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Why is it that certain kinds of ministry resonate with your heart, while others just don’t motivate you at all? Straight from the New Testament, Chip explains how you can begin to put the pieces of your spiritual gift puzzle together, and do it in a way that will bring you great joy and bless other people in the process.

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She was at the time, a princess in the royalty of Hollywood - one of the most successful, A-list, admired actresses in America. Behind the glamour, there are unrelenting struggles and unanswered questions, apparently. She was given some major recognition at an international awards ceremony, and as she expressed her gratitude, she also opened up her heart in a brief moment of extreme candor. Listen to what she said, "You know, I play so many roles, sometimes I wonder who the real me really is." I'll tell you, you don't have to be a Hollywood star to have that going on.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Playing the Part, Missing the Lord."

Playing a role. You know, a lot of folks are doing that. Following the script you're supposed to follow, acting the way you're supposed to act, giving such a convincing performance that you almost believe it yourself. That gap between playing the role and experiencing the reality becomes horribly expensive when you're playing the role of belonging to Jesus Christ, when you don't really belong to Him.

That's why, in a passage of the Bible written to church folks, God gives a life-saving warning. It's in 2 Corinthians 13:5, it's our word for today from the Word of God. He says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" For those of us who have spent a lot of time around Jesus, it's particularly important that we don't assume we automatically have Jesus. We need to examine ourselves - to test ourselves. Christ Jesus isn't, in the Bible's words here, "in you" unless there's been a time in your life when you've consciously opened the door of your life to Him and invited Him in to run it from now on. When you know the words, go to the meetings and you believe the beliefs, it's just way too easy to miss this one life-or-death step.

My friend Gary is in the medical profession. The other day he took me aside and he told me his personal testimony. He said he and his friends had gone forward at a church meeting as young teenagers. And while he went through what he described as an "accepting Christ" thing, he never really had a personal transaction with Jesus that day. He did what he was supposed to do on the outside, but nothing really happened on the inside. From that point on, he said, he played the role.

Gary became a Sunday School teacher in his church, a deacon, and even the youth director. No one would have even thought to question whether or not he was really a Christian. One of his former professors invited him to a men's retreat one day, and he looked forward to impressing this respected Christian friend of his with what an active Christian he had become. But instead, that friend kept pressing him for an answer to this question: "If you died tonight and God asked why He should let you into His heaven, what would you tell Him?" Gary answered with his spiritual résumé. His friend told him that none of that could get him into heaven. It was that night Gary finally realized he was playing the role but missing the reality. He fully committed His life to Jesus Christ that night. And that has made all the difference in the world, and all the difference in where he will spend all of eternity.

Could it be that you have missed that step? The eternity-changing step of actually telling Jesus, "I believe you died for me. I believe You are my only hope. So beginning right now, I'm totally Yours." That takes courage. It takes honesty to admit you don't really have Jesus, but the cost of continuing to just play the role is way too high to pay; too awful to pay. God brought you here today so this could finally be your personal Jesus-day. So as He's speaking to you in your heart, with that tug you feel, don't miss this moment of

Chad Williams shares his experience of training to become a Navy SEAL, only to have his mentor killed in the line of duty in Iraq. When Chad graduated the incredibly grueling SEAL training, he was faced with depression and emptiness as he contemplated his future, and became lost in drunkenness. Hear how he found a new lease on life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Receive a copy of SEAL of God: The Path is Narrow but the Reward is Great plus a free audio download of “Quitting Isn’t An Option: My Life as a Navy Seal” for your donation of any amount!

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“What happens one minute after you die?” Jesus answered it plainly in Luke 16. Listen in to today's message from Pastor Greg Laurie.

Notes:

Luke 16
  
Everyone will die and enter the afterlife.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–2
 
Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
 
 
What happens one minute after you die?
If you are a Christian, you go to heaven.
 
2 Corinthians 5:8
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
 
Philippians 1:23
“I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.”
 
What happens to the nonbeliever when they die?
  
Most people do not think they will go to hell.
 
Matthew 7:13 (NKJV)
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
 
Matthew 7:14 (NKJV)
Because narrow is the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
 
If we believe the Bible, most people today are not headed to heaven.
 
The very word “hell” is so misused that people do not even understand its meaning.
 
Jesus spent more time talking about hell than any other preacher.
 
Jesus gives us three things we need to know about what hell is actually like.
 
Read Luke 16:19–22
 
Jesus tells a true story about two men:
one owning everything, yet possessing nothing,
the other owning nothing and inheriting everything.
 
We get a behind-the-scenes look at the eternal future of the nonbeliever.
 
Read Luke 16:22–31
 
The sin of the rich man in Hell was not his wealth, but his heart. He was possessed by his possessions.
Luke 16:19
  
Sin is pleasurable for a season, but then it brings death.
 
The rich man was living the good life with no concern for anything or anyone but himself.
 
The rich man was not ushered into Heaven like Lazarus.
 
The rich man’s sin was disregard for the spiritual, revealed in his prideful flaunting of resources and his neglect of a starving, disabled man at his door.
  
You can build an empire, fill every room with every award, and still arrive at eternity completely unprepared.
 
People in Hell suffer.
 
Nonbelievers don’t go to purgatory, soul sleep, or reincarnation.
 
Nonbelievers go to Hell and eventually to the Lake of Fire.
  
God invented Hell because He is a God of love and justice.
 
Once you enter the afterlife, you cannot change your location.
 
We decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife.
 
There are no chances after death, but millions before.
 
You cannot communicate from the other side.
 
In the afterlife, you are conscious and fully aware of where you are.
 
Just as there is memory in Heaven, there is also memory in hell.
Luke 16:28
 
If you are born once, you will die twice.
If you are born twice, you will die once.
 
Often, Christians are reluctant to mention Hell out of fear that they might offend someone.
 
To promise heaven and not warn of hell,
to offer forgiveness without repentance,
to preach the gospel without the cross,
this is a false message giving false hope.
 
If we really love people, we need to tell the truth about eternity.
 
Jude 1:22
Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.
 
Jude 1:23a
Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.
 
Read Luke 19:29–31
 
Jesus did many miracles, and many did not believe.
 
The gospel is a universal declaration that Hell is not God’s desire for anyone.
 
The road to Hell is paved with excuses.
 
God has a much better plan for you.
It’s called Heaven!
 
What happens one minute after you die?
If you are a believer in Jesus, you go to Heaven.
If you reject His offer, you send your

Join us for the Harvest Crusade 2026 on July 11 at Angel Stadium!

This one‑night event is free to attend in person and will also be streamed LIVE at harvest.org. This event features today’s leading worship artists, like Phil Wickham, Michael W. Smith, and more. Plus—a powerful gospel presentation from Greg Laurie.

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On In The Market with Janet Parshall this week, Dr. Paul Weaver took us on a trip through time and showed us how biblical archaeology continues to confirm the accounts of scripture and strengthen our faith. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman his insights on how to make our families stronger and “bulletproof” them from the damaging outside influences. Then Dr. Everett Piper joined us to rebut the claims of a popular podcaster that the church is filled with hypocrites. Todd Hampson was back to the talk about the last days and the rapture. The nightly news can make it appear as though the gap between Muslims and Christians is insurmountable, but Fouad Masri, founder of The Crescent Project says that is not so. He gave us practical guidance for building connections with Muslims that create opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with them. It is time for another examination of the headlines of the week through the lens of scripture.

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