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Live from historic downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania home of founding father James Wilson 19th century hymn writer George Duffield 19th century gospel minister George Norcross and sports legend Jim Thorpe.
It's iron sharpens iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors and Christian scholars and theologians Address the burning issues facing the church and the world today. Proverbs chapter 27 verse 17 tells us iron sharpens iron.
So one man sharpens another. Matthew Henry said that in this passage We are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.
It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours. And we hope to hear from you the listener with your own questions. And now here's your host Chris Arnzen.
Good afternoon, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Lake City, Florida and the rest of humanity living on the planet earth who are listening via live streaming at iron Sharpens iron radio .com. This is Chris Arnzen your host of iron sharpens iron radio wishing you all a happy Friday on this 16th day of August 2024 before I introduce to you my guest and our topic of the day I want to remind all listeners That are or who are men in ministry leadership?
You are invited to the next free Biannual iron sharpens iron radio pastors luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, October 10th 11 a .m. To 2 p .m. At Church of the Living Christ in Loisville, Pennsylvania, which is Perry County, Pennsylvania, and we're going to be featuring for the very first time ever our Keynote speaker. Dr. Joe boot if you're a man in ministry leadership, and you would like to attend this free event Send me an email to Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.
Chris arnzen at gmail .com. Give me your name the name of your church or Parachurch ministry and the number of men who will be joining you at this event and it It's absolutely free of charge. Not only is admission free and your opportunity to hear what will I'm sure be a powerful message by Dr. Joseph boot be free and your time of rest relaxation Refreshment fun fellowship and feasting all free on top of all that.
Every man in attendance receives a heavy sack of free brand-new books Personally selected by me and donated by generous Christian publishers all over the United States and United Kingdom. Everything is free of charge and that is upon the insistence of my precious late wife Julie Who's a brainchild these pastors luncheons are.
She came up with the idea and launched them with me in the 1990s When I was still living on Long Island and after her home going to Christ for eternity. I continue to conduct these luncheons in Loving memory of her and in tribute to her.
So I hope that you will join us on Thursday, October 10th 11 a .m. To 2 p .m. At Church of the Living Christ In Loisville, Pennsylvania for the next free biannual iron sharpens iron radio pastors luncheon with keynote speaker.
Dr Joe boot send me that email to be registered to Chris Arnzen at gmail .com. Well, I'm absolutely thrilled to have one of my favorite preachers of all time and I am NOT exaggerating On the program for the second time.
I can't believe It's been six years since I've had this dear brother on the show his name is dr. Hemsworth Jonas and dr. Jonas is the executive director of the East Caribbean Baptist Mission and the resident pastor of Central Baptist Church of Antigua and Calvary Baptist Church of st. Vincent.
He is an author a highly sought-after conference speaker, and he's going to be addressing the theme radical discipleship Uncompromising conviction in a hostile world. We're also going to be announcing an upcoming full conference for Reformation Month at Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Featuring dr. Jonas.
It's my honor and privilege to welcome you back to iron sharpen sign radio. Dr. Hensworth Jonas.
It's a pleasure to be with you again.
And please if you could let our listeners know something about the East Caribbean Baptist Mission.
Well, these Caribbean Baptist Mission is our indigenous missionary society we are aiming at reaching the entire Eastern Caribbean and the wider Caribbean with the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace and We are incorporated in Antigua and Barbuda.
And by the way, we say Antigua even though Even though it's a Spanish word Columbus named the island off of a church in Spain Santa Maria la Antigua, but the since the British Took control of that island.
They have said Antigua and that's what everybody there says, okay. But the Antigua and Barbuda a twin island nation in the Eastern Caribbean. It's a microstate like the other nations of the Eastern Caribbean a part of the organization of East Caribbean States and the British Commonwealth and we have been Attempting to preach the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace there for many decades for the last three decades at least.
The church that I pastor I've been there for 38 years Wow be 39 years in December and The Lord used me and ECBM to plant three other churches on the island of Antigua and I'm currently trying to revive a church on the island of St. Vincent the Calvary Baptist Church a 76 year old Baptist Church that was dying and By God's grace.
It's coming back to the glory of God. Hallelujah and So I'm working on that. I also have been involved in Christian education. I Founded three schools there in Antigua an early childhood school Primary school and a secondary school.
We call them Baptist Academy of Antigua and we have a combined student body of about 450 children and The Lord has been blessing that ministry. We have had the best test scores in our nation on both the primary and secondary level, but most importantly, it's a platform for Leading children and their parents to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're also involved in media ministries with local television for the last 30 years and I've been doing all that we can to mentor young men for the work of the ministry.
Hallelujah, and if anybody wants more information on the Baptist mission the East Caribbean Baptist mission go to Baptist Antigua. Pronouncing it correctly. I believe this time Baptist Antigua org and that is Baptist a and t I Gua org and we will be repeating that information later on in the program.
And I have very fond memories as I look at you through the screen of the computer. I remember when you were last on the program in May of.
2018.
May 28th to be exact and we discussed a doctor. I'm sorry. Dancing with idolatry. Are you bowing to a false God? I remember you were actually sitting right next to me in the studio.
Yes, and thank God for the technology that we can do it still from such a distance.
Yes, and you sound like you're in the studio nonetheless even though we're hundreds of miles apart. The I just have to quickly before I forget to say it later I strongly urge everyone listening. If you can make it to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday, October 26 and 27th To attend the Reformation Month conference that they're having there featuring Dr. Hemsworth Jonas, I strongly urge you to attend this event as I said at the outset of this program Dr. Jonas is truly one of my very favorite preachers on the planet Earth.
That is not hyperbole it's not exaggeration and I know many who share my opinion and I don't know if If Josh Miller the pastor of Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Harrisburg has given you the full title yet of your.
Well, yes, he has he's called a sanctification this moment of worship and We're we're going to be doing a careful study of Romans chapter 12 In relation to this and so I'm really looking forward to to this event.
Yeah, and I was thrilled when not long ago.
Josh Miller Contacted me and said Chris you've helped us out before. Can you please help us? To arrange a conference this October. We need a guest speaker and I immediately thought of you and I'm so delighted that in God's providence Your schedule was clear and that this has been a dumb deal etched in stone, of course.
God does what he wants to do.
But.
Deo volente.
So, uh, if not willing if all well, if all goes according to his plan. Uh, we will be uh seeing dr. Jonas this October and I strongly urge you to come uh for more details. Uh, go to the grace bible fellowship church of harrisburg pennsylvania website gracebfc .com grace bfc which stands for bible fellowship church Dot com and we'll also be repeating That later on in the broadcast.
Well, you have written a new book That our friends at reformation heritage books has brought into print. Uh, and it is called radical discipleship uncompromising conviction in a hostile world. I do want to read some of the powerful commendations uh for this book uh, my friend, dr. Joel Beakey Who is chancellor and professor of homiletics and systematic theology at puritan reform theological seminary in grand rapids, michigan.
I've known dr. Beakey since the 1990s. Long before he became a very famous reformed Christian conference speaker and author and in fact, he was just very recently my keynote speaker at the last iron sharpens iron radio free pastors luncheon Uh did a remarkable message to the pastors there on 10 ways to overcome Depression in the ministry through criticism and it was really remarkable, but dr. Beakey says of this book In much of modern christianity the prevalence of worldliness has diluted the distinction between the church and the world.
In the church today, there is relatively little demand for gospel clarity sound preaching Genuine discipleship christ-centered suffering and faithful church discipline. In this work hensworth Jonas shows that spirit worked life transforming and radical discipleship Is the divine cure for worldliness.
Such transformation is rooted in the power person and call of jesus christ as well As awareness of god's holiness eager anticipation of future glory separation from the world and imitation of god with a pastoral heart.
Jonas then shows how biblical discipleship should transform every aspect of our lives from the inside out. You will not be disappointed by this excellent manual Of reformed experiential and practical christian living also a very dear friend of mine.
Also dating back to the 1990s Dr. Conrad Mbewe pastor of kabwatha baptist church In lusaka zambia africa and founding chancellor of the african christian university in lusaka zambia. Dr. Mbewe says The christian faith by its very nature must be radical.
Light has come into the world of darkness thus hensworth Jonas's call in this book for god's people to pursue through holiness in this sinful world Must be taken seriously. He challenges us to a christian life that is wonderfully illustrated by his own life and ministry in the caribbean.
But above all this is a call to biblical christianity. I commend this book to today's church Lest we totally lose our saltiness. Let us heed this clarion call. And finally another man who has been a guest on this program another very powerful preacher.
Paul washer founder and missions director of heart cry missionary society. Paul says hensworth jonas intends to speak a word of correction exhortation And encouragement to contemporary christianity by god's grace.
He has achieved this purpose. A careful reading of this book will result in a spiritual recalibration In all the areas of the christian life that truly matter his contrast between the god of the bible And the designer god of contemporary christianity Is remarkable.
His call for straightforward obedience to the word of god is a summons to true discipleship. All very powerful commendations and More reasons why everyone should get a hold of this book if you care about discipleship.
Well, dr. Jonas What can you say? Especially from the context of ministering in the caribbean. But of course you do travel, uh globally. Uh, you're a highly sought after conference speaker. But in what uh context.
Through your ministry in the caribbean. Uh, did you have? Through god's providence compelling factors That led you to say i've got to put pen to paper and write this book on discipleship.
Well, I must give a lot of credit to um, uh Dr. Beeky to encourage who encouraged me greatly to write this book. Um, we met up at a few conferences. We've been meeting up at a lot of conferences. Yeah, um, uh in brazil and in uh in paris.
In uh throughout the united states and and he will be joining me next year in antigua. And I will be joining him next week at the puritan reform.
Uh.
Conference. Their puritan reform theological seminary conference in grand rapids where they'll be. Pretty much talking about the church and the christian family. And so I will be presenting two addresses there and uh also at his church the heritage reform congregation.
Um the following sunday, but um He encouraged me to write.
Um.
Along these lines. Uh having heard a number of my sermons and um, and uh, I am. For the last 38 years 38 and a half years of ministry in the caribbean full-time as a pastor.
Have encountered so many.
Situations where i've had to engage the culture head-on. We like to say when america sneezes we catch the cold. Uh, we live. We are a microstate living in the shadow of this superpower. And no doubt a lot of american culture and issues impact what happens in these nearby countries and so a lot of the woke neo-marxists uh critical race theory.
All the gender issues or the abortion. You you name it. Um, it affects us too and uh we we need clear voices and clear messages along those lines and so. This book is an attempt to address it from the perspective of christian discipleship because the real crisis Is in a watered down christianity among believers even in reform churches.
I have described the current situation um as an effeminate cowardly perverted and shallow iteration of christianity. And that has the ascendancy in our generation and so.
I think that uh, this is an urgent and necessary call.
Well, if you could explain for us how is much of modern day christianity. Made effeminate.
Well.
For what even by when we say effeminate there is A very clear despising of the biblical benevolent patriarchy God's order in the world you know and um. Whether whether that is expressed in the family Or the local church or in society at large.
Men who lead biblically Are slandered are called toxic Toxic patriarchy. The word patriarchy is now a pejorative. Yeah uh, they're called misogynist, you know, they're called all of these names and so many of the men become beta males.
They are Very obsessed with the affective domain. They they're concerned with emotion and feelings rather than being enforcers of righteousness. In their homes and in their churches and in their communities.
And so there is a crisis of masculinity biblical masculinity. And so the christianity that we have today has been affected greatly by this. And in many churches in antigua and barbuda, I would say most churches in antigua and barbuda um and the caribbean uh, and I put churches in quotation marks because I do not believe that most of these will qualify as biblical churches um would have women leadership on every level.
Uh pastors and worship leaders and and in many authoritative capacities in ruling the women and so We look like an aberration. You know, we look crazy. We look out of touch.
When we insist that the leadership in homes and churches must be men. And uh, um look around the churches not only in in the caribbean region, but across america. Do we even see the symbol of authority on the heads of our women?
No, we don't I know. The women generally just ignore this because There is a despising of god's order in first corinthians 11. We see that uh, the head of christ is god. That The head of the man is christ and the head of the woman is the man.
And of course, this is something that is hated in our culture today. So yes, it is effeminate in many senses of the word.
Um, and certainly out of the will of god. In fact, let me just take an opportunity to plug a very recent interview I conducted with zachary garris. He is the author of honor thy father's recovering the anti-feminist theology of the reformers a forward by joseph a pipa the president emeritus at greenville presbyterian theological seminary in south carolina.
Uh, I had a wonderful interview with brother garris, but um, so you you have given us some of what you believe is the root cause of the modern churches of feminacy.
Being.
The rise of feminism within the ranks of Ministries and churches. And even if it is not called that uh, there are people who have become so used to the dominance of feminism In our culture that it's kind of like a frog in a kettle syndrome.
Where they don't even possibly realize how affected they are by feminism. And how much they cater to? The whims of feminists. Without even realizing how anti-biblical it is.
Uh, well, there's no doubt about that. There's no doubt about that. We need a return to biblical femininity as opposed to this pagan feminism Where the women understand and embrace the fact that they thrive Only when god's order is predominant when god's order prevails.
They are in no way um being victimized by god's order. God's order is the nature of reality and that is the context in which they will thrive.
Now this is a theory of mine and I was wondering what you thought of it. As far as that same thought about the feminizing or effeminizing effeminization of the church. There are many who are even on paper Theologically biblical orthodox.
But some of these men Obviously It appears have a craving Of being accepted as a peer to the leftists in academia and their approach uh to declaring the gospel is much it's very weighty in its Intellectual elements.
But lacks robustness lacks power. Lacks, uh, unwavering and uncompromising.
Boldness without fear of of insulting the hearers or readers In their audience and it to me that approach uh, especially when things that they say and write have been softened not to offend the leftists in academia who's Approval they crave it has produced a more feminine Church because people look up to these men as the experts of of christianity.
Am I making sense there?
You're making a lot of sense, but I need to clarify one matter. Sure. Um, my book is not necessarily an attack on Um on feminism, right? This is about one symptom right real problem is is is the absence of The correct epistemology.
All right, our epistemology as reformed christians is sola scriptura. Yes. That's how we know what we know. Well, the dominant epistemology of our generation Is is emotion feelings? And also tradition how we have always done it.
But if we are going to to be in the will of god, we must understand that our epistemology can be nothing less than sola scriptura. But having said that You have nailed it in your analysis that the quest for the approbation.
Accreditation. Applause. I sound a little baptist there with that alliteration. But but the this this desire to have the approval.
Of.
The world. And you're naming a particular Uh powerful group in america and around the world the those who are on the left um, and as a matter of fact, you you you must realize that. Um left now is actually worse than liberal.
Yes. Uh because uh, there are liberal people Who will still stand up for certain rights and that keep um, the judeo-christian ethic alive. You know, but but but these leftists is radical leftists somehow have focused uh, boy, they are focused on Capturing the major institutions of the society while the rest of us sleep.
Yes, and so. They have captured academia. They have captured the media. They have captured major political parties. They have captured, uh, it's so many of the major institutions and are wreaking havoc and.
Destroying our civilization. Yes, it's uh. It's so grievous when you when you realize. Uh, sometimes we forget that some of the major institutions of learning in our nation and elsewhere. Uh the ivy league schools and other institutions uh that.
Were born out of a puritan theology and ethic and have become the haters Of all that the puritan stood for and especially The haters of all that god And his inerrant god-breathed word stands for. Uh, it's just such a tragedy to see how far they have fallen.
Uh these these organizations, but we have to go to our first commercial break and when we come back i'd like Hensworth to address the radical christ From his book and if you have any questions of your own for dr Hensworth jonas our email address is chris arnzen at gmail .com.
Chris A-r-n-z-e-n at gmail .com. And as always give us your first name at least your city and state of residence And your country of residence if you live outside the usa don't go away.
We're going to be right back after these messages. Puritan reformed is a bible-believing kingdom-building devil-fighting church. We are devoted to upholding the apostolic doctrine in practice preserved in scripture alone.
Puritan reformed teaches men to rule and lead as image-bearing prophets priests and kings. We teach families to worship together as families. Puritan is committed to teaching the whole council of god So that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of god as the waters cover the sea.
We sing the psalms teach the law proclaim the gospel make disciples maintain discipline and exalt christ. This is pastor david reese of puritan reformed in phoenix, arizona. Join us in the glorious cause of advancing christ's crown and covenant over the kings of the earth.
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Doug mcmaster's here. Former director of pastoral correspondence at grace to you the radio ministry of john mccarthur. In the film chariots of fire the olympic gold medalist runner eric liddell remarked that he felt god's pleasure when he ran.
He knew his efforts sprang from the gifts and calling of god. I sensed that same god-given pleasure when ministering the word and helping others gain a deeper knowledge and love for god. That love starts with the wonderful news that the lord jesus christ is a savior who died for sinners.
And that god forgives all who come to him in repentance. Trusting solely in christ to deliver them. I would be delighted to have the honor and privilege of ministering to you. If you live in the long island area or queens or brooklyn or the bronx in new york city.
For details on new high park baptist church visit nhpbc .com. That's nhpbc .com. You can also call us at five one six three five two. Nine six seven two, that's five one six three five two nine six seven two.
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And mention iron sharpens iron radio. So we get 100 of the profits from that sale. Go to royaldiadem .com. Mention iron sharpens iron radio. We're now back with dr. Hensworth Jonas. And if you would like to join us on the air with a question of your own our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com.
As always give us your first name at least city and state of residence and country of residence. We are discussing radical discipleship uncompromising conviction in a hostile world, which is also the title of Dr. Jonas's new book available from Reformation heritage books.
And.
The one of the issues that I mentioned before we went to the break uh was the radical christ. How is this christ that you believe? Must be Rediscovered and preached boldly uh different from the christ that may be Proclaimed from the pulpits of many evangelical churches today.
Well, of course, um the christ that many are hearing of and have grown accustomed to Does not look like anything That we see in the holy scripture. Well, there are several things that I brought out in the in the book concerning this one of which is that When this christ comes into your life, it's a coup d 'etat.
It's a coup d 'etat. He takes over Your life. There is an alien power uh that summons you and controls you the the the as a matter of fact, um you will sense that You're no longer your own you will understand that.
You have now been uh, uh commandeered you have now been taken over and. Apart from this experience you really do not have a credible relationship with the god of the bible and so I I uh, I tried to bring out this and to.
Present this. That any other christ is an idolatrous representation. He takes over but not only does he take over. It's all about him in the sense that he never says follow this or follow that or follow.
Them.
Or follow over there. No, he says follow me. It's all about a personal relationship. And um, it's all about understanding. That you are engaging him intimately. I know this sounds a little bit too mystical for some of our generation but uh.
But it is a personal engagement of the christ in a relationship where you are daily Gazing upon him through the eyes of faith. Where worshiping him.
Is.
It's the heart of who you are now. That's your favorite activity. You understand that you are here for his glory and so. Uh, the the glory of christ becomes your highest motive and your your basic purpose for for living.
As a matter of fact, your sin only starts when the worship stops.
All.
All of our iniquitous Excursions are rooted in the fact that we took our gaze off christ. And so this this is this is an important aspect that we we brought out in in in the book. Uh, and another thing is that He calls you to action.
I I made a lot out of matthew's call. Matthew 99. He was mining his own business as a customs officer.
He's actually a traitor to his nation as a customs officer of the romans. And jesus comes to his office And summons him to resign And take up a whole new occupation. Just imagine that how the audacity of christ to come into his life.
And just call him away from his occupation to a whole new preoccupation. Which is the extension of the kingdom of god. This is what christ does. It's it's so radical when you experience the christ that your whole Life is interfered with disturbed Taken over and so.
Any other understanding Of your relationship with christ has some somehow compromised biblical christianity.
Would you say a part of this? Aberrant understanding of christ comes from.
The.
Belief of many who profess to be evangelical that being nice Is infinitely more important Than being truthful to the point of hurting others feelings. People are far more concerned With the feelings of people very often than they are with their eternal destinies.
And they would rather keep a friend And not disturb a warm.
Collegial.
Ironic relationship with that friend.
See that person. Die and go to hell.
So they are just fearful of saying anything that would dare. Ruffle their feathers hurt their feelings. Uh, and they present the christ. That is much the same way in fact. You very often. I have heard it many times especially since i'm in christian radio and I worked for a major Radio network for 15 years of my life.
Uh, many have presented a christ that they will describe as a perfect gentleman. And that is usually something said by those who hate. The doctrines of grace and the doctrines of a sovereign god. Oh our god would never.
Remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh without you. First being willing to do that. Willing for him to do that because of course he is a gentleman. Am I making sense here?
You're making a lot of sense. As a matter of fact your last example there is is very very powerful because the same people Who are pretending to be very much invested in christian theology will make a case that you need The permission of the second adam for him to accomplish his work.
Yes, while the first adam We we we we were not in any way.
Involved.
Volitionally with the work of the first adam. Uh, he just he ruined everything for us without our permission and the second adam Can't they're saying cannot fix things for us without our permission. Which is total nonsense.
But what you have done? Brother chris is returned to even what we discussed earlier about the effeminate christianity that we have because we know from our studies our signs that. The ladies while we all appreciate emotion and feelings.
Everybody does. The ladies major on that affective domain. They they major on on on the feelings and and um, we want that I mean. We we love our moms, you know, I mean sometimes if we have if dad had to straighten things out.
We like the comfort of mom and there's nothing wrong with that. But when this thing becomes the dominant principle upon which you engage persons. Where you are overly obsessed with feelings rather than truth.
You're going to end up with compromise and corruption of your christianity.
And a perfect segue that you have in your book to that is radical transformation. And according to what I have witnessed over the decades that i've been a christian Thankfully all of those years In a solid biblical confessional reformed baptist church.
I was saved in a reformed baptist church. Thanks be to god so I never had to Unlearn a whole lot of baggage of uh.
Aberrant Evangelical theology. I was raised roman catholic but uh didn't know really much of anything that the church of rome taught other than the bare bones basics, but uh, but as becoming a christian a true christian I was Saved in a reformed church, but uh i've i've witnessed.
It seems two extremes on this issue of transformation. On the one hand you may have A radical arminians actually five point arminians, even though if they would never call themselves that. Who definitely insist upon transformation?
But they believe it comes from our own willpower that it must be from within ourselves that this Transformation is conjured up perhaps with some assistance.
God, but then you have on the other end of the extreme. You have a salvation with no transformation. And you even have brothers in christ some of whom are reformed. Who say that if you focus too much on that transformation stuff?
You are adding to Uh the finished work of christ. You are adding to justification by faith alone. And some of some people that i've heard recently who even wear the name reformed. Have said that those that focus and boldly Declare on the necessity of transformation that we're preaching another gospel.
So I see these two ends of the spectrum of Really being very heretical on this issue if you could just pick up where I left off there.
Well, you are absolutely correct you have heresy if you have change without change. Right, if if someone is professing to have been radically changed by grace of our lord Jesus christ and we don't do not see Any kind of evidence any demonstration of the same in their life?
When we experience the glory of god the weight of god's significance overwhelms us. If the god of the bible Has not emerged as the consuming passion and and priority of our lives then we have. We have not met christ.
Um for this reason Our our lord prayed in his high priestly prayer in john 17 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them. That they may be one even as we are one. In the same way the apostle paul Mentioned in second corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6.
For god who commandeth the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts. To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ. What we speak of here is not necessarily some kind of mystical vision.
All right. We speak of the fact that The glory of god that which is weighty and substantial and significant Consumes us to the point that that our god is the only thing that matters in his holiness. And making sure that that is manifested in our experience.
Well, we do have uh a listener Who has a question for you quentin in south valley, new mexico. Who says would you be so kind as to provide for us a comparison? between the theological climate in the caribbean With that in the united states that you've witnessed.
Is the caribbean? Just as bad off as the united states seem to be in our modern day. Or is this soil more fertile for true teaching like that you are proposing today in your interview.
Well as I I I hinted at alluded to earlier. Um when america sneezes I said we catch the coal and we have been catching a lot of the coal.
Everything.
That is in america is in the caribbean in some way one advantage we currently have is that The people are openly a little bit more conservative. Um, it's just last year for instance that Homosexuality was decriminalized in antigua and barbuda.
Wow, they were. They were buggery laws. And it wasn't even dealt with in parliament. It was a judge who struck it down and those in the government who were happy just did not appeal. Because I mean a homosexual act was an offense.
In antigua and barbuda up until last year, all right. Um, and uh, so openly. Much of um these islands are somewhat conservative um in terms of morality. Um right now abortion is still illegal in antigua and barbuda.
Praise god. Um. No, don't don't don't be so quick to praise god. For the wrong thing. I um, I praise god for his sovereignty. In all of this, but right now the laws are not being enforced. Oh.
You.
It's it's a criminal act to have an abortion. But the government is just not enforcing the law. So we need to intercede. Um on behalf of the situation in the in the islands here our people have basically gone woke.
They have embraced the leftist positions. Um, even though much of it much of the judeo-christian ethic is still enshrined in the law.
Well now you folks who have uh watched movies about victorian england or england and centuries. Earlier than that when you hear the word buggery, you'll know what it means now if you didn't know before.
This by the way, uh quentin in south valley, new mexico. You have won a free copy of the book that we are addressing today this book by hensworth jonas radical discipleship. So, please give us your full name your full address.
In new mexico and our friends at cvbbs Cumberland valley bible book service will ship that out to you. And this is compliments of our friends at reformation heritage books. Who have been generous enough to provide for us a limited copy of a limited number of free copies of this book.
Well, we have to go to our midway break right now. And please be patient with us. The midway break is always a little longer than the other breaks because grace life radio 90 .1 fm in lake city florida, which airs this program every day.
They are compelled by the fcc to localize this program geographically To lake city florida and they do so with their own public service announcements and other local things. That they air on their end while we on the other hand.
Simultaneously air are globally heard commercials. So i'm asking of you to please use this time wisely. Try to respond to as many of our advertisers as you can knowing. That our advertisers and the finances that come through them.
Are what keep iron sharpens iron radio on the air? So, please try to respond respond to as many of our advertisers as possible. And of course send in your questions to dr. Hensworth jonas to chrisarnson at gmail .com.
Give us your first name at least City and state and country of residence. We'll be right back. Please do not go away. It's such a blessing to hear from iron sharpens iron radio listeners from all over the world.
Here's joe reilly a listener in ireland who wants you to know about a guest on the show. He really loves hearing interviewed. Dr. Joe more craft.
I'm, joe reilly a faithful iron sharpens iron radio listener here in a tie in county kildare, ireland going back to 2005. One of my very favorite guests on iron sharpens iron is dr. Joe more craft. If you've been blessed by iron sharpens iron radio.
Dr. more craft and heritage presbyterian church of plumbing, georgia are largely to thank since they are one of the program's largest financial supporters. Heritage presbyterian church of plumbing is in foresight county a part of the atlantan metropolitan area.
Heritage is a thoroughly biblical church unwaveringly committed to westminster standards and dr Joe more craft is the author of an eight volume commentary on the larger catechism. Heritage is a member of the hanover presbytery.
Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus christ himself being the chief cornerstone and tracing its roots and heritage back to the great protestant reformation of the 16th century Heritage maintains and follows the biblical truth and principles proclaimed by the reformers scripture alone grace alone.
Faith alone christ alone and god's glory alone. Their primary goal is the worship of the triune god that continues in eternity. For more details on heritage presbyterian church of plumbing, georgia. Visit heritage presbyterian church .com.
That's heritage presbyterian church .com are called six seven eight nine five four seven eight three one. That's six seven eight nine five four seven eight three one. If you visit tell them joe o 'reilly and iron sharpens iron radio listener.
I'm a toy in county. Kildare, ireland sent you.
Hello, my name is anthony eugenio and i'm one of the pastors at hope reform baptist church in quorum, new york. And also the host of the reform rookie .com website. I want you to know that if you enjoy listening to the iron sharpens iron radio show like I do.
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Again, i'm pastor anthony invidio and thanks for listening. When iron sharpens iron radio first launched in 2005. The publishers of the new american standard bible were among my very first sponsors. It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the iron sharpens iron radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the nasb.
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Is pastor bill sasso grace church at franklin here in the beautiful state of tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support iron sharpens iron radio financially.
Grace church at franklin is an independent Autonomous body of believers which strives to clearly declare the whole council of god as revealed in scripture. Through the person and work of our lord. Jesus christ.
And of course the end of which we strive Is the glory of god. If you live near franklin tennessee and franklin is just south of nashville, maybe 10 minutes. Or you are visiting this area or you have friends and loved ones nearby.
We hope you will join us some lord's day in worshiping our god and savior. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about grace church at franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org.
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If you love iron sharpens iron radio One of the best ways you can help keep the show on the air is by supporting our advertisers. One such faithful advertiser who really believes in what chris arnton is doing is daniel p. patafuco serious injury lawyer and christian apologist.
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He has no brains of his own you need to read. Solid ground christian books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the prince of preachers to heart. The mission of solid ground christian books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to christians in the present and future.
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And let me highlight two books available from solid-ground-books .com That wonderfully reflect our conversation today about discipleship. First there is a book by jeremy walker life in christ Becoming and being a disciple of the lord. Jesus christ, and then we also have Uh a book called cultivating biblical godliness.
And this is a series of books actually uh including such authors as our mutual friend, dr Joel beakey ryan mcgraw morris roberts jeff thomas and ian hamilton. You could get these and many many many many many more books Dating back to the 16th century.
Some of which are lost treasures of literature that solid Dash ground books .com has rediscovered and brought back into print sometimes for the first time. Available to the church in centuries. And they have publications Uh going through all the centuries of the church through our modern day including such current day authors as dr James r white of alpha and omega ministries.
So go to solid-ground-books .com frequently purchased generously. Please always mention that you heard about them from chris arenson of iron sharpens iron radio before I return to my fascinating conversation With dr. Hensworth jonas on his new book radical discipleship.
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That's also the email address where you can send in a question to my guest. Dr Hensworth jonas on radical discipleship. Chris arnson at gmail .com. Give us your first name at least. Your city and state of residence and your country of residence.
If you live outside the u .s site, we are now approaching uh radical worship, which is a subject in this book now ironically. You and I are reformed baptists and we may have charismatic and pentecostal friends that would say they're the ones that participate in radical worship not us.
And Sometimes I can honestly say that those of there are many of us in the reformed community. Whose worship is very tame? Perhaps even impotent. Uh people seem to be sometimes more concerned with not looking like a charismatic or a pentecostal.
Than they are in giving the lord true robust worship. But what do you mean by radical? Worship.
Well, I must I must tell you. A statement that I made just a few months ago when I was preaching at the reformation conference for g3 ministries in texas I I mentioned that. Um many reformed people are very suspicious of joy.
That.
If they if you're shouting hallelujah or praising the lord, they think you have been you have been bitten by some pentecostal bug.
But I um, I do believe that the pentecostals the charismatics are the problem here. They don't have radical worship. Um, I believe that the worship is only biblically radical. If the object of the worship is in focus.
You see right? In our generation We have lost the concept that in worship. It is an audience of one.
You see.
We have convinced people or people have are convinced That the congregation.
Is the audience? When in fact Those who lead the worship as well as those who are congregants are all presenters. We're all presenters. God is the audience. It's an audience of one. And the only thing that matters is what pleases him.
Now there are a lot of people who Are convinced that the content of worship must in fact be pleasing to them. They must like it. They must enjoy it. When this is at the heart of the corruption of worship We need to return to the puritan regulative principle not the normative principle.
The regulative principle obviously Speaks to the fact that we only give our god what he has specifically prescribed for worship throughout the scriptures and of course We we speak of continuity and discontinuity.
We we know that what he likes what he desires never changes. But of course the expression of the same would depend on what type what what time you live in. He had animal sacrifices at one point. Uh looking forward To the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world.
We no longer kill animals, but we're still looking toward the lamb and so uh, we need to give him only what he has prescribed in our. In our generation, we must sing the word. That psalms hymns and spiritual songs.
We must pray the word prayers of adoration confession thanksgiving and supplication. We must Uh declare the word read the word in the hearing of the people and preach the word. And we must see the word in the the sacraments in the holy ordinances of believers baptism and the lord's supper.
And we must make sure that it is all for his glory. This has been lost in our generation. So you have people leading who are not qualified. Like many of the women or even unqualified men. Uh, you have a situation where uh, uh, the females do not have the symbol of authority on their heads.
Or the men have their heads covered. Oh, you have a situation where?
What all that he has ordained is basically marginalized for entertainment. I certainly hope there's a return to godly worship.
Now you said uh, and I think you're absolutely right, of course. That it should not. Our enjoyment of worship should not be.
Defining factor. Of determining what we do at a worship service or how we do it. But at the same time don't you believe? That if worship is done according to how god desires us to worship. That we will if we are truly born again if we are regenerate we will enjoy it.
Um, yes, we we I do enjoy worship, but I do not go to worship to enjoy worship, right if you are. If you are approaching worship for enjoyment, you're corrupting worship, right? My enjoyment in um of worship Um has a lot to do with the outcome of it.
Yes. All right. Um, I I I cannot approach my god to have fun. I must approach my god to be conformed to the image of his son. And so we we we we don't need that charismatic element where. You have a commercial model as opposed to a covenant model when you go to church.
The commercial model is that the customer is always right. You must please the customer. We are not customers at worship. Uh, we we are a part of a family a covenant community of faith. Coming together to magnify and glorify our god.
And so yes enjoyment does happen in worship. Sometimes morning happens in worship. Some all the full gamut of emotions Are experienced in worship, but the object of worship is our god glorifying him. Enjoying him forever is our highest motive is our chief end, which is the chief end of god as well.
Yes, and the chief end of man is to love him and enjoy him forever, right? According to the uh the catechism.
And One of the one of the reasons I said what I said Was because I have encountered people who disdain Traditional worship and when they hear some of the cherished old hymns that you and I would love They would say things like oh, I just that hymn bores the living daylights out of me.
Oh, man, uh, you you people have got to get up with the times with your Worship songs I have said on occasion in response. If the words of those hymns That I specific that you're specifically addressing Do not spark in you some kind of a deep reverence And even joy in the lord.
I have concerns of whether you're not whether or not you are regenerate because there are certain things that We who are reformed Are blessed by in a worship service That are so biblical and rich that to reject them to me Reveals that you may indeed be a foreigner In a worship service meaning somebody who is not truly a child of god.
I'll tell you what. There was a local registration. Here is a local registration here in antigua barbuda. I turned on one time and I heard the announcer say.
The name of the radio station. And then he says music for the heart and not for the hip.
That's funny.
Yes, I thought it was very funny, but but he captured.
What you are talking about there? Where a person's focus is on their hip their enjoyment. Maybe they want to gyrate a little or or dance around a little bit when in fact worship is to focus to gaze on Our god who is altogether lovely in all his attributes whether communicable.
Or incommunicable. And we are to be looking at that and marveling at it being overwhelmed in it being raptured in it and so um. We need lyrics. We need content in our hymns that magnify his holy person and celebrate who he is.
And who he is to us.
Amen.
We have a listener named cyril In salisbury cove maine who says something or asks something connected with something that you just recently said. Should we be leery when we are visiting a church? That insists that the sermon messages and even the songs Are always meant to leave us in a state of ecstatic joy.
And never challenge us to the point where we are grieving over our sin.
Well as I said a while ago In truly biblical worship the full gamut of emotions are engaged. Well for one You start by engaging the mind. There must be.
An.
Intellectual grappling with the truth. Because god has spoken and there are truth propositions there. This is not something mystical. We're not going to be hitting some kind of gong. We are going to be listening to truth expounded.
So we must engage the mind, but the affections must be engaged as well as we are enraptured and embraced by the truth and uh, we we are given a joyful or even a sorrowful response to the same. We should not anticipate that only Joy and happiness Will will will will be the result of the word of god Uh penetrating our hearts.
Sometimes it is mourning and sin and repentance And so on. So, uh, what it has to be is real rather than trying to Manufacture it in a particular direction because our needs are different um in a particular time and space when we approach the true and living god.
And also we must engage volitionally. In other words the worship must drive us.
To action.
And to decisions that are commensurate with the scriptures.
You just reminded me of a sermon I heard many years ago. It was probably the 1980s.
Maybe.
The 1990s uh before Joel osteen became such a popular pastor. Uh the smiling preacher joel osteen his father. Uh, john osteen was the pastor of that church. Had a much different demeanor than joel. Uh, he was sort of a grumpy pentecostal pastor.
And I can still remember him mocking. Jonathan edwards sermon sinners in the hands of an angry god. And he said there's a man named jonathan edwards lived Long time ago, and he had a famous sermon called sinners in the hands of an angry god.
Sinners in the hands of an angry god. That's not good news. That's bad news. I want the good news. Uh, obviously we can't even appreciate To a millionth of a degree of what god intended Uh us to appreciate.
What the good news is if we don't know the bad news, am I correct?
Right because before you you have your therapy you need a proper diagnosis. Yes and uh, so If if you've diagnosed the problem wrong wrongly If you've if you've assessed that the damage is is just um surface It doesn't penetrate deep deeply down in into your whole personality and life.
Then you will come up with an easy answer like say after me Repeat after me or or come down the aisle or or or join this group. But when you're dealing seriously, you will understand that uh, The assessment of scripture.
Is that we are totally depraved? And totally unable to help ourselves. And we are in need of an intervention by the true and living god to rescue us from sin and the trajectory to hell.
Amen, and what do you mean by radical prayer?
Well, of course, um radical prayer involves the whole matter that Our prayers need to be informed by who god is.
Yes.
Real prayer begins With um the mediation of god. God is the one who informs our prayer. If your prayer isn't informed by scripture It's an act of futility.
Okay.
We we cannot just come with a santa claus laundry list. And call that prayer. We our prayer is worship.
Prayer.
Is a realignment of our lives according to god's will god's revelation so. A biblical prayer is initiated by the mediation of god. And this prayer is also intensified by the majesty of god. Who he is.
Sometimes we will mess up with prayer because. Uh, we forget who in fact we are talking to. You know and um, you hear the charismatics decree this and declare this. And uh demand this. You think that they are mistaken concerning?
Who is god? Uh, they have taken dominion and have taken authority and they will say I declare this in the name of jesus like some magic formula and uh, they are Able to summons up Whatever they desire like some genie responding.
This is not the god of the bible. All right. He his majesty informs our prayer what we want more than anything else. This conformity to the image of his son and so our Prayers are informed by not only his revelation, but by his holy person.
Okay, our prayers are also influenced by his mission. What is he after? What is he after. He is after his glory. We are going to have prayers answered if we are focused on the glory of god. That we make sure that we jettison every vestige of idolatry.
That means that our identity our significance and our security are all wrapped up in the person of christ. Who am I? I'm a christ follower. Why am I here to bring glory to christ. To manifest and proclaim his supremacy in all things.
Where do I get security in christ? The problem in every life and by the way, this is also in the life of professing believers sometimes genuine believers. Is that we take these excursions in idolatry.
Whereby we get our identity from something else. Maybe a job maybe uh. An achievement maybe maybe uh, some some sort of uh possession. Maybe a person somebody else a man a woman. I don't know what it is.
But if we get our identity there. Who are you? Oh, i'm the man with that house on the hill up there. No, no, no. No, who are you? I am a disciple of jesus christ. I'm a christ follower. He is my lord.
He is my life. He is my everything my affections are set on him.
Only.
So who are we. Our identity must be christ. Why are we here? Our significance must be christ. Where do we get security from. It must be christ and christ alone and so.
That affects everything about our prayers because now Our prayers will be focused focused On being conformed to his image Our petitions our desires are only to be conformed to his way. And also our mission will become clear holiness unto the lord and rescuing the perishing.
Amen. Well, we do have a question from markel and roosevelt long island new york. Markel says. How do you respond? To the non-reformed critics.
Calvinistic prayer life typically coming from charismatic and pentecostal circles. Where they will criticize we who are reformed. In the manner with which we pray typically involving pleading with god begging god for the answers to prayer.
And yet in the lord's prayer that jesus himself provides in the bible. You don't see him instructing us to beg. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not Into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
And you don't see any pleas. And those kinds of words that are typically used in begging. How do you respond to this criticism?
That is a particular take on the intensity of the language. That I don't think is obvious or even necessary. All right. Uh, because I am hearing begging where he isn't hearing begging. Okay.
However, right, um.
Back back to The real heart of the issue that there really isn't such a thing as an armenian prayer. I think spurgeon dealt with this in great detail, right? Yes. Yes. That that that that you can only be armenian when you're debating theology.
Because the minute you begin to worship you become a calvinist. What what does an armenian prayer sound like?
A.
Genuine armenian prayer is lord. Um, what is for salvation? Excuse me or for healing an armenian prayer is lord, um. Please do your part and um. Because I know I must do my part.
My brother is sick and um, so do whatever You need to do on your side and uh, we will do what we need to do on our side. No, nobody prays like that. Not even the armenian. The armenian says lord heal him Lord save him, please do it.
Because deep down inside they all know That the means do not guarantee the end. But there are no means.
With.
The means don't guarantee the end. But there is no end without the means. The same god who for ordained the end for ordained the means and we must. One of the means is that we will cry out to him Call upon him.
And he will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we know not of and so.
Really and truly everyone Is a calvinist when they worship?
Yeah, that's what j .i. Packer said. Uh, all christians are calvinists on their knees.
That is the truth.
By the way, uh, you have one, uh listener In roosevelt long island markel, you have won a free copy of the book. We are discussing radical discipleship. And that is by uh, hensworth jonas and it is given to us With through the generosity of reformation heritage books.
If you give us your full mailing address our friends at cumberland valley bible book service cvbbs .com Will ship that book out to you. And uh also keep in mind if you are a first-time questioner Let us know that when you give us your mailing address.
Because first-time questioners on iron trip and zion radio Also always receive a free new american standard bible. So, uh, we will add that to the shipment that cvbbs .com will ship out to you if you mention That you are a first-time Questioner.
Well, uh one of the.
One of the uh things that we need to address in regard to your book.
Is not only radical worship, but something that is probably.
Something that nobody Really wants to experience. Uh, even though some may very piously Say that they do but radical suffering. You could explain that.
Well, um, we need to have A bit of an adjustment of our thinking concerning suffering. Because it is actually indispensable to the christian life. Christ made it abundantly clear That he came to suffer.
And he was a perfect person a perfect person. Um suffering was a necessity in his life. And so we don't get a pass on this matter of suffering. Um in this book, I I focused on first peter chapter one Uh where I I showed that The apostle peter was commanding us to rejoice In suffering in the heaviness.
And he particularly related it to the doctrinal foundations of the faith that Uh, if we are going to truly appreciate suffering we have to appreciate The order salutis. We have to appreciate all that christ Has has taught us and to see how suffering Um exegetes it.
How suffering Um, uh conforms us And explains the the depths of our relationship with him and are being prepared to go to the lens. To be conformed to his image and and demonstrate our solidarity with him in his suffering.
It is his suffering in his passive obedience that has paid the penalty for us. And we embrace suffering, um in order that we may demonstrate our solidarity with him. All right, and that we have in fact been transformed it is nothing like suffering to prove who is who suffering, um also Um is vitally important in in the sense that we we learn that uh christ Is in the business of Pruning us from time to time.
Removing Various things that we would tend to hold on to that will compromise our intimacy with him. And uh, and so he he has this, uh, use of suffering to to Enable us to jettison those aspects of our relationship with him and wean us.
Those aspects of our relationship, uh with him that uh are hindering us and to wean us off of this world. Also suffering brings some semblance of balance.
To keep us appreciating the work of god in our lives. I know that uh, we are. Uh, we cannot address in in great detail a lot of this in in the broadcast, but i'm hoping. That I have highlighted some of the things that would be investigated in detail by reading the book.
Yes, of course every aspect of Being radical. That you have provided in your book. Each one of those could entail a two-hour interview on its own so. What we're doing is addressing those things in a way that will whet the appetite of our Our listeners to learn more and get a hold of the book.
And uh, we'll add or we'll ask one more question. Uh before we go to the final break uh, we have percy in wheeling west virginia and uh percy and wheeling west virginia says. Don't we need to be careful about how we address the issue of suffering and not turn it into a heresy?
Like mother theresa taught that it somehow made us more worthy in god's sight of entering heaven.
Oh, I agree with that because nothing in our hands we bring simply to the cross we cling. It isn't our suffering that.
Brings us into a right relationship with with with god. It is the suffering of his son jesus christ. And so this whole catholic penance doctrine sacrament of penance must be jettisoned completely. Must be abandoned totally because it is only the merits of christ That bring us into a right relationship with god first.
It must be we must have a lamb a male lamb without blemish. This is going right back to the old sacrificial system. And that's our lord. Jesus christ. All right in his active obedience where he lived perfectly see the lamb must be without blemish he lived perfectly.
And imputes that righteousness To sinners like us. And then he he he died the death for us that we should have died but couldn't and and and uh. Having lived the life for us that we should have lived but didn't and couldn't.
Because of our depravity he lived the life he died the death and it is him alone that we look to. For a right relationship with god a restored relationship with god because ultimately all god wants is perfection and payment.
And that could only come through his son jesus christ. So yes, we don't want to. Uh give the the false notion That we are suffering in. Like like the sac the catholic sacrament of penance, which was embraced by mother teresa.
And even though we can admire her works of charity her helping other people. If she truly believed what her church taught.
Well, we cannot celebrate at all because we will be horrified by the notion of eternal perdition.
Amen and we have to go to our final break. And by the way, percy you've also won a free copy Of radical discipleship by hensworth jonas, please. Make sure you give us your full mailing address in wheeling west. Virginia So that cumberland valley bible book service cvbbs .com Can ship that out to you.
And we thank once again our friends at reformation heritage books for their generosity in providing us with a limited number of these Books and don't go away. We are going to be right back after these messages from our sponsors.
I'm, dr. Joseph pipa President emeritus and professor of systematic and applied theology at greenville presbyterian theological seminary. Every christian who's serious about the deformed faith and the westminster standards should have and use the eight volume commentary on the theology and ethics of the westminster larger catechism titled Authentic christianity by dr. Joseph more craft.
It is much more than an exposition of the larger catechism. It is a thoroughly researched work that utilizes biblical exegesis as well as historical and systematic theology. Dr. Morecraft is pastor of heritage presbyterian church of cumming, georgia.
And I urge everyone looking for a biblically faithful church in that area to visit that fine congregation. For details on the eight volume commentary go to. Westminster commentary dot com. Westminster commentary dot com.
For details on heritage presbyterian church of cumming, georgia. Visit heritage presbyterian church. Dot com. Heritage presbyterian church dot com. Please tell dr. Morecraft and the saints at heritage presbyterian church of cumming, georgia that dr Joseph pipa of greenville presbyterian theological seminary sent you.
Hi, this is john sampson pastor of king's church in peoria, arizona. Taking a moment of your day to talk about chris arnson and the iron sharpens iron podcast. I consider chris a true friend and a man of high integrity.
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Tony costa professor of apologetics and islam at toronto baptist seminary. I'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where i've been invited to speak and have grown to love. Hope reform baptist church in corham long island, new york pastored by rich jensen and christopher mcdowell.
It's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of god like the dear saints at hope reform baptist church in corham. Who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of christ in his holy word.
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Doug mcmasters here. Former director of pastoral correspondence at grace to you the radio ministry of john mccarthur. In the film chariots of fire. The olympic gold medalist runner eric libelle remarked that he felt god's pleasure when he ran.
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From chris arnzen of iron sharpens iron radio. Also folks. I want to remind you that my former church Before I moved to pennsylvania grace reform baptist church of long island in merrick, new york. Which happens to be the very first american church where dr. Conrad M. Bayway ever preached while visiting america in 1996 from cubata baptist church in lusaka zambia.
But grace reform baptist church Of long island in merrick, new york is having their courageous marriage conference On friday and saturday august 23rd and 24th, and it will feature their keynote speaker The best-selling author. Dr. Joe Rigney.
If you want to register for this courageous marriage conference Friday and saturday august 23rd and 24th at grace reform baptist church of long island in merrick, new york. Go to their website grace reform baptist church .org grace reform baptist church org.
And now uh hensworth we have reached uh the next radical Uh thing that we need to address before we go off the air radical resistance, please explain.
Well, we are living in a time of pluralism where we are being challenged to privatize our faith. And assimilate into the culture. And we are going to have to decide whether we're going to be courageous for the gospel of jesus christ.
Or just blend in with what the culture is demanding because there's strong pressure for accreditation for approbation and so My um Book is challenging believers, especially reformed believers uh to make sure that they accept the notion of uh exclusivity.
Hmm we cannot have a contempt for exclusivity. We must understand that christ has called us to stand out for him uh to be uh. Even lone rangers at time for him to accept even obscurity and derision for him uh, because his call is that we will never Uh privatize our faith we will shout it from the rooftops.
It doesn't mean that we become offensive. But we accept the offense of the gospel and embrace it also. We should have no conflict of interest. We should Establish in our hearts and minds that we are prepared to go down trusting our god and Embrace whatever consequences he has ordained for us in being faithful uh, and so there's a there's a challenge in that regard, but also back to his this matter of affliction and understanding that the furnace The refiner's fire is a definite definite indispensable part of biblical christianity.
That we will understand that we must be prepared to to embrace all of his prunings all of The weaning that he will have us be off of this world. So that we may set our affections on things above so. Um, yes, there's going to be great temptation.
The world is going to be constantly challenging us to blend in to not become Well to be conformed to its standards and not be transformed by the renewing of our minds as we are told in romans 12 1 2. But the challenge for us is to make sure that assimilation is never something we submit.
Well, we're not going to have time to address each of the remaining areas. Addressed in hensworth jonas's book. Which include the very important subjects of radical missions radical marriage radical labor.
And radical perspective. You'll have to get the book to learn about those issues.
As.
Dr. Jonas has laid them out in this book. And if you'd like to purchase this book if you didn't have the opportunity to win it today. Or even if you did win it today and you want to get more copies. Uh for uh those that you love.
Well, uh, you can go to our sponsors cumberland valley bible book service cvbbs .com Cvbbs .com and ask for the book by hensworth jonas radical discipleship uncompromising conviction In a hostile world.
And you can make sure you tell them that it is published by heritage. Or reformation heritage books. Reformation heritage books. And once again, we want to thank the wonderful folks at reformation heritage books For their generosity today in providing us with giveaway copies to our listeners who submitted questions.
I also want to remind you folks.
Dr. Hensworth jonas's website for the east caribbean baptist mission. And that's baptist antiga, I will never pronounce it the same way that I used to again baptist antiga. And that's baptist a n t i g u a dot org.
So make sure that uh, you write that down. And please I urge everyone Take a train Plane or automobile, however, you need to get to harrisburg, pennsylvania To hear dr. Hensworth jonas preach at grace bible fellowship church of harrisburg, pennsylvania At their full conference for reformation month on the subject of sanctification.
And dr. Jonas will be preaching on saturday October 26th and sunday october 27th. For more details Go to the website of grace bible fellowship church of harrisburg, pennsylvania at grace bfc .com. Grace bfc for bible fellowship church .com.
And right now, uh pastor josh miller there at grace bible fellowship church is still in africa. And there is no Uh promotional information about this conference up on the website yet. But he assures me it will be up there quickly so at least you'll have that website to refer to later and also to get all of the Contact information and directions.
That's grace bfc .com. I am Certainly going to be there unless god has other plans and uh, that is uh, saturday and sunday october 26th and 27th Grace bible fellowship church in harrisburg, pennsylvania.
Well, dr. Hensworth jonas, please do not wait another eight years Before you come back on the program. And I had a wonderful time Edifying time challenging time interviewing you. Please return soon for another interview and I want to thank everybody who listened.
I want you all to always remember for the rest of your lives Jesus christ is a far greater savior than you are a sinner. Have a safe healthy Joyful and christ honoring weekend and lord's day. God bless.