Planting Seeds and Growing HIS Kingdom!

     Hitting the streets with the “Jesus Freaks” has been a pure joy!  We had the honor of evangelizing with them a 2^nd time on Friday, May 24, 2013 in Minneapolis and at Catholic Charities.  I don’t think I’ve met so many people, in one place, with their hearts so on fire for God!  Our prayers continue to be that his spirit may continue to cultivate this passion to do what he has called us to do, to be witnesses first. 

     Our spirits are all united with the passion of sharing the “Good News” and it is like we’ve all known each other for many years when we are witnessing.  You can grab a couple of “Jesus Freaks” and say, hey there are a couple of guys down here lets go tell them about our Savior, and in a sprint, they would beat you 9 out of 10 times.  God is so good!  There just isn’t anything or anywhere that they wouldn’t go in the glorious name of Jesus!

     We met up with the “Jesus Freaks” at 8:00PM at the corner of Lyndale and Broadway and we just knew that it was going to be another awesome night and that HIS Holy Angels had already been working that corner for us preparing the hearts and minds of those that either had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ or were in denial of HIM.  Often, they convince themselves that anything of eternal value can be dealt with when they are closer to death and not at the present time.  We learn in 2 Corinthians 6 that today is the day of salvation and that tomorrow is not promised.

     Often the first 5 or 10 minutes of each encounter is very similar as the folks you meet on the street want to quickly convince you that they are already Christians and to just leave them alone.  It is almost scary how many of them know about the Bible and about Christ and can often quote scripture, but we continue to pray for discernment so we may know the difference.

     Often, our Muslim friends make the argument that “we are all praying to the same God”, and we know that this simply is not the case.  Unfortunately, all three of the monotheistic religions force their believers to pray only to “God the father” which is quite different than Christianity.  It says in John 14:6 that Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me".  Although many would like to convince themselves that all roads lead to God, this simply is not the case as society has begun to teach us right after 911.  "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt 7:13-14).  What we do know is that the love that we are approaching them with is “Christ's love” that is discussed in Ephesians.  We are not here to discuss or debate whose religion or theology is correct but simply to plant the seeds that would eventually lead to their salvation.  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God…but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5).

     As our 2 teams continue to serve together and seek the will of the Holy Spirit together, what is apparent is that he is building up 1 team for his kingdom and we are proud vessels to serve at any capacity that he may use us!  Unity in Christ continues to flow through his spirit when our teams are together.  In John 17:23, it says, I in them and you in me; may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

     The body is a unit that is comprised of many parts and that all of these parts form one body.  So it is with Christ.  (1 Corinthians 12:12).

Romans 6:5

5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

1 Corinthians 1:10

10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

Praise to our King Jesus

Rain Sends Us to Catholic Homeless Shelter

Jesus Freaks had another amazing night of evangelism last Friday. Once again our group teamed up with the ICCM Team of Street Evangelists. We met up in North Minneapolis and hit the streets for as long as we could until we started to get rained on. It was so encouraging to see a group of people, from different churches, with wet hair and damp clothes from the rain not wanting to end the night early due to the rainfall.

ICCM invited us to the Catholic Homeless Shelter with them and we anxiously accepted. As we filed into the shelter with food, bibles, and prayer I was immediately struck with the humility of the men that we were serving. They were all so grateful that we came to visit.

After we fed them we started walking up and down the rows handing out bibles and offering prayer to whoever needed it. We ended up giving away all the bibles we brought with us (around 60)! Praise the Lord!
 The most glorious part of the night was when I was taking a final lap around shelter and I noticed that every man was sitting on the floor or their bunk eating the chips we gave them and they were all reading their bibles! It was beautiful to see the Spirit grip all these men as they were captivated by the Word.

On another note, as a 21 year college student I feel there seems to be a bit of a revival among young Christians. It is not hard for me to find peers who have a passion to give their complete lives to the Gospel. I am fearful though that as I grow older and eventually have a family to take care of my ‘fire’ will burn out a little bit. But then I see men of the Lord like Mike (the leader of Jesus Freaks) or Scott (the leader of ICCM) and I am so encouraged that they are men with families and jobs, but they are still on crazy fire for the Lord! They never come down from the mountain where they are screaming, “Christ Loves You!”

To see the older men who are leading our Churches in evangelism is exactly how the Church is suppose to work. They are showing and teaching me, and all of the college students, how to be so overwhelmed by the Joy of the Gospel that they HAVE to tell people! Praise God for their leadership skills and their constant encouragement!

God is so Good, Christ is so Glorious, and the Spirit is always moving!

Kyle

to the point of tears

Friday night with the freaks was incredible.
And it has me rethinking how to present the Gospel.
I used to say that it is by grace, through faith, that we are saved.  Which is true...and it is not.
We are not saved by grace.  We are saved by the One who extends grace to us - the One who alone is worthy to save.
And we are not saved by faith.  We are saved by faith in the One who is able to save.
Why the processing?
Because of the amount of people who by their own admission are guilty of sin, but if judged by the ten commandments think they are heading for heaven.
Why?
Because they confessed their sin.
Because God is love.
Because God forgives their sin.

But what is missing is the Messiah.  The substitutionary atonement of the Blood of the Lamb, by the Lamb of God, by Whom we are saved.

The second principle that people are massively confused on is the triune Lord.
The S'hma:  Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One.  And you shall love the Lord with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Dan and I spent an hour with Victor - a man who claimed to be muslim, but was familiar with the Bible, and also the "holy koran" (his words, not mine).
And as we shared the Scriptures that Jesus testified to be the I AM, we watched him come to the point of tears multiple times.
He continued to say that Jesus was the Son of God, but not God.
He continued to claim that Jesus was a prophet, but not the fulfillment of all prophecy  -  (the volume of the Book is written of Him - Psalms/Hebrews)  - The I AM who took on flesh and dwelt amongst us.
And as we shared from God's Word alone we watched the seed fall.
And it was incredible to watch the Holy Spirit visibly bypass his intellect and go straight to the heart.

Victor had great faith in "god."  But claimed that all that called on the name of God - whether it was Allah, or God - were the same.
And yet the pivotal question for him, as to all of us, was that asked by Jesus Himself.  Who do you say that I AM?
And the answer to that question will separate those who follow Messiah, or who follow a false god - one who cannot save, or forgive, or extend grace - regardless of the sincerity of the plea.

He alone is our salvation.  And He alone is our grace.   And He alone is love.  And He alone is worthy of all glory and honor and praise.
It is a blessing to be able to share the Gospel with those who are searching for the One who can give living water, that they may never thirst again.
And it was pure joy to be able to sow seed, that the Lord of the Harvest may bring to fruition.
Blessings

Jesus Freaks and ICCM

From Our Heart to Yours

Hey Jesus Freaks,

     I finished speaking with my team Friday night during street ministries and it was unanimous that we were just thrilled to join forces with you guys last weekend and share Christ’s love with the hurting.  After several emails back and forth with Mike, we were ecstaticed to put together a game plan that was going to work for both teams.  It was an honor to pray with all of you and to see your hearts in action and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve with you guys on the front lines proclaiming the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Your obedience to Christ’s will is to be commended as you continue to pray for his guidance in all things.

     We are excited to be his vessels and are proud to be his hands, feet, eyes and ears and are like a potter to the clay anxiously waiting to be molded.  We are very excited to see what HE has in store as he understands our compassion, talents, and capabilities more than we do.  Our prayer is that whatever HE has for us and wherever HE leads us that we are willing and eager to serve at whatever capacity that may represent.

     Although we are unable to predict exactly what we will be doing each weekend, we would formally like to extend an invitation to each of you so that you may also share in the kingdom building experiences.   We look forward to seeing what is in store for our futures, as in God’s eyes, we are all one team that will be used for his ultimate glory!  If transportation is an issue please let us know in advance and we’ll try to determine who is coming from that direction that can pick you up.

All for HIS Glory!

Rick

rolled up our sleeves

There have been a lot of posts this week about the Jesus Freaks experiences, so I'll focus a bit on our partners.

Last Friday the Jesus Freaks teamed up with a group from ICCM (Inner City Church of Minneapolis).  The ICCM team is made up of very joyful, energized Christians that are on fire for evangelism!  It was really fun to see them in action.

We met in a parking lot at the intersection of Broadway and Lyndale, but it was ICCM's second stop of the evening.  They had stopped first to visit some homeless that were living under a bridge.  They had already given out the Gospel with some hot dogs before coming to meet us.

When their van pulled into to the parking lot to meet us, the first one out to greet us was Steve, who runs their program.  They set up a couple of tables to give out hot dogs, chips, clothing, and shoes.  Smaller teams of people are sent out to engage people on the street and invite them back to the parking lot for food.  The offer of a free hot dog seems to be a very effective way of opening up a conversation with a stranger.  After our conversation was done, a lot of the people did head over for the food, and they'd be met by the team members still in the parking lot for more conversation.  So, each person got at least two chances to hear the Gospel and receive prayer.

A couple of us men from Jesus Freaks were asked to escort four ICCM ladies around the neighborhood.  The ladies were joyful, they were energized, and they were bold!  All six of us were able to meet a number of people on our walk.  Danny, one of the ladies from ICCM, spent a lot of time in prayer with one young lady that had a friend killed earlier in the day.

One of the things that really impressed me about ICCM, is that they brought brochures about their church and they handed those out to everyone with invitations to their church.  The brochures included a phone number that the person could call to get a ride to the church.  Since it was the Friday before Mother's Day, they were also offering to anyone that came to the Mother's Day service, a free picture of your mother, child, etc, done by a photographer.  A lot of the women we made contact with where very interested in the picture offer.  The underlying message of "we want you at our church and we want you there this Sunday!" was pretty clear.    

Once back in the parking lot, we still had a lot of opportunities to get into conversations because a lot of people where milling around the ICCM tables.  As I was talking to Danny and Phil (Danny's husband) about their deliverance from a background of drugs and abuse, a couple of gunshots rang out from the other end of the parking lot.  No one was shot, but it was a reminder that life can be a lot different just a couple of miles apart in the same city.        
 

The partnership with Harvest and ICCM was a very positive and upbeat experience.  The ministries serving side by side were able to sow a lot of seeds.  We didn't discuss doctrine, theology, or which worship style is best.  We just rolled up our sleeves and served.   

In Christ,

Al  

fighting the good fight

What other words can we say about Friday night, except for "Wow - Praise Jesus!" This night was so perfect that it literally felt like I was walking into a movie. Soon after we arrived a large van parked in the Walgreens parking lot. Shortly after, the doors opened and numerous impoverished people from all over Minneapolis came out. Despite their current financial and living situations, these individuals did not solemnly come out of this van. The doors were burst wide opened and they came running out with laughter and the biggest smiles one could imagine. It was the epitome of Phillipians 4:4-5 in which Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is Near." 

Why so excited - you may wonder? They were not down on the emptiness that this life provides for us. They were full of the Holy Spirit and excited to take part in Christ's calling for them to share the Good News to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). They're passion, fire, and excitement got me riled up even more to share what Jesus Christ calls each and everyone one of us, within His body, to do - to preach the truth of the Gospel (2 Tim 4:2), and preach it with boldness and without apology (Romans 1:16). Though I had never met any of the non-Harvesters, I felt a genuine sense of being yoked with them as the Body and Family of Christ. I couldn't be more excited for what was about to come…

I began the night by sharing with my brothers Chris, Nick, Isaiah, and Elijah. Isaiah and Elijah were 13 year old impoverished twins from the ministry we were paired with. I could definitely tell these kids really looked up to the three of us. Throughout the night, I really felt the Lord's call to pour into and encourage these young brothers in Christ. Praise the Holy Spirit for the words He provided for us to lift them up in their young walks with the Lord.

Throughout the night, the Lord placed countless people in our paths, many of whom were hungry - Hungry for hot dogs and hungry for the Word. Thankfully, we were able to provide them with both! The Holy Spirit truly spoke to us and through us for individuals who were completely lost in this world, as well as fellow brothers in Christ that we randomly met that night. We shared the Gospel with boldness, prayed over those who were both lost in the world and found in Christ, and prayed for our fellow brothers as they got into deep conversations about the Gospel. 

Lives were being changed that night. One of those lives was mine. The Lord has really fired me up for sharing the Gospel over the last several years, but especially within the last several months. I take literally zero credit for any fruit that was spread that night. All praise, honor, and glory belong to our Savior Jesus Christ. Praise Him for the safety He provided for us in a very rough part of town and for equipping us with the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). 

My fellow brothers and sisters, as this world continually gets darker and further from God (Romans 1:18-32), the Light & Truth of the Gospel shines even brighter. Jesus Himself calls us to become the Salt & Light of this completely lost world (Matt 5:13). I encourage you all this week and keep fighting the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12)

and persevere until the end (Hebrews 12).

I love you all.

In Christ, 

Mitch Atchison

Block Party!!!

Last Friday night with the Freaks was a party! About 8 college kids showed up to do the work of an evangelist, fulfilling their ministry (2 Tim 4:5).  Before we went out Ross told me, “Dude, I just don’t care anymore. Tonight, I want to be more bold with the Word than ever! I am so fired up!” He was. We all were.

Mitch and Jim accompanied me at first. We prayed over countless people. We proclaimed the gospel to at least 30 people on Friday night. Most were receptive due to our Spirit-empowered boldness. Luke 10:19 was running through our veins, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

One divine appointment was with a group of four high school students. Because I lived in Tanzania last summer, I could tell immediately they were from East Africa so I said, “Habari ya jioni! Unatoka wapi,” which means “Good evening, where are you from?”  They said they were from Burundi, a country bordering Tanzania. Now we were immediately friends! After sharing Christ with them, they each gave me their cell phone numbers. I plan to bring them to Harvest next weekend!

We also met a man who was waiting outside of a restaurant in hopes that the owner would give him food to bring home to his wife. As I told him about the love of Jesus he asked if we could pray for his daily bread. We did. God answered. Ross and I bought him and his wife dinner that night. Answered prayers are not always supernatural. Many times they are simply through the faithfulness of the Body of Christ.

If you have not gone out with the Freaks, there is a side of God that you have yet to see. If you have not seen broken, homeless, addicted sinners say “amen” to your prayer for God to come in and transform their lives, you are cutting yourself short. Make no mistake, God doesn’t need you to go out. He is going to bring all His children home regardless. But I need to go out. I need to be reminded how powerful the Truth is to convict and transform. I need to be reminded that charismatic urban churches can team with reformed suburban churches and rejoice together as God saves people in front of their faces. I need to go out and get as uncomfortable as possible, for that is when the Comforter shows up (John 14:16 KJV). Trust me, once you go out with the Freaks, Fridays will never be the same! 


In Christ- Christopher Asmus

"the Spirit is Here!"

The Jesus Freaks teamed up with ICCM and proclaimed the gospel on Broadway and Lyndale Ave. in North Mpls. This was the first time we had ventured into this part of town. The Lord was calling us to a new fishing spot.

Unsure of how they would bite on the gospel I approached a group of 10-12 young adults waiting at a bus stop. I went in as I always do but my entry into the group  was not welcomed by all. They started  harassing me and I just told them that I come to share the love of Jesus. I left them with a few tracts and went back to our group as we waited for our new friends. I am realizing that this part of town will need a different approach.

The other group arrives and we exchange welcomes and team up and are off into the neighborhoods. There were at least 20 people involved in this mission. I teamed up with Rick a brother I have been emailing back and forth for the last 2 weeks about joining forces. We walk down Broadway and I say lets go into the neighborhood and meet people were they are at just like Jesus.  We talk with a woman and her daughter who is real agitated and itching,I know she is high on something. We give them hot dogs we brought along and invited them back to a free meal. We pray with them for strong holds to be broken .

We fellowship as we approach our next encounter 3 Spanish men working on a car. I say a few words in Spanish and give them  Spanish tracts. The Spirit is guiding us and we are in it 100 %. I am loving this new area in which the Lord Jesus has directed us to.

We see another group and approach them share the gospel and give bibles. We ask and give a little boy a package of crackers.

As we are walking down Lyndale 4 blocks from Broadway we see a young girl carrying a couple bags of groceries. We approach her and give her a 180 DVD. I ash her if she is alright and she says no, this man was following her making sexual comments to her and she is scared. Before I could say a word Rick asks if she would like for us to walk her home. Yes, is her reply. We both take the bags from her hands and continue to talk with her. As we are getting closer to her apartment building there is a new Church lit up across the street from her place. I say something in Spanish and tell them we will be right back. We bring our friend safely home and are sharing the gospel with the people outside the building. We give bibles to everyone and go back across the street to the church. We fellowship with the men outside the church it is a Spanish Church.

We are back at Broadway and Lyndale the Walgreen's parking lot discussing the night with the teams. I see Ross,Luke and Mitch and ask how it went as I am talking with them I notice they are fired up. They tell me that the Spirit is here. This gets me so excited because I feel the same way. This is an affirmation from God. With excitement I tell them we are coming back.

Our evening is coming to a close and we start to pray and the circle gets bigger and bigger and bigger . This is Awesome!! People leave and Mark and I fellowship with our brothers and sister until 11:00pm in the parking lot. I am told that there was shots fired in the parking lot that evening. This does not even bother anybody. Why you may ask? Because, "the Spirit is Here!"



Mike

I am preaching my life to His Glory.

I will try to give the best recap of last Wednesday night. As words cannot show my passion.

When I go give testimony I search and pray for a certain passage of scripture to preach from. The Lord did not direct me to any. I have a calmness to go and just give my testimony knowing Gods word is always proclaimed in my speech.

I get to the church and I pray in my my car for His wisdom and I recite Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
  
I get inside and there is my friend Calvin to welcome me. I see all these yellow banners hanging from the walls that say Live Christ and I am excited. Calvin explains to me that it is there theme for the next year and that it comes from Galatians 2:20. I tell him that I just prayed that in my car. I am walking Boldly with the Holy Spirit flowing through me. I have no gitters or nervousness as I know this is all for the Glory of the Lord. 

I begin by asking if any are offended by the t shirt I am wearing (i killed Jesus)? A few hands go up and I ask why? I explain the message of the shirt and and they agree with the message. There was over 100 people in the room. I give my testimony quoting scripture for the next 35 mins and I see a hand in the back give me a 5 minute signal. I speed up the ending and finish. You see I never prepare anything on paper I allow the Holy Spirit to reign in my life. I am preaching my life to His Glory.

 The main passage given in my message was from 1 Corinthians 15:33  Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” I explain that you will become who you hand around with.
 I also used Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
There was abundance of scripture references used this night all for Gods glory.

 I also use the quote from Pastor Brent in last Sundays sermon "Live your life in Christ all of the time". 

When ever I am used by the Lord Jesus it is amazing. I feel as though I am bullet proof and nothing could happen to me. I have been feeling like this since Wednesday night. For the first time I am starting to believe that God is allowing me to experience a brief moment of what heaven is going to be like. 

They all go into there small groups and discuss the night. I set up a table with bibles, tract ,dvd's, books of hope, and everything the Jesus Freaks take out on the streets. Waiting for them to come and ask me questions after there group time.

 As they all finish and slowly start coming out of different rooms. The say thanks for coming as they look around the table. I tell them that all the stuff on the table is free and they have to promise me before God that they will give it away. They take bibles 1,000,000 bills, dvd's and all that was on the table. If you know my passion I am loving every minute of this . They see the red and blue tracts and ask what is this? I show them and this blows there mind, it is an optical illusion tract and they all want a set to show there friends. I most likely showed this about countless times As they all end up leaving the church 1 by 1 my friend Calvin lets me know he will be calling me back again. 
Praise Jesus! All for His glory.

I am nothing, Jesus is everything!
Mike 

Freed!!!

 

First of all, it was such a blessing to walk the streets again with our faithful brother

in Christ, Farhad.  Love you brother.

 

Second of all, it is an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to spread the gospel

so freely and openly in this great state and country.  This I believe will not always be the

case, and we need to take every opportunity we can to witness to the lost.

 

That being said, Friday night was awesome.  I haven't been able to go out with the freaks

for two months so I was excited to get out there again.  Eric, Farhad and I had many

encounters and people were generally in good moods.  One encounter stood out for me.

We were heading back to the parking garage to meet up with the other freaks and I saw

a little lady dressed in a nurses uniform.  So I approached her and handed her a gospel tract.

Then I asked her some questions about her faith background and she said she had none.  She

was from Ethiopia and was going to work at Fairview Hospital downtown.  She said she went

to Catholic school for a few short years in her youth, but didn't know anything about Jesus or

the bible.  We kept walking and asked if she had a bible.  She said no, so I asked which

direction she was going.  Turns out we were walking to the same spot.  I had given out all

my bibles so I said, I'll get you a bible.  It's just up here a few blocks.  We walked and talked

and I saw Mike witnessing to someone at our meeting spot with his backpack open.  As this

lady and I walked past, I went over to Mike, grabbed a bible out of his bag, and gave it to

her.  She was a bit confused and amazed at the same time.  She took the bible with

gratitude and as we kept walking I thanked her for talking and asked her name.

She said it was Freed.  Her accent was fairly thick, so I asked again for clarity.  Once again

she said Freed.  F-R-E-E-D.  So as she walked away I said, have a nice night and I hope

that you are freed from your sin. 

 

We are all bound by our sin, and I praise God that He freed me of my sins.  Jesus paid

it all and I give Him all glory, honor and praise for anything that comes from my wretched

little life.

 

 

Scott