Ministry Update March 6, 2016
Free Hugs Again
When Aaron and I got to MSU last Wednesday, some students were there offering free hugs again. The worst part is a couple of them spent the majority of the time arguing with us, trying to tell us we are presenting Jesus the wrong way while all they were doing was offering free hugs again!
How can preaching the Gospel be wrong? It’s biblical and we are commanded by Jesus to do so. He said go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Aaron and I go to MSU. Isn’t this part of our world? We preach to the students. Aren’t they God’s creatures or His creations? Yes, what we are doing is biblical. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14).
The students who are professing Christians, who stand against us and our preaching the Gospel, how are they sharing Jesus? By offering free hugs…again. Now please notice that they didn’t even offer free hugs in the name of Jesus. They just offered free hugs. I have to admit this drives me absolutely crazy. One free hugger was very argumentative (and yes I’ve tried to talk to him in the past) and he argued with Aaron, but wouldn’t answer his questions so Aaron went back to open-air preaching. After he finished this same student started arguing some more. While Aaron was preaching, I tried to talk to the young man, but he kept repeating that no one was listening to us and we are driving them away. The students are already lost and on the broad road to Hell, where exactly are we driving them too?
I told this young man some of the Bible verses quoted above and I asked him to show me Bible verses that say we should just give people free hugs? Show me Bible verses that say we are just to merely ask people to our church? He couldn’t come up with any but he accused us of being clanging gongs or banging cymbals. I told him God compels us to preach the Gospel. He said the Spirit is telling him that what we are doing is wrong. I pointed out to him that we can’t both be right because God never goes against Himself. I told him that I’m going to keep preaching and that we’ll find out at the Judgment who is right.
Aaron finished his message and he started talking to this young man while switched over and talked to other student that confronted us. This student told me that he leads the free hugs effort and he’s part of a Christian fraternity. I pointed out to him that even atheists offer free hugs. In fact, we used to have atheists come downtown and hold signs (they probably will be back this summer because they aren’t committed enough to their cause to stand out there in cold weather). Atheists offer free hugs just like these professing Christians. So I asked him when people are receiving a free hug from you, how can they know it’s in the name of Jesus when you don’t mention Jesus? His response, well where did love come from, isn’t God love? I said, yes, but Jesus pointed out that even then sinners love their own families.
Right while I was talking to this young man, a student rode up on his bicycle and received a free hug from a young lady. Then he rode off toward a busy street. I asked this Christian leader if the young lady gave him a hug in the name of Jesus. He said that he didn’t know so I asked her if she told the bicyclist about Jesus as she hugged him. The professing Christian leader told her that she didn’t have to answer me.
Rode Off After Free Hug
So as we watched the bicyclist ride toward the busy street, I asked this professing Christian leader what if that young man on the bicycle rides out there and get’s killed by a car. How will that hug help him when he goes straight to Hell in the next second? How did that hug benefit him at all?
Incredibly the professing young Christian leader said you think it would be her fault if they guy dies and goes to Hell? I said yes, his blood will be on her hands. She had the chance to tell him about Jesus but all she did was give him a hug. Lord help us and may He help this younger generation. I ended my conversation with the young by inviting him and his friends to join us downtown on Friday nights. They can offer free hugs while we preach the Gospel because the sign holders do draw larger crowds.
Friday Night March 4, 2016
On the Square or South and Walnut?
Because it was Art Walk and warmer weather, we weren’t sure whether we would be witnessing on the square or at the corner of South and Walnut. Since two parking lots were full, I guessed that we’d be on the square. So I went there and started getting things ready. Since my friends weren’t there yet, I handed tracts to three young men named Chaz, Austin and Dylan. It turns out they were from Lebanon, MO (my hometown).
I shared the Gospel with them. They understood about repentance and trusting Jesus. But sadly when I asked them where they go to church, two of them don’t go at all and the other one had tried a couple of different churches. I asked if they have Bibles and all three said they have Bibles at home. I suggested they find a Bible believing church and I especially recommended that they read their Bibles every day.
South and Walnut
When I got to South and Walnut, Aaron was talking to a man and Erica was talking to Micah. So it appears that we had some good conversations. After we prayed we started off by singing several hymns and it seems like we have more kids from Aaron’s church joining us every Friday night. So this time Erica led the kids in singing Jesus Loves Me. It was great having them join us and sing songs, especially this one.
Global Warming
After we sang the hymns, I brought a message about global warming. I pointed out that there is a professing Christian who comes downtown and he’s against us handing out tracts because some people litter. This man is more worried about a piece of paper potentially ending up on the ground than he is about someone’s eternal soul. Yes, littering is wrong, but where a person spends eternity is so much more important. The interesting thing was the man I was mentioning was actually standing across the street with two other men while I was preaching. I didn’t single him out, but I think that he may have realized that I was talking about him.
Taping Up Flyer
Then Aaron brought a message and one of the guys who sings for money came over and tried to tape a flyer to my stand that Aaron was standing on. I told him to leave the stand alone so then he walked up to me and slapped me on the back. Of course I knew he was really taping the flyer to my back so It grabbed it and threw it away. While Aaron preached, Erica, Diana, Elise and I handed out tracts.
I was literally standing on the Northwest corner of South and Walnut so I caught several people who were standing there waiting to cross the street. One guy refused a tract, then he took one and asked me what it was. I told him it was a Gospel tract. He said something like interesting. So I asked him where he goes to church and he said that he doesn’t go anywhere. His friends were walking away and he wanted to join them, but I talked him into hanging around long enough and I handed him an invite card to my church.
Strange Ending
Aaron was finishing up his message when a mocker came dancing by. Then we ended the night singing hymns. One lady who was extremely drunk walked up and put her arms around Aaron and I. Aaron asked her if she wanted to sing a hymn with us and she said no. She wanted to sing a different song. She said something strange about us having the freedom to do this in our country and that she doesn’t have that freedom.
The way she said it, made it sound like she was from somewhere else. So I asked her where she was from and she said from right here. It was very strange. Then a young man kept walking up and standing next the building behind us. After a while he’d walk down the sidewalk and then he’d come back again. He did this several times so Aaron asked him if he had a question and he just shrugged his shoulders. So the night ended a little on the strange side. But may God bless the tracts, the messages and the singing that went forth. May He draw lost souls to Himself as only He can do.