Saturday, May 16, 2009

From Oral Presentations to Street Preaching

Today ended up being a stretching day. God is taking me out of my comfort zone. I was the final person in my English class to present my oral presentation on the case for Intelligent Design. I was nervous, but I felt God's peace with me throughout the presentation. He stripped me of all my fear and I was able to speak clearly with some difficulty, but God was definitely glorified. However, I began the presentation with factual evidence for the creation of the universe based on the second law of thermodynamics, irreducible complexity, and the lack of transitional forms in the fossil record. It was fun talking about those things, but what ended up being so awesome was the fact that I started proclaiming that God was the divine power behind the creation of the universe, earth, and mankind. This raised a few eyebrows throughout the class, but no one was going to argue with me. If any of those people did believe in evolution before I spoke, I don't think they are a believer anymore. It was evident in how I ended the presentation with an abundant passion for the glory of God. I wish that you all could have been there. It is so amazing what God did in that classroom today. May He alone be glorified and honored. Most of all though, the presentation really prepared me for what happened tonight.

I was doing my chores when I got a phone call from my good friend Floyd. Floyd asked me if I would like to go with him to some place and preach the gospel to folks on the street. I was first of all taken aback by the whole thing, but I decided to try it out. I have never been street preaching before and after tonight, it won't be my last. We ended up going to the Orange Circle and Floyd began reading from the Sermon on the Mount (he was standing on his footstool). When he was reading, this drunk guy asks me if he could sit down and listen. I said, "Sure." He sat down and Floyd continued reading. I asked God for direction whether I was supposed to talk to this guy or not. Floyd was just finishing up chapter seven when I drew up enough courage to talk to this guy. He seemed friendly and nice. I could tell by how he talked that he heard the gospel many times before. He said that he likes the Bible, he is a good person, he loves Jesus, Jesus died for me on the cross... yada, yada, yada. This guy has knowledge of the Bible (a hearer), but he is not living out the Christian faith (doer). He told me most of his problems and I just reverted him back to the Gospel. He always seemed to want to change the subject on me, but I kept pressing (pushing for the Gospel).

However, he seemed really interested when I told him that I was just as bad a sinner as he was. God views each sinner (not saved by grace) the same way (we are all like filthy rags). He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around that. I told him though the main difference between me and you now is that I am a sinner saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ and you are a sinner still dead in your trespasses and sins. My conversation with him was very interesting, but it did not go too well. Changing of subjects and repetition of his problems led the way in our discussion. At the end of the day, I prayed for him, quickly talked to this other guy for a little while, and reflected on what I needed to do to better prepare myself to defend the gospel. I struggled at different moments with what to say, but that was partly because I am not use to talking to others about Christ. I am better at reflecting Christ through my actions, but am I doing any good if I don't talk to others about the hope that lies within me. No! Jesus commands us to go out into all the world and preach the gospel. This was a great learning experience for me that taught me that I need to be better prepared to preach the gospel when called upon. Thanks Floyd for asking me to go along with you! Soli Deo Gloria!!!


P.S. The guy that I talked to. His name is Ron; so if you could please hold him up in prayer for his salvation that would be great. Thank you all.




15 comments:

Josh said...

Joshua,
Your oral presentation sounds very interesting. I would love to read it and perhaps you will post it on the blog?

Street preaching. Wow. I believe you when you say "streching". What a wonderful and charachter building opportunity! I would love to do evangelism and I have a few books on it that I plan to read over the Summer.

Your brother in Christ,
Josh

Bethany said...

What a blessing that you were able to reach out to those on the streets. I will defiantly be praying for Ron.

In Christ,
~Bethany~

Ryan Wegner said...

Very good post, Joshua. I know exactly what you're saying with the witnessing thing. The first time I witnessed to someone I was so nervous and didn't really know what to say to him. My conversation also showed me that I needed to be much better prepared to tell others of the hope that lies within me. I've found the Way of the Master dvds to be really helpful; you might want to check them out.

In Christ!

Katie said...

Thats great! I love street preaching...or rather I love going while the guys street preach. :) Our church is going next saturday. It will be our first time out this year.

Levi Bendixen said...

That is awesome, awesome, awesome. Street preaching. Wow. Just the thought of it. You keep pressing towards it, and don't stop. Jesus said to preach the gospel. It was a command not a suggestion. I thoroughly enjoy witnessing with people and do it often through God's grace, but Street Preaching! Wow. That's like REALLY doing something hard. Thanks for doing it.

I might suggest bringing the ten commandments to people like Ron. When they get convicted of their sin, they can repent, but when they see themselves as sinners like everyone else it generalizes things.

That's also great about your talk on evolution. I wish I could've heard it. What type of group were you telling that to? Public school? I don't know.

God bless you man!

Joshua said...

Ryan,
I was so nervous the first time that I began talking to that guy. I am glad that I am not the only one who's mind went blank when talking to this guy. It was a great learning experience for me and I would definitely do it again when the opportunity arises. Thanks for the comment.

In Christ,
Joshua :)

P.S. I have listened to how the Way of the Master guys preach the gospel, but I haven't checked out the dvds. That's a great idea. Thanks for letting me know. :)

Joshua said...

Levi,
That is an excellent idea in bringing the ten commandments to Ron. My mind was going all over the place last evening. I was basically trying to give some type of answer and nothing was coming to mind. I kept drawing blanks. As I told Floyd after, it was a great learning experience for me and I will be better prepared next time. Thanks for the idea.

I am sorry that I didn't exactly specify who I was presenting my research paper too. I was presenting my paper too my public junior college class (Santiago Canyon College). Thanks for the comment.

In Christ,
Joshua :)

Joshua said...

Josh,
I would be glad to post my paper on my blog and you all may benefit from it in trying to defend the creation account. I hope that it does some use rather than being wasted away. Yes, yesterday was a fairly interesting day and I will never forget it. Evangelism is a great tool to seek those who are lost. You may probably find out that the first time that you begin witnessing to some person; your mind will go blank. It may happen, but each person is different. Thanks for the comment and hopefully, I will e-mail you soon. Our spring semester is finished in the next couple of weeks; so I will have a bit more extra time. Talk to you later.

In Christ,
Joshua :)

Joshua said...

Bethany,
Thanks for praying for Ron. I know that he would definitely be needing it, during this time in his life. Thanks Bethany. :)

In Christ,
Joshua :)

Joshua said...

Katie,
That is cool that you guys go street preaching also. It was my first time ever and I had a great time, other than that my mind was going all over the place, but it was a great learning experience for me. I pray that your group will be witnesses and ambassadors for the gospel. Thanks for the comment. :)

In Christ,
Joshua :)

Regan Family Farm said...

What a greatopportunity (both of them!)

Anonymous said...

That's totally awesome, Joshua! Way to let God use you; may God continue to bless you as you shine for Him in word and deed!

BTW, I second Josh's request. :) I would love to read your paper on evolution if you ever post it up here sometime! :)

Renee said...

Hello,
I'm doing a study on music...if your interrested in following check out my blog and leave a comment!
www.renee-decker.blogspot.com
~Have a nice day~
~*Renee*~

'becca said...

Joshua,

Sounds like an amazing experience all around. I will be pryaing for Ron and for you so you can continue to improve your street preaching.

In Christ,

'becca

Rachel said...

Oh Joshua, I am so very blessed to have you as my brother--for being an example for Christ!