On Thursday, December 30th we went to the Dallas Mavericks game for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. I had over 1,000 New Year Resolution tracts that we wanted to get out. We also brought a long a couple thousand other tracts. Thanks to the city of Dallas, the DART Green Line train now extends from downtown Dallas all the way north to Carrollton where I live. We met at the train station and took the train in to Dallas. The train stops at Victory Plaza which is a couple of hundred yards from the American Airlines Center where the games are played.
Even if we had never made it to the game, the night was complete in fellowship and sharing the Gospel right from the train ride in. We boarded the train and sat down. Since North Carrollton is the end (and beginning) of the line, there were only a couple of people on the train. The guy sitting one row behind me looked pretty bored. So I asked him where he was going. He spoke mostly Spanish, but some broken English. Basically he said “I am just riding around.” We talked a little, but he was not too interested in talking. At the next stop a woman got on with her two kids. One of the kids sat next to the man and the other sat with her mom across the aisle. Those two were directly behind Ann. Ann reached in her bag and handed each of the three Good Person comic tracts and million dollar bill tracts. They started looking at them. At this, the man behind me peaked up his curiosity. As we asked the kids if they were “good” he suddenly said something to the effect of “you can’t be good.”
Ann also had Spanish versions of the same tracts. So she gave him one of each of the tracts in Spanish. This started a long dialog with him as he tried to practice his English by translating the tract back to me asking me the questions. He was a firm believer in Christ. It was great meeting him. While he and I were talking, I asked the kids if they had been good. This lead Ann into a conversation with the mom.
As we continued towards downtown, the train continued to fill up. Eventually another guy ended up sitting next to me. He explained that he and a friend had come to Dallas to look for jobs. After spending the afternoon entertaining themselves at “some of Dallas’s finer places” he said his friend was pulled over while driving and it turned out there was a warrant out for his arrest. His friend is now spending 30 days as a guest of the City of Dallas! Anyway, this man had just admitted to me that he had been lusting after women all afternoon and was asking for money to get a bus ride back to Arkansas. As we arrived at Victory Plaza, I handed him a few bucks, gave him directions to the Bus Station in Dallas and then got a Good Person comic tract from Ann to give him. I asked him to read it and he said that he would.
As God would have it, he was not done with the woman who Ann was talking to. As I got up from the train and told Ann this was our stop, the woman and her kids also exited the train. Ann was able to spend another 15-20 minutes at the station, during which time she was able to completely share the Law and the Gospel.
Ellen had missed the train that we had caught. So we hung around the train station until her train arrived. During that time several other trains arrived and I handed out a number of tracts to people as they left the train going up to the game. The station is set up such that there is basically one way out. So with a couple people it is pretty easy to cover all of the people coming off of the train and give them tracts.
One note about tracts. While handing out the New Year Resolution tract, I was simply say “Happy New Year” and hand them the tract. Most people would take it. I find this to be the case with most of the seasonal tracts. Last week, “Merry Christmas” and hand them a tract. Or having a tract that fits the event. Like at the Dallas Cowboys game to hand out Cowboys and NFL Trivia. This has prompted me to create a Dallas Mavericks Trivia tract that we will bring to a game next month.
Of course, the “did you get one of these” still works well to hand out these tracts and others. But, I am finding that the more the tracts fit the environment the easier they are taken.
We walked over to the stadium and were handing out a few tracts. Neither Ann nor Ellen had done witnessing at the American Airlines Center so I was pointing out some areas and experiences that we’ve had there in the past. The game was 90 minutes from starting. The crowds were a little light where we were so I suggested walking around the building to see if there were more people in other areas. When we walked around to the South end where Victory Plaza is, we found the people!! Now, in the past we have been told not to hand out material in Victory Plaza so we just cut through and went to the sidewalk on the south end of the stadium. By this time, the crowds were picking up and people were coming from the South East corner. We started handing out tracts. Ann had a short conversation with a pastor and gave him a copy of Ray’s God has a Wonderful Plan for your life book. Remember him!
I pointed out that the people pass us so quickly on this side of the street that it is hard to get tracts to all of them. So I pointed out where we have stood on the opposite street corner in the past and handed out lots of tracts. So, Ann and Ellen took some tracts to the far side of the intersection. As people were held up by the police waiting to cross the street they were able to give tracts to most of the people coming from that direction.
I remained on the side of the street nearer to the stadium. As the police sent people across I could still hand tracts to those coming from the other corners from where Ann and Ellen were and also get tracts to any of the people they had missed.
I find that handing out tracts like this leads to many one on one conversations. We see all four types of soil as people pass by. Some ignore us. Some take the tract, look at it and then toss it on the ground. I probably picked up 25 or more tracts during the evening. Most of those got handed out again. A few were too messed up to hand to someone else. Then we see people who will take the tract, look at it and then put it in their tract. But the last type of soil is the one that asks “what is it?”
“A Gospel tract?”
And then they say “are you going to tell me about it?”
At that I can take them through the Law. I ask a few question about whether they have kept the Ten Commandments, ever lied, stolen, hated or lusted? Most will admit that they have. They see they are guilty before God and deserve nothing but eternal Hell.
However, this gives the chance to share with them that God does not want them to go to Hell. He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to live on the earth. Jesus being fully God and fully man paid the price for their sin. And then I talk to them about the cross, Jesus death, and his resurrection. Finally, I share that God commands them to repent and trust in Jesus alone to save them.
While I was having a number of conversations and handing out many tracts, the pastor was watching. I had a few short conversations with him. Eventually he said, “can I help you pass those out?” WOW! I was so encouraged. So of course, I handed him a stack of tracts and he started handing them out! Eventually he went into the game and he said he would call me to discuss the Super Bowl Outreach.
There were many other one on ones. Eventually the crowd thinned as the game was starting. So we headed back to the train. Had a nice time of fellowship on the train ride back to Carrollton. We handed Bibles and tracts to several people as they left the train. A lot happened that night. I have not even touched on helping the guy up who slipped while riding his bike, or my conversation with the Bhuddist at the train station! But, I’ll leave it here.
If you have never been to a witnessing event, I’d encourage you to go. If you live in the Dallas area, subscribe to our Bezeugen Blast and the witnessing events mailing list and check our witnessing calendar. We’d love to have you join us. If you live elsewhere around the country, check the local events calendar of your sporting arenas, get a group from your church and some tracts and go share the Gospel. We know many people around the country who are doing these types of outreaches. If you are unsure if there are folks in your area that you could hook up with, then post a comment below and I’ll see if I can connect you with someone in your area to go Evangelize with.
One thing I’ve found over the years is that by sharing the Gospel at events like this, it makes it that much more on my mind to share the Gospel every day “As I Go!” If you are not already enrolled in the Bezeugen Tract Club, you might like to enroll to have tracts to hand out each day!
