Is it ok to steal from the richest man in the world? The answer may surprise you.

today on way of the Master, Michael, you’re guilty, You have to go to hell for all eternity. What are you going to say to God on that day, maybe like to give me another chance once we’ve died, it’s too late. You’ve been involved in a church and you’ve been around ministry. You know, I’m definitely a sheep in the flock. You know, that is definitely gone astray. But it’s off the heels of a divorce from a woman that was married to for almost 20 years. That relationship ended because of my sin. You believe in God. There’s love for everything. There’s many types of gods, the different types of universe and love and God is everything. I think I’m going to pass on this for now. You want to stop the interview? No, Michael, Do you know who the richest man in the world is right now? I think I know, but I forgot the name is the That’s right, Jeff Bezos. If you have the ability to be invisible and to walk through walls, you can go into Jeff Bezos house into the vault anytime you want, take any amount of money that you want. He’s not even gonna notice. If you if you take 10 million bucks, he’s not even gonna know it’s gone seriously, Michael, would you do it? Well, not really because that’s what it costs stealing money, you know? And I wouldn’t feel good if I get money, that is not mine. You know what makes it wrong in your mind? It is because like, let’s say if I have the money and somebody take it away from me, I would feel bad. So you’re relating it to how you would feel and you recognize that that’s not something I would appreciate. What what if somebody came up to you and said no, I I think stealing is is good. I think it’s fine and it’s okay for me to do it and I want to take whatever you have. Do you think that would be make it right if they feel that it’s right. So do you, do you sense that there’s something outside of us that tells us what is right and wrong? No matter what we think? Yeah, Michael, do you believe in the existence of God? Do you think that maybe the reason why we recognize it’s wrong to steal even from someone like Jeff Bezos has billions of dollars. It’s because there’s a God and he’s told us what’s right and wrong and he’s put that inside of our hearts. Yeah. But what I try to do is bring you to that point. I can’t do it for you. So find a place with God and get right with God right away, Terrence, you were just walking minding your own business and all of a sudden you see this guy in the red shirt talking, he stopped what caused you to stop and listen to his message was very, it was non combative. It wasn’t intrusive, but it was more just, hey, I just wanna, I just want to talk about who God is when somebody does that, uh, it draws me in versus pushes me away. So yeah, I gotta be honest with you, I was in the background, I was watching you and as you can imagine, we get all kinds of people coming in. One thing I noticed about you is that you were doing a whole lot more listening, then you were talking about what was going through that mind of yours when you were listening to, to scotty, I’m in a place right now where I feel like I need to do more listening than speaking, not listening to give a response, correct me if I’m wrong, you’re in a place where you’ve been in a place in your past where you’ve been involved in a church and you’ve been around ministry. Um, and then you stepped out of that and now it seems like maybe in a place where you just kind of are, are tired of that old system you were in or that group you were in, what would you say defines, um, where you’re at now say I’m in a place to allow God to speak. I agree with what he said when he said, hey, you know, you walk across the street right now, you could be hit by a car, you could die. You can go to hell absolutely true. Um, you know, I have no bitterness towards God because of my own situation, you know, we walk away from God God doesn’t separate himself for us, we separate ourselves, you know from God. And so I think even more so I’m more reliant on God’s mercy right now, you know, I’m definitely a sheep in the flock, you know, that has definitely gone astray, but I have an amazing wife to, you know, we got married in September, and and it’s off the heels of a divorce um from a woman that was married to for almost 20 years. And of course that relationship end because of my sin, you know, and so again, um, I look at that and I again, I have to move forward in my life. I love tremendously my wife who I’m married to right now. But again, I think that’s also just a testament of how sin can be destructive. Sin is very destructive, you know, with your relationship with God and also with others, do you have a bucket list? Everyone does. If you don’t, you’re dying, aren’t you? What’s your bucket list? Too many? What do you want to do? Do something that leaves an imprint on legacy in life, Are you irish? Yes, Good man, we’re noticing that’s an Australian for a change. I’m not Australia, but other people say I am for whatever you think you’re Australian that 12,000 miles out, what’s wrong with them? You’ve got a great rugby team. So what’s some of your bucket, let’s give me some specifics, do things that no one has ever done before. So it’d be showing people that life is more than just a physical, what we see in touches more than life than just the three D. Rounds and approve and just tell people that you know what they see is someone specifics. Do you want to skydive off the empire state building backwards or what, what do you want to do? That’s different. Just show the people that, you know there’s a lot more to life than just what we see. So for example, in the sky down that like there’s a lot more things. So for example, you can actually like time travel or you can go further in life or you can time travel. Yeah, I feel like we’re living a very dimensional universe that like Deja vu for example, it’s not coincidence. So we always have something that you know, we might be reliving the exact same thing over and over. Like time doesn’t exist. Is trying to crack the dimension and matrix. Would you like another future? Who knows what the future we might be living already. Like there’s no such thing as past, present or future. So would you like to know what’s going to happen in the future to you? We already created without even realizing our subconscious for us, would you like to know the moment you’re going to die? Were slowly dying anyways is when you start living that. So why wouldn’t you like to know when you’re gonna die, You could die right now? You don’t you can’t know So why? No, if you don’t know when you’re going to do you believe in God? There’s love for everything. There’s many types of God, there’s different types of universe and love and there’s no such thing as a god is everything. Love is the fruit of the spirit. But there is a creator that made all things flowers and birds and trees and seasons and fruits. That’s the creator. There’s many guys, not just one god. Well remember the first of the 10 commands you an irish catholic girl kind of well what’s the first of the 10 commandments? But I feel like that’s just like I feel like sometimes maybe an old way of politics as well. So what’s the first of the 10? I think I’m going to pass on this for now. You want to stop the interview? No, but I think I can tell you the first of the 10 are catholic are you know, but everyone knows that don’t make up a false god. Don’t say there’s many gods is one God, the creator of the universe. Yeah, but also everything is going I feel like there’s Yes, there is one thing that I don’t I don’t feel like the bible for example is all true as well because it’s been changed so many times as well? So what’s not Why has it been changed so many times? Can you tell me something that’s been changed or been changed? There’s so many just give you one example. Why has it been changed? Why have so many testimonies? The old testimony? No testimonial. Like why is it just the one testimonial? There’s the old testament. But why can’t we just have the one? Well, that’s a good question. The old testament, God promised to destroy death and the new testament tells us how he did it. When the guys aren’t out witnessing, they can usually be found at living waters. HQ. I’ve probably heard this excuse from christians more than any other one when it comes to sharing the gospel. I’m not ready. Ray. What do you say to someone that says that? I’m never ready? You ready? Ready? I’d rather stay home. I’m just not ready to get up and go out and approach a complete stranger. You’re kidding? But you go anyway. I often look at the woman the well and I think to myself, what training did she have? She had a relationship with christ. She had met jesus and that’s all that matter. And I love the way jesus said follow me and I’ll make you to become fishers of men. And it’s a process. I mean, I did stupid things as a brand new christian trying to evangelize that just Yeah, that’s true. Actually my, my theology wasn’t perfect, but that doesn’t matter. People are going to hell and we need to warn them? I think the power that fuels us away from all of those fears and insecurities is the joy of our salvation. If you think about psalm 51 David recognizes his sin, he repents. The joy of his salvation is restored and then he goes out and evangelize. He tells the world. And if you think about it, when you watch a new television show that you love, when you go to a new restaurant that you absolutely enjoy, you tell somebody about it, you invite others to experience it. It’s in our nature, to express joy and to invite other people to experience the same thing. And so when the joy of our salvation is fueling us, it’s gonna overflow into evangelism. You know, on second peter one Peter gives a list of attributes that should mark the believer and then he says he who lacks these things is short sighted, even the blindness and has forgotten his purification from his old sins. One of the things I try to do regularly is to meditate on the day I got saved. So that it’s good. I’m excited to tell others scripture, says he who is forgiven much, loves much and there’s not a greater act of love than to tell someone about he who is love. So, do you ever heard of the 10 commandments before? Okay, One of the 10 commandments is obviously you shall not steal, you know that one, right? So that’s that’s probably evidence for us in our hearts and knowing, wow, you look at that, they take my bike, but evidence, that’s evidence in our hearts, right? That we know God has put that in us. How about the one that says you shall not lie honestly, Michael, in the course of your lifetime, have you ever told any lies? Do you think you’d be able to even count how many times you’ve lied in your life? I saw that smile, I don’t think. Okay. Have you have you ever used God’s name in vain before? That’s like saying, oh my And then you say God’s name, Have you ever done that? You know, the bible calls that blasphemy and it says God will not hold him guiltless. Who takes his name in vain? Uh Here’s another one. This one it’s pretty heavy for most men. Um It says you shall not commit adultery, right? That means like to have, you know, sex outside of marriage or with someone else’s wife or that sort of thing. But jesus said, if you look at a woman to lust for her, you’ve committed adultery already with her in your heart. The bible even says if we’ve ever had unjust anger or hatred towards anyone in our heart, it’s like we’re guilty of murder. If we’ve ever done any of those things. If we’ve lied, we’re liars. If we’ve taken something that wasn’t ours, you know, we’re talking about Jeff Bezos and you know, having a billion dollars and taking notes. But even if we’ve taken like the smallest thing, it still makes us a thief in God’s sight. If you were to die and you were to stand in front of God on the day of judgment, and he were to judge you by his his law. His commandments. Do you think you’d be innocent, or do you think you’d be guilty? I think I’d be guilty. Do you know what the bible says is the punishment for people who are guilty when they stand before God. Uh the bible teaches that there’s a place called hell. That’s a place where there will be torment for for all of eternity. Because God is a holy God and he has to punish sin, right? If somebody uh committed a crime against you, they stole let’s say someone stole your bike right now and took off with it if they were caught and the judge looked at that person and they said, you know, I’m a good judge, that’s okay, I’m gonna let you go. Would you be happy with that? Yeah. I mean if the judge looked at the guy who stole your bike and said you’re not gonna be in trouble, that’s fine, You can go, would that be a good thing? Oh, no. Right. Of course not. You’d say no. This guy committed a crime. Well, it’s the same thing with God God can’t look at the things we’ve done and just say, oh no big deal, that’s fine, he has to punish sin. So what are you gonna do, Michael, when you stand in front of God, and he looks at your whole life and all the sin you’ve committed, and he says, Michael, you’re guilty, like you said, you have to go to hell for all eternity. What are you gonna say to God on that day? Maybe like to give me another chance, Do you know? The bible says that it’s appointed unto man once to die, and then comes the judgment, what that means is, once we’ve died, it’s too late. We can’t get another chance. The chance that we’re given is right now in this life and on this earth, I was part of one church. And so that church, again, I’m not well, you know, I’ll say that’s totally fine, that’s the international churches of christ, I was part of that church. And um, again, it was not a church that believed in praying, jesus into your heart. Were there some legalistic things uh, that man, you know, probably erred on the side of, of maybe being too harsh at different times. Absolutely. But I don’t think any church has it 100% correct. We do the best we can to try to interpret who God is and who jesus is to people, but other than that, it’s all gonna be about a person’s heart, you know? And, and are they receptive, you know to God’s word and God knows who those receptive ones are just like scotty talking out here right now, if he just helps one person to come to christ out of all these thousands of people you’re gonna see today, I’m sure God is gonna go well done, good and faithful servant. The thing that kind of put warning lights in my, in my head, considering that group with the one main thing was that at least in my friends group, they considered themselves to be the only true church in their area. So this, so this seems like this is really at one point the church of christ, we had that perspective at one point there’s been a lot of break offs, you know, I mean that I’ve seen over the years of just different people, you know, believing in different things and going certain ways and I would even judge that, you know what I mean? Like why are you breaking off, why are you leaving? And I would even say to people sometimes not say to them directly, but I think that in my head that when they would leave, oh wow, they’re they’re no longer, they no longer have a relationship with God, they no longer are saved falling away. And so there you go, because that was the belief, right? And so now kind of bringing it back full circle now, you understand what I mean by, you know? Yeah, we had some really great stuff to offer in our studies. So, and so I I can understand what that is a background. Why it would probably be hard for you to set foot in any church and not just like get into it right away because you got all this baggage I got a ton of baggage. So you get it, you get it. Do you know how God destroyed death? How do you know that? It wasn’t like it wasn’t videoed? Do you know what the bible says? Yeah, but why was why would I have to see it to believe it? At least feel it. I can’t just read and take off white and black and white. Okay, I’ll share the gospel with you and see if you can feel it. Can you do that for me? Just listen you’re good person. I tried to be everyday. Okay. How many lies have you told in your life? White lies are lies to make things better? It doesn’t matter what color lies. You don’t even know what’s true anymore. Do we just be our best selves every day. So you have lied? Everyone does. Have you ever stolen something? Is that one of your lies? No. Okay. Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Everyone does. And yeah, I’m a sinner for an apple. I’ll say I’m sorry for that as well. Now would you use your mother’s name as a cuss word and why not? Because she gave life to me and God used her to give life to you. But you’ve taken his holy name and used as a filth word to express discuss. That’s what we hear every day. But I don’t do is just I think it’s a brainwashed little but that we’re just so used to using it so serious. It’s punishable by death in the old testament. I’m sorry after I do so, it’s only true anger. That because you’ve got a conscience. Now, a little personal here, jesus said, if you look with lust, you commit adultery in your heart. Have you ever looked with lust? You got a pure uh, absolutely. I always that’s how everything comes from the heart had sex before marriage. Yeah, Okay, so Christina, you’ve told me you’re a liar. A blasphemer and a fornicator. And the bible says all liars of their part in the Lake of fire, no thief, no blasphemer, no adulterer or fornicator room here at God’s Kingdom. So if you die in your sins, you’ve got God’s promise, you’re in big trouble. Did you realize he also went to sin? So we can be forgiven. So as long as you talk to him and make sure that you’re not being, you know, as long as you know, they are strong and you ask for forgiveness and you mean it from the heart and you start to be your best person yourself. You just gotta keep going. Don’t be afraid of death because you’re afraid of death. But then you sure of that what you just said your life on it. Because I’ve seen experienced things, you’re betting your life on it because you’re wrong. And that’s what the bible says. That’s not the way of salvation. I’ve seen that. One of the things that people will revert to when you have taken them through the commandments and have shown them that they’re in big trouble with God is well, I’m gonna clean myself up, I’m gonna start living a good life. I’m gonna be a good person from now on. Why is that the wrong direction to go in? God is not asking us to clean our lives up, He is commanding us to lay our lives down. So we we need to be careful on what we are doing in the midst of the church, in the midst of evangelizing out on the street, we say that we are anti traditionalists were against the roman catholic church. But you’d be surprised how many things that we do that are really associated with simple tradition. I think the person who says that still does not understand grace in their eyes, they need to do something. I need to clean themselves up and go and do something in order to get right with God. But when your understanding of grace, when you’re ill Ooh nominated to the reality that God is gracious and that only through his grace can you have a saving faith, then the natural next response is exactly that to respond to that, which looks like transformation when you look into a mirror and it shows you your dirt on your face. You don’t take the mirror off the wall and try to clean yourself with the mirror. The mirror sends you to the water so you can get cleansed. And the law reveals to your sinfulness, you can go to the blood of christ and receive that self righteousness is such a stubborn. Senate keeps raising its ugly head. And I often liken it to weeds on the free, on the side of the freeway. There’s California’s drought, there’s no rain for months and these weeds come up like there’s no tomorrow, it’s like someone is fertilizing them and giving them water during the night. But no, and that’s what self righteous is is like you got to root it out with the likes of God’s law. You heard about jesus? Yeah. What’s your understanding about what Jesus did when he came to this world, but that he came to this world to save us and he guilty for everything what we did right, Jesus came and he took the sin that we committed and he took it on him and then God punished sin on jesus as if though jesus committed the sins that we committed, so that if we repent, that means turn from our sin and we put our faith in him. God will take all our sins. He’ll wash them away and then he’ll give us everlasting life and he’ll change us forever, Michael, have you ever truly repented and placed your faith in christ? What’s your religious background? Yeah. I grew up catholic as well and it’s amazing. You know, we can grow up in a certain religious kind of environment, but never really come into a relationship with God and that’s something that should wake us up and make us think, wait a minute I’m living life here. I’m walking around, I’m thinking, I’m talking, I’m breathing, I’m you know, I’m a miracle. This whole body is a miracle. It’s a wonder of creation. But I’ve never stopped to think I need to get right with God, I’m a sinner. I’ve committed all these sins, I’m guilty. And then we see how much God loved mankind and that he became a man, took our sin died, Rose again so that we can have life. And so, Michael, I just want you to know today that if you decide to turn from your sin, believe that jesus died and rose again and surrender your life to him, God will save you. So, when you stand in front of him on that day, you don’t have to hear him say to you, Michael depart from me and then send you to hell forever. You can be saved now. But you have to recognize that your sin against God is very, very serious and that God doesn’t just look and say, oh, no big deal. He’s he knows every thought you’ve ever thought, he’s seen everything you’ve ever done and in the light or in the darkness and yet he’s holy but he’s also loving and gracious, So Michael, I hope that makes sense to you. And what do you think about that? Well, I think like you said, we still have another chance, but right now, so are you gonna think about this? Yeah, so glad we got to talk today, Michael, I’m gonna be praying for you. But listen, in the quietness of your heart, just get alone with God and say, God forgive me, I’ve sinned, I’m guilty. I believe jesus died and rose again. Save me, I need you. And hey, it’s a free gift. When I grew up as catholic, I always thought I had to earn it, I had to work for it, but you can’t, God gives it to you for free if you receive it by repenting and placing your faith in this death and resurrection, Michael, thanks for talking to me. God bless you. Thank you so much. All right. So I went to my friend’s church of christ service a couple of times and the one thing had nothing to do with doctrine that just struck me as just odd was the main speaker got up and then he gave an announcement or something and then the next person got up to do an announcement and he sounded exactly like the main speaker, mannerisms, voice inflection and then the third person got up to say and it was the same thing and it was like they were all copying yeah, robotic that was that. I think it’s, it’s, it’s all in the training process training and the development of ministry, interesting future ministry leaders even, you know what I mean, people that are cut from a certain clock, I guess that’ll happen anywhere to some extent. I think it will, you know, I mean, I honestly think it will. I don’t think it’s just the church of christ, but I do understand the motivation behind it. The motivation behind it was is, hey, you know, it would be a lot of, a lot of random, even communion services where people would just be called forward, you know, to give their, their actual testimony and I think that’s great. I think that’s cool. But there was also those who you were grooming for ministry work and those people who you were grooming for ministry work of course they had a lot of the traits and demeanors, the main of the, of the minister who was leading at that time. Yeah, that’s probably what you’re talking about. You’ll see that you yeah, Hey man, I just want to say, I can, I really feel for you in that because of this background, you got kind of a hard road ahead of you as far as getting plugged into a good church because in your mind, you’re like, what is a good church, you know? So man, I’m gonna be praying for you, that God would lead you just to a healthy church, that’s healthy for you, you know? Um because there there are tons of churches out there, of course they all have their problems because they all have people Absolutely, absolutely. As one person said, right, I haven’t found the the church yet, you still won’t find it when you go, That’s right, because you’re there right, exactly, because you’re there right the way it goes. But I really pray that God would just direct you to a place where you can get back into a fellowship of believers who are gonna encourage you to just just move on with your christian walk rather than always be criticizing you and condemning you and reminding of your past sin because that’s not gonna help you at all. You know, it’s it’s a matter of you all honestly repenting before the Lord and just continuing on your christian life, I really hope you find that man alright man, have a great one to you, Okay, scripture, say there’s a way that seems right at the end of that way is death, you know what the bible says, it says something different, it says that God is rich in mercy and he provided a way for you to be safe from hell. Do you know what God did, jesus died on the cross of the world, you know that most people do, but they don’t, you know this the 10 commandments are called the moral law. You and I broke the law, Jesus paid the fine and that’s what happened on that cross. That’s why he said it is finished just before he died. If you’re in court, someone pays your fine, the judge can let you go even though you’re guilty. Did you know that if you got speeding fines, you can say you’re out of someone’s paid your fine. Well, God can let you live forever. Not because you’re good, but because he’s good. And he provided a savior who paid the fine on the cross, He took the punishment for our sins, Rose from the dead and defeated death and Christina. If you’ll just repent of your sins and trust in Jesus, not your goodness, but trust in him. You’ve got a promise from the God who cannot lie that he will grant you everlasting life as a free gift. Most people think they can earn eternal life by being good. And the bible says it’s not gonna work, only comes by God’s amazing grace, not by our goodness, but because of his good making sense, because I was good and evil, like he did also put that for a reason. So, you know, Lucifer was once an angel as well when I was a devil. So there’s a little thing that I always think about as well. We’re not all angels even he created that. So this is where I say we have to balance out and good, There’s evil and evil. There’s good. You know what the devil does according to the bible go for it. It says he blinds the minds of those that believe not least the light of the Gospel should come to them. And all I’m trying to do is give you light of the Gospel that God offers everlasting life as a free gift. Don’t let the devil blind you to it. Eternal life as a free gift of God. And if you’ll repent and trust in jesus, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life as a free gift. Do you have a bible at home? You’re gonna think about what we talked about? Yeah, absolutely. We all have to evolve and change and just be the best person ourselves. That’s what we’re here to do. Okay, well, thank you very much for listening to appreciate. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks If you could talk to the Pope right now, what would you tell him? You’re on your balcony for 10 minutes, so I can share the Gospel with his multitudes and I share the Gospel with them. You know, I’d say this is this is what you profess to believe. It’s very simple christ died for our sins, but you must repent and trust alone in him and not your goodness or religious system and then I would expect him to share that with literally billions of Catholics around the world. They don’t have to earn salvation. They can’t earn salvation, but it’s a free gift. So if you can set it up, I’ll be thrilled. I’ll give him a couple of in and out cards. I’ll try. Um, so you’ve been coming to this pier for how many years now, 14 or something. And what would you say is the majority kind of a person you talk to, whether it’s Catholic or atheist or kind of person who considers themselves a Christian. What what what’s what’s the breakdown of, of like the types of people you talk to here in general. Also it’s because it’s very touristy area. And so you get people from overseas, Australia, New Zealand England europe. But they do have one thing in common, they’re either trusting in christ or they’re trusting their own goodness. And so that’s where I’m heading. Just heading for that stubborn weed of self righteousness and trying to root it out and tell them eternal life is a free gift. So um yeah, all sorts Okay. Are we done? Yes. We hope this episode of way of the master has inspired you to share the gospel with others. You can watch our award winning movies and listen to the living waters podcast freely at living Waters dot com where you’ll also find articles, ebooks, videos, audio content, digital resources and Gospel tracks including our popular starter kit with four of our top gospel tracts to help you share your faith biblically and effectively make sure to visit Living Waters dot com today.