Celebrating 'Reformation Day' ~ October 31st, 1517
490th Celebration!
You have our permission to make as many copies of this flyer as you want!
servants of Christ,
the Henry Family
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You can find the '95 Theses' @:
'Way of the Master' Transformed Conference
Living Waters Ministries
Free ~ 30 booklets of the Gospel of John
Hello, my name is Steven Henry and in case you didn't already know about it, the site below allows you to sign up for free and get 30 booklets of the Book of John for free. They are great for handing out to people. I just present that for your consideration.
~ your friend and
a servant of Christ, Steven : )
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, October 30
Celebrating Reformation Day ~ October 31st, 1517: 490th Celebration
You have our permission to make as many copies of this flyer as you want!
Monday, October 29
Sunday, October 28
"Greater is He that is in thee..." ~ GNN update 10-25-07
Hey GNN team and fellow soul-winners and prayer partners, 10-25-07
We didn’t get to hear the praise reports from last weekend’s carnival yet, but we want to hear them! : )
There are just way too many blessings from these past two weekends to pass them all on; it has been absolutely incredible! So I (Paul) decided to pick one highlight from each weekend.
(Paul’s update from 10-12)
On Friday, Sean with Operation 180 joined us downtown for the first time! After setting up on our corner, Sean and I went to go meet up with the YWAM team up on another parking garage. By the way, we have heard that the YWAM group is learning the ‘Way of the Master’ training. We joined them for a time of worship and brief preparation. Then we went down to the streets with them. Sean and I walked around with three of the guys from YWAM for a few minutes, but Sean and I were both itching to get into a conversation. So it wasn’t long before the two of us jumped in.
One of the best conversations of the night was with Will. Will was trying to pretend that he wasn’t really doing anything, and that he is okay with God. Will was on Church Street watching the club scene from across the street. We’re not really sure what he was doing, but it became pretty clear that he wasn’t in the right place (physically or spiritually). After the first little bit of conversation, he was very insistent that we should not be judging him and he tried to convince us that he is doing great. This has always been a great obstacle for me until this conversation with Will. After Will carried that theme for a few minutes, I asked him if I could ask him a question. He said sure, so I told him that we have seen so many people down here who are destroying their lives and have turned their back on God, and that we hurt for these people downtown, because we have seen the truth and know where that way of life leads. I should have also pointed out that they are usually not being honest with themselves about what they’re doing. Anyway, then I asked him if there was anything wrong with us wanting to help rescue as many people as we possibly could even if we have to be a little persistent. He had to admit that our hearts are in the right place and that there was nothing wrong with what we were doing. That opened a really nice door into communication with him, and I think he heard some valuable truths that night. Unfortunately, he remained mostly tight-lipped about himself, although he did admit that he’s struggling with sin down there.
On another subject, we are hearing more good news about ‘Operation 180’. It sounds like they are going to start adding every other Friday night to their every Saturday night schedule on the streets downtown! Also ‘Operation 180’ has warned us that last year’s Halloween observance was really, really bad. Sean says we need to really be sober-minded and prayed up. He says that the evil spirits and oppression were particularly thick at that event, and we’ll really need God’s wisdom in how to appropriately handle the setting on that night. We’re not sure if that’s going to take place this Friday before Wednesday October 31, or next Friday. But we ought to be really prepared for both nights.
Now to the family reunion this last weekend! It was the annual Henry/Lamoureux/Williams family reunion in Jacksonville. It was amazing to hear what all God was doing through our family when we were able to put all of our stories together! Friday night and Saturday night, we played some worship music for the family. And then we had a lot of great conversations with family about spiritual things. But there is one particular group of the family that really has been making a move closer to God. In just the last year, El and Sandy Lamoureux and their family have better understood the gospel that Jesus preached and have discovered that a lot of what is being taught and seen in the ‘churches’ these days does not agree with Jesus teaching. Their youngest son Stephen is an evangelist, and he’s going through school and about to get married. He has been listening to Paul Washer in the last year, and it has really changed his life and his thoughts about things. He has such a strong desire for purity in the church and for the truth of the gospel to be boldly preached. I didn’t get to see him this year, but I talked to him on the phone briefly. But we had such great fellowship with El and Sandy, talking about the truths of God’s Word, false teachers, new believers, ministry, and trials and struggles. It was a very blessed weekend! There are so many more great stories if we get time to share them.
(Steven’s update from 10-12)
Hey GNN team and fellow soul-winners and prayer partners, 10-12-07
This past Friday, I (Steven) had the great privilege of getting to street-witness on my birthday, which was really neat for me! And God saw fit to put me in some interesting situations and I learned some things and had some new experiences. My first unique experience was when I joined a group of 8-12 people who looked like they might have been with YWAM, but later I found out that they were just out there looking for ‘some fun’, and trouble I might add. But I joined them thinking they were out there trying to share the gospel. So I asked if I could hang out with them and they said that would be great. I hung out and talk with some of the guys and ladies, and I noticed that they were talking about going into the one of the bars, which I heard but didn’t understand – I was still thinking that somehow these people were looking for ways of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then when they got to one of the bars nearby, one group really wanted to go to another bar, and some of them apparently thought I was interesting enough to talk with me. As I was listening to this conversation, it finally dawned on me that these people weren’t out here to talk about Jesus. So, in passing conversation, I had the opportunity to hand out some gospel tracts and get into some more basic conversation with some of them while they waited. One guy challenged me to think about what Jesus would do: hang out with them or abandon them to talk to other people. As I was starting to nicely explain that I knew talking with people about Jesus and eternity was the main purpose I was down there, one of the girls named Wendy (who was pretty drunk) told him that I was being nice, but I didn’t want to go in the bar. It was an interesting way to get out of that problem, and I took it. I had the opportunity to challenge a couple more of them to seriously consider a relationship with Christ. I then tried to make sure they all got gospel tracts and then said goodbye. Talk about awkward! Apparently, some of the conversations had such an impact on them though, that as some of them were passing through later in the evening, they made sure to say hey to me, which encouraged me that God was probably working in their hearts. Sometimes sharing the gospel is like that: finding ourselves in awkward situations, praying constantly, and allowing God to use us in conversation as much as He can! It was amazing to see God use me in that group and then give me a nice way to leave. I’m praying that God would help that group read the tract and asking God to press them to consider their eternity much more seriously. The situation and conversations reminded me of the verse in James 4:14 ~ “… whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” My heart goes out to those people who are trusting in something other than accepting Jesus as their Savior and Leader to save them.
After I left that conversation, I met a homeless man who was deaf. So, we communicated back and forth on a napkin. I must say that is a first, but my heart went out to this man named Archie. I don’t know what choices he has made that have gotten him where he is, but I was able to spend several minutes sharing the love of Christ with Him and some gospel tracts. Archie asked if I could give him any money and I told him that all I had were million dollar bill tracts. I don’t take money downtown, because we have seen that being lazy and homeless is a business for quite a few of those downtown, and not taking money allows me to honestly say that I don’t have any money and be able to minister to their eternal needs. My mom carries a little money for those who honestly have a serious need. A lot of the homeless people we have talked to know where the Salvation Army is, which is a just a few blocks away from Orange and Central. And yet quite a few of them choose to continue their way of life rather than get good care at the homeless shelter. Sometimes all I know to do with them is just talk with them as much as I can, and pray with and for them that God would be making Himself more real in their life and that He would be teaching them how they can have a relationship with Christ. We know God answers prayers, so I know that this too is an effective way to reach them for eternity. I pray that God prepare their hearts and that He would arrange whatever necessary to drive them to the foot of the cross.
Throughout the evening I had the opportunity of talking with some who would walk by and praying for a lot of the people. There were a number of people that I could have talked to, but couldn’t think of what to say fast enough. So, I prayed for them, that God would be breaking their hearts over their sin and preparing their hearts, and that in His timing, He would send the right people along the way to challenge them to accept Jesus as their Savior and Leader. Because we know God answers prayers we do know if that is all we’re able to do for them is pray for them and the person who talks to them in future, that this too is an effective way to reach them for eternity.
To our dear prayer partners who were not able to join us for some reason, but prayed for us – thank you so much! May God continue to use you, and show how He is using you and can use you more in the circles of influence He has given you!
Your friend and fellow laborer,
Steven : )
We didn’t get to hear the praise reports from last weekend’s carnival yet, but we want to hear them! : )
There are just way too many blessings from these past two weekends to pass them all on; it has been absolutely incredible! So I (Paul) decided to pick one highlight from each weekend.
(Paul’s update from 10-12)
On Friday, Sean with Operation 180 joined us downtown for the first time! After setting up on our corner, Sean and I went to go meet up with the YWAM team up on another parking garage. By the way, we have heard that the YWAM group is learning the ‘Way of the Master’ training. We joined them for a time of worship and brief preparation. Then we went down to the streets with them. Sean and I walked around with three of the guys from YWAM for a few minutes, but Sean and I were both itching to get into a conversation. So it wasn’t long before the two of us jumped in.
One of the best conversations of the night was with Will. Will was trying to pretend that he wasn’t really doing anything, and that he is okay with God. Will was on Church Street watching the club scene from across the street. We’re not really sure what he was doing, but it became pretty clear that he wasn’t in the right place (physically or spiritually). After the first little bit of conversation, he was very insistent that we should not be judging him and he tried to convince us that he is doing great. This has always been a great obstacle for me until this conversation with Will. After Will carried that theme for a few minutes, I asked him if I could ask him a question. He said sure, so I told him that we have seen so many people down here who are destroying their lives and have turned their back on God, and that we hurt for these people downtown, because we have seen the truth and know where that way of life leads. I should have also pointed out that they are usually not being honest with themselves about what they’re doing. Anyway, then I asked him if there was anything wrong with us wanting to help rescue as many people as we possibly could even if we have to be a little persistent. He had to admit that our hearts are in the right place and that there was nothing wrong with what we were doing. That opened a really nice door into communication with him, and I think he heard some valuable truths that night. Unfortunately, he remained mostly tight-lipped about himself, although he did admit that he’s struggling with sin down there.
On another subject, we are hearing more good news about ‘Operation 180’. It sounds like they are going to start adding every other Friday night to their every Saturday night schedule on the streets downtown! Also ‘Operation 180’ has warned us that last year’s Halloween observance was really, really bad. Sean says we need to really be sober-minded and prayed up. He says that the evil spirits and oppression were particularly thick at that event, and we’ll really need God’s wisdom in how to appropriately handle the setting on that night. We’re not sure if that’s going to take place this Friday before Wednesday October 31, or next Friday. But we ought to be really prepared for both nights.
Now to the family reunion this last weekend! It was the annual Henry/Lamoureux/Williams family reunion in Jacksonville. It was amazing to hear what all God was doing through our family when we were able to put all of our stories together! Friday night and Saturday night, we played some worship music for the family. And then we had a lot of great conversations with family about spiritual things. But there is one particular group of the family that really has been making a move closer to God. In just the last year, El and Sandy Lamoureux and their family have better understood the gospel that Jesus preached and have discovered that a lot of what is being taught and seen in the ‘churches’ these days does not agree with Jesus teaching. Their youngest son Stephen is an evangelist, and he’s going through school and about to get married. He has been listening to Paul Washer in the last year, and it has really changed his life and his thoughts about things. He has such a strong desire for purity in the church and for the truth of the gospel to be boldly preached. I didn’t get to see him this year, but I talked to him on the phone briefly. But we had such great fellowship with El and Sandy, talking about the truths of God’s Word, false teachers, new believers, ministry, and trials and struggles. It was a very blessed weekend! There are so many more great stories if we get time to share them.
(Steven’s update from 10-12)
Hey GNN team and fellow soul-winners and prayer partners, 10-12-07
This past Friday, I (Steven) had the great privilege of getting to street-witness on my birthday, which was really neat for me! And God saw fit to put me in some interesting situations and I learned some things and had some new experiences. My first unique experience was when I joined a group of 8-12 people who looked like they might have been with YWAM, but later I found out that they were just out there looking for ‘some fun’, and trouble I might add. But I joined them thinking they were out there trying to share the gospel. So I asked if I could hang out with them and they said that would be great. I hung out and talk with some of the guys and ladies, and I noticed that they were talking about going into the one of the bars, which I heard but didn’t understand – I was still thinking that somehow these people were looking for ways of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then when they got to one of the bars nearby, one group really wanted to go to another bar, and some of them apparently thought I was interesting enough to talk with me. As I was listening to this conversation, it finally dawned on me that these people weren’t out here to talk about Jesus. So, in passing conversation, I had the opportunity to hand out some gospel tracts and get into some more basic conversation with some of them while they waited. One guy challenged me to think about what Jesus would do: hang out with them or abandon them to talk to other people. As I was starting to nicely explain that I knew talking with people about Jesus and eternity was the main purpose I was down there, one of the girls named Wendy (who was pretty drunk) told him that I was being nice, but I didn’t want to go in the bar. It was an interesting way to get out of that problem, and I took it. I had the opportunity to challenge a couple more of them to seriously consider a relationship with Christ. I then tried to make sure they all got gospel tracts and then said goodbye. Talk about awkward! Apparently, some of the conversations had such an impact on them though, that as some of them were passing through later in the evening, they made sure to say hey to me, which encouraged me that God was probably working in their hearts. Sometimes sharing the gospel is like that: finding ourselves in awkward situations, praying constantly, and allowing God to use us in conversation as much as He can! It was amazing to see God use me in that group and then give me a nice way to leave. I’m praying that God would help that group read the tract and asking God to press them to consider their eternity much more seriously. The situation and conversations reminded me of the verse in James 4:14 ~ “… whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” My heart goes out to those people who are trusting in something other than accepting Jesus as their Savior and Leader to save them.
After I left that conversation, I met a homeless man who was deaf. So, we communicated back and forth on a napkin. I must say that is a first, but my heart went out to this man named Archie. I don’t know what choices he has made that have gotten him where he is, but I was able to spend several minutes sharing the love of Christ with Him and some gospel tracts. Archie asked if I could give him any money and I told him that all I had were million dollar bill tracts. I don’t take money downtown, because we have seen that being lazy and homeless is a business for quite a few of those downtown, and not taking money allows me to honestly say that I don’t have any money and be able to minister to their eternal needs. My mom carries a little money for those who honestly have a serious need. A lot of the homeless people we have talked to know where the Salvation Army is, which is a just a few blocks away from Orange and Central. And yet quite a few of them choose to continue their way of life rather than get good care at the homeless shelter. Sometimes all I know to do with them is just talk with them as much as I can, and pray with and for them that God would be making Himself more real in their life and that He would be teaching them how they can have a relationship with Christ. We know God answers prayers, so I know that this too is an effective way to reach them for eternity. I pray that God prepare their hearts and that He would arrange whatever necessary to drive them to the foot of the cross.
Throughout the evening I had the opportunity of talking with some who would walk by and praying for a lot of the people. There were a number of people that I could have talked to, but couldn’t think of what to say fast enough. So, I prayed for them, that God would be breaking their hearts over their sin and preparing their hearts, and that in His timing, He would send the right people along the way to challenge them to accept Jesus as their Savior and Leader. Because we know God answers prayers we do know if that is all we’re able to do for them is pray for them and the person who talks to them in future, that this too is an effective way to reach them for eternity.
To our dear prayer partners who were not able to join us for some reason, but prayed for us – thank you so much! May God continue to use you, and show how He is using you and can use you more in the circles of influence He has given you!
Your friend and fellow laborer,
Steven : )
Tuesday, October 16
Hey to all our friends and the GNN Friday night team - 10-03-07
Hey to all our friends and the GNN Friday night team, 10-03-07
Here are the flipchart lines:
(Page 1)
Give me Ambiguity,
or give me something.
“There are 3 kinds of people:
Those who can count and those who can’t”
Gravity
It’s not just a good idea – it’s REAL!
“I intend to live forever…
(~so far so good.)”
“On the other hand,
you have different fingers.”
“Consciousness:
That annoying time between naps.”
God made mankind.
Sin made him selfish.
(Page 2)
“If Barbie is so popular,
why do you have to buy her friends?”
“Always remember that you are unique;
Just like everyone else.”
“Borrow money from a pessimist
- they don’t expect it back.”
“If at first you don’t succeed
Don’t try skydiving!”
“Why is abbreviation such
a long word?”
“The Big Bang:
GOD said it and BANG! It happened.”
“We are all part of the ultimate statistic:
Ten out of Ten die.”
(Page 3)
“The early bird gets the worm
but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
“If everything is coming your way,
then you’re in the wrong lane.”
“Time is what keeps everything
from happening all at once.”
“NOTHNG IS FOOL-PROOF
to a sufficiently talented ‘fool’.”
“I wonder how much deeper the oceans would be
without sponges.”
“A clear conscience is usually
the sign of a bad memory.”
(Page 4)
“You can’t have everything
Where would you put it?”
“Honk
if you like peace and quiet.”
“We have enough youth.
How about a Fountain of Smart!”
“Change is inevitable,
Except from a vending machine.”
“If ignorance is bliss
then tourists are in a state of constant euphoria.”
“What happens if you get
scared half to death twice?”
“Despite the cost of living,
have you noticed how it remains so popular?”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
We hope you enjoyed those as much as we did. On the flipchart, we did some creative design to help emphasize the points of the lines – it should be unique and we think it can be a great conversation starter. We tried to see if we could email the actual sheets, but they were too big to send out. We are sending these to you so you could have the opportunity to see them and get familiar with them, and that way you would have the opportunity to think of how you could use them as conversation starters. We hope they help. We hope those who are able to come to downtown and check these out will read them out loud (at conversational level), because we are expecting that will stir the curiosity of the people who wander by. We are expecting this to be fun and interesting, if it doesn’t rain! J
Thank you again to each of you who join us and are learning along with us how to effectively share the gospel. And a special thank you to all of you who pray for us! Even though you can’t see us and aren’t able to join us, God is using you to help us communicate the gospel effectively – Thank you!
Our order of tracts came in, so we have more tracts for whoever needs them. We just got the 200 of the ‘101 Funniest One~Liners’ (Way of the Master) and we still have 200+ of the new additions – the Heaven/Hell Ticket tracts from Custom tracts (Ticket to Heaven on one side/Ticket to Hell on the other) – www.customtractsource.com. We encourage you all to take at least one and check them out. We have found it to be very helpful to read a variety of tracts because it gives us ideas on how to present the gospel more effectively.
Also, this week, we have two updates from 2 people who joined us this past Friday. So, we are forwarding their emails and we plan to send out a brief update soon.
Your friends and co-laborers,
David, Barbara, Steven, and Paul Henry
Here are the flipchart lines:
(Page 1)
Give me Ambiguity,
or give me something.
“There are 3 kinds of people:
Those who can count and those who can’t”
Gravity
It’s not just a good idea – it’s REAL!
“I intend to live forever…
(~so far so good.)”
“On the other hand,
you have different fingers.”
“Consciousness:
That annoying time between naps.”
God made mankind.
Sin made him selfish.
(Page 2)
“If Barbie is so popular,
why do you have to buy her friends?”
“Always remember that you are unique;
Just like everyone else.”
“Borrow money from a pessimist
- they don’t expect it back.”
“If at first you don’t succeed
Don’t try skydiving!”
“Why is abbreviation such
a long word?”
“The Big Bang:
GOD said it and BANG! It happened.”
“We are all part of the ultimate statistic:
Ten out of Ten die.”
(Page 3)
“The early bird gets the worm
but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
“If everything is coming your way,
then you’re in the wrong lane.”
“Time is what keeps everything
from happening all at once.”
“NOTHNG IS FOOL-PROOF
to a sufficiently talented ‘fool’.”
“I wonder how much deeper the oceans would be
without sponges.”
“A clear conscience is usually
the sign of a bad memory.”
(Page 4)
“You can’t have everything
Where would you put it?”
“Honk
if you like peace and quiet.”
“We have enough youth.
How about a Fountain of Smart!”
“Change is inevitable,
Except from a vending machine.”
“If ignorance is bliss
then tourists are in a state of constant euphoria.”
“What happens if you get
scared half to death twice?”
“Despite the cost of living,
have you noticed how it remains so popular?”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
We hope you enjoyed those as much as we did. On the flipchart, we did some creative design to help emphasize the points of the lines – it should be unique and we think it can be a great conversation starter. We tried to see if we could email the actual sheets, but they were too big to send out. We are sending these to you so you could have the opportunity to see them and get familiar with them, and that way you would have the opportunity to think of how you could use them as conversation starters. We hope they help. We hope those who are able to come to downtown and check these out will read them out loud (at conversational level), because we are expecting that will stir the curiosity of the people who wander by. We are expecting this to be fun and interesting, if it doesn’t rain! J
Thank you again to each of you who join us and are learning along with us how to effectively share the gospel. And a special thank you to all of you who pray for us! Even though you can’t see us and aren’t able to join us, God is using you to help us communicate the gospel effectively – Thank you!
Our order of tracts came in, so we have more tracts for whoever needs them. We just got the 200 of the ‘101 Funniest One~Liners’ (Way of the Master) and we still have 200+ of the new additions – the Heaven/Hell Ticket tracts from Custom tracts (Ticket to Heaven on one side/Ticket to Hell on the other) – www.customtractsource.com. We encourage you all to take at least one and check them out. We have found it to be very helpful to read a variety of tracts because it gives us ideas on how to present the gospel more effectively.
Also, this week, we have two updates from 2 people who joined us this past Friday. So, we are forwarding their emails and we plan to send out a brief update soon.
Your friends and co-laborers,
David, Barbara, Steven, and Paul Henry
Hey Friends and GNN Friday night team, 08-24-07
As a note of apology: All week long, we run, run, run with work that’s necessary and a variety of ministry activities that we believe glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, we typically go out soul-winning Friday nights and Saturday nights – going to bed late, then getting to church for the morning service, and hopefully a nap and hopefully an evening service. And so far, we haven’t gotten our praise reports out as soon as we would like to. We are working on sending our praise reports out sooner. Thank you to our prayer partners and soul-winning partners. God bless you!
Last Friday night was so encouraging. We tried some new ideas and really had great success. It was raining during the prayer and fellowship time, but we made use of the covered area in front of the elevator. Then the rain basically stopped when we got down to the streets. David and Paul had a bunch of beneficial conversations using the WOTM Ten Commandment coins; the biggest blessing for us was the conversation with a 24 year old guy named Ben. Upon request from Scott and Patty, here is a bit of a description of how that went. David started off the conversation with the coin and told him it was a water proof gospel tract. Then as he lingered for a second David asked him if he had any spiritual beliefs. He replied sadly that he doesn’t but he used to believe in Jesus. But he also said that he had really been doing some thinking on that subject recently.
So we shared with him and he agreed that our sin really is a big offense to a holy God and that we are all very much sinners and far from God. We jokingly explained the evolution of a concrete building, which we had a good laugh at and he admitted that he knows very clearly that there must be a God. He told us a little bit of science that he knew that confirmed how complicated and intricately God has designed us and that was clear proof that there must be a God. Then he told us that he has a life-threatening illness and he was so glad to hear someone explain those things to him. From this point on he was softly crying a bunch as we kept talking with him. We talked for another maybe twenty minutes or so. We shared with him the parable of the soils in Matthew 13 because he thought he had accepted Christ as his Savior but he knew that his life didn’t match up with that, so he was very concerned. He knew he was trapped in some sins. A few days before he had gone surfing and just sat down at the beach and was asking God if He was real and why things were this way and if God could help him. He said that he seemed to fit more in the third kind of soil where he received the Word, but he cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches had overrun his life and he hadn’t really accepted Jesus as Savior and as His Lord.
We also shared some analogies him with about being diligent to seek God. That if he left his Bible collecting dust, he would be robbing himself of really knowing God and knowing how to understand life and be obedient to God’s point of view. And if he continues that way we told him we were not sure that he is saved, and he agreed that he is thinks he probably isn’t but he seems really close to committing his life to Christ. He was going to meet some friends, so we invited him to come back and talk with us again. Before he left, we gave him one of each of the tracts and a gospel of John and things to go read that would reaffirm with even more Scripture those things that we were talking about, and we gave him ‘Hell’s Best Kept Secret’ and ‘True and False Conversion’. As he left he seemed to feel like he had his pockets full of gold.
Your friends and co-laborers,
David and Barbara, Steven, and Paul
The past few times I have gone street-witnessing, I have tried something new, something different. Last Saturday, I used a mic to do this, this week, I just used ‘Let Freedom Ring’ gospel tracts and a notepad. (A special thanks to Chris Owens for getting this idea started!)
I mingled with the crowd and handed out the tracts and said ‘Let Freedom Ring. Did you get one?’ If they took it, I said, ‘Hey we’re also taking a survey – What is freedom?’ It was surprising to me that a lot of people wanted to give their opinions. Depending on the reactions, I would interact with them and then ask them ‘What is Ultimate Freedom?’ I would let them answer and work with them, and then mention the latest statistic, 10 out of 10 people die. So, then I pointed out that because we are going to die, then the freedoms we enjoy here aren’t going to last forever, and that as I see it, spending eternity with God is the ultimate freedom, because He is perfect, loving, beautiful! Then, I asked them how someone gets to Heaven. I would let them respond and then lead them toward the point where I could take them through the 10 Commandments, pointing out that the 10 Commandments is God’s standard of perfection and that if we keep those, then we can get to Heaven, if not, then we have a problem… A lot of people that I talked to thought that apologizing or confessing sin saves us, I pointed out to them that if a criminal is standing before a judge, and he apologizes, the judge still has to issue judgment, there are still consequences for the crime, and if he is a good judge he will still issue the judgment. I would take them through the 10 Commandments and then use the illustration of a criminal in a civil court who owes $20,000 that he can’t pay, and that as he’s being led of to prison, someone he doesn’t even know, goes up to the judge and pays his fine for Him. Then, I pointed out that the man wasn’t freed because he was sorry, but because his fine was paid. If they had further questions about it, explain about how we are going to have to jump out of a plane at 20,000’. If we are going to have to jump, are we going to just hold onto the parachute or put it on? We are going to put it on! It’s the same thing with us and God, we broke His Law and He paid our fine, if we receive it. Then on several occasions, I read John 8:31-32 to them : “If you abide in My Word [obey Jesus’ teaching], you are truly My disciples [followers] and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” – pointing out that knowing God’s truth sets us free, and salvation is more than just believing in Jesus. Right before Jesus explained that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free, Jesus pointed out that we have to follow Him – following Jesus is part of getting eternal life. On a few different occasions, I mentioned how 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” Then I pointed out that if we truly repented and accepted what Jesus has done for us, then God will be building something new in us – a hunger for Him and His Word. If that’s not there, then we need to check to see if our prayer was genuine. I then talked with them more and/or gave them more information if they were interested and thanked them for talking with us and wished them a nice evening.
It was amazing to me to see how many people were willing to talk to me and many people loved giving their opinions! It was also very encouraging to see the ‘RCCR principle’ (Relate Create Convict Reveal - Relate: relate to the person in with natural things, Create: an opportunity to present the gospel, Create: remind them that we have all broken the 10 Commandments (God's Law) and that we all deserve justice-punishment, Reveal: tell them the good news that Jesus paid our fine-debt if we just receive it) work in this too…
a servant of Christ, Steven
As a note of apology: All week long, we run, run, run with work that’s necessary and a variety of ministry activities that we believe glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, we typically go out soul-winning Friday nights and Saturday nights – going to bed late, then getting to church for the morning service, and hopefully a nap and hopefully an evening service. And so far, we haven’t gotten our praise reports out as soon as we would like to. We are working on sending our praise reports out sooner. Thank you to our prayer partners and soul-winning partners. God bless you!
Last Friday night was so encouraging. We tried some new ideas and really had great success. It was raining during the prayer and fellowship time, but we made use of the covered area in front of the elevator. Then the rain basically stopped when we got down to the streets. David and Paul had a bunch of beneficial conversations using the WOTM Ten Commandment coins; the biggest blessing for us was the conversation with a 24 year old guy named Ben. Upon request from Scott and Patty, here is a bit of a description of how that went. David started off the conversation with the coin and told him it was a water proof gospel tract. Then as he lingered for a second David asked him if he had any spiritual beliefs. He replied sadly that he doesn’t but he used to believe in Jesus. But he also said that he had really been doing some thinking on that subject recently.
So we shared with him and he agreed that our sin really is a big offense to a holy God and that we are all very much sinners and far from God. We jokingly explained the evolution of a concrete building, which we had a good laugh at and he admitted that he knows very clearly that there must be a God. He told us a little bit of science that he knew that confirmed how complicated and intricately God has designed us and that was clear proof that there must be a God. Then he told us that he has a life-threatening illness and he was so glad to hear someone explain those things to him. From this point on he was softly crying a bunch as we kept talking with him. We talked for another maybe twenty minutes or so. We shared with him the parable of the soils in Matthew 13 because he thought he had accepted Christ as his Savior but he knew that his life didn’t match up with that, so he was very concerned. He knew he was trapped in some sins. A few days before he had gone surfing and just sat down at the beach and was asking God if He was real and why things were this way and if God could help him. He said that he seemed to fit more in the third kind of soil where he received the Word, but he cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches had overrun his life and he hadn’t really accepted Jesus as Savior and as His Lord.
We also shared some analogies him with about being diligent to seek God. That if he left his Bible collecting dust, he would be robbing himself of really knowing God and knowing how to understand life and be obedient to God’s point of view. And if he continues that way we told him we were not sure that he is saved, and he agreed that he is thinks he probably isn’t but he seems really close to committing his life to Christ. He was going to meet some friends, so we invited him to come back and talk with us again. Before he left, we gave him one of each of the tracts and a gospel of John and things to go read that would reaffirm with even more Scripture those things that we were talking about, and we gave him ‘Hell’s Best Kept Secret’ and ‘True and False Conversion’. As he left he seemed to feel like he had his pockets full of gold.
Your friends and co-laborers,
David and Barbara, Steven, and Paul
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Also, a few thoughts/ideas from Steven:The past few times I have gone street-witnessing, I have tried something new, something different. Last Saturday, I used a mic to do this, this week, I just used ‘Let Freedom Ring’ gospel tracts and a notepad. (A special thanks to Chris Owens for getting this idea started!)
I mingled with the crowd and handed out the tracts and said ‘Let Freedom Ring. Did you get one?’ If they took it, I said, ‘Hey we’re also taking a survey – What is freedom?’ It was surprising to me that a lot of people wanted to give their opinions. Depending on the reactions, I would interact with them and then ask them ‘What is Ultimate Freedom?’ I would let them answer and work with them, and then mention the latest statistic, 10 out of 10 people die. So, then I pointed out that because we are going to die, then the freedoms we enjoy here aren’t going to last forever, and that as I see it, spending eternity with God is the ultimate freedom, because He is perfect, loving, beautiful! Then, I asked them how someone gets to Heaven. I would let them respond and then lead them toward the point where I could take them through the 10 Commandments, pointing out that the 10 Commandments is God’s standard of perfection and that if we keep those, then we can get to Heaven, if not, then we have a problem… A lot of people that I talked to thought that apologizing or confessing sin saves us, I pointed out to them that if a criminal is standing before a judge, and he apologizes, the judge still has to issue judgment, there are still consequences for the crime, and if he is a good judge he will still issue the judgment. I would take them through the 10 Commandments and then use the illustration of a criminal in a civil court who owes $20,000 that he can’t pay, and that as he’s being led of to prison, someone he doesn’t even know, goes up to the judge and pays his fine for Him. Then, I pointed out that the man wasn’t freed because he was sorry, but because his fine was paid. If they had further questions about it, explain about how we are going to have to jump out of a plane at 20,000’. If we are going to have to jump, are we going to just hold onto the parachute or put it on? We are going to put it on! It’s the same thing with us and God, we broke His Law and He paid our fine, if we receive it. Then on several occasions, I read John 8:31-32 to them : “If you abide in My Word [obey Jesus’ teaching], you are truly My disciples [followers] and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” – pointing out that knowing God’s truth sets us free, and salvation is more than just believing in Jesus. Right before Jesus explained that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free, Jesus pointed out that we have to follow Him – following Jesus is part of getting eternal life. On a few different occasions, I mentioned how 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” Then I pointed out that if we truly repented and accepted what Jesus has done for us, then God will be building something new in us – a hunger for Him and His Word. If that’s not there, then we need to check to see if our prayer was genuine. I then talked with them more and/or gave them more information if they were interested and thanked them for talking with us and wished them a nice evening.
It was amazing to me to see how many people were willing to talk to me and many people loved giving their opinions! It was also very encouraging to see the ‘RCCR principle’ (Relate Create Convict Reveal - Relate: relate to the person in with natural things, Create: an opportunity to present the gospel, Create: remind them that we have all broken the 10 Commandments (God's Law) and that we all deserve justice-punishment, Reveal: tell them the good news that Jesus paid our fine-debt if we just receive it) work in this too…
a servant of Christ, Steven
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The Good Test
