Post by Jeffrey Olver on May 14, 2009 18:33:07 GMT -5
Some Street Preachers & Their Secret Weapon
Tyler, Texas 05/09/2009
Commuter Ministry
The team gathered again at around 7pm to hit the busiest intersection of town for some Commuter Ministry. Traffic would normally be slow this time of day during the weekend, but this time of year there is a lot of graduation ceremonies; rush hour was a little longer. We took our post on a public grassy area nearby an On the Border Mexican restaurant and held our banners high. The reaction was about the same as before; thumbs ups or looks of shock and occasionally a middle finger.
Near the end of our commuter ministry time, a white bearded gentleman approached us from the parking lot of the restaurant. Smiling, he referenced our banners as he asked “So, does this mean ‘repent?’” He was wearing a t-shirt which read on the front, “You think you’ve got problems?” and on the back it read “No, you just don’t have faith in God.” He told us he saw what we were doing and his heart leaped and he wanted to stop and encourage us. He shared that he had done street preaching in Brooklyn, New York and was well acquainted with David Wilkerson’s Times Square Church as well.
Public evangelism can be discouraging sometimes. There are typically no emotional mass altar calls. You are sharing with people who have not been invited into a church setting, but rather you have invited yourself into the public arena and their routine, to preach. When you confront sin and attempt to paint a picture of God’s justice and wrath, the cross and His mercy, the reaction is usually not very pretty. Why? The reason being you’re trying to reach people who don’t agree with you. If the people began shouting hallelujahs and amen, then you’re in the wrong place if you’re trying to reach the lost! So, when a Christian wants to share genuine encouragement, it is very refreshing!
We wrapped up around 8 and headed back to my apartment. After putting Evelyn down to bed and talking a little about theology we headed out around 9.
Broken bottles
The owner of Where’s Rufus, in an effort to attract more customers, gave us mention on his lighted marquis. “Come check out our protesters – Saturday Night!” We drove by, but it was still too early and there was nobody around that establishment. So, we headed to the Electric Cowboy and preached for a short while. A police officer employed to keep the peace outside the club confirmed for us that the owner of the club did in fact own the entire plaza. However, the officer was kind enough to inform us just what exactly city property was for future reference. According to ordinance, anywhere with a sewer grate or manhole cover is considered public property and usually a small bit of ground surrounding it as well. This is great news as it opens up some places for us to minister in around Tyler.
By this time we figured it would be appropriate to go preach at Where’s Rufus. Before doing so, we swung by the Down Under night club to do some drive-by evangelism. Their patio was packed and Jesse held a small sign reading “Repent and trust Jesus” and preached short and to the point. As we were pulling away from the patio a man rushed up and grabbed the car demanding we stop, and tried to yank the sign out of Jesse’s hands, even though it was IN the car! I slowed, but kept driving. Another man stood in front of the car so I couldn’t go forward. The man who grabbed the car said he was the general manager of the club and claimed to be a Christian – remember; he previously attempted to steal Jesse’s sign! I sounded the horn at the man standing in front of my car, and he walked to side and began to tell Jesse how he was a Christian, pointing out the cross he wore around his neck, with the same mouth cursing at him. In the driver’s seat it was hard to hear exactly what was being said. At this point, someone threw a bottle which shattered on the ground just before the car and the revelers outside were working themselves into a frenzy. It was time to go. As we drove off we rebuked the hypocrisy strongly. The club owns the parking lot and plaza at this place too, but there is surrounding property on which I think we may attempt to open some ministry toward this club. Please pray for us as this club has been confirmed to be a dangerous place. An officer who had worked there to keep the peace during their operating hours said he was required to wear a Kevlar vest, and the atmosphere is generally very tense.
Ambassadors for Christ!
Some people would say this is a good reason to avoid doing ministry at a place like this. I say it is merely an occasion to exercise wisdom when doing ministry. If such a place is causing such a violent atmosphere, it is a stronghold that should be attacked! How could such a haven to encourage all sorts of lasciviousness be allowed to stand unopposed in this city? If we as Christians avoid doing ministry because it is “dangerous,” uncomfortable, unpopular, unlovely, difficult and doesn’t look good on a resume then we avoid amazing opportunities to share the Gospel. (The Gospel light shines all the more brightly the darker the area!) This applies to the place and method as well! One may like to hand out tracts in the park in broad day light with little kids running around, but it’s not too easy near a movie theater on a Friday night with an opening movie. One may like to serve in soup kitchens close to the holidays and steer clear of tracts like they’re dirty syringes. One may open air preach, but find it uncomfortable to volunteer in a hospice should the opportunity present itself. We must be willing to step out confidently and purposed into whatever form of ministry we can pursue.
The frontlines of evangelism contrast strongly against today’s “friendship evangelism” approach. There is nothing wrong with forming relationships and winning souls through the everyday influence on their lives in the spheres of family, work, school and leisure. But when it comes to the Gospel, the proverbial lines must be drawn. A sinner is not an innocent victim, not a bystander tragically caught up in a tornado of sin as it blew by. A sinner is not a helpless automaton in who sin is hardwired and he must do it as part of his programming. A sinner is a treacherous rebel who has willingly seized his will from the hands of his King and is using it for self and self alone – inflicting pain, assaulting that which stands for good, usurping God’s rightful place with malicious intent – all by his own choice.
Oh yes, we often do see the consequences of these conscious actions played out in a person’s life leading to misery, emotional turmoil, pain, sickness, addiction, confusion, receiving attacks upon himself as a result of his selfishness affecting everyone from his family and friends to his employers and perhaps even strangers. This is when we usually point out that a sinner is “hurt,” or “lost.” We are nonetheless required to show them compassion! Compassion because they have been made in the image of God and their rebellion had made them lost – lost meaning until the turn, they are lost unto destruction. They aren’t lost like a dumb sheep who couldn’t figure out which way was right or left, but lost as in the despairing lament “all is lost!”
But all is NOT lost! Hallelujah! We have glorious Savior who came to seek and save that which is lost!
All that to say… there comes point, even in the nicest and most genial of friendships where we must more forthrightly serve as an ambassador of God’s Kingdom. The service is laid aside, the plesantries and forgotten, and with Christ-like compassion, and the authority of Heaven, we must plead with our ‘friend;’ “Be reconciled unto God!” Lay down your arms. Surrender.
That being said – if we took the time to “form relationships” with everyone before finally laying out the Gospel’s call to repentance and faith in Jesus, we’d never get anything done! “There is a time and a place,” I know. But life is so short! Your life, the life of the one you witness to, will be gone in the next breath!
Public Recognition
After leaving the Down Under club, we parked and readied ourselves for ministry at Where’s Rufus. For the past several Saturdays, the owner of the club has turned the sprinklers on us when he’s had enough. The spray forces us to stand pretty far back, almost on the curb of the busy street. Tonight we came prepared!
Jesse and I wore sandwich boards while Joel armed himself with his banner. When we took our post, there was already a crowd of partiers expecting us. I recognized many individuals from every night we had done ministry before – up to five weeks ago! The response was immediate and typical. We addressed the issues of drunkenness, lust and immodesty. We hit hypocrisy very hard as it is very prevalent in our Bible belt town.
I rebuked a man who had seen us preaching several times. He claimed to know God and then proceeded to curse and be obscenely profane in his speech. Some men, in an effort to mock us, even pretended to “hump” each other, including this man.
All this comes out in different ways when you confront sin. It doesn’t matter if it’s in one-on-one conversation with a lost friend, or a public rebuke in the open air. Once you take the lid of that well polished, lovingly cared for, unassuming trashcan… the filth and stench and all the rottenness of their heart and mind comes roiling out.
All this self inflicted corruption and rebellion hoarded away in the heart of men and all we want to do is make friends first! This should not be all we are doing, Church!
Our Secret Weapon
Eventually, the owner did come out and flip the sprinklers on! When they began to spray, we revealed our secret weapon! Joel, Jesse and I were each armed with an umbrella! They crowd cheered when the sprinklers turned on, and roared with laughter when they saw our shields against the water! I’m sure mine was a big hit: it was bright blue dotted with small yellow smiley faces! This gave us the ability to stay within earshot of the patrons of the bar without getting drenched. Some guys even tried to wrench the sprinkler heads with their hands so we might get a full jet, but they were no match for our trusty umbrellas!
After another hour or so, we folded up our umbrellas and headed for home.
Tyler, Texas 05/09/2009
Commuter Ministry
The team gathered again at around 7pm to hit the busiest intersection of town for some Commuter Ministry. Traffic would normally be slow this time of day during the weekend, but this time of year there is a lot of graduation ceremonies; rush hour was a little longer. We took our post on a public grassy area nearby an On the Border Mexican restaurant and held our banners high. The reaction was about the same as before; thumbs ups or looks of shock and occasionally a middle finger.
Near the end of our commuter ministry time, a white bearded gentleman approached us from the parking lot of the restaurant. Smiling, he referenced our banners as he asked “So, does this mean ‘repent?’” He was wearing a t-shirt which read on the front, “You think you’ve got problems?” and on the back it read “No, you just don’t have faith in God.” He told us he saw what we were doing and his heart leaped and he wanted to stop and encourage us. He shared that he had done street preaching in Brooklyn, New York and was well acquainted with David Wilkerson’s Times Square Church as well.
Public evangelism can be discouraging sometimes. There are typically no emotional mass altar calls. You are sharing with people who have not been invited into a church setting, but rather you have invited yourself into the public arena and their routine, to preach. When you confront sin and attempt to paint a picture of God’s justice and wrath, the cross and His mercy, the reaction is usually not very pretty. Why? The reason being you’re trying to reach people who don’t agree with you. If the people began shouting hallelujahs and amen, then you’re in the wrong place if you’re trying to reach the lost! So, when a Christian wants to share genuine encouragement, it is very refreshing!
We wrapped up around 8 and headed back to my apartment. After putting Evelyn down to bed and talking a little about theology we headed out around 9.
Broken bottles
The owner of Where’s Rufus, in an effort to attract more customers, gave us mention on his lighted marquis. “Come check out our protesters – Saturday Night!” We drove by, but it was still too early and there was nobody around that establishment. So, we headed to the Electric Cowboy and preached for a short while. A police officer employed to keep the peace outside the club confirmed for us that the owner of the club did in fact own the entire plaza. However, the officer was kind enough to inform us just what exactly city property was for future reference. According to ordinance, anywhere with a sewer grate or manhole cover is considered public property and usually a small bit of ground surrounding it as well. This is great news as it opens up some places for us to minister in around Tyler.
By this time we figured it would be appropriate to go preach at Where’s Rufus. Before doing so, we swung by the Down Under night club to do some drive-by evangelism. Their patio was packed and Jesse held a small sign reading “Repent and trust Jesus” and preached short and to the point. As we were pulling away from the patio a man rushed up and grabbed the car demanding we stop, and tried to yank the sign out of Jesse’s hands, even though it was IN the car! I slowed, but kept driving. Another man stood in front of the car so I couldn’t go forward. The man who grabbed the car said he was the general manager of the club and claimed to be a Christian – remember; he previously attempted to steal Jesse’s sign! I sounded the horn at the man standing in front of my car, and he walked to side and began to tell Jesse how he was a Christian, pointing out the cross he wore around his neck, with the same mouth cursing at him. In the driver’s seat it was hard to hear exactly what was being said. At this point, someone threw a bottle which shattered on the ground just before the car and the revelers outside were working themselves into a frenzy. It was time to go. As we drove off we rebuked the hypocrisy strongly. The club owns the parking lot and plaza at this place too, but there is surrounding property on which I think we may attempt to open some ministry toward this club. Please pray for us as this club has been confirmed to be a dangerous place. An officer who had worked there to keep the peace during their operating hours said he was required to wear a Kevlar vest, and the atmosphere is generally very tense.
Ambassadors for Christ!
Some people would say this is a good reason to avoid doing ministry at a place like this. I say it is merely an occasion to exercise wisdom when doing ministry. If such a place is causing such a violent atmosphere, it is a stronghold that should be attacked! How could such a haven to encourage all sorts of lasciviousness be allowed to stand unopposed in this city? If we as Christians avoid doing ministry because it is “dangerous,” uncomfortable, unpopular, unlovely, difficult and doesn’t look good on a resume then we avoid amazing opportunities to share the Gospel. (The Gospel light shines all the more brightly the darker the area!) This applies to the place and method as well! One may like to hand out tracts in the park in broad day light with little kids running around, but it’s not too easy near a movie theater on a Friday night with an opening movie. One may like to serve in soup kitchens close to the holidays and steer clear of tracts like they’re dirty syringes. One may open air preach, but find it uncomfortable to volunteer in a hospice should the opportunity present itself. We must be willing to step out confidently and purposed into whatever form of ministry we can pursue.
The frontlines of evangelism contrast strongly against today’s “friendship evangelism” approach. There is nothing wrong with forming relationships and winning souls through the everyday influence on their lives in the spheres of family, work, school and leisure. But when it comes to the Gospel, the proverbial lines must be drawn. A sinner is not an innocent victim, not a bystander tragically caught up in a tornado of sin as it blew by. A sinner is not a helpless automaton in who sin is hardwired and he must do it as part of his programming. A sinner is a treacherous rebel who has willingly seized his will from the hands of his King and is using it for self and self alone – inflicting pain, assaulting that which stands for good, usurping God’s rightful place with malicious intent – all by his own choice.
Oh yes, we often do see the consequences of these conscious actions played out in a person’s life leading to misery, emotional turmoil, pain, sickness, addiction, confusion, receiving attacks upon himself as a result of his selfishness affecting everyone from his family and friends to his employers and perhaps even strangers. This is when we usually point out that a sinner is “hurt,” or “lost.” We are nonetheless required to show them compassion! Compassion because they have been made in the image of God and their rebellion had made them lost – lost meaning until the turn, they are lost unto destruction. They aren’t lost like a dumb sheep who couldn’t figure out which way was right or left, but lost as in the despairing lament “all is lost!”
But all is NOT lost! Hallelujah! We have glorious Savior who came to seek and save that which is lost!
All that to say… there comes point, even in the nicest and most genial of friendships where we must more forthrightly serve as an ambassador of God’s Kingdom. The service is laid aside, the plesantries and forgotten, and with Christ-like compassion, and the authority of Heaven, we must plead with our ‘friend;’ “Be reconciled unto God!” Lay down your arms. Surrender.
That being said – if we took the time to “form relationships” with everyone before finally laying out the Gospel’s call to repentance and faith in Jesus, we’d never get anything done! “There is a time and a place,” I know. But life is so short! Your life, the life of the one you witness to, will be gone in the next breath!
Public Recognition
After leaving the Down Under club, we parked and readied ourselves for ministry at Where’s Rufus. For the past several Saturdays, the owner of the club has turned the sprinklers on us when he’s had enough. The spray forces us to stand pretty far back, almost on the curb of the busy street. Tonight we came prepared!
Jesse and I wore sandwich boards while Joel armed himself with his banner. When we took our post, there was already a crowd of partiers expecting us. I recognized many individuals from every night we had done ministry before – up to five weeks ago! The response was immediate and typical. We addressed the issues of drunkenness, lust and immodesty. We hit hypocrisy very hard as it is very prevalent in our Bible belt town.
I rebuked a man who had seen us preaching several times. He claimed to know God and then proceeded to curse and be obscenely profane in his speech. Some men, in an effort to mock us, even pretended to “hump” each other, including this man.
All this comes out in different ways when you confront sin. It doesn’t matter if it’s in one-on-one conversation with a lost friend, or a public rebuke in the open air. Once you take the lid of that well polished, lovingly cared for, unassuming trashcan… the filth and stench and all the rottenness of their heart and mind comes roiling out.
All this self inflicted corruption and rebellion hoarded away in the heart of men and all we want to do is make friends first! This should not be all we are doing, Church!
Our Secret Weapon
Eventually, the owner did come out and flip the sprinklers on! When they began to spray, we revealed our secret weapon! Joel, Jesse and I were each armed with an umbrella! They crowd cheered when the sprinklers turned on, and roared with laughter when they saw our shields against the water! I’m sure mine was a big hit: it was bright blue dotted with small yellow smiley faces! This gave us the ability to stay within earshot of the patrons of the bar without getting drenched. Some guys even tried to wrench the sprinkler heads with their hands so we might get a full jet, but they were no match for our trusty umbrellas!
After another hour or so, we folded up our umbrellas and headed for home.