Stone the Preacher

Since my posting on this blog and Facebook last week of “Witnessing to Homosexuals” (which included a few words  concerning that horrible decision by that biased judged who nulled Proposition 8), it seems that everybody has an opinion. And so diverse! Read a cache of the cacophony I caused:

Ruben, commenting on “The Shepherd of Brokeback Mountain” and “The Not-so-Great Prop 8 Debate,” wrote on Facebook: What you fail to point out is homosexuals have a parade to celebrate sin. What city ever hosted a steal pride parade? What city every had a lie pride week? This is a different sinner that walks in the street promoting his sin, demanding the laws change to support his sin. When was the last time murderers demanded us to welcome them as they walked with signs upholding murder.

Your talking to someone at Starbucks vs. preaching against a sodomite parade is like apples and oranges, you do understand the difference between witnessing and preaching, no? Do you think all sin is the same sin? I think you are more concerned with what homosexuals think about you; you need to be more concerned what a Holy God thinks about that sin that parades in public.

BathTub, our resident atheist from New Zealand, complained: Ah I love the caring insult. The refuge of bigoted idiots from the northern hemisphere… hey I say it in love!

Garrett, another atheist, scolded me: (more…)

An atheist who frequents this blog took issue with some of the techniques I teach at the Ambassadors’ Academy, the training arm of The Way of the Master. In this post, I explained how attendees learned to preach in elevators, at stop lights and on top of cement trash cans. Students would pass or fail depending on if someone shouted “Shaadaap!” or not. A “Shaadaap!” was a good thing earning a “Pass.”

This is what the atheist, named Perdita, wrote:

“I think you guys get off on being jerks. You’re not happy until someone gets annoyed and then you can cry persecution.”

“Elevator evangelizing – also jerky behavior. Steve, anytime you’re cornering people where they can’t leave (like, oh for example, an elevator) or where it would be difficult to leave (maybe, perhaps in the middle of lunch at a restaurant), then you’re behaving like a jerk.”

How would you answer her, evangelists? Does she make a good point?

Get my answer by clicking here.

For God so loVed the world,
……That He gAve
………….His onLy
………..BegottEn
……………….SoN
……………..ThaT whosoever
……Believeth In Him
……….Should Not perish,
……But have Everlasting life.”
John 3:16

Here’s a useful article for the Christmas season by Dennis Prager, a syndicated columnist, talk show radio host and observant Jew.

Every year, during Christmas week on my radio show, I devote an hour to defending Santa Claus. It may seem odd that I have to, but many parents in homes that celebrate Christmas have misgivings about allowing their children to believe in Santa. Their arguments against Santa go as follows:

1. Christian children should be taught to focus solely on the religious meaning of Christmas, and Santa Claus detracts from that.

2. It is hypocritical, if not dishonest, of parents to allow children to believe in something the parents know to be untrue.

3. Once children realize Santa doesn’t exist, they will question everything else they were told to believe in, including God. If Santa turns out to be make-believe, maybe God is, too. (Read the rest by clicking here.)

Dear Readers,

I want you to answer the question I will ask in a moment. First, let me set it up.

I went with my family to Disneyland for my youngest daughter Laurel’s 8th birthday.

There were tens of thousands of people at this amusement park, tens of thousands of unsaved people! Yet I handed out only about 25 Gospel tracts.

Question: Why was I content with handing out so few tracts? (I’ll give you my answer on Friday.)

(Note: In case you are wondering where my wife is in all these articles, she prefers to stay in the background.)

In the meantime, read this important article on how to pass the time in line next time you visit a theme park.

I’m always writing down the interesting things that happen at our evangelistic encounters; now it’s your turn.

The picture below is from our evangelism table at a local college.

Here’s the partial scenario: The young man on the left, Leland, is upset. The man on the right holding the phone is an evangelism leader, Bob Johnson, talking to Leland’s mother.

What do you think has just happened? Why is the young man upset, and why is Bob talking to the Mom. Be creative. Be wacky. Whatever you come up with will not come close to what actually happened, though.

Tune in for the real story tomorrow!

You’d think I had kidnapped the Lindbergh baby, or that I was with Jane Fonda as she protested the Vietnam War; according to some folks I could have been Satan incarnate! All this because some people didn’t like the fact that I wore an event-appropriate “Obama The President” T-shirt to the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade last week. I’ll try to answer some of the objections…. (This is part 4; start at Part 1 here.)

Paul did write in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel that I may share in its blessings.” And he did mean that literally. Paul would have worn an “Obama” shirt to win over the African American spectators at the parade. Regardless of our new President’s ungodly policies, he’s still our President.

Linda wrote: “I…don’t think if Pastor Steve was invited to a meeting with the neighborhood coven, that he should wear a pointy hat or carry a stick with bristles on the end.”

If I was called to a witches’ coven to preach I would forsake my white-as-snow Tee with the cross on it, and would indeed wear a black shirt, pointy hat and arrive riding on a broom.

Chad wrote: “Steve, how about a shirt with a pentagram at a stanist (sic) convention? Obama doesn’t worship the same god as us and wearing a shirt like that would make people assume that you are for Obama and his views.

I would never, ever, go to a stanist convention. I don’t like anyone named Stan.

Payton wrote: “Do you think Paul would wear an idol around his neck to appeal to the pagan idol worshipers?”

Paul wouldn’t need one. He walked among the idols and reasoned with the people in Acts 17.

Fred wrote: “Would you wear a Pontius Pilate shirt if you preached at Pentecost?”

Bad analogy. Pontius Pilate wasn’t popular. So no, I wouldn’t wear one.

Chad again: “Would you wear a Playboy shirt at a Playboy convention?”

If my wife let me go, yes, I would probably wear one. And a blindfold.

After posting the Obama Controversy on Facebook I answered a few of my critics by writing this: “My, my, my… much ado about nothing. Folks,it was a T-shirt… of our now-elected President. Do I agree w/his policies or agenda? Of course not. Would I wear the shirt again? Absolutely. And probably an Ozzie shirt to a heavy metal concert while evangelizing.”

Fred posted the saddest response of them all: “Abstain from all appearance of Evil, the Bible says. There is no soul worth that.”  (emphasis mine)

By the way, Fred is a sign guy… May God bless him in his work as God leads him.

Read part 5 to see the radical thing former President Bush did to win over the crowd as he preached the Gospel.

A few weeks ago I patiently explained how waving a Bible while preaching in the open air might not be a good idea: Bibles are a turn off to the average “sinner” in this post-modern, anti-Christian culture.

Here’s what I wrote (Read the whole article here.):

…I want to reach my crowd and there is something about a guy waving a Bible around that builds fences around sinners’ hearts and minds before they even hear what I’m saying. I prefer to lure them in with some humor, trivia, interesting statistics, then WHAMMO!, they hear the Law and Gospel. I don’t want to blow my cover that I’m a Christian until it’s too late—for them.

I posted this at The School of Biblical Evangelism website forum (run by the Way of the Master). Here are some of the comments I received from other evangelists, typos and all:

monkeyboynathan said: I don’t want to ‘lure’ anyone… I want the Holy Spirit to draw people to hear the preaching of the Gospel, not me and my craftiness…

Eric said: I’d have to agree with Monkeyboy here on this. I’ve never Open Aired yet, but I wouldn’t want to “lure” anyone either. Its one thing to grab folks attention, but its another to presume to be “street entertainment” vs. an OA preacher. I say let the people know what you’re talking about up front. It doesn’t have to be all “secret agent man”-like.

faversphil419: um you dont want to blow your cover. why are you hiding that your a christian?

Climbermo said: I think what he means is when people see some guy waving the Bible around and shouting (and they can’t hear him yet so they assume he is being angry and crazy and mean) they are less likely to come closer to actually hear what you are saying and perceive you as an actual fellow human being who has something valuable to say.
(more…)

A “Sign Guy” responded to my post last Friday… and he wasn’t happy.

I made a general (and humorous) statement that bearded guys who hold signs with biblical messages are a little weird—and they usually aren’t involved in a local fellowship. Well what do you know? My observation was proven correct! Here’s how one man, Mark, responded:

I’m a sign guy and a Way of the Master guy. I wear a beard and do not go to a institutional apostate church. So why does that make me weird? The Bible says we are to Preach the Gospel to every creature, banners are Biblical, and it says not to forsake the gathering of the bretheren, not go to a denominational institutional. We have church every time we go to the streets. But what really counts is keeping His commandments and walking in holiness. Amen?

And another thought: if us guys weren’t suppose to wear a beard why did God give us one? Better still why do those that are effeminate shave it off?

Hey! I can’t argue with that logic. But I was really hurt when I read this from Rob Cox:

Wow! What a statement! What poll or proof do you have to make such a statement true? Just because this ONE guy holds a sign, doesn’t go to church, wears a beard you label him “a little weird.”

Perhaps the same can be said about us who are clean shaven, stand on a step stool or box holding a micophone, wearing shorts and short sleeves.

OUCH! That’s getting too darn personal, by golly!

“Sign Guys” are weird. And they always seem to sport a beard. What’s up with them?

On Tuesday I asked what you thought about the message that this “Sign Guy” proclaimed at the Huntington Pier and got a whole variety of answers. Is he effective? Is his message biblical? Answers on booth counts: Yes.

All day long people were asking him what his sign means; he would witness to them and give them his own homemade tracts. I was impressed. Is the message biblical? Click here to read why I think his message is biblical. It sure is better than those “God Loves You” and “God Hates You” signs.

I asked Ray Comfort what he thought about the sign guy. “I’ll bet he’s not in fellowship,” Ray replied. I asked the “Sign Guy” what church he attends. “I don’t go to church,” he said.

Lesson learned: Most guys holding signs and sporting beards do not go to church. And they’re a little weird.

I don’t hold up signs. I understand placard proselytising works for some; I’m just not into it. We’ve all seen the “Turn or Burn” declarations, the “Repent!” presentations, and the silly men with fright wigs holding up  “John 3:16″ at football games… but does it work?

At Huntington Beach last weekend I saw a very different message held up by this man. Is it biblical? Is it effective? I asked Ray Comfort about it and he gave me a surprising answer. What do you think?

I’ll let you know about the results of this man’s efforts… and Ray’s surprising statement on Friday, but I want your opinion of this “sign guy.”

I just preached a sermon to four services over the weekend called “8 Excuses,” based on the popular (and very funny video) “Eight Reasons Why I Don’t Share my Faith.”

The 8 “reasons” are:

8. I might get beat up
7. I won’t make sense
6. I might be made fun of
5. I won’t know how to start
4. I’ll be a bad witness
3. I’ll say the wrong thing
2. I’ll be a religious nut
1. I don’t know enough

I covered the first four excuses and will do the remaining four next weekend when I preach part two. Some other excuses I’ve heard are:

• “I’m working on my house”
• “I don’t care”
• “It’s not my gift”

My question: What other excuses have you heard from Christians on why they don’t share their faith? I want to include a few more to make sure that I cover all the bases.

(As soon as the online version of my sermon is available, I’ll post it!)

Yes. That’s right. I’ve been a Christian for nearly 18 years and a pastor for over 10, yet 3 years ago I became sober—minded!

On July 31st of 2005, Ray Comfort taught “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” at our church.
And after hearing it—and applying it—I felt that I was born again, again.

On that night he also gave me my first pack of…
…Million Dollar bill Gospel tracts!

I now celebrate 3 years of being free from proclaiming a man-centered, God-loves-you-and-has-a-wonderful-plan-for-your-life Gospel.

Things will never be the same.

(Read the very first E-vangie Tale that I wrote after I met Ray Comfort and was enlightened to this better way of sharing my faith..)

What would you do? What should you do?
You have a zeal for the lost. You’re on vacation with your family. All those lost people. Your family must come first. What is an evangelist to do?

In beautiful Sedona, Arizona…

…and at Grand Canyon where we vacationed last week, that was my dilemma.

But it wasn’t really a dilemma.

An evangelist must always put his family first. I am commanded to live with my wife in an understanding way, and to love her as Christ loves the church; I am also not to exasperate my children. If I am so focused on the lost that I forget the found, then the point of Christian love is missed. At times, this means putting my evangelistic zeal on hold for a short while.

I may not have the luxury of a long one-to-one conversation when I’m vacationing with my family, and I don’t want to risk embarassing them by preaching in the desert air to tourists gathered at a beautiful attraction…

Therefore I will take to heart the words of Charles Spurgeon:

“When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract read… Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching Gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts.”

While the wife and kids take a trip to the restroom, I can covertly hand out a few tracts; when I go to the restroom, I can hand out a few tracts; if my family is resting in the condo, I can make a quick dash down to the pool, or out to the car to hand out a few tracts. I can always Do something! Do something! Do something!

Besides, it’s not up to me. It’s Jesus Who saves!

Read about what NOT to do on a vacation by reading this account of how I totally blew it last year.

Read the companion article, “Third Rail Evangelism”, by clicking here.

Here is an email from a young man who joins me every Thursday at a local junior college to evangelize. How would you answer his question? My answer is below.

“Today at El Camino College I was handing out million-dollar-bill Gospel tracts when someone from my music class stopped me. He said that I shouldn’t be giving them to people because it makes them feel bad about themselves. My answer was that they probably shouldn’t feel good about themselves, but I realized later that I could have put it much better. How would you respond to this person?”

I told him that he should ask “Have you ever told a lie? Ever stole anything? Then take him through the Law and Gospel. Never waste an opportunity!