Gospel Opportunities

Well, every now and then our church will have specific nights where we get together a group of people and go out intentionally to share the gospel with people. This past Friday was one of those nights, actually my first time going, although I have heard a lot about them. I was assigned a partner, who was quite timid approaching people, but once the conversation had been started she was totally willing to talk and really had some great things to say. This time we went down to Mill Ave. and there were at least 2 other groups of 'christians' down there evangelizing, so my friend and I, in an effort to find people willing to talk decided to cross the street. As we were walking up to the street corner, I noticed a young man, probably mid-twenties standing on the corner passing out what my friend thought were tracts or something of the sort, but I immediately noticed that instead they were vip passes for some sort of bar with very...revealing images on them. I told my friend and we decided since we had to wait for the light that we should talk to him. We were passing out pretend million dollar bills with the gospel message on the back and I went up and asked him if he would be willing to answer a question. He immediately asked if it was the question on the million dollar bill and that he had received a ton of those and that by now he was a billionaire, basically stating that he had already answered our question ("Would you consider yourself a good person?"). He said that the people that asked him that question told him that his lifestyle and the things that he was doing were so bad that he wasn't good enough, according to God's standards, to get to heaven. We asked him what he thought about all that and he said, "Well, it sucks, but I'm not as bad as some people and that God would give him some forgiveness." He went on to say that he didn't think that he was "that bad" and that he had never killed anyone, but he said, "I'm not going to lie to you. I've had premarital sex and I go out and party all the time and go out with girls, but I'm not that bad." Thankfully my friend could relate and she started to share her testimony and how she used to stay out really late drinking and partying. She then asked him if he was happy with the way he was living. He said that he was and that someday he would change and do something with his life, but that right now he was enjoying life. My friend then continued with her story and she asked him this vital question, "Do you know where it all ended? I was 26, and I had done nothing with my life it was completely empty and I had nothing to live for." Our conversation swung into a discussion about how life is short and that we don't know when we're going to die. I went on to explain that we weren't there to judge him...we aren't good enough to get to heaven either, in fact no one is and if that's just the end of the story then what point is there to live. My friend pulled out the 2 Ways to Live tract and I walked him through it. We talked about how Jesus died for our sins on the cross to save us from hell so that we could be perfect in God's sight, covered in "the blood of the lamb". When we got to the last page I said, "There are only two ways to live and every person has to make a decision whether they want to live their own way and do what pleases them, but the consequences for that choice are obvious, or there is another way, which is submitting to God, repenting from your sins and following him." We pleaded with him to please consider what we talked to him about and at this point he seemed very serious and thankful that we had talked to him and he thanked us for talking with him and his exact words as we turned to leave were, "Thank you for talking with me, it really seems like God is with you girls." For the rest of the night the gravity of that statement weighed on my heart and I was so joyful that we were able to set an example for Christ. We forgot to ask him his name although we sat there and talked to him while several opportunities for us to cross the street passed, but it was worth it. Please be praying for him! God knows who he is and pray that he would not have rest until he comes running to Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would draw him to Himself.

sharper then any double-edged sword

Here's a couple verses that I just happened to read as the lightning, thunder and rain poured last night...

"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm...

Job 38:22-25


I have also recently had some trials in my life and these verses have encouraged me greatly:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

To keep me from becoming conceited because of thes surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Cor. 12:7-10

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Cor. 4:7-11, 16-18

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. IN this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!

John 16:33

And to end with a quote...

"When you have nothing left but God, then for the first time you become aware that God is enough."

~Maude Royden