Everyday Evangelism- Fall Festival and Flying Tracts

We had our Family Fun Fall Festival today, and I was in charge of the evangelism tent. We had a lot of people that came to this event. I have a lot of things on the tables, and one of the items, the illusion poster with Einstein's picture on it, was there (although we had a hard time getting it to stay up). People would come by and look at it and start asking us questions on it. I also had the Lie Detector and that was neat. Kids were fascinated with it and would try to analyze it. Both of those items were great ice-breakers. What was really neat about today was that quite a few people signed up to help out, and many of them were able to share the Gospel with people that came to the table. One of my friends told me that this whole event was worth it, just for the time she got to talk to a Jewish lady named Barbara. She was able to share the Gospel with her. Barbara wasn't open to the Gospel yet, but she listened. One of the men was able to talk to a group of teens. He so enjoyed being able to share the Gospel with these kids. And they were open. I got to share with a couple of people too. Please pray for Barbara, and the others who heard the Gospel today, that they would have eyes to see who God is and their need for a Savior.
Another neat thing I did was to attach tracts to helium balloons and release them in the air. The tracts went way high in the air, then they disappeared and we have no idea where they landed (or when they came down). We prayed for them to land in the right places. Some of the tracts were attached to parachute men, which made it a little heavier. We did a couple of Giant Money tracts and it was funny to see them flying up in the air. One almost got tangled up in the telephone wire. They all went way up and then disappeared. I took some pictures, but only one you can really see the balloons in. Overall, this was a great evangelism event. I'm going to try to post my picture in this forum, but it might be too big. Feel free to look at the pictures I already have posted.
I think I am going to look further into helium balloons. Wouldn't that be cool if there was a helium balloon shaped like a blimp? Put a Giant Money tract under it and let it sail! Also thought about doing rocket balloons, but the rocket balloons didn't go up. It just kind of coiled like a snake. It would be hard to put a tract on that and have it go anywhere.

Everyday Evangelism-Christmas Caroling Project

"O Come All Ye Faithful". Hot cocoa, Gingerbread cookies, Scrooge. The memories of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is becoming more and more distant as time goes on. At least in America. "Let's keep Christ in Christmas" is a plea we are hearing today. Keep in mind that people don't celebrate the holiday the way that you and I celebrated it when we were kids. Christmas caroling, which has long been part of the Christmas season, is also declining. But here is what we can do. We have an excellent opportunity to do evangelism during this whole holiday season. Christmas time is an excellent time to take advantage of in preaching the Gospel. So here is just one way, out of many, that the work of evangelism can take place.

Every year, sometime in early December, we have a group of people who are willing to use their voices and instruments to the glory of God. We have old Christmas carols that are based upon the historical event of the nativity. But songs that most everyone is familiar with. Someone in the church will open their home to meet in and get organized. Depending upon how many people come out to go caroling, will determine how many groups can go out. The first time we did this we had quite a large group. We divided up into two groups. One group went one way, and the other group went to another set of houses. We sang at least two carols at each house we visited, and told the people at the house that we were from Metro Life Church www.metrolife.org . Children are invited to be part of the caroling. We have a goodie bag ready to give to the family we are singing to. If possible, we have the children hand the bag to the person at the door. In the bag there is a book, a toy, homemade soap, a bookmark, and some other items that we put together. The book we will use this year is Josh McDowell's book called, 'More Than a Carpenter'. The toys are beach balls, frisbies, or maracas with a Bible verse or saying on them. Sometimes we put a schedule of church events in it. Of course, the main thing that we need to be doing now is to pray. Pray for the hearts of the people to be receptive to the Gospel. Pray for them to have ears to hear God's voice. Pray that they would have a deep conviction of sin and would repent and come to Christ.

The first year we did this, we had one lady respond to my son in law a couple of days later. We held the caroling at my daughter's house and the next day a woman told my son in law that she enjoyed the caroling. She said that she missed it since she moved to Florida and appreciated the bread in the bag. The following year, we had the caroling at someone else's house. A lady on around the block seemed affected and had tears in her eyes. It gave the person who hosted the event an opportunity to get reacquainted with her since she was a widow and enjoyed having the daughters over to play cards with a long time ago.

When we are all done, we go back to the host house for hot cocoa and fellowship. It provides a great memory as well as an opportunity for making His name known.

Everyday Evangelism- Never a Dull Moment in Evangelism

On Monday, I went to one of my favorite stores, Sam's Club. I only needed to get four items and hoped to be out of the store easily, for, the weather was nice and that means more people are shopping and walking through the parking lots of the stores. I got inside the store and encountered a young man who was trying to sell a product. I took the product and will use it for a present later on. He saw the million dollar bill tracts I had and had already seen them before. In fact, he recommended that I give them out to as many people as I could! I got to talking a little bit to him, and as we were talking, he make mention of 'his girl'. Well, that could mean a girl friend. Not unusual at all. I probed further. I asked him about his 'girl'. Well, I found out that he was living with her and they had a couple of children together. I was saddened. I asked him where he went to church, and he said he didn't go anywhere. It is possible that I might see this man again, and hopefully will be able to go further with the Gospel with him. Please pray for a strong conviction of his sins and that God would grant him repentance. His name is Ira. I think I'll get out my 10 Commandment coins and give him one and hope that will lead to the Gospel. Thanks.

Everyday Evangelism-Are There Different Ways to Believe in Jesus?

I have a feeling that people are thinking that there are different ways that we can believe in Jesus. At least, they agree with the Bible about Whom they should believe in. But now the question remains, are there different ways people can come to Jesus? Let me explain further: I put a Bible verse on my Face Book status a couple of days ago. Here is the verse I put there:

1 Cor. 6:9,10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

So far, so good right? Well, a person challenged me with a response that goes something like this: I like the Bible verse Acts 16:31, the 'easy' way to come to God. I thought about it for a minute. Basically, Acts 16:31 has to do with the Philippian jailor wanting to know what he had to do in order to be saved. We actually don't know how much background information on the Gospel this man had. Maybe Paul and Silas's singing had words that he could hear, and the Gospel was communicated to him through the singing. Maybe he had heard the Gospel from somewhere else, or maybe God was revealing Himself to this man and making his heart ready for him to come to Christ. Whatever it was that caused him to ask the question about salvation, and caused Paul to respond by saying to him "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...", he had enough understanding to know that God is holy and that he was a sinful man in need of a Savior. This man's life was changed and now he was serving the prisoners that were in there because of their faith in Christ! Salvation only comes to those who are repentant and will come to Jesus in faith. So can we conclude that there is an 'easy' way to be saved that doesn't require us to repent? How would you respond to someone who makes that kind of remark when you talk about sin? If you preach the Gospel to others, you will probably hear this, among other remarks that are similar, so be ready for them. Help these people come out of deception so they can see the light.

Everyday Evangelism- Preaching the Gospel is Medicine for the Soul

"Preaching the Gospel is Medicine for the Soul." As time goes on, I am beginning to understand how healthful it is to be preaching the Gospel. It is like medicine for our souls. Today, I was at the store, and, as I was checking out my groceries, I had a money tract in the cart. The cashier, a young woman, made a comment on it, just at the same time another cashier overheard her. She told the young woman that I always have those with me (talking about the tracts). I assumed she was familiar with the tract and I must have given her one, some time ago. I explained to my cashier that it was worth more than gold. Somehow, the three of us got into an explanation that led to the Gospel message. The other cashier, who was originally just a bystander, was now joining in on the conversation. My cashier was amazed that lusting after another person was the same as committing adultery. The bystanding cashier made the statement that it is a matter of asking for forgiveness. Well, the line was being held up, while my cashier was reading the tract, and the other cashier had to take care of people who were waiting in line. But she wanted a money tract. I looked for one in my purse and couldn't find one, even though I know they were there. I gave them both invitations to "The Conversation", a series of classes being held by the church I attend (Metro Life Church-www.metrolife.org) while I continued to look for the money tract. It was hard to believe the patience of the people waiting in line to be checked out, and watching the cashier read the tract intently, and not having anyone complain! I hope that the little conversation we had today, along with the word of life that are written on the tracts will put a pebble in their shoes. I pray that they will be disturbed, not because I wish ill on them, but I want their hearts to be affected by the Gospel, and I pray that they will be looking for an answer for their sin. Please pray that God will reveal Himself to these two women, and that they will respond to the call of God as they hear His voice calling them. But the really neat part of this is how preaching the Gospel ministers to my soul, as well as theirs. Nothing is more satisfying than preaching the Gospel. And it ministers to our own souls as well as to the souls of others.

Everyday Evangelism-"I Thank God For You Telling Me.."

We had a great time at a jazz festival in Crane's Roost last Saturday evening. When we got there, it was nice and hot, and although we got to pass out a lot of tracts, it didn't seem like there were people there to talk to, or at least hold a conversation with. We had a table out, with tracts on it, and there were also toys, like the imprinted beach ball, which reads on one side, "What Can Wash Away My Sin?", and on the other side it reads, "Nothing But The Blood of Jesus" with the web site www.thegoodtest.net included. Out of the three toys offered (maracas, beach balls, and flying discs) the beach balls always win. The maracas have the Bible verse, 1 Timothy 2:5 imprinted on them, and the flying discs have John 14:6 on them. Both very important verses for this time in our culture. As the night went on, the music was loud, as expected, but we did have more conversations with people. Toward the end of the evening, I talked with a group of three young men who were full of energy. They looked to be college age, maybe, but one indicated that he was married. I was able to take them through the whole Gospel, Old Testament and all, and when I explained what the bad news was, one of the young men seemed really concerned about wanting to hear what the good news was. So I continued to explain, in detail, the Gospel to them. One of the young men had lots of questions about things, good questions, of course, but we had to stay on the Gospel. When I finally got done telling them the whole story, the one young man said out loud, something to this effect, "When I go home, I am going to thank God out loud for you telling me this". He seemed affected by the Gospel, and hopefully, the words will stay with him the rest of his life. I pray that he will never be the same, and that salvation will take root in his heart. I would request for you to pray for him, that God would grant him repentance and faith, and that he will bring much glory to God through his life. His name is Jaquan.

Everyday Evangelism- "Which Gospel?"

I was at the grocery store the other day, and while I was by my car, I offered a tract to a woman. I did the usual explaining that there was a fun quiz on it, and if she gets stuck, the answers are on it. She took it, almost reluctantly, looking at it with suspicion. I knew I had nothing to lose, so I told her that the Gospel message was on it. Then she asked a most interesting question. She said, "Which Gospel?". I was taken by surprise, and said that it was the Gospel that was in the Bible. But I told her that her question was a very good one. There are many Gospels going around, and it is good to find out which one we are talking about. Her demeanor changed, and she took the tract more readily. What I learned from that experience was that first of all, there are many 'gospels' out there, and we need to be clear on a few basic facts when we do get to present the Gospel (deity of Christ, atonement on the Cross, judgment, etc.). Some of the gospels that are going around have some similarities to the real thing, but there is always a glitch. Most of the people I talk to believe that Jesus really is God, and that He really did die for our sins, but they see God as an 'all-loving' and 'all-forgiving' type of being. They can't imagine a loving God allowing people to go to hell, so they assume that they are going to heaven to be with this 'all-loving' and 'all-forgiving' god that they have made up in their minds. Now, is God all loving? The Bible says that 'God is love'. God loved the world so much that He gave His Son to die for our sins. So, what is wrong with the picture of this all-loving God? It is in the assumption that because Jesus died for our sins, it means that we are ok with God, even staying in our sins. It doesn't require faith or repentance or any responsibility on the part of the human. In the eyes of the person, it doesn't require a response from him or her to the Gospel. This teaching is prevalent in our churches unfortunately. It leaves people with a false sense of their eternal welfare.

Secondly, there are so called Christian teachings that would actually teach that Jesus is not God in the flesh. The people who embrace this type of thinking would emphatically believe (and will want you to know they believe this) that Jesus is the Son of God. They just don't believe that He is God incarnate. Trying to reason with these people is like talking to a brick. There are even mainstream denominations that would have this kind of understanding theologically. Some groups really struggle with the concept of the Trinity. They understand it to conflict with the concept of God being One God, or Three in One. God can do the work in their hearts that is necessary for them to understand. With God all things are possible, even helping people to understand the concept of the Trinity.

Thirdly, this ties in with the all-loving God way of thinking, but, in my opinion, I think some professing Christians are reacting to legalism in the church, or, the fact that so many churches are dead and ritualized, and they see through this, by going in the opposite direction. They might have a focus on the freedom we have in Christ, and the good news that we are not saved by works, that they might even shy away from the concept of sanctification, because it seems like a work that we have to do to earn our salvation. They misunderstand that although salvation is free, (we don't or can't earn anything for our salvation. Someone else completely paid for it), they are careful to not embrace anything structured (like Bible study, evangelism, disciplines of grace) because they assume people do those things out of legalism. There was actually a time when I thought like this. I wanted to be careful not to do good works because I didn't want to communicate to people, the false idea, that I was saved by my good works. Of course, I wasn't openly talking about the things of God or telling people the Gospel. I was hoping they would look at my life and see it. But would they see it if I weren't doing good works? I doubt it. Like someone said, "You may be the only Bible that people will read". But if I were doing good works, wouldn't that communicate the wrong gospel? It goes back to the heart. What is my motive? Am I trying to impress people with my 'spirituality', or am I just a recipient of God's grace and mercy, and showing forth the goodness of God, because I am in need of His grace?

And fourthly, on a similar note, there is a movement in the 'church' called the 'emergent' church. It is not a denomination, but it is something we need to be aware of. Not everything in the emergent church movement is necessarily bad, but there are a few things that are like rotten apples in it. The foremost leaders of this movement seem to think that the church is all wrong in the way it does things. It is trying to redo church and make it relevant to the culture. It has a higher opinion of the culture than it does of the Scriptures. If you want a taste of what the emergent church is about, look into the book by Rob Bell called, Velvet Elvis. You will see how he views God, the Bible, evangelism, and the culture. As you read this sad book, you will note that the many things that are done wrong in the church today, are discarded and not even considered valid. His idea of evangelism includes befriending a person and waiting until the right moment before you would share the Gospel. God forbid that you would give someone a tract, or do open air evangelism. He says that Jesus isn't happy with open air preachers. When you give tracts out, you are doing it to get a notch in your belt. There could be some truth in those statements. A person could be giving tracts out to get a notch in their belt. Some open air preachers are really nasty and judgmental. But should we disobey Jesus' command to preach the Gospel to all creation because some people have wrong motives when they do evangelism? I think not! But that is what the emergents are thinking. When Scripture and the culture conflict, Scripture must bow to the culture. How sad.

Let's study God's word and be prepared to help people understand what God is like, and why we need a Savior. Let's pray that God will work in people's hearts. Salvation is of the Lord, and He will bring the results of the Gospel in people's lives.