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CONNIE: It's the stuff worst nightmares are made of--you've been caught in the act--red-handed. Your life is in tatters, your dreams for the future a fading mirage. Then you hear those ten magical words… Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko. Connie, today we're going to be looking at ten words of Jesus, and the power they have to change lives.

CONNIE: If you've ever been caught red-handed, or even had one of those nightmares where you've done something really bad and got caught at it, you know the feeling. Dread. Ruin. Wondering what the future holds.

LONNIE: If it's just a nightmare, you can at least wake up from it and feel a sense of relief. But there's something else that can "spell" relief, too. It's forgiveness. Or an understanding, non-condemning attitude on the part of those you've offended, disappointed, or let down. Don't misunderstand--I'm not suggesting that we should always take a laissez-faire attitude toward sin and never condemn people for doing wrong. But if we'll follow Jesus' example in dealing with those who have fallen into sin, we're likely to see people's lives transformed rather than ruined. That will be the focus of my message later in the program. So, whether you're the one who's been caught red-handed, or the one who's deciding how to treat someone who has done wrong, I hope you'll stay tuned as we consider how Jesus handled sticky situations.

CONNIE: One woman whose life is a testimony to what the transforming love of God can do is Cheri Peters. She grew up on the mean, drug-infested streets of Los Angeles, but was rescued by a woman who determined to love her and treat her as Jesus would, in spite of Cheri's coarse attitudes. We've talked with Cheri before on our program, about her background. Today Ken Wade speaks with her about the ministry she now has for at-risk young people, and some of the successes, but also the challenges she faces as she tries to pass along the love she received.

KEN: Cheri Peters, so great to welcome you to the program again, and to speak with you again.

CHERI: Thank you! I love being on this show, and I love your ministry.

KEN: Well thank you Cheri. Lets just bring people up to speed a little bit. We talked a few months ago about your background coming off the streets of LA, being raised in a very drug infested environment, but than something happened in your life that transformed that.

CHERI: Well, you know, I was on the streets for ten years. From the age of twelve to twenty-three, and before that was raised by people that were addicted themselves. And so I was one of five kids actually, and when I was twenty-three years old I was going to kill myself, and I was really tired. I was tired of life, and I was tired of everything. And in the process of trying to find a way to kill myself, God came down and said, “You know what?” “I’m crazy about you”, and my life has been different ever since.

KEN: You encountered someone who gave you that unconditional love that you needed to bring you out of that, and the thing that thrills my heart, Cheri, is to know that now you are involved. You have started a ministry, “True Step Ministry” that is reaching out to kids who are being raised in an environment like what you experienced.

CHERI: Well you know, Ken, when I met God the most amazing thing to me was, He showed me who I was in His eyes. And what was incredible is that I was so clean and beautiful, and healthy. And I kept crying like I’ve never done that, and He said, you’ve never not done that to me. And I think what I want to do is to show these people who are at risk, these children, that you know what? God does not see us as damaged. He sees us as His children, and that’s what He wants to create in us. So I would do anything, anytime, anywhere to bring that message to people.

KEN: And you’re doing a great job of it and today as we look at the story of Mary Magdelene in our program, we’re looking at the fact that Jesus took this woman who was very damaged goods. Out of whom He had to cast seven demons, probably at seven different times. And yet He continued to minister to her and she finally was delivered. Now you were telling about a young lady who you are working with right now that might kind of fit into that picture.

CHERI: It’s incredible! She has been through so much in her life. She was an adopted kid out of a foreign country and she came to this country, and was then molested by her pastor from age three to age ten…

KEN: Oh my! Her pastor?

CHERI: …and then she joined a gang. In this gang she has shot people, actually blown their kneecaps out, and she was facing twenty-seven years in prison for a drive-by shooting, and then she finds God. Ken it was amazing to watch her transform, because she found God and she kept telling me, “Are you sure He forgives me?” And I said, “You know, I’m not sure why, but He forgives us”. He loves us, and I watched this girl go from a hardened gang member to this incredible Christian.

KEN: I believe I met her once, there in Idaho.

CHERI: She is incredible! She is writing music for God, and she is just an incredible kid.

KEN: But it hasn’t been an all up hill path for her has it?

CHERI: It has been horrible for her just because people think, Ok you meet God and your life should change, everything should change, and it does because you have that hope and you believe that and there are things that God helps you to almost drop off right away. But you’ve got years of distrust, years of manipulation, years of hatred, years of anger and rage, and all that…

KEN: She’s dealing with a lot.

CHERI: Exactly, and when those get triggered you can fall back in easily, and that’s for a lot of people in recovery fall frequently and luckily Jesus is there every time saying, Please, please stand back up again, please trust me again.

KEN: And so you’ve watched this happen over and over again, and I know that you’ve experienced it in your own life and I guess we all have. Where we will have a great spiritual experience with the Lord and yet something you said, triggers, trigger points come along.

CHERI: Exactly, and some of the trigger points may be, like for a molested kid that you might run into a perpetrator that approaches you in a way that reminds you of a previous molestation. Some triggers can last two weeks, two months, even two years depending where you are at spiritually. And what I try to do with the kids that I work with is teach them to trust God. God is not condemning, and will teach you how to walk through those trigger points, because the world is still a mess. You find God but the world is still a mess. You’re still going to come up with those prejudices. Your still going to come up with somebody judging your background, or a perpetrator in the room, and how do you trust God through all that? And it’s not easy, and my prayer for the people in the church is, please don’t condemn them when they fall, help them stand back up because that’s exactly what Jesus does for us.

KEN: Well that’s what Jesus did. So you found that with this young lady, even though she has had some real difficulties and has fallen back a number of times. What happens when she turns her face back towards Christ?

CHERI: God just loves her. You know Christ loves her and, what is really amazing to her is she will sit there in tears, because it shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t love me, look what I just did. She came back the last time, she has gotten pregnant and now she has a child…

KEN: Wow!

CHERI: …so her life is even more complicated. You know why does God accept me back again? Because He loves us, and it takes so long to get that, and I think He wants us to get it enough where nothing can settle us down again. I know that God loves me no matter what anyone does, or says, or whatever I have to struggle with. That I am not letting go of His hand; I’m not letting go of that ever again. I think that’s what Mary Magdalene did, because there was a point where she said, you know what? I am loved by God.

KEN: And praise the Lord for that testimony, and for the transformed lives, and you’re own transformed life and the lives that are being transformed through your ministry. Thank you so much Cheri for sharing with us.

CHERI: It’s been great.

CONNIE: Amen! That was our good friend Michael J. Harris singing the Gospel classic "Amazing Grace."

LONNIE: The amazing thing about grace, to me, is that it does more than just "save" a wretch like me. God's grace doesn't just save me in my wretchedness and then leave me that way. When I receive the grace of Christ into my life, it begins working there like leaven, changing things, and transforming me into a more gracious person.

CONNIE: When you receive grace from someone--anyone--whether it's God or a fellow human being, you have a choice. Either you can just accept that grace, "thank your lucky stars"--so to speak--and go merrily on your way. Or you can take the time to consider the meaning and value of that grace in your life.

LONNIE: And begin to try to emulate it. I think that's what John Newton had in mind when he wrote the words to Amazing Grace. And you know, Connie, a few years ago on our daily broadcast, David Smith and I worked our way through that song, almost word by word, looking at the meaning of it and how it has impacted people's lives. We took the scripts for that series of programs and turned them into a book we call More Than Amazing Grace.

CONNIE: Sounds like just the kind of thing we could offer to our listeners as a gift that expands on today's message.

LONNIE: My thoughts exactly, so why don't you tell folks how they can get their free copy.

CONNIE: Delighted. Here's what you have to do: Pick up the phone and call this toll-free number: 1-800-872-0055. And when the friendly person on the other end answers, tell them you'd like a copy of the book More Than Amazing Grace.

LONNIE: It's a simple as that. The number to call is 1-800-872-0055, and we'll repeat that in a few minutes, along with our mailing address. I know you'll appreciate the way this book illustrates the meaning of grace in day-to-day living.

CONNIE: You can call or write any time, 24 hours a day. But right now it's time to listen to Lonnie's message for today: Caught in the Act--And Forgiven.

Caught in the Act--And Forgiven

Imagine the scene that day in Jerusalem:

A thousand, leering, lusting eyes followed the form. Word spread quickly around the temple area. Men who had been haggling over the price of a donkey, eyeing its teeth and the condition of its coat, found themselves on high alert. Could it possibly be true, what their eyes told them they were seeing?
Quickly they left their tasks and ran to join the mob, to get a closer look.
Beggars and businessmen alike lost their concentration on their daily tasks. Soldiers assigned to keep the peace at this volatile vortex of religious fervor nudged each other and declared that they too, had better move in and see what was going on.

A woman--a beautiful young woman--was being dragged half-naked through the center of the city, fighting and struggling all the way, trying in vain to cover herself. And men were pointing, gawking, laughing, and slapping each other on the back as the parade passed by. What a show!

The mob continued to grow, and soon a thousand minds were running amok in lustful thoughts, and two thousand eyes were gazing, heads bobbing and waggling back and forth, trying to get a better view. And then the woman's beautiful, exposed flesh found its intended mark: the only two eyes in the lot that looked right through her skin and down deep into her heart to see her true beauty, and her true need.

One Man did not gawk. Instead, He looked into her eyes. And then He looked down at the ground. Not in shame or embarrassment. He just looked at her in a way that was different from how any man had looked at her before, and then He looked down at the ground, and started writing something in the dust.

An officious-looking gaggle of pharisees had been the ones dragging the poor woman through the streets. And when they had found Jesus, they had stood her in front of Him, demanding that He pass judgment on her. Testing Him to see if the grace He talked about could match swords with the law of Moses.

" 'Master, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery,' " they proclaimed, then went on to suggest what ought to be done about it: " 'In the Law Moses has laid down that such women are to be stoned. What do you say about it?' " (John 8:5, NEB).

How would grace respond to such a challenge?

If Jesus were to respond by saying that the woman ought to be forgiven (He talked a lot about forgiveness), then the Pharisees would discredit Him as a rebel who was teaching principles contrary to the Word of God. They could do with His message the very thing we tell our Voice of Prophecy listeners to do: Check the message against Scripture, and if it disagrees with the revealed Word, don't pay any attention.

But if Jesus agreed that the woman ought to be stoned, then they could report Him to the Romans--say that He was condoning execution on conditions contrary to Roman law. That could get Him thrown in prison--maybe even executed!

But Jesus wasn't willing to be the victim of their trap. Because He saw that woman, not as a bundle of flesh to be lusted after, or as a sinner to be condemned. But as a soul He would give His very life for. A soul He had come to earth to save.

And that's why He didn't say anything, but just bowed down and began writing in the dust.

The accusers wouldn't be put off so easily, though. They kept pressing their question on Him. Jesus' response is a classic. It sets the standard for all time. He looked at the men who were insisting that the woman ought to be stoned and invited them to carry out their sentence--IF--and this is the big IF--If any one of them was not worthy of the same punishment.

And then He kept writing in the dust.

What did He write? The Bible doesn't say, but it seems likely that He began writing down things He knew about the sins of the accusers. Whatever the message in the dust said, the men who had been accusing the woman soon slunk away, leaving the woman with no one to condemn her.

And when the accusers were gone, Jesus looked at the woman and said, " 'Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more' " (John 8:11, NKJV).
What amazing words! Ten magical words!

Words of forgiveness, and also words of empowerment.

Because when Jesus tells to do something, there is power in His words. Power to do whatever it is He has bid us do.

You see, Jesus lived above the strife, temptations, and condemnation of the world. Because His mind was set on heavenly things, He could look at a poor, trapped, sinful woman, and instead of thinking of her sin, think about what she could become through the gracious power of God.

And so He challenged her: Begin to live on this higher level. By My grace, by My power, keep on living. But not in sin. Live above that old world. Live in My world--the world of your Savior.

That's a challenge, friend. But when Jesus gives a challenge, He also gives the power to meet the challenge.

You know, the Bible doesn't specifically say so, but many people believe that the woman caught in adultery was Mary Magdalene. Whether or not they are one and the same person isn't really important. What matters is that this story and the story of Mary both illustrate how Jesus responded to sinners.
And they also teach how we, as sinners, should respond to Jesus.

Mary was known as the woman that Jesus had cast seven demons out of.
Do you suppose He cast them all out at once? Or could it be that Jesus cast a demon out of her, but that she fell back into sin--and into demon possession--over and over? Remember, Jesus told a story like that once--about a man who had a demon cast out, but didn't fill his life with good things, so the demon went out and got seven of his friends to move in and possess the man's life.

You'll find that story in Matthew 12. Mary's experience may have been the basis of that story.

But did Jesus condemn her for her repeated failings? No, He continued to be her deliverer. And finally, His power got the best of the devil.

The victory didn't come easily. It didn't come instantaneously. But notice something about Mary--and how she finally got the devil out once and for all. I'm reading now, from the gospel of Luke: Now it came to pass, afterward, that [Jesus] went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities--Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons (Luke 8:1-2 NKJV).

Did you catch that? Where did Mary spend her time after Jesus cast the seventh demon out of her?
With Jesus.

She became one of His closest followers.

Because she had finally come to realize that it was going to be either one way or the other: Either she would be totally possessed by Jesus, or she would be totally possessed by Satan. There was no middle ground. No space to live between the camps, toying with both the sin and the Savior.

Now, friend, getting back to the story we began with: The Bible doesn't tell us for sure what happened to the woman caught in adultery after that face-to-face encounter with Jesus. If she is one and the same with Mary Magdalene, then we know she became close to the Savior and He empowered her to get the victory over sin. If it was another woman, the question remains: Did she succeed in living above her sins from then on?

Did she learn the secret of daily spending time with Jesus, asking Him to empower her to live like Him--with her mind above the world and its temptations?

I hope she did.

And friend, I'm striving every day to learn that same lesson. And I hope you are, too. Because Jesus' words to that woman come down through the centuries to us.

They're words of comfort.

They're words of challenge.

But they're also words of empowerment.

"Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more."

The woman was caught in the very act of sin. But she found forgiveness in Jesus. And power.

Have you, too?