet of puppy love songs, or even songs that glorify cheating, they will be far more likely to move in that direction. 

When you encounter a young man on the street at night, what kind of lyrics do you hope and pray he has been listening to?

Some people think it doesn’t matter, but trust me, it matters.  If you don’t think it matters, try crashing your local college keg party and swapping their music for some Christian music.  Even if the music is identical, the lyrics will clear out the party. 

Why?  Because the lyrics would be pointing in the opposite direction. 

And this is where we can take advantage of the power of lyrics in our own life as Christians.  If the evil one starts to throw a little keg party in your heard, then start playing Christian music. 

See, evil thoughts, tempting thoughts, even discouraging thoughts and depressing thoughts – they will all flee when you play music with godly lyrics, with lyrics that encourage and uplift and glorify the Lord.

Let me tell you how we do it at our house.  We don’t allow any secular music.  If it’s not Christian, you can’t play it at our house.  It’s that simple. 

Did you know that we each have a spirit?  First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So we have this spirit inside of us.  And Second Corinthians 7:1 says we should eliminate everything that contaminates our spirit.

I think song lyrics reach our spirit, and certain song lyrics will contaminate our spirit. 

“So what should I do, Doug?  Just whatever you say?”

Hebrews 12:9 says we should “submit to the Father of our spirits…”

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God…”

When we submit to the Lord, this includes our music.  And when we submit our music to the Lord, His usual standards apply – leaving no room for any lyrics that are unholy, unrighteous, ungodly or worldly. 

“But Doug, that’ll wipe out most of the songs on my iPod!”

Good riddance.  If they don’t please the Lord, they are poison anyway. 

Did you get that?  If they don’t please the Lord, they are poison.  They will lead you away from Him. 

I’ve heard all the arguments, and they are all full of holes.  Music moves us, which is why we love it so much.

Yes, music moves us – and the lyrics point the way.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 
© 2008 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-