Telling The TRUTH
030213 Telling The Truth 28 Minute Program
[music] You're listening to "Telling the Truth" from Triple T. Christian Youth Ministries, "Telling the Truth to and Through Teenagers." Here is Triple T. Founder and President George Dooms. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Start where you are is a faith concept that requires believing God's Word. Listen to Genesis 1-1, New King James. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Do you believe that? It is absolutely true. God did it. We don't need to have people having second guesses or speculating how the world began. God did it. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So going back to the basics, back to the beginning, we must recognize and realize that God is indeed in charge of all the affairs of all people all the time. Now it's our turn to determine what to do with this creation of His called You and Me. As human beings, created in the image of God, we have the responsibility as well as the opportunity to serve God, to love God, to pray to God, to read God's Word, and to tell people about God as we fellowship with other believers. So it becomes our wonderful privilege to share the good news of the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ with people everywhere. Bask in the fullness of God's love. He created you. Share your faith. Tell people that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God the Son. The New Testament expansion of Genesis 1-1 is John 1, 1 through 3, looking James. Listen, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. What a wonderful presentation of who God is and who Jesus is. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, but He has always been with God, of God, and doing things the way God wanted it to happen. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Starting with a relationship with Him, means that you have eternity in view. Have you admitted that you have sinned? Have you turned to Jesus from your sins? Have you personally believed on Him? Are you sharing your faith in Him with others? Are you fellowshiping with other believers? Are you reading the Word of God together? Are you praying for one another and for those who need Jesus to change their lives? You can, if you will. It's your privilege. It's your prerogative. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, today is the day of salvation. So start where you are and share Jesus with someone today. God is always looking for leaders. Many are called, but few are chosen. And one of the chosen ones was Moses. Listen to how it all started. Numbers 10, 13, New King James Version. So they started out for the first time according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses. There you have it. The children of Israel are getting ready to go and God has chosen the leader. His name is Moses. As you read the Bible, especially the first books of the Bible know that God allowed Moses to pin those words through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit who inspired it all. You can start where you are to move into the direction God wants you to go. And hopefully, you will be a leader for the Lord, leading people to Jesus Christ who don't know Him, leading others to pray and read God's Word, and to deliver the gospel message to people you know and they know. Pray first and then go. Start out and take the gospel to your world this very day. You can, if you will, but the determination has to be in your heart and in your mind. In your willingness to be who God wants you to be, to do what God wants you to do, to start when God wants you to start. Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points, Numbers 33-2, New King James Version. As you follow in that chapter, you'll find out where they went, point by point, place by place. Start where you are. Go the direction God wants you to go just like Moses did, and then put together a journal of your journey. Know where you have been, where you are, and where you are headed. God is a perfect plan for you to accomplish His purpose that He has divinely designed just for you. Are you willing and ready to go starting today where you are? I hope you will move forward prayerfully, reading God's Word, fellowshiping with other believers, and then going full speed forward the way God wants you to go, when and where and how. There's a world out there that needs to be reached for Jesus Christ. In America today, there are 3,141 counties and within those counties in the 50 states, there are over 41 million 10 to 19-year-olds. Our vision, every youth to hear the gospel, was an invitation to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ before turning 20. Will you pray and participate in this dream, in this vision? Let us know, if you will. And suddenly, a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3, 17. Now, listen to what happened next. Matthew 4, 17, New King James Version. From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." As the Virgin-born, sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ began His earthly ministry. The world was about to be totally rearranged and will never, ever be the same. Christ came to save sinners. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Because this is true, the gospel is available to anyone anywhere. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So what are you going to do about it? Are you telling people about Jesus? Are you letting them know they need to admit they have sin and to turn to Jesus from their sins to believe on Him and to tell people that they believe? Are you telling people that you are a believer in Christ, if indeed you are? Are you praying with other Christians? Are you going with the gospel? Are you reaching those who need to know about Jesus Christ? I hope you are. You can, if you will. Jesus' earthly ministry multiplied as He called twelve, one by one, to follow Him so He could make them fishers of men. And then it multiplied more. Listen to Mark 6, verses 7 and 8, New King James. And He called the twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff. No bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts. What about you? Are you willing to go as you are? Are you willing to do without some things, some luxuries and some things that maybe you consider needs? But God may not consider needs. Are you willing to use what you have starting where you are and then to go full speed forward for God's glory? People need the Lord. Get a prayer partner, someone who cares about people who don't know Jesus. Together, read God's Word, heed God's Word, pray diligently and then create the strategy to take the gospel to folk both of you know or could know who need to know who Jesus is and that He can give them life that lasts forever. It's a wonderful thing when you read the gospel and when you heed God's Word. Will you? Listen to Luke 24, 46 and 47 New King James Version. Then He said to them, "Thus it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and arise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name in all nations beginning at Jerusalem." That's where they started. Where are you going to start? Where is your Jerusalem? God wants us to know that we are responsible for the people in the place where we are now. And He wants us to pray with others to get in fellowship with other believers who are concerned about those who have not yet believed and together look into the Word of God prayerfully. Then you need to pray for each other and for those people whom you know who don't know the way to heaven, who don't know that what they need to do is to admit they have sinned, to believe on the Lord Jesus and to confess Him publicly. But someone like you and your prayer partner, our partners need to go to them and tell them, "Will you do this?" Pray, pray, pray, and then prepare, prepare, prepare. Then go with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saving powers available to people, but someone has to tell them. Every Saturday at 7.27 p.m., you are invited to attend a live youth event at Triple T, 13,000 US-41 North at Booneville and Harmony Road, midway between I-64 and Evansville Regional Airport. Every first Saturday, a good news club for ages 6 to 9 is available in a separate room. For more information call 812-867-2418 or visit www.tripletchristianyouth.org. (upbeat music) - Leading youth philosophy, the faith concepts begin with prayer. Pray without ceasing. Ask and will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and will be opened unto you. Seeking God's will is step two. That's always the next step. And beyond that is goal setting. Seek God's will and then set your goals. Fourth, start where you are. Not where you wish you were. Not where you have been, but where are you? Where are you physically? Well today, physically, I am in Venderburg County, Indiana, just outside of Evansville, Indiana, in the state of Indiana, in the Tri-State area of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, in the Midwest section of the United States, in the United States of America, on the continent of North America, and you and I are on planet Earth. In case you wondered where you are, that's where you are. Now, if you are listening by radio or podcast, you may be someplace else. Just find out where you really are. And you have to start there, where you are, wherever it is. You have to start where you are geographically, but also physically. Where are you physically? What kind of a body do you possess? How is the physical you? Where are you mentally? Are you with me? Are we together? Or are you someplace else in the world of daydreams? Mentally, where are you? Start where you are in your mind, and then start where you are socially. Who are your friends? Who are people next to you? Who are you associating with? What kind of world is your world socially speaking? Where are you? Start where you are socially, and now the very important one. Where are you spiritually? Are you a Christian? Are you a believer? Have you been born again? Have you admitted that you have sinned? Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you confessed Him publicly? Do you know Him whom to know right is life eternal? Are you a believer in Christ? Where are you spiritually? When you take this inventory, and you do this checkup on the real you, and you identify your position, then it's time to really start. In the Old Testament in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was in a particular position, and God spoke to him. In Jeremiah 33, the Bible says more over the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still shut up in the court of the prison saying, "Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it, to establish it, the Lord is His name." When Jeremiah was in that position, God sent him a message. Jeremiah, start where you are. Here's what to do. Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know. Before you move from where you are, you need to call in the Lord. And when you do, he will show you what's next. He will give you the guidance and direction that you need in order to impact your world. Start where you are, and take an inventory, again, of all those particular parts of you, and then determine what you're going to do where you are. Where are you? I hope that you're in a position to say, "God, make me usable and use me. I will give back to you all that you've entrusted to me. I will one more time present my body a living sacrifice. Here I am, Lord, send me where you want me to go from where I am. As we've shared with you the key idea, keep evangelizing youth. This leading youth concept is a very practical plan. It is designed to help you communicate Christianity. It is extremely flexible, and therefore it is adaptable in all situations, including yours. It is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Its development depends on your action. It's as expansive as you desire it to be. Its only limitation is your lack of involvement. Without you, it is worthless. With you, it is potentially as high as your sky, as wide as your world, as deep as your dedication. So where are you? We're sharing a tried and proven formula for effective youth evangelism. Every premise of the plan is based on four imperative fundamentals. Number one, the Bible is the Word of God. It is meant to be followed consistently. You cannot be an outstanding Christian worker without personally adhering to the concepts of the Scriptures. Begin with an individual, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Two, prayer is basic. It is a daily necessity for your development and growth as a Christian. Prayer changes things and prayer changes people. Believing always proceeds receiving. Someone has said, seeing is believing, but no, believing is seeing in advance what God is going to do. Three, obeying God's Word predicates participating in God's work. It involves the total you, the mental, the physical, the social, the spiritual. Four, communicating Christianity is the number one task of the committed Christian. There is no such thing as commitment without communication. There is nothing that works like communicating the Christian message. God has told us to go. Jesus said go. And we are to go with the Gospel to the people who need to know about Jesus Christ. How does it work? Well, when we start where we are, we look around us. And certainly we see ourselves in this particular position. And someone has phrased it this way. Draw a circle around where you are and step into that circle and say, God, start using the person in this circle to impact the world starting here now today. And then bring into that circle other people and expand the circle. As you start where you are, you bring another person and another and another until you have at least four. An adult, a committed Christian and a young person who is a male and one who is female and the other can be either. You have a nucleus of a minimum of four now. The four of you start where you are to reach out to bring other people into your circle and you expand your circle. And as you contemplate not only finding out where you are, you need to determine what to do about it. We will be sharing more of these details, but this is very important. You need to make a list of what you need to impact the area you are going to try to reach for Jesus Christ geographically. Then you need to delegate the necessary people to carry out the plan. You target your publics and determine how to best spread the word about your event to the people you want to reach. You make personal preparation and then group preparation and again you simply list what is needed. What do you need? What tools do you need? What items do you need to really put together an evangelistic youth event that is going to reach out to a whole bunch of people in a very short time. In a matter of a few short weeks now, an impact can happen. But the only way the impact will really be effective is for you to have all the tools gathered in one place at one time where you are. Then you get them all there. You take an inventory. You have to determine what it is you really need. You look around you. Where you are, make certain in the middle of that circle of you and those people that are with you to help get the job done that you are saturating that circle with prayer. Prayer. Talk to God. Talk to God specifically. Thank Him for what He has already done. Tell Him that you really believe what needs to happen. You desire His will. Share the desire of your heart. How many people do you want to have at your impact effort? All the details need to be presented as the Lord and prayed about. He cares. Then thank God for what He is going to do. Thank God in advance of all He is doing for the provisions for your impact efforts. And when you get into the habit of thanking God for what He has done, thanking Him for what He is doing, then thank Him for what He is going to do. You get a very special prayer circle circumstance. And I hope that you will get this concept. I hope that you will understand that concerted, concerned prayer, sharing burdens, sharing blessings is going to help you get the job done. And again make certain that you know what you are doing, where you are going, starting right where you are. Continue where you are to reach out to where you need to be. But don't move out of that circle until you make sure that all of these entities are there. Understand? You need to keep an inventory sheet with you all the time. A inventory sheet is a very practical thing. It is basically a planning sheet and on your planning sheet you list the things that you need, the items that need to be obtained, the things to be planned, the things to be done, the people to see, even letters to write and telephone calls to make, and appointments to be kept. And as you look at this, you are going to be able to fill in the blanks. And this is a tool. It is a simple tool, but it is a tool that will help you check yourself. A checklist is always, always, always an important thing to use when you are going to try to accomplish something for God's glory. Are you certain that your event, your effort is going to be aggressively evangelistic? To be aggressively evangelistic means that the plan of salvation and an open invitation to publicly profess personal faith in Jesus Christ will conclude your impact effort. And to be Bible believing means that you believe the Bible is totally true. Stay tuned to learn more about how to start where you are to make an impact. Remember to be Bible believing means that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and errant Word of God. And it must be the foundation on which your impact is built. And then you need to make certain that all those who meet Christ will be involved and invited to participate in a local Bible believing church. That they will be instructed and followed up so that they can grow in Christ in the days after your effort. So start where you are. And having sought God's will for every facet of your outreach, after sending your specific goals, make sure that you are doing your part to reach those goals. Pray about them, saturate it in prayer, and then move on out there. Call to me, God says, and I will do what? Answer you. God wants to hear your prayers. He wants to answer your prayers. He wants to give you the guidance and direction you need to get the job done effectively for His glory. So continue to use the tools effectively that you have. And then think about not only starting where you are, but the direction that you are going to go. How far are you going to go? Let me ask you to take a personal inventory about those things that we mentioned just moments ago. How high is your sky? There's a song entitled "How Big is God?" How high is your sky? Does it just go over your head? Way up to the ceiling? Does it go all the way through the ceiling? Does it bounce off the clouds? Does it penetrate the clouds? How high is your sky? And then starting where you are, ask yourself, "How wide is my world?" How far out to my horizon stretch? How wide is your world? Expand from where you are to the greatest degree possible. Don't stretch yourself like a rubber band until it breaks, but stretch yourself as far as you can stretch without breaking. How wide is your world? How many people are you going to try to reach out to and bring to your effort? And then, of course, the key, the essential, how deep is your dedication? To keep evangelizing youth, you've got to understand, you've got to look, and you've got to determine how far down inside you does your commitment to Jesus Christ really go. How long lasting will it be? Are you willing to pay the price no matter what? Are you willing to do whatever you have to accomplish this for God's glory? Are you willing to take that first step to start? Remember, point number four is not to stand where you are, but start where you are. And you've got to move out from that piece of geography, out from that little hunk of turf that you find yourself on, and take the first step, then the second, then the third, and you keep going until you accomplish what needs to be accomplished. But there has to be that beginning point, and you take your inventory inside your circle before you step out of your circle, or before you expand your circle. And then those people who are working with you are going to know what to do and how to do it. There's no way we can emphasize too often Romans 12, 1 and 2. Romans 12, 1 and 2 is probably the most concise spiritual presentation of complete, total, absolute, unreserved commitment to Jesus Christ that is found in Jesus Christ. That is found in the Word of God. I beseech you, I beg you, I plead with you, therefore brethren, therefore believer, therefore you who have admitted that you have sinned, who have trusted Christ who are sharing your faith. By the mercies of God, God in His infinite, matchless mercy, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die so that you by believing on Him could be saved. That you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. The most reasonable thing in the whole wide world you can possibly do is to give back everything to God that He is entrusted to you, right? Give Him you. Give Him you without reservation. Give Him you in totality. Stop going along with the crowd and do not be conformed in this world, but be transformed. Be different. Be changed. How? By the renewing of your mind. Get your head totally in tune with God. Saturate all the mental you with God's Word and with His purpose and His plans. Then when you have done it, you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God does not want anyone to perish, but He does want everybody to repent, to get it together, to turn to Jesus Christ from sins. And He wants you to be used of Him to share His Word and His truth and His gospel with the people who are lost, with the people who are outside of Jesus Christ, with the people who are headed for hell and not for heaven. God wants you to do that. He wants you to accept the awesome responsibility and fantastic privilege that He has provided. So what about it? Will you call us or write us and be a part of a Tiger team, evangelistic youth effort where you are? I hope you will. Call me, George Dooms, 812-867-2418, or write to me. TTT, Christian Youth Ministries, 13,000, that's 1-3-000-US-Highway-41-North, Evansville, Indiana, 4-7-7-2-5. Check the website. Find out how you can be a vital part of a ministry that God is using effectively. Christ, through you, can change the world. [Music] Every Saturday at 7.27pm, you are invited to attend a live youth event at Triple T, 13,000-US-41-North at Booneville, New Harmony Road, midway between I-64 and Evansville Regional Airport. Every first Saturday, a good news club for ages 6-9 is available in a separate room. For more information, call 812-867-2418, or visit www.tripletchristianyouth.org. For your free copy of The Telling the Truth newsletter, call 812-867-2418, 812-867-2418, or write Triple T, 13,000-US-41-North, Evansville, Indiana, 4-7-7-2-5. Tune in to Telling the Truth next week at the same time on this same station. [Music] (dramatic music)