Revive Us Again, Part 4
Dave Andrews • April 21, 2021
Remember Who You Are
Yesterday morning on the Bible Quiz, we discussed 2 Timothy 2:9, which reminds us the amazing attribute of God’s Word…it is unchained, unfettered, and unleashed. We may be in that metaphorical prison of our own making, bondage to sin or fear, cooped up at home, or even a literal prison; the good news is, God is out and about free and mighty…still alive and well and active--as is His Word.
In fact, the Word of God and the Christian life are inseparable. It teaches us who we are, and Who we are about. While the world would rather you be afraid to take a stand, to share your faith, to leave your home, to be in pain, God says, believer in Christ, that you are enlightened and empowered. You belong to the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One Who will throw sin and death into the fire, and He has won you the victory!
Little Christ.
If you confess Jesus as Lord, repented of your sins, and placed your faith in the real Christ of Scripture, you are a Christian. In the original Greek, that means “little Christ.” Of course, we know we are not God and will never be God (sometimes we forget). But we follow in His footsteps. We are His disciples. We get to enjoy the benefits, such as the Holy Spirit, the Fruits of the Spirit, the Armor of God, peace that surpasses all understanding, His protection, His companionship, His joy, His provision, His blessing, and His seal. It also means that we walk that same road of self-sacrifice, carrying His cross, and bearing His stripes. We can endure through pain by his gifts of joy, power, love, self-discipline, sound mind (focused on the Word), and Kingdom perspective.
Charles Sheldon challenged generations to revival through true discipleship. In his book, In His Steps, Sheldon asked “what would Jesus do?” How can you better emulate Christ
in this day and age? Are you a faithful disciple?
Servant of the King.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” -1 Corinthians 4:1-2
What a privilege it is to be a servant
of the Most High King! We get to carry the torch the great ones who came before us. We modern day servants have been called from and to different backgrounds and occupations. We have been placed in unique positions and given unique personal gifts
and talents. And as His servants, He has given us unique tasks to fulfill in our lifetime. As a matter of fact, it was all planned long ago! Ephesians
says God planned you long ago, for good works. However one of the great challenges to His will for our life...is us. Sometimes we get busy, apathetic, and forget Who this is all about. We forget that time is short on this earth, and eternity is ahead. We forget that it is all about Him and not about us. I am personally grateful for a patient God! We are all works in progress.
Even in our failure, the good news is we can start today in a small way. I would love to challenge you today, that if you are not sure if God is leading you to some small form of service
for Him, to take a quick baby-step out in faith. If He opens the door…great! If He closes it, great! It is still a success, since it is all about willingness and faithful to glorify the Father, and not simply look for results.
Child of the King.
We call ourselves servants of God because we have a task to do. But in honesty, we are so much more. We are not some mere chained slave, forced to into ceaseless labor for a harsh task-master. We are a child of the Most High Almighty God! Romans 8:15 says,
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Full disclosure here, my wife and I have spent some time considering the possibility of adoption in our family. Those online “gotcha day” adoption videos
get me every time; and every now and then I email my wife Susun one or two of those just to be ornery. Those videos are powerful because adoption is really a powerful thing…everyone can agree, believer or non-believer. We all want a place to belong. But have you ever looked into how much adoption costs? It is quite a lot!
Our adoption cost Christ quite a lot too. And so when I say He paid a heavy price for you, please do not take that lightly. You are bought at the greatest of price. You are not something that He is going to throw away lightly. You are invaluable to God. He has a plan for you, even yet. He grafted you into His chosen people and Kingdom, not really because of who you are, or anything you could do or bring to the table, but because of His love for you. Now you have a place to belong and Someone who loves you more than your mind can comprehend.
Our commitment to Christ and ministry to Him is one that comes out of a loving family relationship. And if you are serving God out of a sense of obligation
rather than love, I want to encourage you to focus on the love of God
right now. How can we start to love God better? One of the best pieces of advice for that comes from my pastor actually. Start telling God you love Him. Something about that act of telling Him solidifies it in our minds, feelings, and hearts. I can say I have experienced this first hand. You will be amazed how that opens up a whole new world!
Priest of God.
1 Peter 2:9
tells us that we are a chosen people, and a royal priesthood…a special possession of Christ, that we may declare the praise of the One who brought us out of the darkness
(which the world
is in), and into His light! Did you know you are a priest? You are a representative of the light of Jesus, a mediator between the world and Christ (the Great Mediator). How does that change your perspective about yourself?
I always get a chuckle when a pastor walks into the room and all of a sudden, people become much more cautious about what they are doing or how they are speaking. I recently saw a video of Billy Graham
on Johnny Carson in the 70s. Carson was never known to be the cleanest talk show host, even in his day. But he sure was treading careful with THE Billy Graham! And Graham was his usual God-centered self, simply fulfilling who he was and what he did, which was preach the Gospel. So how are you ministering before the Throne? Do people take notice when you, God’s priest, enter a room? If they “act differently” around you, and in a good way, chances are it’s a sign you are on the right track. Continue to be faithful as a priest of God, even when the world acts as it is expect to. We need more like you.
As we seek revival together, I want to encourage you to not fear as the world fears, not think as the world thinks, and not act as the world acts. We are different. We are true disciples, servants, and adopted royalty with full fledged rights as children of the Most High Almighty King. We act different, think different, look different. We are the chosen, the priests—on the winning side. We are bold in our stand for Him because He will and already has secured our victory. Let’s together remember Who we are, be who we are, and minister before God as representatives of Christ, wherever He has placed us.
-Dave Andrews
KJOL Station Manager
Chris Tomlin is debuting a new worship song this week which was written around 250 AD. It is being called The First Hymn . The papyrus text was found a century ago among ruins in Egypt, but it wasn’t until recently that Wheaton professor John Dickson realized the First Hymn should be put to modern music. Chris Tomlin teamed with Australian songwriter Ben Fielding (“What A Beautiful Name”, “Mighty to Save”) to craft a modern worship song using the actual words from the original text as translated by Dickson. It includes the earliest mention of the Trinity: Let all be silent, the shining stars not sound forth, all rushing rivers be stilled as we sing our hymn to the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, as all powers cry out in answer Amen. Amen. Might, praise and glory forever to our God, the only giver of all good gifts. Amen. Amen. You can watch the debut performance from Fort Worth, Texas, on YouTube. Tomlin and Fielding are performing the song and the documentary this week at Biola University and at The Museum of the Bible.
Our April Spring Friendraiser is underway here at KJOL! If you’re new to KJOL, it’s probably not what you think! While most Christian radio stations rely on the ‘ol classic “Sharathon” model for raising funding (interrupting days of programming to beg), as we did for years…KJOL no longer raises funds that way! Instead, we simply rely on God to provide. And we just let you know of our need as it arises. You might ask, “With people moving in and out of the area, how do you let new listeners or people who have never given before know you have this need?” We came up with this Friend-Raiser idea just for that purpose! With the purpose of NOT interrupting programming or even begging annoyingly, we will simply make short quick announcements on the air from time to time in April, letting folks know we need new donors to take up the mantle of service with us. Not only do we need brand new donors, but we still need our faithful monthly and one-time supporters to continue in ministry with KJOL again for 2025. I can tell you from talking to our listeners behind the scenes, KJOL is making a very real and positive impact for God’s Kingdom in our community, as we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, the Word of God, and encourage Christians around the Western Slope and beyond every day. Each and every one of our supporters has a hand in that. A few highlights for 2025: · Our 2025 theme is Serving Him, By Serving You ; 1 Peter 4:10 · Our New Donor Goal is 30 brand new donors. · Brand New Donors in April with a gift of $25 or more will receive a KJOL branded Nalgene water bottle, graciously provided to us by a generous anonymous donor. · Past donors who make a gift in the month of April will receive a KJOL bookmark/ruler as a thank you gift for your continued faithfulness. · Everyone who donates to KJOL between April 1-29 will automatically be entered to win one of 5 pairs of general admission (both day) tickets to NightVision 2025 ! Our drawing will be held Wednesday, April 30th. Will you personally help provide this radio ministry to our community? When you give to KJOL in 2025, you will be serving our community and the Lord right there alongside of us! Thanks for praying about it. If the Lord leads, you can make a donation right here , respond to our recent mailing, add us to your bank’s bill-pay, or here’s our address: KJOL Radio, 1354 E. Sherwood Dr., Grand Junction, CO 81501 God bless you and thanks for your consideration! -Dave Andrews, KJOL Station Manager
Meet the artists behind three new songs featured on the KJOL Listener Pulse , and tell us what you think! Natalie Lane “All Joy” “ All Joy ” is the title cut of Colorado Springs native Natalie Lane’s debut album. She says joy became the theme of the entire album: “During open conversations with her collaborators, she realized they all had one thing in common: Everyone was going through very real, difficult things, but yet, they were all still managing to find joy and gratitude in the midst of life’s challenges.” I count it all joy when I run into trouble Count it all good when the bad days come ‘Cause I know that you’re always working And I know that you’re still not done So I’m gonna lift your praise through the trial Ain’t no storm gonna stop my voice ‘Cause I’ve lived some life And I’ve learned that I can always Count it all grace, Count it all joy Ryan Stephenson “Preach” Ryan Stephenson says he wrote Preach five years with his old college roommate, but he didn’t feel it was ready until now. His friend Matt Hammitt sings harmonies. “I hope this song is a encouragement for all of us, regardless of what we believe, to not just say things, but to live things, to practice what we preach.” I talk about grace I talk about love I talk about faith But some days I don’t have enough I talk about forgiveness Still learning how to give it Lord, I need your strength to live what I believe I want my life to preach Every breath, every beat I want my life to preach When I’m strong, when I’m weak Through valley lows and mountain highs Every moment testifies Further than my words could ever reach Lord, I want my life to preach Jamie MacDonald “Desperate” Jamie MacDonald grew up in Michigan and met Jesus at youth camp. But she had a troubled home environment and drifted away and fell into a life of partying and drugs. was difficult home life and She left home at 16, but in her 20s had a “wakeup call” and remembered what God had told her at camp. She began reading her Bible, “secretly attended church,” and did mission work. She now lives in Nashville. She says “There’s been so many moments where I’ve felt desperate. I feel like a lot of people get to that low place and don’t know how much God loves them. As my song says, ‘I’m not asking, I’m begging.’ It’s been cool to see God come through in some of my most Desperate prayers.” Oh God, I'm desperate Down on my knees Send help from heaven 'Cause that's what I need Redeem this wreckage Restore my peace I'm not asking, I'm begging Lord, come through for me I need heaven and I'm Desperate Desperate Oh, I need heaven, need heaven and I'm Desperate
You may have noticed we were unable to release an E-News flash last month…it’s been an odd year so far at KJOL! Not only have we been extremely busy here at the ministry, but Ken Andrews (my father and former KJOL Station Manager) and I (the current station manager) have been caring for my mother who has been battling aggressive cancer for well over a year. No doubt if you heard a recent Inside Report or prayed with Zane during Prayertime, you have heard about her condition, even though we didn’t mention her name at the time.
Some Of Our Favorite Songs of 2024 At the beginning of 2024 , I wrote about how KJOL has now surpassed 4000 songs in our library. And then during 2024, you heard another 167 new songs! Some of our favorites include: That’s My King , CeCe Winans --should have been “Song of the Year” How Great Thou Art , Matt Redman & Friends --75 th anniversary edition Heart & Flesh , Taya Smith & Leeland --a beautiful 6-minute appeal to God “My heart and flesh cry out for You” Now That I Know You , CAIN --“The change in me is plain to see, Now that I know You” Prodigal , Josiah Queen --His style may not suit everyone but somebody likes him: 300 million online streams in 2024! (See him at Nightvision in June) Don’t Stop Praying , Matthew West --one of Zane Matthews' favorite songs! And already in 2025 , there are some really fun new songs: Money Can’t Buy , Cochren & Co. --“You fill my life With something money can’t buy “ (Vote for this song in our Listener Pulse survey now!) Oh Death , Mercy Me --“Oh death you scared me to death Oh you ain’t my King though, Oh where did your sting go You ain’t nothin’ but a stone That my Savior rolled away” (don’t miss the video—it’s great!) Dalé (Praise) , Evan Egerer -- Dalé means “give it to him”. It is also a shout to motivate someone. “We give our praise to Yahweh, Dalé Nobody saves like God saves Don’t wait, Corre (run) to the One, come on, dalé ”
Michael Tait , the lead singer for the Newsboys , has left the group . His announcement came January 16, two days before the band was to start its world tour. Tait said his decision came after prayer and fasting, saying it came as a shock even to him. He added “although I am nervous about the future, I am excited about what it holds for both myself and the Newsboys, as we all seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” Adam Agee is the new lead singer . He had previously been the lead singer for the band Stellar Kart, and then became lead singer for Audio Adrenaline for two years, until they disbanded. In 2023, Agee joined the Newsboys on vocals and bass. Newsboys released a statement after Tait’s announcement, saying “As he walks into the next season of life, we are stepping into the next season of Newsboys. We want you to know that Newsboys isn’t going anywhere, we’re going everywhere!” Tait led a revival of the Newsboys when he joined 15 years ago, with chart topping albums such as Born Again and God’s Not Dead. The first release featuring Tait, in 2010, was “ One Shot ” from the “Born Again” album. After the Newsboys performed their first concert on the new tour, Agee posted on Instagram , “Had to step up to the microphone last night. [a reference to a Newsboys song ] When we found out a week ago that our leader singer Michael Tait was leaving the band, we asked ourselves a lot of questions about the future. We got together and worked hard to put on the best show we could last night. I’m excited about the future and everything God has in store for Newsboys.”
