Former False Convert
Ministry Update July 2, 2017
Friday night Kelly, Aaron, Margaret, Diana, Elise, Desi and I started off singing hymns like normal. Then Kelly started us off with the first message. He had a car that kept driving by with a woman at the wheel and a man in the passenger seat. She laid on the horn and he stuck his head out the window motioning that he couldn’t hear Kelly. They were just some of the many mockers we encountered (sadly as usual).
Demon Possessed?
Then I brought a message about The Lord Lives. I also drew several mockers. Some just mouthed off and walked on including the judge not. I didn’t even bother pointing out the hypocrisy of the mockers judging us for judging. I pretty much just encouraged them to have a good night or said “God bless you.” Right as I was finishing up my message a young man walked up and really started mocking hard. We never want to quit preaching while someone is mocking, so I kept going. He was making fun of Jesus and talking about the serpent slithering on the ground. Aaron and I wondered the man was demonically possessed, but Diana thinks maybe he was just acting. Either way, he was a fierce mocker.
Before or after this incident, Kelly witnessed to Cody who stands around with us some Friday nights while we talk or sing, but usually disappears when the preaching starts. Kelly asked him if he goes to church anyway and Cody said his momma said he didn’t have to go to church because the church is full of hypocrites. Kelly told him it didn’t matter what his momma says, it matters what the Bible says. They talked for a while and Cody got angry and later on mentioned his momma again. Kelly told him that he’d already said that he wasn’t going to talk about his momma. We hope and pray that God will convict and convert Cody.
Mockers Went Crazy
After I wrapped up the message, Aaron preached and he really brought it. Somehow he combined hard preaching with pleading and it was great. Mockers went crazy. At that time I was across the street handing out New Testaments when a young man next to me was walking around kind of in circles yelling across the street at Aaron. There were other mockers stopping near Aaron as well people yelling and revving their engines while they drove past.
Encouraging MSU Student
But before I headed across the street, I was standing on the corner near Kelly and Aaron handing out New Testaments there. Two young women stopped at the cross walk near me. One leaned over and said “Do you preach at MSU?” I told her yes and she encouraged me and thanked me for witnessing there. She told me that her friend and her were Christians and they appreciated me witnessing on campus. I must admit that we get accused of yelling at students (while we really are speaking loudly so more people can hear the Gospel) and of being harsh and/or judgmental. In fact a friend who witnesses with us when he can has recently told me on two different occasions that we need to lighten up at MSU. This is more the normal condemnation and criticism. But every now and then God sends an encourager our way.
Struck Up A Conversation With Malachi
If that wasn’t enough, again while I was across the street and Aaron was still preaching, Malachi walked by me so I struck up a conversation with him. He wanted to know what church we are affiliated with, so I told him Aaron and the people behind him go to his church, Kelly goes to Macedonia Baptist Church and I go to Crossway Baptist Church. When I asked him where he goes, he said James River Assembly.
I asked Malachi how he came to faith and it turns out that he’s also a former false convert. He asked Jesus into his heart when he was eight years old, but admitted that he really didn’t understand it all back then. He told me that he truly surrendered his life to Jesus Christ when he was a freshman in high school. Later on during our discussion, he told me that he had really started reading the Bible regularly year before high school. Our spiritual journeys were very similar except he came to faith much sooner than I did. I was a false convert for 33 years where Malachi was only one for about six years.
Refreshing To Talk To A True Believer
Anyway it was very refreshing talking to a true believer. We generally encounter many professing Christians who just want to tell us that we are witnessing the wrong way, while they try to justify their sin the whole time. Malachi didn’t do any of that. In fact when I mentioned discipleship, he got really excited. He has a mentor who also tells him that so many of our churches are missing discipleship and to that I say Amen.
Aaron was finishing up his message and for some reason I guess they were late letting people into the Outland Ballroom across the street from us and the people standing in line were really mocking the preaching a lot. I think God really broke Aaron’s heart for all the lost souls waiting to enter the bar. God does that to all of us true believers from time to time. (We are always concerned for lost souls, but sometimes we are deeply broken. There are times when I’m driving down the road and God reminds me that many, the majority of the people going both ways are lost and on the road to Hell. It just gets overwhelming to think about, so I don’t think we can stay in that state of brokenness for lost souls all the time).
I Don’t Want To End The Message
Aaron was really broken-hearted for so many lost souls standing in line so they could get drunk and who knows what else. So he couldn’t end his message. He looked at me and said “I don’t want to end the message.” So I replied back don’t end it, keep preaching. So he started again. Aaron reminded the people how these are just like the days of Noah. He explained how Noah preached and invited people to get on the ark to be saved, but they would not. As Aaron preached and pleaded, many of the people openly mocked him and mocked God. We really must be in the last days. Many people are hard-hearted and so rebellious toward God. They were invited to come to Jesus, but they would not.
Kelly And Malachi Witness To Steven
There was a young man across the street who stopped to listen to part of Aaron’s message. Then he moved on and Kelly offered him a tract. Malachi happened to be next Kelly talking to him (they had a great and encouraging conversation too) when the young man named Steven fell or sat down. So Kelly and Malachi sat down next to him. They witnessed to Steven and Kelly said when they brought up a Bible verse, Steven would finish it for them. They talked to him for quite a while and Steven confided that he’s only 26 years old and has cancer. From the way Kelly described it, the cancer must be really bad. So Kelly and Malachi prayed with Steven before he stood back up and walked on.
Even with all the mockers and scoffers, it was a great night. Kelly and I were both highly encouraged with our encounters with Malachi. Several tracts were handed out as well as 15 New Testaments. The Gospel went forth in the open-air and may God bless the tracts, the conversations and the preaching. We also pray that God will compel people to read the New Testaments and may God convict non-believers and false converts alike that they need to repent and trust Jesus. May we find out on Judgment Day that more souls were saved and new believers can join Malachi, Aaron and I in saying that we are former false converts. May God save lost souls as only He can.
Not A Very Dedicated Mocker
On Wednesday, Aaron and I were blessed to have Doug join us again witnessing at Planned Parenthood. Doug got there before us and said he saw about five people go in there. We didn’t realize until we started preaching that two of the women were still there because we saw them walk out as we were witnessing.
Aaron and I both brought messages. We pleaded with the women inside Planned Parenthood as well as the workers to repent and trust Jesus. One woman kept turning around in her seat and smiled while Aaron was preaching. When a young man pulled up in a truck, she ran out and jumped in and they drove off quickly. While Aaron was preaching a God mocker pulled into the parking lot and laid on the horn for a whole minute.
One Minute Mocker
Then he turned around and drove off. All I could think was that he was not a very dedicated mocker. All he could last was one minute for his belief in the right to murder a little baby in the womb? How pathetic was that? If one minute was all you could devote to your belief in your rebellion against God, would that really be worth the bother for one minute? But I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that someone pathetic enough to be pro-abortion, pro-murder would also be so pathetic that all they could devote was one minute to try to hinder the Gospel going forth.
(These updates area given to encourage Christians to share their faith in Jesus with others. You may never stand on a box on a street corner and open-air preach, but could you stand in front of your local abortion clinic and plead with women to not kill their pre-born baby?)