Saturday night was a busy night. There weren't any more people than normal and it seemed like it would be pretty slow. But our "Are You A Good Person" sign brought a lot of curious people by on this particular night.
Alan even did some Open Air preaching (see photo).
First, a homeless guy named Robert or "Roach" as he preferred to be called, stopped to prove that he was indeed a good person. He said he lived at some sort of church shelter and read his Bible every day. We went through the Good Person test in order to show that, by God's standard (the Ten Commandments), none of us are good. If we were, or could somehow work our way into God's favor, then we would have no need of Jesus Christ as our Savior. I gave him a tract, but he didn't seem to be convicted or take our conversation too seriously, still holding to his own self-righteousness.
Later on, he walked by again, bragging that he was going to go sin. So much for being "good" I guess.
As Robert was leaving, another homeless guy named Rodney came up to take the test. He seemed to feel that he was a good person as well, and did not believe that the Bible commands us to obey our government leaders (Rom 13:1-3), even after I read it to him out of his own Bible. He seemed to have a lot of bad theology and held to it very stubbornly. But we had a good discussion anyway, and I hope some of it will sink in. I gave him a tract to look through later as well, that will take him through the Ten Commandments very thoroughly.
Another man named Dave also stopped because he saw our sign, and wanted to find out if he was a good person. He found that he wasn't, and that God requires perfection, but that He has provided a way through Jesus Christ.
Later a group of girls were looking at the sign and we asked if they would like to go through the test. They agreed and we went through four of the Ten Commandments (concerning lying, stealing, blasphemy and lust). Two of them didn't like the conviction they were feeling and quickly left, but Katrina and Leslie stayed to hear the full Gospel and seemed to be seriously considering the things they heard.
The wooden cross that we carry out with us also generated a lot of questions or comments as we carried it through the street. It's a little over six feet tall, made out of 4x4's with the words, "Are You Ready?" printed on the cross bar.
People will ask, "Ready for what?" and I'll tell them, "Ready to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account for your life." Some will say yes, and then I ask if they've kept the Ten Commandments. Others read it and say they were born ready, and I tell them they were not, but most of those are not willing to stop and discuss, they just make their comments as they continue on their way.
There was a Mormon that Marcus knows and has spoken with before who was hanging around. He even went through the Trivia questions and the Good Person Test with Tom, and when we were leaving, he wanted to carry the cross. This was very interesting, as I know that Mormons do not like the cross as a symbol (I learned that when I went to a Mormon friend's wedding wearing an earring with a small cross on it). I asked him about this, and he said they considered it idolatry, but he insisted on carrying the big wooden cross through all of the crowded areas on Mill about halfway to the car.
I'm not sure why drunks seem to want to steal the cross when I set it somewhere. As I've mentioned, it's over six feet tall and weighs 22 pounds. But I set it down and a group of drunks walked by, and sure enough, one of them had to stop and pick it up. I told him that was probably less than half the size of the real one, and he decided to leave rather than be preached at.
After that, Marcus, Tom and I went to Taco Bell for fellowship and to discuss the conversations we'd had over the night.
Soli Deo Gloria
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