TRACT HANDING 101

There can be no easier means of giving the gospel to people than handing out gospel tracts to them. The tract does the preaching for the giver.

 Wherever crowds gather, there you will find hundreds of willing recipients. It's a great way for newcomers to street evangelism to "break the ice", so to speak.

So if you are new to the idea (command) of sharing your faith, no matter how long you have been a Christian, and you have not had the privilege and joy of handing out gospel tracts out before, watch this short video and see how easy it can be.

GO, STAND, SPEAK...LATEST PROMO

GO, STAND, SPEAK

The release for this informative and encouraging documentary on open air preaching is mid-June.

You can pre-order the DVD right here for a mere $14.99. I can hardly wait to receive it. Any wonder that I would highly recommend it?

SOUL ON THE STREET INTERVIEW

As you might have read in my last post, I attended a downtown pro-life candle-light vigil the night before the annual March For Life rally on Parliament Hill.

It was held downtown at the Human Rights momument in memory and honor of the millions of babies who lost their lives through abortion since it became a government sanctioned "service" years ago.

I went there with the intent of handing out gospel tracts to those in attendance, of which I did. I had also hoped to be able to speak with some following the ceremony, of which I also did.

Below is a conversation I had with 5 young high school students who were in town for the protest. I talked with them just as they were coming out of a coffee shop after the vigil.

These young ladies attend a Roman Catholic high school. Hearing some of the things they said reminded me that I was just as naive and uneducated regarding the gospel as they are when I was their age growing up in the Roman Catholic system.

I knew much about "religion", but knew nothing about the "gospel". Not the gospel that points to our need for true repentance and faith in Christ alone for our salvation, anyway.

The Roman Catholic church remains negligent, as it always has been, in preaching the true gospel and teaching the full counsel of God. Yet, another reason why we must be out there proclaiming the truth of God's holy word and not take for granted that just because those who profess to be "Christian" truly are.



Please pray for these young ladies that what they read in the tracts they received and what they heard will reach their hearts and minds and cause them to truly repent and believe, that they may be saved.

HOMEMADE GOSPEL TRACTS

Gospel tracts come in a great variety of sub-themes like the ever popular Million Dollar Bill tract, or the Ticket to Heaven tract, the IQ Test tract, the Optical Illusion tract, etc.

But there are times when these kinds of tracts are not exactly appropriate to the event we may be giving them out at. I got to thinking that the well attended annual March For Life anti-abortion protest on Parliament Hill, that we were planning to hand out gospel tracts at, would be one such event.

A few days earlier, in thinking about what gospel tracts we should be handing out at the March For Life rally, I considered there to be two important factors connected to this event. 

First: the issue at hand, abortion.

Second: the vast majority of the protesters there would be of the Roman Catholic persuasion.

Handing out tracts like the MDB's would be better than nothing, but I thought about a tract that could touch on the abortion issue, the Catholic issue AND the gospel, all in one tract, might be a better thing.

Having nothing like that in our inventory, there was only one thing we could do: create our own homemade gospel tract.

So, with some prayer, a little creative writing, a little artwork, a printout from our computer, a trip to Staples, some photocopying, some cutting at home, some folding and "voila!", a gospel tract custom suited to the event was in our hands.

Very simple. Nothing fancy. We were going for substance, not style.

Last Wednesday evening, the night before the protest, a candle-light vigil was organized and held at the Human Rights monument downtown in remembrance of the millions of the unborn who were never born in Canada and around the world since abortion was legalized.

At the same time, my heart was going out to the spiritually unborn who were in attendance, whoever they may have been.

Following the ceremony, I proceeded to hand out 120 of our homemade gospel tracts. After that, a gospel conversation with 5 young high school students attending the event ensued, as well. The Lord is good.

The next day was protest day. Kim and I picked up a brother, Kevin, who kindly offered to help us distribute the tracts, and off we went to Parliament Hill to do our work.

We only had a very short window of time to hand out these simple gospel tracts as I had to make sure to make it back to work in time for my afternoon shift.

I had planned to open air preach before the protest began but was completely drowned out by the rock music that a live band was playing for the event at eardrum bursting decibals. So we just concentrated on handing out the gospel tracts.

In about a half an hour, before we had to leave, the three of us were able to hand out over 600 gospel tracts to people, the majority of which were getting ready for the protest on Parliament Hill. Kevin even found himself engaged in a few gospel conversations, one of them with a priest.

Producing our own gospel tract for the first time gave us ideas for future events where we might be able to reach people with greater effect using tracts that are theme specific to whatever event we choose to give them out at.

Something worthwhile to think about anyway.

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In case you were interested in reading what we handed out, below is the text of the gospel tract we published aimed specifically at our Roman Catholic friends who were at the March For Life anti-abortion protest:

"Abortion is murder. From God’s standpoint, there’s no way around it. And God promises to punish murderers, of which, women who have had abortions and their abortionists, are.

But as long as these sinners live and breathe, God’s offer of forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life in heaven are available to them should He cause them to hear the gospel, believe, repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus, alone, for their salvation.

Abortion is a violation of the 6th Commandment. So what about you? Have you committed murder? You may not have killed anyone, but Jesus equates hating someone with murder. Ever hated someone?

What of the other commandments? Ever lied, stolen, looked with lust or taken God’s name in vain? If so, on Judgment Day, God will see you as a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, an adulterer and murderer at heart. The Bible says that if anyone breaks even one of God’s Laws (the 10 Commandments) he or she stands condemned to hell forever.

Are you ready to stand before God to give an account for every thought, word and deed while on earth? If not, there is still hope for you as there is for those guilty of murder via abortion. Jesus took the punishment that all of us rightly deserve for our sins upon Himself by taking God’s wrath on the cross for us, even though he was innocent. Jesus suffered and died in our place – as our substitute. He paid our debt in full.

No amount of confessing to priests, praying to Mary, praying to Saints, trusting in Purgatory, religious or righteous works can save you. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9)

God commands that you repent (turn from sin) and put your trust is Jesus, alone, to save you. He will grant you complete forgiveness for your sins and give you a new life in Christ. Cry out to God for mercy and, by faith, receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, while God has still given you time.

It shall be then that you will be made ready to stand before God, dressed in a robe of righteousness purchased for you by the shed blood of Jesus, and you will be welcomed into glory forever with Him. Read the Bible and obey what God says.

Please visit: www.TheGoodTest.net"
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NOTE: we had to leave just as the proceedings were beginning and multitudes of people were still arriving.

I am pleased to report that a record number of 15,000 people, a great number of them under the age of 20, gathered on Parliament Hill and marched through the downtown core to protest against the government sanctioned slaughter of babies.

Very encouraging! Good for them!

I hope there are even more voices next year speaking up for those who never had, or will ever have, a chance to use theirs.

"EXAMINE YOURSELVES..."

On many a venture in sharing the gospel with people on the street, we inevitably hear some proclaim that they are already "Christian".

And it's usually not long into the conversation (usually a sentence or two) where their true colors stand out and, without judging them, it's easy to come to the conclusion that, as sincere as they may be, they are as spiritually lost as lost can be.

Their answer when asked how they will get into heaven is always everything under the sun except: soley by the grace of God, through faith in the saving work of Jesus on the cross, alone, for the atonement of their sins.

I was there. All my life, before I came to true faith in Christ a decade ago, I  proclaimed that I was a Christian based on the fact that I believed there was a God, and I believed in heaven and in hell (but hell was for people like Hitler and people I hated).

I went to church on Sundays (and carried my Bible under my arm to make me look good, only to have it collect dust at home during the rest of the week) and I tithed. I considered myself to be a "good person", not perfect but good enough, at least, in MY opinion anyway, etc...

Not taking my daily wretchedness and wicked sins into consideration, I thought for sure that my "religious" activity would cover me on Judgment Day; that my overall goodness, at the very least, would squeeze me into the gates of heaven and I would be safe.

By God's grace, my hypocrisy was observed by a believer who was bold enough to call me up on my claim to being a Christian and he persisted on showing me, through the Word of God, the Bible, that I was on my way to hell. In essence, he exhorted and challenged me to examine myself to see if I was in the faith.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith, test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Cor 13:5)

In His time, the Lord, by His sovereign grace, will and power of the Holy Spirit (nothing of my own), opened my eyes, ears, heart and mind to the truth of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. He gave me the gift of repentance and faith in Jesus, my Savior, and I came to know that I was saved!

I became a child of God. I became a follower of Christ and was baptized. As a result, despite all I believed before, being brought up in the Roman Catholic system and everything I justified in my own religion of "self" (both of which God graciously rescued me from), I became a Christian!

And now, I'm perfect...NOT! But I will be as such on Judgment Day when I stand before God's throne adorned in my robe of righteousness purchased for me as a gift by the shed blood of Christ, my Savior, free from judgment and eternal condemnation.

"By grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

For those of us who are busy planting or watering seeds in the harvest fields outside our church buildings, let us always be mindful that when a person claims to be a Christian that we treat the proclamation as suspect until we hear how it is they were are saved.

And if we hear anything that points to "self" in any way shape or form, then we have a duty to spend more time with that person before letting them go and lovingly challenge them to examine themselves, to see if they are truly in the faith, by proclaiming the gospel truths according to the word of God, the Bible.

Need some help? Check out this short Paul Washer sermon compilation on this very topic:



HT: His Holy Space

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CALLING

Family overtaken, bound and beaten. 

MAN of the house breaks loose, struggles and is shot to death protecting his family.  (Story here)

Wife's reaction: forgive perpetrators;  tell them and others about Christ.

Forgive? Tell them and others about Christ ??? Her husband was shot before her eyes, died in her arms and she wants to do what ???

Friends, this is grace in your face. If you are not moved by this interview with Charlene Sanders, check to see if you still have a pulse.

This is a clear demonstration of the power and grace of God in a person's heart and life despite tragic circumstances. This is a great example of what it means to be in complete submission and trust in the Lord and His sovereign will in life.



"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28)

God will use this tragedy, which He sovereignly allowed to happen, that He may be glorified through the work He has given Charlene to do and she so willingly accepts despite the weight of her circumstance.

And I am confident that many people will come to Christ and be saved as a direct result of this horrific act. God will turn this evil into good. He's that kind of God! He is our only God!

Please pray for Charlene Sanders and her family. Hold your family near and dear to you.

And go serve our King. If Charlene Sanders can, Christian, then so can we!

HT: Living Waters

INTO THE FIRES AND FLOODS

"Reckon then that to acquire soul-winning power, you will have to go through mental torment and soul distress.

"You must go into the fire if you are going to pull others out of it, and you will have to dive into the floods if you are going to draw others out of the water.

"You cannot work a fire escape without feeling the scorch of the conflagration, nor man a lifeboat without being covered with the waves." 
                              Charles Spurgeon     

ARE YOU READY? - RICKY SKAGGS IS

I would like to think that country/bluegrass/singer/musician
extraordinaire Ricky Skaggs happened to drive or walk by one of us fools out there somewhere standing with the "Are You Ready" cross and wrote and performed this song in response.



It was just a thought. :)

OPEN AIR CAMPAIGNERS OF OTTAWA

There's a good reason why it's easy for Kim and I to sometimes feel as though we're the only ones on the streets preaching the gospel of Jesus to the lost of Ottawa: the percentage of professing Christians in North America who answer the call to share their faith, or evangelize, on a regular basis is still very low.

Extremely low. Shamefully low.

Two percent.

Yes, our churches do well in financially and prayerfully supporting missionairies in countries like Africa, India, Southeast Asia and so on. But, from what we can gather, there is not much thought given to the needs of LOCAL gospel giving missions right here in our own back yard.

And far less personal involvement. Almost non-existent.

But one very dedicated group of people who have been busy bringing the gospel to people on the streets of Ottawa every Friday night in the same downtown spot for the past 20 years is the Open Air Campaigners of Ottawa.

The Ottawa chapter of Open Air Campaigners Canada is presently led by a brother named Layton Kerr. He is fully supported by his church in Ottawa as a "local missionary" to lead this evangelistic effort which includes open air preaching, tract distribution, bible studies, prayer meetings, church planting and service leading. The work is hard, but fruitful, and the Lord has graciously blessed their efforts.

Kerr and his team have recently opened up a chapel where they hold weekly worship services every Sunday inside a room of a downtown community centre. It is a non-denominational facility they hope to fill with those they reach on the street with the gospel message.

But not only that.

On Monday evenings they spend the evening handing out gospel tracts outside a large downtown shopping mall and then hold a bible study in the mall's food court for anyone who wants to join in. On Thursday nights they hold a prayer meeting at the community centre.

And, as always, on Friday night they can be found preaching the gospel in the open air on a busy downtown street where the organization has been doing so for the past 20 years.

Last Friday night, Kim and I decided to "hang out" with Layton and the OAC crew to observe and offer support by means of handing out tracts and initiating gospel conversations with passersby who stopped on the downtown sidewalk to hear the most important message they will ever hear. We were greatly encouraged and thoroughly enjoyed our evening with them.

The posted video below is just a small sampling of what goes on Friday nights in downtown Ottawa with the OAC and Sundays at their newly planted "Downtown Outreach Bible Chapel".



If you sense a calling to do gospel outreach work in your neck of the urban woods, but don't know how or where to start, I highly recommend looking up to see if there is an OAC chapter near you and, if so, drop by to watch them in action.

I guarantee you will be blessed, encouraged and inspired.

Please be mindful to pray for those Chrisitians who are "out there" and remember the words of our Lord Jesus when He said:

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:37)

THE FEW

Here is, yet, another reason why true (born again) Christians should be out everywhere giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone: because in that class of "everyone" are those who consider themselves already to be "Christian" but are truly lost as lost can be.

Watch this sobering 9 minute I'll Be Honest video compilation of sermon clips from the likes of Leonard Ravenhill, Paul Washer, Charles Leiter, John Piper and Tim Conway.



"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  (Matthew 7:21)

It's true: the vast majority of people who label themselves as "Christians" because they were born and/or baptized into a Christian denomination of sorts, who may go to church, who may do good works, who are sincere in their genre of faith, who claim to be generally good people, are on their way to hell for all eternity.

"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  (Matthew 7:14)

The gospel is not only to be preached to those who have never heard that eternal salvation is attained through repentance and faith in Christ alone, but also to those who wrongly believe they will enter into heaven by their own merit and "Christian" status.

So to aid in their hearing the truth that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, we must try to reach these well intentioned people wherever they may be found outside the walls of their church buildings by bringing the gospel outside the walls of our own.

There is a reason why the public square a goldmine of a place to preach the gospel truth in: we are called to go there!

"Wisdom calls out in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

'How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in the mockery and fools hate knowledge?' "  (Proverbs 1:20-22)

By the grace and power of God, let's do all we can to bring the truth of God's word to those who have never heard and to those who have heard but have not repented and believed.

Let them hear and receive the gospel that they may, like us, by grace, be welcomed into the fold of THE FEW.

"The time has come" he (Jesus) said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"  (Mark 1:15)