Post by Jesse Morrell on Oct 23, 2005 21:10:21 GMT -5
The Oklahoma University has been used and abused by open-air preachers and so is often very hard to get a listening crowd there. However we were blessed with large crowds while we preached the gospel and contended for the faith this past Friday!
Around noon Jon Speed started the open-air off and gathered together a nice crowd. After Jon preached I preached a little but no crowd gathered. After talking with Brad Snow I was reminded how Whitefield preached until he'd make his throat bleed. I was inspired and jumped back up. After a short time a crowd started to gather which grew to be from 50-60+ students.
For 2 hours I was able to handle their comments and objections. "God is just something man has made up" is a common one today. I quoted C.S.Lewis who said, "I know God is not a figment of my imagionation, because he's not at all what I imagined him to be." I'd ask a student a question like, "Do you believe in the law of gravity?" And they would say, "yes of course". "Well then, tell me, who is the law-giver?" The topics ranged from atheism to Noahs flood to the accuracy of the scriptures.
After I preached other preachers like Jon Speed and Josh Maciel took over. They did such a wonderful job overcoming objections as well as preaching the gospel. It was glorious preaching as the truth about sin, hell, judgment, and God's grace was heard.
Then on Saturday we were able to have an Evangelism Seminar at a local Church. That went very well. Afterwards we all went to a parade for a football game and gave out anywhere between 2,000 - 3,000 gospel tracts!
That evening as well we had a powerful time preaching open-air in a square in downtown Oklahoma. Without any gimmicks I was able to work up a crowd of 30+ people which is unusual for the streets. Again it was an engaging crowd asking questions which we answered as well as preached the gospel.
Drunk kids were telling me they were born again, a grown man who apparently was a pastors kid encouraged them and said that it was ok, a lesbian said she was a Christian and knew God, the night was full of both encouraging and rebuking. "Jesus was a narrow-minded man. He said wide is the way that leads to destruction but narrow is the way that leads to life. He is the narrow way, the only way to the Father, because He's the only one who died for your sins."
I could tell countless stories of this past weekend alone, but this is a pretty good summary.
Around noon Jon Speed started the open-air off and gathered together a nice crowd. After Jon preached I preached a little but no crowd gathered. After talking with Brad Snow I was reminded how Whitefield preached until he'd make his throat bleed. I was inspired and jumped back up. After a short time a crowd started to gather which grew to be from 50-60+ students.
For 2 hours I was able to handle their comments and objections. "God is just something man has made up" is a common one today. I quoted C.S.Lewis who said, "I know God is not a figment of my imagionation, because he's not at all what I imagined him to be." I'd ask a student a question like, "Do you believe in the law of gravity?" And they would say, "yes of course". "Well then, tell me, who is the law-giver?" The topics ranged from atheism to Noahs flood to the accuracy of the scriptures.
After I preached other preachers like Jon Speed and Josh Maciel took over. They did such a wonderful job overcoming objections as well as preaching the gospel. It was glorious preaching as the truth about sin, hell, judgment, and God's grace was heard.
Then on Saturday we were able to have an Evangelism Seminar at a local Church. That went very well. Afterwards we all went to a parade for a football game and gave out anywhere between 2,000 - 3,000 gospel tracts!
That evening as well we had a powerful time preaching open-air in a square in downtown Oklahoma. Without any gimmicks I was able to work up a crowd of 30+ people which is unusual for the streets. Again it was an engaging crowd asking questions which we answered as well as preached the gospel.
Drunk kids were telling me they were born again, a grown man who apparently was a pastors kid encouraged them and said that it was ok, a lesbian said she was a Christian and knew God, the night was full of both encouraging and rebuking. "Jesus was a narrow-minded man. He said wide is the way that leads to destruction but narrow is the way that leads to life. He is the narrow way, the only way to the Father, because He's the only one who died for your sins."
I could tell countless stories of this past weekend alone, but this is a pretty good summary.