4/27/11 Rosalyn, Audrey, Jason about 50, 50, 30
At a grocery store coffeshop, Rosalyn and Audrey, - coworkers from a nearby business and finishing their lunch - agreed to answer some questions. Their answers to my questions about their beliefs revealed the typical beliefs of lukewarm churchianity – faith in ones own goodness for salvation. We were then joined by a third co-worker – Jason – who had a strong biblical faith in Jesus and the ability to share it with others, and our conversation allowed him to do just that. I found out that Rosalyn and Audrey have been friends for seven years and had never once talked about their spiritual beliefs. I felt privileged to help start the conversation, and I feel confident that God has Jason in place to help continue it.
Gospel conversations from the streets and marketplace....
4/26/11 Tywoo, 30
I used a MDB gospel tract to start a conversation with a man out enjoying a smoke on the sidewalk. His name is Tywoo (spelling?) and he is a Nigerian immigrant. He grew up involved in a Christian church in Nigeria and moved to Chicago at the age of 18. He is minimally involved in a church here but, judging from his expensive suit and accessories, is more concerned about the temporary riches of this life than the true riches of heaven. However, this was exactly what he was critical of regarding the church in Nigeria. After we talked a while I asked some key questions about his views of the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. His is a works-based understanding of salvation, and he really appreciated a discussion about God’s justice and mercy, about the punishment we deserve and the grace we can have in Jesus.
I used a MDB gospel tract to start a conversation with a man out enjoying a smoke on the sidewalk. His name is Tywoo (spelling?) and he is a Nigerian immigrant. He grew up involved in a Christian church in Nigeria and moved to Chicago at the age of 18. He is minimally involved in a church here but, judging from his expensive suit and accessories, is more concerned about the temporary riches of this life than the true riches of heaven. However, this was exactly what he was critical of regarding the church in Nigeria. After we talked a while I asked some key questions about his views of the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. His is a works-based understanding of salvation, and he really appreciated a discussion about God’s justice and mercy, about the punishment we deserve and the grace we can have in Jesus.
4/25/11 Goldie, 52
I sat down at McDonalds with an African-American lady named Goldie who had agreed to answer my questions. As it turned out, she had grown up in a strongly religious family, attending various Baptist church meetings every day of the week. However, over the years she has drifted into complacency about her faith and no longer attends church. She describes herself as a “shopaholic” and I detected what could possibly be compulsive, hoarding tendencies. She has suffered from poor health and survived 4 near death experiences, describing the spiritual visions that occurred during two of them. She now views herself as experiencing a sort of hell on earth. We talked a lot about different aspects of the Gospel, and I felt led to remind her of the parable of the sower and the seed which represents the Word of God being planted in the four different types of soil. I warned her that she has had God’s word planted in her life, but that she must be careful not to let the distractions of this world choke it out.
I sat down at McDonalds with an African-American lady named Goldie who had agreed to answer my questions. As it turned out, she had grown up in a strongly religious family, attending various Baptist church meetings every day of the week. However, over the years she has drifted into complacency about her faith and no longer attends church. She describes herself as a “shopaholic” and I detected what could possibly be compulsive, hoarding tendencies. She has suffered from poor health and survived 4 near death experiences, describing the spiritual visions that occurred during two of them. She now views herself as experiencing a sort of hell on earth. We talked a lot about different aspects of the Gospel, and I felt led to remind her of the parable of the sower and the seed which represents the Word of God being planted in the four different types of soil. I warned her that she has had God’s word planted in her life, but that she must be careful not to let the distractions of this world choke it out.
4/21/11 Tak, 84
At a McDonalds today I met an older Asian man with an interesting history. Tak grew up as a pastor’s son in Hong Kong. When he was 14 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and also attacked, invaded and occupied Hong Kong. Tak’s school closed down and he was forced to work in the shipyards, becoming a machinist by trade. He later moved to Canada and then Chicago, where he bought a machine shop and invented and patented the first automatic fortune cookie maker. Through all this however, Tak had decided he does not believe in God’s existence. He believes that since people can’t know how creation began, they have decided to create various “gods” simply out of the fear of the unknown. I agreed that it is wrong to create our own ideas about God – this violates the 2nd commandment against idols, and I tried to help Tak understand that we can only know God as He chooses to reveal Himself. The evidence for His existence is all around us – just as we know about wind by seeing it’s effects – we can see the evidence of our creator from the creation. “What would it take for you to believe in God?” I asked him. He really couldn’t say. He isn’t even open to the idea of God’s existence. We both look at the same thing – the mystery of the beginnings of the universe – and come to completely opposite conclusions. May God give Tak the same grace he has given me, the ability to see what is right in front of me, the signature of the creator over all of His creation.
At a McDonalds today I met an older Asian man with an interesting history. Tak grew up as a pastor’s son in Hong Kong. When he was 14 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and also attacked, invaded and occupied Hong Kong. Tak’s school closed down and he was forced to work in the shipyards, becoming a machinist by trade. He later moved to Canada and then Chicago, where he bought a machine shop and invented and patented the first automatic fortune cookie maker. Through all this however, Tak had decided he does not believe in God’s existence. He believes that since people can’t know how creation began, they have decided to create various “gods” simply out of the fear of the unknown. I agreed that it is wrong to create our own ideas about God – this violates the 2nd commandment against idols, and I tried to help Tak understand that we can only know God as He chooses to reveal Himself. The evidence for His existence is all around us – just as we know about wind by seeing it’s effects – we can see the evidence of our creator from the creation. “What would it take for you to believe in God?” I asked him. He really couldn’t say. He isn’t even open to the idea of God’s existence. We both look at the same thing – the mystery of the beginnings of the universe – and come to completely opposite conclusions. May God give Tak the same grace he has given me, the ability to see what is right in front of me, the signature of the creator over all of His creation.
4/20/11 Angela and James, both about 40
Like the disciples sent out two by two, I love the fellowship of being “on mission” together, and today Bob - a younger church brother – and I headed for a deli to see if we could reach out with the Gospel through conversation. We met Angela and James, an African-American couple, as they finished eating dinner. Angela grew up attending both Catholic and Baptist churches, and James grew up and remains a Jehovah’s Witness. They hadn’t really talked with each other about their own beliefs, but both felt that they wouldn’t deserve heaven if they died today, that they haven’t been good enough. I wondered out loud how good they would need to be, and when I put it in these terms, they wondered the same thing. I felt I might not have a lot of time so I went right to the heart of our faith – “Who is Jesus Christ? Why did he die on the cross?” They wondered the same thing, and allowed me to explain it. After a few days of shorter conversations, I felt like I may already be getting a little rusty at it, but I praise the Lord, though, that he can make any seed of truth that is planted sprout and grow.
Like the disciples sent out two by two, I love the fellowship of being “on mission” together, and today Bob - a younger church brother – and I headed for a deli to see if we could reach out with the Gospel through conversation. We met Angela and James, an African-American couple, as they finished eating dinner. Angela grew up attending both Catholic and Baptist churches, and James grew up and remains a Jehovah’s Witness. They hadn’t really talked with each other about their own beliefs, but both felt that they wouldn’t deserve heaven if they died today, that they haven’t been good enough. I wondered out loud how good they would need to be, and when I put it in these terms, they wondered the same thing. I felt I might not have a lot of time so I went right to the heart of our faith – “Who is Jesus Christ? Why did he die on the cross?” They wondered the same thing, and allowed me to explain it. After a few days of shorter conversations, I felt like I may already be getting a little rusty at it, but I praise the Lord, though, that he can make any seed of truth that is planted sprout and grow.
4/16/11 Michael about 30
If the devil can’t keep us in sin, he’ll just keep us busy. Anything to keep us from sharing the greatest treasure ever. I’ve been unusually busy lately, and have found myself unable to commit to what could potentially be a long conversation. However, its better to do something than nothing, so instead of seeking longer conversations for a few days I just set a goal of handing out 5 MDB gospel tracts while at the store, asking a few friendly questions to see what comes of it. One short but interesting conversation was with Michael, who had been training to be a priest but gave up for various reasons. He now is unsure of the Gospel, questioning the idea of eternal life. He couldn’t talk long, but it seemed like some of my questions stirred some of that dormant spiritual interest, and I hope he will continue on the journey he had already begun.
If the devil can’t keep us in sin, he’ll just keep us busy. Anything to keep us from sharing the greatest treasure ever. I’ve been unusually busy lately, and have found myself unable to commit to what could potentially be a long conversation. However, its better to do something than nothing, so instead of seeking longer conversations for a few days I just set a goal of handing out 5 MDB gospel tracts while at the store, asking a few friendly questions to see what comes of it. One short but interesting conversation was with Michael, who had been training to be a priest but gave up for various reasons. He now is unsure of the Gospel, questioning the idea of eternal life. He couldn’t talk long, but it seemed like some of my questions stirred some of that dormant spiritual interest, and I hope he will continue on the journey he had already begun.
4/12/11 Javier, Venus about 18, 22
I met a young couple on the sidewalk with their young daughter practicing walking as they pushed her stroller. I used MDB gospel tracts to start a conversation, talking mainly with Javier who could speak English well, while Venus listened. He claimed he had been “saved”, at a church he had attended, though he couldn’t really say what that meant. “It’s what they told me when I prayed that prayer” he said, though he had no idea what the prayer was about. “Ï’ll make it easy for you” - I told him – “ït has something to do with Jesus”. He still didn’t know. He showed no signs of remembering or understanding until I had taken him through some “good person” questions, let him know his need for forgiveness, and explained that Jesus had done something for him so he could be forgiven. Then he brightened up, like a light came on – “He died on the cross” he said suddenly. Although he really didn’t understand what he had done or believed, I felt that his heart was open to the things of God and I went on to talk with him like he was a believer who had lost his way. But I was careful not to give him a false assurance of salvation. “Önly God knows your heart” I told him, and explained how they could grow in faith, inviting them to church and encouraging them to read the Bible for themselves.
I met a young couple on the sidewalk with their young daughter practicing walking as they pushed her stroller. I used MDB gospel tracts to start a conversation, talking mainly with Javier who could speak English well, while Venus listened. He claimed he had been “saved”, at a church he had attended, though he couldn’t really say what that meant. “It’s what they told me when I prayed that prayer” he said, though he had no idea what the prayer was about. “Ï’ll make it easy for you” - I told him – “ït has something to do with Jesus”. He still didn’t know. He showed no signs of remembering or understanding until I had taken him through some “good person” questions, let him know his need for forgiveness, and explained that Jesus had done something for him so he could be forgiven. Then he brightened up, like a light came on – “He died on the cross” he said suddenly. Although he really didn’t understand what he had done or believed, I felt that his heart was open to the things of God and I went on to talk with him like he was a believer who had lost his way. But I was careful not to give him a false assurance of salvation. “Önly God knows your heart” I told him, and explained how they could grow in faith, inviting them to church and encouraging them to read the Bible for themselves.
4/11/11 Rocky, about 45
A slogan of “law/grace” evangelism is “law to the proud, grace to the humble” – taken from several Bible passages including James 4:6 – “…God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” However, since I don’t know a person’s heart like God does, how do I know when a person is truly humble and ready to hear about God’s grace? I think if I’m wrong – and I’m sure I often am – I’d rather err on the side of grace. However, yesterday, after talking with Rocky - a man I met in front of his home while I walked down the sidewalk – he refused to be convinced of his sin even though we went through some of the ten commandments and he openly admitted his guilt. He still believed he would be found to be “good enough” when standing before God on judgment day. At this point I often ask if people think there is at least a possibility that they would deserve condemnation and most agree, so I proceed to tell them about God’s gift of grace in Jesus. Not so with Rocky. He confidently proclaimed his goodness, slightly mocking any other possibility. I hated to leave the Gospel story half told but I really felt like he would only treat the rest of it like the pearls with the swine that Jesus talked about – he wouldn’t see the value of God’s grace because he didn’t think he needs it. My hope is that his confidence was just a façade, and that from now on every time he breaks one of the commandments we talked about he will be reminded of our conversation and his unforgiven and growing debt of guilt.
A slogan of “law/grace” evangelism is “law to the proud, grace to the humble” – taken from several Bible passages including James 4:6 – “…God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” However, since I don’t know a person’s heart like God does, how do I know when a person is truly humble and ready to hear about God’s grace? I think if I’m wrong – and I’m sure I often am – I’d rather err on the side of grace. However, yesterday, after talking with Rocky - a man I met in front of his home while I walked down the sidewalk – he refused to be convinced of his sin even though we went through some of the ten commandments and he openly admitted his guilt. He still believed he would be found to be “good enough” when standing before God on judgment day. At this point I often ask if people think there is at least a possibility that they would deserve condemnation and most agree, so I proceed to tell them about God’s gift of grace in Jesus. Not so with Rocky. He confidently proclaimed his goodness, slightly mocking any other possibility. I hated to leave the Gospel story half told but I really felt like he would only treat the rest of it like the pearls with the swine that Jesus talked about – he wouldn’t see the value of God’s grace because he didn’t think he needs it. My hope is that his confidence was just a façade, and that from now on every time he breaks one of the commandments we talked about he will be reminded of our conversation and his unforgiven and growing debt of guilt.
4/9/11 Diane, about 50
I was jogging by an office building with Lucy, our miniature schnauzer, and I noticed a lady (Diane) out for a smoke break, and - judging from the smile on her face when she saw my dog – she was obviously a dog lover. I used this as an opportunity for a Gospel conversation and soon found out that Diane believes in some sort of a higher power and likes the idea of heaven, having experienced a spiritual high while climbing a mountain in California, but says hell is what she is going through right now, here on earth. I tried to be sensitive to tragedies she has experienced in life, and found out she has recently lost her mother due to a long drawn-out battle with cancer, which brought her a lot of anger at God. . She had a church upbringing, but without even realizing it she has been rejecting the biblical view of God. I explained how we must be careful to trust God’s revelation of himself rather than our own imagination of Him, because we worship a false idol when we do so. She began speaking about God on His terms, and we went on to a good talk about what it means to be in a right relationship to Him. A question later on helped her see she had no right to be angry at God – “What does God owe you?” – and by this time she could see that she shouldn’t demand justice, but should ask for mercy.
I was jogging by an office building with Lucy, our miniature schnauzer, and I noticed a lady (Diane) out for a smoke break, and - judging from the smile on her face when she saw my dog – she was obviously a dog lover. I used this as an opportunity for a Gospel conversation and soon found out that Diane believes in some sort of a higher power and likes the idea of heaven, having experienced a spiritual high while climbing a mountain in California, but says hell is what she is going through right now, here on earth. I tried to be sensitive to tragedies she has experienced in life, and found out she has recently lost her mother due to a long drawn-out battle with cancer, which brought her a lot of anger at God. . She had a church upbringing, but without even realizing it she has been rejecting the biblical view of God. I explained how we must be careful to trust God’s revelation of himself rather than our own imagination of Him, because we worship a false idol when we do so. She began speaking about God on His terms, and we went on to a good talk about what it means to be in a right relationship to Him. A question later on helped her see she had no right to be angry at God – “What does God owe you?” – and by this time she could see that she shouldn’t demand justice, but should ask for mercy.
4/5/11 Francisco, about 25
Is ignorance of the Gospel an excuse for unbelief? If that was true then we believers should hide the truth of the Gospel, lest people that hear it become condemned when they reject it. But the Bible says that we are condemned already (John 3) and without excuse (Romans 1). Yesterday I was out walking the dog at the park and came across a young man named Francisco sitting on a bench. He said he doesn’t believe in God or any sort of afterlife, has had no religious background or upbringing, and has never really thought much about it. He didn’t come across as having rejected God or religion, just apathetic and ignorant of it all. He had heard of the Ten Commandments but didn’t know any. It was hard not to just view him as being innocent of rejecting the Gospel due to ignorance. Yet he did say he knows right from wrong, and a few questions showed that he often does wrong anyway. I explained that the Bible teaches he will be held accountable to God on judgment day whether he believes in Him or not. He suddenly began to say that he has indeed been to church and read the Bible on occasion, maybe thinking this would let him off the hook, but he has rejected what truths he has already heard. He still seemed somewhat disinterested and there were some language barriers, so I gave him a Spanish gospel tract to read later, praying he won’t continue to reject the truth God is revealing to him.
Is ignorance of the Gospel an excuse for unbelief? If that was true then we believers should hide the truth of the Gospel, lest people that hear it become condemned when they reject it. But the Bible says that we are condemned already (John 3) and without excuse (Romans 1). Yesterday I was out walking the dog at the park and came across a young man named Francisco sitting on a bench. He said he doesn’t believe in God or any sort of afterlife, has had no religious background or upbringing, and has never really thought much about it. He didn’t come across as having rejected God or religion, just apathetic and ignorant of it all. He had heard of the Ten Commandments but didn’t know any. It was hard not to just view him as being innocent of rejecting the Gospel due to ignorance. Yet he did say he knows right from wrong, and a few questions showed that he often does wrong anyway. I explained that the Bible teaches he will be held accountable to God on judgment day whether he believes in Him or not. He suddenly began to say that he has indeed been to church and read the Bible on occasion, maybe thinking this would let him off the hook, but he has rejected what truths he has already heard. He still seemed somewhat disinterested and there were some language barriers, so I gave him a Spanish gospel tract to read later, praying he won’t continue to reject the truth God is revealing to him.
4/3/11 Anikit, about 24
Today after church I went with Annon, a Christian from India at our church, to his IIT campus where we found another student, Anikit, working at his laptop in the student center. As I asked questions about his beliefs I found that Anikit grew up Hindu and has no idea what Christians believe. He had never even heard of the Ten Commandments, yet I believe Anikit is closer to the Kingdom of Heaven than many “church people” I’ve met. Why? 5 reasons: (1.) He believes he will be held accountable for his actions in life; many church people don’t believe their "god of love" will judge them. (2.) He believes sin is serious and justice would demand the punishment of hell; many church attendees deny the biblical teaching of hell. (3.) He believes no amount of good deeds could erase the bad he has already done; many church people think if they aren’t already “good enough” they can offset their sins through church attendance or good deeds. (4.) He believes he should suffer the consequences for his own actions; many church people think there are no longer any consequences to sin. (5.) He believes if someone gave their life on his behalf that he would want to do as much as he could to show his gratitude; many church attendees think our forgiveness in Christ gives them license to sin. I had the joy of sharing Jesus with this young man in whom God has already been working. My friend Annon had the privilege of inviting Anikit to some Christian gatherings on campus.
Today after church I went with Annon, a Christian from India at our church, to his IIT campus where we found another student, Anikit, working at his laptop in the student center. As I asked questions about his beliefs I found that Anikit grew up Hindu and has no idea what Christians believe. He had never even heard of the Ten Commandments, yet I believe Anikit is closer to the Kingdom of Heaven than many “church people” I’ve met. Why? 5 reasons: (1.) He believes he will be held accountable for his actions in life; many church people don’t believe their "god of love" will judge them. (2.) He believes sin is serious and justice would demand the punishment of hell; many church attendees deny the biblical teaching of hell. (3.) He believes no amount of good deeds could erase the bad he has already done; many church people think if they aren’t already “good enough” they can offset their sins through church attendance or good deeds. (4.) He believes he should suffer the consequences for his own actions; many church people think there are no longer any consequences to sin. (5.) He believes if someone gave their life on his behalf that he would want to do as much as he could to show his gratitude; many church attendees think our forgiveness in Christ gives them license to sin. I had the joy of sharing Jesus with this young man in whom God has already been working. My friend Annon had the privilege of inviting Anikit to some Christian gatherings on campus.
3/31/11 Tim, Kelly 20’s
I met with Brad, who is part of a group of young men at church who are in leadership training, and before sitting down for coffee at a local deli we approached a young couple at another table to see if they’d be willing to talk about their beliefs. They were, so we sat down for a nice conversation, finding out Tim and Kelly are strong believers, actively involved in ministry and hoping to get married. It was wonderful to hear their stories and encourage them in their relationships with the Lord and with one another. Instead of thinking “I should be witnessing to unbelievers” I am learning to try to minister to whomever the Lord puts in my path, unbeliever or not. In addition to encouragement and prayer, I offered Tim and Kelly some advice – backed by our example – of what initiating a witnessing conversation can look like. Tim and Kelly have done “passive evangelism” – waiting for witnessing opportunities to fall in their lap – rather than taking the initiative to reach out to others. Many people like them feel this is more spirit-led, but I wanted to let them know that the obedience that results in taking the initiative is just as spirit-led; we just need to give the Holy Spirit who abides in us the credit only He deserves.
I met with Brad, who is part of a group of young men at church who are in leadership training, and before sitting down for coffee at a local deli we approached a young couple at another table to see if they’d be willing to talk about their beliefs. They were, so we sat down for a nice conversation, finding out Tim and Kelly are strong believers, actively involved in ministry and hoping to get married. It was wonderful to hear their stories and encourage them in their relationships with the Lord and with one another. Instead of thinking “I should be witnessing to unbelievers” I am learning to try to minister to whomever the Lord puts in my path, unbeliever or not. In addition to encouragement and prayer, I offered Tim and Kelly some advice – backed by our example – of what initiating a witnessing conversation can look like. Tim and Kelly have done “passive evangelism” – waiting for witnessing opportunities to fall in their lap – rather than taking the initiative to reach out to others. Many people like them feel this is more spirit-led, but I wanted to let them know that the obedience that results in taking the initiative is just as spirit-led; we just need to give the Holy Spirit who abides in us the credit only He deserves.
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