Thank You For Serving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ministry Update November 15, 2015

This last Wednesday was Veteran’s Day. I very much appreciate the men and women who have served our country. I’m thankful for the sacrifice their families endured while the veterans served in the military. To all who have served, I want to say thank you for serving. On Wednesday, Aaron and I witnessed at MSU during the lunch hour. I thank my friend for serving our country. He served in Iraq 12 years ago. I’m grateful and thankful for his service. But I’m even more grateful and thankful that he serves our Lord and Savior. 

One young man came up and encouraged Aaron as he was preaching. It was great to see this, especially on Veteran’s Day. I on the other hand receive more of the normal. Right off the bat a young man walked by while I was open-air preaching and he just kept saying hail Satan, over and over again. I reminded him that one day he will regret his hating and mocking God and it will be too late for him, if he dies in his sins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a professing Christian came up t o me and said that my method was wrong. He couldn’t find anything wrong biblically with my message, but I just shouldn’t raise my voice. He said that I wasn’t be very Christ-like. We get these arguments quite frequently. But open-air preaching is biblical and in this dark time that we live in, I believe it is also much needed. Isaiah 58:1 says: Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. We need more Christians to go outside their homes and their churches and proclaim the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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On Friday night, Erica, Diana and Elise joined us witnessing downtown. I’m thankful for these ladies who faithfully come out witnessing, Friday after Friday. We were also joined by Kelly and his son Steven. I appreciate Kelly serving our country and our Lord and Savior. I appreciate his boldness and his willingness to talk to fellow believers and atheists alike. It was also a real blessing because Evelyn joined us and brought her friend Lindsey to support the street preaching. Evelyn prays for our outreaches week after week and it was truly a blessing to meet her in person. She also brought a John 3:16 sign with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we first started singing hymns, James came up riding his skateboard. I walked over and handed him a Gospel tract. He was grinning and watching my friends sing. I asked him if he wanted to sing with us, but he said that he had to go catch up with his friends. So I asked him if he’s a Christian and he said yes. I asked where he goes to church and he said that he currently isn’t attending anywhere. Since he was heading back out, I quickly handed him an invite card to my church – Crossway Baptist Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somewhere during the night, somebody spit on Kelly. I’m not sure who was preaching or why the person was so angry, but it happened. While Aaron was preaching, a young man buzzed him on a skateboard. But he hung around and talked to Aaron after he finished preaching. They young man’s name is Aaron, but he goes by Tommy. The young man said that he has a meth problem and that he’s demon possessed. This is what he told Aaron and Erica. So they had a good conversation with him and were able to pray with him. I know a lot of people don’t believe in demon possession, but I do. It’s biblical (ex. Mark 5:1-20). There are many references to it in the New Testament and I personally believe that when people do drugs, they are inviting Satan in. May God heal Tommy and may the good Lord save him.

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On Saturday, it was a blessing to witness at the MSU football game with Greg and Vinton (all three of us are members of Crossway Baptist Church). This was the smallest witnessing group that we’ve had at the football outreaches this year, but God blessed us with several good conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greg and Vinton talked to several groups. Greg started the conversations and then Vinton shared the Gospel with two or three different groups. Greg does a great job of engaging people in conversations. I tend to “preach” too much, but Greg asks them lots of questions and keeps them engaged in the spiritual conversation. This was a lesson I needed to learn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greg and Vinton walked several people through some of the 10 Commandments and the typical happened most of the time. People admit that they have broken the 10 Commandments, but then when it comes to whether or not God should punish them, most people say no. They think that they are basically good people, so God should overlook their sins and allow them into Heaven. Again, Greg did a great job explaining that God would not be good if He did this. Please read these verses: For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many (Isaiah 66:15-16).

They talked to Matt and his friend for a while. Actually there were four young men to begin with, but when Greg started talking about spiritual matters; two of them quickly left. This isn’t uncommon at all. But the interesting thing was that Matt and his friend both admitted that they deserved Hell because of their sins. I can’t remember which one it was, but one of them basically just thought that we are higher evolved animals and that when you die that’s all that there is. But Matt and his friend heard the Gospel truth.

I talked to a group of young ladies and I asked them what the most deadly disease is in the world. They said AIDS and HIV. Earlier I had others say that Ebola was the most deadly. But when I stated that sin was the most deadly sin, most of them were no longer interested in talking, but Brittany stuck around. She believes that she is a good person and she believes that she will go to Heaven when she dies because she prays and she asks God to forgive her. I tried talking to her about repentance and faith in Jesus, but she pretty much was done talking and re-joined her friends.

I did the survey of the most deadly disease with Jacob and Nick and they both picked Ebola. I had a good conversation with them. We went through some of the 10 Commandments and they both admitted that they are guilty. But they think God should forgive them on Judgment Day. Nick thinks so because he goes to church every Sunday and asks God to forgive him for his sins.

Yes God forgives us when we are truly saved, but that doesn’t mean that we can sin freely. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4)

It’s sad that so many professing Christians don’t get repentance. They have a shallow view of the sacrifice that Jesus made when He suffered and died on the cross. I mainly handed out tracts during the outreach and Greg and Vinton got into the majority of conversations. But may our gracious Heavenly Father bless the tracts and conversations and may He convict and convert lost souls, for His honor and glory.

I’m thankful for all my evangelistic friends around the country who share their faith with this lost and dying world in these dark times. Christian: are you sharing your faith in Jesus with others? Are you handing out tracts? Are you telling others how Jesus has changed your life? These updates are provided to encourage you to go out and proclaim the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.