Struggling to answer someone's questions about your faith, Pastor Greg Laurie recommends a great book to help. You know, I remember the first time that I shared my faith. I was so young, and I was challenged by an atheist. I did not have a clue as to what I should say. And I wish I'd had a copy of this book by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler, and the title of it is "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist." And we want to send you this book for your gift of any size, available at.
Harvest.org. Today on A New Beginning, we feature a candid discussion with Pastor Chuck Smith, who went to be with the Lord in October of 2013. The question is always why, you know, and that question will haunt you and and make you crazy trying to figure out why did this happen and so forth. But I I don't know why, but what I do know is you know that God is good and God loves me and God's working out His perfect plan in my life, and so. I'm just content with that.
It's a special edition of a new beginning today. We're celebrating Legends Week, hearing from those that have had an uncommon impact for the kingdom. Last time, Louis Zamperini, and Pastor Greg. Today, we feature your interview with Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel Network of Churches and one of the key catalysts of the Jesus Movement. You've interviewed a lot of people.
Was this an easy interview? You know, sometimes when you know someone really well, it's not easy to interview them because you you have a sense of who they are and and you already kind of know the answers before they give them. For instance, when I interviewed Louis Zamperini, I was just getting to know him. I had just read the book Unbroken, which was a story of his life, and so I was learning as I was interviewing. But with Pastor Chuck, I mean.
I've known him for over forty years. As a young man coming to Christ and attending his church, where he was my pastor there at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. Then through the years, as I started in the ministry and and continued to, you know, my relationship with Chuck changed over the years. And he wasn't the easiest guy to interview, believe it or not. He he was a very private man.
He didn't really like to talk about himself that much. But I knew there was some. Fascinating stories in his life that people needed to hear. I also had the sense when I was interviewing Pastor Chuck that this was something that was effectively preserving his legacy for posterity. In other words, I thought this is something people will view later, beyond the moment we're in, and it's something that I felt needed to be done for Pastor Chuck because people needed to know his story.
And they still need to know a story because it's an inspiring story of how God chose a man to literally change a generation. And so, here now is the interview I did with Pastor Chuck Smith from Harvest Orange County. Tell me about the. You're called a ministry, Chuck.
Well, actually, Greg, I was studying to be a medical doctor. That was doctor. You would have been a great doctor, I think.
Well, I would have had a lot of compassion, I'm sure. Yeah. In fact, that I think what was in my heart. Yeah. Helping people.
Helping people. I mean, I just had that, you know, and I figured, you know, that as a successful doctor, I could be a great layman in some church and just, you know, help support. And just serve the Lord in that capacity, and. I was living in Santa Ana at the time, and the pastor came up one Sunday and said, "You know, there's a lady in the church that has paid a sponsorship for someone to go to the youth camp, and why don't you go?" And I said, "Well, you know, had plans to go to Corona Del Mar and and surf, and so." But what year was this? Oh my, this was about nineteen forty three, forty four.
Somewhere in there, and so you had plans to go to the beach, but go to a camp instead. That's summer, you know. Of course, it's grown in Omar. I understand, and I think that was before the jetty was there, so the waves were bigger. No, the jetty was there.
It was there way back. Yeah, we used to watch for the end of the jetty when the waves were, you know, up the end. At the end, when they were up high on the, we would all head into the water, you know, to catch those waves.
So I went on up to this summer camp, and the speaker at the camp was a very inspiring fellow, and he made the statement: "You have only one life; it will soon be passed, and only what's done for Christ will last." And I. It just hit me. It just and so that afternoon, I was out under a big pine tree and just my Bible and just thinking about one life. It'll soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.
And so I felt the Lord speaking to my heart and saying, "Look, you can go ahead and become a doctor, and you can help people physically, and you can help them for a time, but they're all going to die." But if you will devote your life to helping people spiritually, then you're going to help them eternally.
Now, do you want to give your life for something that is temporal or something that is eternal? And I couldn't argue with that, and so that was where I felt the Lord was calling me to go to Bible college. And so I figured when I went home and told my mom that I wasn't going to be a doctor, I was going to go to Bible college instead of USC. And she said, "Well, son, if that's what you feel the Lord is calling you to do, that's wonderful." So you went to Life Bible College. That's right.
You started out amazingly as a traveling evangelist. I mean, you are known as the Expositor Extraordinaire. But you were a traveling evangelist, and but then the Lord redirected you. But I want to talk a little bit about your wonderful wife, Kay. I wanted to talk about the time you met her.
It was at a ball game, as I recall. Yes, and I think your brother may have been. My brother was playing, and so Kay comes along, and that wasn't the first time you saw her, was it?
Well, I'd seen her the night before down at Echoes of Eden, a black church in Los Angeles. There were the young people used to go Sunday nights because they. A radio broadcast, and they had good music, and it was just sort of the in thing for the kids to go down there. And I saw her; she had come with friends, and I had been there with friends. And I thought, hmm, you know, she's a good-looking gal.
Yeah. And so the next night, my brother was playing ball, and I went up to watch him play ball, and there was this gal sitting there on the stands and the benches there. And so I was—I knew her—and so I was sitting there talking to her and all. And Kay came up with some of her friends, and she had been in Bible college that night and had come over to the game after the school. And I she.
Got out a hanky and started dusting off the bench, and so I scooted away from this gal because I didn't want her to think that I was, you know, with that gal. Smart guy. And so I said, "Here, I've dusted off a place for you." And so she sat down, and then she remembered that she had left some books back at the Bible college. Had to go get them, and so I said, "Well, I'll drive you back to get them, you know." So there was this real old funky car there, and so I opened the door. And let her get in and sit down, and I walked around to the driver's side.
Then I started laughing. I said, "This is not my car. I don't know who the car belongs to." I've never heard that. That's funny. But I had a neat Ford convertible at that time, and it was parked right in front of that car, so.
So it's like a definite upgrade. Yes, it was definitely an upgrade.
So we went back to the college, and then we went to Vandy camps that night. I don't remember Vandy camps. It was one of those places we all went. And so I took her home, and we—that was the beginning of our relationship. And now you—you guys fell in love.
You know, Spence said. When you know love at first sight is nothing special. It's when two people have been looking at each other for years and still love each other becomes a miracle. You've been married to Kate for how long? Sixty-three years.
Okay.
Now here's the interesting thing. Sixty-three years.
So, how long was your courtship? Go ahead, say it. Six weeks. Six weeks. Our friends said it'll never last.
Well, they were sure wrong, weren't they? Oh, they've all died.
So Chuck. That's funny. That's funny. Okay, so Chuck, question. What's a secret to a long and successful marriage?
I mean, I know it's a big question, but just give us a couple thoughts. Like, you've been married all these years. What tell us what a secret is?
Well, I think it's having Christ at the center of it. You know, because differences are going to arise. I mean, but. If you can always come together in Christ. In other words, you know, you don't agree maybe on certain things that you should want be doing, and so forth.
But if you can bring to the Lord and say, "Now, Lord, you guide us in this, and you you give us the decision," you know, and so it's not my mastering over her or her mastering over me, but it's both of us being mastered by Jesus Christ. Yeah, that's right. You know what I think. What people don't know about you, Chuck, is you've had a lot of ups and downs in life. You know, because you're such an optimistic person.
People may think, "Oh, he's had a really happy life." And really, what we've talked about so far has been a really happy life. I mean, you know, born in Ventura, living around the beach, and great times, you know. But but you've had your hard times as well. In your book, A Memoir of Grace, you write, "Quote: Grace does not shield the cruel realities of a world damaged by the fall. We're not in heaven yet, and God does not spare us from the crushing blows that come to every." One, we lose people we love.
We suffer. We grieve. We journey on, but we're not abandoned. That's right. And Chuck, an unimaginable tragedy happened to you when your father and your brother were killed in a plane crash.
Yes. Where were you when you heard that news, and how did you react to such a horrific thing?
Well, my brother had started a motorcycle shop up in Victorville, and he had a plane. and My dad went up to my dad had retired and went up to help him because my dad was real sharp in business and accounting and all. And so they were going to fly on down to Orange County and. From Victorville and my brother's plane, it was a stormy night, and so we went out to the Orange County Airport to pick them up. And figured all the time they'd be be there, and they didn't show up.
We waited an hour, and it became a little apprehensive.
So we went on home. We were living in Huntington Beach at the time, and. We got the call from them, and they were. My brother had just gotten his license and really wasn't that familiar with flying, but he had gotten on the wrong vector and had landed in San Diego rather than Orange County, and so they were going to refuel and fly on up to Orange County, and so we went back out to the airport, but the storm they. Came right into the center of the storm.
Just and the plane was a small plane, and it just had run out of fuel when they were over San Onofre area, and they crashed down there, and they both were killed in the crash. And so, you know, it was an interesting thing that was extremely hard for me to. Handle because it was so sudden. You're not prepared for it. You're not ready for it, and it's a shock that just really hits you right, you know, in the guts.
And so I had a hard, hard time. I would. After that dream, that my dad and brother, we did a lot of things together. That you know, we'd be out, and I would be so excited in my dream. You know that here we are having this great time, water skiing or whatever.
And then you wake up to the reality. You know, they're not there, and I mean, it was just so hard. Took me a long time to actually. You know, get over that. But question is always why.
You know, and that question will haunt you and and make you crazy trying to figure out why did this happen and so forth. But I I don't know why. But what I do know is you know that God is good and God loves me and God's working out His perfect plan in my life. And so I'm just content with that. Do you ever have doubts, Chuck?
Just about why is this happening? This isn't right, or no, no way. Are you? Do you have fears? No fears.
You don't ever have things that frighten you. No. Boo! It didn't work. Chuck, you're.
The thing is, knowing Chuck, I believe what he's saying because he lives what he says. You know, you've been a model on running the race of life. And you, I, you know, we've seen you start your race. We've talked about that tonight. Maybe middle point somewhere around the Jesus movement.
Yeah. And now you're coming to where you're you're thinking about finishing the race. Yes. Billy Graham was asked the question in an interview: If you were to do things over again. Would you do it differently?
He said, "Yes, I would study more, I would pray more, I would travel less, take less speaking engagements. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend more time in meditation and prayer, just telling the Lord how much I love Him and I'm looking forward to the time that we're going to spend together for eternity." Chuck, if you were going to do things over again, would you do anything differently? Greg, I think that the Lord had charge of the whole thing, and so I. What are trying to improve on his program? What has been the best decision of your life, Marion Kay?
I thought you would say that. Do you remember your first sermon, Chuck? Yes, I do. What what did you preach on?
Well, I preached on, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Let me ask you some of the really important questions now that are burning on everyone's, I think, mind right now. Chuck Smith, what is your favorite color? It all depends on what you're talking about. If you're talking about eyes. My wife has the most beautiful blue eyes, and so blue would be the favorite color for eyes.
Talk about lips.
Well, I don't think blue would be my favorite color, unless they're very cold. And hair is not so good either. Right, blue hair.
So, but you like blue? Yes. What's your favorite kind of food? Oh my, rack of lamb. Oh, rack of lamb.
Yeah, nice. What's your favorite?
Song, the love of God. How's that go? The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. The love of God, yes, that'll get right. Goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.
Why is that your favorite song?
Well, I think that's probably the first song I sang as a solo in church when I was a kid. How old were you?
Well, I was fourteen. What natural gift would you have liked to possess? I mean, you wanted to be a doctor. You ended up as a pastor, teacher. Is it you ever ever thought, man, I wish I could have done this?
Well, I I really admire musicians, and you know, I I would like to have had you know probably the gift like Dennis of playing the guitar, and you know, I like I like music, and I would. Like to, been proficient in an instrument. You know, I would like. I've always thought I wish I could play guitar. Maybe in heaven we'll both have like, like Elvis hair, and we'll be rocking out a guitar.
That'd be fun. It'd be fun. Who are your heroes? Oh, Billy Graham definitely is one of my heroes. And you've gotten to know Billy Graham.
I've had that privilege. Yes, I've heard him speak of you many times. Of just his admiration for you. And and the work that God gave to you, and He He really thinks very highly of you.
So I know it's a mutual mutual. I remember you telling the story of we were having lunch, you and I, and Franklin, his son, and Jonathan, my son, and you told the story of when you went and heard Billy Graham for the first time at a Youth for Christ meeting, and he wasn't as well known as he was to become later when he did his tent meeting in Los Angeles in 1949. But you even remembered his sermon. That's right. What did he preach on?
Well, actually, it was at Anaheim High School, and it was at Youth for Christ on a Saturday night. And he Anaheim High School, yeah, at the auditorium there. And he was saying, you know, that Hitler raised the swastika, and thousands of German youth marched under the swastika, many of them to their death. And but those that died for Hitler died in vain. And Stalin raised the hammer and sickle, and millions of Russian youth marched under the banner of the hammer and sickle.
Many to their death, but those that died, you know, under the hammer and sickle, died in vain. He said, "Jesus raised the cross," and he said, "Through the years, thousands of young people have watched, have marched under the banner of the cross. Many of them to their death, but those who died for Christ never died in vain." Amen. And that really stuck in my mind. That'll still preach, wouldn't it?
Yeah, that's good. That's good stuff. Good stuff.
Well, what makes you laugh? What do you find funny? My grandkids. Yeah, they're always fun, aren't they? How do you want to be remembered, Chuck?
Just as one who loves the Word of God and loves the people of God. Amen. And you are known for that now.
So you're already there. Let's praise the Lord. I know. Chuck, any final thought of?
Something you would like to say to us about serving the Lord, following the Lord—that is really important to you. We are living in a rapidly changing world. The important thing is that we hold on to an unchanging Christ, and thus, you know, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And when you're living in uncertain kind of conditions, it's just important that you have an anchor. That doesn't change, and so just hold on to our unchanging Christ.
Hold the course. Hold the course. You bet. Let's thank Pastor Chuck Smith. It's not very often that someone comes and impacts an entire generation of people, but Chuck Smith clearly was one of those men, and he was a major part in a full-blown.
American revival called the Jesus Movement, and because of his faithful teaching of the Word, the impact of that movement continues to this present day through the people that he has influenced. And you know, after my son Christopher went to be with the Lord, Chuck Smith came over to my house, and we were talking. And he said to me, "I asked him, you know, I asked him why. Why would this happen, Chuck?" And he said, "You know, Greg, never trade what you don't know for what you do know." And that was something I remembered and it stayed with me. You know, what do I not know?
Well, I don't know why. The Lord called my son home at the age of thirty-three, and I don't know a lot of things. But what I do know is God loves me. I do know my son is in heaven. I do know I'll see him again.
So let's apply that now to Pastor Chuck himself. What do we not know? We don't understand why Chuck would get cancer. You know, why does a man of God like Chuck have to suffer? We don't know the answer to that.
But here's what we do know: we do know he loved the Lord. We do know that he faithfully preached the gospel and taught the word of God. We do know he's in heaven, and we do know we'll see him again. And in that day, when we see him and we see loved ones that have gone on before us, all of those questions will be answered. And all of those tears will be dried, and we will be able to say, "God knew exactly what He was doing." And in faith, we say it now, and we want to follow His example and continue to follow Christ and be ready to meet the Lord, because you never know when He might call you or me home.
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Well, we're so glad you've joined us today here on a new beginning for what we're calling Legends Week. We're highlighting the lives of some notable men of God. Louis Zamperini today, Pastor Chuck Smith, and next time, Pastor Chuck Swindoll. But Pastor Greg, one of the many things you and Pastor Chuck share is a love for the gospel and its power to change lives. Yeah, it has the power to save people from their sins.
That's right. If someone wants to make a change right now and make things right with the Lord. What do they need to do? Here's what the Bible says: Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
So you need to reach out to God, not just think about it, not just say one of these days I would like to, just do it. In fact, you can do it right now. You say, well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord? You do it through prayer. God is just a prayer away.
He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him. He wants to reveal Himself to you, so you just need to call out and say, "Lord, save me and help me." How about if I lead you in a prayer, and you could pray this prayer after me? You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God.
And you could pray it after me right now. You ready? Pray this after me, Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior, and I want a relationship with you.
So, as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin, and I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank you for loving me and sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen, Amen. Listen.
If you have just prayed along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God, and we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believers Bible. It's a special edition of God's Word for those who are new to the faith, with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg.
So get in touch and ask for the New Believers Bible. Bible, we'll send it to you free of charge. Just call one eight hundred eight two one three three hundred, that's one eight hundred eight two one three three zero zero, or write a new beginning box four thousand, Riverside California nine two five one four, or go online to harvest dot org, and click the words no God. You know, Pastor Greg, we're on the air with these studies every day, every week, every month, month in and month out. Yes, and we're so thankful there are a group of people that let us hear from them month in and month out.
There are Harvest Partners, the special friends of this ministry that invest each month so that these daily studies can continue. I know you've met some Harvest Partners on occasion, and you let them know how much they're appreciated. Right, absolutely, and people often will say, "Hey, we listen to your radio broadcast, and we're a harvest partner." Oh man, thank you so much! I so appreciate that because that says to me that this is someone that believes in what we are doing. They believe in it enough to invest in it.
You know, Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If you want to know what a person's priorities are, just look at how they spend their money.
So, I think when a Christian. Invests in the kingdom, and by that I mean when they give it their church and they tithe, and every Christian should do that. By the way, or they have ministries that blossom like a new beginning, and others, and they bring an offering to that ministry. that That says something about that person. And here's the thing that people don't often realize: when you give financially to the work of the kingdom, you are laying up for yourself treasures in heaven.
Jesus said, "Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
So do your giving while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going.
So we have a program called Harvest Partners, and these are simply folks that." Have committed to give to us on a regular basis, on a monthly basis, and thus we can depend on those gifts.
Now, you maybe only can give a little; it matters. Others can give a little more. Others can even give a lot. Whatever you can do, we appreciate it because we want to reach unexpected people in unexpected places with an unexpected message. And the amazing thing about radio is you just never know who you're going to reach.
People turning the dial on their car radio, people just looking for something to listen to, a change of pace, and maybe they land on our program, and they're thinking, "Well, what is this all about?" And we've seen so many who did not really even know what we were about tune in. And then end up hearing the gospel and coming to Christ.
So we want to continue reaching these folks.
So help us to do that and become a harvest partner today. Yeah, and we can help you with all the details quickly when you call one eight hundred eight two one thirty three hundred. We're here twenty four seven to talk with you. Again, the number one eight hundred eight two one three three zero zero, or drop us a note at a new beginning box four. Thousand, Riverside, California, nine two five one four, or just go online to harvest dot org.
Well, next time as Legends Week continues, Pastor Greg has the honor of interviewing Pastor Chuck Swindoll. Such a fascinating discussion coming your way. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible Teacher Greg Laurie.
