4th of July Special (America's 250th) - The Freedom America Can't Give

In this episode, Daniel Mamora, Gary Kusunoki, and Zach Doddridge explore the deeper meaning of freedom beyond political liberty, emphasizing the spiritual liberty found in Jesus Christ. They reflect on America's Christian roots, historical influences, and the importance of faith in personal and national identity.

Go to our website
https://www.anchoredrelief.org

Support the show financially
https://engage.suran.com/anchoredinte...

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
   / @anchoredinternationalrelief

Subscribe to our Spotify Channel
https://open.spotify.com/show/3nqmFro...

Subscribe to our Apple Podcast Channel
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Follow us on Instagram
  / anchoredrelief

Follow our blog
https://anchoredrelief.wordpress.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:01

Welcome to God Stories, the broadcast ministry of international relief, where our mission is to share the love of Christ with others around the world. We disciple and raise up leaders to preach the gospel to unreached people, minister to the inner city and poverty-stricken areas in the US and abroad. Provide support to local police and relief organizations in response to natural disasters. We work to train up capitalists in the police and civilian industry. And we assist churches in training information and disaster response. We hope you're blessed by what you hear in this next half hour or so about what God is doing through this ministry. Well, as you might notice, today is 4th of July. Today is the 250th birthday of the United States of America. So happy birthday, America. And uh I know for those of you that are outside of America, you're wondering, you know, I hear about this 4th of July holiday event. And then uh today is a significant uh milestone for our country since it's the 250th year of the birth of America. And and then what most people would do is uh there's barbecue, there's fireworks, and a bunch of other shenanigans that's happening here all across America, especially if you're in the Orange County area, all the beaches are packed. But as wonderful as that is, and you know, here in the United States, you know, there's this uh wonderful political freedom, so to speak, but there is a greater freedom that we will talk about today on this uh 4th of July special, that the Bible reminds us, and that there is greater freedom than what we experience here in America, and that no government can give or no government can take away. And that's all in uh 2 Corinthians 3 17, right? Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and there is freedom. So joining me, of course, is Pastor Gary, and joining us for the first time, even though he's been supporting us, he's part of our staff here at Anchored, uh, Zach Dodgers right now, and uh, and so uh he's been helping us uh putting these podcasts and uh ideas together. And so we're so glad to have him as well, too. And uh Gary, of course, broadcasting from Colorado. I'm broadcasting here in Aliso. And but what we want to start talk about is kind of like, you know, hey, a little history of America, you know, and also to like this is founded by as a Christian nation. There's arguments about like, okay, hey, if this is a Christian nation, this is not, you know, but there was Christian values when this country was first established. But I rather uh I'm gonna give it to our elders first, Pastor Gary, and uh to have the honors of going first and just giving us some history above. Um that's all I'm gonna say. I'm not gonna say anything else. I'll just let the look at his face.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Supposed to be offended by your your elder comment, so at least she didn't say elderly. So full of wisdom. Well, as most people in America know, but maybe not many of our our international uh viewers, that July 4th, 1776, we had the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And these were the the founding fathers of our nation, and they declared independence from uh Britain. And of course we know that that a war uh began because of that, and and you know, fast forward, now we're 250 years later, and America has has continued on in liberty, although I've gotta say it doesn't look like it it used to look in a lot of ways. And so I we probably uh talk about that, but you know, I'm always struck when when we talk about freedom and liberty, and that that the only true freedom, the only true liberty that we'll ever find is is in Christ. And Jesus said that we'll know the truth, and the truth shall set set us free. And so, you know, we can talk about freedom all we want, but but we know that true freedom is not found in a political party, it's not found in our economy, it's not found in in anywhere outside of Jesus Christ. And the freedom that believing in him and accepting him as our Lord and Savior brings us and and as it as we're freed from bondage to sin and death. And so, you know, liberty and freedom it goes hand in hand with with who we are as as Christians and and why we're doing what we're doing all over the world, because you know, our heart is to bring those that that are lost and in bondage to fear and death and sin and bring them into the freeing relationship with Jesus Christ. And you know, America also has a long history of missions, and I think Zach's gonna get into that, but you know, that that's kind of my opening thoughts. Go for it, Zach.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

Yeah, for sure. I mean, the truth is, is like Daniel mentioned before, like the question of whether we were or weren't a Christian country at that point weren't our founding conception. But I mean, the truth is that a lot of the founding fathers may not not have been like what we would traditionally consider like Christians. They were, at the very least, they were theists for the most part. But there was so much Christian influence that actually did go into that whole that founding of America, how things got started there. Thomas Jefferson definitely, like, we look at his writings, he wasn't a Christian. He loved Christian thought, he loved Christian morality. It was so much a part of what he basically wanted to kind of instill in himself and other people. Just unfortunately, he missed the biggest part of that, and that is the fact that the true freedom we talk about does come from Jesus when he did die on that cross. And he came back from that. He came, he resurrected, and came back to life. That's that's the most important thing that can ever be there. But it's funny that so many of these people, like even today, we're hearing about it where they have a respect now for Christianity they may not have had 15 years ago. I think it was uh Richard Dawkins who was like, I hate Christianity. It's done so much evil and plagues for the world. And then I think it was like in the past year or so, he kind of turned around and said, you know, I really do actually like everything that Christians did. I really do miss that kind of Christian morality and Christian ethics. I wish we could go back to that. I mean, you can't really have Christian, you can't have Christian ethics without Christian people. And the truth is that we are fundamentally transformed and changed by Christ. And that is how we get that good, virtuous moral society there. Now, there was in the early days in that, everyone's kind of heard of the Great Awakening, uh, George Whitfield, John Wesley going out there, basically preaching, firing up, inspiring people to really get serious about Jesus and really learn more about who their savior is and really come to that saving faith there that just hadn't existed before. So, one of the key interesting things that maybe people don't realize is the Anglican church that had been going on in uh Britain for a good while there because they basically it's a state-run church. Like everyone says like separation of church and state, it's why it was so fundamental here. The Anglican church was that state-run church, essentially. And a lot of people that did kind of come over, at least unfortunately, were escaping some of that religious persecution that existed. I know that we just talked about Whitfield. He actually was a Calvinist, so he had definitely had some problem with the Anglicans there. But that's a whole nother subject right there. A whole other thing there, but so when it did go come time for the revolution stuff, I mean obviously like Whitfield died in this uh 1770, it was before Revolution, missed it by about six years or so. Would he have support or not? It's hard to say. At the time, there's a lot of questions. Romans 13, for example, like everyone, like Christians were called to submit to authority. And that was Paul that was writing that during the time of Emperor Nero, who's if you know anything about Romans, it's he's probably like one of the most infamous ones I can think of. Him and just terrible, horror, like horrible person, basically burned Rome down, blamed the Christians on it. So much persecution happened because of him. And you had Paul, the apostle, who was saying, you know, we have to at least submit. Never to the point where we're disobeying God, but there is call submission. But on the other hand, too, you had another, I I would call him an uh probably as close to an atheist as you can get, Thomas Paine, common sense. I don't know if some of our people might know that. It was one of the most famous panth influences distributed during that time. Now, funny thing about that is it actually did use a lot of biblical arguments to make that point for why we should be having that revolution. For example, it's it's super clear, it's gonna be a terrible argument, but it was actually made there. It basically used 1 Samuel chapter 8 when Israel is like, hey, you know, uh, we want a king to rule over us. And Samuel told them, You guys don't want a king. God specifically says, Don't want a king. Here, the king is the worst thing you guys can want. No, no, we want to be like the other nations. So Pain actually used a very bad exegesis on that to say kings are basically a sin, kings are a terrible thing, you know, ignoring obviously David, Solomon, and all the good kings that actually did come from that, as well as you know, Jesus, the King of Kings, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

So Well, you know what? You know, I was sorry, I was just thinking of what you talked about in the beginning of your comments about the separation of church and state. And you know, there's so many people that have the mistaken idea that that was in the the Declaration of Independence. It wasn't. It actually came from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote. And then later, the establishment clause of the the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment, basically said that Congress will make no law respecting an establishment of real religion or prohibiting the free exercise of, and that, you know, Jefferson's primary concern where there was to protect religious liberty by preventing the government from controlling or establishing a state religion like they they had in the in the in Britain, and that you know, to keep the government from establishing an official religion of the United States, and that people will be free to practice their faith without government interference. And that has morphed and been what I believe, you know, really misinterpreted to where, especially in regards to Christians, that Christians are restricted or being restricted. And and you know, our own desires are right in Colorado somebody that that owned their own business, a bakery, that that someone had come to them and they wanted um a wedding cake, him to do a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage, and he said, No, that goes against what I believe. And as a business owner, I'm choosing to say, no, it's not that's not something I would want to do. So, you know, you're you're free to go somewhere else. And they sued him. And then they they won. They were trying to compel him to do that. And and it and it was this whole thing of you know freedom, and you know, to the point where where it, you know, someone's ability to to practice their faith and freedom was severely restricted. And and we're seeing that more and more. And so where we were 250 years ago to where we are now, totally different. That doesn't mean everything's bad, because I'll I'll tell you what, I've been all over the world and I've been in, you know, communist countries, I've been in countries where where the the gospel is severely restricted and Christians are persecuted and you know, all over the world, and and we're blessed. We are still blessed here in America.

SPEAKER_05 12:52

Amen. And I want to add, I want to add to that because we've mentioned this in previous episodes, especially with our viewers here in in America and even in Canada, I would say as well. The persecution that we experience here is nothing compared to what happen what's happened in the world countries, where literally Christianity is banned illegal and punishable by death on some of those countries. And we have to praise the Lord for everybody that lives here in America that we have that freedom here. And so, and while that is being said to everybody else that's not here in America, being here in America doesn't necessarily mean that you're free. That doesn't necessarily mean you're free at all. Because John's gospel in the eighth chapter says everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, but whom the sun says free is free indeed. See, people, you know, a lot of nations can compliment America. And I, and you know, there's that argument that's saying that, okay, hey, you know what? America is the greatest country on the face of the earth. And I can agree with that. And it can be argued and all that stuff, but let me just say this too. As great as America is, yes, America can free prisoners, but Christ can free sinners. America cannot do that. America cannot conquer sin, cannot conquer death. There's only one person that did that, and that is Christ, right? Because government can change laws and do all that we want, but it cannot change the hearts. Only Jesus Christ can. And that's where the true freedom is found. And I want to encourage everybody with that, because there's there's that greater barge because, like, hey, we could be free all we want here in America, but if we're enslaved to sin, we're never free, regardless of where our residence is, regardless of where we live. And uh Zach, I know you're you're wanting to say something about that.

SPEAKER_04 14:38

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, like, just really quick on the Anglican church, if you look at it today, it's basically a shell of I mean, it was never really even that amazing, but like it is a shell, essentially what the form was so much institutional rot and corruptions that exist. I do think in a way, like we do talk about how across the world it's so much persecution for Christians out there, which it's horrible to see that stuff. Well, it gets that's our brothers and sisters in Christ that are suffering through that stuff. But in a way, their faith is strengthened, they're in so much stronger than Christians here today are. I mean, we have it easy, we really do. The worst thing that's gonna happen to us is that we get fired or like we get canceled. Now it's not good, but like we're talking literally like put to death in horrible, horrific ways. It's like things that are so beyond our understanding for this stuff. And that's we we want to pray, we want to do everything we can to help them out, of course. But we'll ne unless, and I I pray it never happens, but unless like America was to somehow just completely fall or be taken over, end up like these other places, then we'll never truly understand like what it's like to suffer for Christ in that way. And like really that's a great point of closeness to God, which they're honestly like I'm moved by how how much stronger they are compared to us. It it inspires me to think like I need to do more. Like, that's part of why I like wanted to help out and sign up with you guys because everything that you guys are doing, going to these places, reaching out to people who really do need this stuff.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

But yeah, I think too that that that you know when we talk about our citizenship, you know, I'm I mean, I'm I'm blessed to have an American passport, be a citizen in the United States, but but truly my citizenship's in heaven. That's Philippians 3.20. And you know, we're we're eagerly waiting for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And and you know, and because of that, and and maybe I'm I know I kind of interrupted you, Zach. I'm sorry, but but I thought too that that we should also segue into, you know, there's a history that our nation has in terms of being Christians and reaching out to the other parts of the world, the uttermost parts of the world. And I know Zach, you have information on that too.

SPEAKER_04 17:04

I mean, yeah. Like, so when we look at how missions kind of have gone over here, the idea of really traveling to these places, like across the world, and like more of a, I don't want to say like corporate, but like more of an organized, full-blown type of setting. We had missionaries, obviously, that would go from like place to place, travel around the world, but it really wasn't a full-blown organization until around like that time of the second Great Awakening. I believe it was around 1810 when you had what was known as basically like the American Board of Like Foreign Missions. It was a group of Protestants that all got together and basically started organizing these like full-blown mission trips to all these other places across the world. I believe it was a couple years later. I I'm trying to remember the name right now. It was uh it was a guy and his wife, I think it was like Adeniram Judson, I believe, and his wife. They traveled to India and were basically going out there, preaching the gospel in India. Now, at the time, obviously, there was like colonialization and other stuff that was happening. That was really kind of more of like a transactional-based thing. It was at this time, 1812, when they first were really getting together and really just going out there, preaching the gospel, sharing the gospel, doing these things and reaching everyone that they could do it there. And really, as America got more and more wealthy over time, that's when it was sorry, rainfall. That that's when we started kind of spreading that blessing to the rest of the world. And in a way, like we mentioned earlier, like how your citizenship is in heaven. God doesn't necessarily care about institutions or even necessarily countries. I mean, obviously, he does like care about the people inside those countries. But the most important thing that God is always the change in the heart of his people, like who it are is changing their heart from the inside out. And as those people change their hearts, turn over to him, eventually that does affect the nation. That does affect the world around them. And so much in America that did happen between the revolutionary period, pretty much all the way until the early 1900s, where the most successful, the most growth-based churches were those that were focused on holiness, righteousness, and really going out there and doing good works for the people around them. And that's such a like it's such a beautiful thing to think. That's really the heart of ministry. It's go there, take care within the church itself, take care of the flock within the church. And as you're taking care of the flock, the flock itself is going to go out and start taking care of everyone else. And really, we kind of saw it again, too, like in the 60s after World War II with the Jesus movement, where we had the Calvary Chapels that came together, reached an entirely new group of people through the preaching of the word of God. And that gave birth to so many missions, including Anchor Today, really. Like part of everything that happened with the Calvary Chapel, that's why Anchor Today exists. That's why all these other communities exist. And that's why the preaching of the word, the changing of the people inside of themselves, it's such an important thing. And if I could add to Go ahead, sorry.

SPEAKER_05 20:23

Yeah, like, you know, just a little small fact too, because like, you know, even like with all the stuff that's happening in America, one particular state is this state we're living in, California, like with in with Chuck here, with Cowboy Chapel, with William Seymour at Azusa, at Azusa Street, and with all great stuff happening, it's like here in America, one state in particular is here in California. And and I'm a little off-subject here, like, you know, there's so many what wherever Cal there's a saying that wherever California does, the world follows. You know, and so and one of my great friends, a couple of my great friends, Ralph Johnston, Joel Mott, they've been uh last few years been going all over the state of California to bring back revival and to kind of like, hey, ri bring restoration of what the whole Jesus movement was all about. It was about winning souls and then getting back to the to the the core of our faith, which is found in Jesus Christ, the freedom that's found in Jesus Christ. Sorry, Greg, go ahead. That's why I just wanted to add that.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

So you know, I was I was just gonna say that, you know, what Zach was saying for me, that was so true. I mean, I got involved in in the the Calvary movement in the the very early 80s, well, 1980, as a matter of fact, and you know, but it really shaped who I am today. It was the preaching of God's word. It was, you know, seeing what we have in Christ and understanding that that all that we have here, that and we've talked about this before, that Jesus said to whom much is given, much is required. And we have so much. And and so you You know, I I would look around the world and I'm like, man, I want them to to know what we have. And and and you know, we have an ability in in the US to help even physically in ways because our dollar goes so much further in other countries. And and and so we have a way to help physically, and then that physical help in as we demonstrate the love of Christ in a physical way, that we're able to share the gospel with them. And and so, you know, it it it really is uh I mean US is still the number one missionary sending country. Then I after that comes Brazil and then South Korea, I think the Philippines and and Nigeria, but in you know, in that order, but we're still the number one sender of missionaries. I I have a feeling that's gonna change because I could see more and more of the church kind of turning inward. And but it's like Zach said, we pour in to the people in in our our churches and then equip them to go out. And, you know, we're never meant to be just fat sheep, just sitting there, you know, eating and eating and never doing anything for the Lord. And so, you know, Zach, you're absolutely right. It it is why Anchored was founded, and it's the root of who we are.

SPEAKER_05 23:25

Yeah, and I love what you said, Gary, and you mentioned this in past episodes how much a single dollar can go in places like Uganda, in places like Nigeria, in places like Nepal, in places outside of America, and third world countries, because a cup of Starbucks here in America is equivalent to weeks of food over there in Uganda. And so, and which is why, like, you know, we just want to say thank you guys for that been uh faithfully um supporting us financially, because it goes a long way, even if it's just a just a single dollar, and people are like, I feel like that's not enough because here in America we think high. We think high because a Starbucks cup is already like six or seven dollars when that six or seven dollars can feed weeks for a family in Uganda, and so and and that it only takes a small, like a faith the side of a size of a mustard seed. That's literally what it is, and so and again, this is not a prosperity message or anything like that. This is literally because this is all about I want to worship the Lord with what I have. God blesses a cheerful giver, and I love to give. And so, and so I'm glad you mentioned that too. And going back to the topic of freedom, like uh, you know, because you know, when you mentioned about, you know, the c the separation of church and state being not mentioned the declaration of independence, which is so true because and thinking that oh, like because of uh the Anglican church in Britain, and then all of a sudden, like, okay, hey, we're we have to follow this one specific religion. That's not what America is about. Or what freedom is about. What freedom is, you know, well, let me just let me just rephrase it. Galatians 5, right? Don't use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but to through love serve one another, right? It's not a permission to sin, it's an opportunity to love. Freedom is the ability to obey God joyfully. And you don't have to be here in America to experience freedom. You can just experience freedom by professing from your mouth and from your heart that Jesus Christ is your Lord. If you want to experience the true freedom in your life, regardless of what the circumstance or the atmosphere is around you, the true freedom is found in Jesus Christ. And there's no special remedy. All it is is just a declaration out of the mouth and out of the abundance of the heart. That's all it is. Because Here paid that. Here he paid that so that we can experience that freedom. And I want to encourage you guys, if that's you, you know, and I'll ask Pastor Gary to uh lead a prayer in a moment, uh, and you could pray along with us that. And then at the end of that prayer, please comment or message us. I'll give give you guys details on how to do that. But that's what freedom is about. That's that's what freedom is about. It's not about, okay, hey, I've the you know, I could do whatever I want. Of course, God gives you that free will, but sometimes when God gives you that free will, bad choices mean consequences. So freedom means, you know, when there's freedom in Christ, the ability to worship him joyfully and to worship him in spirit and in truth. That's where true freedom is founded. And so, and uh past uh Pastor Gary or Zach, is there anything you guys want to add to that?

SPEAKER_04 26:44

You know, I would think I would just add, like, when we're talking about that true freedom that's coming from Christ, so much of that is the love right there, the love of Christ that is poured out there. And in that same way, like without free will, like, could we truly love Christ? Like there has like we we look at the love he had for us. While we were sinners, Christ died for us. And we then make the choice to then love him back in response to the love that he gives us. Like, that's why free will exists. That's why, like you're saying, the consequences, the bad things that do happen because of that free will exist because it allows that love to like really be real, really be authentic. And you know, like just one little last little thing about history I'll say is like with regards to that, we have no idea what happens with anything in the future. At the time of the Romans, I mean, the Jewish people probably looked at them as like the absolute worst that could ever be there, and the war Romans were really bad. But because the Romans were so effective in that empire, it allowed the gospel to go out there at such an enormous, incredible rate because it made things so much easier to like travel from Jerusalem up to Galatia over to Rome, or like travel down south, basically, go to Ethiopia, go to India, because the Silk Road still existed at that point. And there was a lot of things that really like we don't see the good in them, but because these things happen, that's the amazing things. God is the one who's in control, God is the one who is sovereign in all things, and even the bad stuff that happened, even the people that are directly disobeying his will, God is still using those people for some good of everything. Amen. Gary, you want to add something before we pray?

SPEAKER_02 28:30

Well, I I would just say that you know, I totally agree with you guys that that, you know, we have freedom to love, we have freedom to really obey, and and that, you know, f in today's culture, obedience and freedom don't seem to go together, but they do, you know, because we don't realize that apart from Christ, we're already in bondage and and we have no freedom. And it's only in Christ that we're we're freed from this body of sin and death. And so, you know, liberty, freedom, you know, I I pray that we would get back to one nation under God. And, you know, how we were founded and blessed, and how God has has blessed us. And and, you know, in the meantime, we're just gonna keep moving forward here in America, you know, Jerusalem, Judea, and to the uttermost parts of the world.

SPEAKER_05 29:26

I know everybody here in America knows this dollar bill, but in case the people don't realize it, whether you're here in America or somewhere else, look what those four words say on this bill. In God, we trust. In God, we trust, right? We put our trust in God. He's the one that never fails us, he's the one that's always faithful, even when we are faithless. And so that's why our encouragement to you guys on this 4th of July, trust in God, because that's where the freedom is found. And and uh Pastor Gary is gonna lead us in the prayer for those of you that wants to experience that freedom, or you're just need, or maybe you heard about the faith and you're just trying to break free from things that are stopping you from experiencing or just be breaking free from whatever situation you're in, you know, just the power of the Holy Spirit can do that with just one touch and just one prayer. And so I'm gonna ask Pastor Gary to lead us into prayer for that.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

All right. Yeah, I'd be blessed. You know, for those of you out there that you're listening to these words and you're saying, you know, maybe you're saying, Well, I don't need that. I I am free, but maybe you're starting to realize that you're more in bondage than you think. And and, you know, the greatest thing that being a citizen of heaven gives us is that when when we die, we go to be in the presence of the Lord. We we're we're going to heaven. And and so that's what we want. We want to grant that, not that we're granting it, but we want to point the way to Jesus, who is the one that does grant eternal life. And you know, I I like Greg Laurie said, everyone's gonna live forever. And your choice is smoking or non-smoking, meaning heaven or hell. And you know, we don't want people to go to hell. And so we want to bring them to Jesus. So if you're listening and you're saying, you know what, I want that. I I want to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I want that freedom, then I would just ask you to pray this prayer with me. It's a simple prayer, and to ask Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. And then if you do that, you know, please reach out to us and let us know. So if that's your your heart, why don't you pray, pray this prayer with me? Dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I thank you for dying on the cross for me. I ask you to forgive my sins, to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior, and help me, Lord, to follow you all the days of my life, to walk in the freedom that only you can grant and never be put in bondage to sin again. I give you my life, I give you my heart, and I ask, Lord, that you would help me to walk in the confidence of knowing that I'm saved, that we I would walk in your love, and that, Lord, as a citizen of heaven, I would live as one who knows that I have eternal life in you and that you are the answer. Help me to share that with others. And we ask it, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_05 32:35

Amen. And uh if you've if you respond responded that prayer, if you prayed that prayer with us, uh please let us know. We'll let to send you a Bible. You could uh call us, uh, Air Code 949-432-6777. That's our office line, 949-432-6777. Or you could also text us uh either the words air or just or just text us in general to 949-384-9282. Again, 949-384-9282. If you text air, you'll get updates with uh what's going on with our missionaries or just what to pray for as far as uh uh the kids that we minister to at the feeding center in Uganda or what happens in Nepal or even in Mexico, just those updates. And uh, you can text that. Also follow us on our Instagram and our YouTube channels. You subscribe there. You guys are listening to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I think we're on Amazon too. I just realized that. And so yeah, we're on many platforms. Uh as we're speaking, this is July 4th. Next Saturday, if you are in the Southern California area, I think you're might be sold out, but put your name on a wait list. Uh, it's free, but next Saturday, the Harvest Crusade is back for one night only. Uh and so uh the tickets might I think they're all sold out. You know, it's ticketed this year's for the first time, but it's free. They're just trying to like keep crowd control. But if you were if you're interested in going, go to harvest.org and put your name on the wait list because and bring a friend. You know, if you're a if you're a believer and you want to go harvest creep safe, bring an unsaved friend. You know, this is they've been doing this for oh over 35 years, and Pastor Greg Glory has not shied away from sharing the gospel, the full gospel, and people get saved. And nothing gets better than that seeing people come to the Lord, come into the field at Angel Stadium and just seeing people come to Christ. Yes, the the music and the worship is great, but nothing like coming seeing witnessing people coming forward to experience the freedom that we talked about today. The freedom in Christ. And so, so again, harvest.org at angelstadium, it's free. Uh put your name on the wait list uh because there may be some people that can end up not going, or they can't go after all, and so uh you might be able to go. And so uh, but that's a great opportunity to uh bring an unsafe friend just to hear about Jesus Christ. And so, and if you are going and you're a believer, please serve somewhere as a follow-up counselor, as an usher, you know, show those people what serving the Lord, the joy of the Lord, the freedom that's found in Christ is all about.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

And uh and Daniel, can I add too that that if this broadcast ministers to you and you know someone that that could benefit from hearing it, that you would would forward it on to them. And uh maybe the you have unsafe friends that that need to know, you know, what is true freedom that you afford this?

SPEAKER_05 35:31

Amen. Yes, please. Please if you have any testimonies, please just write to us. You know, you can message us on Instagram or just leave a comment on our YouTube channel or just anywhere. Text us. We're we're we're available everywhere. And so, and please, we would love to pray for you too. And uh, everywhere in America, please thank a veteran, thank a veteran today for their service. There, they are God sent people, and uh that they're the reasons why uh we are experiencing the freedom that we have here in America. So God bless you guys. Happy fourth, and uh be safe out there and uh get home on time, all y'all here in America, because we got church in the morning. So please remember that. Don't disregard that at all. Please go to church tomorrow morning and uh get home on time and safe. And uh God bless you guys and uh hope you see you soon. God bless you guys. We like to thank every single one of you for listening to God's stories. To connect with us, go to anchoredrelief.org and follow us on Instagram or follow us at our blog at anchorrelief.blog. You could also subscribe to our YouTube channel as well as our Apple Podcasts and Spotify. To subscribe to our text thread, text the word Air AIR to the number 949-384-9282. Again, that's 949-384-9282. Or you can call us directly on our office line at area code 949-432-6777. That's 949-432-6777.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

The proceeding with the production and broadcast ministry of Anchored International Relief.