If you've read my blogs lately, you may think that most all I ever write about anymore is witnessing in downtown Ft. Worth. You'd be right. It's my favorite time of the week, this week being the pinnacle of them all. I hope what i write encourages you on a number of different levels.
I had quite a breakthrough in my witnessing and preaching last night, and I hope I can convey it here. As usual, the group from The Great News Network gathered at Houston and 3rd Street around 8 o'clock, and right from the start people were open and receptive to receiving our Gospel tracts.
Our group has begun to get the impression that of late the crowds are burned out on our One-Million Dollar Bill tracts. Many people say they have received it before, and so we've been trying other types. My tract of choice this night was the
Optical Illusion tract, and folks were asking me for them!The breakthrough I mentioned earlier occurred as I got up to open-air preach for the second, third, and fourth times ever. It just flowed out last night. Lots of interesting things have happened in the news lately, such as the Pope's remarks about Islam and Steve Irwin's tragic death--all great material to speak about and open a door to preach the Gospel. But what really got a crowd was those optical illusion cards. Teenagers especially love them, and after a group of four boys were deceived by their own eyes, I was able to share with them the ways our society is out to deceive them.
Contrary to Oprah and the media at large, there can't be multiple ways to God. Christianity has an exclusive claim that there is no other name given under Heaven by which men must be saved. The reason is because of our sin. We've all violated God's law. But not just in a general way, very specifically: lying, stealing, lusting in our hearts (adultery of the heart), hating (murder of the heart), blasphemy, ...and on and on it goes. These teenage boys (and by this time a family of four and a few other folks) began to see their sin and how a good, righteous judge must punish sin. That it is appointed once for man to die, and then to face the judgment. that if they died tonight, they would go to hell.
At this point, and not before, they were ready to hear the good news of Jesus Christ paying the penalty for their sins, on their behalf. No other religion offers atonement for sin. Muhammed didn't die for our sins, nor did Buddha, Hary Krishna, or anyone else. Christ is the only way.
What we must do, is repent--turn away 180 degrees from our sins--and trust in Christ with our whole life. The call to be a Christian is a call to die to yourself and live for God--quite a heavy call! But when weighed against the alternative, Jesus burden is light, and his yoke is easy. The Holy Spirit was really working last night in the hearts and consciences of those folks!
I encouraged them to get into fellowship with other like-minded believers(Church), to read their Bibles, and pray to God for help in obeying Him. I also challenged them all to share what they heard. If you saw a child drowning in a pool, but didn't stop to help because you were pressed for time, that would be a crime. It's called "depraved negligence." In the same way, if we see people sinking into Hell and do nothing about it, that is just as depraved, and just as negligent. We preach and witness out of love for God, and love for our fellow man.
When I got off my soapbox (actually a blue crate) several people thanked me, and a very young boy and his mother asked me several questions about the morality of non-Christian music. I shared how we need to look at the lyrics and see if they are honoring to God, and proclaiming things contrary to what we know to be right and true. His mom also asked about love songs/poems that aren't about God, and I pointed to the Song of Solomon, a great love poem. God created love and marriage between one man and one woman for life, and within that context a love song can be very God-honoring. It's a whole different matter if the song is proclaiming "free love" and other messages contrary to God's will for us.
Moral of thist long story: Preach the truth, the hard truth. God takes care of the results, we are just called to be faithful witnesses. One man sows, another reaps. I pray that God would send out workers into the fields, for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
On another note, I am very thankful to God for the education I have received, for on this night I stood toe to toe with my Gnostic "buddy" from a month ago or so, as well as a heretical preacher who called me a "Trinitarian." This preacher in fact holds to a heresy called Modalism. T.D. Jakes teaches this..the man looked a lot like him in fact, but was shorter and rounder. A fellow tract passer seemed to be cornered by the guy, and so I came over to see what was up. He spoke a great deal, very loud and boisterous, and would only ask us questions (expecting to trip us up), but refused to answer any questions in return, such as who exactly was Jesus praying to in the Garden. He'd say "Woe slow down. You are missing the point" and go right back into his heretical onslaught. To that charge, I stopped him and explained exactly what he had told us about God, and then tried to ask him a question about it...but yet again "you are missing the point." If it wasn't so sad it would be laughable.
In the end, he was a hypocrite, and I let him know so. He was perfectly happy to tell us we were doing EVERTHING wrong and challenge me to go search here and there (including the encyclopedia Brittanica for some reason...for it says they Apostles baptized only in the name of Jesus, not the Father or Holy Spirit) to see what he said was true, but was unwilling to reciprocate. In fact, he said he didn't even want to hear what I was going to challenge him to do! He claimed the Catholics invented the heresy of the Trinity, but I know better, and tried to challenge him to read from the early church fathers (like Ireneaus, Polycarp, Tertullian, and others) to see that he was incorrect. But he would not, so he is not a good Berean. He told me I didn't have the Spirit, or else I'd know what he was saying was true.
Moral of the story: Never challenge someone to search the Scriptures or other sources, if you are not willing to do the same. It is hypocritical and a bad example of watching your doctrine and teaching closely. In fact, we should check everything. Even if you know it is heresy, at least you will understand why they are wrong better for next time.
Second moral of the story: It is well worth the time and investment of your energies to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. I don't like to be blindsided, and I'm sure you don't either.
All in all, it was a fantastic night, and I can't wait for next week. Praise be to God, and may the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!
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