2012: The Year of Evangelism

2012 Photo Frames Hanging by Stoonn @ freedigitalphotos.net

2012: The Year of Evangelism        

           Christians can really capitalize on the 2012 end of the world speculations that have been the subject of movies, tv shows and news reports in recent years. If you have tuned out on the matter, one of the big event that people point to is the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar cycle on December 21, 2012. This creates a wonderful way to start conversations with anyone you meet. You can ask people, "What do you think about those 2012 end of the world predictions?" Or, "What do you think of the Mayan Calendar ending this year?" This will be a great conversation starter for 365 days! There will be  more of the 2012 end of the world themed entertainment and new stories as the year goes on. If you catch some of them you can say, " What do you think about last nights news interview of the Mayan Calendar Expert?" You can even ask, "If 2012 will be the end of days, do you know where you are going when you die?" You get the idea. Then, tell them what the Bible says about end times and the Gospel. Make this topic your Mars Hill for the year. And, just as Paul started out with the unknown god, you can start a conversation about 2012. Let the words of William Carey encourage you, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." 

2012, The Bible And The End Of The World

          A good summary of 2012 end of the world theories was given by given by Dr. Mark Hitchcock, on 10/23/2011 at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, CA.  You can listen to it for free online. Click on the link below AND scroll down the page to his talk on 10/23/2011.

2012, The Bible And The End Of The World by Dr. Mark Hitchcock

Happy New Year! May God Bless You!

"...Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

December Door to Door

     All month we have been passing out Million Dollar Santa Tracts. A few times the boys and I went on
tract canvasing walks. They love passing out tracts so much they sometimes contend with each other  over pass them out.
   










      We also took our Million Dollar Santa Bill Tracts door to door with a brother from Calvary Chapel. We  handed out The Greatest Gamble Movie DVD's and 101 Last Days Prophecy booklets (Thanks Living Waters.com!) We personalized the DVDs by printing up some 1" x 3" labels that said Merry Christmas. In addition, the label had Christmas church service information on it. The final touch was a bow on each DVD. We had a positive response from almost everyone we spoke to.
 

     Some people didn't know what to think about the free movie since it was unfamiliar to them. But, when we whipped out the Million Dollar Santa Bill they would smile and have a good laugh. Everyone was in a hurry, yet we pray that the that Holy Spirit would bring people to Christ through our witnessing efforts and through the materials we handed out.

Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan

--John Bunyan

Romans 10:10-17 (ESV)

¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  ¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Your Prayers and Support + Spirit Filled Students = Big Opportunities

We have been holding Way of the Master Basic Evangelism Course classes in the basement of a small Midwest church. In January, we will start another 8 week basic course and offer the Way of the Master Intermediate Evangelism Course as well. God is so amazing. I love how He does things in such unexpected ways. Here is a good example. My friend Trace and I have done some street witnessing together. He also attended out Way of the Master Basic Evangelism Course in Walnut Shade, MO. Last month he travel to California for work with Rod, another friend of ours. They sent me the picture above. Recently, they went to a Chicken Foot concert. The band was described to me as an all-star rock band with former Van Halen lead singer, Hagar. Just before the show Trace stepped outside the theater while Rod watched their seats. A few minutes later Trace came back and reported that he just meet legendary rocker Sammy Hagar. The people sitting by them were very envious. So, Rod suggested that Trace take them outside to see if Mr. Hagar was still outside. He was and they all got their picture with the rock star. Trace went back to his seat and began to feel great regret. You see, Trace having a heart for evangelism and being a good student of the evangelism course had some tracts in his pocket. He told Rod how he should have given Sammy Hagar a Gospel tract. Rod encouraged him to go and see if he was still outside. The show had not started yet and I was worth a try. Trace went outside and not only was Sammy Hagar there, but so were others from the band. And yes, he gave them all Gospel tracts.

 There are some great lessons here. One, always have gospel tracts with you. One never knows when God will give you an opportunity to witness to a neighbor or celebrity. We can't always see the next opportunity to share Jesus Christ, so be ready. The second lesson here to note is to travel in pairs when possible. Jesus sent the disciples out in two's. Rod was able to see that an opportunity to hand out tracts was still available. Rod also gave Trace the encouragement Trace needed when he thought he missed a great chance to witness. Two Spirit filled Christians are better than one : )

Your prayers and support are producing exciting fruit for the Lord. Please continue to pray for the ministry and our family. Also, pray that the Holy Spirit does a work in Sammy Hagar and the members of Chicken Foot. God bless you. Now go share Jesus Christ with someone : )

 





What's Happening In October

Evangelism Classes

      We finished up teaching The Way of the Master Basic Evangelism Course at Walnut Shade Baptist Church. Christians from several local churches attended the 4 week course. Members of the class have already requested to take the intermediate course next. It's neat to see evangelism students taking baby steps and getting to the point of sharing the Gospel with others. One of the highlights of the course, was showing Christians how and when Jesus Christ witnessed using the Law (the Ten Commandments) and grace (the Gospel). Two of the pastors that took the course volunteered to help lead one of the street witnessing outings. This will give our budding evangelists a chance to apply what they learned with the help of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for our us, our students and more laborers for the soul harvest. 

"therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Mt 9:38





Baby News !

     God has surely answered a lot of prayers. He provided a great midwife and a family who have allowed us to use their home for a home birth. We were expecting our new baby on Oct 9th. 

Below is an ultrasound from an Amish Clinic we were sent to on September 28th. We didn't know whether God was blessing us with another baby boy or with our first girl.  Our nurse pointed out what she called, "outdoor plumbing." We were finally able to call the baby by name, Boaz. Below is 2d ultrasound picture of his face. Boaz wasn't born on his due date and waited 12 more days to arrive.

  
     On Friday, Kerry gave birth to a healthy baby GIRL! What a surprise. We are still in shock : )  So, we quickly switched from Boaz to Eden. She is our smallest baby, yet, at 8 lbs 10 oz.

  "We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him." - I Samuel 1:27

 Chinese Bible Outreach

     Our local hotel outreaches continue to bare fruit. We are working with Christians from local churches and Christian hotel workers. Branson has a small Chinese population who are here for seasonal hospitality industry work. Also, there are two large show productions that feature Chinese acrobats and martial artists. Recently, two Chinese nationals accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord, while four others are seeking and in need of Bibles. In response to this new opportunity to share Jesus Christ, we have ordered 10 Chinese Books of Acts (pictured above-left, from the American Bible Society),  4 Chinese New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs (pictured above-right, from the American Bible Society), and 20 Chinese Gospels of John (pictured below, from the Pocket Testament League). We still are on the look out for Gospel tracts in Chinese. Please pray for God to save the international workers and that they will take the Gospel to those in their home countries.


"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mt 28:19, 20