How do you pass along the cold, hard truth and a warm and loving way? Is it in the words we choose . . . the body language we present . . . the context in which it’s expressed? Yes, yes and yes. But more than that, today Pastor Greg Laurie points out that it comes from a heart of genuine compassion and concern, energized by God’s love. Today here on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg begins the final message in his series in First, Second and Third John.

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dannah Gresh unpacks the good and the bad aspects of the purity culture movement, speaking against legalism and shame without abandoning God’s design for sexuality. She shares about her experiences healing from sexual sin and equips women to live with sexual integrity.

Receive a copy of And the Bride Wore White and an audio download of "The Good, Bad, and the Holy of Purity Culture" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

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• Teens’ reading and math scores have stagnated, US test results show by Associated Press (Annie Ma and Sharon Lurye)

• Why Teenagers Stopped Working in the Summer by The Wall Street Journal (Roland Fryer)

Jase, Al, and Zach dig into why real love tells the truth even when it hurts, whether it’s a spouse giving wise caution, a trusted friend offering correction, or Phil once turning an awkward rebuke into a baptism. The guys discuss the danger parents may not fear enough, arguing that kids need more outdoor adventure and less unchecked access to the screens quietly shaping their hearts. Plus, Zach shares how Jill “dashered” a luxury resort in record time, and Jase defends his deeply questionable habit of wearing socks at the beach and in the pool.

In this episode: James 1, verse 5; Proverbs 27, verses 5–6; Proverbs 28, verse 23; Proverbs 9, verse 8; Proverbs 13, verse 20; Proverbs 27, verse 17; Proverbs 15, verse 22; Proverbs 12, verse 26

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Chapters

0:00 A Man’s Truck is His Kingdom

4:15 How ‘Dasher’ Became a Verb

13:45 Jase Defends Wearing Socks at the Beach

20:39 The Reason Grown Kids Call Their Parents

27:17 The Danger Parents Aren’t Afraid Enough Of

34:01 Every Christian Needs Truth-Tellers

40:33 The Case for Pursuing Discipleship

47:20 Proverbs & Wisdom

52:03 ‘How Are You’ Isn’t a Real Question

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Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:31

Faith has the incredible ability to radically and dramatically change people.

In Joshua 2, Rahab the prostitute was transformed by faith. She was a Canaanite woman living in spiritual darkness, but after God saved her, she became part of the bloodline of Jesus Christ.

Rahab’s transformation reveals four things about the power of faith.

First, the providence of God confronted Rahab.
In Joshua 2, two spies approached Rahab’s home with a message of Jericho’s imminent destruction. Rahab believed them and agreed to hide them in her home.

God works on both sides of our circumstances; He will bring people together in order to save them. He finds tender, ready hearts and brings to them soul-winners to share their faith.

Second, the Spirit of God convicted Rahab.
As she helped the two spies in Joshua 2:9-10, Rahab confessed that she knew what God had done for their people. She had heard of God’s mighty, miraculous power, displayed through them.

The Holy Spirit convicts others through people who are living and walking in victory. As Christians, the Holy Spirit uses our transformed lives to convict others of their sins.

Third, the Word of God confirmed Rahab.
By receiving these two messengers into her home, Rahab welcomed in the Word of God, spoken through them.

Hebrews 11:31 says, “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”

Finally, the grace of God cleansed Rahab. The messengers instructed Rahab to hang a scarlet cord over her doorpost so that when they came to avenge Jericho, they would pass over her home and spare her. This act illustrates the principle of the Passover, in which God instructed the Israelites to paint their doorposts with the blood of sacrificial lambs, to spare them from the death angel.

As a result, Rahab was delivered from destruction and her character changed; she was justified and made right in God’s sight.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are none so bad they can’t be saved, and none so good they need not be saved.”

Apply it to your life
Has your faith transformed you from the inside out; have you been confronted by God’s providence? Has the Holy Spirit convicted you, Scripture confirmed your belief, grace cleansed you?

Not many people come into the Kingdom because they were sufficiently brow-beaten by someone sharing their faith. Few have surrendered to Christianity simply because they lost a fiery religious debate. The Bible tells us “His kindness leads us to repentance.” God’s love can soften the hardest of hearts. God’s mercy beckons those who’ve lost their way. And coming up today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us learn to put the Lord’s compassion into practice.

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dannah Gresh unpacks the good and the bad aspects of the purity culture movement, speaking against legalism and shame without abandoning God’s design for sexuality. She shares about her experiences healing from sexual sin and equips women to live with sexual integrity.

Receive a copy of And the Bride Wore White and an audio download of "The Good, Bad, and the Holy of Purity Culture" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

Get More Episode Resources 

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

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