amen

Rededicate My Life

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Rededicate My Life

Tyail, Joshua and I witnessed downtown Friday night. I brought a message and had a couple of walk by mockers, but they were too far away and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, so I just kept open air preaching. Toward the end of the message, a guy walked up and started talking to Joshua. The guy was homeless and Joshua got the man a sleeping bag and a pair of socks that Joshua had brought with him. While Joshua went to his vehicle to get these things, the man crossed the street and walked up to me and said, “I want to rededicate my life to the Lord.”

I don’t get into debates as to whether or not rededicating your life is biblical or not because I don’t get caught up on terminology. If someone wants to repent and surrender their life to Jesus, I don’t care if they were a false convert or someone who thinks they are rededicating their life or not. Spiritually getting right with Jesus is the main thing. So I suggested the man go ahead and pray and then I’d pray after him. Unfortunately, the guy prayed for his physical needs, but nothing about repentance and not a single word about rededicating his life to Jesus.

Spiritual Needs

I prayed after he finished praying and since he didn’t bring up his spiritual needs at all, I prayed that God would save the man. That God would grant him repentance and faith in Jesus. I also prayed for his physical needs, but mainly focused on his spiritual needs. Joshua joined us while I was praying and Joshua handed him the sleeping bag and a pair of socks. Joshua had witnessed to this man before, so Joshua asked Daniel if he’d been drinking and Daniel admitted that he had been. So then Joshua asked him what happened to him. He asked the question because the last time Joshua witnessed to him, Daniel was sober and reading his Bible. Daniel admitted that he’d been hanging around the wrong people and had fallen back into drinking again.

Tyail joined us by this time (she had been handing out tracts across the street,) all three of us took turns quoting Scripture to Daniel and encouraged him to turn from his sins and turn to Jesus to save him. We pointed out that whom the Son sets free, is free indeed. Tyail quoted Proverbs 20:1, I quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Joshua quoted several other verses. Daniel graciously listened. We weren’t picking on him, it was out of love that we were sharing Bible verses and showing him that we are concerned for his eternal soul. About that time Joshua asked Daniel if he was still reading his Bible and Daniel admitted that it had gotten wet, so Joshua gave him another one. Joshua also gave him a plastic bag to keep all these things in. Tyail recommend a place for him to stay the night and Daniel headed off in that direction. We hope and pray that God will truly save Daniel and set him free from the addiction of alcohol.

Handing Out Tracts

Joshua needed to leave after we talked to Daniel, so Tyail and I walked around downtown and handed out tracts. I handed out a few, but Tyail handed out a lot of them. I appreciated her boldness in going up to people that were standing outside of bars and the majority of them took tracts from her. We ended up back at our normal spot and handed out tracts there. After we prayed to end the night, I saw a woman walking my direction about a half a block away so I waited for her to reach me. I handed her a tract and she asked about it, so I told her that it’s a Gospel tract that tells you about Jesus. She smiled really big and said that she knows Jesus. I suggested she hand the tract to someone that needs it and she said that she would. It was a great way to end the night.

Hearty Amen!

I brought a message a MSU on Wednesday and didn’t have any mockers. A couple of students took pictures or recorded briefly as they walked by. But two students stood there for a few minutes and listened to the message. But the highlight was when I mentioned King Jesus and that every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, a young lady walked by and gave a Hearty Amen! It’s always encouraging when students aren’t afraid to say Amen in public and a little encouragement goes a long way.

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

I’m Going To Hell

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I’m Going To Hell

Ministry Update May 22, 2022

Keven, Joshua and I walked around downtown handing out tracts Friday night. Seemed like several people took tracts and we also had a lot of rejections. But a lot of times Joshua would reach out his arm to hand out a tract and say, “Are you going to Heaven or going to Hell?” The overwhelming majority said they were going to Heaven. Of course we don’t know what they are counting on to get there, so we want people to take tracts so they can read the Gospel. But Friday night Joshua had two different men say, “I’m going to Hell” and they were both proud of that fact.

Another thing Joshua said while handing out tracts is “Here’s good news for you.” Sometimes people would take the tract but other times they refused. I joked with Keven and Joshua that we need to come up with a tract that says Bad News on it and say if you don’t want the good news, here’s bad news for you. We could literally tell people the bad news that they have sinned against our Holy, Righteous God and that death and Hell await them. We could also just leave it with the bad news and then give them a phone number to call in case they change their minds and want to hear the good news after all.

Drive By Encourager

I brought a short message earlier in the night on how we all serve someone. As I was sharing the Gospel a woman drove by and said “You bet’ and followed that up with “Amen”. Sometimes we have drive by mockers, but it was nice having a drive by encourager. One young man stood near the building at the end of the parking lot listening to part of the message. Keven and Joshua handed out tracts during this time too. The three of us had a great time of fellowship Friday night. I enjoy the fellowship as much as the street witnessing.

(These updates are provided to encourage Christians to share the glorious Gospel with this lost and dying world. Christian, you may not go out street witnessing, but you can hand someone a Gospel tract. You can share your testimony with others. If you haven’t done so already, please start today.)

Night Full Of Encouragement

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Night Full of Encouragement

Ministry Update July 25, 2021

Friday night witnessing downtown was a very encouraging night. Pastor Mike came out with us for the first time, so he was nervous. Keven and I hadn’t been out for about six months. We didn’t have God’s favor or unction during that time, so we didn’t go witnessing. (Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain Psalm 127:1). So even though it was Pastor Mike’s first time street witnessing and Keven and I hadn’t been out for a really long time, it turned out to be a night full of encouragement. [Read more…]

How Can God Know Evil Since He Is Perfect?

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How Can God Know Evil Since He Is Perfect?

Ministry Update November 15, 2020

Toward the end of my message at MSU on Wednesday, a young man sat on a bench near me. I was explaining how most people think they are good, even though the Bible says none of us are good. The young man yelled what if he admits that he’s evil? Since he stated this nonchalantly, while eating a banana, I told him that it appeared that it would be false modesty in his case. I’ve been street witnessing for 10 years and I’ve seen a few people broken over their sins, but this young man wasn’t one of them. But it started our conversation and the young man went from emphatically saying God isn’t real to asking the question, “How can God know evil since He’s perfect?” [Read more…]

Keep Your God To Yourself

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Keep Your God To Yourself

I was thinking the other day about how it is such a privilege and an honor to lift up the precious name of Jesus Christ out on the streets. I’m thankful that God compels me to share the Gospel with this lost and dying world. As I was thinking about this, some of the comments people have made over the years popped into my head. The one that stuck that I couldn’t quit thinking about was “Keep your God to yourself.”  [Read more…]

One Encourager After Another

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One Encoourager After Another

Woman Saying Amen

One Encourager After Another

Ministry Update February 9, 2020

Friday night witnessing started off really quiet, then I had a couple of mockers in a row. I couldn’t hear the first one. The second one said something and I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. So I asked him what he said. He replied, “I’m going to Hell.” I responded, “You sound like you are proud of that.” “I am” he said. So I explained that he really doesn’t understand what Hell is really like. He may think people are partying and having a great time there, but they are not. The rich man begged for a drop of water 2,000 years ago because he was in torments. He’s still in torments today. The mocker just got in his car and didn’t say anything else. But after that, I had one encourager after another in about a 10-minute span. [Read more…]

How Much?

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How Much?
Ministry Update November 10, 2019

I had several mockers when I witnessed downtown Friday night. It’s been several years since this has happened, but one woman (apparently very drunk), propositioned me from the backseat of a car. I was turned slightly away from her at first, so I turned her direction and she yelled, “How much?” and then she laughed as the car drove away. Sometimes I reply “No thank you, I’m happily married”, but this time I didn’t say anything. [Read more…]

You Know You Look At Porn

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You Know You Look At Porn

Ministry Update October 20, 2019

A guy mocked me the whole time I brought a message downtown Friday night. He was in the apartment building across the street. The mocker spoke in a monotone voice. He must have been funny, because several people laughed as they walked by. All that I really heard him say was something to the effect that I’m out there every Friday night and that he wasn’t happy about it. After open-air preaching, I handed out Gospel tracts. While standing on the corner, the mocker kept yelling, “No one wants your little cards.” Then he also yelled, “You know you look at porn.” [Read more…]

Encouraging Lunch Hour

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Encouraging Lunch Hour

Ministry Update March 3, 2019

Some days street witnessing are tough and other times are a pure joy. Wednesday at Missouri State University was a very encouraging lunch hour. Thank God, 25 students took New Testaments. That would have been encouraging enough on its own, but while I was bringing a message, one student just said “Hello” and he seemed very sincere. He wasn’t mocking or trying to hinder the Gospel going forth. I took it as an encouragement.  [Read more…]

Amen Corner

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Amen Corner

Ministry Update June 12, 2016

Amen Corner

I was going to call this Church on the Square, but we have church every Friday night in downtown Springfield. So I went with Amen Corner instead. Friday night Kelly, Steven, Aaron, Diana, Elise, Erica, Margaret and a couple of kids and I were witnessing downtown. We sang hymns, then Kelly and I brought messages before Aaron preached. About the time he started, another pastor sat down in front of us with several other people with him. They praised Jesus and said Amen the whole time Aaron preached. It was very encouraging.  [Read more…]