TCW Golf & Dinner Event Message on the Mission, David Wheaton

Know most of you know that I was a professional tennis player back in my my 20s and 30s, and as I told the.

The golfers earlier today after our interrupted round of golf it'll meet and greet downstairs at what I didn't see coming after 13 years on the professional tennis tour was was a career in Christian radio. That's not the usual trajectory for Pro tennis players, but there's an amazing story, which I told the golfers which I'm not gonna tell them not just for the sake of time about how God providentially use Christian radio to to bring my my grandmother first to saving faith in Christ and then my mother. This is back in the 1950s through Christian radio and then leading to my mom actually suggesting to me after coming off the Pro tennis tour that I be consider getting involved in Christian radio.

Because of the impact it had on our family, so there's a bigger story there. I will get in tonight but so was back in 2002 that I first got involved in Christian radio that was 16 years ago on a on a Saturday morning program at 8 AM recognize the day of the week and the time for those of you who are listeners that I started hosting a program called beyond sports on a.m., 980.

The mission and two years later I attended a conference a tacos conference hosted by Salem communications, who is the company to the largest conservative and Christian radio or communications network. I guess you called her into the Internet as well in the country and they sent me out to a tacos conference in Washington DC and was at that conference that in the early 2000 that there are lots of worldview battles, worldview conflicts going on this country trying to gain influence. That was the beginning of the redefinition of marriage when it was first starting to really percolate up to the surface and all the different issues only remember them all the time. Remember sitting there for a few days in Washington DC.

Thinking there's a lot going on in this country. There's a real battle of worldviews taking place. There's political, and cultural and soup social movements taking place in issues that are are shaping our society shaping people's lives in shaping the church I came home from that trip with the desire to broaden the focus of the program and go beyond sports so I did that we would change the format that was in 2004 that in early version of the Christian review first starting to begin to discuss current events and things going on the culture and in matters of faith from a biblical perspective, and I immediately sensed that there was a much greater listenership to that of the people weren't interested in sports because we still discuss ports on the program but it's that there were these things taking place that I think listeners knew were working to change things in this country. And so we immediately felt this just through anecdotally almost to conversations with people but also through emails and so forth. When the format of the program change. There was a much deeper engagement.

We lease sensed during that particular time. So from 2004 to 2008, the program continued to develop and expand it outside the Twin Cities in 2008, thanks to the SL J Institute and Summit ministries in the Masters college came on his some national sponsors and it's actually hard to find national sponsors because they have to be noncommercial.

They have to be nonprofits because the program airs and so many noncommercial stations see can have for-profit companies advertising is like PBS or something. You can have for-profit companies advertising on nonprofit radio stations but thanks to Canton SL J Institute a few others.

We were able to garner enough funds to be able to expand outside the Twin Cities. And that's when them. The mission became more more honed to what the mission is today to to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians and to share the good news that all people can be reconciled or made right with God through faith and in Jesus Christ, as you can see there's really two audiences to that mission. And there's also two purposes implied in that mission in the first part of that mission to sharpen the biblical worldview Christians. This is a like a discipleship mission for believers in the second part is more of an evangelistic purpose for nonbelievers in discipleship is really strengthening strengthening the faith.

The worldview of believers well while evangelism is inviting to saving faith nonbelievers in the Bible defines a divides the whole world into these two groups believers and nonbelievers and it doesn't put one up as though you're better than them.

It's this year in a different relationship with God than nonbelievers and so the whole world is divided into those two groups of people and that's the incredible opportunity of a radio program like the Christian world view is really to be able to touch both of those on any given Saturday so the program has a as a broader reach over the air. Too many stations around the country now and over the Internet to many countries around the world haven't looked recently but when we check who's podcast the program we know where that goes in all the different countries around the world. Truly amazing. We often talk of the Internet as being sort of a a force for bad but I think this the time we live now is an incredible opportunity here to propagate the gospel all around the world through the Internet so it's a very powerful means of of doing so and we hear from folks from all over the place in some of the moats touching feedback we get is actually from prisoners who were in prisons in different parts of the country who don't have much, obviously, but they have radio in their prisons and are listening to a Christian program like ours, and they send us these notes and these notes are, you can tell this from reading it. How much these guys have had a change in your life how much life is change and how serious they are about their walk with Christ in the right you can tell they're theologically the Kaiser sound. Many of them and so that's is an incredible privilege to be able to to communicate in an in the way were able to do so. The discipleship part of this mission to to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians is important because so few professing Christians actually have a biblical worldview and this is the most shocking thing of all.

Many of you probably heard about that barn a study they do one about every four or five years and with a the go-round. They survey professing Christians to see whether they actually have a biblical worldview and then the most recent one I I think it was done so that only about 19% of professing born-again Christians actually have a biblical worldview.

Think about 19% of Christians actually have a biblical worldview will what's wrong with this picture need to find a biblical worldview. According to these six statements I mentioned this at Faith Bible church this summer that it was these six points. That said, if you believe these things, you will be considered to have a biblical worldview mentor read those six things you would believe that absolute moral truth exists, there was truth is in a relative number two that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches that's inerrancy of Scripture without air.

Number three that Satan is considered to be a real being, not merely symbolic number for the thing you believe you had a biblical worldview. According to Barnett was that a person cannot earn their way into heaven by trying to be good or do good works. The fifth thing is Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.

And the last thing they they said that would define someone who had a biblical worldview is that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today know if you are a Christian here tonight and you hear the six things you like yeah I'm poser just like that's like Orthodox Christianity 101 that is been traditional Orthodox doctrine of Christians for like 2000 years it in that is the. The troubling thing about that so few professing Christians actually believe such basics of the faith, and that really shows that our secular society. I think a lot of false teaching within the professing church has really had a negative impact on the worldview of so many professing Christians only 19% active a biblical worldview and because worldview is so important. It's really who you are and it's really what drives your every decision because how you think is how you live right every action you take is preceded by a thought how you think the negative consequences of of not thinking and living as God intends comes out in a myriad of ways in our society.

We see this all around us today. It's in lifestyles and relationships and in marriage and parenting and morality, and depression. Depression and political policies and so forth. We see that a non-Christian worldview is manifesting itself in so many ways in our country is just as an aside, I think this is a reason that our country is so polarized today is that there are so many different worldviews of vying to have influencing a back in the day when America had a more traditional Christian worldview. Nothing. Everyone was a born-again Christian. The founders, but there was a general I think reverence for God and his word and the majority the population sorta held that even if they were kind of a true follower of Jesus Christ. He still, revered God in his word, but that's no longer you have such a strong secular humanistic portions country so many false religions in this notion of in our strength, our unity is our diversity, which is a self refuting statement you don't get unity from having that much diversity, so this diversity of of worldviews has not led to a more unified country so in order to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians, we and I say we is in Naches, is if you listen the program usually don't present myself. I'm not the expert on the program usually bring in great guests who are experts with a biblical worldview. We try to take a instructive and corrective approach to each topic. In other words, we try to affirm what is right. According to Scripture at the same time point out what is wrong. Now you probably heard the mantra today.

It is easier this over and over, and every time III hear this. I counted just want to fall over my cheer up my chair because will hear this was a little Christians need to be known for what were for not war against who is heard that said oh I'm if I've heard that once I've heard it so many times we need to be known for what were for not war against no. This may sound good or make people feel good, but this is completely the opposite of what Jesus and the New Testament writers said and did they consistently encouraged sound doctrine the positive and right behavior. There is a positive at the same time they warned against the negative against false teaching and teachers.

So the question is why. Why did they have some negative aspect to what they are teaching and the reason is because they know that wrong belief wrong worldview leads people the wrong way catches always focus on the positive. You don't always dwell on the negative, but there needs to be a balance in the examples that is the way Jesus in the New Testament writers did it so this positive negative approach or balances why every week on almost every topic you're likely to hear instructive and corrective to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christian so for example, earlier this year we devoted three straight programs to origins young earth versus older if this is been a debate that's going on forever because how one interprets those early chapters of Genesis.

We think their way back in the Bible about how one interprets those chapters really is setting a precedent for how you're going to interpret the rest of Scripture. So few alga rises days of creation inserted God work with evolution and all the stuff in the early chapters of Genesis.

Why not alga rise in Christ's miracles and his resurrection from the grave of those are helpful life lessons and not actually literal events that took place have real theological meaning. We also did two weeks on I think this was an important topic on the Bible is the Bible really the word of God in I can't think of a more important topic and then we had several interesting guests on for that particular topic because if the Bible isn't the word of God.

We are among Christians are among most men most foolish for believing something is. That's a very core issue that we need to be discussed and needs to be confirmed and affirmed in the minds of people who are listening, you get away from believing that the Bible is not the word of God.

You can go.

Many many different directions in your life you can get off course in life. Some of you probably heard the two-part series we did with Costa Hinn recognize that last name that he is the nephew of the I'll put it nicely that discredited faith healer Benny Hinn and is worse than that. But anyway, he joined us for a two-part special on this new apostolic Reformation and how this extreme, charismatic, and this isn't just like the Assemblies of God church did not know that's not what were talking about here. The new apostolic Reformation is led currently by a man named Bill Johnson is a pastor of Bethel church in Redding, California. It is hugely and negatively impacting churches and people all over the world. Not only do they teach a lot of their younger adherence lie on the graves of previous people they consider to be apostles to sort of soak up the anointing of those previous apostles.

They call them, but Bill Johnson himself teaches that this is a quote Jesus set aside his divinity on earth unquote. As an example of performing miracles without being God and so therefore since you don't have divinity you can perform miracles to use. Do you see the problem with this kind of theology how that's going to lead to really really errant to doctrine and behavior that one of the most for most Christian thinkers of our day. Nancy Piercy some of you probably read some of her books. She joined us to discuss.

Think sometime earlier this summer how a low view of God's design for the body drives the various sexual identity movements going on today. This is important because he talks what this two-story thing where today, people who don't believe in the Bible don't think the body tells us anything, so the way you're born in your gender doesn't tell us anything for what gender you actually should be just, it's up to your mind to decide what gender you have to be or even issue of homosexuality. Our bodies between male and female. Don't tell us anything about that a male should be with the female that should be put to the side into your mind according to how you want to live your life sexually so she was very helpful in explaining how low view of the body really impacts these various sexual identity movements that we see in the front page of the newspaper all the time and going on their schools. There are other programs on geopolitics and discernment and how major of a topic in important of a thing that is for us to have.

There's one recently in eternal security that the quote gay Christian movement that's coming into the evangelical church now through conferences.

Summer call the re-voice conference this most recently on the world's message and means of social justice. How that movement which has real it's it's truly truthful of much of its foundations in the in the writings and thoughts of Karl Marx is not only impacted we see it on the street but now it's beginning to be appropriated or taken into the evangelical church as well. You're gonna see more of this in this statement that was just came out by some. There were meeting in Herb's house coffee and company is creating a real division now between those who think that social justice is a key part of the gospel. José will social justice is a gospel issue and if you don't if you're not engaging social justice, rectifying the inequities of society.

We are not believing really believing in the gospel and so this is going to be an issue that's going to be growing more and more think you're really connecting fuel. This groundswell that's can be big coming up so instructive and corrective and if listeners maybe don't catch the instructive and corrective part. We at least hope they're getting informed about some of these issues vying for people's worldviews of the Christian wrote a radio program is not a church and I'm not a pastor and were not trying to be a church and our goal is not to strengthen believers who will then strengthen their own families and go to their churches and make better churches really want to strengthen the local church and we appreciate want to support the pastors who are trying to do that we really just basically addressed topics that the church won't address or really maybe doesn't have time to address mean you go to church on Sunday and you you saying and you you fellowship and you take communion and you you here a part of Scripture expositor next a beautiful wonderful thing is that institution that God promises to bless, but oftentimes in churches you don't have time to have forums to discuss these kinds of issues. So that's where we try to come in really just extend the reach of the church and extend the message of the church, things are probably would be discussed at the church had more time to the radio listening audience to give another example. Did your church. Discuss. I think the only way to describe this is the implosion that took place this summer at Willow Creek Church in Chicago have any have most of you heard about what happened at raise your hand if you heard what happened at Willow Creek Church, but you did you hear the Christian review though okay heard someone else is good to hear Bill Hibel's I'll tell you he is in a second was the pastor in the entire elder board and to co-lead pastors resigned from Willow Creek this summer. Willow Creek over the last 30 years. This church has been the most influential church in the world to evangelical churches in the world and Bill Hibel's has been the most influential pastor of that church. I mean, you could say Rick Warren. Okay, maybe but certainly rivaling Rick Warren and Nancy even greater would be Bill Hibel's and Willow Creek Church knife.

I would think after what happened the summer when Bill Hibel's was found out that there was a I'll say it softly and me to movement going on, many times over at Willow Creek with the entire board resigning the to co-lead pastors resigning for how the whole thing was handled that there will be some very worthwhile lessons for the evangelical movement to consider after what happened at Willow Creek in the amount of influence.

The church is exerted the last 25 years, but I'm guessing that you probably are eaten discusses in your church maybe maybe read a news story about it, but this is something that we need to really consider what is the message that Willow Creek was selling and what is the methodology the seeker movement that they sold to so many churches around the world for that many years and is see it and like that. What system do they have set up that there lead pastor to go on doing things like this when they were known for their organizational structure, how could this happen and what's the lesson that we should be learning, not not to condemn Bill Hibel's we know he's a man like the rest of us not to just condemn him, but what lesson should we be learning from the message of methodology of this highly influential church that's influence only churches I mean literally around the world through the global leadership Summit and just what they export all over the place and this is one of the reasons we really value producing the Christian Rove you because we can reach those who are in really good churches only have a couple pastors here tonight.

You are really being faithful in their churches. We can also reach those who are in bad churches and don't get that kind of content that kind of teaching where they're going to church or we can reach those who are going to church at all.

Maybe can we have a church in their iron. That's a great advantage of Christian radio so that brings us to the second aspect of of her mission to share the good news that all people can be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ. This isn't just good news.

That's what the gospel means that the loom is good news actually the best news is the absolute best news in the world and here's why the Bible says that God created a perfect world and made man and women woman in his likeness to to know him and to worship him.

Each one of us is created for that purpose other words, we are created to be worshipers if we don't worship God, we will worship something else I member very much. This is the case earlier my own life will worship making money will worship attaining a particular position in life were gonna worship buying gaining your material things, organ or worship education act spanning or are not intellectual capacity, organ, worship, sex organ or worship the approval of other people orders can worship ourselves, displeasing ourselves all the time that's can be our chief end but worshiping someone or something other than God.

That really is our most fundamental problem, because when Adam and Eve in that garden set the example that they believed they knew better than God, Nesta, we ultimately do we sin, we think we know better, and that movement in that moment when they disobeyed sin entered the world and corrupted everything and we see that everywhere we see that in the conflict around the world. We see that in the conflict and maybe some of her own interpersonal relationships and their families. We see that in the disease and and death.

That's just right. Follow all over the world all the time and if were honest, we see that corruption inside of ourselves through our own sin that we can contributed to this corruption as well me. The Bible says this all have sinned, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and as a consequence of accident. Romans 623 and the wages of sin is death. That death is the physical death.

It led to Adam and Eve in everyone's gonna die 10 out of 10 die.

We know that the physical consequence to sin, but there's also a spiritual consequence to sin as well and it leads to an eternal. The spiritual consequences lead to an eternal separation from God that a a perfectly holy and just God. He really has to hold people accountable those who sin against him. I mean, think about what just earthly judge would just let lawbreakers go free. That would be just a people could just break the law and get never be accountable for.

But this creator that the creator of the universe that this king, this, this just judge of the universe. He's not just capricious in his judgment. He's also willing to forgive and make things right with us for us to have rebelled against his kingship and this is where that good news comes in, in Romans 58 says it so beautifully that God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, me.

Who does this when someone sends or offends you. Do you want to send your only son to die for that person. Absolutely not. You want to punch the person the face and walk away. That's exactly the opposite of what God did, he demonstrates his own love for us and that will what you're sitting against him. He sends his son to die for us. So God sent his his own son his own perfect son to live a sinless life among us, and then to offer himself to die in our place on the cross so that God's wrath and his justice over our sin could be fully satisfied in a tone for which is an incredible credible simple yet incredibly profound message of the gospel. If there is better news, and that that Jesus paid the penalty we deserved to pay for our sins so that we can be forgiven and made right with God and receive eternal life in heaven with him instead of having to be justly sentenced to hell is Kent talked about earlier to know what that better news is that I don't think there is better news in that but to receive that gift. It's like an offer. As with any gift or offered.

Jesus says yes he commands it and suggested he said repent and believe in the gospel. In Mark 115 and that means we agree with God, we confess our sin that we stand in weekly turn from it and then we put our faith and in whom Christ is the son of God and what he did on our behalf on the cross and putting your faith in him means not putting an ounce of faith in our own goodness or own religious works like going to church are giving to charity or or praying a prayer or getting baptized or taking communion or trying to be a good person it's always an interesting question asked someone not just are you a Christian.

Most people say we number was baptizes the infant during the meeting it was married in a church I go to church or go to church on Christmas day. Asked them when and why they became a Christian because if you hear what I've always been a Christian knows always been a Christian were born sinful and separated from God. We don't become a Christian like by going to church just like I don't become a mechanic like by walking to a garage when he would get to the Y aspect is because were sinners and separated from God. That's why needed to become a Christian.

The Bible says in this well-known passage of many of you know, Ephesians, chapter 2, for by grace God's unmerited favor you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You know, it really changes someone's life. You know what changed my life in my mid to early early to mid 20s when I started to read the Bible for first time he was a professing Christian growing up group and wonderful Christian home, but the giver really took that faith for myself.

I heard a lot about it and that was so focused on Tennyson and winning and I thought my purpose in life was when tennis turns and do Nike commercials that sort of thing was in my mid 20s I began to read the Bible for the first time loan bill here in a professing Christian never read the Bible my own what was wrong with that picture. I would've been probably one of those that 19% of professing Christians in a biblical worldview.

So the beginner reader for the first time I begin to understand that I was a sinner and and separated from God. That's what helped me not not reading self-help books or been positive about life or having an optimistic outlook or not. More education or not trying harder to be a good person. What really changes a person is when their soul is converted from nonbeliever to believe. Remember those two categories again.

Nonbeliever to believer in Christ. And when that new creation that new creation in Christ begins to develop a biblical worldview, then everything changes in that person's life. Not only her life here, but very eternal destiny changes from hell to heaven and is really not ultimately just for the sake of change in a better life. It's ultimately for their good, but also mostly for God's glory so I don't know all of you to and I know many of you, and I really appreciate your coming tonight for some of you. I don't know Annette, I want close dressing. If you are here tonight.

You've never put your faith in Christ. It's no accident that you have come to the Christian Rove you golf and dinner event were thankful you are here, there, there is this is a good news night for you there. There's no chance with God is no luck with God. You know we had a pretty rough day on the golf course, but this is a beautiful place, and typically have beautiful days on this course is great is the play. This particular golf course and to be in this beautiful setting and have great fellowship as we have had tonight you being in a right relationship with God is infinitely better and more important than all those things again. It's why each of us were created to be in a right relationship with God. And so, with Christian Rove you don't believe in arm-twisting. We don't believe in emotional manipulation of people you walk that I'll raise your hand sign this card make a quick commitment to to believe in Jesus not think that that the commitment to follow Christ is a much bigger and more important decision than a quick emotional snap decision. It's really about stepping down from the throne of your own life and asking Jesus to take over the throne of your life and that's a major decision but that's where he belongs, but the present and eternal reward of doing so is as the visa commercial says it's priceless. So if you have questions about what it means to repent and believe in the gospel either one of our board members hear the Christian Rove you would be more than grateful to meet with you sometime and talk about it because that is part of our mission here at the Christian Rove you to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians and to share the good news that all people all people. It's incredibly explicit is only one way to God and through Christ, but it's open to every single person matter what your past is been no matter where you come from. It's open to everyone. I would ask Kent to come up and enclose our evening prayer and again you can stay for a while afterwards and think we have some time to fellowship afterwards and when ask you take a couple minutes to consider supporting the Christian Rove you we have a card in your table you can think about it you can put in the envelope you like to donate to us it's it's tax-deductible or nonprofit.

We like to keep going with the program.

Be blessed. What's our five-year plan will have a five-year plan.

We just are to continue to try to be faithful, week by week with the program is really over, trying to do. We could be off the air in a month that is never known radio, your neck show Kabir your last program so we like to expand the reach of it though to new on-air and online platforms. We've even discuss hosting maybe a youth teenage worldview camp and we think that particular demographic is is a very influence of both time of life. Those was 15 to 23 years, we don't know working that for sure. Best one of the things we've considered, I know it's a lot of work to do that, we are pretty, shortstaffed. But where were thinking about some of those things because so much of Christian radio does allow commercial advertising.

This is why we are completely dependent listener donation so we just appreciate you considering again no arm-twisting. We love to have you support us but if it doesn't work out, we just love to have you, pray for us and even listing the program. We appreciate that and tell someone else about that supporting us as well so I just want to thank you for coming tonight.

We just appreciate the golfers who weighed your long day to come to the dinner event tonight and just think all of you just came the dinner event as well. Thank you for your support of the Christian Rove you and we just wish all of God's best, and grace to you