Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001937S
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00:02 I'm John Carter in Moscow.
00:04 In Havana, Cuba. 00:07 Now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 00:10 I'm John Carter in Petra. 00:13 Right here in Communist China. 00:16 Reporting from India. 00:18 Hi, I'm John Carter in the Solomon Islands. 00:21 I'm John Carter in Soweto. 00:24 From El Salvador. 00:26 I'm John Carter in Sydney, Australia. 00:29 John Carter will bring us this unique evangelism special, 00:32 Is It Time to Quit? 00:36 We're delighted today 00:38 to welcome you to the Carter Report. 00:40 We welcome our viewers across the great land 00:42 of the United States of America, 00:44 down into Australia, across Ukraine 00:48 and by satellite systems around the world. 00:51 We thank you for joining us today. 00:54 The program today 00:55 is called evangelism special, 01:01 Is It Time to Quit? 01:05 Should we give up? 01:06 Is it time to quit preaching the gospel 01:09 because times are tough. 01:13 Money is hard to get. 01:15 Is it time to quit? 01:18 Somebody came to me, not long ago 01:21 and said rather wisely "You're getting pretty old. 01:27 Don't you think it's time to quit?" 01:31 I told him this story. 01:32 I had a friend in Australia, many years ago. 01:35 He was an old minister of the Gospel, 01:37 Pastor W.M.R Scragg. 01:42 When he was into his 90's, 01:44 people would come to him and say "Pastor Scragg, 01:49 don't you think it's time to quit?" 01:54 And he'd say this 01:56 "When I think of the man on the cross, 02:02 I can't quit." 02:05 So it's not about me, 02:08 it's about the man on the cross. 02:12 When I think of the man on the cross, I can't quit. 02:18 Why do evangelism? 02:19 We're gonna talk about that today. 02:20 But firstly, let us answer the question. 02:24 What is evangelism? 02:26 Most folks have got no idea. 02:29 I'm talking about people in the church. 02:32 Most folks have got no idea at all 02:37 what evangelism means. 02:39 I want you to come in your Bibles. 02:40 Come over here with me 02:42 to the writings of the Apostle Paul. 02:44 And come with me to Romans 1:14 and onwards, please. 02:49 Romans 1:14 and onwards, 02:55 the words of the great Paul. 02:57 He says, "I am a debtor 02:59 both to Greeks and to barbarians, 03:02 both to wise and to unwise. 03:04 So, as much as is in me, 03:10 I am ready to preach the gospel to you 03:13 who are in Rome also. 03:15 For I'm not ashamed of the gospel. 03:18 Not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, 03:21 for it is the power of God to salvation 03:24 for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, 03:28 also for the Greek partially, Gentile". 03:36 There was reason in the days of Paul 03:38 to be ashamed of the gospel. 03:42 How could a person ever support the idea that God became a man, 03:48 and was crucified as a common criminal? 03:52 For most people that was a cause of shame. 03:54 But Paul says, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel." 03:58 People, who are opposed to the gospel 04:02 do so in their ignorance. 04:06 Ignorance! 04:09 And what do I mean by this? 04:11 The very word evangelism means 04:16 to preach the good news. 04:18 The word evangelism comes from the Greek language 04:21 and in the Greek language the word gospel, 04:25 it's evangel. 04:28 And so if a person is opposed to preaching the gospel, 04:32 I would vent you to say, 04:33 it is because that person 04:36 doesn't understand the Gospel of Christ. 04:38 It's very, very serious charge to me. 04:41 But how can a person be opposed to the cross of Christ? 04:46 Because evangelism 04:48 is the preaching of the cross of Christ. 04:51 And the Apostle Paul, I would like you to note this, 04:54 my brothers and my sisters, here in Southern California. 04:59 The Apostle Paul was not an arm chair theologian. 05:04 He did not sit behind a desk. 05:07 He did not just attend committee meetings. 05:11 I doubt if he attended any? 05:15 He was an evangelist, a preacher of the gospel. 05:20 He said, "I'm a debtor to all men and women, 05:23 because all men and women are lost without Christ." 05:27 This is a terrible state, but it's in inflammatory state. 05:33 But many theologians, 05:35 especially in Southern California 05:37 would disagree with me 05:39 that all people without Christ are lost. 05:43 Why do you think Paul went trampling around the world 05:46 preaching the story of a crucified man 05:50 if people were already saved? 05:53 We are not naturally saved. 05:56 The world is lost without Christ. 06:01 That's why he said, "I'm a debtor." 06:03 Then he said, "I'm ready to preach the gospel. 06:08 I'm not ashamed of the gospel." 06:11 Many years ago, story is told of a young man 06:16 and his little baby sister. 06:18 And they came under a horrendous fire 06:21 and it swept through their home, 06:23 their parents away. 06:25 And the young man waded into the fire 06:29 and he plucked his little sister 06:31 as a brander from the burning. 06:34 Forever he was scared, forever he was blind. 06:39 And you could see this couple 06:40 walking downsome of the streets of Washington, D.C. 06:45 beneath the beautiful trees. 06:48 People would say, "Who is the ugly man 06:51 and who is the beautiful girl? 06:53 Is she not ashamed to be seen with him?" 06:56 And if you were to say to her, 07:00 "Aren't you ashamed of this man?" 07:02 She would say no. 07:06 He got his scars saving me. 07:12 Jesus got His scars 07:16 saving us. 07:19 He got His scars to save us from the fire. 07:23 How can people say 07:24 they do not believe in evangelism? 07:29 What an abominable idea. 07:33 So we come back to the question. 07:37 Why do evangelism? 07:38 Now we have established what evangelism is. 07:40 It is the preaching of the good news. 07:42 There are a number of compelling reasons 07:45 why we at the Carter Report have not quit, 07:49 and why we believe in evangelism. 07:52 Number one, 07:53 because Jesus Christ, our Lord commanded it. 07:57 People say, "I've got to wait until a committee tells me 08:00 whether I should do evangelism or not." 08:04 It's a very, very strange idea. 08:06 We do evangelism because Jesus, our Lord told us to do. 08:10 Jesus came, spoke to them. 08:12 You see the text, 08:13 Matthew 28:18-20 following the scriptures. 08:17 "Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 08:19 'All authority has been given to Me 08:22 in heaven and on earth. 08:23 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 08:26 baptizing them in the name of the Father 08:29 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 08:32 teaching them to observe all things 08:34 that I have commanded you. 08:36 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" 08:40 We do evangelism firstly because Jesus is Lord. 08:46 And because Jesus is Lord, 08:49 we are in the business of doing what He tells us to do. 08:53 Look at Luke 24:45-47. 08:57 Luke 24, 08:59 "And he opened their understanding 09:01 so that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 09:05 Then he said to them, 'Thus it is written, 09:07 and thus it is necessary for the Christ 09:09 to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 09:13 and that repentance and remission of sins 09:17 should be preached, should be preached, 09:21 should be preached in His name to all nations, 09:25 beginning at Jerusalem.'" 09:26 Listen to me, without the gospel 09:30 men and women are lost. 09:34 We're not saved because we are sincere 09:38 or because we are good enough. 09:41 We are saved because we accept the Gospel of Christ. 09:45 And Jesus said, 09:46 "It's necessary that the gospel shall be preached." 09:49 And we do it because Jesus is Lord. 09:53 Why do evangelism? 09:54 Here is the second reason, 09:56 because Revelation 14 describes it. 10:00 And Revelation 14 describes God's last message 10:04 to a dying world. 10:08 Revelation14:6 and 7, and as you read these texts, 10:13 say to God, "God, open my eyes," 10:17 because some of us may be walking in darkness. 10:20 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 10:23 having the everlasting gospel 10:25 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 10:28 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, 10:31 saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, give glory to Him, 10:35 for the hour of His judgment has come, 10:37 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 10:39 the sea and the springs of water.'" 10:42 Have you ever thought about this? 10:45 These are three angels flying in the midst of heaven. 10:50 This is talking about a worldwide proclamation. 10:55 It is not just talking about friendship evangelism 10:59 over the back fence. 11:03 Now friendship evangelism over the back fence 11:08 is a very important part of evangelism. 11:11 But it's far more involved in these words here. 11:14 "And another angel followed them, saying, 11:16 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 11:19 because she has made all the nations 11:21 drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.' 11:24 And a third angel followed them, 11:26 saying with a loud voice, saying with a loud voice, 11:32 'If any one worships the beast and his image, 11:34 and receives his mark on his forehead 11:36 or on his hand.'" 11:38 And it goes on to say, 11:39 he's going to drink of the wine of the wrath of God's fury. 11:43 I was talking to a minister back in Australia, 11:46 I said, my friend, this is talking 11:50 about a worldwide public proclamation, 11:56 the angels are flying in the midst of heaven. 11:58 In fact, the Greek word can be translated, the eagles. 12:03 You've seen the eagles soaring up high. 12:07 Everybody can see them. 12:08 This is not something 12:10 which is done in a corner, my friend. 12:14 It is a public proclamation. 12:16 It is something big. 12:18 Now some people don't get this 12:20 because they don't understand Scripture. 12:22 And what they try to do? 12:23 They try to keep the angels down with the turnips 12:28 and with the cabbages. 12:31 But the Bible says, 12:33 "The angels are flying in the midst of heaven." 12:38 This is more than anything else, 12:41 a public proclamation of the truth of God's word 12:45 for these last days. 12:46 And what do they preach? 12:49 They preach the gospel. 12:52 They preach the judgment hour message. 12:55 They preach the truth, 12:56 that God is the Creator Christ, is Lord. 12:59 They won against the beast, 13:01 image of the beast and the mark of the beast. 13:03 And they call people to keep the commandments of God 13:07 and have the faith of Jesus. 13:09 The public proclamation of that message 13:15 is the most important enterprise 13:19 that is ever been given to the human race. 13:25 Nothing compares to it or with it. 13:28 It is a worldwide public proclamation. 13:31 And that is why we do evangelism, 13:35 because it's biblical. 13:37 Why do evangelism? 13:39 Here's the third reason. 13:41 Because the church started with it. 13:43 I have a great friend in the United States. 13:47 Brother, I was going to say in Australia, great friend, 13:51 I got them in the United States too. 13:53 But I've got a great friend in Australia, 13:56 and he was talking to a bunch of people 13:58 who called themselves Christians. 13:59 And they said to him, 14:01 we are categorically opposed to evangelism. 14:05 They hold office in the church. 14:07 They claim to be members of the remnant church. 14:11 And publically they say, 14:12 "We are totally opposed to evangelism." 14:16 My friend who is a church leader, 14:19 said to them, "Don't you understand this, 14:22 the church started with public evangelism?" 14:26 Oh, no, no, no, that can't be so. 14:29 The Bible teaches 14:31 that the church started with public evangelism, 14:35 when a man, who is a fisherman, stood up to preach. 14:39 And I want you to see the text, Acts 2:14, 14:44 dear hearts and gentle people. 14:45 Notice the text, and our consciences today 14:49 should be guided by the Word of God. 14:53 Acts 2:14 says, 14:58 "But Peter, standing up with the eleven..." 15:01 He didn't sit down to give a sermon. 15:05 "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, 15:08 raised his voice and said to them, 15:10 'Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, 15:14 let this be known to you, and heed my words.'" 15:17 This started the Christian church, 15:19 a mighty sermon about Jesus Christ 15:22 in the context of Bible prophecy. 15:25 And the Bible tells us how this sermon ended. 15:29 Acts 2:38 and 41 in the scriptures, 15:34 "Peter said to them, 'Repent, 15:36 and let every one of you be baptized 15:38 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 15:42 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' 15:48 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, 15:52 and that day about three thousand souls 15:55 were added to the church.'" 15:59 The church was born 16:01 when a man filled with the Holy Spirit 16:05 stood up and preached about Jesus. 16:09 And he was not a whispering hope. 16:12 He was the voice of God to those people. 16:16 So that's why I believe in evangelism, 16:18 because there wouldn't have been a church without it. 16:22 They had a tremendous baptism. 16:24 And evangelism should always lead to people 16:27 being added to the church. 16:29 Why do evangelism? 16:31 Number four. 16:33 Because it is God's net cast 16:37 into the ocean of lost humanity. 16:40 Let me talk about this, lost humanity. 16:45 I don't think this would be sown in the Philippines. 16:48 I know it's not sown in Russia. 16:51 I know it's not sown in Ukraine. 16:54 It is sown in parts of the United States of America 16:58 where people tell me you don't need to do evangelism 17:01 because everybody is born saved, 17:05 and everybody will get to heaven 17:07 unless they rebel against God personally. 17:12 So I guess that is so, 17:14 the best thing to do is to keep it quiet 17:16 and not give them the opportunity of rejecting. 17:21 I believe that men and women 17:25 without Christ are lost. 17:29 And that is why we are called 17:33 to do evangelism. 17:36 It is God's net cast 17:37 into the ocean of lost humanity. 17:41 Matthew 13:47 is the text I want you to see. 17:45 Matthew 13:47 17:50 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet 17:56 that was cast into the sea 17:58 and gathered some of every kind." 18:01 God has got a dragnet. 18:05 It's not just throwing out a fishing line here and there, 18:10 and that may be good and appropriate. 18:15 But it certainly does not do away 18:18 with casting out a net. 18:22 Would you like to know 18:24 why public evangelism today 18:26 is opposed by many people? 18:30 It's because the devil hates it. 18:36 The devil hates it, 18:40 because evangelism is the net 18:43 that is cast into the ocean of lost humanity, 18:49 and brings in souls to the kingdom. 18:55 Now I'm gonna tell you point number five now. 18:59 This is pretty important. 19:01 Here it is. 19:04 Why do evangelism? 19:05 Wait for this, 19:07 because the preaching of the gospel 19:10 is powerfully effective 19:13 when accompanied by the Holy Spirit. 19:20 I'm not an arm chair theologian. 19:23 I'm not a theorist. 19:25 I've met so many people 19:27 who believe in the philosophy of failure. 19:31 I've had people come to me over years, 19:34 more than half a century preaching. 19:36 And they say, 19:38 "But don't you know it doesn't work anymore." 19:41 "Oh, is that so, who told you that, the devil?" 19:45 Don't you know it doesn't work anymore? 19:49 Don't you know that it's useless today 19:52 to try to do great campaign 19:54 because people just are not going to come? 19:57 Now, I will admit, it's tough. 20:02 And that's one reason people don't do it. 20:03 It's tough. 20:06 It demands consecration. 20:08 It demands hard work. 20:10 It demands ability. 20:12 And it demands something else. 20:13 I'm gonna tell you something else what it demands. 20:15 It demands money. 20:17 People have said to me, 20:19 "But these campaigns that you run 20:20 they're terribly expensive." 20:21 Hey, you kidding? 20:23 How much value are you going to put upon a soul? 20:27 You're gonna tell me it's not... 20:29 You couldn't run a campaign for a million... 20:31 a million dollars 20:33 that would be an abomination to run a campaign. 20:37 May be we should be talking about 20 million. 20:41 Please, it depends upon your vision. 20:45 It depends upon what you believe. 20:47 It depend whether your faith is apostolic or apostate. 20:56 I believe this. 20:58 I believe, and I'm not an arm chair theologian. 21:02 I've had people come to me in Australia, 21:04 and I'm an Australian with American citizenship too. 21:09 But I've had people come to me in Australia and they say, 21:12 "But you know, you can't do it anymore, 21:14 it's impossible." 21:15 I said, "Excuse me, if my memory is still working, 21:19 weren't you one of those 21:20 who came to me at the Sydney Opera House 21:22 and said it wouldn't work?" 21:25 Whoa! We did yes. 21:26 Did it work then? 21:27 Yes, it worked then. 21:29 But it won't work now. 21:33 I say may God revive His people 21:37 and give birth to dead souls. 21:41 Where is our faith in the living God? 21:48 I believe in it because the preaching of the gospel 21:51 is powerfully effective 21:53 when accompanied by the Holy Spirit. 21:57 I'm going to tell you some stories today 22:00 that would even convince 22:02 the unconverted 22:06 that the gospel is still the power of God. 22:12 Let me start by taking you to India. 22:17 Number of years ago 22:18 we got a call to go run a campaign in India. 22:21 Now I'm just a church pastor, I've pastored. 22:24 People say, "You're a professional evangel." 22:27 No, I'm not. 22:28 I'm a pastor 22:30 who does evangelism in a spare time, 22:33 when he can raise the money for it. 22:36 I would do a lot more evangelism 22:38 if people sent me more money. 22:40 I can't do what I can't do. 22:43 When we went to India, 22:44 this land of Hinduism and paganism, 22:47 we were told it will not work. 22:50 It is an impossibility. 22:53 I can still remember... 22:55 You know, I'm not trying to sound self righteous in this 22:58 'cause I'm a sinner just saved by grace. 23:01 And what I do? I'm struggling all the time. 23:05 I didn't find it easy. 23:07 I'm struggling all the time, I'm falling and rising. 23:11 They said, "Nobody is going to come to the meetings. 23:13 Nobody is going to come to the meetings." 23:14 Look at this in India. 23:16 The meetings lasted the longest of any Christian meetings 23:20 in a public form like this in the history, 23:22 no it is not true. 23:24 Yes, it is true. 23:25 The crowds grew thousands of thousands every night. 23:28 Soon we had tens of thousands of Hindus and Muslims coming. 23:34 The Indians are fine people. 23:36 They have great brains. 23:39 They have a superior intellect. 23:41 They like carefully reasoned arguments. 23:45 Take Ravi Zacharias, he comes from India. 23:48 One of the greatest proponents of the Christian faith 23:50 in the world today is an Indian. 23:53 Not an American, not an Australian, 23:55 Ravi Zacharias. 23:57 One night when we had an altar call here. 23:59 As I went into prayer, the people started to pray. 24:02 I had never seen anything like it before. 24:05 And I am not a Pentecostal. 24:08 But I saw up the back of this vast crowd 24:11 that went as far as my eye could see. 24:13 I saw people raising their hands to God, 24:16 Hindus and Muslims. 24:18 Whoever seen the wind blows through the wheat 24:21 have their heads waving the wind. 24:24 The prayers swept across the great audience. 24:27 People who are completely oblivious 24:30 to the work of the Holy Spirit 24:31 said to me, it never happened. 24:34 They got a mercy on their souls. 24:36 The Spirit of God swept through the crowd 24:38 and came down the front. 24:40 And soon we had 40,000. 24:42 God had 40,000 Hindus and Muslims 24:45 raising their hands as they accepted Jesus. 24:48 What do you say for this? 24:50 Well I'd tell you this. 24:52 I would tell you this, our God is not dead. 24:57 We still have a ministry in India. 25:00 We have a television program in India. 25:02 We are supporting poor little children, 25:05 the untouchable children. 25:07 So that they can at least get a break on life. 25:10 And so they'll not be sold into slavery. 25:12 We still go to India. 25:16 When I went to India 25:17 and I saw the power of God there. 25:22 I understood the words of Paul where he said, 25:24 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, 25:26 it is the power of God 25:28 the salvation for everyone who believes." 25:29 Amen! 25:33 What does God think about us 25:37 when we say it doesn't work? 25:40 I've got lots of exciting stories to tell you. 25:42 The best stories I can tell you, 25:45 I've seen with my own eyes. 25:48 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. 25:52 I'm not an arm chair theologian. 25:55 I've been there, I've seen it. 25:57 I've done it for the glory of God 26:00 and will be back soon. 26:20 Hello, friend. 26:22 I'm John Carter. 26:23 Behind me is the great city of Manila, 26:27 the capital of the Philippines. 26:29 Did you know, this is quite amazing. 26:31 There are more people living in this area 26:33 than in New York City. 26:35 And Christ died for these people. 26:38 We came here, 26:40 oh, long time ago back in 1984. 26:44 What's that, 34, 35 years ago, 26:47 and we came here with a team of young people 26:49 and we came to the PICC. 26:53 It is our intent to come here, 26:55 hire the biggest hall that's available, 26:57 the greatest outdoor stadium, whatever it takes. 27:01 You've got more than 20 million souls out here. 27:06 And I say it again. 27:08 These are people for whom Christ died. 27:10 I'm asking you to pray 27:12 for the people of the Philippines. 27:14 Please pray for the people here in Metro Manila. 27:18 And please write to me, John Carter, P.O. Box 1900, 27:22 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:26 In Australia, write to me at Terrigal, 27:28 at the address that is now showing on the screen. 27:34 We're back in Manila, 27:36 and we're back with a message from God, 27:39 that message is, Christ died for you. 27:44 And Christ is coming again soon. 27:49 Please support us. 27:51 Write to me today, P.O. Box 1900, 27:54 Thousand Oaks, California. 27:56 And also write to me at Terrigal in Australia. 28:00 Thank you for your support. 28:02 And God bless you. 28:18 For a copy of today's program, 28:21 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:24 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:28 Or in Australia, contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:33 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:38 This program is made possible 28:40 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:42 We thank you for your continued support. 28:46 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2020-01-16