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Answering the UT Skeptic’s Email

Sep 13, 2016Steve SanchezStupid Million Dollar Tracts, TRACTSgospel tracts, ray comfort, trillion dollar bill gospel tracts, trillion dollar bills, University of Texas, way of the master

I finally answered an email from a University of Texas student who complained about finding a Teddy Trillion Dollar Bill Gospel tract on the ground. He had numerous concerns and questions about using these Gospel tracts. You can read the original post here, but his entire email is italicized in this post with my answers in red.

Hi Robby!

My name is Steve Sanchez and I’m a pastor at Community Church of the Hills in Johnson City, just up the road from y’all about 90 minutes. That trillion dollar bill probably came from one of our evangelism team members because I encourage all Christians everywhere to pass them out. That website on the back was from my former church in California where I used to be an associate pastor. One of the pastors there received your email and forwarded it to me so I could respond to your questions and concerns. I’d be happy to do so. Please read my answers in red.

Hello! I’m a student at UT Austin, and I was walking around the library when I saw a dollar bill on the ground with Teddy Roosevelt’s face on it (obviously fake, because he’s never been on a bill). Curious, I picked up the bill and saw it was a Trillion Dollar Bill (wahoo, I’m a trillionaire!), with a statement on the back about the trillion dollar question being “Will you go to heaven when you die?”. That is the most important question you can ever answer!

If I had not seen a similar thing before this would have just seemed like an odd outreach program by the church to get people’s attention, but sadly I’ve seen bills like these be put in tip jars, used as a tip for waiters, and given to homeless people in lieu of valid tender. Yes, that is true sometimes. That is totally wrong. Here’s the advice I give to those who attend my evangelism classes where I teach how to properly hand these trillion dollar bills out:

Evangelistic Tipping or Giving Gospel Gratuities

Sep 2, 2016Steve Sanchez2 CommentsEV Articles, Ev Tips/Tools, TRACTSevangelism, gospel, gospel tracts, gratuities, kirk cameron, living waters, million dollar bill gospel tracts, ray comfort, tipping, trillion dollar bill gospel tracts, University of Texas, UT, way of the master, way of the master kirk cameron, witnessing

I received an email from a University of Texas student who complained about finding a Teddy Trillion Dollar Bill Gospel tract on the ground. Here’s what he wrote:

Subject: Fake Trillion Dollar Bills

Hello! I’m a student at UT Austin, and I was walking around the library when I saw a dollar bill on the ground with Teddy Roosevelt’s face on it (obviously fake, because he’s never been on a bill). Curious, I picked up the bill and saw it was a Trillion Dollar Bill (wahoo, I’m a trillionaire!), with a statement on the back about the trillion dollar question being “Will you go to heaven when you die?”.

If I had not seen a similar thing before this would have just seemed like an odd outreach program by the church to get people’s attention, but sadly I’ve seen bills like these be put in tip jars, used as a tip for waiters, and given to homeless people in lieu of valid tender.
Seeing this, I have to ask, what is the reasoning behind using these bills? It’s definitely not going to get any converts.

A waiter/waitress whose just spent 30 minute waiting on a table that didn’t even pay for the service definitely isn’t going to appreciate what would seem like a snide comment from a holier-than-thou person.

Read More

Like Father, Like Son

Jun 3, 2016Steve SanchezAppointments W/Eternitychurch, decision, good news, gospel, heaven, hell, last hour, living waters, ray comfort, salvation, way of the master

Last time, I shared about Jerry, a man who was given a few weeks to live while he was in hospice care at a Veteran’s hospital. I shared the good news that Jesus Christ saves sinners; he believed, repented, was baptized on the spot in his room…then five days later, he went directly into the arms of his Savior. (Read about it here.)

Did I fail to mention that Jerry’s son witnessed the whole thing?

Evangelism Gone Wrong, Part 1: Mistakes Were Made

Feb 15, 2011Steve Sanchez55 CommentsAtheist Tuesday, Ev Tips/Tools, Evangelism Gone Wrong, PERSECUTED!atheists, evangelism, gospel, living waters, open air preaching, preaching, ray comfort, sharing faith, unbelievers, way of the master, witness, witnessing

Those unbelievers out there can be so darn difficult.

They don’t understand the Gospel message—or don’t care; they’ll try to get the evangelist off his game by ridicule, loud shouts of disapproval or verbal abuse; they’ll mock you and the God who made them, sometimes even blaspheming his name. And it’s possible they may even try to get you to stop preaching that message of eternal life by using force.

What’s a Christian to do? We’re called to be gracious, gentle, respectful, loving, kind, helpful and prayerful, especially to our enemies. But what happens when things go wrong—desperately wrong—and the witness for Christ is totally blown? And what about those other guys; you know, those who call themselves brothers but don’t represent Christ at all in action and attitude when witnessing about him? What should you do? What about Gospel tracts that don’t tell the full story of the Gospel, are imbalanced, giving a skewed picture of the Savior?

This is the first part of a series that will offer some perspective when evangelism goes wrong. I’ll be sharing a few missteps on my part in a moment, but first let’s read about what happened to Ray Comfort long ago:

He tells the story about a woman who was heckling him so badly, using filthy language and caustic comments, that he blew it. She asked him a question that went something like this: “I’m a lady, but I don’t agree at all with you about what you are saying about women.”

Ray flippantly responded with, “You may be a woman, Ma’am, but you certainly are no lady…”

He then explained how the “lady” proceeded to beat him up.