My friend Kyle just came in from England for a month. He got saved at our church about a year ago. We became good friends and during his time in England he really matured a lot in his Christian walk. He started street preaching and witnessing with his church in England and discovered he had a passion for evangelism. He had heard about the outreach and evangelism program that we had started at our church. So he told me on the phone that when he got back into town he wanted to hit the main strip in town with me to do some evangelism. So we have. It has been very eye opening.
Street Ministry
You would think that with a church on nearly every corner in America that the majority of people would at least know the most basic fundamentals and principals of Christianity. But I discovered that many of them don’t. The other night we went to a skate park here in town. After striking up a conversation with some of the skaters one of them said, “There is just one question I have that bothers the **** out of me! If someone could just answer this one question for me, but no one ever can. Why the **** are we here?!” And he was being sincere. I started explaining about how God was lonely and wanted a family. So He created man to have someone to share His love with. I went into a lot more detail and explained a lot better than that. But that was idea of it.
I was able to walk through the entire story of creation with him starting with Genesis 1. He had never even heard the story of Adam and Eve. He didn’t know about creation, he didn’t know where we came from at all. And he was an older teenager. The other skaters quit skating while we were teaching and had formed in a group around us to listen. They were silent and still and we had their full attention. While I was explaining the story of Adam and Eve one of the other guys chimed in and said, “Wasn’t there another woman that came before Eve?” I told him, “Nope, she was the first one.”
I was amazed that these older teenage guys that lived in the same town as me where there are churches and “christians” everywhere had not even heard the most basic and foundational stories from the Bible. They had heard the name Jesus and knew that it was related to religion, but that is about all they knew. They didn’t really know Him or what He did for them at all. It made me realize how truly important it is that we get the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ out there, because there are still so many people that have not heard it. And I mean in the United States, not foreign nations. I am all for foreign missions and I thank God for them. However, it is imperative that we understand that there is a mission field right in our own back yard. And people here need to hear the story of Jesus just as much as the tribes in Africa need to. Missions work isn’t just reserved for those called by God to the foreign missions field. The great commission includes all of us, none are exempt.
I urge you please be bold with sharing your faith. There are many lost people out there who are searching for the truth, and we can give it to them. After we finished witnessing the guy sincerely THANKED us for coming out and telling him about Jesus. He said that he got it and that it finally made sense to him and that his questions were answered. He was a ruff looking and acting guy. You would of thought that he opposed christianity if you judged by appearances, but he was really just a lost man searching for the truth and craving some sort of light to illuminate his darkness. This was proved by the fact that he thanked us for taking the time to tell him about Jesus. He told us it was very cool for us to do it. He wanted to know the truth. He had just never had anyone tell it to him.
There are people all around you in your sphere of influence that are searching for the truth as well. Don’t be timid. The bible says that if we are ashamed of Jesus before men than He will be ashamed of us before God. There may be people that have popped into your head while reading this that you know you have been supposed to witness to. You can rescue them!
Living to touch God’s heart,
Chris Ulery
divine-romance.com
A few quick stories.
While i was in Nashville i had gone out with a group representing Pure Life Revolution. (www.pureliferevolution.com) We were doing street video interviews on people’s opinions on pornography, and then witnessing. We went into Printer’s Alley, which is an alley of night clubs and bars. A guy had just walked out of a strip club wearing a shirt that said, “I love my penis.” We asked to interview him. He thought pornography was the greatest thing since sliced bread . . . BUT, before that night was over he softened and we got to join hands with him and pray for him and with him. And not only that, he actually went and got his friends and brought them to us so that we could pray for them too!! And it’s all on video! Pure Life Revolution owns the footage.
Another one.
Some of my friends had gone to Pizza Hut for lunch. While they were there my friend Joshua struck up a conversation with a blind homeless guy sitting on the bench. The guy asked him for money. So Joshua pulled out a ten to give to him. As Joshua did that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Joshua with a holy boldness. Joshua said, “Take your glasses off i’m going to heal you.” So the guy did. Joshua laid hands on his eyes and commanded sight to come back. The once blind guy started to freak out and started yelling, “I can see, I can see.” Joshua asked “Is it clear?” The man said it was a little blurry. So Joshua prayed again. This time the man received his full sight. Then the Holy Spirit prophesied over the man through Joshua. The man asked, “Who are you?” And Joshua replied, “I am an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.” And then left.
Another one.
This one has Joshua in it too. Joshua had gone down to the river in Nashville. While he was there he saw a man in a wheel chair and God told him to go pray for him. So again Joshua went over to the man and told the man that God had healed him and that he needed to get out of his wheel chair and walk. The man said, “I can’t walk.” So Joshua replied, “Yes you can, the Lord has healed you. Stand up.” Again the man said, “You don’t understand, I have a knee disease, I am not able to walk.” So Joshua said again, “Trust me, if you will stand up you can walk, the Lord has healed you.” So Joshua grabbed the mans hand and began to help the man reluctantly stand up. Once the man stood up he was healed and began walking on his own.
There are many more stories, a man with a cane threw his cane down and started walking after he was prayed for. Joshua and i prayed for a woman in walgreens and drew a crowd, we would pray for people anywhere. In stores, in restaurants, on the streets, at parks. God will move when we get bold about sharing him. God is impressed with faith and takes notice when we use it. So use it. 🙂
one more,
My friend Mark (He played keyboard for Jeff Deyo for a while, and then quit because people would focus on him to much. . . pretty cool.)
Anyways, my friend mark started taking people into hospital emergency rooms to pray for people because he knew he could find sick people there! Ha! Once he randomly stoppend by a clinic to pray for people in the waiting room. He met a girl that had pnemonia(sp?). He asked to pray for her. She said yes. After he prayed she was instantly healed and her breathing cleared up and all symptoms left! Not only that, upon continuing to talk with her he discovered that she was a hooker. The lord came upon Mark and he began prophesy over her and speak God’s love and affection for her. The woman was deeply moved and wanted to go to church and start to try to get her life straightened out. So cool!
I am blessed by your going out. Keep it up! Your flesh and the devil will try everything it can to prevent it. Resist it!
This is so true, especially with the younger generations. A lot of them have never heard. Gone are the days of bibles in every home and prayer before every meal. The older generations need to be reminded of this. We are dealing with whole new generations now.
Wake up church!
Thanks,
Richard
Hey bubba I am so proud of you and happy to see you help others! love you bye!