Urban Reformation

We had Shepherding Group last night. We are going through an evangelism series in our small group every Sunday Evening.

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1. The Unstoppable Gospel
2. Gifted for Evangelism ——-(We are here in the series)
3. Becoming a Friend of Sinners
4. Breaking the Sound Barrier
5. Proclaim the Bad News
6. Proclaim the Good News
7. Putting the Go in Gospel

These things seem to provoke all sorts of feelings in people, and what’s been a blessing about this series is that it makes concession for all sorts of things, in style, and personality, but it also puts before us all that we all have an obligation in our own way to present the gospel. To be mindful of Christ and to share Christ.

Last evening a David H. and I went to the Avenue after watching the video to share the gospel with those whom we would encounter by God’s grace. We met a young lady named “Nell”. She was a prostitute and we asked her if we could ask her some questions about spiritual things? She said sure… and as we attempted to share with Nell about spiritual things she gave us the argument that we don’t know wrote the bible, that there is a pimp bible. She told us how she’s had more guns pulled on her than anyone, that she should be dead, however she believes in all religions. She believes in wicca, paganism, budah, and Christianity. We attempted to demonstrate that this is impossible, David took her to John 14:6 where Jesus says HE is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through Him. At that point she took off down the street and wouldn’t speak to us any longer.

We also came upon three people who had been drinking heavily. Ivan, Tony, and Joyce. Ivan waved us over and he proceeded to ask me for my bible. This is my ESV bible. It was a bible that was given to me by my wife, it is the one I read all the time, and all my highlights, underlines, and comments made are in this bible. My wife gave me this bible, and not in vanity, but because I often would give my bibles away over the years without people asking, but this time she had my name put on the outside. I often take it with me when I go out, I never thought the day would come when someone would ask me for it. I had copies of the gospel of John, I attempted to give this to Ivan. He said no he’d prefer to have my bible because the print was big enough for him to read.

He said that he knew about Jesus, and would quote some scripture. He had read proverbs, and proceeded to tell us that he loved prostitutes. Even though proverbs gives warnings of them he still loves prostitutes. We went to Matthew 7, I spoke about fruit. I talked to him about speaking out of two sides of his mouth by saying he believes in Jesus yet he still lives for the world. I told him that he loves to much the things of this world that fruit trees produce fruit, and thorn trees produce thorns, and you can’t say you’re a fruit tree and produce thorns in the same way you can’t say you’re a believer and your entire life love prostitutes, drinkin and drugs more than you love Christ.

I wrestle with these things, as even in this moment I think of people like “Donna”, who is unlike Ivan. Ivan see still loves the things of this world, and Donna well it was visible that she did not love the things of this world, but she in fact hated them, but did them anyway.

Please pray for Nell, who refused to head or hear the gospel, and pray for Ivan who heard it, and although drinking he seemed confronted with the truth, and acknowledging it took my bible with him after we spent some time in prayer for him.

I must tell you I learned a lesson here, #1 never take your favorite bible out witnessing! but #2 God is sovereign and God is constantly testing my grip to see how tightly I hold on to material things.

It wasn’t like losing my bible in a fire, where I had no choice, which I’m sure that is painful enough in itself, but it was the pain of releasing my grip on God’s Word so that it could in all Hope in Christ, be imparted to someone who is with out Christ.

I woke up this morning without it, it was like a time of mourning this morning…… I pray that it is used for God’s Glory.

Some might say I cast pearls before swine, I have to say I don’t know, but I did what I thought I Christ would do.  Either way may God’s name be made great among the nations, in Kansas City, and in the North East.

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