6/30/10 Chris and Tyana, both early 20's
At a park in a small town in northern Minnesota I began a conversation with a young couple out for a stroll. Chris did most of the talking while Tyana? listened, at first with a skeptical look on her face but with increasing interest. I didn't find out much about her but Chris told me he went to a Christian high school, and had that confident look that this meant all was well in his relationship with God. I told him "I'd still like to ask about your beliefs because I've talked to a lot of people with church or Christian backgrounds and they still seem to have a lot of different beliefs". "That's reasonable" he said and went on share his beliefs. As it turned out he believes he isn't perfect but is well intentioned and will go to heaven. He thinks Jesus was sent to be a role model for us and made no connection between Jesus' sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sins. Despite a sudden downpour, he responded well as I shared of his need to be saved from God's wrath by repentance and faith in Jesus. In the end they had the look that "this is a lot to think about, we need some time to process this". One thing I'd like to point out from this conversation is that it really helped to be able to draw on my prior experiences in witnessing - Chris and Tyana were very interested to hear what sorts of things other people said - so this is another way in which witnessing can become easier as one does it regularly.
Gospel conversations from the streets and marketplace....
6/29/10 Mike, 25
While I waited for my bus for an out of state trip near Chicago's Union Station, I spoke to a young man (Mike) who was reading a newspaper. Though well dressed and groomed I later found out he was homeless. His general attitude toward God seemed to be one of humility - he knows he has sinned and needs God's forgiveness. He has struggled with drugs and alcohol and is now unemployed. He said "I'm 25, and look at me - I've messed up my life". I went on to explain his need for God because of his sin - though he was sorry for "messing up his life" he didn't necessarily see his sin as an offense against God - and I told him as best as I could about the good news of Jesus. We talked for 20 minutes and he seemed like he was following everything I said but towards the end I asked "Does all this make sense?" "No, not really" he said. I had to catch my bus, so I really couldn't explain anything else. It seemed like he knows he needs Jesus, but doesn't really know why. I left him with some info to read and trust the Holy Spirit to continue to work in Mike's heart.
While I waited for my bus for an out of state trip near Chicago's Union Station, I spoke to a young man (Mike) who was reading a newspaper. Though well dressed and groomed I later found out he was homeless. His general attitude toward God seemed to be one of humility - he knows he has sinned and needs God's forgiveness. He has struggled with drugs and alcohol and is now unemployed. He said "I'm 25, and look at me - I've messed up my life". I went on to explain his need for God because of his sin - though he was sorry for "messing up his life" he didn't necessarily see his sin as an offense against God - and I told him as best as I could about the good news of Jesus. We talked for 20 minutes and he seemed like he was following everything I said but towards the end I asked "Does all this make sense?" "No, not really" he said. I had to catch my bus, so I really couldn't explain anything else. It seemed like he knows he needs Jesus, but doesn't really know why. I left him with some info to read and trust the Holy Spirit to continue to work in Mike's heart.
6/28/10 Gino, 28 and two friends, both about 20
Driving down the street I noticed three guys, dressed for the streets, hanging out on some front steps so I drove around the block, parked my car and got out to talk with them. I parked far enough away to allow time for prayer and as I got up to them I showed them my "million dollar bill" gospel tracts and started a light hearted conversation about what the million dollar question might be. I talked mainly with Gino, who said he believes he will go to heaven "because I've turned my life around". He had a near death experience at age 20, and while in a coma dreamed that he faced God's judgment and was sentenced to hell. When he woke up he described changes that sounded like the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's a Wonderful Life". He began to believe in God and tried to follow Him, yet I could tell it was on Gino's terms, not God's. He ended up in jail two years ago and recalled reading his Bible in solitary confinement; now he feels God forgives his sins whenever he asks. I believe, as C.S.Lewis states, that "a person can't know how bad they are until they try to be good", and I felt like exposure to the Ten Commandments is exactly what Gino needs to see that he still falls short of God's standard. I began by asking if he knew the Ten Commandments - he only knew two - and I said "How can you say you are serious about being good if you haven't even taken the time to learn what God's commandments are? Then I started to go through some of them. When I asked about murder it turned out that Gino has indeed murdered people, which he claimed was in self-defense and that it had been dealt with by the police. After several commandments he and his two friends suddenly decided to leave claiming they had to meet someone. I don't know if this was true or if I was hitting a little close to home, but I hope that God's word - even His words of warning, will do the work it is intended to do.
Driving down the street I noticed three guys, dressed for the streets, hanging out on some front steps so I drove around the block, parked my car and got out to talk with them. I parked far enough away to allow time for prayer and as I got up to them I showed them my "million dollar bill" gospel tracts and started a light hearted conversation about what the million dollar question might be. I talked mainly with Gino, who said he believes he will go to heaven "because I've turned my life around". He had a near death experience at age 20, and while in a coma dreamed that he faced God's judgment and was sentenced to hell. When he woke up he described changes that sounded like the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's a Wonderful Life". He began to believe in God and tried to follow Him, yet I could tell it was on Gino's terms, not God's. He ended up in jail two years ago and recalled reading his Bible in solitary confinement; now he feels God forgives his sins whenever he asks. I believe, as C.S.Lewis states, that "a person can't know how bad they are until they try to be good", and I felt like exposure to the Ten Commandments is exactly what Gino needs to see that he still falls short of God's standard. I began by asking if he knew the Ten Commandments - he only knew two - and I said "How can you say you are serious about being good if you haven't even taken the time to learn what God's commandments are? Then I started to go through some of them. When I asked about murder it turned out that Gino has indeed murdered people, which he claimed was in self-defense and that it had been dealt with by the police. After several commandments he and his two friends suddenly decided to leave claiming they had to meet someone. I don't know if this was true or if I was hitting a little close to home, but I hope that God's word - even His words of warning, will do the work it is intended to do.
6/27/10 David, about 25
Outside Cellular Field during a Cubs-Sox game Jake (from church) and I ran into a heavily tattooed and rather intimidating looking young man who was enjoying a smoke. He even had the word "HATE" tattooed in large letters on his neck, but as is so often the case with people like this who try to look fierce I found him to be much more friendly than his outward demeanor would suggest. I asked about the tattoo on his neck and he sort of dismissed it, saying he had been "going through some stuff" but was now pretty much over it. We went on to have a rather typical conversation in which David told us he believes that God would find him to be a good person, worthy of heaven. He said "I've done some minor things wrong, but nothing major that I should go to hell for". I brought him through the "good person" questions based on some of the 10 Commandments and David began to see how he would be judged according to God's standards, but when I asked what he thought the verdict would be he said "Well, as long as I can forgive myself, that's what's important." I went on to explain how God's perfect justice demands punishment for sin, but how in His love He gave his Son to take that punishment for all who turn to Him in repentance and faith. David listened intently to all this and took some church info saying he'd like to check it out further.
Outside Cellular Field during a Cubs-Sox game Jake (from church) and I ran into a heavily tattooed and rather intimidating looking young man who was enjoying a smoke. He even had the word "HATE" tattooed in large letters on his neck, but as is so often the case with people like this who try to look fierce I found him to be much more friendly than his outward demeanor would suggest. I asked about the tattoo on his neck and he sort of dismissed it, saying he had been "going through some stuff" but was now pretty much over it. We went on to have a rather typical conversation in which David told us he believes that God would find him to be a good person, worthy of heaven. He said "I've done some minor things wrong, but nothing major that I should go to hell for". I brought him through the "good person" questions based on some of the 10 Commandments and David began to see how he would be judged according to God's standards, but when I asked what he thought the verdict would be he said "Well, as long as I can forgive myself, that's what's important." I went on to explain how God's perfect justice demands punishment for sin, but how in His love He gave his Son to take that punishment for all who turn to Him in repentance and faith. David listened intently to all this and took some church info saying he'd like to check it out further.
6/26/10 David, 50
Today I met with Paul, one of our church elders who speaks several languages, and we walked near his house to share the gospel. I spoke with a man having his lunch on a park bench (David) and as it turned out he only speaks Spanish. I am only learning Spanish and don't feel I can adequately share the Gospel yet so i was content to leave a Spanish gospel tract with him, but Paul forged on even though Spanish isn't one of his best languages. At first David told us he prays to Mary, mother of Jesus. I began to read him the Gospel tract in Spanish and David took over, reading it out loud to us. He would pause to say "moy importante!" - very important - and we went on to stress repentance of sin and faith in Jesus. I gave him a Spanish New Testament and David was very happy, leafing through it and reading out loud different passages. We gave him several key passages to read and he eagerly wrote them down to read later. The conversation took a lot of work, and I need to be ready to do this hard work if I am to communicate the gospel in Spanish. (I must also learn to stop ruling out approaching people just because they look like they might only be able to speak Spanish) I thank Paul for setting a good example for me in "doing the work of an evangelist." (2 Timothy 4:5)
Today I met with Paul, one of our church elders who speaks several languages, and we walked near his house to share the gospel. I spoke with a man having his lunch on a park bench (David) and as it turned out he only speaks Spanish. I am only learning Spanish and don't feel I can adequately share the Gospel yet so i was content to leave a Spanish gospel tract with him, but Paul forged on even though Spanish isn't one of his best languages. At first David told us he prays to Mary, mother of Jesus. I began to read him the Gospel tract in Spanish and David took over, reading it out loud to us. He would pause to say "moy importante!" - very important - and we went on to stress repentance of sin and faith in Jesus. I gave him a Spanish New Testament and David was very happy, leafing through it and reading out loud different passages. We gave him several key passages to read and he eagerly wrote them down to read later. The conversation took a lot of work, and I need to be ready to do this hard work if I am to communicate the gospel in Spanish. (I must also learn to stop ruling out approaching people just because they look like they might only be able to speak Spanish) I thank Paul for setting a good example for me in "doing the work of an evangelist." (2 Timothy 4:5)
6/25/10 Ullysses, 29
On my bike I stopped to talk to a man (Ullysses) as he got out of his car. He was open to a random question so I asked "What do you think happens after this life?" He told me he really never thinks about it, and after we had talked a while, I believe him. Ulysses' parents died in Mexico while he was a teenager and the first of his three children was born when he was 16. He has been supporting his wife and three children ever since, working for low wages as a chef at a buffet restaurant. He said he worries about what would happen to his kids if he dies early since he is overweight and his parents died young, but hasn't thought about his own fate. I could really see that he is busy with the struggle to earn a decent living for his family so I spent some time talking about how easy it is to get caught up in our day to day cares and concerns and explaining the importance of the eternal future of his soul. I explained the gospel but felt like this conversation was just an initial introduction about eternal things. On a side note I am grateful at this point in my witnessing experiences that while I am listening to people in a conversation, instead of my own thoughts about what I will say next or where I want the conversation to go, I am learning to really listen to the person and pray for them as we talk. Today toward the end of our conversation I looked Ullysses in the eyes, a man I had never met before, and told him with sincerity "I'm telling you this today because I really want to see you in heaven one day". I pray that I will.
On my bike I stopped to talk to a man (Ullysses) as he got out of his car. He was open to a random question so I asked "What do you think happens after this life?" He told me he really never thinks about it, and after we had talked a while, I believe him. Ulysses' parents died in Mexico while he was a teenager and the first of his three children was born when he was 16. He has been supporting his wife and three children ever since, working for low wages as a chef at a buffet restaurant. He said he worries about what would happen to his kids if he dies early since he is overweight and his parents died young, but hasn't thought about his own fate. I could really see that he is busy with the struggle to earn a decent living for his family so I spent some time talking about how easy it is to get caught up in our day to day cares and concerns and explaining the importance of the eternal future of his soul. I explained the gospel but felt like this conversation was just an initial introduction about eternal things. On a side note I am grateful at this point in my witnessing experiences that while I am listening to people in a conversation, instead of my own thoughts about what I will say next or where I want the conversation to go, I am learning to really listen to the person and pray for them as we talk. Today toward the end of our conversation I looked Ullysses in the eyes, a man I had never met before, and told him with sincerity "I'm telling you this today because I really want to see you in heaven one day". I pray that I will.
6/24/10 Scott, Sherman, both about 20
I went with Luke, the teaching elder at our church, to the park where we came across a young man (Scott) with his pit bull, talking on the sidewalk with his friend (Sherman). I showed him a million dollar bill tract and said "Hey I'll give you this if you can answer the million dollar question" "What is that?" Scott said. "If you could know the answer for sure, what would be the most important question in the world?" Scott thought for a while: "What are the winning numbers for the lottery?" I told him "That's good, but I forgot to tell you, it is the last day of your life." Scott answered "Oh well then I wouldn't care anymore. I'd just let whatever happens happen, whether I end up upstairs or downstairs." This began a good conversation in which Sherman was content just to listen as I helped Scott to see how God would see him on judgment day. After specific questions about the Ten Commandments, Scott could see that the possibility of hell is no joke and is something to be concerned about. He was ready for the good news of Jesus and was glad to hear it. He hadn't been to church since his first communion as a young child, but now he has an understanding that God's love for justice and hatred for sin are so serious he could only be forgiven through faith in Jesus' and the cross. I gave Scott a Bible and talked some about the importance of faith, repentance, reading the Bible and church involvement. He hasn't come to faith just yet, but I let him know he needs to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
I went with Luke, the teaching elder at our church, to the park where we came across a young man (Scott) with his pit bull, talking on the sidewalk with his friend (Sherman). I showed him a million dollar bill tract and said "Hey I'll give you this if you can answer the million dollar question" "What is that?" Scott said. "If you could know the answer for sure, what would be the most important question in the world?" Scott thought for a while: "What are the winning numbers for the lottery?" I told him "That's good, but I forgot to tell you, it is the last day of your life." Scott answered "Oh well then I wouldn't care anymore. I'd just let whatever happens happen, whether I end up upstairs or downstairs." This began a good conversation in which Sherman was content just to listen as I helped Scott to see how God would see him on judgment day. After specific questions about the Ten Commandments, Scott could see that the possibility of hell is no joke and is something to be concerned about. He was ready for the good news of Jesus and was glad to hear it. He hadn't been to church since his first communion as a young child, but now he has an understanding that God's love for justice and hatred for sin are so serious he could only be forgiven through faith in Jesus' and the cross. I gave Scott a Bible and talked some about the importance of faith, repentance, reading the Bible and church involvement. He hasn't come to faith just yet, but I let him know he needs to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
6/23/10 Jose, about 35
Today I talked with the cable guy. A Comcast truck was sitting across the street so I went over for a chat. The driver (Jose) rolled down his window and I gave him a million dollar bill gospel tract, saying "Hey, just thought you might like something to read while you wait. It's a gospel tract with a good question on the back; 'Will you go to heaven?' Do you believe there's a heaven?" "Oh, of course" Jose said. He was having his lunch break, and we went on to have a good conversation. Jose told he is Catholic, expecting that to answer any questions about his beliefs, but I told him that I've met a lot of Catholics with very different beliefs and I went on to ask Jose specific questions about his faith. Jose seemed very strong in his beliefs that he is a sinner who deserves God's wrath, and only by God's mercy and grace in sacrificing his own Son does he have the hope of heaven. He told me "Jesus died on the cross to show us just how serious our sin is" and I agreed: "That should have been us on the cross, but God sacrificed His own Son for us. Just one drop of his precious blood shed on my behalf is infinitely more than I could ever be worth" I encouraged him in his faith and challenged him to teach his young child the things of the Lord, telling him about the devotions I have for my family at the breakfast table most every morning. I felt like this conversation was an encouragement for both of us.
Today I talked with the cable guy. A Comcast truck was sitting across the street so I went over for a chat. The driver (Jose) rolled down his window and I gave him a million dollar bill gospel tract, saying "Hey, just thought you might like something to read while you wait. It's a gospel tract with a good question on the back; 'Will you go to heaven?' Do you believe there's a heaven?" "Oh, of course" Jose said. He was having his lunch break, and we went on to have a good conversation. Jose told he is Catholic, expecting that to answer any questions about his beliefs, but I told him that I've met a lot of Catholics with very different beliefs and I went on to ask Jose specific questions about his faith. Jose seemed very strong in his beliefs that he is a sinner who deserves God's wrath, and only by God's mercy and grace in sacrificing his own Son does he have the hope of heaven. He told me "Jesus died on the cross to show us just how serious our sin is" and I agreed: "That should have been us on the cross, but God sacrificed His own Son for us. Just one drop of his precious blood shed on my behalf is infinitely more than I could ever be worth" I encouraged him in his faith and challenged him to teach his young child the things of the Lord, telling him about the devotions I have for my family at the breakfast table most every morning. I felt like this conversation was an encouragement for both of us.
6/22/10 Humberto and Alfonzo, both about 45
I was at the park today, using million dollar tracts as conversation starters and met two men (Humberto and Alfonzo) as they were chatting on a park bench. They had just run into each other after many years and were both from the same town in Mexico. I talked mainly with Humberto as Alfonzo listened. Humberto grew up in a Baptist church in Mexico and seemed solid in his faith, especially when he talked about the unbiblical beliefs of some Jehovah's Witnesses that had approached him the day before. Now that I also talked with him today he felt like God was trying to get his attention, and I believe the main issue in his life is that he is not active in a local church. Some bad experiences with a few churches have led him to conclude that church involvement is more trouble than its worth, so we spent a lot of time talking about the importance of church in the life of a believer. In the end he seemed greatly encouraged to give church another try and said he would like to check out my church very soon.
I was at the park today, using million dollar tracts as conversation starters and met two men (Humberto and Alfonzo) as they were chatting on a park bench. They had just run into each other after many years and were both from the same town in Mexico. I talked mainly with Humberto as Alfonzo listened. Humberto grew up in a Baptist church in Mexico and seemed solid in his faith, especially when he talked about the unbiblical beliefs of some Jehovah's Witnesses that had approached him the day before. Now that I also talked with him today he felt like God was trying to get his attention, and I believe the main issue in his life is that he is not active in a local church. Some bad experiences with a few churches have led him to conclude that church involvement is more trouble than its worth, so we spent a lot of time talking about the importance of church in the life of a believer. In the end he seemed greatly encouraged to give church another try and said he would like to check out my church very soon.
6/21/10 Jose' , 42
A biblical rule of thumb in witnessing is "law to the proud, grace to the humble". What has surprised me in talking to random people has been how few truly humble people there are. At the park today I met Jose, who is involved in many extreme forms of sin, yet believes himself good enough for heaven. He thinks that any sins he does commit will be forgiven by his priest. As we talked I realized he is very limited intellectually, due in part to his crack cocaine habit I'm sure. He would have flashes of insight that made me think he was grasping different parts of the gospel, but then would ask some off the wall question that showed he wasn't following my line of thinking at all. I was tempted to think I was wasting my time with him, but then I would think about the college graduates and PhD's I've talked with that were just as spiritually blind as he, and I'm reminded of the tremendous gift of faith and repentance that salvation truly is. Who am I to withhold the gospel based on my estimate of a person's intellect? We are to share Christ with all people, motivated not by the results of our labor but by the chance to be faithful to our Lord.
A biblical rule of thumb in witnessing is "law to the proud, grace to the humble". What has surprised me in talking to random people has been how few truly humble people there are. At the park today I met Jose, who is involved in many extreme forms of sin, yet believes himself good enough for heaven. He thinks that any sins he does commit will be forgiven by his priest. As we talked I realized he is very limited intellectually, due in part to his crack cocaine habit I'm sure. He would have flashes of insight that made me think he was grasping different parts of the gospel, but then would ask some off the wall question that showed he wasn't following my line of thinking at all. I was tempted to think I was wasting my time with him, but then I would think about the college graduates and PhD's I've talked with that were just as spiritually blind as he, and I'm reminded of the tremendous gift of faith and repentance that salvation truly is. Who am I to withhold the gospel based on my estimate of a person's intellect? We are to share Christ with all people, motivated not by the results of our labor but by the chance to be faithful to our Lord.
6/20/10 Otis, 19
On the sidewalk I met a respectful young man (Otis) who had grown up going to church and informed me that he was confident he will go to heaven. I said "Well I definitely want to see you there one day so you don't mind if I ask you just a few questions to make sure. How can you know you will go to heaven?" He described how he confesses his sins and tries not to repeat them, and believes God forgives him when he asks for forgiveness. I found it curious that he didn't mention Jesus in all this so I asked "What do you think Jesus Christ had to do with forgiveness? Why did he die on the cross?" "I think he came to be a good role model for us" was his answer. "Do you read your Bible?" I asked. "No sir, I do not" he answered respectfully and agreed that he needed to. I took him through five of the 10 Commandments to help personalize his sin, and told him how God's love and demand for justice requires punishment. About this time a recently released convict/homeless man (Antoine) came up to us, needing to talk and asking for prayer. I told Otis I would stay to talk with Antoine and Otis went on his way with some good questions and some good literature to help answer them.
On the sidewalk I met a respectful young man (Otis) who had grown up going to church and informed me that he was confident he will go to heaven. I said "Well I definitely want to see you there one day so you don't mind if I ask you just a few questions to make sure. How can you know you will go to heaven?" He described how he confesses his sins and tries not to repeat them, and believes God forgives him when he asks for forgiveness. I found it curious that he didn't mention Jesus in all this so I asked "What do you think Jesus Christ had to do with forgiveness? Why did he die on the cross?" "I think he came to be a good role model for us" was his answer. "Do you read your Bible?" I asked. "No sir, I do not" he answered respectfully and agreed that he needed to. I took him through five of the 10 Commandments to help personalize his sin, and told him how God's love and demand for justice requires punishment. About this time a recently released convict/homeless man (Antoine) came up to us, needing to talk and asking for prayer. I told Otis I would stay to talk with Antoine and Otis went on his way with some good questions and some good literature to help answer them.
6/18/10 Jim, about 45
After a long drive from Chicago to Minnesota and limping into my parents driveway with a leaking transmission, then breaking a bolt off while trying to fix it, my plans for the weekend were on the line as I tried to fix the problem before nightfall. I had to make the long trip back to town for various parts or tools 5 times before finishing. All this time I knew that if I wanted to share the gospel that day I would need to talk to someone in the midst of this. I would need to overcome the other major obstacle to witnessing besides fear - putting aside my own busy schedule to make time for someone else. I really couldn't pull myself out of my busy-ness enough to talk to anyone until God did it for me. The salesman at the hardware store (Jim) sold me the wrong parts and I didn't discover it until I was back working under the car. Back to town I went where I tried to tell the Jim of his mistake as graciously as possible. He showed great appreciation for my positive attitude so after my final purchase I offered him a million dollar bill gospel tract. I told him about the gospel message on the back with its question about heaven, challenging him to take the "good person test" and humbly admitting that I had failed it myself. He was very interested and appreciative but had to get back to work and we really couldn't talk any further, so this may have been a case where my actions (and the tract I gave him) had to speak louder than my words.
After a long drive from Chicago to Minnesota and limping into my parents driveway with a leaking transmission, then breaking a bolt off while trying to fix it, my plans for the weekend were on the line as I tried to fix the problem before nightfall. I had to make the long trip back to town for various parts or tools 5 times before finishing. All this time I knew that if I wanted to share the gospel that day I would need to talk to someone in the midst of this. I would need to overcome the other major obstacle to witnessing besides fear - putting aside my own busy schedule to make time for someone else. I really couldn't pull myself out of my busy-ness enough to talk to anyone until God did it for me. The salesman at the hardware store (Jim) sold me the wrong parts and I didn't discover it until I was back working under the car. Back to town I went where I tried to tell the Jim of his mistake as graciously as possible. He showed great appreciation for my positive attitude so after my final purchase I offered him a million dollar bill gospel tract. I told him about the gospel message on the back with its question about heaven, challenging him to take the "good person test" and humbly admitting that I had failed it myself. He was very interested and appreciative but had to get back to work and we really couldn't talk any further, so this may have been a case where my actions (and the tract I gave him) had to speak louder than my words.
6/17/10 Juan, 21 and friends
Out on my bike I felt compelled to stop and talk with two guys (Juan, 21 and his friend, 32) as they sat on some bleacher seats at a park. I could tell they are heavily involved in the violence and daily drama of the streets and asked if they were willing to talk about the most important question of their lives. "What's that?" Juan asked, curious. "Have you come close to death?" I asked. "All the time" they answered. "So the big question is 'What's next?' What do you think comes next?" Juan said he thinks he will just die and that will be it. More questions, however, revealed that this was just an easy answer, and that, like so many people, he believes that if there is a heaven he is good enough to deserve going there, so I went on to talk about God's judgment and the Ten Commandments. By this time some friends joined us and our conversation had an audience. They passed around a large marijuana 'blunt" and Juan asked "What do you think about marijuana? God made it, right?" "Sure, and God made rocks but you don't hit yourself in the head with them do you?" Juan tried to refute or excuse the Bible and most of the commandments, and he finally said "Who does God think he is, I mean, who is He to judge me?" His friends immediately seemed to realize Juan had crossed the line as his rebellion against God became obvious, and they sided with me in my questions. I began to talk about Jesus but they decided to leave at this point, leaving them with a real sense of where they really stand with God come judgment day.
Out on my bike I felt compelled to stop and talk with two guys (Juan, 21 and his friend, 32) as they sat on some bleacher seats at a park. I could tell they are heavily involved in the violence and daily drama of the streets and asked if they were willing to talk about the most important question of their lives. "What's that?" Juan asked, curious. "Have you come close to death?" I asked. "All the time" they answered. "So the big question is 'What's next?' What do you think comes next?" Juan said he thinks he will just die and that will be it. More questions, however, revealed that this was just an easy answer, and that, like so many people, he believes that if there is a heaven he is good enough to deserve going there, so I went on to talk about God's judgment and the Ten Commandments. By this time some friends joined us and our conversation had an audience. They passed around a large marijuana 'blunt" and Juan asked "What do you think about marijuana? God made it, right?" "Sure, and God made rocks but you don't hit yourself in the head with them do you?" Juan tried to refute or excuse the Bible and most of the commandments, and he finally said "Who does God think he is, I mean, who is He to judge me?" His friends immediately seemed to realize Juan had crossed the line as his rebellion against God became obvious, and they sided with me in my questions. I began to talk about Jesus but they decided to leave at this point, leaving them with a real sense of where they really stand with God come judgment day.
6/16/10 Jim, 41
Although God can raise up stones to be "children for Abraham" (Matt. 3:9) He chooses to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh instead (Ezekiel 11:19) and I believe He normally does this through a fairly long process. People hear the Word and observe it in other people's lives and attempt to clean up their lives by their own strength only to fall short numerous times and gradually come to realize their need for Jesus. Pastors and church leaders often don't realize what this process involves because by the time a "seeker' comes to church they are usually already in the final stages of this process of being drawn to the Lord. In my experience, however, the people I meet on the street or in the marketplace are usually only in the beginning stages of this journey, and I often have the privilege of "waking them up" to spiritual things. Today at the park, however, I met a man (Jim) who seems well along this spiritual process. We talked as he watched his daughter in the playground. He has been talking with some relatives and friends who have become Christians and has many questions as a result. He knows the first step to God is to admit his sin, which he is freely able to do, but isn't sure what comes next. He is also confused by the hypocrisy he sees in the lives of the Christians he knows. I asked what he knew about Jesus, and all he could say was that He was a great preacher, so we talked a long time about the meaning and importance of the cross. One important question he had was a statement that "it was easier for Jesus to give His life knowing it was for the whole world" and it was tempting for me to state the unbiblical cliche that "even if you were the only sinner in the world Jesus would have died for you" as I have heard some preachers say. However, this man-centered statement puts the emphasis on our self worth rather than Jesus' infinite worth and holiness; the truth is that Jesus "gave himself as a ransom for all men" (1 Tim.2:6). If Jim had a proper understanding of who Jesus is and who we are in comparison he would cling to the Savior and wouldn't need to ask this question. Jim is on his way as a seeker; I did my best to explain things but I pray that God will bring to completion what He has begun in Jim's life.
Although God can raise up stones to be "children for Abraham" (Matt. 3:9) He chooses to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh instead (Ezekiel 11:19) and I believe He normally does this through a fairly long process. People hear the Word and observe it in other people's lives and attempt to clean up their lives by their own strength only to fall short numerous times and gradually come to realize their need for Jesus. Pastors and church leaders often don't realize what this process involves because by the time a "seeker' comes to church they are usually already in the final stages of this process of being drawn to the Lord. In my experience, however, the people I meet on the street or in the marketplace are usually only in the beginning stages of this journey, and I often have the privilege of "waking them up" to spiritual things. Today at the park, however, I met a man (Jim) who seems well along this spiritual process. We talked as he watched his daughter in the playground. He has been talking with some relatives and friends who have become Christians and has many questions as a result. He knows the first step to God is to admit his sin, which he is freely able to do, but isn't sure what comes next. He is also confused by the hypocrisy he sees in the lives of the Christians he knows. I asked what he knew about Jesus, and all he could say was that He was a great preacher, so we talked a long time about the meaning and importance of the cross. One important question he had was a statement that "it was easier for Jesus to give His life knowing it was for the whole world" and it was tempting for me to state the unbiblical cliche that "even if you were the only sinner in the world Jesus would have died for you" as I have heard some preachers say. However, this man-centered statement puts the emphasis on our self worth rather than Jesus' infinite worth and holiness; the truth is that Jesus "gave himself as a ransom for all men" (1 Tim.2:6). If Jim had a proper understanding of who Jesus is and who we are in comparison he would cling to the Savior and wouldn't need to ask this question. Jim is on his way as a seeker; I did my best to explain things but I pray that God will bring to completion what He has begun in Jim's life.
6/15/10 Nora, about 60, Corraline, 20's
In the produce section at the grocery store I used a million dollar tract to start a conversation with an older African America woman (Dora). She claimed to read the Bible every day but has no church background and doesn't think there is life after death. She seemed surprised when I told her that according to the Bible we have an eternal soul that will live forever, either in heaven or in hell. I thought she was alone but her three grandchildren came over to get the million dollar tracts while we talked and finally her daughter - Corraline - came over and I talked with her as well. Both were curious about what would determine their fate on judgment day, and didn't seem to have ever thought about it before. They understood that they can't trust in their good deeds, and though at first believed that "God is supposed to forgive" they could see that there is a high price for sin, which only Jesus could pay on the cross. Corraline had heard that "Jesus died for our sins" but didn't understand why until today. They both agreed that they need to get right with God and were happy to get additional info to read. Should I have tried to "close the deal" by hurrying them into a commitment there in the grocery store with the kids all around? Some might think so, but I would rather trust in the work and timing of the Holy Spirit who alone brings repentance and faith.
In the produce section at the grocery store I used a million dollar tract to start a conversation with an older African America woman (Dora). She claimed to read the Bible every day but has no church background and doesn't think there is life after death. She seemed surprised when I told her that according to the Bible we have an eternal soul that will live forever, either in heaven or in hell. I thought she was alone but her three grandchildren came over to get the million dollar tracts while we talked and finally her daughter - Corraline - came over and I talked with her as well. Both were curious about what would determine their fate on judgment day, and didn't seem to have ever thought about it before. They understood that they can't trust in their good deeds, and though at first believed that "God is supposed to forgive" they could see that there is a high price for sin, which only Jesus could pay on the cross. Corraline had heard that "Jesus died for our sins" but didn't understand why until today. They both agreed that they need to get right with God and were happy to get additional info to read. Should I have tried to "close the deal" by hurrying them into a commitment there in the grocery store with the kids all around? Some might think so, but I would rather trust in the work and timing of the Holy Spirit who alone brings repentance and faith.
6/14/10 Eric, Alex both 16
On the campus of IIT I asked a student, dressed in an "alternative" style, if he would answer a few questions about his beliefs. "Well I don't talk about God to just any stranger on the street" he said. I asked, "Well, do you talk about God with your friends?" He hesitated as he saw a young female friend walking up to us. "Well, no I don't. What's this for anyway?" I told him "I'm from a church nearby, and I do this for two reasons. First, it gives me a much better understanding of where people are at spiritually, and second, if you had any questions for me I'd be happy to answer them, though I'd be happy just to be able to ask about your beliefs" He replied "Well I'm not in the mood right now." "That's cool" I said as I went on to talk to a few high school students (Eric and Alex) just behind them. I felt kind of glad that I had someone to talk to right away, because in a small way reminiscent of Paul taking the gospel to the Gentiles after it was rejected by the Jews, I felt this young man needs to see he is missing out because there are many other people who would be glad to have a conversation about their beliefs, regardless of what he thinks about it. Eric and Alex are students in a nearby Catholic high school and believe in God, Heaven and Hell. They both believe they will go to heaven because of the many good things they've done. I asked what those good deeds were. Alex began, "I've helped people move, and I help around the house..." "And I volunteer at a homeless shelter" said Eric. I said "I don't want to burst your bubble, but aren't those things that God rightfully expects of us?" I went on to explain about the judgment that we deserve from God and the mercy he offers us through faith in Jesus. "You have your whole life before you, hopefully, and I want to invite you to put your faith in Jesus like I did at your age. It was the best decision I ever made, and it can be for you too."
On the campus of IIT I asked a student, dressed in an "alternative" style, if he would answer a few questions about his beliefs. "Well I don't talk about God to just any stranger on the street" he said. I asked, "Well, do you talk about God with your friends?" He hesitated as he saw a young female friend walking up to us. "Well, no I don't. What's this for anyway?" I told him "I'm from a church nearby, and I do this for two reasons. First, it gives me a much better understanding of where people are at spiritually, and second, if you had any questions for me I'd be happy to answer them, though I'd be happy just to be able to ask about your beliefs" He replied "Well I'm not in the mood right now." "That's cool" I said as I went on to talk to a few high school students (Eric and Alex) just behind them. I felt kind of glad that I had someone to talk to right away, because in a small way reminiscent of Paul taking the gospel to the Gentiles after it was rejected by the Jews, I felt this young man needs to see he is missing out because there are many other people who would be glad to have a conversation about their beliefs, regardless of what he thinks about it. Eric and Alex are students in a nearby Catholic high school and believe in God, Heaven and Hell. They both believe they will go to heaven because of the many good things they've done. I asked what those good deeds were. Alex began, "I've helped people move, and I help around the house..." "And I volunteer at a homeless shelter" said Eric. I said "I don't want to burst your bubble, but aren't those things that God rightfully expects of us?" I went on to explain about the judgment that we deserve from God and the mercy he offers us through faith in Jesus. "You have your whole life before you, hopefully, and I want to invite you to put your faith in Jesus like I did at your age. It was the best decision I ever made, and it can be for you too."
6/13/10 Carlos, about 30
At Home Depot I walked over to where a man (Carlos) was carefully selecting the right plants for his garden and offered him a million dollar bill tract which helped get his attention and began a conversation. "You got any more of those?" he asked. "Well yes I do, and let me tell you about the questions on the back" I answered. Carlos is Catholic and believes in God, heaven and hell. I asked "If there is both a heaven and hell, then how does God determine who goes where?" He answered "That's a good question, because no one is perfect" "That's what the Bible says" - I told him - "and I bet you don't want to go through life wondering if you are 'good enough', right? Is that something you think about much?" "I think about it all the time" Carlos told me. I could see he was set on leaving soon so I made my point - "The Bible is very clear that we can know how we would do before we are judged. That's what the good person test on the back of the tract has to do with." He answered "Thanks, I will definitely read it when I get home."
At Home Depot I walked over to where a man (Carlos) was carefully selecting the right plants for his garden and offered him a million dollar bill tract which helped get his attention and began a conversation. "You got any more of those?" he asked. "Well yes I do, and let me tell you about the questions on the back" I answered. Carlos is Catholic and believes in God, heaven and hell. I asked "If there is both a heaven and hell, then how does God determine who goes where?" He answered "That's a good question, because no one is perfect" "That's what the Bible says" - I told him - "and I bet you don't want to go through life wondering if you are 'good enough', right? Is that something you think about much?" "I think about it all the time" Carlos told me. I could see he was set on leaving soon so I made my point - "The Bible is very clear that we can know how we would do before we are judged. That's what the good person test on the back of the tract has to do with." He answered "Thanks, I will definitely read it when I get home."
6/12/10 Edgar, 22
Late Saturday night and the streets were empty except for a crowd of singles standing out in front of a sports bar. I was tempted to think they would be united in opposition to me if I tried to start a conversation with any of them, but the truth is they don't all know each other, they are wrapped up in their own conversations, and if I was to walk into the crowd they would just assume I'm looking for someone and continue talking. So that's what I did. I gave out million dollar tracts to one group and got a lot of laughs and started several conversations. I have been challenged by a statistic I heard somewhere recently that although 70% of all people who believe in heaven also believe there is a hell, less than 1% actually believe it is possible they will go there, so after talking for a while I asked two guys if hell is possible for them and they both said no, they are too good to deserve to go there. I talked with a few other people including Edger, whose friends told me was a churchgoer. He trusts in his good deeds so I used the law to show him his need for a Savior. His friends kept trying to coax him back into the bar and they finally succeeded but not before he had been thoroughly warned not to trust in his good deeds.
Late Saturday night and the streets were empty except for a crowd of singles standing out in front of a sports bar. I was tempted to think they would be united in opposition to me if I tried to start a conversation with any of them, but the truth is they don't all know each other, they are wrapped up in their own conversations, and if I was to walk into the crowd they would just assume I'm looking for someone and continue talking. So that's what I did. I gave out million dollar tracts to one group and got a lot of laughs and started several conversations. I have been challenged by a statistic I heard somewhere recently that although 70% of all people who believe in heaven also believe there is a hell, less than 1% actually believe it is possible they will go there, so after talking for a while I asked two guys if hell is possible for them and they both said no, they are too good to deserve to go there. I talked with a few other people including Edger, whose friends told me was a churchgoer. He trusts in his good deeds so I used the law to show him his need for a Savior. His friends kept trying to coax him back into the bar and they finally succeeded but not before he had been thoroughly warned not to trust in his good deeds.
6/11/10 Reed, about 20
Today at the park after work I ran into a punk rock group from Denver. They had just arrived in Chicago and set up their equipment at a nearby nightclub. They were quite a sight with all their leather, piercings and body art. I gave all six of them million dollar bill tracts, explaining that there is a gospel message on the back and said "I've talked to a lot of people but never a punk rock band. So do you guys have any kind of spiritual beliefs?" One of them bared his chest with a large tattoo all the way across that said something about God and said " I don't know about the rest of the group but I believe in God. I go to a church called "Scum of the Earth" Another guy (Reed) spoke up saying "Well, I don't believe in God. Don't get me wrong, people can believe what they want, but I just think the whole idea of God is just very old-fashioned." We went on to talk for over a half hour, with the rest of the band listening for most of the time. Reed had obviously been to many Bible studies and had wrestled with the idea of a God he would be accountable to before deciding to deny His existence. My question - "Is it at all possible that God does exist?" was answered by Reed with a firm "No way" before he realized that he was showing that he had a very closed mind in front of his friends. Reed had a lot of good questions - though none I haven't heard before - and the rest of our conversation was filled with reasoning about the implications involved if God does indeed exist. My experiences have prepared me for a conversation such as this and I had good answers for all his questions, but I'd be a fool to say that anything but the Holy Spirit can bring Reed or his friends to salvation.
Today at the park after work I ran into a punk rock group from Denver. They had just arrived in Chicago and set up their equipment at a nearby nightclub. They were quite a sight with all their leather, piercings and body art. I gave all six of them million dollar bill tracts, explaining that there is a gospel message on the back and said "I've talked to a lot of people but never a punk rock band. So do you guys have any kind of spiritual beliefs?" One of them bared his chest with a large tattoo all the way across that said something about God and said " I don't know about the rest of the group but I believe in God. I go to a church called "Scum of the Earth" Another guy (Reed) spoke up saying "Well, I don't believe in God. Don't get me wrong, people can believe what they want, but I just think the whole idea of God is just very old-fashioned." We went on to talk for over a half hour, with the rest of the band listening for most of the time. Reed had obviously been to many Bible studies and had wrestled with the idea of a God he would be accountable to before deciding to deny His existence. My question - "Is it at all possible that God does exist?" was answered by Reed with a firm "No way" before he realized that he was showing that he had a very closed mind in front of his friends. Reed had a lot of good questions - though none I haven't heard before - and the rest of our conversation was filled with reasoning about the implications involved if God does indeed exist. My experiences have prepared me for a conversation such as this and I had good answers for all his questions, but I'd be a fool to say that anything but the Holy Spirit can bring Reed or his friends to salvation.
6/10/10 Frank, Joe mid 40's
I arrived early to softball practice at the park and came across a guy (Frank) as he left the fieldhouse. He seemed to have just finished lifting weights and looked rather intimidating in his dark sunglasses. I asked about his spiritual beliefs and he told me he believes in God but no longer practices the Catholic religion he grew up in. He is a strong believer that "what goes around comes around" in the strong ties he has with friends and family, and thinks this applies to God too. He may not be perfect, but thinks he has made up for his imperfections with his good deeds. I asked if he has been raising his 4 teenage kids with a church background but he told me this has been difficult because they have three different mothers and he doesn't see them too often. I was just getting across the point that eternity is far too important to neglect thinking about, when Frank's very overbearing friend Joe joined the conversation. Frank looked thoughtful as Joe used opinionated, profanity filled language and was also highly confident that he too is a good person in God's sight. Yet I believe my boldness as a church guy reaching out to them with some rather direct questions really won their respect. Joe asked that I pray for an upcoming surgery he will be having and I did, right there. They were getting ready to leave so I gave them both MDB tracts and challenged them to take the "good person test" on the back. I think our conversation could motivate them to see themselves as God sees them, not as they choose to see themselves.
I arrived early to softball practice at the park and came across a guy (Frank) as he left the fieldhouse. He seemed to have just finished lifting weights and looked rather intimidating in his dark sunglasses. I asked about his spiritual beliefs and he told me he believes in God but no longer practices the Catholic religion he grew up in. He is a strong believer that "what goes around comes around" in the strong ties he has with friends and family, and thinks this applies to God too. He may not be perfect, but thinks he has made up for his imperfections with his good deeds. I asked if he has been raising his 4 teenage kids with a church background but he told me this has been difficult because they have three different mothers and he doesn't see them too often. I was just getting across the point that eternity is far too important to neglect thinking about, when Frank's very overbearing friend Joe joined the conversation. Frank looked thoughtful as Joe used opinionated, profanity filled language and was also highly confident that he too is a good person in God's sight. Yet I believe my boldness as a church guy reaching out to them with some rather direct questions really won their respect. Joe asked that I pray for an upcoming surgery he will be having and I did, right there. They were getting ready to leave so I gave them both MDB tracts and challenged them to take the "good person test" on the back. I think our conversation could motivate them to see themselves as God sees them, not as they choose to see themselves.
6/9/10 The Fisherman about 35
Today I stopped by a park in a heavily Latino neighborhood and spent some time getting to know a man at the lagoon who was catching small fish and crawfish, for his aquarium I think. I told him I was learning Spanish so he taught me some words. He seemed to speak fairly good English so after finding out about his hobby I began to ask him questions about his spiritual beliefs. Suddenly, he became very evasive and responded to my questions with very strange answers, and because of his limited English I couldn't tell if he was joking, being sarcastic, or truly didn't understand. Then three other young men came by, interested in what he had caught, and he spoke to them rapidly in Spanish for quite a while. I could tell he was talking about me and they were laughing. I'm not sure if it was because of the questions about eternity I had asked or because of my poor Spanish ability or something else. I guess if want to reach out to the large numbers of Spanish speakers who live near me I will have to put up with the language barrier and the limitations I will always have as a non-native speaker. It may make me an easy target for ridicule, but "Here am I Lord, send me!" (Isaiah 6:7)
Today I stopped by a park in a heavily Latino neighborhood and spent some time getting to know a man at the lagoon who was catching small fish and crawfish, for his aquarium I think. I told him I was learning Spanish so he taught me some words. He seemed to speak fairly good English so after finding out about his hobby I began to ask him questions about his spiritual beliefs. Suddenly, he became very evasive and responded to my questions with very strange answers, and because of his limited English I couldn't tell if he was joking, being sarcastic, or truly didn't understand. Then three other young men came by, interested in what he had caught, and he spoke to them rapidly in Spanish for quite a while. I could tell he was talking about me and they were laughing. I'm not sure if it was because of the questions about eternity I had asked or because of my poor Spanish ability or something else. I guess if want to reach out to the large numbers of Spanish speakers who live near me I will have to put up with the language barrier and the limitations I will always have as a non-native speaker. It may make me an easy target for ridicule, but "Here am I Lord, send me!" (Isaiah 6:7)
6/8/10 Mario, Ray, Joe early 20's
Late at night after a busy day I drove to a nearby business area, where I went for a walk and began a conversation with a young man wearing headphones as he walked down the sidewalk, lost in his music. I gave him a "million dollar bill" tract and asked what he thought the million dollar question might be. "How to make a million dollars?" was his guess. I responded "I don't mean to be morbid here, but on the day we die a million dollars won't mean much to us right? What really matters is what comes next. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" Mario has a Catholic upbringing and just graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago with a major in English and a minor in philosophy. I asked what he learned from his studies of philosophy. "I have more questions than answers" he said. "I'm not an atheist, but I don't really believe in God either." "What would it take for you to believe in God?" I asked. He didn't know, but thought it was a good question, so I told him that I believe in God simply because all that we see and know - matter, energy, time and space - are subject to the laws of nature but there must be something outside of what we know that created them. If there are laws there must be a lawgiver. We live in a post modern age, where many no longer believe in absolute truth. In the modern age, we believed that by reason man could discover these truths, and in the pre-modern age we learned truth by revelation from God. Because I knew of his philosophy background, I knew I could reason with Mario in this way and in doing so earned the right to share the Gospel with him and his friends Ray and Joe, who had joined us to listen.
Late at night after a busy day I drove to a nearby business area, where I went for a walk and began a conversation with a young man wearing headphones as he walked down the sidewalk, lost in his music. I gave him a "million dollar bill" tract and asked what he thought the million dollar question might be. "How to make a million dollars?" was his guess. I responded "I don't mean to be morbid here, but on the day we die a million dollars won't mean much to us right? What really matters is what comes next. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" Mario has a Catholic upbringing and just graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago with a major in English and a minor in philosophy. I asked what he learned from his studies of philosophy. "I have more questions than answers" he said. "I'm not an atheist, but I don't really believe in God either." "What would it take for you to believe in God?" I asked. He didn't know, but thought it was a good question, so I told him that I believe in God simply because all that we see and know - matter, energy, time and space - are subject to the laws of nature but there must be something outside of what we know that created them. If there are laws there must be a lawgiver. We live in a post modern age, where many no longer believe in absolute truth. In the modern age, we believed that by reason man could discover these truths, and in the pre-modern age we learned truth by revelation from God. Because I knew of his philosophy background, I knew I could reason with Mario in this way and in doing so earned the right to share the Gospel with him and his friends Ray and Joe, who had joined us to listen.
6/7/10 Alvin, about 25
I was at the grocery store to pick up a few items and used a "million dollar bill" tract to start a conversation with a young man named Alvin. He seemed normal enough until I asked how he believes God would judge him. "I think he would say I'm a nut case." I didn't quite know what he meant by that, but as we talked Alvin turned out to be somewhat simple minded, judging from the difficult time he had understanding the analogies I used and his inability to hold a concept in his mind long enough to relate it to the next idea. He told me he grew up Catholic but participated a lot as a kid in an evangelistic busing ministry that reaches kids in Chicago neighborhoods around us, so I am fairly certain he has heard Bible stories and the Gospel message, yet he knew little about it. Alvin isn't innocent - he knows right from wrong and has clearly broken God's commandments in many ways that he described to me, yet I think that intellectually it is very hard for him to understand the Gospel. Luke 12:48 says that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" and I trust that the opposite is also true. Jesus never said that one must intellectually understand the Gospel - only to receive it with a childlike faith, which Alvin is clearly capable of.
I was at the grocery store to pick up a few items and used a "million dollar bill" tract to start a conversation with a young man named Alvin. He seemed normal enough until I asked how he believes God would judge him. "I think he would say I'm a nut case." I didn't quite know what he meant by that, but as we talked Alvin turned out to be somewhat simple minded, judging from the difficult time he had understanding the analogies I used and his inability to hold a concept in his mind long enough to relate it to the next idea. He told me he grew up Catholic but participated a lot as a kid in an evangelistic busing ministry that reaches kids in Chicago neighborhoods around us, so I am fairly certain he has heard Bible stories and the Gospel message, yet he knew little about it. Alvin isn't innocent - he knows right from wrong and has clearly broken God's commandments in many ways that he described to me, yet I think that intellectually it is very hard for him to understand the Gospel. Luke 12:48 says that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" and I trust that the opposite is also true. Jesus never said that one must intellectually understand the Gospel - only to receive it with a childlike faith, which Alvin is clearly capable of.
6/6/10 Daniel, about 50
Being intentional about witnessing means I need to plan ahead on busy days, so when I brought my son early to church for his worship practice I took the opportunity to find someone to share the Gospel with before church started. At a nearby park I found an older Latino man who had time to talk, but I soon found out he didn't know any English. I've been learning Spanish for such a time as this, so although I have a lot to learn I did the best I could. Danny told me he has lived near our church for 30 years and for 28 of those years he's been a heavy drinker. Two years ago his wife told him she would leave him if he continued to drink, so he stopped. He is Catholic and when I asked if he will go to heaven he told me he prays to "Our Lady of Guadalupe" (Mary). He was patient with me as I tried to explain that our trust needs to be in Jesus alone for forgiveness of our sins. After a while I came to the end of my ability to explain the Gospel in Spanish and felt pretty frustrated knowing I was falling short, so I went back to my car and got a Spanish Gospel tract. Daniel told me he can't read, but he listened with interest as I read it to him. I felt kind of foolish because I didn't understand much of what I was reading, but Daniel kept nodding that he understood. This all gives new urgency to my Spanish studies!
Being intentional about witnessing means I need to plan ahead on busy days, so when I brought my son early to church for his worship practice I took the opportunity to find someone to share the Gospel with before church started. At a nearby park I found an older Latino man who had time to talk, but I soon found out he didn't know any English. I've been learning Spanish for such a time as this, so although I have a lot to learn I did the best I could. Danny told me he has lived near our church for 30 years and for 28 of those years he's been a heavy drinker. Two years ago his wife told him she would leave him if he continued to drink, so he stopped. He is Catholic and when I asked if he will go to heaven he told me he prays to "Our Lady of Guadalupe" (Mary). He was patient with me as I tried to explain that our trust needs to be in Jesus alone for forgiveness of our sins. After a while I came to the end of my ability to explain the Gospel in Spanish and felt pretty frustrated knowing I was falling short, so I went back to my car and got a Spanish Gospel tract. Daniel told me he can't read, but he listened with interest as I read it to him. I felt kind of foolish because I didn't understand much of what I was reading, but Daniel kept nodding that he understood. This all gives new urgency to my Spanish studies!
6/5/10 Danny, about 40
When I plan to witness while out jogging I usually procrastinate until the end of my run but today I felt compelled early on to talk to a man I saw on the other side of the street. Danny told me, between puffs on his cigarette, that he has been going to church all his life except lately, because his church is between pastors. Later he told me he hasn't read the Bible in a long time either. He knows he has drifted from God but he believes he will go to heaven "because God knows my heart, and he knows I'm doing the best I can". Although he said he trusts Jesus he added many other good works to his list as to why he should go to heaven, so I asked why Jesus died on the cross. He said, "Well to die for our sins, I guess, but even if I didn't know anything about Jesus I'd still go to heaven because God knows my heart." "You don't think you deserve punishment for your sins?" I asked. Danny responded, "God is love, and I don't believe in Him because of fear, I believe in Him because He is loving" "But isn't that the point?" I answered. "That was His Son hanging on that cross. Isn't that the ultimate sign of God's love? John 3:16 is followed by a warning that without Jesus we are condemned already" We talked for a while there on the sidewalk and I feel that Danny listened to my encouragement not to neglect God's word because if we do we will naturally drift from God's truth.
When I plan to witness while out jogging I usually procrastinate until the end of my run but today I felt compelled early on to talk to a man I saw on the other side of the street. Danny told me, between puffs on his cigarette, that he has been going to church all his life except lately, because his church is between pastors. Later he told me he hasn't read the Bible in a long time either. He knows he has drifted from God but he believes he will go to heaven "because God knows my heart, and he knows I'm doing the best I can". Although he said he trusts Jesus he added many other good works to his list as to why he should go to heaven, so I asked why Jesus died on the cross. He said, "Well to die for our sins, I guess, but even if I didn't know anything about Jesus I'd still go to heaven because God knows my heart." "You don't think you deserve punishment for your sins?" I asked. Danny responded, "God is love, and I don't believe in Him because of fear, I believe in Him because He is loving" "But isn't that the point?" I answered. "That was His Son hanging on that cross. Isn't that the ultimate sign of God's love? John 3:16 is followed by a warning that without Jesus we are condemned already" We talked for a while there on the sidewalk and I feel that Danny listened to my encouragement not to neglect God's word because if we do we will naturally drift from God's truth.
6/4/10 Jolly, about 35
While out jogging today I stopped to walk at the park where an "average American" looking guy was sitting - sport shirt, shorts, baseball hat, dark sunglasses. I would never have guessed he is a Hare Krishna from India.(I guess I would have expected a flowing robe, beard, and John Lennon glasses!) I began the conversation by asking "What do you think happens after this life?" He brightened up at this and invited me to sit down, where I spent the next 20 minutes finding out all about Hare Krishna beliefs. "Jolly" (his Americanized name I guess) is married to an American woman who grew up in a Hare Krishna family. They home school their children and live alternately between the U.S. and India, avoiding our cold winters and their hot summers. He joined the Hare Krishnas while in college, introduced by a friend and attracted to the sense of peace he attains through the practice of chanting, which is a major emphasis of the religion and believed to be a source of forgiveness and cleansing. Listening to all this help me gain Jolly's respect in sharing the Gospel. I knew that the traditional American evangelistic approach - which assumes a Judeo-Christian world view - wouldn't help someone such as this who has no concept of sin, God's holiness and justice, judgment, and his need for a savior. All this I shared over the second half of our conversation as he listened with the same interest and respect I had shown him. So we went on our way, both having gained a better understanding of each other's beliefs, both trusting that the truth of our own belief's will win the other over.
While out jogging today I stopped to walk at the park where an "average American" looking guy was sitting - sport shirt, shorts, baseball hat, dark sunglasses. I would never have guessed he is a Hare Krishna from India.(I guess I would have expected a flowing robe, beard, and John Lennon glasses!) I began the conversation by asking "What do you think happens after this life?" He brightened up at this and invited me to sit down, where I spent the next 20 minutes finding out all about Hare Krishna beliefs. "Jolly" (his Americanized name I guess) is married to an American woman who grew up in a Hare Krishna family. They home school their children and live alternately between the U.S. and India, avoiding our cold winters and their hot summers. He joined the Hare Krishnas while in college, introduced by a friend and attracted to the sense of peace he attains through the practice of chanting, which is a major emphasis of the religion and believed to be a source of forgiveness and cleansing. Listening to all this help me gain Jolly's respect in sharing the Gospel. I knew that the traditional American evangelistic approach - which assumes a Judeo-Christian world view - wouldn't help someone such as this who has no concept of sin, God's holiness and justice, judgment, and his need for a savior. All this I shared over the second half of our conversation as he listened with the same interest and respect I had shown him. So we went on our way, both having gained a better understanding of each other's beliefs, both trusting that the truth of our own belief's will win the other over.
6/3/10 Matt, 27
Outside Cellular Field during a White Sox game today I talked to Matt, who was in a fenced-in smoking area for fans. He didn't want to take the "million dollar bill" tract I tried to use as a conversation starter, so I asked him why and this started a conversation anyway. Matt told me he is too busy for church involvement. He stopped attending his family's Catholic church after being confirmed at age 14 and started attending Young Life, an evangelical parachurch organization for teens that I myself have been heavily involved in. He attended two of Young Life's summer outreach camps and described them as "informative" spiritually and said that he felt the youth leaders were very genuine in the way they lived their faith. He appreciated the spiritual message of Young Life but admitted he was really involved to meet girls and have fun in all the different activities. I asked if he feared God. He didn't see why he should, especially since he does so many good things. He is a manager at work and is proud of the way he does his job with integrity. I explained that, although we may feel like we are doing good things, we are really only doing what God rightfully expects of us. I talked about God's judgment and how we all want His justice to be served and for bad people to be punished; - that is until we discover that we, too, deserve punishment - then we want mercy. Our conversation was covering a lot of ground but then the baseball game ended and Matt realized he needed to catch up with his girlfriend. Another unfinished conversation, but I believe it was enough to get Matt interested in reading the additional info I gave him.
Outside Cellular Field during a White Sox game today I talked to Matt, who was in a fenced-in smoking area for fans. He didn't want to take the "million dollar bill" tract I tried to use as a conversation starter, so I asked him why and this started a conversation anyway. Matt told me he is too busy for church involvement. He stopped attending his family's Catholic church after being confirmed at age 14 and started attending Young Life, an evangelical parachurch organization for teens that I myself have been heavily involved in. He attended two of Young Life's summer outreach camps and described them as "informative" spiritually and said that he felt the youth leaders were very genuine in the way they lived their faith. He appreciated the spiritual message of Young Life but admitted he was really involved to meet girls and have fun in all the different activities. I asked if he feared God. He didn't see why he should, especially since he does so many good things. He is a manager at work and is proud of the way he does his job with integrity. I explained that, although we may feel like we are doing good things, we are really only doing what God rightfully expects of us. I talked about God's judgment and how we all want His justice to be served and for bad people to be punished; - that is until we discover that we, too, deserve punishment - then we want mercy. Our conversation was covering a lot of ground but then the baseball game ended and Matt realized he needed to catch up with his girlfriend. Another unfinished conversation, but I believe it was enough to get Matt interested in reading the additional info I gave him.
6/2/10 Raymond, about 25
While shopping at Home Depot I began a conversation with a fellow shopper by offering him a "million dollar bill" tract. "It has a gospel message on the back with a good question - 'Will you go to Heaven?' and it gives a 'good person test'...Are you a good person?" "Oh, I'm a very good person" Raymond responded. He was surprised when I told him I failed it myself. I asked if he has a church background, and he told me he grew up in a Baptist church but hasn't been involved at all since leaving home. "You never really took ownership of your faith, did you?" and he had to agree. He has two young children, and seemed to be thinking hard when I asked if he would want them to grow up in a church. I talked about some of the "good person" questions based on the commandments, and he was just starting to see my point - that he isn't the good person he professes to be according to God's standard - when he had to rejoin his father whom he was shopping with. This was definitely an unfinished conversation, but still something that the Lord might use to get Raymond's attention again.
While shopping at Home Depot I began a conversation with a fellow shopper by offering him a "million dollar bill" tract. "It has a gospel message on the back with a good question - 'Will you go to Heaven?' and it gives a 'good person test'...Are you a good person?" "Oh, I'm a very good person" Raymond responded. He was surprised when I told him I failed it myself. I asked if he has a church background, and he told me he grew up in a Baptist church but hasn't been involved at all since leaving home. "You never really took ownership of your faith, did you?" and he had to agree. He has two young children, and seemed to be thinking hard when I asked if he would want them to grow up in a church. I talked about some of the "good person" questions based on the commandments, and he was just starting to see my point - that he isn't the good person he professes to be according to God's standard - when he had to rejoin his father whom he was shopping with. This was definitely an unfinished conversation, but still something that the Lord might use to get Raymond's attention again.
6/01/10 Carlos, 21
I stopped at the park today on my way home after work where a young man (Carlos) sat watching people fishing at the pond. "I have an interesting question for you. Where do you think you'll be in a hundred years?" He looked confused. "In other words, do you think there is some sort of existence after we die?" He thought for a moment and answered "I don't know how we can know". I asked "Is this something you think about much?" "All the time" he answered quietly. Carlos told me he had grown up Catholic but has long since given up on church, saying he had problems with many of the hypocritical people he saw in church who acted religious for an hour at church but totally the opposite the rest of the week. I complimented him on this, saying "it's good that this bothers you, as it should - because people who say they are Christians should act like it. But just as a person doesn't become a car by standing in a garage, they aren't necessarily Christians just because they are in church." Carlos has been distressed lately by the ugliness he sees in people's attitudes while working at a fast food restaurant, and viewed himself as a much better person than them until I used some of the Ten Commandments to show him how he really looks by God's standard rather than man's. He took great interest in hearing the Gospel after this. He has been reading up on other religions lately, but I think our conversation may have convinced him to give Christianity another look.
I stopped at the park today on my way home after work where a young man (Carlos) sat watching people fishing at the pond. "I have an interesting question for you. Where do you think you'll be in a hundred years?" He looked confused. "In other words, do you think there is some sort of existence after we die?" He thought for a moment and answered "I don't know how we can know". I asked "Is this something you think about much?" "All the time" he answered quietly. Carlos told me he had grown up Catholic but has long since given up on church, saying he had problems with many of the hypocritical people he saw in church who acted religious for an hour at church but totally the opposite the rest of the week. I complimented him on this, saying "it's good that this bothers you, as it should - because people who say they are Christians should act like it. But just as a person doesn't become a car by standing in a garage, they aren't necessarily Christians just because they are in church." Carlos has been distressed lately by the ugliness he sees in people's attitudes while working at a fast food restaurant, and viewed himself as a much better person than them until I used some of the Ten Commandments to show him how he really looks by God's standard rather than man's. He took great interest in hearing the Gospel after this. He has been reading up on other religions lately, but I think our conversation may have convinced him to give Christianity another look.
5/31/10 Israel, 39 and Paul, 46
After my conversation with Jack (last post before this), I asked people at four tables in the deli if they had a minute or two to answer some questions. I was turned down at the first three. A year ago, I would have taken this personally and felt rejected, but now I think "how can they reject me? They don't even know me!" or "Maybe they truly don't have the time to talk" I have to admit I felt somewhat vindicated after these refusals when two men at the fourth table agreed to answer my questions and we had a long, positive and heartfelt conversation. They didn't agree easily though, and at first rejected my request also, saying "We don't need to be preached at". I said "Well I AM from a church nearby, but I really would like to ask questions, not preach at you. If you had questions for me I'd be happy to answer them, but I'd be happy just to have the chance to ask you a few things about your beliefs." I said this in truth, because my conversational style of evangelism is based on asking questions, and even if people don't respond with questions of their own, the questions I do ask plant seeds of truth that can help people along the path to a right relationship with God. Israel decided to allow me to sit and talk to them "because of your boldness" he told me. As it turned out, these men are a gay couple who met at a Catholic Church. We talked for probably 30 minutes about their struggles with their belief in God and their homosexual impulses. I didn't want this to be the central issue, however, so I asked if we could talk about their relationships to God without reference to their gay lifestyle, which we did for at least another half hour. How do they measure up to God's standard - the Ten Commandments? Since they've had experiences feeling judged by "fundamentalist Christians", I didn't want to take the risk that they would feel I was judging them too, (I try not to judge, but I do hold the Ten Commandments up as a sort of mirror and encourage people to judge themselves) so I applied the Ten Commandments to myself instead of to them, showing how I didn't measure up, and by extension they could see they would fare no better. At this point the excuses started, as they said they didn't trust the Bible or various specific teachings in it, and they had their own version of the God they believe in, one who wouldn't judge them. I believe they were confronted with their real problem - their rebellion against God in many areas of their life, all too often overlooked because of their gay lifestyle.
After my conversation with Jack (last post before this), I asked people at four tables in the deli if they had a minute or two to answer some questions. I was turned down at the first three. A year ago, I would have taken this personally and felt rejected, but now I think "how can they reject me? They don't even know me!" or "Maybe they truly don't have the time to talk" I have to admit I felt somewhat vindicated after these refusals when two men at the fourth table agreed to answer my questions and we had a long, positive and heartfelt conversation. They didn't agree easily though, and at first rejected my request also, saying "We don't need to be preached at". I said "Well I AM from a church nearby, but I really would like to ask questions, not preach at you. If you had questions for me I'd be happy to answer them, but I'd be happy just to have the chance to ask you a few things about your beliefs." I said this in truth, because my conversational style of evangelism is based on asking questions, and even if people don't respond with questions of their own, the questions I do ask plant seeds of truth that can help people along the path to a right relationship with God. Israel decided to allow me to sit and talk to them "because of your boldness" he told me. As it turned out, these men are a gay couple who met at a Catholic Church. We talked for probably 30 minutes about their struggles with their belief in God and their homosexual impulses. I didn't want this to be the central issue, however, so I asked if we could talk about their relationships to God without reference to their gay lifestyle, which we did for at least another half hour. How do they measure up to God's standard - the Ten Commandments? Since they've had experiences feeling judged by "fundamentalist Christians", I didn't want to take the risk that they would feel I was judging them too, (I try not to judge, but I do hold the Ten Commandments up as a sort of mirror and encourage people to judge themselves) so I applied the Ten Commandments to myself instead of to them, showing how I didn't measure up, and by extension they could see they would fare no better. At this point the excuses started, as they said they didn't trust the Bible or various specific teachings in it, and they had their own version of the God they believe in, one who wouldn't judge them. I believe they were confronted with their real problem - their rebellion against God in many areas of their life, all too often overlooked because of their gay lifestyle.
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