Just a quick thought here…If you’re not “sharing your faith” often, how do you know it is really yours?

Have you no concern in the slightest for the lost? I know we can tend to go to the other unhealthy extreme of allowing legalistic angst be the motive behind urges to give a tract or have a conversation with every single person around us, and that’s not what I’m trying to prompt you with; even evangelism can be an idol if we let it. But are you naturally trying in some way each day to reconcile sinners with God?

If you say you have a part in the Christian (“Christ-follower”) faith, you have been given a job to do: it is called the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). Furthermore, take Paul’s example, and he told the Colossians “Him we preach, warning every man” (1:28). When was the last time you warned anyone with a word, a tract, a letter…something?

Posted: July 31st, 2009 under Challenge, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts.
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I just got back from meeting up with some believers who regularly evangelize in Ybor (pronounced “ee-bor”).  Here are a couple of quick stories:

God started the night with some Scientologists on the main corner.  I asked them what happens, should they ever reach “clear” in this life, what happens when they die?  The chief problem is that they will come face to Face with a holy, sovereign, and just God to Whom they will still have to give an account.  Their conscience may be “clear” on earth, but that doesn’t justify them before the Lord.  The discussion starts.  Probably not two minutes later this dude comes up and joins the conversation and starts asking them questions.  At first I think he’s a Christian too since he actually tells me not get ahead on a point he was making.  They refuse to explain even a single tennant of the beliefs except to say a) they’re not a religion (ummm “Church” of Scientology??) and b) come to our offices around the corner and you can watch a movie to learn more.  After their shift leader comes over and refuses to answer questions, they leave.  Meanwhile I’m kinda just relegated to watching all this happen.  The dude turns to me and says, “I don’t believe what you believe at all…but ‘Praise Jesus!’ the corner’s all clear for ya” and he walks away!  Yeah, I’m still scratching my head on that one.

Story 2 – “Bob” is in his early 20’s and dressed in a suit.  He has to be; his job is to get attractive women into the club he works for.  He comes to tell me I’m doing a “good thing” and that, after tonight, he’s quitting the job to be closer to God. ”Seriously?” I ask.  Yup.  I spent the next 20+ minutes trying to get him to walk off the job but he wouldn’t do it.  He was going to get paid $300 at the end of the night.  After about 20+ minutes of telling him that he is serving two masters (well, actually, only one tonight), God has plenty of money to honor his quitting immediately, Jesus commands us to do it, etc. etc. He won’t do it.  In the end, I tell him I would pray that since he doesn’t have the strength to walk away from this God-dishonoring job I would pray that the Lord does it Himself and has him get fired.  Not sure if that was biblical, but God deserves to be obeyed. Period.

Story 3 – I hand a gospel tract to a guy walking by and ask my usual, “Did you get one of these?”  He takes it, looks at (an illustrastion of a bloodied figure, head bowed, on a cross with the words “He Did This For You” on the front); looks me dead in the eye and starts going off about “you people pushing your religion”.  I calmly let him talk a bit and then ask him, “Do you have any spiritual beliefs?”  By now I can tell he’s seething.  He crumples the tract up and puts it in my hand and again talks about “pushing” beliefs.  I say nothing. As he walks away I call out (hoping to get him to come back) “But Sir, you talked more than me!”

I post these things because once you get out and start sharing your faith you will encounter everything.  People believe wholeheartedly in some strange things (by any circumstances); or they’ve been burned by religion/unbiblical Christianity and are still smarting from it; or whatever.  But Jesus is right there and He will give the Holy Spirit to help you.

I like to keep posts to about 200 words, this time I went way over.  Hopefully you found it helpful though.  Thanks for sticking with it.  Go share your faith!

Posted: September 21st, 2008 under Challenge, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts, Testimony, Witness Encounters.
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A man who was a tremendous blessing to my wife and me, Shawn H, has some terrific photos and blog posts about R&W. Link to them here. His wife Lisa is also pretty amazing too! We were blessed to have met them and hope to all meet up again in Florida next year.

Posted: August 19th, 2008 under Encouragement, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts, Open Air Preaching.
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Basically the trip went like this: We arrived on Thursday, August 7th. Our home away from home was a former hospital turned Christian missions dormitory in Queens, NY. There are about 30 of us from all over the country and one from Canada. Day One was arrivals, introductions, and orientation.

Day Two: Our first full day. Up early, separate mens’ and ladies’ group devotions, together for group worship and a stirring message from Pastor John C.from Minnesota, which led to time in prayer and repentance. Afterwards we broke into our respective teams and preached the gospel on the subways and Madison Square Garden/Penn Station. We ate dinner in Times Square but then continued the outreach there in Times Square with more open-air and tracts. After a 16-hour first day of sites, sounds, smells, tears, bonding, preaching, walking and witnessing, the teams again headed into the subway for more train preaching as we returned to our dorm to pass out.

Day Three (Saturday): Up early and together again for group worship, prayer, and the inspiring testimony of Shawn H of Luke 10:2 Ministry and this time a trip first to Battery Park, where folks take the ferries to Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty, later to Union Square Park, and later still to Times Square and then another trip of subway preaching back to the dorm.

Day Four (Sunday): We got to catch up on some sleep and then met for Sunday worship, with CCN Overseer, Pastor Sean LaCon preaching and later praying over those who felt the Lord had called them to specifically be evangelists. After service we enjoyed a graduation ceremony with certificates and exhortations not to let our evangelistic zeal remain in NYC, but to take it wherever the Lord has us. Lastly, we concluded the afternoon/evening with about six hours of open-air preaching, tracts, one-on-one encounters again in Union Square Park.

I’ll leave you with this awesome story: As we were waiting for our last subway ride back to the dorms, there was a guitarist/singer performing down on the other subway platform, separate from ours by several sets of tracks. He was singing, “Stand By Me” and we all joined along in the chorus to cheer him on. This led to Pastor John to springboard into a gospel presentation to the people waiting for trains that Jesus will stand by you more than anyone else ever could. But the great thing (besides the gospel presentation, of course) was that the guitarist called out when John was done and said he had a song for us. Next thing we knew, he was strumming and singing “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see you. I want to see you….” It was surreal! We were praising the Lord with this subway musician on the last night of our Repent & Witness Evangelism Camp. What a beautiful way to wrap it up! We praised God in awe of His million little kindnesses to us! The next day those who were not staying in NYC for a few extra days of site-seeing made their way homeward, with new friends, new hearts for the lost, and a deeper love of the gospel.

Posted: August 19th, 2008 under Encouragement, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts, Open Air Preaching.
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The Repent & Witness Evangelism Boot Camp was a HUGE success!!!  Thank you for all of your prayers.  Of course, we the participants and leaders had nothing to do with it; it was all the Lord Jesus Christ’s glory.

There were over 30 people from across the U.S. and one young lady from Canada.  We had about a 30-year span in ages but never once was there any feeling of an age gap.

We met for prayer, Bible teaching, and evangelism instruction.  Then we hit the subways and the streets of New York!  We openly preached the gospel on the subways of NY.  When we got to our pre-chosen destinations (Battery Park, Union Square Park, Times Square, Madison Square Garden) we passed out gospel tracts which occassionally led to 1-to-1 evangelism encounters and were set up for open air preaching.  Many got “on the box” for the first time to share the Good News of our wretchedness and Jesus’ redeeming love and grace.  It was incredible.  Many souls in NYC heard the call and some even repented in tears and surrendered their lives to our King.

We did encounter hostility too.  We nearly got killed in a mix-up with a ‘Free Tibet’ demonstration who thought we were shouting them down because we were sent from the Chinese gov’t.  Eventually they realized that was not the case and that we, too, wanted religious freedom for the people of Tibet and Taiwan–freedom to worship, yes.  Freedom to worship Jesus!

The fellowship with other believers was amazingly sweet.  We tasted of the joyful reunions of heaven!  We laughed so much our sides hurt.  We stayed up so late we had what I called a “Christian hangover” because we were exhausted and sleepy, but we had laughed so much after long days.

I bring you good news!  The Lord Jesus is ALIVE and MOVING across the world!  There is a revival happening!  Many young people are coming out of the deceptive slumber of modern church youth/college groups into the light of biblical evangelism and submitting joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus!

Pictures will come when we get back home.  The Mrs and I have stayed a few extra days for site-seeing, visiting with relatives, and further evangelism.

To God be the Glory!!!

Posted: August 14th, 2008 under Challenge, Encouragement, Evangelism, Gospel Tracts, Open Air Preaching, The Church.
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Last week we were passing out gospel tracts in the tourist/party district of Tampa. Another Goth in black complete with chains and fake blood makeup walked by. I’d seen this one earlier. I was trying to figure out why she was holding a heavy chain leash dragging a large, dirty yellow rubber ducky on the end behind her?

As she walked past I extended the tract out, “Would you please take one, ma’am?” As she was walking away tractless, I noticed the hairy man-sized legs and realized my mistake. “…I mean, sir” I said loud enough to sincerely apologize for my error. Without breaking stride or looking back, with dragging ducky bumbling behind on the ground, Goth guy shot me the bird. “Sorry!” I called out. I really wasn’t trying to be mean, it was an honest mistake.

My point is two-fold: When you share your faith you will meet all kinds of people. Faux-pas are bound to happen. But no need to be offensive to people if you can avoid it. If you hold to the gospel message it is offensive enough to the unregenerate sinner. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” 1 Cor 1:18. We are still ambassadors of our King (2 Cor 5:20). We can be tactful and polite and still warn sinners to “flee from the wrath to come.”

Posted: June 28th, 2008 under Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts.
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