Telling The TRUTH
102012 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 Dumes. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace, in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5-2, New King James Version. What a wonderful thing it is to know that God has provided us all of this access by faith. It's by His grace, and we can rejoice. God gets all the glory. Jesus came, born of a virgin, lived perfectly, was tempted, never gave in, and then became the sin substitute for you and for me. Christ died. He died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Then there were 500 people who saw Him before He ascended to the right hand of God the Father. They saw Him all at the same time. You and I have that access to the throne of God through Christ Jesus. His grace is sufficient, but there are people who need the Lord whom we need to reach. Will you pray? Will you read God's Word? Will you fellowship with other believers? And then will you go with the Gospel to folk who need Him in their hearts and lives? There is somebody waiting. They're waiting for you to tell the truth to them. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. Romans 10, 6 and 7, New King James, but listen to Romans 10 and 9. There's 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. That is the essential. The thing that we need to understand is that Jesus died. He was buried and He rose again. And now by faith we can trust Him and we get the possibility of sharing that truth with as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, as effectively as we can. Will you pray? Pray with other believers. Read the Word of God together and then obey the Word of God. Pray diligently expecting God to make you usable and to use you to reach others for Him, whom to no right is life eternal. It's really up to you. The opportunities are unlimited. The people who need the Lord are everywhere. Some live near you. Some you know. Who will you tell? Romans 10, 8, New King James Version says, But what does it say? The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart. That is the Word of faith which we preach. It's the faith factor that changes everything. Have you really personally placed your faith totally in the Lord Jesus Christ? Knowing that He died for you, that He was buried, that He rose again and will forgive your sins if you will turn to Him. Believing and putting that faith into effect as only you can do? Once you have done this, then God wants you to grow in Him. How do you do this? By talking with Him, by praying and by reading the Word of God. Read the book of Romans. Let God speak to your heart of hearts and then fellowship with other believers. Look into the Word of God together and determine how you can reach other people for Christ. Who can you tell about Jesus who needs to know Him? There is someone in your world that you care about. Pray and then go. Tell Him or her how to become a child of God. Will you do that? Pray diligently and then expect results. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10 17, New King James. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Gospel, hearing the truth and hearing the Word of God. God's Word is quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. But if it just lies on the desk, it isn't going to do you any good. You have got to open the Word of God. You've got to read the Word of God. And then having done that, you need to heed the Word of God. Do what God says to do. God has a plan for your life and reveals it in the Scriptures. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So what are you doing about it? If you are a believer, are you sharing your faith, or are you just sitting on the premises? Oh, maybe you are standing on the promises to a degree, but only as you activate your faith, only as you move into the world that is lost that needs Jesus, can you accomplish His purpose for your life. So pray. Read God's Word. Get other believers to pray with you, to read God's Word with you, and then go tell the truth to someone who needs Jesus. You stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. Romans 11, 20b. It's the last part of that verse that is so important. When we understand that God is saying here, that we are not to be boastful, haughty, bragadocious, but fear the Lord. Proverbs 1 tells us that all wisdom comes by fearing the Lord. That by being in awe of Him, we can reflect His power. We sing the song, "Our God is an awesome God, but do you really understand how the faith factor fits here?" You've got to stand by faith, and then you've got to trust the Lord, not yourself, not others, but Him. God wants us to understand His love for us. The only way to do that is to saturate ourselves with the Word of God. Read God's Word consistently. Learn all you can, especially from the Book of Romans. It is packed full of ways to help you do what God would have you to do to grow in your faith and then to be willing to share your faith with those who need the Lord. Faith sharing is the most important thing that a believer in Jesus Christ can do, will you? Romans 12 is a marvelous chapter. It is a life-changing, a destiny-altering chapter. Many of us can quote very quickly Romans 12, 1 and 2. But listen to Romans 12, 3, New King James. "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." It's so easy to get conceited because of the things that God has entrusted to us. The gifts that He has bestowed, but by all means don't brag about it, but utilize what God has entrusted to you for the furtherance of the gospel. Each one of us has a measure of faith. How big is your faith? How high is your sky? How wide is your world? How deep is your dedication? Are you willing to go with the gospel now to people who need the Lord? Do you really know Jesus yourself? If so, are you concerned about those who don't? Will you pray? Will you read the Word of God? Will you do what God's Word says to do? I hope you will. It's up to you. Again in the book of Romans, chapter 12, listen to what God says in verse 6, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them in proportion to our faith." I don't know what gifts God has entrusted to you, but I know that if you are a believer in Christ, he has done precisely that. It's up to you and to me to develop those gifts, to ferret them out and to use them for God's glory. According to the grace that is given to us, if we don't use them as the adage goes, we will lose them. So let's make sure that we are developing the gifts that God has entrusted and that we are using them to glorify him in proportion to our faith. How much faith do you have? Do you really believe that God did something so special that he has given you life that lasts forever? If you trusted Jesus Christ, will you tell other people that they too can have that eternal life? God wants us to put our faith into effect moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, wherever we can. So fellowship with other believers, read God's Word, pray consistently, expectantly, and go. 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, New 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. In the summer of 1961, a long time ago, I had several awesome privileges and responsibilities. It was at the Youth for Christ International Convention at Winona Lake, Indiana, when we introduced the theme song for that convention. Christ through you can change the world. It was my assignment after we had developed the slogan. There was a meeting at our house in Wheaton, Illinois. Warren Wiersby was the chairman of the committee and the others came into our dining room and sat around the table and we were to discuss what the theme should be. Warren opened with prayer and then said, "Does anybody have an idea?" And I said, "Well, I've been thinking, Christ through you can change the world." Warren said, "Anybody got a better idea?" It was silent. Warren said, "That's our slogan. Meeting over, let's go back to the office." And so Dr. Ted Inksdram, who was the president of Youth for Christ International, said, "George, I really like the slogan that you came up with, but I want to give you an assignment. I want you to write a song." I said, "Dr. Inksdram, I've never written a song." He said, "That's your assignment. Write a song." So the song I wrote says, "Christ through you can change the world. Stay close by his side. Christ through you can change the world. Let him be your guide." Though fierce the battle be, he'll give you victory. Just keep your flag of faith unfurled. Christ through you can change the world. First time I heard that song, it was sung by a 500-voice choir accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra. And I stood in the back of the auditorium, hardly believing what I was hearing and seeing. And that song went on to be recorded, and has gone around the world as a theme song for many, many ministries. It's the theme of Triple T. Christian Youth Ministries. And every Saturday night, the very last thing that those in attendance say is, "Christ through you can change the world." Had the opportunity of introducing a young lady who was acting as a spokesperson, a model for Youth for Christ magazine, and we called her Tammy, meaning "teams are most important." And I have felt for a long, long time, since I was one myself, that teens actually are most important. And we had this model signing autographs, but in the magazine that had lots of articles, there was one called "Grand Slam" by Watson Spoltstra from the Detroit Sports Writer episode in his newspaper column. And the Grand Slam person was a South Carolinian from Sumter, South Carolina, whose name was and is Bobby Richardson. Let me tell you a little about Bobby Richardson. He played second base for the New York Yankees from 1955 to 1966. During his career, he was named to seven All-Star teams in 57, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66. He appeared in seven World Series, including three championship seasons, 58, 61, and 62. And remains to this day the only player from a losing team ever to be named World Series MVP. One of only 18 players ever to hit a World Series Grand Slam, Bobby still holds the major league baseball record for the most consecutive World Series games played, 30. After retiring from major league baseball in 1966, Bobby went on to coach baseball for the University of South Carolina and later at Liberty University. An outspoken Christian, he played a vital role in the creation of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Baseball Chapel, and is still an active speaker and evangelist. I had the privilege of meeting Bobby Richardson, sitting by him as he signed autographs on the article that had been written about him by Watson Spolstra. After the lights went out because of a film that was being premiered, and it was called Dark Valley, and there was no way to see the magazines that Bobby was autographing, he said, "Let's cook it something to eat." We went to a restaurant, and he said, "I want to pay for this meal out of some money that I got for doing a television commercial." He said, "It took me a long time to do it. It took several takes because I kept messing it up." It was for the Gillette Razor Blade Company, and I was supposed to say, "Smooth. Like there's no blade in the razor." But my tongue got twisted, and I kept saying, "Smooth. Like there's no raid in the blazer." "Smooth. Like there's no raid in the blazer." "Smooth. Like there's no raid in the blazer." And finally, after the third or fourth take, I got it right, and they gave me a big check for doing that little commercial. And so, the stakes are on me tonight because Gillette's paying the tab. Well, we got to meet each other on that very personal basis, and then later, I was given tickets to a baseball game between the Yankees and the White Sox in Chicago. I was with the staff of Youth for Christ International, and we were having a great time because all of them had heard Bobby give his testimony at the Youth for Christ International Convention. But they didn't know that I had a press card with me, and they said, "I wish we could go see Bobby and say hi to him." I said to one of the guys sitting with me, "You want to go meet Bobby?" and he said, "Yes." I said, "Come with me." And so the two of us went through the guards, and I flashed my press card, and went into the locker room, and there was Bobby shaking hands. I introduced him to my friend, and he said, "Well, watch the guys come in." There's Mickey. Mickey Mantle. There's Roger. Roger Maris. There's Yogi. Yogi Berra. There's Whitey. Whitey Ford. The heroes of the New York Yankees, baseball, Hall of Fame were all filing in because they had played that game and beat the White Sox. Well, today Bobby is doing wonderful things, sharing his faith in Christ, and he's written a book called Impact Player, leaving a lasting legacy on and off the field. One of the things that Bobby was privileged to do was to share his faith with those players, and when Mickey Mantle was very, very ill, he said to Bobby, "I want you to conduct my funeral." And Bobby said, "Have you made the decision?" He said, "I'm closer than ever." And so Bobby went to visit him in his hospital room, and Mickey Mantle said, "I've made the decision." He said, "Really? On what basis?" And Mickey Mantle looked at Bobby Richardson just like you told me. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, there believes in him will not perish but have ever lasting life. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I want you to tell that at my funeral. The funeral was held at a very large church in the Dallas, Texas area, and Bobby didn't know that this was going to happen, but he found out that it was being televised on CNN and ESPN. And Bobby presented the gospel, told the story of Mickey Mantle's conversion, and invited people to pray the same prayer that Mickey did, and hundreds and hundreds of people said yes to Jesus Christ because of that televised memorial service. God opens doors for us when we are ready, when we're prepared, and we never know when that's going to happen, nor where, but it will, when God's ready, he will make you usable and he will use you to impact your world. Yes, Bobby, was and is an impact player for God's glory, and he always gives all glory to God whether he's in a very small setting or standing on a platform as he did many, many times at a Billy Graham crusade. He is a real Christian. I remember standing in the aisle of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Jerry Falwell came up and he said, "George, I want to introduce you to Bobby Richardson, our new coach." And I said, "We know each other." And Bobby said, "Yeah, we were the youth rally together and I signed autographs for George." And Jerry said, "Wow, another one that you know." And so God has been gracious in putting us in contact with lots of people, but the only reason I share this with you is to let you know that you two are important for God. What is your legacy going to be? Across the years and across the miles, God has been very, very gracious to me in allowing me to meet some celebrities who are believers, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of those people have feet of clay. They are sinners saved by grace. Many of them have been faith-sharers in large and lots of places and some small places too, but God wants each of us to share our faith. Triple T. Cushion Youth Ministries is all about faith-sharing. That's why we train teenagers how to share their faith in Christ. On the first Saturday of November, we're having what we call "Tiger Team Training." Peer evangelism. Leadership will be taught to people who come and they will in turn take that knowledge and use it for the glory of the Lord. Every Saturday night, Triple T continues to tell people the good news about Jesus Christ. Tiger Team are people who have said yes to Jesus. Teens involved going evangelizing regularly. As we train them in peer evangelism, they're able to take the gospel to their classmates, to carry a Bible on top of their books, to wear a Christian shirt where that is permissible, and to let their classmates know that God loves them. Jesus died for them, and by believing on Him, they can have life that lasts forever and forever and forever. Project Proclaim is the part of our ministry that has this radio broadcast. We are now heard on 34 stations in several states, and we're getting responses from near and far, and that has been so good. Project Proclaim also includes billboards that have the message "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." And then we have evangelistic youth efforts where we go with the gospel, the community after community. Part of these are fair share in the summertime where we take a 10 by 10 tent, go to county fairs or street festivals, give away free ice water, take surveys about teenagers, and share the gospel one-on-one. It's been a delight to have literally hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people come by our tents, actually thousands of come by to get the free ice water, but we've shared one-on-one with hundreds. This past summer over 1700, one by one, heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. And 170 this summer said yes to Jesus, just at fair share. Our traveling tigers are trained in peer evangelism and leadership. They are worker bees, and they know how to get dirty for God, and to go out there in a very sweltering, difficult, climatic situation where the sweat rolls and the exhaustion comes near the top, but all the time, keeping on, keeping on, doing their job of sharing Jesus Christ with people who need the Lord. Our whole thrust through telling the truth radio is to challenge people to keep evangelizing youth, to go with the gospel to those who need the Lord. And as it happens and as we get the reports back in, it is really, really exciting. We want you to know that this is a faith ministry, and we would like you to be a part of it all. I hope that you will prayerfully consider being a prayer partner with us, asking God to supply every need. We want you to be able to multiply your ministry. Listen to 2 Corinthians 9, 10 and 11. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. We are so thankful that you are listening, but the thing that would really, really excite us here in the studio putting this broadcast together is for you to respond. So let us know your praying, and if you would like to be a Tiger teammate, you can be one. Just $20 helps us train one more youth in peer evangelism and leadership. Will you prayerfully consider that? I hope you will. Our address is TTT Christian Youth Ministries, 13,000 US Highway 41 North, Evansville 47725. Christ through you can change the world. Every Saturday at 7.27 PM, 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 For your free copy of The Telling the Truth newsletter, call 812-867-2418 or write Triple T, 13,000 US 41 North, Evansville, Indiana 47725. Tune in to Telling the Truth next week at the same time on This Same Station. [Music]