Do You Read The Bible?

Cussing Us Out

Ministry Update November 20, 2016

Brain, Aaron and I witnessed at MSU last Wednesday. While I brought a message, two students at different times, yelled f you as they walked by. I pointed out that we are not to let any filthy communication proceed out of our mouth. After Brian pleaded with students for a while, he handed me a Gospel of John. I looked at it and handed it back to him, but he told me to keep it. I handed out tracts while Aaron preached and I kept the Gospel of John in my hand. 

Teapot Atheist

About that time Andrew walked by and took a tract from me. He asked me what it was and I told him that it’s a Gospel tract. He told me that he’s a Teapot Atheist. I’m not really sure what he meant by that but he tried to explain that we can’t know for sure that a teapot is not circling Mars, so we really don’t know if God is real or not. Seems like a really stupid reason to not believe in God, but Jesus said men love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. Andrew believes we come from chimpanzees, so at that point I asked Aaron to step in because Andrew brought up Lucy, which we know has been debunked.

Do You Read The Bible?

It was time for me to head back to work so I walked back to my car. I was about half way there and a student yelled across the street to me “Do you read the Bible?” I said yes, all the time. He walked over to my side of the street and said “Judge not lest ye be judged.” I politely suggested that he read the rest of Matthew 7; that Jesus was saying don’t be a hypocrite. When I preach against fornication, adultery, drunkenness, I’m not doing those things, so I’m not being a hypocrite.

This was the first young man that yelled f you while I was preaching earlier. He told me that I look like a crazy man coming over here and preaching, especially because I tell students they are going to Hell. I asked him if unrepentant sinners go to Hell and he admitted yes they do. But then he told me that he did a study for one of his classes and 80% of Missourians are Christians and the number is even higher on campus. I told him I don’t believe your numbers. He told me that what I’m doing is wrong and that I should leave them alone. I shouldn’t judge the students because they are already Christians.

Always Been a Christian

So I asked him when he became a Christian and he said “I’ve always been a Christian.” Remember this is the same guy that asked me if I read the Bible, so I said what about John 3 where Jesus told Nicodemus that you must be born-again? He didn’t have an answer to that and wanted to know how you know for sure then that you are saved. I shared with him briefly my testimony and I have to admit that he kept getting hung up on different issues, but I kept directing him back to the fact that there has to be a time where you recognize that you were lost and you cry out for Jesus to save you. That you cannot even see the kingdom of God unless you are born-again (John 3:3).

I still had the Gospel of John so I handed it to him and asked him if he’d read it. He said that he would do so. I challenged him to read it, asking God the whole time to show him if he’s really saved like Andrew thinks he is (yes this is a different Andrew than the Teapot Atheist) or whether Dennis the crazy guy is right that he’s never been born-again. I hope and pray that Andrew really does this and that God will reveal to him that he is lost, that he needs to repent and trust Jesus.

Isn’t it amazing how God works? Brian insisted that I keep the Gospel of John that he handed me and I still had it when I had the conversation with Andrew about John 3. This encounter just reminds me of what Peter stated, that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It was also great to see how much God changed his attitude from f you earlier to listening to the Gospel at the end.

How Is God Helping Me?

Friday night Aaron, Kelly, Steven, Diana, Elise, Erica and I witnessed downtown. While we were singing hymns, a homeless guy came up and asked Kelly for money. When he said no, the guy said f you all. Then when I was bringing a message about Who Is Really On Trial, the same guy walked by several times. He kept asking for money and when we didn’t give him any, he yelled “shut the f up.” One time he stopped right in front of me and yelled “How Is God Helping Me? I’m out on the streets” I asked the guy if he’s and alcoholic. He didn’t want to answer the question. So I told him God didn’t make him homeless. He’s the one choosing the drink over God. As expected, he yelled “shut the f up” when he walked away.

Night of Rebellious Mockers

The homeless guy was just the first of many rebellious mockers that night. Kelly brought a message about the first open air in the Bible (Genesis 3:9) and Aaron brought a message about Rebellion or Repentance? Several more guys walked by cussing us out. One guy was very vile and cussed Aaron, Kelly and I out while Aaron was preaching. He kept saying we shouldn’t force Christianity down people’s throats. We reminded him that we weren’t forcing him to stay there. He was free to walk on.

Another mocker was rebelling against the truth Aaron was preaching and the young man asked about marijuana. Aaron told him that it was the same as sorcery in the Bible; that it’s a sin. The young man and his friends started dancing around laughing that they were going to Hell. Obviously they don’t have the right perspective of the real Hell.

Turn To Christ Like You Are Turning The Corner

While we were singing hymns to start the night a car load of guys drove by and a guy in the passenger seat held up a piece of paper against the side window that had a hand drawn pentagram on it. Later on the same car drove by while I was preaching and a guy in the backseat yelled something out the window. I was pleading with people to turn from their sins and turn to Christ. So after the guy yelled, I yelled back that they needed to turn from their sins turn to Christ just like they were turning the corner at that moment in their car.

One guy tore a tract up and threw it on the ground right in front of us. But in the midst of all the rebelliousness, cussing and mocking, we handed out a few tracts, two New Testaments and Kelly got into a long conversation with a young man named Austin (the same guy that tore up the tract earlier!) Here’s Kelly’s account in his own words:  His name is Austin, originally he took a track from one of our group and ripped it up throwing it on the ground. He came back through our group “cheering” that he was hell bound.

I asked him, “why are you cheering?”

He literally shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know. I used to go to church but I’m not “religious.”

I said, “It’s okay there is quite a few “religious” people going to hell as well.”

He said, “What you’re doing feels judgmental.”

I said, “God’s word can feel that way. Many non-believer’s flee from God’s truth. The Bible tells in Romans 3:23 there is none righteous, no not one.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

I said, ” You’ve told a lie haven’t you?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “You’ve stolen something haven’t you?”

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “That makes you a liar and a thief so what will happen on Judgement day?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

I said, “Unrepentant sinners who do not accept Jesus as their Savior will be hell bound. Do you understand that is where you’re going?”

He said, “Yes.”

I told him, ” John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

He shrugged his shoulders and started to walk away. I said, “wait a minute” and gave him another gospel track. This time he took it and did not tear it up.

Please pray for Austin that he will come to have a relationship with Christ. Also, please pray for both Andrews from MSU as well all the mockers and scoffers we encountered this last week. t was great to see God softening Austin’s heart like Andrew’s was softened earlier in the week.

(These updates are provided to encourage Christians to share their faith in Jesus with others).