Thursday, October 27, 2011

Saturday 10-22-11

We had a great night on Mill Ave last Saturday night. It wasn't overly busy, but the new illusion board attracted a lot of people. It has a 3-D picture of Einstein on it, and it seems that the face follows you as you walk back and forth in front of it. It has four questions at the top for people to test their IQs with some brain teasers, and then it mentions the Good Person Test (GPT) at the bottom for a prize. We usually give glow sticks since it's night time and people seem to like them.



I talked with Andre and Josh, who stopped to check out the illusion, and was able to give them an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract after taking them through the GPT.

Tim, an atheist with his girlfriend stopped to look at the illusion, but didn't hang around long. Another couple, Kevin and Gabrielle, stopped to talk for a while. Gabrielle had a Catholic background and talked with Tom for a while, but I'm not sure if she saw the error of her beliefs yet. Please keep them in prayer to truly come to Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.

Lark and Jacqueline went through the GPT and I gave them a tract to take with them, then I spoke with another couple, Andrew and Melissa. They were receptive to taking the test and a tract when they left as well.

Saul, a homeless guy, was hanging around, so I talked with him for a little while. I asked him about lying, stealing, blasphemy and lust, to which he admitted guilt. He mentioned something on the lust part that seemed that he might have been a homosexual, but we didn't get into that. He had spoken with Alan out there before, but Alan had already left by this time. He seemed convicted somewhat, but didn't really get into too deep of a conversation. I left him with a tract and hope to see him out there again. Please keep him in prayer, that the Lord would work in him, convicting him of his sin and drawing him to salvation.

Divina and Chenice said they were Christians and I took them through the GPT. It's surprising how many professed Christians will still claim to be a good person when the Bible clearly says that there are none found good, not one. But the Bible also tells us in Prov 20:6 that people will profess their own goodness. I left them with a tract to see if they could look into things a little more Biblically in the future.

Tom was talking to a couple of girls that were prancing around the sidewalk in their underwear. They were cursing at him and telling him that they were saved and could do anything they wanted to. They told him that they were Christians. This is the sad product of "carnal Christianity" and the "love-only gospel" that is so prevelant in our churches in America today. Without knowledge or understanding of Scripture, people make up a god of their own in their mind, fashioned after their own image, one that will allow them to enjoy their sins without consequence. But they kid themselves thinking that they're saved and are in violation of the 2nd Commandment against idolatry.
Hebrews 10:26-27 is quite clear, we must turn away from sin when we come to Jesus Christ for salvation. Otherwise, we're just fooling ourselves until that day that we stand before Him and hear those fearful words of Matt 7:23.

Jim came out with a cane, it was good to see him out walking around. There was a time when he was the only one out on Mill Ave reaching to the lost.

It was a busy night, and the Illusion board was awesome in drawing people in to engage in conversation, with an easy transition into the spiritual.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tuesday 10-25-11

Today, twenty of us hit ASU campus to distribute 3,000 free "180 movie" DVD’s, while others all across America were doing the same thing at major universities.  


As we were gathered together to pray in the parking lot, a car beeped at us because we were standing in the way. We moved over and the car parked in a space near us. We looked over and saw the bumper sticker, “I’m Pro-Choice, and I vote.” I wonder if they had any idea what we were there for.





We distributed all the DVD’s in about two and a half hours without much resistance. Most people were happy to receive a free DVD, and a few asked what it was about.


We explained that it was a documentary, comparing the Holocaust in Germany during WWII, to a modern day holocaust right here in America.



As far as I know, we only received one complaint, someone told a security guard that one of our team was too aggressive, but I didn’t see anything like that.


The security guard brought us some extras that had been left on a table inside, and Tom talked him into taking one for himself.

A policeman was riding by on a bike and agreed to take one. Many people on skateboards or bikes would grab one as they rode by.



I only retrieved a couple from trash cans, and one guy refused to take one because he said that he knew what it was about.
He claimed that he did not agree with the analogy comparing the Holocaust to abortion, but rode away on his bike before I could find out if he’d actually even watched it or not.









We all met up together after we were finished, then stopped at Chilis to compare notes and fellowship a little before heading back home.



If you didn’t get a free DVD, you can watch it for free here: http://180movie.com/ 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Saturday 10-08-11

It was busy out on Mill Ave, with more people on the streets the later it became. The weather is finally cooling off and it felt good in the cool night air. We decided to pack up when we realized it was already 1:30 in the morning. Time flies when you're staying busy.

 I did some Open Air Trivia, and a woman named Allison agreed to go through the Good Person Test (GPT). Her friends wanted her to go, but she stayed to hear what we had to say. I didn't notice any conviction in her, but she was paying attention, and I left her with an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven" tract. I hope she will look through that when she has more time and realize the eternal importance of the Gospel message. Pray that God will work in her, convicting her and drawing her to salvation.

I talked to a man named Christian (who had some sort of theological degree) and Charlotte who was with him. She believed everyone goes to heaven, and that Christ just came to provide us an example. The both seemed to think that we can be sanctified after death and eventually get into heaven. They did not believe that homosexuality was wrong, and claimed that in the original Greek, the word was only referring to prostitutes and not to "consenting adults." But 1 Cor 6:9-10 actually mentions both male prostitutes and homosexuals separately, so I don't see how that point can be made.

This came up when I quoted Hebrews 10:26-27 to them, and explained the difference between falling into sin and living a lifestyle of it. He stated that if we ever walk past a poor person without helping them, we are willfully sinning as well. So, I guess that was his basis for rejecting the clear teaching of Scripture, and adding man's bias to it. Sounds like a false teacher if I ever heard one (2 Peter 2:1).

This is the primary reason that I am unimpressed with theological degrees and even seminary. I used to think that people who had an education in such things would know and understand the Word of God better. But it seems that, far too often, they are taught things contrary to the plain teaching of the Bible, develop an arrogance towards others, and are closer to the Gnostic beliefs than they are to the Gospel. They twist the Word in an attempt to make it say things that are actually quite the opposite of Biblical doctrine.

Our evolutionist woman came back to argue and blow bubbles. She says that she does believe in a God of some sort, but that evolution has truly happened and tries to reconcile the two ideas. I used to do that as well, before I actually read the Bible and did some studying. Then I found that the two ideas simply contradict one another and there is no way that you can honestly believe in both simultaneously if you have looked into each of them at all.

Then she gave me the old argument that "evolution is just a theory like gravity is just a theory" and that in the realm of science, everything is considered "just a theory." What a load of garbage. I have no problem with science, there is a lot of scientific fact found in the Bible, and I've posted a series of articles about that here on the blog.
But Darwinism is not science, is unproven and unprovable, and I have no respect for such lies being taught, deceiving people like this. It has no basis in science and is simply another religious cult. Then we managed to turn the conversation towards the Gospel. She said she couldn't believe in a God that would send her "nice atheist friend" and her "atheist brother" to hell. I explained that that is exactly why we are out there talking to people about these things. After that she blew a few more bubbles and went on her way.

Three girls stopped to check out the Celebrity Board, we looked at a few of the caricatures of celebrities to see who they could identify, but when we made the turn to spiritual things, they claimed they were atheists and took off.

We had a few people stop to check out the board, it works well to draw people's attention. Tom drew a lot of people with glow sticks for going through the GPT.

Brynn stopped to check out the Celebrity board and I took her through the GPT. She said she works in Sunday school, but didn't seem to have a lot of Biblical knowledge. It made sense to her, but I didn't really see any conviction there. I left her with a tract and she headed on her way. Seeds planted, only God will make an actual conversion.

Soli Deo Gloria

Monday, October 3, 2011

Saturday 10-01-11

Another crazy night on Mill Ave. There were quite a few people out, since there was another home game, so we handed out a lot of tracts.

A woman had had too much to drink, puked on herself and passed out on the sidewalk a few feet from where we were. We had two firetrucks and an ambulance on our corner, as they took her away on a stretcher. Please pray that the Lord would work in her, convict her of her lifestyle and sins and draw her to Him. I was once a part of that lifestyle of partying and poisoning myself with alcohol as well, and that very thing could have easily happened to me not that many years ago. But God kept me and brought me through that, and He can do the same with others.

I was doing some Open Air Trivia and talked with a guy named Rob (aka Canine), who is currently homeless. He said he had a Catholic background and his wife was Evangelical, so they met in the middle and decided to be Episcopalian. He thought sacrament was a requirement for salvation (still a little works-based ideas hanging in there), so I explained that it was repentance and trust in Christ alone, that there is no way we can earn our own way and that only He can pay our fine.

There was a strange guy who came out and yelled in general, but you couldn't really understand what he was ranting about. He kinda sounded like the Tasmanian Devil cartoon. Here's a picture of him, to the left.

Tom spoke with a young girl named Isabel and her mother for a while, and then prayed with them afterward.  He said that Isabel had felt convicted, repented of her sins and prayed for Jesus Christ to come into her life right there on the sidewalk.  We talked with both of them for a while and then they left.  I think Tom caught some of that on video as well, so keep an eye on his blog for more info on that one. http://tillthenetsrful.blogspot.com/

A man was riding by on a bike as I held out a Trillion Dollar Bill tract and he stopped to talk with me. He said he didn't understand English real well, and asked if I'd explain it to him.

So I briefly took him through the Good Person Test and he said it that it made sense.
His name was Achmed, and he was not a Christian, but did want to keep the tract to look into it further.

Later, he came back, because he had accidentally torn his tract and asked for another. So I gave him another Trillion Dollar Bill as well as an "Are You Good Enough to Get Into Heaven?" tract. He said he would read them.

We went to Denny's afterward, and Tom asked our waiter if it was ok with him if we prayed, and he responded, "Sure, as long as I can join you!" His name is Rodney, and he is currently houseless, living in his car. Without hesitation, he stuck out his hands and said, "Ready?" and so we prayed with, and for, our waiter. This was the first time we had such an enthusiastic waiter regarding prayer.

He was looking for a church, so I gave him the name and cross streets for Shiloh. It would be a bit of a drive for him from Tempe, but maybe I'll see him there one of these Sundays. Please keep him in prayer, and pray for the lost who are on the road to eternal destruction.

Also, pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria