Turn Away At Planned Parenthood
Allen, Aaron, Bob and I witnessed at Planned Parenthood on Wednesday June 7, 2017. We started off singing a couple of hymns. There were six cars in the parking lot when we started off. I brought the first message and some women came out mocking us as they laughed and drove away. Other people passing by mouthed off and flipped us off. Two women in one car actually drove into the parking lot, flipped us off, mouthed off and drove off. I’m convinced that abortion and homosexuality get more people stirred up in America than any other topics. These two topics are the sacred cows of a very secular America.
After I finished up, Felipe walked over from the shopping center next to Planned Parenthood. He walked up and shook my hand and proceeded to say that he agreed with part of what I said and not other parts. He is a professing Christian and he didn’t disagree with the Scripture I quoted and the Gospel. But he did disagree with my stating that everyone that walks into Planned Parenthood is just as guilty as the doctors who actually perform the abortions. Then I asked him if he knew Romans 1:32 and he said that he did. I paraphrased it for him just in case and said that people that go in there for any reason are supporting abortion. You are supporting abortion just by being there and if you spend any money at all, that money is going toward abortions which is what PP is really good at.
Can You Work At Planned Parenthood And Be A True Christian?
The young man argued with me that someone could work there and be a Christian. He said maybe they go in there every day and witness to people. I explained that it can’t be so. If you are truly a Christian, you cannot support abortion and you sure couldn’t work for a company that viciously murders 900 babies every day. I said you just couldn’t do it. Then he admitted that he went to PP several years ago. He claimed that they helped him medically and didn’t charge him.
I asked him if there were no other options and he admitted that there were. He shook my hand and left still believing that I’m wrong and I still believe he is wrong. Before he left I told him based on your logic someone who used to do drugs could go hang around people still doing drugs and the cleaned up person could do drugs in order to get close and talk to the others. I told him it makes no sense. A Christian who leaves a lifestyle of drugs would not go back to that. They just wouldn’t do it.
Then Aaron preached about the time a couple came out. The young lady was incensed. She kept repeating “Are you judging me?” Then she said, “Only God can judge me.” Aaron didn’t say anything to her (I would have said God is going to judge you and that should scare you half to death). She started recording him, then Allen and me even though we were just standing there. Before they drove off, she flipped us off. Unrepentant sinner’s true colors generally show up if they stick around long enough. A true Christian would not flip somebody off, no matter how much they disagreed with someone.
While Allen was preaching, Bob already had left and then I had to leave to get back to work. But Allen and Aaron stayed longer. At one point two people pulled in and Aaron said they looked like a father and daughter. While Allen was preaching, they both stepped out of the car, both were convicted, got back into the car and drove away. We believe this was a turn away at Planned Parenthood and we hope and pray that they stay away and never come back.
Several Encouragers And Amazing Timing
Yes we had several mockers Friday night. People yelling walking by and driving by. A young gay man with two other gays said such a vile thing to me after he took a tract, that I won’t even begin to repeat what he said. But I don’t want to talk about the depraved and wicked. I want to talk about several encouragers and amazing timing. The Lord blessed us with several encouragers and the timing of some were absolutely amazing.
It was very difficult for all of us to hand out tracts. I don’t know if it was the metal band Stitched Up Heart, the full moon or what, but the majority of people rejected tracts. But Zach talked to Jimmy before we got started. He was fascinated that Jimmy goes to an Anabaptist church. After that, Kelly started us off with a message in John 3.
While he was preaching, Brittany came up and out her group of three or four people, she was the only one that took a tract. She wanted to know which church we were with, so I told her that I go to Crossway Baptist, Kelly goes to Macedonia Baptist and the rest of the group goes to an Anabaptist Church. She told me that she prefers small churches, so I had her talk to Diana because she goes to a small church. It’s always great when someone inquiries about our churches.
Kelly’s son read Romans 1. While he was doing this, Cole and his wife walked up to me and it turns out that they are believers who used to live in Springfield, but now live in Texas. They were just back here visiting and they were greatly encouraged to see open-air preaching downtown.
Cole told me that there isn’t a lot of foot traffic in the small town that he lives in, so I recommended that he get a cross and hold it at a stoplight in town. I know several evangelists around the country that do this. Cole also told me about another group closer to the square that was promoting a watered-down gospel. Again, he was encouraged by the open-air preaching and reading of Scripture. After we talked for a while we realized that we have an open-air preacher friend in common.
Gabriel Quoted Part of John 3
Next, Jimmy’s son Gabriel got up and quoted part of John 3. Then I brought a message called What Is Your Life. I wanted people to see that life is short and even if we live a long life, most of us will be forgotten after three or four generations. So, it doesn’t matter how long you live, but how you live. Living surrendered to Jesus Christ is the most important thing. I had several typical mockers; nothing out of the ordinary. One guy drove by and gave a thumbs up as he drove past us heading toward the square.
Kelly brought another message after that from Romans 1. He continued his theme from earlier about how as Christians, we are to be different. People should know that you are a follower. He asked if you are a professing Christian, do people come up to you because they recognize that you are a Christian? Can they tell by your deeds? Then as if on cue, God sent a young man named Mark that came to faith while he was in the youth group at Kelly’s former church where Kelly was a youth leader. Kelly stepped off the box and hugged the young man. Mark walking by made the exact point Kelly was trying to make! Then a group of guys walked by handing cards from their church and they were fist bumping Kelly while he was on the box.
So, all in all, even though the crowd didn’t take many tracts and the conversations were few and far between, the preaching went forth and we greatly appreciated all the encouragers. May God encourage the encouragers and may He break the hard hearts of the mockers and scoffers. I’m grateful that Kelly, Steven, Jimmy and three of his kids came out as well as Diana, Elise and Serenity.
(These updates are provided to encourage Christians to share their faith in Jesus with others. Buy some Gospel tracts, share your testimony, share the glorious Gospel with others.)