Wretched Radio begins in three, two, one. If the God of the Bible really exists, I would go gladly to hell. And anybody happy to go to heaven to worship such a creature is morally bankrupt. It is because God's wrath is real that His mercy is relevant. Unless you have a real wrath, the Biblical concepts of mercy and of grace are robbed of their meaning. It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Freel. And the winner of this week's Evangelist of the Week... It's not Ray Comfort. What? This is Wretched Radio. Ray Comfort almost certainly carries the crown of Evangelist of the Week for, say, the last 20 years. Give or take. He has been dethroned. Now, I am fully confident Ray will get his title back next week because he is the most tireless evangelist I have ever seen. Period. Hands down. He never flags. He never grows weary. He is constantly witnessing to people everywhere that he goes, even in churches, which is probably One of the most needed evangelistic fields in America today, Ray Comfort puts us all to shame when it comes to faithfully sharing the gospel, giving out a gospel tract. Okay, it's not as good as, say, giving out Don't Stub Your Toe, available at wretched.org, but it's a good thing nonetheless. Sure. Smooth. Nevertheless, I believe that Ray Comfort for one week has been displaced. By a football player. That's right. Don't know if you happen to catch the Minnesota Vikings. Case Keenum. That's right. Case Keenum. Is that how you say the kid's name? I have never heard of him. I have to confess to you, I have not watched a lick of professional football this year because, well I haven't. Everything about it, their agenda, the lifestyles of the rich and famous athletes, just Sorry, not my cup of tea. You watch it if you choose to. I just choose not to. I choose to pray and fast. But you just go ahead and use that time any way that you see fit. So I haven't been watching much of it. Nevertheless, was interested, of course, to tune into what used to be my hometown team because I don't get enough disappointment with the Atlanta Falcons. I just thought... Hey, hey, no fan base is quite cursed like us Viking fans. I mean, seriously, even the Cubs. Get some people over for it. And they were even from New Orleans. And I kept saying, Drew Brees, I'm telling you, this guy is nothing to be messed with. And besides, he's a Christian. So part of me is cheering for him. I know this might sound preposterous or maybe downright blasphemous, but I tend to cheer now for football teams if I know that somebody is a believer rather than what state they're from. my colors are uh let's just say they're scarlet and they're not purple and gold or red and white or whatever that's how i choose to follow you choose to follow whom you choose to follow i'll do likewise and so the disappointment i thought let's have some more with the minnesota vikings because nobody can snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory quite like the minnesota vikings And so I thought, here we go again with, what, 24 seconds left. They get the ball. They have a penalty that brings them back to the 50. They've got 85 yards to go. Long shot. And if the roles were reversed, I could imagine the other team doing it, but the Vikings never do what they did. They actually marched all the way down the field. They scored. They won with zero seconds remaining on the clock. it was pretty fun to watch. And then they interviewed the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings who turns out to be the Evangelist of the Week. I have no words. He asked me about this moment. What this moment's meant to me is, if I'm going to go down as the third best moment of my life, but I'm giving my life to Jesus Christ, marrying my wife, and this was practical. All great moments. Well, thank you for Let's just cut him off. Uh-oh, now what do I do? He basically said this is the third best moment of my life. First best, what did he say? Giving my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, getting married. Dude's got good theology. Third, this game. Wait till he has kids. It'll be fourth. Nevertheless, I thought that that undoubtedly pre-thunk testimony was one of the best evangelistic statements I have heard in a long time. Now just pretend you're a pagan, unless of course you are a pagan, then just imagine you're yourself for a moment, and then ask yourself the question, why are you listening to this Christian broadcast? Then you can ponder this, what does an individual who is not a believer think about Now, please hear, I am not suggesting that it is a sin. I love hearing it. We're grateful for it. When somebody says, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Excellent. Keep saying it all you want. But I was just thinking, after what this kid said from the Minnesota Vikings, this is the third best moment of my life. What does the unbeliever hear when we are thanking Jesus for the victory? Could it be that they start to think that Christianity basically, no, not in totality, I get this is an oversimplification, but at least in part think, so Christianity is about your God helps you to win games. Oh, again, keep saying it, I know that's not the intention, but I'm just trying to think like a pagan, and I've had a lot of practice at it for a number of years. I wonder if it kind of gives the wrong impression. It's kind of a, we believe in God, so we can do all things, we can speak it, it can happen. Just wondering, because this kid's well thought out response, he knew the question was coming. He had that ready to go. Maybe he's used it before. It said something radically different. How do I know? Ben Shapiro, as the name suggests, is not a Christian. He's Jewish. In fact, he's a practicing Jew. He said that was the highlight of the football game. Because that was a powerful statement, that. That said a lot. This game is big. Look at the whoop-de-doo, the contracts. This kid's going to be a gazillionaire now. He's going to get the endorsements. He will be forever loved, at least in the state of Minnesota. And that's hundreds of people right there. So this guy has got it made, and yet what did he say? This is nowhere near the day that I surrendered to Jesus Christ. Didn't ask him into his heart, gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, that said something to the unbelievers, did it not? You mean that day when you repent and trust Jesus, that's better than winning this sort of dramatic high-profile football game? Food for thought. What can we learn from this, young man? Maybe you and I need to be loaded and ready to fire when somebody asks us something so that we think this through. I keep thinking, I'm mangling the paraphrase of this quote from Blaise Pascal. No, I'm not talking about Pascal's wager, of which I am not a fan, especially because it's kind of taken out of context. Nevertheless, Pascal said something like, show people an idea. an idea, a concept about God that's so fantastic that they'll want to believe it and then show them it's true. That's what that did in a very pithy kind of way. Now, obviously, we keep using the law and the gospel. I'm talking about being able to present a short testimony that says that Jesus Christ is better than a football game. He's better than anything imaginable. And that is why this young man, I think, succeeded evangelistically far beyond anything I've ever heard anybody do in public. And I think the lesson is we learn to do the same. Let's show people that this faith of ours, it is better. I think of Paul. Did he critique and condemn the behavior of the Corinthian Christians and their sexuality? Absolutely. But did he just leave them there? No. Always demonstrating there's a loftier, there's a higher ideal here. There's something transcendent about this faith. We need to be doing that in this culture. I think there's a reason that so many people are going into wonky religions that are experiential. They're hurting. I think there's a reason so many people are into the hookup culture. They're hurting. I think there's a reason that so many people are depressed these days, that this millennial generation, the number two cause of death is suicide. They are hurting. And they're just, they're blue. And the Christian faith has not come to Jesus and you won't be depressed. I mean, that is a fruit. The Christian faith has come to Jesus because He's the best thing! He's the best. It's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. We need to lift up Jesus to show him that he is the most amazing thing in the universe so that people will desire him. And I think that Case Keenum did that. So I say to him, salute. Now, on the other hand, just for yucks, we have rumors that the leader of the free world used a potty word. and wow what a scandal now whether he did or didn't i don't it's just not of interest to me this is not a political talk show but look at the difference consider the fall out what this young man said with speaking something beautiful and profound versus speaking something even if he didn't say it this that's not my point something coarse i bring that up because I just happened to hear a sermon on Sunday. James chapter 3 and verses, well, really it's one through, but really two, is where the lecture on the tongue begins. The Bible talks a lot about the mouth. In fact, I was reading Psalms 13, 14, 15, 16 in that neighborhood last night. The amount of time it talks about controlling my tongue, getting my mouth under control. Let me speak good words about you. Their words are foul. What are our words? They're like a rudder. They're like a bridle bit. They can accomplish amazingly bad things when we use it in a low potty kind of way, Ephesians 5, 4, Rexilla. Or look at the good that they can accomplish. This is not word faith. Unfortunately, anytime you speak about the power of words, people go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Careful with that! Well, there is power in words. Not that they're containers and we have faith, but that they can either edify or tear down. Using coarse language, using derogatory descriptors, it tears down. I don't care if you is accurate or not, it tears down. There's another way of saying it. Or we can have words that build up and edify. Challenge! Which way do you use your tongue? in an encouraging, uplifting way or a tear-down nasty kind of way. That's a challenge for all of us, according to James. This is Wretched Radio. Exciting, this is downright exciting. Over 1,000 Wretched people are supporting or sponsoring a Tomorrow Club at tomorrowclubs.org slash wretched. Picture a map of Eastern Europe for a moment. Moldova, Georgia, Albania, Ukraine, Romania, now. Picture a thousand pins scattered throughout those poor countries. Each one of those pins represent a Tomorrow Club that you are sponsoring. If you're a Tomorrow Club sponsor, over a thousand gatherings weekly of about 30 kids who hear the gospel, they learn the Bible, they're getting saved, they're going home, their parents are getting saved. and the local churches are getting strengthened because of you. Look at that map with a thousand pins representing a thousand Tomorrow Clubs. Let's say we make it at least a thousand and one. Visit TomorrowClubs.org. TomorrowClubs.org slash wretched. What do altercations, arguments, bickering, disagreements, disputes, and fights have in common? They are all inevitable. And they are also avoidable. Conflict is our newest Wretched resource, designed to give you the tools and skills you need to fight biblically. That's right. Conflict will teach you how to fight biblically, which will make all of your other fights go away. If you're weary from the battles in your home, Conflict. To purchase your copy, go to wretched.org. it's time for a drive-by minute the problem we have is that we are people straight from god we have things in our hearts that are wrong compulsive self-love self-service all those things that are ugly that we even hate in ourselves the reason christ came to earth was to live in our flesh, to live without sin, to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that through repentance and faith in Christ, we could be transformed. We could be changed internally to be people who learn to love God, to live for God, to pursue God, and to show forth God's glory. Not that we do it perfectly, but that there's a radical transformation of what we are internally. And until that has taken place, in us, we can't really model that or even teach that to our children and that's really the core of raising kids. You can get drive-by parenting and all of our drive-by resources at wretchedradio.com. The debates Christians find themselves in these days are littered with landmines. Transgenderism, LGBTQ issues, freedom of speech, abortion, post-modernism, marriage. Expository Apologetics with Dr. Vodie Bauckham will lead you through these landmines. You will learn how to turn every morality debate into a witness encounter. Culture has changed. The Word of God has not. Let Bode Backham equip you to wield the sword of the word not to win arguments, but to win souls. To purchase your copy, go to wretched.org. Important dates in Christian history. 1910 to 1915. The Fundamentals are published and demonstrate the great divide in American Christianity known as the Modernist Fundamentalist Controversy. Fundamentalists began to set themselves apart from society as a witness for Christ. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. And I'm not just talking about the temperature. This is Wretched Radio. Whilst the South is blanketed with snow, well, at least for the next few minutes, this is not the only part of the country that's going to be a little bit chilly, at least according to one Carl Truman. You say, who's Carl Truman? I say he's a Presbyterian, and he is currently at Princeton University. That's right, we've got an actual Presbyterian at Princeton University. That probably has not happened in 150 years. Nevertheless, Carl Truman, a very bright thinker in evangelicalism, I think he'd call himself an evangelicalist, of course. He, like so many others, have jettisoned that title because that moniker isn't so helpful these days. Nevertheless, Carl Truman When he's not writing too high, he's real smart. And sometimes I feel like I have to jump up to kind of grab the fruit. This was pithy, which is maybe why I liked it. It was low, and I got it. And I'm afraid what we're going to get, we might not like. It's called Preparing for Winter from FirstThings.com. He's writing specifically to Christian educational institutions. He gave a lecture and he was speaking to a group of educators saying, you better get ready, batten down the hatches, winter is coming. Now this is Not new to us here at Wretched, we've discussed this before, that the progressive secular humanist agenda is going to, like dominoes, knock down Christian institutions from their ability to exercise their freedom of religion. It already has started with businesses. Are we not seeing that already? Then we are going to see Christian institutions. We're starting to see a bit of that already. And if you think it's going to stop there, it is not. The next domino will be the churches. And after that, you say, it must be done. Nope, it's going to come right into your home. And you say, that's impossible. That would never happen in America. I say, why? Why? Why would we believe that the DNA of Americans is different than the DNA of Chinese or anybody? Because we're smarter, Todd. Well, we're not smarter. We're just the same as everybody else. You haven't wondered about American society much, have you? People who hate Jesus hate Jesus. They hate him in India. They hate him in China. And they will do whatever they think is best, because this is much bigger than just turf. This is a spiritual war in the heavenly realms. So let's give a little listen to Carl Truman, who's a bit of a smarty-pants, stating, you better get ready, Christian institution. And I might suggest also, this goes for churches too, We all should be preparing for an adjustment. And the worst case scenario, really, is that we prepare financially, it doesn't come, and look at how fat our coffers will be. His bottom line recommendation, get ready to have any government funding pulled from you. Second, be ready to have any tax breaks pulled from your organization. Now, that's an implication for all of us, isn't it? It's not just Christian universities. It's churches. Then it is for we who give money to institutions, to organizations, to 501c3 nonprofits. That tax deduction will be gone. Are you ready to keep giving without that? He ties it to Title IX, stating, it is vital. If you take government money, what right do you have to restrict speech on your campus in accordance with your own religious convictions? You say, well, that's just, it can't happen. Let me take you to Canada, Justin Trudeau. What did he do? He pulled funding from organizations that don't tow the government line. This is a program we're not familiar with here in the States. Nevertheless, $220 million is given to different organizations, nonprofits, during the summertime to hire kids to do some work. $220 million in federal jobs grants. Justin Trudeau said, certainly there is no obligation by the government of Canada to fund organizations that are determined to remove rights that have been so long fought for by women. So if you're pro-life, You're not in alignment with government thinking, we're not going to give you any money. Whoop! There it is right there. I guess it's woomp, technically, isn't it? Woomp. There it is. Canada is doing it. Their DNA, no different than ours. OK, some Canadian DNA is different. But my point in general, and I'm not just thinking of Tim Challey's right now, my point in general is that it's no different here than it is there. Justin Trudeau, when asked about freedom of speech rights, stated, an organization that has its stated goal to remove rights from Canadians, now this is reproductive rights, to remove the right that women have fought for to determine what happens in their own bodies is not in line with the Charter of Rights or where the government of Canada is. When the government of America is in a different place, we will have to follow suit. And that is Carl Truman's point. Title IX legislation prohibits sexual discrimination at any institution of higher education receiving federal funding. The law does have exemptions for religious institutions, for universities and churches, seminaries, but the elasticity of that particular legislation seems to be expanding, courtesy of President Barack Obama. Ah, that name, we're still feeling the pain. You better believe we are. Why? Because he included transgenderism in Title IX. Which means if you discriminate against them, you are violating Title IX, which means no government money. You say, well, how much money are we talking about here? We're talking about hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars. Every single grant, student loan that goes to an institution, they will cut it off. Now it's going to take some legislative gymnastics, but they'll get her done. Canada already, Canada, did I say Canada? I'm in a different country that begins with C. California already gave it a run. If you get government money, they wanted to, instead of sending it to you to give to the institution of your choice, they want to be able to send the money directly to the institution on your behalf. Why? So if you're attending an institution that doesn't align with the nation of California's values, they won't send it. Hello? We're talking a lot of money. Therefore, you better adjust. Now, you say, wait a second, Hillsdale. We're pretty familiar with Hillsdale, a lot of people are. Grove City, they don't take federal funding. And so you think they're safe, aren't they? Let me bring up another institution for your consideration, Bob Jones University, specifically Bob Jones University v. the United States. What was that about? 1983, the Supreme Court said, sorry, religious organization, you cannot teach that black people and white people cannot be married. No. Do I think Bob Jones University was wrong? Absolutely. Do I believe that our society should have the invisible hand of pressure of capitalism applied to it to get them to change their thinking? Well, that and the Bible. But the government stepped in. Now, I'm going to read what the text of the decision was, and I want you to replace racial with sexual. Now, just to note, I'm not suggesting that Bob Jones was right for a second on this issue, but when the government stepped in and mandated it, it opened up the door for the government stepping in, setting a precedent that they can replace racial with anything else. Sexual. So here's the ruling. the government's fundamental overriding interest in eradicating racial, read, sexual discrimination in education substantially outweighs whatever burden denial of tax benefits places on petitioners' exercise of their religious beliefs. So boo-hoo, you don't align with government values on the issue of race, slash, sex, gender. Too bad. You don't get the money. Petitioners' asserted interests cannot be accommodated with that compelling government interest. and no less restrictive means are available to achieve the government interest. That is the precedent that could likely be used to shut down other organizations. It could be a double whammy. They cannot receive any sort of money from the government in the form of whether it is a grant, a gift, or a tax break. The current struggle will not be won in the law courts, writes Truman. And this is what we've been on about here at Retchin. This is not going to be won in the courts. Why? Because, let's face it, the courts reflect the thinking of our culture. Let's just be honest. There's enough flexibility in legislation that they can rule either way. And the Constitution is not going to save us. The Declaration of Independence is not going to take this bullet. Why? Because the problem runs deeper. This is a heart issue. This is a spiritual problem. And unless we get busy preaching the gospel, which changes the heart, we can look forward to the government tightening the noose on universities that are Christian by withholding funding and stopping tax breaks for universities and for churches. Question, Are we ready for that? Could your church withstand having to pay taxes to the government? Goodyear University. Carl Truman stating, get ready, prepare for winter because it is coming. I think we would do well to heed his warning. Worst case scenario, well, we're able to withstand it. And let's say they let us keep the tax breaks and get the government, we'll still be in better shape. In the meantime, let's say we do what we've been commanded to do regardless of what the government says, and that is preach the gospel. This is Wretched Radio. IMPORTANT DATES IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY 1962. Second Vatican Council begins, the most significant council since Trent. It will promote new attitudes and practices in Catholicism as Rome seeks to address the modern age. After Vatican II, priests perform the Mass in the local language whilst facing the congregation. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Freel. With yet another bad idea, this is Wretched Radio. This is not going to be as emotionally impactful as it would be if you could see the images. But you can't, because this is radio. Nevertheless, that's never stopped us before here at Wretched Radio. We'd like to share with you a video that was sent to me at idea at wretchedradio.com. Thank you, as always, for sending things. We would never find these things without you. It's about texting and driving. Very, very powerful. Some young people are brought into a room where they're asked to talk about their texting. Well, the reality is they do a lot of it while they're driving. And they were rather comfortable in talking about it and describing the amount of texting they do. So here's what you're going to hear. a montage of young people and their casual attitude toward texting. And this, by the way, is not just a screed at young people for texting and driving. This is a screed at all of us. Everybody is tempted to do this. We all think that what we have to say in 40 or 50 characters is so crucial that we're willing to risk our own lives and the lives of others. It's just another demonstration of pride. We'll get to that in a moment. Here is the montage. Kids waiting in a room. So I just confess that I text and drive. Uh-huh, it is. And so you're going to hear a montage. If I get a text, I look at my phone. It's definitely texting. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Snapchat. I do Snapchat and drive sometimes. Is that more like making Snapchats or watching them? What making them a texting is like my main form of communication? Boredom, honestly and B. Well, no, I guess no, it's really just a I've only never done it at stoplights I've always been really good about it. The passenger has a pretty important role driving now or they're like Oh red light red light if someone that you like text you you're like you can't just like let it sit there without just knowing What they said is what if something exciting is happening or something happened like every time I do it I kind of I think about I'm like, why am I doing this and then I should keep doing it? Yeah Who of us can cast a stone at those kids? But this is where it changes. Again, this is some, I don't know who put this video together, but the desire, of course, is to get people to stop texting. So they now, in this studio, introduce a young lady whose life has been changed because somebody was texting. I want to introduce you to a friend of ours. And in she comes. My name is Jaycee. Hi, Alexis. Hi, Dash. Justin, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I just really quickly want to have a chat, tell you what happened to me. When I was 21 years old, driving home from my college graduation ceremony, driver on his phone was so distracted. He turned left into the intersection at a red light. Another car, an 18-wheeler, swerved to miss him and hit my family's car. And the resulting collision actually killed both of my parents. I spent two months in the hospital fighting for my own life, and then two more months in a rehab hospital, learning how to walk again, learning how to speak again, learning how to dress myself and how to feed myself. I live with a partially paralyzed body. I didn't have my daddy to walk me down the aisle when I got married. Mmm. And now we see the reactions of the young people. Clearly they are affected by it. They are sitting face to face with somebody who has been harmed from somebody who was willing to do the very thing that they were just joking about doing. Again, not as powerful if you can't see this. Nevertheless, does it work? It appears to. They're all crying. I'm not gonna look at my phone ever again. Honestly, if I have been sitting at a red light, I'll glance down to see if my mom's texting me, but the people's lives that are impacted from something that is so stupid. I can assure you on my drive home right now, I'm not going to use my phone and drive. And I'm not going to do it when I go to work tomorrow and the next day after that until it becomes a habit and that just doesn't happen at all. I know this is hard. I'm sorry. It's hard for me too. But you know this is real. You have the power to really actually make a difference and do something about it. Very powerful. Very emotive, and it did indeed elicit the right responses. Do I believe that this is a valid way to help people to curb their desire to look at a little electronic message that probably 999,999 times out of a million is not all that important? I think it can be an effective tool to a degree. Question, Christian, do we have a more effective tool? I think we do. I think that there's actually two things that we can consider as we teach our children and ourselves to knock it off with the texting and driving. It's fascinating. We are, we are, no, I, I am such a pride monster. I really get, I actually get angry when I see somebody texting. Come on! Hello! Or I see somebody swerving down the road. Do you have the same desire that I have to pull up next to them? I gotta see who this knucklehead is. I just get furious. Oh, hold on, I gotta text. I gotta read this, hold on. And then boom, I'm up. Well, see, because it's me we're talking about here. my texts are way more i don't know your world but it's not as important as my world therefore i'm justified in texting and driving what is that i think it is the first thing that we can be teaching our kids and ourselves that will cause us to stop it Because this, this, what we just heard in this video, I think it'll have a bit of an effect. I don't, I don't, I don't think it'll become a habit for that young man who said, well, I'm not going to do it on the drive home. And then maybe I'll get into a habit and then I won't ever do it again. Doubt it. I doubt it. Pride, pride. The next time that you are tempted to pick up your texter machine while you're driving, realize what that is. Pride. This is so important. I am willing to kill other people. That's how important I am. That's how important this emoticon is to send. That's how important this LOL is. It's pride. The next time you go to grab it, think about your staggering mountain size pride that is causing you to do that. And that'll bring about, hopefully, a little bit of self-control. Second motivation that I believe, and I think this is probably, I don't know which one is first or second. I think we've got something even better than this emotive video. it's it's a command from our Lord to love our neighbor the way we love our pride-filled selves and that is a lot now I think that that is that is a correct biblical reason that should cause you to not desire to text and drive anymore but I can just tell you from experience it's working for me I'm still tempted. I have to tell you, I'm still tempted to do it. But when I go to reach for the phone for whatever reason to look down and read it or send it, I think I am not loving my neighbor. In other words, I'm sinning. My monstrous pride motivating me to hate these people. Look around the people that Jesus died for. Are you loving them when you text? The answer is no, you're actually hating them. You're willing to kill them. And I have to tell you something that has worked. Extremely well for me. So maybe, just maybe, the next time you're tempted to go about the business of thinking it's OK to kill somebody because of a message you just got to read, remember your monstrous pride and remember that you're not loving your neighbor the way that you love yourselves. And might I suggest that is what we should be teaching our children? Because that is going to have lasting impact. Because remember, talk about this in reset for parents, that if you simply try to get them to conform in some way, whatever method that is, it's behavioral modification. That is exactly what that video, as well done as it is, the role that it can play is just fine. but it's behavioral modification. Christian training, Christian discipleship is not getting somebody to emote into correct behavior, to be intimidated, threatened or cajoled into good behavior. It is to be shown the kindness of God that we desire to submit to him because of all that he has done for us. Why would I want to put myself before everybody else on the road when Jesus put himself last for me? And that way our kids are submitting to God as in the Lord and not just being emoted into correct behavior. That's just pagan parenting right there. That's behavioral modification. Skinnerian. Christian parents use the word to change behavior. Now stop texting and driving! This is Wretched Radio. I know I say it every day, but thank you for being here. We truly do appreciate that you choose to spend a part of your day with us at Wretched. I am also very grateful for the folks who are taking the Big Toe Challenge with us. The Big Toe Challenge is simply making 2018 the year that you share the gospel, using Todd's new evangelistic booklet called Don't Stub Your Toe. So thank you for all of you joining us. If you haven't, might I suggest going to wretched.org. You can actually read the entire booklet there, Don't Stub Your Toe, Then you can decide for yourself if you would like to join us in the Big Toe Challenge. By the way, you will also find special pricing on Don't Stub Your Toe Packs, a 12-pack to give away a booklet every month, and a 52-pack if you'd like to give away a booklet once every week. Wretched.org, The Big Toe Challenge. Oh, and thank you, too, for your support, because we couldn't do any of this, the radio, The Big Toe Challenge, without your generosity. Wretched. Amazing Grace. Amazing Gospel. Looking for a thorough gospel presentation to give to a loved one or complete stranger? Todd's new gospel booklet, Don't Stub Your Toe, just might be the ticket. Not too long, not too short. Not too serious, not too soft. Not too dull, not too sharp either. Perfect for strangers, friends, relatives, or guests at church. To preview Don't Stub Your Toe or to purchase your copy, go to wretched.org. just sitting here in the radio studio. But recently, about 15 feet away from me, we had a number of special guests in the TV studio from preborn.org. Women who went into a clinic determined to take the life of their child. They left the clinic determined to save the life of their child. They chose life. Why? Because they saw an ultrasound and they knew that it was their child. Furthermore, these women left having chosen eternal life. That's right. The gospel was preached to them. They got saved. They saw an ultrasound of their child. The baby was saved. And that is happening regularly at pre-born centers. Would you please become a supporter of pre-born? Visit preborn.org, preborn.org. Every parent needs to watch Untethered. This will change the way you engage with your kids. George Barna estimates that 60 to 80% of evangelical youth will backslide. Untethered features John MacArthur, Steve Lawson, Bill Johnson, and Ray Comfort, and hopefully, help you keep your child from becoming untethered from the Bible and their faith. Get your copy of Untethered today, so your child doesn't become another statistic. Untethered, available now at wretchedradio.com. Important dates in Christian history. 64 AD, after fire ravages Rome, Emperor Nero blames Christians and unleashes the first state-sanctioned persecution of Christians. Roman persecution would continue for 250 years until Emperor Constantine officially recognized and defended Christianity. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Freel. 1-877-282-BEEP. That is the number of the old Toll Free if you'd like to reach us here at Wretched Radio and we'd be very grateful if you would call with your questions, comments, conundrums, or snarks. Try to keep it pithy because if you don't, Joey has to spend a lot of time editing and that eats into his nap time. 1-877-282-BEEP. My daughter has come out as a lesbian and it's something we just don't know how to deal with. She wasn't brought up as a Christian. I wasn't a Christian until later on in life. She's come out on Facebook and obviously there's hundreds of congratulations. Me and my wife, we don't know what to say. We don't know what to do. We obviously disagree and we don't condone this at all. It's not biblical and I love her with all my heart. And I'm so scared I'm going to lose her. I don't know what to say. If you could help in any way. Ah, sir. This is not an uncommon tale of heartbreak. Sir, you're not the first parents. Won't be the last parents. Question now is, how do you respond? And this is not the only scenario. Sexuality is not the only issue. There are countless Christian parents who have had their kids grow up and fly away into a lifestyle that they disagree with, or just walk away from the faith. How now do you live? Permit me to make a statement. I'm going to tell you what I think is a major principle. Now, you need to figure this if you agree or not for yourself. But I'm just going to tell you what I think about it. And please note, even as I make this statement, there's going to be a little asterisk at the end of this. So before you just click and go, I disagree with that, because let me explain that little nota bene. So here's my position on the issue. If you have a child who is a prodigal, and that's what we're talking about here. Now, the issue of sexuality tends to be one that is profoundly troubling. And it's just not what a parent wants for their child. They want the best for their child. Heterosexuality, besides being what God commands, it's just the best because God commands it. So it's always the best. Any prodigal is a heartbreak. So here's my position on it. It is far better to behave in such a way that keeps the child in your life than behaving and speaking in such a way that drives them away. Asterisk. It's better to respond to your child's sin, abandonment of the faith, a dive into the pigsty in such a way that they desire to be with you, to come for visits, to allow you to spend time with them, than it is to speak and act in such a way that it automatically drives them away. So let me try defend that with an asterisk next to it because there is an asterisk. Let me get that out of the way first. If the child is in your life and overtly sinning, causing havoc in the home, causing siblings to be confused, exposing younger children to things that you don't think that they should be exposed to, which would be, for instance, in this instance, a public display of affection, that would be issues that need to be dealt with. and discussed, and if you can't come to terms of agreement, then it would be their decision to not spend time with you, to come home for the holidays, because you've got those rules, but it's not your decision to drive them away. So now that we've got that out of the way, why do I think it's better to have them involved in your life? Well, first of all, they're going to continue in that lifestyle whether you're in their life or not. Are they not? Next. Do they know how you feel about the issue? They do. Of course they do. Very few times does a child turn out to live in such a lifestyle that they were like, oh, I didn't know my parents were opposed to crack. Here I was doing the heroin all to discover mom and of course they know where you stand. So does that mean that you need to repeat it to them every single time you see them? No, you don't. You just don't. I know that's hard, but you don't. Third, could it be that God is using this to grow you? I know that maybe stings a little bit because you're currently hurting. But any time that there's something that is going wonky in our life, we want to ask ourselves the question, all right, Lord, you are for me. You love me. You do not let anything happen or cause anything to happen that isn't for my good and for your glory. So I want to learn in this. Could it be, I'm just asking the question, could it be that God is going to use this to grow you in a love beyond the love that you formerly had for your child? Because now you've got a rebellious child. Now, all kids are rebellious. We get that. But one that is living in a lifestyle that's diametrically opposed to yours, well, now that takes a special love, doesn't it? So who has that kind of special love and patience? Ah, God does. Is it possible that he wants to use this so that you can look more like him? good is available in this. This isn't lemonade out of lemons. It's there. It's in the bad situation, because God does not orchestrate anything where we are a casualty. It is always for our good. So now you gotta find out what it is, and that's between you and God to figure out. He could be using this to grow you in an extraordinary way to love beyond any measure that you've ever imagined. That it could be five years, 10 years, it could be the rest of your life. That you have a child that you know is living in a willful, rebellious state against God. Whatever the sin issue happens to be, sexual issues, drug issues, alcohol issues, pride issues, atheist issues, whatever it is, that you love them. Because what are you doing in that? You're demonstrating God's patient love for you. Sir, you mentioned yourself that you didn't become a Christian to later life. Imagine God watching you for decades live in your particular lifestyle of sin. And he didn't smite you. And he was still kind to you. And he was still good to you. And I would like to suggest that is why, as a parent, we stay in their life. We don't rebuff them to the point where they just run away. that they don't show up and we roll our eyes and become disgusted with them. Love them. Just love them. They know where you stand on the issue. Now, if you would like, this is, again, you run your home. I'll do my best to be running mine. But if you're thinking, all right, I just, there's something about that that's troublesome, then here's what you could do as an option. First of all, pray and ask yourself the question, can I do this lovingly? Because if you can't do it lovingly, then you don't leave number one. But if you can, then go to number two. Set up a special time with them. Set up a special time. I want to meet with you to talk to you about something. I want to buy you a meal. I want to do something. And it's just so important. And they might not want to let you, because they know what's coming. It's very possible. And you might have to just go, OK, when you're ready, let me know. Very possible. They'll just go, I know what's coming. I'm going to get one of those Christian lectures. Could be. Then you might just have to sneak it in when it's a good time. Because here's why I'm recommending this. If you can demonstrate through your patient love that you are for him or her in this instance, they're more inclined to let you speak along the way. Aren't they? How do you respond? Same way. So if they will let you, just sit down and say, look, I just want to get this off the table so that we can all just make sure that we're really clear on stuff. You know the lifestyle you've chosen. We don't agree with it. We believe the Bible calls it a sin. And so we're very concerned, not just about your lifestyle, but about your soul. You know that your mom and dad want you to love Jesus. You know that your mom and dad want you in heaven. You know that we want you to have your sins forgiven. We know that it's available through faith in Jesus Christ, and we're going to keep praying like a nobody's business for that. That's our hope for you, dear. So we wanted you to know that we disagree with it, because we're just going to keep on loving you. We want you home for Thanksgiving. We want you home for Christmas. Of course, you understand if you're going to bring your partner with you, there can't be any overt signs of affection. That would just be really hard for us, and it would be bad for your siblings. So we can't do that. Can't sleep together. But we do want you home, because we just love you so much. Do you want an appetizer? And then get on to loving them. not speaking to them. Look, this is not to be Saint Francis of Assisi who never said, we can't trace it to him, preach the gospel and if necessary use words. Not saying that, but I also know Peter makes it clear that your testimony, your lifestyle, it undergirds your confession. So if they know what you believe, then let your love support that. Because this is what we know about this particular sin. There's no there there. They're never going to be happy. They won't be satisfied. And if God brings them to their senses, they are not going to hesitate for a second to call you up and go, Mom and Dad, I need you. Can we talk about this some more? I'm done. Wouldn't you rather be in that position than having them angry, rejecting you, running far away from you? Set the rules, make sure they understand theology, the gospel, and why you're doing this, and then love them like crazy. And if you struggle with that, that's okay. God is gonna grow you in this like a nobody's business. And your role model for this is the Jesus who was patient with you. And pray like nobody's business. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.