Testing...1,2,3

Had a little bit of time this afternoon to go down to Heritage Park in Canton, Ga. to try out my new amp I got for my birthday a few weeks ago.

As some of you know (and I'm sure most do not) I would not consider myself an extrovert or a "Type-A" personality by any stretch of the imagination. I tremble at the thought of public speaking and still get very nervous any time Cam or Vernon and I go out to share the gospel.

So for me to actually get up on a box, read Scripture or open-air witness, it takes more than just my shear will power to accomplish the task; it takes prayer and the Holy Spirit.

In order for me to try out my new amp, to make sure the sound levels reach the intended targets (other than my living room that is), I actually needed to go somewhere outside...duh. While Cindy and I were out today I stopped over at Heritage Park, set up my stool, and proceeded to read the Gospel of John chapters 1 and 3 as well as a portion of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapter 7.

The whole time I was reading the Scripture, there was a small family of about five people playing frisbee and sliding down the small hills in the park. After I finished reading, I open-aired Law and Gospel to the family. They paid no attention to me that I could tell, but knowing that God's Word will not return void, I gave Him the glory for the time out there -

DEATH COMES UNEXPECTEDLY - Kim Latour

Please take a few minutes to watch my sister in Christ, Kim Latour, open-air preach at the gates of the University of Ottawa. This is a very encouraging video for all the saints out there who may be just a little timid about getting up on a box and sharing the gospel.

Kim is the wife of evangelist Paul Latour over at The Word Street Journal -

 

2012 RiverFest

His Feet on the Street will join up with Vernon Costolo from Proclaiming the Truth to crosswalk the RiverFest this Saturday (September 29th) from 10am to at least 12 noon.

For the past few years HFOTS has gone into the RiverFest parking lots to hand out thousands of tracts and have dozens of One-to-One conversations.

Last year, while in the parking area of the RiverFest (not in the actual event), RiverFest organizers complained to the local police that we could not be on the grounds to hand out literature and talk to people.

The local police came and told us if we did not leave we would be arrested for trespassing. We tried out best to be polite as we explained, to no avail, that we were not in the actual event, but in the parking areas of the event (which were public school grounds). The police were having none of it and so we left after still having the pleasure of handing out hundreds of tracts that day.

This year Vernon and I will crosswalk the public sidewalks leading into the event with hopes of handing out a few tracts and, God willing, having a few conversations with folks on their way into the event.

Can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

I Rejoice in the Sovereignty of God! - Tony Miano

I am so thankful to my great God and Savior, my Lord and King, Jesus Christ.

I rejoice in the sovereignty of God. My salvation is contingent upon nothing within me or anything accomplished by me. Nothing. Not my desire; not my abilities; not my religion; not my lot in life; and most certainly not my own will.

Yes, I rejoice in the sovereignty of God. I am saved because God is sovereign. I am saved because God, from eternity-past, had predetermined and preordained to call me His own. Only the kind intention of His will, and not the gratuitous and selfish intentions of my sin-marred will, made it not only possible but also certain that He would adopt me as one of His beloved children.

Yes, I rejoice in the sovereignty of God. For apart from His sovereignty I could have no hope of forgiveness, reconciliation, and regeneration. If my will was necessary, even in the slightest cooperative sense, to somehow contribute to my salvation, I would never be saved. I could never be saved. For my will, deathly marred by my depravity, which I inherited from the first Adam, would never, could never seek or even desire to cooperate with God in anything--let alone my salvation.

Yes, I rejoice in the sovereignty of God. I am saved because God, for reasons known only to Him, has elected to pardon me from my iniquity--pardon me from an inherited, wanton rampage of sin that would seek to go as far as to murder the Judge as He sat on His bench, if I ever had the present ability to carry out the act. So deep was my hatred for God, although shrouded in false piety and self-perceived goodness. I deserve nothing but an undelayed, unappealable execution of God's good and holy wrath. Yet the Judge--the Judge of the Universe--stepped down from His high, holy, heavenly bench, sending His eternal Son who humbled Himself to take on the form of human flesh in the person of my Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. He humbled Himself, allowing Himself to be executed by His sinful creation; and yes, to be mutilated and humiliated on the cross. Yes, even death on the cross.
Read rest of post HERE at Cross Encounters

How to Botch an Alter Call

“I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident.”

From Ray Comfort -

Early in August 2012 in Huntsville, Alabama, a young man sent a text message to a friend: “I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident.” While he was finishing the sentence the truck he was driving flew off a cliff and crashed, leaving him with a broken neck, a crushed face, a fractured skull, and a traumatic brain injury. His injuries were so serious that doctors had to shock him back to life three times.

In an effort to discourage drivers from texting while behind the wheel, Alabama State decided to fine drivers $25 if they were caught in the act. Actually, the threat of a $25,000 fine probably wouldn’t deter most teenagers from texting, because at that age people think they are immortal.
However, there is the hope that if they are educated on the distance a vehicle travels in the time it takes to text and they see the dangers that can ensure, their good sense may just kick in.

The threat of a very real Hell doesn’t awaken some people. But we have the hope that if we trust in God and open up His Law, it can convince them of their danger, and their good sense may just kick in.

What is Missing?

From Leon Brown

Every year, Christians are trained around the nation in order to learn how to share the gospel. You are familiar with the programs because they are many. Some programs are professed to be better than others. Are they really? The final determination is up to you!

But throughout these training sessions, I've noticed something is missing. Or to be more specific, I should say, the first step is missing.

It's extremely easy to gather 100 people into a room and tell them a certain formula to share the gospel. I've done it, and you've probably done it. Initially, it seems to help people. They are thankful that they are learning to share the gospel, and rightfully so. But once the training session is complete and they're on their own, sometimes the enthusiasm to share the gospel tappers off.

Why?

I believe it's because something is missing.

You know, just the other day I watched my interview with Dr. J.I. Packer. At one point, I asked him about evangelism. He told me that his African friends would think we are quite strange for talking about evangelism because they do it so frequently and so naturally. As I began to think about this, I wondered, "Why do they do it so frequently and so naturally?"

Many answers came to mind and this is one of them: Joy!

These African brothers have joy in the Lord. And as this joy builds inside of them, they cannot help but share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's kind of like a pot that boils over because it has too much water in it. Initially, the waters are calm, but as the pot heats up, the water come out the top.

The same thing can be said about sharing the gospel. Once the pot gets burning (the pot is you), the gospel will come out. It may not come out perfectly or even the way you'd want it to, but it comes out. (Remember, God works in spite of us often, so don't be discouraged if the gospel does not come out exactly 'like you planned.')

Moreover, sharing the gospel becomes natural. There are too many instances when non-believers will make this comment once they've heard the gospel or watched a video on YouTube: "Oh, I've heard that before."

Question: "Heard what before?"

They are not talking about the gospel insomuch as they are talking about the "formula" that was used to share the gospel. You're familiar with them. There is no need to name names. There are a bunch of them out there.

So, back to my original question. What's missing?

Instead of teaching someone how to share the gospel as a first step, as best as it is possible (and this is hard with a large group), let' see if they have joy in the Lord. I think it's too much to assume that they have joy just because they're there. Many people simply want an easy way out, and this includes Christians. People want a 1-2-3 step program. Whereas, evangelism, as I've had to learn, is so much more than that.

So, as we continue to train individuals in the body of Christ, as far as we are able, let the first step, or one of the first steps, be in talking to the trainee about joy...because if they have joy, chances are they've already been sharing the gospel, but they're coming to you to be refined, not initiated. Then, once the trainee leaves, he or she will continue to share the gospel (naturally, I might add) regardless of whether he/she thinks their local assembly is sharing Christ. Why?

Because they have joy! And joy about a particular subject is hard to keep to yourself! Thank God there is joy in Christ!