October Prayer Meeting Logistics

Today is the first Thursday of the month and we will be having our First Thursday day of prayer for our nation, leaders and revival as part of the Pray, Learn, Go model. As always, we will follow the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) model of prayer. We suggest the following Bible verses be read in conjunction with your prayer meeting:

  • Adoration: 1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 9:1-2
  • Confession: Romans 10:10, Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9
  • Thanksgiving: 1 Chronicles 16:34, 1 Corinthians 15:37
  • Supplication: 1 Timothy 2:1, Philippians 4:6
Our model for the prayer meeting is to read the verses for adoration and then take time to pray to adore God. Then read the verses for confession and pray prayers of confession.  Similarly move on with Thanksgiving and Supplication. We will often conclude with the Lord’s prayer or by singing a hymn together.
We will be at the flag poles at Carrollton (TX) City Hall at noon. Come join us if you can. If you don’t live near Carrollton (TX) then why not meet at the City Hall in your city and pray for the nation, leaders and revival!
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2011 Matching Fund

Thanks to a generous donor, we are pleased to announce the 2011 matching fund. From now until December 1st 2011, this donor will match dollar for dollar all donations made to Bezeugen Ministries up to $2,011! We are very grateful for this matching fund as it will go a long way to to fund the Bezeugen Tract Club, outreaches and the rest of the ministry well into 2012. Want an idea of the impact you can make with a donation to Bezeugen Ministries?

Since the formation of the ministry, Bezeugen has printed and distributed over ONE MILLION Gospel tracts. The Bezeugen Tract Club now has over 900 total members members across 47 US States as well as Canada (accounting for over 100 members). Our tract club members distribute nearly 27,000 Gospel tracts per month. All of these tracts are printed and shipped to our members FREE of any charge!

In 2009, for each 7 cents donated, at least one person heard the Gospel. In 2010, the cost to reach a person with the Gospel drop to under 4 cents per person! In 2010, for each dollar donated to Bezeugen Ministries, approximately TWENTY FIVE people heard the Gospel! With the match in effect, that means your donation could reach FIFTY people with the Gospel for each dollar donated! Please prayerfully consider donating.

To make a tax-deductible donation to support the Bezeugen Tract Club, please go to donate.bezeugen.org

We thank you for your support of Bezeugen Ministries! All donations are tax-deductible.

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Cowboys Outreach

We went out to the Dallas Cowboys game to share the Gospel. We

Carl, Wally and Todd at Cowboys Stadium

parked about a mile from the stadium in order to get reduced parking. While walking to the stadium we talked to a number of people one on one sharing the Gospel with them. One group of four guys was unconcerned because they said no one had seen Hell. Yet, they believe in things like their own brain and the country of China even though they have never seen them. They all took tracts and agreed to read them. I spoke to an atheist from Australia. Had a pleasant conversation with him.

With three of us, we managed to cover the intersection on the Southeast corner of the stadium pretty well. We handed out a few thousand tracts and also preached the Gospel. We had a number of one on one conversations with people.

Discarded traact

Primarily we were handing out a tract that is a bookmark with the Dallas Cowboys schedule on it. Some people would not take it saying “I’m good.” For those people, I’d say, “hang on, I have something special for good people” and would pull out an “are you a good person” tract. Most people took the second tract offered! Some people discarded tracts on the ground. A few were torn up and crumpled. We tried to pick up the ones that were littered where we could.

One guy had beers in both hands and said he could not take the tract because his hands are full. Makes me so sad. The man turns down the offer of everlasting life to hold onto a beer. A vivid reminder of John 3:19 that man loved their sin more than the savior – Jesus!

Below are a couple of videos taken at the event. Would love to have you come join us next time. Remember, Jesus commands us to go share the Gospel. We are merely inviting you to the opportunity to come with us.

In this video, Todd demonstrates how easy it is to hand Gospel tracts to people as they walk to the stadium.

Now ask yourself, “could I do that?” Maybe it gives you a little fear, trembling and anxiety. If so, good! You are ready to take a bold stand for Jesus. Come join us at our next outreach.

In this video, Wally is preaching the Gospel at the stop light to people headed to the stadium.

Finally in this last video, Carl is preaching the Gospel to the crowd.

 

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Remembering Brad Aldrich

Brad was a man on fire to share the Gospel. I first met him when he was

Brad and Kelly

planting Water’s Edge church in Frisco, TX more than 10 years ago. Brad was instrumental in the starting of Bezeugen. A few years ago, Brad told me that he asked me once to go hand out tracts with him and I told him that I would not do it. A year or so after telling him that, my wife, Mande, and I had been to the minor league baseball game in Frisco. When we came back to the car, I found a tract on the car. I looked at the web site and thought, “that seems like the ministry that Brad was starting.” So I checked online and sure enough it was. I connected with Brad and we got talking about witnessing.

Around the same time, Craig Boswell and I were studying the School of Biblical Evangelism. We had never actually gone out to share the Gospel with anyone. Brad called me to see if I knew anyone who was well versed in Way of the Master. He was training a group of about 20 college kids at the Galleria Mall and needed some help. I told him that Craig and I knew the material but had never actually done it. We were the best that he had.

So suddenly, Craig and I and Brad and one other guy were standing in the parking lot at the Galleria Mall training these college kids. After some brief training we went inside to eat dinner and then witness to some people. One of the girls asked me “how long have you been doing this?” I said, “counting tonight, this will be one!” She then said, “wouldn’t it be better to talk with people that we know than complete strangers?” I did not know (at the time) how to answer this. So I said, “hey, Brad, this gal has a great point” and explained what she had said. He asked her, “is your grandmother saved?” She said no. So Brad said, “let’s give her a call and share the Gospel with her.” At that, the gal said, “I think talking to strangers will be ok!”

I owe a lot of thanks to Brad Aldrich for his training, encouraging and boldness in sharing the Gospel. He and Craig and I did our first outreach together going to share the Gospel at the Marilyn Manson concert.  On Christmas Day in 2007, Brad and his wife and kids and Mande and I and Brendan spent Christmas morning making sandwiches for the homeless and going and distributing them along with the Gospel. Brad is the first one that taught me door to door evangelism. We leveraged his prayer model in the door to door work that we have been doing.

I am sad to report that on Friday evening, I learned that Brad had died. He leaves behind his wife and three kids. Please keep his family in your  prayers.

There are a couple of take aways from hearing of Brad’s death.

First, as we go out and share the Gospel we often tell people, “you never know when you are going to die!” This really drives the point home. Brad is one of those people that you would not have expected to hear of his death. So, the message that “today is the day of salvation” rings true. If you are a Christian, use this as a remembrance that the Gospel

Second, Brad leaves behind a number of resources that we can continue to use to learn how and share the Gospel. He had a passion for making videos to train and equip the body of Christ for Evangelism. The Cross Pollination Ministries YouTube channel contains many videos. I pulled together five of his videos into a blog post which presents the components of a spiritual conversation. Why not take 15 minutes to watch these five videos now. In addition, Brad had made a number of audio CD’s of which he had allowed us to host on the Bezeugen website. These training materials are still online and valuable. I encourage you to check them out.

Third, there are earthly needs for Brad’s wife and kids. Support can be sent to them via Cross Pollination Ministries. Checks should be made payable to Mountain Movers with Cross Pollination Ministries or just “cpmin” in the memo line and then mailed to

Mountain Movers International
2550 Post Oak Drive
Corinth, TX 76210-3029

I am glad to have known Brad. I will miss talking to him and spending time with him. I am glad for all the things I have learned from him. See you in Heaven, my friend.

Posted in Gospel | 1 Comment

Spiritual Conversations

Brad Aldrich of Cross Pollination Ministries put together a number of training videos on his YouTube channel. These five videos below provide some good information on learning to share the Gospel.

Spiritual Questions are a good way to start a conversation with people. Listen to Brad explain how to do this.

Gospel Tracts are also a great way to get people thinking about eternity. Listen to Brad explain his use of Gospel tracts.

The Good Person test allows a person to examine themself in the light of God’s Law. Here Brad explains the use of the Good Person test in evangelism.

The Courtroom Example is helpful to get people to understand their predicament before God.

Finally in part five, Brad explains how to navigate the conversation through some difficult situations that may arise.

I pray that this is useful training material for you. May it be used to equip you to share the Gospel with family, friend, co-workers and strangers. Brad has uploaded a number of other videos. I encourage you to check them out at www.youtube.com/user/cpministries/.

 

Posted in Learn, one on one, Training | 1 Comment

Join us at the fair

The Texas State Fair is the largest state fair in the country. Over 3 Million people will come through the gates over 24 days. We have several outreach opportunities.

October 1 – we will have an outreach at the DART station at Fair Park. Meet at 2:30PM. Evangelize until 5PM. Stay late to talk with more people, or enjoy the fair afterward.

The other outreaches below will utilize the booth inside the state fair that is rented out specifically for evangelism. The booth is located near the food at the fair so that there is a heavy flow of foot traffic.

October 6 & 9 – Wally Austin will be witnessing at the booth inside the fair.

October 7 – Pastor Biggs of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is organizing a group at the fair.

October 22 – We have reserved the booth at the fair. We’d like to bring 10-12 people with us. If you’d like to join us, please contact me.

There are other days available to use the booth at the state fair. If you’d like more information and to contact the group that is organizing this, then please contact me.

Posted in outreach, State Fair | Comments Off on Join us at the fair

As You Go

The motto of Bezeugen Ministries is “as you go” which stems from Matthew 28:19. While teaching the Basic Evangelism Training Seminar,

Training in Dallas

we stress that the idea is to make sharing the Gospel such a part of your day that you are doing that “‘as you go” about your day. On Saturday, this came full circle for me. I taught a training session in Dallas at a church. Nearly 30 people were there. That was really encouraging. The email report I got on Monday from the person who hosted the training was that 60 people came out to the outreaches on Sunday! WOW! Twice the number of people who were trained came to the outreach. Surely God is working in this church. We will be working on setting up some joint outreaches with them soon.

“The Basic Evangelism Training Seminar by Bezeugen Ministries is excellent.  It will challenge and equip your people to begin to take immediate steps to share the Gospel with friends, family, neighbors, and strangers. The content is very biblically solid;  this is a thorougly biblical approach to evangelism and the Gospel, coupled with practical, hands-on instruction that will allow church members to begin to develop their skills immediately.  I would highly recommend this Basic Evangelism Training Seminar to any congregation”. (Ben Mullen, Pastor – The Colony, TX)

In the training, we talk about the use of t-shirts as discussion starters for witnessing “as you go”. After the training, I made three stops on my way home. At each stop, my “got peace” t-shirt lead to conversations about the Gospel. This was really encouraging to see what I had just been teaching.

  • I made a stop by my wife’s grandmothers apartment to say hello to her. As I was leaving she asked me to check her mail. When I went to check the mail, I struck up a conversation with a guy who lives there giving him a got peace tract. He noted that the shirt matched.
  • I stopped at the bike shop to check their inventory on an item. As I was wondering around, one of the employees came over and looked at me with this puzzled look. I said “hi” and she said, “that is an interesting shirt, what does it say on the back?” I explained that on the back it had a verse from the Bible and turned around so she could read it. After reading it she asked where the name “Colossians” came from. We had a short conversation, I gave her a got peace tract and then she excused herself to go back to work.
  • I then met my wife for lunch at a restaurant near our house. Again, my got peace t-shirt lead to conversations with both of the cashiers.

You might like to order a Got Peace, Are You Ready or Where Will You Spend Eternity t-shirt in our online store.

We are involved in a number of outreaches. On Monday we are going to be at the Dallas Cowboys game. Next month we have a number of outreaches planned at the State Fair and at other sporting events. We also go regularly to several shopping malls and community colleges around the metroplex. We’d love to have you join us for any of these events. What we have found is that by taking time to specifically do an outreach that the “as you go” mentality becomes even more of a daily mind set.

What I have found is that by making time to intentially go and witness at lunch or on an evening or a weekend, then it makes the “as you go” mentality come to the fore front of mind. Putting tracts in my pocket when I get dressed has become as natural as putting on my socks and shoes.

It seems that the most difficult concept for Christians to grasp is that it’s not “someone else’s job” to preach the gospel. For those that DO understand the concept of direct evangelism, there may be apprehension and fear. Apart from simply “living a good Christian life,” how do we go about sharing our faith with others? The Basic Evangelism Training Seminar presents a clear method of evangelism that puts “feet” on the great commission and helps equip followers of Christ with methods for sharing the gospel.  (Jeffrey Reed, Pastor, Hebron Community Church, Carrollton, Texas)

Want to learn how? We have two Basic Training Seminars scheduled for October. On October 1st we will be in Southlake for training followed by an outreach at the Texas State Fair. On October 4th we will present the seminar in Savannah, TX. You can register for either event online. Or you can contact us about scheduling a seminar at your church, home or for your small group.

Posted in Seminar | Comments Off on As You Go

BYU-Utah

Here is a report from Eric Johnson about the football outreach at the BYU-Utah game. Read it online.

Posted in 2011 Football Outreach | Comments Off on BYU-Utah

Rangers Outreach

On Saturday, six of us went out to the Texas Rangers game to share the Gospel. We split into two groups of three and hit up both the east and west sides of the stadium. From these areas we were able to distribute somewhere around 3,000 Gospel tracts. here is a video of Todd and Roy distributing tracts:

We also did open air preaching. Here is a video of 13 year old, David, preaching the Gospel:

We also lifted up the name of Jesus. Here is a video of Todd reading through the titles and attributes of Jesus Christ:

 

Posted in Gospel, MLB2011, open air | Comments Off on Rangers Outreach

Ministry Update

We have a full schedule of witnessing each week. In a typical week we have people witnessing somewhere in the metroplex pretty much every day of the week. On Monday’s we are going to the West End DART station. This has proven to be a good place to share the Gospel. We see some of the same people each week so we are able to establish some relationships there.

On Tuesday’s we have been going to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. Again, going there week after week allows us to follow-up with people that work there that we see again and again. Having eaten lunch at the same place for the last 4-5 weeks, the cashier remembers our order and which tracts we have already given her. So we will need to remember to bring a new one next week.

When I arrived at the mall last week I was listening to a sermon in my car talking about how Hell must exist to have a place for satan to go. So, I thought I’d use that as an opener. As we talked to people I’d say, “can I ask you a one question survey?” they would agree and I’d ask “Do you think that Hell exists?” We got every answer imaginable: yes, no, I don’t know, I don’t care, etc. Then if they were willing I would follow up with “who should go there?” We got some solid answers like “non-Christians” and then probing a little bit found these people to be genuine believers in Jesus who had been born again! This mutually encouraged them and us!

The most intriguing answers were those that said Hell does not exist. So I’d ask “so where did Hitler go when he died?” This would be followed by a blank stare. When pushed, the answer was “wherever he went” but that makes no sense as an answer to the question. It turned out that this guy was a Jehovah’s Witness, believing in Heaven but not Hell. We talked a bit about following the correct Jesus. I pointed out that his “jesus” is not fully God and that the Muslim Jesus is “just a prophet”, but the Jesus of the Bible if fully man and fully God. I encouraged him to read a non-JW Bible and follow the true Jesus.

I also started inviting people to lunch when we followed up with them. One guy at a cell phone kiosk had been given a copy of my book a few weeks ago. He said he had read parts of it. So I invited him to lunch to discuss it. He has not called yet. But will keep praying that he does.

On Wednesday nights Todd takes a group to Denton to witness to people. They go to different places from parks to the mall and also to the University of North Texas. In the last few months they have seen a number of people come to Christ!

We have decided to devote Thursday’s to witnessing at the local colleges. Around Dallas there are a number of community colleges. Yesterday, being the second Thursday of the month, we went to Brookhaven College in Dallas. We handed out 100 bottles of water, about 100 copies of Mark Cahill’s booklet The Second Greatest Lie and a number of Gospel tracts. We also had a number of one on one conversations with people. I was talking with one guy and he asked some great questions about how he could know that the Bible was true. I pointed out some of the historical, archeological and prophetic evidence of the Bible. Then I pointed to the Second Greatest Lie book he held in his hand and told him that the book goes into details. I told him that once he read it, he could call me and I would take him to lunch to discuss it. I also encouraged him to get One Heartbeat Away and showed him from the booklet how to get a free copy online. He said he would consider these things.

While we were distributing materials, a young lady who attends college there stopped and was listening. She asked if she could help hand out the water and tracts. We agreed and she handed them out for awhile. She gave the tract she had been given to one guy who intently read over it. I spoke with him. He had been raised Catholic and was really open to the things of God. He said he had not been born again, but that he needed to. He said he would get right with God. I invited him to church and he said he would meet me there on Sunday morning!

The next two Thurday’s we will be at two different campuses of Collin College in Plano and McKinney respectively. On the First Thursday of each month we devote the lunch hour to prayer.

On Friday’s there are some people that go to a local abortion mill.

On Saturday’s we have been going out to different outreaches. This Saturday we will be going to evangelize at the Rangers game in Arlington. The past three Saturday’s we were in the Dallas West End by DART and at Dealey Plaza. Wally and I have been providing some open air preaching training to a young man who has come through our evangelism training. Two Saturday’s ago, I got to speak with a man from India. At first he was not receptive to anything about the Bible. But as we talked, his heart softened. He listened to the entire Law and Gospel presentation. He asked how I knew these things were true. I pulled out a Bible and turned to John 20 and had him read verses 30-31:

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

He was amazed. I gave him the Bible and he said he would read the Gospel of John. May his life (here on earth and eternally) be forever changed by God’s Word!

The Lord is at work on the streets. Come and join us!

Posted in Brookhaven, Texas, West End DART | Comments Off on Ministry Update