Friday Night Notes

the cursed vanity fair...

It has been a difficult week, and I went into tonight's street preaching endeavour already spent and wearied. Knowing this, I thought it wise to focus as little as possible on my surroundings. "Just preach, offer tracts, answer questions," I thought, "no need to mind the mockery or any of the wickedness that will undoubtedly upset you." I gave up trying after our first half hour of evangelism.

I remember a church pastor joining Pastor Tim and I on one of our Friday nights of evangelism a few years back, and his concluding remark about the marketplace was: "Oh yeah, this is a hell hole." Well, it was, and I can confirm that it still is. There is so much evil spoken and done, that one feels like he is swimming through sin.

There were a couple of positive exchanges in the three hours we were out there preaching the Gospel, like receiving some encouragement from an old friend and handing out Gospel literature to kind souls, who were obviously interested. That being said, these were but a few rare pearls among a very large pile of oysters. Consider:

- Two young men wasted a good 10 minutes of my time, questioning me on everything from "Gay Marriage" to "Original Sin". I say the time was wasted because the young men were just trying to belittle the Faith; they had no interest in learning. Unable to resist my Biblical and logical answers, they kept switching subjects, trying to find fault in something, anything I said. After 10 minutes, I walked away.

- When Pastor Tim was preaching the Gospel, a man came out of a nearby restaurant and after hearing part of the good preacher's message, he turned to his woman and said: "For Christ's sake!" I quietly replied: "Exactly."

- Spring weather has arrived in our corner of the globe, which means that in my ungodly culture, the women skirts are going higher, and their tops are going lower. It's sad really, they no doubt do this to get attention... a means to feel valued and/or desired. Yet ultimately, no matter how you look at it, the practice is degrading.

- Two young men (though considering their behaviour, I'm not sure calling them "men" is accurate) had fun destroying some of our Bible tracts. They kept walking by and whenever they got a chance to put their hands on some of our literature, in wound up ripped and thrown to the ground. They were around all night and were a real nuisance. They threatened us on a number of occasions, but never made good on their threats.

- As I made my way home after our work was done, I walked by a crowded bus stop where a couple of youths were pummeling and kicking a man lying on the ground, doing his best to protect himself. By the time I saw was going on, the men walked away, no doubt knowing that the authorities would soon be coming. It all looked gang related; territory, drugs, owed money... any of these were probably the cause of the violence. What a mess.

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)

I'm doing my best, but it sure is hard not to be weary, and not faint. The Lord help me.

God bless you, dear readers.


Rand

Labels: Friday evangelism