Yesterday found us outside enjoying the BEAUTIFUL day the Lord had made! It was sunny, 65 deg with a slight breeze. We started out at our usual location, the Holiday Center Bus Station on Superior St. We were very surprised how few people were on the streets since it was so nice out. Josh busted out his newly made hat, which brought A LOT of attention as we walked into our position. I made mention to him several times that he might have to take it off because it might cause an accident! Drivers had serious rubber neck as they drove by. Josh's hat is a GREAT idea to exalt the name of Christ in such a self-absorbed, sexually-orientated, money-hungry, wicked generation we live in today. The hat is made out of a construction hard hat, with approx 7" x 4" acrylic panels on the front/back/and both sides. It's like a small "walking" billboard! The front says "FEAR GOD". The back: "YOU DESERVE HELL". One side says: BELIEVE JESUS. The other says: "STOP SINNING". It is very impressive looking and many people found themselves reading it as we went by (I can just hear the "seeds" being dispersed!). Nice work Josh.
We stayed at the bus station for a little over an hour with no real conversation from anyone. As always, people found themselves reading the sign, some several times over. But the Lord was not leading anyone to talk to us thus far. Right before we left, we did have a young lady ask if she could take our picture. I asked her what she thought of the sign and she said she disagreed with it. She said she was a born-again christian but that what we were doing was NOT loving. She believes it is better to "show God's love" rather than warn people about the seriousness of Hell and God's Wrath. She said she works inside a store with many unbelieving employers who are turned off by our sign. Basically she said what we were doing was unloving and not working. I have two comments about that: 1. Warning people about their plight before God is the most living thing I can think of. Would it be "unloving" to tell a blind man they are about to fall off a 300 ft. cliff? 2. If what we are doing is "unloving" and "not working", I wonder how she interprets what Jesus said, Paul said, etc. Jesus talked more about Hell than any other New Testament writer! We talked with her for a while trying to explain our "case" before her. We also found out she goes to the Vineyard Church (we are finding most of the people we talk to from this church use the "show God's love" rather than speak God's truth type of evangelism). I think, however, in the end we were able to get through to her to AT LEAST see our way is not incorrect but just not her "style", if there are other "styles".
Being that we were not having many conversations and it was so nice out, we decided to pack up and move to Canal Park by the Marine Museum. I took the sign, and Josh took his hat. He walked around the area for an hour or more while I stood with the sign. I had a few people encourage me, one conversation with a crying drunk who said "I've only had a couple drinks" (that's what they all say!), and a conversation with a "New Testament" christian who believes we MUST be baptized in order to be saved.
As I was talking to the "New Testament" christian (there is an endless # of title's to put before "christians" today...will it ever stop! What about...I'm a BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN! Why can't that stand alone today?). Anyway, as I was talking to the New Testament christian, a park official from the Marine Museum approached me and said I could not be out here with that sign. She said we were soliciting, we were on Federal Land, and that we needed to leave. She was very polite and we asked her several questions. She didn't seem real solid in her stance, but I wasn't solid in my stance against her either, so I informed her we would plan on talking to the Police to see if she was right or if we were right. We talked with an officer at the Duluth Police Dept. who seemed to side with us and our rights to be on the public sidewalk, since we were NOT soliciting by definition. We then went back to the Marine Museum to talk with the lady explaining the conflicting views between her and the Police Dept. She informed us the city workers were "ignorant" of the Federal laws. I explained we were just trying to be proactive about this and making sure what the laws are. She then pulled the "you know if you are christians you are not being very christian-like", or something to that degree. I can ASSURE you, I was very calm, collective, polite, and kind. All I wanted to know is what the Laws were. When I told her I planned on looking further into this matter, her demeanor changed and she seemed to get very "annoyed" and "defensive". She took us to her supervisor, who was not in, but gave us his contact information. I have contacted the Police Dept. and have been informed my questions were being sent to the Chief of Police for further "investigation". Chief of Police, WOW, that's BIG TIME!
So to say the least, it was another "exciting" day on the streets. Some might think it would be best to just leave the area and not try to "contend" for our rights. Some might think our actions to speak up and try to "force the issue" might be a stumbling block to the Federal Employee or others. I disagree with this. First off, I am to obey my authorities IF they are in the right. If my rights are being violated, then I want to fight for my rights. Think of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have died to preserve our rights. I want to be proactive for my rights SO I CAN BE PROACTIVE FOR THE GOSPEL. Satan will do whatever he can to prevent the Gospel from going forth. If the law says I cannot be down in that area, I will abide by that. But, if I am in my right to be there but the Marine Museum would rather me not, I will chose to focus on my rights. The area we are at is a HUGE tourist area, with many hundreds of thousands of people filtering through their during the summer.
Please keep this situation in prayer. I think we as christians would want this area to be accessible to us to share the Gospel with the multitudes.
Act 4:17-20
"But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name [Jesus]." So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
We stayed at the bus station for a little over an hour with no real conversation from anyone. As always, people found themselves reading the sign, some several times over. But the Lord was not leading anyone to talk to us thus far. Right before we left, we did have a young lady ask if she could take our picture. I asked her what she thought of the sign and she said she disagreed with it. She said she was a born-again christian but that what we were doing was NOT loving. She believes it is better to "show God's love" rather than warn people about the seriousness of Hell and God's Wrath. She said she works inside a store with many unbelieving employers who are turned off by our sign. Basically she said what we were doing was unloving and not working. I have two comments about that: 1. Warning people about their plight before God is the most living thing I can think of. Would it be "unloving" to tell a blind man they are about to fall off a 300 ft. cliff? 2. If what we are doing is "unloving" and "not working", I wonder how she interprets what Jesus said, Paul said, etc. Jesus talked more about Hell than any other New Testament writer! We talked with her for a while trying to explain our "case" before her. We also found out she goes to the Vineyard Church (we are finding most of the people we talk to from this church use the "show God's love" rather than speak God's truth type of evangelism). I think, however, in the end we were able to get through to her to AT LEAST see our way is not incorrect but just not her "style", if there are other "styles".
Being that we were not having many conversations and it was so nice out, we decided to pack up and move to Canal Park by the Marine Museum. I took the sign, and Josh took his hat. He walked around the area for an hour or more while I stood with the sign. I had a few people encourage me, one conversation with a crying drunk who said "I've only had a couple drinks" (that's what they all say!), and a conversation with a "New Testament" christian who believes we MUST be baptized in order to be saved.
As I was talking to the "New Testament" christian (there is an endless # of title's to put before "christians" today...will it ever stop! What about...I'm a BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN! Why can't that stand alone today?). Anyway, as I was talking to the New Testament christian, a park official from the Marine Museum approached me and said I could not be out here with that sign. She said we were soliciting, we were on Federal Land, and that we needed to leave. She was very polite and we asked her several questions. She didn't seem real solid in her stance, but I wasn't solid in my stance against her either, so I informed her we would plan on talking to the Police to see if she was right or if we were right. We talked with an officer at the Duluth Police Dept. who seemed to side with us and our rights to be on the public sidewalk, since we were NOT soliciting by definition. We then went back to the Marine Museum to talk with the lady explaining the conflicting views between her and the Police Dept. She informed us the city workers were "ignorant" of the Federal laws. I explained we were just trying to be proactive about this and making sure what the laws are. She then pulled the "you know if you are christians you are not being very christian-like", or something to that degree. I can ASSURE you, I was very calm, collective, polite, and kind. All I wanted to know is what the Laws were. When I told her I planned on looking further into this matter, her demeanor changed and she seemed to get very "annoyed" and "defensive". She took us to her supervisor, who was not in, but gave us his contact information. I have contacted the Police Dept. and have been informed my questions were being sent to the Chief of Police for further "investigation". Chief of Police, WOW, that's BIG TIME!
So to say the least, it was another "exciting" day on the streets. Some might think it would be best to just leave the area and not try to "contend" for our rights. Some might think our actions to speak up and try to "force the issue" might be a stumbling block to the Federal Employee or others. I disagree with this. First off, I am to obey my authorities IF they are in the right. If my rights are being violated, then I want to fight for my rights. Think of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have died to preserve our rights. I want to be proactive for my rights SO I CAN BE PROACTIVE FOR THE GOSPEL. Satan will do whatever he can to prevent the Gospel from going forth. If the law says I cannot be down in that area, I will abide by that. But, if I am in my right to be there but the Marine Museum would rather me not, I will chose to focus on my rights. The area we are at is a HUGE tourist area, with many hundreds of thousands of people filtering through their during the summer.
Please keep this situation in prayer. I think we as christians would want this area to be accessible to us to share the Gospel with the multitudes.
Act 4:17-20
"But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name [Jesus]." So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
1 comment:
Hi Steve,
I think your blog was a great idea. Your day-by-day journal, and the vividness with which you describe your encounters has opened my heart to value your and Josh's individual "style" of street ministry. I've even come up with some ideas for some signs of my own: ONE SIDE: "Drowning in Debt?(for the wages of sin is death) OTHER SIDE: Christ offers "PAID IN FULL!" (but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord) or how about ONE SIDE:"There are only two roads to follow in this life. OTHER SIDE: Which road are you on?"(with pictures to illustrate the broad and narrow paths and scripture: Jesus answered: I am the WAY, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the father except through me.)They need work, I know, but I think they'd be effective when fully developed. I pray that by God's sufficient grace, the power of the Holy Spirit who wills and empowers you to do every good work, AND being compelled by the love of Christ poured in you, Steve and Josh, that this ministry will bear much fruit for God's kingdom! Candy
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