Saturday 09-22-11

Here's a guy who decided to stand up on the soap box as we were getting ready to leave on Saturday night.

There were 61,000 people in Tempe this past weekend for the ASU game (where they beat USC 43-22).  This generated a lot of traffic on Mill Ave, many of whom had been drinking a lot.  All of this and Tracy came out for the first time.  What a night for a first time out!

A disturbed guy who claimed he was some sort of Satanist stopped to babble at me, making no sense whatsover.  As a couple of girls were walking by in front of him, he said something to the effect of them getting out of the way and called them names.  One of them yelled at him that she was a Christian, probably thinking he was with us.  She said she went to Central Christian Church and proceded to curse at him as she walked away.

Her friend stopped and talked with Tom for a little while. Apparently she was some Unitarian minister who thought that love was all that mattered.  Tom explaining that God is also holy, righteous and just did not go over well with her heretical beliefs, so she was yelling and dropping a few F bombs at us as she walked away.  Then she went down the street to another corner and argued with Sean and Edwin who were preaching over there.

A woman named Ellie got all of my trivia questions right, and then agreed to take the Good Person Test (GPT).  In the end, she said that she was not concerned about going to hell because she was a Christian and had repented.  I told her there were two things that you need to do in order to be saved, and repentance was one of them. The other thing is that you must trust in Jesus Christ alone for the payment of your sins.  Even if we repent, those crimes in the past are still there and must be paid for. There is no statute of limitations on sins against God.  

We cannnot pay our own fine, because it is our own sin that condemns us to death.  No one else can pay our fine for us because they've all got their own sins to deal with.  Only God Himself could come down and live a perfect life, then lay down that life as a sacrifice, paying the penalty that we deserve, and He did exactly that, two thousand years ago.  If Jesus Christ is not God, then we are all still in our sins and condemned, because salvation is of the Lord.

A couple stopped by to interrupt who were both pretty drunk.  The guy wanted to unplug the mic and had threatened to smash the speaker, so I was keeping an eye on him.  The girl just wanted to argue.
She asked what if she believed in purgatory, and I told her there is nothing in the Bible even mentioning the concept, and that what we believe doesn't make something true.  People like the idea because it gives them a second chance, but the Bible says it is appointed man once to die, and then the judgment.  There are no second chances after we die.

Then she asked if I thought God would overlook some agnostic thinking because of some difficult situation that had happened in her life.  I told her no, I didn't think He would.  She didn't like that and tried to bring up some other arguments for a while before they both decided to leave.
God will not be mocked, and whatever bad things have happened in our lives do not give us some kind of excuse to deny His existence in a lame attempt to feel justified in our sins.

A few Catholics who were drunk were arguing with Brandt.  One of them was as tall as Brandt was on the stool.   One of his friends grabbed the mic to tell them he wanted to leave, and a couple of us grabbed the mic as well, since we cannot just let any angry drunk get hold of that.  That made him kind of mad, but he let go of the mic and threatened to beat us up then left.  

Haleh was talking to a guy for a while, who said his name was June.  He said he liked having discussion about religion but didn't believe Christianity.  Haleh had quoted a couple of verses in the Book of John to prove the deity of Christ, but he still didn't believe it, so I gave him a pocket testament Book of John and he said he'd read it. Maybe we'll see him out there again.

Marcus was talking with a guy for a long time.  He seemed to be just wanting to argue and waste our time, so Marcus eventually broke away to talk to others.  Then he came over to me.  I had seen how much time he had been wasting, so I didn't really want to talk with him, and I told him that.  He said that he sincerely wanted to understand and was not just being argumentative, so I talked with him for a little while.

He said his name was Fares and he is a Muslim.  We discussed some of the differences in the way Christians view the Bible as the inspired Words of God, as in the meaning of what He said, which makes different translations a matter of little importance.  But to a Muslim, the Qu'ran is the actual, specific word of Allah in the original language, and any translations changing those words into different languages makes a huge difference to them, no longer being the actual words that Allah spoke.

So, we view our holy books differently.  This helps explain why Muslims are so upset with treating their Qu'ran irreverantly, while to Christians, our Bible is simply a means of God communicating with us.

It was an interesting night, hopefully seeds were planted and tracts were read.

Soli Deo Gloria

180

You've got to see this!  First, click the pause button on the music player over to your right, then play this video.  It just may change your beliefs like it did for many others, doing a one - eighty.

What Happens On Mill Ave

You'll have to pause the music on the player over to the right, then watch this video of Tom taking a guy named Steven through the Good Person Test on Mill Ave last weekend.

Saturday 09-17-11

As we arrived on Mill Ave, we found Alan already out there, and the two musicians that have been hanging out in our normal spot. They have a guitar and sing some Christians songs, but usually pack up shortly after we get there, since they come out earlier. So this works out pretty well.

We played some music through the amp, handing out tracts for a while, and then Tom started doing some Open Air to give away glow sticks to people willing to take the Good Person Test (GPT). We had a few people stop by and go through the test and we distributed some tracts.

Tom went through the GPT with a few people. One particular guy seemed a little uncomfortable and convicted, but as soon as he was able to step away, there didn't seem to be any real change in him. He had told Tom that he was there with some friends, and as they came over, he took the opportunity to escape. So Tom took them through the GPT, too. One of them, a girl named Aubrey was very attentive and seemed to understand the need for a Savior.

Then a couple of guys stopped to heckle Tom, and some bystanders who were listening to him were offended by the hecklers. As Tom continued talking to Aubrey, one guy came out of the crowd and had some words with the heckler, before shoving him to the ground (I caught all of this on video). This, of course, only gives the heckler more ammunition. He jumped up and shouted that he'd been knocked down in the name of God. Great...

I talked to him a while after that, and also his friend named Michael. Each of them had a little knowledge of the Bible, but rejected it as truth. Michael said he liked the concept of Jesus and His teachings, but didn't believe that He actually existed. There is so much evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ that even a lot of atheists must concede this point. They still don't believe in Him as God, but cannot refute that He walked the earth as a historical Person.

Michael said that he believed in some sort of "higher power" but also believed in evolution. The real problem in all of this is simple: They choose to believe in an unknowable, supernatural god of some sort, but cannot know what is required of them, so they can continue in their sins, convincing themselves they are guilt free. But God will not be mocked. I told him that if there is a God out there, he better figure out who it is and what He expects out of us, or he may find himself in big trouble on Judgment Day.

There was an older guy named Charlie out there who plays a banjo and agrees that Christians should be evangelizing and preaching the Word. He said he doesn't like tracts, but talks to people on the streets whenever he can.

Soli Deo Gloria

Marriage

The world tells you that marriage is boring and stupid, that you should keep your options open, play the field and enjoy yourself before your life ends with becoming permanently shackled to another person. The world lies. And why does it lie? Because it's currently under the control of the father of lies (John 8:44 ), and it hates you (John 15:19 ).

In reality, marriage is a beautiful thing (Prov 18:22), as a man leaves his parents and unites with his wife as one (Gen 2:24). I know some people have problems, and it takes two to resolve conflict, but divorce should be a much more rare occurrence than it is today (Matt 19:8-9). I say these things because I've been married for 25 years, have three children, one grandson and another on the way. I love my wife more than ever before, as we've grown, matured and experienced life together. I am blessed to have a Proverbs 31 wife (Prov 31:10-31).

To get to this point in a relationship, it takes a deep knowledge of your mate, the building of trust through sacrifice and difficult experiences, as well as the good times, uplifting one another, and enjoyment of each other, regardless of circumstances.

As we share our lives together, growing closer through all the Lord has given us and brought us through, we realize that humans long for this closeness with a spouse, we are designed to know and be known, and this intimacy cannot be gained overnight, it takes time to develop.

Marriage between a man and a woman is not only a beautiful gift, but an expression of love from our Creator, and an example of His relationship with us through the Church. That is what makes marriage so sacred, that is why it cannot be re-defined and defiled, attempting to make it something contrary to the guidelines that God has set. Anything else (fornication, adultery, homosexuality) is an abomination and rebellion against the God who has given us this wonderful gift.

Keep the marriage bed pure (Heb 13:4), do not listen to the deception and lies of the world that hates you, but hold fast to the Word of God and His moral standard for what He's given you.

Glorify the Giver of this amazing gift, be blessed and rejoice in the wife of your youth (Prov 5:18), protecting and caring for her even as Christ has provided the example in His sacrificial death for the Church.

Saturday 09-03-11

An atheist came up with a million dollar bill tract that he didn't think was appropriate, since he claimed that Jesus was against money. He and a friend were arguing about this, and Tom just handed them a different tract, and started the Good Person Test (GPT), but they left before we could get through the whole thing. I don't get it. How does an unbeliever think he can explain how our beliefs should work?

A woman was walking by and wouldn't take a tract, because she was a "Christian and didn't need it". Tom asked her why she wouldn't give it to someone else then. She walked away, but came back again to say that she does share her faith. So, Tom asked her to share with him so that he could learn more, but she refused, saying that she would not be quizzed on how she does it. This usually means that they don't. I offered her a "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract, and she claimed she was familiar with Ray Comfort's ministry and gives money to them, but she certainly didn't put it into practice in any way. It was kind of a weird night.

It was kind of slow at first, but got busier later on. Tom sang for a while with a couple of musicians that were out there in our usual space (I told ya it was a weird night).

As I was doing some Open Air Trivia, one guy got all three questions right and stayed for the GPT. He was found guilty of breaking God's law, and when I asked him if he would then be sent to heaven or hell and he said heaven, because he's already repented. He wouldn't listen to any more and walked away. I told him repentance is only half of it, that he must place his trust in Jesus Christ as well, but he continued on his way, too afraid to listen to any more.

A guy named Kevin stopped when I offered him a tract, and claimed to be a Christian. He said he shared the Gospel and was familiar with WOTM. I asked him what he thought of it, and while he wouldn't condemn it, he didn't use it, either. He seemed to concentrate on love instead, without showing people the reason they need a Savior. We discussed this for a while, but I couldn't pin him down to what his specific beliefs were. When people avoid clearly stating what they believe, yet attempt to sound as if they're in agreement with you, I find they are normally either unsure of their beliefs or they are so strange that they cannot share them with someone until they pull them in on a superficial level first, like some sort of cult.

I saw Brandt talking to some clown - no really, this guy was wearing clown make-up like the Joker. His name was Jimmy, (I think we've spoken with him before), and he claimed that he likes pain and will be happy in hell. The fact that he's talked to us more than once tells me he's not so sure about that. He had a friend who was hanging around, but wouldn't take a tract and said he didn't have to talk to me. He did his best to ignore me until they both headed off down the street.

Maybe we'll see Jimmy again. I pray the Lord will work in him, growing the Gospel seed that was planted.

Soli Deo Gloria

Fishing?

Jesus said, "Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men." (Matt 4:19, Mark 1:17)

Wouldn't it seem then, that if you're not fishing, then neither are you following?

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? - Luke 6:46

The Great Commission is given in Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15 and Acts 10:42.

We are commanded to go.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! - Ezekiel 18:32

And how can they know, unless someone tells them? “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? - Romans 10:13-14

This is not just pleading with you to reach out and witness to others, it is commanded and you will be held accountable:

When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. - Ezekiel 3:18-19

And no, this was not only for Ezekiel as a watchman over Israel in the OT. Paul states the following in the NT, which sounds like he's referring to that verse in the OT.

Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. - Acts 20:26-27

Don't misunderstand and think that you will be saved by doing good works. Obedience to these commands does not save you, for you are saved by grace alone, through faith (Eph 2:8-9 ), yet these works are evidence of that true saving faith (James 2:26).

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. - Matt 7:21