Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008

"GO" to the Mall

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I had two hours to burn in the Santa Maria mall Saturday evening. After dropping off my oldest son Sawyer to play laser tag, I found myself aimlessly walking around the mall. For the first half-hour I just walked around listening to a new CD I just picked up (Newsboys – “Go”). “Go” as in “Go and make disciples of all nations…” Matt 28:18 & "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mk 16:15. You’ll hear a 22sec excerpt from the album at the beginning of this podcast. I highly recommend it.

As I walked, I noticed a young man sitting on one of the benches, way back in sort of an empty section of the mall. I passed by him at least three times. He didn’t appear as though he was in a hurry to leave. I took my headphones out of my ears and began to pray. I brought tracts with me, so after a time of prayer I approached him with a billion-dollar tract in hand.

Greg was watching a video on his iPod as I approached. I held out my hand and offered the tract. He took it and away we went. Greg is a very humble young man. It was a pleasure to sit and talk with him. I wish I could have talked with him longer. We were both relaxed and the conversation was very natural.

I love open-air preaching. I really do. But there is something to be said for a 1-2-1 encounter like this. God is still teaching me. I’m still learning, slowly but surely, that it’s not all about memorizing Bible verses so we can “bang” on the person. It’s not about pushing our way into a conversation, sharing the Gospel with them and then moving on to the next one – like a conveyor belt. It’s not even about having all the right answers to a persons questions.

It’s about making a good connection with the individual(s). Don’t get me wrong, we should memorize Bible verses that God will use in an encounter. And I believe that there is a time to be pushy, making every effort to try and get into a conversation with a person. I believe it’s also valuable to learn some simple apologetics to answer people questions. But I’ve learned and have had to relearn that just sincerely listening to a person can open up deeper conversation. To the point where you and the person you’re talking to feel like old friends.

Like I said, Greg was humble and this made sharing the Gospel that much easier. But this encounter was a real pleasure. I need to apply this “listening” principle when we are in the streets as well. Pray for me that I don’t have to relearn this again. Thank you Father…

The sound quality isn’t top-notch (lots of natural reverb from interior of the mall). Let’s pray for Greg.

Posted by Ambassador at 1:29 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008

Lance Lifts Up His Voice Like a Trumpet

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"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet"

"Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell."
C. T. Studd

I’m not MR. Super Spiritual Holier than Thou or anything. But I spent much time with the Lord during the week. By the end of the week, I so desired to preach. Problem was, I couldn’t find anyone to go with me. I couldn’t wait another day! I had a delemma. So I prayed even more last Saturday and determined that God wanted me to go anyway – just Him and I.

So I show up on Saturday and it was beautiful – 72 degrees at the beach. I was petrified! Literally trembling… I asked God to strengthen me in my weakness and setup near the mouth of the pier. I prayed more even there. It took me more than ten minutes after I was set up and standing there with an open Bible to even open up my mouth.

I began reading from Luke 13. Then God just took over. Praise His wonderful Name! As I was preaching God brought Brother Josh down to Pismo to tract the crowds as I preached. What a blessing! It really encouraged me to see Josh there – first and foremost because I knew this was God’s favor.

As I was preaching, I got the standard heat from well-meaning people who said I was chasing people away from God. Time and time again people would come by and express themselves in this way. One lady was really upset. After awhile of it, I must admit, I have let it bum me out. But not today!. I looked over and saw a guy talking with Josh. At first I thought Josh was sharing the Gospel with him but the guy yelled at me, “hey read Revelation 14:6.”

I thought, “ok.” I read aloud the following passage.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:6-12 (KJV)

Come to find out, this guy was a good fried of another one of my friends Andy Jennings. This guy’s name is Lance. He expressed that he was encouraged to see us proclaiming God’s Word. We talked for a bit and come to find out, this guy is also an evangelist. I asked him if he would preach – HE SAID YES! Praise God. Listen to Lance pour out his heart to the multitude gathered in Pismo last Saturday.

I thank God for you brother Lance and Josh.

Posted by Ambassador at 6:19 PM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008

Ask Jesus Into Your Heart?

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I arrived in Pismo at about 5:15 PM on Wednesday. Robert called and said he would meet me there to proclaim the Gospel. Robert was already in the middle of this encounter with five young men. They were all drinking large cans of beer. But they seemed sober. Robert was speaking mainly to one young man named Brice. Every once and a while Matthew would jump in to the discussion. But all five were listening.

I love the picture I’ve put up on this post. Why? Because it depicts what God’s Word says.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17

But is this what the church is preaching? Or is it just easy-believism? Most churches today don’t even preach about personal sin and repentance (until the end of the sermon and only in passing). What do the unbelievers hear from the pulpit? “Ask Jesus into your heart.”

Listen to Robert’s way of strongly pleading and urging these guys. His passion for their souls is obvious, especially to those who he is pleading with. But these young men, like most people, have heard the false modern gospel. They have mixed their sin with this brand of religion and Satan has used it to, blind, and harden them to the truth. They used the standard Christian clichés like “accept Jesus into my heart,” and “reaccept Jesus.” Where is that found in the Bible?

Listen to how this encounter ends. Pretty sad!

The sin of these young men is not the fault of the church. I’m pointing out the fact that the church must return to telling the Matthews and Brices of this world the truth. We should not make things up (traditions of men) and tell people to just ask Jesus into their hearts.

I heard a preacher the other day talking about the fact that Evangelicals have always come hard against the sacraments of the Catholic Church (among other things). I agree that the Catholic Church more often than not holds to religious traditions of men more than Scripture and we should speak out against these untruths. But the preacher went on to say that the very thing that Evangelicals condemn the Catholic Church for doing, we have done ourselves. We have the sacrament of “the Sinners Prayer” and “Asking Jesus Into Your Heart.”

Please pray for these five young men.

Posted by Ambassador at 6:02 PM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008

JESUS, THE ONLY WAY - “THAT’S HATRED!”

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I met Megan and Mark the other day in Pismo. The sun was going down and getting cold - fast. While the wind blew and the chill set in, we had a fairly long, deep discussion about personal sin and being held accountable to God.

Mark brought up all the standard arguments you’ll hear if you share your faith regularly. Just to name a few:

- The Bible was written by men
- Religion is a life-crutch, it’s not for me but if that’s what you need - everyone needs something to get them through life
- Why does God have to be a HE?
- I think God is whoever you believe in

These young people were very open to the discussion. So I sat down and we talked for a half-hour or so. God is so good. These are strangers to me, but not to God. Even though they were open to the discussion in one sense, they were resistant in another sense – admitting their personal sin before a good God.

Mark tried justifying his sin through almost the entire discussion. When someone wants to try these tactics the discussion typically goes like this:

Have you ever told a lie?

“Oh yea!”

What type of person tells lies?

THEN THE DANCE OF TRYING TO JUSTIFY THEMSELVES BEGINS

“I wouldn’t say a bad person. It depends on what type of lie your talking about. We’re all humans – like humans do.”

And it goes on and on and on…

But God has mercifully provided mankind with the Law to stop such nonsense.

Romans 3:19 says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.”

The Marks and Megans of this world, like you, and me need to understand that we are not “good” in God’s eyes. They need to understand that the Bible, “declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin” Galatians 3:22. They must hear that they will be “held accountable to God” – a good, righteous, just, and holy God.

When I began to speak of Hell, Mark said something to the affect that Hell is, “unfair if we are nothing more than animals.” This is probably what he’s learned in school (blinding his mind). Not to mention his unreasonable stance that his personal sin doesn’t deserve punishment. I tried to explain to him that it is because God is just, according to His own nature, He must punish sin wherever it’s found.

It’s amazing how unreasonable I used to be before God saved my soul. I was a lot like Megan who said, “Yea, I’ve lied and yea, you know, I’m an adulteress...but...and everything like that but I still think I’m a good person.” This is crazy. That doesn’t even make sense.

But this just proves the supernatural nature of the Scriptures – these Words are in fact God breathed. Why do I say this? Listen to what 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

The unbelievers CANNOT see. Mark and Megan both are blind prisoners of sin.

To them, John 14:6 sounds like hatred. Hatred! Isn’t that just crazy? Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I explained that Jesus here excludes everyone, Muhammad, Buddha, all false gods/saviors as a “path” to getting right with God.

Mark’s response is very telling of his heart condition… Listen and you’ll hear what I mean.

Father, save Mark and Megan. That Your entire creation would worship You for saving such sinners by sending Your Son Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for their sin. What a wonderful God You are! Lord Jesus, show Yourself as beautiful and glorious to them. Bind the strongman that they might behold You for who You are. Holy Spirit, please, for their own good, don’t let them have a restful night of sleep, convict them on their beds. Please convict them when they wake. I am helpless to change their hearts. So I just lift Mark and Megan up to you in faith, asking that you would save their souls and trusting that You’re purposes are always good. AMEN

Posted by Ambassador at 5:42 PM |  MAKE A COMMENT