The Question That Changes Everything

Announcer 0:01

It's time now to get the hell out of your life. A weekly broadcast with real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire, and empower you to face life's challenges with a bold confidence and renewed hope. Now let's join our host, Ron Myers, the promoter.

Ron Meyers 0:20

Hello, my friends. It is so good to be with you today. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever wondered if God could really use someone like you? Maybe you have thought, well, Ron, I'm not a pastor, I'm not a preacher, and I'm certainly not a missionary. But what if following Jesus isn't about having the perfect resume? What if it is simply about saying, yes, Lord, here I am? Today's guest, Grayson, reminds us that God doesn't call the qualified. His story isn't about traveling to serve people in another country. It's about learning to trust God's voice, stepping outside your comfort zone, and discovering that when you make yourself available, God can do far more than you have ever imagined. As you listen today, don't just hear Grayson's story. Ask yourself this question: Where might God be inviting me to take my next step of faith? Let's take a listen to my conversation with Grayson.

An Adult Student Feels Called

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Well, I guess it starts with my education. So as I went to school as an adult student, and so I wasn't able to go to college early on because of like finance and this kind of thing. And so later I got into business and the business went well. And so then I was able to go back to school. I chose Bellhaven University. And while I was there, I realized that through the process of learning from a Christian viewpoint that the world needed to hear about Jesus. And it was at Bellhaven that I realized that I needed to go be a missionary. I went to China. It wasn't it's not as easy as it sounds. Uh it took about seven years to get from the point of I know that God wants me in China on mission to actually showing up in China on mission. Well, what was life as a missionary like in China? I would say it was difficult. Every the government is constantly watching everything you do and what you do and how you do it. That that was a big deal. And then the family, you know, trying to get churches started and trying to get the gospel to people wasn't difficult to do, but it was always it just felt like always someone watching over your shoulder. So it made it made it hard. But we were really successful. We had about 120 students a week coming through our home for Bible study at one point. And then later we were able to see two churches that were built because of the people who were coming to Christ. Here we have a church on every corner, it seems like.

Ron Meyers 2:48

Now, they don't have that church type building in China. How is it church? How do you meet in China? Is it all secret? Is it underground? Is it in little rooms? What is it?

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Yeah, it's uh it's really a duplicity. It's kind of strange because the government does have government-sanctioned churches, but they do uh dictate what

Building House Churches Under Watch

SPEAKER_01 3:07

can be taught and what can can be said from the pulpit in in most cases. Can you give us an example of what can be and can't be taught? Yeah, in some cases, depending on on where you are in the country, sometimes revelation is is left out, and sometimes the return of Christ is left out. That's not true all the way across China in every place, but in some places it is.

Ron Meyers 3:28

Well, share some highlights of the seven years in China. What are things that you'll never forget the rest of your life?

A River Baptism By Bike

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Um, I I you know it's funny you'd say that because I have one thing that stands out. There was a young man, everybody in China, just like Thailand, they all have most Asian countries, they all have uh nicknames. And so this guy's name was Vista. And V Vista became a believer in Christ after I got to share the gospel with him in my home. Uh, he was one of the students that was coming to our house. And it was crazy. He says to me, Grayson, was Jesus baptized in a bathtub? And I was like, uh no, why would you ask that? And he said, because you know, you guys always baptize everybody in a bathtub or a swimming pool or whatever. And I said, Well, we do that because, you know, the government doesn't love the idea of Christianity, and so that's what we have to do it in. And he said, But but Jesus was baptized in a river. And I said, Yeah, you're right. And he says, So I want to be baptized in a river. And I was like, Okay, but I don't know how to make that happen for you. We lived in the city. And so he came over one day and he says, I found a place to be baptized in a river. I said, Okay, where is it? And it was not close. We rode our bicycles for almost two hours out to this, like boy, he was serious. He was so serious. He's like, it really needs to be in a river. And we were like, okay. So we ride way out, and we're there's a video of it somewhere that is crazy. But we end up next to a river in a fish pond kind of place where there's pond after pond after pond. And he goes, This is this is this is a great place. And I said, This is a great place. We'll get all of our guys together, we'll get a bus, we'll come out here, and and we'll we'll baptize you and in in front of all the brothers and sisters. And he's like, Oh, that's a great idea. And I said, Why don't we sit down for a minute and just read our Bible and just you know talk to God a little bit? And so we pull out the Bible, we start talking, and God leads us to this place where John the Baptist is baptizing Jesus, and he says, Now is the proper place, or now is the proper time. And Vista looks at me and goes, Now is the proper time. And I was like, Wow, okay, well, let's do it. So we baptized him right there on video in the middle of a fish pond next to a river, and it was good enough for Vista and it was good enough for me. So I think it was just amazing, just to see the passion that people have when they come to Christ in the Asian country. Now, did you have an interpreter or could you speak Chinese? Yeah, I spoke Chinese and he spoke broken English. So between the two of us, we were able to communicate very well.

Ron Meyers 5:54

Wow. So God really had prepared you, I mean, to speak Chinese. Wow. Did you learn that here in the U.S. before you went over, or did you just kind of learn it there?

SPEAKER_01 6:02

I learned when I was there. Wow.

Ron Meyers 6:04

So you're a fast learner.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Well, no, I I I don't think I mastered it and I was there seven years. So wow, wow.

Ron Meyers 6:11

Now what are some sad stories or disappointing stories that you think about a lot that might have

A Raid Sparks A Redemption Story

Ron Meyers 6:18

happened back there?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

I think the saddest story is another story about one of our students, but ended up in a as a good story. But the sad story is that one of our students, pretty sure, turned us in at one point, and the and the the state, the the city police came and they interrupted one of our worship services, and every every everyone there, their IDs were taken and recorded. And so all of those students had their IDs recorded as potential threats to the government. And so that was really sad. And later we talked to him and said, his nickname was Howie. And we said, Howie, why why did you do this? And he said, Well, you know, I just came to your house because you guys were nice and you guys always had food and it was just a good place to go. And I just pretended that I was a believer. And we're like, Why would you do that? He goes, Well, you know, we did I we just wanted to be around you. And I thought that was just a very sad thing to say. Um, later, Howie graduated, moved to Hong Kong, got a job, and called me, and he says, Hey, can you tell me where church is in Hong Kong? I want to go. And I was like, Why? And he I was like, Because you're just like a fake, right? So why would you even want to go to a church? And he goes, Because Christians are the nicest people on the planet. And I thought, wow, okay. So so I told him, I said, Well, there's a church here. I'll contact the people, let them know what you did here so that they know, you know, that they need to be careful. But uh, you can go to church anytime you want. So he goes, and about a year later, he sent me a message and says, I wanted to let you know that I was wrong for what I did, and I'm now a believer in Christ, and I'm working in the church, and I'm sharing the gospel as often as I can through my business in Hong Kong.

Ron Meyers 8:01

What's the Bible say that we plant the seeds and it's God that waters

Why The Government Fears Gatherings

Ron Meyers 8:05

the seeds? Yeah. Wow. That's awesome. What a story. So the government in China looks at Christians as potential threats?

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, and I don't understand really the even having been there seven years, I don't understand what the issues are really. Um, I think if you boil it down for China and you say, what is it that causes China just to get, you know, riled up, so to speak, it would be that amassing groups of people. So anytime a group of people are formed, historically there's a problem. You know, we we I'm not gonna mention the different rebellions, but there were several, and they all happened because groups of people got together with one idea about something and then went after that idea, and it caused lots of trouble for the government.

Ron Meyers 8:48

Now, did they know the name of Jesus before you ever even introduced them to Jesus?

SPEAKER_01 8:53

When we first arrived in China, they they did not. Our city, for whatever reason, people just didn't know who Jesus was. So we had to explain that whole thing. However, by the time that we left, we felt like that there was so much work being done, and then the schools had started instituting like religious classes, and so they were learning at least the name of Jesus. So people were like, Oh, yeah, we heard about Jesus. Man, tell us more about him. And so, in the beginning, no, not many people that we came into contact with knew who Jesus was, and so we had to start with the creator God. So we'd go all the way back, say, Did you know that God created heaven and earth and everything in it? Uh Shangdi, Trenza, Tian Di, Wan Wu, which is Chinese for God created heaven and earth and everything in it. And so, and they would be like, Oh, no, we did not know this. And then we get to talk to them. Sometimes they're long conversations, some of them were years. Howie, for instance, was a three and a half year conversation uh before that young man decided that they Jesus was worth his life. Wow. So they were just like sponges absorbing what you were sharing with them. At the time, yes. And again, regionally

America’s Comfort And A Missing Awe

SPEAKER_01 10:00

depends on where you are and what you're doing. Now, when you come back to the U.S.

Ron Meyers 10:04

to raise some funds and to visit and before you head back, and then you see what's going on here in the streets and how people treat Jesus or church, what's your thoughts? Do you say, man, I'm so lucky I'm in China. It's so much easier than it is here.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

You know, this question, oddly enough, has come up over and over since I've been here. And I think it's because we know that we're not acting right. And so those of us who are believers in Christ, we see the depravity of man and we wonder why it's perpetuating in such a vast way. And and so this question has come up over and over and over. And I think that the most important thing we can do is not just to tell people how bad they are, but to show them how good God is. Like I think that the thing that we're missing most is the glory that God deserves. Somehow we've missed the awe of God. Like it's it's gone away from us. Maybe it's TV that we, you know, we have superheroes that could do anything, or some of these uh shows that that some of the young kids are watching with magical powers, right? And anything's possible with in this way. And and maybe we're just we've just watered down the fact that God is the creator, God. Like He is the one who created heaven and earth and everything in it from nothing. He created from nothing. No one else can do that. There is no entity here or otherwise that can create something out of nothing, yet our God did.

Ron Meyers 11:35

You know, I was talking to someone last week and we were talking, I made a statement is so many people here in the states they inherit church, they inherit tradition. So you ask them, do they know Jesus? Well, I grew up in a church. My dad was a preacher, my wife, I mean, my mother, you know, taught taught us about Jesus, but it's almost like they just stepped into it because it was something you just did as you grow up. You go to China, they're hearing it for the first time. When they hear that, do their eyes just kind of like grow and say, This I've never heard anything like this.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yeah, on the Chinese front, it's absolutely the way it is. It would be I I don't know how you explain it really. It is an enlightenment almost. When they hear about it, they get become so excited and so interested. That's why we had 120 kids. We could have had more, we just couldn't fit any more people in our house throughout the week. And they were coming in droves really because they wanted to hear about this Jesus that could take away sin, like that could give them the confidence that they would be in heaven one day, where uh their religion and how they grew up is just a guess. We might, we might one day, maybe we might be in heaven. But with uh Christianity, we're those of us who are Christians, we're confident, we're sure that there is a heaven, Jesus is there with God, and that we're gonna be seated with him one day when we leave this planet.

Ron Meyers 12:59

What is the predominant religion in China?

SPEAKER_01 13:02

China has so many different religions. They have Taoism and Confucianism and this kind of thing. And so they kind of believe in like this balance and equal. They have what's called yin and yang. We call it yin yin and yang in in China, but it's the same idea. You've heard it before. And the idea is that there's a an equal balance, whether it's female and male, or whether it's light and dark, or whether it's, you know, colors, whether it's a stream and grass or trees and sky or whatever it might be, that there's this balance that exists, and that they're they're searching for this balance. So what the Chinese people want is like a tranquil life. They want to achieve this state or point where they are they're balanced, they're they're tranquil. And so we recognize as believers in Christ that there's only satisfaction in Christ. And that as you try to balance your life, it's not a bad idea to try to balance things, but that if you are really looking for satisfaction, which is which is what they want, is only found in Christ.

Ron Meyers 14:08

You know, I had a missionary I had coffee with a few months ago, and he and his wife and children, they go to Mexico. In fact, they're going there, I think right now for about six months. And he was talking about all the incredible things that are happening over there, even miracles. And I said, Why do you think that is nothing like that we hear over here? And he said something that just really made sense. He said, Ron, if you're here and you have a headache, you go to Walmart and get an aspirin. Or you, if you if you something breaks in your house, you buy a new one. Over where we're at, there is nothing, there is no drug stores on the corner. So the faith that they have in Jesus, that's all they have. And that's why you see so many wonderful things happening because it's total trust and dependency on Jesus. We're over here, heck, we can pretty much buy anything we want.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Yeah, I I think you're right. I think that that that is definitely one aspect is that because they are in a position of need, Americans in general view ourselves as not needy. And so, you know, this is this is what the Bible says many times in uh parables and otherwise, Jesus talks about it quite often, is that individuals who have everything that they think they need tend to not think that they need Christ. But in fact, the things that they place their trust and belief in are fading. And in the end, they'll be in a place that they don't want to be. It won't be heaven. Uh, I saw it on your sign out front, the word is hell. And so these individuals will will not be in heaven with with Christ. And that's an eternal deal. You know, everything we have in America or in this life is temporal. But what the Bible uh tells us and what Jesus promises us is that those who trust and believe in him, they have an eternal inheritance, an eternal inheritance. So I think that I think that it's true that in America we do have a materialism problem uh where we believe that the things that we have and the things we can buy and the things that we can even give to others sometimes, even this, can take our eyes off of what really matters, which is our relationship with Christ. Amen.

Ron Meyers 16:21

So well put, so well said. Well, right now, this is the podcast, as well as on some radio stations, but it goes all over the world. And you're an excellent missionary, so you can speak now to anyone listening to it, and maybe it's the first time they're gonna hear something about Jesus. You've got the mic. What would you tell them?

The Gospel Explained For Kids

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Man, uh you know, this week, well, last week was really an interesting week. I got to spend time at one of our local churches here in Central Mississippi, and I got to spend time at what they call VBS, which is vacation Bible school. And I would say if you've got kids out there, they can go to VBS anywhere in your area, you should let them go. Uh, that's the first thing. But what was really interesting was they asked me to speak to the children. And well, I don't I don't typically work with children. Like that's not what what I do really. I usually work with young professionals and professionals. And so, and when I say work with, meaning that my gospel focus is to that group of people, young professionals and professionals. So when they said you got like third grade and second grade and first grade, I really wasn't sure what to do. And why this is relevant is this in that moment, I had to choose what was the most important things about knowing Christ and water them down into a way that a first, second, and third grader could understand it. And I realized that um there are a few things that you have to know. And the first is that God existed before all things. That's hard to put your head around. God existed before everything. Before there was anything, there was God. And that God is a triune God, meaning that there are three parts to God. There's God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And God wanted to create, He's a creator God. So he creates everything out of nothing, including us. He created the first man and the first woman. Now, this man and woman, he created in a perfect way, in a perfect place, and what we call the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and some of you have heard of that before. And then this family, this husband and wife, this man and woman, they broke the only rule that God had given them. Don't eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. Just don't do it, don't eat that fruit. But because they wanted to be like God, they were tempted by Satan and they gave in and they ate that fruit, and that was the beginning of sin for all humanity for all time. Well, that broke the relationship between mankind and God the Father. And so from that point forward, there has been this struggle or this stress between knowing God and wanting to please him, and knowing ourselves and wanting to please ourselves. And in our nature as humans, we want to please ourselves, and so that's what we try to do. Well, that takes us farther and farther and farther away from God and the relationship that he wants for us. So, God, because he is creator, God, because he knows all things, he, in his wisdom and love for humanity, devised a way that we could be reunited with God the Father, and that was through sending his son Jesus to earth. And so Jesus left heaven, he came to earth, he lived a perfect life, he was born of a virgin, and he was misunderstood from the moment he set foot into this world. As he grew in wisdom and he grew in understanding, he was not just merely a man, but he was also fully God. So as this person that sometimes people refer to as the God man, fully God, fully human, walks on the earth and shares about the future and the fact that he is the solution to our sin problem, it was confusing to people, and they killed him. They put him on a cross and they crucified him. He died on that cross, a real death. He was taken down, he was put into the grave, a real grave, and he stayed there for three days. But then, miraculously, because of the power that only God can have, he came back to life. He was resurrected on the third day. And for anybody who will trust and believe that these things are true, they can have forgiveness of sin, life forever with God in heaven, and a restored new relationship with God. And man, I I shared that with these little guys, and they're like, That's incredible. Like, are you kidding me? They just really couldn't believe it, some of them. What a simple way to tell the story.

Ron Meyers 20:43

Excellent, very good. So Jesus is the bridge to getting us back in restoration, reconciliation with God the Father. That's right. Wow. Yes, I can see why you're the missionary. You're and now you're in Thailand. We'll have to get into that the next time you come back here to the U.S.

Where To Follow And Support

Ron Meyers 21:00

Grayson. If people want to follow you or see what you're up to, even send you a donation, where would they go?

SPEAKER_01 21:06

If if someone's interested in supporting us in any way or just learning more about us, they can go to globaloutreach.org. So www.globaloutreach.org. This is organization out of Tupelo, Mississippi. It's what we call our sending organization. Uh, they can go there and learn all about the organization, but they can also make donations there. Our account number is 3086. So if you click the give and you scroll down to the box, then you'll see give to a missionary or a project. And if you put 3086 in that box, it'll take you to a giving page. Uh, the other thing for you guys is you can visit our website at www.ormanfamily Thailand.com. That's Ormond Family Thailand No Spaces.com. And there you'll see our newsletter. And our newsletter will pop up every almost every month, something new. And so it'd be great for you guys to check that out if you would.

Ron Meyers 22:03

Before we go, there are a couple things I like to ask my guest.

Get The Hell Out By Jesus

Ron Meyers 22:07

One of them, the title of the show is Get the Hell Out of Your Life. So, Grayson, how do you get the hell out of your life? Uh turn to Jesus. Turn to Jesus. There's no other way.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

Jesus says, I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, meaning God, except through me, meaning Jesus. So Jesus is the way. And now, will you pray for the listeners? Sure. Lord, I thank you for this time that we've had with uh Mr. Ron. God, I thank you for the people all around the world who are on mission, whether it's in their backyards or in their hometowns or across the nation, and then I and then those who are all over the world. We pray for those missionaries today, that they would have strength and courage and persistence. But God, we also pray for all of those who don't know you. We pray, God, uh, today that um you would move the hearts of people to understand that uh the gospel is a simple, simple gospel. But only through your spirit and the moving of hearts can one believe. And so, God, we ask that as these listeners are listening today, we ask you, Lord, that you would move their hearts to belief. That there would be many across the world today that heard this simple gospel and respond to it through your spirit. God, we ask you that um the listeners would continue to uh listen, that they continue to ponder the things that they hear on this radio show, um, that they would continue to um ask questions. We pray, Lord, that they would reach out to their local churches. I pray, Lord, that today if someone was listening and was interested in all and anything that was said, that they reach out to their local churches and that they would attend uh this coming Sunday. Uh, we pray this all in the name of Jesus.

One Prayer And One Person

Ron Meyers 23:52

What a powerful reminder that God is still writing stories of redemption through ordinary people. You may never become a missionary in another country, but every one of us has been given a mission. It might be your workplace, your neighborhood, your family, or the person sitting alone at the restaurant who just needs someone to notice them. The question isn't whether God has called someone, the question is whether we are listening. This week I'd like to challenge you to pray one simple prayer. Lord, show me one person you want me to encourage. And then, my friend, pay attention. God has a way of putting people in our path at exactly the right moment. A smile, a phone call, an invitation to coffee, or simply listening to someone's story could become the very thing God uses to change a life. Remember, the greatest mission field may be closer than you think. And before we go, let me leave you with this thought. Your life has purpose. God did not create you to simply make it through another day. He created you to know him and to make his love known wherever you are. And if today's conversation encouraged you, would you do me a favor? Share this episode with someone who needs hope. And if God has done something amazing in your life, I would love to hear your story. Visit the promoter.org and click share your story. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I will be back next week with another Grace Filled episode of Get the Hell Out of Your Life available wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next time, this is Ron Myers reminding you: keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep listening for his voice, and let's keep getting and keeping the hell out of our lives. God bless you, my friend.

Announcer 25:58

Today's show was produced by Ron Myers Ministries, a listener-supported ministry. For a copy of today's broadcast, please visit our website, thepromoter.org. And would you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue to share stories of God's amazing grace with the world? And join us next week for another broadcast of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope.

SPEAKER_04 26:24

From craft.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

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