Archive for April, 2009

Our New Wacky College Experiment

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

This is what I tried out at the campus of El Camino College today.

We lured the students in by having them guess the various celebrities on these million dollar bill Gospel tracts. When they try to guess who the stars are, we rewarded them with a celebrity of their choice. Then if they wanted to try for a real $20, we took them through the “Good Person” test. If they fail (and everyone fails), we gave them a quality, plush stuffed animal as a consolation prize.

These celebrity million dollar bills are the latest crazy tract that Living Waters has put out. People are very willing to get them and ask for more. With a little creativity, you can get the Gospel out to hundreds of people in just a short time, with a minimum of effort.

 How do you think these were received on campus as we experimented this afternoon? Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words…


 

Thanks to “Fish with Trish” for this great idea!

These tracts are only $3.00 a pack if you buy ten or more from here.

Read what’s on the back of these bills by clicking here.

May Evangelism Schedule

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Saturday, May 2: Redondo Beach Pier
Meet at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, 2420 PCH, Hermosa Beach @ noon to carpool. Returning around 4PM

Saturday, May 9: Hollywood Blvd.
Meet at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, 2420 PCH, Hermosa Beach @ noon to carpool. Returning around 5:30PM

Thursday, May 14: Sharing Your Faith Without Fear
This 6 week class is designed to make you into a fearless Biblical Christian. This class is free with pre-registration. Call 310-374-4673. $15.00 at the door.

Saturday, May 16: Torrance Armed Forces Day Parade SPECIAL MEETING TIME: 11AM
Meet at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, 2420 PCH, Hermosa Beach to carpool. Parade starts at 1:30pm. Returning around 4:30PM

Memorial Weekend, May 23-25: Fiesta Hermosa
We will have an Intelligence Test booth at the fair all weekend, from 9AM-6PM. 50 volunteers needed to help!

Saturday May 30: Venice Beach
Meet at Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, 2420 PCH, Hermosa Beach @ noon to carpool. Returning around 5:00PM

***Now watch this great video from Living Waters University on how to talk to someone who believes
they are a Christian but has no
understanding of what salvation means.***

Open Air Opportunity: Baskin Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

The smart evangelist will know what to do this evening…

Baskin-Robbins, known for its “31 flavors,” is dropping per-scoop prices to 31 cents tonight in honor of future and current firefighters.

The scoop discount runs today only from 5 to 10 p.m. at select stores and proceeds from the 31 Cent Scoop Night sales will go toward a $100,000 donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council’s National Junior Firefighter Program.

The Junior Firefighter Program pairs youths with firefighters, rescue workers and emergency medical service workers to teach them about the various professions. Some Baskin-Robbins locations also will accept donations to local firehouses.

The longstanding ice cream vendor is even rolling out some new-media and social-media efforts to bring in customers for 31 Cent Scoop Night.

Baskin-Robbins is on Twitter (@baskinrobbins) and Facebook, and the company has set up an automated service that will send you a text message reminding you of 31 Cent Scoop Night if you send “scoop” in a text message to 31310. —From the L.A. Times

Abnormal Evangelism Idea: The “What if?” Sign

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am no fan of guys carrying signs when attempting to get the “Word” out. In many ways, I think that the judgmental attitude of the sign carriers, as well as the “condemnation without cause” message of the signs, can actually do more harm than good. (Read a detailed analysis here.)
But there is a sign that I can recommend: The “What if?” sign.

Brett Coronado, one of the leaders at the most recent Ambassadors’ Academy, the evangelism “bootcamp” from Way of the Master, came up with this. You simply stand in a busy place holding the sign. Eventually, the curious will come up to you and ask “What if?—what?”

Be creative. Have fun with your questions. Make sure, though, that you transition into a question that allows you to speak about the Gospel.

You can ask them a variety of questions:

  • What if the world ended tomorrow?
  • What if everything you know is wrong?
  • What if Paris Hilton is really a man?
  • What if they cancel American Idol?
  • What if you died today? Where would you go?

People will come up to you and ask about your sign. The fish will actually jump into your boat!

What if you tried this in your area?

Abnormal Evangelism Tip: Do the Mumble

Monday, April 27th, 2009

The teaching portion at The Ambassadors’ Academy, The Way of the Master’s evangelism bootcamp, offers a whole bunch of fresh new ideas for those who want to try something a little different. The one idea that intrigued me was called “The Mumble.” If you have been sharing your faith for awhile, especially in handing out gospel tracts, then you know the best way to get those pieces of precious literature into someone’s hands is simply to ask, “Did you get one of these?” The person will think that they are missing out on something and will take those printed words of salvation right out of your hand.

But maybe you’re tired of saying the same thing over and over…

Try mumbling.

That’s right, when you hand out a tract, mumble. Stick out your tract hand and say “Hblkmohnujimnnn!” as you offer it to a person. They may think that you are a little weird, or have gone Pentacostal… regardless, they will most likely take the tract.

Remember it’s, “Hblkmohnujimnnn!”

My favorite words of Charles Spurgeon are, “Do something! Do something! Do something!”

Think he would approve of “The Mumble?”

Sudden Death: Scare!

Monday, April 27th, 2009

A man accused of scaring an elderly woman to death after breaking into her home following an attempted holdup at a credit union pleaded not guilty to federal charges in the case.

Prosecutors argued that Larry Whitfield, 20, scared to death Mary Parnell, 79, during a home invasion in which she died of a heart attack. —L.A Times, April, 2009

Weekend Read: “Street Preaching” by William Taylor

Friday, April 24th, 2009

William Taylor was a Methodist in the California Conference in the mid-1800’s. Although published in 1867, this article speaks to our generation. Mr. Taylor spoke about cultural refinement, secular education, the negative effects of immigration, the apathy of the churches, and other topics that apply today. The book from which this chapter is taken is called, “Seven Years’ Street Preaching in San Francisco, California.”

Why do you preach in the streets and highways?”

I. BECAUSE IT IS A DUTY ENJOINED BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The “great commission,” under which every true ambassador goes forth in the “ministry of reconciliation,” by direct implication, enjoins the duty of out-door preaching: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Did the apostles understand the Great Teacher to mean that they were to preach in the temple, in the synagogues, in ” hired houses,” and ” upper rooms?” Certainly. Did they understand him to mean nothing more than that? Certainly not. They well knew that the temple, and the synagogues, and all the house room they could by possibility command, were they all open for their use, would contain but a very small proportion of the creatures embraced in their commission. Every word of this great command, framed by infinite wisdom, is simple and unequivocal. It evidently contemplates a proclamation of the Gospel as wide as “all out of doors,” and so specific and personal as to embrace every single rebel of the fallen race.

Again. The Saviour, illustrating, by the parable of the “Great Supper,” the bounteous provision of mercy in the Gospel, enjoins, by direct command, the duty of out-door preaching: “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (more…)

Seven for Heaven

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

We started with 13 and ended up with seven. That’s the unfortunate truth when teaching a class on evangelism: a nearly 50% drop out rate. But I am incredibly hopeful that God will use these people mightily, because they serve a mighty God. Congratulations you all!

See the original class here.

Pulling the Post

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

I just pulled a post: It dealt with handing out tracts and mumbling as as you do it; people will wonder what you are saying and take the tract. It was meant as a light-hearted way to share your faith, but some took offense, so I deleted it. It is a delicate balance to present evangelism with an edge AND a sense of humor.

So until tomorrow’s posting, enjoy this video from Living Waters University on how to talk to an agnostic.

 

Saturday Adventure: L.A. Times Festival of Books and Cambodian New Year

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

A team from Hope Chapel will be meeting at noon on Saturday at Hope Chapel to crash this haughty event held at UCLA. The wealthy need the Gospel, too!

Also…

Cambodian New Year Festival

Calvary Chapel South Bay will be heading down to Long Beach again to share their faith with the largest Cambodian refugee population in the States. They will be having  a face painting booth with balloon animals and the like.

A number of these people suffered greatly under the tyranny of the Khmer Rouge, whose leader, Pol Pot, killed 1.7 million of his countrymen. Many still have horrible scars of the memory of that terrible era.

According to an excellent L.A. Times article, Leakhena Nou, an assistant professor of sociology at Cal State Long Beach, has observed this: ”What we’re seeing with Cambodians is anomie — a state of hopelessness and helplessness and this feeling of being disconnected from society.” She has found that survivors of the Khmer Rouge era living in Cambodia and the U.S. have endured what she calls a prolonged “silent suffering.”

They will be telling them of the Savior who suffered and died for them so that they indeed may find real hope and an ever-present help in time of need.

It will be held at El Dorado Regional Park, Area III, 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach.

Tom Nance-Ulrich will be leading a team from Calvary Chapel. If you’d like to join him and the team, they are leaving at 8AM. Call him at 310-619-1588 for more info.

Does Open Air Preaching Really Work?

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

At the Ambassadors’ Academy evangelism boot camp held last weekend, there were a multitude of things taught to the nearly 50 people who arrived from around the country. One of the highlights for the students is getting on the preaching box at the Huntington Beach Pier and belting out a Gospel message.

This is Tim Wiersma. It was his first time “on the box” in Huntington Beach; he preached for about three minutes max. After he had finished speaking, a young woman named Maya approached me and asked about repentance.

“What does it mean to repent?”

“It means to have a change of heart and mind about your sin.” After explaining this a little further she wanted to get right with God.

I then asked her what made her want to come over and talk about these things.

“Him,” she said, pointing to Tim. “I heard him talking about repentance and wanted to know what I needed to do. I wanted to stop and listen, but my friends continued to walk on.”

I gave her a Gospel tract and encouraged her to not wait too long before committing to Christ. She said she would do it that night.

How effective is preaching in the open air? Well, as Tim learned, God can do anything He wants with a willing vessel. Tim faced his fears and was obedient to God. I’m looking forward to seeing Maya someday in Heaven.

R.A. Torrey wrote this over a 100 years ago: Open-air meetings impress people by their earnestness. How often I have heard people say, “There is something in it. See those people talking out there on the street. They do not have any collection, and they come here just because they believe what they are preaching.” Remarks like this are made over and over again. Men who are utterly careless about the Gospel and Christianity have been impressed by the earnestness of men and women who go out on to the street and win souls for Christ.

Attack of the Web-Crawlers!!!

Monday, April 20th, 2009

O’ the frustration, these computers be…

Every now and then the little server that this blog is on gets invaded by web-crawlers which crashes this site. In the next few weeks my blog will be migrating to a larger, more dependable server so this will not happen again. In the meantime, if this blog is down (like it was for the last three days) just keep checking back.

Thanks for your patience.

It’s too late now, so I’m going to bed. On Tuesday, I will start a little series of small reports about my third time at The Ambassadors’ Academy. 

But here’s a tidbit: I asked one man, Chris, why he travelled all the way from Maryland to attend this evangelism training. His reply? “I was on the National Mall on Inauguration Day—nearly one million people—and I didn’t share my faith once. I knew I had to get trained.”   

Away at the Ambassadors’ Academy

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

I will be at “The Way of the Master’s” Ambassadors’ Academy for the next several days encouraging an eight member team to take some steps of faith in their evangelistic endeavors. I’ll be back on Monday with a new posting or two. In the meantime, please watch the awesome BBC documentary below, “Deborah 13: Servant of God,” if you haven’t seen it yet. And pray for me, please.

Read my take of what happened at the very first Ambassadors Alliance training by clicking here!

BBC Documentary: Deborah 13, Servant of God

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

If you aren’t hooked in the first 2 minutes of this BBC Special, then you have no heart. Deborah, age 13, has such a burden for the lost that she is totally committed to doing whatever it takes to bring them the Good News of Jesus Christ. She is an adherent of “The Way of the Master” and is unflinching in her resolve to warn of the Judgment to come. I was completely inspired and re-fired after watching this secular television report magnify the Gospel.

This is a 6-part presentation; each segment is 10 minutes long. After watching the first episode, simply click the “Read the rest of this entry” link below and you’ll be able to access the remaining 5 parts. Due to some thematic elements, I’d rate this PG. (For higher quality, click the video screen twice to go directly to YouTube, then enlarge the screen.)

FOR PARTS 2-6… (more…)

Saturday Adventure: Long Beach Grand Prix or Hermosa Beach Pier

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

I’m not sure which place we will be going, so you will just have to find out by showing up at Hope Chapel at noon to carpool. Either way, it will be an exciting time.

And if not, double your money back!

See the video from last year when I preached in the middle of a street in Hermosa Beach and how I fended off an angry heckler determined to stop me. Click here!

Atheist Richard Dawkins Evolved from a Chicken!

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

If you haven’t seen this video yet, then you are in for a hilarious treat. The reknowned Oxford Don and “Pope of Atheism,” Richard Dawkins, is afraid to debate the unschooled, unlearned, simple everyman, Ray Comfort. Find out why…

And here’s the latest from Living Waters University:

Now you’re up to date! 

Featured Blog: The Word Street Journal

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Canadian Paul Latour, a fervent evangelist in the frozen north and frequent witty commentator on this site, has started his own evangelistic blog called, “The Word Street Journal.”

Here’s his mission statement:

The goal of this blog is to encourage fellow believers and followers of Jesus to rely on the power of God to boldly, but “with gentleness and respect”, proclaim the gospel to a needy world in which ever way they feel led to. Not everyone is called or expected to stand on a box at a street corner and preach the gospel. But we are all called to “do something” as Charles Spurgeon once said.

[There will be] stories, articles, commentary, informative tidbits, good news, bad news, serious things, humorous things, interviews, photos, videos, audios, etc., focusing in on the realm of Christian related topics that point to the absolute necessity of our being obedient to the Lord’s call to us in bringing the Good News of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. They are not breaking down the doors to get into our churches to hear the gospel, so we are called to head out to where they are and bring it to them.

I am always thankful when a Biblical Christian rises up, is obedient to Christ, preaches the Word “in season and out of season”… then shares his experiences with the world, further encouraging others to do the same.

I’m truly thankful that Paul is one of the ”Frozen Chosen.” Check out his site by clicking here.

Read about Paul’s experience when he preached at a Canadian Gay Pride Parade last summer by clicking here.

New Blog: The Word Street Journal

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Canadian Paul Latour, a fervent evangelist in the frozen north and frequent witty commentator on this site, has started his own evangelistic blog called, “The Word Street Journal.”

Here’s his mission statement:

The goal of this blog is to encourage fellow believers and followers of Jesus to rely on the power of God to boldly, but “with gentleness and respect”, proclaim the gospel to a needy world in which ever way they feel led to. Not everyone is called or expected to stand on a box at a street corner and preach the gospel. But we are all called to “do something” as Charles Spurgeon once said.

[There will be] stories, articles, commentary, informative tidbits, good news, bad news, serious things, humorous things, interviews, photos, videos, audios, etc., focusing in on the realm of Christian related topics that point to the absolute necessity of our being obedient to the Lord’s call to us in bringing the Good News of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. They are not breaking down the doors to get into our churches to hear the gospel, so we are called to head out to where they are and bring it to them.

I am always thankful when a Biblical Christian rises up, is obedient to Christ, preaches the Word “in season and out of season”… then shares his experiences with the world, further encouraging others to do the same.

I’m truly thankful that Paul is one of the ”Frozen Chosen.” Check out his site by clicking here.

Read about Paul’s experience when he preached at a Canadian Gay Pride Parade last summer by clicking here.

Sudden Death: Bait Fish!

Monday, April 13th, 2009

 LONG BEACH, Calif. —  A deckhand on a charter boat full of schoolchildren choked to death on a bait fish he had put in his mouth as a joke.

Capt. Dan Salas of the 55-foot Gail Force said Tuesday his employee Jeff Twaddle died last week off Long Beach in front of about 20 elementary school students from the Los Angeles area. Read the rest from Fox News here.

HE IS RISEN!

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!
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How do you answer a skeptic who declares that Jesus didn’t rise? Click here.

Read about how I couldn’t pray in the name of Jesus as I gave a City Council invocation… and why I broke the law.