Only Two Conversations

Only Two Conversations

Ministry Update September 1, 2019

Conner and I had only two conversations while witnessing downtown Friday night, but they basically lasted the whole time we were there. We started off handing out New Testaments and Gospel tracts. Right off the bat I tried to hand New Testaments to Ryan and Renee. He laughed and told me that he had a ton of these at home. So I said, “Do you read them?” He replied that he did and then he asked where we go to church. I told him I go to Crossway Baptist Church and Conner goes to Hope Baptist Church. Then Ryan told me that he “home” churches and that they are Mormons.

For the next thirty minutes or so, I tried to get Ryan to see that we don’t believe the same things. Christians believe in the Trinity – God revealing Himself in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Mormons don’t believe in the Trinity. But Ryan argued that we both believe salvation is found in Christ alone – through repentance and faith. I kept trying to get him to see that we are not worshiping the same God. I even got him to admit that the Bible and the Book of Mormon have discrepancies. He claimed they were of equal authority and he was fine that they don’t both line up. (Looking back on it, I should have talked more about truth and error and how Jesus is the truth).

Read The Bible

I kept encouraging Ryan to read the Bible and ask God to reveal the truth to him and Ryan replied that I should read the Book of Mormon to find the truth. Obviously, we greatly disagree on where to find truth. (Jesus is the truth, so I personally will stick to the Bible). Before Ryan and Renee left, I asked Conner if he had anything to add and he joined the conversation too. He also challenged Ryan who relished in our discussions, but unfortunately Renee was freezing the whole time. It was around 65 degrees, overcast and very windy Friday night.

Ryan decided they needed to leave because Renee was cold, but he asked Conner and I to pray with them, especially for their children. Conner and I both looked at each other and we weren’t too enthused about praying with people who believe differently than we do. Ryan could see our apprehension so he spoke up and said it was ok if we wanted to pray for their salvation. Now we had no hesitation at all. Conner and I both prayed that God would save both of them and their kids.

Judge Not Mocker

Right after that encounter I brought the first message and immediately a guy rode up on his bicycle. His name is Robby and he started talking to Conner. I had a couple of drive-by mockers. One passenger yelled “Judge not lest ye be judged.” I yelled back, “Read past Matthew 7:1.” I couldn’t hear what the other mocker said. It turns out that Robby was raised Catholic, but is now an atheist. After I finished the message, I started handing out New Testaments again while Conner and Robby continued talking. Normally, I cross the street after open-air preaching, but I didn’t want to leave Conner. Across the street more people tend to walk by that corner, but while we preach, we want to be respectful and not be too loud.

Before long I realized that Conner’s conversation wasn’t going to end anytime soon and I wasn’t reaching the people across the street so I brought a second message. I challenged people if they died tonight, where would they go? Heaven or Hell? I pointed out that we have all sinned against God and how Holy He is and that Jesus is the only Savior. I pleaded with people to repent and trust the Lord. Don’t know why, but this time many people were stirred up. Had several drive-by mockers and people mocked as they walked by. But the glorious Gospel still went forth.

I Smoke Weed

When I finished the second message, Conner and Robby were still talking, so I started handing out New Testaments again. A group of three young people walked by me twice and one man mouthed off both times. First time he said he didn’t believe in God. The second time he told me to keep that bull in my pocket. A couple walked past me and they refused the New Testaments and the guy said, “I smoke weed.” I told him he could still read the Bible anyway. He agreed with me, but he was too far past and didn’t want to turn around.

Conner and Robby ended up talking for close to an hour and a half. Conner got Robby to see that it takes faith to be an atheist just like it takes faith for us to believe in Jesus. He challenged Robby’s worldview and gave him some things to think about. As Robby was leaving, Conner introduced him to me. Robby told me that his girlfriend doesn’t like it when I preach down here, so he usually can’t stop and talk. It turns out that she was raised legalistically and had a bad marriage because of it.

Fix My Dinner Woman

I told him that I was really sorry to hear that and anyone who reads that the wife is to submit to the husband and that means he just sits there and bosses her around like: “fix my dinner woman” or demands sex now, is not treating his wife biblically. Pointed out to Robby that right after Paul says a wife should submit to her husband, he goes on to say that the husband should love his wife like Jesus loves the church. How much did Jesus love the church? So much that He gave His life for us. If a husband truly loves his wife like this, he isn’t barking orders at her to do this or do that. Instead, he’s treating her in a Christ-like manner (Ephesians 5:22-25).

Again, I said I hated to hear that his girlfriend went through that. I said that I would encourage her to read the Bible. Surprisingly, he said she reads it all the time. May God open her eyes to the truth of the Bible and that she will see the abusive relationship that she was in was not biblical. Conner and I only had two conversations Friday night, but they were great conversations. This is what we hope and pray for before we go out witnessing. That God will bless the open-air preaching, bless the tracts and New Testaments that are handed out and that He will bless us with one to one conversations.

Sorry I Do Enough Drugs To See A Purple Sky

On Wednesday eight of us handed out 978 What Time Is Purple booklets at Missouri State University. We were very pleased that so many students took a booklet, especially since nearly 1,200 were handed out at the April outreach. Many students gladly received them, but some mockers didn’t. One girl took one from me and promptly walked over to the trash can and threw it away. Another young lady said, “I hate God.” I’m sure she does. You either love God and hate sin or you love your sin and hate God. There is no middle ground. An older student refused one and kept yelling “No commercial Christians.” Frankly, I have no idea what he was talking about. We weren’t selling anything. But I just replied there are a lot of false converts who need to repent and trust Jesus.

Tracy was witnessing at a different spot, but I saw him talking to people. Sebastian got into several conversations. He talked specifically to an atheist and to a professing believer. The atheist just wanted to argue his beliefs and the professing believer talked for quite a while. Sebastian was surprised that most students had earbuds in and most were walking by us while looking down at their phones. He just commented to me about this when two young men walked by who weren’t “plugged in.” Sebastian commended them for not being like everyone else.

More Conversations

Jeff talked to a couple of people. The first guy asked Jeff why his kids handed him the book and what it was about. He explained it to the guy and also gave him a tract. The guy thanked Jeff and said he would read them soon. The second guy was and older guy riding a bicycle and he was leery of the booklet. He thought we were a cult. Jeff explained that we were from different local churches and we were sharing the Gospel. The man was raised Seventh Day Adventist and had become more liberal. In his words, he was looking for a local United Methodist Church.

The guy doesn’t think the Old Testament is archaeologically reliable. Jeff explained that it is, but mainly kept bringing the man back to the Gospel. Then amazingly the man asked for clarification about how a sinful person could be present in Heaven, when God is holy and Heaven is holy. In Jeff’s own words, “This was an awesome door God opened. I was then able to explain the doctrine of imputation (our sin transferred to Christ, and His righteousness transferred and credited to us). I explained that’s the only way we could have assurance of our salvation.”

Four or five students walked by me that were all together. I heard one say, “Is this the guy?” One of his friends said, “Yes that’s him.” I’m assuming they were talking about how I open-air preach on campus every Wednesday. A couple of people asked me what the booklets were about and I told them they refute evolution and clearly share the Gospel. Everyone I explained this too, took one, including Raymond and Christian. They both shook my hand and thanked us for being out there. May God bless the booklets; may He prompt students to read them and may the Lord bless the conversations and draw lost souls to Himself.

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