Lincoln Trillion

Little Hands

2010 Phoenix Arab Festival

I was blessed this past weekend to have served with Samy Tenagho of  Glad News for Muslims at the Phoenix Arab Festival. We handed out materials in both English and Arabic to Muslims of all nationalities.We also had many opportunities to share the Gospel with visitors and vendors alike.

Reaching the Lost in Salt Lake City

Many are caught in the deception of Mormonism.  We went to the very center of where those who are lost in this lie come to gather that we may seek and save the lost.  Reaching the Lost wherever they are.  Even in Salt Lake City.

Answering Objections to Open Air Preaching

Halloween Outreach - Light in the Night

Friends,

Each year I like to share a reminder of what we have done the past few years on Halloween to reach out to our neighborhood with the purpose being that the Holy Spirit may lead you according to God’s word in reaching out in some way to your neighborhood.  Maybe these ideas will lead to something you might try or consider in prayer and testing with scripture.

First I should note that I have studied the disturbing origins of Halloween and have made the decision to have nothing at all to do with "celebrating" it.  In fact the history of it unsettles me greatly.  That however is another topic I will not get into at this time.

What we have done instead the past few years on October 31 is to intentionally be a Light in the Night.  We intentionally celebrate Christ and celebrate Him by reaching out to our neighborhood through the sharing of the gospel and free gifts on that night.  In the past years we have a had great conversations with the adults and kids in our neighborhood.  Our kids like to help out and usually we have some friends in Christ come over to help out.  Now on to the details...

Here is what we do:

1.  Be Praying

Always pray and pray always.  October 31 can be a darker night than most for spiritual warfare.  But remember it is God who is the Light and the owner of the Night.  Only He can reach the lost.  We are to surrender and be willing to be used by God as He reaches them.  Put all trust in God.  The battle is His and it has been won.

2.  Be Out.  (Be in the midst)

Instead of handing out candy at the door we go outside and in front of our house in the front yard.  We set up chairs and a table.  There are extra chairs for neighbors to sit as they choose.  We run an extension cord to provide lights for the front yard so that it is the brightest area of the neighborhood.  We have coolers that have gifts in them ready to hand out.  We have the whole family out to talk with people and help do the handing out.  It creates an environment where it is ok to stop, sit and chat for awhile.  Especially if some others are already doing it.  It becomes contagious.

3.  Be About.  (Be Friendly,  Be Loving)

As kids and people come near we invite them over for a free gift before they can say Trick or Treat.  On a personal note the Trick or Treat terminology and history bothers me so we have fun intercepting that by saying "come on over we have something special for you and we are glad you are here."  Engage your neighbors before they engage you.  Go to them.  Make it about you genuinely reaching them for Christ instead of them reaching you for Halloween.  Be about honoring God by loving the lost and by directing the focus from the darkness of Halloween night to the Light of the one true Savior.

4.  Be Ready. (Be Prepared)

Know when October 31 traffic starts.  In our neighborhood it gets dark just before 6:00.  We set up around 5:15 and are ready by 5:30.  Usually the first traffic starts at about 5:45 or  5:50.

5.  Be Giving.  (Be Generous)

We want to make a big impact in every way for God’s glory.  We desire to do that by handing out the biggest candy bars available, the king size ones that are sold at Walgreen's or Costco (Sam's).  We look for the biggest bars we can find and then invest in them.  These are great for a couple of reasons.  Kids really notice them because they are not the bite size candies.  They are huge and the bigger kids 11-14 take notice of the generosity.  So do the parents of the 7-10 year olds.  Almost every parent will come over when I wave the "Mom and Dad" size bars and tell them that they are not left out.  With a sheepish grin they are drawn over, especially the Dads! 

 

Also, the big bars have a lot of room for adding a gospel message or tract.  We use our printer to crank out labels with a gospel message on them that we "stick" to the king size bars.  If you would like a copy of the text we use it is provided at the end of this message.  Yes the candy is expensive but is nothing compared to the price of souls.  We average about 150 pieces a year and that is what we plan for.  About half the pieces are the big bars and the other half regular bars (for the little kids) but still all are bigger than the "bite size" bags.  There are many ways to share the gospel and be generous so be led by the Holy Spirit according to God’s word and be obedient.  You will not regret it. 

6.  Be Light. (Shine Bright)

In addition to the candy we also have tracts ready.  They are tracts that most people "ask for" and enjoy looking at.  Not the ones that people cringe at.  We use Million Dollar bill tracts and Pink/Blue curved illusion tracts the most (shown below).  People love these and ask for extras.

 

Some people hang out because we have prepared a place for them to do that.  We have a chance to talk and the tracts break the ice with a good laugh.  We are able to make a connection.  Since we are outside there is no bottle neck at the front door.  It creates an environment where there is time to talk. 

If we were in the house then when parents let the kids walk up to the front door and stay on the street we would not be able to talk with them.  Since we are outside we actually get to talk to these parents and they are more open to coming up to us to talk.  There is no door or narrow walkway creating a barrier.  Plus it is face to face time for the whole family so it is easier to remember each other in the future.  And when our kids talk to their kids then next thing you know people are hanging out.

A lot of kids really comment about the candy.  They are like WOW!  We let them know that the big candy is a free gift from an even bigger God who created them and to read the important message on the wrapper.  That can lead into conversations about the gospel.

Some big kids want more than one bar.  Even with a huge candy bar one is not enough?  Funny how that works.  Is enough ever enough?  For the bigger kids that want more I let them know they can have another bar if they pass "the test".  I ask if they would consider themselves to be a good person?  And then that leads into gospel!  Trust God and step out and connect with people.





Also we provide a cooler full of water bottles for people to take for free.  The bottles have a “Got Thirst?” gospel label on them.  We put up a Free Stuff table that has DVD’s, Gospel of John’s, etc., which also attracts attention, questions and conversations.

7.  Be Humble (Be Genuine)

Look on everyone that you come in contact with as those that God loves dearly because He does.  He is not willing that any should perish.  Ask God that you would have His heart and compassion.  Then humbly through the power of the Holy Spirit generously share His love and the truth of the gospel to those who are lost.  Share the words of life either in writing stuck (to a big piece of candy) or verbally with those who hang around.  It is a privilege to serve God and meet people.  Be humble and loving when sharing the gospel but do not compromise the truth.  God’s judgment, wrath and Hell are just as real as His mercy, grace and forgiveness offered in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Proclaim the whole gospel earnestly.  Be genuine.  Be real.  Be a servant.

8.  Be Thankful

All Glory is God's.  Not every night honors Him but every night is His and belongs to no other.  Give thanks for His goodness.  Give thanks through honoring Him on October 31 by being His Light in the Night.  Thank Him for casting aside the darkness of night that all that come may see the light.  Thank Him for using a night meant for darkness to instead impact eternity through the sharing of gospel tracts in love to reach the lost.  Give all Glory to God for all Glory is His and He is worthy.  As a family pray asking God that seeds would be planted, that people would read the gospel message, that people would be saved and He glorified.

Summary

In prayer and study seek after God.  Allow God to use you to reach others every day, not just on October 31.  May the Holy Spirit lead you to be light in the middle of darkness.  Show compassion instead of apathy towards those who are lost.  Ask God what He would have you do this October 31 and then ask for the strength to do it.  I pray that in the sharing of this it helps you in some way to serve our King.

In Jesus name,

Rob-roy

"I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

*************SAMPLE TEXT******************

Are You Ready?

Nobody is guaranteed another day or minute. On Judgment Day every thought, word, and deed will be exposed. All will be guilty of lying, stealing and more. Nothing will be hidden from God. The penalty for sin is punishment in Hell. The good news is God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not die but have Eternal Life.

Jesus took the punishment for sins upon Himself dying on the cross and rising from the dead. God commands you to repent and put all your faith and trust in Jesus alone to save you. There is no other way. No amount of good works will get you to heaven. Repent and trust in Him alone today. You may not have tomorrow. Read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.                     Ephesians 2:8

juststopandthink.com   got-thirst.blogspot.com

Not everyone is willing to talk to us. This student though polite, declined to talk to Shon. It happens pretty often. But even the reluctant will many times end up having a discussion with us.

Muhammed and his friends (not pictured here) were also reluctant but after some coaxing, were willing to discuss eternal matters with me. Notice how flip they are at first. As the conversation went on, Muhammed began handling his cigarette a lot and looking kind of nervous. He ended up stopping the conversation pretty abruptly, but not before I got to share most of the Gospel with him. Hopefuly he was being convicted. Ultimately only God knows. I'm sure we gave him something to think about. Chances are we will run into him again since we're planning to spend some more time on campus when classes start up again. Listen here as I share the Gospel with Muhammed and his friends.

Soli Deo Gloria

Ego eimi: The "I AM" Statements of Jesus

Here's a great clip from Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. This was broadcast on September 30, 2010. It's a quick but powerful explanation of the statements Jesus made about His deity...And a nifty lesson in Greek!

Click here to listen

Pelagian Rick Warren Teaches Pelagianism at John Piper's Desiring God

By Justin Edwards

From Apprising Ministrie

This year's controversial Desiring God Conference came to a close Sunday evening with a keynote lecture from Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren. Earlier this year, John Piper's invitation to Rick Warren sparked a firestorm among fundamental and reformed evangelicals as Warren is known for his pragmatic pulpit, Scripture twisting, and man-centered gospel that has served to do more harm to the Body of Christ than perhaps any other modern church movement. While Warren makes no apologies for his unbiblical methods and even heretical teachings, the fact that John Piper believes he is biblical "at root" left many scratching their heads this past spring. Following the public announcement of Rick Warren's invitation, Piper said,

At root I think he is theological and doctrinal and sound. (Source)

Continue reading.....

Yahoo, Yoga, and Yours Truly

by Albert Mohler
Thursday, October 7, 2010

Well, you never know what a day holds. This morning, Yahoo put the Associated Press story about my article on yoga on its front page. The rest, as they say, is history. My mail servers are exhausted. Messages have been coming in at a rate of about a hundred an hour. The first lesson — count the cost when you talk about yoga. These people get bent out of shape fast.


Today, Dylan Lovan of the Associated Press titled his story, “Southern Baptist Leader on Yoga: Not Christianity.” Well here is the appropriate next headline: “Christian Concerns About Yoga: Not News.” You would think that Christians had never asked the question before. To Lovan’s credit, he framed his story on the controversy that followed my original article, published back on September 20, “The Subtle Body — Should Christians Practice Yoga?.”

Lovan documents the controversy and quotes me as saying: “I’m really surprised by the depth of the commitment to yoga found on the part of many who identify as Christians.” Well, double or triple that now.

Here are the lessons I have learned thus far from the controversy:

Continue reading......

Book Giveaway Drawing

The drawing for the free book will be on Friday, October 14th.

Note: This offer available in the Continental U.S. only.

Treasuring Christ

Lovers of Self

by Henry Morris, Ph.D. 

"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy." (2 Timothy 3:2)

One of the dangerous teachings of the "New Age" movement which has spilled over into modern evangelicalism is the notion of "self-love." Many psychologists--even Christian professional counselors--are attributing society's ills, especially among young people, to the supposed lack of a "positive self-image" or "self-esteem" on the part of those exhibiting anti-social behavior. What they need, we are told, is to learn to love themselves more, to appreciate their own self-worth. The problem with this idea is that it is both unscriptural and unrealistic. People do not hate themselves. The Bible says that "no man ever yet hated his own flesh" (Ephesians 5:29).

Instead of learning to esteem ourselves, the Scripture commands us each to "esteem other better than themselves" (Philippians 2:3). Even the apostle Paul, near the end of his life, considered himself so unworthy that he called himself the chief of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:15).

We are told by some Christian leaders that the measure of our great value in the sight of God is the fact that Christ paid such a high price--His own death--to redeem us. The fact is, however, that His death is not the measure of our great value, but of our terrible sinfulness. "Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).
In fact, as in our text, the rise of this self-love idea is itself a sign of the last days, when men shall be "lovers of their own selves." It is the main characteristic of "New Age" humanism which is based squarely upon evolutionary pantheism.

Christ died for our sins because He loved us, not because He needed us. We should live for Him in thanksgiving for the "amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me!"

HT: icr.org

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