Telling The TRUTH
122212 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. Paul, the servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth, which is according to godliness. In hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie promised before time began. Titus 1, 1 and 2, New King James. Paul is writing to a specific person. Because God inspired this, it is available to you and to me. There are some basics here. The eternity of God is inability to lie and the fact that eternal life is available to everyone who will believe. I hope that you understand that and that God wants to give you that gift of eternal life, and if you've already received it, He wants to give you the courage to tell others how they also can receive it. God wants you to grow in Christ, to read the Word of God, to pray diligently, to fellowship with other believers who also believe, and then to go with those who don't yet know Christ. And during these last days before Christmas, take the truth to someone and let them know that the baby in the manger was the Christ of Calvary and the resurrected Jesus wants to live in the heart of everyone who will receive his gift. As you read the New Testament, especially the writings of Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, understand that sometimes he was writing to entire congregations and sometimes to specific people. Listen to Titus 1, 4, New King James. To Titus, my true son in our common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Reiterating their relationship with the Lord and each other, Paul is saying, we have a common faith, grace, mercy, and peace. This comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Specific information, confirmations of what God has done is doing and wants to do in the hearts and lives of other believers. And so like Titus, you can check your relationship with God. In his grace and mercy and peace, is he abiding in you? Have you admitted that you have sinned? Have you turned to Jesus from your sins? Have you believed and are you sharing your faith in Christ with others who do not yet believe? Are you fellowshiping with other believers and together? Are you praying for those who don't yet know Christ? Are you reading the Word of God? Do you understand what God is saying to you? There's a great deal of confusion that goes around at Christmas time. There are people who deny the fact that God sent his son in the form of a baby born of a virgin to live perfectly. Listen to Titus 1, 13, New King James Version. This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith. In other words, when people are not telling the truth, tell them they are not telling the truth. Some people are denying the Christ of Christmas. Help them to know that Jesus came because God sent him into the world to save sinners. The whole purpose of Jesus coming was to redeem folk like you and me. He lived perfectly. He was tempted but never gave in. And after his virgin birth, after his preaching and teaching, he died on a cross for the sins of people like you and me. And because he did that, he was buried and he rose again triumphant over death. And so the Christ of Christmas wants to live in the hearts of anyone and everyone who will believe. This is the sound faith. Will you share it with someone today? I hope you will. You can if you're willing. Titus 2-2, New King James Version says, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound and faith in love in patience. Following the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, this is the day that God has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Jesus Christ was born to a virgin in a manger in a town called Bethlehem. And we need to be sober and reverent and temperate, sound and faith in love in patience. Hard to do, but very much needed to do today. Today is the day you can love people. You can love them because Jesus loves you. You can love them because God is love and because it is really love that came down from God that first Christmas Eve. Now we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus. We celebrate his life, his death, his burial and his resurrection. We celebrate the fact that he is now interceding at the right hand of God the Father. So when you pray in Jesus' name, having believed on him, know that he cares about you and those for whom you are concerned. So, Chair, Jesus today, whoever you're with, whomever you can, go with the gospel, Merry Christmas. Paul is writing a very personal letter to Titus. Listen to verse 15 of the third chapter in New King James. "All who are with me greet you, greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all, amen." Paul evidently was with some folk who knew Titus. And Titus was with some people who knew about Paul and he got a greeting through Titus to them. Grace be with you all. What a wonderful thing that is to say to folk, especially if they know the Lord Jesus and if they don't, tell them how they can. It's not too late to share the Christmas story. Someone needs to know. They need to know the truth. Jesus was born of a virgin. He lived perfectly. He came to save sinners by believing on him life that will last forever is God's gift. Tell people who Jesus is, that the baby in the manger is real, that he lives, that he taught, he healed, he touched, he preached, and he called those who believed to follow him. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son who believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Paul was writing another letter, this time to another person. His name is Philemon. Verses 4 and 5, chapter one, New King James Version. I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers. Hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. Philemon must have been a very special person because he loved all the saints. And that is difficult to do. But God has love available to hold in our hearts for us, to love others as we love ourselves. It's formidable. We call it the joy formula. Jesus first, other second, yourself last. So know this, God loves you and he wants you to love others. And he gives you the capacity to do that if you will. God wants you to look into his word. He wants to speak with you. He wants to have you talk with him. He wants you to fellowship with others around the Word of God in behalf of those who don't yet know him. And then he wants you to be a communicator of Christianity. He wants you to be the person who will take the gospel to someone or someone who needs Jesus. You can, if you will. Will you? Now, obviously, I don't know who you are. But I know that you are listening now by divine appointment. I hope that you have believed on the Lord Jesus. If you have it, you can. If you have, may I just share this message with you the way Paul shared it with Philemon. Chapter 1, verse 6, New King James. "That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." That's my prayer for you. That you will share your faith. That you will become effective. That you will acknowledge every good thing which is in you by Christ Jesus. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. If you have truly believed on him. And then God gives us, you and me the responsibility and a myriad of opportunities to tell others about Jesus. I hope that you will understand that you now have that privilege, that prerogative of telling other people who Jesus Christ really is. For the rest of this year, the hours, the days that are left, make them count for Christ and get ready to do wonderful things in the days ahead. There are opportunities. There are unprecedented possibilities for you. Take care. 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. [Music] Day by day Christmas is drawing closer and closer. It soon will be here. But do you know the Christ of Christmas? If you do, then perhaps this leading youth concept is for you. It's really a lifestyle. It's what happens when people are willing to be leading youth to Christ. Who are already Christians and reaching out to those who are not Christians and leading those people anywhere and everywhere to Christ. Then once they have met Christ, you can help lead them for Christ. So leading youth is a two-fold concept. First, leading youth to Christ who are not Christians. Secondly, leading youth for Christ once they have become believers. Leading youth to Christ and for Christ through the church to the world. I believe that the youth of the world today are looking for three things. A flag to salute. Something to believe and a leader to follow. You're invited to help unfurl the flag of faith. To share the message, believe on the Lord Jesus. Jesus himself said, "Follow me." You can help reach some of the countless millions of youth in our world. Wherever you are, wherever you're from, whatever your lot in life might be. Be a leading youth personally and lead youth to Christ and for Christ. If you will avail yourself of every opportunity at your disposal, Jesus Christ through you can change the world. The leading youth concept is simply that. There are seven or eight ways I believe to accomplish the impossible. Someone who said the impossible takes a real long time, sometimes even a little longer. Everything that I'm going to share with you is based on the premise. And we'll get to that later. A Philippians 4-13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The beginning point is to pray. Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock, it will be opened unto you. Then seek God's will. What does God want you to do? He has a perfect plan for everybody everywhere. God loves you. The Bible says God is love. And because he loves you, he wants you to love him back. He wants you to share your faith in him with other people. But before you can do this, you have to have faith yourself. And that faith is established in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How does it happen? The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. When Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi, the jailer asked the question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." It's the answer today as it was then. What you believe is the most important thing about you. And if you believe the right thing, which is trusting Jesus Christ as forgiver and personal Savior, you will be willing to do what needs to be done. The Bible says that the redeemed of the Lord say so. Let me repeat that. That the redeemed of the Lord say so. So be a say so, Christian, that if you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. See God's will. Jesus was talking on the mount on top. He was giving us what we called the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes in the Gospel according to Matthew as it's recorded there. And in Matthew 6, 33, Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you." He didn't say concepts. He didn't say theories. He said, "T-H-I-N-G-S." Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. God will provide the tools you need to serve him effectively. Once you seek his will on a continuing basis, Romans 12, 1 and 2 says it very, very well. If you are looking for God's will, here is one place you can certainly find it. Listen, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your body, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, an acceptable, and perfect will of God." God does have a will, a perfect will, a perfect plan for you, and no matter where you're from, if you're from South America or South Africa, if you're from down under New Zealand, New Guinea, Australia, wherever, if you're from Europe, if you're from Asia, if you're from the islands of the sea, if you're from North America, God has a plan for your life and he wants you to understand the truth of the gospel and to go to your people and to present the truth. And all you have to do to really get it together for God is to believe on Christ and you will be saved. Tell that story to youth, to teenagers, to students, let them know if they will believe on Christ, they can have a life that can last forever according to what the Bible teaches. Seek God's will. Seek God's will on a daily basis. Seek God's will in every area of your life. Seek God's will about relationships with other people. In the social you, seek God's will, in the physical you, seek God's will. God doesn't want you to be flabby. He doesn't want you not to be able to get with it and to move on from there. He wants you to take care of the one body, he's entrusted to you. Some time ago I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the aerobics idea. He got the whole world running. Dr. Kenneth Cooper is a Christian and Dr. Cooper asked me, "My very first encounter with this tremendous physician, do you believe George Dooms that God has called you to do what you are doing to work with young people?" And I said, "Of course I do. Yes, I do." He said, "Then don't you think you should keep doing it as long as you possibly can?" And I said, "Certainly." He said, "Then let me tell you something. God entrust to every person one body per lifetime. Take care of that one body. You can get spare parts, but they're never as good as the original. So take care of it and pay the price to develop it." Paul, in one of his writings, said, "Bodily exercise profits little." He doesn't say nothing. He says little. So take care of the body. Present your body, a living sacrifice, holding acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Don't go along with the crowd. Get it together. Go God's way doing His will one step at a time, a perfect plan, a plan for you. Take care of the mental you. Did you hear that word "mind" in Romans 12, 1 and 2? Your mind is a gift of God. Don't put the wrong thing in it. We live in a computer age. In the computer age, we have a little thing called "guygo." Garbage in, garbage out. Don't put garbage in your mind. Think on the right things. Look at Philippians 4 and think on the things that are outlined there and watch God work wonderfully in your life and in your circumstance. God does love you and He does have a plan for you, but He wants to make you usable and use you not only the physical you and the mental you, but the social you too. God has worked it out so that we are people who have relationships with other people. God wants us to interact with folk, but He wants us to always present our bodies a living sacrifice and to never compromise our convictions. He doesn't want you to be involved in sexual numerality ever under any circumstance. God has worked it out. So you are to look for, pray for, and then find relationships with other people, especially in the guy-girl situation. Probably there is somebody out there for you. Maybe not? Maybe so. I don't know what he or she looks like, but God does. And He may not want you to do that. He may want you to fly solo all of your life. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to say God? I'll never get married if that's what you want. Are you willing to say God? I will get married if that's what you want, only to the right person. God has a plan and make sure that you know His plan and follow His plan. Don't go along with the crowd. Don't say well, He got married and She got married and they got married and I've got to know. Or He didn't. She didn't. So I don't have to. You just need to know what God's will is for you. Meanwhile, keep your body pure. Keep it together with God and for God's glory. And some tremendous things are going to happen. I believe the Bible is a very practical book. I believe that God's Word has things to say to us that we need not only to hear, but to heed. We need to share with other people. 1 Timothy 4.12 says, "Let no one despise your youth." But be an example, two of the believers in Word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. And we're to be pure before God. We have to be pure with each other. God will keep us pure when we allow Him to be the guide of every area of our lives. And so here we have this thing all coming together. The physical, the mental, the social, and of course, most importantly, the spiritual. The spiritual begins with a relationship with Jesus. Once we have established that relationship with Jesus Christ, then we need to sell out to Christ just as is outlined in Romans 12, 1 and 2. To present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. It's the most reasonable thing in the whole wide world that you could possibly do when you give your all to Jesus. Give Him back your body. Say, "God, make me usable. Use me to impact my world for your glory. God is going to do wonderful things, and I'm glad that He is. And I hope that you will continue to be in tune with Him so that you will go, do, be, say, whatever would please Him. Please the Lord. God is not willing to any should perish, but He does want everyone everywhere to repent. There's a plan to meet the need. The greatest need in the world is St. Corinthians 4-3. But if our gospel be hid, it is head to those that are perishing. Stay tuned for more. In our work with youth evangelism, this is the biblical background of all the things we stand for, all the things we endeavor to accomplish for God's glory. But if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to those that are lost. St. Corinthians 4 lets us hear what God is saying. Listen to the first seven verses. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully. But by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled or hidden, it is hidden to those that are perishing. Whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake. For it is a God who commended light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. That's it. That's the need. But if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those that are perishing, those who are lost, those who are dying outside of Jesus Christ. What is the gospel? It's a very special plan that God provided. Very special for every individual. The gospel is this, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. What do we have to do about the gospel? If our gospel is hid, it is hidden to those that are lost. Jesus told us what to do. He said go, going to all the world and preach, proclaim, proclamation, publicize, promote the gospel to every created being, to every person with whom you and I can come in contact. That's what we're to do. The gospel was given to us by our Lord Jesus. And as he was departing planet Earth, he gave us the great commission. He told the apostles to go just before the ascension, just before he was caught up to be with the Lord. Listen to what he said. He said it very, very emphatically. He promises something. He promised the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and he said it this way, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." That's what Triple T. Christian Youth Ministries, youth of Vangim Association, and all of those associated with us are doing, taking the gospel from its hiding place, removing it out from its hidden situation, exposing it person to person to as many as we can, as quickly as we can, as effectively as we can. We want you to know that you can have a part in all of this. You can be a prayer partner, and you can be a tiger teammate. We're endeavoring now to find creative Christian communicators. All throughout the next year, the search will continue every Saturday for praise bands, drama teams, singing groups, and individuals in art, speech, writing, drama, instrumental in vocal music, audio, video, web, and other communications. Call us at Ricode 812-867-2418. Repeat 812-867-2418. We will send you a very special thing. It's called Reflections and Projections, and it's free for you. So write for yours. Check us out on the web. www.tttchristianyouth.org. We're looking forward to connecting with you. Keep listening day by day. God bless you. Christ through you can change the world. Every Saturday at 7.27 p.m. you are invited to attend a live youth event at Triple T. 13,000 U.S. 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.trippletychristianyouth.org. For your free copy of the "Telling the Truth" newsletter, call 812-8672418, 812-8672418, or write Triple T, 13,000 U.S. 41 North, Evansville, Indiana, 477-25. Tune in to "Telling the Truth" next week at this same time on this same station. [Music]