Post by messengermicah on Feb 11, 2009 2:12:08 GMT -5
Monday January 12, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: Since we had only been able to preach two days on this campus the previous week and had very good meetings I believed the Lord desired us to continue preaching on this campus.
JOINING FORCES
I had not preached on this campus last year as much as some of the other Florida campuses partly because other preachers had preached here regularly. This week I knew the Venyah’s “Soul-winners” ministry was planning on preaching there also. They usually have three preachers in their group (Michael, Tamika-his wife, and Brother Chris), but they sometimes have new preachers joining them.
Even though it is more fun to preach with others, I usually prefer to preach alone because there are so few of us preachers yet so many campuses to preach at. I tried to contact the Venyah’s several times over the weekend to let them know we would be joining them out of consideration but was not able to get in touch with them.
MEETING OTHER PREACHERS
Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:40 AM. The weather was in the high 50’s to low 60’s. As I passed the free speech area to head to the restroom, I spotted a man who seemed to be in his fifties holding a preaching banner. I asked him if he was with the Venyah’s and he said he was and told me the Venyah’s were still on their way from their previous location.
After I used the restroom I asked him if he wanted to start the preaching and he said he would but on the way over to the free speech area he began talking to a small group of students.
Since he was involved in a conversation, I began preaching in front of Cooper Hall at 11:55 AM during the class break. I soon gathered a small crowd that gradually grew to about 150-175. The Venyah’s (Michael, Tamika, Paul, Anna, and Brother Chris) showed up around 12:30 PM. I continued preaching until 1:10 PM and turned the crowd over to the Venyah’s. At this time the crowd was around 100-125.
Brother Michael called on the man holding the banner I had met earlier who I learned was Brother Pruitt. As Brother Pruitt preached I talked inside the hallway of Cooper Hall with several students one of which was a muslim.
Brother Pruitt preached for some time and I was able to greet the Venyah’s and Brother Chris. I also met Brother Pruitt’s wife (Sister Pruitt).
After Brother Pruitt preached, he turned the preaching over to Brother Chris. On the sidelines I talked some with Brother Michael and several students and one who was concerned he had committed the unpardonable sin.
Brother Chris finished preaching around 2:50 PM and Brother Michael asked me to preach again. I began preaching to the somewhat rowdy crowd of about 30-50 around 2:50 PM. It seemed the crowd grew to about 70-80 during this time and I continued preaching until around 4:10 PM.
Brother Michael took over preaching and preached until around 4:30 PM. That evening after leaving campus we met and fellowshipped with the Venyah’s, Brother Chris, and the Pruitt’s at the Venyah’s.
Tuesday January 13, 2008-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: It was forecast to rain today but driving to campus the weather seemed to be great. Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus and I began preaching around 11:45 AM. I soon began to gather a crowd that quickly grew. The crowd continued growing to about 225-275 and then around 12:30 PM it began to rain.
COLD, RAIN AND DRIZZLE
Most of the crowd left but around 30-40 stayed. I continued preaching in the rain and drizzle until around 1:00 PM.
Brother Michael preached through the rain from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and then turned the preaching over to Brother Chris. The weather had become very cold and it was even colder with the rain and most of us had gotten wet.
When Brother Chris took over most of the remaining crowd left and soon they all left. There were students gathered under Cooper Hall listening and Brother Chris continued preaching for about 40 minutes.
Brother Pruitt preached a few minutes after Brother Chris and then we called it a day for the preaching.
A SOLEMN WARNING TO A LESBIAN
Brother Michael had commented to me about one lesbian in the crowd who seemed to be somewhat open and receptive to the preaching. A few minutes later as we were walking away she came to talk to us. Brother Michael gently but firmly preached, reasoned, rebuked, explained, warned and hammered her from the scriptures for about 25 minutes while her friends looked on. After such a strong, clear presentation of truth, I feared if the girl did not heed she may grieve away the Spirit of God and be lost forever.
Wednesday January 14, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:30 AM. It was a cool, clear day. I began preaching around 11:40 AM.
I gathered a small crowd that continued to grow. While I was preaching the Venyah’s and Brother Chris showed up. Later Brother Larry from the Tampa Bible Believers also showed up with a banner.
HAMMERING THE CROWDS WITH THE WORD OF GOD
The crowd size gradually grew to about 200-225. The crowds all week had been rowdy and hardened. During my times of preaching, I was mostly hammering the crowds with hard preaching against sin, repentance, holiness, hell, etc. I was not getting much question and answer sessions of teaching and expounding the Word of God. I turned the crowd over to Brother Michael around 12:50 PM.
Sadly, while I was preaching the lesbian Brother Michael had given such a lengthy, comprehensive and compassionate warning to turn from her sin openly and flagrantly kissed another lesbian to the delight of the crowd.
I noticed Brother Michael’s preaching was similar to mine in that he was mostly hammering the crowds with preaching against sin, repentance, holiness, hell, etc.
I held a banner and talked to students on the sidelines while Brother Michael preached to the rowdy crowds. Sometime after Brother Michael finished preaching I took a walk with several students who wanted to talk to me. As I walked with the students, I ran into Brother Michael pushing his children in the stroller.
AN INVERVIEW AND THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
One of the students who were talking to me was the student from Monday who had been concerned about committing the unpardonable sin. As we met with Brother Michael the student concerned about the unpardonable sin began to talk to Brother Michael and another student asked to interview me.
As Michael walked on with the student concerned about the unpardonable sin I did the interview with the other student. I think it was for some personal project of his. On the way back from the interview, I ran into Brother Michael again and we talked and fellowshipped some and then walked back to the preaching area.
BROTHER LARRY AND SISTER TAMIKA
When we got back to the preaching area Brother Larry was preaching to a crowd of about 20-30 and doing an excellent job of answering questions and defending the Bible.
Brother Larry stopped preaching around 3:40 PM and Sister Tamika took over the preaching. She built the crowd up to about 50-60 and did an excellent job of handling the crowd, silencing the hecklers, answering their questions, and preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and watching her. She stopped preaching around 4:15 PM and we all prepared to depart from the campus.
A STUDENT UNDER CONVICTION
As we were leaving a young man came up to me and told me how Brother Larry’s preaching had really gotten through to him. He mentioned something to me about how Larry said the same things I did but it just really connected with him. It seemed to me at first he was just another student trying to criticize strong repentance, holiness, hell fire preaching but then the student shook my hand and seemed to be lost for words. He began to break up and cry as he continued to grip and squeeze my hand and then just walked away. Praise the Lord! I have learned students behave in strange ways when they are under conviction!
That evening we spent some time excellent time fellowshipping at the Venyah’s and Brother Larry’s.
Thursday January 15, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: It was another cool and clear day. I arrived on campus around 11:40 AM and was getting ready to begin preaching when I heard Brother Pruitt preaching as he came down the sidewalk. I had started the meetings each day, so I asked him if he wanted to begin.
He started preaching around 11:45 AM and gathered a group of 15-20 listeners. While he was preaching Sister Tamika and Brother Chris showed up with the children. Sister Tamika told me Brother Michael sent his regards but would not be showing up on campus today. He was staying home to pray and seek the Lord.
Brother Pruitt turned the preaching over to me around 12:25 PM. I had made the comment to the Venyah’s the night before that it seemed we were close to getting a breakthrough on this campus. By this I meant where the students stop their heckling, mocking, raging, opposing, etc. and begin to open up to the preaching and ask sincere intelligent questions.
INCREASING OPPOSITION
I am sure many of the students were beginning to listen intently and become concerned about their souls but the majority of the campus still “opposed themselves and blasphemed” (Acts 18:45) and were “contradicting and blaspheming” (Acts 13:45). This has always been a harder campus for me to experience a breakthrough on due in part to the strongholds of homosexuality, islam, atheism, wiccan, etc.
By God’s grace, I preached as hard and fast as I could reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Timothy 4:2). The crowd size gradually grew to about 175-200. I turned the rowdy crowd over to Brother Chris around 1:40 PM.
STUDENTS ACCEPT RACISM TO DEFEND SIN
As Brother Chris began preaching the crowd size increased to about 200-225 and then gradually began to decrease. Surprisingly one heckler who was in my face last week and last year came in Brother Chris face and called him the “N-----!” word and also told him to hang him from the tree.
Even though there were some black students in the crowd this did not seem to offend them as their love of sin and hatred of God was greater than their love of skin color and feigned hatred of racism.
Soon the crowd size began to gradually decrease. Around 2:15 PM Brother Chris turned the angry crowd of 30-40 back over to me. I tried to have a question and answer session but soon the students became angry and began to move in close around me. I preached as hard and fast as God enabled me reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine.
HYPOCRITES AND PAGANS JOIN FORCES AGAINST PREACHERS
A hypocrite and pagan were holding a sign together about coexisting while the hypocrite heckled and told the rebellious God mocking, God hating students how God loves them just as they were while the crowd cheered. I preached about how God said come out from among them and be ye separate (2 Corinthians 6:17), have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11), and a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).
After 45 minutes of preaching and rebuking the crowd size grew to around 70 and continued to close in around me. I decided to leave them in their sins and walked through the crowd to the other side of the sidewalk where our group of Sister Elizabeth, Brother Chris, Sister Tamika, the Pruitts and Brother Aaron from our home church were setup.
As I crossed to the other side the crowd backed off and stayed behind the chain. They seemed to settle down some when they thought I was going to leave. The crowd size increased to near 100 and I continued preaching for another 15 minutes. At 3:15 PM I decided to stop the preaching.
DEBATING CAMPUS MINISTRY LEADER AND LOCAL PASTOR
The pastor who claimed to be a 4-point Calvinist had showed up again and came over to talk to me. By now the hecklers had left and a small attentive group gathered around us. We debated again several issues from the Bible and the crowd size increased to around 25-30. We agreed to have a formal debate in the future. Around 4:15 PM we ended the discussion and began to head home.
JOINING FORCES
I had not preached on this campus last year as much as some of the other Florida campuses partly because other preachers had preached here regularly. This week I knew the Venyah’s “Soul-winners” ministry was planning on preaching there also. They usually have three preachers in their group (Michael, Tamika-his wife, and Brother Chris), but they sometimes have new preachers joining them.
Even though it is more fun to preach with others, I usually prefer to preach alone because there are so few of us preachers yet so many campuses to preach at. I tried to contact the Venyah’s several times over the weekend to let them know we would be joining them out of consideration but was not able to get in touch with them.
MEETING OTHER PREACHERS
Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:40 AM. The weather was in the high 50’s to low 60’s. As I passed the free speech area to head to the restroom, I spotted a man who seemed to be in his fifties holding a preaching banner. I asked him if he was with the Venyah’s and he said he was and told me the Venyah’s were still on their way from their previous location.
After I used the restroom I asked him if he wanted to start the preaching and he said he would but on the way over to the free speech area he began talking to a small group of students.
Since he was involved in a conversation, I began preaching in front of Cooper Hall at 11:55 AM during the class break. I soon gathered a small crowd that gradually grew to about 150-175. The Venyah’s (Michael, Tamika, Paul, Anna, and Brother Chris) showed up around 12:30 PM. I continued preaching until 1:10 PM and turned the crowd over to the Venyah’s. At this time the crowd was around 100-125.
Brother Michael called on the man holding the banner I had met earlier who I learned was Brother Pruitt. As Brother Pruitt preached I talked inside the hallway of Cooper Hall with several students one of which was a muslim.
Brother Pruitt preached for some time and I was able to greet the Venyah’s and Brother Chris. I also met Brother Pruitt’s wife (Sister Pruitt).
After Brother Pruitt preached, he turned the preaching over to Brother Chris. On the sidelines I talked some with Brother Michael and several students and one who was concerned he had committed the unpardonable sin.
Brother Chris finished preaching around 2:50 PM and Brother Michael asked me to preach again. I began preaching to the somewhat rowdy crowd of about 30-50 around 2:50 PM. It seemed the crowd grew to about 70-80 during this time and I continued preaching until around 4:10 PM.
Brother Michael took over preaching and preached until around 4:30 PM. That evening after leaving campus we met and fellowshipped with the Venyah’s, Brother Chris, and the Pruitt’s at the Venyah’s.
Tuesday January 13, 2008-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: It was forecast to rain today but driving to campus the weather seemed to be great. Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus and I began preaching around 11:45 AM. I soon began to gather a crowd that quickly grew. The crowd continued growing to about 225-275 and then around 12:30 PM it began to rain.
COLD, RAIN AND DRIZZLE
Most of the crowd left but around 30-40 stayed. I continued preaching in the rain and drizzle until around 1:00 PM.
Brother Michael preached through the rain from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and then turned the preaching over to Brother Chris. The weather had become very cold and it was even colder with the rain and most of us had gotten wet.
When Brother Chris took over most of the remaining crowd left and soon they all left. There were students gathered under Cooper Hall listening and Brother Chris continued preaching for about 40 minutes.
Brother Pruitt preached a few minutes after Brother Chris and then we called it a day for the preaching.
A SOLEMN WARNING TO A LESBIAN
Brother Michael had commented to me about one lesbian in the crowd who seemed to be somewhat open and receptive to the preaching. A few minutes later as we were walking away she came to talk to us. Brother Michael gently but firmly preached, reasoned, rebuked, explained, warned and hammered her from the scriptures for about 25 minutes while her friends looked on. After such a strong, clear presentation of truth, I feared if the girl did not heed she may grieve away the Spirit of God and be lost forever.
Wednesday January 14, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:30 AM. It was a cool, clear day. I began preaching around 11:40 AM.
I gathered a small crowd that continued to grow. While I was preaching the Venyah’s and Brother Chris showed up. Later Brother Larry from the Tampa Bible Believers also showed up with a banner.
HAMMERING THE CROWDS WITH THE WORD OF GOD
The crowd size gradually grew to about 200-225. The crowds all week had been rowdy and hardened. During my times of preaching, I was mostly hammering the crowds with hard preaching against sin, repentance, holiness, hell, etc. I was not getting much question and answer sessions of teaching and expounding the Word of God. I turned the crowd over to Brother Michael around 12:50 PM.
Sadly, while I was preaching the lesbian Brother Michael had given such a lengthy, comprehensive and compassionate warning to turn from her sin openly and flagrantly kissed another lesbian to the delight of the crowd.
I noticed Brother Michael’s preaching was similar to mine in that he was mostly hammering the crowds with preaching against sin, repentance, holiness, hell, etc.
I held a banner and talked to students on the sidelines while Brother Michael preached to the rowdy crowds. Sometime after Brother Michael finished preaching I took a walk with several students who wanted to talk to me. As I walked with the students, I ran into Brother Michael pushing his children in the stroller.
AN INVERVIEW AND THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
One of the students who were talking to me was the student from Monday who had been concerned about committing the unpardonable sin. As we met with Brother Michael the student concerned about the unpardonable sin began to talk to Brother Michael and another student asked to interview me.
As Michael walked on with the student concerned about the unpardonable sin I did the interview with the other student. I think it was for some personal project of his. On the way back from the interview, I ran into Brother Michael again and we talked and fellowshipped some and then walked back to the preaching area.
BROTHER LARRY AND SISTER TAMIKA
When we got back to the preaching area Brother Larry was preaching to a crowd of about 20-30 and doing an excellent job of answering questions and defending the Bible.
Brother Larry stopped preaching around 3:40 PM and Sister Tamika took over the preaching. She built the crowd up to about 50-60 and did an excellent job of handling the crowd, silencing the hecklers, answering their questions, and preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and watching her. She stopped preaching around 4:15 PM and we all prepared to depart from the campus.
A STUDENT UNDER CONVICTION
As we were leaving a young man came up to me and told me how Brother Larry’s preaching had really gotten through to him. He mentioned something to me about how Larry said the same things I did but it just really connected with him. It seemed to me at first he was just another student trying to criticize strong repentance, holiness, hell fire preaching but then the student shook my hand and seemed to be lost for words. He began to break up and cry as he continued to grip and squeeze my hand and then just walked away. Praise the Lord! I have learned students behave in strange ways when they are under conviction!
That evening we spent some time excellent time fellowshipping at the Venyah’s and Brother Larry’s.
Thursday January 15, 2009-University of South Florida-Tampa, Florida: It was another cool and clear day. I arrived on campus around 11:40 AM and was getting ready to begin preaching when I heard Brother Pruitt preaching as he came down the sidewalk. I had started the meetings each day, so I asked him if he wanted to begin.
He started preaching around 11:45 AM and gathered a group of 15-20 listeners. While he was preaching Sister Tamika and Brother Chris showed up with the children. Sister Tamika told me Brother Michael sent his regards but would not be showing up on campus today. He was staying home to pray and seek the Lord.
Brother Pruitt turned the preaching over to me around 12:25 PM. I had made the comment to the Venyah’s the night before that it seemed we were close to getting a breakthrough on this campus. By this I meant where the students stop their heckling, mocking, raging, opposing, etc. and begin to open up to the preaching and ask sincere intelligent questions.
INCREASING OPPOSITION
I am sure many of the students were beginning to listen intently and become concerned about their souls but the majority of the campus still “opposed themselves and blasphemed” (Acts 18:45) and were “contradicting and blaspheming” (Acts 13:45). This has always been a harder campus for me to experience a breakthrough on due in part to the strongholds of homosexuality, islam, atheism, wiccan, etc.
By God’s grace, I preached as hard and fast as I could reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Timothy 4:2). The crowd size gradually grew to about 175-200. I turned the rowdy crowd over to Brother Chris around 1:40 PM.
STUDENTS ACCEPT RACISM TO DEFEND SIN
As Brother Chris began preaching the crowd size increased to about 200-225 and then gradually began to decrease. Surprisingly one heckler who was in my face last week and last year came in Brother Chris face and called him the “N-----!” word and also told him to hang him from the tree.
Even though there were some black students in the crowd this did not seem to offend them as their love of sin and hatred of God was greater than their love of skin color and feigned hatred of racism.
Soon the crowd size began to gradually decrease. Around 2:15 PM Brother Chris turned the angry crowd of 30-40 back over to me. I tried to have a question and answer session but soon the students became angry and began to move in close around me. I preached as hard and fast as God enabled me reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine.
HYPOCRITES AND PAGANS JOIN FORCES AGAINST PREACHERS
A hypocrite and pagan were holding a sign together about coexisting while the hypocrite heckled and told the rebellious God mocking, God hating students how God loves them just as they were while the crowd cheered. I preached about how God said come out from among them and be ye separate (2 Corinthians 6:17), have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11), and a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).
After 45 minutes of preaching and rebuking the crowd size grew to around 70 and continued to close in around me. I decided to leave them in their sins and walked through the crowd to the other side of the sidewalk where our group of Sister Elizabeth, Brother Chris, Sister Tamika, the Pruitts and Brother Aaron from our home church were setup.
As I crossed to the other side the crowd backed off and stayed behind the chain. They seemed to settle down some when they thought I was going to leave. The crowd size increased to near 100 and I continued preaching for another 15 minutes. At 3:15 PM I decided to stop the preaching.
DEBATING CAMPUS MINISTRY LEADER AND LOCAL PASTOR
The pastor who claimed to be a 4-point Calvinist had showed up again and came over to talk to me. By now the hecklers had left and a small attentive group gathered around us. We debated again several issues from the Bible and the crowd size increased to around 25-30. We agreed to have a formal debate in the future. Around 4:15 PM we ended the discussion and began to head home.