More thoughts on religous "entertainment" movies... As well as the news...

BiblicalFirst posted a somewhat lengthy comment on the Tozer article I linked to below. I've been a little behind in my work and personal projects (includes researching tracts for our upcoming County Fair outreach which we're doing again this year) - so I haven't had a lot of time to respond. Instead of posting the comment and trying to respond to it there, I thought I would generally respond to it here…

One of the questions was whether I felt religious movies would include instructional movies which have the intent of teaching history or business or the like? I don't think I would include preaching or teaching videos in the genre of what Tozer was addressing.

The question was asked about the Jesus film and others that are used in outreach. That isn't something I have spent much time studying in Scripture. I can say that I, for one, wouldn't ever feel comfortable being an actor and playing "Jesus". I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Does the end justify the means? Obviously, we would all agree "not". I'm not saying I disagree with the "Jesus" film used as an outreach - I am saying that religious movies are sweeping the nation and drawing many Christians away from what they should be doing (something BiblicalFirst resoundingly agreed with).

I think there is something to be said for the written word -- which is the primary way God choose to communicate with us. If God would have wanted us to visually see Jesus’ ministry from when He was here on earth: it would not have been hard for God to have allowed technology to have advanced to the point where His ministry could have been recorded for us to see. Instead, God chose the written word, and, truly, the spoken word in sharing.

I would liken the parables that Jesus shared as being along those same lines. Many of His parables were based on real life, but, the ones that weren't - I believe He shared as a parable, and didn't act out (with the disciples helping) in a sort of theater-type production.

Moving on from movies - I know there are many Christians that religiously watch the news in order to keep informed of worldly events. I've found two very interesting Scriptures that seem to address the news.

I will include some context, but will bold the particularly applicable sections.

Isaiah 33:14-16 (KJV)
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; 16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

I wonder if it is possible to watch the news these days and not hear of bloodshed and to avoid seeing evil?

Ephesians 5:10-12 (KJV)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

If it's a shame to speak of the sinful things that are done in darkness, it would also be wrong to listen to those things being shared about.

The Menace of Religious Movies...

I saw an interesting article by A. W. Tozer: The Menace of Religious Movies.

The religious movie movement is sweeping the nation, with many Christian organizations supporting and encouraging not only the viewing of entertaining movies, but also the making of them. I'd encourage everyone to read the article. I believe that if all Christians were to stop watching TV and Movies and dedicate that time to the Lord - there would be a revival in our land.

The article was probably written back in the 50's or very early 60's... Back when even regular TV and Movies were NOTHING compared to what is available now.


I apologize for not having posted any recent witnessing encounters. I did have a fascinating experience on one of my last trips that would be neat to share (the type of encounter where other people begin handing out the tracts for you, and bringing their friends to you to hear the gospel!).

The fear of rejection...

While traveling – and especially when traveling by air – I have found that I always seem to have increased opportunity to share the gospel because I come in contact with so many people. The big question for me always is: will I take advantage of the opportunity?

Fear tends to be the biggest giant I have to face when sharing the gospel: the fear of rejection; the fear that I won’t say the right thing. Both of those fears are based in my pride – and are definitely not based in my reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ. I think I’ve been reflecting on the fear of rejection lately, and that is what I want to focus on today.

The fear of rejection is a very real fear, and since I have experienced rejection a number of times, I know that it is an event that is likely to happen – and so the fear seems even more real.

My prayer is that, if rejection occurs, it would be of the gospel and never of me or my methods. If I am sharing the gospel from a proud, haughty, and hard heart – people will react to me as the messenger. I desire to share with a meek (gentle) spirit:
1 Peter 3:15-16
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Lately I had some travel via airplane, and had a lot of opportunities to share. And I had several experiences that relate to rejection.

With one of the flights, I sat next to a gentleman who was friendly, although we didn’t talk a lot since he was busy with his book and I was busy with my laptop. At the end of the flight I gave him a million dollar bill and a tract. He thought it was neat and was thanking me --- until I shared that they were gospel tracts. He then handed them BOTH back and made it clear that he wasn’t interested, and he even seemed offended that I would give them to him in the first place. I experienced a definite dose of rejection.

But, as I think back to that moment – while it was painful - someone politely handing a tract back and saying they aren’t interested really isn’t that bad. He didn’t tear them up into little pieces in front of me and then throw them on the ground. He didn’t spit in my face. He didn’t physically assault me. He didn’t go to the airline and file a complaint that I was harassing him by trying to force my religion on him. He was polite and respectful in doing what I would hope anyone would do that didn’t want the tracts: simply handing them back. And, to be very honest, if someone doesn’t want the tracts I’m offering them, I don’t want to force the tracts on them.

And I think back to Jesus’ words:
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.

I have also thought to myself: if I was to face rejection every time I shared the gospel with someone or tried to give out a tract, would that change the command that the Lord has given me to be busy sharing Him with others? When Jesus gave us the instruction to be busy witnessing, he didn’t include a rejection clause:

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

In fact, when Jesus tells me that He’ll be with me, it is an encouragement that, even when I face rejection, He’ll be there. He knows exactly what rejection is like.

And yet I still seem to struggle with the fear. I can think right thoughts in my mind, but I still have to make the conscious choice to overcome the fear – through the strength of Christ – instead of giving in to it.

I believe the key to overcoming the fear of rejection is to do just that: step forward and overcome it. By repeatedly doing so, the fear seems to lessen, even though, for me, it doesn’t ever seem to go away.

Practically speaking, how does overcoming the fear result in encouragement? Because not every one rejects the gospel or tracts...

On these recent flights: I faced one rejection, but had perhaps 10 or so instances of acceptance. Two of those remain in my mind. They seem simple and unimportant, but they encouraged my heart.

If you have flown recently, you’ve noticed that the airlines like to board flights REALLY early. And if you aren’t on the plane twenty minutes prior to scheduled departure, they can actually cancel your ticket. I am usually working on my laptop up until the last minute to board the flight, and a number of times I’ve been the last one on the plane – and then I get to sit with everyone for the next 15-20 minutes while we wait for the flight to depart.

While going to board a flight I was, as usual, one of the last ones to the counter. The fellow at the ticket counter was friendly. After he scanned my ticket and handed back the stub (I forget what we were chatting about), I fished in my laptop bag for a million dollar bill and an “Are You Good Enough to Go To Heaven?” tract. I asked if he had ever been given a million dollar bill before, and he hadn’t – but he was very interested in having one. Even when I told him they were gospel tracts that shared from the Bible about heaven and hell – he was genuinely grateful for them. Not only that, but the lady next to him spoke up and said SHE wanted one. I was experiencing the opposite of rejection: I had someone actually ASKING to be given gospel tracts. And that encouraged my heart!

My final flight was an evening flight that was two and a half hours long. A smaller jet (two seats on each side of the aisle). As usual, the flight was pretty much full. I had an aisle seat (makes the laptop easier to work on), and as I approached my seat I could see that a young “tough” would be next to me: a body-builder, heavily tattooed, with a military-style hair cut.

What a pleasant surprise to find out that he was friendly and outgoing. He was in the military and had a few days before he was being sent to Iraq for a 15-month deployment. He had a wife at home and they had recently found out that she was pregnant. As we talked it became evident that he didn’t want to be away from his family for 15 months, and that he was concerned about his safety. He enjoyed sharing about his tattoos (each one was custom, and some of them had cost $300+) and his military career. We touched briefly on spiritual things, but I didn’t feel led to go through the law with him right then. Once the plane was at altitude I started work on my laptop and he slept the rest of the flight.

When we landed we talked some more, and that is when I gave him several tracts. I shared that I would pray for his safety – and he was incredibly grateful and genuinely moved. He thanked me several times for the tracts and he promised that he would read the tracts. Here was a “tough guy” that had not rejected the gospel (well, at least he hadn’t rejected the initial sharing of the gospel), but had instead been willing to open his heart and share his fears and concerns – while promising to read the gospel tracts.

Lord Jesus, may I always speak truth to myself when I am faced with a fear. And when it is the fear of rejection in sharing the gospel, may I rest in Your promise to be with me, and rejoice in Your goodness to me demonstrated in past acceptances of the gospel.

Discussion with an ordained Baptist Deacon?

Today we were back at the homeless shelter for our once-a-month service. The Lord blessed our time, and our prayer is that He received glory and honor as a result of the service and time there, and that men were challenged and encouraged in their walk with Christ Jesus.

After the service, and while the men were eating I happened to strike up a conversation with a man that was in our area as a result of Hurricane Katrina (he was originally from New Orleans). We talked a bit about his vocation (computers) and then I brought up his relationship with the Lord.

I found out very quickly that he claimed to be an ordained Baptist Deacon, and that he had been to Baptist Seminary. And yet, my heart went out to him as we talked about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I brought up the ten commandments, and when I asked if he had kept some of them, none of them, or all of them, he felt he had basically kept them all – or at least that was his goal. “So, would you consider yourself to be a good person”, I asked. “Definitely good, in fact, I’m awesome!” was the response.

He said that at a Baptist Convention (I wasn’t sure how much of this I was believing, but I didn’t want to debate minor details but rather focus on the major issues) they had discussed the commandments, and decided that the 9th commandment, “thou shalt not steal”, was the most important. I pointed out that God had put the most important one first, but that all of His commandments are important. He would have none of that, and kept explaining the importance of economics and stealing.

As we talked, it soon became very clear that he doesn’t believe the Word of God. He felt that God was logical, and, as such, we could use our logic – apart from God’s Word – to define Who God is. I agreed that God is logical, but said that He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. For example, God said that if we break His law, we are guilty and deserve hell. That’s very logical to me. Here is the law – and here is the consequence (that's the way human court systems also work). This man vehemently disagreed. He felt someone that had only committed 500 sins would be much more worthy of heaven than someone that had committed a million sins.

When I shared Romans 3:23 with him and showed him the verse (For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God), explaining that, in God’s eyes, 1 sin, 500, or 1,000,000 – it doesn’t matter – we have all fallen short of God – he once again vehemently disagreed and felt that was my opinion.

I tried very hard not to argue with him, and it soon became obvious that sharing with him was going nowhere – and that it was fruitless. I gave him a tract to read later on (titled “Are you a good person?”).

At one point I asked him if he was aware that the Jesus had specifically said that no one is good but God - his response was that Jesus didn’t say that (Matthew 19:17 And He said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God… Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Luke 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.) At that point, I said the conversation wasn’t of any benefit and that we obviously disagreed, because I believed God’s Word – word for word – and he had chosen not to.

I got up to end the conversation, and was surprised that he got up to continue the conversation with me. He had become very animated and fairly upset through it all.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will use the conversation that we had to get a hold of his heart.

My goal had been to share the truth in gentleness and love, and I trust his becoming upset was a sign that the Lord was working in his heart.

RSS and blog update...

When Blogger converted my blog to the new format, it also refreshed all of my RSS feed items. Those of you that watch the blog via an RSS reader will see a lot of items showing up as "new" - that are actually old. My latest post is the one about the "queen of heaven".

Queen of Heaven?

Yesterday evening in our family devotions we were reading in Jeremiah. We read a reference to the “queen of heaven”. I know that Catholics refer to Mary as the queen of heaven, and I decided to do a little research.

I was shocked by what I found.

In Jeremiah, several times throughout the book, God, through Jeremiah, is exhorting the people of Israel to stop worshipping idols, and to not worship or pour out libations to the queen of heaven. Jeremiah warns of the consequences of idolatry and worshiping anything or anyone other than the God.

Scripture clearly teaches that there is no mediator other than the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”) – which means we are not to pray to anyone other than Him.

The clear teaching of the Catholic Church is that it is good and proper to pray to Mary, and on top of that, the Catholic Church clearly calls her the queen of heaven?!?

Link to the Official Vatican web page

ENCYCLICAL (a letter to be circulated through the Catholic Church) OF POPE PIUS XII ON PROCLAIMING THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN ….

From the earliest ages of the catholic church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven….

What is even more amazing is that the Catholic Bible actually includes similar references (in Jeremiah) to the dangers of worshipping the “queen of heaven”! Any “good” Catholic, by definition, must worship (that is what praise and veneration is) and idolize the queen of heaven.

I would encourage any Catholic reading this to please spend a few minutes studying this – for yourself – in God’s Word (even the Catholic translation would be acceptable for looking at these verses) and study the references in Jeremiah to the queen of heaven – read the verses before and after to get a feeling for what is happening and the dangers of what the Israelites were doing by their idolatry, and the judgment that was soon coming upon them. I’ll include the verses below for those that would like quick and easy references…

In this first reference Jeremiah was encouraged to not even pray for their repentance because God was so angry with them:

Jeremiah 7:16-20
16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. 17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

This is a longer reference, and includes a response from the people after being rebuked by Jeremiah for worshipping the queen of heaven. Their response was that they would continue, despite the fact that God’s Word was clearly telling them to stop. God, once again, said that He would destroy them as a result of their not turning from their idolatry.

It’s interesting to note that, in Scripture, prayer is pictured as incense (Rev 5:8; Rev 8:3; Rev 8:4), and these idolatrous Israelites were burning incense to the queen of heaven – and refused to stop! On top of that, the reason they wanted to continue praying to the queen of heaven is that they believed she was answering prayers – something which is claimed by the Catholic Church, but is contrary to Scripture.

Jeremiah 44:15-22
15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

If you have your Bible out, I would encourage you to keep reading and studying past verse 22 in the above section (in your Bible) as the judgment continues, with yet another reference to the “queen of heaven” in verse 25.

I knew the Catholic Church idolized Mary as the queen of heaven, and I knew it was contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture, but I was absolutely struck yesterday evening and this morning with the amazing clarity of God’s Word on the subject, and the incredible parallels between burning incense and offering prayers...

May none of us simply follow the teachings of man or a religious system, but may each of us be in the Word on a daily basis, following after the Lord Jesus Christ and learning of Him!

Yet another open customer service rep...

We’re back on the road for another few weeks (ministry trip). We are praying that the Lord will provide many open doors to share the gospel as we travel and share at a few small conferences.

Before leaving I called in to our cell phone company to have the data plan changed around a bit. I talked with a gentleman who helped me get everything squared away (actually, later, I found out it was the wrong package and I had to call back in – but at the time, it appeared everything was set!).

After he had helped me with the data plan he asked if there was anything else he could do to help me out. I said the cell phone was all set, but that I had another question not related to cell phones for him – if he had a minute. I had been praying (in my heart) during the phone call that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share with him, and when I asked the question I was praying that the Lord would give him a favorable reply.

He said – “go ahead”. I even double-checked his availability by saying something to the effect of “I know you probably have other calls coming in, but this’ll be quick” – and he again said “not a problem, I have time.”

I asked if he had ever heard of or taken the good person test, and he said that he hadn’t. I said it only takes a few minutes and has a “moral” at the end (that’s how unbelievers would view a spiritual truth, although salvation is far greater than simply a “moral”!). I asked if he considered himself a good person, and he said that most of the time, but, if he’s honest, not all the time. I was impressed with his answer, because a lot of people simply say “Yep, I’m good.”

I asked if he was familiar with the ten commandments, and he was. I asked if he felt he had kept all of them, none of them, or some of them. He felt he had kept most of them – but, again, to be honest, he had broken some of them.

I shared the honesty is a good one to start with, since it is the 9th commandment, that we are to never tell a lie. I acknowledged that I have told lies, and asked if he ever had. He said he had, and when I asked what that would make both he and I, he came up with the word “liars”.

The 8th commandment is that we are to not steal anything. I shared that I have stolen in the past, and that most people have stolen something when they were young, but tend to do less as they grow older - and I asked if he had ever stolen something. He acknowledged that he had stolen something when he was younger. I asked what that would make both of us and he said “thieves”.

The 3rd commandment is to not take God’s name in vain, and while he couldn’t remember a specific time, he was confident he had at some point. I said God calls that “blasphemy”.

I then said that, while people would look at him and see a good person, and he was able to get our cell phone all squared away, God would look at his heart, or mine, and see someone that is a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart.

I asked if he were to die, and God were to judge him based on those ten commandments, as He says He will, would he be innocent or guilty. He said that, based on those commandments, he would be guilty.

I asked where he would then spend eternity, heaven or hell? He paused for a moment, and said that, he couldn’t say because his coworkers might misunderstand the conversation and think he was swearing, but that it was rather obvious.

I appreciated his sensitivity, and asked if his eternal destination concerned him – it did.

I then spent a few minutes sharing the gospel with him, and encouraging him to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a Bible at his house, and I encouraged him to be reading in the book of John.

As we talked, I shared the difference between head knowledge (knowing about what Jesus has done for someone – as one would know a historical fact), versus life-changing repentance (actually turning away from the sin in ones life and living fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ) and belief in Jesus. He understood it to the point where he said most people know about Jesus with head knowledge – but they aren’t willing to change the way they life with heart knowledge.

I was surprised at his understanding of what he needed to do, but was saddened that he wouldn’t actually take the step and be broken before the Lord, but I have been praying for his salvation…

A cold telemarketer hangs up on me...

Earlier this afternoon I received a phone call from a major credit card company. They are offering a credit card that gives 5% rebates on purchases of regular office supplies.

I shared with the lady on the phone that we have a credit card that gives 3% rebates on office supplies (although we hardly ever buy items that qualify!) and are currently happy with the current card. I did say that we would keep them in mind if we ever did want the higher rebate amounts.

She went on to share about the online control panel for the credit card and the controllable spending limits. I shared why that wouldn’t make a difference for us, and said we were happy with our current card.

She went on into some other advantage, and I politely shared why we were happy with our current card, but that we would keep them in mind.

I then confirmed her name (I had heard it at the first, but wasn’t exactly sure I had heard it correctly), and said I had a question for her – she was open. But then I said it didn’t have to do with the credit card – she hesitantly said “OK”.

I asked if she had ever taken the good person test, and she emphatically said that she had. I asked if she had passed it, and she said she did. I said I had taken a good person test, but had failed it. I mentioned that my test had to do with the ten commandments and had an important moral at the end (obviously, the gospel message is WAY beyond a mere “moral” teaching, but, to an unbeliever, it helps them understand that the process is “leading somewhere”).

She was becoming a bit more hesitant to take the test and I encouraged her that it wasn’t a hard one at all. I asked if she considered herself a good person, and she said she did – but she wasn’t wanting to go on!

Since I could sense that she didn’t really want to go on, I even apologized for being “off script” (I could tell that the beginning of the conversation was being read from a script, due to her tone of voice).

She was even a bit defensive about the test, wondering if I was the one that made the judgments and set the rules!

At one point she said this was a business call (meaning she wanted to keep talking about the credit card). I shared that we had talked about business, but I had expressed to her that we were not interested in the credit card, and thought she might be interested in then taking the test.

She was then being quiet, and I actually encouraged her to not hang up on me as she probably doesn’t like it when customers hang up on her (I have had other telemarketers hang up on me before). She then rattled off a goodbye “Thank you for talking with me today and if you have any other questions about our credit card offers please call us at 888-nnn-nnnn, goodbye” and hung up.

I genuinely had an interest in sharing the gospel with her, and was surprised that she didn’t go through the test. I did not bring up the good person test in order to get her off the phone – I could have politely said goodbye and hung up at any time.

I believe telemarketers are harder to share the gospel with because of the types of people they speak with all day. Some people even have a hobby of recording telemarketing calls and “pranking” them with odd questions and conversations.

I was praying that the Holy Spirit would work in her heart while we shared, but she apparently wasn’t open. And, who knows, she could have even had her supervisor listening in on the call at that point (I suspect a lot of those call centers either record their operators phone calls or have supervisors that listen in at different times to make sure the person is “selling” properly).

I did have an opportunity to share on the phone with a customer service rep at an insurance company earlier in the day. It was a short time of sharing, but the Lord Jesus Christ seemed to bless it and I was able to share the gospel and encourage the reading of His Word (especially the book of John).

Today was a blessed reminder that the Lord doesn’t hold me responsible for the way people respond, but He does expect me to be sharing and planting the seed - in gentleness, with concern, and always founded on the truth of His Word.

Ezekiel 3:18-19: When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Gospel of John as a tract...

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but today I was out running errands and when I was grabbing tracts to take with me, I only happened to have million dollar bills and gospels of John on my desk.

Finding good tracts can be hard, and while a well written gospel tract can be very effective, I believe it’s hard to do better than the actual Word of God.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it SHALL accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (emphasis and CAPS added)

When checking out at a store today I asked the lady if I had ever given her a million dollar bill before (I didn’t think I had as she looked unfamiliar to me). She said I hadn’t – but was very interested in one. I asked if she liked to read things, and she said she did. I gave her a Gospel of John with a million dollar bill in it as a book mark. She was actually grateful for them and thanked me. While one cannot base the workings of the Spirit and the success of sharing the gospel on how someone first responds to the Word, it was a blessing to have her accept them!

As I’ve posted earlier, I ordered my Gospel of John’s from the Pocket Testament League (www.pocketpower.org). I don’t care for most of the covers they have because they make the Word of God to look like some little religious pamphlet that a cult would be handing out. I went with the 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.

If you decide to join the Pocket Testament League, I guess there is a way to put in a “referral” or “member” number – so you could put mine in (224553). 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. I tried checking the site once to see if I could find those stats, but didn’t notice them… But, it would be an encouraging way to see how God might be using the gospels that were handed out to encourage others to do the same.

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.