Kentucky Derby Outreach 2017

Street Evangelists Really Are Crazy

While driving eight hours to the Kentucky Derby Outreach last Thursday (including an extra hour out of the way to avoid the local flooding) I had a lot of time to think about the outreach. I thought about the long drive to the camp and I was looking forward to fellowshipping with the other 24 evangelists from around the country and the teaching that night from Dr. Gentry from Southern Seminary. But I also couldn’t help but think about how long the drive was to Louisville, how the weather forecast was calling for rain both Friday and Saturday and remembering all the mockers and scoffers from The Derby the last few years and I realized that I really am crazy and all street evangelists really are crazy.

Who in their right mind would sign up for this? We wake up Friday and Saturday morning at 5 am, pray together as a group from 6 am to 7 am, go to Churchill Downs, get rained on for two days and get verbally abused for two days. Who does something like this? Well, the roads in my local area were cleared up and it only took me seven hours to drive back home. I went back over the event and concluded that street evangelists really are crazy. There’s no other way to say this: we really are crazy.

We got to Churchill Downs before 8 am on Friday and it was raining as soon as we got there. Not only was it raining, but the temperature was in the high 40’s. It was windy and it was much colder than most of us expected. The crowd was smaller than usual because of the weather, but we open-air preached, handed out tracts and got into one to one conversations. Tracts were hard to hand out in the rain, but Joe brought several signs so a few of us held up signs most of the day. The Gospel went forth in sound by the preachers and visually by the signs. It’s really amazing how many people you see reading the signs as they walk by.

Thumb’s Down

Saturday morning started off pretty much the same way. We were at Churchill Downs before 8 am and it started raining right when we got there. It was warmer and the weather cleared up later on, even though it did rain a time or two in the afternoon. A few of us on Heath’s team went down a block to another corner and started preaching there while the rest of the team stayed at our main spot. Andy started us off and drew several mockers and he wasn’t even preaching hard. He was just sharing the truth that we’ve all sinned and that Jesus is the only Savior. One woman walked by and gave him a thumb’s down.

A young man walked by and yelled John 3:16 (he was the first of many that yelled this out) so I suggested that he read John 3:36 and in fact, he should read the whole chapter of John 3. Once while I was just standing there holding a tract out, a guy walked by and yelled f you. I’m always surprised when they get so upset over a Gospel tract. If you don’t want one, just walk on by.

A drunk guy probably in his 20’s walked by and said that he wanted a tract. He took a few steps, turned around and said there are too many f ing words on this to read and flung it to the ground. Then a drunk girl probably in her 20’s took a tract and stuck it down the top of her dress. I hope she found it later and actually read it.

Catholic

A woman walked by us and said “I’m Catholic.” She was the first of many to say that. Evidently there are a lot of Catholics in Louisville and sadly, they think that they don’t need the Gospel because well, their Catholic. They think they can sin, ask the priest for forgiveness, take the sacraments, say a penance or two and just keep repeating the cycle. They don’t believe they need to repent because they just keep doing this same thing over and over again. I tried to tell one young man that there’s no hope in the pope; there’s only hope in Christ alone.

He argued with me that he is supposed to follow the pope. I told him that the pope blasphemes God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He walked back toward me and pointed his finger at me and said Jesus set the pope up and that the pope is his authority. I pleaded with him to repent and trust Christ alone.

Then a guy flipped me off while I was just standing there holding a sign that said “Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through me.” One woman told Andy that she wants to go to Hell. Jamie was holding out a tract and a guy yelled at him to get that f ing thing away from him, like it was offensive just being close to him. While Ben was preaching a young lady walked by and he asked her if she died today, where would she go? She turned around and smiled at him and said that she’d go to Hell. People that say this really don’t want God, but they have no idea how horrible Hell really is and that the pain and suffering never ends.

Three guys walked by Andy and I while we were preaching and holding the John 14:6 sign and they all three derived great pleasure in telling us graphically how they were going to have sex with each other. They think this is shocking, but we’ve seen so many debaucherous people at these events that they don’t shock us, but they are heaping more of God’s wrath against them (Romans 2:5).

Not Jesus But Anti-Christ

One guy walked by us going into racetrack and said that he’s Jesus. When he came back out, he said the same thing again. I told him that he’s not Jesus, but in fact anti-Christ. The Bible warns of people claiming to be Jesus. I pointed out the young man that when Jesus comes back he’s coming with a two-edged sword that will destroy His enemies (Revelation 1:16; 19:15). I said sir, you are no two-edged sword. You need to repent and trust Jesus.

Toward the end of the day Maxwell was really drunk and he walked up and said my aunt is a great person and she’s gay. Do you hate my aunt? Heath was preaching at the time and he told Maxwell that we don’t hate his aunt, but she needs to repent and trust Jesus just like everyone else needs to do. So then Maxwell walked up to me told me how wonderful his aunt is, that she’s gay and that it shouldn’t matter. He wanted to know my opinion. I told him my opinion didn’t matter, it’s God’s word that matters.

I asked him if he knew what 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says and he said no. So, I quoted him the verse and I reminded him that homosexuality was only one of the sins mentioned there (actually with the word effeminate or transgender there’s two) and I related the others again, especially adultery, fornication, idolatry, drunkards and thieves. I said these verses say do not be deceived the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Since he was drunk I really pointed out that no unrepentant drunkard will make it to Heaven. He didn’t like any of this and walked away saying that his aunt is gay and she’s a great person. I also reminded him that none of us are good, no not one.

Very Vocal And Really Vile

To end the night Daniel, Lucas, Joe, Jamie and I all brought messages while the crowd came out after the race. Other evangelists were preaching at the two other spots as well. The crowd wasn’t as rowdy as the last couple of years, but they were very vocal and really vile. They cussed us out, one guy pushed Lucas off the box which was my fault because the guy reached behind me and shoved him. Many people took tracts just to throw them on the ground or threw them back at us. Some even tore them up before throwing them down and one guy threw the tract down and stomped on it. Many yelled vile and disgusting things but the truth went forth despite the craziness.

Now that I’ve mentioned the negative and crazy things, let me tell what else happened. The second or third time Andy preached, a woman walked by and said Amen. A gentleman walked up to him and gave him a fist bump while he was preaching. In fact several people walked by and encouraged us and thanked us for being out there. One time I was bringing a message and a dad walked by with his kids walking right behind him and he gave me a thumbs up. Later on they were walking away from me across the street. The dad turned and gave me a thumbs up and his young son turned around and gave me a thumbs up too. So I smiled and gave them both a thumbs up too.

One time while Andy was preaching how true Christians live their lives for Jesus a young man walked by and said why would anyone live for someone else. I said that will preach! Unbelievers don’t understand why we would live for someone, but when you are truly saved, you do live your life for Jesus.

Two different young women stopped in the Starbucks parking lot to listen while I was pleading with people to turn from their sin and turn to Jesus Christ the only Savior. It happened during the very first message and then again later on Saturday. May God water those seeds that were planted. Toward the end of the day I was holding a sign that quoted John 3:7 and a drunk girl walked by me and read the sign to whoever she was talking to on the phone. She could hardly walk, but she said into her phone the sign says: Jesus said you must be born again. Jamie was across the sidewalk and he pointed out that even though she was drunk, she was sharing the Gospel!

Adam C was on one of the other teams and I saw a picture posted on Facebook where he was praying with a gentleman. I don’t know what that was about, but God knows. A young man was excited to hear the preaching and told us that he’d just recently been baptized. One of my favorite things that happened was while a couple of us brought messages, Andy had a long discussion with a guy on a bicycle. After they finished talking I asked Andy about it and he said the guy appeared to be a genuine believer but didn’t know how to share the Gospel. So Andy taught him how to do so. Praise God!

Crazy Street Evangelists

Even though street evangelists really are crazy, we wouldn’t want it any other way. Maybe someday in Heaven God will show us what He did through the tracts, the conversations, the signs and the Gospel presentations. Then on the other hand, maybe we’ll never now. That’s all right to because everything we do is for the glory of God and when someone does repent and put their faith in Jesus, it’s all because of God. Salvation is of the Lord.

My friends and I marvel frequently how God could save sinners such as ourselves. That it’s only by God’s great mercy and grace that He saved us. Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross for us. He took the punishment that we deserved. So long hours driving to an outreach, going several days on very little sleep, enduring cold, rainy weather and verbal abuse is absolutely nothing compared to what Christ did for us. My friends and are crazy; we are crazy about Jesus because He saved wretched sinners like us. Has He saved you? Have you truly repented and surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? Yes, you say? Then what keeps you from being crazy for the One that gave you such a great of salvation?