Post by messengermicah on Sept 16, 2008 17:42:56 GMT -5
Testimony: I received this from a gentleman who heard me preaching at the University of Virginia.
I had the pleasure of meeting Brother Micah this past week and it was quite a blessing. He preached the whole counsel of God unashamedly before a wide host of opposition.
When he took a break from ministering his hard and firm voice quickly shifted to that of a loving kindred spirit and his smile could have melted the hardest heart.
I had the opportunity to meet him and Sister Elizabeth and must say that it blessed my heart. The Lord encouraged me in so many ways through Brother Micah and I am truly encouraged to press on in my own ministry to advance the kingdom of God.
God's blessings to you all.
L.B.
Wednesday September 3, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:20 AM. It was a cloudless, hot day. We quickly located the large amphitheater and I began preaching around 11:50 AM.
There were already about 25 students sitting in the amphitheater when I began preaching. As I began preaching a few more sat down to listen. The crowd gradually grew to about 40-50.
It was a great day of preaching and answering questions. The students were very civil, respectful and thoughtful asking many good questions.
The amphitheater was a bad place to preach as far as shade went. It had none either for the preacher or the listeners. It was a great place to preach as far as acoustics though as speaking in a normal tone would cause my voice to reverberate all over the area. I preached effortlessly for over three hours.
For some time two students would follow me every step I made, stand in front of me and make vile comments to discourage the preaching. The crowd however, wanted to hear me and told the two clowns to leave me alone. The two clowns soon left-Praise God!
The crowd gradually grew to about 70-75 and I continued to have a great time of preaching and answering questions as the students listened intently and respectfully.
By 3:00 PM I was totally out of water and the heat was like a sauna inside the amphitheater with all that concrete, no shade and no breeze. I stopped preaching around 3:05 PM and announced my return the next day.
As I walked out of the amphitheater, a student came to tell me how much he appreciated the preaching and to continue the good work. He also bought me a bottle of Gatorade.
Another student who seemed to be sincere asked me several questions about method and doctrine. I talked with him until around 3:30 PM when he had to leave to class.
Sister Elizabeth and I left the campus around 3:30 PM.
That evening I preached in a local church from Isaiah 6:5-8 on “Threefold Vision” for about 50 minutes.
Thursday September 4, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:15 AM. It was every bit as hot as the day before with no clouds in the sky.
As I began preaching in the amphitheater there were about 15-25 students sitting around. I began preaching and soon a few more came around and began to ask questions. For some time it was like the day before but soon the crowd continued to increase to about 200-300. Even with that many students sitting and standing around, it did not seem like much because the amphitheater is so large.
As the crowd size increased the hecklers came out and the crowd was much more rowdy and unruly than the previous day. With all the heckling it was difficult for some time to do much preaching and many in the crowd left.
The crowd was now down to about 50-60 and I was doing some good preaching and answering questions when a student from the crowd who kept standing up and telling everyone not to listen to me and leave came out and began to make circles around me singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”.
I continued preaching as best I could while this went on. The crowd grew again to about 100-150. The heckler finally finished his song and the preaching was going well.
At 1:15 PM I saw an administrator and a police officer coming down the steps to talk to me. The administrator told me he was getting complaints of class being disturbed and I would have to leave for the day.
I informed him he was being recorded and told him I would gladly move to another location. He told me they did not have one at the time and so I asked him if this was public property why they did not have an area that allowed free speech. He asked if we could leave the amphitheater area and discuss this situation somewhere else and I agreed.
When we got to the top of the amphitheater and away from the students he told me I could preach in the brick area between the parking garage and the student union.
As I was walking over, one student approached me and told me how much he appreciated the preaching and wanted to buy me lunch later that day. Another man who worked for the school had heard the preaching the previous day told me how much he appreciated the preaching and offered to take us out to eat another time.
I sat down and talked with another student who seemed to be convicted of sin and wanted to know the solution. I talked to him for about 10 minutes and he said he needed to go to class.
I then began preaching in the brick area facing some stairs and a balcony area where the students could gather to listen in the shade. I began preaching around 1:50 PM and soon gathered a small crowd that continued to grow.
The crowd grew to about 150-175 and may have been larger because the employees from the student union cafeteria were outside listening on the balcony about 25 yards behind where I was preaching. I do not know why but they had 5 police officers on hand. A few students were rowdy and coming close to me but that was normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
I was going to stop preaching around 3:00 PM. Just after 3:00 PM, the chief of campus security asked if I could stop for the day because I was tying up all of their manpower. She was very polite and I complied. I was getting ready to stop for the day anyway. I announced to the crowd my plans to return on Monday.
Sister Elizabeth and I then had lunch with the student and his twin brother who had invited us. They both were very devout, studious Christians who greatly appreciated the preaching. As we ate we had a very edifying discussion on Biblical doctrine. At 4:00 PM they had a class to go to.
Sister Elizabeth and I then departed the campus.
Sunday September 7, 2008-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I attended local church services in Charlottesville. I preached in the evening service from Matthew 6:21-24 on “A Single Eye” for 50 minutes.
Monday September 8, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: It was another hot and sunny day but at least a few clouds were in the sky.
I decided to begin preaching in the amphitheater due to a large tent which was set up by the bookstore to sell posters of the entire “Holly weird” crowd and their dead music idols. If I preached near the fundraising tent, I figured they would complain and accuse me of interfering with their activity.
I began preaching in the amphitheater at 11:50 AM. Gradually the crowd built up to around 75-100. They were very civil, asked good questions and listened well.
Around 12:50 PM the director of student activities and dean of students came out again and told me he was getting complaints of classes being disturbed. I had been told by a Christian brother who works at the school who wholeheartedly supported the preaching that only one lady was complaining not because it was a disturbance to her class but because she did not want me there.
I asked the dean of students if it was just one complaint or many? I could tell from his response it was just as I suspected but he refused to answer. I agreed to move back to the other area even though they had the big tent poster sale$. He said to preach there anyhow.
I walked over to the brick area in front of the tent by the student union and began preaching at 12:55 PM. Several police officers were on hand to keep an eye on things. The crowd grew to about 150-170 with students lined up all over the balcony and sitting down on the steps. I preached hard, fast, loud and strong to the crowd and reproved, rebuked and exhorted with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Around 2:00 PM the crowd size had decreased to about 50-75. I continued to preach and answer questions, objections and arguments from the crowd until 3:05 PM.
I told the crowd I was returning tomorrow and would take a seat and answer questions if anyone had any. A handful of students followed me and we continued to reason and discuss the Bible and issues of morality until around 4:00 PM.
Several students on this campus seem to be under genuine Holy Ghost conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment.
That evening, a sincere brother took us out to dinner (see testimony above). We had a great time of fellowship.
Tuesday September 9, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: As I awoke this morning it seemed to be very overcast. Later that morning it began to rain some.
As it was time to depart for the campus it continued raining. Due to the rain I was not in a huge rush to get to the campus before noon.
I began preaching in the drizzle around 12:30 PM. For some time it was difficult to get anyone listening but soon a small crowd began to develop that continued to grow to about 50-80. I had my hat knocked off and was bumped several times.
Around 2:00 PM it seemed some of the employees began to blast loud music to drown me out. By this time it was still overcast but not raining. I informed the crowd I was relocating to the amphitheater.
As I began preaching, in the amphitheater around 2:00 PM a few students came to listen. The crowd continued to increase until there were around 300. However even a crowd of 300 does not look like much because of the massive size of the amphitheater.
Around 3:00 PM a woman walked up to me and asked me if I had reserved the area. I replied no. She told me I could not be there but I said the student union had loud music blasting. If she wanted me to move there she needed to go and control the music/ noise and make sure it was turned off.
I respectfully told her I was not moving unless the police asked me to. I continued preaching and I saw her and her supervisor (the guy who made me move the last two days) talking to the police officer.
A man in the crowd who I had gotten to know some informed me the school authorities had tried to get the police officer to make me move. The police officer said she had orders from her superior and was not sure of the validity of the complaints that I was disturbing classes. I interpreted this to mean that the campus police knew I had a right to preach in the amphitheater and the administrators were trying to appease one lone busybody who was trying to trample over the first amendment.
I continued preaching in the amphitheater to the large crowd until 4:00 PM. By the time 4:00 PM had come around the crowd had decreased to about 75-125.
It was a very effective time of preaching and answering questions. The students on this campus are somewhat more intelligent thinkers, better listeners and generally more civil than many other campuses.
As I left the amphitheater a small group of 10-15 students surrounded me bombarding me with all kinds of questions most of which tried to justify their rebellious lifestyle against God and make God seem unjust.
As the resident hypocrite, professing, “pukewarm” “Christianettes” gave me all of their unbiblical objections to the way I was preaching and how it was ineffective, a student who appeared to be of Asian descent had been listening to me refute the objections of the crowd.
Very honestly told me he had been guilty of everything I had been preaching against and wanted to know how to live a holy life. I turned my back to the hypocrites and hecklers and instructed this man for about 10 minutes on the necessity of the fear of the Lord and how it began with realizing his sin would cause a Holy and Just God to cast him into hell (Matthew 10:28, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 8:13).
I further instructed him on the process of Godly sorrow working repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10) and how salvation was preceded by repentance and repentance was preceded by godly sorrow. He must allow that process to work in him and yield to the convicting, searching dealings of the Holy Ghost (Revelation 2:23, Hebrews 4:12).
I then instructed him on the necessity of having faith in the promises of God to save him from all the power of sin (Matthew 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Jude 24, Acts 3:26).
He sincerely thanked me.
That evening Sister Elizabeth and I had dinner with a mature man who spent approximately 30 years on the campus trying to witness to students. He heckled me a lot during the day but was very civil at dinner. He seemed to be sincere in trying to please God.
Wednesday September 10, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Yesterday morning, I awoke and thought I was getting a sore throat. By the end of the day preaching my throat was very sore and that evening I had a slight fever.
I went to sleep early and woke up around 12:15 AM sweating and realized my fever had broken. I ate something and went to sleep.
Due to my fever and sore throat I slept later than normal. I felt, I needed the rest. I was very concerned I would not be able to preach today.
I had planned to arrive on campus and begin preaching around 11:45 AM, but did not arrive on campus until 12:15 PM. It was not as hot as it had been and was overcast.
I walked up to the preaching area and the man who bought us dinner the night before approached me. As we talked a few minutes, a long haired man with a ponytail and short pants on walked down into the amphitheater and began preaching.
I was disappointed because I had been laboring and preaching there all week and the students were expecting me. I decided to walk to the other area by the student union and try to preach there.
It was very loud and congested around the preaching area of the student union and I did not feel well. I tried to preach a few minutes and then saw our dear brother who bought us dinner a few nights earlier.
I walked over to where he was and greeted him. He told me the long haired, pony tail wearing preacher in the amphitheater told him “Brother Micah needs to get saved!”
I had never met this guy or talked to him, so I thought it strange he would say this. I decided to walk over to the amphitheater and ask him if we could share the area.
I sat down and listened to him for a few minutes and he was doing pretty good using the typical Ray Comfort law “formula”. Soon he went on and on about how salvation was totally a work of God and we played no part in salvation.
I asked him (anyone preaching on a campus or outdoors should be open to people asking questions and try to give an answer) if repentance was a condition of salvation and was repentance something God does for us or something we must do.
He ignored me at first but then began to attack me personally and misrepresent to the crowd what he thought I believed. At that point, I walked down into the amphitheater and set the record straight as far as what the Bible taught and what I actually believe versus what he assumed or heard from others I believed.
He proved to be very dishonest. The crowd began to grow to several hundred and soon the crowd was asking me all kinds of questions and ignoring him. He wisely moved to the side and sat down. I am sure he agreed with some things I said, but at times he would ask me questions and try to trap me.
He would fire about 8 questions in a row to me and if he said something I agreed with I would say “Yes”. Then he would tack on about three other things and tell everyone I agreed with his statement.
Since, I knew he was a die hard, dyed in the wool 5-point Calvinist, I asked him in front of the large crowd to admit he did not believe Jesus died for everyone and predestined certain people to go to hell for the glory of God. He predictably did not give a straight answer and avoided the question.
Since I emphasized the condition of repentance for salvation he accused me of preaching a “works based salvation”. He then told the crowd of several hundred that anyone who wanted to hear the gospel to come and listen to him and anyone who wanted to hear about works based salvation to listen to me.
He went to the side of me and began preaching while the crowd of several hundred ignored him and continued to ask me all kinds of questions and listened intently. Soon he wisely gave up and sat down.
Over the course of the afternoon the crowd swelled to 400-600 which really did not seem like a whole lot considering the massive size of the amphitheater. It was only about half full and people were lined up all around the outside. The crowd remained this size for some time and was a very well behaved crowd for one that size.
Around 3:45 PM, I had preached three solid hours and decided to stop. Several students had wanted to talk to me after the open air meeting. Some of the students I had planned to talk to had already gone to classes but I was able to talk to one student for about an hour. He had been listening to the preaching for hours each day and had written down a page full of scriptures he wanted to ask me about. He was a very sincere seeker of Biblical truth and listened well.
After leaving campus we met the mature gentleman again for dinner. He is one of my fiercest hecklers on campus but wants to spend time with us and buy our dinner.
I glorify God for strengthening me to preach today!
Thursday September 11, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: It was again an overcast day. In a way I wanted it to rain because physically I did not feel well with a cough, etc.
However, I strongly believed God was working mightily on this campus similar to the way I believed He had worked last August at North Carolina Chapel Hill. Many students were listening intently and conviction was upon the campus.
The daily school newspaper had run a photo of the open air meeting which included a leader of the atheist group on campus, other students and me.
I arrived in the amphitheater around 12:20 PM. When I arrived, I began talking and answering questions from several of the more sincere listeners who had been around much of the time and refuting the excuses to sin from our heckler friend who bought us dinner the last two nights.
A small group gradually formed around me. I was not inside the amphitheater but on the bottom of the steps that leads down into the amphitheater.
The steps soon filled up with students sitting down and asking questions. Soon the walkway all around the area around the steps was also filled with students standing and listening. There were at least two hundred students listening.
This was the 6th day of open air meetings. The Holy Spirit and His Word had already gotten the attention of the campus and students. I tried to do more teaching and clarifying than preaching to the large masses.
After some time the crowd grew to over 200. I decided to move down into the amphitheater it was easier to speak to large crowds there and this would enable them to take a seat while I stood.
As I moved down into the amphitheater, the crowd was not quite as large as it was at the bottom of the stairs but still ranged from about 75-125.
There was supposed to be a “We Remember 9-11” Event taking place inside the amphitheater at 4:00 PM. By 2:30 PM they were already beginning to set up and do sound checks.
Around 2:40 PM a female student approached me and told me she was with the school news and they wanted to do an interview. I agreed to the interview after 3:00 PM.
A student who admitted to living in habitual sexual sin but professed to be a Christian kept challenging me on certain verses during the afternoon. Yet each time, I answered his questions from the Bible. He was never paid attention but looked up verses on his laptop computer to try and find another verse to contradict me. He seemed to be proud or consider himself to be the Big Christian on campus.
Around 2:50 PM, this same student repeated the question he asked earlier when the large crowd began to grow at the bottom of the stairs. As the crowd listened intently, I meticulously answered the question and systematically destroyed any argument the student could make for using the scripture the way he had.
I decided to call it a day. The sound checks were loud and distracting, I had been preaching for several hours already and I did not feel well. Since the student had paid no attention the first time I was not going to expend the energy repeating it again.
I ended the preaching around 2:50 PM and Sister Elizabeth and I went to a room to do the interview with the news people. Many in the crowd continued to follow me and ask questions.
After the interview it was slightly drizzling. Sister Elizabeth headed back to the vehicle while I stayed to talk to students who had some questions. Most of these were some of the worst hecklers. One apologized for the way he had treated me and another one very genuinely asked what made me do what I do.
They seemed to very appreciative this time of conversation and enjoyed the opportunity. Many thanked me for coming and seemed disappointed this was the last day.
I had the pleasure of meeting Brother Micah this past week and it was quite a blessing. He preached the whole counsel of God unashamedly before a wide host of opposition.
When he took a break from ministering his hard and firm voice quickly shifted to that of a loving kindred spirit and his smile could have melted the hardest heart.
I had the opportunity to meet him and Sister Elizabeth and must say that it blessed my heart. The Lord encouraged me in so many ways through Brother Micah and I am truly encouraged to press on in my own ministry to advance the kingdom of God.
God's blessings to you all.
L.B.
Wednesday September 3, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:20 AM. It was a cloudless, hot day. We quickly located the large amphitheater and I began preaching around 11:50 AM.
There were already about 25 students sitting in the amphitheater when I began preaching. As I began preaching a few more sat down to listen. The crowd gradually grew to about 40-50.
It was a great day of preaching and answering questions. The students were very civil, respectful and thoughtful asking many good questions.
The amphitheater was a bad place to preach as far as shade went. It had none either for the preacher or the listeners. It was a great place to preach as far as acoustics though as speaking in a normal tone would cause my voice to reverberate all over the area. I preached effortlessly for over three hours.
For some time two students would follow me every step I made, stand in front of me and make vile comments to discourage the preaching. The crowd however, wanted to hear me and told the two clowns to leave me alone. The two clowns soon left-Praise God!
The crowd gradually grew to about 70-75 and I continued to have a great time of preaching and answering questions as the students listened intently and respectfully.
By 3:00 PM I was totally out of water and the heat was like a sauna inside the amphitheater with all that concrete, no shade and no breeze. I stopped preaching around 3:05 PM and announced my return the next day.
As I walked out of the amphitheater, a student came to tell me how much he appreciated the preaching and to continue the good work. He also bought me a bottle of Gatorade.
Another student who seemed to be sincere asked me several questions about method and doctrine. I talked with him until around 3:30 PM when he had to leave to class.
Sister Elizabeth and I left the campus around 3:30 PM.
That evening I preached in a local church from Isaiah 6:5-8 on “Threefold Vision” for about 50 minutes.
Thursday September 4, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I arrived on campus around 11:15 AM. It was every bit as hot as the day before with no clouds in the sky.
As I began preaching in the amphitheater there were about 15-25 students sitting around. I began preaching and soon a few more came around and began to ask questions. For some time it was like the day before but soon the crowd continued to increase to about 200-300. Even with that many students sitting and standing around, it did not seem like much because the amphitheater is so large.
As the crowd size increased the hecklers came out and the crowd was much more rowdy and unruly than the previous day. With all the heckling it was difficult for some time to do much preaching and many in the crowd left.
The crowd was now down to about 50-60 and I was doing some good preaching and answering questions when a student from the crowd who kept standing up and telling everyone not to listen to me and leave came out and began to make circles around me singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”.
I continued preaching as best I could while this went on. The crowd grew again to about 100-150. The heckler finally finished his song and the preaching was going well.
At 1:15 PM I saw an administrator and a police officer coming down the steps to talk to me. The administrator told me he was getting complaints of class being disturbed and I would have to leave for the day.
I informed him he was being recorded and told him I would gladly move to another location. He told me they did not have one at the time and so I asked him if this was public property why they did not have an area that allowed free speech. He asked if we could leave the amphitheater area and discuss this situation somewhere else and I agreed.
When we got to the top of the amphitheater and away from the students he told me I could preach in the brick area between the parking garage and the student union.
As I was walking over, one student approached me and told me how much he appreciated the preaching and wanted to buy me lunch later that day. Another man who worked for the school had heard the preaching the previous day told me how much he appreciated the preaching and offered to take us out to eat another time.
I sat down and talked with another student who seemed to be convicted of sin and wanted to know the solution. I talked to him for about 10 minutes and he said he needed to go to class.
I then began preaching in the brick area facing some stairs and a balcony area where the students could gather to listen in the shade. I began preaching around 1:50 PM and soon gathered a small crowd that continued to grow.
The crowd grew to about 150-175 and may have been larger because the employees from the student union cafeteria were outside listening on the balcony about 25 yards behind where I was preaching. I do not know why but they had 5 police officers on hand. A few students were rowdy and coming close to me but that was normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
I was going to stop preaching around 3:00 PM. Just after 3:00 PM, the chief of campus security asked if I could stop for the day because I was tying up all of their manpower. She was very polite and I complied. I was getting ready to stop for the day anyway. I announced to the crowd my plans to return on Monday.
Sister Elizabeth and I then had lunch with the student and his twin brother who had invited us. They both were very devout, studious Christians who greatly appreciated the preaching. As we ate we had a very edifying discussion on Biblical doctrine. At 4:00 PM they had a class to go to.
Sister Elizabeth and I then departed the campus.
Sunday September 7, 2008-Charlottesville, Virginia: Sister Elizabeth and I attended local church services in Charlottesville. I preached in the evening service from Matthew 6:21-24 on “A Single Eye” for 50 minutes.
Monday September 8, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: It was another hot and sunny day but at least a few clouds were in the sky.
I decided to begin preaching in the amphitheater due to a large tent which was set up by the bookstore to sell posters of the entire “Holly weird” crowd and their dead music idols. If I preached near the fundraising tent, I figured they would complain and accuse me of interfering with their activity.
I began preaching in the amphitheater at 11:50 AM. Gradually the crowd built up to around 75-100. They were very civil, asked good questions and listened well.
Around 12:50 PM the director of student activities and dean of students came out again and told me he was getting complaints of classes being disturbed. I had been told by a Christian brother who works at the school who wholeheartedly supported the preaching that only one lady was complaining not because it was a disturbance to her class but because she did not want me there.
I asked the dean of students if it was just one complaint or many? I could tell from his response it was just as I suspected but he refused to answer. I agreed to move back to the other area even though they had the big tent poster sale$. He said to preach there anyhow.
I walked over to the brick area in front of the tent by the student union and began preaching at 12:55 PM. Several police officers were on hand to keep an eye on things. The crowd grew to about 150-170 with students lined up all over the balcony and sitting down on the steps. I preached hard, fast, loud and strong to the crowd and reproved, rebuked and exhorted with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Around 2:00 PM the crowd size had decreased to about 50-75. I continued to preach and answer questions, objections and arguments from the crowd until 3:05 PM.
I told the crowd I was returning tomorrow and would take a seat and answer questions if anyone had any. A handful of students followed me and we continued to reason and discuss the Bible and issues of morality until around 4:00 PM.
Several students on this campus seem to be under genuine Holy Ghost conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment.
That evening, a sincere brother took us out to dinner (see testimony above). We had a great time of fellowship.
Tuesday September 9, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: As I awoke this morning it seemed to be very overcast. Later that morning it began to rain some.
As it was time to depart for the campus it continued raining. Due to the rain I was not in a huge rush to get to the campus before noon.
I began preaching in the drizzle around 12:30 PM. For some time it was difficult to get anyone listening but soon a small crowd began to develop that continued to grow to about 50-80. I had my hat knocked off and was bumped several times.
Around 2:00 PM it seemed some of the employees began to blast loud music to drown me out. By this time it was still overcast but not raining. I informed the crowd I was relocating to the amphitheater.
As I began preaching, in the amphitheater around 2:00 PM a few students came to listen. The crowd continued to increase until there were around 300. However even a crowd of 300 does not look like much because of the massive size of the amphitheater.
Around 3:00 PM a woman walked up to me and asked me if I had reserved the area. I replied no. She told me I could not be there but I said the student union had loud music blasting. If she wanted me to move there she needed to go and control the music/ noise and make sure it was turned off.
I respectfully told her I was not moving unless the police asked me to. I continued preaching and I saw her and her supervisor (the guy who made me move the last two days) talking to the police officer.
A man in the crowd who I had gotten to know some informed me the school authorities had tried to get the police officer to make me move. The police officer said she had orders from her superior and was not sure of the validity of the complaints that I was disturbing classes. I interpreted this to mean that the campus police knew I had a right to preach in the amphitheater and the administrators were trying to appease one lone busybody who was trying to trample over the first amendment.
I continued preaching in the amphitheater to the large crowd until 4:00 PM. By the time 4:00 PM had come around the crowd had decreased to about 75-125.
It was a very effective time of preaching and answering questions. The students on this campus are somewhat more intelligent thinkers, better listeners and generally more civil than many other campuses.
As I left the amphitheater a small group of 10-15 students surrounded me bombarding me with all kinds of questions most of which tried to justify their rebellious lifestyle against God and make God seem unjust.
As the resident hypocrite, professing, “pukewarm” “Christianettes” gave me all of their unbiblical objections to the way I was preaching and how it was ineffective, a student who appeared to be of Asian descent had been listening to me refute the objections of the crowd.
Very honestly told me he had been guilty of everything I had been preaching against and wanted to know how to live a holy life. I turned my back to the hypocrites and hecklers and instructed this man for about 10 minutes on the necessity of the fear of the Lord and how it began with realizing his sin would cause a Holy and Just God to cast him into hell (Matthew 10:28, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 8:13).
I further instructed him on the process of Godly sorrow working repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10) and how salvation was preceded by repentance and repentance was preceded by godly sorrow. He must allow that process to work in him and yield to the convicting, searching dealings of the Holy Ghost (Revelation 2:23, Hebrews 4:12).
I then instructed him on the necessity of having faith in the promises of God to save him from all the power of sin (Matthew 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Jude 24, Acts 3:26).
He sincerely thanked me.
That evening Sister Elizabeth and I had dinner with a mature man who spent approximately 30 years on the campus trying to witness to students. He heckled me a lot during the day but was very civil at dinner. He seemed to be sincere in trying to please God.
Wednesday September 10, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: Yesterday morning, I awoke and thought I was getting a sore throat. By the end of the day preaching my throat was very sore and that evening I had a slight fever.
I went to sleep early and woke up around 12:15 AM sweating and realized my fever had broken. I ate something and went to sleep.
Due to my fever and sore throat I slept later than normal. I felt, I needed the rest. I was very concerned I would not be able to preach today.
I had planned to arrive on campus and begin preaching around 11:45 AM, but did not arrive on campus until 12:15 PM. It was not as hot as it had been and was overcast.
I walked up to the preaching area and the man who bought us dinner the night before approached me. As we talked a few minutes, a long haired man with a ponytail and short pants on walked down into the amphitheater and began preaching.
I was disappointed because I had been laboring and preaching there all week and the students were expecting me. I decided to walk to the other area by the student union and try to preach there.
It was very loud and congested around the preaching area of the student union and I did not feel well. I tried to preach a few minutes and then saw our dear brother who bought us dinner a few nights earlier.
I walked over to where he was and greeted him. He told me the long haired, pony tail wearing preacher in the amphitheater told him “Brother Micah needs to get saved!”
I had never met this guy or talked to him, so I thought it strange he would say this. I decided to walk over to the amphitheater and ask him if we could share the area.
I sat down and listened to him for a few minutes and he was doing pretty good using the typical Ray Comfort law “formula”. Soon he went on and on about how salvation was totally a work of God and we played no part in salvation.
I asked him (anyone preaching on a campus or outdoors should be open to people asking questions and try to give an answer) if repentance was a condition of salvation and was repentance something God does for us or something we must do.
He ignored me at first but then began to attack me personally and misrepresent to the crowd what he thought I believed. At that point, I walked down into the amphitheater and set the record straight as far as what the Bible taught and what I actually believe versus what he assumed or heard from others I believed.
He proved to be very dishonest. The crowd began to grow to several hundred and soon the crowd was asking me all kinds of questions and ignoring him. He wisely moved to the side and sat down. I am sure he agreed with some things I said, but at times he would ask me questions and try to trap me.
He would fire about 8 questions in a row to me and if he said something I agreed with I would say “Yes”. Then he would tack on about three other things and tell everyone I agreed with his statement.
Since, I knew he was a die hard, dyed in the wool 5-point Calvinist, I asked him in front of the large crowd to admit he did not believe Jesus died for everyone and predestined certain people to go to hell for the glory of God. He predictably did not give a straight answer and avoided the question.
Since I emphasized the condition of repentance for salvation he accused me of preaching a “works based salvation”. He then told the crowd of several hundred that anyone who wanted to hear the gospel to come and listen to him and anyone who wanted to hear about works based salvation to listen to me.
He went to the side of me and began preaching while the crowd of several hundred ignored him and continued to ask me all kinds of questions and listened intently. Soon he wisely gave up and sat down.
Over the course of the afternoon the crowd swelled to 400-600 which really did not seem like a whole lot considering the massive size of the amphitheater. It was only about half full and people were lined up all around the outside. The crowd remained this size for some time and was a very well behaved crowd for one that size.
Around 3:45 PM, I had preached three solid hours and decided to stop. Several students had wanted to talk to me after the open air meeting. Some of the students I had planned to talk to had already gone to classes but I was able to talk to one student for about an hour. He had been listening to the preaching for hours each day and had written down a page full of scriptures he wanted to ask me about. He was a very sincere seeker of Biblical truth and listened well.
After leaving campus we met the mature gentleman again for dinner. He is one of my fiercest hecklers on campus but wants to spend time with us and buy our dinner.
I glorify God for strengthening me to preach today!
Thursday September 11, 2008-University of Virginia-Charlottesville, Virginia: It was again an overcast day. In a way I wanted it to rain because physically I did not feel well with a cough, etc.
However, I strongly believed God was working mightily on this campus similar to the way I believed He had worked last August at North Carolina Chapel Hill. Many students were listening intently and conviction was upon the campus.
The daily school newspaper had run a photo of the open air meeting which included a leader of the atheist group on campus, other students and me.
I arrived in the amphitheater around 12:20 PM. When I arrived, I began talking and answering questions from several of the more sincere listeners who had been around much of the time and refuting the excuses to sin from our heckler friend who bought us dinner the last two nights.
A small group gradually formed around me. I was not inside the amphitheater but on the bottom of the steps that leads down into the amphitheater.
The steps soon filled up with students sitting down and asking questions. Soon the walkway all around the area around the steps was also filled with students standing and listening. There were at least two hundred students listening.
This was the 6th day of open air meetings. The Holy Spirit and His Word had already gotten the attention of the campus and students. I tried to do more teaching and clarifying than preaching to the large masses.
After some time the crowd grew to over 200. I decided to move down into the amphitheater it was easier to speak to large crowds there and this would enable them to take a seat while I stood.
As I moved down into the amphitheater, the crowd was not quite as large as it was at the bottom of the stairs but still ranged from about 75-125.
There was supposed to be a “We Remember 9-11” Event taking place inside the amphitheater at 4:00 PM. By 2:30 PM they were already beginning to set up and do sound checks.
Around 2:40 PM a female student approached me and told me she was with the school news and they wanted to do an interview. I agreed to the interview after 3:00 PM.
A student who admitted to living in habitual sexual sin but professed to be a Christian kept challenging me on certain verses during the afternoon. Yet each time, I answered his questions from the Bible. He was never paid attention but looked up verses on his laptop computer to try and find another verse to contradict me. He seemed to be proud or consider himself to be the Big Christian on campus.
Around 2:50 PM, this same student repeated the question he asked earlier when the large crowd began to grow at the bottom of the stairs. As the crowd listened intently, I meticulously answered the question and systematically destroyed any argument the student could make for using the scripture the way he had.
I decided to call it a day. The sound checks were loud and distracting, I had been preaching for several hours already and I did not feel well. Since the student had paid no attention the first time I was not going to expend the energy repeating it again.
I ended the preaching around 2:50 PM and Sister Elizabeth and I went to a room to do the interview with the news people. Many in the crowd continued to follow me and ask questions.
After the interview it was slightly drizzling. Sister Elizabeth headed back to the vehicle while I stayed to talk to students who had some questions. Most of these were some of the worst hecklers. One apologized for the way he had treated me and another one very genuinely asked what made me do what I do.
They seemed to very appreciative this time of conversation and enjoyed the opportunity. Many thanked me for coming and seemed disappointed this was the last day.