Interview with J.J. Jasper

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland.

Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together, bringing you truth. For a new generation, this is TNG Radio.

Acts 1-8 says, You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. I'm going to elaborate on that verse in a moment, but I welcome you to this edition of TNG Radio, Truth for a New Generation. Alex McFarland here, and I am so excited about a friend I want you to meet in just a moment.

This has really been a long time in the making. The person that I want to introduce you to, I've had in my mind to bring on the show for a long time, and we've just now gotten around to doing it. But let me give you the full context of this verse, and then I want to give you a full introduction to our guest. Acts 1-8 is very interesting, because it says, You will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Now, the word for power there—I'm sure you've probably heard preachers talk about it—is the word for ability power.

Dunamis, obviously, from which we get the word dynamite. You will receive dunamis, power. And the word there is really ability power. But do you know more than 200 times the New Testament uses the word power? And God says that He imparts to His church power. Now there's the ability power, but do you know there's another word, very fascinating, Matthew 28 18-20, Jesus has risen, He's about to ascend back to heaven, and He says, All power is given to me in heaven and earth, and He imparts that to the church. Now it's very fascinating. Listen to this. The word in Matthew 28 for power is not ability power, like Acts 1 8, but authority power.

Fascinating. It's the word from which we get the word jurisdiction. Now think about it. This world is God's turf.

Jurisdiction. And God says to the church more than 200 times, I'm giving you authority power, I'm giving you ability power to be His witnesses. Now somebody that is a great witness for the gospel, he's an amazing representative of our Lord, and he's just a great person. His name is J.J. Jasper.

And I'm so thrilled. For the first time ever, and it certainly won't be the last, but for the first time ever, we've got J.J. Jasper on TNG radio. He's a veteran, morning, on-air radio personality. He's a best-selling author. He's a dedicated Christian. He's built a great family. And so, J.J., it's good to have you on the program, and it's good to just follow what God is doing in your life. What a privilege.

I could say the very same things about you, Alex, as far as how genuine and authentic you are. I hope everyone's doing well. Due to a mix-up of pills on the kitchen counter this morning, it looks like I'm not going to have to worry about heartworms for the next 90 days. But that's okay. I'm glad to be here, and what a joy to be a guest on your show. Oh, wow.

Well, good to know. I'm just kidding. And you and your dear wife, Melanie – Melanie, and we have seven children, and yeah, the Lord has been so good to us. He's been better to us than we deserve. He's faithful. And you were talking about that verse. What a privilege to be able to share the Gospel and tell people that Jesus is a life changer. Well, amen.

And part of the reason that I was bringing up Acts 1-8, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the outermost parts of the earth – the Church is to have a ladle in many different pots. We're witnesses locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, but you're a man that wears different hats, too. You are a writer. You're a broadcaster. You're funny.

I mean, you're a comedian, but you've also got a very serious message that we'll get to. But who is J.J. Jasper, this multi-layered servant of the King? I grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky. AB student, fair athlete, paper boy, great parents, not a Christian family per se. My grandmother had the biggest influence in my life.

I sold out for the Lord Jesus Christ. She taught Sunday school for over 50 years. Long story short, after high school, I moved in with my grandmother. It was just as far as making all the wrong decisions with drugs, alcohol, dating, just at the bottom of the barrel. An uncle who I looked up to was very, very religious. He was on all the committees. He was very active in his church. He was born again. He received Christ into his life, which seemed strange because he was the most religious person I knew. And now he's saying, I've been transformed.

I realize my need for God, repent of my sins, receive Jesus Christ into my heart and life by faith. He had the biggest smile, the most joy. His life wasn't perfect. But from a distance, I saw his marriage improve. I saw the joy. I saw him sharing the gospel with others because of the boldness of my uncle and because of my grandmother's prayers. And I was living with her.

And at this point, I was at the lowest point in my life. But because of my uncle, who would share, it's not religion. It's a relationship. It's about knowing Jesus. And he would talk about Jesus like he was his next-door neighbor. He would say, you know, I was talking to the Lord this morning, and he laid this on my heart. The Lord told me to go and share the gospel with this person. His life was bearing fruit.

His relationship with the Lord was dynamic. So because of my uncle, Paul Gatewood, because of my grandmother Gatewood, because of her prayers and watch her always serving someone, taking meals to people who were sick, going to the hospital, teaching Sunday school, the love she had for the Lord. When I was a young man, 19 years old, I got down on my knees and did what my uncle talked about. I realized my need for God, humbled myself, repented of my sins, and received Jesus Christ into my heart and life by faith. Now, when I was 12 years old, I walked the aisle.

A lot of you may understand what that means. And that seemed sincere. But at 19, it became reality.

That's right. I was either born again, or at least rededicated my life to the Lord. But that's when my life changed. And I can look back as a 19-year-old and see that old things were passed away. Behold, all things became new.

I mean, new friends, new attitudes, new wants and desires. And, you know, I haven't gotten over it. Jesus is a life changer. Folks, stay tuned. We're going to come back here on today's edition of Truth For New Generation Radio with our very special guest, J.J. Jasper.

Don't go away. From I Am a Watchman Ministries, here's today's I Am a Watchman Minute. The Bible says two are better than one.

Here's a truism. The greater the work, the greater the need to be in partnership with others. Watchmen are on the front lines of God's work and benefit from being in partnership with other watchmen. A watchman will go where few will go, do what most will not do, say what is difficult to say and do it all with humility and love. It's hard work. We want to help. Visit iamawatchman.com to access free e-books, teaching videos, podcast interviews and more.

Yes, two are better than one. And we're here for you. I Am a Watchman is a growing ministry of believers who see the importance of serving God boldly at this important time in history. We're not a ministry, we're a movement, and we invite you to join us. Be bold, be faithful, be a watchman.

I am a watchman dot com. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have. We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like, is there a God?

Is the Bible true? What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come.

864-977-2008 and always be ready. Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government, abortion and war. Too often we manage these disagreements by ignoring them. Yet we're called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions? In 10 issues that divide Christians, Alex McFarland challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues, such as social justice, evil and suffering, pornography and environmentalism, as he echoes the biblical invitation, come, let us reason together. Only by engaging the scriptures deeply, thinking clearly and speaking truthfully, can we in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians.

Find this book and many others at AlexMcFarland.com. Welcome back to TNG radio. We're going to continue our conversation with JJ Jasper. Before we do that, I do want to refer you to the recently redesigned, and we're so excited about it, the TNG website, truthforanewgeneration.com.

There's a lot there. There's over 80 questions and answers from listeners. And by the way, we do love to hear from you. And if you have a Bible question, an apologetics worldview question, how do you defend the faith, you can send all that to info, I-N-F-O, info at truthforanewgeneration.com.

And the other tab I want to refer you to is the events tab. Now, just days from now, May 3, 4, and 5, we're going to be in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville, right there at Fort Bragg, great church, rockfish church. Listen, folks, I know it's only days away, but you've got time to come. And Josh McDowell is going to be there, one of the great defenders of the faith.

Look, Middleburg, probably America's number one evangelism trainer, Mark Middleburg. I'll be there. Our staff is there. Now, here's the deal. May 3, 4, and 5 come to Truth for a New Generation.

For the first time ever, there is no registration fee. But here is what we would ask you to do. Bring three to five cans of food. We're working with local food banks.

Among the people that will be the recipients of your food that you give, and this is your ticket in the door, bring some food. We're giving it to the military. We're giving it to our soldiers, some of whom are financially struggling. Would you believe almost 20% of our soldiers are on food stamps?

Now, why that is is a long story. But come to TNG and bring some food, and we're going to distribute this to some of the people that we really need to show some appreciation for, which is our military. And we're very honored to be there in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, Rockfish Church, working with not only people on the base, but people around the city. And you can hear Josh McDowell, one of the great Christian leaders of our day.

Mark Middleburg, he wrote one of the biggest-selling books, Becoming a Contagious Christian. And we're going to train you how to know the gospel, how to share your faith, defend the faith, build a thriving family, and impart a biblical worldview to your kids. We've got a lot going on. We also have a youth camp coming up. Our annual Truth for a New Generation apologetics camp is July 29 through August 2.

And last year we had students from nine states. And there is time for you to come. And look, middle school through high school, moms and dads, yes, you can come too. We're going to be at beautiful Camp Kale on the Perquimans River. There's kayaking, frisbee, ropes course, zip lines, all the fun camp stuff. But the best part, we're going to have 15 sessions on how to know the faith, defend the faith.

And mom and dad, for your youth, invest a week that will count for eternity. Come to the Truth for a New Generation camp. Among the speakers we've got Daniel Ritchie. Many of you know who Daniel Ritchie is. He's amazing. I'll be there. But also, Miki Addison. Now listen, you need the Miki Addison experience, because she is one of the most powerful speakers you'll ever hear.

Will Addison will be there too. It's all at truthforanewgeneration.com. Well, without further ado, I want to resume our conversation with J.J. Jasper. His website is jjjasper.com. And I've got to ask you, brother, the initials, J.J., does it stand for Joyful in Jesus? What does J.J. stand for? I've heard it all. Jumpin' Jehoshaphat.

No, it's just pretty simple. James Jasper early on. Any time you have a J first name and a J last name, if you have a Jenny Johnson or a Jim Jackson, they almost always get called J.J., and that was the case for me. So no big mystery. James Jasper.

Wow. And you know, before the break, we were talking about how at age 19, God really got a hold of your life. And if there's one thing that I could say characterizes you, it's joy.

Had Edison not invented the light bulb, not to worry. J.J. Jasper has a joyful countenance that could have lit up a city. I really believe that. Have you always been that upbeat, sunshiny person that you are, brother? I was the class clown, and laughter is good medicine. That's a gift the Lord gave me early on. But you know, we were talking about testimony.

Oh, I'm so thankful that I met Jesus, that I had an encounter with the living Lord, and He's given me a joy that's so much different than all the counterfeit that the enemy has. But yeah, so I just sort of started in ministry early, almost immediately after becoming a Christian, and worked with young people a lot. Fast forward, I got in Christian radio, and I've been doing mornings since I started way back in 1985 at one Christian station. I was there for five years, WCFB. Started with American Family Radio in summer of 1991, and I've been doing mornings since then. I was going to ask you, how long have you been with the American Family Association?

Yeah, neat little trivia. On the very first day, when they flipped the switch, I was the guy that said, good morning. And so I guess that makes me old, even though I don't feel that old.

Well, you don't look old. But since 1991, I've had the privilege just to be a cheerleader for Jesus. We have almost 200 stations in 36 states. And along the way, as you mentioned, I do stand-up comedy, speak at banquets, and crisscross the country. A couple of weeks ago, I was in Illinois the week before that, Ohio the week before that, Georgia. And just a joy, so rewarding to make people laugh, to be at men's ministry events, wild game suppers, pregnancy resource centers, annual fundraisers.

I do a lot of those throughout the year. And you know that verse in Ephesians where it says, the Lord can do exceeding abundantly more than we can ask or think, more than we can ask or imagine? That's my testimony, Alex. God has been so good to me and my family, more than we could ever ask or imagine. You know, wouldn't you believe for the people listening, God, number one, God wants them to have a personal relationship with Christ. I mean, that's step one, is to open your heart and be born again. But God wants to do more in us and through us than we could ever dream.

Folks, we're going to have to pull away for a brief break, and then you're going to hear a story, I guarantee, the single most compelling story you're going to hear all month, you're about to hear. But Daniel 11 32 says, the people who know their God will be strong and do exploits. J.J. Jasper is a man who knows his God, and he's being used mightily of the Lord because, listen, when you've got Jesus and the Spirit of God indwells you, God will do exploits through your life. We need to get rowdy for Jesus, if I can say that.

And so, Daniel 11 32, meditate on that verse. Stay tuned when we come back. The story of J.J.'s book that the nation is hearing about, and it will be the single most compelling story you hear in a long, long time.

So don't go away. TNG radio continues with J.J. Jasper after this. You know Romans 1 16, it says, For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. That's what your kids need before they go to college. And that's the theme for the 2019 TNG Christian Apologetics Youth Camp, July 29th through August 2nd at Camp Cale, North Carolina. Speakers include, of course, Alex McFarland, along with Daniel Ritchie, Andy Lorentzen, and Miki Addison. Exciting worship every night and rock solid teaching every day.

And yes, it's a summer camp with all the summer camp activities your kids would expect. The TNG Christian Apologetics Youth Camp, July 29th through August 2nd at Camp Cale. To learn more and to register, call 800-YES-GOD-1, 800-YES-GOD and the number 1, or email info at truthforanewgeneration.com. You don't need to have a Bible degree from Liberty University to love, serve, pray, worship, or obey God.

But it can make life more vibrant when you do. When you're ready for a Religious Studies degree, you'll find more than 60 ministry degree options, from a bachelor's to a Doctor of Ministry, and you'll pay one low block rate for divinity courses at Liberty University, where we train champions for Christ. Go to liberty.edu backslash explore to learn more.

That's liberty.edu backslash explore to learn more. Truth for a New Generation is coming to greater Fayetteville, North Carolina. Join Alex McFarland along with Josh McDowell and Mark Middleburg for a three-day seminar filled with biblical truth speaking to the needs of the local and military Christian communities. When is it? May 3rd through 5th at Rockfish Church. What's the cost?

Just bring five non-perishable food items for local food banks. That's it. Learn more and register at truthforanewgeneration.com. Come back to TNG Radio.

God bless you. Thank you for listening. We're continuing our conversation with J. J. Jasper, a friend and colleague. He's the on-air morning host of the American Family Radio Network. You're a friend, and again, his website is jjjasper.com. J. J. is a very funny person, just a great, robust communicator. But being a Christian doesn't mean the absence of all pain and problems, does it, J. J.?

You're exactly right. Love to laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine, as it says in Scripture. But we were rocking along. Our life was marked by travel and ministry, a wonderful church home, just incredible family and friends.

And we rarely had any trouble in our life to speak of until 2008. And if I can share this part briefly, in March of 2008, my father-in-law, who was just larger than life, my wife Melanie is a daddy's girl, he found out he had cancer. And in just a few short weeks, we were attending his funeral.

So he died in March. One week later, my wife Melanie had a miscarriage. And then later of the same year, on Labor Day, I had a near fatal horseback riding accident.

I was in the hospital for 59 days, intensive care, for seven days, when the doctor came in and told Melanie, if your husband survives the next 48 hours. And she was like, wait, wait, if he survives, this is a horseback riding accident. So from her perspective, imagine this. Her dad, my wife's dad died in March. One week later, she had a miscarriage. Those of you listening, you ladies, you know how horrible and the grief associated with that. So her dad dies.

She has a miscarriage. And her husband almost dies the same year. At the end of the year, we held together as a family. And we just said, you know, this has been the toughest year of our life. But our consolation was, nothing can ever match the trouble we've had. And we just said, boy. And then that's it, the next year. By 2009, you were about to go through a deep valley that most people would find unthinkable. And the book Losing Cooper, Finding Hope to Grieve Well is the story.

I first saw the television special of Flame On, the video. But you had a five-year-old son named Cooper, the joy of your life. We bought a farm, horses, cattle. We were riding in our dune buggy, the short version. We rode up and down this lane.

We bought the dune buggy because it was low to the ground, padded roll bars, padded side bars. He was buckled in. After riding up and down the road, I was going to do what we always called do a donut. We were through riding, a dad and his boy having fun, a father and a son making memories, wind in our hair. I'd just returned from a trip from Denver. It was Friday. The weekend was here.

The sun was shining. After we rode, I was just going to do a donut. It was level. We were in the pasture. I turned the wheel, floored it, spun around. Then the dune buggy flipped over and it threw me out. I was not buckled in.

And Cooper was still buckled in. The dune buggy was laying on its side. And I can remember, Alex, like it was yesterday when I hit the ground on my very first thought. I thought, if I put a scratch on my little buddy, he was my best friend, our only son at the time. I thought, if I broke his little arm, I'll never be able to forgive myself. And I raced to the dune buggy.

It was still laying on its side. And just a freak accident in that rollover, it broke his little neck. And on July the 17th, 2009, my only son died in my arms. Jay, what went through your mind when you knew that your five-year-old son was gone and you were out just doing father-son-daddy stuff?

What were your thoughts? Shock, horror, all the things that people say was surreal, something this catastrophic. This can't happen in the blink of an eye. These things happen to somebody else. This is every parent's worst nightmare. And you're a man living for the Lord, a good, godly man, and a tragedy comes. Exactly, the darkest day of our life. And I don't have the words in the next few minutes to tell how you just feel like you have a band around your chest, you can't breathe. It's all you can do to put one foot in front of the other the next days and weeks. We're just a blur.

You're in a fog. But I will say, His grace is sufficient. God is faithful. That Bible that we trust, the Lord that we put our faith in, those aren't just words on a page.

It really is true. And the lowest point of our life and our darkest day, God is faithful. And Jesus was right there to hold our hand.

He's promised to never leave you, never forsake you. And Jesus is the hero of our story. We're still standing. Our marriage is strong. We're not bitter or angry at God.

We're still going to church. And it's not our strength. When you lose a loved one, it requires supernatural help. And God gave it. And God gave that to us.

So to God be the glory. What compelled you and Melanie to tell your story? Well, AFA leadership approached us only months after the accident.

And they said, we tried to find some resources to help you. There's not a lot out there for parents who have lost a child. In fact, think about this. A woman whose husband dies, she's called a widow. A child who loses his parents, they're called an orphan.

Have you ever thought of it? There's not even a name for parents who lost a child, because it's so horrific. It's so unnatural. It's so out of order. You're not supposed to outlive your children. And so on a Friday afternoon, we were having fun, a daddy and his boy. Saturday, mid-morning, we were at the funeral home, and the funeral director was saying, which one of these caskets do you want for your little boy? All those words about surreal, and this has just got to be a nightmare.

I know I'm going to wake up. But AFA approached us. They said they wanted to give us resources.

There wasn't anything to choose from. They said, you haven't turned to drugs or alcohol. Your marriage is still strong.

You still love God. If and when you're able, we want to make a movie. Number one, we want to give it away and not sell it. And number two, we want people to know there's hope on the other side of tragedy. So we did that.

It's called Flame On. You can go to jjjasper.com. It's right there at the bottom of the page. We've given away hundreds of thousands of copies. You know, I'm so sorry that we're out of time, but I want to thank you. And on behalf of listeners throughout the USA, we want to say that we love you.

We appreciate you, J.J., and all that you do. And you know, because of all that we have in Christ, you'll see Cooper again. Yes.

Yes. We'll spend more time with him in heaven than we ever did here on earth. Folks, you've been listening to TNG Radio, Alex McFarland, with our very special guest today, J.J. Jasper. And let me just say this. Jesus is what your heart is hungry for. And if you are going through a valley, you need to know that God does love you. He will never leave you or forsake you. And if you will turn to Christ, he will receive you. He will restore you. And so if you need spiritual help, if we can encourage you in your walk with the Lord, that's what we're here to do through the app, through the website, through all of our events and publishing, truthforanewgeneration.com. Thank you for listening. God bless you.

And we look forward to being with you next time. Truth for a New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical world view through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YesGod1. That's 877-YesGod1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.