Sharing the Gospel

Hey, this is Jim Graham from the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we explore relationship instead of religion every week. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

What does that even mean? Well, Gideon is, we were here to spread the gospel. We give, Gideon Ministry has what we call a PWT, which is a small Bible. And, and when I was in the hospital with considering the calf and, and I was very concerned. My spirit was, you know, very concerned about my life, which is normal. And what brought the peace of God over me was the Lord spoke to me and said, you're in here to spread the gospel.

You're in here to reach those in the hospital. It changed my whole spirit. It's like I got new energized and said, I see you Lord. I said, and I went out and got some Gideon Bible, told my daughter, get me some Gideon Bible. I got a witness to this morning shift and I got a witness to the evening shift.

So it just changed my whole perspective. Michael Zwick, this guy's in our Wednesday in the Word. He comes in here, we think he's going to complain about all the pain, discomfort, be in the hospital, this major heart surgery. But he's coming here talking about all the souls he was able to share Jesus with. He, he begged his daughter to bring his Gideon Bible. I mean, what does that tell you about being an ambassador?

Michael Zwick, the host of If Not For God. You're doing that with your program. You're doing that everywhere you go.

Tint revivals, all that. But how inspiring is that to see this guy who could have been bemoaning and complaining and he's talking about how can I, how can I be a medical missionary in this hospital? Well, you know, I've often heard when I, when I started out in business, they would tell us, they say, what are you focused on? Where is your focus? And so if your focus is not on Jesus, then you're going to be worried about all the other stuff that you see going on in the world right now.

Looks bad in the news, you know, candidate last night just lost that we were hoping would win and all these other things are going on. But when you're focused on Jesus, then the things of this world, man, they should write a song will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Larry, introduce our next guest. This special man, he, all I know about him is I'm trying to talk to him after Wednesday in the Word. He says, I got to go to, I'm going to the bus station to lead people to Jesus and pass out tracks. Who is this guy?

How did you meet him? This is Fred Hagee. And then when I got into the ministry of the Gideons, Fred Hagee is even writing a positive writing a book on witnessing. And this man is a challenge to me because I was new in the ministry and this man inspired me to how to witness and the skills that God has given him on the witness.

So he's been a blessing to me and to the ministry. Larry, how did you just change your life and what is all this stuff he's talking about about witnessing and this fire for God? I got saved during the Jesus movement.

I've heard it said you can't scare the hell out of somebody. Well, a young man who at North Davidson High School was riding around through the community, broadcasting hellfire and damnation through those speakers on his car. And brother, I'm telling you, at 12 years old, I realized that I didn't want any part of that. And I gave my heart and soul to Jesus Christ back during the Jesus movement, brother. So your life was changed and your career changed not too long ago when God just said, hey, go out and be an evangelist, go share Christ with people.

Talk about what you're doing now and maybe challenge folks in this area of being an ambassador. You know, I heard less than less than five percent of Christians even led someone to Christ this last year. I mean, that's kind of heartbreaking. We got the message of salvation in us.

Why aren't we telling somebody? Stu, I was a worthless Christian for 48 years. I was taught that the way you do evangelism is let somebody else do it. That's the way I was taught.

He knows what to say. That's it. In 2002, I had all the guilt I could stand, could not stand one more minute. I locked my door in my office, I drove to Piedmont Bible College and begged somebody up there to show me how to lead somebody to Christ. The only class that was open, registration had already occurred, the only class that was open was personal witnessing and evangelism. And on 28th and Cleveland Avenue, I witnessed a young evangelist lead a lady there who had acute sickle cell disease to Christ. And that day changed my life 20 years ago.

I'm Stu Everson. This is Truth Talk. And these guys are ministers of reconciliation, a la 2 Corinthians 5, verses 18, 19, and 20. They have the labor of reconciliation as ministers.

They have the language of reconciliation, the word of reconciliation. And they have the lifestyle. They're ambassadors. They may not be best-selling authors. You may never have heard of these guys before. But let me tell you something. Michael Zwick, this is what every believer, is this just for certain believers who have, you know, everyone says, well, I'm not Billy Graham, so I'll leave that up to someone else.

What about what Larry said? Well, yeah, I mean, you don't have to be a Billy Graham. And as a matter of fact, in the long run, and this is what I've heard, it's the people like the Larrys, it's the people like the Stus, it's the people like the Freds who go and talk to people individually, one on one. They usually have a bigger and a longer impact on people than a Billy Graham coming to town for a one-night crusade or whatever like that. Now, the one-night crusade is great. I did a tent revival. I'm not against that stuff.

Do both. But what I'm saying, the longest and probably the best impact that we will ever have on people for Christ is the one-on-one evangelism. And Stu, I know you do that. Well, we're all called to do that. And the beautiful thing about that is we're, Jesus says, make disciples. So you lead a man, a woman, you lead someone to Christ, then you're there to help them grow up in Christ.

Isn't that right, Brother Freddie? Amen, brother. Amen.

What is a typical day like for you? How would you encourage others to start? Put yourself in the shoes of all the people out there listening that they may have never led someone to Christ. They never have shared the gospel. They're believers.

They want to. Give us the baby steps toward that, will you? First of all, ask God where your mission field is. Ask God where your mission field is and ask Him to help you identify and you be obedient to that. My first mission field was one-quarter mile from my home to my office and I asked God to put people in there who He wanted me to share the gospel with. And I had dozens of people in that one-quarter mile that I was able to lead to Christ.

That is so cool. I should say Ambassador Freddie and Ambassador Larry, Ambassador Zwick here, because that's what God calls us. Heaven wasn't quite ready for you yet, Brother Larry. I know you're ready for heaven.

Oh yeah, I'm ready. You're on that table. They opened you up.

They did massive surgery. You're still alive. God used you to witness that hospital. What is it that keeps you going for Christ?

What is it and what's your challenge to everyone out there about being a bold witness for the Lord? Well, I know in my neighborhood, you know, I had access to 44 emails and the Lord taught me the ministry to reach my neighbors. And I pursued that and then later on they turned around and told me that we'd appreciate it if I would no longer send my message out to my neighbors, you know, because the gospel offended people. And we know for a fact it did and I apologize that I know the gospel offends you.

I said, just remember, it's Christmas time. People were offended by Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, they were so much offended by the crucified. So anyway, to spread the gospel, sometimes it might cost you your life. A lot of missionaries go through that.

And you are an author because you're in Herb Burns' book, Never Stop. We got a cameo in there. We're sharing about your story and how you came to Christ. You've passed out a lot of Bibles. How many of the Gideons passed out this year, would you say? Or how many do you think? Do you have any idea, Freddie? How many have they got?

Stu, I'm not sure. But I can tell you this, in our camp in Davidson North, since April of 2018, we've started recording the number of decisions that we witnessed just in our membership, just down there in Davidson North. And since April of 2018, our membership there has witnessed over 2,100 decisions for Christ. The Bible's going out, and we've got a pickpocket, friends. I didn't ever think this would happen.

It's the first time that it's ever been a pickpocket, recorded on my national show. I'm just whoever says, truth talk. We just finished Wednesday in the Word. Look at those guys praying over there. Look at that. Look at those guys praying.

Guys are praying, fellowshiping. That's why it's a little bit loud and clamorous. It was a lot louder until Zwick sat down because he was in the middle of the action. But Zwick, you just picked this man's pocket.

Now either you owe him an apology or you owe us an explanation. What is it you grabbed out of his pocket? He's got these big, what is that? Looks like a ticket or something. What does it say? It's something from his church.

It says, free admission. God loves you. John 3 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Romans 3 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6 23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ as Lord. And then it says, Pinedale Christian Church. That's the church that I got saved in with Pastor Bill McKenzie, I believe it was. And so yeah, I mean, but you know, one of the things that I was thinking of just being around you guys, I did something for the first time.

We have a local Christian bookstore in Graham, North Carolina. I bought some tracks. So I've got tracks and I'm ready to give them out. Brother Freddy, he picked your pocket. Are you going to press charges or what would you what would you charge us all with when it comes to this track? What do you want him to do with that?

I want him to go out and share the gospel with some lost sinners, dude. You guys are just amazing. You have buoyed me up with encouragement. Thank you for being on Truth Talk. We'll take we got to take a little picture of this. We'll take a picture of you pickpocketing in action. So our listeners, none of this is embellished, friends. This is real.

Okay. But hey, but remember, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come, he might have life, might have it more abundantly. I interviewed a death row inmate once who stole the New Testament to get after his roommate in prison and confinement. And he stole that Bible to roll cigarettes and to really get after to get at the guy who was a born again Christian.

He read it. His life was transformed forever. Ended up on my radio show and so many have been touched by this man's testimony. But that's the power of God's word. Amen. That's right. Amen.