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
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
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
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
Friday, November 16, 2012
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.
So, I also gave him an "Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?" tract to take with him and read through later.
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
Monday, October 29, 2012
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
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
Sunday, October 21, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
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
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