This is the Truth Network. The good book says, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord," and there's no one that I know that can do it quite like Charles Billingsley when it comes to making a joyful noise. This man of God has been. Leading worship, he has been a worship leader. He's been a lead worshipper.
He's created albums. He's just a gift, Charles Bilinsky. It's an honor for myself and Doctor David Word Carson to sit in the room with you and talk to you, brother. Bless you, man. What's hot in your heart right now?
Well, a lot of things, man. But it's been a lot of fun. This has been a crazy year. Got a crazy Christmas season coming up, but just I spent the summer working on a new album and a Christmas devotional book, and so I finished them both and got them all out. But it's been a really, really busy year.
But the new album is a lot of fun. I. I took a bunch of songs that. Really, just meant a lot to me growing up, and did remakes of them, stuff from like everything from Steve Green to Rustav to Sandy Patty to Stephen Curtis Chapman to Petra, all these great songs that I grew up loving, and we did these fully orchestrated, full versions of them that have turned out to be really cool. And I got a few of the original artists to do things with me, like Rustav did the trumpet of Jesus with me, and Steve Green sang People Need the Lord.
With me and so just been really fun.
Now I have Doctor Date the Word Carson here, not just as a co-host on this episode of Truth Talk, but also as a fact checker and also as a keep Charles Villansey straight kind of guy, because he knows a lot more about you than many of us do. And the names you just mentioned, Doctor Carson, what do you say to this guy here, man?
Well. I'd say everywhere I go, Charles Billingsley, the man doesn't just lead people to sing; he leads them to worship because he has a heart that is full of worship himself. And it has. We go way back when he came here, worship at Liberty Thomas Road. But I, I, I'm saying this to you, listeners.
But I'm saying it with him sitting here. I. So appreciate Charles Billingsley's heart for the Lord, because when I'm listening to him sing, I'm not listening to him. I'm thinking about my Lord Jesus Christ. Tell us about your heart, Charles.
What is it that really drives that engine, as he just described?
Well, first of all, thank you. That means a lot to me. I I just don't believe in just singing a song or just getting through a service. I I really I believe that when we gather, the Holy Spirit wants to move, and in order for me to lead people effectively in His presence and in worship that is not just in spirit, but in spirit and in truth, then of course I have to have experienced that. Personal life first, because worship is a two-sided coin.
It's it's individual and it's corporate. But corporate worship really begins with a collection of individual worshippers, and unfortunately, a lot of churches. A lot of church goers look at Sunday morning as their one little time to get filled up with their worship experience, but the truth is, a and I coined this phrase, I guess, about thirty years ago that that worship is a lifestyle. And if you don't live worship Monday through Saturday, then Sunday morning, rather than being a response out of the overflow of your heart, becomes your one little moment in the week to sort of get filled up. And I'm telling you, by Wednesday morning, you're empty again because Worship is meant to start as an individual, and it also starts in the mind, and it leads to the heart.
So, these kind of things, if you're a believer, you you must learn how to create and understand a discipline of worship in your life that that that transfers way beyond just the Sunday morning experience. And if you will, that next Sunday when you get to church, suddenly the style of the song, or the song choice, or the instrumentation, or even Who's singing it is not an issue in your heart because now you're worshiping out of an overflow and you don't really even care anymore what it sounds like because you're there to just dwell in the presence of the Lord and so it changes everything and and when you have enough people in your congregation that join you in this then suddenly Sunday morning takes on a whole new environment and that empty tank analogy is very appropriate because we got a lot of empty tanks in the other room right on the other side of those walls yeah you're here. With a whole bunch of pastors, it's refuel. It's a conference that it's amazing that Thomas Road does this. Jonathan Fallwell, huge heart, Liberty University on the campus here.
The Thomas Road Baptist Church they host all these pastors for a free event every October. Dr. Carson is going to speak to a lunch breakout here, challenging a lot of pastors. Charles Billingsley, you're up in front of them. You're kind of refueling them.
I mean, Clayton King just gave a great message. We got another. We got all these pastors preaching and just filling them up. What is that like for you just to pour into them? And just to to just in the power and energy of the Holy Spirit, you know, get these guys going.
I mean, what what what is it? What's going on in your mind and heart as you as you are a part of all this?
Well, you know, a lot of a lot of people don't realize how lonely the pastorate can be, and how empty they become. Not because they're not spending time in the Word or not worshiping, but it's it's an emptiness from this other world of community and fellowship and these kind of Events allow pastors to get together, who have other people in the room who have the same mindset, the same heart, the same kind of job, the same kind of problems and issues, and to gather together in one room and then have the privilege of leading them in worship. Their worship tends to flow out of a out of a different place than just your average church member. And because of that, it tends to be pretty rich, a pretty rich experience. And this morning, I mean.
You know, we started off with a fairly extended worship set, which I think is important in the morning time, just to get everybody in the room and stuff. And and boy, by the time we were done with that set, it was it was really really powerful. And it's because a lot of these pastors are coming from a place of emptiness, and they just want to pour out their heart without without the presence of people they even know, really. But but there's a foundation that brings us all together, and that is a A unity in the work that we're all trying to accomplish. Dr.
Carson wants a closing question thought for you, Charles Billingsley. It's awesome to be in the green room talking to you about worship and about the Word of God and what God is doing. I want you to give your full website. I want everyone to get your Christmas album. I want them to get your Christmas devotional.
I know it's going to be. Look at that! Is all my soul? That's yours. The adventurous life.
Yeah. The adventurous. Oh my! The adventurous life, but the first.
So good. The word adventurous is advent. Wait, did you put the advent and adventurous together? Did you see what he did, Doctor Carson? Did you see what he did?
That's that's the way to do it, right there.
Now, all my soul, we gotta we gotta experience the advent to have an adventure. All my soul, this is. Love, joy, and peace. It's the. It's all about.
It's a Christmas devotional, and it's a pocket devotional, so you can throw it in your back pocket, put it in your purse, or whatever you're wherever you're going. And and um, but it's not just a little thought for the day. There's these these are four or five pages. I I went into some pretty good depth on some of the stuff.
So well, I can't wait to read this, Doc Carson. What do you say to this this guy? Man, you've seen him grow up in ministry. You've seen you've been a part. You guys have shared many stages.
You were the head of spiritual life up here at Liberty for Doctor. Wasn't there a feller named Doctor Falwell that was belting out the Word of God in chapel, and now his boys pastoring at the Thomas Road Church? What do you say to him?
Well, I'm just again so thrilled with how he's continually stayed a vessel in God's hand to impact the world for Christ. And we we used a phrase around here years ago: "It's not about titles; it's about towels." Charles Billingsley picks up. The towel day after day, and I love that. Charles, a verse that I have you on your heart for others, something that's been that you've been anchored to. What's a good verse you can share with us as we get out of here?
And then I do want you to give your website for folks to get the book and everything.
Well, the first one that comes to my mind is Colossians three twenty three, and whatsoever you do, do it wholeheartedly as to the Lord and not into men. We're moving into a season where it's pretty materialistic. It's all about the stuff. It's all about you know the tinsel and the and the gifts and the celebration and all that's fun. But let's not forget that the real adventure begins when you discover the hope, the peace, the love, and the joy that only Christ can give you.
My My website is charlesbillingsley dot com. Billingsley is B I L L I N G S L E Y, but um, charlesbillingsley dot com. You can find all of our stuff there. You can get the albums on anything where digital music is found: Apple, Spotify, Pandora, wherever. But, um, thank you.
Thanks for having me. You and Adam keep me in stitches on your road trips and all on the segments that you do. And you know, it's interesting that you're all over the world, and you could literally just do that. But you just there's something about you being In the pulpit, whether it's singing or sometimes you'll preach for Jonathan, and you're preaching. This guy's found a gift of preaching, hasn't he, Doctor Carson?
Oh, absolutely. He has the ability to dissect the Word of God in such a way that you go home able to chew it. That's a gear you found here, in your you know that you you probably always had it, but we're starting to see it more because you know we hear you on the radio and all that. What a blessing that is! You're dating the Word.
He's dating the Word, isn't he? Dating the Word. That's right. In fact, a lot of what's in this. Devotional book is taken from the sermons I wrote over the years.
So, yeah, he I preach about once a month or so, about once every five weeks, and I love it. I really love the opportunity, and and you know, it's a process of learning that too. But hopefully, after a few hundred times, I've gotten a little better.
Well, Charles' new book is the Adventurous Life. I love it. The Adventurous Life with Advent right there in big letters, and I love this. This is a this is a listen, even a basketball player. Can can read this book and that's me.
I spend a lot more time on the court than in the classroom. This is and I love Christmas.
So, and I can't wait to hear the music. I know it's going to be amazing. Thank you, Charles. Thanks for blessing us all, brother, and thanks for being such a good friend in a in a kingdom kingdom man and a ministry to so many others. Thank you, guys, very much.
True top.
