Westminster Mall

Last night I joined the team from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and went witnessing at Westminster Mall. Michael and I were able to pass out lots of gospel tracts to the people scurrying about looking for last minute deals. Several even stopped long enough to have some great conversations with us. One man in particular had his eyes opened to the truth of the gospel and promised to not go to bed that night without getting right with the Lord. I have no idea if he was truly sincere but trust that the Lord will use the seeds that were planted.

While I was almost finished sharing the gospel with a group of four young men, Michael looked into the store window that we were standing in front of and exclaimed "Guys, look at that painting behind you". There, in the store, was a painting of the three crosses on Calvary. Michael then told them that this was not a chance encounter and began to share the incredible gift of salvation that was laid before them. Those young men left the mall last night with tracts, bibles, and a memory that will not fade any time soon! Please pray that God will use the seeds planted last night to bring these young men to repentance and faith.

Another team reported that they walked up to a man reading a book and started to witness to him. The man told them that he had been given a copy of Mark Cahill's One Heartbeat Away by one of the other team members and he was deep in thought reading the book!

Glory to God for the work He was doing last night at Westminster mall!!

According To An Atheist

Penn Jillette is a self-admitted atheist. Somebody recently handed him a bible after one of his shows. Watch this YouTube video and check out what he has to say about Christians who don't share their faith.

Tracy's Drive-Thru Evangelism

Here's an IM I got from Tracy today:

(13:15:42) tracy: I had a a great rush. I drove thru in and out after working at church. This lady let me go ahead of her in the car line. God prompted me and I bought her lunch for her. I put a sticky note saying Merry Christmas. Just wanted to bless a stranger. I stuck it to a million dollar bill and asked the cash guy to give it to her.

... and here is where the idea came from originally:

http://fishwithtrish.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-minute-tip-with-trish-fast-food.html

What a great way to bless somebody, and leave them with a gospel tract! Try it out and report back!

Irvine Spectrum - 12/08/08

Last night was another great night of witnessing at the Irvine Spectrum. Although there were very few people out last night, and many didn't want to talk with us, we were still able to share the gospel with several people. After sharing the gospel with one group of young men, two security guards approached us and told us that we were OK to be there sharing our faith but that if anybody complained they would ask us to leave. We assured them that we were not there to cause problems and that we pass by those who do not wish to talk with us. They wished us well and sent us on our way to continue talking with people.

The last conversation of the evening was a blessing! Norman approached two older gentlemen and when he asked them what they think happens when somebody dies, one of the men lifted his arms and said "I love this question!! Hallalujah!!". We then had a very encouraging conversation with a fellow brother in the Lord who is ON FIRE for Jesus. It was very encouraging, and lifted our spirits after a bit of a difficult night of witnessing. Thank you Lord for allowing us to finish the evening with such a great conversation!

Crash Course

The crash course that was held at SCCA on Saturday was a success! 22 people attended the class and most everybody also joined us for the Mission at the Mission where we handed out tracts, books, bibles, and invitations to SCCA's Christmas musical. Many have also reported that they engaged in one-to-one conversations! Way to go SCCA!!

I was paired up with Rich Norman and he had the boldness of a lion and approached a young couple standing in line waiting to take their kids on a train ride. They told us they attend the LDS church. We didn't get into a theological debate with them but left them with a copy of The Case For Christmas and a gospel tract. We also had a great conversation with a group of teens. We took them through the law and were able to show them that they stand guilty before God. We then explained to them that Jesus paid the price and that the way to receive eternal life is to repent and put their trust in Jesus alone for salvation. By the time we wrapped up the conversation, we had 10-15 teens standing around listening to the gospel!! Hallelujah!!

Next week I am going to start a weekly outreach where we will meet in the SCCA prayer room after the second service (~12:30am) where we will pray and then go down to the train station in San Juan Capistrano (by Sarducci's) to witness for an hour. If you would like to join us then just come over to the prayer room after second service and come along! Even if you would like to come along to watch and pray, please join us!

First Open Air - Hawthorne DMV 12/05/08

This was a first for me. A brother in the Lord, Steve Rollins, and myself went to the DMV in Hawthorne this morning to hand out gospel tracts to those standing in line, and to preach the gospel. Here's the audio from this morning. Steve is up first, then it was my turn:




If you don't see the audio player above, then click here.

Here's the video:

Salt, Light, and Exfoliation Evangelism

Last night was another great night of being Salt and Light at the Irvine Spectrum. In fact, not only were me and my partner Mark being salt and light, we got to cap the evening by using salt (more on this later).

Mark started the evening off by approaching two middle eastern men who claimed to be of the Sikh faith. They proved Proverbs 20:6 in that they proclaimed their own goodness, claiming that the way to get to heaven is to be a good humanitarian. Mark started to share the gospel with them but they had to leave with their wives. At the very least, we were able to tell them about the Day of Judgment and God's holy, perfect law which none can keep. Mark just started to tell them that Jesus paid the price on their behalf by his suffering and death on the cross when they had to leave. We prayed that God would continue the work in their hearts using the seed we planted.

The next conversation was a divine appointment. We approached a young couple and asked them what they think happens when somebody dies and heads off into eternity. The young lady looked at us with wide eyes and said that they were just talking about her funeral! Wow, talk about a great opening to a spiritual conversation. We were able to share with them the requirements of the Law followed by the gospel message of grace through faith. The young man told us that he occasionally attends church but he was not able to explain the way to gain eternal life. They both left with a clear understanding of the gospel and they took a New Testament.

The next couple of conversations were with Christians who we were able to minister to and encourage to esteem God's word more than their necessary food (Job 23:12). At this point I realized that God was answering the prayer of a lady who prayed with the team before we went to the Spectrum. She prayed specifically that God would bring struggling Christians to us so that we could minister to them. This was the very thing that we were experiencing!! What an amazing privilege to be a part of God answering prayer!


The last encounter of the evening was another definite divine appointment. As we were walking back toward our meeting spot to pray with the group before leaving, a lady approached Mark and I and said "Can I ask you guys a question?". I was so excited... I thought I was about to be witnessed to by another believer from another group. Then she asked us if we knew about the Dead Sea. At this point I thought that was a strange way to begin a spiritual conversation, but we went along with it and said that we knew of the Dead Sea. She then brought us over to her vendor stand... she was selling exfoliating salts and creams!! She told us to put our hands over a bowl, then began to spray our hands with water and gave us some Dead Sea Salt to rub into our hands. All the while I was trying to think of a way to swing this around to a spiritual conversation. She started to rinse our hands with a spray bottle and told us more about the Dead Sea. I then told her that I know of a man from that area of the world by the name of "Jesus of Nazareth". I then asked her the million dollar question, "What do you think happens when somebody dies. What happens when somebody steps off into eternity?". She told me that she would not enter into a conversation about that and continued to try to sell Mark and I some beauty products (I guess we looked like we REALLY needed it!). I asked her if she had change for a big bill. I then gave her a million dollar bill gospel tract and told her that she could keep it since she didn't have enough change to break it. I told her that the message on the back was worth more than a million and gave one to her partner as well. Mark and I then prayed as we walked off that they would read the tract and prayed that God would use that to save them. This was definitely the most interesting witnessing encounter I have had yet!! I think I'll call it "Exfoliation Evangelism".

Needless to say, it was a night to remember!