Lesbian Lay-In, Satanist, Blasphemer, Atheists and Brokenness

Ministry Update July 5, 2015

Lesbian Lay-in

Greg preaching while I’m witnessing to Tom the Satanist

Friday July 3, 2015 was quite an interesting night. Before we started singing hymns, a friendly atheist came up to talk to Aaron. He used to hold signs with other atheists and stand in front of us when we preach. His name is Jim and he’s been kicked out of two atheist groups because he sticks up for our street preaching. He doesn’t agree with us, but he believes we have the right to free speech. Another lady was with him and they talked to Aaron for quite a while before we got started. After we sang some hymns, I brought a message against homosexuality and it allowed us to get into some good conversations. Greg with Born of Him Ministries went after me and while he was preaching, I talked to Tom the Satanist. Yes, he claimed to be a real Satanist and he had a pentagram tattoo on his calf muscle. He kept telling me that there aren’t object truths. I asked him if it would be wrong if I knocked him in the head and stole his wallet. He said yes, but it was only his subjective truth. 

The whole conversation pretty much went that way. He did freely admit that he was a horrible person (most people proclaim themselves good in their own eyes), but he wasn’t worried about it since he thinks nothing happens after we die. I shared with him that his unbelief will be no excuse on Judgment Day. At the end I offered him a tract and said that he could contact me through the website. He got all excited and told me that he is a web developer. I told him great, I designed Seek and Save the Lost myself and that I’d love to have him look at the site and tell me what I could do differently.  A young man named Sean also talked with Tom. I hadn’t seen Sean before, but he stayed with us to the end, sang hymns with us and even helped us carry equipment back to our vehicles.

While I was talking to Tom, Aaron was talking to several young men. One of the young guys kept telling Aaron that we were presenting the Gospel wrong. So after several times of doing this, Aaron said that he couldn’t continue rebuking the young man and that he should walk away. Instead, he stood on the platform where Greg was preaching and he started loudly saying that Greg was preaching lies. Aaron immediately told the young man that he may be blaspheming the Holy Ghost and that should make him tremble.

Then Aaron preached and that’s when the group of lesbians came over in front of him and did a lay-in. I’ve heard of sit-ins, but I’ve never heard of a lay-in. I guess it was their way of protesting. They heard the Gospel as they were lying on the ground. Heart-breakingly, the young lady sitting on the skate board in the above picture is Hailey. She’s the one I witnessed to a couple of months ago that had said “I just want my friend to be happy” and I realized later that she was the friend she was talking about. One of the guys in our group Anthony witnessed to her about a month ago. So she has clearly heard the Gospel many times and has rejected it to this point.

Throughout the night, Kelly had seven or so good conversations with atheists. It was also encouraging that when I stepped off the box two young guys came up and talked to us for a few minutes. I asked them what they were doing and they said that they were up from Joplin and they were just handing out tracts. I swapped tracts with them. I liked their tract so well that I gave it to my oldest daughter’s boyfriend the very next day.

Anton broken over being bound to sin

Also while Aaron was preaching, a man came up to us and bowed down in prayer on the steps in front of us. I let him finish and then I asked him I could pray with him. He said yes. He is an alcoholic and he says that he wants to be free from that bondage. I prayed that God would sober him up and grant him repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and that God would take the desire of alcohol away from him. His name is Anton and we love him dearly. After Aaron preached, he came down and hugged Anton and prayed with him. Aaron offered to pick him up on Sunday and Anton said that he would come to church. We hope and pray that he is sincere and that he will be convicted by the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit and that God will save him and set Anton free from his captivity to alcohol.

Then toward the end of the night a lady in a wheel chair came near and asked to be picked up for church on Sunday. Aaron told her that he’d come and get her on Sunday. We were getting ready to sing hymns to end the night and one of the friends of the blasphemer came up and asked Aaron some questions. We started singing while Aaron talked to him. The young man was very humble and seemed genuine in his questioning. It was a bit of a wild night, but it was a good night. Our prayer is always that God will save souls, that He will convict and convert sinners; that our gracious Lord will grant them repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Diana handing out tracts at MSU

On June 30, 2015, I had the privilege of witnessing at Missouri State University with Rich, his wife and three young sons and Diana. It was student orientation again so we had a pretty good crowd walking by. The worst part was while Rich was preaching, Diana and I were handing out tracts. We’d reach out the tracts and you could tell the student was about to take it and the parent would snap, no we are good and the student would quickly pull their arm back in. Hopefully the students will take tracts in the upcoming school year when the parents aren’t around. But the Gospel went forth in spite of the parent’s opposition. That’s why I strongly believe in open-air preaching. People hear God’s truth as they walk by, whether they want to hear it or not. The seeds get planted and God gives the increase. May He break the hearts of students and parents alike and draw them to Himself.
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I feel very blessed that God allows me to minster with others in street ministry. When I give these updates, I want you to know that most of the people I witness with on Friday nights in downtown Springfield, MO are Aaron, Erica, Diana and Elise. Greg joined us this last Friday and he is with Born of Him Ministries. My friend Kelly is a Christian apologist and brought a friend from his church with him this last Friday. Our friend Robert also came out to support us.

The purpose of sharing updates is to encourage Christians around the world to share their faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe you will never stand on a box and lift of the name of Jesus. Maybe you live in a country where you can’t do such things. But we can all share our faith with others. We can all tell our testimony. There are many printable tracts available and there are other ministries where they offer you free Gospel tracts. The days are evil and we need to redeem the time. Please, hand out tracts and share the Gospel with this lost and dying world and if God prompts you to get on box and read Scripture, please do it. Also, please pray for the lost souls who heard the Gospel this week that they will not harden their hearts; that God will convict them and that they will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.