I Go To Church

I Go To Church

Ministry Update September 30, 2018

There was an Awaken The Dawn event in the park next to our normal witnessing spot Friday night, so Conner and I witnessed at the corner of South and Walnut. We encountered many mockers there and after we both brought messages and handed out tracts, we went back to our normal witnessing spot. There, we also encountered more mockers. But in addition to the mockers, we also heard a phrase that we’ve heard many times while witnessing downtown: I go to church. 

I go to church. Going to church is not salvation. While talking to people about Jesus Christ and salvation found in Him alone, many times people will reply – I go to church. We were handing out tracts and a large group of young men were standing near us. Conner handed a tract to one person and I handed a tract to another young man.

It turned out that both of them are roommates. The one I talked to briefly said that he goes to a very large church. I took the opportunity to explain to him that Conner and I are both former false converts, how we went to church when we were younger, thought we were saved, but really weren’t. Then I further explained how there was no difference in my life when I thought I was saved than my non-believing friends. Now that I’m saved, God has changed me and how God calls us to be holy because He is holy. About that time the young man said he had to go.

Young Man Said I Go To Church

But Conner was still talking to the young man that he had been talking to. Conner was explaining the Gospel to him when he replied “I go to church.” Like he didn’t understand why Conner was witnessing to him since he goes to church. Obviously, the young man didn’t get it and it appears that he may not understand salvation if his answer to salvation is I go to church. We hope and pray that both young men read the tracts and may God reach them and others that heard the Gospel and received tracts.

As I mentioned earlier, we encountered many mockers Friday night. Here’s a brief sample of what we saw and heard. “Your competition is on the square”. A guy yelled blasphemy while Conner was preaching. I thought to myself, yeah, there’s blasphemy going on here alright – from the one yelling blasphemy. One mocker mouthed off something while I was open-air preaching. The as he walked by Conner, the man tried to knock the tract away as he swung upward and told him to get that away from him. Others mouthed off, but they were pretty much unintelligible.

Working Hard To Improve Myself

A skateboarder took a tract then turned around and showed me his calloused hands. I couldn’t hear what he said so I asked him to repeat himself. This time I heard him and he said, “See, I’m working hard to improve myself.” I replied that it was good that he’s trying to improve himself and working hard, but that we can’t earn salvation. It is a free gift from God. Sadly, he replied that life is what you make it and he ran off to catch his friends.

After Conner and I walked back to our regular witnessing spot, two girls in the back of one car yelled as they passed by us. One said something unrepeatable and the other yelled “God sucks.” After that a guy yelled from his vehicle that he liked my hat. I told him thanks then he wanted to know if we were with the Jesus people on the square. I told him no, we are with the Jesus people here on this corner. Overall Conner and I didn’t respond to the mockers throughout the night. But I probably got a little wound up when the guy tried to knock the tract out of Conner’s hand.

I was bringing a message on how people rejected Jesus 2,000 years ago and how they are still rejecting Him today. I pointed out that you can mock God as long as He gives you the breath to do so. But one day you will breathe your last and you will stand before Jesus at the judgment and you won’t mock on that day. Your mouth will be silent. Conner brought a great message about how the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing and how we can only have peace with God through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Nobody Wants To Hear This

On Wednesday at MSU I had several mockers, one encourager and one person said he liked my hat. But one of the mockers said “Nobody wants to hear this” as he walked past me. I said, “You are exactly right young man, nobody wants to hear this. People want to hear that God is love. That everything is relative. You believe what you believe and I believe what I believe and we just leave each other alone.”

But that’s not the truth, so it is important to share God’s truth with this lost and dying world. As he kept walking, I just shared with the students that we have all sinned against God, that His standard is perfection and none of us are perfect. I don’t know the students and they don’t know me, but one thing I do know is that not a single one of us is perfect. We’ve all rebelled against God. We’ve all sinned against the great Creator and we’ve fallen short of His glory. Sin separates us from God and the only way to get back in a right relationship with God is through Jesus Christ and Him alone. Jesus is the sinless one. He is the one who took the punishment for guilty sinners. Punishment that He did not deserve.

The Lord suffered, bled and died on that cruel cross while God poured out His anger over sin upon His precious Son. The same Son that was beaten by wicked men beyond recognition. Jesus died, was buried and rose from the grave three days later. Salvation is only found in the one who defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. I pleaded with students to repent and surrender their lives to Jesus, fully and completely. To those who are reading this right now, I plead the same for you if you are not already a follower of Jesus Christ the Lord. Repent and believe the Gospel.

(These updates are provided to encourage Christians to share the Gospel. Time is short and the days are evil. Plead with people to repent from their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ the Lord)