December Logistics

Each month on the First Thursday of the month we gather at the flag poles in Carrollton (TX) and pray for our nation, leaders and revival. We use the ACTS model for prayer. This month the suggested verses are:

Adoration: 2 Samuel 7:22-23
Confession: Leviticus 5:5
Thanksgiving: 1 Chronicles 16:34-36
Supplication: Psalms 27:7-10

Even if you can’t join us in Carrollton, please join us in prayer at your own city hall near you or even at your place of business. Can’t make it at noon on the first Thursday? Could you pray sometime over that following weekend?

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Witnessing about Jesus Christ

At Christmas time it is a great time to go and share the Gospel. Here are some ideas to share with people about the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus.

Verses on the Birth of Jesus:

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS1, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:20-21)

1 Of Hebrew origin or a transliteration of the Hebrew “Joshua” meaning “Jehovah is salvation” or Jehovah-saves (Jehoshua). [Sources: Vine’s Expository Dictionary and Strong’s Concordance]

A Selection of Eight Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus’ Birth:

  1. Jesus would be born of the seed of a woman. Written by Moses (Genesis 3:15) as early as 1400 BC. See reference in Galatians 4:4.
  2. Jesus would be a descendant of Abraham. Written by Moses (Genesis 12:3) as early as 1400 BC. The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke trace back Jesus’ genealogy to Abraham.
  3. Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah. Written by Moses (Genesis 49:10) as early as 1400 BC. Jesus’ ancestry is traced back to Jacob’s son, Judah, in Luke 3:23-34 and in Matthew 1:1-16.
  4. Jesus would also come from Egypt. Written by Hosea (Hosea 11:1) between 755-710 BC. See Matthew 2:13-15.
  5. Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Written by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:1-2) between 750-686 BC. See Luke 2:11.
  6. Jesus would be born of a virgin. Written by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14) between 701-681 BC.
  7. Jesus would be a descendent of King David. Written by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:5) between 626-586 BC and Isaiah (Isaiah 9:7). The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke trace back Jesus’ genealogy to King David.
  8. Jesus birth would trigger a slaughter of children. Written by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15) between 626-586 BC. See reference in Matthew 2:16-18.

Compound Probability

Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies in his life. The reason all these prophecies are important is something called compound probability. When we consider having a great many requirements fulfilled by the same person, the likelihood of finding such a person decreases with every requirement. And the more unusual the requirement, the less likely we are to find such a person. The prophesies concerning Jesus Christ are so specific, with such a number of distinct features given, that, apart from Divine foreknowledge, the probability of fulfillment as a matter of accidental coincidence is reduced to a fraction too small to comprehend. The probability of only 8 prophecies being fulfilled are one in 10^17 (a figure with 17 zeros). [Sources: One Heartbeat Away written by Mark Cahill, and Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College]

About the Bible

The Bible is comprised of 66 Books written over a period of about 1,500 years by over 40 authors from all walks of life. It was written in three languages on three continents. Yet, it fits together into one cohesive story with an appropriate beginning, a logical ending, a central character, and a consistent theme. [Source: generally accepted knowledge]

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McKinney Trader Days

On Saturday I had the opportunity to join Wally at the Trade Days in McKinney to do some witnessing at the booth that he rents there on a monthly basis. I really appreciate that Wally is out there every month sharing the Gospel with the people who go to the trade days. Brian and Skip along with Brian’s two sons went with me on Saturday afternoon. We were there at the booth for about two and a half hours.

There was a good amount of foot traffic coming by the booth. Wally had set up the white board with the question “Do you consider yourself to be a good person on it?” By the end of the day there were about 40 “yes” and “8” no votes. A couple of people marked halfway between yes and no. We had some discussion about how most people we talked to did not even register an answer.

Jake handing out a tract

At the booth we were able to hand out hundreds of Gospel tracts. Brian’ssons were great at handing out tracts. They had tracts with them. When they gave them all out, they would come to me and I’d give them another one. They go hand that tract out and come back for the next one. People that might not have taken a tract from one of us adults almost always took one from the kids. I can only

Tristen handing out a tract!

recall one adult that did not take a tract from Tris and that about broke his heart in disbelief that someone would say “no thank you” and not take the tract. I am sure that we handed out at least 400 or 500 tracts in the couple of hours that we were there. Many people would stop and talk to us. We had many good one on one conversations with people.

Having fun between tracts!

Brian had the chance to share the Gospel with Katie, Justin, Justin and Amir as well as others. I had a conversation with a woman who did not have a Bible. I gave her a Bible along with one of our Bible bookmarks. She was very appreciative and said she would look up the verses.

You may like to check your area to see if there are any trader days type events around. Renting a booth at the trade days for the weekend costs under $100. That is a pretty good price to have an open venue to share the Gospel with 1000’s of people. I found that it is also a good training ground for “as you go” evangelism because there are many people out just doing their thing – shopping!

 

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What the Bible says about itself

My friend Roy emailed me a document that he was working on with a list of scriptures about what the Bible says about itself. I was really encouraged by this list of verses and asked him if I could post it on the BLOG. He agree. Here is what he wrote about what he was researching:

As I ponder questions about the bible, is it true, is it accurate, is it reliable, and how did we get this book, I also looked in the Bible to see what the Bible says about the Bible.

Enjoy the verses of scripture.  They will lead you, guide you, encourage you, and yes even correct you, but all done in much love.

Peace and grace as you ponder the words of God.

I believe that these verses will be helpful as you share the Gospel with people. One thing that comes up is how do you know that the Bile is true. Being able to tell people what the Bible says about itself is helpful. Remember, that even telling people these things, because God’s word does not return void, can be helpful to their understanding of the Bible and Gospel.

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

107  I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

Psalm 119:105 – 107


“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”

Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

 

1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.

2  Keep my commands and live, and my law as the pupil of your eye.

3  Tie them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 7:1-3 (Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, – LITV – by Jay P. Green, Sr.)

 

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:1-5, 14 (ESV)

 

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

 

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.'”

1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

 

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 (ESV)

 

4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,

10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Luke 8:4-15 (ESV)

 

[Jesus said] “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Luke 6:40 (ESV) [the following verses are about the plank and speck in the eye – to help keep us from hypocrisy and judging others unjustly, and then the good tree cannot produce good fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit]

 

“I solemnly implore you, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is about to judge the living and the dead, and by His Appearing and His Kingship: proclaim God’s message [preach the word], be zealous in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, encourage, with the utmost patience as a teacher. For a time is coming when they will not tolerate wholesome instruction, but, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will find a multitude of teachers to satisfy their own fancies; and will turn away from listening to the truth and will turn aside to fables.”

2 Timothy 4:1-4 (Weymouth New Testament – WNT 1912)

 

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (ESV)

 

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

 

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord…

Romans 4:2, 3, 13, 22, 23, 24 (ESV)

 

“And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:19-21 (ESV)

 

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”

Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV)

 

John wrote in the book of Revelation: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV)

 

 

“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”

Psa 119:50 (KJV)

(Quickened Strong’s 2421 chayah)

to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively to revive: – keep (leave, make) alive, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, save (alive, life, lives), be whole, to sustain life, to live on or upon, to cause to grow

 

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Pslam 1:1-3 (ESV)

 

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:9-11(ESV)

 

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may medicate on you that I may meditate on your promises.”

Psalm 119:147-148 (ESV)

 

“In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”

Psalm 119:14-16 (ESV)

 

(Jesus prayed this before He was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane)

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

19And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

John 17:13-19 (ESV)

 

(After Jesus rose from the dead and visited with the disciples)

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Luke 24:45-47 (ESV)

 

 

“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.”

Luke 16:16-17 (ESV)

 

“Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul, but to fulfill. Truly I say to you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, in no way shall one iota or one point [jot or tittle – KJV] pass away from the Law until all comes to pass.”

Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)

 

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”

Luke 24:44 (KJV)

 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:’ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

Matthew 21:42 (ESV)

 

“Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?”

Matthew 12:3 (NLT)

 

“Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.'”

John 14:23-24 (ESV)

 

“And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,’ “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.'”

Mark 7:6-8 (ESV)

 

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

1 Peter 2:2 (KJV)

 

(Noble Bereans)

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”

Acts 17:10-12 (ESV)

 

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.”

Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

 

 

“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.”

Deuteronomy 12:32 (ESV)

 

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Hebrews 5:12-14 (ESV)

 

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV)

 

“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

James 1:21 (ESV)

 

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

2 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV)

 

“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:14-15 (KJV)

 

1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it,

2 that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. .

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (ESV)

 

 

1 “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.

13“And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.

15 And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.

18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

22 For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,

23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.

Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-15, 18-23 (ESV)

 

 

FIINAL VERSE —-

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:11-13 (ESV)


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Most Wonderful Time

Have you noticed that Christmas season seems to start earlier and earlier this year? At the malls near us, they went directly from Halloween to Christmas completely skipping over Thanksgiving. The day after Halloween, they already had Santa’s Village set up at a local mall. Now, a week before Thanksgiving, that same mall is decorated for Christmas!

As we walked around the mall at lunch the other day, I noticed that people had lot’s of bags from shopping at toy stores. I asked “are you shopping for Christmas?” Time and time again the answer was yes. So I asked a simple question, “why do you celebrate Christmas?”

For me, the answer is simple – it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, savior of the world.

However, you might be surprised, that asking at least a dozen people this question at the mall, only one gave an answer that had anything to do with Jesus and Him alone being the savior of the world.

It got me thinking that while most would agree that this is the “most wonderful time of the year” that for the Christian, it really is. Consider the song by watching this video and reading the lyrics (from STLyrics.com) below that follow:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you “Be of good cheer”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap- happiest season of all

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time
It’s the most wonderful time
It’s the most wonderful time
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

As you read those lyrics, do you see anything about Jesus? Nope! But you see just about everything else. Yet, as a Christian, I submit that this is the most wonderful time of the year.

Why?

Because it is so easy to talk to people about Jesus. The motto of Bezeugen Mnistries is “As You Go”. What do we mean by that? We man to share the Gospel “as you go”. Whether it is going to work, the store or school, look for opportunities to share the Gospel “as you go”. At Christmas time this is so easy. As people questions like

Do you celebrate Christmas?

Why do you celebrate Christmas?

Does Christmas have any spiritual meaning to you?

Why do you think Jesus had to be born?

All of these questions help to understand the persons spiritual condition and lead to an opportunity to share the Gospel. In the last week, I’ve meet Muslims, Hindu’s, Bhuddists and Athiests who all admitted that they celebrate Christmas. So it is interesting to hear why they celebrate Christmas and then have the opportunity to share with them the true meaning of Christmas.

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

In order for Christ to die according to the scriptures, he had to first be born. He had to be born to fulfill the prophecy of the Old Testament.

As You Go” this Christmas season, make it the most wonderful time of the year by sharing the Gospel with everyone you meet!

 

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R’s

I heard a sermon recently while visiting Stillwater, Oklahoma where the Pastor presented a message on the four R’s of salvation. These are:

  1. Recognition of sin
  2. Remorse for sin
  3. Repentance of sin
  4. Receive Jesus Christ
While witnessing to people, I have been able to review the four R’s with them. With one woman that I was speaking to at the West End DART station, I told her about the four R’s and took her through them. She said she recognized her  sin and was even remorseful. But she had not repented of her sin or received Jesus Christ. She took a tract and a Bible before she got on the train.
You can listen to the sermon online. I believe that you will be blessed by the 33 minutes that it will take to listen.
I’ve had the chance to listen to the sermon online a couple of times since I first heard it live. I have also had several friends listen to it and we have had a number of discussions about it. I think there is a fifth R that we can add as well. That is “reason”.
We see this both in the Old  Testaments in the book of Isaiah when it comes to recognizing sin:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:8)
We also see Paul talking about reasoning from the scriptures about why Jesus had to suffer and rise:
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (Acts 17:2-3)
I don’t write this to take anything away from what Dr David Chapman says in the 4 R’s sermon. Rather, I add this so that we know it is also reasonable to reason with people about their sin, the scriptures, Jesus, Heaven and Hell. Do it “as you go” and share the Gospel with everyone that you meet!
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God Sized Questions

Pastor Biggs explains how he utilizes God Sized Questions (GSQs) to engage people in spiritual conversations.

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State Fair of Texas

This week we did two outreaches at the State Fair of Texas. On Friday, Wally, Duane and I rode the DART to Dallas. After some lunch and fellowship, we took the DART to the station at Fair Park. There we handed out a few thousand tracts, did a little open air preaching and shared the Gospel one on one with a number of people who were waiting for trains. For use outside of the fair grounds, we made two tracts that were specific to the fair. The first was a “fried food” trivia tract. The second was a bookmark featuring the Texas Star facts and the Gospel on the back. These tracts were well received at the fair park DART station.

On Saturday, we used the State Fair Gospel booth inside of the fair grounds for an outreach. We had over 20 people come to help with the outreach! At first glance it might seem that 20 people is too many to man this booth, but it actually gave us the opportunity to rotate people and give many people a chance to witness at the fair.

As each portion of our group arrived, they received five to ten minutes of training from Rex Whitton who heads up this outreach. Then we were “on the job”. The booth features a big sign that says “Million Dollar Eye Test”. This attracts peoples curiosity and they come over just to see what we are up to.

The Million Dollar Eye test is basically used to diagnose someone spiritual condition. We first ask if they would trade one of their eyes for a million dollars. We would explain that we can do a simple, painless procedure to remove their eye and replace it with a glass eye. The glass eye would “look” the same, it just would not “look” the same! We use million dollar bill tracts to make the point that it is a lot of money. Most people said no to this question. Although some would say yes!

We then follow with a second question to ask if they would trade both of their eyes for one trillion dollars. Again we had tracts to show how many zeros there are. We would also point out that a trillion one dollar bills laid end to end would reach from the earth to the sun. Nearly everyone would say no to this question. Although surprisingly a couple said yes, saying that they would use some of the money to buy new eyes!

The whole point of these two questions was to get each person to recognize that if there is a high value on their eyes than there must be an even higher value on their soul. So we’d just ask “if you would not trade your eyes for a trillion dollars, what must your soul be worth?”

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:26)

This lead to the ultimate “million dollar question”: Where will you spend eternity?

From here we were able to share the Law and Gospel with people. We had a number of amazing conversations. Everyone who was with us was pretty much constantly involved in as much and as many conversations as they wanted to be. We had some good opportunities to discuss the conversations and provide the team members with some “in the field” training on sharing the Gospel.

We were blessed to have so many people join us. We are thanking to have access to the booth at the state fair to witness to the people attending the fair. We will be praying about how to participate in the State Fair Outreach again next year.

Fair’s seem to be good opportunities to share the Gospel. The Texas State Fair is one of the (if not the) largest fairs in the country. Your town might have a city fair or a county fair where you could rent a booth and set up to share the Gospel. We know some people who witness at “trade days” each month in McKinney. Keep your eye open in your town to see what opportunities there are. There might be a small fee to reserve a booth. However, what we found is that once inside the fair grounds we were able to have many good one on one conversations to share the Gospel and also hand out Gospel tracts.

If you have some experience sharing the Gospel at a booth at your local fair, please post a comment and share your experiences.

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2011 World Series

The Texas Rangers made it back to the World Series for the second consecutive time. I missed the outreaches at last years World Series due to being out of town. This year we made it out to games 4 and 5.

The game 4 outreach started about an hour before the first pitch. We

Todd, Carl, Duane and Tom

parked about a mile away and then took a cab to the stadium (to save time walking). This gave us the opportunity to share the Gospel with the cab driver!

When we reached the stadium, we set up at the exact spot with the Arlington Police and Rangers Security had told us to go last time we were out there. Nonetheless, as I handed out the first tract, we were immediately told by Rangers Security that we could not do that because we were on Rangers property. I explained that we were on a public sidewalk and had clearance from the head of Rangers Security, Arlington PD and a letter from our attorney. We stayed within six feet of the street like we had been instructed before. It took a little time to work everything out with APD and the Security, but ultimately we were allowed to preach with the amplifier and distribute Gospel tracts.

For Game 5, we proceeded to the opposite corner of the stadium from

Carl, Wally, Duane and Tom

where we were for Game 4. We had already evangelized the other three corners of the ballpark on various other occassions throughout the season. We arrived about three hours before first pitch and there was already a solid flow of traffic. After handing out tracts for 10 or 20 minutes, I went up to one of the police officers that was working traffic for that corner and asked where the best place to stand to preach would be. We agreed on a spot and we set up and started preaching the Gospel in the open air. We pretty much had someone preaching the Gospel for three straight hours while the other three of us handed out Gospel tracts. We took turns preaching.

We were met with some jeers. But also some Christians provided some encouragement. One of those was the senior pastor of a large church in the area!

If you want to do an outreach at your local sporting event, it is good to know something about the public property around the stadium. Each location has some different rules and restrictions. Some places require a permit for amplification, some don’t. Some college campuses may have some requirements for permits to be on campus. The best thing is to check out the venue where you want to go. By doing some legwork in advance you can have a successful outreach while working with the law enforcement.

As one example of that, at Game 5, the office asked us to not block her view of the other officer as they were working the traffic. So by merely staying to one side or the other, they were able to fulfill their duties and we were able to share the Gospel.

There are more pictures from the outreaches online for game 4 and game 5.

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First Open Air Funeral

For a long time now I have been talking with a couple of friends about doing an open air funeral. We thought this would be a good way to show people that death is real. Ten out of ten die. We had talked about buying a mannequin in order to do the open air funeral. However, the cheapest ones we could find were still $100 or more. So instead, we bought a white sheet at Wal-Mart for $5 and used an old sweat shirt as a pillow on the ground. My friend Duane agreed to be the “dead” body. We talked about it for a couple of days before hand and he gave me scripture to read and a couple of facts to point out about his life. With that, we layed out the sheet on the ground, he laid down, and I preached.

There is one guy who got upset and called the police as he rode away on the train. So you hear me dialog with him briefly at the beginning of the video.

A number of people clapped at the end. Several people came over and encouraged us to keep up what we are doing. Many people heard the Gospel. And the visual was very impactful for people walking buy. We will definitely be working on developing this as we go out preaching the Gospel.

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