My dad was a bit older than my mother, and thus I have a few half-brothers. My sister called me a few days ago to let me know that Richard had died.
They said that he was up in the middle of the night and someone went to check on him, and that he looked more scared than they'd ever seen him. Now, my half-brothers are tough guys from Montana, they don't scare easily. They called an ambulance, but he died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital.
This gives us time to consider the fact that every one of us will face death one day. We will face it alone, no matter who may be physically around us at the time. We will all kneel before the Lord one day and give an account for our life. How will you do when that time comes for you? Keep in mind that 150,000 people die every single day. We never know if we will have another day or not. What will you say to the Lord on the day that you face Him?
I'm not certain of Richard’s fate, but he has passed over to the other side where the judgment is final. The all-powerful God of the universe will judge every single person by His Holy standard which was given to us in the Ten Commandments. How will you hold up to His standard when your time comes?
If you've ever told a lie (9th Commandment), stolen anything, regardless of value (8th Commandment), or used the Lord's name in vain (3rd Commandment), you've broken His Law (Ex 20:1-17). If you've ever hated someone without just cause, He sees it as murder in your heart (Matt 5:21-22), because the heart is where the sinful action begins. If you've looked at someone with lust, Jesus says that you've committed adultery with that person in your heart (Matt 5:28). You don't have to break all of God's Laws, just one will condemn you. And the simple fact of it is, we have all broken God's Law, and in doing so, every one of us actually deserves to go to hell. If we stand before Him on our own merit, that is exactly where we will go, and rightfully so.
However, in addition to being a holy and just God, He is also a loving God and has provided us one way to keep us from the eternal punishment that we all deserve. He came down Himself as a Man in Jesus Christ, as a hand fits into a glove, fully man and yet fully God at the same time. And He lived a perfect life, keeping all of those laws that we couldn't keep. Then He suffered and died, crucified on a cross, taking on the punishment that you and I deserve. But death couldn't hold Him, and on the third day, He rose again, defeating death forever, as a sacrifice for all our sins. We committed the crimes, with no hope of ever being able to atone for them, but He paid the fine in full for us. Now, all we must do is repent of our sins, turning away from them, and trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.
If we do that, we will not be judged for what we have done in this life, but will be forgiven through Jesus Christ. Our lives will be different as evidence of this change in us (2 Cor 5:17). If your life is not changed, then you must consider that maybe you've never truly received salvation (Heb 10:26-27). And if that is true, then you will face the wrath of God as He judges you against His Moral Law (Rom 2:5), which we've already shown that none of us have kept.
I do not know if my half-brother was saved or not. But I do know that people had spoken to him about eternal things, and if he called upon the name of the Lord, even at the last minute like the thief on the cross, then he was saved.
But you never know when your time will come, two people die every second, many without the opportunity to consider such things. Don't put it off until tomorrow, TODAY is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). You're not guaranteed another day, repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today.
And if you are a born-again Christian, fully assured of your salvation, then go forth in obedience to the Great Commission to proclaim the Word to every creature. There are those who are sure within themselves that they are saved, but will one day stand before the Lord, only to be told, "Away from Me, I never knew you." Check it out in Matthew 7:21-23. Look at the context of this verse, read before and after it for a full understanding. Jesus says that many will profess His name but not enter heaven. Only those who do the will of the Father will actually get into heaven. He's given us His will in the Bible, and has given the mandate to all Christians, commonly known as the Great Commission. It is not God's will that any perish (Eze 18:32), shouldn't we have the same mindset? He's told us what to do, and told us we'll be held accountable (Eze 33:8-9, Acts 20:26-27).
Are you doing that?
Or will you be one of those who hears those fearful words at the end of time, "Away from Me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you!"
Monday, July 9, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
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
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
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Saturday 06-16-12
It's been busy around my house and at work, but I'll try to get a quick recap of last Saturday night, witnessing on Mill Ave. A few of us met out there to proclaim the Gospel to the lost.
A homeless guy in a wheelchair named James stopped by. I talked to both him and a woman with him for a while, and took them both through the Good Person Test (GPT). They seemed to understand, but afterward he just wanted to argue. He wanted us to leave so he could “work” on that corner. I gave them a couple of bucks and some tracts, and talked with him for a while. He eventually left, after spitting at a couple of us.
Another group of people stopped by after that. Paul, April and Lisa said they were all Christians, but I took them through the GPT anyway. They wanted to jump to being saved before fully going through the fact that we each deserve hell, but I kept them on track. They understood the message and liked what we were doing.
We handed out a few tracts, and talked with a few others before leaving Mill Ave and stopping at Denny’s for some food and fellowship afterwards.
Please keep the lost in your prayers, and better yet, get out there and talk to them! We are all commanded through the Great Commission to preach the Word to all creatures. We should start where we are, and spread out from there.
"You really have no right to go to another country and share your faith in Jesus Christ if you're not sharing your faith in Jesus Christ [here] ... in America." - Mark Cahill
Acts 1:8 (NASB) "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Jerusalem means locally. Judea and Samaria are next - a little further away, maybe a weekend trip. And the remotest part is taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, until all hear.
Go!
Soli Deo Gloria
A homeless guy in a wheelchair named James stopped by. I talked to both him and a woman with him for a while, and took them both through the Good Person Test (GPT). They seemed to understand, but afterward he just wanted to argue. He wanted us to leave so he could “work” on that corner. I gave them a couple of bucks and some tracts, and talked with him for a while. He eventually left, after spitting at a couple of us.
Another group of people stopped by after that. Paul, April and Lisa said they were all Christians, but I took them through the GPT anyway. They wanted to jump to being saved before fully going through the fact that we each deserve hell, but I kept them on track. They understood the message and liked what we were doing.
We handed out a few tracts, and talked with a few others before leaving Mill Ave and stopping at Denny’s for some food and fellowship afterwards.
Please keep the lost in your prayers, and better yet, get out there and talk to them! We are all commanded through the Great Commission to preach the Word to all creatures. We should start where we are, and spread out from there.
"You really have no right to go to another country and share your faith in Jesus Christ if you're not sharing your faith in Jesus Christ [here] ... in America." - Mark Cahill
Acts 1:8 (NASB) "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Jerusalem means locally. Judea and Samaria are next - a little further away, maybe a weekend trip. And the remotest part is taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, until all hear.
Go!
Soli Deo Gloria
Monday, May 21, 2012
Saturday 05-19-12
Our kids were spending the night elsewhere, so Jill and I went out to dinner, and then to Mill Ave to witness to the lost together. Dan, Tom, Alan, Joe and a couple of new people from Tom's class were there.
A couple of Muslims stopped to talk with Jill when she handed them a tract, and we were able to take them trhrough the Good Person test and explain the Gospel to them before a few of their friends showed up to take them away. They said they'd like to talk with us about it later, and headed out, but we didn't see them again on this night.
A guy named Dave stopped to check out our illusion board. I took him through the four "fun questions" on the top of the board, and he called his friend Mitch over to try them. So, I started over with Mitch, meanwhile, Dan took Dave through the Good Person Test (GPT) while I did the same with Mitch. Mitch seemed to understand and said that it made sense, but he was uncomfortable and wanted to get away. Dave, on the other hand, was very interested and was talking with Dan and I for a while afterward, As we were talking with him, his phone rang, and I looked over to see Mitch at the corner, on the phone. "Was that your friend over there?" we asked Dave, and he admitted that it was as he hung up and so did Mitch. I guess Mitch was tired of waiting around on him and didn't want to come over and get into a conversation again. We talked for a few more minutes before he took off. I gave him a "Save Yourself Some Pain" booklet, which goes a little more in depth.
A drunk stopped by and I asked him how he was doing. He said, "Not very well" so I asked him what was was going on. He looked up and said that if I wanted anything from him, I would have to say something positive. I didn't want anything, so I just stood there. He asked if I wanted him to sign a petition or something and I said no, I didn't want anything from him. He asked what I was doing out there, so I told him that we came out to preach the Gospel, and he started cursing and saying that he hated religion. Understanding that there are a lot of bad "religions" out there, I explained that we were just preaching from the Bible. Then he started cursing about the Bible, so I decided it was going to be pointless to try to talk with this guy. I had a Paper Jamz drumset plugged into the amp, so I thought I'd play with that for a little while until he went away. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of a drunk who wants to argue. The PA speaker was sitting right next to him, so when I started drumming, he jumped off the window ledge and went over to argue with one of the people with petitions.
The illusion board works really well for catching people's attention and getting a conversation started. A lot of people stopped to check it out, but some of them would take off before we were able to go through it with them. We handed out a few more tracts and then packed up for the night.
Please keep the lost in prayer, reach out to them wherever you find them, and if you need training in how to evangelize Biblically, get yourself equipped. Check out LivingWaters.com for more information.
Soli Deo Gloria,
A couple of Muslims stopped to talk with Jill when she handed them a tract, and we were able to take them trhrough the Good Person test and explain the Gospel to them before a few of their friends showed up to take them away. They said they'd like to talk with us about it later, and headed out, but we didn't see them again on this night.
A guy named Dave stopped to check out our illusion board. I took him through the four "fun questions" on the top of the board, and he called his friend Mitch over to try them. So, I started over with Mitch, meanwhile, Dan took Dave through the Good Person Test (GPT) while I did the same with Mitch. Mitch seemed to understand and said that it made sense, but he was uncomfortable and wanted to get away. Dave, on the other hand, was very interested and was talking with Dan and I for a while afterward, As we were talking with him, his phone rang, and I looked over to see Mitch at the corner, on the phone. "Was that your friend over there?" we asked Dave, and he admitted that it was as he hung up and so did Mitch. I guess Mitch was tired of waiting around on him and didn't want to come over and get into a conversation again. We talked for a few more minutes before he took off. I gave him a "Save Yourself Some Pain" booklet, which goes a little more in depth.
A drunk stopped by and I asked him how he was doing. He said, "Not very well" so I asked him what was was going on. He looked up and said that if I wanted anything from him, I would have to say something positive. I didn't want anything, so I just stood there. He asked if I wanted him to sign a petition or something and I said no, I didn't want anything from him. He asked what I was doing out there, so I told him that we came out to preach the Gospel, and he started cursing and saying that he hated religion. Understanding that there are a lot of bad "religions" out there, I explained that we were just preaching from the Bible. Then he started cursing about the Bible, so I decided it was going to be pointless to try to talk with this guy. I had a Paper Jamz drumset plugged into the amp, so I thought I'd play with that for a little while until he went away. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of a drunk who wants to argue. The PA speaker was sitting right next to him, so when I started drumming, he jumped off the window ledge and went over to argue with one of the people with petitions.
The illusion board works really well for catching people's attention and getting a conversation started. A lot of people stopped to check it out, but some of them would take off before we were able to go through it with them. We handed out a few more tracts and then packed up for the night.
Please keep the lost in prayer, reach out to them wherever you find them, and if you need training in how to evangelize Biblically, get yourself equipped. Check out LivingWaters.com for more information.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Thursday, May 17, 2012
What's Love Got To Do With It?
What is truth? That is what Pontius Pilate asked Jesus Christ, having no idea that Truth was standing right before him. So, here's another question: What is love? Definitions are important. Without knowing how one defines something, we may think that we're in agreement when actually, we couldn't be farther from it. For example, take Joel Osteen and his "loving" message of encouragment, and contrast that to Paul Washer, who offends people with his convicting preaching. Who is more loving? Be like the Bereans, search Scripture to see which of these two men is preaching the truth.
Is it ever loving to tell a lie?
Some might use the old analogy of your wife coming up and asking if this particular dress makes her look fat. Oh, that's a favorite one by atheists and so called Christians alike, as an attempt to justify a "little white lie", but let's really look into this shall we? You don't have to be brutal about it, saying something like, "It's not the dress that does it, Honey!" But neither do you have to lie.
You could say, "I don't like the way that looks on you, something else might be better." Now it's up to her if she wants to take your opinion or not.
But to tell her, "No, it looks great on you." when that is not the case, thinking that you're sparing her feelings is really only making matters worse. She now thinks that this dress looks good on her when it doesn't, and she goes out in public, while people are looking at her and laughing behind her back, ridiculing her and commenting, "Why would she wear something like that?" And it's your fault that she is publically humiliated because of your "little white lie" to spare her feelings. Who's going to spare them now that she was made to look foolish in public? And after she asked you the question in order to help determine what she was going to wear. The devil works in subtle ways, doesn't he?
What's even worse is to deceive someone into thinking that they're saved, not wanting to hurt their feelings, or anger them, or offend them, so you never confront them. And they fool themselves right up until they stand before the Lord and learn the truth (Matt 7:21-23) - can you call that loving? Real love would put others ahead of themselves, even allowing them to be angry, maybe to the point that they no longer want to be your friend! But you love them so much that you will take that loss if there is even a possibility that it will help them to be saved from eternal damnation. Lay down your pride!
So, what's the Biblical definition of love? That's the definition we really need to use, if we call ourselves Christians.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV1984) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Does it say that no one will ever get angry with you? No, they were so angry with Jesus that He was crucified. Does it say that love will not confront? No, nothing of the sort. Are we not to confront sin, or do we just leave it alone, lest someone accuse us of being judgmental?
Love must include truth, for if it does not, can it really be love, tainted by even the slightest lie? Who is the father of lies (John 8:44)? It doesn't matter if you label them differently, "little white lies", "stretching the truth", "tall tales" or whatever, they all come from the same place, don't they? Where does the Bible teach that any one type of lie is ok? Rather, it teaches that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8).
The Gospel is truth, so even if the Gospel is preached with contention, we should rejoice (Phil 1:18). God's Word will not return void (Is 55:11). So the question is not so much, "Am I loving enough?", it's more complete in asking, "Am I Biblical enough?"
If you find another believer that you feel is unloving, check what they are saying. If it is contradictory to Scripture, you've found a wolf among the flock. However, if it is doctrinally sound, and you cannot argue against it with Scripture, then maybe it's not unloving at all. Then you must face the possibility that it is a tough love that God is using in order to get your attention. Rather than unloving, it might just be the Lord convicting your conscience, and you are responding in anger and rebellion instead of repenting and acknowledging His truth from the sources that He chooses.
Soli Deo Gloria
Is it ever loving to tell a lie?
Some might use the old analogy of your wife coming up and asking if this particular dress makes her look fat. Oh, that's a favorite one by atheists and so called Christians alike, as an attempt to justify a "little white lie", but let's really look into this shall we? You don't have to be brutal about it, saying something like, "It's not the dress that does it, Honey!" But neither do you have to lie.
You could say, "I don't like the way that looks on you, something else might be better." Now it's up to her if she wants to take your opinion or not.
But to tell her, "No, it looks great on you." when that is not the case, thinking that you're sparing her feelings is really only making matters worse. She now thinks that this dress looks good on her when it doesn't, and she goes out in public, while people are looking at her and laughing behind her back, ridiculing her and commenting, "Why would she wear something like that?" And it's your fault that she is publically humiliated because of your "little white lie" to spare her feelings. Who's going to spare them now that she was made to look foolish in public? And after she asked you the question in order to help determine what she was going to wear. The devil works in subtle ways, doesn't he?
What's even worse is to deceive someone into thinking that they're saved, not wanting to hurt their feelings, or anger them, or offend them, so you never confront them. And they fool themselves right up until they stand before the Lord and learn the truth (Matt 7:21-23) - can you call that loving? Real love would put others ahead of themselves, even allowing them to be angry, maybe to the point that they no longer want to be your friend! But you love them so much that you will take that loss if there is even a possibility that it will help them to be saved from eternal damnation. Lay down your pride!
So, what's the Biblical definition of love? That's the definition we really need to use, if we call ourselves Christians.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV1984) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Does it say that no one will ever get angry with you? No, they were so angry with Jesus that He was crucified. Does it say that love will not confront? No, nothing of the sort. Are we not to confront sin, or do we just leave it alone, lest someone accuse us of being judgmental?
Love must include truth, for if it does not, can it really be love, tainted by even the slightest lie? Who is the father of lies (John 8:44)? It doesn't matter if you label them differently, "little white lies", "stretching the truth", "tall tales" or whatever, they all come from the same place, don't they? Where does the Bible teach that any one type of lie is ok? Rather, it teaches that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8).
The Gospel is truth, so even if the Gospel is preached with contention, we should rejoice (Phil 1:18). God's Word will not return void (Is 55:11). So the question is not so much, "Am I loving enough?", it's more complete in asking, "Am I Biblical enough?"
If you find another believer that you feel is unloving, check what they are saying. If it is contradictory to Scripture, you've found a wolf among the flock. However, if it is doctrinally sound, and you cannot argue against it with Scripture, then maybe it's not unloving at all. Then you must face the possibility that it is a tough love that God is using in order to get your attention. Rather than unloving, it might just be the Lord convicting your conscience, and you are responding in anger and rebellion instead of repenting and acknowledging His truth from the sources that He chooses.
Soli Deo Gloria
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Saturday 05-12-12
Dan, Alan, Joe, Tom and I went out to Mill Ave to reach out to the lost with the Gospel.
A guy named Royal stopped to get a glow stick by going through the Good Person Test (GPT). However, he wouldn't cooperate, saying he was some sort of universalist, just going by his feelings. He couldn't answer any questions, as those stuck in relativism are unable to make any sense at all and only like to hear themselves talk.
Then another guy who was playing the drums nearby, came over. He said his name was John Connor - Dan asked him about Skynet (a reference to the Terminator movies, since this is the name of the main character), and he said this really is his name. He gave me a bucket drum and stick to play while he sang a Christian rap song that he wrote. Tom filmed him, so you can probably find this on his blog soon. Link to Tom's Blog
Fernando, Amy and Jasmine stopped by with some younger kids to go through the GPT with Tom. Tom explained some of the error in the Catholic church once he realized they were Catholic. They stayed and listened, got glow sticks for all the kids and I handed Fernando an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract. He replied that they were still Catholic, but I insisted, telling him that it went through the Ten Commandments, which are found in the Catholic Bible, so he took it. Pray that he reads it and God convicts him and draws his entire family out of the Roman Catholic church to be truly saved.
Ella and Shannon were a couple of young ladies that stopped by to check out our illusion board. They did pretty well on the initial questions, but were tricked by the last one. Then I took them through the GPT, and gave them some tracts to take with them. They thanked me and took their glow sticks and continued on their way.
A group of young Muslim men stopped by to talk with Dan. They debated for a while, and we split into smaller groups to speak with them. It was a very interesting conversation, and I think we've talked with some of these guys before. I mentioned that the Qur'an says to obey the Bible, but the guy didn't think so, and I couldn't remember the reference. I'll have to make a reference sheet for this sort of thing.
After that, we went to Denny's, and asked if we could pray for our waitress, Meeka again. She remembered us from before and requested that we pray for her friend Deante, who is currently in jail, unsaved and has even considered suicide. Please pray for Deante, that God would get hold of him, convict him and save him before it is too late. Also pray for encouragement and peace for Meeka, as she has not been able to speak with him and has no way to be able to reach him for a few days.
Soli Deo Gloria,
A guy named Royal stopped to get a glow stick by going through the Good Person Test (GPT). However, he wouldn't cooperate, saying he was some sort of universalist, just going by his feelings. He couldn't answer any questions, as those stuck in relativism are unable to make any sense at all and only like to hear themselves talk.
Then another guy who was playing the drums nearby, came over. He said his name was John Connor - Dan asked him about Skynet (a reference to the Terminator movies, since this is the name of the main character), and he said this really is his name. He gave me a bucket drum and stick to play while he sang a Christian rap song that he wrote. Tom filmed him, so you can probably find this on his blog soon. Link to Tom's Blog
Fernando, Amy and Jasmine stopped by with some younger kids to go through the GPT with Tom. Tom explained some of the error in the Catholic church once he realized they were Catholic. They stayed and listened, got glow sticks for all the kids and I handed Fernando an "Are You Good Enough to Get into Heaven?" tract. He replied that they were still Catholic, but I insisted, telling him that it went through the Ten Commandments, which are found in the Catholic Bible, so he took it. Pray that he reads it and God convicts him and draws his entire family out of the Roman Catholic church to be truly saved.
Ella and Shannon were a couple of young ladies that stopped by to check out our illusion board. They did pretty well on the initial questions, but were tricked by the last one. Then I took them through the GPT, and gave them some tracts to take with them. They thanked me and took their glow sticks and continued on their way.
A group of young Muslim men stopped by to talk with Dan. They debated for a while, and we split into smaller groups to speak with them. It was a very interesting conversation, and I think we've talked with some of these guys before. I mentioned that the Qur'an says to obey the Bible, but the guy didn't think so, and I couldn't remember the reference. I'll have to make a reference sheet for this sort of thing.
After that, we went to Denny's, and asked if we could pray for our waitress, Meeka again. She remembered us from before and requested that we pray for her friend Deante, who is currently in jail, unsaved and has even considered suicide. Please pray for Deante, that God would get hold of him, convict him and save him before it is too late. Also pray for encouragement and peace for Meeka, as she has not been able to speak with him and has no way to be able to reach him for a few days.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Saturday 04-28/12
Tom had a class on Saturday, and Reuben came out on the streets with us afterward. Dan showed up a little later and tested him. Reuben did pretty good, he brought Dan over for Tom to help him out, but Tom played along and let Reuben give it a try. He did real well, explaining the Gospel and the need for a Savior.
Tom talked with Becki, who had stopped for a glow stick. Her friend wanted her to leave, but she stayed and went through the Good Person Test (GPT). She had some knowledge of Christianity, and called herself a believer. She said she was married, and her husband was home with the two kids. She was out with a friend and they had met some new friends at a bar. Tom explained the Gospel to her and gave her more to consider as she left with a glow stick.
Dan and I wandered around to other areas, since Sean and Edwin were out, too. We stopped and talked with a lady handing out tracts, who didn't recognize us, so we talked with her for a while. She was surprised that we knew the Ten Commandments until we told her that we were out doing the same thing.
Then we went across the street and talked to a young man named Kyle, who was passing out some tracts. We stopped and questioned him some. He told us that Jesus loved us, and that not believing in Him was sin. Then he told us that we're all sinners (a bit judgmental, don't ya think?). We asked him some hard questions to get him to think about what he was saying, and he stumbled a bit. Then we told him that we were Christians out evangelizing as well, and he said, "Are you shh.... are you serious?" We told him to watch his language and he tried to play it off, but we know what he almost said. We took him a bit by surprise. We asked if he was familiar with WOTM, and he'd heard of it, but obviously wasn't using it. So we gave him an "Are You Good Enough to Get Into Heaven" tract to show him how to use the Law to explain the need for a Savior. Then we headed back over to our own corner.
Another guy that stopped by to talk to us about the importance of speaking in tongues. I asked if this was a requirement for salvation and he said no, but went on to tell us how we should seek this gift. He was wasting our time in reaching out to others, so I told him that I agree with John MacArthur as a cessationist, believing the sign gifts had ceased.
The guy that likes to heckle us after he's done singing was on the corner, and when he got done there, he claimed that it was "garbage hour" and that he was done. Apparently, he was talking about us, but he went on to keep repeating himself about someone having more kids with their daughter than their wife. He seemed to think he was funny, but just sounded like a broken record. Garbage hour indeed. Eventually he left.
After that, a drunk Hopi Indian, who said he was not a Navajo, which seemed to be important for us to know, came over and talked with me. He wasn't making much sense, and said something in his native tongue that I couldn't understand. Where was the guy with the tongues lecture now? Anyway, this guy wanted a couple of tracts, so I gave him some and he passed them on to others who actually took them. He said his sister was a Christian, but he followed his native beliefs, whatever those were.
Over all, it was a pretty average night witnessing on Mill Ave.
Soli Deo Gloria
Tom talked with Becki, who had stopped for a glow stick. Her friend wanted her to leave, but she stayed and went through the Good Person Test (GPT). She had some knowledge of Christianity, and called herself a believer. She said she was married, and her husband was home with the two kids. She was out with a friend and they had met some new friends at a bar. Tom explained the Gospel to her and gave her more to consider as she left with a glow stick.
Dan and I wandered around to other areas, since Sean and Edwin were out, too. We stopped and talked with a lady handing out tracts, who didn't recognize us, so we talked with her for a while. She was surprised that we knew the Ten Commandments until we told her that we were out doing the same thing.
Then we went across the street and talked to a young man named Kyle, who was passing out some tracts. We stopped and questioned him some. He told us that Jesus loved us, and that not believing in Him was sin. Then he told us that we're all sinners (a bit judgmental, don't ya think?). We asked him some hard questions to get him to think about what he was saying, and he stumbled a bit. Then we told him that we were Christians out evangelizing as well, and he said, "Are you shh.... are you serious?" We told him to watch his language and he tried to play it off, but we know what he almost said. We took him a bit by surprise. We asked if he was familiar with WOTM, and he'd heard of it, but obviously wasn't using it. So we gave him an "Are You Good Enough to Get Into Heaven" tract to show him how to use the Law to explain the need for a Savior. Then we headed back over to our own corner.
Another guy that stopped by to talk to us about the importance of speaking in tongues. I asked if this was a requirement for salvation and he said no, but went on to tell us how we should seek this gift. He was wasting our time in reaching out to others, so I told him that I agree with John MacArthur as a cessationist, believing the sign gifts had ceased.
The guy that likes to heckle us after he's done singing was on the corner, and when he got done there, he claimed that it was "garbage hour" and that he was done. Apparently, he was talking about us, but he went on to keep repeating himself about someone having more kids with their daughter than their wife. He seemed to think he was funny, but just sounded like a broken record. Garbage hour indeed. Eventually he left.
After that, a drunk Hopi Indian, who said he was not a Navajo, which seemed to be important for us to know, came over and talked with me. He wasn't making much sense, and said something in his native tongue that I couldn't understand. Where was the guy with the tongues lecture now? Anyway, this guy wanted a couple of tracts, so I gave him some and he passed them on to others who actually took them. He said his sister was a Christian, but he followed his native beliefs, whatever those were.
Over all, it was a pretty average night witnessing on Mill Ave.
Soli Deo Gloria
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)