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 Skate Park Preaching

[b]SKATE PARK OUTREACH[/b]
[b]They all stopped skating and listened[/b]
Saturday June 18th

There is a group here on the Teen Mania campus called "Terra Nova" which is a student leadership group. They organized an outreach at the local Tyler Skate Park.

Posters were put up all over town, flyers were given out to youth groups, and it was put in the local paper as well as on the local radio.

At first there was going to be a drama team and a step team. But at the last minute the drama team had to pull out because they couldn't get a ride and didn't have enough people.

At the park there were maybe 20 of us from Teen Mania and then 40 or so skaters. It was perfect weather for skating so many people came out there to skate on a day that wasn't too hot. There was an entire youth group that went to the "Skate Complex" instead of the "Skate Park" which was unfortunate, but I figured maybe the Lord wanted them to do ministry there so we could cover both areas at the same time.

A group went around door to door inviting people to come and then around 3 we started with the step team. We asked a few skaters if they thought anyone would mind if they performed right in the middle of the skate park on one of the large ramps. They said go for it. We made an announcement and the team went there to do their performance. Everyone stopped skating and watched.

After the performance a brother named Drew gave his testimony. Drew has been saved a year and was saved from drugs etc. The entire skate park just listened, except for one kid who obviously didn't like us being there. He continued to skate and when Drew mentioned hell the guy said "stop it, your scaring us." Drew quickly responded with "you should be scared, hell is a real place."

After the testimony I gave a salvation message. And again everyone listened except for a few people who started skating. After talking about sin, death, and judgment I spoke on my favorite topic; the new birth! "If you're born once you will die twice. If you're born twice you will die once. You must be born-again. It's not that you become a better person, but that you become a new person. It's not that you merely change your life, but that you receive a new life! You get new hands to replace those hands that love to hold sin. You get new feet to replace those feet that are quick to run to do evil. You get a new heart to replace that heart that takes so much pleasure in iniquity. Have you had such a radical, extreme encounter and experience with God that has changed your life so dramatically that the only terminology you could possibly use to describe it is; a new birth?"

I really felt the Spirit of the Lord was there and that people were being touched. I explained how the bible has the answers to some of the hardest questions of life, "questions which I know all of you have thought about at one point or another".

After the message it was time to do one2one witnessing. The older crowd was harder. One kid who said "Yea I'm a Christian, but I want to live only for myself. Why live for others who don't care at all about you?" He also admitted that he valued happiness more then holiness. I reasoned and talked for quite some time on repentance and selfless living and encouraged him to read his bible.

What was really encouraging was a 12 year old kid named Kyle. He came up to me and said he really enjoyed the sermon. I asked him some questions and found out he had no assurance of salvation. He said that he went through some religious ceremony as a child and thought he might go to heaven because of that. I took him through the Law and he saw himself as a sinner deserving hell. I then explained how wonderful God is by sending His Son to die in his place and then explained how amazing the new birth is.

"You've never had that experience have you?" I asked to which he said "No". "But I know you would like to have that experience wouldn't you?" to which he responded "Yes". I'm not going to give you a few quick and easy steps to becoming a new person. I can't do anything for you. Only God can make you a new person. Kyle, seek after God with all your heart and tell Him you want to be born-again, and He'll do it for you." He was very excited to do that, we later gave Kyle a bible and his older brother also prayed for salvation!

 2005/6/19 4:07
crsschk
Member



Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

 Re: Skate Park Preaching

Hey Jesse,

Read this earlier from your newsletter you sent out and you have been much in my prayers especially in light of all the other things going on. In fact, got a similar blurb about your case from Charisma's newsletter the other day (much problematic with what they espouse, but just to keep abreast of things).

Bring this to light again that others might lift up our brother as he go's forth out into the world and with the attention that is being generated to give you both strength and wisdom in the days ahead.

Quote:
"You've never had that experience have you?" I asked to which he said "No". "But I know you would like to have that experience wouldn't you?" to which he responded "Yes". I'm not going to give you a few quick and easy steps to becoming a new person. I can't do anything for you. Only God can make you a new person. Kyle, seek after God with all your heart and tell Him you want to be born-again, and He'll do it for you." He was very excited to do that, we later gave Kyle a bible and his older brother also prayed for salvation!



... so encouraging. Praise God brother.

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1Th 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.


_________________
Mike Balog

 2005/6/19 13:01Profile









 Re:

Quote:
got a similar blurb about your case from Charisma's newsletter the other day



I saw it featured in the "Ministry & Church" section of their site: http://www.charismanow.com/

But this is the first I heard of a newsletter. Could you send me a copy? I'd like to see it.

 2005/6/19 15:43
crsschk
Member



Joined: 2003/6/11
Posts: 9192
Santa Clara, CA

 Re:

Looks like the same thing, with a short excerpt and then the article linked, and for everyone else:

[url=http://www.charismanow.com/a.php?ArticleID=11318]Street Preacher Sues to Proclaim Bible's 'Simple Truth' Outside Bars[/url]


_________________
Mike Balog

 2005/6/19 19:44Profile
KingJimmy
Member



Joined: 2003/5/8
Posts: 4419
Charlotte, NC

 Re:

I read in one bio on John Wesley that after his first attempt at field preaching, that some exhorted him to not do it again, because he scared people to death. Amen!


_________________
Jimmy H

 2005/6/19 19:47Profile
ByHisSpirit
Member



Joined: 2005/6/3
Posts: 16


 Re:

Quote:
I read in one bio on John Wesley that after his first attempt at field preaching, that some exhorted him to not do it again, because he scared people to death. Amen!



Haha, we don't need to scare people to death, we need to scare them to life ;-)

Amen to this all that you try to scare people to life!!!

In Christ,
Fernando

 2005/6/20 6:54Profile









 Re:

THE FEAR OF THE LORD
Should a preacher ever scare a sinner?

Pr 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Lu 12:5 - But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

Jude 1:23 - but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Php 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Ac 24:25 - Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."

"And what is wrong with the old method of scaring the ungodly with a sermon on hell?" Vance Havner “Hearts Afire” page 29

"There is a lot of soft, sentimental talk about Him today that brings no conviction. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he did not feel comfortable! Neither did Habakkuk nor Daniel nor Paul nor John. We want a picture of Him today that does not disturb us, that smiles at sin, and winks at iniquity. I remember a man who told me he wanted to hear no hell-fire sermons but rather about the meek and lowly Jesus. Yet the poor man did not seem to realize that the meek and lowly Jesus said more about hell than is reported from the lips of anyone else in the Bible! We need a true and complete vision of God in His holiness and Christ in His glory that will bring us to repentance." Vance Havner "Hearts Afire". page 106

“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears released” Amazing Grace

 2005/6/20 7:50
RobertW
Member



Joined: 2004/2/12
Posts: 4636
St. Joseph, Missouri

 Re:

Hello Beloved,

The only way saving faith will come to a sinner is if the hearer meets God in the preaching. Preaching a fearsome message is fine if that's what God told you to preach. If not, it may do more harm than good. Jude gives the formula: [i]On some have compassion making a difference- of others save with fear hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. [/i]

A message on hell will never take the place of a word in due season. If God has a message on hell on the menu He will back the message with great unction. That is the key word 'unction'. It would be a light thing to put together a message that will blister the hyde of the hearers. All one needs to do is distill out all the hard hitting and fearsome passages. Again, that will not bring faith. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Word here is 'rhema'. It is the [u]O[/u]racles of God as He weilds the sword of the Spirit before the people applying it to their lives.

Never get the impression that our desire as ministers is to scare people. God will set you down for that. Study the life of Jesus and how He preached. He is our example in all things. He did not slam sinners until it was clear that they were out right rejecting Him and even then the words coming forth were Oracles and not the tyraids of an angry man in His rejection. Jesus wept over the people while the disciples were wanting to call fire from heaven. They knew not what manor of Spirit they were of.

Notice that when He ministered the people were eyewitnesses to His majesty. They were not hearing cunningly divised fables. He was perfection in preaching utilizing the fruit of the Spirit in conjunction with the gifts. If the gifts are not in operation you are not preaching- you are talking. If the majesty of Christ is not set forth before the people you must needs compromise the message either by watering it down or taking it to a boil- either method is man's device.

You cannot ask men to make a trillion dollar commitment while a dollars worth of majesty is being manifest. The message will need to be compromised in proportion to the absence of Christ being evidently set forth in His majesty. This is not something man can do- it has to be God. For our Lord His words were Oracles, His deeds were Miracles and His motivation was compassion. John 4 shows the results of such ministering. The woman says "come see a man that told me ALL things that ever I did- is this not the Messiah?" (para)

Paul did not come preaching the Gospel with anything other than plain words and great utterance. He asked both the Ephesian and Colossian church to pray that utterance would be given him. He asked Colosse to pray that a "door of utterance" would open that he might open his mouth bodly and preach as he ought to preach. How did he preach? He told Corinth that he did not come with enticing words of men's wisdom but in [i]demonstration[/i] of the Spirit and of power. I see here again both the fruits and gifts of the Spirit in full operation.

The loudness of our voice and the tone of our words are all mans device. Whispering a word in due season under great unction will cause a sinner to meet Christ. Do they hear HIS voice in our preaching?

Don't get caught up in what this preacher is saying or that preacher is doing. What if God wanted you to tell a person something that touched their heart? Is that out of bounds simply because so many are utilizing man made methods to reach sinners because He is not set forth evidently before the people? As a minister of the Gospel we must be preared to cry loud and spare not or to whisper and tread softly. There is no single method. It all boils down to saying to the hearers what God is saying to them RIGHT NOW. Nothing can take the place of hearing God and speaking forth words that are carried along by the Holy Spirit. Not preconceived words based on what we think they need to hear- but "He that hath an ear let him hear what the SPIRIT saith unto the Churches." Granted they are not in the Church- but the giftings of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit are what will bring sinners to saving faith. Always remember- that its the fruit that carries the seed. Study them and see if they are evident in your life, teaching, and preaching. Let your words be always with grace and seasoned with salt. Let the wisdom you use be first pure then peacable and gentle. Easy to be entreated. Full of good fruits. Let it be without hypocrisy. For the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of those who are making peace.

God Bless,

-Robert


_________________
Robert Wurtz II

 2005/6/20 8:30Profile









 Re:

One more scripture to add to the list:

1Ti 5:20 - Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

 2005/6/20 8:45
RobertW
Member



Joined: 2004/2/12
Posts: 4636
St. Joseph, Missouri

 Re:

[i]Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, [u]and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men[/u]: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.[/i] (Isaiah 29:13-14)

In the interview with Leonard Ravenhill this passage comes up and it is an important part of my point. When God is not near- the fear of God must be taught by the precepts of men. In this I find that even the word of God can be made of none effect in the hands of men. The 'precept' or 'mitzvot' of men could be as simple as man's take on a certain passage of scripture meant to control or manipulate the people into responding according to the will of the speaker. Though passages may be cited, this CANNOT be mistaken for the fear of the Lord that comes as a result of the manifest presence of God. where God goes His fear will go with Him. Where it is not- men are always happy to try and manufacture it and use His logos to do it. It would be no different than as a parent having someone manipulate your kids by talking something you said out of context for the purpose of controlling them with the 'fear' they have for their parents. We know this as "userping authority".

God Bless,

-Robert


_________________
Robert Wurtz II

 2005/6/20 9:02Profile





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