Radio Antioch

Dave dancing with the children in Ngaramtoni, Tanzania, outside of Arusha

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast, Episode 3 .

How do you learn to really worship the Lord? I began in my private time with God. Some of you might call that the “Prayer Closet”.  Many years ago I received a prophetic word that I would become a man who would dance before the Lord. At the time I did not receive it, as I was not the type of person to be dancing in church. For a long time I forgot about this word, until I remembered it recently, with a chuckle.
You see, in Africa I have been called Mazungu Moja Mchezo, the white man who dances,  (With apologies to Swahili speakers out there…my Swahili is very rough, but I try and write it down as I remember it sounding, Mazungu (sometimes Wazungu) meaning white man (Or European) and Mchezo meaning dances.) because I will dance with them, particularly the children. This surprises and delights them, as apparently most of the missionaries and others who come from Europe or America will not dance. In one villages, the children laugh at me, because my dance looks funny to them. They shout “Mazungu, Dance!, mixing in an English word, and delight when I do. It is sad that the people who come talking about the life in Christ are too hung up to dance with the children.
When I first got that word, I said “I will never do that” (Ask me sometime about my “dont ever say never” story) Sometimes during worship here in America, I will begin to dance. Not all the time, just when I feel like it. When did I make the change? It was kind of gradual. It began during private prayer and worship time. Sometimes I had music playing, and I would dance when no one else was around. I started to get free. Now, when I feel joy come during worship, you might see me in the back of the church dancing. I am so thankful to be around churches who will allow me to worship in freedom.
This is important that we allow the believers freedom to worship. If you are the quiet type that sits there reverently with eyes closes, more power to you. If you are the type who raises their hands, be free too. Sometimes people go to the altar. The key is to use discernment. So long as I see sincerity in worship, I tend to grant people freedom to press in to God.
Why? Simply this- It is when a large portion of a congregation sincerely presses in to the Lord in worship that the presence of the Lord will begin to move, touching people.
Notice that I say worship, not merely music. I am all in favor of excellent music in church. And I enjoy virtually every style of worship music, so long as I sense the Spirit in it. It is not about a “young” sound, a “traditional” sound, a Rock sound or Hymns. I can enjoy them all, so long as there is sincere worship and the presence of the Holy Spirit in it. But I would rather have true worship, no matter the style of music.
How many of you would like to see more healings, salvations and people deeply touched for Christ? How many would like to see more of the Glory of God in our churches?  Worship is a key way for people to experience the presence of God. So I guess I will continue to be the Dancing Mazungu, even if I get a few strange looks. I am going all out for God, even if I look like a fool to some. But I feel God’s pleasure when I worship.

If you live in the northern Illinois area, we invite you to join us for our Bi-Monthly meetings the first and third Saturday night of each month, starting October 18th at 7 pm.

By meeting on Saturday nights, we are practicing one of our ministry’s core values of interacting between churches and ministries. Our hope is that people from a number of churches who have a heart for worship, seeking the presence of God, the prophetic and meaty teaching can come and fellowship in this independent meeting. We want to change the mindset of “our” church and “their” church, and instead take the view that all Christian ministries belong to the Lord and exist only to further His Kingdom.  Of course, we also welcome those who can’t attend services on Sundays, or those who are looking for a Christian worship experience that is NOT “church-as-usual” and might need a place to worship.
We also want to extend a special invitation to those who serve in a local church somewhere as Pastors, teachers or workers. Please feel welcome to come and relax, enjoy the worship and teaching and get “filled up”, so that you can go bless your home church on Sundays. In addition to ministry by our team, we will also be having guest speakers, worship teams and ministries from time to time, to bless the Illinois area.

If you know anyone who might like a meeting like this, please forward this invitation to them.

For several years, Radio Antioch has been an internet missionary outreach, streaming media recorded by our team to a number of countries, many that are not friendly to Christians. Earlier this year, we began a blog and started “podcasting” our media on non-Christian sites like the Apple Itunes download store, I-Google and My Aol, dramatically increasing the number of people being reached. By starting these live meetings, we hope to be a blessing to the area and to take these broadcasts to the next level.  We will be podcasting each meeting here on the Radio Antioch blog in audio, and plan to add video podcasts and live internet video soon. For a link to our recent podcasts, click HERE.

A great local church in Antioch, the Christian Life Fellowship, has graciously agreed to let us “borrow” their sanctuary for these meetings. Their Address is:

41625 North Deep Lake Road
Antioch, Illinois 60002

For Mapquest directions, click HERE.

Sorry, we do not have childcare available at this time. There is a “cry room” with audio and a window if you need it. Please feel free to bring the kids.

If you have questions, or want to get involved, please send us an e-mail. Thanks Again,

Blessings,

Dave

Photo courtesy Arbyreed, used with permission.

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast, Episode 3.

Have any of you ever found yourself in a situation where the things seem so tough, and your faith just seems to be not quite up to the task of facing it? Or been in a place where you know in your heart that the Lord will take you through, and yet in your mind you feel overwhelmed?
I can share from personal experience some of the things I do when things seem overwhelming. I have been growing into a teaching and preaching ministry for a little over ten years. Sometimes we minister in the United States, speaking in churches. Other times we are doing church planting and mission work in Africa. It was in Tanzania where I had one of these moments.

A Photo from the Pastor’s Conference in Arusha, Tanzania

I had gone to Arusha, Tanzania with my friend Dr. Cliff Pash of Advancing the Kingdom ministries. In the mornings we were holding a Pastor’s conference encouraging and teaching a number of the local ministers. I had preached my heart out that morning, and we had ministered to a large number of people. I had poured out everything that I had to give and was empty. Afterward we had lunch and the team members were praying and sharing what they felt the Lord wanted us to do at the evening meetings. In the evenings we had been doing an outdoor crusade with evangelism and prayer for healing and deliverance in a local village, with crowds of over 500 people. At lunch, the team decides that I have the word of the Lord for this evening, and I have to preach the evening meeting. Those who know me well know that I am more of a teacher than an evangelist.  But this was a crisis. I had no sermon written, and felt totally worn out and empty.
But I knew what to do. Each day between the meetings, we went back to the Youth with a Mission base where we were staying, and spent some time alone, maybe taking a nap, or getting alone with God so as to be refreshed for the evening service. As soon as I got there, I put on my headphones and begin to listen to worship music. I was praying “Lord, you know that there is maybe a half an hour before the driver comes and beeps his horn and we have to leave, but YOU are able to restore me, give me a sermon, fill me with your peace and make the ministry tonight effective and powerful” I laid on the bed and worshiped through about 5 songs. I began to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, and it was like the Lord was telling me, “it’s alright son, they aren’t there to listen to you, they are there to meet me. It doesn’t matter if you make a fool of yourself, it wouldn’t be the first time and it really would not matter anyway. It will be alright” I felt at peace, and recharged.

Preparing for the Evening Crusade in Ngaramtoni village

Soon the driver drove up in the old Toyota diesel van (Many Americans would be afraid to ride in these things, but they stuff 15 Africans in them and away they go!) I was in tears as I went out to join them. So we went to the crusade, and the ministry went more than “alright”, with many saved, healed and touched. I just had to pull back and step “out of the situation” and “into the Spirit” just long enough to transform my thinking, and to become full of life. And the next time I was in a situation like that, it was easier to do.
How many of you know that if you will learn to “Step back into the Spirit”, to practice being “In Christ” instead of merely being “In Church”  this will become easier each time. Practice “Standing” on the scripture, refreshing your mind for a few moments in the promises of the scripture, so that you can be more than an over-comer in Christ. The secret is to take those moments in the secret place of prayer and worship to focus on being in Christ. The next time you feel a little stretched in your situation, practice “stepping back into the Spirit” to recharge. It will give you a new view of the situation and give you the over-coming life of Christ to share with those around you.

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast, Episode 2.

Let’s face it. It is hard to feel like an overcoming Christian when everything is going wrong. Maybe you are sick, or have lost your job…How do you overcome in times like that? I always start by retreating to my “prayer closet”. Go wherever you go to be alone with God. Pray, worship, wait on the Lord until peace comes to you. Talk to the Lord about your uncertainties, things that you are angry about, things that you fear. When you feel the presence of the Lord, wait in his presence a while and just be still. Ask him to heal you wherever you need it, body or soul….Then when you are recharged, you can go back out in to the world. Suppose there are layoffs at your job, and you and others are losing their jobs. Some people, who are in debt up to their eyeballs would be about ready to blow a gasket in this situation. But you are calm and peaceful. Those around you see this, and will sometimes ask how you do it. When they do, you have a real “teachable moment” where you can witness to them. You don’t need to push your faith on them. Just something like “I was upset at first, but the Lord will take care of my family. He has never let me down yet.” This is VERY effective, because instead of pushing your faith, you just talk about where you are. Let them compare your thoughts to how they feel inside, worried, fearful and in turmoil. It is time like these that people realize that they need something beyond themselves.
I had something like this happen to me years ago when I was working on the East Coast. The major company I worked for decided to partially close and downsize the facility that I worked at, laying off hundreds of people, and leaving only a few. It was like there was a cloud of DOOM over the place. Everyone was very upset, and many were worried. It was here that I decided to fight the situation by coming at it with the opposite spirit. Jesus taught this principle in Matthew 5:44:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”

In each case, you do something because you are in Christ that is opposite of what worldly people would expect you to do. So when everyone in the office was busy putting their resume on the Internet, I remembered that my boss and I had discussed a new project. I dusted off the proposal, and cleaned it up, saying that I should be promoted, and become the manager of four people to be chosen from the ranks of those being laid off. I sent my proposal off to as many people in management as I could, hoping someone would like the idea. When the local managers heard what I was doing, (Who were also being let go) they got behind it, because I was doing something positive and helping four others that were in the same plight as I was. At first I heard nothing, so I went about looking for a job, and actually accepted a job offer in another state. The day before I was supposed to be laid off, I got news that my proposal had been accepted, and that I was to be promoted and choose four people to be part of my team.
Now, they say that God is never late. (Like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, He arrives exactly when He plans to!) But it has been my experience that God is seldom EARLY either! God could have spared me from being included in the group to be laid off. But instead I had to walk it in faith. I grew during that trial, and learned a lot, got to witness Christ to a lot of worldly people, and then got blessed over and above on the other side! But it all started with going to God as soon as the going got tough, and coming at the problem with the opposite spirit. The very phrase “Overcome the world” implies that we come at life with the opposite thoughts and actions than the world. We are not going with the flow, but against it, carried by the Lord.
The next time you find yourself in a tough situation, try these ideas. Let God show his goodness to you and to those around you. Come at the world with the opposite spirit.

Photo courtesy Chris Seufert, Used with Permission.

Episode Three of Radio Antioch is part two of a sermon by David Cranfill entitled More, Lord!

The world has it’s view of what Christianity is all about, but the scripture calls us to a far different life. It is time for the church to change its thinking and begin to show the overcoming joy, love and power that is our heritage in Christ!

Contents:

0:00           Intro
0.32           Having Life in Difficult times
4.33           The Dancing Mazungu
7:36           Expecting Glory in Church
10:07          The Ministry of Barbeque
13 54          Mullygrub Christians
18:28          More, Lord!
21:56          Credits

Listen Now! RA-003-More-Lord-Part-2.mp3
Copyright 2008 Antioch Tabernacle Ministries Some Rights Reserved.
Bumper Music derived from the works of Sarah Bauer. For more information visit music.Podshow.com

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast, Episode 2.

Who would want to be part of a church, if all you hear is condemnation? Sometimes when you go out to areas where there are not a lot of Christians, where missionaries are working, you will come across one of the local people. They will say, “ Oh, you are one of the children of the Angry God”. You can tell an old-school missionary has been there from one of the denominations that preaches a lot on sin and condemnation, and represent the Lord of Hosts as the Angry God. This is one of the worldviews that the world has of Christians, and it is often detrimental to sharing the gospel. Some groups in our society that are particularly bound up in a sinful lifestyle feel that the Christians actually hate them. Somewhere we got so focused on their sinful lifestyle that we forget to love the person, even if we hate what sin is doing to their life.
Now, I’m not preaching some watered down gospel here. Sin has separated us from God. The scripture says that in being separated from God, we can’t go to heaven. Now, I believe in heaven, and I believe in hell. And I believe that we all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and that accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the only way to be reconciled to God. But sometimes our church message is so focused on sin that even after we come to salvation we are feel condemned and full of guilt. The blood of Jesus has removed our guilt, but we still wear it like a noose around our neck!
God has at times been angry with his children, sometimes including those of us who are Christians. But think of this: If you know a family where all the children know is anger and reproach from their father, you would say that family is dysfunctional. Love should be the overriding bond of the family, even if discipline at times is needed. We all need a savior, and once we have come into the family, we should be living in love. I am not saying that we should ignore sin. If you are bound in a sin, let’s pray together so that you can get the victory over it and be free.
Even a baby Christian can quote John 3:16:  “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. Jesus loved you so much that He gave His life that you could have forgiveness and eternal life.  Instead of the “People of the Angry God” we should be the “People whom God Loves”
I pray that when people meet me, they would sense the excitement and Joy that I have in being in Christ. I want the Spirit in me to bubble over in an infectious way, like soda pop bursting from a shaken can! I want it to be obvious that I an not a Child of the Angry God, but rather a Child that has been adopted into the family of a Loving God and Father.

Photo Courtesy  The Real Taiwan, Used with Permission.

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast, Episode 2.

In our last post, we were talking about worldviews, and how sometimes this ‘framework” colors how we look at life.  So now let’s get really radical: Let’s contrast what our society thinks about being a Christian and about church, with what the scripture says. I challenge you: How much of the Christianity that you live and the church you attend today is a product of the viewpoint of our society, and how much is really scripture based?
Sometimes the world portrays that Christian life is dry and dull. Perhaps they say that because we choose to avoid certain behaviors that others indulge in. But most of them have no idea the joy and peace that is ours in Christ.
As Christians, we should get our worldview from the scripture. Jesus said in John 10:10 that he came so that we could have life more abundantly! I say to you that it is time for the Christians to start to live the overcoming life in Christ and to quit playing church! How do we do this? By changing our thinking!

In most of the places where the word Repent is used in the New Testament, it is the Greek word  metanoeo, met-an-ah-eh’-o; which means to think differently or reconsider. Dictionary.com defines Repent to mean to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action or attitude. So the English word used here is about sorrow and self-reproach, but the scripture is talking about changing our stinking thinking! In Eden when Eve was tempted, all she had to do was change her thinking, saying: “I am not going to believe what the serpent said, but rather what God says!” and all of this sin mess would never have been.
Now, I am not saying that occasion grief over our actions is not appropriate. We are all sinners and need the blood of Jesus to save us. But having accepted Jesus and the sacrifice He made for me at the cross, I know that I am forgiven. When I realize some place that I have blown it, I pray and ask forgiveness. But I don’t live in sorrow or guilt. I prefer to live in the love, Joy and peace that is my inheritance of abundant life in Christ.

I say to you that if the believers in Christ will truly repent- meaning change their thinking about what it means to be IN CHRIST to line up with what God says, then their Life AND their church experience will move from typical to the Abundant experience that Jesus came to give us!

Photo Courtesy  Matt Ohara Used with Permission.