IANA Ministry

Connie and I attended a booth at Territory Days here in Colorado Springs a few years ago.  We handed out water, gospel tracts and shared the gospel with hundreds of festival people.  One of the guys Connie shared with REALLY appreciated her sharing with him. Of course, they guy might have had a few beers or something, but he still was into it.

The point that I am trying to make is that you can share the gospel and not be a jerk.  Now, some people will not like it, but most of the folks we talk to shake our hands, or give us a hug(maybe not quite a big hug as this though).

I have also heard lately from some folks how you cannot share the gospel with someone until you have a long lasting trusting relationship with them.  WHY?  You can have a relationship with someone in 5 minutes enough to share the gospel.  This is what Jesus did with the Woman at the Well.  The story you are telling is His story, not yours.

This picture is also getting me fired up for the upcoming holiday parades and festivals.  Should be a great year to be “fishers of men(and women)”.

There is an optical illusion gospel tract we use that looks like this.  Obviously, it is smaller, but this will get peoples’s attention maybe from across the road or park or something.

The real tract is so nice to give out at parades especially when everyone is just hanging out waiting for it to start.  The kids get a kick out of it and we give them the tracts and they show their folks.

Once the tracts get into their hands, the gospel is preached……even by a child.

The link to this tract is HERE. Order some and hand them out.  They are fun and effective!

We just got back from Israel and what an awesome time we had.  While there I got the chance to hand out some tracts in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.  Anyway, on our last day, we walked through the Muslim Quarter and stopped in a little store around where I was handing out tracts.  If you look at the display case in the upper right hand corner, you will see a $1,000,000 tract that someone gave this guy.  I asked him(Omar) if he would stand next to the tract, and he would not, but they have it displayed in the case……pretty cool huh?  May God use it to save Omar or someone else in that store!

Ok, this may be funny, but how much of this nonsense goes on with modern types of “evangelism”?  Salvation is of the Lord(Psalm 37:39, Jonah 2:9), and not a product of human “decision” (who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD. John 1:13). 

Trust God to “grant repentance”(2 Timothy 2:25).  Faith is a “gift of God”(Ephesians 2:8).  Some plant, some water, but only God makes it grow(1 Corinthians 3:6).

God is sovereign and no man can come to the Father unless He draws them.  Trust the Lord and sow the seed of His Word.  Don’t manipulate people to make a “decision for Christ”, but please do plead with them to humble themselves and repent and trust Christ.   And then be at peace, trust God to do only what he can do. 

Do not be a Jack Bauer! (btw, hat tip to www.sacredsandwich.com )

We have some friends who are now doing a lot of missionary work in Hungary.  Jack just contacted me to see if he could partner with Living Waters to publish gospel tracts in that native language.  Living Waters is very good at working with folks in other countries, as they have done the same with others we know in the Czech Republic. 

Anyway, in my discussions with Jack, he said that he was recently saved through the teaching of Way of the Master.  When he was investigating tracts to use in Hungarian, he listened to the teaching on false converts.  Then he realize that he was one of them……..anyway, his testimony is better than me blabbering on.  The following is his testimony on this.

  I grew up around the church as a kid, played the games, drew the pictures and cut out the angel wings and wore the crowns. I earned all the marbles and toys for repeating verses, perfect attendance. I played church as good as any kid could. I told the Sunday school teacher that yes I loved Jesus, and yes I want to go to heaven and I repeated that little prayer and glory, I was headed for heaven. I grew up in a couple youth groups, and I received the God and Country Award in Boy Scouts. I obeyed my parents and put others first; crossed at corners, rode my bike on the right side of the street - if anyone was a model for good enough to get into heaven it was me. Okay, so I told some “white” lies, and stole little stuff, but I believed I was still good enough to get into heaven.

  I never knew why I needed a Savior or what I was being saved from. I knew I wasn’t perfect but I was still better than those punks down in the courts. I was certainly better than those hoodlums in the next neighborhood who stole hubcaps, used God’s name as a cuss word and drank beer. If anyone was going to make it to heaven, it was me. I certainly didn’t need to hear the gospel message because I was already saved and baptized just like all the other kids.

  I Joined the Marine Corps after high school and a couple semesters of college with another fool on the buddy plan. I went through training and a few duty stations before being sent to Vietnam to ‘win the hearts and minds of the people’.  During my tour on Okinawa and two duty stations in California I was guilty of gross immoral living that separated me further from God.  I left the Marines and seemed to change back to my nice guy image. Okay, a few of the bad habits remained from the days of being a warrior. So I read porno magazines and watched the videos but it wasn’t like I was cheating on my wife. No one told me that Jesus said that if I even looked at another person to lust after them I was an adulterer at heart.

  I never opened a Bible but my new wife and I joined a church. We were involved in many church activities. We stop going to church because we didn’t see any need. Besides, none of the people in my new job went to church and they were good guys.

  Life was better outside church because I got rid of all the condemnation and judgment in my life by getting rid of all my Christian friends. Within a few years my wife and I divorced. I never realized that when you are separated from God that you are blinded to how wrong you are living. I looked at a 10 Commandments bookmark and felt guilty about being a liar, a thief, an adulterer, and I coveted. At least I wasn’t a murderer I thought. Had I read the Bible I would have known that God said if I hated anyone I was guilty of murder. Jesus said if I was angry at someone without cause I was the same as a murderer. I was guilty but still justified my lifestyle because at least I was better than those drug addicts and prostitutes. I was much better than Adolf Hitler.

  I remarried to a lady who attended a Baptist congregation. Soon we stopped going to church seeing no need. Besides life was going good and we didn’t need God.  Still, I had feelings that something was missing in my life. I still believed I was “good” enough to get into heaven. No one told me how much God hated my lifestyle and how it was separating me from God. I believed God smiled on my lifestyle of smoking, drinking excessively, lusting after other women. I believed it was okay to hate or seeking revenge against anyone who wronged me. I was a selfish family leader that only cared about myself. I didn’t realize that God didn’t hear my prayers or accept my good deeds because He didn’t condone my lifestyle. I was separated from God by my sin filled life.

  My wife died at the age of 49 from pancreatic cancer after a 17 month battle. After a couple weeks I joined a church and promised God every week to rededicate my life to Him. I was reading the Bible every day now. I found out that God considered me stealing from Him if I didn’t give 10% of my wages back to Him. Even still, I was like everyone else that called themselves Christians. I went to church and I was secure in my understanding I was going to heaven because I was good enough. I was still selfish but now I sought God and I joined the church and read chapters of my Bible every day. I prayed daily, joined small groups and Bible studies. I went to Russia on 4 incredible mission trips.

  I remarried and after a few years. My new wife is a Christian believer that helps shaped my beliefs. We joined a new church and within a couple years I was elected mission board chairman. While researching material for a good evangelism course I heard Ray Comfort’s Hells Best Kept Secret CD It was about people who false converts in the church. Those who hear the gospels of Christ Jesus and receive it with joy but live their life as before, never encountering Jesus. I heard that an encounter with Jesus Christ is like being hit by a 60 ton log truck going 70 mph down the highway. The impact makes an impression on you the rest of your life. I hadn’t been impacted like that.

  Then I heard Ray Comfort’s other CD message, True and False Conversions, and realized I wasn’t really a disciple of Jesus Christ. I knew of Jesus but He never knew me. We are all going to die someday and stand before God to receive our judgment. I discovered that on that Day of Judgment Jesus was going to send me to hell.

  I had created a God in my own mind to suit my lifestyle and beliefs, to justify my anger, my cursing, my dislike of certain groups of people, my watching trash TV and movies. Everyone puts their faith and trust in something – their jobs, wealth, family, home toys. I learned that Jesus is the only object of faith that is worthy of our faith. In many ways, my own “goodness” was the object of my faith. I realized I will never be able to do enough good to ever earn my way into heaven. I learned God was not smiling down on my lifestyle and that every word, every hidden secret thing and every deed whether good or bad were going to be exposed before all creation on that day. I was shocked, ashamed and deeply sorry for my life of wrong living to satisfy my own selfish lusts, desires and selfish needs.

  I was facing the wrath of God on Judgment Day. God will use the 10 Commandments as His standard to judge me and I was guilty, guilty, guilty on all charges. God is going to crush me into powder and throw my soul into a pit of blackness. I would be in constant torment based on the amount of disobedience and wrong living I had done all my life. No peace, no joy, no relief from the pain and anguish. Only misery and suffering awaited me. I was in serious eternal trouble and I needed someone to save me from this certain destruction. I needed a Savior.

By bride of 10 years and me just went to Israel and got back yesterday.  If anyone has never been…GO!  It was an incredible experience.  One that will make any future trips to anywhere pretty lame.  I will post some more pictures when the jet lag goes away. 

One of the things that I was praying for was an opportunity to share the gospel with the locals.  It was difficult at first due to all the language issues and that the Jewish folks I talked to at first were not open to the gospel (or anything else for that matter).  One night, we were getting ready to go to bed and I ran into the worship leader and he said he was going down to the wailing wall hopefully to witness.  This was just what I had been praying for!  So off we went with another couple and walked the streets of Old Jerusalem until we found the Western Wall area.  If you ever get a chance to see this area at night, please go.  It was impressive!  Anyway, I went to the wall and prayed for opportunities and then spoke to bunches of folks from all over the world!  This included many Muslims and Jews.  THEN….I noticed that there were hundreds of IDF solders around that had gotten a promotion of some sort.  They were in loose formation in the outside courtyard, so I went up to the first one and handed out a tract to him.  I told him that I would understand if he could not take it, but he took it and thanked me.  After that, I went down the line an handed a tract out to each solder until I ran out!  Then I dug for the “red and blue” tracts and started handing them out!  When they asked what they were, I told them they were Christian gospel tracts, and they thanked me for giving them one.  Awesome!  God is good! 

After the solders took off, some guy with a robe came over and asked for one of the tracts.  He freaked and went running to report me to someone (probably the Chief Priest and Scribes ).  So I gathered up the folks that went down with me and we got out of there.  

I pray that seeds were sown and that many will be there in the harvest field of God, and there may be an eternity of rejoicing!…  John 4:35-36

Th     

Got a call the other day from Bill Legg.  He said he and his wife were here visiting family and would like to meet up with us.  I had talked to Bill once and a few times through email, but never in person.  Bill is a seed sower back in Fayetteville NC and we know each other through Carl Culotta.  Anyway, it was great to meet him and his wife in person.  We shared many “glory stories” about witnessing encounters and it was like we were long lost buddies.  He gave us tons of ideas about making our own tracts, prayer stations and a bunch of other stuff.  Nothing like sharing time with other seed sowers.  This picture is of us and Bill and Linda.

Wonder what they thought of our snowstorm the last day or two…

Thanks Robert (and Kevin) for my new cross.  It is a beauty and stands about 5 foot tall.  It is a little bigger than my buddy, Tony Miano’s cross, as it should be ;). 

I am thinking of making it stand out by staining it darker and maybe put something like what Tony has on his…   ARE YOU READY?  Sounds good, huh?

Props like this are great to get conversations going, and to draw attention to what you are saying.  Another prop I would love to get is a coffin.  I have heard of churches that set a coffin up in a park or public place somewhere, and put a mirror inside the open lid.  When people look into the coffin they see themselves, and it is a great way to discuss what happens after you die.  But that is another blog post. 

Now some may think this is foolish.  Well, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God ( 1 Corinthians 1:18 ).  Seeds will be planted and conversations made, and stories to tell for eternity.  I was reminded of this last week in church.  Pastor Lance talked about the parable of the woman at the well.  In John 4, Jesus is witnessing to the woman at the well.  Afterwards, when His disciples showed up, He told them…….

“My food, said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me to finish His work.  Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  EVEN NOW THE REAPER DRAWS HIS WAGES, EVEN NOW HE HARVESTS THE CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE, SO THAT THE SOWER AND THE REAPER MAY BE GLAD TOGETHER.  Thus the saying ‘One sows and the other reaps’ is true.  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.  Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

We will have plenty of stories to tell and celebrations in heaven for all eternity.  Let’s get out there and share our faith!

Got to witness at the lake for the first time this year.  It was great to get out, but got cloudy later one and most of the folks left as it got pretty chilly.  We did, however, talk to a bunch of folks and handed out lots of tracts.  There are a lot of hispanics there and some do not speak english, so we did get to hand out some Spanish tracts too. 

One of the tracts I really like are the “red and blues” optical illusion tracts.  The kids get a kick out of them and it can get a whole group of kids over to get them.  Another thing is that once we get the tracts into their hands, they start showing everyone else how they work.  So the tracts get a lot of use and get around. 

The pictures below are the “red and blues” in action.  Middle picture is Robert and Dan witnessing. 

We had a great time of preaching at the Tea Party here in town.  Well, we did not preach AT the Tea Party, but at the main gate of the park it was held at.  So as the people came and went, we got to read scripture and preach the gospel.  Robert brought his cross and we “tag teamed” in getting up on the wall and preaching.  It was scary, fun, interesting and AWESOME!   There is nothing quite like sharing the gospel in this way.

There were a few folks that thanked us for doing this and many mockers too.  A lot of high schoolers from across the street came over and a few of them heckled us and mocked what we were doing.  The hecklers were good as it drew a few more people over.  All in all, it was a great day of glorifying the Lord in the proclamation of His Word.  There were many who heard the gospel, which is the power of God to salvation, as we preached the cross and Him crucified.  Many were convicted and mouths were stopped by speaking to their conscience through the law of God.  Many took tracts too, including the high schoolers.   

One woman walked by and yelled that no one will listen to us and no one will be saved by what we were doing.  Well, maybe not.  I did respond that the gospel is the power of God to salvation( Romans 1:16 ), not us.  But all the results are God’s job, not ours.  We have been faithful in proclaiming the gospel to many who will never go to church.  It has been said that one open air preaching session can reach more of the lost in one session than most churches do in a year.  But it is not up to us for the results.  One sows, one waters, but only God makes it grow( 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 ).