What does a Muslim have to do to get to heaven?

I’m sorry I haven’t posted an update in awhile. The Lord has continued to give opportunities to share the gospel, and, as I have found in the past: any time I disobey and keep quiet (in essence, denying my Lord) I regret it bitterly and anytime I obey by sharing (no matter how the person responds) I am blessed and encouraged.

I was recently traveling cross-country... I had a number of opportunities to give out tracts, and even had some rejections. At a McDonald’s we stopped at the pony-tail wearing manager who checked us out, said it was against policy for him to accept a “ticket to heaven” since it was considered soliciting. He did accept an optical illusion tract – but I told him he probably wouldn’t want that either because it had the gospel message on the back. It’s the first time a worker at McDonald’s has ever turned one down – but it was funny – instead of giving back the optical illusion tract he handed it to a co-worker. I guess it is against policy for him, as the manager, to accept a gift of a gospel tract that he can read later, but he can turn and hand it (on the job) to an employee for them to read later!! But, it is a good reminder that we need to be sensitive to others that are “on the job” and also be respectful of private property when we are out and about.

On one of my return flights, I had the privilege of sitting next to a middle-aged man from Canada. As we started talking, I asked about his accent and found he is originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. He immigrated to Canada in 2002. We talked about Afghanistan and his life for a while – and I was fascinated to hear first-hand details of his life and the move to Canada. Eventually, I found out he was a Muslim and began asking questions about the Muslim faith.

I said, as a Christian, I’m always curious when I hear people say that “if you kill an infidel you go to heaven” and other things – to find out whether they were actually in the Koran. I figure there are a lot of professing Muslims that probably don’t even read the Koran, just as there are a lot of “professing” Christians that don’t even read the Bible (Matthew 7:21-23). He agreed that it is a problem: the Muslims that don’t know what the Koran says, and he said the Koran says it is NEVER acceptable to take another’s life (I was a bit surprised with that considering how strict the Islamic law is?!?).

I asked what a Muslim must do to get to heaven according to the Koran. He said you must do good works and be a contributor to society. I asked then about heaven/hell and punishment. He said that bad deeds will be punished: the worse the deed the worse the punishment. I never did understand then, whether that means a person goes to hell first for their punishment, and then to heaven. Or if everyone goes to the same place which is mixed with suffering and then blessing – that part didn’t make sense.

As he shared about his Muslim beliefs, he said that he believes all religion is like the branches of a tree and that they share the same roots. I was so very grateful to the Holy Spirit that this man mentioned that, because it gave the perfect springboard to begin sharing the gospel message with him.

After he was done sharing, I was grateful that he had been open and took the time to share (it was my first real opportunity to talk with and learn from a Muslim who wasn’t wanting to debate or argue, but was genuinely sharing).

I then said he might be curious to hear what the Bible actually teaches about heaven and hell – because I said that there are several things which completely and totally separate Christianity from every other religion in the world (relating to what he said about them all being the same). Over the next hour and a half, I had the opportunity to share from God’s Word, and my heart, and show him these three differences:

Difference #1 - The Bible teaches that there is NOTHING we can do to earn our own salvation in our own good works.

I said that every other religion I have come across appears to have a system whereby you work towards heaven (and he couldn’t disagree because he had just said all religions were the same!). We then looked up a number of Scripture verses and I read them aloud while he intently followed (I would have liked to have him read them out loud, but the time I asked him to, he read silently, so from then on I read them out loud while he followed along).

The main two verses were from Ephesians 2, 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We talked about a lot of different things, but one illustration that the Lord put on my heart I shared with him – and I was a little emotional sharing it, and noticed he also had tears in his eyes…

If he and I were buddies fighting in a war, and were down in a bunker during battle one day, when the enemy threw a hand grenade into the bunker – and he, in order to save my life, jumped on the grenade and was instantly killed (this has happened many times – read the online Medal Of Honor Citations for the US Army). But let’s say he had a wife and a young child back home that were now left all alone. I said I would go back to the States after the war and would do whatever I could to look after and provide for them. He agreed – any soldier would do that. I said I wouldn’t be doing it to earn what he had down for me, or even to pay him back. One could never earn such a gift or repay such a sacrifice. I would be doing it because of my heartfelt gratitude for what he had done. THAT is why Christians do good works – not to earn our salvation, but out of gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has done for us.

Difference #2 – The Bible (and Jesus) teach that Jesus is actually GOD.

Every other religion that I am aware of believes that either Jesus was a good person, a teacher, a false prophet, the “son” of God – ANYTHING except that actual truth of what Jesus said and the Bible says: Jesus IS God and was also fully man.

A person CANNOT believe Jesus is simply a prophet (as the Muslims and Jews both believe) – because a prophet can never speak something that is not true. At least twice, while Jesus was on earth, He claimed to be God, and each time the Jews picked up stones to kill him (specifically because He claimed to be God). If Jesus was truly a prophet, the Words He spoke were true (which they are) – and that means He is God. If the words He spoke were not true, then He would have to be a liar. You cannot believe that Jesus was simply a good man or teacher – there is no middle ground. Either He is Who He says He is – or you have to believe something else.

John 8:57-59 (KJV)
57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 10:30-33 (KJV)
30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. (emphasis added)

Difference #3 – A relationship with Jesus is a LIVING relationship – not a stale religion with a set of rules.

Having the Holy Spirit alive and at work in our hearts is a wonderful thing. It is something we cannot comprehend. No other religion (that I am aware of) is a living relationship with the God of Creation (the Lord Jesus Christ) – Praise Jesus!

We talked the entire hour and forty-five minute flight, and stood in the terminal and talked another twenty minutes. He asked some sincere and honest questions about the claims the Bible makes, and I showed him verses and said I would e-mail him others. I am praying that he will e-mail me soon (his e-mail account is blocked so that only people that he e-mails to can e-mail him – that way he doesn’t get junk mail and spam).

I was very, very excited to see the Lord working in hearts!

Black Friday

What a perfect title for the day of the year that all of America seems to idolize the buying of more worldly possessions. And yet, when everything is all said and done:

Matt 16:26 (KJV) 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

And sadly, for two young men (one of whom was from our town), Friday was truly a black day for them: they both died in an auto accident at 1:30 a.m. after their vehicle left a rural road and hit a tree. The obituaries make no mention of the Lord Jesus Christ, or their relationship with the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Judge Who will judge all men, but, from all appearances, those two young men, one 21 and the other 22, are both now in hell.

If someone had approached them on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) and said “Do you think you’ll die tonight in an auto accident?” I will almost guarantee they would have said “No way! Are you crazy?” And yet they are both now gone.

For us, Black Friday was spent with a Pastor and his family that were visiting our family from out of state. We had a wonderful day of fellowship and encouragement in the Lord Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, we went to the nearest large town and one the stores we visited was a major outdoor/adventure store. It was extremely busy. I didn’t need to purchase anything (as was the case with most of the others in the family – I think one person was needing to make a purchase), so we all split up into groups of two or three to see if we could share the life-giving gospel and hand out gospel tracts on the day after Black Friday.

NOT EASY!

We were not doing a mass tract distribution because we respected the fact that we were on private property, and the store wanted people to be shopping. As such, we only gave tracts to people if we had a conversation with them and they were interested in receiving tracts. I had quite a few conversations – and I’ve found the conversations can be hard to start. Not every conversation turns to the Gospel – but that is always the goal…

It started with the older couple outside at a table where they were selling raffle tickets for a shotgun. We talked about hunting (I’m not a hunter of animals, but am a fisher of men) and the weather. Towards the end of the conversation I gave them a few tracts (including a million dollar bill) which they accepted.

Inside, a lady was passing out postcards that encouraged people to sign up for a store credit card. I said “Great – I’ll trade you. I’ll take one of those and you can have these to look at later.” She accepted the tracts and I talked with her about the credit card for a few minutes.
As we walked around in the store I noticed an older gentleman looking at ball caps embroidered with the name of the store on the cap. I remembered the credit card offer in my pocket and pulled it out to start a conversation with him. “Did you know that if you sign up for their credit card they’ll give you a ball cap?” I showed him the postcard and we started talking. We talked about credit cards, interest rates, and society in general for a few minutes before we parted company (I didn’t offer him any tracts).

I went upstairs where I saw an older gentleman leaning on a railing looking out over the store and some of their nature displays. I leaned on the railing next to him and also looked out over the nature displays. After a minute I took my weight off the railing and said “Whoa – I hope we’re not both putting all our weight on this thing – who knows how strong it is.” He laughed, and we started talking about building codes and engineers. He then asked where I was from (nearby), while it turns out he was a tourist from another state. We talked for five or ten minutes. I gave him a little souvenir (a million dollar bill tract) and attempted to bring up the gospel. However, his wife showed up right then and he wanted to move on – so the friendly conversation came to an amicable conclusion.

Instead of actively walking around and fishing for men, I thought I’d sit on a bench near an indoor pond and see if any fish would “jump into the boat” by sharing the bench. Soon after I sat down a young teenage boy sat down and was talking on his walkie-talkie and looking around. I started a conversation by asking if he had a ham radio or a talk-about. He said it was just a talk-about. I mentioned I have my ham license but that the funny thing is, in the more than 10 years since I was licensed, I have never once talked on a ham radio. He was waiting for his parents to pick him up. I looked at my watch and told him I was sitting for a few minutes but had to be up at the front of the store in three minutes to meet up with the rest of my family (we had pre-arranged the schedule). I shared a few tracts with him and encouraged him to show them to his parents and read/discuss them with them.

At the entrance I saw a family of plain brethren gathered and waiting (probably for others that were still shopping). With their conservative clothes they definitely stood out from the other holiday shoppers! I’m guessing they were probably Amish or Mennonite. I went up to the father and said it was a blessing to see some plain brethren (I hope they are OK with that title??), shook his hand, and asked if they believe the Bible is God’s Word. He said they do – so I said he would probably enjoy reading some of the tracts we were handing out at the store. We had a nice chat for another minute or so (they were from out of town and were visiting his sister).

I had a few other conversations that didn’t go far – but, all in all, I had a wonderful time meeting people and learning about them and attempting to share the gospel. From past experience I know that shopping areas can be very difficult places to share the gospel:

• Mark 10:25 (KJV) - 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

but it was worth it! And, as verse 27 says "with God all things are possible"! May the Word of the Lord that is contained in the tracts bring forth much fruit in the lives of those that received the tracts.

Nursing Home Catholics (very sad)

Catholics that are living in nursing homes are some of the saddest people I know. And truly, if I was in their shoes (approaching death with no hope of heaven) I would be more than sad – I would be petrified.

There are two people at the nursing home that I have invited (a number of times) to attend our service. We preach God’s Word, and most Catholics claim to believe what the Bible says. I have encouraged these two to attend the service, listen to the preaching, and let me know if any word is spoken that isn’t supported by Scripture. Both have, so far, refused to attend. The one is a woman who prefers to spend the time in her room watching TV and reading secular romance novels. I have never seen her reading a Bible and have not seen one in her room. The other is a man (they aren’t related), who prefers to sit by the nurse’s station and read Western novels instead of attending. He doesn’t own or read the Bible. I asked if he would like a Bible (I was going to give him one as a gift) and he said “no”.

We did have a Catholic lady attend our service this last time. She is a relatively new resident at the nursing home. As we spoke of the Lord and her background, she shared that she was a Catholic. I said she was still welcome to attend our service as we worship the Lord Jesus Christ and we preach God’s Word. As we talked, I asked her how a Catholic gets to heaven. Her response was heartbreaking: by attending Mass, taking communion, and attending church (the importance of attending Catholic services was so burned into her mind that she said it twice with different words). No mention of sin, salvation, redemption, or the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

These people have been lied to and deceived throughout their entire lives (and yes, they, as everyone, ultimately bear the responsibility for believing the lies and not repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ) – and it breaks my heart to see them so close to eternity.

I would implore and beg any Catholic that happens to see this blog: begin reading your Bible before it is too late! While the sooner you forsake false doctrine and repent of your sins and believe in Jesus – the better – all I ask is that you begin by reading God’s Word to see if the things your church teaches you are in accordance with what God says in His Word.

If you will sit down, open God’s Word, and pray “God, if you are real, and if this is your Word, I ask you to reveal Yourself to me. AND, as you reveal Yourself to me, I commit to obeying what You tell me to do” I guarantee He will reveal Himself to you. How can I make such a promise? Actually, God Himself says that He will.

John 7:17 “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

Meaning that if you desire to do God’s will, He will reveal truth to you.

If you will commit to spending 30 minutes a day reading the New Testament with an open heart as you seek God – your life will never be the same.

I have yet to meet a Catholic that spends time in the Word on a daily basis. (I’m not saying such a person doesn’t exist, it’s just that out of the many Catholics I have met, I haven’t yet come across one that reads God’s Word on a daily basis).

How is your relationship with the Lord?

Or even “Do you have a relationship with the Lord?” ----- I have found that those are not good questions to ask someone when you are attempting to determine if they know the Lord or not.

We went back to the homeless shelter over the weekend for a chapel service. In starting a conversation with one man I asked how his relationship with the Lord was – and he said it was good. I asked if he knew the Lord as his Savior – and he said he did. I was suspecting that neither of those were true, but had already somewhat boxed myself in! After we chatted a few more minutes I brought up the ten commandments and asked if he was familiar with them – he was. I asked if he felt he kept or broken then – he felt he had kept them. So, we took a few minutes to look at God’s law (I like to include myself anytime I’m going through the law with someone), and we both came up guilty. I asked him what would happen on judgment day, after he dies, when God judges his life based on the ten commandments, would he be innocent or guilty – he said he would be guilty. Where would he spend eternity, heaven or hell? Hell.

I spent the next few minutes verbally sharing the gospel with him and encouraging him to repent of his sins and believe on Jesus (and the while praying that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to his heart), and while he did listen attentively, he didn’t seem very interested in the gospel. I asked if I could pray for him (he let me do so), and then I left him with a more detailed tract – which I encouraged him to read and to look up any Scripture to see for himself what the verse said. I would have given him a small New Testament but he had a Bible in his backpack.

I had noticed another man who was walking with great difficulty. He was probably in his upper 30’s or lower 40’s, using a cane, and wearing a hospital wrist band. I asked him if he had a back injury. He said he had been stabbed in the back by a “friend” (other people use that as a saying, he meant it literally). He professed to be a believer, but when I asked how he was living on a daily basis (in victory over sin or in defeat), and whether the Lord was possibly trying to get his attention in any areas, he said he definitely believed the Lord was trying to get his attention. We talked for a few minutes and I was able to encourage and challenge him (especially his need to deal with any sin in his life and to be in the Word). I then prayed for his physical healing and for his relationship with the Lord.

I also have some things to share after being at our local nursing and being once again reminded of the terrible deception of the Catholics that are there – it breaks my heart…

And by the way, the question “How is your relationship with the Lord” is likely a good thing to ask a believer. But, even then, something more specific may be better, such as “Have you been spending time in the Word lately?” or, “What has the Lord been doing in you life lately.”

A Telemarketer Hears about my Spiritual Birthday

Today is my 22nd spiritual birthday. This morning, while at work, a telemarketer called. She was interested in selling me an employee handbook which handily summarizes employment law. After listening to her, I shared that we have a family business and, while we do follow the law, we haven’t run into any employee issues which would cause us to need such a reference. I did say I would take down her information and file it away in my contact list under “employment, guide, reference” so that I could pull up the info if we ever had a need for it.

Towards the end of the call, I knew, as a telemarketer, that she wouldn’t be asking me if there was anything else she could help me with (my normal cue to try and share the gospel) – but somehow she said something which enabled me to mention it was my birthday, but not my normal birthday, it was my spiritual birthday. I said I guess that was a bit weird, for a person to celebrate a spiritual birthday. She was trying to say “no it isn’t” but wasn’t really coming up with the words (because, think about it, the average non-believer DOES think it VERY weird to celebrate a spiritual birthday!). I then said that the birthday commemorates the day I was saved. I asked if she knew where she would spend eternity – heaven or hell. She said she hoped she knew. I asked where, and she said she hoped heaven.

I said there was a short test a person could take to see if that was true, and asked if she had ever taken the good person test. She hadn’t, and she was open.

Over the next fifteen minutes we discussed the law (she was guilty of breaking the commandments we discussed). When she acknowledged taking God’s name in vain, I asked if she had any children (she sounded like she was perhaps middle-aged). She said she did. I said she had hopefully never taken God’s name in vain in front of her children (generally, even unbelievers will try to control their cursing of God when they are around their children) – and she said, unfortunately, she HAD done it around her children. It’s interesting that, to date, every person I have asked that (swearing around their children) has said they have done it.

She was open to the gospel, and I able to share with her the plan of salvation (the key being repentance)...

A Christian Headed for Hell??

We had a weekend ministry trip last week. Before leaving on the trip, I needed to activate a data package for my cell phone. At the end of the customer service phone call, the rep asked me if there was anything else she could help me with.

I said that there was – but that it wasn’t related to the cell phone - - - did she have just a minute for another question? She said she did.

I asked her if she had ever taken the good person test – she hadn’t. But, after I asked, she said that she considers herself to be a good person. We then took a look at the ten commandments, and she readily admitted breaking the ones we discussed (lying, stealing, blasphemy, and murder of the heart).

When I, with a heart of compassion (because I’m guilty of these same crimes before God), summarized her condition before God (that God would see her as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderer at heart), she agreed with me.

I asked her if she were to die, and God judged her by His 10 commandments, as He says He will, would she be innocent or guilty. She said she’d be guilty (as would everyone, I said – because we’ve ALL broken His commandments).

I then asked if she would go to heaven or hell. She paused for a second, and said, “hell.”

I asked her if that concerned her, and she said it did.

Over the next ten minutes I shared the gospel with her and discussed what the Lord Jesus did for her – and what she must do in order to receive His gift (simply knowing about Jesus isn’t good enough – in the same way that knowing a parachute would save you does a person no good as they jump out of a plane – they must actually strap the parachute on!). As we talked, I found out that she not only attends church, but she reads her Bible daily (THAT was amazing!), and is attending a “Purpose Driven Life” Bible Study.

Here is a lady attending a Purpose Driven Life Bible Study that readily admitted she is heading for hell! How could this be?!?

I encouraged her to instead begin studying the book of John and to seek to learn as much as she can about Jesus, and what He has done for her, and what He requires of her. I encouraged her to seek after Jesus until she can say “I know I am headed for heaven – because of what Jesus has done for me.”

She was grateful I shared with her, and I was grateful the Lord opened the door for me to share.

The Effectiveness and History of Gospel Tract Distribution

Is it good to give out gospel tracts? Are they the most effective way to share with the lost? What about the people and churches that do not believe tracts are worthwhile – but instead believe that it is better to use relationships to share the gospel?

Starting off, I want to say that, truly, the best way to share the gospel is to sit down with someone and share with them. Unfortunately, that would tremendously limit our ability to witness to the lost! So often, the deceptions of Satan involve taking a little bit of truth and mixing error with it. Such is the case with those who only believe in “relationship evangelism”. They have taken the truth that it IS truly best to share in person with a lost person, and ignored the fact that a wonderful secondary method of sharing the gospel is giving the person a gospel tract to read!

For those that believe relationship evangelism is the ONLY way to share the gospel, I would ask how many relationships have you started over the past month? How many have you then shared the gospel with?

When it isn’t possible to sit down and share with someone, I firmly believe the next best way to share the gospel with that person is via a gospel tract. You can then, in essence, share with them through the text later on (if they read it). Over the course of the past year, our family has handed tracts to hundred’s of people with whom we didn’t have time to build a relationship: at many stores (workers and customers), restaurants (to workers and people that were waiting to be served and even patrons at various tables!), the County Fair (we shared personally with hundred’s, but gave out Gospel tracts to thousands that we didn’t have time to build a relationship with), people on the street, people who were out exercising – many, many people! While we have desired to share more with each person, time was too limiting. Instead, we were able to give them a tract and encourage them to read it later.

When a delivery person was at our house the other day we only had a few minutes with him during the unloading process. Not enough time to build a relationship. However, I asked him if he had ever been given a million dollar bill – and he said once, a long time ago, for a promotion – but he didn’t have it anymore and would love another one. I asked him if he likes to read and he said he does. I then gave him a gospel of John (one of the best tracts available since it is strictly God’s Word!) with a million dollar bill in it. He sincerely thanked me, promised to read it, and put it in the bib pocket of his overalls.

Think of it this way… Did God only communicate to us in verbal form only? No. He also communicated to us in written form through His Word. Tracts are a great example of communicating with others through the written word.

Are Tracts Effective? YES!

It is definitely important that you find “good” tracts (ones that include a clear gospel message; we have liked some of the ones from www.LivingWaters.com – but, it is more important that you find ones you like than ones we like!)

A missionary we know that is currently serving the Lord overseas – when he was younger - repented of his sin and trusted Jesus after picking a soggy tract up off of a country road, bringing it home, drying it out, and then reading it. Curiosity is an incredible driving force in people!

Since December of last year (about the time I started this blog), I have given out between 1,000 and 2,000 gospel tracts. To date, I have not heard back from a single person that received a tract. Am I discouraged? NO! Seeds are being sown. I am not responsible for the sinner’s response; my responsibility is simply to share. (read Ezekiel 33:7-9 and see that God required the blood of the wicked at Ezekiel’s’ hand if he wouldn’t share)

If you doubt the effectiveness of tracts, I encourage you to download the MP3 titled “Miracle on George Street” and spend the next 10 minutes listening to it.

If your heart is soft you will be moved to tears. If you are not motivated to start passing out gospel tracts – then your heart is hard. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that."

But, you say, I DO desire to see people saved – just not by handing out tracts. If you search your soul I believe the real reason you will find for not wanting to pass out gospel tracts is a fear of man. In Mark 8:38, Jesus said: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The History of Gospel Tracts

Gospel tracts arrived soon after the invention of the printing press in the 1400’s. I haven’t been able to find out too much about their history, but did find an interesting article online that not only shares the History of Gospel Tracts, but also a number of amazing testimonies to their effectiveness. http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1994ii/Brown.html


Ways to Give Out Tracts
I’ve shared a number of ways that I use for giving out tracts already on the blog… Here are a few of the most common times I give out tracts:

• At stores/banks/restaurants
• When paying bills (I always include one or two in the envelope)
• With people that are waiting (whether in line, or sitting on a bench somewhere)
• To delivery people

I’d love to hear from any of my readers how they give out tracts.

One thing I try to be careful about is littering. I know a number of people who truly love the Lord and are seeking the lost recommend leaving tracts throughout buildings, on the floor, in restrooms, at payphones, etc. We have struggled with that issue ourselves, and can’t seem to get past the Scriptural commandment for us to obey authorities (Romans 13:1-2), and so I always try to hand a tract to a person – not leave one lying around in such a manner as would be considered littering. I do leave tracts with the tip if I eat at a restaurant, and I have left them on a person’s desk before, but I’m always careful to not litter. (once I left one on the windshield of a man’s truck at the grocery store, but I had just had a conversation with him)

I would also love to hear from any reader’s who are not currently passing out tracts. Why are you not? Are you willing to give them a try? Would you be willing to buy some?

I’d recommend you order pack of Million Dollar Bills, and the comic “Are You a Good Person”, or the plain text tract Are You Good Enough to Go To Heaven (which is VERY thorough), and then give the million dollar bills out with one of the more detailed tracts. It'll cost you about $25 for the tracts, but you will be equipped to share the gospel with about 200~300 people as a result. The weak link in the entire "chain" will be you (or me!) - are we willing to give these out and start conversations with people?

I use this blog as a personal journal, part of the goal being to encourage me when I'm discouraged in sharing with the lost. This post was primarily written to encourage and build up another. Anyone is free to report back and let us know how your, perhaps, first, tract distribution has gone...

Share with the lost!

October's trip to the homeless shelter...

Today we (as a family - actually, the men in our family) went to the homeless shelter to help with the lunch chapel service. It is about a forty-five minute drive, and we arrived early so that we could setup for some music (we have some traditional "bluegrass" instruments that we use in sharing hymns).

The service is fairly traditional (starts with prayer, then some congregational hymns, followed by the special hymn that we shared, and then the message). I was able to preach today, and had a wonderful time. It was exciting in that the Lord impressed the message on my heart about a month ago. I love preparing messages when the Lord is flooding my heart with His message. Truthfully, there is no such thing as "message preparation" when the Lord isn't speaking to one's heart!

It is always amazing to seek to balance the Lord's love with His justice while sharing with the men. So many hard hearts, and so much pride - and yet there are so many wounded and hurting souls. My prayer is that I will never get in the way of what the Lord would want to accomplish.

After the service I had an opportunity to talk with some of the men (sometimes it is very hard to find men that will open up and share). The first ones I talked with were actually missionaries from foreign countries that were in our town for a missions conference. One man was from Papua New Guinea (and is serving as a missionary to the Solomon Islands), the other was from Colombia. They had a young man with them who was hosting them here in the States, and as he volunteers at the homeless shelter, and their missions conference didn't start until this evening, they came to see what the homeless shelter was like. I had a wonderful time fellowshipping with them.

However, our goal in being there is to share with the lost, so after a wonderful few minutes we brought the conversation to a close and I moved on, looking for those that were open. I talked with one gentleman for a few minutes, but then he got up to join the food line.

As the men were eating I tried to start a conversation with one table, and while doing so a gentleman at the next table over called me over with a question about what we were talking about. I spent the rest of the time talking with this man (Steve) - who turned out to be a believer who was excited about his walk with the Lord, and is learning and growing every day. He spends most of his time reading God's Word - and is at the homeless shelter while he awaits surgery and medical treatment for several conditions that he has. We talked about his testimony (how he met the Lord), the importance of staying in the Word on a daily basis, along with where he was currently reading and what the Lord was showing him. We had a nice time of fellowship and sharing, and then it was time to leave.

I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to share one-on-one with a lost person that was seeking the Lord, but I was able to share with the entire group (about 50-60 men) during the service. Praise the Lord for His grace during the message - and may the Spirit be moving in hearts...

An update...

It seems like it has been forever since I posted. However, the purpose of my blog is not the usual purpose that people have when they blog. My goal in creating this blog was primarily that it would serve as a journal for me – a journal that is a testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ! A journal that would be a source of encouragement when I was discouraged about sharing the Lord with the lost. As such, I haven’t had time to make postings over the past few weeks.

Personally, I was on the road for a month-long ministry trip. I had opportunities to share the gospel through speaking with many, and was even able to speak on the subject of evangelism a number of times. I was able to pass out quite a few tracts. I wish I had come back with many stories about personal witnessing encounters, but I don’t have many stories. I do feel I missed some opportunities to share the gospel – and I have been repenting before the Lord of that.

I have compiled an article about the effectiveness of gospel tracts (primarily in response to Meg’s questions) and am hoping to post it soon. I need to find a way to upload an MP3 file that will accompany the article.

We (as a family, and me, personally) have been unbelievably busy as of late. Not only on the trip (where, in addition to the ministry opportunities and conferences I was at, I was also working every spare moment for my regular vocation). Whenever we return from a trip there is always a lot of projects to catch up on… However, the Lord gives grace, and enables us to accomplish what He would have us to accomplish.

We did go to the homeless shelter for a service today – I’ll post about that bedtime…

The RESULTS of sharing over the phone (and a hard heart story)...

We’re on the road again, a month-long ministry trip. I’m still planning on posting about tracts, but wanted to give some quick updates…

My father was sharing on the phone last week with a customer service rep using the same method the Lord has led us to use in sharing many other times over the phone. He encouraged the lady to repent and surrender to the Lord that night when she was at home. The next day he ended up talking to the same lady at the same company – and she had done it! Only time will tell if it was a genuine surrender to the Lord – but Praise Him for a sinner that repented (notice Scripture says that the angels rejoice over a sinner that repents – not over a person that “says a prayer”)! May I be diligent to ALWAYS seek to share the gospel when I have phone conversations.

We pass out a number of tracts while traveling, and seek to talk with people as opportunities arise. I haven’t had any unique interactions, but my father did.

Yesterday, at a gas station, he was asking the attendant if he knew where he would spend eternity. The answer “absolutely, I’m headed for hell.” My father asked him if that concerned him, and he said no. Did pain bother him? Nope, he felt he could get used to it.

My father pointed at the lighters that were there and said he didn’t see him holding his finger over the flame. The young man said, “not a problem” and grabbed a lighter, lit it, held his finger over the flame for a second, and then turned it off and said “see!” My father pointed out that it was only a second, not an eternity, and the young man said that he didn’t want to make a mess on the counter (although my father noticed him holding the finger against the glass of the counter as if it was smarting). We are praying that the finger will hurt over these next few days and the Holy Spirit will use that to convict him.

My father asked if he had ever read the Bible, and he said he had – and the Koran, and other religious books. My father asked if he had ever read the Bible and told God that, if He was real and revealed Himself to the young man – he would promise to obey. The young man said he had done that. At one point in his life, he had looked up to the ceiling, and basically swore at God (and he demonstrated for my father). What was interesting, the young man said, was that three minutes after he had previously done that, his ceiling had collapsed on him. My father was flabbergasted and said “Didn’t you see God’s hand and choose to surrender and believe?” and the young man simply said “nope, it was an old ceiling.”

Amazing how hard the human heart can be!

I’ll post more as time allows (being on the road, keeping up with my regular work via the laptop, and ministering while traveling – keeps me very busy).

A Gospel of John and Wal-Mart

(I was going to post about gospel tracts next – but was excited about this and wanted to share it)

While getting ready to run some errands at Wal-Mart, I was “loading my pockets”: wallet, cell phone (clips on belt), breath mints, keys – and my pocket New Testament. Instead of the New Testament, though, I decided to get a Gospel of John and a million dollar bill to go with it. I hadn’t ever given out a Gospel of John as a tract before, and thought I would give it a try.

When I was ready to check out at Wal-Mart, the lane I ended up in had a middle-aged woman with a crew-cut hairstyle running the register. I thought, “There is no way she’ll be receptive to a tract, and DEFINITELY not a Gospel of John.” Whenever I am giving out a million dollar bill tract at a store while I’m paying for merchandise, I always make sure I get the tract out AFTER I’m done paying. This time, while I was signing the credit card slip, I asked the checker if I had ever given her a million dollar bill before. She said no – but expressed interest in getting one. I asked if she liked to read – and she said she loves to read. I said that was great, because I had a Gospel of John in my pocket that had a million dollar bill in it. I pulled the Gospel out and gave it to her. She was happy to receive it – and thanked me for it! She had a huge smile and was starting to look through it right then (and there were several people waiting in line!).

I was amazed at her reception – when I had already convinced myself that she would reject the Gospel.

And yet, in thinking back to the outing, I missed several opportunities to hand out other tracts because I didn’t have enough in my pockets. I had had a key copied at Wal-Mart, and was helped by a very friendly older gentleman back in the automotive section. In addition, the lady that had been helping a long line of automotive customers had just finished with everyone in the line right as the man was finishing making the keys – I could have easily shared some gospel tracts with both of them.

For anyone else that is interested in some Gospel of John’s (www.pocketpower.org) – I got mine from the Pocket Testament League. They have a number of different Gospels of Johns; although I didn’t care for a number of the various covers (one was a lighthouse, and made me think of a certain cult that hands out religious “literature” to people). I had found a plainer cover that shows loaves of bread and is titled “Bread of Life.” They send out the gospels for free, but ask for a donation to cover their shipping costs, and obviously they appreciate donations to cover the printing costs as well. I had ordered Gospels to have at the Fair about a month ago. I put in an order for 60, and the fulfillment costs were $12 (which translated to $.20 per gospel); I donated an additional $12 to cover the cost of the printing, so my total cost per gospel was $.40.

If you decide to join the Pocket Testament League, please put my “member” number (224553) in when you sign up. Supposedly, there is a way that you can see how many gospels you’ve given away on the site, and if other people join using your referral number, you can see how many THEY have given away. It sounds like an exciting way to witness “multiplication” (much like the claims that multi-level marketing makes – but without the cost, and with the benefit of the gospel being shared!!).

The Pocket Testament League strongly encourages their members to order 30 gospels a month and then give one away per day. They also have an Evangelism Boot camp that is available through e-mail and is something I’ll probably sign up for.

An update, and totals from the Fair...

This has been a quiet week for me. I came down with a cold following the Fair (I was drained physically and not surprised that I caught something!) and have been resting.

I was excited to be able to share the gospel with a customer service rep on the phone last week. We had ordered a product for our business, but then were called and told the order was on “verification hold” until I called back in to authorize the order. I called in and authorized the order (took 10 minutes on hold, and then 1 minute of talking), and then spent about 10-15 minutes sharing the gospel with a lady who admitted she was headed for hell, but claimed to be a Christian, and also wanted to run her life as it is. I shared with much compassion and gentleness, but was also very direct with her, to the point of telling her she was defaming the name of Christ by claiming to be a Christian while choosing to run her own life. At the end of the call, I could tell she was under heavy conviction. I said I hoped I hadn’t ruined her day, but that it was something she needed to deal with, and she said it was absolutely the case and she thanked me for sharing.

Meg asked about totals from the Fair. I just talked with my brother this evening and have some updated totals. I don’t have a problem sharing specifics since this is an anonymous blog :-) and even if I had underwritten the entire project (which I didn’t), the Lord would get the credit for it anyways – not a person… If this is a help to you in considering such a project – it’s worth it to share it.

Booth at the Fair: $150
8x3 vinyl banner: $80
3,100 soda’s/waters: $775
(the prices varied, but the average price per drink, with tax, was probably right at $.25)
1,000 balloons: $60
4,000 tracts: $350
42 x 20 pound bags of ice: $150
Coolers: borrowed from believers
10 x 10 canopy: borrowed from a church

Total: about $1,500

(there were other expenses, like overnight freight for some tracts because we thought we were running low, but the above represents the major expenses)

Even though we are one family, there are a number of us that are working to support families, so everyone contributed to the project. There were also several other brothers in Christ that wanted to participate financially in the project (one even let us use his pickup truck for the week for transporting coolers – and that was a huge blessing).

While no one surrendered their life to the Lord while we were talking with them at the Fair, there were quite a few who were under heavy conviction and said they were going to get right with God. We don’t push people to “say a prayer” on the spot – if we had simply pushed for that we would have had a number that were willing to say a prayer to get their “ticket to heaven”. However, we were encouraging people to repent of their sins, believe in Jesus, and give Him control of their lives – and that’s a serious thing for a person to do!

I wonder how many people are reading this blog and perhaps haven’t even given full control of their life to the Lord. I had been “saved” for a number of years before I finally gave control of every area of my life to the Lord. In looking back I can’t even say for sure when I was saved. Was it when I prayed, or when I was finally willing to yield everything to Him?

Meg also asked about tracts, their history, and their effectiveness. I’ll likely be posting about that in a few days…

Final County Fair 2006 Report

What an incredible week. The Lord worked in a mighty way, and sustained us through the late nights and hot weather. Today, as the Lord's day, has been a wonderful day of worship, rest, and recovery.

Friday was a much busier night. The temperature was more moderate (lower 90's, but as soon as the sun had set it was very pleasant), and the crowds were quite large. We probably gave out about 750 sodas and/or waters. The goal was to give each person two tracts with each soda (although some people already had received a certain tract, and we gave them a different one; or, a parent might stop by with several children and the parent was the primary one to receive a tract).

Again, I did hundreds of balloons for children and a number for teenagers.

We had more opportunities to speak one-on-one with people. The wonderful thing was that the tracts we handed out focused on whether we are "Good People" in God's eyes. By handing those tracts out, we could immediately start a conversation with the person about being a good person, or, the next night, if they said they had already received a certain tract, we could ask if they read it, and if they were a good person.

The days seemed to run together, but Friday and Saturday brought even more opportunities to share one-on-one. I recall several instances being able to share with teenage boys about salvation. One had started asking about unicorns in the Bible, and then after we talked about unicorns, we branched into salvation (check out AnswersInGenesis.org for more information about Unicorns in the Bible). He said he didn't truly know the Lord, even though he had prayed when he was younger and occasionally attended church. We not only talked about salvation and the gospel, we talked about what it means to surrender our lives to Jesus - and give Him control of everything. In essence, we were "counting the cost" of surrendering one's life to Jesus.

A lot of groups were even open to the gospel. Sometimes we'd be able to run through the "Good Person" test with four or five people. We had a few people get upset and storm off (one Pastor's son, partway through the "Good Person" test - which he was failing - threw his unopened soda to the ground with such force that it burst and then stormed off saying in disgust "Jesus is my Savior and I don't need any of this!" - wow)

Friday night I got to talk to a "goth" couple. They had walked by the booth a number of times throughout the week and refused drinks a number of times. Finally, late Friday night, when I offered them a balloon they stopped and said "sure." Turns out the girl had young twin sisters and was interested in two identical balloons for them - and they accepted sodas and tracts while they were there.

We haven't figured out the total's for the week: I estimate:
- 2,000~2,500 sodas/waters
- perhaps 4,000 gospel tracts
- opportunity to share individually with perhaps several hundred people

One incredible example of how the Lord works in hearts was in relation to the booth that was next to us. On one side we had a sporting goods store that had several ATV's on display. On the other side there was a water purification company. I don't believe they were actually selling units, but they were giving out free pens and asking people to sign up for a gift card and a free water test kit. It appeared to be a mother and teenage daughter that were working at the booth, along with others at different times. The daughter was not dressed in a Godly fashion.

I'm not sure we had any interactions with the daughter the various nights of the fair (other than giving her a soda and tract), but on Saturday afternoon she stopped by to talk with my sister and sister-in-law. She shared that the previous week they had been at a different Fair and had been next to a ministry of some sort, and that she was becoming convicted about her sin and an eternity in hell. Then, she was amazed that we would be directly next to her at this Fair. Turns out, simply by being next to her those nights at the Fair she was feeling the heavy conviction of the Holy Spirit. She said one of the nights she had a breakdown of some sort - and she had a question for my sister. Was it possible for her to accept Jesus as her Savior but still live as she wanted to?

We believe that one of the biggest reasons for our "success" throughout the week was that we were not affiliated with any church, and were not "funded" by a churches advertising budget. We had a number of people ask what church we were with, and they were always surprised to find out that we were just a family with a desire to share the gospel, and were providing the refreshments ourselves. People that were from churches received the regular "salvation" tracts as well as a special tract for Christians.

The County Fair – First Three Evenings

Wow – what an experience! I had no idea what to expect, and the Fair has lived up to that expectation.

We’ve been at the Fair Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. Each evening we arrived about 6:00. We’ve left at various times…

Tuesday and Wednesday were VERY hot (as we arrived at the Fair Wednesday the temperature was 104 degrees). We have an awning, but I’m usually standing in front of it so I get a bit of sunshine until the sun sets about 8:30. Thursday evening was cooler – but was also raining! Yet it was only sprinkles, and they stopped after an hour or two.

We gave away about 400 drinks on Tuesday evening, and probably about 1,000 tracts. And yes – everyone was right – we quickly ran out of water. We brought a much larger percentage of water on Wednesday evening and gave away close to 600 drinks (and probably 1,500 tracts). It’s funny to watch little drink carts drive up and down the main walkway advertising $1 soda’s/water – while we have them for free.

We’ve had lots of opportunities to share the gospel. Besides giving out tracts with drinks as time permits, a good portion of my time each evening is spent in front of the booth making balloon animals and hats for children. It definitely helps draw people to the booth! I’ll usually give the children a tract with the ten commandments in it (designed for children) – and always make sure their parents are OK with it (I have yet to have any parent say “no” – they are always grateful!).

Despite spending most of my time making balloons, I still had opportunities to personally witness to several people on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. One evening I noticed a young fellow with his girlfriend standing in the walkway outside the booth – talking. I walked over and asked if they had ever gotten a million dollar bill. Neither had, and they both wanted one. I said it had the million dollar question on the back, asking whether they would spend eternity in heaven or hell. We kept talking and I was able to share with them for about five minutes.

One thing we’ve noticed is that a lot of the young people have short attention spans due to the excitement all around. It’s hard to interact with a group of three or four at once because they are always looking around.

Thursday evening was absolutely incredible. Due to the rain and cooler temperatures (about 30 degree’s cooler than Wednesday evening!) the attendance was lower, and less people stopped by for soda or water. However, we still gave away 200-300 drinks and a lot of tracts. We stayed later Thursday evening, and I kept doing balloons while they took down the awning and packed up the coolers.

What was amazing was the teenagers that then showed up! The carnival was shutting down (along with all the booths), but I don’t think they wanted to go home yet. I started doing balloons and sharing the gospel with a group of kids – and continued doing so for the next hour or so. I had a group of between 5 and 15 kids almost the whole time, and there were different ones (most would get a balloon, talk for a while, and then move on).

I gave out all the tracts I had in my apron pockets, and more after my younger brother showed back up (they had hauled everything to the van and were waiting) and fetched some more tracts. I found a more effective way to keep a group of teenagers involved in the balloons: make them all balloon hats, but work on the hats in a random fashion. I’d start by getting everyone one balloon twisted in the base hat shape – and put it on them. Then, as we kept talking (I went through the good person test with a number of the groups), I’d keep adding balloons to the various hats. Girls usually got flower hats, and the guys usually got wild and colorful "crazy hats".

In talking with one group, one of the girls said she had tried to commit suicide when she was younger, and that her father is in prison (for drugs) and her mother lives in a different state. A young fellow shared how his friend recently died. Amazing opportunities!

Some of the young people said they would stop by our booth this evening for a free soda and to talk some more.

If you want to learn some basic balloon twisting, get Balloon Magic - by Marvin Hardy. Amazon has used copies available for $2 or $3. The book is incredible. I use some of the basic shapes, and then do some additional hats I’ve learned elsewhere.

Then, go to T Myers web store. Order several 260 blaster pumps (they are very durable – but you’ll want to always have a spare.

Then, go to the list of Balloons.

I usually get the Qualatex 260Q carnival assortment (bags of 250 cost about $12), as well as Yellow Bee Bodies.

That’s all you need to get started!

Yet another customer service opportunity…

I needed to call a bank today and order some checks. A routine phone call; I was on hold for a few minutes, and then a few minutes with the customer service rep. In fact, I spent more time answering security questions than I did actually ordering checks!

He concluded the main part of the phone call with the usual question: is there anything else I can do for you?

I said I was set, but that they must be quite busy this morning because I’d had to wait on hold a few minutes. He agreed, and said that their managers were offering them overtime opportunities – which he enjoyed.

I then said that, I didn’t want to take his time on a busy morning, but I did have one other question for him, but that it wasn’t related to banking. He said that wasn’t a problem at all, to take whatever time I wanted and go ahead. I asked if he had ever taken the good person test and he said that he hadn’t.

We then had a good time going through the test. He definitely considered himself to be a good person. He was familiar with the ten commandments, couldn’t name them all, but felt he had kept most of them. He admitted to lying, stealing, blasphemy, and anger (murder of the heart). He said that if he died, and God judged him based on those commandments, he would be guilty. Then, he acknowledged he would be headed for hell – and that it concerned him.

I was once again amazed that, in a few minutes, a banking phone call had turned to an opportunity to witness, and the young man I was speaking with had just acknowledged his guilt before God and the fact that he was headed for hell.

Turns out he has a Bible at home, and occasionally reads it. I didn’t ask if he attends church, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. And yet, here is a nominally religious person that is headed for hell! What a travesty!

I wonder how many people read my blog that are in the exact same condition as that young man. Perhaps you also occasionally read your Bible. Perhaps you know a number of facts about God, and about Jesus. Facts will not save you. What you need is a Savior – and yet you must be willing to repent of your sins and believe (with all your heart) on Jesus. Then you must be willing to obey Him!

Repentance is a key aspect of salvation (not only feeling sorry about ones’ sins, but TURNING from them):

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …

Acts 17:30 … but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(Keep in mind that baptism doesn’t save a person, but is something that a believer chooses to do after they are saved as a public demonstration of what has happened in their heart. For example, the thief on the cross wasn’t baptized, yet he went to heaven because he repented and trusted in Christ. Not only was the thief not baptized, but he didn’t take communion either!)

As I talked with the young man and encouraged him to get right with God, the idea of hypocritical Christians came up. I shared Matthew 7:21-23 with him (which says people that claim to be Christians but haven’t been saved by Jesus and don’t have a transformed life as a result – are headed for hell) and he agreed. Although he did say that he doesn’t follow anyone, but is his own person. I said that one of his biggest challenges in surrendering his life to Jesus would be that he would have to lay down his will. I said that if he were to study the times in Scripture when people came to Jesus, they always had to be willing to surrender what was most important in their lives. What was fascinating was that the young man agreed with me – but wasn’t ready to get right with God yet.

Since we had already discussed the gospel, the rest of the call we stayed focused on the importance of not delaying our salvation. We talked about trees (once they are bent, it is very difficult to straighten), and how a life that is lived in sin will result in a hard heart – a heart that may not be willing to repent at the end of one’s life (assuming one lives to an old age).

At the end of the call, when I said I hoped I hadn’t taken too much of his time, he said “not at all”, and thanked me for sharing with him.

I pray that he will surrender his life to Jesus before it is too late. If not, he’ll have an eternity in hell to think back to this conversation when he was given the gospel – and yet rejected it. (it’s an interesting study – and perhaps I’ll write about it later – but several Scriptures give an indication that people will have memory in hell and part of their torment will be recalling their life and the way they rejected Christ)

I almost hung up?! But then the Lord opened the door…

I called to deal with financial software package that had renewed automatically without notifying me. I talked with rep about ways to be notified next year before the renewal (this particular software package has been known to raise their payroll service rates between 50% and 100% in any given year!)…

She had a little bit of an accent, so I suspected she was working in an overseas call center. I worked at speaking very clearly and distinctly while I was on the phone with her.

Afterwards, she asked if I would be willing to take a short customer service survey. I asked (kidding her a bit) if we would win anything as a result. She patiently explained that it was a survey for customer satisfaction and that it only took a little while. I said that would be fine, I don’t mind taking short customer service surveys.

I prayed for the Holy Spirit to open a door, and if the opportunity presented itself, that the Spirit would convict her of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:8 And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment).

I then asked if she had just a minute before her next phone call came in because I had a question I wanted to ask her – but said it didn’t relate to business. She was curious and asked what the question was. I said it was a little test, and there was a moral at the end. I said if she had to go at some point it wasn’t a problem, and that it only took a few minutes.

I then asked if she had ever heard of the “Good Person” test. She paused, and hesitantly said she hadn’t. I said it was simple enough, and starts out asking if she would consider herself to be a good person. She paused, and then said “Yes, I would consider myself a good person.”

I said that is how most people view themselves… I asked if she was familiar with the ten commandments. She, again, hesitantly said she was (either she was apprehensive about the call or the possible language differences were causing her to think through each question before she was able to answer). I normally ask if a person feels they have kept all of them, some of them or none, but this time I started right into them.

She started to say that she couldn’t recall all of them, and I said it didn’t matter – we weren’t going to talk about all of them – just a few. I said the 9th commandment is that we are not supposed to lie; I asked if she had ever, in her life, told a lie, a half-truth, or an exaggeration. She had. I said I had done the same. “If we’ve both told lies, what would we be called?” I think the language barrier surfaced as she wasn’t able to quickly come up with the word, so I rather quickly supplied the “liar” term, and she readily agreed.

I said the 8th commandment is that we are not supposed to ever steal from others. I asked if she had ever, in her life, taken something from someone else without permission, even if it was something small, like a cookie from her parents or a toy from a sibling. She said she had done so – when she was young. I said I had done the same. I didn’t ask for the term, but said that we would both then be called “thieves” (and she agreed).

We talked a little about the 3rd commandment (taking God’s name in vain) and she said she had never done that – so we moved on.

Next was the 6th commandment: murder. I asked if she had ever killed someone, and she said “no” (and laughed – usually, when I ask the murder question it is a light hearted moment). I said that was good, but said there was bad news: God created us and knows our hearts and our thoughts, and that if we are even angry in our hearts towards someone God sees it as murder of the heart. I asked if she had ever been angry with others, and she quickly said yes.

I then summarized everything – saying that people would see her as a good person, and she obviously does a good job at her work, but that God would look at her heart (or mine), and see someone who is a lying, thieving, murderer at heart.

I asked if she were to die tonight and God judged her based on those ten commandments, as He says He will, would she be innocent or guilty. She said she would be guilty.

I then asked if she, being guilty, would spent eternity in heaven or hell.

She responded that God would make that decision. I readily agreed with her, but said that God, just like any fair judge and legal system, has told us exactly how He will “rule” when our case comes up. Ezekiel 18:20 – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

I asked her if she was in the United States or another country – and she said she was in a different country. I said that her country surely had a justice system that had laws and consequences for breaking them, and that the judges were required to give out consequences. She said they did. I said that if she did something wrong in her country, even if her father was the judge, he would still be required to pass judgment on her and give her a consequence. She agreed (and I could tell, was understanding the analogy)… I said that is how it is with God. As a good Judge He is required to pass judgment on those that sin.

We talked more about the consequences of sin, and I asked if she had a Bible. She did, and used to read it when she was a student, but now with her job she was too busy. I encouraged her to get back into the Word to discover what Jesus has done for her so that she doesn’t have to spend an eternity in hell.

I outlined the plan of salvation for her, and was careful to stress the importance of surrendering her life fully to Christ; of repenting (stopping) the sinful activities that she was involved in and following Christ with her whole heart – not as so many hypocrites who go to church on Sunday but live like the world the rest of the week and are unknowingly headed for hell.

Matthew 7:21-23 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

We talked for several more minutes, and discussed several more analogies. When I felt the Spirit saying that enough had been shared, I said I was ready to go on to the customer service survey anytime. She then asked me for my e-mail address (I thought maybe to e-mail me the survey – which I had thought was on the phone) but she went on to say that she might have a spiritual question for me. I said that would be great as we have a web site with a contact form, and that my sister is probably about her age, or that my mother would love to help answer her questions.

I had also asked her if she had any Christians that she knew who were true Christians (and not hypocrites). She didn’t know of any. I asked if she knew of any Christian missionaries or pastors near her – and she said she had a friend who was a missionary in Africa. I encouraged her to get in contact with the missionary and ask her any questions she had.

I can’t fit the whole 10~15 minute conversation into a blog post – but this is the majority of it.

I was amazed at how close I came to simply saying goodbye to her and moving on to the customer satisfaction survey – without taking the time to try and share the gospel. How wonderful to see the Holy Spirit working in a heart, and to be able to the channel He used.

I wonder how many customer service phone calls I have ended without trying to share the gospel. Will their be people in hell because I didn’t take the time to share?

What about you – are you sharing? Do you have a faith to share?

The upcoming County Fair!

Our County Fair is coming up in a few weeks. The Lord put it on my brother’s heart to have a booth and give away free soda and gospel tracts. He’s asked if the rest of the family will help he and his wife at the booth. It sounds like a great opportunity – and we’re all excited. But, WOW, there are a lot of details to work through.

The first challenge relates to the soda. What type, and how much. A fountain is out of the question because we won’t have a water line, and it would be too expensive to rent. The Fair is expecting 17,000-22,000 people during the week – but we expect only 1 in 10, or 1 in 20 to be willing to accept a free soda (people will wonder what the catch is). The next choice was either 2 liter’s or can’s. The can’s are nice in that we then don’t need cups or ice to go in the cups. So, we’re planning on can’s.

The next problem is how to chill so many cans. We thought about trying to chill the cans, then put them into coolers with a layer of ice in-between. Then we realized that the old house that is on the property next to us (that the Lord provided for us earlier this year) has a refrigerator – and we could take that out to the fair. By taking all the shelves out, and stacking carefully (but, even then, we’ll have to have spacers between each layer to allow air circulation), we figure we can get about 200 cans in the fridge. By filling the fridge each night, we’ll have a cool supply the next evening. We can also put about 50-75 in the freezer, and estimate they’ll be cold in 1.5 to 2 hours, and then can move them to the fridge. We’ll still bring a cooler, so that we can take cans out (in batches) of the fridge, put them in cooler (with some ice), and serve from there.

A lot of logistics – and still lots to be done. We need to make sure we have A LOT of good tracts. I also need to look at my balloon animal supplies. If things get slow, I can always draw children by making balloon animals (and then the others at the booth can offer soda and tracts to the adults). Also, we’ll need a banner designed and printed up for the booth…

One big question is whether people will accept free soda’s. Another idea we have for next year (depending upon how this year goes), would be to pay for a food license (our current license for this year isn’t a food license – so we can’t sell food – but we can give it away!) and then sell soda’s at cost. While most people may not want to accept “charity” (in a free soda), a lot of people may be willing to buy an ice-cold soda for $.25, or even $.20. If we get a food license, we’ll be put in the food court, and we might end up making some of the other food vendors upset if we’re selling cheap soda’s. I don’t think they’ll be bothered this year since we’ll be in a different area, and we’re not sure how many people will be aware that we’ll be giving out soda’s.

We’ve already started praying for hearts and repentance and salvations during that week. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully in hearts!

I’ll post updates as the Fair draws closer and then during and/or after the week.

Passing out some tracts…

I haven’t had a tremendous amount of opportunities to share the gospel lately (although, that does bring up the issue of “am I waiting for opportunities to fall in my lap or am I out making opportunities?”)… I’ve been quite busy with work, and haven’t been out and about much.

The times that I have been out I’ve usually remembered to carry tracts.

I needed to replace my bicycle tires and inner tubes, and had ordered the needed parts online. I then proceeded to spend three hours one evening trying to put the new tube and tire onto my bike. I have never had such a tight tire! I even broke a plastic tire iron trying to get the tire on. I then figured I would take it down to the bike store and see if they could do it. Not a problem – they said – and it’ll only cost $4 a tire! What a bargain… I dropped off the two tires on a Saturday. On Mondy afternoon I called, and they said the tires would be ready in ten minutes. I gave them closer to thirty, and when I showed up they were fighting them. It took two technicians an hour to get the two tires changed. They stuck by their estimate and were only going to charge me $8 – but I gave them $20. (how does this relate to the gospel?!?) After paying them the $20, I asked the fellow at the register if he ever been given a million dollar bill before. He said he hadn’t – but was very interested in one. I gave it to him – along with another gospel tract – and he was very grateful.

I walked out of the store and got in my car. In front of my car, sitting on bench in the shade, was a fellow with a cane. I grabbed four tracts and went over to him. I asked if he’d like something to read and gave him the tracts. He said “thanks”. I told him they were gospel tracts from the Bible, and weren’t weird or from a cult. He thanked me again and started reading them as I drove off.

I have to continually challenge/remind myself of the importance of passing out tracts during routine errands. It is very easy to give out tracts to a number of people while running errands. And yet, it is far more comfortable to NOT give out tracts, and to NOT risk rejection (it is definitely not pleasant when the checkout person tells you - and everyone else backed up in the line - that they don't want your tract). However, if all believers were to pass out a few tracts every time they are out of their house and running errands - think of how many people would hear/read the Gospel message?

Starting a conversation - and sharing the gospel...

Last month we were on the road traveling. I’ve been needing to write out some details of an exciting opportunity the Lord gave me – and I finally have a few minutes.

We were in a large city in Colorado for a conference. One evening we had some time after the conference, and we met up with another family at a restaurant for dinner. The adults sat at one table, and the children sat at another long table/booth area nearby (there weren’t enough seats for us all to be together).

As the meal was about over, I got up to go chat with some of the children and see how they were doing. I noticed an older gentleman had sat down near them – but was eating alone. I went over near him, but started by chatting with the children a bit about the meal. I then turned to him and said that I hoped the children hadn’t bothered him at all. He said they hadn’t.

I chatted with him a little about the area, and us being from out of town. We talked about the restaurant a bit, and then I gave him a few gospel tracts, and we started talking through the “good person test” – he was very open and interested. Turns out, he’s been a nominal Catholic all his life. Yet after going through the commandments (and acknowledging guilt), he admitted that he was headed for hell! I was able to share the gospel with him – and spent about 15-20 minutes sitting and talking.

When we were wrapping up the conversation, he said he believed God had sent me to talk with him that evening. I agreed, and said I felt the Lord was working in his heart and trying to get his attention. I encouraged him to get right with God before it is too late – as this could be the last time God tried to get his attention (Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…). He again thanked me for sharing, and I headed back to the “adults” table to rejoin the conversation.

I was reminded, once again, of how important it is to ALWAYS be seeking to start conversations with strangers. Not every conversation will turn into an opportunity to share the gospel. But, by starting a conversation, one at least has A CHANCE to possibly share the gospel – whereas, by NOT starting a conversation, there is NO CHANCE at all to share the gospel.

That's Up To God!

I was on the phone recently with a business phone call. At the end of the call I decided to attempt to share the gospel. The person had a few minutes, and so I started through the good person test (I let him know that there was a moral at the end – so he wouldn’t be too concerned about the leading questions).

The phone call was to a company that values security, so all telephone calls are recorded (occasionally you could hear the beep in the background).

As we went through the commandments I was surprised when he admitted to having committed adultery. Following the commandments, I asked the summary question (if you were to die, and God were to judge you based on the ten commandments, would you be innocent or guilty). He said that would be up to God to decide.

I said that he had, unfortunately, just made it really easy for God, because he had just admitted to breaking four out of the ten commandments. God wouldn’t even have to review (as He will) this man’s entire life, but could simply replay this one conversation and he would have an admission to the breaking of God’s commandments. So, I then asked again, if he were to die, and God judged him using this phone call as evidence, would he be innocent or guilty – and he admitted guilt.

I was then able to share the gospel with him, and encouraged him to be reading his Bible every day, and to get right with God before it is too late.

The Church Security Guard…

While we were at a conference last month, I had an interesting witnessing opportunity. The conference that we were at was a Christian conference, and was being hosted in a large Christian church.

Partway through the conference the Lord put on my heart that I should be attempting to share the gospel with some of the staff that were helping at the conference, several of whom appeared to be lost (obviously, we can never judge one’s salvation, but, we do know from Scripture that the fruit of one’s life testifies as to whether they know Christ, and when one sees a person that blends in to the world and doesn’t appear to have any fruit of the Spirit, one tends to suspect the person doesn’t know Jesus).

Near the front entrance there was a desk, behind which sat an older gentleman, who was the conference security guard. At one point I had a few minutes and stopped by the desk. I started the conversation by asking some questions that I genuinely wanted to know about: had he ever had anything exciting happen while he was working as a guard (they’d had several people at different conferences or worship services faint); was the job boring; did he enjoy his work; etc. I then segued into the gospel by asking him if this was just his job, or if it was his church as well. He said it was both.

I We chatted about the church a bit, and then I started into the good person test. I was surprised when he felt he had kept the ten commandments! We went through several of the commandments: lying, stealing, blasphemy, and adultery – which he readily admitted to. I then asked if he were to die, and God judged him based on those ten commandments, as He says He will, would he be innocent or guilty. He said it depends upon how you look at it.

I said God has told us how he’ll look at it, and that we just went through four of the commandments and he was guilty of breaking them all, so if God judged him based on just those four commandments, would he be innocent or guilty. He finally admitted he would be guilty. I asked if he would go to heaven or hell, and again he hedged!

Here was a church-going man, who admitted to breaking the commandments, but didn’t appear to have any clear idea about true salvation, heaven and hell, and from what Jesus had redeemed him.

Instead of pressing the point of heaven or hell we then talked about the false hope that many have. Those that would claim to be Christians but aren’t. We talked about the various court-system analogies (confessing one’s sin, trying to live right, and doing good works) and how such strategies are useless when it comes to our eternal destiny. He agreed with everything.

I then shared the gospel with him – which he also agreed with.

I was concerned for his soul as he appeared to know some things about God in his head, but it didn’t appear to have changed his heart!

All in all, we had an excellent conversation (he enjoyed our talk as well!) and he definitely heard the entire gospel: from breaking the commandments to what Jesus has done for him.

Two rejections, and then a request for the gospel…

We went to the City Mission today for a lunch chapel service (we help with the service the second Saturday of each month – when we aren’t traveling). We brought all of our instruments to do a special music (something the men seem to enjoy each time). I played the piano during the worship time, and then my brother preached during the message.

After the chapel service, the men go through the food line. Since the chapel is basically the dining room, they return to their seats/tables to eat. We always bake homemade cookies to give out to the men, and will give each a gospel tract with the cookie.

About 75 men were present. One or two turned down a cookie, and between 5 and 10 rejected the tract.

One gentleman, as he came through the line, said “You don’t want to hear me respond to that thing” (referring to the gospel tract). I said it would be hard to respond to something he hadn’t read, and he went on with some of the most bitter, angry words I have ever heard. His heart was as hard and cold to the gospel as any I’ve ever met before (except perhaps one other person at the Mission earlier this year). I’m always surprised such men come to a Christian Mission and sit through an hour worship service, considering there are other Missions in the area that are not Christian Missions!

After everyone had gone through the meal line and the tracts were passed out, I tried to move around the room talking with the men. It is often very hard to start a conversation, and I tried to get several conversations going – but didn’t get far.

I started chatting with one gentleman about the oranges he had chosen for lunch. We (or I) talked a bit about food, when all of a sudden he asked, “Why are you talking to me?” I said the goal was to have an opportunity to talk with people and, if they were interested, to share the gospel. I asked if he was a believer, and he said he believed in himself. I asked if he believed in God, and he said he absolutely didn’t want to talk about that. I said the burden of our heart was to share the gospel with men, and that was why we were there, but if he wasn’t interested in talking, he didn’t have to. He said he definitely didn’t want to talk.

I was a bit discouraged following two very strong rejections in such a short time. I, once again, tried to start a few other conversations but they went nowhere.

As I was walking back across the room a fellow waved me over to where he was and said he needed to talk. I thought, “Oh, no – I wonder what this is all about.” Generally, at the Mission, every time in the past that someone has waved me over and wanted to talk, they have always wanted to argue and debate, or had special needs and wanted to personally ask for money.

We sat down at an empty table and he started sharing with me. He’s struggled with drugs and alcohol. He has two children with his girlfriend. He recently lost his job. The gas was turned off at their house that week, and his girlfriend kicked him out. He stopped by the house earlier that day to get his church clothes (he attends a local church and even plays bass guitar during worship), and his six year-old daughter told him that she needed to say goodbye because her mother had said that would be the last time she would ever see her daddy. He says he was completely shocked (it was like a knife to his heart), but all he could do was hug and kiss his children and say goodbye.

I asked if he thought perhaps God was removing everything from his life in order to get his attention, and he said he felt that was what was happening. He felt, right when he heard those words, that he had truly come to the absolute end of it all. Despite being in church all his life (and being a part of the worship team), he said he doesn’t truly know Jesus.

We went through the commandments, and he genuinely understood and admitted guilt to each one we discussed (as I admitted guilt to as well). When I asked if he would be innocent or guilty before God, he said he would be guilty. When I asked if he would go to heaven or hell, he said that he would definitely be going to hell. I asked if that concerned him, and he said it absolutely did.

What a blessing, following two very cold rejections and many failed attempts at conversation, to have a person hungry for the good news of the gospel! It was a joy to share with him about Jesus – and yet this man has been in church all his life and knew much in his head. But he, as I had done for many years, had lived a hypocritical life. Claiming on the outside to be a Christian (and appearing that way to some degree to others), but not having freedom in his heart.

We read through some of the Scripture relating to salvation, as well as Matthew 7:21-23 about those that will think they are headed for heaven but will find out they aren’t. I encouraged him to seek Jesus with his whole heart, to repent of his life of sin, to surrender all the idols in his life, to reconcile with the people in his life that he has wronged, and to be in Scripture all day, every day, as he seeks the Lord. I was able to give him a New Testament, and show him a chain of Scriptures that deals with salvation. I encouraged him to read the book of John over and over again, and to seek to know Jesus.

It was special to pray with him – and to commit to continuing to lift him up in prayer. I’m praying that the Lord will continue to work mightily in his life. And not only was I praising the Lord for working in his life, but I was praising the Lord for encouraging my heart by, after two rejections, sending me something that has never happened before at the Mission: an honest seeker calling me over and asking about the Lord (whereas I have started conversations and then been able to share with someone).

Praise the Lord!

Credit Card Fee’s Removed, and the Gospel Shared

I had a credit card for quite some time – and suddenly was hit was a yearly renewal fee. I called to have the card cancelled and the fee removed, and ended up switching to a different credit card with the same company that doesn’t involve a yearly fee (and I was able to share the entire gospel message with the customer service rep!).

It’s now been a month or two, and I received a statement from the company (along with my new credit card) – that showed I still owed the yearly renewal. On top of that, I was being charged late fee’s and interest. I figured the late fee’s would go away, but with another statement I just received I noticed they were still there (although, finally, the credit removing the yearly renewal was finally credited off).

So, I called into the credit card company. We chatted about the fee’s and renewal problem, and the young man helped me deal with the account. He put me on hold for five or so minutes while he straightened out the account. When he came back on, we talked about the rebates I can get with the credit card. When that was done, and we were ending the call, he asked if there was anything else he could help me with. I said there was, but that it wasn’t related to credit cards and was a bit off-topic.

He said he had some time, so I could go ahead. I said if he had another call come in and needed to go – no problem – just let me know. I asked if he had ever taken the “good person test”, and he said he hadn’t. I said it only took a few minutes and had a moral at the end (that way he would know the questions were “leading somewhere” and wouldn’t feel as if I was baiting him).

I asked if he felt he was a good person, and he said yes, but that he also did bad things at times. I asked if he was familiar with the ten commandments, and he was. I said the ten commandments give us a true idea of whether we are good or not.

First commandment we discussed was lying, and he readily admitted lying, but said most lies were to protect people and avoid a problem – not to deceive. The example he gave was if he got home really late, and his mother asked where he had been (and he had been with his buddies at a club or with a girlfriend), he would lie and say something different. I said that was a perfect example of lying to deceive someone, and on top of that, I said that was also breaking the fifth commandment, which tells us to honor our father and mother.

Next we discussed stealing, and he admitted (on a phone line that was being recorded – every now and then you could hear the little beep) he had stolen in the past.

Next I asked about using God’s name in vain. He said he’s done that, although not usually on purpose. We talked about how, even doing it accidentally, is still a serious thing because it shows how little we care for God’s name to let it slip out as a curse word. I shared that doing so was blasphemy.

Next we talked about adultery. I asked if he had ever committed adultery. He paused for a moment, and then asked a question to clarify the meaning of my question, and then said, yes, he had done it. I still went on to share how looking with lust is the same as committing adultery.

I summarized his condition before God (a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer – I didn’t have to say “in heart” because of his acknowledgment), and asked if, when he dies and God judges him based on the ten commandments, if he would be innocent or guilty. He said he would be guilty. I asked if he would then go to heaven or hell, and he said heaven – because God will judge everyone the same. I agreed and said that God would absolutely judge everyone the same – all are guilty of breaking the ten commandments.

He then said he didn’t feel those things were so bad. I asked if he had a Bible at his house and encouraged him to read Revelation 21:7-8. I said that God is so holy that not only will murders and rapists go to hell, but also adulterers (which I realized he was guilty of), thieves, and – the scary part of that verse - even liars will spend eternity in the lake of fire. I also encouraged him to read James 2, where we are told that, even if we could keep all the commandments our whole life, and then break one of them, we are guilty of breaking them all. I encouraged him to then read the gospel of John to see what Jesus had done for him.

Since he was still open and had time, we talked more about what Jesus had done – and how Jesus will give victory over sin. I talked about the cost of surrendering to Jesus and repenting of one’s sin. I gave a few specific examples of things he would need to do when he came to Jesus, and things he would need to stop doing.

We talked about how God has so richly blessed him with life, health, eyesight, friends, and a job – and how, despite all of that, he was purposely breaking God’s commandments, and was using God’s name as a curse word. We talked about the futility of life, and how God will not always “strive with man” (Genesis 6:3 – meaning God will eventually stop bringing conviction to a person). I asked if there were other, true (not hypocritical Christians) in his life that had been sharing with him about heaven and hell and what Jesus had done for him – and he said there were. I shared how patient God was being with him – and yet he was resisting God’s grace.

I then shared how the decision was his and his alone. I encouraged him to get right with God before it was too late. I gave him our web site address so that he could e-mail us with any questions at any time – and encouraged him to also talk more with his friends.

Several times during the call I mentioned that I didn’t want to take too much of his time, but each time, he said it was fine and to go on.

What a blessing to be able to share the gospel while having to call a credit card company about my account!

Another Barber hears the Gospel

I’ve been thinking I need to get my haircut at a different barber, as the barber shop I’ve been two has primarily two barbers, and they’ve both now heard the gospel. However, I didn’t make a decision to go to a new barber – and I’ve been needing a haircut. So, I went to the usual barbershop.

I was doubly-blessed when I walked in the door: not only was the person in front of me finishing up (this shop is walk-in only – no appointments), but it was a different barber than usual! I had forgotten that there were three barbers that worked at the shop on various days. I had never been in on a Sunday or Monday – which are the only two days this barber works.

We started chatting, and after awhile I mentioned a trip that we had been on with our ministry. He asked about the ministry, and I shared that we encourage Christian homeschool families, as well as anyone that is seeking to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a great opportunity to ask if he had a Christian background. Turns out, he was raised in the Baptist church.

I then said he would be familiar with the 10 commandments (he was), and asked if he felt he had kept some of them, none of them, or most of them. He said he had kept them all. I said I’d talked to a number of people and most tend to miss them, but we’d give it a shot and see.

We worked through lying, stealing, blasphemy, adultery (of the heart), and murder (of the heart). He acknowledged guilt in each area – and we had a good time talking about them. I said that when he dies, and God judges him based on those 10 commandments, if he would be innocent or guilty. He hedged… He said he felt that God would decide at that point. I said that he had just made it easy for God by acknowledging that he had broken five out of the five we talked about, and since God is aware of everything, God had just heard his own admission, and could judge his whole life based on that simple admission (without even having to replay his whole life of events). He agreed (and laughed).

I then said that God judges our entrance to heaven based on whether we’ve kept or broken His commandments, and asked if he would go to heaven or hell. Instead of answering, he asked if that was truly how God judges us. I shared the story of the Rich Young Ruler who came to Jesus and asked how he could gain eternal life, and Jesus asked if he had kept the commandments. The young man thought he had, but turns out he hadn’t (funny thing was that, as I was sharing about that, I realized the exact same thing had happened with the barber, first he said he was innocent, and then had acknowledged guilt).

We talked for another ten or so minutes about the gospel. I shared about repentance and surrendering one’s life to Jesus. We talked about being in the Word on a daily basis (which the barber said he does) – but he doesn’t attend church (because he’s usually working). We talked about living a hypocritical life (he’s aware of others that claim to be Christians but don’t live like one).

As we were finishing up, an older gentlemen showed up for his hair cut. A minute later a lady and her three children arrived. Following that, another gentlemen arrived.

I was praising the Lord for the opportunity to share (and I pray the Holy Spirit continues to work in this man’s life) as well as how nicely the timing worked out!