Sixty's those cuts were opposed by Southern segregationists Senator Robert Byrd threaten to filibuster f. Kennedy put forth both a tax cut and a civil rights bill he knew that lowering taxes would increase growth causing business to hire more African-Americans are growth this recovery has helped spawn high unemployment among youth and minorities killing a spike in extremist groups of both left and right it's time to cut taxes and get those idle hands to work I'm Jerry boy or. Whatever got interrupts people it's always a sign that greater is on the way faster Brian the Ritz senior pastor at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View God doesn't interrupt you to get on your nerves he interrupts you to reroute you and when he reroutes you he realigns you with His will and when you're realigned with his will that means greater is on the way don't miss inspired to live with Pastor Brian Ritz weekdays at 2 pm right here on am 1100 k. F. a X. . And now back to life line with Craig Roberts we are told that we should go out and share the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ to join the Samarium the uttermost parts of the earth and if you're young believe or a new believe you maybe wonder what exactly does that mean Well essentially it says to share initially in your your local neighborhood in your immediate sphere of influence your friends your family the people that you work with your next door neighbors things of that sort then a little bit further beyond that a little broader realm of its influence and then also to have that sense of of passion and burden and prayerful is for people in other parts of the world to perhaps don't look like us don't speak like us don't think like us but nevertheless for whom Christ died and that's the World Evangelism aspect of that uttermost parts of the earth one bay area church that kind of has that down pat is our friends over in Redwood City at Grace Bible church with us today in studio as Pastor Steve convers He is also by the way the speaker on graceful truth heard on k f a x a Sunday afternoons at 3. Piano Pastor Steve good to see you again good to be here Craig I just got out of prison I was in prison for a week. And then I caught up with the day they caught up with me now I played the Apostle Paul so I was chained to a Roman guard all last week for every b.s. For a family that isn't for it good to be here with you to see to free once again and and and hopefully all of the straight narrow. Let's talk a bit about that sense that burden that your church in particular has a lot of churches focus on the the Judea and scenario part of their ministry and rightfully so they have been called to minister to an area a neighborhood and reach that area help grow the body of believers there provide shepherding discipleship so on and so forth but that greater vision of the uttermost parts of the earth some churches do a great job at it some churches don't quite have it on the radar screen and all I care is in your case specifically related to Grace Bible why is that on your radar screen Well it it it always has been as far as the inception of the church the church was actually founded as a missions church it was started by a group of businessmen back in 1988 I think in and they were attending a local church in Redwood City and one of them had a I think a relative who was of a missionary with some organization and the church they were going to was an American Baptist Church and when they brought up the subject of bringing their nephew on and supporting him as a missionary. The nomination would allow it so these businessmen quietly kind of left that church and started Grace Bible Church of the non-denominational Bible Church in which they could support whoever missionary they wanted and so it's always had that missions flavor but to be honest it's always been about sending the check and very good at supporting the missionaries that came up through our congregation as they went out we even support the retired missionary. Still even though they're retired we still issue them checks every month and we just feel that's part of our our commitment to them but it was probably 10 years ago we had a individual start coming to our church he was from India and he was working here in the Bay Area and eventually. Was married and his it is him and his wife began coming to our church and he brought up the idea of Have you ever thought of going actually on a missions trip to some of these places you support and I thought sure that be great you want to organize it and he agreed to do that and so the 1st trip that we went on was back and the 2014 went to response go to Thailand 1st and then India but there was a lot of political unrest in Thailand so we couldn't go so we ended up just going to India and he knew growing up there a ministry that. He was able to validate and there's a lot of needs over there and sometimes you don't know who to support and so it was very gracious of him the kind of point in the right direction and so we went over and 2014 my wife and I and him basically from our church and just kind of an exploratory mission to meet these folks and we did and they have a home there that ministers to about 18250 children and a lot of these children are orphaned they have no parents at all and. Almost immediately my wife and I. Fell in love with these these 2 sisters who had lost their parents and so we agreed to kind of bring them on and help support them and when we came back and we kind of shared this vision with the church. It was amazing to us to realize that wow people really responded to that and within a matter of months we had our church who individuals in our church. Were supporting up to 20 of these children who had literally no support at all and so it was a very opening experience in I remember coming back in realizing that while they have so many needs over there. One of the 1st things had to deal with when I came back was we were remodeling a playground and we had to spend $50000.00 on this playground and I thought I can't do this you know this is this is not right but you know the elders you know we all kind of got together prayed about this reminded us that we have to have a strong base from which to send And that's you know you got to strike that balance you can't you can't you have to minister to people locally as well and so our church has always had a history of doing that but how radical was the impact in terms of the difference between simply sending the check versus going and seeing well I guess I'll say this when I came back and we gave a little presentation before the church about our trip. My wife got up and shared you know her view of what she saw and everything and it was very emotional. And I got up as a pastor and I'm not very much emotional guy at all and I don't cry very easily things like that but I was weeping in front of my car if I can control myself as I was telling them about the needs that were there in that that spoke so much to their hearts that wow this really affected you and it really it helps you grow in your appreciation for what you have here the blessings the running water the the toilets all those things and yet you realize that it's not all about that into these these folks that we minister over there who have little or nothing. Material things don't mean anything to them they really don't they don't have a. Affinity for such things the 2 gals that we started helping We took him to the mall one day and we're trying to buy him some clothes or we don't need that we don't we had to use your shoes are bad shape it up and it was almost you had to force stuff on him and they were very grateful but they just live in a whole different. World you know and it affects your ministry here because it causes you to falter you need to be grateful for you know the church that you do have been and all the facilities and in the technology and everything that's just your fingertips is it fair to say then that it breaks your heart for what you see going on the need and the opportunity from the overseas perspective and then gives you a whole different viewpoint in terms of what you have here what you do here how enormously blessed you are here yes yeah it does it really does and it 1st when you go over there and you see these needs you you want to help especially if you're a fixer like me you want to fix it you want to help everything you can the need is so great you know. Every child you help there's 50 standing in line that aren't going to get any help you know and it's it's a really gut wrenching process that you go through when you you're trying to figure out Ok where do we put these resources because you know you could. Have all the resources the road and dump it over there it would still probably wouldn't be enough because the need is so great but you know like I said what what is more important is you realize that you know what you have there are lacking in material goods and maybe basic things for everyday living but the one thing they're lacking the most is the gospel the truth and in when they connect with that and when they come to understand that nothing else matters they just want to be taught that there is that sense of a tremendous spiritual hunger about them we talked about this little off the air and that notion that while they might not be able to identify how to satisfy that spiritual hunger they might not in terms that we would understand from a scriptural viewpoint acknowledge sin salvation sanctification all of that nevertheless there is a thirst to be connected with God The difference is. Whether we understand that God came down in the form of Jesus Christ and became man and well to among us and suffered or eventually on the cross for the fulfillment of Scripture that through that suffering that shed blood we might be reconciled might obtain forgiveness and walk in fellowship with the very God himself and yet for. A 1000000000 Hindus in India most of it is about trying to reach up to right multiple gods and in many respects try to appease God I recall one time in India. Complimenting a little boy in front of his father and I was quickly scolded Until don't do that and I thought well gee he's just a cute kid what a cute little boy no don't do that because you might make the gods shell is right complimenting the young boy and not complimenting the gods if it has an adverse effect and it's a spiritual need that is I mean you have a physical the material need is there. Food all those things but the spiritual needs far outweighs that because if you get the Spiritual right God will take care of his children no matter where they're at and once the once one of these young children comes to Christ in the understand who their Savior is and they understand who the god who created them was and they realize that hey you know what he is a father to the fatherless and he is a provider for those that don't have sustenance and what happens is everything else fades away they're just they're hungry after the word they're so hungry for the Word of God over there and your heart breaks because you know I was it you passed for several years before you got into it did. Ask for your church and I remember going on the youth mission trips and you know it was all about painting rooms and building whatever and those things are are great but one thing that was lacking was the message of you know the Gospel that could change these folks' lives and yet maybe they had a new building when we left but it was definitely lacking is far as the message and in the spiritual nature of those trips and best Steve converse with us today in studio senior pastor of Grace Bible Church and also host of graceful truth truth heard Sunday afternoons at 3 30 pm right here on k. Afaics We'll take a brief timeout come back to more of our conversation right after this section of the traffic Michael Bennet in the k f a x traffic center Michael. Well thank you Craig and this report brought to you by Positive Coaching Alliance still have a similar going on in Newark this is he's down to 84 just as you pass the Dumbarton Bridge toll plazas someone dumped a huge pile of dirt and gravel in the roadway the 2 right lanes are still shut down they're trying to clear that heavy getting by in the 2 left lanes no estimated time for reopening injury crash now in San Jose this is not the want to one right at the just before the 28680 interchange a big rig in a car involved some on the right shoulder in San Jose northbound 80 of the Montague expressway a multi car crash there in the left hand law. If you're involved in youth or high school sports you need to know about Positive Coaching Alliance p.t.a. Is a national nonprofit organization developing better athletes have better people for youth in high school sports for more information visit positive Coach dot org That's traffic on am 1100 k. F. a X. The c.d.u. Online program really a state of the art the students that I work with in the field of education many of them are teaching currently So the fact that we're able to offer classes online allows teachers to work during the day pursue their education and be able to take classes online from the comfort of their own home Dr Mitchell v. For Fessor of education at California Baptist university online and professional studies is talking about the advantages of the on line platform and how students benefit from his 40 plus years of education experience you don't learn everything from a book you don't learn everything from taking a class My goal was to be able to come back and I see it sort of as my mission field an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my colleagues what is it about a c.v. Online degree that separates graduates from the rest of the field we offer not only the skills but we offer the faith based learning which I think is so important apply today for our fall session starting in September 7th 7 c b u 2775 or visit c.b. Online dot edu c.b. You online live your purpose I often hear retirement called the golden years but is Afaics. And now back to life line with Craig Roberts welcome back Pastor Steve Gondor is with us today he of course is senior pastor at Grace Bible Church located in Redwood City and you get more information by the way about both the church ministry and the radio ministry graceful truth which is heard Sundays at 3 30 pm here on simply go to Grace Bible Online dot o.-r. Jeannie That's Grace Bible online dot. What is your sense in terms of the response to the gospel message we spoke just before the break about the idea that. Mankind in an effort to try and either appease God or reach up to God goes through a lot of useless motions a lot of frustrating things lacking the understanding or the awareness that God came down once that message however is delivered what is the sense of what you saw in India of the receptivity to the good news that you don't have to appease $330.00 jealous gods that are out there that could be angry at you for any time God up in the heavens with a stick ready to beat you over the head if you dare cross him in any fashion but rather a loving kind compassionate. Just God who loves His creation so much that he sacrificed his only son because he wants to have fellowship that he in fact longs for a relationship with us more than we do with him right yet you know I think that the response really is the same whether it's here in the United States or in India you know growing up as a Roman Catholic I mean I can identify with a lot of what they go through in trying to appease God because that's what we did. And so you know you have to come to terms and understand that you know what any response that you get from people is going to be a response that God generates You know it's not based on you know which which track we share with them or what with the messages is God working in their hearts and you know we have to be true to share the gospel that Jesus did come down and that he does what he said long for that intimate relationship with his creation and that can happen when we turn from our sin and turn to the Savior who died on the cross for us in once that happens there's a renewed there's a transformation that takes place you know there's a new way of thinking there's a there's a new desire and it replaces all those performance goal oriented desires that were before and for the 1st time you realize well you know what you can come before God and you don't have to do the dance to get the hug from God and the revelation of that shift from from a a guild filled life don't get motivated live to a grace filled life. Is pretty revolutionary isn't it just in terms of impacting every aspects of one's life and we normally think in terms as you've shared of you know our our financial wellbeing and our situational wellbeing but I think for a lot of people once their spiritual being has been handled they recognise hey we're not laying the pressures down here anyway they're all being laid up in heaven that's very it's all about having that proper perspective on 1st of all who God is and then secondly who we are in once you get those 2 right that God is holy that God is just that God is perfect in every way yet he desires a relationship with us who are not were sinful beings at the very core and we need a remedy for that and that's where the story of the Gospel that Christ came down and in gave his life for us that that we can put our faith in His sacrifice though that we don't. After can to new to sacrifice in those those areas as far as you know we can't go before God in a piece him with with giving our own life because it wouldn't be a perfect sacrifice only Christ can do that and the Bible says that the christ was the only sacrifice once for all and once you understand that it allows you to kind of relax a little bit in your relationship with God to realize that well that's why the Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus because you know what it's God who established that relationship with us and even if you know we were given the opportunity over and over again without God's direct intervention in our life we would never come to Christ or to prideful it were to fill it with sin you know it's God who does that work in our hearts and really that that theology of the sovereignty of God helps you deal with some of these hard issues when you go to the mission field and you see all this suffering and you realize you can't fix this and yet you have to. Still put that under the sovereignty of God for whatever reason God is allowing this to happen and maybe you can help in a little corner of the world somewhere but you're not going to make all poverty go away I mean Jesus said that himself a lot of this is also demonstrative I would imagine of the need for very clear very foundational structured Bible teaching and I asked that question because Nan kind loves to head off in multiple directions and Scripture warns us about those with you know it seniors that are just looking for teachers that will say things that makes make the sin less real and I would imagine particularly in an environment like India where there is the influence of cults the all cults Hinduism. Diverse aspects of spirituality that when someone comes to faith in Christ that a firm foundation of solid discipleship really becomes important doesn't it yeah and it's no different for them that it is for us it's true is that we said a lot of the church I'd have absolutely no unless you're teaching the fundamentals of the faith you're teaching your folks who God is and who we are and how that interaction happens in basic doctrine and theology you know I talk to sometime we don't teach doctrine you know if people be too bored what do you hear what you mean you know how can you have a church and not teach about the God that has given us the church so it's it's you know fait