Encounter With Man Who Trusted In 'Knowledge'

     The other day, I went up to two men who were outside of their trucks talking. Gave both men a Giant Money tract. Then proceeded to ask the questions pertaining to the Good Person Test. Both men readily admitted they had broken the Law.

      One man got into his truck and left. I was able to talk to the other man alone, at least for a couple of minutes. We spent almost an hour in conversation with him doing the talking, for the most part.

   He started to explain about 'knowledge', which was his newest, most beloved discovery. He said he had been under pastors and teachers, but really didn't get this 'knowledge' until he spent time in the 'cave' so to speak. The cave represented a time alone in the Scriptures. He also pointed out that the church was full of false teachers and prophets. You can only get this 'knowledge' when you are by yourself, studying the Scriptures.

  He went on and explained that the reason why Jesus had to die, was so that He could be free from the flesh. I asked the man if he were into Gnosticism, and he didn't seem to recognize the term.

   Another thing he pointed out was (when I brought up the sin issue against a holy God) that when we sin, we are really sinning against ourselves.

   To be honest, I was at a loss as to what to say to him at this point. Do I tell him that he is wrong, for believing what he does? Do I let him go on until he runs out of breath so that I can 'earn' some time with him to share the Gospel message more accurately?

   Finally, I just brought it back to the Gospel and his relationship with God. There was no connect. He said he came to know the Lord when he was 32 years old. But it wasn't until he found this 'knowledge' that his life was affected.

   He also mentioned at the end of our conversation, that there were many other books that should have been included in the Bible. The Gospel of Thomas was one of them.

   Earlier in the conversation, he asked for another tract. So, he went home with two tracts. Maybe God will do something in his heart through the tracts.

   I write this as an experience that my readers may encounter. Ponder through some of the things this man has considered. How would you respond to him if you met him on the streets?

    Does this man really seem like someone who was seeking God? Or perhaps, it's just misplaced trust?

New Post - New Idea - Potentially New Converts and Disciples

I haven't been able to do my evangelism activities due to a chronic condition that makes me feel terribly fatigued during the day. I have spent a lot of money and time doing research to try to cure this thing.

Anyway, I am mulling over some ideas that I might be able to use to incorporate evangelism into. One idea is really cool, but, I have to work out the logistics and the details which should come later on, if this is something God has for me to do.

This idea comes from a combination of what we did years ago and what another friend does everyday.

You might think I am nuts because I am not a fan of Burger King, but, I can buy a drink there and be ok, probably :)

Sometimes, when we get together with friends, we talk about the things of God, you know, spiritual things. I have had occasions where someone in a nearby booth overhears us talking. Then they start taking an interest. It is really cool and I like this idea. Of course, you always take the chance of those in neighboring booths to not hear a word that you say.

I have a friend on Facebook, actually it is a couple, a husband and wife, who do evangelism every day. They talk to people in their area about the Gospel. They have a focus on people who come from the Middle East. The man meets with people he talks to, at Burger King (don't worry, he eats the salads).

Anyway, I was thinking we could have some kind of intriguing topic to talk about, and we would hope that others will be listening in, and that the word of God will take root. Maybe we could even get to know people and make friends, and ultimately, disciples.

It doesn't have to be at Burger King. It could be at McDonald's (they have good drinks there) or even Chick-fil-a. Wherever there are close tables or booths will work out for us.

What do you think? What are some hot topics that would stir up interest in the spiritual realm?

Are You Prepared For The Hurricane?

At this time, we are aware of a hurricane that could come our way. In 2004, our town was devastated by Hurricane Charlie, but even as bad as that was, it was no match for Hurricane Katrina. Many lost their lives through that. Are you ready for the hurricane that could hit your town?

We have been warned. We have enough technology available to us to help us prepare for the oncoming hurricane, should it be here in a couple of days. But there is another warning that we must pay attention to.

God tells us in His word that a day is coming where all will be judged for their sins. It will be a horrible day for many. God will tell many, many people to depart from Him and He will have them sent to the Lake of Fire. But why does God send people there anyway?

God is pure and without any sin. He has no defect in Him at all. When God made human beings, they were not sinners. But one day, the devil lied to Eve and she fell for it by breaking a command God gave to her and Adam. Ever since that event, every person who has been born (except for 1) has a sinful, selfish heart. Unless a person repents of their sin and turns to God, they will not be accepted into heaven.

Mankind sinned. God provided a covering for our sins. He made an atonement for us when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, 2,000 years ago, to live a perfect live, and then to die a horrible death to pay for our sins. He had no sin of His own to pay for. Only a person who has no sin of their own can possibly pay the penalty for the sins of others.

He died on a Cross, was buried, and rose again the 3rd day. He walked around earth for about 40 days then was taken back up to heaven. He is aware of what is going on here and He is praying for those who belong to Him. He is coming back again to take those who are His, with Him. Are you ready to meet Him?

So, will the hurricane hit your area? Will it be devastating to your community?  Will it be life threatening to you or your family? If it is, will you be ready to meet your Maker?

You will not be able to say that you have not been warned!

Evangelism and Boundaries

I don't know what you think of when you hear the word 'evangelism'. The word originally means, 'Gospel' or 'good news'. Here is CARM's definition of evangelism:
The English word, “evangelism,” comes from the Greek word euaggelion. Most literally translated in the noun form, euaggelion means: “gospel” or “good news.” In the verb form (euaggelizesthai), the meaning of the word changes slightly to “announce” or “bring good news.” The Greek word in its various forms appears fifty-five times in the New Testament. In addition to the before-mentioned translations, the Greek word is also translated as “preach.”*

"The message of the Gospel is something worth sharing and telling others about. In fact, we are commanded in the Bible to do the work of evangelism. ".. and he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:15 ESV). 

But what happens when people think we are harassing them? Sometimes, they see us and they try to avoid us. Why would they do this? I think, many times, they have either had an encounter with a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon. But they may have had a pushy relative or friend who was trying to share the true Gospel with them. Or, they may have seen an open air worker spouting out hatred toward sinners. Who knows?

When do we violate the boundaries of others when it comes to doing evangelism? I remember a time when we were out as a group with some in the church who wanted to branch out and talk to people about the Gospel message. One young man from our group offered a tract to a lady sitting on a bench. She was irate and accused the young man of harassing her. She informed us that he was the fourth person who tried to give her a tract that morning. Was she truly being harassed or was this just a simple oversight by someone who was trying to kindly share the Gospel with her should she have been open to listening?

We have to keep a couple of things in mind when we are doing the work of evangelism, whether it be just giving out tracts or trying to talk to people about the Gospel message. 

First, we have to set a new standard. God does not force Himself on people. That is how the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons operate. They us pressure to try to get people into their churches. Sadly, many Christians do the same thing. Sometimes, new believers are excited about their new relationship with the Lord, and haven't grown enough to bear the fruit of self-control, so they, in their zeal and genuine love for God try to pressure family members and friends to respond to the Gospel. We have to learn that salvation is a work of God, and God is the one Who makes the meaning of the Gospel real to people. We are to proclaim it, whenever we can, but we cannot pressure people into making a decision to follow the Lord. We will scare people off if we come at them making them feel pressure to respond to God. On the other hand, people can be under God's conviction and misunderstand by reacting to us in irritation and falsely accusing us of pressuring them to be 'religious'. It takes a skill to know when we are doing the pressuring or when God is doing the convicting.

Second, if a person indicates that they do not want a tract, I don't pressure them to take one. If a person knows that I am going to share the Gospel with them, and they turn away, I do not try to make them listen. What I want to do is leave them with something to let them know that I care and that their eternity is at stake, but I haven't yet come up with a good way to do this without sounding like I have to be the one to have the last word in this disagreement we are having. I have to learn to let them spew their anger and walk away, knowing that God can still do His work without my having to be there to share the Gospel with them. Many already know that they are running away from God, but I do not have to re-emphasize what they are doing wrong. 

So, when do I cross a person's boundaries? I would guess that if he or she says 'no' to taking a tract, if I keep trying to get him or her to take it. Or if I keep pressing to have a conversation with someone who wants to have the final say in our discussion about eternity. Having said this, I will say that there are people who will walk away or indicate that they do no want to talk about the Gospel, only to come back and ask questions or even try to argue. That is ok, and it is ok to follow up with that. They are probably curious but not sure they can trust the evangelist at this point. Possibly they want to hear more, but are making it clear that they have boundaries that they do not want others to cross over. We should respect their boundaries. God never forces us to respond to Him. We have to represent God accurately to people. When we properly do this, they will listen. They might not come to Christ, and they might still argue or try to harm us, but if we are not crossing their boundaries, they are the ones responsible for their own actions.

May God give us words to say to people, and may He give us the grace as we interact with people, as well as wisdom to know when to press in and when to back off. May God fill our hearts with His love for the lost. 

*https://carm.org/what-is-evangelism

What Is The One Thing That You Can't Do In Heaven?

What is the one thing that you and I won't be able to do when we are in heaven? Yes, I know what you are thinking, and the answer is correct, but it is not the answer that the title of this book is asking.
There will be no sin in heaven, but there will be something else that is missing? It is something that we only can do something about while we are living on this side of eternity.

Think again. When you are in heaven, assuming you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord/Savior, there will be a large group of people who will not be there. Only While we are on earth, today, we will  have the opportunity to minister to these people.

One day, you will not be here anymore. Your opportunity to make an impact for the Kingdom of God, here on earth, will be over. There will not be any lost people in heaven.




This book talks about the one thing you won't be able to do in heaven. In heaven, there will be total worship. But in heaven, there will not be any lost people to evangelize. Every day of our lives counts while we are here on earth. Today could be your last day here. What are you going to do about it?

Turning A Difficult Situation Into Triumph

  Last year, our church did a float in the Christmas parade. God had put this on my heart to do this for a long time, and now it came to pass.

  We had a group of people, and I made a Facebook event page for us to keep everyone abreast of the latest parade news and any updates I had. It proved to be a helpful tool for us to communicate what we were all doing with our involvement in the parade.

   As soon as the parade was over, I made a new Facebook page, with a similar name, but a different date. Throughout the year, we have come together on the page and shared our ideas and thoughts. This went well for a long time, but, something very strange happened.

   I know God has a sense of humor and for a couple of days, I did not see anything humorous in this 'adventure' I found myself in. I never asked for this to happen, and it happened suddenly, without a whole lot of warning.

   Last year, we had about 50 people who were involved in the parade. I don't think all 50 came out the day of the parade. Some just helped. But, the number at the most, was 50, well maybe a little over. But, a couple of days ago, the number of people joining us for the parade event on Facebook is a thousand.

   What are we going to do? Do these people know we are a group with Metro Life Church of Casselberry? Do they share our vision of communicating the Gospel and making God's name known to all? What was I going to do with all these people? What if they all showed up the morning of the parade, thinking they are part of our group?

   I put out some clarification posts, defining what we are doing. The number went from a little under 300 'joiners' last week to 1K in a couple of days. I want people to communicate with me and tell me why they are joining our event.

   A couple of people wanted to have their groups in the parade and thought they could join us. Others thought they could just join our group, not understanding why we were going to be in the parade. It was definitely an interesting experience. We started having spammer post their ads. Some of the people felt sorry for me and were trying to help me figure out how we could make this a private event (which we never could figure out how to do).

   Then the angry posts started coming. One lady demanded that I stop sending her notifications. I had noticed that several people whom I did not even know, were sharing the event and tagging their friends. I posted a message telling people to not share this event. It didn't do much but make people angry. Some of the people posted and asked me to delete their names. I couldn't. There was no delete feature to use.

   I was so tired because I only slept 3 hours the night before. We went to a class at church that evening when suddenly, a light came on for me. I was thinking of what I could say in my next post to the group. I was coming up with the words to say when I was rehearsing the Gospel message in it. I don't know if it was habit for my thinking to be like that, or, if it were the Lord telling me what to write. It fit so perfectly.

   I have to admit, I was angry during the day. How much more work was this going to involve? I am sure it showed up in my posts too. But something interesting happened. When I saw the email from the woman demanding me to stop sending her notifications, all I could think of was, 'what a dumb person. She joined the event page. Why is she complaining to me about the notifications?'. But when I responded to her, I felt no anger and I was able to graciously help her to delete herself from the group.

   A couple of people said they were going to delete themselves. One person added that she was going to go to the parade but now she did not feel welcome. So, something that started out as a good idea that would serve us as a group, was now making people angry.

   But now, the tables are being turned. Some people suggested that I delete the FB event page and start a new one. I probably would have done that if the parade were a couple of months away, or more, but since it is around the corner, I will just keep it for now.

   I am going to make all the joiners feel welcome. I will accommodate their desires (as much as possible). I am giving them instructions on where to park and even making them feel like they are part of us. Then, at the right time, I will bring in the Gospel message.

   I have been praying for all those who have joined the group. May God open their eyes and help them to see Him. And may they learn of the true meaning of Christmas this year.

   Maybe they will receive the best Christmas present ever! Let's pray for them to respond to the Gospel in repentance and faith!

  And who knows? Maybe this is the only time they would ever hear the Gospel? Maybe this is God's way of bringing it to them?

Pulling Teeth Makes False Converts

"If you have to pull someone's teeth to get them to respond to the Gospel, then they aren't ready to respond to the Gospel".

People have to be hungry for God, in order for them to respond to Him in repentance and faith. We can reason with people from the Scriptures all day and night (and we should be doing that), but unless there is a genuine hunger for God, the person will only become a false convert, at best.

Pulling teeth, or trying to make something happen that is hard, is a form of manipulation. It is trying to do the work that only God can do in a person's heart. No amount of begging or pressuring will work in getting people to respond to the Gospel. Not with genuine results, anyway.

There are a lot of different responses I get from people when sharing the Gospel. Some will have nothing to do with it, and they may even rebuke me harshly. Others seem interested, but not enough to make a commitment. There are some though, who really are interested and will most likely respond when their hearts are fully prepared to receive the Gospel.

If there is not a hunger there, then we really could be trying to 'shove God down their throats'. Of course, ultimately, it is their responsibility to respond to God and sharing the truths of the Gospel is not necessarily 'shoving God down their throats'. We could be force-feeding them something they find repulsive.

The Bible says that we will find God when we search for Him with 'all our hearts'. Receiving salvation is not a half-hearted thing. We receive all of God, and everything that entails that, or, we do not receive God at all. We don't add God to our lives. We die to our selfishness and let go of sin, then we receive from God.

The next time we go out evangelizing, let's go where the fish are biting. I like this quote and it makes a lot of sense: You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it. Another good one is, "I am just one beggar telling other beggars where to find bread". That one is good because it ties in with what I am saying. If the other beggars are hungry, they will go to the bread and eat it. If people are hungry for God, they will respond to Him. It takes a work of God in a person's heart for him or her to be hungry for God. No one searches after God unless God makes that heart ready.

You and I cannot make a person hungry for God, but sometimes we can whet their appetite by sharing the good news of the Gospel and teaching the truths of God to others.