5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Jesus is the light of the world, and because He lives in us, we can demonstrate His character. In our conversation, in our actions, in every area of life, we can seek to glorify the Lord, and in so doing, we have the potential to impact hearts for the Savior. He guides us in His truth, He illuminates our path, and gives us the light that we need in order to know how to navigate through this world. We can be challenged to gravitate toward the light, and hopefully, people will gravitate toward Him through us.
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In Philippians 2, we read this passage that can bring hope and focus for our lives:
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
The National Religious Broadcasters annual convention has concluded now and most attendees are making their way back to their homes, in some cases through some rather treacherous weather conditions, hopefully full of information that can help to motivate and equip them to be more effective in their communities and their ministries and organizations.
This year's NRB International Christian Media Convention had the theme, "Proclaim," and the sessions dealt with various areas in which Christian communicators can share the message of the gospel. One day was devoted to film and entertainment, the next informed those attending about the nature of Islam, its threat to our world, and the importance of sharing Christ with Muslims. Another day focused on using digital media more effectively, and the final day, yesterday, concentrated on areas of public policy.
For years, Faith Radio and The Meeting House have had a booth in the exhibit hall, which provides a great hub through which members of our team can connect with others in ministry. My primary role at the convention is to conduct interviews with a variety of different, influential people who are attending. Not only was I able to hear from a number of Faith Radio programmers, but I also talked with some of the convention speakers and ministry representatives.
There were a variety of topics that I covered during these conversations, and you will hearing more coverage here on the program in the days and weeks to come.
In thinking on some of the common threads of the convention, I came up with three areas that can be lessons for all of us. For one thing, we are not to be isolated. NRB reminds us that we are co-laboring with so many ministries around the world to share, to "proclaim," as the event title suggests, the message of the gospel. I spoke with representatives of a variety of ministries, such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Luis Palau Association, and CV, which stands for Christian Vision, which has launched the new Internet-based yesHEis campaign. Wayne Pederson of Reach Beyond, heard here on Faith Radio, shared about how that ministry is combining radio and medical missions to impact communities for the gospel.
I was also reminded that we are not immune to faith challenges. I had the opportunity to discuss some of these challenges to the expression of our faith, and you will be hearing some content in that arena today. Thanks to the Family Research Council, I was privileged to speak with Christian bakers, Aaron and Melissa Klein, who face financial penalties because they would not participate in a gay wedding by designing a specialty cake for the event. There's Craig James from FRC, who lost his job as a sportscaster because of comments he had made endorsing traditional marriage - comments that were not even on the air on the network that had hired him, And, David and Jason Benham walked me through some of their experiences in losing the opportunity to do a cable network reality show thanks to their faith. In all of these instances, I believe they have demonstrated a resolve to follow and proclaim Christ and to abide in His peace and presence.
This week at NRB, Family Research Council released the results of a poll showing that the overwhelming majority of Americans surveyed - 81% - agree that government should leave people free to follow their beliefs about marriage as they live their daily lives at work and in the way they run their businesses. The WPA Opinion Research survey also indicates that 61% of Americans agree that states and citizens should remain free to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and the Supreme Court should not force all 50 states to redefine marriage. And, 53% percent of Americans agree that marriage should be defined only as a union between one man and one woman.
In the midst of a culture where there are many who refuse to follow the principles of the gospel, we are not to be intimidated. We are the people of the truth, and God's Word and His Spirit will sustain us, even in difficult times. I had the chance to chat with Faith Radio programmers Kay Arthur, Tony Evans, Jim Daly, Dennis Rainey, and Joni Eareckson Tada, providing encouragement for us to stand strong in the faith. Christian apologists William Lane Craig, Richard Land, and Frank Turek talked with me about the importance of being equipped to defend the faith. Even though we may sense the world is growing increasingly hostile, we can continue to have hope in the Lord.
We can be challenged to shine the light of Christ in the midst of these challenging times.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
The National Religious Broadcasters annual convention has concluded now and most attendees are making their way back to their homes, in some cases through some rather treacherous weather conditions, hopefully full of information that can help to motivate and equip them to be more effective in their communities and their ministries and organizations.
This year's NRB International Christian Media Convention had the theme, "Proclaim," and the sessions dealt with various areas in which Christian communicators can share the message of the gospel. One day was devoted to film and entertainment, the next informed those attending about the nature of Islam, its threat to our world, and the importance of sharing Christ with Muslims. Another day focused on using digital media more effectively, and the final day, yesterday, concentrated on areas of public policy.
For years, Faith Radio and The Meeting House have had a booth in the exhibit hall, which provides a great hub through which members of our team can connect with others in ministry. My primary role at the convention is to conduct interviews with a variety of different, influential people who are attending. Not only was I able to hear from a number of Faith Radio programmers, but I also talked with some of the convention speakers and ministry representatives.
There were a variety of topics that I covered during these conversations, and you will hearing more coverage here on the program in the days and weeks to come.
In thinking on some of the common threads of the convention, I came up with three areas that can be lessons for all of us. For one thing, we are not to be isolated. NRB reminds us that we are co-laboring with so many ministries around the world to share, to "proclaim," as the event title suggests, the message of the gospel. I spoke with representatives of a variety of ministries, such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Luis Palau Association, and CV, which stands for Christian Vision, which has launched the new Internet-based yesHEis campaign. Wayne Pederson of Reach Beyond, heard here on Faith Radio, shared about how that ministry is combining radio and medical missions to impact communities for the gospel.
I was also reminded that we are not immune to faith challenges. I had the opportunity to discuss some of these challenges to the expression of our faith, and you will be hearing some content in that arena today. Thanks to the Family Research Council, I was privileged to speak with Christian bakers, Aaron and Melissa Klein, who face financial penalties because they would not participate in a gay wedding by designing a specialty cake for the event. There's Craig James from FRC, who lost his job as a sportscaster because of comments he had made endorsing traditional marriage - comments that were not even on the air on the network that had hired him, And, David and Jason Benham walked me through some of their experiences in losing the opportunity to do a cable network reality show thanks to their faith. In all of these instances, I believe they have demonstrated a resolve to follow and proclaim Christ and to abide in His peace and presence.
This week at NRB, Family Research Council released the results of a poll showing that the overwhelming majority of Americans surveyed - 81% - agree that government should leave people free to follow their beliefs about marriage as they live their daily lives at work and in the way they run their businesses. The WPA Opinion Research survey also indicates that 61% of Americans agree that states and citizens should remain free to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and the Supreme Court should not force all 50 states to redefine marriage. And, 53% percent of Americans agree that marriage should be defined only as a union between one man and one woman.
In the midst of a culture where there are many who refuse to follow the principles of the gospel, we are not to be intimidated. We are the people of the truth, and God's Word and His Spirit will sustain us, even in difficult times. I had the chance to chat with Faith Radio programmers Kay Arthur, Tony Evans, Jim Daly, Dennis Rainey, and Joni Eareckson Tada, providing encouragement for us to stand strong in the faith. Christian apologists William Lane Craig, Richard Land, and Frank Turek talked with me about the importance of being equipped to defend the faith. Even though we may sense the world is growing increasingly hostile, we can continue to have hope in the Lord.
We can be challenged to shine the light of Christ in the midst of these challenging times.
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