February 12th was a Saturday Night. And we, the street preachers, were live and in the open in East Lansing. It seemed that the hot chocolate was appreciated the prior week, so there was even more this time. When everyone saw how much there was, many jokes were made about us all being comfy while out spreading the Word. Once, it was even claimed it was like going out for a picnic. And actually, we did have a picnic! It was a rollicking good time for all...well, except for the sinners that were offended at hearing the word. What made it such a good time? There were several things. I think the most enjoyable aspect of preaching with others is the fellowship. We all are familiar with Prov 27:17 which states, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." So it is when we go out preaching with each other. I learn something new every time I go out, and it is almost always from the people I'm preaching with. I think there are probably a lot of people out there who think that it wouldn't do any good for them to come out. Some feel they don't know the scriptures well enough, or they don't have a gift for preaching. Really, though, if you just hold a sign, the Word of God is still going out and you don't have to say a word. If you are with other preachers, too, you learn pretty quickly the bulk of the things people say and how to respond. If more preachers came we could spread out more, and even more people could hear the Word of God each week. Every week, I can see hundreds of people walking by who are too far away to hear me even if I yell. This week, in particular, there were so many people gathered around wanting to talk to us, that we couldn't engage them one on one. That was true several times. If more people had been there, more questions could have been answered. I know I have written in the past about how many people curse us, but there are so many students who are hungry for the Word of God, even if only for a few moments while passing in the cold, that if we had more preachers out there, it would certainly make a greater impact on our audience.
As for the numbers of people who mocked and cursed us, it didn't seem like very many people were offended this week. I mean, there were some, of course, but I believe we were thanked for what we were doing and told how much people respected us than I've ever seen before. Being that it is getting warmer out, we were all more comfortable than in prior weeks, too. So, when midnight rolled around and there was a crowd of people wanting to talk, we all stayed a bit longer. Brad took off about 12:30 (one of Chris' friends), and Chris, Rich and I tried to leave as well. However, someone stopped and wanted to talk again while we were at the cars trying to get in one last cup of hot cocoa before going home. It was like a waiter had come to our picnic blanket offering us the desert menu! So, we just kept feasting on the Word of God. (I know, that's a strange mixing of metaphors, but it was a little strange at the time, too, so I figure it is OK to describe it that way.) That last person we talked to was convinced (and told us this several times) that he believed exactly the same things as us, except that he didn't believe Jesus is Lord... Before he left, he told us, though, that he might even come around to our way of thinking some day. The ray of hope he gave us was nice, but I bring it up more because that conversation was typical on so many levels of the types of conversations we have. So many people think they know about the Bible, and Christianity, and Jesus, and are shocked at the things we tell them. Besides the things the Bible teaches that aren't preached about at most churches, the last guy we talked to was surprised time and again at an even more basic level: that he had contradictions in his own beliefs! There is a lot that most college students don't know about Christianity, the Bible and even themselves, upon which we can educate them. And, when we do that, they often appreciate it and thank us. So many people are kind to us when we are out street preaching, that it is laughable when people tell us we are ONLY turning people away, or when they say we are doing everything wrong and ONLY getting people to hate us. Those people have clearly neither seriously looked at how evangelism was done in the Bible nor have ever spent any significant amounts of time with anyone doing street preaching the way we do it and are in serious need of education themselves.
So you see, there were many reasons for Feb 12th having been a great time for preaching: the fellowship (we had church right out in the open!), the relatively warm weather (it was 20 degrees warmer than one week earlier!), all the kind people we spoke with, and all the obvious good we were able to bring to the lives of the hearers.
May God use my experiences to bless you in your efforts to serve Him!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sometimes Healing Takes a While
When I go out preaching, people always ask me, "Why should I believe the Bible? How do I know I can trust it?" I tell them that the type of miracles the Bible talks about still take place today. And, healing is one of the most common of these miracles. People often don't see the miracles, though, becuase they don't know the word of God well enough to know them when they see them. Or, they don't have enough faith to persist in their belief until what they are seeing catches up with what they believe. I received the following testimony through e-mail May 17th, 2011. I'm posting it because I think it is such a good example of how it can take a while for us to show God that we really do believe his promises. But, if we are faithful to him, we will see that he is also faithful to us. Praise be to God.
Hi everyone,
On May 5 my wife, Sandy, sent out a prayer request for me. Around Easter I had a slight gout attack in my left ankle that was more inconvenience than painful. After several days I had to meet with some clients to show a very remote 10 acre parcel of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had taken my cane with me to help keep me stand up right on the property. While I was locating and re-marking one of the property line stakes I slipped backwards and grabbed hold of a mountain laurel branch to steady myself. I believe at this time I must have pulled a muscle or a hamstring in the back side of my left knee. After 2 days I was unable to walk on it at all and found it extremely painful. It was at this time Sandy sent out the E-mail requesting prayer.
My son-in-law, Matthew Keller, had made up a very nice booklet called “Taking God's Word as Medicine”; His version of the Pink Cards from Faith Tech and I borrowed it from him. I began to read it. I read it before I would go to bed and after several nights I would wake up with some of the scriptures on my mind. My family and all of you had been praying and I knew that I needed to relax on God’s Promises and that I had an Army of God’s Saints doing battle with me and just needed to get to a place of faith that I could not think of anything else but that I was healed.
Another week went by with no let up on the pain but by then I began to relax more with God’s word washing me. I believe it was the middle of the week that I hopped into the shower and began to sing and praise God and thank him for my healing. After about 10 or 15 minutes I had a release in my spirit almost as if the wind had been knock out of me. I didn’t notice anything as far as healing in my natural body but I did feel it in my spirit. Immediately I got dressed and began to walk about the home without any crutches. I still had pain and it was difficult to walk but I knew that I needed to be responsible to God and act out my faith.
I did start to improve over the next few days, then on Sunday May 15 I got up out of bed and walked without any aid and my healing had caught up with my faith.
I truly want to thank all of you that keep me lifted up in your prayers.
Praise the Lord!
Bill Farr
Here are a few Scriptures that would come to mind at night:
Matt. 8:26: “ And Jesus said unto them, why are you fearful, O you of little faith?
Matt. 8:13: “And Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way, and as you have believed, so be it done unto you. And his servant was healed in the same hour.”
Matt. 8:16: “When evening was come, they brought unto Jesus many that were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and HEALED ALL THAT WERE SICK.”
Malachi 4:2: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings.”
On May 5 my wife, Sandy, sent out a prayer request for me. Around Easter I had a slight gout attack in my left ankle that was more inconvenience than painful. After several days I had to meet with some clients to show a very remote 10 acre parcel of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had taken my cane with me to help keep me stand up right on the property. While I was locating and re-marking one of the property line stakes I slipped backwards and grabbed hold of a mountain laurel branch to steady myself. I believe at this time I must have pulled a muscle or a hamstring in the back side of my left knee. After 2 days I was unable to walk on it at all and found it extremely painful. It was at this time Sandy sent out the E-mail requesting prayer.
My son-in-law, Matthew Keller, had made up a very nice booklet called “Taking God's Word as Medicine”; His version of the Pink Cards from Faith Tech and I borrowed it from him. I began to read it. I read it before I would go to bed and after several nights I would wake up with some of the scriptures on my mind. My family and all of you had been praying and I knew that I needed to relax on God’s Promises and that I had an Army of God’s Saints doing battle with me and just needed to get to a place of faith that I could not think of anything else but that I was healed.
Another week went by with no let up on the pain but by then I began to relax more with God’s word washing me. I believe it was the middle of the week that I hopped into the shower and began to sing and praise God and thank him for my healing. After about 10 or 15 minutes I had a release in my spirit almost as if the wind had been knock out of me. I didn’t notice anything as far as healing in my natural body but I did feel it in my spirit. Immediately I got dressed and began to walk about the home without any crutches. I still had pain and it was difficult to walk but I knew that I needed to be responsible to God and act out my faith.
I did start to improve over the next few days, then on Sunday May 15 I got up out of bed and walked without any aid and my healing had caught up with my faith.
I truly want to thank all of you that keep me lifted up in your prayers.
Praise the Lord!
Bill Farr
Here are a few Scriptures that would come to mind at night:
Matt. 8:26: “ And Jesus said unto them, why are you fearful, O you of little faith?
Matt. 8:13: “And Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way, and as you have believed, so be it done unto you. And his servant was healed in the same hour.”
Matt. 8:16: “When evening was come, they brought unto Jesus many that were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and HEALED ALL THAT WERE SICK.”
Malachi 4:2: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings.”
Friday, May 20, 2011
Praise report from Jan 24th
January 22nd was one of the nights this last winter when a friend, Chris Nada, and I were out preaching in East Lansing. We didn't stay long, because it was just too cold,
but it was good just the same. In the one hour we were out, we spoke
to easily 50-100 people. Several people thanked us for what we were
saying. There were, of course, those who mocked us, and those who
cursed us, which is standard. But, I count myself blessed to have been
counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ. His yoke is easy and
His burden is light. God is so good to me, and I feel so appreciated
by Him for what I do when I go out and preach, that the mocking and
cursing is hardly any burden or suffering at all. It has gotten so it
really doesn't even bother me. One person tried to convince me that he
could really help me with my preaching and that my methods were all
wrong. After speaking to him at length, the only thing I could come up
with was: he didn't like to see a sign listing things people commonly
do today which God considers to be sin. He didn't like to have people
yelling the truth about sin in the open. Why not? Mostly, because he
said it wasn't "effective." I'm not writing about anything that is
uncommon for a night out street preaching. This comes up almost every (if
not every) time I go out street preaching. But, aside from the people
who are visibly changed by what they hear, aside from the people who
thank us, aside from the people that are obviously listening and being
affected by the preaching (or they wouldn't get upset about it), aside
from all that and aside from all the testimonies from others that I
have that street preaching DOES affect the hearers, I know it affects
ME to go out and do it. Even if NO ONE listened or cared, I know that
I was doing what God has been calling me to do. I know that I can
sleep at night, because I have not stood idly by watching people run
as fast as they could to get into hell. I know that God cares about
what I'm doing, and He appreciates it, and that's what matters. His
Word says so, and my life says so, too. And every time I go out and
preach, it all becomes clearer to me, too.
How can I but say the things I have seen and heard?
Who else has the words of eternal life? If we did not praise him, the
rocks themselves would cry out.
Our God is good, and He is Good: all the time!
but it was good just the same. In the one hour we were out, we spoke
to easily 50-100 people. Several people thanked us for what we were
saying. There were, of course, those who mocked us, and those who
cursed us, which is standard. But, I count myself blessed to have been
counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ. His yoke is easy and
His burden is light. God is so good to me, and I feel so appreciated
by Him for what I do when I go out and preach, that the mocking and
cursing is hardly any burden or suffering at all. It has gotten so it
really doesn't even bother me. One person tried to convince me that he
could really help me with my preaching and that my methods were all
wrong. After speaking to him at length, the only thing I could come up
with was: he didn't like to see a sign listing things people commonly
do today which God considers to be sin. He didn't like to have people
yelling the truth about sin in the open. Why not? Mostly, because he
said it wasn't "effective." I'm not writing about anything that is
uncommon for a night out street preaching. This comes up almost every (if
not every) time I go out street preaching. But, aside from the people
who are visibly changed by what they hear, aside from the people who
thank us, aside from the people that are obviously listening and being
affected by the preaching (or they wouldn't get upset about it), aside
from all that and aside from all the testimonies from others that I
have that street preaching DOES affect the hearers, I know it affects
ME to go out and do it. Even if NO ONE listened or cared, I know that
I was doing what God has been calling me to do. I know that I can
sleep at night, because I have not stood idly by watching people run
as fast as they could to get into hell. I know that God cares about
what I'm doing, and He appreciates it, and that's what matters. His
Word says so, and my life says so, too. And every time I go out and
preach, it all becomes clearer to me, too.
How can I but say the things I have seen and heard?
Who else has the words of eternal life? If we did not praise him, the
rocks themselves would cry out.
Our God is good, and He is Good: all the time!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Drunkard thanks Street Preacher or Sowing in the Cold
I've been going out preaching in the open air off and on for years. However, I'd taken a break from it for a while (years, in fact) for various reasons and this winter was really compelled to get back at it with more fervor and regularity. I have a day job. I normally only preach on a particular street corner in East Lansing, Michigan on Saturday nights from about 11 to 12 or 1 AM. I wanted to encourage fellow Christians I know to get out more, so I started sending updates to them on all the exciting things that were taking place in the short time I'd been out preaching. After some encouragement from them, I decided to start this blog so I could share the excitement and wonder I've been experiencing with a larger audience. Although I will probably add to the content of this blog later, I thought I would start with basically just those updates (edited for the larger audience) about like I've been sending them out to my friends. The last thing I need to explain before the update is a word about alcohol.
The Bible tells us in 1 Cor 6:9-10 that no drunkard (among other groups of people) shall enter the kingdom of heaven. I know lots of people who consider themselves Christians that drink alcohol, so I know this is controversial. The big question that always comes up is this: what's a drunkard? Look at it like this. If you murder someone once, doesn't that make you a murderer? Of course it does! If you lie to someone once, by the same token, doesn't that make you a liar? (I'm not saying you can't be forgiven. Of course you can, but until you repent and ask forgiveness, if you lie, you are a liar.) So, how many times does a person need to get drunk to be a drunkard? I think the answer is obvious. I used to drink alcohol and I enjoyed it. I understand why people drink. I've been there, done that. I also know what the Bible has to say about alcohol. I know, I know. Jesus turned water into wine, so it must be all right to drink alcohol...or so people tell me every time I preach against alcohol. I give one argument below against that line of thinking. There are more, of course, but for now, one is enough. Obviously, I'm not saying someone who's been drunk once can't ever go to heaven. I don't believe that. Drunkenness is not the unforgiveable sin. And, for a given individual, depending on where they are in their walk with God, might not even realize drinking alcohol is wrong. So, I hope my views on alcohol do not automatically prevent you from reading this post. If you don't agree with me on it, fine. Maybe some day you will, maybe not, but don't let the issue of alcohol keep you from rejoicing with me over one man (who admitted he had many sins he enjoys) who thanked me for explaining to him how he can walk more closely with God!
Here's the first update:
Feb 6, 2011
Dear Saints:
I went preaching again tonight, starting a little after 11 and
finishing up about 12 or 12:30. Chris was there and a friend of
his named Richard. Chris brought up a good idea afterward, while we
sat drinking hot cocoa and discussing the evening's events. He was
talking about a verse having to do with sowing in the cold and reaping
in the warmth, so I looked up some that seemed like they might be the
ones he was talking about. Here they are:
Eccl 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that
regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
Prov 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold;
[therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.
I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad. I know there are lots of
people who do more for the Lord than I do. And of course, salvation is
not by works. However, I was shocked and encouraged by what those
verses say. And I'm just so pumped up by the exciting time preaching
tonight I had to send this out now. I don't like to be up late. I
don't normally like to be cursed at. I prefer to not have people be
angry with me. I also don't like to be cold. There are many times I've
skipped going out to preach because of all those negatives. However,
even in the cold, the harvest was bountiful tonight. Does that mean
that hundreds of people were saved? No, unfortunately not. What it
does mean is that if one person is affected by the preaching, it was
worth while. And, I know that a lot of the people who hear street
preachers think about it for a long time afterward: even years later.
So, all the people who cursed us tonight had seeds planted.
Additionally, there was one guy who started out telling us some
gibberish about how Christianity was built exclusively on poor people
who had nothing else to believe in. That guy, who obviously had been
drinking, told us one minute that he enjoyed his sin, and the next
minute told us that he was ashamed of the things he has done while
drinking. Because of James 4:17, I was able to tell him that he, then,
knew that what he was doing was wrong. Even though he claimed to enjoy
his drinking, I wished that he didn't have to be ashamed later for the
things he does in his life. He was upset because I was getting too
deep, and that I was really digging at his heart. He didn't like to
hear that by drinking he was trying to drown out his conscience, and
that by doing so, he was trying to destroy his God given ability to
judge right from wrong, and God would find him guilty for that
(because his own conscience declared him guilty already and that's why
he was ashamed). He asked me how he could change some things in his
life that he didn't like. I told him how he could grow in faith (by
reading the Bible and doing what it says, even if he starts small). He
eventually walked away thanking me for what I'd explained to him;
quite changed from his cursing me at the beginning; very different
from telling me he hated me for trying to "shove things down his
throat".
So much for the people who say street preaching doesn't affect anyone!
Once again, the scriptures are confirmed by the naysayers.
2 Tim 2:24-25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
So, we bundled ourselves up, and sowed regardless of the wind. We
plowed up some fallow ground in the cold and have not been sluggards,
by the grace of God (since I'd not even thought of those verses prior
to going out, I can't have been acting in response to them). We enjoyed
excellent fellowship while drinking hot cocoa (would not have liked
that nearly so much had it been warm out), and got to see the Lord
work in a drunkard's life.
Lastly, I'd been considering the Muslims today, what with all that is
going on in the middle east right now. And had been thinking/praying
to the Lord that I wanted at least one Muslim to come and hear the
preaching today. Lo, and behold! A Muslim man that Chris had
ministered to on campus several times before came and spoke with him
at length again tonight, and in so doing, was another answer to
prayer!
God is Good all the time! He listens to our prayers, hears us, and
gives us the desires of our hearts. Praise be to God!
Amen and good night. May the Lord bless all of you richly in all that
you do for him...and hopefully, all that you do is for him, so he
should be richly blessing you in all that you do!
The Bible tells us in 1 Cor 6:9-10 that no drunkard (among other groups of people) shall enter the kingdom of heaven. I know lots of people who consider themselves Christians that drink alcohol, so I know this is controversial. The big question that always comes up is this: what's a drunkard? Look at it like this. If you murder someone once, doesn't that make you a murderer? Of course it does! If you lie to someone once, by the same token, doesn't that make you a liar? (I'm not saying you can't be forgiven. Of course you can, but until you repent and ask forgiveness, if you lie, you are a liar.) So, how many times does a person need to get drunk to be a drunkard? I think the answer is obvious. I used to drink alcohol and I enjoyed it. I understand why people drink. I've been there, done that. I also know what the Bible has to say about alcohol. I know, I know. Jesus turned water into wine, so it must be all right to drink alcohol...or so people tell me every time I preach against alcohol. I give one argument below against that line of thinking. There are more, of course, but for now, one is enough. Obviously, I'm not saying someone who's been drunk once can't ever go to heaven. I don't believe that. Drunkenness is not the unforgiveable sin. And, for a given individual, depending on where they are in their walk with God, might not even realize drinking alcohol is wrong. So, I hope my views on alcohol do not automatically prevent you from reading this post. If you don't agree with me on it, fine. Maybe some day you will, maybe not, but don't let the issue of alcohol keep you from rejoicing with me over one man (who admitted he had many sins he enjoys) who thanked me for explaining to him how he can walk more closely with God!
Here's the first update:
Feb 6, 2011
Dear Saints:
I went preaching again tonight, starting a little after 11 and
finishing up about 12 or 12:30. Chris was there and a friend of
his named Richard. Chris brought up a good idea afterward, while we
sat drinking hot cocoa and discussing the evening's events. He was
talking about a verse having to do with sowing in the cold and reaping
in the warmth, so I looked up some that seemed like they might be the
ones he was talking about. Here they are:
Eccl 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that
regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
Prov 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold;
[therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.
I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad. I know there are lots of
people who do more for the Lord than I do. And of course, salvation is
not by works. However, I was shocked and encouraged by what those
verses say. And I'm just so pumped up by the exciting time preaching
tonight I had to send this out now. I don't like to be up late. I
don't normally like to be cursed at. I prefer to not have people be
angry with me. I also don't like to be cold. There are many times I've
skipped going out to preach because of all those negatives. However,
even in the cold, the harvest was bountiful tonight. Does that mean
that hundreds of people were saved? No, unfortunately not. What it
does mean is that if one person is affected by the preaching, it was
worth while. And, I know that a lot of the people who hear street
preachers think about it for a long time afterward: even years later.
So, all the people who cursed us tonight had seeds planted.
Additionally, there was one guy who started out telling us some
gibberish about how Christianity was built exclusively on poor people
who had nothing else to believe in. That guy, who obviously had been
drinking, told us one minute that he enjoyed his sin, and the next
minute told us that he was ashamed of the things he has done while
drinking. Because of James 4:17, I was able to tell him that he, then,
knew that what he was doing was wrong. Even though he claimed to enjoy
his drinking, I wished that he didn't have to be ashamed later for the
things he does in his life. He was upset because I was getting too
deep, and that I was really digging at his heart. He didn't like to
hear that by drinking he was trying to drown out his conscience, and
that by doing so, he was trying to destroy his God given ability to
judge right from wrong, and God would find him guilty for that
(because his own conscience declared him guilty already and that's why
he was ashamed). He asked me how he could change some things in his
life that he didn't like. I told him how he could grow in faith (by
reading the Bible and doing what it says, even if he starts small). He
eventually walked away thanking me for what I'd explained to him;
quite changed from his cursing me at the beginning; very different
from telling me he hated me for trying to "shove things down his
throat".
So much for the people who say street preaching doesn't affect anyone!
Once again, the scriptures are confirmed by the naysayers.
2 Tim 2:24-25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
So, we bundled ourselves up, and sowed regardless of the wind. We
plowed up some fallow ground in the cold and have not been sluggards,
by the grace of God (since I'd not even thought of those verses prior
to going out, I can't have been acting in response to them). We enjoyed
excellent fellowship while drinking hot cocoa (would not have liked
that nearly so much had it been warm out), and got to see the Lord
work in a drunkard's life.
Lastly, I'd been considering the Muslims today, what with all that is
going on in the middle east right now. And had been thinking/praying
to the Lord that I wanted at least one Muslim to come and hear the
preaching today. Lo, and behold! A Muslim man that Chris had
ministered to on campus several times before came and spoke with him
at length again tonight, and in so doing, was another answer to
prayer!
God is Good all the time! He listens to our prayers, hears us, and
gives us the desires of our hearts. Praise be to God!
Amen and good night. May the Lord bless all of you richly in all that
you do for him...and hopefully, all that you do is for him, so he
should be richly blessing you in all that you do!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Introduction
Welcome to my blog! I'm a Christian who is not part of a denomination but believes the Bible and goes out in the streets preaching the Word of God. As God is all powerful, he can certainly use people to bring others to the Lord through lots of different avenues. However, I have been called to preach in the streets. There is a good biblical basis for preaching to strangers in the open air, and when I don't go out preaching regularly, I am convicted of ignoring God's call. God's call on my life has manifested itself in many ways too numerous to list here. So, I shall use this blog (along with my twitter account: @strt_evangelist) to set out my reasons for preaching as I do. Also, I would like to encourage others to do the same. So, I will give reasons for others to preach in the open air as well. There are, of course, issues of content when one preaches and I'll address those, too. As I come up with (either through my own thought, revelations from God or input from others) ideas on other ways one might be able to work for God through evangelism, I'll give those, too. Now, I'm sure my plans for this blog will change over time, but I promise to do my best to follow the Bible in all I do with it. Thank you, and I hope that you will be built up by what you read. Lastly, may God bless you in your efforts to follow him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)