April 30, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today on Summitt Life with JD.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Greer, if you're ninety nine percent committed to Jesus, that
means you're still one hundred percent in control, because ultimately
you decide which ninety nine percent he gets to be
in charge of and which one percent you get the
you know to hold on to, and you can change
the terms. At any point, you've either given Jesus full
control or you haven't given him control at all.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thanks for joining us today on Summitt Life with Pastor JD. Greer,
I'm your host, Molly Videvich. You know we've all seen
or heard of people who say they follow Jesus. They
show up on Sundays, sing the loudest and participate in
the weekly Bible study. Yet when you look just a
little bit closer, everything about their lives seems to be
a reflection of their own game and not furthering God's kingdom.
(00:54):
Today on Summitt Life, as Pastor JD continues our study
in the Book of Acts, he helps us rediscover what
it means means to be focused on Jesus's plan rather
than our own.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
If you're just.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Joining us today, you can catch up any time by
visiting our website Jdgreer dot com. Pastor JD is teaching
from Acts chapter eight, So grab your Bible in a
pen and let's get started.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
This passage gives us a pattern for reaching our city.
If you are taking notes, jot down this definition, because
this is how we see our mission to our city.
Evangelism in the New Testament is basically a group of
ordinary Christians living intentionally in a city to bring joy
(01:40):
to it through word.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Indeed, the very first time the Gospel.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Expands beyond Jerusalem, it was carried in the mouths of
normal people, not apostles. This, I believe is the Holy
Spirit sign to us for how the great commission would
be accomplished. The Church grows not by the preaching of
a few anointed apostles. The church grows when every believer
(02:07):
is filled with the spirit and testifies to the Gospel
in the streets. That's what we do as a church,
because the greatest advances for the Gospel are not coming
from me up here. They're coming when you are going
into those places naturally ordinary people through word. Indeed, this
passage tells us that Philip's ministry was both word and deed.
(02:27):
They heard him and they saw the signs that he did.
Verse seven explains to us that the lame were healed
and the demons were cast out, which points to a
physical deliverance the lame being healed, and a spiritual deliverance
the demons being cast out. Because a true witness hear
this always involves both elements. A true Gospel witness always
involves both word and deed. It has to involve word
(02:49):
because the Gospel is, in its essence, an announcement about
what Jesus has accomplished. You can't communicate that without a
verbal witness. I've told you the you know, preach the
gospel if necessary. Use words is cute but completely wrong,
because there's no possible way to preach the Gospel without words.
The word gospel was not a religious word. The word
(03:13):
gospel just meant an announcement of good news. A Greek
general would use it if when he won a battle.
If a Greek general won a battle on behalf of Greece,
he would send out a gospel announcing that he'd won
the battle. He was not inviting other people to come
help him with the battle.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
He was not teaching people to do battle.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
He was just saying I already won the battle, so
you don't have to be afraid anymore because the enemy
has been vanquished. That's the word that was chosen to
describe our message. It's an announcement not about how people
should live, not an example that they should emulate. It's
an announcement about what Jesus scomplished on our behalf when
he went to the cross, paid for our sin, resurrected
in victory, and we believe in him and have eternal life.
(03:51):
That's the gospel, all right. So it's in word. It
has to be in word, but it was also always done. Indeed,
now what you see in Acts is that sometimes these
signs like an Acts eight, are supernatural. Other times they're
more I might say natural. In other words, just the
way that they lived was a demonstration of the gospel.
For example, Acts chapter nine, there's a story in there
(04:14):
of a disciple by the name of Tabitha, and it
says that she made so many cloaks for widows that
when she died, the community gathered at her bedside and
wept because of what she had done for them. Her
cloaks were a demonstration of the gospel, the generosity of
the Gospel, the fact that the Gospel creates this kind
of attitude in people that they showed to their community.
First Peter calls it adorning the gospel. It's always done
(04:37):
in word. Indeed, the result, here's the next little phrase
in our definition, it brought joy. It brings joy to
the city. So here's my very simple question for you.
Are you involved in that? Because that's not because of
a charismatic preacher, it's because of people like Philip carrying
out the Gospel in word, indeed in our city.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You said, well, how do I get involved? Start small?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Just ask this question, what can I do to bring
joy to my workplace? What can I do to bring
joy to my campus, to my neighborhood.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Ask God to show you you needs that you can meet.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Now, one more thing in this in this part of
the story, before I go to the second half of
the story, there one of the primary sources of joy
in this city. I don't know if you call it
this was the reconciliation of raceis.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Most people long.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
For this kind of unity, but we seem powerless to
accomplish it. It's easier than theory than it is actually
in practice. Here's how you know you're in a multicultural church.
At some point you become uncomfortable because when people do
stuff outside of your culture, you're like, I'm not really
sure about that.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
That's not how we grew up, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
But see, that's what happens in a multicultural church is
the different cultures are influencing and the unity that we
find in Christ outweighs any of the things that divide us.
You see, these people, it shows no evidence that they
sat down and got out the history books, went and
resolve everything in their history. They chose to put away
mistrust and suspicion. He didn't say that they all magically
(06:07):
you decide they're going to listen to the same radio station.
They chose to put aside cultural preference, and they found
a unity in Christ that overtamed the things that divided them.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Do you want that, because.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
If you want it, it's not gonna come naturally. If
it's coming naturally, you're not doing it right. It's going
to become because we choose to let the Gospel be
a weightier reality in our church than any of our
cultural preferences. All right, let's keep going, because there are
a couple of really important warnings for us that he
includes and I gon need you to put on your
(06:39):
theological seat belts because we're gonna go Verse nine. But
there was a man named Simon who would previously practice
magic in the city, and he amazed the people, Samaria saying,
I love this that he himself was somebody great.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
He was a self proclaimed awesome guy. Verse ten.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
They all putaate attention to him. From the least of
the greatest. Look what they said, This man is the
power of God that is called great, called great by whom,
well by himself. But they didn't seem to notice that,
and so they paid attention to him because for a
long time he had amazed them with his magic.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Now what kind of magic is this, Well, it's not,
I don't think like card tricks.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
The scholars said, this was a mixture of genuine education, mathematics, science, astronomy,
a mixture between that and superstition, use of amulets and
charms and dreams and horoscopes and that kind of stuff,
and then sleight of hand.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
In our modern era, you're looking for an equivalent.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
This would be the equivalent of somebody who reads horoscopes
or uses crystals or claims they saw the Virgin Mary
crying and got our tears together in a bottle and
they'll sell it to you and you can sprinkle it
on whatever hurtz and it'll take care of it.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Or they saw the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Sandwich, right, or Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich I
think it was, And grilled Jesus is now what they
call it, and they'll sell it to you for ten
thousand dollars. As to buying out price on eBay, I
wish I were kidding, but that is what Simon was.
He was basically that back then he had probably genuine
demonic power. That's what Acts thirteen says about these magicians
verse twelve. But when they believed Philip as he preached
(08:03):
the good news about the Kingdom of God and the
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Men and women. Even Simon himself believed.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And after being baptized, he continued on with Philip and
seeing signs of great miracles performed, he was amazed because see,
their miracles were not like his magic tricks. They were
genuine miracles, and they didn't just point out how awesome
the apostles were or Philip were they pointed beyond themselves
to a crucified Savior who had brought come back from
the dead and could get forgiveness of sins Verse fourteen. Now,
(08:31):
when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received
the Word of God, they sent them to Peter and John,
who came down and prayed for them that they might
receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet fallen
on any of them. They'd only been baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. And when they laid their
hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
All right, real quick question, Why.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Was the Holy Spirit not given to them immediately when
they believed? Because everywhere else in acts the Holy Spirit
comes immediately except for Acts two. Here's why there had
been such hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans for
so many years. That God was seeking to validate the Samaritans'
inclusion into the New Covenment, that he sent a little
ceremony to kind of signify that it was happening.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
The way of the analogy I've given you is uh.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
When running water first came into New York City back
of the turn of the twentieth century, when when running
water went into the there's five boroughs in New York City.
At the as water would would would the sewer would
make its way to each borough, the mayor would go out,
they'd have a little ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating waters now
come to Manhattan.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Now it's coming to the Bronx.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They didn't do that for every single house within the borough.
They only did it for the you know, kind of
the first one. So what you see in Acts is
you see occasional ceremonies like this. Sometimes it's companied by
the speaking of tongues, because it's basically a ribbon cutting
ceremony showing that the Gospel has come into a place,
and that's what the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Is is now including them.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
But you'll see that various people after that they don't
have that same ceremony. And so for the believers from
thence fourth and Samaritans, they're going to get the guy
to get the Holy Spirit when they've on verse eighteen. Now,
when Simon saw that the spirit was given to the
laying on the apostles' hands, well he offered him money.
He was, I will give me this power also so
that anyone on whom I lay my hands, may receive
the Holy Spirit. Because see in those days, magicians, would
(10:12):
you know, buy each other secrets and stuff verse twenty
But Peter said to him, may your silver perish with
you because you thought you could obtain the gift of
God with money. You have neither partnerr a lot in
this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to
the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart
may be forgiven you, for I see that you are
(10:32):
in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity,
and be blessed and encouraged.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Verse twenty four.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Simon answered, why don't you pray for me to the
Lord that nothing of what you have said may come
upon me. I believe, listen that this story is included
in here because it is giving a warning to growing churches.
There's actually two warnings in here that are very important
for us to heat and so I wanted to take
(10:59):
a time, even though it's kind of adding this on,
because I think it's really important. There's a warning in
here for you as a congregation member, and there's a
warning in here for me as the pastor, So which
one do you want first? Well, in my notes, you're first,
so I'm gonna go with you. Simon the Magician is
a warning to you. Here's the warning. Not everyone who
(11:21):
believes and is baptized is a genuine disciple. Not everybody
who believes in his baptized as a genuine disciple. Even
with the best preaching Philip's preaching. You've got a guy
like Simon who believes is baptized, and by the way,
he even continues on in a discipleship relationship with Philip.
So he got involved in Philip's small group. It says
(11:42):
he traveled with him. A lot of people listen in
our church get baptized, but a number of them don't
actually go on to become actual disciples of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
People are in that category, and maybe some listening to
me right now. Because baptism ought to be the sign
of repentance and faith, but sometimes people do it without
ever having genuinely repented and believed. There are some pastors
on our staff two that I can think of who
got baptized here when one in college and said it
was later that I really came to genuine repentance and faith.
(12:16):
And see, I want to say that to you because
I need you to make sure that you have not
just gotten swept up in a movement like Simon did,
where you got baptized and you went through the ritual,
but you have never actually repented, turned over control of
your life to Jesus Christ and received his gift as
your own. Is it a personal relationship with you? Because
it is a dire warning.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Thanks for listening to Summit Life with Pastor JD.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Greer.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
In case you haven't heard, we've had a brand new
premium resource for all of our gospel partners and financial
supporters this month. It's Pastor JD's new book, Twelve Truths
and a Lie, complete with a family friendly discussion guide
crafted to help you talk about the book with those
around you. Twelve Truths in a Lie tackles some of
the biggest questions we all face. How could a good
(12:58):
God send people to hell? How should Christians handle political differences?
And then, of course there's the one big lie that
so many of us have chosen to embrace. And you'll
have to get your copy to find out what that is.
Anyone who gives thirty five dollars or more to this ministry,
or joins us as a monthly Gospel partner, will receive
not only Pastor JD's new book, but also a discussion
(13:20):
guide we've created to help you talk through the book
with someone on a deeper level. So why wait, Give
a one time gift or join us as a Gospel
partner today by calling eight six six three three five
fifty two twenty or by heading to Jdgreer dot com.
Thank you for your ongoing support that makes this program possible.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We couldn't do it without you.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Now let's get back to today's teaching once again. Here's
Pastor JD on Summit Life.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Simon's conversion, or kind of fake conversion, had this problem, right,
He genuinely believed in Jesus is the Christ.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
But here was his problem.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
This is the I'm the problem I find with most
false converts. He had what we would call a Jesus
and gospel Jesus and his magic and his agenda and
his personal platform. A lot of people are like that.
They have a Jesus and me conversion. In other words,
they say, I'll follow what Jesus says. I'll let Jesus
(14:21):
be a big influence on me, but I reserve the
right to exempt myself out of various things that he
says that I just find a little you know, hard
or objectionable. So I don't like what the Bible teaches
about that, So I'm just going to like circle that
and kind of opt.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Out of it. Like the Bible's a salad bar and
you can leave the alfalfa sproutes if you don't want him. Right.
We have a lot of people that.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Are in that category, and it always amazes me how
many people say, well, I just don't really agree with that,
and I'm like, you don't really get a vote because
not me versus you, it's it's it is Jesus is
he Lord?
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And have you acknowledge that as the Lord, he makes
all the rules.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
See, if you're ninety nine percent committed to Jesus, that
means you're still one hundred percent in control, because ultimately
you decide which ninety nine percent he gets to be
in charge of and which one percent you get the
you know, to hold on to, and you can change
the terms at any point. The analogy I've given you is,
say a man is having an.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Affair with his wife or that would be awesome.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Say a man is having an affair, not with his
wife where he should be having an affair, but he's
having an affair and his wife ask him, are you
faithful to me? And he says, we, yeah, nine nine percent.
Now that's probably technically true because niney nine women he knows,
you know, he's not having sex with ninety nine of them,
but one of them he is having sex with.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
So I'm ninety nine percent of faithful.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
That's not how you would say that he is wholly unfaithful.
You've either given Jesus full control or you haven't given
him control at all. For some people, it's Jesus and
other gods. Right, well, Jesus is my way, but not necessarily.
Bo Wigh had a friend who was a Buddhist who
was in a church service and the guy gets up
(15:59):
basically have some kind of gospel presentation at the very end,
get this, has the whole audience stand, and then says,
I want you to repeat this after me, and he
just has them repeat like Lord Jesus coming into my
life and save me or something like that.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Then he says to the whole audience, congratulations, you're all
now Christians. You can sit back down.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
That's the worst gospel presentation I've ever heard. So but
my friend goes home and she said, well, I guess
I'm a Christian now, so I better figure out what
I believe. So she gets a Bible that she'd gotten there,
and she starts to read. Because she as a Buddhist,
she thought, well, I just put kind of Jesus on
my shelf of God's now I'm, you know, Jesus follower
and all these other things, she said, I very quickly
reading the New Testament, figured out that Jesus wasn't sitting
(16:39):
on no shelf with a bunch of other gods. In fact,
he came to tear down the shelf. But he was
either going to be the only one or he wasn't
going to be one at all. And she genuinely became
a follower of Jesus. There are a lot of people
that are in that category that they Jesus. They've added
Jesus to their life, but he's never become their lord
and savior. Maybe it's Jesus in some area of your life.
You'd say, it's not gonna give that to you.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Jesus.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
There is no Jesus and it's just Jesus. Simon represents
a guy many of whom I fear in our church.
Maybe not with magic, but they represent an addition of
Jesus to their life without actually full control.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
It takes you to heaven, that's awesome. He's there to
help you out a jam.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Fantastic, But you have never really just crawled up into
his hand and said, you're the Lord, you make all
the rules, you're the Savior.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Take me to heaven. I just I'm yours. There's a
big difference in those two.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And I'm afraid that there are people here who are
like Simon, who have added Jesus to their.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Life but never really been born again.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Jesus said, if any man comes after me, he's got
to take.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Up his cross and follow me. Take up his cross
means total death.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
You cannot be partially in control because in your heart
there's a throne and a cross, and if you're on
the throne, Jesus is on the cross.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
But if Jesus is on the.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Throne, you got to be on the cross, and that
means death to everything. Have you yielded yourself to Jesus.
That's the warning for you. Simon is a warning to
me because he represents a religious leader who really enjoys.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
The spotlight being on him.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
And he's a religious leader who believes that he can
purchase the power of God with money. Right, So what
you see is Simon trying to buy this because Simon
is jealous that the focus is not on him. The
contrast to Simon, watch this is Simon Peter, who's the
one who confronts him. Simon Peter has a power that
doesn't come from money. Simon Peter has a power that
(18:24):
comes from grace. And the result is that money is
powerless over him. All right, because what does the real
gospel say? Simon thought he could purchase, you know, power
of God with money and that would all come back
on him. The real gospel, if he's just two eight
and nine, For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God,
not of work, so that any man should boast. So,
(18:46):
in other words, the real Gospel is a gift of grace.
It's power given as a gift from the Holy Spirit,
it's righteousness given as a gift.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
The result, what is it?
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Nobody would boast because what do I have to boast
of my salvation.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Is a gift of grace. I'm not saying because.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
I'm morely better than you, I don't have power with God.
Because I've got talent, I've going to be given these
things by a gift of grace.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
So the last thing.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
If I understand that, that I would want to do
is boast because I don't want you looking at me
because I can't help you. I'm just one beggar telling
a bunch of other beggars where they can find bread.
So rather than you adoring your pastor, you should adore
your savior because it is the grace that is in him.
Peter had to learn that the hard way, did he not?
I mean, Peter was like the biggest bragger of all
of them. If everybody else denies you, Lord, I won't
(19:28):
do it. Boom, he denies Jesus. God has to put
him flat on his face. Peter is the one that
gets in an argument with the other disciples about who's
gonna sit at Jesus right and left hand. I'm going
to say to this right hand as is clearly I
know it's important. See Jesus smacks him down twice on that. Finally,
Peter's learned listen that the real gospel is about grace.
And when you have been gripped by grace, listen, the
(19:51):
sign is that money loses its power over you. See,
because Peter's not like, oh, that's how much you got,
you know, I show you a few tricks. No, Peter's
like that money perish for you, because I realize that
the real power doesn't come from money.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
It comes from comes from God.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
For those of you that are thinking about going into ministry,
or really any of you, you have to understand Listen,
the power of God and money's power over you are
always at two different opposite ends.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
And for you to have one, you've got to get
rid of the other.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And see, I know a lot of this is how
you can pray for me, because I know a lot
of pastors who get really jealous when the limelight is
no longer on them, just like Simon. And I know
a lot of pastors who have been overwhelmed by the
power of money, and the result is that they lose
their power with God. And I don't want to lose
that because you don't need me. What you need is grace,
(20:47):
and I want to be saturated with grace, and in
order for that to happen. See, you've got to pray
that God will help me hate to steal any limelight
from Jesus. And you've got to pray that money will
lose any power over me. Charles Spurton, who I quote
up here a lot you know, Charles Spurgeon. P. T.
(21:08):
Barnum was the guy in the circus guy in the
late nineteenth century. P. T. Barnum was building this circus
circuit and basically he heard about this young preacher in
London who could gather a crowd like nobody's business.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Charles Spurgeon.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
He wires him a telegram and says to him, I
want you to come preach for my circus. I'll pay
you any amount of money that you ask, will charge admission.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
You'll gather the crowd. It be a great venture.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Charles Spurgeon wired him back a telegram from London with
no words.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Just one verse reference Acts eight twenty.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Your money perished with you because you thought the gift
of God could be purchased by money. That's how you
can pray for me, because it's a warning to me.
It's a warning that if I want power with God,
God has to liberate me, see from the idols of
self and the idol of money. And He does that
through the overwhelming story of the grace of God, which
(22:04):
is where we bring all this back to a close.
This whole thing is about the Gospel going into a city,
the Gospel going into a leader, the Gospel going into you.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Has the Gospel taken over you? Have you believed? Have
you actually believed the gospel personally? Have you believed it?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I know that you got a story about when you
got baptized, But have you trusted Christ is your Lord
and Savior. Is He fully in control? And have you
yielded yourself entirely?
Speaker 3 (22:28):
There this movement we are witnessing in the Book of Acts,
the miracles, the power, the courage, it all came from
the powerful impact of the gospel message.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
You were listening to Summit Life with Pastor JD.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Greer.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
We're in a series titled Scent.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
If you joined us late, you can listen again online
or download the free unedited message transcript at Jdgreer dot com.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Pastor JD.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
This month we're giving away your newest book to all
of our donors, and this is one of the final
days that our listen.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
I think family can get a hold of it. Tell
us a bit about it.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
It's called twelve Truths in a Lie, Answers to Life's
Biggest questions.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Yeah, well, Molly, I'm actually really excited that we're giving
away this book to our gospel partners and to those
who just helps.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Help sponsor and support our ministry financially.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Here twelve Truths in a Lie are basically twelve answers
to the biggest questions, most frequently asked questions I get
as a pastor. The lie is that the presence of
these kinds of questions and the presence of doubts means
there's something defective about your faith, or that you're a
bad Christian.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Some of the questions lean more of like how do
you answer the difficult question of a skeptic?
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Some of them are more just practical.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
As an added bonus for the Summit Life audience, we
get a chapter about Chapter discussion guide that we will
send to go along with the book.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
We've never provided that before, but we'll give it to you.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
It should be really helpful and maybe studying with your
small group or just being able to reference it when
you're a teenager or your grandkid or your neighbor asks
you one of these questions, being able to have a
good answer, so request twelve Truths and a Lie and
the discussion Guide. You can request that when you give
to some for the ministry of Summit Life at Jdguer
dot com.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
You know it won't be long until this special two
part bundle goes away, So we would love to send
you your copy of Twelve Truths in July, as well
as the accompanying family friendly Discussion Guide, as our way
to say thank you when you give thirty five dollars
or more to this ministry, or join us as a
monthly Gospel partner, to give a one time gift, or
to join our Gospel partner family, give us a call
(24:25):
at eight sixty six three three five fifty two twenty
that's eight six six three three five fifty two twenty,
or visit us online at Jdgreer dot com. I'm Molly
Videvich inviting you to join us. Friday, as Pastor JD
explains the significance of the first short term mission trip
recorded in the Bible. That's Friday on Summit Life with Jdgreer.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Today's program was produced and sponsored by Jdgreer Ministries.
Today on Summitt Life with JD.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Greer, if you're ninety nine percent committed to Jesus, that
means you're still one hundred percent in control, because ultimately
you decide which ninety nine percent he gets to be
in charge of and which one percent you get the
you know to hold on to, and you can change
the terms. At any point, you've either given Jesus full
control or you haven't given him control at all.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thanks for joining us today on Summitt Life with Pastor JD. Greer,
I'm your host, Molly Videvich. You know we've all seen
or heard of people who say they follow Jesus. They
show up on Sundays, sing the loudest and participate in
the weekly Bible study. Yet when you look just a
little bit closer, everything about their lives seems to be
a reflection of their own game and not furthering God's kingdom.
(00:54):
Today on Summitt Life, as Pastor JD continues our study
in the Book of Acts, he helps us rediscover what
it means means to be focused on Jesus's plan rather
than our own.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
If you're just.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Joining us today, you can catch up any time by
visiting our website Jdgreer dot com. Pastor JD is teaching
from Acts chapter eight, So grab your Bible in a
pen and let's get started.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
This passage gives us a pattern for reaching our city.
If you are taking notes, jot down this definition, because
this is how we see our mission to our city.
Evangelism in the New Testament is basically a group of
ordinary Christians living intentionally in a city to bring joy
(01:40):
to it through word.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Indeed, the very first time the Gospel.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Expands beyond Jerusalem, it was carried in the mouths of
normal people, not apostles. This, I believe is the Holy
Spirit sign to us for how the great commission would
be accomplished. The Church grows not by the preaching of
a few anointed apostles. The church grows when every believer
(02:07):
is filled with the spirit and testifies to the Gospel
in the streets. That's what we do as a church,
because the greatest advances for the Gospel are not coming
from me up here. They're coming when you are going
into those places naturally ordinary people through word. Indeed, this
passage tells us that Philip's ministry was both word and deed.
(02:27):
They heard him and they saw the signs that he did.
Verse seven explains to us that the lame were healed
and the demons were cast out, which points to a
physical deliverance the lame being healed, and a spiritual deliverance
the demons being cast out. Because a true witness hear
this always involves both elements. A true Gospel witness always
involves both word and deed. It has to involve word
(02:49):
because the Gospel is, in its essence, an announcement about
what Jesus has accomplished. You can't communicate that without a
verbal witness. I've told you the you know, preach the
gospel if necessary. Use words is cute but completely wrong,
because there's no possible way to preach the Gospel without words.
The word gospel was not a religious word. The word
(03:13):
gospel just meant an announcement of good news. A Greek
general would use it if when he won a battle.
If a Greek general won a battle on behalf of Greece,
he would send out a gospel announcing that he'd won
the battle. He was not inviting other people to come
help him with the battle.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
He was not teaching people to do battle.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
He was just saying I already won the battle, so
you don't have to be afraid anymore because the enemy
has been vanquished. That's the word that was chosen to
describe our message. It's an announcement not about how people
should live, not an example that they should emulate. It's
an announcement about what Jesus scomplished on our behalf when
he went to the cross, paid for our sin, resurrected
in victory, and we believe in him and have eternal life.
(03:51):
That's the gospel, all right. So it's in word. It
has to be in word, but it was also always done. Indeed,
now what you see in Acts is that sometimes these
signs like an Acts eight, are supernatural. Other times they're
more I might say natural. In other words, just the
way that they lived was a demonstration of the gospel.
For example, Acts chapter nine, there's a story in there
(04:14):
of a disciple by the name of Tabitha, and it
says that she made so many cloaks for widows that
when she died, the community gathered at her bedside and
wept because of what she had done for them. Her
cloaks were a demonstration of the gospel, the generosity of
the Gospel, the fact that the Gospel creates this kind
of attitude in people that they showed to their community.
First Peter calls it adorning the gospel. It's always done
(04:37):
in word. Indeed, the result, here's the next little phrase
in our definition, it brought joy. It brings joy to
the city. So here's my very simple question for you.
Are you involved in that? Because that's not because of
a charismatic preacher, it's because of people like Philip carrying
out the Gospel in word, indeed in our city.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You said, well, how do I get involved? Start small?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Just ask this question, what can I do to bring
joy to my workplace? What can I do to bring
joy to my campus, to my neighborhood.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Ask God to show you you needs that you can meet.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Now, one more thing in this in this part of
the story, before I go to the second half of
the story, there one of the primary sources of joy
in this city. I don't know if you call it
this was the reconciliation of raceis.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Most people long.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
For this kind of unity, but we seem powerless to
accomplish it. It's easier than theory than it is actually
in practice. Here's how you know you're in a multicultural church.
At some point you become uncomfortable because when people do
stuff outside of your culture, you're like, I'm not really
sure about that.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
That's not how we grew up, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
But see, that's what happens in a multicultural church is
the different cultures are influencing and the unity that we
find in Christ outweighs any of the things that divide us.
You see, these people, it shows no evidence that they
sat down and got out the history books, went and
resolve everything in their history. They chose to put away
mistrust and suspicion. He didn't say that they all magically
(06:07):
you decide they're going to listen to the same radio station.
They chose to put aside cultural preference, and they found
a unity in Christ that overtamed the things that divided them.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Do you want that, because.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
If you want it, it's not gonna come naturally. If
it's coming naturally, you're not doing it right. It's going
to become because we choose to let the Gospel be
a weightier reality in our church than any of our
cultural preferences. All right, let's keep going, because there are
a couple of really important warnings for us that he
includes and I gon need you to put on your
(06:39):
theological seat belts because we're gonna go Verse nine. But
there was a man named Simon who would previously practice
magic in the city, and he amazed the people, Samaria saying,
I love this that he himself was somebody great.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
He was a self proclaimed awesome guy. Verse ten.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
They all putaate attention to him. From the least of
the greatest. Look what they said, This man is the
power of God that is called great, called great by whom,
well by himself. But they didn't seem to notice that,
and so they paid attention to him because for a
long time he had amazed them with his magic.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Now what kind of magic is this, Well, it's not,
I don't think like card tricks.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
The scholars said, this was a mixture of genuine education, mathematics, science, astronomy,
a mixture between that and superstition, use of amulets and
charms and dreams and horoscopes and that kind of stuff,
and then sleight of hand.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
In our modern era, you're looking for an equivalent.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
This would be the equivalent of somebody who reads horoscopes
or uses crystals or claims they saw the Virgin Mary
crying and got our tears together in a bottle and
they'll sell it to you and you can sprinkle it
on whatever hurtz and it'll take care of it.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Or they saw the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Sandwich, right, or Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich I
think it was, And grilled Jesus is now what they
call it, and they'll sell it to you for ten
thousand dollars. As to buying out price on eBay, I
wish I were kidding, but that is what Simon was.
He was basically that back then he had probably genuine
demonic power. That's what Acts thirteen says about these magicians
verse twelve. But when they believed Philip as he preached
(08:03):
the good news about the Kingdom of God and the
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Men and women. Even Simon himself believed.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And after being baptized, he continued on with Philip and
seeing signs of great miracles performed, he was amazed because see,
their miracles were not like his magic tricks. They were
genuine miracles, and they didn't just point out how awesome
the apostles were or Philip were they pointed beyond themselves
to a crucified Savior who had brought come back from
the dead and could get forgiveness of sins Verse fourteen. Now,
(08:31):
when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received
the Word of God, they sent them to Peter and John,
who came down and prayed for them that they might
receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet fallen
on any of them. They'd only been baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. And when they laid their
hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
All right, real quick question, Why.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Was the Holy Spirit not given to them immediately when
they believed? Because everywhere else in acts the Holy Spirit
comes immediately except for Acts two. Here's why there had
been such hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans for
so many years. That God was seeking to validate the Samaritans'
inclusion into the New Covenment, that he sent a little
ceremony to kind of signify that it was happening.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
The way of the analogy I've given you is uh.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
When running water first came into New York City back
of the turn of the twentieth century, when when running
water went into the there's five boroughs in New York City.
At the as water would would would the sewer would
make its way to each borough, the mayor would go out,
they'd have a little ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating waters now
come to Manhattan.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Now it's coming to the Bronx.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They didn't do that for every single house within the borough.
They only did it for the you know, kind of
the first one. So what you see in Acts is
you see occasional ceremonies like this. Sometimes it's companied by
the speaking of tongues, because it's basically a ribbon cutting
ceremony showing that the Gospel has come into a place,
and that's what the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Is is now including them.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
But you'll see that various people after that they don't
have that same ceremony. And so for the believers from
thence fourth and Samaritans, they're going to get the guy
to get the Holy Spirit when they've on verse eighteen. Now,
when Simon saw that the spirit was given to the
laying on the apostles' hands, well he offered him money.
He was, I will give me this power also so
that anyone on whom I lay my hands, may receive
the Holy Spirit. Because see in those days, magicians, would
(10:12):
you know, buy each other secrets and stuff verse twenty
But Peter said to him, may your silver perish with
you because you thought you could obtain the gift of
God with money. You have neither partnerr a lot in
this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to
the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart
may be forgiven you, for I see that you are
(10:32):
in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity,
and be blessed and encouraged.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Verse twenty four.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Simon answered, why don't you pray for me to the
Lord that nothing of what you have said may come
upon me. I believe, listen that this story is included
in here because it is giving a warning to growing churches.
There's actually two warnings in here that are very important
for us to heat and so I wanted to take
(10:59):
a time, even though it's kind of adding this on,
because I think it's really important. There's a warning in
here for you as a congregation member, and there's a
warning in here for me as the pastor, So which
one do you want first? Well, in my notes, you're first,
so I'm gonna go with you. Simon the Magician is
a warning to you. Here's the warning. Not everyone who
(11:21):
believes and is baptized is a genuine disciple. Not everybody
who believes in his baptized as a genuine disciple. Even
with the best preaching Philip's preaching. You've got a guy
like Simon who believes is baptized, and by the way,
he even continues on in a discipleship relationship with Philip.
So he got involved in Philip's small group. It says
(11:42):
he traveled with him. A lot of people listen in
our church get baptized, but a number of them don't
actually go on to become actual disciples of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
People are in that category, and maybe some listening to
me right now. Because baptism ought to be the sign
of repentance and faith, but sometimes people do it without
ever having genuinely repented and believed. There are some pastors
on our staff two that I can think of who
got baptized here when one in college and said it
was later that I really came to genuine repentance and faith.
(12:16):
And see, I want to say that to you because
I need you to make sure that you have not
just gotten swept up in a movement like Simon did,
where you got baptized and you went through the ritual,
but you have never actually repented, turned over control of
your life to Jesus Christ and received his gift as
your own. Is it a personal relationship with you? Because
it is a dire warning.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Thanks for listening to Summit Life with Pastor JD.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Greer.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
In case you haven't heard, we've had a brand new
premium resource for all of our gospel partners and financial
supporters this month. It's Pastor JD's new book, Twelve Truths
and a Lie, complete with a family friendly discussion guide
crafted to help you talk about the book with those
around you. Twelve Truths in a Lie tackles some of
the biggest questions we all face. How could a good
(12:58):
God send people to hell? How should Christians handle political differences?
And then, of course there's the one big lie that
so many of us have chosen to embrace. And you'll
have to get your copy to find out what that is.
Anyone who gives thirty five dollars or more to this ministry,
or joins us as a monthly Gospel partner, will receive
not only Pastor JD's new book, but also a discussion
(13:20):
guide we've created to help you talk through the book
with someone on a deeper level. So why wait, Give
a one time gift or join us as a Gospel
partner today by calling eight six six three three five
fifty two twenty or by heading to Jdgreer dot com.
Thank you for your ongoing support that makes this program possible.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We couldn't do it without you.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Now let's get back to today's teaching once again. Here's
Pastor JD on Summit Life.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Simon's conversion, or kind of fake conversion, had this problem, right,
He genuinely believed in Jesus is the Christ.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
But here was his problem.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
This is the I'm the problem I find with most
false converts. He had what we would call a Jesus
and gospel Jesus and his magic and his agenda and
his personal platform. A lot of people are like that.
They have a Jesus and me conversion. In other words,
they say, I'll follow what Jesus says. I'll let Jesus
(14:21):
be a big influence on me, but I reserve the
right to exempt myself out of various things that he
says that I just find a little you know, hard
or objectionable. So I don't like what the Bible teaches
about that, So I'm just going to like circle that
and kind of opt.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Out of it. Like the Bible's a salad bar and
you can leave the alfalfa sproutes if you don't want him. Right.
We have a lot of people that.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Are in that category, and it always amazes me how
many people say, well, I just don't really agree with that,
and I'm like, you don't really get a vote because
not me versus you, it's it's it is Jesus is
he Lord?
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And have you acknowledge that as the Lord, he makes
all the rules.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
See, if you're ninety nine percent committed to Jesus, that
means you're still one hundred percent in control, because ultimately
you decide which ninety nine percent he gets to be
in charge of and which one percent you get the
you know, to hold on to, and you can change
the terms at any point. The analogy I've given you is,
say a man is having an.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Affair with his wife or that would be awesome.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Say a man is having an affair, not with his
wife where he should be having an affair, but he's
having an affair and his wife ask him, are you
faithful to me? And he says, we, yeah, nine nine percent.
Now that's probably technically true because niney nine women he knows,
you know, he's not having sex with ninety nine of them,
but one of them he is having sex with.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
So I'm ninety nine percent of faithful.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
That's not how you would say that he is wholly unfaithful.
You've either given Jesus full control or you haven't given
him control at all. For some people, it's Jesus and
other gods. Right, well, Jesus is my way, but not necessarily.
Bo Wigh had a friend who was a Buddhist who
was in a church service and the guy gets up
(15:59):
basically have some kind of gospel presentation at the very end,
get this, has the whole audience stand, and then says,
I want you to repeat this after me, and he
just has them repeat like Lord Jesus coming into my
life and save me or something like that.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Then he says to the whole audience, congratulations, you're all
now Christians. You can sit back down.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
That's the worst gospel presentation I've ever heard. So but
my friend goes home and she said, well, I guess
I'm a Christian now, so I better figure out what
I believe. So she gets a Bible that she'd gotten there,
and she starts to read. Because she as a Buddhist,
she thought, well, I just put kind of Jesus on
my shelf of God's now I'm, you know, Jesus follower
and all these other things, she said, I very quickly
reading the New Testament, figured out that Jesus wasn't sitting
(16:39):
on no shelf with a bunch of other gods. In fact,
he came to tear down the shelf. But he was
either going to be the only one or he wasn't
going to be one at all. And she genuinely became
a follower of Jesus. There are a lot of people
that are in that category that they Jesus. They've added
Jesus to their life, but he's never become their lord
and savior. Maybe it's Jesus in some area of your life.
You'd say, it's not gonna give that to you.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Jesus.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
There is no Jesus and it's just Jesus. Simon represents
a guy many of whom I fear in our church.
Maybe not with magic, but they represent an addition of
Jesus to their life without actually full control.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
It takes you to heaven, that's awesome. He's there to
help you out a jam.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Fantastic, But you have never really just crawled up into
his hand and said, you're the Lord, you make all
the rules, you're the Savior.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Take me to heaven. I just I'm yours. There's a
big difference in those two.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And I'm afraid that there are people here who are
like Simon, who have added Jesus to their.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Life but never really been born again.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Jesus said, if any man comes after me, he's got
to take.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Up his cross and follow me. Take up his cross
means total death.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
You cannot be partially in control because in your heart
there's a throne and a cross, and if you're on
the throne, Jesus is on the cross.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
But if Jesus is on the.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Throne, you got to be on the cross, and that
means death to everything. Have you yielded yourself to Jesus.
That's the warning for you. Simon is a warning to
me because he represents a religious leader who really enjoys.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
The spotlight being on him.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
And he's a religious leader who believes that he can
purchase the power of God with money. Right, So what
you see is Simon trying to buy this because Simon
is jealous that the focus is not on him. The
contrast to Simon, watch this is Simon Peter, who's the
one who confronts him. Simon Peter has a power that
doesn't come from money. Simon Peter has a power that
(18:24):
comes from grace. And the result is that money is
powerless over him. All right, because what does the real
gospel say? Simon thought he could purchase, you know, power
of God with money and that would all come back
on him. The real gospel, if he's just two eight
and nine, For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God,
not of work, so that any man should boast. So,
(18:46):
in other words, the real Gospel is a gift of grace.
It's power given as a gift from the Holy Spirit,
it's righteousness given as a gift.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
The result, what is it?
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Nobody would boast because what do I have to boast
of my salvation.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Is a gift of grace. I'm not saying because.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
I'm morely better than you, I don't have power with God.
Because I've got talent, I've going to be given these
things by a gift of grace.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
So the last thing.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
If I understand that, that I would want to do
is boast because I don't want you looking at me
because I can't help you. I'm just one beggar telling
a bunch of other beggars where they can find bread.
So rather than you adoring your pastor, you should adore
your savior because it is the grace that is in him.
Peter had to learn that the hard way, did he not?
I mean, Peter was like the biggest bragger of all
of them. If everybody else denies you, Lord, I won't
(19:28):
do it. Boom, he denies Jesus. God has to put
him flat on his face. Peter is the one that
gets in an argument with the other disciples about who's
gonna sit at Jesus right and left hand. I'm going
to say to this right hand as is clearly I
know it's important. See Jesus smacks him down twice on that. Finally,
Peter's learned listen that the real gospel is about grace.
And when you have been gripped by grace, listen, the
(19:51):
sign is that money loses its power over you. See,
because Peter's not like, oh, that's how much you got,
you know, I show you a few tricks. No, Peter's
like that money perish for you, because I realize that
the real power doesn't come from money.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
It comes from comes from God.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
For those of you that are thinking about going into ministry,
or really any of you, you have to understand Listen,
the power of God and money's power over you are
always at two different opposite ends.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
And for you to have one, you've got to get
rid of the other.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And see, I know a lot of this is how
you can pray for me, because I know a lot
of pastors who get really jealous when the limelight is
no longer on them, just like Simon. And I know
a lot of pastors who have been overwhelmed by the
power of money, and the result is that they lose
their power with God. And I don't want to lose
that because you don't need me. What you need is grace,
(20:47):
and I want to be saturated with grace, and in
order for that to happen. See, you've got to pray
that God will help me hate to steal any limelight
from Jesus. And you've got to pray that money will
lose any power over me. Charles Spurton, who I quote
up here a lot you know, Charles Spurgeon. P. T.
(21:08):
Barnum was the guy in the circus guy in the
late nineteenth century. P. T. Barnum was building this circus
circuit and basically he heard about this young preacher in
London who could gather a crowd like nobody's business.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Charles Spurgeon.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
He wires him a telegram and says to him, I
want you to come preach for my circus. I'll pay
you any amount of money that you ask, will charge admission.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
You'll gather the crowd. It be a great venture.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Charles Spurgeon wired him back a telegram from London with
no words.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Just one verse reference Acts eight twenty.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Your money perished with you because you thought the gift
of God could be purchased by money. That's how you
can pray for me, because it's a warning to me.
It's a warning that if I want power with God,
God has to liberate me, see from the idols of
self and the idol of money. And He does that
through the overwhelming story of the grace of God, which
(22:04):
is where we bring all this back to a close.
This whole thing is about the Gospel going into a city,
the Gospel going into a leader, the Gospel going into you.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Has the Gospel taken over you? Have you believed? Have
you actually believed the gospel personally? Have you believed it?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I know that you got a story about when you
got baptized, But have you trusted Christ is your Lord
and Savior. Is He fully in control? And have you
yielded yourself entirely?
Speaker 3 (22:28):
There this movement we are witnessing in the Book of Acts,
the miracles, the power, the courage, it all came from
the powerful impact of the gospel message.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
You were listening to Summit Life with Pastor JD.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Greer.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
We're in a series titled Scent.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
If you joined us late, you can listen again online
or download the free unedited message transcript at Jdgreer dot com.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Pastor JD.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
This month we're giving away your newest book to all
of our donors, and this is one of the final
days that our listen.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
I think family can get a hold of it. Tell
us a bit about it.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
It's called twelve Truths in a Lie, Answers to Life's
Biggest questions.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Yeah, well, Molly, I'm actually really excited that we're giving
away this book to our gospel partners and to those
who just helps.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Help sponsor and support our ministry financially.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Here twelve Truths in a Lie are basically twelve answers
to the biggest questions, most frequently asked questions I get
as a pastor. The lie is that the presence of
these kinds of questions and the presence of doubts means
there's something defective about your faith, or that you're a
bad Christian.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Some of the questions lean more of like how do
you answer the difficult question of a skeptic?
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Some of them are more just practical.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
As an added bonus for the Summit Life audience, we
get a chapter about Chapter discussion guide that we will
send to go along with the book.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
We've never provided that before, but we'll give it to you.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
It should be really helpful and maybe studying with your
small group or just being able to reference it when
you're a teenager or your grandkid or your neighbor asks
you one of these questions, being able to have a
good answer, so request twelve Truths and a Lie and
the discussion Guide. You can request that when you give
to some for the ministry of Summit Life at Jdguer
dot com.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
You know it won't be long until this special two
part bundle goes away, So we would love to send
you your copy of Twelve Truths in July, as well
as the accompanying family friendly Discussion Guide, as our way
to say thank you when you give thirty five dollars
or more to this ministry, or join us as a
monthly Gospel partner, to give a one time gift, or
to join our Gospel partner family, give us a call
(24:25):
at eight sixty six three three five fifty two twenty
that's eight six six three three five fifty two twenty,
or visit us online at Jdgreer dot com. I'm Molly
Videvich inviting you to join us. Friday, as Pastor JD
explains the significance of the first short term mission trip
recorded in the Bible. That's Friday on Summit Life with Jdgreer.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Today's program was produced and sponsored by Jdgreer Ministries.
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