The question was asked: “How far can you go when sharing your faith or handing out a tract?” I answered, “As far your courage lets you.”

When we were at the Redondo Beach Pier last Saturday, our team of evangelists had just manuevered into position, million dollar bill gospel tracts in hand, when a police officer said in his authoritative voice, “You need a permit to hand those out here.” I gently and respectfully replied, “But this is our First Ammendment right to do this.” To save face, he said this as he quickly walked away: “I’ll have to check on the Municipal Code…”

In a country where rights to free speech are slowly eroding away, we need to be mindful that the laws protecting our freedoms will not always be enforced, due to ignorance, or through the force of an individual’s will, in this case, a police officer. We had the right to do this, but a cop can essentially do whatever he wants because he has a gun and the authority of the State. I told our team that we should move to another part of the pier to be on the safe side. I also encouraged our cameraman to always record these incidents—just in case.

There will always be a risk when sharing Christ; we are promised persecution. Where you go and share is determined by your boldness. Remember, we have the commendation and approval of God on our side—even when we sit in a jail cell unjustly accused.
-SS