Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been out.... a lot. The Lord blessed us with a two month window of wonderful weather during September and October and people have been out on the streets.
In the past two months, the Lord has provided evangelism opportunities at the Kansas State Fair, events in small towns near Wichita, two large parades and a chili cookoff.. For this area, that's pretty busy. Additionally, We've been able to hit the streets most evenings, Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. The Saturday evenings in the Old Town party area of town have continued as well.
Jesus has let us give hundreds and hundreds of tracts to people and He has also allowed us to lovingly, conversationally and seriously take folks through His Law (the Ten Commandments) and the gospel. It is wonderful when the Lord stops someone to speak for a few minutes. Nearly all are thankful and shake hands hand as we finish. None have demonstrated that they have been offended. They understand their guilt before God because they have transgressed His Law and they understand that punishment in hell for eternity is justified. They understand God's command for them to repent from sin and trust in Jesus Christ. They leave our conversation awakened from trusting in their own goodness, but not offended.
As cold weather begins to arrive, I'm not sure what the Lord wants us to do to reach people with the truth. It's nearly impossible to witness in malls although that's where people will be during the shopping season. Wintering in Hawaii sounds good, but the commute would be tough! We'll see in the coming weeks what He wants to do and I'm planning to let you know here.
Please remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and wisdom for Israel's leaders during this difficult time. Now, go tell someone about Jesus. "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) God bless you as you go and share your faith in Him!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Step By Step
Street evangelism is continuing to go well out here in fly over country. My brother in Christ from Calvary Chapel and I are continuing to distribute hundreds of tracts and speak to people in the Old Town bar district. It seems the Lord has not wanted us to open air preach much lately and that's ok. I'm ready when He wants His word to go out.
The Lord has also let me meet folks who accept Ten Commandment coins (with a gospel message on the back) while walking down sidewalks in various parts of town. Seeds are being planted and I'm eager for the harvest!
In the very near future, like this Friday, I'm planning to join Calvary Chapel Wichita's awesome youth group as they go to the Kansas State Fair about 40 miles up the road in Hutchinson to share the gospel. This should be a nice evangelism adventure. The youth dipped their toes in the street evangelism waters at Wichita's River Festival a few months ago. They did a fantastic job of handing out tracts and I'm asking the Lord to bless our efforts at the state fair.
In the slightly farther future, like this Saturday, two evangelism expeditions are planned. It seems the Lord wants me to go to Winfield (not too far from Wichita). The Walnut Valley Festival will be happening there and people come from all over the U.S. for the flat picking guitar championships. Although I play guitar (kinda), the mission is to distribute tracts and speak with people to make sure they understand God's Law, their guilt of transgressing it and their need to repent and place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second expedition on Saturday is the usual evening in Old Town. People turn 21 every day, so there are new faces there every week.
Thank you so much for reading! God bless you and all you do for Him!
The Lord has also let me meet folks who accept Ten Commandment coins (with a gospel message on the back) while walking down sidewalks in various parts of town. Seeds are being planted and I'm eager for the harvest!
In the very near future, like this Friday, I'm planning to join Calvary Chapel Wichita's awesome youth group as they go to the Kansas State Fair about 40 miles up the road in Hutchinson to share the gospel. This should be a nice evangelism adventure. The youth dipped their toes in the street evangelism waters at Wichita's River Festival a few months ago. They did a fantastic job of handing out tracts and I'm asking the Lord to bless our efforts at the state fair.
In the slightly farther future, like this Saturday, two evangelism expeditions are planned. It seems the Lord wants me to go to Winfield (not too far from Wichita). The Walnut Valley Festival will be happening there and people come from all over the U.S. for the flat picking guitar championships. Although I play guitar (kinda), the mission is to distribute tracts and speak with people to make sure they understand God's Law, their guilt of transgressing it and their need to repent and place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second expedition on Saturday is the usual evening in Old Town. People turn 21 every day, so there are new faces there every week.
Thank you so much for reading! God bless you and all you do for Him!
Monday, August 29, 2011
A New Gospel Offensive
It's been busy around here lately. We've had a few evenings below 100 degrees when people are actually out and available to talk about the absolutely most important information in the universe. Quite a few tracts have been distributed and I haven't kept track of the one-2-one conversations.
This past weekend was Wichita's very own Blacktop Nationals 3-day car show (along with other events). It went over well evangelistically, but it sure is difficult to get folks' eyes and minds off the cars. For this reason, I got away from the main car show and tried to reach people while they were less distracted by the cars of this world.
It seems the Lord is opening a new theater of operations (maybe 3 of them). There are three universities in town. One is large and state. Two are small and private. My hope is that the Lord will link me with Christian students so He can get me officially invited to share on campus. In the meantime, I'll just be casual and reach out as the Lord leads.
As I spend more time on the streets in Wichita, it has become clear that there are many, many people who have been deceived into thinking they will be in heaven because they: (1) Go to church (2) Do more good than bad (3) Don't think hell exists or that God would send anyone there
Our enemy has done a great job of blinding people to the simple truth that everyone has sinned against their Creator by breaking His Law (the Ten Commandments) and they will justly perish in hell forever unless they repent from sin and trust that Jesus Christ took their punishment on the cross and rose again. Such a simple message and so easy for the spiritually blind to miss.
God bless you! Tell someone about God's Law and Jesus' fulfillment of it today!
This past weekend was Wichita's very own Blacktop Nationals 3-day car show (along with other events). It went over well evangelistically, but it sure is difficult to get folks' eyes and minds off the cars. For this reason, I got away from the main car show and tried to reach people while they were less distracted by the cars of this world.
It seems the Lord is opening a new theater of operations (maybe 3 of them). There are three universities in town. One is large and state. Two are small and private. My hope is that the Lord will link me with Christian students so He can get me officially invited to share on campus. In the meantime, I'll just be casual and reach out as the Lord leads.
As I spend more time on the streets in Wichita, it has become clear that there are many, many people who have been deceived into thinking they will be in heaven because they: (1) Go to church (2) Do more good than bad (3) Don't think hell exists or that God would send anyone there
Our enemy has done a great job of blinding people to the simple truth that everyone has sinned against their Creator by breaking His Law (the Ten Commandments) and they will justly perish in hell forever unless they repent from sin and trust that Jesus Christ took their punishment on the cross and rose again. Such a simple message and so easy for the spiritually blind to miss.
God bless you! Tell someone about God's Law and Jesus' fulfillment of it today!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Missing Ingredient
There is a crucial ingredient missing from many people's understanding of the gospel and it is evident when the Lord lets me speak to people one-to-one. Around here, on the fringe of the Bible belt, almost no one denies God's existence. Very few deny the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, His virgin birth, His death on the cross for our sins, or even His resurrection from the dead. Most people will readily agree that they must trust Jesus to save them from God's wrath. The missing ingredient is repentance.
Since evangelism is my thing, I tend to listen closely to gospel presentations and even analyze them a little. For whatever reason, it seems many people present the gospel with the crucial idea of repentance either missing from or quietly imbedded within their message. Instead of explicitly teaching that God commands all men to repent; to turn away from and forsake their sins as the Bible instructs, a seemingly repentance-less message goes out.
When we present the gospel without an explicit command to repent from sin, non-Christians who hear the message do not understand that they must repent. They don't know that God commands them to stop drinking to excess, cursing, blaspheming, lusting, etc. So, when presented with an opportunity to drink excessively, curse, blaspheme, lust, etc., the new "Christian" will do so. They are likely not true followers of Jesus Christ because no one clearly told them to repent. In fairness, many people refuse to repent out of their love for sin.
Jesus said, "I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 If a police officer mercifully warns a driver to stop speeding, the driver needs to stop speeding or a ticket is in his future. Since the Lord commands us not to blaspheme His name (see Exodus 20:7), we had better not mis-use His name or we can expect punishment even if we attend church and profess to be Christian. For out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) and if our mouth blasphemes the Lord, we have no reason to claim to be a follower of Christ and thus a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This same principle applies to the practice of all sin. (Notice that this is in reference to the practice of sin, not the accidental falling into sin followed by repentance).
Although it's sort of a dirty job to tell people to change their ways, we must take a stand and tell people that their drunkeness, lying, cursing, blasphemy, adulterous behavior, etc., must stop if they expect to be saved. We must use the backbone the Lord gave us and lovingly tell non-Christians that God commands them to repent because we don't want them to perish. The Bible backs us up by being very clear in these two verses:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death." Revelation 21:8
One important note: I do not intend in any way to say that someone will be saved as long as they don't do the bad, immoral stuff. I am not teaching we can be righteous by doing good or by avoiding doing bad. No amount of filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6), can make up for offending our Creator by transgressing His law. We all must turn away from sin and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation He purchased for us with His blood.
If Christians persist in preaching the gospel without a strong call to repentance, we can expect many of our hearers to say to Jesus on that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" Then Jesus will declare to them, "I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:22-23 They will end up in hell for eternity.
Thank you for your patience and for reading. If the Lord tarries, the next post will be more encouraging. God bless you!
Since evangelism is my thing, I tend to listen closely to gospel presentations and even analyze them a little. For whatever reason, it seems many people present the gospel with the crucial idea of repentance either missing from or quietly imbedded within their message. Instead of explicitly teaching that God commands all men to repent; to turn away from and forsake their sins as the Bible instructs, a seemingly repentance-less message goes out.
When we present the gospel without an explicit command to repent from sin, non-Christians who hear the message do not understand that they must repent. They don't know that God commands them to stop drinking to excess, cursing, blaspheming, lusting, etc. So, when presented with an opportunity to drink excessively, curse, blaspheme, lust, etc., the new "Christian" will do so. They are likely not true followers of Jesus Christ because no one clearly told them to repent. In fairness, many people refuse to repent out of their love for sin.
Jesus said, "I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 If a police officer mercifully warns a driver to stop speeding, the driver needs to stop speeding or a ticket is in his future. Since the Lord commands us not to blaspheme His name (see Exodus 20:7), we had better not mis-use His name or we can expect punishment even if we attend church and profess to be Christian. For out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) and if our mouth blasphemes the Lord, we have no reason to claim to be a follower of Christ and thus a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This same principle applies to the practice of all sin. (Notice that this is in reference to the practice of sin, not the accidental falling into sin followed by repentance).
Although it's sort of a dirty job to tell people to change their ways, we must take a stand and tell people that their drunkeness, lying, cursing, blasphemy, adulterous behavior, etc., must stop if they expect to be saved. We must use the backbone the Lord gave us and lovingly tell non-Christians that God commands them to repent because we don't want them to perish. The Bible backs us up by being very clear in these two verses:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death." Revelation 21:8
One important note: I do not intend in any way to say that someone will be saved as long as they don't do the bad, immoral stuff. I am not teaching we can be righteous by doing good or by avoiding doing bad. No amount of filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6), can make up for offending our Creator by transgressing His law. We all must turn away from sin and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation He purchased for us with His blood.
If Christians persist in preaching the gospel without a strong call to repentance, we can expect many of our hearers to say to Jesus on that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" Then Jesus will declare to them, "I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:22-23 They will end up in hell for eternity.
Thank you for your patience and for reading. If the Lord tarries, the next post will be more encouraging. God bless you!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Persecution?
Worldwide, the persecution of Christians is terrible. Many Christians are horribly mistreated, beaten, tortured and killed simply because they believe Jesus is Lord and choose to follow Him in the way they live. If, however, you are a Christian who lives in the USA, fear not!
My brother in Christ from Calvary Chapel Wichita and I were very mildly mistreated Saturday night during our evangelism adventure in Old Town. To say we were persecuted would cheapen the word.
It was a particularly chaotic evening with lots of noisy, bumper-to-bumper traffic cruising up and down the streets. My partner was handing out million dollar bill tracts and I was distributing Ten Commandment coins to initiate conversations. A million was offered to a young guy who was walking from one bar to another. He asked if it was "religious" and said disdainfully, "I have my morals in order." I gently asked him if he had ever lied. He responded by cursing both of us and giving us the single finger salute as he walked away. All we did was offer him a cool looking million dollar bill with a gospel message on the back. All we want is for him to admit his sinfulness, repent and trust Jesus Christ for salvation so he can escape God's wrath and eternal punishment in hell. This was the worst treatment I've ever experienced during any sort of evangelism effort in the U.S. or Mexico and it didn't hurt a bit. We shrugged our shoulders and continued the work.
If a person is not humbled and repentant, I will gladly take an angry response to the gospel. It is never my intent to make anyone angry. We are not to strive, but to lovingly and patiently teach God's law and the gospel (2 Timothy 2:24-26). If people sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit, let them get mad at the Ten Commandments and the gospel. Let them get angry because their conscience is bothering them. The Holy Spirit can use that to break a person and draw them to repentance and salvation.
Aside from a good conversation with a couple of young men, last weekend's gi-normous Automobilia car show didn't go too well. The temperature was about 105 degrees with high humidity and threatening thunderstorms. This is typical for Kansas in the summer, but not conducive to evangelism. People understandably don't like to receive sweaty tracts as the lightning approaches.
Thank you for reading and remember the words of Jesus in Luke 12:4-5.... "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear; fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Let your love for and fear of God overcome any fear of man and propel you out to obey His command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. God bless you as you go!
My brother in Christ from Calvary Chapel Wichita and I were very mildly mistreated Saturday night during our evangelism adventure in Old Town. To say we were persecuted would cheapen the word.
It was a particularly chaotic evening with lots of noisy, bumper-to-bumper traffic cruising up and down the streets. My partner was handing out million dollar bill tracts and I was distributing Ten Commandment coins to initiate conversations. A million was offered to a young guy who was walking from one bar to another. He asked if it was "religious" and said disdainfully, "I have my morals in order." I gently asked him if he had ever lied. He responded by cursing both of us and giving us the single finger salute as he walked away. All we did was offer him a cool looking million dollar bill with a gospel message on the back. All we want is for him to admit his sinfulness, repent and trust Jesus Christ for salvation so he can escape God's wrath and eternal punishment in hell. This was the worst treatment I've ever experienced during any sort of evangelism effort in the U.S. or Mexico and it didn't hurt a bit. We shrugged our shoulders and continued the work.
If a person is not humbled and repentant, I will gladly take an angry response to the gospel. It is never my intent to make anyone angry. We are not to strive, but to lovingly and patiently teach God's law and the gospel (2 Timothy 2:24-26). If people sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit, let them get mad at the Ten Commandments and the gospel. Let them get angry because their conscience is bothering them. The Holy Spirit can use that to break a person and draw them to repentance and salvation.
Aside from a good conversation with a couple of young men, last weekend's gi-normous Automobilia car show didn't go too well. The temperature was about 105 degrees with high humidity and threatening thunderstorms. This is typical for Kansas in the summer, but not conducive to evangelism. People understandably don't like to receive sweaty tracts as the lightning approaches.
Thank you for reading and remember the words of Jesus in Luke 12:4-5.... "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear; fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Let your love for and fear of God overcome any fear of man and propel you out to obey His command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. God bless you as you go!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Breaking the Sound Barrier Again!
There is a big development to report from last night.... Wichita has a new person "breaking the sound barrier" (open air preaching). Around midnight, my brother in Christ from Calvary Chapel Wichita stood up and preached that the people wandering from bar to bar in Old Town must repent and trust Jesus Christ or perish. He preached for several minutes. Maybe this doesn't sound like such a big deal, but open air preaching requires a huge battle against our flesh that seeks comfort, wobbly knees, noise from passing traffic, and whatever spiritual forces that may come against the preacher. It ain't easy! It is one giant, sinner-loving, self-denying step up from handing out gospel tracts which, in itself, is a battle. My hope is that the Lord will orchestrate so we can tag team preach and be more effective at reaching Wichita with His gospel.
In other news... the Lord has let me do a little open air preaching and have one-2-one law & gospel conversations with 10+ people in the past few weeks. He has let me take them through a few of the Ten Commandments to show them their sinfulness and spoon-feed them the Good News of His taking our punishment. Although I clearly and specifically warn them about eternal punishment in hell, not one of the people was offended. Most thanked me and shook my hand afterwards. It's amazing what can be said to people when it is shared with love and concern. I'm hoping for a few more opportunities during this Independence Day weekend we're celebrating here in the U.S.
Next weekend is the enormous, annual car show called Automobilia in downtown Wichita. There will be hundreds and hundreds of cars lining the streets over around 12 city blocks. If the Lord tarries and the weather cooperates, thousands of people will be shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets during this show. Please join me in asking the Lord to give us boldness and lots of opportunities to distribute tracts, have one-2-one conversations, and open air preach.
Thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers! God bless you!
In other news... the Lord has let me do a little open air preaching and have one-2-one law & gospel conversations with 10+ people in the past few weeks. He has let me take them through a few of the Ten Commandments to show them their sinfulness and spoon-feed them the Good News of His taking our punishment. Although I clearly and specifically warn them about eternal punishment in hell, not one of the people was offended. Most thanked me and shook my hand afterwards. It's amazing what can be said to people when it is shared with love and concern. I'm hoping for a few more opportunities during this Independence Day weekend we're celebrating here in the U.S.
Next weekend is the enormous, annual car show called Automobilia in downtown Wichita. There will be hundreds and hundreds of cars lining the streets over around 12 city blocks. If the Lord tarries and the weather cooperates, thousands of people will be shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets during this show. Please join me in asking the Lord to give us boldness and lots of opportunities to distribute tracts, have one-2-one conversations, and open air preach.
Thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers! God bless you!
Monday, June 13, 2011
River Festival Final Report
First of all, thank you so much for your prayers! The Lord gave many opportunities to share with people at Wichita's River Festival through tracts and one-2-one conversations.
Throughout last week, aside from Thursday evening when events were stopped due to severe thunderstorms, there were many people in the streets of downtown Wichita for concerts and other events. Several hundred tracts were distributed and 14 people let me take them through God's Law (the Ten Commandments) and the gospel. Yea!!! Lots of seeds were planted and lots of people have a very important decision to make now.
It was encouraging to see folks from a couple of other good, Bible-teaching churches out on the streets during the festival. They were also distributing tracts and leading people through the gospel. May the Lord unify us and send us all out together to make an impact for Him.
Looking forward, there are no other huge opportunities on the horizon. A few car shows are scheduled where we may be able to pass out lots of tracts, but it's difficult to get people's attention off the cars long enough to talk. So a couple of brothers from Calvary Chapel Wichita and I are planning to continue evangelism in Old Town, parks, wherever the Lord leads.
Thank you for reading! God bless you as you step out of your comfort zone in faith. Remember, Peter could not walk on water until he stepped out of the boat.
Throughout last week, aside from Thursday evening when events were stopped due to severe thunderstorms, there were many people in the streets of downtown Wichita for concerts and other events. Several hundred tracts were distributed and 14 people let me take them through God's Law (the Ten Commandments) and the gospel. Yea!!! Lots of seeds were planted and lots of people have a very important decision to make now.
It was encouraging to see folks from a couple of other good, Bible-teaching churches out on the streets during the festival. They were also distributing tracts and leading people through the gospel. May the Lord unify us and send us all out together to make an impact for Him.
Looking forward, there are no other huge opportunities on the horizon. A few car shows are scheduled where we may be able to pass out lots of tracts, but it's difficult to get people's attention off the cars long enough to talk. So a couple of brothers from Calvary Chapel Wichita and I are planning to continue evangelism in Old Town, parks, wherever the Lord leads.
Thank you for reading! God bless you as you step out of your comfort zone in faith. Remember, Peter could not walk on water until he stepped out of the boat.
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