Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: AFP
Program Code: AFP000181A
|
00:00 ...
01:00 male announcer: This presentation is brought to you 01:02 by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. 01:07 [music] 01:11 Doug Batchelor: How many of you would say you believe there 01:14 is corruption in politics? 01:18 And so, should a Christian vote? 01:22 announcer: For over 40 years, "Amazing Facts" has been 01:26 dedicated to sharing God's Word through media. 01:29 This program features highlights from some 01:31 of our best television broadcasts. 01:34 We invite you to sit back and enjoy this edition of 01:37 "Amazing Facts Presents." 01:44 Doug: Well, our message today is one that has the potential to 01:49 be divisive, but I want it to be uniting. 01:55 Usually when you're talking about religion, 01:57 that in itself can be divisive. 01:59 And then if you add something that has a political overtone, 02:04 you've got the potential for fireworks. 02:08 And the sermon is very simply "Should a Christian Vote?" 02:12 The Bible says, Psalm 146, verse 3, 02:15 "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, 02:19 in whom there is no help. 02:21 His spirit departs, and he returns to his earth; 02:24 in that very day his thoughts," and some versions say, 02:27 "his plans perish." 02:30 Now, I make it--need to make it clear I don't believe any 02:33 candidate is the supreme answer for the woes of the world. 02:35 There's only one Savior, and that's when God became a man. 02:39 But how do we as Christians relate? 02:42 We're right now in the throes of another intense, 02:46 a very inflammatory at times political season. 02:51 And I've received a lot of questions. 02:53 "Pastor Doug, how should Christians relate to the issue 02:57 of voting since there is so much corruption? 03:01 Should we just run the other direction? 03:02 After all, we're citizens of another kingdom." 03:04 Others have thought we ought to be using our influence for good, 03:08 and they would like to see every church become a polling station. 03:12 And so, you'd be amazed, even within our specific 03:16 denomination, people are polls apart, 03:20 pardon the pun, on this issue. 03:23 And so, I've prayed about this for years, 03:25 I've studied it, and looked into our church history a little bit, 03:29 and I'd like to share with you these different points. 03:32 And I'm just going to march through them. 03:33 And if you'd pray for me as I talk because I want 03:35 to make sure to be understood. 03:37 And this is in no way intended to be an endorsement for any 03:41 party or person. 03:43 I'm just talking about principles. 03:44 What are the Christian principles 03:46 and attitudes about this? 03:47 First and foremost, point number one, 03:51 we need to remember Christians are primarily, 03:54 primarily citizens of another kingdom. 03:58 Jesus made it clear, John 18:36, 04:01 "My kingdom is not of this world. 04:04 If my kingdom were of this world, 04:06 my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered 04:09 to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here." 04:12 Now, you notice he said, "Now my kingdom is not from here." 04:15 Will Jesus' kingdom someday reign supreme in this world? 04:19 But right now, there's a contest between two principle leaders, 04:23 Jesus being one, the devil being the other, 04:25 and a lot of people sort of in between. 04:28 Luke 17, verse 20, Jesus said, "The kingdom of God 04:32 does not come with observation; nor will they say, 04:35 'Look here,' or 'look there,' for indeed, 04:37 the kingdom of God is within you." 04:39 So, Jesus reigns in our hearts, he is our Lord, 04:43 he is our King. 04:44 But that said, is there anything wrong with a Christian feeling 04:49 some feelings, or having some emotions 04:52 or some ideals of patriotism? 04:55 I think not. 04:57 Loving the country you're from--and it's fun, 04:59 you know, as I travel with Mrs. Batchelor, 05:01 we go to allhese different countries in different parts 05:03 of the world, and people are always very happy to tell us 05:07 about their heritage and their food. 05:10 And, "Oh, we've got--in our country, 05:12 we've got the best food." 05:14 And if you're in their country and you say something about how 05:17 much you enjoy their country, or you say something to them 05:20 in their language--and everybody, you know, 05:22 we kind of feel a little bit defensive about our nation. 05:27 And that's not necessarily wrong. 05:29 How did Jesus feel? 05:31 Did he pray, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often." 05:35 And even Jacob, when he was carried off, 05:38 or when he and the family were in Egypt--Jacob died in Egypt. 05:43 What did he say about where he wanted to be buried? 05:45 He said, "I don't want to be buried in Egypt." 05:47 Why not? 05:49 I mean, you can get resurrected, get a new body. 05:50 Said, "No, take my bones back home." 05:53 Joseph told the children of Israel on his deathbed, 05:56 "Don't bury me here. Bury me back where I was born." 05:59 He hadn't been there in 100 years. 06:01 Well, maybe 7 years, but he wanted to beuried back home. 06:05 My dad left Oklahoma at 15, and for some reason, 06:10 of all the places he lived, even though he was in Miami 30 years, 06:13 he had his body flown back to Oklahoma, 06:15 buried next to his folks. 06:16 Karen and Nathan just stopped at his grave a couple of weeks ago. 06:20 We're all kind of wired for a little bit of patriotism. 06:24 And it doesn't mean that the country does everything right, 06:27 but that's not necessarily wrong. 06:28 It's almost to some extent natural. 06:31 The concept of voting or choosing leaders 06:35 is actually biblical. 06:39 You can--let me just look at the definition for vote 06:41 for a moment here. 06:43 A vote is a formal indication of a choice between two or more 06:47 candidates or courses of action, expressed typically through a 06:51 ballot, or a show of hands, or by a voice. 06:56 Now, we vote all the time even in churches. 06:59 Just a moment ago, we voted members in. 07:02 And when we have our nominating committee, 07:04 which is always a little bit of a challenging time, 07:08 we nominate people, we sift it down, we elect people. 07:13 And you see this principle in the Bible. 07:15 Look, for example, Deuteronomy 1:13. 07:18 Moses said, "Choose wise, understanding, 07:20 and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, 07:24 and I will make them heads over you." 07:26 Acts 1:23, New Testament. "And they proposed two." 07:30 They're trying to find a replacement for Judas. 07:34 "One called Joseph called Barsabas, 07:36 who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 07:40 And the lot fell to Matthias, but they chose the two 07:42 to cast lots for. 07:45 Acts 6:2, "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven 07:48 men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, 07:52 whom we might appoint over this business." 07:53 And I don't know if they asked for nominations, 07:55 and one said, "Oh, how about Philip?" 07:58 And someone else said, "How about Stephen?" 08:00 And they nominated different people, 08:02 and the elders came together. 08:04 And I'm not sure how they did it, 08:05 but they finally came up with seven names. 08:09 And was that a good thing to pick those seven deacons? 08:11 But you--are you aware that one of the seven, 08:15 whose name was Nicholas of Antioch, a convert, he went bad? 08:21 You read in Revelation about the doctrine of the Nicolaitans 08:24 which thing I hate. 08:25 Nicholas started out good, full of the Holy Spirit, 08:29 but he went bad. 08:30 And so, from then on, the disciples said, 08:32 "We're not voting for anyone ever again 08:34 because they could go bad." 08:37 That's not really clear thinking. 08:38 They went bad. 08:40 Who made Lucifer? Was he a good angel? 08:45 His going bad was his responsibility. 08:49 Who picked King Saul to be king? 08:52 Now it is true the people said, "Give us a king," 08:54 but the people didn't pick King Saul. 08:56 God picked Saul. 08:57 They had no idea who God was going to pick. 08:59 God picked Saul, filled him with the Spirit, 09:02 and for a while he was a good king. 09:04 But then Saul, pride went to him, he went bad. 09:08 So, did God make a mistake? 09:10 So, the point I'm making is you can't say, 09:13 "I'm never going to pick anybody for anything 09:15 because who knows what they might do." 09:18 Are we really going to go through life that way? 09:19 That's why you're saying, you know, 09:21 you don't want any risk or don't give anybody a chance. 09:24 And you, you know, sometimes have to make decisions based on 09:27 what you know at the time you make the decision, 09:30 and then you pray for the best. 09:32 People are going to be responsible for if they keep 09:34 their promises, right? 09:37 Sometimes, I'll meet people that are asking 09:38 for a little financial help. 09:40 And I'll say, "Now, are you going to use this for food? 09:42 Or are you going to the liquor store?" 09:44 "I'm starving." 09:45 I give it to them in good faith. 09:47 I don't always follow them around to find out 09:49 what happened. 09:51 If they go to the liquor store instead of the grocery story, 09:54 am I responsible, or are they responsible? 09:57 So, you're trusting the promise. 10:00 And so, that's another principle in life. 10:03 Should Christians allow political parties 10:05 to divide them? 10:07 There were times in the 1800s where political parties 10:12 were just extremely divided, something like today, right? 10:16 And people were going to church wearing buttons 10:19 for the Republican party, or the Whig party, 10:21 or the Democratic party, whatever the party was. 10:23 And they were campaigning in the aisles. 10:25 And churches were breaking out into fights over politics. 10:29 And they didn't even know who the candidate was yet. 10:32 It was the party that they were fighting over. 10:34 As Christians, we shouldn't be doing that. 10:38 When someone says, "I'm convinced about this political 10:40 view," or someone says, "I'm voting this way," 10:43 say, "Praise God, we're in America, and we're free 10:46 to make those choices." 10:47 Don't feel like you've got to twist everybody's arm 10:50 to think like you. 10:51 And to their master they will stand or fall, amen? 10:56 1 Corinthians 3, verse 3 and 4. 10:59 Paul said, "For you are still carnal. 11:02 For where there is envy, strife, and disions among you, 11:05 are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 11:08 For where one says, 'I am of Paul,' and the other 11:11 one says, 'I am of Apollos.'" 11:12 Here they were, it's like they were lining 11:14 up behind different apostles, 11:16 and turned it into a political campaign. 11:18 He says, "Are you not carnal?" 11:20 Now, I think when it comes to the issues that have some moral 11:25 relevance, it is important for Christians to vote. 11:28 So, you're going to hear me say several things that sound like 11:31 they're in favor of voting, and what I'm talking about is voting 11:35 for principles and issues that Christians should support. 11:40 I'll give you some examples of that in a moment. 11:43 Voting demonstrates that we respect the authority of the 11:46 political system in our nation established by God. 11:49 How do we get leaders, good or bad? 11:54 They're picked by the people. 11:56 Seventy percent of America is still Christian, 12:02 in spite of all that you hear in how values are changing. the press about 12:04 And they are changing. 12:05 I think I saw a new Pew research study that was done this week, 12:10 came out Wednesday. 12:13 that says 50% of those who stop going to church don't even 12:15 believe in God anymore. 12:17 And the way they gave the study, it almost sounded like 50% of 12:20 American's don't believe in God, but it's not what--that's the 12:22 way the press was reporting it, but it's not true. 12:26 Of those who leave church, 50% that have left church 12:31 don't believe in God. 12:32 But 70% in North America claim Christianity, 12:36 not to count all the other religions. 12:38 We're still a very religious country. 12:41 And so, if people don't represent their values in the 12:47 government, well, then you're going to kind of deserve 12:49 what you get because this is the government 12:51 that God's established in our country. 12:53 Let me read what Paul says. 12:55 Romans 13:1 and 2, "Let everyone be subject 12:58 to the governing authorities. 13:04 For there is no and the authorities that authority except for from God, exist are appointed by God. 13:07 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance 13:10 of God, and those who resist will 13:13 bring judgment on themselves." 13:14 And Romans 13:7, "Pay to all what is owed them: taxes to whom 13:19 taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, 13:22 respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." 13:26 In other words, be faithful to fulfill whatever your civic 13:30 duties are, whether it's taxes or whether it's sharing 13:34 your voice in your neighborhood association about 13:38 what should be used on the roof of the house. 13:41 I mean, there's all kinds of ways that we're involved 13:43 in civil responsibilities. 13:45 Now, you remember when the children of Israel were sent off 13:48 to Babylon because of their bad behavior, 13:52 they didn't like the idea of staying there. 13:54 But God said, "You're going to be here 70 years." 13:56 Jeremiah 29 said in verse 5 and 6, 13:59 "While you're there, build houses, 14:00 dwell in them; plant gardens, eathe fruit of them. 14:02 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; 14:05 take wives for your sons. 14:07 Give your daughters to their husbands so they may bear sons 14:10 and daughters, that you may be in increased, 14:12 and not diminished." 14:14 And then he went on to say in verse 7, 14:16 "And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be 14:19 carried away captive." 14:20 Now, they were sort of in a foreign land, 14:22 but he said, "You're going to be citizens of that country. 14:24 Be good citizens. 14:25 Even though you are really children of Israel, 14:28 be good citizens in the country that you're in. 14:31 Pray for the peace of that country." 14:34 In other words, do all you can do because in its peace, 14:36 you'll have peace. 14:38 What happens to that country is going to affect you. 14:40 So, we should be interested in what happens to our country 14:43 while we're still here. 14:44 While they were in Babylon, he said, 14:45 "You ought to care about Babylon. 14:47 Pray for Babylon because what happens to Babylon 14:49 is going to happen to you." 14:51 So, as Americans, as Christians, we sort of have, 14:55 like, dual citizenship. 14:58 We are principally kingdom of God, 15:01 children of Christ, but we've got to occupy 15:05 till he comes back. 15:07 Now, this has been a struggle for the church through the ages. 15:09 You realize--you read the New Testament, 15:11 the apostles believed when Jesus said, 15:14 "I will come again," how long did you think they thought 15:17 that would be? 15:20 They thought at least by the destruction of Jerusalem, 15:22 that was it. 15:23 They equated the destruction of the temple 15:24 with the end of the world. 15:26 And New Testament closes, John says, 15:28 "Even so, come Lord Jesus." 15:30 Do you think John knew it was going to be another 1,900 years? 15:35 Matter of fact, Paul had to calm him down. 15:38 He had a little more insight, he said, 15:39 "Don't get all worked up thinking that the day of the 15:41 Lord is at hand. 15:43 Some things have to happen first." 15:45 Jesus said, "Occupy until I come." 15:49 As a Christian, you want to plan for 1,000 years, 15:52 and live like you might die tomorrow. 15:55 When it comes to being a citizen, 15:56 don't just think what's going to happen to me. 15:59 I don't know if you remember the story in the Bible where 16:01 Hezekiah, he was sick, and God work a miracle, 16:06 he healed him, and to prove the miracle, 16:08 the sun went backward 10 degrees. 16:10 How many of you remember that? 16:11 Isaiah 39, it's also in the Book of Kings and Chronicles. 16:16 Then the ambassadors came from Babylon to find out about their 16:19 God that had done this, the Jewish God. 16:22 And instead of Hezekiah showing them the God of Israel, 16:26 he showed them all his stuff. 16:27 Showed them his treasures, and his armory, and his jewels. 16:30 And Isaiah came to him later and said, 16:32 "What did they see in your house?" 16:34 He said, "Oh, I showed them all my stuff." 16:35 He said, "You didn't show them God?" 16:36 "No." 16:39 He said, "Thus sayeth the Lord, the day's coming when the 16:41 Babylonians will come, and they're going to take your sons 16:44 and make them eunuchs in the palace of Babylon." 16:47 That's like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 16:49 They're going to take all your treasures. 16:51 Everything you showed them is going to get carried off. 16:53 They're going to take your treasure. 16:54 Do you know what Hezekiah said? 16:56 "Good is the Word of the Lord. 16:58 At least there will be peace in my day." 17:00 Now, is that the right attitude? "At least I'm healthy*." 17:05 And so, when you're thinking about, 17:08 "Well, you know, I don't care about what the 17:11 government does with the environment. 17:12 As long as I still have resources in my day." 17:16 Now, don't take a political view in that. 17:18 I guess it's hard not to, huh? 17:22 But the idea who you're electing, 17:25 you need to also be thinking, 17:26 "What if I have kids and grandkids? 17:29 What kind of world will they have?" 17:31 Should you care as a Christian? 17:34 Think about the reason you're free now is because people died 17:37 for your freedoms in World War I, in World War II, right? 17:42 And so, people did invest. And people did vote. 17:46 And so, there were principles that have kept us free, 17:49 and I think we ought to be concerned about those things. 17:53 Voting for the right principles demonstrates we care about 17:56 who our leaders are. 17:58 1 Timothy 2, verse 1 and 2, "Therefore I exhort you 18:01 first of all that supplications and prayers, 18:04 intercession, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 18:07 for kings and all who are in authority, 18:09 that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life 18:13 in goodness and reverence." 18:14 We should care that we might have a quiet and peaceable life. 18:18 Let me read something to you from Tubaio page 115, 18:23 "Christians should always submit to government authority as long 18:26 as the laws do not violate the commandments of God 18:30 or a biblical principle. 18:32 The act of voting, when exercised on behalf of justice, 18:36 humanity, and right is in itself blameless, 18:40 and may be at times highly proper." 18:44 You know, Mark Twain, who was not a Christian--he waffled 18:48 between being agnostic, atheist, and Christian. 18:51 If you read his writings, he freely admits that. 18:53 Here's what he said, "A Christian's first duty is to 18:56 God, and it follows as a matter of course that his duty to carry 19:00 out his Christian code to the polls and devote them. 19:03 If Christians should vote their duty to God at the polls, 19:06 they would carry every election, and do it with ease. 19:13 It would bring about a moral revolution that would 19:15 be incalculably beneficent. 19:18 It would save the country." 19:20 That's what Mark Twain said. 19:23 "It's a privilege. If not exercised, it can be lost." 19:26 Voting is a privilege that has been hard won. 19:31 You know, a lot of countries don't have the freedom 19:33 that we have. 19:34 Since America, more and more countries have had democratic 19:38 representation, and there have been many wars that have been 19:41 fought, a lot of blood that has been shed to give the right of 19:44 the vote to the people. 19:45 You've heard the expression, "If you don't use it, 19:48 you may lose it." 19:50 I don't know if you're aware that during the deliberations 19:54 concerning the constitutional convention in 1787, 19:57 they were held in strict secrecy. 19:59 So consequentially, while that was happening, 20:01 all the citizens had their ears to the window and the door 20:04 to find out what the founding fathers were going 20:05 to come up with. 20:07 I know the declaration was 1776, but the constitutional 20:10 convention was 1787. 20:12 One lady in Philadelphia named Powell, 20:15 when they opened the doors and they came out, 20:17 she said right away to Franklin, "Dr. Franklin, 20:20 what kind of government are you giving us, 20:22 a monarchy or a republic?" 20:24 And without even hesitation, he said, 20:27 "A republic, madam, if you can keep it." 20:31 If you can keep it. 20:32 Because he recognized that the tendency of corruption in 20:36 government, they'll want to monopolize the power. 20:39 And if we don't use the vote, you lose it. 20:43 Not voting is actually a form of voting, 20:46 as it will influence the outcome. 20:48 We need to take responsibility for our actions 20:52 and our inactions. 20:54 I've heard people say, "Well I'm afraid to vote because 20:57 then I might be linked to anything these people 20:59 do wrong in office." 21:01 Well, you also might be linked bnot voting. 21:04 And so, that idea of just omitting responsibility makes me 21:10 think about that parable in Luke 10. 21:12 It says, "Now by chance a man fell among thieves, 21:15 and a priest walked by. 21:16 And he saw that a crime had just been committed." 21:18 And he thought, "Well, I don't want to get involved." 21:21 "And he passed by on the other side." 21:24 And I don't believe that Christians should always be 21:27 crossing the road and passing by when policies and leadership 21:32 is being chosen. 21:33 I think as far as possible, we ought to pray for wisdom, 21:36 and make intelligent choices, and do what will be the best for 21:39 the proclamation of the gospel. 21:42 Jesus said, "Occupy until I come." 21:45 They were--you know, sometimes Jesus said, 21:47 "He who is not with me," this is Luke 11:23, 21:50 "is against me. 21:51 He who does not gather with me scatters." 21:52 You might say, "I don't want to get involved." 21:54 Jesus says, "No, you can't. 21:55 Sometimes, you have to be involved." 21:56 And as a citizen in a country where things are happening, 22:00 I think sometimes--I'm not talking about campaigning and 22:02 getting involved in policies, but at least use that one vote 22:07 that you've got for policies and principles of good. 22:10 Edmond Burke said, "All that is required for evil to prevail is 22:16 for good men to do nothing." 22:21 One of the things about voting we shouldn't pass by quickly 22:24 is that voting supports the equality of all people 22:28 and their right to speak. 22:31 That's something that is very valuable for Christians. 22:33 Deuteronomy 10, verse 17, "For the Lord your God is God 22:38 of gods, a Lord of lords, a great and awesome, 22:41 who shows no partiality or takes bribes. 22:45 He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow. 22:49 He loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing." 22:52 Rich and poor, doesn't matter to God. 22:54 Acts 17, "And he has made of one blood all nations of men for to 22:59 dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined their times 23:02 before appointed in the bounds of the habitation." 23:05 Acts 10:34, "Peter opened his mouth and said, 23:08 'Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. 23:12 But in every nation, he that fears him and works 23:15 righteousness is accepted with him.'" 23:17 One of the things amazing about America 23:20 and the vote is that every person, 23:22 assuming you're old enough to vote, 23:24 because it is an important decision and you need to be 23:26 informed, everyone gets a vote. 23:31 It doesn't matter what your race is, 23:32 doesn't matter what your gender is, 23:35 doesn't matter how much money you have. 23:36 A millionaire doesn't get two votes, gets one vote. 23:39 Poor person, one vote. 23:42 That says something about the equality of every human 23:46 that I think is precious. 23:48 I'll close with an amazing fact. 23:50 You know I like history. 23:52 When the Lewis and Clark expedition went, 23:56 they were sent by Thomas Jefferson across the United 23:59 States in like 1803 to 1805. 24:03 Theyere looking at land they'd never seen before. 24:06 And after incredible struggles, they finally made it. 24:09 They thought they were going to take a boat 24:10 all the way to the Pacific. 24:11 They had to carry their boat over the mountains, 24:13 and finally abandon the boat, and nearly starved to death 24:15 getting over the Rockies and the Sierras, 24:18 and came down into the valley up there in Southern Washington. 24:23 And they had to decide, "We're going to have to 24:29 spend the winter here." 24:31 They said, "Do we spend--" There were 33 of them, 24:34 including captains Clark--Meriwether Lewis 24:38 and William Clark. 24:39 And they said, "Do we stay on the coast, 24:42 where we might see a ship, probably a little warmer 24:45 climate, but it's going to rain more, 24:47 we're going to be wet all the time? 24:48 We don't know if there will be more food here 24:50 or more food inland. 24:51 And really they said, "If we're inland, 24:53 we're not going to see if a ship comes to get supplies." 24:55 There are very few ships that came through back in the 1800s 24:59 because, I mean, they hadn't even settled California. 25:00 And they said, "Well, what do we do?" 25:03 They said, "Let's vote." 25:05 And so, there were 33 of them. 25:09 There was an Indian girl named Sacajawea. 25:12 There was a slave named York. Captain Clark, Captain Lewis. 25:18 And they said, "Everybody gets one vote." 25:20 And that was the first time in American history basically that 25:23 they had equality for everybody because slaves did not get a 25:26 vote right away, women did not get the vote right away. 25:29 That was the first time. 25:31 And they all voted. They said, "Let's stay on the coast." 25:33 All but one said, "Let's stay on the coast." 25:35 But they all went with the popular vote. 25:38 And the neat thing is, because they stayed together as one 25:41 unit, they all survived the trip there and the trip back. 25:46 Someone said once, "If you want to go fast, you go alone. 25:50 But if you want to go far, you go together." 25:54 And so, I don't know about you, but I'd like to go far. 25:57 And so, we need to go together. 26:00 Remembering principally that we are citizens of a better kingdom 26:04 than any that's in the world today, amen? 26:10 Doug: You know, friends, everyone is interested 26:12 in what the Bible says about the future. 26:14 And we know Bible prophecy talks about some of the ancient 26:17 kingdoms like Babylon, Medo-Persia, Rome. 26:20 But you might be surprised to learn the Book of Revelation 26:23 in chapter 13 talks very specifically 26:26 about the United States of America. 26:29 And we have a study guide that explains it all. 26:31 We'll make it available to you for free. 26:33 If you'd like to get this free resource, 26:35 visit amazingfacts.org, or call the phone number on your screen 26:40 and ask for offer number 181. 26:43 And once you get your free offer, 26:45 make sure and read it, and then share it with someone else 26:48 because God's message is our mission. 26:52 announcer: Can't get enough "Amazing Facts" Bible study? 26:55 You don't have to wait until next week to enjoy more 26:57 truth-filled programming. 26:59 Visit the "Amazing Facts" media library at aftv.org. 27:04 At aftv.org, you can enjoy video and audio presentations, 27:09 as well as printed material, all free of charge 24 hours a day, 27:13 7 days a week right from your computer or mobile device. 27:17 Visit aftv.org. 27:27 announcer: "Amazing Facts" began in 1965 27:30 with a God-inspired concept. 27:33 Joe Cruz: Hello, this is Joe Cruz on the "Amazing Facts" 27:35 broadcast, facts which affect you. 27:38 announcer: Each radio broadcast would begin with an 27:40 amazing fact from science, nature, 27:43 or history, followed by a Bible message that touched the hearts 27:46 of listeners from every walk of life. 27:49 The program was an instant success, 27:52 and the ministry soon began expanding to include 27:55 Bible lessons. 27:56 In 1986, Amazing Facts added the medium of television to its 28:00 growing outreach efforts, offering soul-winning 28:03 evangelistic messages for viewers around the world. 28:07 In 1994, Pastor Doug Batchelor assumed leadership of the 28:12 ministry, adding the Bible Answers Live call-in radio 28:15 program, and new ministry TV programs began airing on 28:19 multiple networks around the world. 28:22 For 50 years, the driving vision of Amazing Facts has been the 28:27 bold proclamation of the everlasting gospel. 28:30 And with a team of evangelists circling the globe, 28:33 and thousands of men and women being trained through the 28:36 Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism program, 28:38 AFCOE, the ministry is helping God's church 28:42 see a rich harvest of souls. 28:44 Amazing Facts, God's message, our mission. 28:49 [music] 28:52 [music] 29:02 [music] 29:12 [music] 29:22 announcer: This presentation was brought to you 29:23 by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. |
Revised 2016-10-14