Is Everyone Really Awesome?

Is Everyone Really Awesome?

Ministry Update April 28, 2019

Kelly, Conner and I witnessed downtown Friday night and the couple with signs were back. Just like before, they held signs that read, “You Are Wonderful” and “You Are Awesome.” Then on the ground between them, they had a sign that said, “Acceptance Not Judgment.” Since that sign was obviously directed toward us, I wonder if that means we aren’t awesome after all? As people walked past, the couple yelled, “You Are Wonderful” and “You Are Awesome.” Guess what? Most people that they said this to, repeated the same words back to the couple. I’m sure they went home feeling really good about themselves. But is true? Are you awesome? Are you wonderful? Is everyone really awesome?

Before we started open-air preaching, three young people came up to the couple. One took a picture of his friend with the couple while they held up their signs. Then all three joined the couple and helped hold up signs. I suppose they enjoyed telling other people how wonderful and awesome they are. But again, is everyone really wonderful? Are we all really awesome?

I started off with the first message, No Excuses. Unbelievers will have no excuses on Judgment Day. I remarked that this is true, no matter how many times people tell you that you are wonderful and awesome during your lifetime. There will be no excuses on Judgment Day and every mouth will be stopped. All God mockers and scoffers will be speechless on the great and terrible day of the Lord. I had one drive by mocker and the couple with the signs ignored the message.

Was Stalin Awesome?

Kelly preached after me and he started right off asking, “Is everyone awesome? Even pedophiles and murderers? He asked the couple how do they know the people they are pointing to and saying you are awesome, aren’t bad people? How do they know they are wonderful? Is everyone really awesome? How about Stalin? Was he awesome? He was as mass murderer. Was Stalin awesome? Of course, the sign couple didn’t answer, but sadly, a young man across the street yelled, “Stalin had family that loved him.” Really? In your touchy feely, all things are relative world, you are going to try to justify Stalin was awesome because you assume some of his family members loved him?

Kelly had several mockers. One passenger yelled f-you and flipped him off as the driver drove through the intersection in front of us. Another driver was yelling in support of the sign people. I happened to look over at her and she yelled, “You guys should take a hint from them (the sign couple). Kelly was talking about the rich man who died and in Hell begged for a drop of water (Luke 16:19-31). He sarcastically said the man in Hell was having an awesome time and he wanted his five awesome brothers to join him in that awesome place. He was making a great point that we are not all awesome and everything isn’t wonderful.

Conner preached next and he also incorporated the sign couple into his message. No matter how much we reasoned with them, they totally ignored us (except when the woman recorded part of Kelly’s message). They just kept telling everyone how awesome they are and how wonderful they are. But this isn’t what the Bible says and we all three pointed out Bible verses to the contrary of their feel-good message. Conner also had a mocker, a guy walking toward the sign couple, kept looking over at Conner and shaking his head no.

Witnessing To A Catholic

In addition to open-air preaching, we handed out 30 New Testaments and several Gospel tracts. The first guy I offered a New Testament to, took one. The second guy said no, but then he surprised me by pulling a New Testament out of his back pocket. I love seeing people carrying their Bible or New Testament with them. One woman refused a New Testament because she said that she’s a Mormon. At the end of the night, Kelly, Conner and I were just chatting and getting ready to leave. I handed a tract to a guy and he looked down at it, so I said, “It tells you about Jesus.” That’s when Billy said, “I’m Catholic”. Then he confessed that he’s not a practicing Catholic.

Then I told him that I didn’t want to get into Catholicism, but I had a question for him. I asked him when he gets to the end of his life, what is he going to count on to get him to Heaven? Billy replied that he hopes on Judgment Day that God deems he’s been good enough to go there. I gently pointed out that we can’t earn our salvation. None of us are good enough to go to Heaven. That salvation is through Jesus alone. I told Billy that Jesus said we must repent and believe the Gospel.

Charles Bronson

Then Billy quoted John 3:16 to me. I told Billy that we have to repent from our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus. The Lord said we have to deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). He told me that he had a Bible, so I encouraged him to read it every day. Then Billy told Conner that he looks like Charles Bronson. I laughed and told Billy that Conner is in his 20’s, he doesn’t know who Charles Bronson is. Kelly pulled up a picture of Charles Bronson on his phone and showed it to Conner. Before that, Conner guessed that Charles Bronson was an actor. Then Billy did some Jimmy Stewart impressions from It’s A Wonderful Life.

I gave Billy an invite card to Crossway Baptist Church. A little later, Billy told us that he is working, but that he’s currently homeless. Kelly asked what about Victory Mission, but Billy didn’t want to go there. (Unfortunately, that’s generally a red flag when someone tells us they don’t like all the rules at places that help out homeless people). Then Kelly asked him about Freeway Ministries, and Billy said that he knows John Stroup. Kelly pointed out that Freeway has some housing options. I gave Billy an invite card to Freeway Ministries and told him if he calls them, they will pick up and feed him Saturday night and that he can also call them, and they will bring him to Crossway on Sunday morning.

Billy shook our hands and I again pleaded with him to read the Bible every day. That I wasn’t talking to him about religion, but about Jesus. Billy is a really likeable guy. I won’t say he’s wonderful or awesome because he’s not. None of us are. Jesus is wonderful and awesome. But Billy seemed to have a great personality and we hope and pray that we will see him in Heaven one day. That God will grant him repentance and faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Student Crossed Street For A New Testament

I witnessed at MSU on Wednesday April 23, 2019. The student that drew a cross picture for me, waved and smiled while I was open-air preaching. She’s one of the students that always encourages me (when she sees me) when I’m witnessing on campus. Another student listened to part of the message. But the one thing that happened that I don’t remember happening before was a student crossed the street and asked me for a New Testament while I was handing them out. He actually had to ran to catch up to me. That was very encouraging.

 

Earlier while I was bringing the message, the silent mocker walked by and just stared at me. Before that, a student yelled “Hail Satan” as he and a friend walked away from me. I was talking about unbelievers suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and I pointed out to the other students that could hear me that once again, God provided a mocker right on cue, proving the Bible is true. I praise God for the 23 New Testaments that students accepted. May the Lord bless the New Testaments, convict students to read them, believe the word and surrender their lives fully and completely to Jesus Christ the Lord.

(These updates are given to encourage Christians to share the Gospel with others)