Regular Witnessing

Tonight, I was not as full of energy as I usually am. I had a long day of work, and really didn't feel like getting out there to witness. I was dragging my feet, even while keeping my commitment to be faithful. When I got there, I noticed two kids (pictured) telling a group of kids about the Law and Grace. One of them was 16 years old, from Cornerstone Moorpark. OK, a tall cup of coffee, and seeing these two out there was all the motivation I needed. (Listen here.)

One advantage of finding a regular fishing spot is you start to build a relationship with the people there. As usual, tonight there were plenty of people who had not heard the Gospel and needed to.
But, tonight, I also met up with a couple of kids who I spoke with two weeks ago. They approached me and said, "Hey, we've been good. We haven't sinned for two weeks! Well, we've tried not to sin, anyway."
I reminded them that even if they lived a perfect life from today forward, they still have all the wrath stored up from their lifetime of sin waiting to condemn them. They obviously have had a change of heart if they were trying to live better lives. But, they need to take the next step and really "repent", and of course, put their trust in the Savior. They can't trust their own goodness, but they must trust that Jesus Christ paid the price for complete forgiveness of their sins, past, present and future. I left them with a Bible to read, and told them I'd see them in a couple weeks. That really made my night to know that the Holy Spirit is at work in someone's heart.

James 5:1-6 Warning to Rich Oppressors

1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

What will you tell God when you see Him? What will you impress Him with? Your bank account? Your DVD collection? How fat are you going to be on the day of slaughter?

The rich swell up with pride, the poor from hunger.
Sholom Aleichem

Is the rich world aware of how four billion of the six billion live? If we were aware, we would want to help out, we'd want to get involved.
Bill Gates

Religion I have disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give to them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had that and I had not given them one cent, they would be rich. If they have not that, and I had given them the world, they would be poor.
Patrick Henry

No man is rich enough to buy back his past.
Oscar Wilde

Instead of trying to fill your portfolio, get out there and fulfill the Great Commission.

Eight Tips to be a Winsome Ambassador

1. Look for opportunities - always be alert for what might turn out to be a Divine appointment.
2. Don't give too much information - You don't need to talk about evolution, young/old earth, eschatology, prophecy, Darwinism, pretribulation rapture, amillenialism to be effective. The gospel is plenty enough for a non believer to get their head around.
3. Stay away from religious language, terminology, affectations - speak in language that the person can understand. People might be interested in Christ before they are interested in Christian religion.
4. Focus on the truth, not personal benefits of Christianity - It doesn't matter what people like or don't like, examine the truth claims of Christianity, not the promises of personal benefits.
5. Give evidence - Everyone else in the Bible did as well. Give the scripture evidence for what you are witnessing to people. People do respond to that, even in a post modern age.
6. Stay calm - don't get crazy or frustrated. The more calm you stay, the more confident you look, the more persuasive you sound.
   
7. Let them walk away - When someone is finished with the conversation looking for a way out. Let them go. They are not listening anymore. "Don't bruise the fruit."
8. Leave them with something - The gospel of John, or a clear gospel tract is a great way to give them more to do after you are gone. If they read the bible, Jesus can speak for Himself. Give them some way to make the next step.

Adapted from the Stand to Reason podcast with Greg Koukl

Law to those at Pride

Today, I visited the Christopher Street West event along with the gay parade in West Hollywood. The codename for this whole event is pride. Yes, pride.

I don't have a problem walking around people and feeling for them and viewing them as just as valuable in God's site as any of His children. But, this is a tough group to witness to. They are so caught up in their one issue that they don't want to hear anything about God, or His word. I didn't have to look very far to find people that blatantly broke each of the commandments and wore it as a badge of honor. What I found most interesting today was the number of churches that had booths set up inside this event. They weren't there to let sinners know of their fate without the Savior, they were there to attract people who wanted to be openly gay inside the church.

I had a great conversation with a guy from one church. I said I would lay aside the question of whether homosexual acts were sinful, but my question was, "Is anything a sin?" He explained that his church was embracing the postmodern mindset and thinks that though we all should embrace Jesus (whatever that means) that we are not supposed to be so arrogant as to tell others what Jesus said. Each is supposed to find out for themselves what their path is.

I asked him how I could get to heaven. What would I need to do in his opinion? It was hard to get it out, but basically, I need to embrace Jesus. I asked him point blank what happens to those who don't embrace Jesus. He waivered between saying that they go to a not nice place, or maybe Jesus saves them anyway. I showed him where the bible tells what happens to unrepentent sinners. I asked him if he considered himself a good person. Of course, he did. After taking him through the Law, and presenting the Grace of the cross in light of that Law, I think it made sense to him. I left him with a plea to think about all the people here who have not repented of their sin, who have not trusted in the Savior, and are depending on him to reach out and let them know how to avoid the wrath to come.

I don't think the irony is lost on those at the Los Angeles Gay Pride festival. It's no coincidence that Pride is the codeword for gay. I didn't even argue with anyone about their orientation. I didn't have to. Nobody put God first. Or for that matter, second. It may be tongue in cheek, but their consciences tell them that they will "burn twice"(see picture). Oh, lost ones please listen to your conscience. Don't harden your hearts. The walls are pretty big in that community, and today might be the only time you get to hear God's plea. Please turn. Please repent. Please trust in the Savior. Don't depend on the postmodern church to save you. Read your bible daily, trust God, and He will never let you down.

Like Father, Like Son

Jameson, 11 months old, already has a million dollar tract in his shirt pocket. Aww, how cute.


Well, the first group is through. All in all, we had about twenty people that made it through the Basic Training class. A few missed a bit, and plan to start in again next week as we do it all again. Today's lesson was all about getting inspired and motivated to get out there and make evangelism part of your life. This lesson is not just a class you take and put a certificate on your wall. The idea is to actually use it. We learned to have a compassion for the lost. We learned how to craft a biblical message to use the Law to bring about conviction in a person's conscience. We learned to present the gospel while not getting sidetracked down "rabbit trails". Today was time to make a commitment to seek and save the lost.

As we left the classroom, in the parking lot of the church was an antique auto show. There were easily a few hundred people there. Everyone looked at me as if to say, "Hey, professor, let's see your stuff." I had spent the last four weeks convincing people that they could actually swallow their fears and get out there and share their faith. This was no time for me to get weak kneed. I pulled out some million dollar bills and walked around. I was actually trembling because I didn't want a bad encounter to color the experience for everyone. I ended up talking to the parking security guys, and another group at one of the booths. It turned out fine. Hopefully, this whole experience will show people that it is pretty simple, albeit scary, to get out there and talk to a complete stranger about Jesus Christ. But, we are called to be faithful, and I pray every day that I can answer that call.

Friday at the Mall Again

Tonight we had six of us. Nathan and Kevin from Cornerstone came with Joey. I didn't spend as much time here as last week because I got there late, and started getting pretty tired around 11PM. To get warmed up, I did a lap in the mall passing out the pink and blue optical illusion tracts. Then watched as Nathan talked to a group of 12 big guys. They were acting pretty rowdy and we decided to pray for him. Joey, David and I prayed for their mouths to be quieted, and their hearts to be pierced and for the Holy Spirit to really get in there and convict them of their sin. When we looked up, they all were staring quietly at Nathan and listening very intently.

I talked to a group of kids and one of them was already a Christian. I went through the complete Law and Gospel anyway as all of his friends were listening. He knew his stuff, but still didn't name all Ten Commandments. Before I got there, both David and Joey had lost a $20 bill to the people they witnessed to. I decided to try it without the $20 contest. I wanted to get one more recorded so I would have some audio for this post. Nathan pointed to a group of kids dressed in black with several piercings and said, "When they are dressed like that, it is always difficult." Great, this was the group I was going to talk to then.

Jason was the most receptive in the group, and one other boy actually asked me, "What is a commandment?" They didn't have a preconceived idea of where I was leading them. Jason was sixteen and had just gotten confirmed. It was because his mother made him do it and he really had no idea what he was confirming. As I proceeded with the Law, the two girls in the group high-tailed it out of there, but the three boys stayed till the end. They had a few questions along the way that I was able to answer briefly and get them back to the topic. By the end, Jason was swooning like he was going to fall down. I asked him if he was alright, and he said, "Wow, I need to go home and think about this stuff." I found out he didn't have a bible, so I got him a pocket Gospel of John and told him I'd see him here in a couple of weeks to see how he was doing.

All in all it was a great night, and our biggest turnout yet. Hopefully next week, we'll have some people from the Basic Training class be bold enough to come out and join us. In the meantime, please take a moment to pray for all the people that we witnessed to tonight. Pray that they will be convicted with a hunger and thirst for righteousness. And, pray that they seek out the living water so that they need never thirst again.

Personal Witnessing - How Jesus Did It

John chapter 4, verses 7–26 give us the Master’s example of how to share our faith. Notice that Jesus spoke to the woman at the well when she was alone. We will often find that people are more open and honest when they are alone. So, if possible, pick a person who is sitting by himself. From there, we can see four clear principles to follow:

First: Jesus began in the natural realm (v. 7).
This woman was unregenerate, and the Bible tells us “the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14). He therefore spoke of something she could relate to—water. Most of us can strike up a conversation with a stranger in the natural realm. It may be a friendly “How are you doing?” or a warm “Good morning!” If the person responds with a sense of warmth, we may then ask, “Do you live around here?” and from there develop a conversation.

Second: Jesus swung the conversation to the spiritual realm (v. 10).
He simply mentioned the things of God. This will take courage. We may say something like, “Did you go to church on Sunday?” or “Did you see that Christian TV program last week?” If the person responds positively, the question “Do you have a Christian background?” will probe his background. He may answer, “I went to church when I was a child, but I drifted away from it.” Another simple way to swing to the spiritual is to offer the person a gospel tract and ask, “Did you get one of these?” When he takes it, simply say, “It’s a gospel tract. Do you come from a Christian background?”

Third: Jesus brought conviction using the Law of God (vv. 16–18).
Jesus gently spoke to her conscience by alluding to the fact that she had transgressed the Seventh of the Ten Commandments. He used the Law to bring “the knowledge of sin” (see Romans 3:19,20). We can do the same, “Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Do you think that you have kept the Ten Commandments?” Most people think they have, so quickly follow with, “Have you ever told a lie?” This is confrontational, but if it’s asked in a spirit of love and gentleness, there won’t be any offense. Remember that the “work of the Law [is] written in their hearts” and that the conscience will bear “witness” (Romans 2:15). Jesus confronted the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18–21 with five of the Ten Commandments and there was no offense. Have confidence that the conscience will do its work and affirm the truth of each Commandment. Don’t be afraid to gently ask, “Have you ever stolen something, even if it’s small?” Learn how to open up the spirituality of the Law and show how God considers lust to be the same as adultery (Matthew 5:27,28) and hatred the same as murder (1 John 3:15). Make sure you get an admission of guilt.

Ask the person, “If God judges you by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day, do you think you will be innocent or guilty?” If he says he will be innocent, ask, “Why is that?” If he admits his guilt, ask, “Do you think you will go to heaven or hell?”

From there the conversation may go one of three ways:

1. He may confidently say, “I don’t believe in hell.” Gently respond, “That doesn’t matter. You still have to face God on Judgment Day whether you believe in it or not. If I step onto the freeway when a massive truck is heading for me and I say, ‘I don’t believe in trucks,’ my lack of belief isn’t going to change reality.”

2. He may say that he’s guilty, but that he will go to heaven. This is usually because he thinks that God is “good,” and that He will, therefore, overlook sin in his case. Point out that if a judge in a criminal case has a guilty murderer standing before him, the judge, if he is a good man, can’t just let him go. He must ensure that the guilty man is punished. If God is good, He must (by nature) punish murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, adulterers, fornicators, and those who have lived in rebellion to the inner light that God has given to every man. Then tenderly tell him he has already admitted to you that he has lied, stolen, and committed adultery in his heart, and that God gave him a conscience so that he would know right from wrong. His conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit will do the rest. That’s why it is essential to draw out an admission of guilt before you mention Judgment Day or the existence of hell.

3. He may admit that he is guilty and therefore going to hell. Ask him if that concerns him. Speak to him about how much he values his eyes and how much more therefore he should value the salvation of his soul. (For the biblical description of hell, see Revelation 1:18 footnote.) If possible, take the person through the linked verses in this Bible, beginning at the Matthew 5:21,22 footnote.

Fourth: Jesus revealed Himself to her (v. 26).
Once the Law has humbled the person, he is ready for grace. Remember, the Bible says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The gospel is for the humble (see Luke 4:18 footnote). Only the sick need a physician, and only those who will admit that they have the disease of sin will truly embrace the cure of the gospel.

Learn how to present the work of the cross —that God sent His Son to suffer and die in our place. Tell the sinner of the love of God in Christ; that Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Take him back to civil law and say, “It’s as simple as this: We broke God’s Law, and Jesus paid our fine. If you will repent and trust in the Savior, God will forgive your sins and dismiss your case.” Ask him if he understands what you have told him. If he is willing to confess and forsake his sins, and trust the Savior with his eternal salvation, have him pray and ask God to forgive him. Then pray for him. Get him a Bible. Instruct him to read it daily and obey what he reads, and encourage him to get into a Bible-believing, Christ-preaching church.

James 4:13-17 Boasting About Tomorrow

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

We talk a lot with people who are not believers. It is easy to identify some personal sins they have committed. Who hasn't lied, stolen, blasphemed or lusted? What do you do with a person who claims to already be a Christian? How about if they admit their sin, and say that they are a Christian, but something seems to be missing?

James is a great book about Christian living. Not about how to become a Christian, but how to act like one. When I meet someone who says they are a Christian, I take them through the Law just like anyone else. If someone tries to justify their sin, or minimize it, rather than admit it, it raises a red flag for me. Then I ask if they read their bible daily. Someone who can't remember when they last picked up their bible also raises my suspicions. Finally, if someone has definitely repented and put their faith in the Savior, I ask them if they are regularly sharing their faith verbally, at least with people they know, if not necessarily with outright strangers.

"Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." - Charles Spurgeon

Tuesday, July 22, 2042

I don't smoke. I weigh what I should. I'm not in any high risk group. But, I'm still going to die one day. Tuesday, July 22, 2042, to be exact if deathclock.com has anything to say about it. As I am typing this, I'm watching the seconds tick away. 1,140,063,850 ... 1,140,063,849 ... left to go.

Wow. I wonder if God will ask me my high score on Bejeweled on my phone. I wonder if he'll be impressed that I still know how to solve a Rubik's Cube. I wonder if he'll ask me my annualized return on my IRA. Or, will he be more concerned about my relationship with His Son.

Did I repent of my personal sin? Did I trust in the Savior alone to pay for my sins? What did I do with that salvation. Did I practice 'grace abuse' and keep living for myself? Did I get out there and tell somebody, plead with somebody, pour my heart out to somebody to get themselves right with God today.

Man, there goes more seconds. Tick... Tick... Tick...

And Then There Were Four

Well, we have only been going out a couple of weeks now, but we're growing. David (pictured here) from the Vine, Joey from Cornerstone, and Vangy from a home church here in the Valley and myself from Shepherd, made four of us tonight for witnessing. When I go out by myself I have to really get my courage up to start speaking to a group of people. With two of us, we had some better momentum going, encouraging each other to talk to the next group. We would talk for a second and then say, "Hey, how about those two?". Tonight, with four of us, we kept pairing off, talking to people, switching pairs, and doing it again. In three hours, we lost count, but figured that we must have personally witnessed to well over fifty people.

When I first started learning to do this, I mostly walked by people, then when I got the courage, I handed them a tract and quickly hurried off before they figured out what it was. Then I started handing them out to more people and making sure to let them know that it was a Gospel tract, and that they should read it. Every once in a while, I would get the nerve to spend ten minutes and witness to someone.

Now, as I am filled with the Holy Spirit, who equips me for service, I find myself witnessing to more people and rarely just handing out a tract and walking away. I find that once I get over the scary part of approaching a stranger, most people are really willing to talk about spiritual things and when I transition to the Law and start to ask about people's personal sin, I find myself just getting into the zone. If I use a tract lately, it is usually just to give them something after we talk to recap our conversation, and point them to a website for futher information.

It was such a blur tonight, but I had a few great encounters. One group of kids included a Baptist and a Catholic. The Baptist had it almost right without any prompting. We just went through the Law and then to the Gospel, including the need to repent, and put your trust in the Savior. What I didn't notice at first was how the Catholic girl was listening to our talk. She blurted out that she was really scared now. The realization that her sin was sitting there waiting to condemn her if she died tonight was too much for her to sit on. That changed the mood immediately. She was really scared. I spent the next few minutes telling her that it was NOT God's will that any should perish and told her exactly how to get in a right standing with God. My big concern was why the Baptist girl had not told her friend in all their years of friendship how to access salvation.

I talked to a group of people who had huge diamond and gold crosses on their necks(bling bling) and they could only name about 5 commandments. I talked to a kid from a public school who named nine commandments; so many I thought for sure I would lose my $20. I talked to a few Catholics who skipped the second commandment, but named number eleven. I even talked to a girl who confused the Commandments with the Ammendments, as she thought for sure that, "The Right to Bear Arms" was in the list. Before long, anyone who comes to the Northridge Mall will be able to name them all, and will have heard the Gospel presented at least once. Tonight especially I noticed that sometimes the people who were listening the most were the ones who were silent to the side of the person I was addressing. I got very little resistance and arguing tonight, and got several people who broke down right there and wanted to give their lives to Christ. Near the end of the night, Joey and I traded recorders and recorded a few of our last witness encounters. Please pray for all the people who heard the Gospel tonight. Pray that they will not be able to sleep because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit on their hearts. Every time we reject the Gospel, our hearts get a little harder. Pray that tonight will be the night of salvation for some young people.

Let's keep planting the seeds. Let someone else come and water them. And, always, let God get the glory!

James 4:1-10 Submit Yourselves to God

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

The main focus of my witnessing is to find out where a person thinks they are in relation to a holy God. Whether they say they are an atheist, a Christian, a Jew, a Catholic, or whatever, 99% of people tend to lift themselves up. Everybody thinks that God just owes them an answer to their prayers, and by God not answering them, they feel that God is evil. Unwashed sinners have no right to come into the throne room of Almighty God. It's the ultimate paradox that you can never get there if you think you deserve it, but when you really humble yourself, and hand ALL the glory to God, He will grant you direct access.

I am getting really good at this, at getting people to see their true condition by using the Law in evangelizing. But, therein lies the paradox for me. The second I think that it is ME doing anything good, I am putting myself up as some sort of good person. I have to ask, am I witnessing for some sort of glory for myself? Please, Lord, let me continue to die to myself and stay faithful to the great commission only because YOU are such a great and merciful and holy and just Creator. Lord, please don't let me get so proud that you resist me, and let me always have a humble heart.

Save Yourself Some Pain

Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator. You have found everlasting life! Be assured--God will never leave you nor forsake you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care and your deepest concerns.

Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern -- do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10, italics added), so, let's go through a short "checklist" to make sure that you are truly saved:

Are you aware that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, KJV), and that he died for the sins of the world? Did you come to the Savior because you had sinned? Did you "repent" and put your faith in Jesus? Are you convinced that He suffered and died on the Cross and that He rose again on the third day?

God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are "justified" (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was God's seal of approval of the fact that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine.

Think of it this way... You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "So you should be -- you have broken the law! Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. If someone else pays your fine, then he can let you go, but he must have "grounds" on which to release you.

The reason we need a substitute (a savior) to pay our moral "fine," is because we have broken God's Law. To see how much we have transgressed this Law (the Ten Commandments), we will go through some of them -- Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answered "Yes" to these questions, you admit that you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day! If you have used His name in vain, then you are guilty of "blasphemy" -- you've substituted God's holy Name for a curse word. Perhaps you've hated someone, then the Bible says that you are a murderer. You have violated God's holy Law, and you're in BIG trouble. On Judgment Day, you will be found guilty and end up in Hell. That's why you need the Savior. Merely being sorry for your sins, or confessing them to God won't help you. You must turn from sin (repent), and your faith must be in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only "grounds" for God to grant mercy towards you. If you're not sure of your salvation, make Psalm 51 your own prayer.

Let's now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain...

The first one is called:
Feeding on the Word -- DAILY Nutrition.

Fifty Fruits of Pride (part 2)

26. I have a know-it-all attitude. I am impressed by my own knowledge. I feel like there isn't much I can learn from other people, especially those less mature than me.

27. I have a hard time listening to ordinary people. I listen better to those I respect or people I want to leave with a good impression. I don't honestly listen when someone else is speaking because I am usually planning what I am going to say next.

28. I like to reveal my own mind. I have an answer for practically every situation. I feel compelled to balance everyone else out.

29. I interrupt people regularly. I don't let people finish what they are saying.

30. I feel compelled to stop people when they start to share something with me I already know.

31. I find it hard to admit it when I don't know something. When someone asks me something I don't know, I will make up an answer rather than admit I don't know.

32. I don't get much out of Bible teaching. I tend to evaluate the speaker rather than my own life. I grumble about hearing something a second time.

33. I listen to teaching with other people in mind. I constantly think of those folks who need to hear this teaching and wish they were here.

34. I'm not very open to input. I don't pursue correction for my life. I tend to be unteachable and slow to repent when corrected. I don't really see correction as a positive thing. I am offended when people probe the motivations of my heart or seek to adjust me.

35. I have a hard time admitting that I am wrong. I find myself covering up or excusing my sins. It is hard for me to confess my sins to others or to ask for forgiveness.

36. I view correction as an intrusion into my privacy rather than an instrument of God for my welfare. I can't identify anyone who would feel welcome to correct me.

37. I resent people who attempt to correct me. I don't respond with gratefulness and sincere appreciation for their input. Instead I am tempted to accuse them and dwell on their faults. I get bitter and withdraw.

38. When corrected, I become contentious and argumentative. I don't take people's observations seriously. I minimize and make excuses or give explanations.

39. I am easily angered and offended. I don't like being crossed or disagreed with. I find myself thinking, "I can't believe they did that to me." I often feel wronged.

40. I have "personality conflicts" with others. I have a hard time getting along with certain kinds of people.

41. I lack respect for other people. I don't think very highly of most people. I have a hard time encouraging and honoring others unless they really do something great.

42. I am a slanderer. I find myself either giving or receiving evil reports about others. I justify this by thinking the things I say or hear are simply true about them. I deceive myself by a lack of concern about the effect of slander on me because of my supposed maturity level. I think I can handle it. I convince myself I only share with others the things I really think they legitimately need to know. I don't tell all.

43. I am divisive. I tend to resist or resent authority. I don't like other people giving me orders or directions or even guidance and advise.

44. I like to demean or put others down. At times I think people need to be adjusted and put in their place. This includes leaders. I focus on the need for others to be humble and have a "sober" assessment of themselves.

45. I tend to be critical of others. I find myself feeling or talking negatively about people. I subtlety feel better about myself when I see how bad someone else is.

46. I am self-willed and stubborn. I have a hard time cooperating with others. I really prefer my own way and often insist on getting it.

47. I am independent and uncommitted. I don't really see why I need other people. I can easily separate myself from others. I don't get much out of the small group meetings in the church.

48. I am unaccountable. I don't ask others to hold me responsible to follow through on my commitments. I don't really need accountability for my words and actions.

49. I am unsubmissive. I don't like being under the authority of another person. I don't see submission as a good and necessary provision from God for my life. I have a hard time supporting and serving those over me. I don't "look up" to people and I like to be in charge. Other people may need leaders but I don't. It is important that my voice is heard.

50. I really appreciate somebody taking the time to put this paper together. It will really be a big help to my friends and family. However, I don't really need this because I think I'm pretty humble already.

Fifty Fruits of Pride (part 1)

1. I tend to be self sufficient in the way I live my life. I don't live with a constant awareness that my every breath is dependent upon the will of God. I tend to think I have enough strength, ability and wisdom to live and manage my life. My practice of the spiritual disciplines is inconsistent and superficial. I don't like to ask others for help.

2. I am often anxious about my life and the future. I tend not to trust God and rarely experience his abiding and transcendent peace in my soul. I have a hard time sleeping at night because of fearful thoughts and burdens I carry.

3. I am overly self-conscious. I tend to replay in my mind how I did, what I said, how I came across to others, etc. I am very concerned about what people think of me. I think about these things constantly.

4. I fear man more than God. I am afraid of others and make decisions about what I will say or do based upon this fear. I am afraid to take a stand for things that are right. I am concerned with how people will react to me or perceive my actions or words. I don't often think about God's opinion in a matter and rarely think there could be consequences for disobeying him. I primarily seek the approval of man and not of God.

5. I often feel insecure. I don't want to try new things or step out into uncomfortable situations because I'm afraid I'll fail or look foolish. I am easily embarrassed.

6. I regularly compare myself to others. I am performance oriented. I feel that I have greater worth if I do well.

7. I am self-critical. I tend to be a perfectionist. I can't stand for little things to be wrong because they reflect poorly on me. I have a hard time putting my mistakes behind me.

8. I desire to receive credit and recognition for what I do. I like people to see what I do and let me know that they noticed. I feel hurt or offended when they don't. I am overly concerned about my reputation and hate being misunderstood.

9. I want people to be impressed with me. I like to make my accomplishments known.

10. I tend to be deceptive about myself. I find myself lying to preserve my reputation. I find myself hiding the truth about myself, especially about sins, weaknesses, etc. I don't want people to know who I really am.

11. I am selfishly ambitious. I really want to get ahead. I like having a position or title. I far prefer leading to following.

12. I am overly competitive. I always want to win or come out on top and it bothers me when I don't.

13. I like to be the center of attention and will say or do things to draw attention to myself.

14. I like to talk, especially about myself or persons or things I am involved with. I want people to know what I am doing or thinking. I would rather speak than listen.

15. I am self-serving. When asked to do something, I find myself asking, "How will doing this help me, or will I be inconvenienced?"

16. I am not very excited about seeing or making others successful. I tend to feel envious, jealous or critical towards those who are doing well or being honored.

17. I feel special or superior because of what I have or do. For example: * my house * my neighborhood * my physical gifting * my spiritual giftings * my intellect * being a Christian * my position * my job * my education * my car * my salary * my looks

18. I think highly of myself. In relation to others I typically see myself as more mature and more gifted. In most situations, I have more to offer than others even though I may not say so. I don't consider myself average or ordinary.

19. I tend to give myself credit for who I am and what I accomplish. I only occasionally think about or recognize that all that I am or have comes from God.

20. I tend to be self-righteous. I can think that I really have something to offer God. I would never say so, but I think God did well to save me. I seldom think about or recognize my utter depravity and helplessness apart from God. I fail to realize that any goodness I have comes from God alone.

21. I feel deserving. I think I deserve what I have. In fact, I think I ought to have more considering how well I have lived or in light of all I have done.

22. I often feel ungrateful. I tend to grumble about what I have or my lot in life.

23. I find myself wallowing in self-pity. I am consumed with how I am treated by God and others. I tend to feel mistreated or misunderstood. I seldom recognize or sympathize with what's going on with others around me because I feel that I have it worse than they do.

24. I can be jealous or envious of others abilities, possessions, positions, or accomplishments. I want to be what others are or want to have what others have. I find it hard to rejoice with others when they are blessed by God.

25. I am pretty insensitive to others. I feel that some people just aren't worth caring about.

Fishing at the Burbank Mall

Good and Evil, Light and Dark, just another day at the mall watching a chess game being played out. There used to be a big merry go round in this spot, but now it is a giant chess board. I watched as two very skilled players battled it out. After a while, though, I was more interested in a spiritual battle. Standing on the rail were plenty of people to witness to. I walked around the mall, and there were a lot more people standing in line to see XMen than Da Vinci Code. In fact, I couldn't find one person who was going to see it. So, I pulled out the Da Vinci tracts and used the back to mark down how many commandments people could name. When I finished witnessing to them, I handed them their score sheet, which ended up being a nice souvenier. I recorded a few, but something went wrong and I only got one recording to actually work. That was the two skateboarders that you can listen to here. The $20 really got them to get interested, and by the time I was finished, they were really receptive. I get scared every time I decide to walk up to someone new and am always pleasantly surprised when I get such an interested and nice group to talk to. After those two, I ended up talking to a couple. He said that he didn't have a bible, but she piped in that she would make sure to give him one. They both got really quiet as I presented the Law. Who knows, she could have been trying to find a way to witness to him, and this was the first time she was going to get him to read the bible. Please pray that the Holy Spirit finds good soil in their hearts. I till up the ground with the Law and then plant the Gospel seeds in once their mouths have been quieted. This is getting a lot easier. I don't always feel like it, but I am trying to be faithful and get out there and talk to people every day. I shake in my shoes every time, but I pray that the Lord gives me boldness and once I get going, I find that He puts the words in my mouth that He wants me to say. I hope my examples are showing you that you really can get out there and do this.

Morgan Family in Southpark

A while back, I found a Flash program that would let you make your own Southpark characters. I made this when it was just the four of us. I guess I need to make Scarlett a little older and add Jameson.

Regal Theatre, Simi Valley

Tonight, I met up with Joey and a few other people at the Simi Valley Regal Theatre. There were so many kids out there that seemed so young. Maybe I am getting old, but I don't remember staying out till 11 PM when I was 14 years old.

We wandered back and forth, sometimes speaking to a group together, other times splitting up. I talked with so many kids, that I can't keep track of the number. The first group, we had two of us speaking so it looked like a giant figure eight, with kids surrounding us. Joey started asking if people could name the Ten Commandments for $20, and I started passing out million dollar bills. As we were surrounded, I asked the kids next to me if they knew what he was doing, and since they didn't, I walked them through the Law and the Gospel. For as crazy as these kids seemed to me, dressing and speaking, they were actually very receptive. One girl heard me and Joey say Jesus at the same time and she said, "Hey, they're doing it in stereo".

I passed out a bunch more Da Vinci tracts in the line for the theatre. There were not many people in line, so it was hard to give them all out like last Friday. I have a few left from my last packet.

Joey then spoke to a table full of kids and even though some of them remembered seeing him from a couple weeks ago, they still weren't able to name all of the commandments. This was the group and they really responded well.

I then decided it was time to pull out the voice recorder and get some of this good witnessing down. The first two sets of people were not interested, and finally I found a couple that would speak with me. After I got into it a little bit the guy told me he was a good person, I asked if I could find out for sure. He told me he was trying to be on a date and he'd rather answer these types of questions in church. I respected his wishes and left him with a million dollar bill. I decided to give it one more try, and finally found three young ladies that decided to speak with me. One was an Eastern Orthodox, one was a Roman Catholic, and the third was your garden variety Protestant. I started out by asking them to name the Ten Commandments for $20, and even with that broad spectrum of Christianity represented, we barely got past two.

I turned the conversation to the Good Test, and took them through the Law and then explained how the Good News of Christ dying for us actually made sense when viewed from that perspective.

All in all, it was an exhilerating night. With a little bit of encouragement from a friend, getting yourself out there to witness to complete strangers can be really easy, and also a lot of fun. One thing to note about tonight, there were a LOT of Christians there doing exactly what we were doing. I saw at least 15 people passing out tracts and witnessing to these kids. My goal is to get all the malls in the Valley to be places where you can't walk in without hearing the Gospel presented by somebody. Where are you witnessing? Where is your fishing spot?

Today's Need of Public Rebuke

The attempts today of the modern Church to win the world to Christ go to such great length to assure that there be no reprisals, no rejection. It seems quite honest to me that the Church would much rather be accepted by the world then to see the world be accepted by God.

When the sinking ship of the worlds acceptance starts to go asunder, the rebuking against sin is the first to go overboard to assure that the worlds acceptance stays afloat. The hell-fire preaching is far to heavy, weighs far too much, and will certainly bring about the sinking of the ship. So it must, not in part but in whole, go overboard to secure the acceptance of the world.

If we are to win the world to God we are not to do it just any way that works, we are to do it God's way as revealed in the scripture. God's way has always been by going into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). God's way has always been to verbally preach and not merely witness in action as we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). God's way has always been to preach "that people should repent". (Mark 6:12). God's way has always been by preaching in the streets, in the market places, in the squares outside of the synagogues, and at the entry gates of the cities. Wherever the sinners are is where the gospel needs to be. But God's militancy has been replaced with selfish complacency, so that the only outreach most Churches have is when they merely invite the world to come to them rather then themselves going out to the world.

"Is this effective? Is this effective" is the constant cry of the Church that has been infected and polluted with the worldliness of business. "Is this biblical? Is this biblical? is the constant cry of the man who will be despised and ridiculed by both the world and the Church.

As I preach open-air rebuking sin and exhorting sinners to flee from the wrath to come I continually hear "Is this effective" coming from professing Christians who would much rather cuddle sinners into the Kingdom. "Is this effective?" My response is, "it doesn't matter." We are not to concern ourselves with being effective at all, we are to concern ourselves with being biblical. We are to preach whether the lost hear or whether they refuse (Ezekiel 2:7). It doesn't matter if it's plowing season or if it's harvest season. We are to preach the Word in season and out of season, to convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2).

Often I hear, "Your turning people off, your turning people off"? "No! They were already off. The world hated God before I had preached. The world was living in sin before I showed up! They are already off". The fallacy of the neutrality of the sinner was a concept the Lord Himself shattered when he said, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Matthew 12:30). A person is either for God or is against God, there is no neutral ground. The whole concept of "turning a sinner off" because of preaching the Word is entirely unbiblical and it just further evidence of the drifting away from scripture of the modern Church.

When King Herod arrived to the open air meeting of John the Baptist, did John stop his preaching to give Herod a hug? No! John rebuked the Kings adultery and said, "it is not lawful for you to have her." (Matthew 14:4) Six months later John was beheaded. If many of the modern Christians were there I wonder if they would have confronted John and said, "Is this effective? John, don't you see how you turned Herod off?"

When Jesus spoke with the proud rich young ruler, who wrongfully thought he had kept all of God's commands from his youth, Jesus pointed out his sin of love of money which resulted in the man walking away sorrowfully without hearing a word of grace. (Matthew 19:22). I wonder what the modern Church would have said had they been there. "Jesus, why did you only tell the man about the Law? Don't you know we are under a new covenant and the Law doesn't matter? Jesus, don't you see how the man went away sorrowfully because you turned him off?"

When Paul was before Felix, did he elaborate on the wonderful plan and the deep of love that God had for him? No! Paul knew that the fear of God was the beginning of knowledge, not the love of God (Proverbs 1:7). So Paul "reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a more convenient time I will call for you." Would the modern Church have said to Paul had they been there, "Paul, you should have talked about God's love before you talked about sin and God's judgment. Don't you see how you have turned Felix off?"

Church, we must get away from the concern of "being effective" and must back to the concern of being biblical. We must get back to calling sinners to repent to flee from the wrath that's to come (Matthew 3:7). Men and women of God, it's time to rise up and boldly proclaim the uncompromising truth of God by life or by death. It's time for the Church to forsake the world with all of it's ways and methods and seek to go God's way at any cost. It's time that we prefer the foolishness of God over the wisdom of the world and take back our societies for the glory of God. As the Church has sat comfortably in padded pews, having fellowship dinners and getting fat on itching ear preaching, the world around us has been crumbling to powder being hammered by sin and the devil. As the Church has been asleep in the light the world has remained dead in it's sins. As the Church has sought to be friends with the world, the world has ever increasingly become the enemy of God. Our country is on a greece slide down to hell and it's time for men and women of God to hit the streets with the solid truth of God, exalting His righteousness, His holiness, His justice, His mercy, His grace, exalting His son.

Will you go?

For the Audience of One
Jesse Morrell
http://www.OpenAirOutreach.com
Taking the Gospel where it belongs

No need to break the Da Vinci code. It's already broken.

If you want to watch an otherwise respectable writer flush his career down the toilet, just pay attention to the dialogue in this film, written by Akiva Goldsmith, whose previous films include "Cinderella Man", "A Beautiful Mind", and "The Client" among others. Of course, the guy also wrote "Batman & Robin"and "Lost in Space", so perhaps this all isn't unexpected. It's just that he'd had appeared to have left his embarrassing past behind.

In this movie, every other piece of dialogue is some exasperated character saying something like "I don't understand" or "What did you say?" or "Explain that again". Join the club. Between Audrey Tautou's accent and Robert Langdon's (Tom Hanks) unrelenting explanations of the origins of The Knights Templar or Sir Leigh Teabing's (Ian McKellen) explanation of Jesus's secret bloodline.

The point is, this whole movie is made up almost entirely of explanations of one thing or another and made up very little of any action. Adapting a book, as director Ron Howard is doing here, doesn't mean actually reading the damn thing on screen word for word or having the characters recite as much prose as humanly possible. In the two-and-a-half hours this thing takes to conclude, that appears to be the goal. The result is a lot of dialogue meant to give one character or another a chance to breathe between long monologues.

If you're one of the four or five people who haven't read Dan Brown's book, then perhaps you're in for some surprises. However, you probably already know that the Church is p***d off, which means that the movie has something to do with Jesus and something they don't particularly like.

Basically, symbologist Robert Langdon is called to examine a murder scene while in Paris and stumbles on a age old religious mystery. He's whisked away from the scene by a French police officer, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), and together they try to solve the crime while being chased by an albino monk (Paul Bettany), who discovered God in prison, where many people discover Him.

Casting seems to be a serious problem here. As Silas, Bettany isn't exactly menacing. He's just kind of creepy in that "my neighbor is an Albino" sort of way. Then there's the fact that our Jesus expert is Magneto and the Cardinal (Alfred Molina) directing Silas is Doc Ock.

No need to break the Da Vinci code. It's already broken.

-Mr. Cranky

James 3:1-12 Taming the Tongue

1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Today I was walking with my children, and they were misbehaving in the store. I had to catch myself from yelling at them. Whenever I do something that is exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit, I destroy my testimony. I remove any chance of being able to speak with strangers about the Gospel. "Hey, weren't you that guy just yelling at his kids? Why should we listen to you?"

Even though I have been given a new heart, I am still a sinner and can get caught up speaking poorly about someone, or gossiping. before I know it I have sinned against my neighbor, and destroyed my ability to witness to someone. Before you go out, pray "Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips" so you can always produce fresh water for the mouths of the thirsty. Don't let garbage ruin the springs of salvation that we are to be pouring out for the lost.

James 2:14-26 Faith and Deeds

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Do you share your faith? Yes? How about, Do you go out of your way to verbally share your faith with strangers? Oh, I thought so. Why not? I lived as a Christian for ten years trying to not offend anyone, and trying to live in such a way that people would see the light of Christ in me and ask me how to get what I have. I doubt I even came close to living a good life as such a new Christian. And, more importantly not one person asked me how to get saved. Hmmm. As a matter of fact, waiting ten years to tell someone the Gospel was actually NOT living a good life, certainly if it meant that they would end up in Hell if they died in their sins.

Even the demons believe. What are you doing different than that? Let your compassion swallow up your fear and get out there and DO something.

Name 10, Get 20

Opening night, Da Vinci Code, Northridge Mall. Not as exciting an opening as I would have expected, but the mall was packed tonight. First I ran into a bunch of kids from the Vine, which is a youth oriented church that meets on Sunday nights at our church. They were promoting a speaker for Breaking the Da Vinci Code who will be there this week. They had never heard about the Way of the Master method of presenting the Law then the Gospel. I invited them to come to the class starting tomorrow. They already have the energy and enthusiasm to get out there and talk to strangers. Here is a picture of a few of them.

Next, I started witnessing to folks, and handing out the Da Vinci collectible tract. Starting conversations was very easy, as everybody was willing to talk about the movie and how it tied into the real story of Jesus. I ended up passing out one hundred tracts and talking with many people. There were a bunch of kids hanging out at the mall as they tend to do in suburban America. I approached just about every group of kids sitting on benches, as they were in no rush to get anywhere. I even met a guy handing out free movie passes and after he asked me what I was passing out, I went through the Law with him. He grew up Lutheran and thought that as long as he believed he was a good person, God would send him to Heaven. He still wasn't convinced after going through the Law about his state, but I encouraged him to read his bible and spend some time thinking about this important subject.

After a while, Joey Nicolosi showed up and we proceeded to witness to many more people. He showed me a new trick where you can approach people by offering to give them $20 if they can name all ten commandments. Don't worry, nobody got them all. But, it was a natural lead in to ask people if they thought they had kept those same commandments. All was going well, till I got to a group of people in line for the movie. As soon as I switched to the spiritual, most of them turned their back on me. And, when the two that were interested started answering questions, the others would turn and heckle me. After a few minutes, they started screaming for me to leave. I apologized and that seemed to make them more mad. Phew, that was some serious spiritual battling going on and the adversary didn't want me to make any headway in that group. But, one of them was furiously reading the Gospel message the whole time, and as I got chased away, he looked at me sort of apologetically. I pray that the reason I was there was to reach that one person. God can send him someone else to get him further when he is ready.

After that encounter, we decided to pray, and that got us back on track. We ran into a group of kids that had seen Joey before and one boy remembered that he had to 'repent' and 'trust' the Savior. The other girls got really interested. It got really deep and by the end, three of them were sitting there stunned with tears in their eyes completely silenced by the Law. It felt really wierd to bring someone that close to repentance, that we decided to leave them with the Good News and a tract with an email on it so they could follow up with us. The Holy Spirit was definitely working on their hearts and we left them to pray on their own to the Father for forgiveness. We decided that encounter made the whole night worth it.

As we decided to keep going, we met up with three more kids, who had some biblical knowledge, but hadn't connected their sin with their need for a savior. I actually recorded that one so you can hear an example of how the night wents. (listen now) They had to leave after about ten minutes, but Joey got to the end of the presentation and they seemed to follow the whole thing, even with all the distractions that the mall had to offer.

We wrapped up the night in prayer and thanked God for putting two like minded brothers together to strengthen and encourage each other to get out there and be faithful to the great commission. We thanked God for the good encounters and the bad ones, because salvation belongs to Him. We are just called to plant the seeds of truth. Tonight was very exhilerating and I look forward to a time when every mall in America has two "fools for Christ" hanging out and sharing the Gospel with the lost children that God wants to bring home.

God's Debris

“Look,” I said, “four billion people
believe in some sort of God and free will. They can’t all
be wrong.”
“Very few people believe in God,” he replied.
I didn’t see how he could deny the obvious. “Of course
they do. Billions of people believe in God.”
The old man leaned toward me, resting a blanketed
elbow on the arm of his rocker.
“Four billion people say they believe in God, but few
genuinely believe. If people believed in God, they would
live every minute of their lives in support of that belief. Rich
people would give their wealth to the needy. Everyone
would be frantic to determine which religion was the true
one. No one could be comfortable in the thought that they
might have picked the wrong religion and blundered into
eternal damnation, or bad reincarnation, or some other
unthinkable consequence. People would dedicate their lives
to converting others to their religions.
“A belief in God would demand one hundred percent
obsessive devotion, influencing every waking moment of
this brief life on earth. But your four billion so-called believers
do not live their lives in that fashion, except for a few.
The majority believe in the usefulness of their beliefs—an
earthly and practical utility—but they do not believe in the
underlying reality.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “If you asked
them, they’d say they believe.”
“They say that they believe because pretending to
believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell
other people that they believe and they do believer-like
things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t
do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true
believer would have to do.
“If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will
jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck.
If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get
out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is
not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and
hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starva-
tion. When belief does not control your most important
decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief
in the usefulness of believing.”
“Are you saying God doesn’t exist?” I asked, trying to
get to the point.
“I’m saying that people claim to believe in God, but most
don’t literally believe. They only act as though they believe
because there are earthly benefits in doing so. They create a
delusion for themselves because it makes them happy.”

James 2:1-13 Favoritism Forbidden

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Even when setting out for the day to evangelize, noble as this is, can we still be sinning? How many people do we pass without handing them a tract? How many do we pass without speaking to them? How many do we let go by without walking them through the Law and the Gospel? Think about it. Why are we passing people by? Are we showing favoritism?

Maybe it is not as simple as ignoring the homeless people, and only talking to the rich people. I don't think it is limited to that. Do you pass young people dressed like they are on MTV because you can't relate to them? Do you pass old people because you are trying to respect your elders? Do you pass people dressed as Jews or Muslims because they obviously wouldn't be interested? Do you pass people wearing a cross necklace because they certainly would already know the truth?

Or, do you ignore them all because you just don't feel like taking the time to tell them the good news? At "club Heaven", are you the doorman standing outside in your suit picking and choosing who meets the criteria to get in? Or, are you as God called you to be, a servant, or waiter, attending to everyone? Get your comfortable shoes on, grab your tray, get out there and serve. There are people at every table just waiting for you to come by. Don't make them have to see the manager!

Let your compassion swallow your fear. Today, talk to the first person you see. You can do it.

Journal

I am using Journal software on my PC, and there is evidently a feature to make a journal entry and then submit it to the blog. I might try this and then I'll have a copy in both places. Here is my first attempt at doing a double entry.
(Note to self: It worked)

Jay & Janet

I spent the day at the mall fishing today. It is tough to stop and witness with the kids with me. But, I prayed for the Lord to send me people and to give me courage. The girls stopped in to get a pretzel, and I saw two young ladies sitting by the fountain outside the mall. Jay looked a little androgynous, so I made sure not to touch on any homosexuality issues. As I talked about the 7th commandment, I made sure to ask if Janet had ever looked at another "person" with lust, with thoughts that she wouldn't want her mother to know about. They were very receptive, very concerened with the fact that they are probably headed to Hell if they died on the way home today. I opened the conversation with the Million Dollar Bill and handed them the "Are you a good person?" cartoon tract at the end. All in all it went very smooth, and even though I was feeling scared to put myself out there today, I think I found just the two people that God wanted me to speak with. As I play the recording back, I asked my wife what she thought. She said, "Too Easy! They didn't challenge you at all." Oh, great, now my next one will be a tough one! Take a listen and you tell me how I did. Then, please pray for these young ladies to be convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Just Stop and Think

The Problem: Sin

Someone may say, “But I’m a good person. I try to be kind and considerate to others. I live by the Ten Commandments.”* That’s a great place to start. God set up these rules for our benefit, and they are his standard for what is good. Let’s take a look at a few of them and see how you measure up. (For more details, see the “good person test”.)

”You shall have no other gods before Me.” Have you ever loved or desired something or someone more than you love or desire God?

”You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Have you ever used the word God as a swear word?

”You shall not steal.” Have you ever taken anything that is not yours, no matter how small, regardless of its value?

”Honor your father and mother.” Have you ever dishonored either one of your parents?

“You shall not commit adultery.” Jesus said if you even look upon a woman with lust in your heart, you are guilty of adultery.

”You shall not lie.” Have you lied even once? Be honest now.

These are only six of the ten commandments. If you’re honest with yourself, you will admit to breaking each of these many times. If you stood before God today, would he declare you guilty or not guilty of breaking his law? If you’re like every other person on earth, you have absolutely failed the test. The truth of the matter is that the Ten Commandments, or the law, as they are called in the Bible, were not given to make us look good but to make us realize how sinful we are. The Bible tells us, “No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it” (Romans 3:20). You might say that God’s law was given to show us that we are not good by God’s standards and therefore desperately need his help and forgiveness for our terminal condition as sinners. Romans 3:23 clearly says that “all have sinned.”

Think about it, if you only sinned three times a day, by the time you’re 20 years old you would be responsible to God for breaking his Law over 20,000 times. Are you ready for that day? To repeat what was said above, before we can truly appreciate what God did for us to solve our monumental problem, we must first acknowledge that we have a problem, in fact a very serious problem. Keep reading to learn about the greatest act of love in the history of mankind: God did something to solve our guilty condition. The hope for heaven is in His goodness, not ours.

Just Stop and Think: 15 minutes that will change your life.

Da Vinci Con

http://www.thedavincicon.com/

I went today for the first part of this conference. Great stuff, and I think they will have a DVD of all the speakers out soon. I picked up a couple of stacks of the new Da Vinci tract. When the movie comes out on Friday I will be ready to hand them out.
I got Kirk's attention long enough to snap a picture. He is so passionate when he speaks. It is inspiring. The genuine compassion he has in his voice as he pleads for people to repent of their sins is what we should all strive for.
I am going tonight to a carnival at my wife's Catholic elementary school, and I plan to cast the nets out and see if we can get any fish in the boat. With the church scrambling to come up with answers for people watching the Da Vinci code, maybe the Da Vinci tracts will be just I need to strike up some great conversations. Please pray for the Lord to lead me to people whose hearts are prepared and ready to hear the Gospel.

James 1:16-27 Just Do It!

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

When I listen to the recordings of myself witnessing to strangers, many times I hear myself trying so hard to get to my point, and stay on target that I often overrun the person. We need to be quicker to listen to people. They have genuine questions that deserve to be heard and responded to. We know that we want to take them through God's Law and get them to repent, but sometimes we would be better off listening to their concerns so we can better be able to answer them. And, if we are quick to listen to the Holy Spirit, we can better speak to their hearts. And, certainly we should never become angry with the person. Remember back to the time before we were saved. Remember how we felt when someone presented us with our reflection in the mirror of God's Law. If someone becomes agitated, stay calm and pray for them. The Spirit of God is working on their hearts, and it is uncomfortable. Remember, we wrestle not against men, but against spiritual powers.

Take heart, dear brothers and sisters. Remember, don't just read what God's word says, do it. Let your compassion swallow your fears. Get out there and be hated for His sake. Go be a fool for Christ. The book of James is not a manual for becoming a Christian, but a manual for acting like one. So, remember, before Nike came along, God said, "Just Do It"