Wonderful Blessed Night

Wonderful Blessed Night

Ministry Update March 11, 2018

Earlier in the week it looked like I was going to be witnessing downtown Friday night by myself and I must confess I was a little bitter about it. God convicted me over my bitterness, I prayed for His forgiveness and received it. God was going to be glorified even if all that happened were a few tracts handed out. But God had greater plans and it turned out to be a wonderful blessed night of street witnessing. 

My friend Jeff came up from Arkansas and bless his heart, he hadn’t open-air preached since the Super Bowl Outreach. So this brother was raring to go. Thomas showed up while Jeff was bringing his first message. Thomas is a friend of a friend who heard we were needing more people to come out witnessing. We had a really good phone conversation a few days before and he came out to witness with us. I was holding a sign that says Repent and Believe the Gospel, so I stood near the corner where Jeff was preaching. But Thomas grabbed some tracts and headed across the street. He started talking to a young man right off the bat. The next time I turned around, Thomas was a block down the street the other direction talking to a different man. Praise God, he continued this pattern the whole time we were there!

Hell Is A Wonderful Place?

Jeff is one of the best open-air preachers that I’ve seen at engaging people as they walk by. I tend to preach the Gospel and depend on them to come up to me if they want to talk. But Jeff will stop right in the middle of his message and ask questions.

A couple were across the street, a guy in a red shirt with a pregnant girl. Jeff asked them if they were going to Heaven or Hell when they die. The guy yelled “Hell.” Jeff then asked if that concerned him. Then he replied no because Hell is a wonderful place. Jeff wanted to know where he got that idea from. The guy said he guessed from the same place he gets his information from. Then Jeff expounded on the horrors of Hell that the Bible accurately describes and explained that both of them need to repent and trust Jesus.

Gun In His Waistband

The same couple walked by us coming from the other direction. Again, Jeff tried to engage them in conversation. The pregnant woman wanted to know where God was when her ex was in court for pedophilia. She was angry and bitter. Jeff talked about how God is good, men and women are the ones that are evil. As they were crossing the street, the guy in the red shirt scratched his back, raising his shirt, revealing a gun that was stuck in his waistband. Jeff and I both saw it and agreed that it was probably his way of threatening us. At the time though, Jeff pointed out that he’s not afraid to die because he knows where he’s going. He is Heaven bound and not afraid.

Jeff preached a couple of times and stirred up a lot of hecklers. I guess we should pray for one poor woman because her vocabulary didn’t seem to go any farther than f you. She kept repeating it over and over and kept flipping off Jeff as she walked down the sidewalk. He wasn’t even preaching hard at the time; he was just sharing the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. At one point when he was preaching about people loving their sins, a guy in a gray car stopped in the street right in front of him and yelled out “I love sinning.”

Where Will You Go If You Die Tonight?

Several times throughout the nigh Jeff asked people where will you go if you die tonight? I remember two young women (at different times) both shrugging their shoulders like they don’t know where they’d go. Jeff asked them if that concerned them, couldn’t they just stop for a few minutes and talk to us about it. Sadly, both of them kept on walking. At the end of the night, Jeff a good conversation with a universalist and he was able to reason with him that not everyone is saved. People rebel against God and reject Jesus Christ and we don’t all end up at the same place.

In between Jeff’s two messages, I squeezed in one. Also had a couple of mockers. But two guys sat across the street with one of them recording the message, off and on. They really didn’t say anything or indicate anything one way or another. But after I finished, they walked away. A little while later while Jeff was bringing preaching again, they walked back by. Thomas had a great conversation with them. They appeared to be believers, but maybe didn’t agree with our method of witness. Thomas explained that people do need to repent and trust Jesus and that we are sharing truth. They listened and thanked him for talking to them.

God Had Other Plans

I fully intended to bring another message after Jeff finished his second one, but God had other plans. Thomas was filling me in on how his night went when a young couple walked by. I was still holding the sign, but asked them if they died tonight, would they go to Heaven. They both said they hoped so. As we talked further, they both say they are saved and I asked them both about their testimonies. Anthony and Emily both shared them with us. Then I explained when we are truly saved, God gives us the assurance of salvation. The key is if we are truly saved.

Then Anthony wanted to know if you have to be baptized in order to go to Heaven. He says that he is saved but hasn’t been baptized. He wanted to know if he’d still go to Heaven. I told him that they key is if he is truly saved. If so, then I believe he would go to Heaven if he died tonight. Baptism isn’t a requirement for salvation, but it is the first step of obedience to God after we are saved. I asked him why he wouldn’t want to be baptized and he said that he does want to. His church baptizes once a month and he’s planning on doing so next they offer baptisms.

Asked Great Questions

Thomas and I had a great conversation with Anthony and Emily. They both asked great questions, such as Anthony being the spiritual leader of his home and what that looks like. We talked a lot about prayer and reading the Bible. After the great time of visiting, I asked them if we could pray for them right then and they said sure. I prayed that Anthony will be the spiritual leader of their home and that God would direct them on some questions they had about their church. I also prayed that God would use both of them to reach lost souls.

As we finished up talking, I gave Anthony a tract with my contact information and said he could get a hold of me any time. They are from the St. Louis area and were heading back home. Jeff was just finishing up his conversation with universalist about the same time. Jeff, Thomas and I huddled up and talked about the wonderful blessed night of witnessing we just experienced. Then Thomas asked if he could pray for Jeff and I and of course we said sure. He prayed a wonderful prayer that God would continue making us bold for the kingdom work and he asked for the same boldness in himself.

Afterward we thanked him and I told Thomas that he was a witnessing machine the way he walked with people in every direction in order to witness to them. I really thank and praise God for such a wonderful blessed night. May God use the truth that was expounded to convict lost souls, may the Lord bless the conversations and tracts and bring lost souls to Himself. May Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior be glorified above all.

Why Do You Get So Mad About Jesus?

At MSU on Wednesday, I really tried to get the students to see how mad they get at the name of Jesus being proclaimed and that their anger actually proves God is real. I told them if I were standing there saying how great Santa Claus is and he’s married to Mrs. Claus and they have a nice home at the North Pole, that not a single one of them would get mad over that. Not one. Oh, they’d think I was crazy, but they wouldn’t get upset. So why do they get mad over the name of Jesus Christ? Because He is Lord of all. He has a name above all other names and they do not want to bow the knee to Him at this time.

Brittany came again and listened to the end of the message. We talked briefly and then she surprised me by handing me a book by Tim Keller called The Reason For God. I asked if she’s sure she wants to loan it to me and she said yes. She felt God prompted her to buy it, but she doesn’t have time to read it right now with studying and another book that she’s reading. I thanked her again and told her that I’m about half way through the book that I’m currently reading, but that I’ll read this one next and give it back to her. It really is invigorating when Christians encourage one another. Thanks be to God.

(These updates are given to encourage Christians to share the Gospel with others. Jesus said Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature – Mark 16:15.)