Queer Atheist

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Queer Atheist

Ministry Update 9/24/17

Yes the name of this update is Queer Atheist. Before you get all bent out of shape and start calling me a bigot or a hater, you need to understand that I’m merely using the exact words the young woman called herself. I met her at MSU last Wednesday and she identified herself as a queer atheist. So is it wrong for me to state the preferred pronoun that she called herself? I don’t think so. 

I handed out a few tracts before I brought a message on campus during the lunch hour. When I did get started, a young woman held her hand above her mouth and mouthed off something that I couldn’t hear. I just said “God bless you” to her. One young lady sat on a bench and heard most of the message. Others on the other set of benches came and went.

Gay Atheist

The young man that wanted to say something last week but didn’t, came back this week. He identified himself as a gay atheist. (I’m not sure why so many feel the need to tell me their sexual identity as well as their atheism, but they did this day). Even though he made it clear right off the bat that he was an atheist, he wondered why I didn’t preach more on the love of God. The cross of Jesus very much demonstrates the love of God.

But the young man cracked me up because if he’s such a devout atheist, what does it matter what I say about God? If he really doesn’t believe in God, why does he care what I say about God? I was giving him an analogy about how a drowning man won’t ask for help until he realizes that he’s drowning. He impatiently wanted to know if this is an analogy to which I said “yes it is.” That’s when he told me that there’s nothing I can say to change his mind. I replied that there was nothing that he can say to change my mind so I might as well go back to preaching since he didn’t really want to have a discussion.

Self-Identified As A Queer Atheist

One woman walked in front of me and she smiled and gave me a thumbs up. It was nice to have a little encouragement on a day with so many mockers. The young woman that identified herself as a queer atheist actually recorded quite a bit of the message from several different angles. When I finished up, I walked over and introduced myself to her. That’s when she self-identifed as a queer atheist. (In other words like the young man earlier, she was trying to warn me that she didn’t agree with what I was saying). So I smiled and handed her a tract and suggested that she could contact me through the Seek and Save the Lost website if she ever wanted to talk. I was quite shocked when she took the tract.

Gideon New Testament Distribution

Around 15 of us Gideon’s handed out New Testaments at Missouri State University the day before. I think we gave out around 2,300 New Testaments. This was actually down from the last couple of years, but I think that was part of the reason why. Several students told me that they still had theirs from last year and/or the year before.

I handed them out with TJ and Corey at Trottier Plaza (because that’s where I open-air preach most of the time on campus). Corey handed some out to a group visiting from China. About half of them took a New Testament. When the others realized what was going on, the rest came back and grabbed one too. As they walked away, they all had them open and were looking at them. Praise God! May they get them back into the country without any problems.

Corey also had a young man walk up to him in tears and asked for prayer. Of course Corey prayed for him. His girlfriend had just broken up with him and he was so distraught that he didn’t know what to do. Corey prayed with him and then explained that when we are followers of Jesus that He empowers us to handle anything that comes our way. That nothing can steal our peace and joy in the Lord. May God reach this young man and save him.

Saved During Bible Study

I talked to Jake. He told me that he was a believer right off the bat so I asked him how he came to faith. He said that he grew up Baptist and was saved when he was younger, but it didn’t really take. When he started at MSU, he just basically went to class and back to his room. He had no friends and was depressed. But then he ran into someone that he knew and that person invited him to a Bible study. After studying the Bible for three weeks, Jake realized that he was lost and he was saved. He said that now three years later he’s helping lead a Bible study. Praise God for that.

Then I shared how I also thought I was saved as a child but really wasn’t. When I told him how God convicted me over Matthew 7:21-23, Jake said those are some of the scariest verses in the Bible. To which I said Amen. They scared me!. We had a great visit, talked about Paul Washer videos and at the end I prayed with Jake that God would bless him and continue using him for kingdom work his whole life for God’s honor and glory.

Witnessing At Planned Parenthood On Friday

Then during my lunch break on Friday, Polly and I witnessed at Planned Parenthood. There were a couple of vehicles already there when we got there. Planned Parenthood has frosted their windows and doors since the last time I was there. So I can no longer see the women sitting in the chairs in the lobby.

But I brought a message and an older woman in the passenger seat of the vehicle near the door got out and was listening to the message. After a while three younger women came out and got into the same vehicle. As one young woman walked around the rear of the vehicle, she flipped me off. As they drove off, she started to roll her window down to yell something, but ended up rolling it back up without saying a word.

A couple of other people drove up and went inside. I just kept sharing the Gospel pleading with them to repent and surrender their lives to Jesus. Also kept reminding them that the shedding of innocent blood is an abomination to God. I think there was one or two cars that honked in support of us as they drove by.

Great Ending For The Night And The Week Of Witnessing

Then Friday night Kelly and I witnessed downtown. We both brought messages at the corner of St. Louis and Jefferson. There was a good crowd outside the Gillioz Theater right up the street from us. There were also people at the outside swimming pool at the back of the building directly across the street from us. As well as the usual foot traffic and people driving by with their windows down. We had several mockers Friday night including a woman early on that yelled something sexually perverted as she passed us. Kelly pointed out later that someone must have hurt her in the past for her to be looking for the wrong kind of “love.”

Woman Yelling Something Sexually Perverted

God Isn’t Real

I’m A Lesbian

One guy yelled out “God’s not real” as he drove by us. Another woman yelled “I’m a lesbian” to which Kelly replied that Jesus died for her too. That she needs to repent and trust Him. But we had some good encounters too that it made it a great way to end the night and the week of witnessing. One lady yelled “I love Jesus” as she drove by us.

Prayed Before We Went To The Next Corner

Then we decided to walk up to South and McDaniel and hand out tracts there. Before we left, I told Kelly that I wanted to pray for the people we encountered here. He prayed before we started and I wanted to pray before we walked away. Kelly held out his hand and I held his hand as I prayed for those who heard the messages, received tracts and for the mockers. As I was praying I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, so I kept praying. After I finished a young woman smiled at us and we thanked her for joining us while we prayed.

She said that her name is Aria and she thanked us for sharing the Gospel there. Aria lives in the building across the street from where we open-air preach on Friday nights. Then she asked me if I was the one who preaches at MSU and I told her that I do. She thanked me for going over there. I asked her if I’m too harsh and she said no. She said some people don’t like it because they don’t like the truth. She also thought that how loud I am may bother some of the students. (I can’t use an amplifier there, so I do lift up my voice so more students can hear). Aria said that she thinks the main thing is to show them love.

Tell Me If I Ever Sound Harsh

I encouraged her to let me know if I ever sound harsh because I don’t want to come across as hateful or harsh. She assured me that she would let me know if that’s the case. She again encouraged me and said that even when students don’t like what I’m doing, they are talking about it. I told her that my hope and prayer is when they do bring it up, that believers like her can share the Gospel with non-believers. Before she left I asked her how Kelly and I can pray for her and she said that she would keep her focus on God and her studies. I told her that I liked the order of her request.

Cancer For The Third Time

Before she walked away, a young man walked up to us and asked what church we are with. Kelly told him that he goes to Macedonia Baptist Church and I told him that I go to Crossway Baptist Church. Since he’s new to the area, we both invited him to our churches. His name is Cody and we hope that he comes to one of them this Sunday. While I was talking to Aria, Cody confided to Kelly that he has cancer and this is his third round. I think they have all been different cancers and he even pulled up his shirt to show Kelly his scars from surgery. So while Aria was still there, we prayed for Cody that God will heal his cancer.

Saved At Youth Camp

Kelly and I did walk up to South and McDaniel and handed out tracts there. We met J.R. who told us that he got saved when a youngster at youth camp in Ohio. A little later on Kelly handed a tract to a woman and she wanted to know what it was, he told her and asked her if she’s going to Heaven. She replied f yeah and said another cuss word.

Then Kelly gently tried to explain that her words didn’t match a person that’s on their way to Heaven. The woman told him that Jesus died for our sins and basically she can do anything that she wants. That we all have free will to sin. She was still cussing and mouthing off as she walked down the street. J.R. happened to walk back by and wanted to know what was going on. He said that he’d keep an eye out for her and try to talk to her if he sees her again.

Highlight Of The Night

Again the highlight of the night was meeting Aria and Cody. Kelly and I both marveled at how wonderful street witnessing is. You never know who God is going to bring your way. We also know that people are hearing the Gospel as they walk by and faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We hope and pray that God convicts unrepentant sinners to repent and trust Jesus. Our desire is for God to stir up true believers to share their faith in Jesus with others. Even though our desire is for Christ Jesus to be lifted up and God to be glorified, sometimes God blesses us with these special encounters that wouldn’t happen any other way except for proclaiming the Gospel out in the open. We thank the Lord for the blessings we receive while sharing the Gospel with others.

(These updates are provided to encourage Christians to unashamedly share the Gospel with others.)