The Word Street Journal

DOCUMENTARY FILM ON OPEN AIR PREACHING

2010-03-05T10:56:00.007-05:00

Aahhh...TV worth watching! Rare air.

There is a new documentary film to be released in June by Go.Stand.Speak Ministries and The Apologetics Group regarding the not-so-easy, but very necessary task of open air preaching. It promises to be a revealing and encouraging look at the biblically age old method of preaching the gospel to the lost in the public square.

Here from the Go.Stand.Speak. website:

"With 'preaching to the lost' being such a basic foundation of Christianity, why do many in the church seems to be apathetic on this issue of preaching in highways and byways of towns and cities?

Is it biblical to stand in the public places of the world and proclaim the gospel, regardless if people want to hear it or not?

What does the Bible say about public preaching? And does the Bible really call church pastors, leaders and evangelists to proclaim the gospel in the public square as part of obedience to the Great Commission, or is public preaching something that is outdated and not applicable for our day and age?

The film 'Go. Stand. Speak' delves into the doctrine of public preaching with experts such as Dr. George Grant, Paul Washer, Greg Gordon, Pastor John Reuther, Rusty Lee Thomas, David Legge, Ray Comfort, Stuart Migdon, Michael Marcavage, Jeff Rose, Shawn Holes, Sean Morris and other Christian leaders… and uncovers the big question…

...is this quiet, new move of public preaching something that is simply a trend, or is it again the beginning of a move of God where He is simply doing what He always has done…calling His ministers to go and preach His message of repentance and faith where the people gather in the public, regardless of culture, current trends, or the popularity of the message and method?"

I highly recommend anyone who has any interest in the field of street evangelism to support this worthwhile project by going to the above link, order the DVD and view it in hope that it would educate, edify, and encourage those who sense a calling to step out of their comfort zones and boldly go out to proclaim the Good News in the public square.

WHY? Well, one reason is because: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." (Matthew 9:37)

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

2010-03-03T01:06:00.019-05:00

It was Sunday. There were all kinds of worship going on this past Lord's Day, just not all to the Lord.

One of the biggies all over Canada and the United States was the gold medal hockey game between our two countries at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Not surprisingly, this gets the attention of millions and unites sports minded patriots, if but for a moment in time.

I am a Canadian. Kim is an American. We thought we would join in the fray, but in a different kind of way.

For many people, the CanAm showdown was a golden opportunity to flock to the downtown bar and restaurant districts to watch the big game on big TVs. For Kim and me, it was a golden opportunity to bring the gospel to those making their way there.

I stood on a corner with my cross for the better part of the first 40 minutes as streams of people passed by. Many glanced but were seemingly in a rush to get to the bars and capture a seat for the game.

One older fellow obliged me with an "Are you ready for what?" question that opened up a door for a ten minute discussion. He professed to be an atheist but something in our chat told me he had a conscience that bugged him, though he would not admit it.

At one point a car pulled up by the curb and I heard the driver speaking French on his cell phone. There were three others in the car with him. When he finished his call I leaned into his open window and handed him four French gospel tracts. He took them and asked me what they were for. I was able to converse with him about the gospel for a minute and he listened intently. Grateful, he asked if he could have a couple more tracts to give to some friends he had in mind.

In between hockey periods, smokers would step out of the bars and onto the street for a few puffs before the game resumed. We took that opportunity to hand out gospel tracts as they puffed away. (Gasp!)

Kim got into a gospel discussion with one hockey fan draped in a Canadian flag having a smoke before he went back inside to watch the game with his buddies.

In one way or another, many Olympic hockey revelers received the gospel on Sunday afternoon.

The Lord also blessed us with an opportunity to speak with at length and encourage two young fellows who are professing Christians but have both claimed to have backslidden due to habitual sin. They left us admitting deep conviction and expressed their gratefulness for having spoken with them. Please pray for them.

Kim and I are so grateful to the Lord for giving us this golden opportunity via the Olympic hockey event to serve Him on what would have otherwise been a quiet day. I had opportunity to display the questioning cross; we spoke with many, encouraged a few and dispensed of a load of gospel tracts.

It is so good to be back on the street doing what we most love to do for Him. All glory to God!

SPOT THE FOOL

2010-03-01T06:30:00.005-05:00

Somewhere in this myriad of people, signs, lines and shapes, is a fool.

If you can't spot him, let me give you a couple of hints so you might find him:

1) You may have seen him before but not recently as he has been out of great commission recovering from an 8 week bout of sciatica.

2) He is back on the street and carrying a rather large heathen magnet.

First one to spot the fool wins a crisp genuine million dollar gospel tract. More about this picture in the next post. Have fun!

A SAMPLE OF COMPASSION

2010-02-24T07:26:00.004-05:00

You want to talk about compassion for the lost? This is compassion.

Wayne Dawg is an evangelizing brother in Christ, a friend and fellow blogger from Georgia. His latest post on His Feet On The Street blog moved me and I thought it good to post it here.

Though this witness encounter Wayne describes here did not end the way he would have wanted it to, I believe this story has more to do with Wayne's heart than it does about the end result.

May we all share the same depth of concern for those who are without Christ.

One of the last witnessing conversations we had In New Orleans was with a couple self-professing lesbians who were sitting down in a little area between business buildings along Canal Street.

As we approached the girls I got out a couple tracts while my partner was reaching for the video camera to film the encounter.I asked him not to film the encounter. I felt God leading me to these girls and I knew, somehow, that if we were to start filming the encounter these girls would have got up and walked away.

I asked the girls if they had got their Million Dollar Bill yet and after a little chit chat starting asking them about their thoughts on eternity, God and the characteristics / attributes of God.

One of the girls (the one whom would be the focus of my conversation) said she didn’t think there was a God. I went through the building/builder, painting/painter and creation/Creator with her and she didn’t say to much to that.

I asked her, “If” there was a God, what kind of attributes do you think He would have?

Kind. Loving. Not full of hate like those people down the street.

She was referring to what most people down there called the “Turn or Burn” preachers who were holding large colorful signs that pointed out what God hates in big bold letters while almost yelling in a megaphone or P.A. system what happens to those folks who die doing those things God hates.

She was obviously turned off and repelled by these preachers. The only conversation she was ever going to have with that kind of preacher would be to tell him what she thought of him and his message.

I asked her if she thought God would be a just God. Would He punish those who deserved to be punished? Like murderers who never got caught? Like rapists who evaded the law?

She said yes; God, if He existed, would punish those kinds of people.

Once we started talking, I realized how beautiful this girl was. Oh, she had crazy colored spiked hair. She had a piercing through the top of her nose and other places on her face.

Her face was even painted different colors to match her clothing.

But while we talked, all I could see was her humanity.

As we were talking, her eyes never left my eyes. She never looked around. She almost literally stared right through me. She was intelligent, sharp and serious.

Through my years of witnessing I have never had someone to seem to hang on every word I said and be that focused during a conversation.

She had questions for me too.

She asked where a five year old would go if she were struck by a car and was killed.

She asked where a fifty year old woman in the deepest jungle in Africa would go if she never heard about Christ before she died.

I answered her questions by telling her God was a just God and could not be unjust in dealing with mankind. The child, I reasoned with her, based on King David’s experience with the death of his own child, would be in Heaven; in a place where David was confident he himself would be re-united with his son.

The fifty year old woman in Africa was a different story. I told her that no one goes to hell because they never hear about Jesus Christ. I told her that Scripture says that ‘all’ have fallen short of the glory of God and have sinned against Him. I explained that the woman is condemned to hell because she has sinned against the God of the Universe by breaking His laws.

This was my opening to tell her that she had sinned against God too.

She admitted to being a liar; transgressing the 9th Commandment.

She admitted to be a thief; transgressing the 8th Commandment.

She admitted to blasphemy; transgressing the 3rd Commandment.

By her own admission, she is a liar, thief and blasphemer.

I told her that when she died, she would face God and stand before Him guilty of transgressing His law.

My partner, who also was kneeled down beside me, was in prayer during the conversation. He told me that she was visibly shaking at the end of our conversation (I did not see this as my eyes never left hers either).

I believe that God was trying to wake her up from the dead through the proclamation of His law. On and on we talked and I discerned that she was ready for God’s grace so I expounded on the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ:

God becoming a Man through the virgin birth.

Jesus walking a perfect sinless life.

His sacrificial death on a cross.

His glorious resurrection on the third day.

She had broken God’s perfect law but the perfect Jesus Christ paid her fine in His life’s blood. If she would only repent and put her faith in Him and Him alone for her salvation, He would save her; make her a new creation in Christ.

I pleaded with her. I had tears welling up in my eyes because of my concern for her soul.

But it was not to be……..

She shook my hand and her and her girlfriend got up and left.

I was heartbroken.

I have witnessed to hundreds of people over the last four to five years. I have given out thousands upon thousands of tracts.

I thought I had a high level of compassion for the lost.

When my partner and I got up and walked away I stopped, turned back to watch them walk away, and just started crying.

I’m not ashamed to admit that.

My buddy put his arm around me and said that was the most amazing witnessing encounter he ever saw. It wasn’t me, of course; it was the Holy Spirit pouring out of me.

I wanted her to repent and trust Christ so badly that I felt like grabbing her by the arms and shaking her until she woke up.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Matthew 23:37.

But I can’t grab and shake her. I can only preach the gospel and let God do the rest. It’s not up to me to save anyone; it’s just up to me faithfully proclaim that which God has commanded all believers to proclaim; the glorious gospel.

Thank you, Father, for giving me a new level of compassion to seek and save that which is lost.

Forbid it Lord that I should ever lose my concern and alarm that the lost are going to a real place called hell and You have given us believers the task of bringing the gospel to them.

GO TO THE STREET CORNERS

2010-02-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

Rob-roy Nelson is a street preacher in Arizona who delivers the law and the gospel in the public square with a compassionate heart and in a very matter-of-fact style.

He is featured here in this video which was produced as a montage of street evangelists preaching, giving out gospel tracts, having one-to-one gospel conversations and praying for receivers of the message.

This video, first posted on the Streetfishing blog a couple of weeks ago, is of great encouragement to me and should be to anyone sensing a desire to obey our Lord's calling to evangelize the world around us.

THE MISSION WILL SUCCEED

2010-02-15T13:25:00.000-05:00

“I asked myself the question, "Why is the harvest plentiful?"

Here is the answer I believe the Scriptures give in Revelation 5:9, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."

The reason the harvest is plentiful is because Jesus, through His death on the cross, through His shed blood, through His wrath bearing sacrifice, purchased a people for God. He has guaranteed through His death that people from every tribe and language and people and nation will respond in faith.

The mission is guaranteed to succeed because Christ has accomplished the success through His own blood.”

Pastor Randy Alston

HT: 5pt Salt

WE HAVE THE GOSPEL !

2010-02-09T20:59:00.001-05:00

Yes, "We have the gospel!".

If you are a Christian, then YOU are are part of the "WE".

YOU have the gospel!

Question is: Aside from having it, what are YOU doing with it?

"And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." (2 Cor 5:19:20)

HT: Faith Defenders

THE GOSPEL IN JANUARY

2010-02-02T01:32:00.003-05:00

January is gone. Already.
Or should I ask "Already?"

In one way, it blew right by me. In another way, it painstakingly crawled. Emphasis on pain. I am still hobbling with sciatica but I am pleased to report it seems to be subsiding ever so slowly. Prayer and proper treatement: good combo. Thank you to those who offered up prayer for me. I truly appreciate it.

In answer to prayers, the Lord has been gracious and kind to me in this most unusual month of life (and death) events. Much on the old plate as you have read. But I love that our God is absolutely sovereign in all things. I am so at peace knowing that "all things happen for the good of those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose."

As it turned out, for reasons that only serve for His glory, the Lord was not about to let a thorn in my (back)side hinder me from sharing the gospel with people in January. It was He who gave me the opportunities and the strength to do so wherever He had me, with and because of my sciatica.

1) God made it so that I got to choose the 3 Scripture readings for my mother's Roman Catholic funeral mass. At the appointed time during the service, I read with all my heart a good portion of Romans 8. I even spent a moment giving context to the reading. Some were appreciative. Some were offended. Not sure if it was because of what I read or how I read it. I assume both.

2) The Lord gave me the strength to stand long enough and preach the gospel at a local nursing home as part of our church's monthly service it provides there as a form of outreach, of which I am one of four brothers who volunteer to preach throughout the year. One dear resident was moved to tears by what she heard and expressed her appreciation for it. We chatted awhile following the service. I trust that was the Holy Spirit's work of conviction in her heart.

3) We had new windows installed in our home and two installers spent two days working in and out of our home. On the first day, I got talking to one fellow, Tom, about his Irish Catholic family background. With that we got on the topic of St Patrick which opened the door to a 40 minute gospel conversation during his break.

Tom failed the 'good person test' with flying gray tones and following the Law and the Gospel, he confessed he saw his need for Christ in a new way. He said he had never heard the gospel explained so simply and appreciated me talking with him about it.

On the second day Tom's partner, Scott, walked by our desk that had a few million dollar gospel tracts sitting on it. He took notice and made a joke asking why we lived in such a small house with all those millions sitting around. After the laughter he asked what they were for. Another open door and we spent the next 30 minutes in serious conversation. He expressed sincere appreciation for me having given him "much to think about".

On completion of their installation, these two gentlemen willingly accepted and went home with gospel tracts, a "Why Christianity?" booklet and a Bible.

4) As usual, every delivery person or service person that came to our door in January left with a gospel tract in hand. Every piece of junk mail that made it into our home with a pre-paid postage return envelope had a gospel tract stuffed into it and sent right back from where it came.

5) And in our many rounds of doctor appointments, household and executor related errands, Kim and I handed out gospel tracts everywhere we went. On our last outing, while Kim did the shopping at Home Depot, I just hobbled around with my cane and dropped about 30 gospel tracts in strategic places where customers would easily come across them and pick them up.

With all that had taken place in January in our little world, it would have been a breeze for us to choose to "take a break" from spreading the gospel. We are grateful to the Lord for not allowing us to do so. There is too much at stake.

We have every reason to hope that we might meet a fellow saint one day in Heaven who begins to tell us how he or she came to Christ by saying: "It all began one day in Ottawa, January 2010..."

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...

2010-01-15T20:24:00.005-05:00

Well it certainly has been an interesting new year so far. And 2010 is only two weeks old.

I entered it with a pinched nerve in my leg (sciatica). It remains with me to this day but, thankfully, not as severe. I even had to resort to using a cane to get around.

As you know, at the end of the first week of 2010, my mother died. That immediately threw me into a whirlwind of a million things to do to prepare for her wake and funeral.

Then came two full days of post-funeral business I had to take care of as I also happen to be my mother's executor.

And to top things off, one of my younger brothers (the one on the far right in the photo I posted on Wednesday) just suffered a heart attack. He is from the west coast in British Columbia and was still in town when it hit Wednesday night. He is OK and is expected to fully recover, so long as he makes some much needed lifestyle changes.

I have been going full throttle since January 7 without being able to take care of my leg. In other words...rest. I thought I'd give that a whirl for a while as the dust begins to settle. There is, also, still much for me to do regarding my mother's estate that I hope to be able to do most from home. I am deeply grateful to God for answering prayers that gave me the neeeded grace and strength to endure the challenges of this past week.

As a result, therefore, of my need for rest, until further notice, I will be taking a break from The Word Street Journal. I am behind in posting the various things I wanted to post but more important things came up, as you can understand.

I can't tell you how much Kim and I are looking forward to being able to get back out on the streets and share the gospel with people again. It is so much a part of our "normal" life and we miss being out there. The Lord did give us a couple of opportunities to share our faith this past week with family and friends and we are grateful for that.

For those who have been in prayer for us, we offer you our deepest thanks. We are now seeking the Lord's help in getting things back to our regular lifestyle which would include this thorn in my side (left leg) to heal up. Your continued prayers for that are coveted. Thank you.

All is well. God be praised, as always!

So, until next time, as some freakishly tall radio host would say: "Now go and serve your King!"

A THOUSAND WORDS

2010-01-13T13:43:00.006-05:00

As a former photojournalist, I enjoy viewing life photos that tell a story.

And though many images we see can stand on their own, some are better appreciated with underlying context.

I love this photo. I love this moment.

Context: My mother's funeral. Three of my four brothers console each other at the conclusion of the graveside ceremony. My wife, Kim, stands to the side, eyes closed in prayer.

The photo: I had just left Kim's side to cross over and console a dear cousin of mine who was very close to my mother all her life. Kim stayed where she was and entered her heart into prayer. My brothers gathered together at the same time .

One of my sisters-in-law, standing beside my cousin and me, caught the photo of Kim and my brothers at that moment. I think there is much that can be said about what is going on in the picture aside from that is it just a nice photograph.
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From this Christian's perspective, a believer in Jesus, my Savior, "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" and provider of all earthly and eternal comfort, it is what Kim is doing that touches me the most.

Let us not forget to share the saving gospel of Jesus to all we come in contact with that they, too, may share in the great assurance that lies beyond the grave and forever more.

                  "Where, O death, thy victory?
                   Where, O death, is thy sting?"
                                                     Hosea 13:14
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Note: click on pic to view larger image.

SAYING GOODBYE TO MOM

2010-01-08T23:00:00.006-05:00

My Mom died yesterday.

She became very sick at her nursing home a few days ago and we knew her time was not for long, but nobody thought this soon. The Lord, as in most cases, had other plans.

Kim and I were pleased to have made it over the day before yesterday to talk with her and pray for her. She clearly heard my prayer as I held her.

My prayer for her was one of intercession. My prayer for her was one of hope. My prayer for her was that, within her final hours, God, by His grace, mercy, will and power, would lovingly regenerate my mother's heart and present her with the gifts of true repentance and faith; that once and for all, she would be granted the free gift of God's grace and receive Jesus, the Christ, as her Lord and Savior.

My prayer was that our Sovereign Lord would lavish upon her the same mercy he lavished upon me, forgive her sins, adorn her with a robe of righteousness purchased for her by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and welcome her into His eternal kingdom to be with Him, to worship Him and glorify Him forever. I closed my prayer with heartfelt thanksgiving for the love of our Heavenly Father and for the love of my earthly mother.

With a hug and a kiss, a smile and a wink, an assurance of mutual love and, of course, some tears, we said our goodbyes.

Time does not allow me to elaborate, but I left her room with more than a sense of fleeting hope. This was not a 'feelgood' sensation just to help me feel better, nonewhatsoever. But I have every confidence that I will one day see my mother again when, by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, I enter the realm of eternal glory. Until then...

...good-bye, Mom.

I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE (TRUE) GOSPEL

2010-01-06T21:12:00.002-05:00

Still on the couch.

My next ten minutes will consist of listening, once again, to this 10 minute clip from one of Paul Washer's classic sermons. We can never get enough of gospel truth being faithfully preached, can we?

Care to join me? Not on the couch. I'm taking up the whole thing. Pull up a floor and stay awhile. :)

Be blessed.

OUT OF (GREAT) COMMISSION

2010-01-04T17:25:00.005-05:00

To give answer to my own question from my first post of the year, "Are You Ready?", I join my buddy Isaiah and respond with an enthusiastic "Here am I. Send me!"

All good and dandy to be ready to proclaim the gospel. Unfortunately for me, however, that's all I have been since January 1: ready. My evangelistic plans for the unforseen future dashed. The problem?...my spirit is willing but my leg is weak. Painfully weak.

Out of the blue, I find myself suffering from sciatica in my left leg. A major sciatic nerve pinch. Never had that before. Never knew pain like that before. And there is only one thing I can do at home for relief: lie down with my leg propped up. Can't sit for long nor stand for long without experiencing excruciating, vice-gripping, burning-like pain all down my leg.

Don't know what sciatica is? Google it. I cannot sit in this chair long enough to explain it. Let me just say you wouldn't want it.

Not looking for sympathy here, but prayers would be coveted and appreciated. I'm all right if I am lying. May as well take advantage of it. This is the only time I can lie without breaking the 9th commandment. :)

You will be pleased, and probably not surprised, to know that I am the recipient of unrelenting TLC from my wife and for that I am deeply grateful.

Things I am doing to pass the time productively whilst horizontal: praying, reading, listening to sermons and teachings on tape (remember "tape"?), chat on the phone, chat with Kim, listen to radio, and, most importantly, think about how I can better serve the Lord this year in the bringing of His saving gospel to the public square and beyond.

Not sure how long I'll be laid up for. Doctor says a few weeks. My chiropractor promises less. And thanks to the chiropractic L-5 vertabrae treatments, so far, the pain is not as severe as it was, but I'm still flat out for now. Obviously, I'm off work (which I miss) until this clears up, as well.

Best thing about it all?...God is completely sovereign in my situation. My loving Father has His reasons for keeping me down at this time. I'm in the palm of His hands. I just have to trust Him with His will for me - and I do. All will be well in His time. It is such a great blessing to be at peace with Him.

So, for those of you soldiers who are up and able, carry on! The proclamation of the gospel must not stop! I'll be back on my horse as soon as the Lord allows.

In the meantime, I must remain still, patient, trusting and willing to learn new things like: how to lie on the couch for hours on end without turning into a potato.

ARE YOU READY - 2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.009-05:00

Whoever you may be, the big question for you in 2010 is:

UNBELIEVER: Are you ready to stand before your Creator, God Almighty, should you die some day in this New Year, starting today? Are you ready to give an account to your Judge, Jesus Christ, for everything you ever thought, for every word you ever said and every deed you ever committed in your life?

Are you good enough to make it into Heaven?
Find out here to be sure !

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)

     BELIEVER: Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and make a sincere effort this New Year to bring to and share the Good News of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost, starting today? Are you ready to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow the Lord's leading to seek and save that which is lost?

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15)

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    LET US GO AND SERVE
    OUR KING IN 2010 !

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THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS

2009-12-25T18:00:00.003-05:00

And what did God the Father give us for Christmas?

For God so loved us that He gave us His only begotten Son, born to save His people from their sins; regenerated our hearts that we may repent and believe in Him and so not perish, but have everlasting life.

Merry Christmas from all both of us at The Word Street Journal.

Paul & Kim

KIM BREAKS THE SOUND BARRIER

2009-12-23T09:49:00.003-05:00

Street evangelism, as any other form of evangelism, is always a work in progress.

As time goes on for Christians who regularly bring the gospel out from the pages of the Bible and into the public square, there seems to be a progression of courage, confidence and tactics to assure the gospel is effectively given out to the general public.

Kim and I have been bringing the gospel to the streets of Ottawa together now for the past two and half years. We are still growing in this ministry. We are still learning. We are still a work in progress. And by God's grace, we pray we will always be.

The posted video documents Kim's first open air venture which took place this past weekend prior to my gospel presentation. A calling not of anyone else's but God's. A moving of His Spirit in her heart to call peoples' attention to the truth and glory of God in the public reading of Christmas carols and, more importantly, God's own word.

Our prayer is that other Christians who may be sensing a call to go the extra mile for the Lord in evangelism, may be encouraged by being witness to the ease and simplicity of Kim's presentation and follow suit.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

JESUS AND SANTA

2009-12-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

OK, so it's new to me. I like it.

OPEN LETTER TO TIGER WOODS

2009-12-15T06:00:00.013-05:00

Len, over at One Over 99 blog, saved me alot of time in writing this open letter to Tiger Woods. I had thought of doing something of the same but Len seems to have been first to the keyboard.

While every media outlet is thrashing against Tiger Woods for his adultery, published by many who I am sure are no less guilty of the same, whether in body and/or mind, Len offers Tiger hope...eternal hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News that tells of our Savior who came to earth to save wretches like me, wretches like you and wretches like Tiger Woods.

Unlike us, he may be world famous and popular, but in the eyes of the Lord: "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

It's so good to see a sinner saved by grace point out for a sinner in need of grace, where that grace may be found. And I pray Mr Woods gets a hold of this and takes it to heart.

...............................

Here is Len's letter:

Tiger,

I have prayed for you. You may not believe it, but its a good thing that all of this happened to you right now. Can you see what you have done? I mean really see... Surely you understand the hurt you have placed in your wife's heart, right? Your family and your friends... Well I'm talking about something bigger. Much bigger!

I want you to understand something... Even the things that haven't been brought into the light are actually not hidden from the light... What I mean is, the Light, is Jesus. He has seen every thing you have done. There are no secrets from Him. The Bible tells us that when we die, we go before Him for judgment. I know you may feel like He is a loving God, and He is, but He is also a just God. He will judge you for everything you have done in thought and deed just like He will judge any average person.

The fears you feel of "What will everyone think", and "What is going to happen to everything I have worked for?" are valid. But you should really be thanking God that you didn't die in that accident you had in front of your house, man. Because you would have faced Jesus right then for judgment, and He would have sent you to hell for eternity. I know it sounds serious , bro, because it is.

You may be very wealthy and famous in society, but to God you are a mere mortal, created by His hands. His, to do with what He wants. Its very obvious to me that He has given you the ultimate chance of pardon from this. Is it obvious to you?

I have a personal relationship with God and know very well that you can too. He is attainable. But you can not have it in the sinful state you are in. You have to understand that He wouldn't even look upon His only begotten Son with all of our sin upon Him while hanging from the cross. You are certainly not any better than that.

Listen, God knows everything you have ever done, good or bad. The Bible actually tells us that our good deeds are filthy menstrual rags. It also says if we look upon a woman with lust we have committed adultery with her in our heart. If we have ever told a lie or if we have ever hated someone we have broken the ten commandments. Jesus half brother, James, said if you offended one of the ten, you broke them all. God sees each and every time too. For breaking His law, we have to pay the fine. The fine is eternal life in hell.

But there is a free gift that God provides which allows us to escape His wrath. You can go to heaven, but you must be born again. God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross as payment of our fine. Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin. He lived a perfect and sinless life. He died on the cross and rose in three days. He satisfied God's wrath so we don't have to.

In order to get that free gift you must do something. You must repent (turn from sin) and be born again. When you are born again, you become a new man. The old one dies. There is a true change in your life of the way you live. You love others. You read the Word every day and do what is says. You won't want to sin, the more you come to know Jesus. It just happens.

You have to put God first in everything in your life. Jesus is Lord of your life not you. He said, "If any man come after me, he should deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.

So, its not just saying that you believe with your mouth like some people say and then continue to live your life with yourself first. Its being committed to Christ first, loving others, and then yourself.

SO you need to stop what you are doing, and tell Him you are sorry. You need to pray. If you don't feel as sorry for sinning against Him as you do for cheating on your wife, then you need to.

This is the real deal. God doesn't give the gift of eternal life to a prideful heart. You must be broken. You will only get it if you completely understand that you stand naked in your sin in front of an angry and just God. Understand that is up to Him to whom He gives His mercy and grace.

You're not a famous anybody to Him. I want you to think about this and get back to me. Call me or email me and we can sit and talk about this in depth.

I'm going to pray for you, but I can't save you. A whole church full of Christians can't save you with their prayer. Only God can save you. Its up to Him.

Stay in touch with me. Let me know what you think. I'll do my best to biblically answer any questions you may have.

Take it easy. It was nice of you to listen to me.

Thanks.

Len

HT: Bring the Noiz

LET'S GO TO JAMAICA!

2009-12-11T11:46:00.004-05:00

Aaahhh, Jamaica!

Sunshine, ocean beaches, waterside hotels, wonderful culture, array of colors, spiritually and physically impoverished people, great music, posh resorts, delicious food, luxurious landscape, etc.

A bunch of guys from Orlando jetted off to Jamaica recently and immersed themselves for a few days in just one of the above attributes of the country...with only one purpose in mind.

THIS is mission evangelism!

With glory to God and thanks to the team at Bring the Noiz.

THE GOSPEL BEFORE THE SANTA PARADE

2009-12-07T06:25:00.006-05:00

There is nothing new in stating that Christmas is more about Santa than about Jesus. On Saturday evening, Kim and I took a 1 hour window of opportunity to present the saving gospel of Christ, by voice and by tract, to the Santa anxious crowds at the Ottawa Help Santa Toy Parade.

Important note: even though at times it may it look as though nobody is listening to the gospel message, it is always the case that, from my viewpoint on the preaching stand, there is always a person or some people in the crowd on the peripheral or in the distance, who seem to be listening intently. Then there are those who I can easily tell are pretending not to be listening, but their glances and body language reveal otherwise.

But even if nobody were really listening, we must preach on! We find truth in the Bible when it says that God's word will not return to Him void. We must trust Him with that and remain faithful to the preaching of His Word.

Preaching the gospel, in spirit and truth, is never for nothing!

WHEN IS IT TIME FOR TRUE CHRISTIANS TO GO TO THE MAT?

2009-12-02T10:24:00.011-05:00

Brian Dufala, of Proclaim the Truth, presents an excellent article on the TRUE Christian's call to take a stand for Christ, to lovingly proclaim the truth of the saving gospel to the lost, and that without compromise, no matter how it is received by those who hear it.

A very encouraging exhortation, indeed.

Here is an excerpt from "When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?":

"Because Christianity has been, and will continue to be invaded by tares (false Christians), we must understand that this is a battle we will always have to fight. And yet, it is not easy. It is not easy calling out friends and family, and other supposed Christians when they are preaching a false gospel. So, the question remains: when do we go to the mat and when do we remain silent? That is not an easy question to answer because the danger is always present that we become divisive in the name of truth. We have to be delicate and balanced. We have to go to the mat in love. We have to proclaim the truth, but try to do so in as winsome a way as possible. We will offend people because of the gospel, but we have to try to not be offensive in the way we do it. To my regret, I have not always done this correctly. All Christians will fail at this from time to time. But, it must be always on our mind as we seek to be salt and light."

Read this short and to the point article here at Proclaim the Truth.

CROSSWALK WITH AMBASSADORS ALLIANCE

2009-11-30T10:51:00.009-05:00

Great news from Tony Miano and Ambassador's Alliance announcing a new outreach idea encouraging the use of the "Are You Ready" cross as an effective gospel witness tool for street evangelists everywhere.

If you are new to this blessing of a concept, check out how we at The Word Street Journal have benefitted from the use of this cross in our street ministry here in Ottawa, Canada.

A Cross, A Question and A Fool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a14vZyeihbw&feature=channel

Kim's First Cross Witness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3tv18Zkopg&feature=channel

Cross Encounters of the Only Kind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Az-dJJzMA&feature=channel

MAKING TIME

2009-11-25T21:11:00.011-05:00

Life is busy. I'm busy. Everyone is busy.

But are we too busy to share the gospel to people beyond the four walls of our churches? It's all a matter of priority. For the Christian, sharing the gospel should be high up there on the things he or she should be doing on a regular basis, in whatever way is good. Even a little bit here and there is better than not at all.

Portrayed here are snippets from some of my open air outings utilizing one gospel sermon in various places in Ottawa over the past few weeks.

ORIGIN INTO SCHOOLS - OTTAWA

2009-11-22T08:38:00.010-05:00

What a privilege and joy it was to be a part of this past week's "Species Into Schools" project here in Ottawa.

Our efforts were only a small portion of thousands upon thousands of books handed out on university campuses across the United States, Canada and abroad.

May the Lord be gracious in leading many readers to seek the truth and believe in the Word of God (instead of the word of man) both in regard to the truth of creation and, most especially, the truth of their much needed salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

ORIGIN TEAM OTTAWA - UPDATE

2009-11-20T13:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was day one for Kim and I for the Origin Into Schools project as we joined leader Chris Curry, Director of Living Waters Canada and his team from Life Christian Academy to hand out the Origin of Species books to students at the University of Ottawa. Glory to God, all went very well. My wife and I, and one other volunteer, are just heading out today to hand out the books on the campus of Carleton University, also in Ottawa.

Stay tuned as reports shall be following as soon as I can get them on the blog. Please pray for us.