stand on God's truth

My initial contact with the Jesus Freaks was kind of a friend of a friend of a friend connection. John, a friend of mine, got a last minute email about evangelism at the Anoka Halloween Parade from someone else, and they had a contact named Andy. I contacted Andy and said I couldn't make the parade, but wanted to know more about the Jesus Freaks. He said Mike was the one to talk to. Finally, Mike and I corresponded via email, and I expressed that I was interested in joining them as I am able. Mike was very enthusiastic.

Friday night, November 9th we headed downtown Minneapolis. Now I live up near Cambridge, MN and have contact with a lot of Swedes, Lutherans, etc. And even though I had been recently doing some evangelism at the MN National College Fair outside the Mpls Convention Center, I hadn't been downtown in a couple of years, so I felt a little rusty. But just being out with some brothers and a sister who have hearts for evangelism was so encouraging as it's hard to find other street evangelists to minister with - "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." (Mt. 9:37)

The evening was fruitful as our group had many conversations about salvation and we handed out numerous tracts to others that didn't engage in conversation. Some conversations were very peaceful, while one in particular, Jessica, was quite contentious and explosive. (Please pray for Jessica.) We also spoke with some Muslims and Dewey, a homeless man from Ohio. Besides discussing salvation with Dewey, I took the opportunity to pray with him for a job, his health and forsaking alcohol. As I prayed about his diabetes, he stopped me to ask how I knew that he had diabetes. I thought he had told me, but he said he never said a thing. Whether it was supernatural knowledge from God or not, I'm not positive, but it opened up his heart all the more. (Please pray for Dewey.)

However it looks, the ministry is certainly one of faith as we don't always see someone turn to Christ. As Paul spoke about in 1 Cor. 3:6-8, some plant, others water, but it is God who makes it grow. It is our job to speak the truth; it is God's job to save. Evangelist Bill Fay in "Share Jesus Without Fear" quotes a statistic that of those who come to faith, on average they have heard the Gospel 7.6 times. The point is, we don't know where we are in that process. Our conversation might be the first clear Gospel presentation they've ever heard, or it might be the third, or maybe the exciting 7.6! Saints, don't be discouraged by what you see with the natural eyes. The devil is a liar and would like to convince you that you are wasting your time, but we know that "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (Js. 5:16). Pack the scripture in your heart and stand on God's truth - "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes!" (Rm. 1:16)
Patrick