What about Bob?

On Friday night, Manuel, his Dad, Shane and I met in Dallas to hand out Gospel tracts at Winter Jam, a Christian concert, being held at the America Airlines Center. We had about 500 each of two different tracts that said “Are you really a Christian?” and “Are you a Christian?” on the front. The people took them gladly and most I could see were reading them. We explained to the crowd that we were giving these out because many people “call themselves Christian” yet are unsaved. I can point to people that I know that have served as pastors, seminar graduates, etc that stepped out of their position because they were unsaved or false converts. We encouraged everyone to read the tract and then if they realized they truly were saved to give the tract to someone else that needed the message! We also handed out a number of other tracts like Million Dollar Bills, Get Out of Hell Free and the Are You Lucky tracts. Shane and I each took a shot open air preaching with the new handsfree microphone. It worked great! Very loud, even on low volume setting on the amplifier.When we were nearly done handing out the tracts, I had about 25 of the “Are you a Christian?” tracts let, I suggested we finish handing those out and then go and eat dinner. Just then, a school bus pulled up and stopped about 50 feet from us, opened the door and unloaded all of the people inside who were going into the concert. I handed out the rest of the stack of tracts I had and Manuel blessed the rest of them with Million Dollar Bills.

At that we set off for the West End to eat dinner.We discussed eating at Spaghetti Warehouse, but first walked through the West End looking at the other restaurants. We discussed going to get BBQ but at last headed back to Spaghetti Warehouse. At this point, none of us realized that God had a divine appointment to keep there!

I gave Get Out of Hell Free cards to all the employees who greeted us. We were seated promptly. The waitress took our drink order. I gave her a Get out of hell free card. Dinner was wonderful. We all ordered from a special “trio” that included an appetizer, entree and desert. During dinner we discussed the witnessing encounters we had had that evening and enjoyed some wonderful fellowship.

As we were finishing the main dish and moving on to desert, I started telling the other guys about my last night in New York this week and the witnessing encounters I had there. On that night, I witnessed to several people at the Apple store. I’d walk up and ask “do you know who took the bite out of the apple?” “Steve Jobs?” came the reply. That lead to sharing the Gospel. Leaving the Apple Store and heading back to my hotel I shared the Gospel with a Bhuddist and then a couple of agnostic kids about 100 feet from Radio City Music Hall. These kids were totally opposed to any of the things of God. But we had a long talk. One of them kept walking off and then coming back to talk more. They definitely heard the Gospel. As I was speaking with them, the show at Radio City Music Hall must have ended. The doors came open and suddenly hundreds of people were coming out onto the street!

I wrapped up my conversation with the two boys and headed over into the crowd. I had a couple of hundred tracts in my pockets and handed all of them out except for a couple that I was saving in case I ran into a scientologist in Times Square. I had several good conversations with the people that were leaving the show.

As the crowd dispersed, I headed over to Times Square. I had a few tracts left so I was handing them out as I went. One young man asked me, “what is this?” So I told him it was a Gospel tract and lead him through the good person test. It turned out that he is a Muslim. As we got into a discussion of our differing views of who Jesus said He is versus who the quran says he is, the young man eventually got frustrated and walked off.

I then started telling my friends that as I finished that conversation, I looked over and another young man was standing against a wall. He had heard a bit of what I was talking to the other man about. I then took him through the good person test. I was telling my friends how this man got hung up on admitting he would be found guilty. As I was talking, I looked to my right and noticed that the man at the next table was on the edge of his seat listening to my explanation of these witnessing encounters.

Not thinking anything of it, I went back to explaining my witnessing encounters. I explained how this young man finally agreed that he would be guilty before God. He and I then went round and round in getting him to understand that he would be condemned to hell if he died right then.

I again looked to my right. This time I noticed that the man was extremely angry. I stopped and asked him if he was interested in what we are discussing. He said a long string of expletives ending with “to judge other people.” He then asked if I hate Jews, Muslims and everyone else. My heart was really racing. The man was only about five feet from me. Behind me was a brick wall and a window. I wondered if this man, who had obviously been drinking was going to become violent. He then asked Shane, Manuel and his Dad if I was “trying to recruit them” or ask them for money. I then started to explain to him that I am not after money and not trying to get him or anyone else to join my church.

He said his name was Bob. Bob explained that he thought Christians were hypocrites. He said he had been hurt by Christians. He had a lot of anger towards me, all Christians, all religions and even God.

Over the next 45 minutes or so, I lead him through the good person test in an attempt to show him why and how Christianity is different from all of the world religions. He even objected to my having a stack of Gospel tracts on the table. And then he came over to our table to look at the Get Out of Hell Free cards. He was actually intrigued by them and said he would hand some of them out. He took about 20 of them. Interesting that God could use this man who does not even believe in Him, to share the message of the Gospel if he actually went out and handed out these tracts.

Shane, Manuel and Manuel’s dad must have been praying like crazy because over time the man calmed down. However, he continued to ask how much money I was trying to get out of him and others. In order to demonstrate grace to him, I asked the waitress for his bill and paid it for him while he was not paying attention. Then when I explained the Gospel to him, I said, “just as if you owed a fine you could not pay in a court of law, Jesus paid the fine you could not pay before God and in the same way, I have paid the bill you owed here at the restaurant.” Then I put the paid bill folder down on his table. I must thank Mark Cahill for his March newsletter titled “money bag” that had brought to the forefront of my mind this illustration to pay his bill.

We talked a little longer. He demanded to pay me back and offered me cash of what was actually less than his bill. I told him the bill was paid and he could keep his money, or it would be left for the waitress as a tip. At one point in the conversation the man declared to be his own god. We know from John 3:19 that this is what to expect because people love their sin more than the savior. If they are their own lord then Jesus can not be Lord of their life. He then tried to explain that the Bible is irrelevant and that all we need to live by is the “golden rule”. I tried to explain to him that the golden rule comes straight out of the Bible. He denied it. But fortunately as we were talking, Shane looked up the verse. Around this time, he tried to give me the money for his bill again and laid it on our table and then also gave me his dessert which had been packaged.

At that I drew our conversation to a close. I got up from my seat and thanked him for his time and asked him to seriously consider what we had talked about. Shane then showed him in the Bible where the golden rule comes from. And while he was talking to Shane I put the money he had put on our table back on his table.

When the conversation started it seemed we could be headed for a violent scene. Forty five minutes later, we shook hands and said good bye. So, what about Bob? Will he repent and put his trust in Jesus? Please pray for him.

We left praising God and giving him all the glory for a divine appointment to speak to Bob!

Sorry, Manuel, I never did get to tell you the rest of the witnessing encounters from Wednesday night in New York. I filled Shane in on the ride back to my house. I told him about talking to a man from south France and then witnessing and open air preaching to a man that was handing out half price discounts to a mens club. I can fill you in on those accounts when I see you in LA next week!