Black Friday: An Evangelist's Gold Mine!

I have been a little bummed out lately because there just aren't all that many opportunities during the winter months to go out and do any mass evangelism. When the weather is cold, people stay indoors, so any place you go is probably going to be private property. I have had enough incidents with mall security and crowd management services for distributing gospel tracts that I think I am marked every time I go to one. I can't get away with anything anymore.

But along comes Black Friday, the day when people come out and line up in droves just to hear us preach! Well, okay, they are lining up to save money on their Christmas gifts and big ticket merchandise, but who cares? They are a captive audience, and all we need to do is find a way to get them to listen to the gospel without feeling like we are ramming it down their throats.

So with that thought in mind, I began trying to build a team that would come out early in the morning and make the most out of this incredible opportunity. I started by calling local department stores to get opening times, and with that information, mapped out a route to hit as many of them as we could before the doors opened.

Then I had to come up with some sort of ice-breaker. I needed something to appeal to them in order to win their favor. Why not give them free coffee? Many of them will have been standing in line since 12a.m. to get a good spot in line, so they will have to be freezing! How better to soften them up and open their ears than to give them something they will appreciate? So, I got ahold of some commercial coffee-makers and a couple of 5-gallon thermal-insulated dispensers, and had 200-plus cups ready to go.

I was able to find 6 guys who were willing to get up early and hit the streets with me. Thank God for those guys. I pray he blesses them for this.

So here's the run-down. We hit Circuit City first, at 4 a.m. I really wish I would have called Kohls, because when we showed up at 4 o'clock, they were opening up across the street and there must have been 400 or more peope there heading into the store. Missed opportunity. Darn!

Anyhow, there were about 75-100 people at Circuit City, so we pulled up right in the front of the store, and I jumped up into the bed of my pickup and said, "Good Morning, would anyone like some free coffee? Just raise your hands and we'll bring it to you." The response was wonderful. People were so eager that many of them just rushed to the truck and gratefully accepted the hot coffee. Then, as the rest of the team were passing out the coffee, I preached a short, 5 minute gospel message and finished up by asking them to please accept a gospel tract from us and read it at their leisure. I reasoned with them that if they cared enough to stand out in the cold for hours just to save a few bucks, how much more should they value their souls? Almost everone took tracts from us.

I didn't even have to shout or use amplification because we were facing the front of the store, and the building itself contained my voice very well. It went better than I had expected.

Second store, Toys-R-Us. The line here was a little bigger, maybe fifty or so more, and I think they were the most receptive of all. We followed the same format at each store.

Then we went over to Shop-Ko, where there were a lot more people, and then to Best Buy, where we had to preach twice because the line was so long. We started shooting some video when we got to Best Buy, but I forgot to put new batteries in my wireless mic and they ended up dying on us halfway through the gospel presentation. I never bothered to check them all morning, so I have a lot of video with no audio. Oops! At least I posted the video I do have on my youtube channel, so if you are new to open air or are looking for pointers on getting a message started, you can check it out for yourself by clicking on the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfeEq6NcG1w

After Bust Buy, we hit Joes sporting goods, which had a pretty large crowd of about 200 or more. By then it was 5 a.m. which was opening time for most of the stores, except for the two local Target stores, which didn't open until 6. Suprisingly, there weren't that many people at the first one, but since I had a lot more time, I was able to preach a little longer message, which was cool. We ran out of coffee and had to stop for more before we hit the next one.

I thought I was going to have plenty of time here, too, so I was taking my sweet old time, expounding on the fact that we have all sinned against God and deserve his judgement, and reasoned about the aweful reality of hell, when all of the sudden a security guard approached me and asked me to stop. I begged and pleaded with him for just one more minute. I said, "I just told these people that they are heading for hell, please just give me one minute to tell them about Jesus. I can't leave them like that! Please, just one little minute?" But he wouldn't budge. But at least he let me address the crowd and let them know that the management had asked us to stop speaking. Funny thing is, the crowd turned on him, and demanded that he allow me to finish! He still wouldn't give in though, so we were forced to stop. He did, however, allow us to continue handing out coffee.

It was a great morning, and a great opportunity that we took full advantage of. I tried to encourage members of the team to get up and preach, but they were not comfortable with that yet. Maybe next time. Everone contributed and was a big help in getting this done. They must have all handed out a couple hundred tracts each. It was a real blessing to be a part of it and see these guys stepping out of their comfort zones for the sake of the gospel.

I really hope that this experience inspires you to look for opportunities in your community to get the gospel out. It was a total blast.

Until the nets are full...

Tracts 101

How many times have you been in a situation where you wanted to share Jesus with someone, but you really didn't have the time? Or, how often have you found yourself scared silly in the heat of the moment as you are about to open your mouth for the kingdom of God? You know, those pulse-pounding, dry-mouth, palm-sweatty moments when you wish there was some way you could just give them the gospel and get out of there before you have a coronary. Maybe you are comfortable with the thought of sharing your faith with others, but you just don't know how to bring the subject up.

If you can identify with either of these, there is solution to your dilemma; the gospel tract. No matter what your situation is, there is a tract for you.
You can find all sorts of creative ice-breaker type tracts that will help open up a conversation with a complete stranger, as well as tracts you can use to transition a conversation from natural to spiritual things. There are tracts you can just leave in places where people will find them, and tracts you can give away in places like drive-thru windows. There are very thorough tracts you can give to people after you share Jesus with them, and tracts you can give to people you are afraid to share verbally with.

The great thing about tracts is that people really do read them, and if they are good tracts, often people keep them in a drawer somewhere and end up reading them again and again. You never know where a tract will end up, or who will wind up reading them. Also, tracts are great at getting the gospel through to people who would otherwise argue with you during a conversation because they read the whole thing without getting into debates and going down rabbit trails.

Another great thing about gospel tracts is that they are so easy to give away. If you are polite in your approach, people almost always take them. I have given out tens of thousands of tracts, and I can tell you that I have never been beaten up for it. I think I can count on one hand the times when someone actually got angry about it. The vast majority of people will take them from you. Just check out this short 1 minute clip and see how easy it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL0_bq9RYLE
Or, you can click on the video on the fishing adventures sidebar if you are on my blogspot page.

Giving out tracts is easy and effective. Why wouldn't we make the most out of this wonderful method of sharing the gospel? You can purchase tracts fairly inexpensively. I buy them from Living Waters, where most of them are 5-7 bucks per hundred.

Here is a cool take on tracts, adapted from a teaching by Mark Spence, Dean of the online School of Biblical Evangelism:


Why use Tracts?

A tract is never embarrassed, timid nor fearful and isn't hurt by rejection.
It does not flinch and show cowardice when the Truth it conveys is not believed.
It never yields to the temptation to compromise the Truth of the gospel of Christ.
It speaks clearly and right to the point.
It never argues back when its message is disputed, and it always sticks to the Truth.
It glorifies only Jesus as the Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to its readers.
It never gets tired and gives up.
It keeps on working while you are sleeping, even when you are unable to distribute it.
It is always ready to witness to its readers at any time and at any location.
It can get inside of a house and stay there, even in secret places where you cannot gain entrance, to be revealed at a chosen time.
It cost very little and travels inexpensively.
It travels by any mode or class and in all kinds of climate and weather conditions.
It requires no food, clothing or shelter.
It is easily carried in a pocket or purse and between the pages of a book.
It can be used by anyone, any age, deaf, mute, crippled or even in a wheelchair.
It can be used by either the intellectual or the uneducated, because no speaking skills are needed to convey its message.
It conveys a message that is not ever lost, like a sermon, and can be read over and over again, long after you are gone and forgotten
It always catches a person in the right mood, because the Holy Spirit will always speak to the heart as the Word is being read.
It needs no translator, when it is in the language of the reader, as the Holy Spirit reveals His Word instantly to the reader. It may be read by scores of people before God is finished with its purpose.
It can do a great work for God and lead many people to the knowledge of Christ.


Places to Hand out Tracts:

Sporting events
Book stores (Religious Section)
Barnes and Nobles.
Newspaper stands
Pay phone Phonebooks (escort & Abortion listings)
Shopping carts
Clothes pockets in stores
Bills
Along with a generous tip
Drop in bags & Purses
Lobbies
Inside restaurant menus
Drive Thru
Cashiers
Restroom stalls
Rest areas.
Diaper changing stations
ATM machines
Credit card slots
Junk mail envelopes
Elevators
Hotel dressers and drawers
Magazine racks
Newspaper racks
Waiting rooms of doctors’ offices and hospitals
On seats at airports, subways, and bus stations
Plane seat pockets
O Sleeves in DVD Jackets
Cabs
Laundromats
Library
Truck stops
Case of Beers
Plastic brochure holder by your door.
Movie Rentals
Napkin holders
EBay shipments.
Pin to bulletin boards in public places
Everywhere


Tracts are one of the best resources we have in street witnessing. You can reach more people in a few minutes in a big crowd with tracts than the average church reaches in one year. So find a tract that you can use, and use it often.

There are people heading for an eternity in hell. It really is true. You are like a doctor who has a cure to cancer. Don't keep it to yourself. Share it with the world.

Staying Focused

As we look out on the fields, we should see that they are ripe for the harvest. Everywhere around us, there are men, women, and children who desperately need the gospel. Every person you meet has an eternal soul that will either go to heaven or to hell for all eternity, and that moment you have with them, no matter how small, could have tremendous implications on where they wind up. Sometimes we have a few seconds, sometimes we have a few minutes, and sometimes more, but let us make the most out of every opportunity to reach out to the lost while we can.
Now, because we live in the land of plenty, I believe it is especially difficult to remain focused in our culture. Often when I want to approach someone with the gospel, a little thought creeps in that tells me that they would not be interested in the things of God because they've got everything they could want. I mean, just about everyone in America has a nice home, a car and a job, with plenty of food tucked away in their pantry. Not to mention all the wonderful freedoms we enjoy and all the attractions and pleasures that are at our fingertips. How can I make grace the amazing grace that it is to someone who, at least on the outside, has it pretty good?
If you lose your focus and allow those thoughts to crowd out the simplicity if the message, in a flash of a second, you can go from "bold as a lion" to running away with your tail between your legs. The key is to remember that we are not offering a life enhancement program when we share the truth of the gospel, otherwise we would limit our audience to the down-and-out and the rock-bottom hitters. We are sharing the truth about the One who is life itself. The bum on the street without Jesus lacks the same thing as the Wall Street businessman without Jesus... forgiveness of sins. Neither one of those men has any peace, (something you have) and according to 2 Corintinans 5, the Lord has put you in their path to tell them about Him.

2Co 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
2Co 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Incredible isn't it? That God has "committed" it to us. He has entrusted us , and ordained that we should be his ministers. The passage goes on to say that we are ambassadors for Christ, and that we should be pleading with men and women to be reconciled to God. Why does the apostle say this? Why should we plead with the sinner? Because if we truly understand and meditate for a moment on their fate, then we won't be able to help but to plead with them.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
2Co 5:11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Yet how often do we hear that sort of message declared? Is it because we are afraid of offending the listener? If we really cared for them, we wouldn't succumb to the fear of man and water down our message, but we would plead with them, beg them to respond to the gospel. Just read Revelation 20 and see what lies ahead for the unregenerate, and really let it grip you as you understand the devastation they are headed for. This mindset is what will keep you focused in those moments of discouragement or fear, (which we all experience) and help you remember the basic core of the gospel message, which the apostle tells us in the same chapter...

2Co 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So stick to the basic message, and it won't matter who you're talking to, a Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, atheist, intellectual, college professor, bum, etc., you can always find an ally within the person's conscience when you speak about their need of forgiveness of sins. It is universal among mankind, because God has given every son and daughter of Adam the conscience. Not everyone you meet will be looking for a life enhacement program, but everyone knows they've sinned against the Lord, because he's placed it in our hearts. It's the key to reaching anyone you might want to witness to. You can argue for hours on useless rabbit trails, but until you bring it back to the fact that they've sinned against heaven and desperately need God's forgiveness, the cross will remain foolishness to them and grace will not seem all too amazing at all.
So share with boldness, and share often! If you are a new believer or are new to evangelizing, just take baby steps. Share your own testimony of how you came to understand the gospel. Pass out tracts to people and let the written word work in their hearts. You've got the promise that He will never leave you or forsake you, and that He'll be with you wherever you go.
So don't let them scare you! Because when it comes to the kind of peace that really matters, you're the one holding all the marbles.

How much do we really care?

As we plug along through our busy schedule, day after day, do we stop to think about the fact that it’s all only temporary after all? Most of us would say that, “Yes, we do,” but I must confess that all too often I find myself getting too caught up in the here and now. I am speaking specifically about how we deal with the people we see and meet throughout the day, and even those we find ourselves stuck behind in traffic. Do we go through life focused on me and mine, ignoring, or at least trying to ignore the world around us? Do we stand in frustration as we wait in line at the supermarket, or do we see the line as individuals, and find in the line an opportunity to share a gospel tract with someone.

Often as I watch a football game or a hockey game, I will look at the crowd and wonder how many of them are saved. How many of them have heard the gospel? It is sobering to realize, as you look at the screen and see this huge mass of people, that you can take the average football stadium and fill it, then fill two more alongside it and that is how many people pass into eternity every day. The gravity of the situation should mobilize every Christian into urgent, zealous evangelism, but most contemporary believers are so apathetic that the thought never even crosses our minds. How can we sit idly by, delighting our souls with the fatness of fellowship, prayer, and Bible study, and never consider the plight of the world around us?

If we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, then we should be the fishers of men he has called us to be. There is a real battle going on in spiritual realms for the soul of every single human being on the planet. God has given you and I the ministry of reconciliation, and has given us all the weapons we need to have victory in the spiritual warfare we are engaged in. Will you take up the Sword of the Spirit, and shod your feet witht the preparation of the gospel of peace? Will you answer the comission of the Captain of our salvation and go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature?

He may not be calling you to world-wide travel, but He is calling you to go next-door. I know it is difficult to step out in faith and open your mouth for the kingdom of God, but let compassion for those you intend to reach swallow your fears, as you think about where they will end up without Christ. If they don’t repent and trust the Savior, then they will be judged according to their works and face the punishment they deserve.

How can we go day after day, consumed with our own ways, when eternity is hanging in the balance for those around us? Let us keep an eternal perspective in all we do and in all places we go, and make sure we are leaving behind the fragrance of Him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Just as we hear the expression, “He sees the world through rose-colored glasses”, as believers we should see the world throught the eyes of eternity, while we look not at the things which are seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but look to the things which are unseen, for the things which are unseen are eternal.

Charles Spurgeon said, “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap into hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned or unprayed for.”