Post by Miles Lewis on Jan 20, 2006 23:11:25 GMT -5
www.msnusers.com/MilesEvangelismExploits/shoebox.msnw
Here are a couple pictures of the night.
Went downtown today and had some amazing street meetings at the bus stop. I started off with just straight preaching, no gimmicks. I really didn't get the idea many people were really paying attention. While preaching away I saw a young man who I had witnessed to before. He used to refer to me as "Bible man". He asked me what I was doing (as if he wasn't sure) and I told him that I was preaching the Gospel! We went back and forth and I asked him if he had read his Bible and then began probing about sin in his life. I asked about drugs and drinking and lust as I tried make it into an open air kind of conversation. He kept on getting close and I didn't really want to have a private conversation, I wanted to preach. Around this same time a young woman started talking to me and telling me that I would be much more effective if I just talked to people instead of yelling at them like they are animals. I gently told her that I DO talk with people and that the biblical method is to PREACH. Jesus told us what we hear wispered in the ear that SHOUT from the rooftops. I thought people could hear me a little better if I stayed on the ground though.
At this time the first guy came back
in on the conversation and told me that it is the same old routine, "Ever lied? Ever stolen?... blah, blah, blah... You don't really have passion."
"No passion?" I thought... "No passion!?" Uh oh... so I decided to get some passion. I lit myself on fire for God at that moment and people came out to watch me BURN. I then addressed all that were standing around and sitting at the bus stop and said with a LOUD voice, "SOME DON'T THINK I HAVE ENOUGH PASSION! WELL RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO PREACH TO YOU ALL WITH SOME PASSION!!!" I then slammed my Bible onto the ground (that got their attention) and set my face like a flint to lift up my voice, cry aloud and show this people their sin. I then cried out against the obvious sins of drunkenness, drug use, fornication, and rebuked them all for their hard hearts and deaf ears as the gospel is preached week after week. At this point I took all the tracts out of my pocket and let them fly into the air as I expressed the woe to those who have recieved possibly hundreds of gospel tracts week after week. "IS THIS ENOUGH PASSION!? FOLKS LET'S GET REAL. SOME THINK THAT I AM TALKING TO YOU LIKE ANIMALS, WELL LOOK AT YOUR LIFE, SOME OF YOU LIVE LIKE ANIMALS WITH THE WAY YOU SLEEP AROUND AND PROSTITUTE YOURSELVES... DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED, YOU'LL REAP EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SOWN. NOW LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THIS PREACHER. GOD HAS COMMANDED EVERYONE TO REPENT BECAUSE HE HAS APPOINTED A DAY IN WHICH HE WILL JUDGE THE WHOLE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS BY JESUS CHRIST. MY QUESTION STILL STANDS, WHAT SIN CAN'T YOU STOP DOING? GIVE IT UP!"
I continued preaching on sin, judgement, and the wisdom of God's requirements. I proclaimed that salvation was conditional, Jesus set up conditions if you were to come to him. Repentance, denying yourself and taking up your cross, not looking back after putting your hand to the plow, being born again... Nearly in tears, I then preached the cross and Christ crucified and opened up on the grace offered to those who will repent and turn to Him. I then spoke more on the new birth and the new life that comes from being in Christ.
(Here's a short break for ya to catch your breath)
My throat was pretty burned by the time I finished. I remember a few other regular street preachers got together with the rest of my group and was praying for me when I got started. At this point the buses came and most people had left, but not without having some solid gospel truth burned into their soul. I then picked up all the tracts that were on the ground along with my Bible.
While the first guy who had told me that I didn't have passion had left by now, and the girl who didn't like my method was no longer there, I was thankful for that prod and provocation that lit a fire within me.
After this, John Bullen preached and did an amazing thing I had never seen. He had a new testament and held it up and asked if anyone wanted it, anyone. Anyone? One guy said, "Ya, I'd like that".
John then told him to turn to page 70. In it was a crisp 5 dollar bill. He then did a great job springboarding off of that into the gospel.
Later, I preached again and was able to stir up some really good hecklers by simply engaging a group of youth passing by. I asked what they though about what was going on. I then preached to them as quite a few were now paying attention. Then, a guy started heckling me and yelling at me and getting in my face telling me the only one sinning was me. I thought he was about to hit me. I told them that I was telling them all the gospel truth because I love you and I care about you. The crowd could clearly see my motive and concern and began to turn on the heckler. The heckler then claimed to be Christian and said that every guy looks at women with lust all the time, every day. I said to speak for yourself. He then shouted, "Even my pastor said that!"
I then responded that, "Well then not only you, but your pastor needs to repent!" He became very angry and then began swearing and cursing. I called him out and revealed that there was a sewer in his heart and for that reason there was a potty in his mouth. I told him he needed a new heart.
At this point the crowd was pretty big. I hadn't seen anything like this on the streets of Syracuse in a while. Actually, not since Jesse was here a week ago. Those were some really good street meetings as well. I really felt like there was a breakthrough here on the streets of Syracuse in a way I don't recall ever seeing. Even though so many have heard the gospel here, aparantly not too many understand that your life will actually change and you will live in holiness, not hellishness.
There was lots of seed sown and people heard the uncompromising truth tonight. Glory to God!
Sorry I typed so much, I haven't posted a battle report in a long time and I just decided to get into a little more detail. I really wish I would have recorded all of this to audio.
Guns still blazing,
Miles
Here are a couple pictures of the night.
Went downtown today and had some amazing street meetings at the bus stop. I started off with just straight preaching, no gimmicks. I really didn't get the idea many people were really paying attention. While preaching away I saw a young man who I had witnessed to before. He used to refer to me as "Bible man". He asked me what I was doing (as if he wasn't sure) and I told him that I was preaching the Gospel! We went back and forth and I asked him if he had read his Bible and then began probing about sin in his life. I asked about drugs and drinking and lust as I tried make it into an open air kind of conversation. He kept on getting close and I didn't really want to have a private conversation, I wanted to preach. Around this same time a young woman started talking to me and telling me that I would be much more effective if I just talked to people instead of yelling at them like they are animals. I gently told her that I DO talk with people and that the biblical method is to PREACH. Jesus told us what we hear wispered in the ear that SHOUT from the rooftops. I thought people could hear me a little better if I stayed on the ground though.
At this time the first guy came back
in on the conversation and told me that it is the same old routine, "Ever lied? Ever stolen?... blah, blah, blah... You don't really have passion."
"No passion?" I thought... "No passion!?" Uh oh... so I decided to get some passion. I lit myself on fire for God at that moment and people came out to watch me BURN. I then addressed all that were standing around and sitting at the bus stop and said with a LOUD voice, "SOME DON'T THINK I HAVE ENOUGH PASSION! WELL RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO PREACH TO YOU ALL WITH SOME PASSION!!!" I then slammed my Bible onto the ground (that got their attention) and set my face like a flint to lift up my voice, cry aloud and show this people their sin. I then cried out against the obvious sins of drunkenness, drug use, fornication, and rebuked them all for their hard hearts and deaf ears as the gospel is preached week after week. At this point I took all the tracts out of my pocket and let them fly into the air as I expressed the woe to those who have recieved possibly hundreds of gospel tracts week after week. "IS THIS ENOUGH PASSION!? FOLKS LET'S GET REAL. SOME THINK THAT I AM TALKING TO YOU LIKE ANIMALS, WELL LOOK AT YOUR LIFE, SOME OF YOU LIVE LIKE ANIMALS WITH THE WAY YOU SLEEP AROUND AND PROSTITUTE YOURSELVES... DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED, YOU'LL REAP EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SOWN. NOW LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THIS PREACHER. GOD HAS COMMANDED EVERYONE TO REPENT BECAUSE HE HAS APPOINTED A DAY IN WHICH HE WILL JUDGE THE WHOLE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS BY JESUS CHRIST. MY QUESTION STILL STANDS, WHAT SIN CAN'T YOU STOP DOING? GIVE IT UP!"
I continued preaching on sin, judgement, and the wisdom of God's requirements. I proclaimed that salvation was conditional, Jesus set up conditions if you were to come to him. Repentance, denying yourself and taking up your cross, not looking back after putting your hand to the plow, being born again... Nearly in tears, I then preached the cross and Christ crucified and opened up on the grace offered to those who will repent and turn to Him. I then spoke more on the new birth and the new life that comes from being in Christ.
(Here's a short break for ya to catch your breath)
My throat was pretty burned by the time I finished. I remember a few other regular street preachers got together with the rest of my group and was praying for me when I got started. At this point the buses came and most people had left, but not without having some solid gospel truth burned into their soul. I then picked up all the tracts that were on the ground along with my Bible.
While the first guy who had told me that I didn't have passion had left by now, and the girl who didn't like my method was no longer there, I was thankful for that prod and provocation that lit a fire within me.
After this, John Bullen preached and did an amazing thing I had never seen. He had a new testament and held it up and asked if anyone wanted it, anyone. Anyone? One guy said, "Ya, I'd like that".
John then told him to turn to page 70. In it was a crisp 5 dollar bill. He then did a great job springboarding off of that into the gospel.
Later, I preached again and was able to stir up some really good hecklers by simply engaging a group of youth passing by. I asked what they though about what was going on. I then preached to them as quite a few were now paying attention. Then, a guy started heckling me and yelling at me and getting in my face telling me the only one sinning was me. I thought he was about to hit me. I told them that I was telling them all the gospel truth because I love you and I care about you. The crowd could clearly see my motive and concern and began to turn on the heckler. The heckler then claimed to be Christian and said that every guy looks at women with lust all the time, every day. I said to speak for yourself. He then shouted, "Even my pastor said that!"
I then responded that, "Well then not only you, but your pastor needs to repent!" He became very angry and then began swearing and cursing. I called him out and revealed that there was a sewer in his heart and for that reason there was a potty in his mouth. I told him he needed a new heart.
At this point the crowd was pretty big. I hadn't seen anything like this on the streets of Syracuse in a while. Actually, not since Jesse was here a week ago. Those were some really good street meetings as well. I really felt like there was a breakthrough here on the streets of Syracuse in a way I don't recall ever seeing. Even though so many have heard the gospel here, aparantly not too many understand that your life will actually change and you will live in holiness, not hellishness.
There was lots of seed sown and people heard the uncompromising truth tonight. Glory to God!
Sorry I typed so much, I haven't posted a battle report in a long time and I just decided to get into a little more detail. I really wish I would have recorded all of this to audio.
Guns still blazing,
Miles