Be Careful Who You Follow

This morning when we were at church some thieves broke into our house and tried to steal a meal! This is pretty gruesome but I couldn't pass up a photo op, because this photo says sooooooooooooo much.

Proverbs 11:21
Though they join forces the wicked will not go unpunished, but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.

Proverbs 12:26
The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.

The Process

While sitting at our church information table at the local mall, I had a chance to go through the law/gospel presentation with a young couple. Early in the conversation I asked if they had a church background. The young man said he had gone to Lutheran church for a long time and the young woman had not been to church at all. After I explained the gospel, they stuck around, so I began sharing a little of my testimony as it applied to the law and the gospel. I mentioned that when I first heard that I needed to repent, I had a decision to make. I told them that I was sleeping with my girlfriend at the time, and I knew it was wrong. At this point, the young woman looked away from me and looked at her boyfriend. She looked him right in the eyes, and he managed to keep a blank stare on his face. It was pretty interesting, especially since she did it again the next time I mentioned sexual sin. They were very polite and accepted the tracts I handed them.

In regards to evangelism, John 4:37 says that one sows, another reaps. I have no problem explaining the truth to someone and watching them walk away. I know that they are in the midst of a process, a process under the control of the Holy Spirit. Maybe they'll repent in five days, maybe five years, who knows? I don't need to know, I'm just happy to be part of the process.

Just Hanging Out at the Mall

Hanging out at the mall is something that most people know how to do. Because of this, malls are a great place for evangelism. Most malls have "no soliciting" rules, which make handing out tracts a big no-no. Even though handing out tracts is not actually soliciting (you're not selling anything, the tracts are free and the gospel is free), most mall security people do not realize that and they do not have time to discuss the semantics of the English language as applied to the word soliciting. In any case, handing out tracts at American malls is generally not allowed. If course, since the issue of people going to heaven or hell is always more important than silly mall rules, I will never tell anyone not to preach the gospel in any circumstance. That being said, mall management usually does not like people handing out tracts.

The good news is that many malls offer "religious organization tables" (I have no idea what these tables might be called from mall to mall) where you can set up shop, hand out tracts and talk to people in a non-sneaky, obeying the mall rules kind of way. Last night our church did this for the first time at the local mall and it was AWESOME.

From 5 - 8 PM, we handed out hundreds of gospel tracts and got into many great one to one conversations with people. Once again I was reminded of the need for evangelism to strangers in our own neighborhoods, as well as the lack of biblical knowledge among church goers in America. In the following blog posts I will tell a few stories from the night, but for now let's just say that the mall is a great place for evangelism. Go to the management office at your local mall, tell them you'd like to have an information table for your church and see what they say. In many cases they will already have this going on and it will simply be a matter of picking a night you are available. At our mall, they actually set up the table and chairs for us, complete with a nice tablecloth.

If they don't already have an information table, kindly explain what you'd like to do. Ask God to make a way, and who knows, you might end up being the next Spurgeon of the Food Court.

Great Article on Small Town Evangelism

Here's a great article for those of us who live in smaller towns.

The Case for Small Town Evangelism

Reggie

Reggie's View from Fishing Stories on Vimeo.

I think Reggie's opinion is common among people who have gone to church but don't hold it as a priority. They usually believe whatever the media pushes at the moment (God is whatever you want him to be), but when they think about it, they often conclude that the bible is the source with the right answer (Jesus is the only way to heaven).

The view that "God is whatever you want him to be," is basically a broken commandment.

Commandment #2:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth... - Exodus 20:4

Translated: Don't make a false god carved out of wood, stone or your imagination. A "god that is whatever you want him to be" is a god carved out of your imagination. It's an idol.

In he words of pastor Miles McPherson, "God is God, He's not applying for the job.

Quick Choice

Last weekend my friend Clint and I were handing out gospel tracts at an annual car show in Temecula. One conversation I got into with a 30ish man made me think of how unnecessary it is to get into all kinds of side issues when you're explaining the gospel to someone.

Towards the beginning of the conversation I asked him if he goes to church. He said that he is a Mormon, but recently stopped going to church because of how the church supported Prop 8 (no gay marriage) and he believes everyone should be able to live however they want. I asked if he was homosexual and he said no.

At that point I had to make a quick decision. Should I:

A) Talk about what the bible says about homosexuality and how I voted yes on Prop 8, and how I had a Prop 8 banner on my lawn.

B) Talk about how the Mormon church is not Christian in any way, shape or form, and how Mormons are just as lost as Muslims, Satanists and Atheists.

C) Ask him if he's ever told a lie, talk about the ten commandments, explain to him that he's a sinner bound for judgement and that he needs to repent and trust Jesus Christ as his savior.

C it was. Why get into a fight over something that's obviously close to his emotion zone? Besides, he's not hellbound because he's a backslidden Mormon who thinks homosexuality is ok, he's hellbound for the same reason I was. He's a sinner who needs a savior. That's it.

With the help of Clint, it was a great conversation. Hopefully I will see him again someday.

Last Couple Weeks

I've been away for a while, dealing with my sons surgery. Without getting into all the details, three days in the hospital takes alot out of you. I believe God has his children go through trials for a reason. I wouldn't be surprised if God has me talking to someone going through medical issues soon. Ya never know.

About a week ago I picked up two rough looking hitchhikers and preached the gospel to them. After explaining repentance to them, one of them sincerely asked, "What if the only way I can make money is illegal?" I told him that the main issue is that he needs to repent and get right with God. I didn't think of this verse at the moment (don't you hate it when that happens?), but here's the verse that applies:

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost - Luke 9:25

Turn Him Back

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. - James 5:19-20

This verse really hit me hard just now in light of evangelism.

The other night a friend of mine was open air preaching in San Bernardino. I noticed a young man who listened for a while, then he turned and began to walk away. I followed and tapped him on the shoulder.

Me: "Hey, I noticed you were listening to that guy. I just wanted to give you this gospel tract. It's a summary of what he was talking about."

Young Man: "Yeah, thanks... I know alot of the people listening didn't really care, but I do......"

So began the conversation. His name was Manuel, he used to go to church when he was a kid. Manuel had just been released from jail, where he had been reading the bible and following the Lord. He was now afraid that he was heading back towards sin, crime and life without God. I guess it's easier to follow Christ in a jail cell, it's alot harder on the outside where temptations are everywhere.

To sum up a very long conversation, I made sure he understood what he had heard about the law and the gospel. I encouraged him to trust Jesus. By the end of the conversation he was planning on going back to his old church, and he was thanking me for talking to him.

I can't help but think about the verse above as it pertains to Manuel. Our encounter may have been the very turning point in his life, the thing that saves his soul from death and covers a multitude of future crimes/sins.

You have no idea what the strangers around you are going through. You have no idea how much you are needed. Don't be afraid, just open your mouth and let it out.

Turn them back.

Nobody's Listening

Often people criticize open air preaching, saying that it's not effective. At first glance, sometimes it does seem that way.

Last night I was preaching to a crowd of people as they passed by at a huge car show in San Bernardino. It was a rough crowd, tattoos and gang members everywhere, one guy even had 666 tattooed on his neck. He flicked a cigarette at me but I didn't notice (a friend later told me). At one point I heard a young woman yell out, "Nobody's listening to you!"

But she was wrong. Last night after one of my preaching episodes (what should I call them? Messages? Sermons? haha) I was approached by a woman who had a question. She was confused about purgatory. I told her that purgatory is not in the bible, in fact the bible teaches that after death, people are judged:

It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgement. Hebrews 9:27

She thanked me and when on her way.

Later in the evening I was preaching through Romans chapter one and I noticed a woman staring at me in awe, eyes wide open, as if she had never heard anything like this before. As the crowd walked by, passing between her and I, I looked into her eyes and told her about God's law, God's wrath, about her sin being an offense to God, about her need for forgiveness, her need for a savior. Then I told her about Jesus Christ, the only one who can save her from the punishment she deserves. She stood and listened to the whole message, and when I was finished, she stayed and spoke at length with one of the female Christians who was part of our group. Here's a woman who was not planning to hear the gospel when she left her home that night, and now she knows the truth. I didn't stick around to find out what the woman ended up doing, but I do know that she heard the gospel.

People are listening.

One Liner Of The Night 9/19/09

In response to, "there are so many different religions, how can you possibly say yours is right?":

Response: There are only two religions in this world. True religion and false religion.

Thanks to the late Dr. Adrian Rodgers for that gem.

Sincere

Sincere from Fishing Stories on Vimeo.

This was my first attempt at doing a video gospel interview. My fumbling for words proves that anyone can explain the message of salvation, no matter how bad of a speaker you are.

The Patient Fisherman

The next time you see a fool holding a cross, don't laugh too hard.

I Don't Care

Jon and Eddie from Fishing Stories on Vimeo.

I think Eddie's attitude is typical of today's young men, they just don't care. I can totally relate, since I used to have the same attitude.

Evangelism Class Promo

Sunday Morning Class Promo from Fishing Stories on Vimeo.