Saturday 02-08-14

Tom and I headed out to Mill to share the Gospel, and Steve met us out there.

A couple of girls stopped for the illusion, then went through the genius test and Good Person Test (GPT). One of them said she wasn't too worried about hell because she said she had her own relationship with God.
I explained that God is just, and being just, He cannot simply overlook sin. There is a fine that must be paid. Jesus Christ is the only one that can do that.

I gave them both Gospel tracts after speaking with them, please pray that they will read them and that God will work in them both.

There was a homeless guy hanging out, so I offered him one of the "Gift For You" tracts, which includes cash. He refused, saying he wouldn't take anything with God on it. He said he had a Satanic bible in his pocket and gave me some quotes from it. Then he babbled for a while with some incoherent nonsense. We agreed to disagree, and he eventually left.

Tom was talking with a couple, and the guy was a bit argumentative. This drew the attention of the police as they were riding by, and they stopped to tell him that there is no amplification allowed on the streets of Mill. They didn't hassle us on preaching, or being set up in front of the post office, just no amplification.

A guy came up to me and asked about the tracts I was handing out. I said, this one?" showing him the Coexist tract, and he said,"Yeah, don't ever hand me one of those again."
OK, you don't have to take it, I thought, but asked him why not. He claimed it was judgmental, and we have no right to judge others.

But since that directly contradicts Scripture (John 7:24), I'm just going to have to disagree with him. Besides, we're not judging anyone, simply witnessing to them so they will know the Truth.

It will be up to them, what they do with that, but we must warn people of the wrath to come. It's the only loving thing to do.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 9-21-13

We've still been going out to Mill Ave, I just haven't been very good at recording the happenings out there. This week, I brought the illusion board out again (I hadn't brought it the last few times).

An older guy stopped to check it out, and asked what we were doing. I took him through the "genius questions", and he is one of the very few that got them all right. Again, he asked what the point of this was, so I took him through the Good Person Test (GPT).

He only admitted to lying, but claimed he had never stolen, blasphemed or even looked with lust. I didn't really believe him, but let that go. After all, he did just admit to me that he was a liar, so I don't know how much truth he was telling after that.

Anyway, I explained his need for a Savior, since he had admitted to breaking at least one of God's laws, and gave him the Gospel. I'm not sure what he believed, but he seemed to like what we were doing.

The next couple that stopped by, not so much. The guy looked at the illusion board, so I asked him what he thought of it. He angrily said he was offended by it. Offended? Why? He said it was because of "this religious stuff."
I asked what religious stuff he was referring to, as there's really not much religious about the illusion board, it's purpose is more of an ice breaker to get conversation started.
He pointed out the word Moses in the middle of one of the questions. Wow, a bit intolerant there.

He then asked me if I was "anti-gay", to which I replied, "What do you mean by that?" It's not really that simple, as I do not condone any sin, yet I don't hate homosexuals, either.
He said that answered his question, and he and the woman with him promptly turned and walked away.

Tom was talking to a guy who needed a bible, and I happened to have one, so I gave it to him.

A guy who called himself "Z" stopped by and took the GPT. He seemed drunk or high, but listened. He said he didn't believe the Bible, but I explained the Gospel anyway and gave him a glow stick as a demonstration of God's grace, freely given to those of us who really don't deserve it.

I talked with Mike and Carrie, who are homeless and I took them through the GPT. They told me that they had just gotten baptized today. I gave them each a "Gift For You" tract.

Next, I talked with couple of guys name Lindsey and Justin . Both were drunk, and Justin was an atheist. We went through the GPT and they both heard the Gospel before they continued on their way. Even though Justin remained an atheist, they were not offended or angry with our message, even giving me a hug and shaking my hand before they left.

Chris and Jacob also stopped for the illusion and went through the GPT. I gave them each an Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven tract before they continued on their way.

It wasn't all that busy on Mill, but I did talk to a lot of people, praise God!

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 04/06/13

It’s always an interesting night on Mill Ave when the Art Festival is going on. This happens twice a year for three days. They shut it all down at night, but leave the tents up, so the roads are closed on Saturday night and we can do Open Air right in the middle of the intersection.

I brought out the celebrity board, Tom had his sign and Brandt brought his. Alan, Ronnie, Dan, Marcus, Sam, Jeremy, Tish and Joshua were also there. I talked with a guy named Adam, who came up to check out the celebrity board. We went through the Good Person Test (GPT), and I was able to give him a couple of tracts to take with him.

For some strange reason, he felt that Sam, who was standing nearby, was intimidating to him, so Sam graciously stepped away, even though the last thing I would say that Sam looks like is intimidating.
He said he needed a dollar to catch the tram back to Phoenix, so I gave him a tract, “A Gift For You”, which includes a space to hold a dollar bill, which I had already placed in it. He was very happy with that and actually came back a little while later after having read it.

I was talking to him a bit more, when I heard Tom yell for the police and start walking towards a guy who was walking away from him. Apparently, this guy didn’t like what Tom was saying on the mic, had walked over and ripped it off of him, then tossed it over his shoulder as he walked away. Tom picked up his mic headset and I followed the guy over to the corner so that he wouldn’t get away while we called for the police. I feel that we are within our rights to press charges for destruction of property, and don’t want people to feel that they can just tear up other people’s property without consequences.

As I was standing nearby, this guy had his back to me and was talking to some other people. He turned around to say a few words to me, asking if I’d ever had a broken leg. I said, “No, have you?” as I watched warily for a kick to my knee that never came. Most people just like to talk tough, but normally don’t act on it. But this guy wasn’t normal.
He decided he didn’t want to hang around, so he got his bike and turned it towards me, lifted up the front and rammed the tire into my chest. I thought that would hurt, because he put some force behind it, but it really didn’t. I guess he noticed that it didn’t have the desired effect, so he threw a right fist to my mouth, which I didn’t see coming. This loosened a tooth and bloodied my lip a bit, as some of the others came over to assist. At this point we really weren’t going to let him get away. Marcus grabbed him from behind and put him onto the ground and I helped hold him there until the police showed up. As we were waiting, Joshua put his foot on the guys ankle and Jeremy came up and witnessed to him. Might as well, he wasn’t going anywhere.

The guy claimed he had some sort of diplomatic immunity, but apparently had just been watching too much TV. Jeremy said that he recognized him from somewhere else. The police showed up, so we let him go, and I felt someone grab the back of my shirt. I looked behind me and saw that it was a cop, who had me sit down on the curb to question me while the other guy got some shiny bracelets put on him. He was carted off to spend the night in jail and I was given a report number for the incident, and will be subpoenaed to be a witness when they prosecute. I looked around and all his friends had scattered, nowhere to be seen.

It turned out that Tom’s mic still worked, so we went back to preaching and handing out tracts. Tom got into a conversation with some people, so Brandt started doing some Open Air on the other side.

Three guys were heckling him a little, one of them claimed to be a Muslim, but through Brandt questioning him a little, it quickly became apparent that he was not. He admitted this and said that he was a Christian, but obviously he didn’t take God’s Word seriously, either. One of his friends was heckling Brandt and came over to talk to Dan and I.

His name was Connor and although he was drunk, he did get serious in our conversation to state that he went to a Catholic church and knew that it wasn’t right. He said he had a problem with drinking and women, and knew that saying a couple of “hail Mary’s” and confessing to a priest were doing nothing to get him on track and take care of the problem. I gave him the name and address of my church and an “Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?” tract. We had a pretty decent conversation and I pray that he will get into a good church and leave the superstitious Catholic church behind, to truly repent of his sins and be born again to new life.

Crazy night on Mill – please pray for those we talked with and gave tracts to, especially the guy who ended up in jail. He needs the Gospel, to be convicted of his sin against God and to truly repent and trust the Savior for salvation.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 03/02/13

Another Saturday night on Mill Ave, with Alan, Ronnie, Dan, Marcus, Brandt and myself. Tom decided to take a break, since he had been out at First Friday the night before. The music man was not there, so it was nice and quiet for the first half of the night. I played some music through our PA, and then Brandt did some Open Air.

A guy named Marshall stopped and claimed that he had been demon possessed, but he said that he had beat it. I don't even know what he meant by that, but he was quite serious about it, so I didn't argue. He also seemed a bit buzzed, whether alcohol or drugs, I don't know, but it was difficult to get any details from him on that story. He wanted to know what we were doing, so I gave him a couple of tracts and talked to him for a while. He seemed receptive and I took him through the entire Good Person Test (GPT) and explained the Gospel. He thanked me and gave me a hug before heading on down the street.

A couple, Jason and Tish stopped by. They were familiar with WOTM and had been contemplating buying some tracts. We gave them a couple as samples, and I gave them a card so they could call or email me. I told them about the class we have coming up, and they might be interested in checking that out.

After a while, the music man finally showed up. Even though we were already there, he set up right behind us, in basically the same spot, and he seemed to think that he could just crowd us out. However, I refused to move, even when he told us that we were distracting him by having conversations too close to where he was playing. I told him that setting up behind a bunch of street preachers probably wasn't the best spot to make money.
He had nothing to answer, so he just stared at me. He did that for a good 5 minutes or so, never moving, while I continued handing out tracts and even talking to him and Brandt. Finally, he stated that he wanted to put his hands somewhere, motioning to my neck, and went back to playing his instruments.
When we were finished and started packing up, he was packing up his stuff at the same time. I would have thought that he would be happy to have us gone and hang out for a bit longer, but it didn't look like he was going to.

We stopped at Rally's for some food and fellowship. We were standing over by our cars, and a guy came over there to smoke a cigarette. He asked an interesting question, "If someone gave you a book, and you started reading it and realized that it was about your life, would you read the rest of it?" Dan said no, and then took the opportunity to ask him what he thought happens after you die, and then went straight into the Good Person Test (GPT). The guy's name is Ace, and it seemed that he believed, but didn't really follow, as many people do in our country. He did seem a bit convicted by the conversation and took it seriously, so he has something to think about. We gave him a couple of tracts to take with him when he left, and he thanked us.

Meanwhile, Brandt and Marcus were having a conversation with some people over by the walk up window, where they had gone to get a refill on their drinks.
Over all, it was a productive night sharing the Gospel on Mill Ave, and at Rally's.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 02-23-13

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on here, so here are a few highlights from the last few weekends on Mill Ave.

A woman named Alexis was stopped to check out the illusion board while waiting for her ride. I managed to get through the Good Person Test with her, but her ride pulled up before we could get to what she needed to do to be saved. I gave her an “Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?” tract as she left.

Becka, Nathan and Alice stopped by with a few others. I took them through the "genius" questions and through the GPT. It seemed that they might have heard some of the questions before. I couldn’t really tell if they felt convicted at all, but did give them tracts when they left, except for one, who said, “I’m good.” I said, “Didn’t we just talk about that?

I saw some guys walking by carrying Bibles, and asked if they were having a Bible study. They stopped to see what we were handing out and we talked to them for a little while. Their names are James and David, and when asked what they were doing, they said they were doing the same thing we were. They said they were familiar with the WOTM teaching, but didn't seem to be using it in evangelism. I gave them a card and told them to contact us to check out Tom’s next class, so maybe we’ll hear from them again.

Alex and Abigail were a couple who stopped at our Einstein Illusion, and I was able to take them through the GPT. They were kind of quiet, so I’m not really sure what they were thinking, but I gave them each a tract after we were done.

A guy and four kids stopped by, and I was able to share the Gospel with them through the GPT, and gave them each a Ten Commandment coin. I showed them how to do the trick of pulling the coin out of the air. Going through the genius questions, they didn’t even know who Moses was – one of them said, “What’s a Moses?” It would seem that our teaching of our children is falling away these days.

I was getting ready to take things down, and a man named EJ came over. I could see his reaction as he noticed the illusion from pretty far away, . I was able to talk to him and share the Gospel. He said he’d heard it before, and even considered walking away, but that he liked to hear people out, so he stayed. He didn’t really seem convicted, even asking if there was any proof of hell when I was explaining it. I told him that by the time you have the proof, it’s already too late. Please keep him in prayer.
I’m not sure if he is saved or not, because hearing something, having knowledge, does not necessarily make one a believer, only God does that.
So we share with everyone as we are commanded, and God convicts those that He convicts, and draws those that He draws.

Here's Dan, talking with a group of people who stopped to check out his board.


I talked to a guy named Ryan, who was looking for 50 cents more to be able to get a hamburger. I gave him one of the “Gift For You” tracts that had a five in it. He was impressed with that and said he would read it. He even came back over and talked with me more after he read it. I gave him an "Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven" tract and he asked about my church. So, I gave him the address and service times of our church. Maybe we'll see him there sometime.
He said he’d grown up with Christianity crammed down his throat and had some issues with it. But this really seemed to affect him in a positive way.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 01-19-13

The warm weather returned in Tempe this weekend, and we headed down to Mill Ave. There were a lot of people out and about in the nice weather. The music man was at our usual spot in front of the post office, and a couple of homeless guys were hanging out across from him, selling their roses made from palm fronds.

So, we set up a little ways away, and one of the homeless guys didn't really like us there, saying, "There's too many people on this corner." Later on, he told me that we were going to hell because we were violating Jesus' command. I asked what command was that, and he told me that Jesus said we were not to stand on the street corners like pharisees, looking for the praises of man, but to only preach to those who were like-minded. I asked him where it said that in the Bible, but he didn't know. That's because it's not there. He called his friend over, who he claimed had gone to seminary, but he would not get involved in the conversation. Later on, his friend said that he should leave us be, and eventually talked him into going to a different location.

A few people stopped by at different times to check out the illusion board, but wouldn't hang around for the Good Person Test (GPT). Since the ban on amplification was over, Tom did some Open Air near by and talked with a few people.

An older lady named Rita stopped and went through the questions and the GPT, but stated that she did not believe in hell or Christianity. She thought that there is one God, and all religions are worshipping the same one. I explained that all the religions are different and contradict one another, but she stuck to her universalist, spiritual beliefs. In the end, I had to just tell her that we are going to disagree on this. I offered her a tract, but of course, she wasn't interested, too bound up in her idolotrous beliefs.
Meanwhile, Marcus had been talking with her husband, and had the same result. Please pray for both of them, that God would convict them of their sins and draw them to Himself for their salvation.

We'll have a class this Saturday, so hopefully, we'll have more people equipped to carry out the Great Commission and become workers for the kingdom, as per the prayer of Luke 10:2.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 12-01-12

The art festival was going on at Mill Ave during the daytime this past weekend. There are tents set up all through the streets. Everything is closed by the time we get out there, but the tents remain for the next day, and it’s awesome to be out sharing the Gospel in the middle of the street with no vehicle traffic.
So, I set up the Einstein Illusion in the dead center of the intersection of Mill and 5th.

I went over to talk with Dan, who was already set up near the post office. As I was waiting for him to finish speaking with some people, a couple named Dessa and Brian stopped to see what we were doing. Brian took a phone call and missed the entire conversation, but I took Dessa through the Good Person Test (GPT) and gave them each an “Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?” tract to take with them.

Another couple stopped to look at the Illusion board. I asked them to go through some of the "genius" questions, like “spell the word ‘shop’ out loud...” but she said she didn’t want to. They read them quietly to themselves, but then had to leave, as she was going to work. Maybe we'll catch them out there another time.

A man and two kids stopped next. The guy wasn’t too interested, but let the kids go through some of the GPT. Tony talked with him, while I talked with the boys. However, Tony quickly learned that the guy hated the Bible and took the kids and left before we got through it all. What else could you expect on a Saturday night on Mill Ave? That's why we go there, the Word is needed - a Light in the darkness.

After that, a couple of drunk girls stopped by and went through the genius questions, but didn’t hang around for the GPT.

Two Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped to talk with us for a while. Marcus spoke with them for a long time, I saw another couple looking at the Illusion board, so I went over to engage with them. Their names were Tom and Monica, and they said that she was a missionary who had been to Africa. Tom had seen an episode of WOTM on TV, but didn’t know much about it. I gave them each a card so they could keep in touch and maybe go through some training the next time we offer a class (sometime in January or February).

We met Fernando and Conchetta, who went through the GPT. She seemed to be a Christian, while he wasn't, but they listened and it seemed to make sense to both of them.

I talked with a guy named Trenton, who held to reincarnation and a lot of New Age beliefs, yet he claims to read a 19th Century Bible every night. I explained that the Bible flat out denies reincarnation with,"...it is appointed man once to die and then the Judgment." I also told him that the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the only way we can get into heaven, but he still held to his New Age beliefs. He did take an “Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?” tract with him when he left. Please pray that the Lord would work within him, convicting him of his sins and idolatry and show him the true way to salvation.

Pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2). ><((('>
Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 11-24-12

I was a little late getting out to Mill Ave (working a second job for some seasonal opportunities). Dan, Alan and Steve were there, and Marcus showed up a little later. We handed out some tracts and talked with some people.

Two guys named Shane and Ralph stopped by. Shane claimed to be a Mormon and gay. Ralph said that he was not a Mormon, but used to do some street preachering himself. I never reall did get any detail of how that went or what changed his mind - he said that he just "grew out of it."
He said that he had been one of the type of street preachers that calls people names and yells at them that they're going to hell. I explained that we didn't do that, and was able to talk to them, explaining that it is not Biblical to call people names and hate them. The Scripture says, "Come, let us reason together" and that's what we attempt to do out on the streets. I gave them each a tract to take and read through later.
We went through the questions on Dan's board, and into the Good Person Test. It didn't appear that there was any conviction for either of them, Ralph seemed mildly interested, asking about my testimony, while Shane was pretty drunk and just asked random questions. Please keep them both in prayer, that the Lord would convict them of their sins and draw them to Himself for their salvation and for His glory alone.

After that, a homeless guy with a guitar stopped by. He said he was a Christian, and I didn't hear anything wrong with his theology, but he would not leave, keeping us from talking with the lost, which is our main purpose out there. Marcus and I moved to another corner (by Urban Outfitters) and gave away quite a few tracts over there before heading out for the night.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 11-17-12

Our (not so) friendly neighborhood atheist girl, who used to come out with Shawn to oppose the street preaching, was out and about. It seems that she has a new guy to hang out with, but no time to hassle us so much. She shouted some obscenities at Tom as she walked by and indicated that she thought he was number one with a gesture. She seemed to be a bit confused as to which finger means "number one," though.

A guy in a security jacket stopped to look at the Einstein Illusion and went through the "genius questions." I asked him if he wanted to try the Good Person Test (GPT), since I had just opened up a glow stick, but he said he was not interested in my prize, so he walked away. Maybe we'll catch him another time.

Another couple stopped for the Illusion Board and went through the top questions, but said they were in a hurry and would not go through the GPT, so I didn't catch their names, either.

Marcus and I spoke with a guy named Eric for a while. When asked if he would consider himself to be a good person, he stated that he was a horrible person and deserved to go to hell for eternity. However, he said all this with a smile on his face. He said that it didn't concern him because the blood of Christ washes away all his sin. Now, that all sounds pretty good, but you've got to dig deeper. He downplayed sin and the need to repent from it, stating that, "we all still sin" as if it was no big deal. I gave him Hebrews 10:26-27, which shows that we must turn from our sin or there is no longer any sacrifice left for us.
He spoke with some others from the group for a while, and I saw them praying for him later on. Apparently, he has brain cancer and not much time to live. Marcus doesn't think that he is even truly saved, and I'm not sure. There are a lot of false converts out there, and sometimes it's difficult to discern the tares from the wheat. Please pray for Eric, that the Lord would work in him, convicting him of his sin, giving him the proper understanding of the consequences of it and that he would turn from that sin and rely on Jesus Christ alone.

I spoke with a man named Kamaul for a while, taking him through the GPT, and he even seemed a little convicted at one point. But after we got through all of that, he claimed that he did believe in some sort of Creator, but not necessarily Christianity. He started talking about Horus and the origins of life on the African continent. He said that as long as we believe in some sort of deity, that "deity" will help us. I explained that it is not the strength of our faith, but the OBJECT of our faith that makes the difference, but he was too caught up in relativism and thinking that we all end up in the same place. Tony came over and got into the discussion, so I took my opportunity to escape. I could see that this was just going to get into a debate now, and I had already taken him through the GPT and given the Gospel. Seeds planted, moving on.

A man from India named Borouv (sp?) stopped to look at the Illusion Board with Cordovia, who was from South America. The "genius" questions did not work on him due to the language barrier. He spoke very good English, but if it's your second language, people tend to take it too literally, and concentrate too hard, so that the way most people are fooled by the questions is rendered useless.
I took him through the GPT, he was very polite and we had a nice conversation. I don't know if he really felt convicted or not, but was able to explain the Gospel and give him a couple of tracts for him and Cordovia to take with them and read later.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 11-10-12

Ok, I'm a bit late updating the blog. Last Saturday night on Mill Ave was a bit chilly. It wasn't real busy out there, but there are always some people walking around, no matter what the temperature.

Dan and I both brought our boards with removable curved illusions and some fun questions on them to attract people's attention, and I brought my Celebrity board as well. I think the Einstein illusion still works best, but it's nice to have some variety.

A couple of girls stopped to check out the Celebrity board. I was able to get through the entire Good Person Test (GPT) with them. They didn't want to admit that they would be headed to hell for breaking God's Law, but we finally got there. One of them asked, "So, what's your story", but they took off before I could answer them, and I never did get their names. One of them said that I "blew her mind" when we were going through the GPT, showing our need for a Savior and the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sins. Pray that God would continue to work conviction in their lives and draw them to salvation.

I handed out a few tracts, and a couple stopped when I handed them a smart card.

The guy began reading it. He was drunk and hiccuped as he was answering the questions about how "good" he was. After it didn't change colors to show that he was a "good person." He said, "What, is this thing telling me I'm a piece of crap because it didn't change color?" I explained, no, it's simply showing us that none of us are good by God's standard and that we need a Savior. He said he goes to church and tithes, but works will not save us.

So, I also gave him an "Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?" tract to take with him and read through later.

 

I didn't catch their names, either, but God knows who they are. I need to work on that.

After a while, we packed up and went to Denny's - we hadn't been there in a while. Nikki was not our waitress, but she came over to talk to us anyway. We had spoken with her many times in the past, but it doesn't always stick. When asked how she was doing, she replied, as many of us do, "Good." and Tom likes to ask a few questions to see if that is true. It's a nice opening into the GPT, which she has heard many times previously. However, as he went through it again with her, it was as if it was all new to her.

So, here's the lesson in all this - don't stop proclaiming the Word, even if people have heard it before, you never know when God will work in them, convicting them to repentence. I normally wouldn't have went through it again with her, but after seeing how this all went, I now understand that we need to continue, even if we've spoken with them before and left tons of tracts for them to read through.

Keep praying for more workers (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 10-27-12

Mill Ave was a little crazy this last weekend. We had an Evangelism class and 6 new people came out with us from the class, and one other that couldn’t make it to the class came out as well. There was homecoming game and Halloween weekend, so there were a lot of people on the streets.

A guy named Benny decided to step in and join us in prayer – he was one of the drunks that was out there last weekend, I remember seeing him passed out on a bench as we were leaving. Tom talked with him for a while after that, and I gave him a “Gift For You” tract.

A lot of people in costume out there. Here are a few pics.

Hey, there's Waldo. 

 

We met Mike Salman, who had recently been arrested for having a home fellowship in his backyard. He had come out to Mill to scope the place out, maybe looking for a place to share the Gospel.







Mike started talking with a man named Drew, who said he had a problem with Christianity, mainly because he has a lot of homosexual friends and disagrees with the Bible, which states that it is wrong.

Mike talked with him for a while, but Drew was pretty drunk, so Mike gave him a card and asked him to call him the next day when he was sober. Mike had the guy take out his wallet and actually placed his card in there so that he wouldn’t lose it. I don’t know if he actually called him or not, but I hope he did.


We didn’t have a lot of one to one conversations, but did hand out a lot of Gospel tracts.
Please pray for the lost, and pray for more workers in the harvest field.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 10-21-12

A few of us went out to Mill Ave to share the Gospel this past Saturday night. We set up in our regular place in front of the post office.

Andrew and Jeff were a couple of drunk atheists who stopped to look at our illusion board. We went through the fun questions and then into the Good Person Test (GPT), but of course, they weren’t real receptive. They mentioned something about science, so I gave them a “Science and the Bible” tract to take with them to check out later.

After that, a couple stopped and went through the “genius” questions at the top of the board, but were not interested in going through the GPT or taking any tracts.

Then, a strange guy stopped to check out the board. He said he would take the GPT, and when I asked him what he would call someone who told lies, and he said, “A thief.” When pressed, he claimed that they “stole truth,” but in reality, he just wanted to answer with silly responses. I asked him if he wanted to bother going through the rest of it and he claimed that he did. So we went through some more with him answering normally. But in the end, he reverted back to nonsensical responses and just chooses to believe what he wants to from a social aspect and his own personal experience.

I talked with a man named Sam, who said that he had no religious background at all. He stopped to look at the illusion board and the “genius” questions. He was open to listening and took a couple of tracts with him, but didn’t seem convicted or willing to make any changes in his life. I told him that we’re out there every Saturday night, if he wants to stop and talk more sometime.

Ben and Andrea stopped by. She seemed to be a believer and waited quietly as I took Ben through the GPT. He was a bit drunk, and she seemed to be silently agreeing with us as we went through the questions, showing him his need of a Savior. He seemed to understand and we gave them both a couple of tracts to take with them. They said that they appreciated what we were doing on the streets.


Then there was this guy, dressed as Paul Stanley from KISS. It turns out that he’s an ordained minister, and plays in a tribute band. He was out promoting their show next weekend and posing for pics.

Tom took the opportunity to ask him a few questions to determine whether or not he was a good person. He didn’t hang around for the whole thing, but Tom was able to talk to him for a little while.
 


Please keep these, as well as all the others that we’ve simply handed a Gospel tract to, in your prayers, that God would convict them and draw them to Himself for their salvation and for His glory alone. And please continue to pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 10/13/12

It was busy on Mill Ave this past weekend. Apparently, there had been an Oktoberfest celebration at Tempe Town Lake from noon to 8:00 pm, so there were a lot of people leaving that area and coming down Mill Ave as we got there and set up.

Lance and Katie stopped by as soon as I got set up. They were Christians and seemed to have a good grasp of the Gospel. I went through it with them anyway, and gave them an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract. I asked them to pass it along to someone else after they read it and they said that they would.

Another couple stopped and went through the top four “genius” questions, but when I asked them if they would consider themselves to be a good people, they both said no, and they didn't want to hang around. So, I gave them a tract to take with them before they headed out.

I handed a guy a Smart Card tract and he said, "Here, I'll trade you." We will often take whatever someone else is offering so that we can get a tract into their hands. Most of the time, it's just some bar coupon, but this one was a Gospel tract, and the guys name was Aaron.
He asked about the Smart Card that I'd handed him and I told him that it would tell him if he's a good person or not, and he said that none of us are good, and that's why we need Jesus Christ. This seemed to convict himself a little, as he then told me that he knew he shouldn't be out drinking, and I said, "You're out drinking and handing out tracts?"
He admitted that he had just gotten the tract from Matthew, and was passing it along. So, I gave him an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract, which goes a little more in depth, and asked him to read that when he has time. I told him we're out there most Saturday nights if he ever wanted to stop by and talk some more.

Dan and I talked with a guy named Silas who stopped to check out the Illusion board. Dan took him through all the "genius" questions and the Good Person Test (GPT). It seemed to all make sense to him and he said that he was a believer. We were out of glow sticks, so I gave him a Ten Commandments coin and showed him how to do the illusion of making it appear out of thin air.

If you are a Christian, but haven't been sharing your faith, let me ask you, why are you being disobedient to the Lord who saved you and commands you to go out and tell others?
Many people don't feel equipped to be able to share their faith. If that is your reason and you live in the Phoenix area, we've got a free Evangelism Crash Course coming up on Saturday (10/27/12), from 12:30 - 5:30, and then we'll take you out on the streets to see how this all works in real life. Details HERE.
You must sign up ahead of time so that we know how many people are coming.

If your reason is simply fear, remember that courage is not a lack of fear, but having fear and going ahead and doing it anyway. Overcome your fear (False Evidence Appearing Real), it is only a tool of the enemy. The best way to overcome it is by getting yourself equipped, pray up and get out there and do it. There will be spiritual attack, often minor inconveniences or lack of time - busyness - to keep you from going, but don't let anything stop you, get into the battle. If God is for us, who can stand against us?
Read the Book, we win in the end! The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 10/06/12

A couple of people dressed like some sort of superheroes were hanging out near the corner, having a smoke break, cursing and talking about whatever issues they had been involved in earlier in the night. You never know what you'll see out on Mill Ave.

A guy named Bobby and a couple of his friends were talking with Rachel. He was saying that he didn't have to read his Bible, that he had read it once and that's enough. He claimed that God speaks to him but couldn't really explain to me how that worked. Do you hear voices? Doe He leave you a note? I tried to explain that God speaks to people through His Word these days, and that it is important to continually read the Bible. They seemed to have a buzz going, I'm not sure if was drugs or alcohol. He kept claiming that the Bible was subjective, which to me is simply saying that he feels that he can twist Scripture in a vain attempt to justify himself. I quoted him Hebrews 10:26-27, but it didn't really seem to penetrate the haze he was in. After a while, they decided to take off and continue whatever it was they were doing that night.

Kevin stopped to check out the Illusion board, so I talked to him about the questions on it. He kept smiling and laughing as we went through the Good Person Test (GPT), but it seemed to be a more nervous laughter. I thought I could see some conviction in him behind the mask of apathy, so I took him through the grace as well. He said he wasn't real "religious", but he took a tract with him when he left. I think some seeds were planted with that guy.

Dana and Steve were a couple of Christians that stopped to check out the illusion board. As we went through the GPT, they didn't like the part about hell and punishment and, like a lot of people, tried to jump forward to the grace and repentance before understanding the need for it.

So I explained this to them and they seemed to understand. They took tracts with them when they left, and I think they understood the idea, but still didn't really like the approach to get there. However, it is a Biblical approach, and although God can use any method He chooses to reach people, it is no excuse to use unbiblical or heretical ideas to reach them. The Bible shows us clearly - Law to the proud, Grace to the humble (James 4:6, 1 Pet 5:5).

The Law is perfect, converting the soul (Psalm 19:7). The Law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Gal 3:24). Paul said he didn't even know what sin was, until the Law explained it (Rom 7:7).

People must understand their NEED for a Savior, otherwise the Gospel doesn't make sense. If you ask the average person how to get into heaven, they will usually claim it is by being a good person (Prov 20:6). If that were true, if there were any other way to get in, then Jesus Christ died in vain. If there were any other way, He did not have to suffer and die to pay our penalty that we could never pay. If there were any other way, then we could boast of how we earned our way in (Eph 2:8-9) by good works. But as it is, in the Biblical sense, no one can boast, no one deserves it and no one can earn their way into God's good graces. It is a gift of God and our good works are merely evidence of our salvation, that we are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and desire to please the Master.

Later on, there was a guy named Eric walking by. As we handed him a tract, he told us that he didn't believe in God. Then he stopped and asked Marcus and I if we believe in Satan. We told him, yes, of course, you'd have to, because he's mentioned in the Bible. Then he said that he believed in God, just not an afterlife. He had a Catholic background, and seemed to be having a rough time lately. I explained some of the problems with the Catholic church and that the Bible never teaches that we'll have an easy time in this world. I told him to make sure he was right on what he believes about the afterlife and to dig into it to find the truth.
We were able to talk to him for a little while and gave him some tracts to read through later. Please keep Eric in prayer, he seemed to have deep down belief, but it has been corrupted through the Catholic church and some hard times. I believe the Lord is beginning to work in him, to draw him closer.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 09/29/12

It seemed that things were going to be kind of slow on Mill Ave this past Saturday night. But it definitely livened up a bit after a while.

We had a group of "flying spaghetti monster" followers (Wiki), as well as a Native American who was arguing with Tom and a group of Muslims who talked with him for a few hours.

A couple named Natalie and Chris stopped to look over the Illusion board and I took them through the 4 "genius" questions at the top, then went into the Good Person Test (GPT). They are Christians from TX, but Natalie would not admit that she would end up in hell if held to the standard of the Ten Commandments, always referring to God's grace. But I explained to them more fully the reason that we need a Savior is because we cannot be saved without Him. I explained the Gospel and the way that we do it, and gave them each a tract to look over later. They understood and seemed to agree with our Gospel proclamation as they headed out.

Next I spoke with a guy named Raul, who said that he was not a good person, but we went through the test anyway He said he'd been to church and he did have some knowledge. I explained it to him that there are none found good in God's eyes, we do not deserve to go to heaven and there is nothing we can do to earn our way. Salvation is a gift of God, and we simply must repent of our sins and trust in Him alone. I gave him a prize of a glow stick, even though he didn't earn it and didn't deserve it, as a demonstration of God's grace. In the same way, we don't deserve to be let into heaven and we cannot earn our way there.
Later, Dan took a few of Raul's friends through the GPT as well.

A man named Bill was looking at our board, so we talked with him and took him through the GPT. He stated that he was a Christian as well, and trying to raise is son right. I gave him the curved illusion tract to show his son (kids like the illusions) and a tract to read through for himself later on. He was agreeable and said that the way we explained it made sense to him.

Later, a taxi stopped behind our board and 5 or 6 people got out. Two of them came around to the front of our illusion board to see what it was. I took them through the first questions, but the guy would not even answer the one about how many of each animal was on the ark, claiming, "It's all fictional anyway." But the girl answered and we went through all four. They had been drinking and looked like they were going to head out, so I gave them each a Smart Card tract to take with them. Then the entire group, having gone nowhere since exiting the last cab, all got into a different cab and went somewhere else.

It was a pretty productive night, proclaiming the Gospel to the lost on the dark streets of Mill Ave in downtown Tempe, AZ.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 08-25-12

We had a WOTM class with a total of 13 people, but no new people were able to come out on the streets afterward. Maybe another time.

Tempe has banned amplification on Mill Ave, except for the businesses there, so there are no more loud musicians or street preachers with loud amps. There was a couple nearby, playing accoustic guitars and we set up our Illusion board.

We met Courtney out there, and his friend Elvis, who brought another friend named Mark. Courtney got on the box and did a little Open Air even without the mic and amp, and that went ok. It wasn't really all that bad without amps. I miss being able to play some music through ours, but it was nice not to listen to all of the really loud ones out there. We were able to have better one 2 one conversations with people.

Asha and Mariah stopped to check out the Illusion board. I took them through the GPT, and they said they were believers and that God loves all of His children... Wait a minute! That's not what the Bible says. I had to explain that we are not "all God's children", but start out as children of wrath (Eph 2:3, Col 1:21), and are given the right to be God's children through Jesus Christ (John 1:12).

They didn't really like that, but when I questioned them further, I found that they were NOT universalists who think that everyone ends up in heaven. They did understand that we need Jesus Christ to get there, so I think we got back on track. I gave them each an "Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven" tract to take with them and read later.

Dan brought his friend Mike and his son Miles out. They hadn't been to a class, but have been watching WOTM on TV for the last year or two, and were excited to come and check it out in real life.

Some people stopped by to look at the Illusion board, and Mike took them through the first four ice breaker questions on the board. I hung around in case he wanted to pass it off to someone else for the Good Person Test (GPT), but he went ahead and jumped right into it. So, his first experience was with some argumentative atheists, but he held up very well and kept them on track when they tried to change the subject. I think he did an awesome job of it and hope that he joins us more often out there.
Keep praying for more workers (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 08-18-12

It was a busy night on Mill, people started coming up right away, as soon as we had the illusion board set up. Tom was talking to a man and his wife who had stopped, taking them through the Good Person Test (GPT). While he was doing that, another guy stopped to look at our board, so I talked with him, taking him through the questions and the GPT. His name is William, and he said that he is a believer and liked the fact that we were out sharing the Gospel. I gave him a "Save Yourself Some Pain" booklet that contains some good information for Christians and new believers.

A guy named Richie stopped to question some of our beliefs and Robert stopped by a short time later. They seemed to know each other, but not real well and they were not traveling together. They both held to some mystical type of beliefs and seemed to have a Catholic background. Robert stated that he would hold the Bible to his heart and pray, then flip through to find an answer to his prayer. Both of them recounted experiences with a dead relative communicating with them from the grave. I told them that I don't know what happened with their experiences, but the Bible should be our final authority on what God says to us today. If it contradicts the Bible, then it is not of God.

Two guys and a girl were walking past the back of our illusion board, recognizing Albert Einstein on it, so I called them around to the front so they could see the illusion. Then I took them through the "Genius Test" which are just some fun questions to test your thinking.
They were in a hurry and a little drunk, so I gave them each an "Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?" tract and they went on their way.

A drunk girl stopped to go through the "Genius Test" and got half of them right. Her friends were calling her away, so I gave her a tract and told her to read through it later.
Then another drunk guy came up and said he wanted to go through the GPT. We started, but he gave some crazy answers and comments that didn't make any sense at all. Then he said he had to leave, and I thought that was probably a good thing, so I let him go. Apparently, he was angry with me, though, because Marcus said that he was cursing at me as he left.

A homeless man in a wheelchair was looking at our illusion board, and I was able to talk with him a little bit. His name was Bruce, and he claimed to base his beliefs on the Bible, but had a very strange interpretation of things. For example, he said that a third of God's children left to follow "a loser" and believed that we are reincarnated. The verse he was referring to is speaking of angels (and people are not, nor ever will be, angels. The Bible actually teaches quite the opposite of reincarnation, "..it is appointed a man once to die and then the judgment..."). I gave him a couple of tracts and he went on his way.

Dan was talking to a couple of people named Josh and Alissa, who were Christians that go to Central, so we exchanged cards and invited them to Tom's upcoming class. They seemed agreeable to our evangelism methods, so hopefully, we'll see them there.

Later, someone walking by asked Dan if the tract he was handing out was "offensive, because THAT is offensive", pointing at Tom, on the box. Then they gave him a one finger salute, they must have been telling him that he was number one. Maybe not, wrong finger. Ah well, you can't please everyone. God is the only One that matters.

I talked with a woman named Shay, who went through the GPT. She said that she was a Christian, raised by a deacon, so she felt that she was good. I explained the Gospel to her and gave her a couple of tracts to take with her.

We met a guy named Roger, who stopped by to check out our illusion board. When he had the opportunity, he spoke with us, telling us that he liked what we were doing. He hung out with us the rest of the night, even passing out some tracts. He went with us for some fellowship afterward, even buying our late night dinner. It was refreshing to meet a like-minded believer out there, which doesn't happen too often. We hope to keep in touch with him, as he does a lot of traveling.

Over all, it was a very busy night on Mill, with a lot of productive conversations. We have a class coming up next weekend, so hopefully we'll get more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2), keep praying.

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 08-11-12

It was a strange night on Mill Ave this week, with a lot of what could only be described as spiritual warfare. I guess that’s good, because then we know that we’re making a difference on the front lines in the darkness.

There were some people holding signs in our regular spot, so Tom, Keith, Rachel and Matthew decided to move across the street to set up, while Dan, Marcus, Alan and I remained there. At one point, we looked over and saw a big guy, standing face to face with Tom (even though Tom was on a step stool), and he looked angry. Dan and Marcus went over to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. It turns out, he was quite drunk and angry, but he eventually went away without too much trouble.

A woman told one of us to get away from her because he had “crazy eyes” whatever that is supposed to mean. Another guy started yelling at us when someone handed a tract to a man wearing a turban, saying, “How dare you give that to a Muslim!” calling it blasphemy and that he wouldn’t allow that in his presence. I told him that we do not discriminate and that everyone can have a tract. He didn’t listen. I saw him around later, but he was quiet the rest of the night.

Another guy threatened to shoot Tom, and of course, Tom told him that he didn’t care. He said, “Then I’ll be with the Lord and you will be in jail.” The man threatened him a bit more, then angrily turned and walked away. We didn’t see him the rest of the night.

Heidi, with her husband Rick and her daughter Hannah, stopped and went through Good Person Test (GPT). This was a great encounter and I was able to present the Gospel and give them each an “Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven” tract to take with them.

I did some more Open Air (OA) and a drunk guy came over to go through the GPT. There was no one else around, so I thought I’d go ahead and take him through it. Things went ok for a while, but he claimed that he could not repent. Would not is more like it. After a little while, he started cursing at me as he walked away. I went over to him to give him a tract that includes money inside, but he took it and flung it into the street and cursed at me some more.
As sad as it is that this man is lost, I always find just a little humor in it when someone will throw money away, simply because they were unwilling to look inside. Someone else will find it, maybe that will be the intended recipient in God’s sovereign plan.

A woman named Cora stopped by for a glow stick necklace, since she already had glow stick earrings. She was in a hurry, so we went through the GPT quickly, as she chewed on a very inappropriate shaped straw (she must have been at some bachelorette party or something). By some of her answers it seemed that she might have had a Catholic background. She didn’t seem real convicted, but the Gospel was shared, seeds planted.

Tom, Keith, Dan, Matthew and I went to Denny’s afterwards for some food and fellowship.

Pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2)

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 07-07-12

Out on Mill Ave again to share the Gospel with the lost. If you consider yourself to be a Christian, you need to be taking steps to get yourself equipped to carry out the Great Commission as we are commanded by our Lord and Savior.
As Charles Spurgeon said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you're not saved yourself, be sure of that!"

I pray for more compassion for the lost, for more opportunities to witness to people and that the Lord would use me to draw people to Himself for their salvation and to God's glory alone. And I pray for more workers in the harvest field (Luke 10:2).

A young man named Dillon was looking at our illusion board, so I asked him what he thought. He seemed to have some Christian knowledge, so I asked him what he thought and explained the Good Person Test (GPT) to him.
He seemed to take the idea of "once saved always saved" to the carnal Christian level. I quoted Heb 10:26-27, explaining that there must be a change in our lives if we are truly saved in the first place. He claimed that verse contradicted the one in Ephesians that says we are saved by grace, not by works, lest anyone should boast. While I agreed completely that works cannot save us, they are evidence of salvation. I explained 2 Cor 5:17 that says we'll be a new creation, we will be different.

I told him about Matt 7:21-23, where there are many who will come before Jesus Christ at the end of time, fully believing that they are getting into heaven. Only to be told that He never knew them and sent away as workers of iniquity.

He didn't like to hear it, and would not agree with me, but I could see that he was considering what was said. I pray that he will go home and read his Bible and learn what the Lord requires from him.

A guy named Joshua stopped to check out the illusion, and I took him through the GPT. He had some knowledge of the Bible and seemed convicted by the message. I gave him a tract and a prize, even though he didn’t pass the GPT, we like to give them out as a demonstration of God’s grace in giving us eternal life that we do not deserve and cannot earn. It is a tiny example, but gives them something to consider.

The police stopped by to tell us we had to move off of the post office property. They were very nice and friendly about it, and we just moved to the other side of the sidewalk near the street. However, I have looked into some of the post office guidelines and I believe they are incorrect. I'll have to see how that goes.

Dane was a young man who didn't look very happy as he walked by. I handed him a “What If” card and he took a couple of steps further and stopped to read the entire thing right there. Dan noticed that he had a huge knife on his belt, but I couldn't see it from where I was standing. After reading the tract, he approached me and shook my hand, and simply said, "Thanks."

We went to Denny's afterward and Marty was our waiter again. We had talked with him before, and prayed that he would be able to meet his grown children, which he hadn't seen in a long time. Well, now he had a praise, saying that he had not only spoken with his daughter, but that she is moving out here soon, so we praised God and asked for a safe trip for her.

"Lord, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a mile post on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another in facing Christ in me." - Jim Elliot

Soli Deo Gloria

Saturday 06-23-12

A guy stopped by wearing a back pack. He said he was a Christian, and started asking about what we were doing. Dan explained briefly how we evangelize and tried to show him our illusion board. But the guy wouldn't budge from his place to even look at it. He claimed that he didn't need any "gimmick", just the Holy Spirit.
Ok, then.
He said he was a musician, walking around on Mill "discerning" people or something like that. That was about all the information we could get from him.

We could see that he was going to be disagreeable and Dan wandered off, not wanting to waste time on this guy. I was intrigued, however, and wanted to see what he believed. I asked him if he'd heard of WOTM. He wasn't familiar with the teaching, and had nothing to argue on that point, but said he didn't like how they "compromised" themselves by being on TBN. I had to agree that TBN is not a good source of solid Christian teaching, but if you want to get on TV to reach people with your message, you've gotta take what you can get. Besides, don't the people watching Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn need to see some real Christian teaching, too? He didn't seem to care.

I was playing some music over the PA, and about this time the Ozzy parody by Apologetix came on. Apologetix takes popular secular music and changes the lyrics to Christian ones. They do an awesome job of sounding like the original band, but the lyrics are Christian based and often funny as well. Anyway, he didn't like that, either, claiming that the origins of the song were somehow bad. I said, "Listen to the lyrics, that's what matters", but he would not. Finally, I gave up talking with this guy as well. He left, but walked by again later. He wouldn't even look at us.

Dan and I went for a walk around Mill to see what was going on out on the streets. We distributed a few tracts and talked to some people. Dan had a good conversation with John, who was trying to get petitions signed.

A lady stopped by to look at the illusion board. I took her through the questions on the board to catch her interest and then we went through the Good Person Test (GPT). As usual, she tried to jump ahead to repentance instead of admitting guilt. She said that she had actually stolen a car when she was younger, I explained that if we really look at God's standard, we realize that we've all broken His law and deserve punishment. Then I explained the Gospel and gave her a tract to read later. She had to catch a bus, so she headed out before I could get her name.

Soli Deo Gloria