Andrew Rappaport

Welcome to another edition of the Rapp Report.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm your host, Andrew Rappaport, the executive director of Striving for Eternity and the Christian podcast community of which this podcast is a proud member.

Andrew Rappaport

Please go out to strivingforattorney.org check out all the good work we are doing there.

Andrew Rappaport

If you want to have us out at your church, please invite us.

Andrew Rappaport

Just go to strivingforternity.org you can find our different speakers, different topics and we will be happy to come to you.

Andrew Rappaport

I am was on the Caleb Gordon podcast on radio and we were talking about, well, a conference he's doing him in the topics that I'm going to be doing as we go to his conference, talking on biblical evangelism.

Andrew Rappaport

We're going to talk about the conference, talk a little bit about evangelism.

Andrew Rappaport

I hope that this will be encouraging to you, but I do hope that if you're in anywhere near 10 hours from Oklahoma, even further, that you check out the conference.

Andrew Rappaport

You can get the details@caleb gordon.org for that conference.

Andrew Rappaport

So hope this encourages you to get out and share your faith and maybe even attend the conference.

Andrew Rappaport

I hope to see you there.

Andrew Rappaport

And now for the show.

Andrew Rappaport

Welcome to the RAP Report with your host, Andrew Rapaport, where we provide biblical interpretation and application.

Andrew Rappaport

This is a ministry of striving for eternity and the Christian podcast community.

Andrew Rappaport

For more content or to request a speaker for your church, go to strivingforeeternity.org.

Caleb Gordon

Foreign welcome to the podcast, Mr.

Caleb Gordon

Andrew Rapaport.

Caleb Gordon

How in the world are you doing, my friend?

Andrew Rappaport

Better than I deserve.

Andrew Rappaport

How you doing?

Caleb Gordon

Oh, yeah, fantastic.

Caleb Gordon

Let's just get right into it here.

Andrew Rappaport

Do you know any other way than just getting right into it?

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, let's be honest here.

Caleb Gordon

I mean, just jumping both feet.

Caleb Gordon

All right, announcement.

Caleb Gordon

Andrew Rapaport is joining the Built to Conquer conference.

Andrew Rappaport

Wait, what?

Caleb Gordon

Here first.

Andrew Rappaport

Dude, I'm definitely going now.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna go to the podcast, the show and we're gonna.

Caleb Gordon

We might even do a podcast.

Caleb Gordon

You never know.

Andrew Rappaport

We could do that.

Caleb Gordon

I think that's a great idea.

Caleb Gordon

Okay, so you're coming to the Built to Conquer Conference on February 22, 2025, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Caleb Gordon

Hope Presbyterian Church.

Caleb Gordon

Super excited.

Caleb Gordon

We've been talking about this for a couple days now and we're announcing it tonight here on the podcast.

Caleb Gordon

So excited for this.

Caleb Gordon

What.

Caleb Gordon

What's been going on?

Caleb Gordon

You.

Caleb Gordon

You got any?

Caleb Gordon

Now we're jumping from conference to let's talk about cold plunges.

Andrew Rappaport

That's A cold subject, man.

Caleb Gordon

So what.

Caleb Gordon

What's been going on in your world?

Caleb Gordon

Did you guys have a good Christmas?

Andrew Rappaport

I did, I did.

Andrew Rappaport

We went.

Andrew Rappaport

We went to New York where it was not cold plunge, but cold.

Andrew Rappaport

It was.

Andrew Rappaport

We decided to walk around in the day.

Andrew Rappaport

We walked around.

Andrew Rappaport

It was 14 degrees in New York.

Andrew Rappaport

So that was a cold.

Caleb Gordon

That's what's going to be tomorrow.

Caleb Gordon

It's going to be 14 degrees here in Oklahoma.

Caleb Gordon

So.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

And, but see the difference is in Oklahoma you could probably find like a cup of coffee or something to keep you warm for less than $8.

Andrew Rappaport

And we there, we got like a 8 ounce cup of hot co.

Andrew Rappaport

Hot cocoa that was 8 bucks and that was the cheapest we could find.

Andrew Rappaport

So.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, that's New York for you.

Andrew Rappaport

That's ridiculous.

Caleb Gordon

Insane.

Caleb Gordon

So I wanted to have you on the podcast and talk about evangelism.

Caleb Gordon

That is sort of kind of your niche.

Caleb Gordon

You're.

Caleb Gordon

But between that and apologetics, you, you're.

Caleb Gordon

You're striving for eternity by advancing the kingdom by sharing the gospel talking talk about evangelism.

Caleb Gordon

We don't.

Caleb Gordon

I think the church sometimes has a.

Caleb Gordon

A problematic issue with actually evangelizing properly.

Caleb Gordon

Talk about that for just a little bit.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

And, and actually striving fraternity.

Andrew Rappaport

The name of the ministry I work for is actually dealing with sanctification.

Andrew Rappaport

And so we, we're a discipling ministry.

Andrew Rappaport

However, what a lot of people don't realize is the first part of discipleship is evangelism.

Andrew Rappaport

You teach people.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, Christ taught us everything that we are to teach those that.

Andrew Rappaport

Everything he's taught us.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, if we.

Andrew Rappaport

They don't know Christ, the first thing is teach them about Christ.

Andrew Rappaport

Right.

Andrew Rappaport

They need to come to repentance is the first thing I'll tell you.

Andrew Rappaport

So many people have a fear of evangelizing, you know, Caleb, why do you think that is?

Caleb Gordon

Why do you think that is?

Caleb Gordon

The people are so terrified to evangelize.

Caleb Gordon

I just like, I'm curious as to why you think that.

Andrew Rappaport

There's many reasons that or many excuses people will give.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm afraid I'm not going to know what to say.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, you know, I'm just.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't want to get rejected.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't want to look like a kook.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't want to be challenged when and not have an answer for something.

Andrew Rappaport

What really whatever the excuses are, they're.

Caleb Gordon

They're just that if people understood the reality of hell.

Caleb Gordon

I think this is the reason people don't understand the reality of what hell actually is.

Caleb Gordon

And I think if we understood that from like a tangible grasping position, there would not be those concerns.

Caleb Gordon

I think that if we were like, okay, hell is a real place and these people that we're talking to potentially are going there and I don't want anybody to go to hell.

Caleb Gordon

And so I, I am driven to try to share the gospel with people.

Caleb Gordon

So that's my driving factor.

Caleb Gordon

But I don't know, maybe I guess I used to be afraid, but I don't know.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, I think that really what it is is people want to fit in with the world.

Andrew Rappaport

And the thing I think we have to recognize first and foremost is we won't just get over that.

Andrew Rappaport

But here's the thing that amazes me, Caleb.

Andrew Rappaport

If I came on here and told you that I just got a letter from the President United States to come to dinner and you know, I got invited, I'd be happy to tell you about it.

Andrew Rappaport

I'd be impressed to tell you about it.

Andrew Rappaport

I'd be bragging to tell you about it now.

Andrew Rappaport

Notice I didn't mention which president.

Andrew Rappaport

So you guys can fit in whichever president you think is best.

Andrew Rappaport

But, but, you know, I.

Andrew Rappaport

I have a friend of mine who has a golden invitation to Saudi Arabia from the King of Saudi Arabia.

Andrew Rappaport

Right.

Andrew Rappaport

So, you know, and, and I guess they gold plate their invitations.

Andrew Rappaport

He's got it hanging on his wall.

Andrew Rappaport

He's happy to share that with folks.

Andrew Rappaport

Why?

Caleb Gordon

Sure.

Andrew Rappaport

Because it's something to brag about, something they're excited about, something that other people don't have.

Andrew Rappaport

The reality we have far better than a golden invitation to come to a country.

Andrew Rappaport

We have the invitation of eternal life, something that most don't have that we didn't deserve.

Andrew Rappaport

And not only have we been given this reconciliation, as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5, But God has given us a ministry of reconciliation.

Andrew Rappaport

So not only does does he reconcile us to himself, but he gives us a ministry to tell others that they could be reconciled as well.

Andrew Rappaport

Why are we so unwilling to share that?

Andrew Rappaport

The king, not the king really, but the king of kings has given us an invitation into his household, into his abode.

Andrew Rappaport

And we.

Andrew Rappaport

Not only is it for us, but we can share it with others that they can enter in as well.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, I've often used the illustration as if you got a phone call and yours, which is very similar to your illustration.

Caleb Gordon

But if you got a phone call and say, hey, you're going to go hang out with your favorite celebrity or sports star, your favorite athlete, if they called you and said, hey, we're going to go hang out and we're going to come and hang out for the weekend.

Caleb Gordon

We're going to go eat dinner, we're going to take you to a game, we're going to take you to this thing.

Caleb Gordon

We're going to do all the things with your favorite celebrity.

Caleb Gordon

You would take so many pictures, so many videos, so many things.

Caleb Gordon

And you would brag insanely and incessantly on social media that you were hanging out with this person.

Caleb Gordon

Like, I just saw a friend of mine posted a picture which Russell Brand was at her church this morning.

Caleb Gordon

She's posting pictures of Russell Brand at her church this morning.

Caleb Gordon

And so I'm like, you know, she took a picture with him, she's bragging about that.

Caleb Gordon

The King of kings has invited us in.

Caleb Gordon

I think of Luke chapter 14 where he's invited us into this, this banquet.

Caleb Gordon

And so many people.

Caleb Gordon

I'd come, but I'd come, but I'd come.

Caleb Gordon

And it's just, it's mind boggling to me how many people are not interested in sharing this good news of eternal life with the people that are on their way to eternal destruction.

Caleb Gordon

Like, how do you, how much do you hate somebody to not tell them about the, about everlasting life?

Caleb Gordon

I just, I don't know.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, that's the very words that come from the mouth of a professing atheist from Penn and Teller.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

Because his exact words is someone gave him a Bible and, and he said, how, how much if this guy really believes that when I die, I'm going to hell, how much would he have to not to share it?

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

And that's the reality is we have the words of eternal life.

Andrew Rappaport

We would have to hate someone not to share it.

Andrew Rappaport

We would have to be more concerned about our own pride because we don't want to be embarrassed or be rejected by people then for them to hear the good news.

Andrew Rappaport

What we're doing is we're waiting, Caleb.

Andrew Rappaport

We're waiting for someone to just ask, can you tell me about Jesus?

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, literally, that's what people pray, Lord, just give me an opportunity.

Andrew Rappaport

I've watched people that pray for opportunities and someone will walk up to them, just say, you know, man.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, no, they'll be like, man, life is so hard.

Andrew Rappaport

Why is there suffering in the world?

Andrew Rappaport

There's your opportunity.

Andrew Rappaport

But the opportunity they're waiting for is someone to just say, can you tell me about Jesus?

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

And they don't know they're looking for Jesus.

Andrew Rappaport

They don't know they have a need for Jesus.

Andrew Rappaport

And so you, you look at this and it's like, well, okay, you're waiting for an opportunity, but you don't need one.

Andrew Rappaport

In.

Andrew Rappaport

In fact, I'll tell you what you could do if folks want to have some fun.

Andrew Rappaport

If they.

Andrew Rappaport

If you go out to the striving for eternity YouTube channel, we have a playlist called the Transition Spiritual Transition Game.

Andrew Rappaport

And you can watch a series of me being challenged to take anything and transition to the gospel.

Andrew Rappaport

I tell people, you don't need to pray for an opportunity, wait for an opportunity.

Andrew Rappaport

You can make an opportunity.

Andrew Rappaport

The hardest thing for people to do is to transition from this natural world to spiritual.

Andrew Rappaport

So I made a game out of it and you could take anything.

Andrew Rappaport

Okay, so we're talking over microphones.

Andrew Rappaport

Can I go from a microphone to, to the gospel?

Andrew Rappaport

Sure.

Andrew Rappaport

Because the purpose of this microphone is to capture basically the radio waves that are coming from my voice.

Andrew Rappaport

It's capturing that, digitizing that, transferring that to a computer and bringing that over to you who are hearing it through a speaker system.

Andrew Rappaport

And that's an amazing bit of technology.

Andrew Rappaport

And yet when we look at this, we think about, can you actually see the radio waves of my voice and the vibration it's having going through the air and able to take that and then convert that to digital?

Andrew Rappaport

We can't see that, but we know that that's what's happening.

Andrew Rappaport

We know that we can hear this when we're one on one and we can now hear it digitally and it sounds the same, even the voice sounds the same.

Andrew Rappaport

And yet we have this transformation that can occur.

Andrew Rappaport

And so we can look at this and say, wow, that's amazing bit of technology.

Andrew Rappaport

And now I tell you, that just happened by ch.

Andrew Rappaport

That just there was no nothing that happened to form this microphone.

Andrew Rappaport

And you'd think I'm nuts.

Andrew Rappaport

And yet you could look at the microphone, realize, okay, someone had to make that design that.

Andrew Rappaport

Because just as simple as is to take a radio wave and take that and be able to convert it to digital, well, that can't happen by chance.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, then how in the world can every cell in our body that has the complexity a language a called DNA, which by the way, we've recently in the past decade discovered that, you know, we thought there was one layer of information in DNA and now there's a sub DNA layer.

Andrew Rappaport

So we thought we completely figured out the genome and now there's a second genome.

Andrew Rappaport

We could go as deep as we want.

Andrew Rappaport

We can go to the vastness of the universe and see all this and say, this happened by chance, but the microphone couldn't have.

Andrew Rappaport

How could that be?

Andrew Rappaport

So, so if we look at all of this, the complexity of the universe, the complexity of a single cell, you have something within your cel called that a little motor that can go from like 0 to 60 in a millisecond.

Andrew Rappaport

And.

Andrew Rappaport

And like, it basically will.

Andrew Rappaport

Will take information between the cells.

Andrew Rappaport

And you have things like this within the smallest part of your body.

Andrew Rappaport

And we go, that's got to be designed.

Andrew Rappaport

That has to be somewhat.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, who would put that much time and effort into creating something as vast as universe and as small as the cell?

Andrew Rappaport

If there is someone that did that, what would his message be to us?

Andrew Rappaport

Well, the message would really be simple.

Andrew Rappaport

Message is that, I mean, if you just look at life, watch the news, and you can figure out we're not good people.

Andrew Rappaport

We, we.

Andrew Rappaport

You and I, both of us.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, we're not good.

Andrew Rappaport

We like to think we are, but we're not good.

Andrew Rappaport

In fact, we break God's law.

Andrew Rappaport

And in breaking God's law, there's a consequence that.

Andrew Rappaport

Just as if a criminal breaks the law of, in a human sense, they get prison or whatever.

Andrew Rappaport

The consequence would be a fine.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, when we break God's law, it says that all liars, and that includes, well, every single one of us, all liars will have their place in a lake of fires, burns with brimstone, which is the second death.

Andrew Rappaport

God says it's appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment.

Andrew Rappaport

So as we look at that, we have to recognize the fact that you and I both are accountable to an infinitely holy, infinitely just God who will infinitely punish us for our crimes against him.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, but wait.

Andrew Rappaport

God made a way of escape.

Andrew Rappaport

This infinitely holy God came to earth.

Andrew Rappaport

Being God, he can pay an eternal fine, not only for me and you and everyone else, because he's eternal.

Andrew Rappaport

So he could do that once in time and it could count for eternity because his nature is eternal.

Andrew Rappaport

But he became a man having never broken the law.

Andrew Rappaport

Therefore, he could be a proper substitute for you and I.

Andrew Rappaport

That is the man we know of Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and paid the punishment for the sins.

Andrew Rappaport

And you and I pay.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, so that we could be set free.

Andrew Rappaport

This is the only way you can have a God that is both just and merciful.

Andrew Rappaport

Justice and mercy are mutually exclusive.

Andrew Rappaport

But see, being an infinitely holy God, he can pay it and pay the full consequence of sin, which takes forever to pay because it's eternal and.

Andrew Rappaport

Or he's outside of time, so he could do that.

Andrew Rappaport

And therefore he can now be a substitute for us.

Andrew Rappaport

Now that the full justice was paid, he can offer us mercy.

Andrew Rappaport

And so I just went from speaking about a microphone to the gospel.

Andrew Rappaport

Now, I didn't know how I was going to do it.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, I didn't know how I was going to do it.

Andrew Rappaport

It took me a bit.

Andrew Rappaport

Right, sure.

Andrew Rappaport

But you can do that because once we start talking about the spiritual realm.

Caleb Gordon

We feel more comfortable, especially because we've been born again.

Caleb Gordon

If we've been born again.

Caleb Gordon

Having those kinds of conversations should be a natural flow for us.

Caleb Gordon

They really should.

Caleb Gordon

And they're not.

Caleb Gordon

It's not a.

Caleb Gordon

Jesus makes it very simple.

Caleb Gordon

The gospel is not complex to the point where you can't understand it.

Caleb Gordon

In fact, the scripture tells us if we can't come to him like a, like a small child, I mean, it's an elementary base level idea.

Caleb Gordon

And, and we tend to, especially in the reformed world, we get super complex with all of our, all of our deep and theological words that we use and we make it through feel like it's, as R.C.

Caleb Gordon

sproul used to say, the Ivy League or golf club or, you know, the country club.

Caleb Gordon

And we feel this elitism.

Caleb Gordon

That's not.

Caleb Gordon

The gospel's super, super simple.

Caleb Gordon

And it's, you're wicked, you deserve God's wrath, but God loves you and he's willing to forgive you.

Caleb Gordon

You just got to repent of your sins and trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on your behalf.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, it's.

Caleb Gordon

That's, it's that simple.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's not.

Andrew Rappaport

Look, if there's someone listening and they go, I just, I don't have all the answers.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm going to tell you right now, Caleb, for that person, for that person who's listening, I can answer any question anyone has about God in the Bible, and I'm going to tell you how you can, too.

Caleb Gordon

So people, excuse me, would immediately say, well, that sounds arrogant.

Andrew Rappaport

And I think that it might until they hear my answer, because here's the answer.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't know.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, I mean, that's a perfectly good answer.

Andrew Rappaport

So if someone tries to trick you and I don't know.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, we figured out.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, here's the, here's the thing.

Andrew Rappaport

I've done this with countless numbers of people now is they'll say, they'll ask me something.

Andrew Rappaport

I go, I don't know.

Andrew Rappaport

But I'll tell you what, I'll research it, give me your email and I'll get back to you.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, that's okay.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, so you really didn't want an answer.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Caleb Gordon

You're not interested.

Caleb Gordon

You just want to debate.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

And that's the thing.

Andrew Rappaport

And then you know what happens?

Andrew Rappaport

That, that discussion's over.

Andrew Rappaport

Because they.

Andrew Rappaport

They now know that every.

Andrew Rappaport

Everything they say, if I don't have the answer, what am I going to want?

Andrew Rappaport

A way to contact them.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm going to research it.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm going to study it.

Andrew Rappaport

And.

Andrew Rappaport

Because that becomes one new thing that I now know after I finish the study.

Andrew Rappaport

Right.

Andrew Rappaport

And.

Andrew Rappaport

And I package that away in the.

Andrew Rappaport

In my toolbox and say, okay, next time someone asked me, I now have the answer to that.

Caleb Gordon

Got the answer.

Andrew Rappaport

But I often don't have to worry about them asking me another challenge like that, because they know I'm not going to, you know, care if I don't have an answer.

Andrew Rappaport

And they know.

Andrew Rappaport

They don't want me to contact them.

Andrew Rappaport

But here's the thing.

Andrew Rappaport

My first pastor, I.

Andrew Rappaport

We were used to go on Saturdays, we would go out door to door and knock on doors and share the gospel.

Andrew Rappaport

And we had this one guy who is.

Andrew Rappaport

Because we'd start, we'd have a men's Bible study, and then we'd go out and one of the guys came to the Bible study, and he didn't want to go out to go door to door.

Andrew Rappaport

And the pastor asked him why, and he said, well, I'm really.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't want to be rejected.

Andrew Rappaport

And my pastor said something, and it just.

Andrew Rappaport

You ever have, Caleb, one of those things when someone is saying something, it's not even to you, and you just feel like someone just stabbed you with a knife?

Caleb Gordon

Yes.

Andrew Rappaport

He turns.

Andrew Rappaport

He turns this guy and says, so let me get this straight.

Andrew Rappaport

You're afraid that people you don't know and you will probably never meet again might reject you.

Andrew Rappaport

And it was like, ow.

Andrew Rappaport

Like, yeah, I.

Andrew Rappaport

I am afraid of that.

Andrew Rappaport

And that makes no sense when you say it that way.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Caleb Gordon

And I think if we begin to actually think through those processes and we start to think like there's a potential, I'm never going to see this person ever again.

Caleb Gordon

I'm never going to talk to this person ever again.

Caleb Gordon

That should embolden us to the reality of, oh, shoot, this may be the only chance I get to share the hope of who Jesus is.

Caleb Gordon

That's the reason I love doing it at Walmart.

Caleb Gordon

You've got a captive audience at the grocery store or at, you know, Walmart.

Caleb Gordon

Wherever the cashier, you go through their line, they can't leave and so I love to stay right there.

Caleb Gordon

And they got their name badge on there, so you already know their, their name.

Caleb Gordon

And so you're just like, hey Kevin, I got a question.

Caleb Gordon

Do you know how to get to heaven?

Caleb Gordon

And, and hit.

Caleb Gordon

They just look at you and then you begin the process of walking through the gospel.

Caleb Gordon

Simple as that?

Caleb Gordon

Simple as hey Kevin or hey, sue, how do you do you know how to get to heaven?

Caleb Gordon

And most of the time they'll just go, no, no.

Caleb Gordon

Or they'll say, just be a good person.

Caleb Gordon

Okay, well, let's talk about that.

Caleb Gordon

And they can't really, they can't leave because they're checking you out.

Caleb Gordon

And you can do all that within a five minute window.

Caleb Gordon

You really can.

Caleb Gordon

It just takes practice.

Caleb Gordon

I mean, just like with anything else working and, and working the muscle out and practicing it, you eventually can get to where you need to be.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, I'm still trying to figure out what this cashier thing is.

Andrew Rappaport

I just go to this machine, scan things and then, and then they want to check me at the door because they want to make sure I didn't steal anything.

Andrew Rappaport

Hey, if you didn't, if you want to save money on and not paying people to actually ring things up, then I feel I shouldn't have to like get, you know, attacked at the door to make sure I didn't.

Andrew Rappaport

I did my job.

Andrew Rappaport

Right.

Andrew Rappaport

Because guess what?

Andrew Rappaport

It wasn't my job in the first place.

Andrew Rappaport

No, but, but the thing is that we have opportunities we don't think of.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, come on.

Andrew Rappaport

Okay, so you get that call, you know, that call you want to avoid.

Andrew Rappaport

It's just like, hello, we got something to sell you.

Andrew Rappaport

Really?

Andrew Rappaport

Okay, first I, I have a question for you.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, but before, before we, we get to what you have to talk about.

Andrew Rappaport

Since you called me, it's my time.

Andrew Rappaport

I have something really important I'd like to talk to you about.

Andrew Rappaport

Do you know how to get to heaven?

Caleb Gordon

Come on now.

Andrew Rappaport

After I share that, and I usually take a lot of time to share that to see if they're just, you know, because I don't really care about their windows they have for sale.

Andrew Rappaport

But I'll at least listen to their, their sales pitch after.

Andrew Rappaport

But you know, you have an opportunity to take.

Andrew Rappaport

If you're nervous about talking to people, buy gospel tracks.

Andrew Rappaport

And you do not have realize how many opportunities you have to share gospel tracks without ever leaving your house.

Andrew Rappaport

Because I'm sure that many of you get like I do a bunch of junk mail with pre paid postage to return things.

Caleb Gordon

Never thought about that.

Andrew Rappaport

This is what I do when I.

Andrew Rappaport

When I get those things.

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign, I mean, people may have gotten saved over there because I have sent them.

Andrew Rappaport

During this election cycles, I've been getting tons of email or mail.

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, I.

Andrew Rappaport

I just take every one of those envelopes, I stick a gospel track and I put it in the mailbox.

Andrew Rappaport

And that is.

Andrew Rappaport

That is not junk or spam mail.

Andrew Rappaport

That is a tract dispenser for you to return.

Andrew Rappaport

They're asking for a gospel tract for you to put it in there and send it back.

Andrew Rappaport

Because someone's going to open that and they're going to be expecting, you know, some check or something, and they might be going through a bad day and just happen to get this and, hey, I'm going to read that.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

So that's a simple thing.

Andrew Rappaport

If you're really afraid of sharing the gospel.

Andrew Rappaport

I don't want to actually engage with people.

Andrew Rappaport

Hey, that's a great way to start.

Andrew Rappaport

Just.

Caleb Gordon

That's it.

Andrew Rappaport

Put gospel tracks everywhere.

Andrew Rappaport

Love that.

Andrew Rappaport

I love it.

Caleb Gordon

All right, let's transition and talk about the conference for a minute, because that's.

Caleb Gordon

That's the initial reason we were going to put this podcast together.

Andrew Rappaport

I thought you said we're going to talk about cold plunging.

Andrew Rappaport

Man, oh, man.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, I mean, it's too cold there, huh?

Andrew Rappaport

All right, I'm riddled.

Caleb Gordon

I'm riddled with add.

Caleb Gordon

We're jumping back and forth.

Andrew Rappaport

All right, so.

Andrew Rappaport

So at this conference, should I bring my cold plunge?

Andrew Rappaport

Will you get in it?

Andrew Rappaport

If I was to bring a cold plunge?

Caleb Gordon

Do you have a plunge?

Caleb Gordon

Portable coal plunge?

Andrew Rappaport

Actually, I do.

Andrew Rappaport

My, My.

Andrew Rappaport

My tank is inflatable, so I can.

Caleb Gordon

If you.

Andrew Rappaport

Here's.

Andrew Rappaport

It's just the chiller part.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, I don't know, but, I mean, it's in February.

Caleb Gordon

It's potentially cold here.

Caleb Gordon

I don't know.

Caleb Gordon

It could be.

Caleb Gordon

We get.

Caleb Gordon

I guarantee we could probably find a cold plunge.

Caleb Gordon

I'm sure I have some friends that have cold plunges.

Caleb Gordon

If we could find somebody that watches this.

Caleb Gordon

Do you want to do a cold plunge with Andrew Rapaport and Caleb Gordon?

Caleb Gordon

We'll make it happen.

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, it'll be a thing.

Caleb Gordon

So February 22nd, you're coming.

Caleb Gordon

We've got just.

Caleb Gordon

I mean, you're a stellar lineup, and that you're coming just adds that much more value.

Caleb Gordon

And I just.

Caleb Gordon

I'm so excited that you're coming.

Caleb Gordon

We've got you.

Caleb Gordon

You're speaking.

Caleb Gordon

We've got Brandon Scalp is.

Caleb Gordon

Is preaching okay, let me just, let.

Andrew Rappaport

Me just stop there before you go on.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Andrew Rappaport

If anyone has not heard Brandon preach.

Caleb Gordon

Before, bro, come on.

Andrew Rappaport

He is, he's like that diamond in the rough.

Andrew Rappaport

The, the, the, the one of the great preachers that nobody knows about.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, he's, he is just.

Andrew Rappaport

I, I've had the opportunity to preach with him before.

Andrew Rappaport

I love his preaching.

Andrew Rappaport

I've sat under it many times.

Andrew Rappaport

It is some solid, solid preaching that is just filled with, with biblical truth.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Caleb Gordon

I mean, and this is the, this is what I want to try to help people understand is this is not Fly By Night.

Caleb Gordon

This conference is not the Fly by night.

Caleb Gordon

Just.

Caleb Gordon

Oh, we just brought the speaker in because, you know, it's got a podcast.

Caleb Gordon

No, these are guys that study the text, love the text, love King Jesus, have a desire to see people saved.

Caleb Gordon

And, and they're local pastors who've shepherd local people and they're, they're taking care of souls right now right here.

Caleb Gordon

And I just, I think that the culture of celebrity, we follow the celebrity.

Caleb Gordon

You know, if I've got, if I, you know, if you brought John MacArthur and everybody's like, oh my gosh, John McCarthy.

Caleb Gordon

I'm like, Bro, Brandon Scalp is on the level.

Caleb Gordon

And I'm, I'm not saying this haphazardly.

Caleb Gordon

He is on the level of John MacArthur.

Caleb Gordon

He's got the ability to exegete the text that well, and so does Brett.

Caleb Gordon

And Michael Stayton is going to be here.

Caleb Gordon

He's on staff at Grace Community or at Grace Master Seminary.

Caleb Gordon

Golly, I went completely south.

Caleb Gordon

He's the pastor at First Baptist Mustang, but he's on staff at Master Seminary.

Caleb Gordon

He handles their doctoral like, these are, these are high level guys.

Caleb Gordon

And that you're coming as well.

Caleb Gordon

It's just fantastic.

Caleb Gordon

And then you got, you know, the hillbilly over here in the corner.

Caleb Gordon

And so I'm excited just to be able to be amongst you guys.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, Brett Baggett, I've preached with him before.

Andrew Rappaport

Another great preacher.

Andrew Rappaport

So I mean, this is, this is the thing, folks.

Andrew Rappaport

If you're, if you're listening and you're thinking, I'd like to go to conferences where I get great teaching you.

Andrew Rappaport

A lot of people think they have to go to these big conferences where all these big name people are.

Andrew Rappaport

And you do not need to.

Andrew Rappaport

In fact, you don't, you also don't need to spend.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, you, you're like, oh, let me go to a Shepherd's conference or G3.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, okay.

Andrew Rappaport

And that's going to cost you about a grand or two between ticket sales and hotel and flights.

Andrew Rappaport

And you know, so this is somewhere, it's not in some big city where they have a big venue where it's going to cost hundreds of dollars for, for the tickets and you can get the same kind of preaching.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, it's not about the person who's preaching as much as it is the, the content that is being preached.

Andrew Rappaport

And yes, with the guys that you have here, there's great content that is going to be delivered.

Andrew Rappaport

Okay.

Andrew Rappaport

I mean, I, I, some of the guys I don't know and I haven't preached alongside, but Michael Staton, I've preached with Brandon Scalf, Brett Baggott.

Andrew Rappaport

You also have Gabe, who, who I've never heard preach, but I've, I've gotten to know him recently.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, Gabe's a good friend.

Andrew Rappaport

So, you know, you got some great, great preaching here that you don't want to miss out.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah, it is going to be a full day of just consuming fantastic content that's going to be able to give you strategies for advancing the kingdom, sharing the gospel in the places where we walk every single day.

Caleb Gordon

And so I, I just, that's my hope is that, and it's 50 bucks like that that covers the cost for us to handle this conference.

Caleb Gordon

We're not charging.

Caleb Gordon

Like I just saw G3 put a post out for their conference that they got, they got great speakers as well, but you got to pay like 268 bucks.

Caleb Gordon

And I'm just like, come on, that's, that's wild.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, yeah, but then, then you end up, they have travel and hotel and because they're in a big city, hotels are not cheap.

Andrew Rappaport

And so, so how, if folks are now excited, they want to go.

Andrew Rappaport

Caleb, how do they find out more about the conference?

Andrew Rappaport

Where do they go to get details?

Andrew Rappaport

Tell us.

Caleb Gordon

Go to my website, caleb gordon.org and there's a big banner.

Caleb Gordon

There'll be a big banner.

Caleb Gordon

Your face is going to be added to the banner tonight.

Caleb Gordon

And so there's a big banner.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, that just ruined the banner.

Caleb Gordon

Click on the banner and you go right to the place where you can click and buy the ticket and it's done and you're done.

Caleb Gordon

And so there's going to be some great sponsors that are going to be there who have great gospel centered content that are going to be there as well.

Caleb Gordon

It's going to be a great day.

Caleb Gordon

And that we're hosting it.

Caleb Gordon

It's being hosted at Hope Pres.

Caleb Gordon

Hope Presbyterian Church here in Bartlesville.

Caleb Gordon

Oklahoma.

Caleb Gordon

This is the home of Philip 66.

Caleb Gordon

So that's.

Caleb Gordon

We're, we're a big, We're a small town with a big town feel.

Caleb Gordon

We've got some skyscrapers and all the fun stuff, but it's, it's, it's small enough that you can enjoy.

Caleb Gordon

Come for the weekend.

Caleb Gordon

If you come in early, you get in touch with us and we'll, we'll make, we'll make time to spend, spend time with you.

Caleb Gordon

Um, it's gonna be a great time.

Caleb Gordon

I, I can't wait.

Andrew Rappaport

I'm looking forward to it to be good.

Caleb Gordon

Um, if somebody's interested in finding out more about how they can get in touch with your ministry and, and, and figure out more about what you're doing, maybe they want to have you come speak at their conference.

Caleb Gordon

Maybe they're in somewhere in Idaho or they're in, in, you know, Wisconsin.

Caleb Gordon

How do they get in touch with you?

Andrew Rappaport

Just go to your local post office, look for the wanted Dead or alive poster.

Andrew Rappaport

Oh, wait, no.

Andrew Rappaport

If they go to striving for eternity.org, they can find out all the information about me, the podcasts I do, the content, we do books, things like that.

Andrew Rappaport

But here's the thing a lot of people don't realize, and the most speakers that do what, you know, travel around and speak, though they will limit.

Andrew Rappaport

There needs to be a certain number of people or a certain amount of money for them to come and speak.

Andrew Rappaport

Okay, that is a problem because the majority of churches.

Andrew Rappaport

Something to think about, Caleb.

Andrew Rappaport

The average church In America is 75 people.

Andrew Rappaport

So now when you think of the MacArthur churches with 10,000 or the, you know, when they include that they're including churches that are not.

Andrew Rappaport

We wouldn't really consider churches.

Andrew Rappaport

But you know, you think about, you know, the smiling pastors church of several, you know, what has he got the 40,000 there?

Caleb Gordon

40,000, yeah.

Caleb Gordon

Crazy.

Andrew Rappaport

But he smiles for, for everyone.

Caleb Gordon

Hold that Bible up real high.

Caleb Gordon

Now we're done with it.

Caleb Gordon

Put it underneath your chair there.

Caleb Gordon

Not a pew.

Caleb Gordon

Put it under a chair.

Andrew Rappaport

Yeah, that's so.

Andrew Rappaport

But, but you know, when you think about that, 75 means that the, there's tons and tons of churches that got to be like 20, 25 people.

Andrew Rappaport

And the reality is, yeah, there are, there's a ton of churches that are under 50 people.

Andrew Rappaport

And those churches can't afford to have PE SPers come out, can't afford to have a conference like this in their church things.

Andrew Rappaport

And so what we do at Striving Fraternity is that's our target audience.

Andrew Rappaport

We want churches that are 20, 30, 50, maybe 75 people that would like to have that conference feeling for their church.

Andrew Rappaport

And we come in and do weekend seminars and look, we'll travel anywhere.

Andrew Rappaport

And you say, well, how much will it cost?

Andrew Rappaport

Nothing.

Andrew Rappaport

Do a love offering.

Andrew Rappaport

That's fine.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, don't pay.

Caleb Gordon

The other reason I love you, because I've had so many different times where I've had conversations with.

Caleb Gordon

And listen, I understand people got to pay their bills.

Caleb Gordon

I get it.

Caleb Gordon

But the thing that I.

Caleb Gordon

That I so love about your ministry and what you have a heart for is you said, man, there's five people.

Caleb Gordon

Those five people need to hear about Jesus.

Caleb Gordon

I'm coming.

Caleb Gordon

Yeah.

Caleb Gordon

That's wild.

Caleb Gordon

I love that.

Andrew Rappaport

And you're.

Andrew Rappaport

Caleb is saying that because that is the smallest audience that I preached to was I was invited to a conference in Wyoming and the other two speakers pulled out because, by the way.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, they didn't.

Andrew Rappaport

They.

Andrew Rappaport

They didn't.

Andrew Rappaport

They had like five ticket sales.

Andrew Rappaport

And he's like, we may not have any people here.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, pastor and his family will be here.

Andrew Rappaport

I'll be here.

Andrew Rappaport

But we don't know how many people are going to show up.

Andrew Rappaport

Well, there was one time where it was the pastor, his wife, you know, the guy who was organizing it.

Andrew Rappaport

I think it was the pastor's parents.

Andrew Rappaport

And, you know, that was it.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, it was like.

Andrew Rappaport

I think there was.

Andrew Rappaport

I think it was like the.

Andrew Rappaport

I think it's.

Andrew Rappaport

It was the pastor's father and then one person, one other person.

Andrew Rappaport

Right.

Andrew Rappaport

So I've spoken to five people, and the guy that organized it, he turned to me afterwards.

Andrew Rappaport

He's like, you know, I have seen you preach to hundreds, and I just saw you preach to five.

Andrew Rappaport

No, differently.

Caleb Gordon

Come on, bring it.

Andrew Rappaport

Yes.

Andrew Rappaport

And that's the thing, is that we need to help encourage the smaller churches so that they get fired up just as much.

Andrew Rappaport

So they're excited to go out like we were talking about, to be able to go out and share the gospel, to defend the faith, to disciple others, to understand how to interpret the Bible, understand their theology, even.

Andrew Rappaport

We have seminars on social justice to understand how to defend the biblical worldview in a world that's gone mad.

Caleb Gordon

I love it.

Andrew Rappaport

You know, great.

Andrew Rappaport

And so we.

Andrew Rappaport

That's what we do.

Andrew Rappaport

So if, if that sounds interesting to you, we have four different speakers.

Andrew Rappaport

And so you could just go to our website, Striving for eternity dot org.

Andrew Rappaport

You could see which speaker may be something.

Andrew Rappaport

Hey, I'd like to have this talk you want something on, on more family related?

Andrew Rappaport

We got a guy that's his focus on family and counseling.

Andrew Rappaport

We got guy that is focused on creation science and you know, so we got a lot of different expertises and a lot of different areas and we'll find something to be able to help your, your church to be encouraged.

Caleb Gordon

Fantastic.

Andrew Rappaport

I love that.

Caleb Gordon

Well, thank you so much for coming on the show today and sharing your heart and we're looking forward to seeing you in February.

Caleb Gordon

It's, I mean, it's going to be fun.

Caleb Gordon

Can't wait to get in the cold plunge with you.

Andrew Rappaport

Just folks, we got to do this.

Andrew Rappaport

You got to come, you got to buy a ticket and we got to find a way to make sure to, to get Caleb Gordon in at least 45 degree water, maybe even colder.

Andrew Rappaport

And he's got to stay in there with five minutes.

Caleb Gordon

It's a five minute, five minutes.

Caleb Gordon

Okay.

Caleb Gordon

I promise if we can figure this out when you get here, I will do it.

Caleb Gordon

I'm already like.

Caleb Gordon

But we'll do it.

Caleb Gordon

We'll make it happen, bro.

Caleb Gordon

Thank you so much for being on the show today, brother.

Andrew Rappaport

Thanks for having me.

Andrew Rappaport

This podcast is part of the Striving for Eternity Ministries.

Andrew Rappaport

For more content or to request a speaker or seminar to your church, go to starvingforattornity.

Andrew Rappaport

Org.