The spiritual condition of America, politics, culture, and current events analyzed through the lens of scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. 1 Peter 3:15, but set apart Christ as Lord in your heart and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that you have. Do this with gentleness and respect. Hi, Alex McFarland here.
We've got a great show, especially if you're one like myself that cares about the gospel reaching younger and younger generations. You know, we all know 1 Peter 3:15, be ready to give an answer.
Well, I was just so blessed on the road recently, and I met a young man that God is using in great ways.
Well, he's a representative of the gospel, and he's doing internet, online evangelism, and apologetics. And just for a lot of reasons, I wanted you to meet him, folks. His name is Sol Hemingway. And actually, Angie and I have been friends with his mom and dad for, I don't know, I guess a decade, because we went to several of the same churches. We knew his mother and dad.
And so I'm speaking at this church. Here in recent weeks, especially since the death of my friend, the late Charlie Kirk, I have been seeing God do a very strong movement in young people, teens and 20-somethings. And so I came off a week. We did a big citywide event near Jackson, Mississippi. It was fantastic.
We just wrapped up our summer camps.
So I was in a church in North Carolina and blessed already, and then things got even better. I met Sol Hemingway. And we just had several conversations. He loves the Lord. He's got a brilliant mind.
And You're going to be encouraged because, yes, God is still raising up young people to be very, very clear voices for the gospel. And we're going to just talk about these things now about being ready to give an answer. And with that, welcome Saul Hemingway. It's good to have you, brother. Yes, thank you so much.
It's an honor to be here.
So I just appreciate it. I honestly appreciate our conversation yesterday. I remember going, like I told you today, like that's not my home. church.
So I went because I heard that you were speaking there. And so I was like, you know, oh, this guy's an evangelist. I want to kind of pick his brain a little bit, you know, see exactly, you know, how he's gotten to the place he is and just things like that. You know, I want to learn from him. And so, yeah, our conversation was an absolute blessing.
I'm very grateful.
Well, ditto, ditto. Let me ask you this. What drew you to apologetics? And also, for those that may be unaware, give us like your definition of what apologetics is. Yeah, I think what drew, well, first, let's define apologetics.
apologetics, how I would define it is just simply In my words, just taking ownership of your faith in a way that you are able to articulate the reason in which you believe to a believer or unbeliever, and it's being able to defend that and also just articulate it. And so, what drew me to apologetics and just utilizing that in my evangelism is for the longest time, I think I subscribed to Christianity simply because I think it was like a cultural thing. Like my parents were going to church and things like that, and it was a good time in the church, and I felt like these warm emotions when I was worshiping and things like that. But then, you know, I grew up in years and I realized like I didn't really genuinely understand. Why Jesus?
Why is Jesus the accurate one? We have so many different world religions, like there's so much religious plurality that we have. There's Islam, there's Judaism, and there's obviously other cultural religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and all these things.
So, why Jesus? And so, that was when I decided: okay, let me just kind of analyze the history behind Jesus and behind Islam and behind Judaism. And I've come to the conclusion that the majority of historical evidence points to Jesus being the most reliable representation of a God. And for me, whether you're a believer or an unbeliever, you have to answer first the question: is there a God? What evidence is there to be a God?
I think through just observing creation, observing the complexity of the human mind, obviously observing things like morality and the concept of love and forgiveness, things that can override our biochemical reactions, like choosing to forgive somebody despite being hurt. I don't think that's something that a simple biochemical reaction in a body would allow. You can explain. Yes, it's not something that we can explain. And so I observe all the evidence and I'm like, okay, yes, there's a God, but now which one?
And so that's when just exploring the evidence that surrounds the gospels and the veracity of Jesus, I think that's where we get to the point of, okay.
Well, Jesus seems to be the most historically backed representation of God. And so now let's see what he has to say. From my research, from whether it's manuscript evidence or just observing the Gospels themselves, Jesus is the most reliable representation of God. Amen. Amen.
Churches everywhere want to be able to build a bridge to your demographic. And some have had success and some have not. One of the things that really blessed my heart talking to you yesterday, and also that church we were at, I mean, there were so many young people. And I know you don't speak for a whole generation. You speak for yourself.
But I would ask you this. In your opinion, What are some of the obstacles that your peers would have to the Christian faith? You know, God loves you. Christ died for us. We put our faith in Jesus.
We're forgiven.
Sounds pretty simple, but people can have a lot of... Objections. What are the objections between your generation and the Lord? Yeah, I think there's a few factors when it comes into that. I think we have to look at our actual mental state as young people.
I think we're driven by a dopamine-driven society. And so when it comes to actually acknowledging things higher than our immediate focus, it's hard. It's hard for our generation because we have an influx of information that is stimulating our brains constantly. Finding out those answers of a higher calling, it requires a little bit of silence. It requires a little bit of thinking.
And that's something that's a little bit incompatible with our generation. It's hard to find moments of solitude, isn't it? Yeah, it is very difficult. It's possible, but it's difficult now with all the information and stimulation that's going on, whether it's social media or just work or external cultural things. And then also, I think one thing that also is a disconnect, and I mentioned this to you yesterday when we were talking, was the fact that I think the gospel in the Western church has been slapped with an apathetic coating.
And so now we're using terms like Jesus loves you and God died for you. And they're not wrong, they're entirely true. But it doesn't have the same impact as it used to have, you know, many years ago. You know, you told me that somebody died for me, and now I it's almost like we're desensitized to that because we hear it so much, and it's you know, this cool slogan that we put on t-shirts and wallpapers and all these kind of things, but it doesn't hold any weight anymore. And so, I think one of the things we have to do in order to reconnect with our generation is not necessarily change our approach or change our truth, but we have to say it in a way that resonates and gets past that dopamine barrier that people have, and say it in a way that it's not like a slogan, but it's an objective truth that holds impact.
The voice you're hearing is Saul Hemingway, a colleague and friend. And we're going to come back and we're going to talk more about the gospel in this generation, but especially like 20-somethings and younger. Because, look, no matter who you are, if you're a Christian, God wants to work through you to be a witness. And if you're a part of a church, God wants your church to be reaching all ages, of course, but especially young people like my guest, Saul Hemingway. Stay tuned, we've got a brief break.
We'll be back after this. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. 100 Bible Questions and Answers for Families. That's the newest book that Bert Harper and I, Alex McFarlane, have put together from hundreds of questions from actual radio listeners to our nationally syndicated radio show, Exploring the Word.
Published by Broad Street Publishing. 100 Bible questions and answers for families. Ask questions like: How are children a gift from God? How can I build my family around the teachings of God's Word and Jesus Christ?
So many dozens of questions that we think will encourage and equip you in your walk and witness. It's available everywhere. Books are sold, online, your favorite local Christian bookstore, Barnes Noble, on Amazon. I encourage you to please check it out and tell your friends about 100 Bible questions and answers for families. Enjoy reading.
Thanks for reading and may God bless you. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Present, explain, defend. at any given moment.
Like Saul Hemingway does, we should be able to present the gospel, if need be, explain, kind of talk about what it means, and then, as 1 Peter 3:15 says, maybe even defend the gospel. Hi, Alex McFarland. Welcome back. Before the break, we were talking about how you found the Lord and then presenting to this generation. I love, well, I don't love, but I acknowledge the wisdom of the phrase you use: a dopamine-driven society.
And I know with so much social media and so many things, you know, TikTok and so many things that really we ride on just fractions of a second of attention. Really, being still and hearing the voice of God, it's not just this adrenaline, you know, driven thing. I mean, we have to be quiet to hear God. Can this generation see the value in the still small voice of God. Not the endorphins and the dopamine rush, but the quietness of being in God's presence.
Can they see the value in that? And if so, how do we persuade them of the value of that? Yeah, I think absolutely the value of silence is truly transformative. And I think it just comes down to your daily disciplines, really. I think you have to choose that silence because, again, we live in a culture that it doesn't allow for that.
And so it has to be a discipline for you. And so for me, one of the ways I go about that, and of course, if you're like a new believer, of course, this may not apply to you just yet, but I love to fast. And, you know, fasting for me is just the first time I've ever done it was at home and I did it, you know, just like in a sun up to sundown thing. But even in that short duration, just starving myself of the flesh, not because I'm trying to hurt myself or harm myself or any kind of thing, but because by denying myself of this immediate pleasure that I get from eating, immediate pleasure that I get from, you know, just any sort of distraction, what happens is I allow space for my brain to think. I allow space for me to actually ponder on what it is I'm doing this for.
And so I replace my immediate desires for endorphins and dopamine. Mm-hmm. with maybe prayer and fasting and seeking the voice of God in those moments. And so it comes down to a choice. You know, you have to actually choose to seek out your quietness and your truth.
But I think of Isaiah 30, 15, where it says, you know, return to me and you will be saved, and in quietness and in truth you will be made strong. And so there's a promise there that when we're actually quiet and we're still and we can hear the voice of God, we're not just doing that, you know, as like a meditation like wusa. Of course it has those implications as well. Like we do get calm, but what it is, is that we strengthen ourselves through that. Because I think with an influx of noise, what we're doing is we're weakening ourselves in our ability to think.
Rationalize, articulate, and respond to not just the gospel, but to just people, to just life in general. We're not able to fully. just operate into our full capacity. And so, one way I would say is just try a fast, you know, whether it's for a day or whatever you feel called to, whether it's for a day, three days, whatever. And then also, Set aside time to put down your phone.
You know, put it away. For me, I use this, like, this is not like a sponsored thing, but I use this app called APAL, and it blocks like my social media for the day. And so, you know, you have to set those disciplines for yourself. And it can be difficult starting out, and it's going to be difficult, you know, pushing through. It's a discipline.
It's not like a joy. But I find myself being so much more connected with God in those areas when I choose to just set down the normal things that make me comfortable, make me distracted, or, you know, just comfortable in general. And then I choose to seek His voice. You know, we ought to do a show on fasting because I've had some pretty miraculous milestones in life when I fasted and I was seeking God's direction about something or we had some circumstance that we really needed a breakthrough on and I would fast and pray. And you're right.
After a few days, I mean, folks, I always say this, you know, Talk to your doctor, make sure you're physically able to fast. Three times, and I'm not saying this to brag or anything, Lord knows I'm not, I'm just, but on three different occasions. I did a 40-day fast in the last about 15 years. And I will tell you. When your stomach growls and you're hungry, that's when you pray.
And you get so close to God. And I mean, literally, miracles happen. God does things. When you fast and pray, you're in a different Orbit with God, really. And folks, I want to encourage you: if you need some sort of spiritual breakthrough, or if you're praying maybe for someone who's away from God and you want them to desire Jesus, or you just have an issue, maybe you need to be set free from something that's ensnared you.
Thank God for prayer. But fasting and prayer. And I mean, I've done a one-day fast. You know, it's funny, so I had applied to Liberty University. I was engaged to get married to Angie.
And I was going to sell my car. to pay for my first semester of tuition. And Angie and I got married. We packed up to go to Virginia. And it w we're like four days from moving and I hadn't sold my car.
And so I thought, I'm going to fast. Oh my goodness, 24 hours, just water. Can I even do a one-day fast? You know, it seemed so intimidating. And long story short, I did, and at the end of the fast, it had been 24 hours.
I promise this is exactly how it happened. I was like, Lord, I just we're now it's three days and I got to leave on Saturday, and I need to sell my car.
So when I say amen, Please let the phone ring. And I said, uh In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Instantly, the phone rang. I'm like, that second.
And it was a person who said, Oh, I saw your car. I want to buy your car. I'm like, okay, sure, I'll meet you tomorrow. Hung up the phone. Phone rang.
a second time. And they said, I want to buy your car. I was like, somebody just called. They said, well, if they fall through, take my number. I'll buy your car.
I said, okay, wow, thanks. Hung up. third time. And this is all in one minute.
Now, things don't always go that fast, but God was showing me, look, I'm really real. And I love Jeremiah 29:11 through 13. It says, You will seek me, and you will find me when you seek with all your heart. That promise is still true for this generation, isn't it? Absolutely.
Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, in regards to just seeking him and finding him, I think of John 8. I think it's 31 and 32. And Jesus is talking to the believers. And he says, you know, whoever takes hold of my word, they will be made disciples and they will know the truth, and the truth will set them free.
And so I think when it comes to just like knowing the truth of Christ and just knowing exactly what it is he does for us, not just, you know, crucifixion, but actively through his Holy Spirit daily, you know. Pointing back to Isaiah 30:15, in quietness and in truth, you will be made strong. You know, it's daily acknowledging and seeking out the truth of Christ in a way that. It redefines your confidence. Within your beliefs.
It redefines your confidence within your operation. It redefines your confidence within the way you respond to the gospel and just external factors. And so I think when we can just abide in the fact that God does have. The best interest for us in mind. I also like to think of Proverbs 2, verse 7 and 8.
And it says, He stores up success for the upright, He protects those whose walk is blameless. It's such a wonderful thing, like over and over and over again in the scriptures. We are assured that we don't serve a God who is indifferent. Towards humanity. And we serve a God who has genuinely the hearts of all of humanity on his mind.
It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from. You are on his mind and he wants the best for you in that way. I love the way you phrase that, folks. The voice you're hearing is Sol Hemming Way. He's a Christian friend we have back in Greensboro, North Carolina.
And just like he said, God is not indifferent to you. God loves you very much. We've got to take a break. We're going to come back. In the meantime, though, on our website, alexmacfarland.com, there's a tab.
What does God say about my relationship with him? And we always say this, but it's true, Jesus is as close by as a prayer. Call out to him today. Stay tuned. More with Saul Hemingway after this brief break.
Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Hi, Alex McFarland here. You know, I was at a college speaking, and I guess we ministers get too wordy.
Somebody said, Can you describe Christianity in only two words? And instantly, this came to me, and I said it: loving substitution. And students raised their hand, and they said, What does that mean? Loving substitution. Here's the thing: because Jesus Christ loves you, He was our substitute on Calvary's cross.
The appropriate measure of God's wrath that you and I deserved was put onto Jesus. You don't have to die and suffer for your sins because He was the substitute who died for you.
So, if you call out to Christ, He will save you, He will forgive you. I urge you to do that today because Jesus Christ has a plan for your life, and it begins with you putting your faith in Him. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your support. Learn more about this at alexmacfarland.com.
He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Welcome back to the program. We're going to resume our conversation with Saul Hemingway. I want to remind everybody: to God be the glory.
This is the week. The book releases 100 Bible questions and answers on prophecy and the end times. It's 100 questions from our radio listeners about when is Christ coming back? Will the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem? What should I be doing in this age of instability?
What is the meaning of the number 666? What are the future judgments found in Revelation? The publisher is Broad Street. I give God the glory. It's my 21st book.
I co-wrote it with Bert Harper, who's with me on Exploring the Word. But I want to ask if you would please pray and then order it on either Amazon.com or Barnes Noble. If you live near a Barnes and Noble, Please go in and ask for it. Alex McFarland, Bert Harper, 100 Bible Questions and Answers on Prophecy in the End Times. Barnes Noble all across America has been carrying more and more of the books I've written.
And I give God the glory because it's getting the gospel out. Also, if you would go to my website, which is alexmcfarlane.com, my tour schedule this month, I'm in Pennsylvania. We've got the final of our summer speaker series, Conversations That Matter. Attorney Jenna Ellis from the White House, Mark Walker, International Ambassador for Religious Freedom. And we're talking about the state of the nation, the state of the church.
Caleb Collier from the Church and State podcast, and so much more. A lot of seminars around the country. And of course, the show, Exploring the Word, and then this show, the Alex McFarlane program. You know, I give God the glory. If you ever wonder, are we making a difference?
Well, we had 384 teens. Pray to accept Christ over all of our summer events. Just had a major citywide event in Mississippi, back in Birmingham, Alabama at the spring.
So God is at work. And one thing, I completely give God the glory, but I was on American Airlines about 10 months ago, and under spoken word, right next to the TED Talks and TEDx, under spoken word on the in-flight entertainment was this program. For about 45 days, we were on American Airlines. And to God be the glory, because this is about getting the gospel out.
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Well, something else for which I'm very grateful is Saul Hemingway. And uh Hey, Saul, first of all, welcome back. I know I'm kind of putting you on the spot, but I'm just thrilled to see. Your walk with the Lord, and that God has raised you up, and you're making a difference. By the way, Socials, YouTube channel, where can people find you online?
Yeah, absolutely. If you are interested in hearing a little bit more of just gospel talk, you can find me on Instagram. It's at yeah.its.soul. You can find me on TikTok. It is the soul Hemingway.
It's the same thing with YouTube, the soul Hemingway. I just released a brand new podcast a few days ago. It is the soul Hemingway podcast on all platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, anywhere you can think for Wash a podcast. You can listen to it on there. We talk about just finding your identity in Christ, finding clarity and purpose, beating lust, whatever you think.
That's what we talk about.
So you can find me there. Right on, man. Very good, very good. What determines a podcast that a twenty-something is going to listen to? What will grab their attention?
I think first and foremost it has to resonate with them. You know, I think we can listen to a lot of voices, but you know, I don't resonate with every voice. You know, they're Not many people resonate with every voice.
So, first, it has to deal with resonance, okay? But then there's credibility, right? Is the person speaking, do they know what they're talking about? And I don't necessarily mean that in like some kind of intellectualism way, but if I'm listening to somebody speak on a podcast about the Bible and they've only read two pages of the Bible, you know, there's a level of credibility we have to have there. Like, okay, is this person speaking truth?
Are they speaking heresy? And then there's also the genuine care for the audience. You know, a lot of people start a podcast, but they do it for the views, they do it for the financial aspects of it. But does the person behind the camera, does the person behind the microphone care about delivering whatever message they have to their audience? Do they or do they not?
And so, you know, there's also like the technical aspects of things like hooks and blah, blah, blah, all those things that you can make, you know, a podcast deliver better. But down to the core, it's What you know, your credibility, and do you resonate with that audience, and do you care for that audience? You know, isn't it a beautiful thing? I mean, culture changes, time marches on, but we're still human beings at our heart. And I I think people want to know that their life matters.
But especially to God. that God will come through and In the Christian faith, it is not a promise of an easy life. Things don't always go, you know, hunky-dory, but God is faithful and God is sovereign. No matter what happens, God can use it for our good and His glory. And I think that's a real comfort.
Absolutely. Yeah, I think when it comes to that, I I think of 2 Corinthians 12, 10. And that's when Paul, he's in prison and he's talking about this thorn that Satan has put in his side. And then he's begging God, like, please just remove this fl thorn from my flesh. But God responds, my grace is sufficient for you.
My power is made perfect in weakness. And so I think a lot of the times, you know, even in the middle of all the junk that goes on in our lives, even in the middle of all the strife and all the difficulty and all the mental strain that we endure in our lives, because there's a lot of it, you know, it's not getting any easier. But what we do have an opportunity to do is find comfort in the grace of God, you know, and I like to word it like this, every breath that you take is a supplement of his grace. And so when we view it from that perspective, that we are constantly being supplemented a portion of the grace of God and the mercy of God and the provision of God just by being here in the situation that we're at. You know, my life isn't perfect.
You know, I still have so many things I got to worry about, you know, when I go back home. But the fact that I'm able to do this right here, that's a supplementation of God's grace. You know, you've got to be able to look at the right now and find God's grace in the right now. And it's not always easy. It's not always, you know, like you said, hunky-dory, you know, sunshine and rainbows.
But if you're able to just look at the right now, stop worrying about the past, stop thinking about the future, but just focus on the right now. What we can arrive to is a point to where we can actually sit and appreciate. The fact that God has me breathing here today. Amen. And we're up and about with health.
And you know, I got to say this when I was in seminary and I had done hospital visits before, but you know, wh when I went to grad school and seminary, we were learning all the facets of ministry. And whenever I would go, the more I would visit people that were facing very dire surgeries or they you know, had Something happened and they're like paralyzed. I was like, Thank you, God, for my arms and legs. Thank you, God, that I woke up this morning. Thank you, God, you know, I've got something to eat on the table.
I've got a wife that loves me. And let me just say this, folks, and I think it is transformative. I'll queue it up. I'll let you Take us out. gratitude, Just to be intentional and look for the blessings.
Because I think every single day Jesus blesses us in a thousand ways. And when you cultivate that heart of appreciation and you're saying, Lord, I get it. Lord, you've been really good to me. Lord, thank you. Maybe it's not the best car, but I have transportation.
Maybe it's not my bucket list, but I'm up and about, and I know you love me. And I'm saved. We got a lot to be grateful for, don't we? Absolutely. Gratitude is transformative.
Yes, yes. And, you know, just to kind of end on that, I think. There's a an aspect of humanity that it is a good thing to desire. It is a good thing to have ambitions. It is a good thing to have goals.
It is a good thing to think about your future and try and learn from the past. But then what we have to arrive at is the fact that the things that we have are not just things that fell out of the sky. They have been placed for us. And I think of, I think it's somewhere in 2 Corinthians. I can't remember the exact verse.
But what it's talking about is that everything that God has done has been predestined for us, right? You know, He's prepared the good work for us beforehand. And so that comes with our current situations. You know, if God has prepared good work for us to do, then obviously He's put the things in place for that to happen. And so your current situations, whether good or bad, whether pretty or ugly, or whether glamorous or just mundane, whatever they are, they do have intentionality and purpose behind them.
And so we have to recognize as Christians, as just human beings in general, that the things that we have going in in our lives are not a result of an indifferent God. They're not a result of some God that just doesn't care. But you have to be able to expand out of your own current, you know, little bubble of your own world and be able to actually look for the things that you can find God in. You know, Isaiah says, His arm is not shortened that he cannot save. His ear is not dull that he cannot hear.
And, folks, just to wrap up, the voice you're hearing is my friend Saul Hemingway. And I would reiterate that: he is not indifferent. Friend, Jesus is not indifferent to you, he cares. And the Bible says, if we allow Christ into our life, he is the friend who sticks closer than a brother.
So remember, It's not a cliché or just a saying, but Jesus is as close by as a prayer. Turn your life to Him today. He has all good things and blessings for you. We'll see you next time. In the meantime, tell somebody about Jesus.
Alex McFarlane Ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you. For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at alexmacfarlane.com. You may also reach us by calling 1-877-YESGOD and the number 1. That's 1-877-Y-E-S-G-O-D-1.
Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarlane Show.
