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Can I Pray With You Real Quick?

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Can I Pray With You Real Quick?
Ministry Update November 19, 2024

It was a soggy day at MSU last Wednesday. I only handed out around 15 or 20 tracts before it was raining enough the students wouldn’t take anymore. So I brought an open-air message. I had been there about 15 minutes when a student walked up to me and asked, “Can I pray with you real quick?”  “Sure” I replied. I told him my name and he put his hand on my shoulder and then the young man said the most encouraging prayer that I’ve ever had a student pray. After he finished, I told him that he doesn’t know how encouraging that was. Praise God!!!

Then toward the end of the message a girl noticed my recorder and asked, “Are you practicing or preaching?” I didn’t catch her question, so she repeated it again. I told her that I was preaching, but thought to myself it must not be very effective if she’s asking me if I’m practicing. So I stopped the message and talked to her. I asked her how she came to faith and she said that she was an atheist who grew up in an atheistic home. But praise God that He reached her even then. She wanted to know how to share her faith with her friends. I pointed her to Ray Comfort’s Hell’s Best Kept Secret link and to the Way of the Master Videos. May God bless the young man that prayed for me and may He show the young lady how to share the Gospel.

One of Five Encouragers

The week before that, I had five encouragers during that one witnessing time. Three young men walked up and shook my hand and told me to keep preaching. One girl nodded and smiled as she walked by and one young man yelled, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” I was open-air preaching, so I didn’t catch it. I really thought he was a mocker. So I asked him what he said and he repeated it again. I said “AMEN!”.

Many students have taken tracts this year and a few weeks ago a young man stopped to talk while I was handing out tracts. He was afraid that he was a false convert. After talking to him, I think he is too. But I quoted scriptures to him and encouraged him to read the Bible and for him to cry out for God to reveal Himself to him. Earlier this year, a student heard Anand’s dad open-air preaching and got convicted. Anand’s wife witnessed to him. I’ve been going to the college since 2011 and I’ve never seen anything like this and I’m hearing this from other evangelists around the country. Some tell me they still get more mockers, but  more friends than not are seeing the same thing I’m seeing. May God save many of these young people!

Spiderman

Friday night Doug, Joshua and I were joined by Anand and three of his kids as well as Conner and three of his kids. Unfortunately it was a really quiet night. We had a great group and some good discussions amongst ourselves, but there just weren’t that many people downtown that night. Everyone handed out tracts when we had the chance. When I told the guys that I was going to head home, I spun around and there were two guys walking by me. One of them was wearing a Spiderman (full face) mask. I handed them both tracts.

Spiderman wanted to know what it was. I told him a Gospel tract. He didn’t say anything. So then I said, “It tells you about Jesus?” He still didn’t say anything. Then I asked, “Do you know Him?” Still no response. So then I asked him if he died tonight, would he go to Heaven? He replied, “I hope so”. I asked him how you get there and he didn’t know. I told him that I could clearly see that they were headed somewhere, but there’s nothing more important than your eternal soul. They both listened as I clearly shared the Gospel with them.

Afterwards, I asked him if he has a Bible at home and he said he does. I encouraged him to start in Matthew and read the New Testament, asking God to reveal Himself to him. Then I asked the young man his name and he replied, “Spiderman.” Even though I don’t know his name, God does and may the Lord save the young man and his friend. The friend never said anything, but he listened the whole time.

These updates are provided to encourage Christians to share the glorious Gospel with others. Not all encounters are encouraging, but you just keep witnessing!

Thankful To Who?

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Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash

Thankful To Who?

Michael was the only one who witnessed Friday night and I thank God that Michael did so. He handed out tracts at our normal witnessing spot and he got to talk to K again, the same young man we talked to a couple of weeks ago. We are still praying that God will save K. Again, I’m thankful that Michael went out, even though he went alone and that God sent K to Michael so they could talk again.

But on Thanksgiving Day, who did you thank? You were thankful to who? This may seem like a silly question, but it really isn’t. True believers obviously thanked the one true God – the God of the Bible. Even some non-believers and false converts also probably thanked God. But what about those who say they don’t believe in God? What about Atheist? Atheists and other non-believers are thankful to who? I’ve even had non-believing family members thank trees or the earth. Some non-believers thank the stars and other heavenly bodies.

I didn’t witness Friday night, but all week I kept thinking about this question and remembered that I brought a message downtown four years ago about this very subject. It was a message entitled: Who Do You Thank?

Why The Message – What Will Happen To J.T. Everlost?

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Why The Message – What Will Happen To J.T. Everlost

Why the message – What Will Happen To J.T. Everlost? The message came from encounters in person and online with J.T. Eberhard. J.T. is one of the founders of Skepticon. They are an atheist group that meets in Springfield, MO once a year. I hear it’s a pretty tawdry and disgusting drunk fest and they make fun of God (who ironically they say doesn’t exist. Why would you make fun of someone that isn’t real?). Anyway, they used to hold the event at the Gillioz Theatre or The Expo Center and we could interact with people coming and going to the event. But several years ago they moved it to another location where we can no longer talk to them. I guess they didn’t want to come out and play anymore. [Read more…]

Only Two Conversations

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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. [Read more…]

Atheists Demand The Impossible

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Conner Talking To A Group Of Atheists

Atheists Demand The Impossible

Ministry Update June 9, 2019

Friday night witnessing was a little strange this week. It was Artwalk and there was a band on the square and the street around the square was blocked off to traffic. Also, just North of our normal witnessing spot, Jefferson was blocked off to traffic and there was another band playing there. They were so loud, that Conner and I crossed the street and I brought a short message with the amp at about half volume. One guy stopped and shook my hand and thanked me for sharing the Gospel. But after I finished, Conner said that he wanted to go to the square and talk to the Atheists set up there. We did talk to them, but turns out Atheists demand the impossible. [Read more…]

I Gotta Stop With The Devil’s Lettuce

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I Gotta Stop With The Devils Lettuce

Ministry Update April 7, 2019

With these updates, many times I say what a blessed night we had witnessing downtown, and Friday night was no exception. I say this frequently because it is true. Every night is different and we never know what we are going to see and hear. Friday night we were blessed with several encouragers, several mockers and a great conversation at the end. The best line of the night was “I gotta stop with the devil’s lettuce.” [Read more…]

Forty Laborers

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Most Of The Laborers At The Christmas Parade Outreach

Forty Laborers!

Ministry Update December 9, 2018

There were forty laborers from Crossway Baptist Church handing out tracts at the Springfield Christmas parade on Saturday. Originally the weather forecasters were predicting one to three inches of snow. But praise God, that didn’t happen and we handed out thousands of Gospel tracts. Greg led the outreach and I think in the past we may have had around 15 or 16 people witnessing at one St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but praise God, this time there were forty of us! [Read more…]

Your Worldview Is Illogical

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Your Worldview Is Illogical

Your Worldview Is Illogical

If you believe in evolution, if you are an atheist, then your worldview is illogical. That’s right, I’m calling you out on your worldview. If you really believe that we evolved from nothing, that nothing created everything, your worldview is illogical. It makes no sense. Never in your life have seen something create itself out of nothing. This is illogical and intelligent students attending a university like Missouri State University should know better, no matter what atheistic professors are telling you.  [Read more…]

Do Atheists Need A New Name?

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Do Atheists Need A New Name?

Do Atheists need a new name? I run into people all the time who claim that they are atheists and they vehemently say, “God is not real” or “there is no God.” They are very adamant in their stance. Atheists do not believe that God exists. The original meaning in the Greek is without God. But atheists aren’t neutral to this God they say doesn’t exist. No they are very much opposed to the great Creator God. The One who is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever present. Since they hate the One True God, do atheists need a new name?  [Read more…]

Misjudging God

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Misjudging God

In 2 Chronicles 32:1-22, the Bible tells us of an Assyrian king that greatly misjudged God. King Sennacherib had defeated many nations when he set his sights on Judah. Sennacherib even taunted the people of the city of Jerusalem, telling them not to let their king – Hezekiah deceive them into thinking that his God could withstand him. The Assyrian king was foolishly misjudging God.  [Read more…]