Stone the Preacher

When They Refuse to Listen, Part 1

May 17th, 2012

Most of the time when I share my faith with someone on the street they will listen to my entire presentation sometimes asking questions and occasionally challenging me. A lot of them will thank me, and less frequently, will even want to repent and put their trust in the Savior.

Then there are those times when I am cut off in mid-spiel, interrupted rudely, chastised sternly or abused. Then they walk away. What should an evangelist do? Here’s what I did at the Doo Dah Parade when a lady did just that: walked away. What would you have done?

Posted in E-vangie VIDEO!, Ev Tips/Tools | No Comments »

Destinations: Armed Forces Day & Pride Parades

May 16th, 2012

This Saturday in Torrance, the largest Armed Forces Day Parade west of the Mississippi. is happening. But, since all of the men at Hope Chapel will be at retreat, we have no leaders for this event. So, if you want to go, the Parade starts at 1:30pm. Click here for details about the location.

On Sunday, we will be going to Long Beach for their annual Pride Parade. Meet at Hope Chapel at 8AM in front of the church to carpool.

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | No Comments »

Atheist Tuesday Quiz: Are you loving or unloving?

May 15th, 2012

Take the test. No cheating. No peeking on your neighbor’s paper. This is a great examination thought up from our friends over at Defending. Contending.

Here’s a quick and simple six-question quiz to determine whether you’re loving (“tolerant”) or unloving (close minded and “intolerant”).

1). You’re sitting in a coffee shop when a woman at another table gets up–leaving her coffee unattended–to get a napkin. As she does, a man walks by her table, pours a powdered substance into the woman’s coffee and quickly exits the shop. You immediately warn this woman of what just happened. Your reaction is:

A. Loving

B. Unloving. This is none of your business. Quit interfering with other people’s lives.

2). A small child runs toward a bush to retrieve his ball that rolled into it. You know that the bush contains a rattlesnake nest. You yell out for the kid to stop. Your yelling at this child is:

A. Loving

B. Unloving. Who are you to impose your beliefs onto this kid. His parents have a right to raise him how they see fit without your close-minded “snakes are bad” views being forced down his throat.

Take the rest of the test by clicking here.

Posted in Atheist Tuesday | 25 Comments »

Lost Liberties: Police Threaten Man Handing Tracts

May 13th, 2012

Police threatened to arrest a Christian man for peacefully sharing his faith on public streets and sidewalks during an Italian festival last year. Now, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is striking back in federal court.

ADF attorneys on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Buffalo over the incident. Police ordered the man to leave the festival, which was free and open to the public, if he intended to continue handing out Christian literature.

As one officer told the man, “If you hand out one more tract, you’re going to jail.”

“People of faith shouldn’t be threatened with arrest for peacefully expressing their beliefs,” says ADF attorney Nate Kellum. “The Constitution and court precedent in these types of cases is clear: officials cannot toss someone out of a public event simply because they don’t like the views he’s expressing. This is a classic example of free speech that the First Amendment protects.” Read the rest here.

Read my article: “Handing Out Tracts: Scary, Yet Effective”

Posted in Lost Liberties, TRACTS | 10 Comments »

Sudden Death: Test Drive

May 13th, 2012

PADUCHAH, KY – The so-called ‘ultimate driving machine’ proved to be the ultimate killing machine for a man in Kentucky.

Police in Paducah say a southern Illinois man died in a crash while taking a test drive in a BMW 128i. Read the rest here.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | 5 Comments »

A. W. Tozer, Former Street Preacher, Died on This Day

May 12th, 2012

Aiden Wilson Tozer, at age 15, was asked by a neighbor whether he was a Christian. “I don’t know, but I’ll think about it,” he replied. Three years later, he heard an elderly street preacher encourage his listeners with this: “If you don’t know how to be saved, just call on God, saying, ‘Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ ” Tozer thought about this for several hours while in his attic and emerged a changed man.

He began preaching on sidewalks himself, and through this ministry met other preachers who were also pastors. He became pastor of Chicago’s Southside Alliance church and stayed for 31 years.

His greatest passion, though, was to write books for Christians that would help them to think about God in a deeper way, which would lead them to greater obedience. Writing became a form of worship to Tozer, who only had a grammar school education.

Ultimately, Tozer would write over thirty one books, including the classics, “The Pursuit of God” and “Knowledge of the Holy.” He credited God for his inspiration and gave away most of his royalties.

A. W. Tozer died on May 12, 1963. His tombstone simply read: “A Man of God.”

You never know who will be listening when you preach in the street!

—Excerpted and abridged from “The One Year Book of Christian History.”

Posted in HIStory | 1 Comment »

Disco Evangelism

May 10th, 2012

Who said that evangelism can’t be fun? It all depends on where you practice it.

These disco dancers at the DooDah Parade appreciated getting a $100 Giant Money Gospel tract in the middle of their boogyin’.

Can ya dig it? Looo-king Gooood!’

And my friend, Ed Lee, had the same idea with the “Are you ready?” cross. He was totally munga, man!

Posted in Abnormal Evangelism Ideas | 2 Comments »

It’s 180 Wednesday! The Sword-Swallower

May 9th, 2012

Some people find the 180Movie hard to swallow. At our recent excursion to the Doo Dah Parade, this sword-swallower was more than happy to plug, Gulp! a pro-life position! (See it at 180Movie.com)

Posted in "180" MOVIE | 4 Comments »

Evangelism this Saturday: Redondo Beach Pier

May 9th, 2012

We’re going local. Meet at Hope Chapel at noon to car pool. Remember, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being most difficult, the pier is a zero.

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | No Comments »

Atheist Encouragement

May 8th, 2012

On occasion I get an encouraging email from my atheist YouTube fans. Here’s one from joestfrancois who comments on nearly every video I post:

Listen I want to thank you. The work you are doing is taking moderate atheists and making them understand that they must stand up for what they believe in. I spent 30 years hiding my lack of belief; interacting with youtube christians has allowed me to come out as an atheist at work and with my friends and family.

Trust me it was a lot bigger ~~expletive~~storm than if I had come out as a born-again christian, but I was finally willing because of the sort of things I see you and others like you doing here on youtube. The fun part is that if you tell a closeted atheist they are going to hell enough times, they will come out, and that is a good thing.

Thanks and keep up the good work Steve.

And a hearty “You’re welcome!” to Joe!

Click here to read why this type of “encouragement” never upsets me. Ever.

Posted in Atheist Tuesday | 12 Comments »

A Time for Silence: When to Stop Sharing

May 7th, 2012

This is a great article by Dr. Bob Gonzales, on when to stop sharing the Gospel with an unbeliever. In this case, the author finally called it quits on a couple of people who subscribed to a materialistic-evolutionary view of reality—much like the unbelievers who comment on this blog. The article ends with a heartfelt letter, and a tactful, gracious plea.

One of the marks of a Christian is a desire to share the good news of the life-transforming gospel with others. In the words of the apostles, “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). But what if a friend, fellow worker, schoolmate, or family member asks us to desist? Does there come a time when we should refrain from speaking to a person about Jesus and Christianity?

A few years ago, I sent John Piper’s booklet The Passion of Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die to several close friends and relatives. To my knowledge, most of them were not Christians. I had already shared the gospel with some. With others I had not–at least not in a more comprehensive way. I wanted to be able to face Jesus on Judgment Day with the knowledge that I had attempted to share the gospel with those who were close to me.

Disappointingly, one couple replied with a letter and some materials that made it clear they rejected Christianity, affirmed materialistic evolution, and wished me to relinquish my attempts at trying to convert them. They were polite. But they were also resolute. They didn’t believe in God, and they preferred that I give up any attempt in persuading them otherwise. Click here to read the rest.

Posted in EV Articles, Ev Tips/Tools | 70 Comments »

Sudden Death: Beer Keg

May 7th, 2012

PORTSMOUTH, NH (CBS) – An exploding beer keg killed a brewery worker at the Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Tuesday. Click to read the rest.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | 1 Comment »

10 Reasons Why I Respect Ray Comfort

May 4th, 2012

Back in March I went to a seminar break-out session at The Shepherd’s Conference, a yearly teaching/preaching/sharpening extravaganza held at Grace Community Church and hosted by Pastor John MacArthur, one of my favorite Bible teachers. The session, “The Ways of the Master” was taught by Pastor Jesse Johnson and was quite critical of the ministry and methods many of the evangelists on this blog appreciate. I will post all the articles, including the criticism in future weeks, but it all ended on a very positive note when Ray Comfort and his team wrote a wonderful defense of the reason why we evangelize the way we do, topped off by a ringing endorsement from John MacArthur, essentially, canceling out Jesse Johnson’s criticism. Here’s the first of the posts from Pastor Johnson’s blog, The Cripplegate.

WHY I RESPECT RAY COMFORT
By Jesse Johnson

A few weeks ago I gave a critique of the The Way of the Master evangelism at the Shepherd’s Conference. I plan on posting that critique here in the coming weeks. However, I want to make clear that I have tremendous respect for Ray Comfort and those at Living Waters. I personally have benefited tremendously from them and their ministry. So before I post that critique, I want to explain why (even in light of my critique) I am such a Ray Comfort fan.

I hesitated to post this because I don’t know how to do it in a way that doesn’t make it seem superficial. If I post it after my critique, it will look like I’m back-peddling and softening what I was saying. If I post it now, it will look like I’m not being sincere. But I think posting this list now is the best approach, simply because I want my critique to be read through the lens of respect for Ray and his ministry. You can have enormous respect for someone, and still disagree on theological issues.

So, with that said…here are my top ten reasons I admire Ray Comfort and his ministry: Click here to read the rest.

Posted in EV Articles | 37 Comments »

Evangelism Adventures for May

May 3rd, 2012

May 5: Cinco De Mayo @ Olvera Street. Meet at Hope Chapel at noon to carpool.

Do you know the history of Cinco de Mayo? Read this interesting bit of history then see what we have scheduled for the rest of the month of May:

Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | 6 Comments »

ATHEIST TUESDAY & The Everyday Club Report for April: Is Evangelism Effective?

May 1st, 2012

An atheist asked: How effective are your actions at bringing the lost closer to Jesus?

If by “effective” you mean: Do I actually see lots of conversions with people becoming Christians and attending church, becoming missionaries, feeding the homeless, visiting prisoners and adopting babies?

No.

My church, Hope Chapel, has handed out over three million Gospel tracts and has graduated close to a thousand evangelism trainees. I, personally, have had hundreds, if not thousands of one-to-one conversations with individuals, and have preached the Gospel in the open air hundreds of times to thousands of people since making a commitment to share my faith everyday on January 1, 2004.

The result? I don’t know. I would say, at best, we’ve had a hundred visitors— maybe more, probably less—as a result of our evangelism efforts. If I measured our effectiveness by what I see then I’d say that we are doing dismally, miserably—and we ought to give up. Because, after all, what’s the point? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Atheist Tuesday, EVERYDAY CLUB | 134 Comments »

“Censoring” Sinners

April 29th, 2012

EDIT: SEE ADDENDUM AT END OF POST.

In the last several weeks I’ve had to delete several comments due to to nasty attitudes. Most of them are from atheists, which is to be expected, but what surprises me is the lack of grace shown to unbelievers by those who call themselves Christians. It’s my fault for allowing some of the nasty comments through.

In the future I will not allow name-calling from anyone. If you insult my God I will not allow your comment through. If you call me a name, or continue to be disrespectful or are really nasty (and I’m speaking to the atheists here), I will ban you without explanation. I have recently banned two unbelievers. I completely wiped all mention of one particular unbeliever and all his comments because of his persistent surliness.

To be restored, you can, of course, change your email or pseudonym, but I will be watching “new” commenters more closely. The better way will be more difficult for the atheists insulter: apologize. I will publicly post your apology in the comments and you will be restored.

Thanks for your understanding.

ADDENDUM: When you are banned I mark you as SPAM which means I will never see your comment, unless, of course, I choose to look through the hundreds I receive daily. Thought you’d like to know.

Posted in ABOUT ME & MY BLOG | 74 Comments »

“Sudden Death” posts are for the Christian

April 29th, 2012

Many unbelievers have taken me to task for publishing my weekly “Sudden Death” posts saying that in no way do these articles scare them into believing that there is a God. They tell me that they know that they will die someday but that it is no big deal. They also say that I have a morbid fixation on death, I belong to a death cult, that I’m a ghoul, and that I, myself, am the one who is scared to death about death.

Let me correct these misunderstandings: They are wrong. Dead wrong.

These posts are for Christians. These posts are reminders that any day, at any time, a non-believer can be taken in an unexpected tragedy and whisked off to Hell for eternity. These posts are not-so-subtle urgings to do something now because the time is short. These unpleasant reportings are simply the passing on of the truth of the Ultimate Statistic: that 10 out of 10 people will die.

When I read these sad reports I shake my head in sorrow on how untimely these deaths can be. I wonder if the person had a chance to hear the Gospel. I ponder eternity again and am thankful that God has given me another chance to live, and has enabled me to tell others about the life that is truly life.

My hope is that I will continue to speak of the hope that is available through Jesus Christ until the day of my death.

Sudden or otherwise.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | 13 Comments »

Sudden Death: Passion Play

April 29th, 2012

SAO PAULO – A Brazilian actor playing Judas who accidentally hanged himself during a scene in “The Passion of Christ” has died.

Investigator Jose Victor Bacetti told the G1 news website Klimeck accidentally hanged himself during a scene in which his character Judas commits suicide. About four minutes passed before anyone noticed, believing he was playing his role. Click here to read the rest.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | 2 Comments »

The Two Minute Doo Dah Parade

April 26th, 2012

To give you a little taste of what the anti-Tournament of Roses Parade is all about, I thought you’d like to see a two minute version of what goes on at the Doo Dah Parade, where we will be attending this Saturday. (Click here for info on how to join us.)

Posted in Parades | No Comments »

Evangelism This Saturday: The Infamous Doo Dah Parade!

April 25th, 2012

The Doo Dah Parade is a sometimes-yearly free-for-all that’s crazy, counter-cultural, anti-Conservative—and a whole lot of fun. (Click here to read a report from 2010.)

In past parades there was Iron Man with his rolling ironing board, ironing! The Million Marijuana March was there, as were the L.A Derby Dolls, and the ever-popular Billy Mays Fan Club wearing their Snuggies. There are also transvestites, people in little motorized cupcakes and Elvis on a Vespa and Atheists United strutting their unbelieving foolishness for all to see!

And that’s why the evangelism team is there every year as well with our own counter-cultural message: Repent and believe in the Savior!

If you want to go to an event that is crazy fun, where parade-goers throw marshmallows and corn tortillas at the participants, then this is the event for you!

Meet at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach at a special time: 8:30am to carpool. Or call me at 310 374-4673 x.121, leave a message, and I’ll tell you where to meet us in Pasadena.

Last year I was stopped by the police because I was preaching to the crowd—illegally!!! Here is a nice, polite way to deal with officers when they interrupt you when giving the Gospel. (Read the full article by clicking here.)