Everyday Evangelism-Pennies for the Poor-Inroads to Evangelism

I am constantly looking for ways to break the ice, so to speak, in order to create an inroad to preach to Gospel to people. Most of my explaining the Gospel is done one-on-one or one-on-two, sometimes there are three or four in a group. My usual way to bring about an opportunity to present the Gospel to someone is to give out tracts, hoping someone will have a puzzled look on their face, or have a lot of time on their hands, while having a spark of interest in hearing more about the Gospel. It starts out like this; "Did you get one of these?". They answer (or hopefully answer), "No. What is it?". "It has a fun little quiz on it. If you get stuck, the answer is on it but I'm not going to tell you where it is. Don't cheat unless you really can't figure the answer out," I answer them. If they look like they would continue in a conversation, I tell them it has the Gospel message on it. If they don't hand it back to me by this time, I usually ask them if they have ever heard the Gospel. Then I ask them about the 10 Commandments, and so on, using all of that to present the Gospel. Depending on their interest and response, I will elaborate on the Gospel beginning with the Old Testament in Genesis. Once I get started in presenting the Gospel, it is pretty easy to go on from there.
But how can we create ice-breakers and make inroads that will lead to presenting the Gospel? Well, here is one small idea. It can minister to the homeless people on the streets or anyone in need that we might encounter.
  If you have ever ministered to the homeless, you probably have many questions about this type of ministry. You might wonder why the person you are ministering to is homeless? You might be wondering if the person even wants to be helped? Can the homeless person be helped, or is there a place they could go to in order to get back on their feet again, and not be homeless anymore? Maybe the person is mentally ill and has no place to go? There are lots of questions when dealing specifically with the homeless. There a also a variety of reasons why people are homeless and you probably won't be able to figure out why the person you are talking to is on the streets. But there is one particular way you can minister to homeless people that would be considered safe. It also provides an inroad to presenting the Gospel. Because the homeless person will probably ask you and expect out of you, he or she will ask up front for money. That presents a problem because of the possibility of their using the money that you will generously give them, on liquor, cigarettes, or possibly drugs, or maybe even something worse that we wouldn't even think of. There is a better way than just handing money to a person. They can receive gift certificates for food. There was a time, not too long ago, when I went to McDonald's and picked up some gift certificates for people. After all, there are some things they can order from McDonald's that are nourishing, plus there are McDonald's on almost every corner. That worked for a while. Because I don't really have a fund for this, I would squeeze out enough money for a book of five $1 coupons. I would take each $1 coupon apart and put two of them in an envelope with some tracts that will fit into the envelope. Then when I see a homeless person on a street corner carrying a bucket for money, I will have something ready to give him or her. The envelope will have more inside of it than he or she ever expected.
  As of today, I have graduated from McDonald's gift certificates to Publix gift certificates. Instead of just $2 worth of food, I have come up to $5 worth of food value. I know that Publix is limited to Florida and Georgia, so readers of this blog will not necessarily know about them. I have heard that Publix will not honor the use of the gift card to buy liquor or tobacco products, and that makes me feel better about using them. I'm sure there are other stores and options that will work as well. Feel free to comment about them in the comment box.
  The difficulty for me is to come up with the funds to buy these gift certificates, but I did come up with a plan. Years ago, earlier in my marriage, my husband would put his change into containers around the house, like cups and empty jars. We had lots of change in a short period of time. He allowed me to collect the pennies. I could use them for whatever I needed. I now have my jar that I put collected pennies in. I take pennies from my wallet and from my husband's change and put them in my jar. When I get enough, I roll them up and take them to the bank. Then I buy the gift certificates from Publix, put the gift certificates into an envelope with tracts, and have them ready for when I meet a homeless or needy person. If I'm in a parking lot, and I get to talk to one of these people, I will not only have something to give them, but will also have an opportunity to talk to them about the Gospel. It can be used to serve a needy person with and show kindness, while speaking the words of truth to that person at the same time. Plus, I don't have to be concerned that the person who asked for money will run with the money to the next liquor store. Now to be diligent and keep my eyes open for every penny. I would like to raise the amount of value on the gift card. And I pray that people will be blessed by them and ministered to, and most of all, that the Gospel message will stay with them the rest of their lives.

Everyday Evangelism-Is Salvation a Completely Free Gift?

I may have made a post on this before. The above statement is true, but it is also one that has different angles to it. For instance, the Bible teaches us that salvation is a gift from God. It doesn't cost us anything. God freely gives it to us, and we can't even work for it at all. In fact, if we did try to do some work to help pay for it, it would be an insult to God. Why would it be an insult to God? Because He did the work for our salvation that only He could do and we could not do. We cannot work for our salvation. We cannot do any work to add to the finished work of Christ on the Cross for our salvation, nor is there any work we need to do to keep the gift of salvation that we have received from the Lord, if we have received it. So why is there a struggle with this concept or how can we look at it from another angle? It is kind of like looking at America as being a free country. Is America a free country? We all know that it is, well at least up to this point it has been. But does that mean that Americans are totally free? Does it mean that American citizens can do what they want in living out their freedom? I think you understand now where this is going. Yes, America is a free nation. But was it free for everyone involved? The answer is 'no'. Two hundred plus years ago, people fought hard to bring about the freedom we have in our country today. No, Americans today are not free to do whatever they want. There are still boundaries that they have to live inside of. The point is this; We have freedom today. Many people paid a large price so that Americans would have freedom. It cost somebody, and it was expensive to them. They probably never enjoyed the freedom that was accomplished because they may have lost their lives in doing so. Freedom always costs somebody something.
  I hear people boast that salvation is a free gift. What do they mean? Well, they could mean the same thing that a man told me a couple of years ago. I gave a tract to man before I went into the store. When I came out, he was reading it. I went over to talk to him about what he was reading. As I started talking, an older man came by. He informed that the salvation was a free gift. He was very emphatic about it. I didn't know what his point was, so I informed him that it wasn't free for One person. He continued on. He informed me that you can do anything you want as a Christian and still go to heaven. I explained to him that you have to repent first and trust in Jesus. He then accused me of believing in salvation by works. The conversation went on and on. Back and forth we went on this. Finally, we ended on a note where he made his final decision about me being a Jehovah's Witness. Does this man really understand that salvation is a free gift? Does he understand that one needs to receive this gift in order to have it? Yes, salvation is a free gift to us. The crux of the matter is how it is received. Is it received by our doing good works? Not at all. Is repentance a good work? It is a work of God in our hearts, but we don't do our own repenting. We do turn from living sinful, selfish lives to living out our lives for God's glory. Even repentance is a gift from God that has to be granted to us. It is the flip side of the coin. On the other side is faith. Just because repentance and faith are tangible, doesn't mean that they are good works. Yes, we have to have both in order to be saved. Salvation is a gift from God. The result of salvation is God's workings in our hearts. We are saved to do good works. That is how God is glorified in our lives. It is God who does the good works in us.
   So, is salvation then a free gift? It is for us. It wasn't for God's Son. He earned salvation for us, and He gives it to us upon repentance and trust in Him. Salvation is the free gift that will cost you everything you have though. Now you might be wondering what that is all about. Does it cost anything to get pregnant? The obvious answer is 'no'. What happens though when the baby grows up and becomes a teenager or young adult? What will it cost the parents then? It costs an arm and a leg. College, weddings, housing, food, school, and many other things will cost you because of your child. But we love our children and gladly do that for them. In a similar way, when we come to Christ, we are born into God's family. God adopts us as His own. We have a new love in our hearts. We are learning to live a new life in a new way. It costs us. And it will continue to cost us. We give up time, money and possessions, not just for the sake of saying that we gave them up. "Look at me. Look at what I gave." No, when we really understand salvation, we will want to give. We have new hearts. We have thankful hearts.
   Salvation is free to us. It is a gift. We have to receive it though. Jesus paid for the gift. He bought it for us. It is free to us in the sense that we can't do a thing to atone for our sins. But now it will cost us our lives because we belong to God. We are not our own anymore. "And he said to them all, If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." (Luke 9:23-24). "And every one that has forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." (Matthew 19:29)

Everyday Evangelism-GM 28 App For I-Phone

Here is a really neat tool for evangelism that looks promising. If you have an I-Phone, go to I-Tunes app store and look for GM 28 app put out by Living Waters. Watch the video and you can get a feel for how it works. There are a few different languages available and the Gospel is preached in those languages. For example, if you want to present the Gospel in Spanish, you can select Spanish language and select the option for preaching the Gospel mode you desire. I imagine if you have speakers, you could even make it louder. This would be good if you have a table set up with tracts on it. The nice thing about this tool is that you can help people who don't speak English to hear the Gospel. I know that in our area there are a lot of Spanish speaking people. This would be one way for them to hear the Good News. And you don't have to know a lot about the Spanish language, although that would always be helpful. Some of the languages available are Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish Castillian, Spanish Neutral and Turkish. Have fun with this app and use it to help fulfill the Great Commission.

Everyday Evangelism-Writing in the Sand

Every time I hear a particular song, I have a memory that goes with it. The song is called, "Here I am to Worship". It reminds me of a time when our family went to the beach a couple of years ago. My son and I came up with a new hobby while at the beach; writing in the sand. One time he wrote the 10 Commandments in the sand at the beach. Every time I wrote something, it took up so much room. I don't remember what exactly I wrote most of the time, but I know it was related to the Gospel. There is a part to the song, "Here I am to Worship" that goes like this; "I'll never know how much it costs to see my sin upon that Cross." I wrote that in the sand while we were on this particular beach trip. Late one afternoon, there was no one on the beach because of red tide. Occasionally, some one would stroll through. I believe I was writing this verse of the song during that time, in the sand. A group of people that consisted of what looked like two moms with some children were walking along the beach. They seemed polite and one of the moms was trying to get her child to be careful around my writing. If I remember correctly, as they were going past the words, the mom had the strangest look on her face as if she were thinking, 'Get me out of here!'. We had fun at the beach that time. We also took a bottle and put some tracts in it, and launched it on the water. I left my email address in it, but have not heard from any recipients. God's word will go out with power, whether we see the effect or not. It will not return to Him void.

Everyday Evangelism- New Ideas to Open Doors for the Gospel

I was thinking of some ways to create open doors that will enable opportunities to present the Gospel. Some of these ideas we have already done, and can elaborate on them more, others have not been incorporated yet. These opportunities do not replace the usual everyday opportunities that we have to preach the Gospel while we are at the stores, parks, or wherever we go to give out tracts and talk to people. I will try to expound on some of these ideas. Any other ideas would be appreciated as well. Post them underneath this post and tell if you have already used this idea and how it went.

Evangelism Outreach Ideas

1. Make bread and deliver it to the neighbors on a regular basis. I used to make bread at Christmas time and give it out to the neighbors, but this was such a burden because we were so busy and the neighbors were rarely home! However, one time I did give some goodies to the neighbors and somehow a lady I just met asked me some questions about the church. I was able to answer them with the Gospel. I am thinking about just making bread and giving that out periodically instead of at Christmas. Maybe more people will be home and I will have more time to talk to them and get to know them.

2. Christmas Caroling Project-I have a post on this already. We get together and go in a neighborhood and sing authentic Christmas carols and give each family we visit a bag with things related to the Gospel and a few other goodies.

3. Easter Idea- Show movie of Passion of the Christ and give out John Piper’s book to each participant. This is an idea from John Piper. I would imagine it could be done the day before Easter or Good Friday, either at a church building or a home. I have not done this one yet.

4. Have something cooked on hand when people come to work on the house. Give it to them as they leave along with a tract or a toy (with Scripture). I have done this at times, and it is very effective. If I know someone is coming to my house to work on something in the house, I will make some cookies or something appealing for them. People really seemed touched by this. I also give them a tract as they leave. I make sure that people who are doing strenuous work have a bottle or two of cooled water as well. Sometimes by the time they get the tract, they start a conversation.

5. Hold a class in the neighborhood on apologetics. Have a Bible club for children at the house.I have quite a few videos on apologetics and would love to share them in a setting. While I know this isn't primarily evangelistic, it may end up being just that. It is open to anyone who has an interest in finding out the reasons why Christianity is valid. It can also spur believers into action in defending the faith and evangelism preparation.

6. Free Speech Green at UCF- UCF is a nearby college that has something called a Free Speech Green where evangelists go to do open air as well as other evangelism methods.

7. Table at the local community colleges. This is great if you can do this. We set up a table with tracts and books and have other items on it too, like an electric billboard. I would put interesting questions on the electric billboard to create an interest to come to the table. One question I asked was about why God would allow wars. A Jehovah's Witness young woman came up and was trying to argue, but I was able to say things to her to make her silent. By the way, they had a table out there too.

8. Farmer's markets-I haven't done this yet, but imagine that it can be done. It is better to do it in winter or spring around here before it gets too hot to be outside.

9. Walmart- There are people in the US that have gotten permission to set up a table outside of Walmart. I tried a couple of them around here, but they didn't seem to understand what I was talking about. Walmart is a great place to share the Gospel. If you can get permission to set up a table, go for it.

Everyday Evangelism- Tracts and People

Usually when I go out with the intention to share the Gospel, I run into situations that have to run their course. Sometimes, I will run into Jewish people. Other times, I try to talk to people who believe the Bible was written by man. These situations seems to run in groups. Last week, I got a couple of people who told me they already got a tract. It happened more than once. When I asked them, "Did you get one of these?" they tell me that they did. That used to happen occasionally. But it happened a couple of times last week. One time, I gave a man who was going into the store, a tract. Then I went to the store across the street. I gave a tract to a man sitting in the car in front of the store. He then told me that I just gave him one at the other store! But the other challenge I got last week was that of two different cashiers telling me that they weren't allowed to take the tract because it was considered soliciting. I have my definition on soliciting, but didn't bring it up. I am sure it is an excuse to not take the tract. I am tempted to lecture these people, but I would be doing it out of anger because they are (and I know they are) probably rejecting the tract because they know what it is. I will have to think more about this soliciting excuse. For one thing, solicitation has to do with asking the other person for something. Anyway, maybe it's time to start thinking of another tract to use as an ice-breaker. I would have to come up with something to say when I give them out. I know that time will come someday, maybe even soon, because at some point, I'm sure that most of the people in this area will already have received a tract. That is good because the person can either respond and want more information, or, they can just not want to take the tract because they know what it is. I can give the tract to someone else who will want to know the truth.

Everday Evangelism- Feruary 25 th

Nothing earth-shaking has happened recently in my world of evangelism. I'm still looking for places where there are lots of people that I can talk to. Park Avenue seems to have a lot of people. I went there on Saturday and had a limited amount of tracts with me. I talked with a woman who was a professing believer and she was very encouraging to talk to. I seem to talk to a lot of people who really like what I am doing. Hopefully, it will encourage them to be out there with the Gospel message.

I have an idea of taking a little longer when I go to the stores, and roam the parking lots. I will still be a customer, just in case someone wants to report me. The other day, the weather was great, and I was at an Office Depot store to pick up some ink cartridges. After I got done, I walked over to the gym next door and saw a man getting on his motorcycle. His name was Will. He took a tract. He had never heard the Gospel before. I was able to share a little with him. What was neat to share with him though, was the use of his motorcycle as an example of a way people can get killed. I told him that he could get on the motorcycle one day, and it could be his last day on earth. He said he was actually talking about that the other day with someone. He wasn't ready to respond to the Gospel though. But I hope to have said enough to him to make him think of eternity and want to prepare for that time. Pray for Will to be granted repentance and faith. And for God to be real to him. Thanks.