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Empty Parking Lot Says It All

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Empty Parking Lot Says It All

Ministry Update March 22, 2020

Yes, the empty parking lot says it all. This is the lot I like to park in when I witness downtown. Most Friday nights, I’m lucky if there are a few spots available. Many times, it is full and I have to park elsewhere. But Friday night as you can see, it was completely empty. Luckily, there were still a few people milling around downtown and there were some people still driving around. But with the Gillioz Theatre closed, restaurants reduced to carry out only, it significantly reduced the foot traffic downtown. The bars were still open with signs on the doors, so I’m not sure what they were doing. I only saw one person go into the bar across the street from me. Covid-19 or the coronavirus has pretty much shut everything down.

Driver Flipping Me Off

A couple that were out jogging waved as they passed by and one guy let me know his displeasure with the Gospel as he flipped me off as he drove in front of me. But other than that, it was pretty quiet. After bringing the message, I held a sign on the corner that reads “Repent and Believe the Gospel”. A guy took a picture of me holding the sign.

Lifting Up The Name Of Jesus

One guy walked to the corner a couple of times while I brought the message and a couple of people in vehicles listened to part of the message. But why bring a message at all when there are so few people out and about? Lifting up the name of Jesus is lifting up the name of Jesus whether there are many or just a few people around. Jesus is the name above all names and He is worthy of all praise, honor and glory. Praise the King of kings.

Guy On The Corner Listening To Part Of The Message

Holding Sign At Corner

I didn’t get the chance to witness at Missouri State University this Wednesday. I wasn’t around to witness anyway, but even if I had been, the university extended Spring Break another week and then they are going to online classes only after that. So it looks like there won’t be any more campus ministry the rest of this semester.  I’m going to miss witnessing at the college, but I’m grateful for the times that I have been able to witness there.

(These updates are given to encourage Christians to share the Gospel with others. Yes, you should be safe while being around others during this pandemic, but what a perfect time to share the Good News of Jesus Christ when people are thinking/worried about dying.)

Look At That Hat!

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Look At That Hat!

A student recorded me open-air preaching as he walked past me at Missouri State University on Wednesday. He was editorializing as he recorded. I couldn’t hear what he was saying while he was beside me, but after he was in front, exclaimed, “Look at that hat! Look at that HAT!” Most students just walked by without saying anything, but there was one student that waved encouragingly as he passed in front of me. Many students took tracts before and after the message. I estimate there were about four yeses to every no. It is always encouraging when students take Gospel tracts or New Testaments. May God bless the message that was proclaimed and may the Lord bless the tracts. May the students also share the tracts to others.

The Words Of Jesus

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The Words of Jesus

Recently someone challenged me to bring a message with just the words of Jesus. In other words, the man didn’t want me to talk about the Old Testament or bring up the words that the Apostle Paul wrote. So even though I’m taking this person up on their challenge, I want to make clear that all 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God. The rest of the Bible is God’s word and is just as inspired by the Holy Spirit as the red letters (the words of Jesus) are (2 Timothy 3:16). [Read more…]

Too Much

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Too Much

Ministry Update March 7, 2020

Conner talked to one of the sign guys on the square before we both did open-air preaching. The sign guys believe that God does most of the work in salvation, but then we have to our part. They also believe in sinless perfectionism and they believe that you have to be good enough after salvation before you die, to go to Heaven. Typically, you can’t get anywhere with these guys, but Conner said that he had good conversation with one of them and the guy was at least thinking about what he said. While that was going on at the square, I was at our usual spot handing out New Testaments and Gospel tracts. My favorite encounter was with a guy who replied, “Too much.” [Read more…]

The Love Student

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The Love Student
Ministry Update February 23, 2020

I had one mocker that I couldn’t understand and then the love student mocked me on Wednesday at Missouri State University. The love student just chants “Love, love, love” and then repeats it again and again as long as he’s within earshot of me. This time when he walked by, I was reading 1 Peter 1:21-23: Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. [Read more…]

Happiness Or Joy?

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Happiness Or Joy?

My favorite part of the United States Declaration of Independence is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I love how the signers mention the Creator (God) and that everyone is created equal and we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Even though little babies being murdered in the womb have no right to life). [Read more…]

Heck Yeah!

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Heck Yeah!

Ministry Update February 16, 2020

Unlike last week where there were so many encouragers, there weren’t any this Friday night. But just like last Friday, I had another person mocking about Hell and he was proud that he is headed for Hell. The message this Friday was positive. It was about joy, real joy, the joy that is found in Christ Jesus alone. The only mention of Hell was toward the end when I pleaded with people to repent and trust Jesus for salvation instead of dying in their sins and going to Hell. I was basically asking the question: Why would you die and go to Hell when the young man yelled Heck Yeah! [Read more…]

Excessive Violence

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Excessive Violence

Many parents monitor their kids as far as the video games, TV shows, movies and books that their children watch and read; and rightly so. Parents have to worry about inappropriate sexual content, language and violence. Excessive violence is a real concern with many popular movies, shows, video games and books. What I’m about to say next may surprise you, but the Bible also contains excessive violence. Please note that I’m not talking about gratuitous violence, but excessive violence. No, I’m not really talking about how God judged the Canaanites and commanded the Israelites to kill every man, woman and child (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). (God did so out of righteous judgment against the nations in Canaan.) I’m not even talking about when God judged the whole world and condemned the whole world to death except for the eight souls that were spared on the ark (Genesis 7:7-23). [Read more…]

One Encourager After Another

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One Encoourager After Another

Woman Saying Amen

One Encourager After Another

Ministry Update February 9, 2020

Friday night witnessing started off really quiet, then I had a couple of mockers in a row. I couldn’t hear the first one. The second one said something and I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. So I asked him what he said. He replied, “I’m going to Hell.” I responded, “You sound like you are proud of that.” “I am” he said. So I explained that he really doesn’t understand what Hell is really like. He may think people are partying and having a great time there, but they are not. The rich man begged for a drop of water 2,000 years ago because he was in torments. He’s still in torments today. The mocker just got in his car and didn’t say anything else. But after that, I had one encourager after another in about a 10-minute span. [Read more…]

I Don’t Want To Hear This!

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I Don’t Want To Hear This!

Ministry Update February 2, 2020

Kelly and I witnessed downtown Friday night and there was a good crowd, mainly due to the Aaron Watson concert at the Gillioz Theatre. We handed out Gospel tracts and both did open-air preaching. It was mainly quiet and I only remember one mocker. I was bringing a message when a guy and two girls walked up from behind us. One of the girls yelled real loudly, “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THIS!” I just ignored her and kept open-air preaching. They crossed the street in front of us going West and then immediately crossed the next street going North. While they were crossing the second street, the girl that yelled, dropped what she was carrying and had to bend down to pick it up. This whole time she was still hearing the message. As I recently mentioned, people can’t unhear what they hear, even if they don’t want to hear it.  [Read more…]