Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR002022S
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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 Join in us with Questions and Answers 00:32 with Pastor John Carter. 00:37 Hi, friend, I'm John Carter. 00:39 Hope you're doing well. 00:41 I'm here in Los Angeles. 00:43 And today we're having a special Q&A program. 00:47 We're dealing with some of the questions 00:49 you've been sending to us. 00:51 This is the second part of the Q&A program. 00:55 And we're going to pick up where we left off last time, 00:58 but we want to give you right now 01:01 a very special welcome. 01:02 We're glad that you joined us. 01:05 The person who's going to ask the questions today 01:08 is Wayne Hackett. 01:10 He's a voice well-known right across 01:13 these great United States of America. 01:16 And we're glad to have Wayne with us also today. 01:20 What part should the church play? 01:24 I'll better explain this a bit more to you 01:26 because we've been talking about the great challenges 01:29 that America is facing, the racism, the riots, 01:34 the murders, everything else. 01:36 Many people say that we're seeing 01:39 the disintegration of society, 01:41 such as we saw for a bit up there in Seattle, 01:44 when they got rid of the police 01:47 and soon they were having people getting killed, 01:50 and the place being turned into a nightmare. 01:55 And the question is, 01:56 "What part should the church play in these difficult, 02:01 but tremendous times?" 02:03 Here it is. 02:06 I believe the church ought to get out of politics. 02:10 Or I think the church ought to get out of politics 02:15 and preach Christ. 02:16 Does anybody agree with me? 02:20 Preachers need to save souls 02:24 and stop trying to promote 02:26 a certain political agenda 02:29 or political party. 02:33 The church is called to uphold the name of Christ. 02:37 And let me say this to you, 02:39 we need to repent of our sins. 02:45 I don't mind talking about we need to repent of our sin. 02:48 We need to repent of our sins because we are sinners. 02:54 Genesis 3, it talks about the fall of man. 02:58 It tells how sin came into the world 03:01 and we are born in this state of sin. 03:05 We are born alienated from the life of God. 03:09 But in Genesis Chapter 3, we have the lostness of man, 03:14 but in John 3, we have the redemption of man 03:18 through the coming of Christ. 03:21 Jesus said, "You got to be born again. 03:24 You got to become a brand new person." 03:28 Therefore, we need a spiritual rebirth. 03:31 We need to repent of our sins. 03:33 We need to love our neighbors as ourselves, 03:36 whatever the color of the skin. 03:38 A Christian, my friend, cannot be a racist. 03:42 Hear what I'm saying? 03:44 We need to read our Bibles every day, 03:46 especially the words of Jesus. 03:49 We just may learn something. 03:52 In this great land of the United States of America 03:55 that was founded upon faith in God 03:59 and belief in the Holy Scriptures, 04:01 there is a tremendous ignorance of the holy truths 04:05 of the Holy Word of God. 04:06 People know nothing what is inside the Bible. 04:10 And because of this we have turned away from God. 04:14 We need to find a good church 04:16 where Jesus is worshiped and His teachings followed. 04:21 We need to reject violence, 04:22 whether white, black, brown or yellow. 04:26 There is enough plain to go around. 04:29 And, my friend, we're not just talking 04:30 here today about a social problem. 04:33 People say racism is just a social program. 04:37 I'm here to tell you today that 04:38 racism is far more than a social problem. 04:43 Racism, are you listening to me? 04:45 Racism, my friend, is a spiritual problem. 04:50 Because when you recognize 04:52 that a black man or a brown man or a white man, 04:57 all of these people are made in the very image of God, 05:01 you will love your neighbor as yourself. 05:04 Therefore, I want to say this to you. 05:06 We need to reject violence, we need to find a good church, 05:10 and then we need to talk up the home. 05:13 The destruction of the American home 05:16 is destroying society. 05:18 Kids need a mom and a dad. 05:21 We need to determine 05:22 to share God's love with a new person every day. 05:25 Can any person say amen? 05:28 Let me talk a bit about the home. 05:32 There's nothing more important than the home, my friend. 05:36 And today, in America, 05:38 we are seeing the destruction of the home 05:42 and that's why there is so much violence, 05:45 that is why there is looting, 05:47 that is why there is racism, 05:49 that is why there is so much crime. 05:53 That is why the murder rate is going through the ceiling 05:56 in some parts of America 05:58 because of the destruction of the home. 06:04 You know what kids need? Kids need a mom. 06:08 And kids need a dad. 06:12 And when you got a mom and a dad, 06:15 who love God and who keep His commandments, 06:20 and who go to church, 06:23 you're going to have a peaceful 06:26 and a blessed society. 06:30 That's why Washington said, 06:32 it's almost, he said, impossible. 06:35 Almost impossible, 06:37 he said to govern a nation 06:40 without God and the Bible, 06:44 so we need to love people. 06:46 And we need to determine 06:49 that we're going to get back to God 06:51 and we're going to practice 06:53 loving our neighbors as ourselves. 06:57 I want to read you a text out of the Bible. 06:59 And I'm going to come over here to Revelation 17:3. 07:04 And some of you will say, 07:05 "Why on earth are you reading this text? 07:08 It seems to be completely inappropriate." 07:11 Well, you just give me a moment 07:13 and you'll see why it is needed. 07:15 Revelation 17:3, 07:21 "So he carried me away 07:23 in the Spirit into the wilderness." 07:25 Now this is a prophecy. 07:27 "And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast 07:31 which was full of names of blasphemy, 07:33 having seven heads and ten horns." 07:36 Now the old Americans understood this, 07:40 present day Americans 07:41 on the whole haven't got a clue. 07:43 They don't know what it's talking about. 07:46 But the Pilgrim Fathers understood these things. 07:49 You may say, "It's totally irrelevant to 07:52 what's going on in the world today." 07:54 My friend, you need to get back to the faith of our fathers, 07:57 I'm telling you. 08:00 This picture in the Book of Revelation of a woman 08:04 seated upon the beast 08:06 is the picture of the union of church and state. 08:11 And when the church gets involved in politics 08:14 and dictates to the government 08:16 and when the government dictates to the church, 08:19 there you have the very essence 08:21 and the soul of the Antichrist. 08:23 Are you listening to me? 08:26 Now, my American friends, you will say, 08:29 "We've never heard anything like this before." 08:31 Well, that's because 08:32 we've forgotten the faith of our fathers. 08:36 Faith of our fathers 08:37 living still is the great old hymn 08:40 that I was brought up on. 08:42 And the great founders of the United States of America 08:45 understood the importance 08:47 of the separation of church and state. 08:51 But when the church is involved 08:53 in politics and when the church 08:56 stops preaching the Word of God, 08:58 when the church stops 08:59 upholding the commandments of God, 09:01 society goes down the drain. 09:05 And what America needs today is a rebirth of the Spirit. 09:10 We need to be born again. 09:13 We need to become new people. 09:15 And preachers need to start preaching the Bible 09:18 and the Word of God, 09:20 and repentance and the cross of Christ. 09:24 And that is needed today, 09:26 more than anything else we need a spiritual rebirth. 09:31 I want you to notice Luke 24:46-49 09:36 that talks about the mission of Christ 09:39 and the mission of the church. 09:41 Are you listening, preachers? 09:45 "Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written, 09:49 and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer 09:52 and to rise from the dead the third day, 09:56 and that repentance and remission of sins 10:01 should be preached in His name to all nations, 10:04 beginning at Jerusalem. 10:07 And you are witnesses of these things. 10:09 Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you, 10:13 but tarry in the city of Jerusalem 10:15 until you are endued with power from on high.'" 10:19 Jesus said, "Repentance has got to be preached." 10:23 The truth of Christ dying for our sins, 10:25 it's got to be preached. 10:27 The remission of sins, it's got to be preached. 10:30 The coming of the Holy Spirit, it's got to be preached. 10:35 You want a solution to racism? 10:38 You want a solution to rioting? 10:41 You want a solution to murders? 10:45 You want a solution to crime? 10:48 You want a solution to brutality? 10:51 I tell you, my friend, 10:52 there's a solution and it's not through politics. 10:58 Oh, you say, "It's got to be through everything." 11:00 No, it's not through politics. 11:02 It is through a spiritual rebirth. 11:08 What did you make of Ben Carson saying that 11:10 we are walking in the footsteps of the old Roman Empire? 11:15 Well, Ben Carson said that, Wayne, a few years ago. 11:19 Ben Carson, you know, is the famous neurosurgeon, 11:23 famous doctor, now involved in politics 11:29 and he is in the cabinet. 11:34 And I remember at this prayer breakfast 11:37 he said that America was walking in the footsteps 11:40 of the old Roman Empire. 11:44 What do I think about it? 11:48 Well, I think Ben Carson was right. 11:50 He was right then, he's right now. 11:55 And when he spoke about the old Roman Empire, 11:57 he was talking about the degradation of sin 12:01 and how it brought about a collapse of Roman society. 12:05 Look at Romans Chapter 1, my friend. 12:07 I'm gonna read it to you in the Bible. 12:10 Romans Chapter 1 and, of course it's called Romans 12:16 because it was written to the Romans. 12:18 Romans 1, and I'm going to start at verse 21. 12:23 It's referring to the old Roman Empire. 12:27 "Because, although they knew God, 12:29 they did not glorify Him as God, 12:32 nor were thankful, 12:34 but became futile in their thoughts, 12:37 and their foolish hearts were darkened." 12:41 Get away from God, you get into darkness. 12:44 "Professing to be wise, they became fools." 12:47 Like us today. 12:48 "And change the glory of the incorruptible God 12:51 into an image made like corruptible man 12:54 and birds and four-footed animals 12:56 and creeping things." 12:58 The worship of the creature 13:00 instead of the worship of the Creator. 13:03 Verse 24, 13:06 "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, 13:10 in the lusts of their hearts, 13:11 to this honor their buddies among themselves, 13:14 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, 13:19 and worshiped and served the creature 13:20 rather than the Creator, who was blessed forever. 13:23 Amen." 13:24 That's what we're doing today, especially in Hollywood, 13:29 worshipping the creature instead of the Creator. 13:31 You know, it's true. 13:33 And verse 26 and 27, 13:36 "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. 13:41 For even their women exchanged the natural use 13:44 for what is against nature. 13:48 Likewise also the men, 13:49 leaving the natural use of the woman, 13:52 burned in their lust for one another, 13:55 men with men committing what is shameful, 13:58 and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error 14:02 which was due." 14:05 Paul here is describing the old Roman Empire. 14:10 But Paul could write the same words 14:12 if he were alive today about the great American Empire. 14:17 As we've turned from God, 14:19 as we've stopped worshipping the Creator, 14:23 as we worshipped the creature, 14:26 we've turned away from God's laws. 14:31 And we need a spiritual rebirth. 14:34 Politics is not going to do it. 14:37 And look at Romans 1:28-32. 14:41 Romans 1, "And even as they did not 14:45 like to retain God in their knowledge, 14:46 God gave them over to a debased mind, 14:49 to do those things which are not fitting, 14:52 being filled with all unrighteousness, 14:55 sexual immorality," sounds like America, 14:58 "wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, 15:00 full of envy, murder," that's our cities. 15:03 "strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, 15:05 they are whisperers, backbiters, 15:08 haters of God, violent, 15:10 proud boasters, inventors of evil things, 15:15 disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, 15:20 unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, 15:23 who knowing the righteous judgment of God." 15:28 There is a judgment, "That those who practice 15:32 such things are deserving of death, 15:33 not only do the same 15:35 but also approve of those who practice them." 15:39 Wow! 15:41 That's the old Roman Empire. 15:44 Gave up on God, gave up on the Creator. 15:50 Turned away from truth. 15:53 Worshiped the creature instead of the Creator 15:55 and went into every vile practice. 16:01 And, of course, as you know today, 16:03 my fellow American, 16:06 some of this garbage is taught today in our schools. 16:12 Kids, you know, it's a big sin 16:15 to have a Bible in the school, 16:17 in a state school. 16:20 Not good to have a prayer. 16:21 No, I don't want to do that stuff. 16:25 It's okay to teach little children, 16:27 all sorts of 16:31 perverted practices. 16:33 So I agree with Ben Carson. 16:36 And I believe that the great need 16:38 in America today and around the world 16:41 and in my old homeland of Australia, 16:43 the greatest need is not more politics. 16:47 I believe, it's more of Christ. 16:51 What does the Bible prophecy say about our times? 16:55 Wayne, it says a lot. 16:59 We don't have so much time to talk about this today. 17:03 Usually, you know, I try to get too much in. 17:07 But in the Book of Revelation it has an amazing prophecy 17:11 that talks about our day. 17:15 "I saw another beast or another nation 17:17 coming up out of the earth. 17:18 Two horns like a lamb spoke like a dragon." 17:21 Comes up peaceful talking the gospel. 17:24 "He performs great signs, 17:26 he makes even fire come down from heaven on the earth 17:28 in the sight of man." 17:30 Spiritism. 17:31 "He deceives those who dwell on the earth 17:33 by the signs which he was granted to do 17:36 in the sight of the beast, 17:37 telling those who dwell on the earth 17:39 to make an image to the beast 17:42 who was wounded by the sword and lived. 17:45 He caused all, both small and great, 17:47 rich and poor, free and slave, 17:49 to receive a mark on their right hand 17:52 or in their foreheads." 17:54 Now, I don't have time to go into this, 17:56 but let me take a flashlight and shine it around little bit. 18:02 It talks about a great power that arises in the last days. 18:06 This power comes up peacefully talking the gospel. 18:11 That's why it's called a Lamb because Jesus is the Lamb. 18:15 But this power turns away from the truth of the Bible 18:21 and it becomes a dictatorial power. 18:25 Church and state join together. 18:31 Religion becomes the great persecutor. 18:34 Here you have the union of church and state, 18:36 there you have Spiritism, 18:38 the Great Tribulation, lawlessness, 18:42 hatred of the good, exaltation of evil, 18:45 glorification of violence, 18:47 even climate change is mentioned. 18:49 I believe in the prophecies, 18:54 it seems to be referred to in a text, 18:58 I think it's in Revelation 19:01 11:18. 19:05 Revelation 11, "The nations were angry." 19:07 Angry now, aren't they? 19:09 This is a description of our day. 19:12 Goodness me. 19:14 "Your wrath has come, the time of the dead, 19:16 that they should be judged," 19:18 you're gonna be judged, 19:20 "and that You should reward 19:21 Your servants the prophets," 19:23 you're gonna get your reward, 19:24 "and the saints, and those who fear Your name, 19:27 small and great, and should destroy 19:29 those who destroy the earth." 19:31 The Bible says that Christ will return when human beings 19:35 have the capacity to destroy the earth. 19:38 So you're going to have religious persecution, 19:40 you're going to have the union of church and state, 19:42 and you're going to have 19:44 the nations destroying the earth. 19:45 And many people, 19:47 including this guy believes that 19:50 we have come to this tremendous hour. 19:54 But also it talks about the triumphs of the gospel. 19:57 This is the good news, 19:58 Matthew 24 and there's a text here. 20:01 Matthew 24 and it talks about the triumph. 20:07 "Because lawlessness will abound," 20:09 it's happening today, 20:11 "the love of many will grow cold." 20:13 Happening today. 20:15 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 20:19 And this gospel of the kingdom 20:21 will be preached in all the world 20:24 as a witness to all the nation, then the end will come." 20:27 Listen. 20:30 The gospel is not going to fizz out. 20:33 I got burned out Roman candle. 20:37 Gospel is going to be preached. 20:38 And the Bible indicates that in the last days 20:42 there is going to be 20:43 a great multitude of people saved. 20:48 They're going to come from China, and India, 20:53 and Russia, and America, 20:58 and Great Britain, and Australia, 21:01 and Latin America. 21:05 And we're living in the days 21:07 when God is going to finish His work and you and I 21:12 better get ready for the coming of Christ. 21:15 What is the greatest threat 21:16 to the existence of the church in America? 21:19 Wayne, that's a great question. 21:24 It's a profound question 21:26 because you can't give an easy answer to this. 21:31 I think one of the greatest problems 21:33 we face today in the Western world, 21:35 in my old homeland of Australia, 21:38 and in these great United States of America, 21:41 and in lots of other places too, 21:43 is that we have a superficial reality religion. 21:48 We have a lot of religious talk. 21:51 You know, we go through the motions 21:53 and we're almost getting to the place now 21:55 we've even forgotten how to go through the motions. 21:59 But I think getting to the heart of the question 22:04 and the heart of the answer is this. 22:07 The greatest threat to the existence 22:09 of the church in America is lack of Bible study, 22:15 a lack of a personal understanding 22:18 of what the Bible teaches. 22:20 And there's a tremendous text, I want to share it with you. 22:24 It's Matthew 4:1-4. 22:28 I want you in places to stay with me 22:30 and think about this. 22:32 "Then Jesus was led up 22:34 by the Spirit into the wilderness 22:37 to be tempted by the devil." 22:39 So the Bible teaches 22:40 there is a real devil and there's a real Christ. 22:45 "When He had fasted forty days and forty nights, 22:48 afterward He was hungry. 22:51 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 22:54 'If you are the Son of God, 22:55 command these stones to become bread.'" 22:59 Do a miracle. 23:01 I want you to do a miracle. 23:02 A lot of people today, my friends, are into miracles. 23:05 And the devil also is into miracles. 23:09 "But He answered and said," here it is, "'It is written, 23:14 man shall not live by bread alone, 23:17 but by every word 23:19 that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 23:23 Now Jesus when He was confronting the devil, 23:26 He said, "A miracle is not going to do it. 23:31 I'm not going to do a miracle." 23:33 Because the most important thing 23:35 that you can do is to feed on the Word of God. 23:39 It is written, man shall not live 23:41 by bread alone. 23:42 That's what we're trying to do in America. 23:44 We're trying to live on bread alone. 23:47 And we like miracles, and we like gadgets, 23:50 and we like things, 23:51 but these things don't help the soul. 23:55 You know, we're empty inside 23:57 and what we need to do 23:59 is to get back to the old-fashioned, 24:04 the old-fashioned custom, 24:06 as I could call it of the personal reading 24:10 of the scriptures. 24:12 When I was a young preacher in Australia, 24:15 just a boy preacher, 24:17 sent to a town by the name of Parkes. 24:20 There was an old man in that Parkes. 24:21 His name was Mr. Draper. 24:24 He was the old elder of the church. 24:26 And when he would pray, 24:28 his prayers were just filled with the promises of God. 24:33 There was power there, you could feel the Holy Spirit, 24:35 the Spirit of God was moving through him. 24:38 At the same time, I was studying the Bible 24:42 with some people out on a farm, 24:44 that little town by the name of Girilambone. 24:47 And they had been unbelievers, 24:48 but they started to read the scriptures. 24:51 As they started to read the scriptures, 24:54 they were filled with joy and peace 24:57 and they had a new power in their lives. 25:00 You can have that power, my friend, 25:02 but you've got to get back 25:04 to serious reading of the scriptures. 25:07 And during a time of tremendous drought, 25:10 they said to me, you know, 25:13 I want you to know, 25:14 our barns are full, our barns are full. 25:16 Hey, we're not talking about wheat. 25:18 They were talking about the spiritual, 25:21 the spiritual food, deep down in their souls. 25:27 My friend, we need a mighty turning to God, 25:30 I'm telling you this today. 25:31 We need a mighty turning to God. 25:33 We need to come back to God. 25:35 We need to come back to Christ. 25:38 We need to come back to the scriptures. 25:42 We need to believe in Jesus. 25:44 We need to confess and forsake our sins. 25:47 We need to find a good church 25:50 where Jesus is worshiped 25:52 and the commandments are upheld. 25:55 And I want to tell you something, 25:56 if we will seek God, 25:58 He will pour out upon us a blessing so great, 26:02 there will not be room enough to receive it. 26:07 May God bless you today and watch over you. 26:11 Amen and amen. 26:17 God has got a time and a place for everything. 26:21 Nothing happens by chance. 26:25 In spite of the powers of darkness, 26:28 nothing can destroy the Church of God. 26:33 And I'm not ashamed 26:35 of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 26:41 That the gospel is not about you and me, 26:43 it is the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ. 26:50 What and where is heaven? 26:56 This DVD series from John Carter will be yours 26:59 with a gift of $50 US or $70 Australian. 27:02 Write to us at the address on the screen, 27:04 visit cartereport.org, 27:06 your home for inspirational teaching. 27:19 God created His people in different cultures, 27:22 countries and in cities around the world. 27:27 He made the human race. 27:29 He made us one people under God. 27:36 At first, when you see someone that looks 27:39 and acts differently than you, you may turn away. 27:43 But take your time, look closer. 27:48 You will see that we share the same dreams, 27:53 the same troubles, 27:58 the same world. 28:03 Open your minds and hearts to one another, 28:05 love each other as He loves us. 28:08 Do this for God. 28:10 Honor His creation and let His love shine through 28:13 each one of us. 28:21 For a copy of today's program, 28:23 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:27 Thousand Oaks, California 91358 28:31 or in Australia, contact us 28:34 at P.O. Box 861, Terrigal, 28:37 New South Wales 2260. 28:40 This program is made possible 28:42 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:45 We thank you for your continued support. 28:48 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2020-09-04