No Notes

down time...

Due to poor health throughout the week, I stayed home tonight to physically recover. I hope to be back at my post next week for our customary night of street evangelism. Remember me in your prayers, dear saints.

Above and below are pictures I took from just outside my workplace. With the Spring thaw well under way in Canada, the house finches have returned (above), and the hooded mergansers are slowly migrating back northward (below). I love nature photography!

Have a blessed and safe weekend, dear readers. God bless you all!


Rand

Friday Night Notes

doing right in their own eyes...


Spring may be just around the corner, but I assure you, it's still cold in my corner of Canada. Pastor Tim left his hat and gloves at home when we took off for the marketplace, and that's a decision, I suspect, he spent the rest of the night regretting. Still, despite the frigid breeze that blew through downtown, the good preacher and I soldiered on and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to hundreds of souls walking the streets of the market.

We were out there for over three hours tonight and while we handed out a good number of Bible tracts, the blasphemies that were uttered by many in our audience, throughout our time of evangelism, was very grievous. Men and women, young and old, drunk and sober, from all kinds of nationalities... all of them joining an ungodly chorus:

"(Bleep) God! (Bleep) Jesus! You (bleeping) Christian hypocrites!" one man cried out to the joyous laughter of those around him.

"I'm not ashamed," one woman said, "I love to sin!"

There was alot more, but most of what I heard tonight is so vulgar, so obscene that I cannot, and will not even put up a censored version on my blog. I was nasty. I couldn't shake the thought while I was at our street preaching spot: "What a frightful judgments awaits these wicked souls."
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew 12:35-37)

After an hour of evangelism, two young men walked up to me and thanked me for my service. Both professed to be Christians; I believed one of them, but not the other (he had a bunch of piercings in his face and generally looked very worldly). They said they attended the Metropolitan Bible Church, the largest evangelical church in my city, and after speaking with them about people I knew at that church, it was clear that both men truly attended that church. The young men didn't stick around long, but I did get some sad news from them: the pastor of their church was recently diagnosed with cancer. Brothers and sisters, let us add Pastor Rick to our prayer lists.

An hour later, I had a longer one-on-one conversation with a young lady who said she had seen us on a number of occasions, and wanted to know what we were all about. I explained that what we were doing was no different than what the apostle Peter did 2000 years ago, after Pentecost. She understood, and while she appreciated the logic and reasoning behind our efforts, she was obviously a Romanist and quite the ecumenical one at that! On a number of occasions she tried to argue that ultimately, all major religions were the same. I of course objected but sadly, the young lady didn't give me much time to state my arguments. She took off with her friend and promised that she would return sometime to speak further with me. The Lord's will be done.

Pastor Tim had a pretty intense discussion with a drunken homosexual. We see this man every week, and every week he walks out of a nearby bar, so intoxicated he had trouble walking straight. Well tonight, the sad soul had it together enough to try to justify himself to Pastor Tim. Poor fool, that didn't go to well for him. I was a few yards down the street so I didn't hear how the whole conversation went, but I did hear Pastor Tim say:

"You've got a whole lifetime of sin separating you from God, and if you don't have Jesus saving you from those sins, you're going to be condemned forever."

It was shortly after that conversation that we decided to call it a night and head home; we had been at it for over three hours. I was dead tired, and while Pastor Tim wouldn't admit it, I think he was pretty frozen.

Remember us in your prayers, dear saints. Remember Pastor Rick also. Have a safe weekend and a blessed Lord's Day!


Rand

Labels: Friday evangelism

Friday Night Notes

the non-judgmental 'energy'...


Right after work, I made my way to Pastor Tim's house for yet another night of street preaching. The weather was wet, but mild, which considering the sub-zero degree weather we've contended with over the last few months, well, it was a refreshing change.

The milder weather was no doubt a major factor when it came to the volume of people walking the streets of the market tonight. It still isn't nearly as busy as summer nights, but still, there was a pretty steady flow of people walking by our Bible signs, some hearing some of our Gospel preaching as they walked by. We handed out a fair number of Bible tracts and both Pastor Tim and I have had a few one-on-one conversations with unconverted souls.

Only Pastor Tim had a conversation with a brother-in-the-Lord tonight. A "Brethren/Gospel Chapel" type, with a real love for the Lord and zeal to know Him more. The Lord bless him. The closest I got was a middle-aged woman who came by to thank me for my witness. At first, everything she said seemed good and for a second I thought I was speaking with a sister; but everything crashed when she told me where she fellowshipped. With great pride, she told me she fellowshipped at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. I was dumbfounded. The only thing that kept running through my mind was: "You got to be kidding me!" I was unable to deal with the woman (I really was in a state of shock)... she left and I was still stuck on: "you're kidding me!"

I spoke at length with a young man who claimed he once was a Christian, but had since renounced the Faith in favour of science. You should have seen his face when I told him I was a scientist. It was clear, through our conversation, that the young man wasn't too convinced of his own spiritual choices. On a number of occasions, he admitted that some fulfilled biblical prophecies were quite difficult to deny, but he would follow that up with: "well the Bible was just made up by twelve guys." He was quite a tortured fellow. Seeing and understanding the merits of the Faith, but wanting to part of it. He repeated on a number of occasions that he preferred believing that God wasn't so much a Person, but an Energy of some sort.

"I know why you want to believe that," I said to the young man.

"Why?" he inquired.

"Because 'energy' can't and will never judge you," I concluded.

While he didn't have much time for my answers and my witness in general, the young man still thanked me for speaking with him of the Faith of Jesus Christ. It was pretty funny, throughout our conversation, he insinuated that I was being stupid, but before he left, he said he appreciated speaking of these matters with an intelligent man! Quite confusing. The Lord save him out of his error, confusion and unbelief.

Shortly before ending our three hours of street evangelism tonight, a fifty-some year old man walked by me as I was giving out Bible tracts. The man looked at the Bible sign I was carrying, and after reading that "the wages of sin is death", he mumbled to his wife/girlfriend: "if that were true, I'd be dead already." Unable to let that one go, I mumbled back: "won't be long now." I don't think he heard me... maybe that's a good thing.

That's the notes for tonight. I thank the Lord for being with us tonight, protecting us and giving us utterance. I trust He was magnified by our efforts.

God bless you all, dear readers. Have a safe weekend and a blessed Lord's Day!


Rand

Labels: Friday evangelism

No Notes

lots of coughing...

Couldn't go through the winter season without a bad one... and this was a bad one! My family and I all caught a nasty cough this week. Little school and little work was done, I'm afraid. Even my Friday night of street preaching was scratched.

Hence, no notes.

I believe Pastor Tim has gone out by himself... the Lord bless him.

I did speak to the good preacher today. He told me that Samuel, the young homosexual that destroyed our 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 sign, payed for the cost of a new sign. It took a few visits to his workplace, but I'll give credit where credit is due, the poor soul made financial restitution. Pastor Tim said when Samuel paid him, he said:

"So we're done now, right? We don't have anything to do with each other anymore..."

"I hope so," Pastor Tim replied.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to have anything to do with you guys anymore," he said.

Not exactly what we were hoping for, but an assurance that he would no longer be a problem to us is better than nothing. The Lord have mercy on him.


Rand