Ask me! God’s been good to me.

About two weeks ago a few of my friends went to a weekly night festival here in the Chattanooga area. We take this time to serve God by sharing the Gospel one-to-one with people that come our way. Over the years I have learned to keep an eye open for easy opportunities to chat with someone. Sometimes I will use a button that someone might be wearing or a shirt with a question on it to strike up a conversation. That is exactly what happened on this night.

Across the park I saw a man wearing a t-shirt that read, “God’s been good to me”. What an invitation to talk to someone!

I walked up to the man and asked him “So, God’s been good to you?”

“Yes”. He said.

“How has He done that?” I asked.

“Well, He woke me up this morning. I had something to eat today. I’m not in any pain right now. Yeah, God has been good to me.” He said.

I just smiled and told him that was a great answer. But I began to probe further…”Tell me. How else has God been good to you?” This started a 45 minute conversation that took many twists and turns. As the conversation continued he asked me to sit down with him on a park bench. His name is Anthony. He tried to show off his Biblical knowledge to me by quoting all of the books of the Bible and he did this FAST. I was actually very impressed. “Wow!” I told him. “There is no way I could do that”.

Something was missing out of Anthony’s story and he admitted it. He had not been living for the Lord. He had fallen on some tough times. He was very quiet and humble. He kindly held on to every word that I spoke to him. His eyes were dead locked right into mine.

I presented God’s holiness to Anthony. I tried to explain God’s love for everyone but that God is also Just and Perfect so He must punish wrong doing. He must punish sin.

Before Anthony and I parted ways he asked that I pray for him. So I grabbed his hand and took his name before the Father, sitting right there on a park bench with hundreds of people around.

He told me, “I know God sent you here tonight. He sent you here to talk to me.”

“Yes He did, Anthony. It’s your move now. What are you going to do about it?”

We parted ways we exchanged contact information and I gave him a copy of Mark Cahill’s book “One Heartbeat Away”. He thanked me, I thanked him, and off we went.

Fast forward – Yesterday afternoon my cell phone rang with a number that I did not recognize. It was Anthony! He called to let me know that he had been out of town spending some time with loved ones in Michigan. He wanted to let me know that he had been reading Mark’s book and was underling all the parts that talked about the Bible. He added, “so most of the book is underlined!”. He reminded me that he knew God has arranged our meeting a few weeks ago.

He said, “You know that right? Don’t you ever let anyone tell you different!”

You better believe I know it. So Christian, I will echo Anthony’s words. Don’t you ever let anyone tell you different? You don’t HAVE to establish relationships before you share the Gospel. You don’t HAVE to earn someone’s trust first. The relationship that I earned/established with Anthony was based on the truth of the Gospel. I didn’t have to hide my motives in wanting to talk to him. He knew upfront!

Look for those opportunities to start conversations with people – clothes they are wearing or books they are reading. Be on the lookout, the lost are everywhere.

Born without wings and expected to fly

In a recent debate with an atheist we were discussing the Fall of Adam and how the sinful nature has passed down to all men from that one act in the Garden of Eden. The atheist that I was speaking with could not understand how God would hold anyone accountable for their sins if He created them with a fallen sinful nature. The atheist stated that if God did exist it wouldn’t make any sense for Him to punish people if they were born into a sinful state of being. He said it was like being “born without wings and expected to fly.” I thought that was an interesting thought but let’s examine that from a Biblical perspective to see if it is true.

If we were expected to fly (by nature) and did not have wings then I agree that would be impossibility. In this case we would not be given the proper equipment to produce the outcome needed. Does God leave us in such a way that we are without any knowledge of Him and completely enslaved to sin? No. He did not leave us in such a state. The Bible makes it clear that God has revealed himself by “general revelation” in two different ways.

Romans 1:18-20 - 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

God has revealed Himself in a general sense to everyone through nature and what has been created. Basic logic would suggest that if something is created there must be a Creator. We can look at nature and it suggests a few things about God’s nature. God is infinite and the universe is infinite. God is a God of laws and the universe operates on laws. God is structured and is ordered and the universe is obviously ordered.

Secondly, everyone has a conscience. I don’t have to tell you that it is wrong to lie, cheat, or steal. You know it is. I don’t have to remind you that it is wrong for a man to cheat on his spouse. You know that it is. That is because God has given you a conscience to know that He exists. You may suppress and dim your conscience, so to speak, but there is always that small voice who speaks to you about justice for you sins.

Romans 2:15-16 - 15in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

Conclusion: God hasn’t left you without “wings”. He has given you everything that you need to know that He exists. Just because you were born with a sinful nature does not mean that you will not be held accountable. God will judge all people, everywhere for their crimes against Him. Please determine what type of proof you would need to know if a God exists. But as you ponder your thoughts remember this: You don’t determine the proof for God’s existence. He does and He says that He has given you creation to know there is a Creator. He has provided you with a conscience to know that He exists and to know that you are accountable to Him. Whether you believe He exists or not is irrelevant. What matters is truth.

Enforced thought is a dangerous phenomenon.

An atheist might say to you:

Atheist: Your thoughts and your faith have been enforced on you or brainwashed you. You’re only saying these things to me about your religion because you have been programmed to do so.

Christian: But you as an atheist have that in your own world view. Your Materialistic-Naturalism reduces your brain function and all logic out of it to chemical reactions. You are forced to say what you are saying right now because of chemical reactions in your brain. As an atheist you can’t get around from this. If your brain function is nothing more than the result of evolutionary processes and natural phenomena through electrical chemical processes in your brain then you simply respond to stimulus and the environment that you are in. Your brain is just reacting a certain predictable way through your senses. So, you are forced according to your worldview to be guilty of the very thing that you are accusing me of.

One Minute Evangelism

This is our very own Jeff "The Bulldog". Go Jeff go!!

Jehovah's Witnesses and Colossians 1:15

Inevitably when witnessing to any Jehovah’s Witness the deity of Christ will come up. This is a crucial topic for us to share with the Witnesses because the Watchtower teaches their students the Jesus is Michael the Archangel. Having witnessed to many JW’s over the past two years I thought I would share some of my knowledge and pass on some witnessing tips that I have learned from the MacArthur Study Bible. One of the main verses that any Jehovah Witness will go to is Colossians 1:15. So let’s take a closer look to know how to answer the JW’s challenge to this verse (1 Peter 3:15).

Colossians 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

image of the invisible God

The Greek word for “image” is eikon, from which the English word “icon” derives. It means, “copy” or “likeness”. Jesus Christ is the perfect image – the exact likeness of God and is in the very form of God (Phil 2:6, John 1:14, John 14:9) and has been so from all eternity. By describing Jesus in this manner, Paul emphasizes that He is both the representation and manifestation of God. Thus, He is fully God in every way. (Col 2:9, John 8:58, 10:30-33, Heb 1:8)

the firstborn over all creation

The Greek word for “firstborn” can refer to one who was born first chronologically, but most often refers to preeminence in position, or rank (Heb 1:6, Romans 8:29). In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the ranking son who received the right of inheritance from his father, whether he was born first or not. It is used of Israel who, not being the first nation, was however the preeminent nation (Exodus 4:22, Jer 31:9). Firstborn, in this context clearly means highest in rank, not first created (Psalm 89:27, Rev 1:5) for several reasons…

1. Christ cannot be both “first begotten” and “only begotten” (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9)
2. If Paul was teaching that Christ was a created being, he was agreeing with the heresy he was writing to refute.
3. It is impossible for Christ to be both created, and the Creator of everything (Col 1:16, the very next verse!)

Thus, Jesus is the firstborn in the sense the He has the preeminence and posses the right of inheritance “over all creation” (Heb 1:2, Rev 5:1-7, 13). He existed before the creation and is exalted in rank above it.

Get Your Income Tax Refund!

It’s that time of year again. That’s right! Tax time. If you’re anything like me you look forward to getting your W-2, having your wife file your taxes, and hopefully you will see some type of a refund. Especially with the economy in the shape that it is in I’m sure many people will make a bee-line for the closest tax filing business. All over the place businesses will advertise themselves by putting people in patriotic costumes as they walk up and down the sidewalk. This picture that I made today should remind us of the great opportunity to reach out to these people. So, put a stash of money tracts in your car and when you see Uncle Sam or the Statue of Liberty promoting a business take a minute or two to park your car and give them the Gospel and some big money!

Winter Jam 2009 and Downtown Outreach

This past Friday night our group went out to the Winter Jam 2009 concert. I must admit I was a bit uncertain about how we would be received while we were out witnessing at a Christian concert. My plan was simple to ask the Christians there some basic theology questions and see how they responded. Some replied with some very simple yet firm answers to these questions, while a few of them could have used a basic introduction course in Christian theology.

Keith Higgins from SavedFromWhat.org came up from Atlanta to join us at the concert and also to participate in our downtown outreach.
Keith and I spent most of our time passing out hundreds of Gospel tracts out to the crowds and asking Christians that were in line some basic questions. Questions like…

1. Is the Bible inspired by God? Does it contain contradictions or errors?
2. Is Jesus God?
3. If I am a good Muslim can I still go to Heaven?
4. If you were going to witness to me how would you do that?

Most of the people took the Gospel tracts from us with a smile and said thank you. Keith was even able to do a few open-air sessions in which he asked the Christians to make sure their “calling and election was sure”. Afterward we had a few concerned people come to us and ask us why we were witnessing at a Christian concert. We assured them that we didn’t have any problems with the concert or the music but we have a concern that not all who profess Christ there were saved. Most people seemed to understand but still disagree with our method. One guy even asked Keith if he had heard of Way of the Master!

After most of the people flooded into the arena we took off and headed for the downtown area. One thing I have learned about living in the south is that just about everybody thinks they are saved. So many people that you talk to seem to have the right answers because they know the “Christian terminology”.

I spoke to many people while downtown that night. One group of teenagers claimed that they tell God they are sorry so it’s ok and they are saved. I tried to reason with them by showing how telling a judge you are sorry doesn’t do any good, because the law has been broken and justice must be served. Two of them stormed off, but they third stayed for another minute and told me he would think about what we talked about.

While Keith was preaching open-air downtown I noticed another group of young people that seemed to be getting a laugh as they walked by so I stopped them and we began to chat. As I took them through the commandments it seemed that they had a problem with the Sabbath. I’m pretty sure they were just playing “Let’s stump the Christian”. They all claimed to be Christians..only God knows their heart.

When talking to professing Christians I have found the following questions to be effective:

1. Do you know the Lord?
2. Is Jesus precious to you?
3. Do you read your Bible every day?
4. Are you born again?

Below are some pics of our outreach. God bless!

Did Joseph Smith really see the Father?

Last night I continued my meetings with the Mormon missionaries that have been coming to my home for Bible studies over the past two weeks or so. We began our discussion with the restoration of the Priesthood and how Joseph Smith claimed to have seen the Father and Jesus Christ. This is one of the most important claims that Mormonism makes. According to Mormonism the reason this vision was given was to restore the true gospel back to the church. If Joseph Smith really did have this vision then Mormonism is the true church, but if he did not then Mormonism is automatically proven to be false.

Joseph Smith claimed to have actually seen the Father by his own words:

"When the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defined all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other -- 'this is my beloved Son. Hear him!

Ok, it is clear that Mormons will support what their prophets say, but what does the Bible have to say about seeing the Father.

1 Timothy 6:16 - who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Jesus also said...

John 6:46 - Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

Simply put…here are two Scriptures that say no one can see the Father. Joseph Smith says that he saw the Father. Who is right? What about Steven in Acts 7, right?

Acts 7:55 - But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

Right before Steven was stoned he was allowed to catch a glimpse of the majesty of Jesus Christ. What exactly did he see? He saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The “right hand” is simply a position of authority in that day’s culture. If you were on the right hand of someone that was a place of honor and preeminence. It showed that you had authority.

Did Steven see the Father? Does the text say that he saw the Father or the glory of God? He did not see the Father only the glory of God.

The Bible also says:

John 1:18 - No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son,who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

If the Bible says that no one can see the Father, but Joseph Smith says he has seen the Father, how can we reconcile these things? Easy. The Bible says that no one can see the Father therefore Joseph Smith did not see the Father, therefore Mormonism is false because it violates the clear teaching of Scripture.

For a deeper look at this subject. I recommend looking at the link at Carm.org – Can the Father be seen?

East Ridge Parade

Well, it has been at least a week since I have made any type of post but my family and I have been away visiting for the Thanksgiving holidays. Over the next few weeks our evangelism team will be heading out to many parades in the surrounding Chattanooga area. Last weekend was the East Ridge, TN parade. I grew up in the East Ridge area so I knew it was going to be a pretty good sized event…and it was. There were tons of people lining both sides of the main road in town.

Many members of our team showed up and it was really great to see them again. Steve and his son Timothy came up from Dalton to help us distribute many tracts. Steve and I hit the streets to pass out as many tracts as we could. I bet together we passed out at least 800 or so. People young and old love the giant money tract! Jeff took Timothy out with him and had many great conversations with people while he was sharing the Gospel. Below, Jeff explains some of his witnessing encounters.

• It all began with approaching a women in the BI-LO parking lot.....she was not interested in talking due being faced with death too many time during the past week; she did however take a tract.
  
• Next I spoke with Bob, who was sure he was going to heaven when he took his last breath because he said that he had repented of his sins and trusted in Jesus Christ for his salvation.
  
• A short walk later we came upon Daryl and Tammy as well as their two daughters Haley and Madison waiting for the parade to start. We handed them some tracts and they were curious so we began a conversation with them regarding what happens after death. Was there anything "out there"? That lead us to a discussion of God's Law (the 10 Commandments) as well as His Grace through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from death. They said they had just been talking about what would happened to them after death a few days before the parade. They intently listened as we went through the Ten Commandments by asking them questions. They then determined that they were guilty before God and that they did deserve and would go to Hell. We then shared with them that we cannot save ourselves it is only through repentance and God's Grace through Jesus Christ. They were listening very earnestly as we discussed how Jesus came to this earth and lived a perfect life in every way (thought, word, and deed) and how he took our sins upon Himself and took our punishment upon that cross and died a horrific death through crucifixion, but then rose Himself 3-days later thereby defeating death and had over 500 witnesses that He had risen. And that we can only escape our judgment, the wrath to come, and an eternity in Hell by repenting of our sins (confession to God, asking forgiveness, and turning away from sin) and trusting on what Jesus Christ did for us through His shedding of blood, death and resurrection and that He is who He says He is...GOD. That we cannot save ourselves, but our salvation is only through Jesus Christ. I then asked them if there was any sin in their lives that they loved so much that they would throw away a future with God and spend that eternity in Hell suffering God's wrath for those sins? They looked extremely concerned at this point and then I asked them one more question....would they sell me one of their eyes for $1 million dollars? They replied no. I asked how about both of their eyes for $100 million. Again, they said no. I responded that of course not, their eyes are the windows of their souls. How much more important should their soul be and where it (they) will be spending eterniity. I then asked them to take to heart our conversation and to seriously think on these things.
  
• The next conversation was interesting, we talked with some 5 workers at a refreshment stand for cokes, hot dogs, and such.....all the answers varied, but were all based on works salvation and "live and let live". During our questions regarding the Law several of the folks walked away to get more stuff for the stand and only one woman remained to listen. After we finished talking about God's Law and Grace the woman was somewhat apathetic and we left.
  
• Next we met up with 4 teenage guys walking, so we joined up with them and started our conversation by handing them some tracts and asked them what they thought was going to happen to them when they took their last breath and died. Answers varied from they didn't know to one laughing and stating that he was going to Hell. We soon stopped and met up with one of the teenager's family and the talk broadened to include his family as well. The teenagers' interest faded, but we continued to talk with the parents, sister, and friend. In the end the mother was the only one to stay engaged in the conversation and even after admitting to be a lying-thieving-blasphemer- adulterer at heart still maintained her "goodness" and said that God would determine in the end after death were a person goes. It was very disheartening after going through God's Law and Grace that she maintained her position, however we can only plant or water and be obedient in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
  God bless!
  

A Jehovah's Witness doesn't have time for me

Sorry. Not too much to tell this morning. The streets were not really crawling with people. But I was able to pass out a couple of handfuls of tracts and have a few really good chats. One of the talks was with Jory and David. Both of these guys claim that they were Christians so our conversation was pretty much Law and Grace. They are both really friendly guys. I was then able to have a one-to-one with Roy. Our conversation was cut short but he did take a few tracts so I pray he gets to check them out. This morning I really didn’t want to talk to any Jehovah’s Witnesses but God kept pressing it on my heart. As I continued down the sidewalk I noticed two JW’s ladies that I have talked to in the past. So I stopped by asking them this question…

“Excuse me. We have talked a few times in the past so I know that you are a Jehovah Witness. How long have you been a Witness?”

They both just stared at me silently….

I continued, “The reason I ask that is because I have a question that I would like to have answered if you don’t mind.”

One lady replied, “We have talked to you several times before and we just don’t have time for you”

The other JW lady gave her input too. She said, “Yes, we just don’t have time for this.” With that they turned and walked away.

I also turned away but once they got about 10 yards away or so I turned back toward them and lifted my voice to say, “What if I wasn’t saved? What if I was going to die today? Would you have time then?” I probably said this a little louder than I should have but I wanted to get my point across.

So many of the JW’s that I talk to have been completely brainwashed by the Watchtower or they have hardened their own heart against the God that created them and wants to save them from their sins. Tears began to well up in the back of my eyes, not because my feelings were hurt but because I was praying for God’s mercy to them. I pray that it is not too late for these ladies and that God will show mercy by breaking their self-righteous heart in true repentance and faith to our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

So Christian, my question to them is my question to you. What if you knew someone that wasn’t saved? What if they were going to die today? Would you have time for them then? Make time! Go and make disciples with fear and trembling, in respect, honor and obedience to Him.

Prophet or Priest? Rabbi or Messiah?

Location: Downtown Chattanooga

As I started out this morning I was determined that I was not going to get side tracked by another Jehovah’s Witness. Praise God for that! I was able to talk to a few people this morning and to pass out quite a few tracts. I first ran into Beverly this morning. Beverly and I have met before. She lives downtown close to Miller Park and my wife and I have given her a few care packages in the past. She let me know that her birthday is coming up soon so I’ll have to get her a little something. I think Beverley and I decided that a Wal-Mart gift card would treat her well. So, we exchanged numbers again and said we would see eachother next week. She is such a sweet little lady.

After a few conversations here and there I tried to politely interrupt John as he was reading his book at the bus stop. John seemed to be a really cool guy just from our very brief chat. With his long hair and “rocker” goatee he reminded me of my friend from www.bringthenoiz.com. I liked him, he was open and honest about his problems with the Christian faith and he was very respectful while talking to me. Sometimes that’s a nice change! He told me that he was raised Christian, but didn’t want anything to do with Christianity anymore because from what he sees most Christians are hypocrites or just “playing the game”. John told me that he didn’t believe in the God of the Bible but he did have a “higher power”. I was sensing that this was going to be a great conversation, but just then his ride pulled up and he had to go. I was able to give him a Trivia Tract before he left. Maybe I will run into him again soon.

As I rounded the corner leaving John I gave a Gospel tract to Willis. We began to talk about his religious beliefs as a child. He told me that he was raised Holiness but now he is a Muslim. As I took him through the Good Person Test, he knew that he has sinned against God. Then I was able to present Jesus to him. Not as a prophet, but as God in the flesh! Willis made the assumption that Christianity and Islam are similar because they worship one God. I told him that we do not worship the same God. Jesus Christ is worshiped, prayed to, and called God. I pointed out the following verses to him:

Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father
John 14:6 - “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is the only way to be saved
Acts 4:12 - Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

After presenting these Scriptures to Willis he allowed me to give him a copy of the New Testament.

So, you see Jesus claims that He is the only way! He is the only one who was raised from the dead. Budda didn't do that. Muhammad didn't do it. Jesus Christ is set apart from everyone because of the Resurrection. So, what must you do go to go Heaven? Know this...You have sinned and broken God’s laws (the Ten Commandments) by lying, stealing, coveting, blasphemy, and hatred. God must punish sin if He is truly a just judge. But if you will repent, turn from your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God will forgive you. You must humbly come to the Savior confessing and forsaking all the things that you do that you know He hates. The wrath of God is only satisfied in Jesus Christ. What will you do with this information today?

A Post-Modern-Universalists-Jehovah’s Witness

Location: Downtown Chattanooga

This morning was a bit colder than it has been in few weeks past so I really didn’t think anybody would be up for talking. Oh, man was I wrong. I think my ears have been yapped off!

Downtown Chattanooga has lots of Jehovah’s Witness that pass out Watchtower magazines. As I rounded one corner a JW friend of mine (Leonard) meet me and said hello. From there he began a chat with me about why he was out on the streets.

He said, “I don’t have any right to impose on your freewill of choice. So I can’t criticize you and you can’t criticize me”. To that I asked him, “So, by criticize do you mean that you can’t tell me that I’m wrong and I shouldn’t do the same to you?”

“That’s right!” he said.

“Ok.”, I said, “but am I right about Jesus?” He said, “I can’t tell you that”

“Why not?!” I asked him. He told me that only the Bible can tell us right from wrong. True the Bible does set the standard for right and wrong but….I continued, “So would you tell a Muslim that he was wrong?” He just shook his head no. “What about a Buddhist?” He just shook his head no again.

So I said “Ok, what about this. What if I said that I believed in the great god of Krunyan Flap (that is just one of my silly words) and I believe that if I eat 7 Krispy Kreme doughnuts every Tuesday night I will live forever with the great god Krunyan Flap. Would I be wrong?”

You are not going to believe this, but I promise he just shook his head no. What!? The conversation soon ended as I warned him of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23.

I continued down the sidewalk and I noticed a JW that I had never seen before in the downtown Chattanooga area so I decided to walk across the street and engage him in a conversation. His name was Lee. I began to ask him a series of questions to get an idea of his theological understanding. Just like all JW’s he was all over the place.

Lee talked and talked and talked. Did I mention he liked to talk? I had to press just to get him to even talk about the 10 Commandments and when I did “whoosh!” he went down another rabbit trail. I finally convinced him he was a liar and a thief, but he did not admit to blasphemy. He said saying God’s name in vain is not blasphemy and began to get into a lengthy theological presentation of what blasphemy is really all about.

So, I point-blank asked him, “Lee, if I say GD is that blasphemy?” Brace yourself for this one, Ok? He said it wasn’t. That’s right, he said it was not. So I confirmed “Lee, are you telling that I can say GD and it is ok?” He repeated that it was not blasphemy. How could anyone who claims to know God, theology aside, make that type of statement?

For some reason he began speaking about the Garden of Eden. He asked me why God would put the tree in the Garden. I answered him that true love demands a choice and because God loves us he gave us the choice to love and serve Him out of free will. I also told him that it was in God’s prearranged plan for the fall to happen. God knew it would happen and He created us anyway.

He stopped me right there and said “Are you saying that God knew Adam would sin when He put them in the Garden?

I replied with “Uhhhhh, yes. He is God. Doesn’t God know all things?” Lee then said, “Why would God go through all of this if He knew we were going to sin against him?”

At this point I politely packed my stuff because it was time to get to work, but before I left I told him. “Lee, you are unreasonable. You have broken God’s law and He is going to judge you in righteousness. That is His standard, not ours. I would like to talk to you again, but you are going to have to keep quiet some and listen. I hope you have a good day.” We shook hands and parted ways.

So I guess the Watchtower is teaching that God does not know all things. Wouldn’t that mean that God is lacking something, that He would be imperfect? I also learned that JW’s shouldn’t tell anybody that they are wrong. If a Muslim isn’t wrong and a Buddhist isn’t wrong then why in the world have the Jehovah’s Witness religion? If everyone if right and we shouldn’t tell anybody that they are wrong. What’s it matter anyway? This is something new…a Post-Modern-Universalists-Jehovah’s Witness.

Bluegrass Festival in Chattanooga

This past Saturday night there was a bluegrass festival downtown at the Riverpark. As usual when the devil throws a party we like to show up. I’m so very proud to partner with the guys that I have been witnessing with over the past several weeks. All of them are bold in their approach and will not compromise for the sake of the Gospel.

Some of our team was insulted, cursed at, at just treated very rudely, but the reaction that we get from people should never determine how we present truth. The truth of God should be upheld and proclaimed no matter how well or how poor we are received. How well was Paul always received? What about Peter? Stephen? That’s right…they stoned him! What about our Lord Jesus? He was murdered by the people He created! I’ve noticed that in talking to people about our witnessing results their question is always “Well, how many people were saved?” Again, do we really determine the success or failure based on the immediate results? No way! The question should never be “How many people…..” You will never see me make a check mark in the back of my Bible for how many people I have prayed with or how many have repented on the spot.

I personally had some great conversations. Bob, Brandon, Ray, Stephanie, Nikki – Just to name a few. Great questions from all of them and I am so thankful for their time. While I was speaking to one teenager about God’s law he told me “Dude, you’re starting to make me feel really bad.” Praise God for that! It is only when we see how bad and rebellious our sin is, do we see how wonderful and merciful God is to us. He provided a Savior for us. The One who can wash away all our sins. He can forgive our lying, cheating, stealing, lust, and hatred. No one else can do that. While I was asked some great and challenging questions Saturday night I would like to issue my own challenge right now. One question for you to think about day in and day out. Both early in the morning and late at night. What will happen to you when you die? If justice is true then you will give an answer for what you have done. Think about it. Ponder it and let you conscience speak to you.

Saturday Night on the Riverfront

This past Saturday night Josh and I met up with a new member of our team. The Lord was so kind to us by allowing us to meet Jeff. Both Mark Cahill and Keith Higgins were a part of Jeff teaming up with us. Josh found out about a concert night at the Riverfront so we decided to see what was happening in downtown Chattanooga.

Even though this was only Jeff’s second time going out he was bold in serving the Lord. For crying out loud he open air’ed his first time publically sharing his faith. Wow! Go Jeff! He is much bolder than I ever was my second time out.

Of all the people that we talked to there was a wide variety of attitudes and beliefs. The people that we spoke with ranged from very receptive to downright hostile. Some were atheists, professing Christians, homosexuals, Muslims, and skeptics. There really is just too much to type and some of the conversations that I had with people were of a personal and private nature that I would get into here publically. But if I should name any names of all the people that I spoke with Friday night a few stand out.

Maggie and Nathan – I truly appreciate the time that both of them gave me. Maggie was very kind in speaking to me and allowing me to present the Gospel to her. She had told me that some Christians have tried to persecute her before so I hope that I represented my Lord in an honorable way. I will be praying for both of them and I hope to see them again soon.

The new “Trivial Pursuit” tracts worked extremely well. It provided a means to start a conversation with people in a relaxed, laid backed manner. The last question of the tract transitions very smoothly from the natural to the spiritual. If you want any of these tracts just let me know and I will send them to you for free.

The next time we are out I will be sure to make more pictures so I can share our adventures in Christ with all of you who read this blog. Please pray for the people below.

Anthony & Stewart
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James & Ryan
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Maggie & Nathan
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Alex & Brandon
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Ben & Dustin
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Mr & Mrs Louis
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Jake, Dylan, Cole, & Greg
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Logon, Matt, & Jefferson

Please forgive me

Today was a nice change. I was able to do more talking than passing out tracts. Not too bad at all. I thought that most of the Jehovah’s Witnesses had left the downtown area, but I actually saw a handful this morning, so I guess it’s time to make a few extra trips to talk to these folks. I met a young man today named Dominique who was out this morning. He was very willing to talk and we had a great conversation. I was able to present Law and Grace to him. I handed him a few gospel tracts but he told me that he wasn’t a big reader so I’m going to burn a couple of CD’s for him to listen to. Hopefully he’ll take a listen to them. I was thinking about Hell’s Best Kept Secret, True and False Conversation, and some sermon jams for him.

I was also able to speak with Trevor for a few minutes today. Trevor was a professing Christian, who had not lied, or stolen before. That’s pretty impressive indeed! He told me that he did not like the labeling of being a “born again Christian”. I told him that in John 3:3 Jesus says that no man can see the kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again. I also asked him to think about his life and to make sure there was a time that he repented and trusted in Christ alone for his salvation. I truly appreciated his time today.

Just a few feet away from Trevor stood a gentleman by the name of Mark. We started talking. Mark told me that his mother died last night in the hospital. It was very sad but he seemed ok for talking to a complete stranger. He reminded me of something wonderful.

He asked me if my mother was my best friend. I told him, “She has stood by me when no one else would. She is better than any type of friend I could ask for.”

“That’s right!” he said. “Don’t forget that.” Now that my grandparents have died I reflect quite a bit about my own mortality but not too much of my mother’s. It seems that I believe she will live forever or something. But with everyday that I get older, so does she, so do we all. I have so many wonderful memories of her taking care of me as a young child, a young adult, and even now she provides care and love for me in a way that only a mother can. Pray for your mother, respect you mother, and make sure you prove your love to her. She deserves it. My prayer is that now until my life is over or my mother’s that she will know that she is loved and will be taken care of. My prayer is for my wife, who is a wonderful mother too, that our child will cherish her, respect her, and love her as well. How blessed I am to have two wonderful mothers in my life!

A second thought that I had this morning was this. Every single person I talked to this morning told me that all you have to do is ask God to forgive you and he will. In America we have watered down the Gospel so much that people don’t understand law and justice. Would a good judge forgive you just because you asked him to? No way! You will be held accountable for breaking the law...

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

So many people will fall into this category. Most people I talk to believe that if they just ask God to forgive then He will. It doesn’t matter to them about God’s holiness, His goodness, or even His wrath. People may want God to forgive them but they do not want Him to be their Lord. They want to have their sins forgiven to silence their conscience, but they want to remain in their sins by fulfilling the desires of the flesh. You cannot have it both ways. If Jesus is your Savior He must also be your Lord.

The vast majority of people may believe God exists and they casually live their lives feasting on God’s grace and His mercy without one thought of what he expects from us. But one day when we close our eyes for the last time, we will see Him as He is…in all His greatness and glory. Then it will be too late. The books will be opened and justice will be served. But it is not too late now. God asks you to forsake your sins (repent) and to trust only in the Savior that He has provided to save you. Nothing you or I do can save us from God’s justice, only Jesus can do that.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Oh No! Not Evangelism!

I was excited this morning to out witnessing to the streets of downtown Chattanooga. I was glad to be able to rub shoulders with people and do get my hands dirty talking to others about Jesus Christ. In my head I went through my list “Tracts – check, Bible – check, car keys – check, cell phone – check” Ok, so let’s go!

As soon as I stepped on the sidewalk a Jehovah’s Witness was no more than 20 yards away. I quickly grabbed my document detailing the false prophecies of the Watchtower. As soon as he made eye contact and smiled I engaged him in a conversation. Jehovah’s Witness really know their Bible and are really good at taking you down rabbit trails, so always stay on track when talking to them. It’s funny how when you prove that the Watchtower claims to be a prophet and that false prophecies have been spoken by the organization most will completely deny that! Please play for Clyde. That God will lift the fog of the Watchtower and open his eyes.

I also had the chance to speak with Roger at the bus stop. He was very friendly and allowed me a few minutes to talk to him. He told me that he was raised a Christian and still held to his Christian values but he knew that God would forgive him because he had done good things and his bad things were in the past. A few good questions/statements to this could be:

• How many good things do you have to do to be saved?
• Are you being good enough right now?
• Would a good judge forgive a rapist if his crime had been committed 30 years ago?
• If you were to murder one person but be nice to thousands more would a judge just let you go due to that fact alone?

Whether Roger agreed with me or not, I do not know, but I pray that God will move his heart. Today could be the day of salvation for someone but you must tell them about the Savior. Take his Word out of the comfort of our homes and churches and be faithful to our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Three Amigos

My apologies for not writing this update sooner but I have been sick for the past few days and I have not felt like writing or reading anything at all, but now I am feeling somewhat stable on my feet and I’m ready to hit the ground running again.

This past Friday night was another answered prayer. God is so good to us and His blessings are just unlimited. I’m learning this more day by day. The Dynamic Duo gave way to the Three Amigos Friday night! My friend Robert was able to join Josh and me for a night out witnessing to the people of Chattanooga.

Josh and I started out by trying to talk to a large group of teenagers. Most of them did not want anything to do with us what so ever, but when Josh offered a Gospel tract a few of them took it. As soon as he began to witness to them and talk of spiritual things many of them just walked off. One of the girls even yelled back to us “Jesus Christ is my one and only Savior!”. Once the majority of the group had left only 3 teenage boys were still there. All of these guys professed to be Christians. Josh began to speak to them and to challenge them to live for Jesus and to tell others about Him.

Soon after that we stayed on the same block but separated to talk to people. Josh began to witness to a couple and I met a young man named Brenner. He was very eager to talk and wanted to know why I stopped him. We began to chat, he wasn’t a Christian and he had very detailed ideas about what he thought Christianity was about. One of Brenner's problems with Christianity was the issue of sex before marriage. He couldn’t understand why Christianity suppressed sexual desires in young men. He also wanted to know why all this stuff (creation) is here. We spent quite a while talking. I explained to him that you cannot have a creation without a creator. Much the same way that you cannot have a building without a builder or how if something is designed it must have a designer. He plainly but respectively told me. “I’ve heard all this before. You’re not telling me something I don’t know.” So I took him through the Law and Grace. Soon after this Brenner’s uncle came walking down the street saw him and asked what we were talking about, so I explained. His uncle said “Kinda like Way of the Master?” Wow! His uncle (Steve) was a Christian and he began to witness to Brenner too. As our conversation winded down Brenner told me, “Maybe I should give this some more thought. I friend of mine today just told me that he became a Christian and now I’m talking to you. Plus we bumped into my uncle!” Praise God! I trust the Holy Spirit to do His work with Brenner.

As Josh and I were waiting for Robert to show we started talking to Jonah and Rob. Jonah was obviously not a Christian and Rob claimed to a be a Universalist. This was a great dialogue with many terrific questions asked by both guys. Jonah wanted to know why Jesus couldn’t manifest Himself in many different ways in different religions. I think Josh answered this beautifully by saying “I’m sure Jesus could have. But He didn’t. The Bible says that Jesus was sacrificed once and for all and the blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sins and that blood was shed by Jesus. Muhammad, Buddha, or any other religious leader did not die for the forgiveness of sins." This was such a great answer because their mouths were shut. Josh is one of the most articulate and impressive speakers I’ve seen. He has a way of looking at people right in the eye and giving a straight forward, no frills answer. The tone of his voice is loving and caring but yet he talks to people with the authority of God’s Word. I have a lot that I can learn from him.

After Robert showed up we went down to the Nightfall Festival area. There was a massive crowed there for the beer and the country music show. We spent some time passing out Gospel tracts and making our way through the crowd. Robert used one of the optical illusion tracts to start a conversation with a group of folks. Both Robert and Josh seemed to have a good talk with them. Robert and the couple that he was talking to ended up having lots in common. Truly a fascinating encounter! Robert seems to have one of those personalities that everyone likes. He is easy to talk to and can carry a conversation to where he wants it to go. I admire his boldness in starting conversations with people. Thank you Lord for your faithful servants!

There are many other stories to tell but just too much to type. Anyway…it was a great night of service to God. Hopefully souls will be saved and God would be magnified and glorified beyond measure.

Witnessing at WWE Smackdown

Yesterday WWE showed up at the UTC McKenzie arena. So my friend Josh and I decided to hit the streets and take the Gospel to the folks heading in to see the show. For about a year and a half now I have been praying that God would send someone who would be willing to link arms with me and help preach the Gospel to folks in the Chattanooga area. Today was an answered prayer and I am so very thankful that God blessed me it. Josh and I started out with a quick time of prayer and then we made our way toward the arena. Josh first spoke to “Big Charles” who was working a parking lot. He was a professing Christian and we spent a little time just talking to him. Once we got to the arena we split up and began talking to folks on the sidewalk. There is just way too much that happened to type it all here. So I suppose that I will just hit the highlights. I really wasn’t completely prepared for this event, so next time I will have to get all the names and details on my witnessing encounters.

Both Josh and I went though a couple of hundred tracts and had many one-to-one talks. I think I might have spoken to about 8 to 10 people over the two hours that we were there. Of all the people that I talked to one individual stood out. His name is Greg. Greg looked like a typical tough guy but once our conversation started he was intently listening to everything that I said. He told me that he knew he wasn’t living for the Lord and that he also knew that God had sent me to him. He also told me that nothing was stopping him from repenting and trusting in Jesus alone. I sure hope he seeks the Lord with his whole heart. Going to the WWE event was something new for me and it was completely out of my comfort zone, but by the grace of God he gave me the boldness to reach out in love to others. Going to this event has opened my eyes even more that people need the Gospel. Both Josh and I were rejected by some and then again some listened to every word. It was indeed a tough crowd but I trust God to water the seeds that were planted yesterday. Until next time….

A Disfellowshiped Ex-JW

Even before I hardly opened by eyes this morning the battle was raging. The Battle of the Blanket! I was having a tough time moving away from the comfort of our comfortable, cozy bed. As I was lying in bed weighing the decision to get up our dog would grunt and groan at every move I made under the covers. Ok, Ok. I’m going, I said. I can only listen to that dog for so long before I want to smack him. (Sorry PETA)

My first talk was with Tim this morning. Tim was one of those people who have all the right answers but if you dig a little deeper you find that things aren’t the way they appear to be. Tim has been disfellowshipped from a Jehovah’s Witness church, and also from an Islam church here in Chattanooga. Tim has been battling an alcohol problem but now he says he is clean from the bottle and has also stopped smoking. After I witnessed to him we had a really good chat about his background and how he is looking for church membership right now. Hopefully he will listen to the Holy Spirit and repent and trust.

Next I met Adrian. Right off the bat I knew something was off about this guy. Either he was very intelligent or confused. He used big words in vocabulary and was throwing out religious jargon like he knew the deal. As we continued to talk he told me that he had been in the hospital a few times diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Now things were starting to make sense to me. I’m still not too sure if he is homeless or if he was just down on his luck. But he asked me for a few bucks to get something to eat so I handed him the only cash that I had. After I left Adrian I starting talking to Dmitri. He was crossing the street so I struck up a conversation. Just about every question I asked he answered with “I don’t know”. But I did catch his attention when I asked him “Dmitri is God angry with you?”

He turned and looked at me. I began to quote Scripture to him that speaks of God’s judgment against sin. I was able to finish presenting Law and Grace to him. He took a “Why Christianity?” and off he went. I could tell that he really didn’t want to talk to me, but I tried to hang in there and give him a fighting chance.

After I am finished witnessing to people on the way to the car I always try to give out a lot of tracts. This morning I past one out to a guy who asked me what it was.
I told him “It’s a Gospel tract.”
He said “You must have got this from Way of the Master”. “I sure did”, I replied.
He told me “I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen you down here before and I was wondering what you were doing.”

My point in telling you that is this, my evangelist friend – Keep passing out those tracts and preaching the Gospel. People are watching you. People around you everyday are waiting to see what you are doing. You may never know who has their eyes on you and what they might want to ask you. Just be faithful to Him who if faithful to us.

False Prophets

Over the past few days I have been studying a document from http://www.bananajackson.com/ about the false prophecies of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. This document is great and introduces some irrefutable evidence that the Jehovah’s Witnesses follow a corrupt system that has made numerous prophecies that have never come to pass. What does the Bible tell us about such a religion? If someone is a prophet of God, how often will they’re prophecies be right? 25% - nope. 75% - nope. If someone speaks for God they must be right 100%. Every prophecy must be absolutely correct! According to the standard of Deuteronomy 18 if a prophet speaks for God and is incorrect they worthy of the death penalty. That seems to be a pretty rigid law, but if someone claims to speak for the Creator then they better be able to back it up.

This morning as I approached a JW on the street corner I began asking him questions about the Watchtower. Even as I read these prophecies to him he denied them and said they were still true! Huh? How can that be? I read the material straight from the Watchtower publications. Finally he asked me “What is the point you are trying to make?” So, I told him that by the standard of Deuteronomy 18 the Watchtower is a false prophet and should not be trusted according to the Bible. So, here comes the typical JW rabbit trail. He asked me “Do you believe that Jesus is God?” Yes sir, I sure do.”, I said. That sent him off on a whirl wind of Scripture quoting that I haven’t heard in a while. I really felt that he had me back up against a wall and pinned down pretty good. But I just keep praying silently to the Lord.

He asked me “Did Jesus say He was the Son of God?” Yes, He did I replied.

He continued “Then why do you say that He is God”. I told him this “Let me answer your question with a question – You say that Jesus said He is the Son of God so therefore He is not God to you. But Jesus also said He was the Son of Man. By your logic does that mean He is not a man?” He really didn’t know what to say. He just kept going back to that one Bible verse. He then handed me his Bible and asked me to read the first five versus of John 17. I did and he kept stopping me every time Jesus called God his Father and when He called Himself the Son.

Then I read verse 5 which said “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Immediately my mind went to:
Isaiah 42:8 - I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.

So, I asked him. Who will God share His glory with? He got that deer in the headlights look. So I asked him again. Who will God share His glory with? He said I know Isaiah 42:8. He told me “I’m not going to say how God can share His glory with Jesus because that is something between them only”. I left him with this “I know how God can share His glory with Jesus because Jesus is God. It’s that simple”.

This morning a JW call me a liar, a blasphemer, and he told me that I was also calling Jesus a liar. I ended our talk with a handshake and by asking him to check into the prophecies of the Watchtower because ultimately it doesn’t matter what I believe or what you believe it only matters what it true. Truth by its own definition is very narrow. There is only one right answer and many wrong answers. That one right answer can only be the true Jesus of the Bible.