{"id":307222,"date":"2021-09-04T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-09-04T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/what-is-the-gospel-2\/"},"modified":"2021-09-04T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T11:00:05","slug":"what-is-the-gospel-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/what-is-the-gospel-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Gospel?"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bob Lepine gives a theological, Bible-based description of the gospel. Tracy Lane shares how the gospel applies to her life as a mom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/d2c17sq0nj1f7e.cloudfront.net\/flw2021-09-04.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:25:49","filesize":"23.64M","filesize_raw":"24785618","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[4402,4159],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[3142,3259],"series":[10388],"class_list":["post-307222","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-bible","tag-gospel","cwp_profile-bob-lepine","cwp_profile-tracy-lane","series-familylife-this-week"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/10\/FLTW-Podcast-Cover-2-1400x1400-1-300x300-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/307222\/what-is-the-gospel-2","player_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/307222\/what-is-the-gospel-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-this-week","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"k0PHYhLjQl\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/what-is-the-gospel-2\/\">What Is the Gospel?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/what-is-the-gospel-2\/embed\/#?secret=k0PHYhLjQl\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;What Is the Gospel?&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"k0PHYhLjQl\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Bob Lepine gives a theological, Bible-based description of the gospel. Tracy Lane shares how the gospel applies to her life as a mom.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/flw\/flw2021-09-04.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What do people <em>really<\/em> think and really <em>know<\/em> about the gospel and about Jesus Christ? In today\u2019s post-modern\/post-Christian world, not very much. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Man #1:<\/strong> [Speaking in foreign language]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Interpreter:<\/strong> I think Jesus Christ was a magician. He studied in the Far East. He\u2019s kind of like David Blaine, but he has way cooler tricks.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Man #2:<\/strong> [Speaking in foreign language]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Interpreter:<\/strong> To me, he\u2019s a guy that started a thing with some people. Yes, I guess it turned into something he didn\u2019t intend\u2014and that\u2019s too bad\u2014but he meant well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Wow! They don\u2019t even know who Jesus is. Well, today, we\u2019re going to talk about the gospel on <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I'm Michelle Hill. Those answers that you just heard came from people, who live in the same country. It\u2019s a country with over \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t176 languages and several hundred million people. I grew up in that country; I guess you could say <em>on<\/em> the mission field. Missionaries have been going there for <em>centuries<\/em>, and the landscape is dotted with quite a few church buildings. A vast number of the oldest and largest cathedrals are empty on Sundays, except maybe for tourists and some faithful elderly. More that 60 percent of the citizens have virtually <em>no<\/em> awareness of Jesus and <em>no<\/em> real understanding of the Bible or even its <em>key<\/em> gospel message. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tResearchers have studied this country and they\u2019ve estimated that less that one in ten people are actually Christians. Now, this really bothers me. I\u2019ve seen the reality of a culture, where so many are devoid of the gospel and, like I said, it just grieves my heart. The country that we\u2019re talking about\u2014it\u2019s the United States of America\u2014yes, a country founded on Christian principles. In many ways, it seems to have lost its way and its grip on the gospel. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat got me to thinking, \u201cWhat exactly <em>is<\/em> the gospel that we seem to have forgotten or don\u2019t understand?\u201d You know Bob Lepine; right? He\u2019s [the former] cohost of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, buthe\u2019s also a pastor at Redeemer Community Church in Little Rock. He explains the gospel this way\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, simply, it\u2019s this: it is that we have rebelled against God; we\u2019ve said, \u201cWe want to run our own lives.\u201d The penalty for that kind of rebellion, according to Scripture, is death\/that we would be separated from God. When you rebel against the Creator of the universe, the One who created you, He has the right to say, \u201cIf you want to run your own life, this is the penalty you will receive for that\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow the good news is that God doesn\u2019t leave us in this helpless estate that we\u2019re in, facing eternal death. He sends His Son Jesus, who lives a perfect life\u2014the life that we should have lived\u2014Jesus lives on our behalf. And then Jesus goes to the cross; He dies. In His death, He pays the penalty that we deserve for having offended the holiness of God\/for having rebelled against Him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe lives the life we should have lived; He dies the death that we deserve in our place; and <em>then<\/em> He demonstrates that He has power over sin, and hell, and death by being raised from the dead\/by coming to life again with resurrection power; and then He makes this offer\/He says, \u201cIf any man would come after Me\u2014be My disciple, follow Me, take up his cross\u2014that man will inherit eternal life [Excerpts from various Scripture references]\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe good news is, when you turn from sin and turn to Christ, your relationship with God is reconciled. The relationship that was broken by our sin is healed by Jesus\u2019 life of perfect obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. As a result of that, we have forgiveness for our sins; we have the promise of a transformed life. Jesus says, \u201cI\u2019m not just going to leave you in the shape you\u2019re in. I\u2019m going to help you get better\/more Christ-like. I\u2019m going to help you deal with the sin problem in your life,\u201d\u2014that\u2019s sanctification\u2014and He says, \u201cI\u2019m going to give you a hope and a future.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe promise of the gospel for us is: \u201cSin is forgiven; no condemnation. We\u2019re not going to live in the same helpless estate we\u2019re in, but we can be more like Christ; and we have a hope and a future as adopted sons and daughters of God.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Understanding the gospel rightly is <em>so<\/em> important. Yes, we might live in a country, where a lot of people haven\u2019t heard the message; but for some of us, [who] have heard it and understand it, we\u2019ve heard it so many times that we have kind of forgotten how important it really is. Here\u2019s David Platt, Matt Chandler, and J. D. Greear to help remind us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Excerpts from Various Messages]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David Platt: <\/strong>There\u2019s no more important question that we will face in this life: \u201cHow can I find forgiveness? Do I <em>need<\/em> to find forgiveness?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Matt Chandler:<\/strong> The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Your <em>heart<\/em> is the problem.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J. D. Greear:<\/strong> That\u2019s why Paul, the guy who wrote Galatians, said in another place, \u201cThere\u2019s no one righteous, no one who does good, not even one [Romans 3:10].\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Matt Chandler:<\/strong> \u201cFor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.\u201d That verse makes you, not a <em>victim<\/em> of Adam\u2019s rebellion, but a <em>participant<\/em> in his rebellion. You tracking with me? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J. D. Greear:<\/strong> We are all doomed for destruction\u2014damned, cursed, afflicted\u2014this is not a good thing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Matt Chandler:<\/strong> In our active rebellion against God: \u201cWhile we were enemies, Christ died for us.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David Platt:<\/strong> Because, with Him, forgiveness is possible before God, no matter who you are\/no matter what you\u2019ve done.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J. D. Greear:<\/strong> Because God gives His love and acceptance, as a gift, in Christ. Christ did the work for you, and He gives it to you as a gift. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Matt Chandler: <\/strong>God imputes to me the righteousness of Jesus Christ, absorbs all of my sin on the cross.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>J. D. Greear:<\/strong> It means that there are <em>none of you<\/em>, not one, who is beyond the reach of God\u2019s grace.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David Platt:<\/strong> The beauty of the cross is, at that place, He took on and covered your guilt. He endured <em>your<\/em> condemnation; He suffered <em>your<\/em> separation at the cross. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Matt Chandler:<\/strong> It\u2019s not that you earned God\u2019s love; it\u2019s that you believed that it\u2019s been given to you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David Platt:<\/strong> The One, who is cursed of God and hung on a tree, is now exalted\u2014the glory of God\/the risen King\u2014and He has conquered death. That changes everything! That\u2019s <em>huge<\/em>! That is revolutionary!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Okay, so now we should be getting a clearer picture of what the gospel is and what Christ accomplished for us on the cross; because He went through a <em>lot<\/em> to show us love. For some of us, we think that simply means that we get to go to heaven\u2014it\u2019s like that Get-out-of-jail-free card or something\u2014that\u2019s <em>true<\/em>; but coming up, I\u2019m going to ask Bob what it means for us, <em>now<\/em>, in our daily lives. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re going to take a break, but we\u2019ll be back in two minutes. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Radio Station Spot Break]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Welcome back to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I\u2019m Michelle Hill. We\u2019re talking about the gospel today. Just a little bit earlier before the break, we heard from Bob Lepine. He helped to clarify for us a bit on what the gospel is. I also wanted to get his take on what that means for our regular daily life, as in not just Sundays. Here\u2019s more of my conversation with Bob Lepine. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> If you really believe the gospel, it\u2019s changed your life. How do you break it down to how you live out the gospel in your marriage?\u2014or in your family, working with a rebellious 13-year-old? How does the gospel play out then?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Okay, I\u2019m going to go back to three words that I used before: one is \u201cforgiveness\u201d; the second is \u201ctransformation\u201d; and the third is \u201chope.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI can think of all kinds of situations\u2014in marriage, in raising rebellious 13-year-olds, and in all kinds of family relationships\u2014where forgiveness is an issue. Now, I\u2019m not just talking about the forgiveness in our horizontal relationships. When I offend my wife, I\u2019m offending God at the same time\u2014so I need forgiveness from Him for my sin\u2014I also need forgiveness [from] her. But the promise of the gospel is: God forgives, and He gives <em>me<\/em> the grace to forgive others. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cHow does the gospel play out in a marriage and in a family?\u201d We learn how to be good forgivers. We also learn how to be good repenters\/how to confess our sins to one another and to forgive one another. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe second way it plays out is this idea of transformation. We are spurring one another on in marriage and in family to be better than we are\/to live lives that are more honoring to God. Because every day, I\u2019m making progress in my journey to be more like Christ. But every day, I\u2019ve got a long way to go. In marriage and family relationships, we get a chance to say, \u201cYou know, I noticed this\u2026Maybe that\u2019s not the way that ought to be, pleasing to the Lord. I know I\u2019ve messed up in that area before.\u201d We can encourage one another; we can cheer one another on: \u201cWay to go! That was so\/you did a great job here.\u201d Those are the kinds of things that we can be doing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen hope\u2014the word, \u201chope\u201d\u2014a marriage and a family, where the gospel is central, whatever you\u2019re dealing with today\u2014because the gospel is true\u2014there\u2019s a reason for hope. Whatever the <em>dark<\/em> situation going on in your marriage today is, or in your family today is\u2014where you are tempted to give up and lose hope\u2014the gospel says: \u201cRemember Jesus was <em>dead<\/em> and then He came alive again. If God can raise a dead Jesus back to life, can He deal with your rebellious 13-year-old or your angry husband?\u201d We believe there\u2019s hope.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> There\u2019s hope even though it might take a long time? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, yes; I\u2019m mean, hope is not one of those\u2014\u201cLet\u2019s flip the switch,\u201d and now, \u201cOh, look, that got fixed,\u201d\u2014we\u2019re all in process. This goes back to grace and transformation\/goes back to forgiveness and transformation. Yes, it takes a while for stubborn sin patterns to get worked out in our lives. We have to give one another grace in the midst of that journey. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur road to sanctification\u2014there\u2019s a lot going on there\u2014but if both of us in marriage believe the gospel\/both of us are wanting our lives to be conformed to the image of Christ\u2014then we\u2019ve got a common ground to be able to:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\taddress the reality of our sin\/to confess: \u201cWe are sinners\u2014we know it\u2014I married a sinner; you are married to a sinner,\u201d \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tto forgive one another, \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tand to find the common ground, where we can move forward and we can make progress on our journey. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What about the woman, who says, \u201cBut I\u2019m not married to a Christian\u201d? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s a tough assignment; it\u2019s a tough assignment for a man, who\u2019s not married to a believing spouse. Because here, what is most important in your life, it\u2019s not something you have in common with the person, who\u2019s the most important person in your life\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014the person with whom you\u2019re supposed to be one\u2014and this is an area where the two of you are not one. That\u2019s a tough situation to be in. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI would say a number of things. The first thing I\u2019d say is, if you went into marriage knowing you\u2019re a believer and he\u2019s not, you probably need to spend some time confessing to God that sin. You intentionally became unequally yoked against what the Scripture teaches. You\u2019re experiencing some of the fruit of that; you just need to acknowledge to God the reality of you making a willful choice <em>against<\/em> what His Word says. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMaybe you <em>weren\u2019t<\/em> a believer when you got married\u2014or maybe your spouse acted or said he or she was a believer, but now they\u2019ve lapsed\/there\u2019s nothing going on\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t1 Peter 3 gives wives direction on what to do, which is to have the kind of conduct, the kind of behavior, the kind of joy in your life that becomes irresistible and unmistakable to your unbelieving spouse to cause that person to go, \u201cWhat is it with you that it just seems like things that ought to knock you down don\u2019t knock you down? What is it with you that it just seems like there is joy; there\u2019s peace in your life?\u201d They see the fruit of the Spirit. First Peter says you win them without a word\u2014you don\u2019t have to say anything\u2014because they\u2019re going to come to you, at some point, and go: \u201cWhat gives?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d; or they\u2019ll know. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve talked to wives, who have been married for <em>decades<\/em> to unbelieving husbands\u2014and they\u2019re divided on this [with their husband]\u2014these wives just say, \u201cYou know what? I persevere and find my joy in knowing I\u2019m doing exactly what Jesus would have me do in this situation, and I leave the rest up to Him.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> My friend, Tracy Lane, has been on this program several times this past year. She\u2019s a writer here at FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>; but more importantly, she\u2019s a mom. She and her husband Matt have two precious little girls. When we last talked, they were one-and-a-half and three years old. Tracy shared with me how they do simple and practical things to make sure that the message of the gospel becomes an everyday reality for their girls.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> Every single night, when I put Audrey to bed, we read two stories out of <em>The Jesus Storybook Bible<\/em>. Then we say our prayers, and then I leave, and she\u2019s supposed to go to bed on her own. [Laughter] That\u2019s like a magic world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Does she? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> Not usually. [Child\u2019s Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Okay, that seems simple enough: read your kids gospel-centered stories at night before you say your prayers. They\u2019re also doing something a little bit more difficult like memorizing Bible verses\u2014at least, with their three-year-old\u2014which might sound hard; but as you\u2019ll see, that\u2019s actually not really an issue.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> One of our verses is about \u201cGod can help us do hard things.\u201d That\u2019s one of the times, when we pray some of our Scripture, is: \u201cGod can help us do hard things like sleep in our bed on our own. It\u2019s okay; you can do this, because God is with you wherever you go [Joshua 1:9 paraphrased].\u201d Just teaching her to hide that Scripture in her heart, and then how to use it in everyday situations, is something that\u2019s valuable to us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle: <\/strong>That last part\u2019s <em>the biggie. <\/em>Reading a Bible story before bed; okay, good. Memorizing Bible verses\u2014a little bit tougher\u2014but: \u201cOkay, we can do it\u201d; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut where understanding the gospel comes together for children, or really anyone, is showing them how the gospel plays out in everyday life; that\u2019s where it gets tricky. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> Okay; she\u2019d been sick for several days, so we went to the doctor last week. She was complaining that she didn\u2019t want to go potty. She\u2019s been potty trained for a long time, so that\u2019s usually not an issue. The doctor wanted to get a urine sample\u2014which is hard enough for someone who\u2019s 31, to catch your own pee in a cup\u2014much less catch your 3-year-old daughter\u2019s pee in a cup, who does not want to pee. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe was just not going to do it. She said, \u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d We went to the potty <em>multiple<\/em> times; ended in tears for both us multiple times. The nurses were waiting outside the door, with a sticker that was supposed to bribe her. I\u2019m like, \u201cYes, she gets stickers without peeing; so that\u2019s probably not going to help.\u201d [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFinally, it was like the Holy Spirit just said to me, \u201cI can help you do hard things.\u201d This is feeling like a really hard, overwhelming situation for me as a mom\/for Audrey. So while she\u2019s sitting there on the potty\u2014refusing to pee, saying she can\u2019t and won\u2019t\u2014I\u2019m crying, out of frustration. I said, \u201cAudrey, let\u2019s just pray about this. God cares about this moment too. Remember, He can help us do hard things. This <em>feels<\/em> really hard right now, so let\u2019s just pray: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod, I know You can help us do hard things. This is hard. Would You just be our provider? You can be here with us; we know You are. Can you just show Audrey You can help us in this moment, and comfort me and give me the energy? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWouldn\u2019t you know it, a couple of minutes after, we heard the little tinkle. I tried to get the cup under there really quick; I caught it. He helped me do something hard and Audrey was able to go. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thought back to what I\u2019ve seen from the gospel: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tHow God sent His Son. If He can do that\u2014imagine how hard that would be, as a Dad, to send Your Son and to give that up\u2014and just to love us that much. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tThen He was able to raise Him from the dead\u2014that defeated any hard thing; death is the hardest thing that we would ever face\u2014and separation from God that He endured. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\tIf He can do that, as a hard thing, then that reminds me and my daughter that: peeing in a cup\/catching that pee in a cup\u2014enduring this is difficult, yes\u2014but because of the power that we\u2019ve seen God demonstrate, we can trust Him to be the provider of what we need in that situation too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Peeing in a cup isn\u2019t the only hard thing that gospel has gotten Tracy through. It was about two years before the cup incident, Tracy was at the doctor\u2019s for what was supposed to be <em>really<\/em> exciting. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> From the beginning, when we went that day for the ultrasound to see if we were going to have a boy or girl as our second baby, we heard that day, \u201cYou\u2019re having another girl!\u201d\u2014which we were so excited about. I wanted to have two girls, so they could be sisters. It\u2019s so wonderful. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> But that\u2019s when things got <em>really<\/em> hard. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> But we also heard that day, \u201cSomething\u2019s not right with her heart, and you need to find out more. Honestly, at this point,\u201d the doctor said, \u201cwe don\u2019t know what that means.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs we found out more, we did confirm that Annie, the next day, that something was wrong with her heart. We didn\u2019t have a diagnosis yet, but the specialist told us that she most likely wouldn\u2019t live to be born. After he said that, as we\u2019re watching her up on the ultrasound screen, he suggested, as they say, \u201cterminating the pregnancy.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, that\u2019s a moment where your world just really comes crashing down. I mean, that\u2019s not something you ever expect to be faced with. But we were able to cling to hope that day and cling to truth that \u201cGod did create her life; He has a good plan.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe didn\u2019t know she was going to live\u2014we had <em>no<\/em> idea\u2014but termination could not be an option for us, because God knew what He was doing. Whatever His story was for our family was the <em>right<\/em> story. Because if His story was a story of redemption\u2014whatever that looked like, playing out in our baby\u2019s life\u2014was going to be a story of redemption somehow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> In case we\u2019re tempted to think that the gospel is some abstract idea, or something that we believed once and now we\u2019ve moved on, Tracy reminds us that the gospel\/it sustains us through the challenge of a three-year-old peeing in a cup. It\u2019s the <em>same<\/em> gospel that helps us move through finding out that you\u2019re having a little girl, but that she might not live to see the light of day. The gospel is <em>good news<\/em> no matter what today or tomorrow might bring. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Tracy:<\/strong> We could have questioned\u2014because He\u2019s the Creator; He\u2019s the author of Annie\u2019s life\u2014and He could make her and form her any way He chose to. We knew who was responsible for what was going on. We could have questioned why a good God would do that or <em>if <\/em>He was still good. But I didn\u2019t have to, because I <em>knew<\/em> He was good\u2014because what I could look back on was\u2014\u201cIf He loves me enough to send His Son to rescue me from my sin to allow me to have a relationship with God again\/to restore that, then He is good.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBecause of knowing that, I never questioned <em>if<\/em> He was good. I questioned what was going on\u2014\u201cWhy would He do this?\u201d; all of those things\u2014but just knowing the fact of who Jesus is\u2014what He did to save me\u2014was just our foundation of <em>hope<\/em> through that time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> The reason we call ourselves Christian is Christ and what He did for us. Jesus is more than a great historical hero. Christ conquered death so that we could have hope\/hope and a future. That should give us great joy; and we should <em>want<\/em> to live out the gospel in every part of our life, even in the mundane things of life, like getting your three-year-old to pee in a cup. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Excerpt from <em>The Gospel<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tComing up next week, we\u2019re going to learn about how to blend stepfamilies. It takes some special ingredients and time. Ron Deal is going to join us and talk about crock pots and stepfamilies on <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em> next time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, thanks for listening! I want to thank the president of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, David Robbins; our cofounder, Dennis Rainey; along with our station partners around the country. A big \u201cThank you!\u201d to our engineer today, Keith Lynch; our producers, Marques Holt and Bruce Goff. Justin Adams is our mastering engineer, and Megan Martin is our production coordinator.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe man on the street clips at the beginning of the program came from and\/or were based on the video, <em>Frontline: Who Is Jesus?<\/em>, posted on YouTube by Frontline DC.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur program is a production of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI'm Michelle Hill, inviting you to join us again next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<sup>\u00a9<\/sup>Song: <em>The Gospel <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tArtist:\u00a0 Ryan Stevenson\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tAlbum: <em>No Matter What<\/em>, (p) 2017 by Bryan Fowler\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2021 FamilyLife. 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