Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P449 (6-14-19)
Bob George is so glad to hear from people that call to thank him for truth that has changed their lives. Jeff called and is now serving as a pastor, known also as pastor Jay, is now excited sharing the same grace and love of God that changed his life. Ted called to thank Bob for resources that he could share with the soldiers deployed overseas. The materials, particularly Classic Christianity and Victory of Depression, were very much liked by the troops there. Vernon called to express his gratitude for the truth that he now understands, that he is already forgiven and no longer needs to ask God for forgiveness of sins every morning. That understanding of truth changed his life.
What is particularly special and brings great joy is when the truth of the gospel is shared to someone so that he becomes a child of God. James called to ask a question about what makes a man think he is a homosexual. Many times people ask such questions because they are bothered about sin in their own life and want to be set free. James was set free by faith in the simple message of God’s provision for life in Jesus Christ. You are saved by faith, which is agreeing with God in regards to his provision in Christ Jesus, who being God in the flesh, died 2000 years ago to take away the sins of the world, yours included, was buried so that sins, including your sins, will never be remembered again in the eyes of God, and rose again to give you new life. By faith in Christ Jesus alone, when you receive His offer of new life, you have become a new creation, a child of God.
Do you agree with God you are a sinner, that he took away that sin when he died on a cross 2000 years ago? There is the consequence to sin, called death, and the only solution to death is life. Jesus came to give you new life, His life, through his resurrection. Do you want that life? When the answer to that question is yes, then that faith brings about salvation. That faith can be expressed in prayer. When you pray, the main thing is you realize that faith in your own heart. It is your faith that saves you, and not the prayer, which is simply an expression of what is your own heart to God.
Bob then provided resources containing scriptures to encourage James in his new walk in Christ Jesus. We will have memories and temptations, and those are not sin. When we give into those temptations they are sin. But God puts his Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and renews our thinking so we can walk in the new life He has given. This new life to be lived is by the pure grace of God. Our mind is renewed as we study God’s word, letting Him teach us who we are in Christ Jesus. We have this promise from God that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Jeff from North Glenn, Colorado
He called to thank Bob for what he does day to day. Jeff is a pastor, known also by pastor Jay, and Bob had read a letter he had posted over the air. He said it opened doors to help people through issues. He wanted to encourage Bob to keep it up the teaching he does.
Bob said it gives him joy to hear people in the pulpit preaching truth. It is a world of difference to know what truth is and living according to it. Bob commented with pastor Jay about how the nature of man is rebellious in regards to what God says about things. Man rebels about what he said about the cross. Some people say Jesus only died for the elect instead of taking what the word says, that he died for the sins of the whole world.
Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Colossians 2:13-14
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Then if we do believe that, how do we enter into that? By faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Romans 1:6
And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Yet people will rebel and say, “No, I will not enter into it by faith. I will enter into by works”. People even rebel in the way we are to respond. God is the initiator of all things and we are supposed to be the responder. He tells us to respond by faith and we respond by works. So we rebel in regards to agreeing with God in regards to the finality of the cross and to responding in faith to what God initiated.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
Jay said his heart rebelled for most of his life. Jay thanked God that God got a hold of his life to the point he could trust him. Bob commented, “He who has been forgiven much, loves much”.
Luke 7:47
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven — for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Jay then shared, “My biggest struggle in life is to let God love me. In my sin and disobedience, I could not understand how anybody could love me. He said his own father did not love him. He struggled for over 40 years with this, full of emptiness, until he was able to let God love him. His life changed and that is why he wants to share this love with others.
Ted from Eugene, OR
He got back from deployment in Iraq. He called to thank Bob and all the listeners and those who supported sending books over to him while he was deployed in Iraq. He shared that is was such a blessing to have a bible study with the soldiers, studying “Victory over Depression” and “Classic Christianity”. They were having a good time in those studies. Bob told him to keep in touch and we [now known as Bob George Ministries] will help any way we can. Bob was encouraged to see Ted starting a movement over there. Ted said he loves sharing truth. Ted was engaged to be married and was applying for a job at a fire department in town. Bob said that many were blessed because of Ted’s testimony. Then he commented that those guys continually need to be prayed for. Bob said, “God’s blessing to you”.
Vernon from Phoenix, AZ
He used to pray every morning for God to forgive him of his sins and then realized God has already forgiven him and no longer does that anymore. Bob said it is great to understand truth you can stand in. It is never faith to ask God to do something he has already done.
When he was 10 or 11 years old, he was invited to a vacation bible study. They were good but a little wrong and that is where he heard that incorrect teaching. So many of us hear incorrect teaching in churches today, from well meaning people, but it is still error. Vernon loves God and is saved, reborn and thanks God every day. This realization that he is already forgiven changed his life.
James from Villageville, GA
James called to ask, “What makes a young man think he is a homosexual?”
Bob replied, “You have to ask the young man on that. I do not have a clue”. Then Bob shared what he does know from scripture on this subject.
Romans 1:18-24
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
According to Romans, they do not retain the knowledge of God, considering it not important to hang onto the knowledge of truth, so God gives them over to their lusts, sexual impurity and for the degrading of their bodies with one another
Scripture explains this whole progression. Not retaining the knowledge of God and exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and instead of worshiping and serving the creator, they were inflamed with lust for one another, involving themselves in unnatural relations. Because of this, exchanging the truth for a lie, and not thinking it necessary to retain the knowledge of truth, God gave them over to shameful lusts, to do what their sinful hearts desired.
So this is where you have natural relations and unnatural relations. The unnatural relations originate from not holding onto truth and exchanging the truth for a lie.
Romans 1:26-28
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
It starts with those things. It comes from not thinking it worthwhile to retain truth of the knowledge of God and to exchange the truth of God for a lie. Today, it is broadcast and more prevalent, and people talking about it. Even in schools, it is being taught as an alternative lifestyle. This is not what the bible teaches. You have to be recruited. A woman gets into homosexuality out of a broken relationship. They cannot seem to have relationship with men and no one seems to understand them. So then another woman comes along that just seems to understand her. So she then succumbs to temptation and thoughts and reasons that since she understands me, then I will involve myself with her because it is just not possible with men. This is how it starts with a woman. To a man it is just sex. A man gets recruited into that, even a lot of times, at young ages. There are so many people taking advantage of that, working in scouts, choirs, or local YMCA, or priests, that who are going to try to recruit a child into homosexuality. Once the first act occurs, then they convince them that this is who they are. Ultimately though you have to make a decision whether you are going to believe that. Anything can come from childhood experiences. Young children are exploratory. A lot of kids get together, not thinking about homosexuality, but engaged in things that are perceived in that way. Once you have done it, you can do it again. If you can think about doing it, you can end up doing it.
Just because you may have been engaged in a sexual activity, as a kid or whenever that might be, with someone of your own age, that does not mean you are homosexual. If you have done that, thank God for His forgiveness. No matter what you have done in the past then thank God you have be made a new creation. That does not mean memories will not come back. You do not have to give into those memories.
James then said, “Then I get with the Lord.”
Yes, that is exactly right.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Whatever you have done in your life, James, over 2000 years ago, Jesus went to a cross and took away that sin away in the eyes of God. No man will go to hell because of his sins.
John 16:9
The world’s sin is unbelief in me
The sins of the world were all placed on Christ Jesus, and there he who knew no sin became sin for you and me so that in his resurrected life we may become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So whatever you have done in the past or the future, those sins have been placed on Christ Jesus never to be seen again in the eyes of God. The only sin that is attributable to man is the sin of the rejection of the son of God who provided that for you. If someone has provided something for you, and you refused the provision, then that is unpardonable, isn’t it? The only unpardonable sin is the sin of the rejection of Christ Jesus. It is vitally important to hold onto truth. I need to hold onto truth about me and my condition. Then I am to hold onto truth about God’s provision for me. The bible says you are a sinner, manifesting itself in all kinds of perverted ways. He says he took that sin away at the cross. Jesus said, “Come to me for life”.
Colossians 2:13
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
John 10:10b
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The life he wants to give you is his life, living in you, which is your only hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27
Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory
A light bulb without electricity cannot function. A car without gasoline cannot function. You without God living in you cannot function the way God intended you to. He wants you to come to him for life, to grow in him and let God take your life and let him direct you in a new path, set free from that you have been bound. Would you like to do that tonight, James?
Yes.
“James, I will pray with you. You are saved by faith. By faith in the fact that God says you are a sinner. And you agree with that. And he took that sin way. And you agree with Him. James, there is the consequence to sin, called death, and the only solution to death is life. Jesus came to give you that life through his resurrection. James, do you want that life? When the answer to that is yes, then that faith brings about salvation. That can be expressed in prayer”. Bob said, “I will say a prayer, having you repeat after me. The main thing is that when you pray it is real in your own heart”.
Bob led James in prayer, and James repeated after him.
“Lord Jesus, I need you. I thank you took away all my sins, all of them, at the cross 2000 years ago. You took them away from the eyes of God. You were then raised from the dead so that life that raised you from the dead can raise me from the dead. You told me I am dead in my sins and you came to give me life. I now receive your life into my heart to be my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus name, amen.”
Bob then encouraged James in his growth as a new child of God.
John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
“Based on the word of God, as to as many as have received him, to them he gave the right to become a child of God. You are a child of God. I am a child of God. You are now a child of God. So what does that make us? Brothers. Bob shared that for over 36 years he was looking for something. And if you do not know what you are looking for, then you go to all kinds of things to fill that void, some to drugs or alcohol. Everybody has their own niche of what they do to fill that void. The difference between you right now and you 10 minutes ago, was James without the Spirit of God living in you, and now the Spirit of God is now living in you. You have now been given the grace and goodness of God to teach you to say no to unrighteousness. So the Spirit in you teaches you to say no to unrighteousness. You begin to change your thinking and when your thinking changes your life begins to change. Do you have a bible, James?”
James said he has a New American Standard bible. Bob will send him a bible study for him to work through. Bob continues encouraging James.
“Let the Spirit explain in your heart what has happened in you today. God has given you the promise that he will never leave you or forsake you. No matter what you go through, God will be right there with you. You will have memories and temptations. It is not a sin to have temptations or memories. It is a sin to give into them. The Spirit will tell you that what you are doing is not consistent with who you are. You have been given everything you need for life and godliness and you will understand that you do not need that old lifestyle anymore. We praise the Lord for you. You have a new family across the country. You have friends here at People to People (now called Bob George Ministries) to call that you can call at any time you have questions. If you are struggling to understand something or struggle with temptation, then call us. That is what we are here for. ”
Titus 2:11-13
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
