Friday Night Notes

a sound of abundance of rain... quite literally...
It was just passed 6:30pm when I left my work and began walking toward Pastor Tim's house, for our night of evangelism in the marketplace.  I could hear thunder and a few drops of rain fell, but I figured I could make it to the good preacher's house in short enough time, where we would both decide if our night of street preaching was cancelled.  I made it about half way when the light rainfall turned noahdic.  The rain didn't fall from up to down, it danced from side to side in a strong wind soaking me right to the bone.

By the time I arrived at Pastor Tim's door, I was totally drenched (Pastor Tim's wife had a good laugh).  It took 45 minutes to get my clothes dry, though my shoes were hopeless.  Anyway, after those 45 minutes, the storm had passed and Pastor Tim and I decided to head downtown for our night of evangelism.  I put on my aquariums wet shoes, took a couple of Bible signs, and after a short time of prayer, we headed out.

I was surprised with how busy the market was, given we had just had a pretty strong thunderstorm.  The place was packed.  I began the preaching rotation, while Pastor Tim handed out Bible tracts across the street from me.

The market was extremely loud tonight.  It was difficult to preach over all the noise, but we found a way to teach loud enough for people who walked by our preaching spot to hear something of the Gospel of Jesus.  I hadn't been preaching for more than 10 minutes when a woman walked by and said:

"I don't believe in God!"

"You will," I replied.

"I don't believe so," she snapped back.

"I know so," I replied again.

She walked away shaking her head, and making sport of me to her friend with whom she walked.  Then something interesting happened.  Not twenty minutes later, the woman came back and requested a Bible tract from me.  Without question, I gave her the leaflet, and she again walked away.  The Lord use that little tract as He sees fit in that woman's life.

Moments later, I had a conversation with a group of young women who took exception to the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality.  My response, in a nutshell, was: "Tough!"  I explained that God's standard was wise, holy, righteous and perfect.  I also made it clear that all humanity was sinful and wicked, and that it wasn't up to God to change!  I then spoke of the second birth and how God had saved me, and has been saving me for decades now.  I knew the women first showed up to mock me, but after my testimony, at least two of the four were completely undone.  Again, the Lord open their eyes and grant them repentance, if He wills!

During my second turn at Gospel preaching, I noticed Pastor Tim arguing with a very, very big man.  I knew something bad was happening.  I quickly walked toward him, cellphone in hand, ready to call the authorities.  When I arrived next to Pastor Tim, the man walked away and began arguing with a woman a few yards away.  That's when Pastor Tim told me that he had intervened on the woman's behalf; the wicked man had struck her violently, infuriating the good preacher.  Pastor Tim took my cellphone and kept an eye on the man from a distance.  The woman was no shrinking violet, she too struck the man repeatedly as they argued, but when the man raised his fist against her a second time, he called the police.  Unfortunately, by the time the police responded, the man had escaped.  What kind of wretched loser hits a woman?

After two hours of evangelism, I knew I was done.  It had been such a busy, difficult week at work, by 10pm, I was totally spent.  So, I made my way to the bus station, while Pastor Tim decided to continue for a while longer.  I trust the Lord has kept him safe and well.

Which brings me to this late hour, and the end of this edition of the Friday Night Notes.  Brothers and sisters-in-the-Lord, remember us in your prayers.

God bless you,

Rand

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Family Vacation

a nice, quiet time away...

There will be no "Friday Night Notes" again tonight, dear readers.  My family and I just got back from a camping trip.  It was a little chilly at night, but we had a really fun time.

I very much enjoyed doing some nature photography:



Have a blessed, safe weekend, dear readers.

Rand

No Notes

time to be a dad...

I was unable to go out street preaching tonight... two of my children participated in a piano recital.  They performed very well!

God bless you,

Rand

Friday Night Notes

me??? I'm just wasting my time...
I made it out of the lab early today, so Pastor Tim and I were in the marketplace, preaching the Gospel just after supper time.  It was good to evangelize in daylight, when the temperature is warmer (however, after hour two of our evangelistic effort, it got down right chilly).  We had a steady flow of people walking by our preaching spot for pretty much the whole time we were out; I gave out a significant number of Bible tracts!

The evening wasn't without its challenges however.  For example, being out in the early evening got us a couple of visits from the marketplace city monitors.  Think of these monitors like outdoor versions of "mall-cops".  You see, according to one of my city's 1,034,256,522,094 bylaws, before 8pm, Pastor Tim and I aren't allowed to stand on a street corner to evangelize.  We can walk around with our Bible signs and preach while walking, but we are not allowed to stay in one spot.  I was pretty annoyed, but managed to diplomatically request some grace stating that we were out earlier tonight by mere chance and that it was doubtful they would see us again in the foreseeable future.  It worked.

It was pretty funny, when the monitors, a young man and a young lady, spoke to Pastor Tim, he asked the young man: "How old are you?"  The young man replied that he was 23 years old.  The good preacher just smiled and said: "I was preaching the Gospel on this very street corner when you were a 1-year-old... I'm sure you understand that no matter what... I'm not going anywhere."

I laughed... and laughed... and laughed.

About an hour later, however, I wasn't laughing at all. A very drunk man who identified himself as Blair came by to express his views on religion.  He claimed he was "the closest f____ thing to Jesus Christ one could get."  As any of you can well imagine, I took exception to that, noting that Jesus wouldn't be walking around drunk out of His mind.  Well, Blair didn't like my retort and threats were uttered.  The man was quite bigger than me so I discreetly put away my tracts and readied myself for trouble.  Thankfully though, the Lord saved me out of my trouble: the man's girlfriend called him from across the street, and he left, continuing to curse and blaspheme.  The Lord have mercy on him.

As Blair walked away, a man drove by in a BMW.  He rolled down his window and slowed down just to say: "You're wasting your time."  After uttering this brilliant assessment, he drove off.  I had to laugh.  No doubt, with carnal eyes, I totally am wasting my time.  A shame the poor soul doesn't see how my Friday night efforts are the best uses of my time.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Pastor Tim and I had a few conversations with sinners tonight, but had more conversations with saints who were walking through the market.  It was nice to have regular interludes, in which we were encouraged and blessed by dear brothers and sisters.  The Lord bless them all!

Finally, had a short conversation with a man who works in the same research institute I work in.  I've spoken to him a number of times in the past during our time of evangelism and he has expressed that he admired and supported our efforts.  The man isn't saved, I'm pretty sure of that, but he sees merit and righteousness in our work.  I have prayed and will continue to pray that the Lord will give me an open door to minister further to this man... he truly is a "nice guy".

With that, dear readers, I'm off to bed.  It's been another busy week, and now I'll take what God promises to His saints in Psalm 127: "... for so He giveth His beloved sleep."

God bless you!

Rand

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (2 Timothy 4:2)

No Notes

bad shape...

Bad health has once again kept me from our Friday night evangelistc effort.  Hope to be back at it next week.

Rand

Friday Night Notes

winning souls for... the community???

It was a cold, miserable night for street preaching.  A frigid, humid wind blew through the marketplace all night, and my spring jacket offered very little warmth under those conditions.  Nevertheless, I pressed on, determined to give a full three hours of street evangelism for the first time in weeks/months.

I made it to the market a good hour before Pastor Tim (he was on a date with his wife... celebrating 44 years together), and I wasted no time, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and handing out Bible literature.  By the time Pastor Tim showed up, I was seriously shivering from the cold, wet weather.  He immediately took over preaching duties while I warmed myself in the nearby parking garage.

Crowds were obviously smalled tonight.  Still, up until 9:00pm-9:30pm, there was a pretty regular flow of people walking by our preaching spot.  I handed out a fair number of Bible tracts and both Pastor Tim and I had a few chances to speak one-on-one with lost sinners.  We didn't face too much opposition from the Lord's enemies tonight, though the same old wicked guitar player was up to his antics again; howling and yelling all manner of mockery toward us and against the Gospel of Truth.  The Lord deal with him as He sees fit.

I had a long conversation with two men who professed to be believers.  I knew from the get-go that there was something a bit off about these men, but as is my custom, I gave them the benefit of the doubt.  They said they were part of a community of believers called the "Twelve Tribes".  Both men were fairly knowledgeable in Biblical teachings but one of the men was definitely the leader; he was the most vocal.  I would even say he was borderline aggressive.  We spoke about a number of Biblical doctrines and practices and I found myself agreeing with them alot, but the conversation kept being steered to "loving each other IN UNITY" and "having all things IN COMMON".  I started suspecting these men were some sort of Christian Communists, and as it turns out, I was pretty much right.

After a good 20 minutes of us agreeing with each other and both men expressing their respect and admiration for my way of life, the chief man pointed to my John 3:16 sign and boldly proclaimed that my sign, my evangelical effort and my very Christian walk wasn't Christian at all!  I was lost and not doing God's work because I wasn't bearing fruit.  I wasn't bearing fruit because I didn't love the brethren.  I didn't love the brethren because I didn't sell off everything I had and moved in with them in order to provide for their needs, physical and spiritual.  I have to admit I was both amazed and disturbed at the same time.

So, after confirming that with the men that my lost estate could be traced directly to the fact I wasn't part of their "community", I made sure to point out that I believed this to be heresy and that I believed they erred greatly concerning the faith.  I ended the conversation pretty much there because I didn't want to waste the whole night arguing with cultists.  Still, I was glad I took the time to learn about these guys.  It is a rare thing to see these cult communities actually coming out of their enclaves to reach out with their message in the public place; so their beliefs and practices are rarely well understood.  In 20-30 minutes, I came to understand exactly where their faith, which truly seemed Christian, got all messed up... this is from a pamphlet they gave me:

"Community didn't save me in the sense of forgiving my sins.  No, Yahshua did that.  But this life does save me in the sense of making me fit to rule and reign in His Kingdom with Him.  It (the Community) saves me daily as I'm trained to love."

You notice above how Yahshua, or Jesus, has a co-redemptor: the Community.  Enough said.

Pastor Tim also had a short, pointed conversation that was something to witness.  I watched as the good preacher dealt with a drunk homosexual who has caused us some trouble in the past.  The lost soul was far gentler tonight, probably due to the fact that he was in a drunken stupor.  Slurring his words, he tried to express his exasperation toward Pastor Tim's preaching.  That's when Pastor Tim turned his attention to him and with a gentle yet firm tone, he said:

"I see you every Friday night, drunk out of your mind... and I believe I know why you do that to yourself... it's how you deal with the awful mess and shame of your life.  By your wickedness and your perversions, you likely brought shame not only to yourself, but to your father, mother and your siblings.  You don't have to continue this way.  If you will call upon Jesus right now and ask Him to make things right, if you change your mind about how you are living your life right now, if you follow the Lord, He'll make you clean, He'll save your soul."

Again, slurring his words, he tried to express how he didn't appreciate Pastor Tim judging him.  He even made an attempt at citing Matthew 7:1.  Even the drunkards can cite Matthew 7:1.  Too bad none of them keep reading down to verse 20.

The Lord have mercy on this poor lost soul.

There were a few other conversations, a few other notable events I could report, but I'm too tired now... it's time for some rest.  Remember us in your prayers, dear saints.

God bless you all,

Rand

"Therefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." (Acts 20:26-27)

Labels: Friday evangelism

Friday Night Notes

getting busier...

By late evening, it got pretty chilly but without a doubt, spring is here! That will make Bible street preaching a whole lot more comfortable. Spring time will also increase our audience by a whole lot; we easily had four or five times the crowds we had over the winter. As we endeavour to bring the Gospel to these souls, we hope and pray that this year will be a year of revival and awakening in the Capital.

Pastor Tim and I were only out preaching for a little over two hours (I have an important engagement tomorrow morning, so I needed to be back home in good time tonight), but many souls were presented with the Gospel in that short amount of time. Pastor Tim had good one-on-one conversations; one with an ecumenical Catholic, the other with a Muslim woman who sadly, didn't know much about her own religion. I had an unprofitable conversation with a couple of young men who wanted, at all cost, to present the God of the Bible as contradictory and ultimately, the author of sin. I was gracious and attempted to give an answer for the Faith, but seeing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, I simply walked away.

I can recall two women who, when walking by me as I handed out Bible literature, said a heartfelt: "God bless you! It is really good, what you are doing here tonight." The Lord bless them and reward them for their kindness and love of the Truth. Not too many of that sort in the marketplace on Friday night!

Another unexpected blessing: none of our Bible signs were knocked down, kicked or spat at tonight. That is a rare event indeed. I was really pleased by this break from the usual. You have no idea how it annoys me when someone messes with our Bible signs.

The wicked guitar player was at his usual post, mocking us and disrupting our preaching as best he could. The Lord reward him according to his folly. Despite his best efforts, both Pastor Tim and I managed to present the Gospel to the people who passed by us. For that, we are thankful.

All and all, it was a good night of evangelism. I hope the Lord will give us many other Friday nights like this one in the months ahead.

God bless you, dear readers...

Rand

Ps: Both my wife and I are doing much better, health-wise. I really want to thank all of you who have prayed fervently for us. Your prayers were answered!

Labels: Friday evangelism