Doctrinal Statement

This was for a class... it doesn't cover all the major doctrines. These views are viewed from a standpoint of looking at the whole Bible on a given subject.


Systematic Theology seeks truth that begins with and is subject to a comprehensive study of the Bible; historically informed, communicated and defended in an accurate, precise, consistent, and relevant fashion that portrays the heart of God on any given issue to the end of effective evangelism and a growing Christ-likeness of His Church corporately and individually. ST can utilize a number of sources; reason, history/tradition, Scripture. While these and others have been suggested the Bible holds preeminence while the others can only aid in our understanding of how to communicate what God has already revealed. While the Bible is our only definitive source for theology, other elements naturally act as vehicles directing us to what we are to seek the heart of God about in the Bible.
ST is the product of the other branches of theology combined and it dives back into those branches to answer the question for which it is employed. I will do Theology with a comprehensive approach. I'm sure (seeking pastoral ministry) much of my theology will be initiated in response to questions, counseling, and sermon prep. I will approach theology with the desire to see what the Bible teaches in totality about a given subject. The question may not be about whether theology matters, but how much theology bears in on different situations. We are always doing theology in the way we live, think, make decisions, interact with people, and filter life experiences. These things are an overflow of internal theological roots that guide the lens through which we see the world and respond to it. The question becomes to what degree or what branch of theology is more or less relevant at a given time. This comes with an acknowledgment of the above reality and the wisdom.
General revelation is that which the world can know only know before salvation. People can see the intricate created order and see there is a creator (Romans 1:18-32, Psalm 19:1-6) and He has given us a conscience to know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15). These things tell humanity there is a God but they are not enough for them to know Him personally. They need direct/special revelation. This is God's specific involvement through Christ, Scripture itself, Theophanies, angels, etc. It's the way God has specifically shown Himself and His will to man. It can be loosely described in the oft quoted apolgetical explanation that "religion is man working his way to God and Christianity is God working His way to man" through the above means.
I believe every and all words of Scripture are inspired by God (Verbal-Plenary) (Luke 24:25-27, Matthew 22:41-45). God "superintended" the writings of men to communicate His truth being in total control of the process but without the human authors' role being violated (2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is completely without error (not just simply trustworthy) in the original autographs and in manuscripts and translations as it is interpreted correctly. The Bible affirms nothing false and only all that is true. Scripture holds absolute authority because it is the very Word of the only true God (Matthew 4:4,7,10; John 10:35).
Illumination is the supernatural internal revelation by the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person whom God has drawn to Himself to spiritually open their blind eyes unto salvation (Colossians 2:13, Eph. 2:4-5) and it's how believers "in right relation to God" (Barbieri) understand biblical truth. Canonicity begins with God's inspiration of the specific books first and their recognition by men second. The key thing to remember is that it begins with God. There were specific criteria in determining which books were inspired that reasonably eliminated the pseudepigrapha, apocrypha, and everything else (The Gospel of Thomas: Women become men to be saved? Not!). We also see the early church councils in the forming stages beginning to validate the canon we now have today.
God has revealed Himself logically and biblically (Psalm 105:4) as a Spirit, infinite (1 Kings 8:27), eternal (Psalm 90:2) and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. His attributes are not component parts of God. Each describes His total being. God's attributes are incommunicable and communicable. Some of them can be seen in us insofar as we are a mere reflection of His image. Others we cannot possess; omnipresence (Acts 17:24-28), omniscience (Psalm 147:4), omnipotence (Genesis 17:1).
The Trinity is the doctrine that there is one God who exists eternally as three persons; Father (John 6:27), Son (John 20:28), and Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4), yet of one substance, fully God (Deut. 6:4, Matt. 28:19). The person of Jesus Christ has existed before His earthly birth and will exist forever (John 8:58, Isaiah 9:6). The apostles testified to the deity of Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3). He has performed divine works of creation, preservation, revelation, forgiveness, raising of the dead, and sending the Holy Spirit. He also displays the divine attributes of immutability, omnipresence, and omnipotence. He is not only fully God, but fully man.
He had to be God in order to bear the world's sin upon Himself and He had to be man to be a sufficient sacrifice on behalf of the human race (Heb. 10:1-10). Christ was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:22-23). Christ came "in the flesh" (incarnation) and is one person yet with two natures; He has undiminished deity (100% God) and perfect humanity (100% man). The "kenosis" (to empty, emptying) is Christ's condescension in taking the likeness of sinful flesh (Phil 2:7). In doing so He voluntarily chose not to use some of His attributes on earth. The Holy Spirit is not an "it" but is revealed as a person in that He has intellect (Rom. 8:27), emotions (Eph. 4:30), and will (Acts 16:6-11). He is included with the other members of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19). He has titles reminiscent of deity (Heb. 9:14). He displays divine attributes (Job 33:4). He performs divine works (Gen. 1:2) and He is called God (Acts 5:3-5). The decree of God is His eternal purpose, according to His own will, where for His own glory, He has foreordained whatever comes to pass (Eph. 1:11). This may or may not be plan 297. The book of 2 Opinions implies it is plan 293. God is completely sovereign over His decree (Acts 4:27-28) for this world. He is owner and operator in a very tangible sense (Proverbs 21:1).
Angels were created in eternity before our existence (Job 38:4-7). They were originally created good (Col. 1:16). They are called "ministering spirits" (Heb. 1:14) and therefore are eternal spirit-beings (Luke 20:36). Sin entered the angelic realm when Lucifer said "I will" (Isaiah 14:14). I believe Satan is a real person (Job 1) who was once an angel that fell from heaven (Ezek. 28:16). He does not possess the divine attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. He can be resisted by believers (James 4:7). He has already been judged (Gen. 3:14-15, John 12:31) and will be barred from heaven completely and cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for him and his angels (Rev.12:10,20:10). Satan tempted Christ and does the same with believers. He blinds the minds of unbelievers to the gospel and uses them to his own ends of opposing God's work.
Demons are also fallen angels from heaven (Matt. 25:41) and that too means they are spirit beings (Eph. 6:12). Demons aim to thwart the purposes of God (Dan. 10:10-14 ;
Rev. 16:13-16). They extend Satan's authority (Col. 2:15) and influence. They can be used by God for His purposes (2 Cor. 12:7). They spread false doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1). They may foretell the future and are involved in spiritism and the occult (Gen. 44:5, Acts 8). They can also possess animals and people. Demonic possession is very specifically only able to occur in unbelievers (1 John 4:4). There are two aspects to this however. Demons are able to possess and to influence others. Demonic influence can take a number of forms; they can be manifested in physical illness (not always true), sometimes mental derangement, great psychic or occult powers, divine strength, uncontrolled cussing, fits of rage, depression, and even physio-emotive responses (the Mormon "burning in the bosom" is a physical experience that confirms Mormonism to people... this is obviously not from God).
The earth and all that is in it was created in six literal 24 hour days (Gen. 1). This view has also been called "the Literal Hermeneutic View" because it relies upon a plain reading of the text and interprets the six days by the words in the first chapter of Genesis that interpret for us; "morning and evening" after each day. This is also supported by the example of the sabbath in Exodus 20:11. It was easily understood as weekdays in the practical lives of the Jews of Jesus' day. The Pharisees knew the day of the sabbath (while they misapplied it) well enough to rebuke Jesus' disciples (Luke 6:2). While the heavily disputed word for "day" can mean "period," whenever it is used in the rest of the OT connected to a number (4th day, etc.) it always refers to a literal solar day.
Humanity's creation was a direct and personal act from God without any help from evolutionary processes. Man was made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). This means man was made to be like God and to represent God on this earth. It seems most appropriate to conclude that the image of God in man can be understood in a combination of three ideas; mankind is given dominion over the world (this is something man does), man relates with God and other beings (this is a relationship man has), and the image is inner quality like reason or personality (this is something man is). There is some truth to each of these aspects. The fall of man did not erase the image of God in men. It was still partly retained, but it was marred after the fall (Gen. 5:1). The image can be partially restored through salvation through Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:10).
Humans are made up of essentially two parts; a material part and an immaterial part. This is a lot less complicated then people try to make it. Humans consist of "body and soul." These terms are used synonymously in some places of Scripture (compare Genesis 41:8 with Psalm 42:6; Hebrews 12:23 with Revelation 6:9). In Matthew 10:28 the whole person is described by "body and soul." Because God cannot create an imperfect sinful being that is not "good" the soul itself is not created, but rather is transmitted through the parents as the life-force of a child at conception (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12, Hebrews 7:10. This view is logical for the transmission of original sin through birth.
Sin is transgression of the moral law of God (1 John 3:4). It is however more than this because not everything God calls sin is specifically found in the law and it's certainly more than outward acts. Sin must be understood from the standpoint of God, whom it is against. "Sin is [fundamentally] any lack of conformity to the character of God" - Lewis Sperry Chafer. The remedy for personal sin is forgiveness (Eph. 1:7) and justification (Rom. 3:23-25a) through Christ alone by repentance and faith toward God (Eph. 2:8-9, Acts: 26:20). Sin originated with Adam's willful disobedience (Gen. 3, 1 Tim 2:13-14). Because of Adam's sin the sinful nature was passed on through all generations and to every individual at birth after him (Romans 5, Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23). The imputation of sin brought spiritual and physical death.

Genesis 19: 1st Person Dramatic Monologue Manuscript

(Reading of 2 Peter 2:1-9) The next person you'll hear is Lot himself...

(Sitting) Good morning. My presence has been requested here from a time long ago, from a place you haven't known, a place... you don't want to know... from a city in the land of the plain of the Jordan River near the valley of salt. As I'm sitting here I wanted to share with you about another time I was sitting... sitting at the gate of Sodom. But before I do that I must say something strange happened to me this morning. I was walking around this place you apparently call a... school? a campus? and a man approached me with authority in his eyes asking, "Do you have your ID?" I was puzzled. I asked, "What is an... ID?" He asked my name and I told him my name is Lot, son of Haran. He said, "Oh I know you and he opened a book turning to.. what was it... Genesis 19? It was amazing! It recorded the whole story I've come to share with you today. We talked briefly and he gave me this (visitor's pass). I guess I don't need it now.

Where was I? I was sitting at the gate of Sodom. People came and went at the gate. Business was as usual. There was much noise in the place... booths were setup lining the path through the gate; one sold meat for special occasions, another handled olive oil, and others (perhaps the busiest) dealt in the sale of beans and lentils to provide the affordable common family meal. I've had a lot of beans and lentil soup. The gate also brought its' share of beggars grasping for a few coins of pity amidst their despondency. The elders also sat there ready to handle the disputes of the people. I wonder how good a job they're doing considering the reputation of Sodom. The king sometimes visits this gate. The gate was the best choice for a prophet of Yahweh to come and draw a crowd to speak to the people. God's messengers were needed in a city like this. Oh! Oh look we had more visitors... two men. Something was different about them I tell you. That's strange. They have no belongings. A hush swept through the multitude of the gate at their arrival. Could it be? They were men of God! It wasn't hard to notice them in a city like Sodom. Oh I go to them. They're not safe here!

(Relocating and bowing face-down) Oh my lords! Please come to your servant's house. Stay the night. Wash your feet. You can go on your way in morning. (pause) Oh no! you can't spend the night in the square. Please! come! I am also a servant of Yahweh. Please... stay the night. They accepted my offer. I showed them my home. My wife and I prepared a feast to honor such men of God, some unleavened bread, and we ate. I shared with the men about my uncle Abraham. My uncle was kind enough to take custody of me when my father died. He watched over me for a time and we grew very close. He even permitted me herds, flocks, and tents of my own. There came a point however that our possessions were so great that my uncle suggested we part ways. It seemed a fair decision and he was wiser than I was. He told me to choose which way I would go and he would go the opposite. I looked out into the valley of the Jordan and saw that it was good for farming; well watered... in fact it was like the garden of the Lord. I would live there. So my uncle mounted his camel, took his entourage, and disappeared over the hill headed toward Canaan while I pitched my tent near Sodom. I eventually made my way here. I told the visitors of my uncle Abraham's kindness to me. He rescued me you know. Foreign kings had taken me captive in a raid on Sodom, but my uncle pursued me with a band of men and won my freedom. I respect my uncle. He is a man of courage.

Well (pause)... the hour grew late and I'd done enough talking for one night. I saw my daughters to bed and walked back into the common room to attend to my visitors and there arose a sound outside. There were voices... male voices.. lots of them. It was as if there was a large growing crowd, a riot even. They were shouting something. (loudly) "Lot! Where are those men we saw earlier today? Bring them out to us so we may have our way with them." Just as soon as the words left their mouths my mind flashed through all that I'd seen and heard through my days in this place. These men and their lusts! My mental journey then jolted to reality as the shouts outside my door grew louder. What am I going to do? These two innocent men haven't even been here a day and they want to have sex with them! Why did I ever move into this city? This has got to stop! (exits room via door and re-enters) As I stepped outside and stood at my doorway looking out into the road, to my left, to my right... we were surrounded. It had to be men from every corner of the city. I could see their faces in the flicker of light from their torches. It reminded me of the fires of Hell spitting forth evil... young and old, all thirsting for sin.

Brothers, please! Don't do this wicked thing! I have 2 daughters that have never been with a man. I'll bring them out to you... do whatever you want to them, but please! Don't touch these men. They've come under the shelter of my roof! I didn't know what to do. I didn't want them to have my daughters. What do I do?! But they didn't listen to me. (Change character to the mob) "Stand aside. This one came to live among us as a foreigner and now he's trying to be our judge. Now we'll treat you worse than those men." (Change character back to Lot) And they pressed me to the door. I was losing my footing. They were going to break the door down. Then suddenly my visitors pulled me into the house and STRUCK their eyes with blindness. They were so evil! They wearied themselves searching for the door... even in their blindness. They couldn't find it. The men in my house said to me, (Change character to the angels) "Who else do you have in this city? A son in law, children, take them from this place for the sin of this city has become so great the Lord has sent us to destroy it. (Change back to Lot) So I quickly ran through the mob of confusion and terror to find my sons-in-law and I pleaded with them. Come, we must go. They're going to destroy the city! But they laughed in my face. I made my way back up to the house. Then the crowd began to dissipate. I looked outside and noticed morning was beginning to dawn. It was clear to me now these men weren't just godly, they weren't prophets, they were more than that.

And when morning dawned they said to me, (Change character to angels) "Take your wife and your daughters and go or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city." (Change back to Lot) What do I do? What about my sons-in-law? What's going to happen to them? I don't know what to do... and time stood still. But God had compassion on me in this moment, because the men seized my hands and the hands of my family and put us outside the city. But this is where the real challenge came. The men spoke once again, (Change to the angels) "Escape for your life! Do not look back, do not stay in the valley, go to the mountains or you will be swept away." (Change back to Lot) Oh no my lords, thank you for your mercy and kindness, but the mountains are only a mile away. The disaster will overtake me. I'll die! Please! There's a town about 7 miles down here. It's near enough for me to flee to and it's small. Please let me go there. (pause) Thank you! We ran as fast as we could until our legs gre weary and then we ran again and again until... my wife began to lag behind. Then suddenly we heard a scream! I held my daughters close and I said, "Don't...look...back. Don't...look...back." We kept...on...moving. Fire and brimstone rained down as justice Himself touched Sodom that morning. The smoke chased the sky as the smoke of a furnace. We made it to the city. As the terror died down and we mourned the loss of wife and mother... my heart was grieved. What have I done? Those men were able to strike men with blindness, they destroyed an entire city, and they even had compassion on me in my time weakness and I didn't trust them to protect me in the mountains?! I couldn't take God's messengers at their word. What have I done? I've disobeyed my Lord. The fear of the Lord was the beginning of my wisdom. I took my two daughters and we stayed up in the mountains in the wet darkness of a cave. It was not a home of convenience by any means, but it was a home of obedience.

You may have a question. He was there for you Lot. Will He be there for me? I am a man, a simple servant of Yahweh... like yourself. Your book calls me a righteous man. If you also are righteous men and women before our God... then you know even the righteous can experience weakness. Even the righteous can be faithless. Even the righteous can fear their circumstances above their God. If He is MY God through faith, He is yours as well. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

What I've come to share with you today is not merely my story, but the truth that When you are faithless... He is faithful. When you are faithless, He is faithful. So remember His faithfulness to you in the past. Remember His compassion to you... and store it up here (the mind). So that when you face those times of crisis, those times of weakness, those times of fear... your fear will not be of your circumstances, but of your God... and you CAN RUN TO THOSE MOUNTAINS... the first time. Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Well, my time is up. I must go...

Inconsistent American Romance

Here we are. God has afforded me some free time and it's legitmate too! We're half done with the semester and things are going well. Due to the Lord's provision I've been able to do exactly what I hoped. I've been developing more friendships and being efficient in schoolwork. I just finished all the reading in one textbook for a class tonight and feel it's time to sit down and do some writing. This semester I've been able to spend much time reading and time in prayer. this has allowed more time to devote to Greek and sermon preparation for preaching class. I'm so thankful... even if Greek grades still aren't reflecting the time spent.

I praise God this semester for a number of reasons. My internship will go forward and unofficially begin next semester. I got the classes I wanted for Spring... although I didn't worry that I wouldn't get em.

Senior Seminar in Biblical Exposition
Structure and Style in Biblical Exposition
Greek Exegesis 2
Romans in Greek
Wellness Seminar

I imagine there will be little motivation for the Wellness Seminar. people remind me of the body being a temple and all that, but the argument is unconvincing. We all know we need to be physically fit and take of our bodies. However, after 3 years of secular classes... I wanna be DONE with them! I just wanna pass and say goodbye. They are an incredible frustration. My biblical education is what concerns me at this point. On a sad note my sister won't be able to come visist me at school. I now don't have the money and my mom refused to let her come alone. That's prolly all the random updates I have.


Something has been troubling me lately... and likely long before that while I was unable to express it. To all who read this it's a general lament of frustration not indicative of a specific personal experience or enitrely directed a specific person.

It seems to me though that American romantic/dating culture (among Christians too) has a certain accepted system or formula. This formula is usually unspoken, dogmatically held, and yet it seems to collapse upon itself. Let me explain what I mean... How should a relationship begin? The general idea is that it starts with a friendship and at some point the guy initiates more and then POOF! you have a romantic relationship. Sounds reasonable enough until one tries it. You see there are so many factors working against a person that it seems nearly impossible in some ways. A guy can't be passive because he is to initiate, right? Ok, well can you be active? Lets say you set out to develop a broad scope of friendships. At what point does a guy feel he should pursue? The woman doesn't usually show signs of attraction since is to move first (understably so) and yet what causes the guy to get to this place? he notices things in the prospective woman that would cause him to take the next step, right?

Here's the problem: How much can he realistically come to know about her with the usual radar and wall most women have up? It seems a conversation of over 30 minutes and eye contact makes people think you're interested in them these days. It becomes childish. How can he really come to know her character? How can he know who she really is without spending 5 years as a casual friend? I'm hearing from some women that the way to go is to interact in groups. I understand the security in this. I would push back though to say... how does a guy know a woman is being herself in the group? We are so good at wearing masks and pretending. We want friendships but we aren't willing to be vulnerable enough and take the risk necessary to really know someone to the degree of getting an accurate assessment of who they are. So we're forced to rely on beauty and charm (for the most part) which Proverbs 31 soberly reminds us are "vain and deceitful."

Oh and since the guy is supposed to be the iniator... he does the best he can to read the beauty and charm and perhaps connect a few dots that could indicate interest (while he is uncertain) and if of course there's something he likes in her (which would naturally be something small because littel has been revealed) and he puts his foot forward. Is that what's really expected of us? That's how it feels a lot of the time. It's even been expressed directly and indirectly that it's not even possible to have a close friendship with the opposite sex. This probably bothers me most of all. I truly believe this finds its' origin in secular dating culture right next to the idea that exes can't talk to eachother or maintain a friendship after breakup. These are very worldly ideas that are usually guided by selfish protection of our own emotions and usually a kind of enmity against our brother or sister in Christ that Scripture speaks directly against.

I would hope we would all admit that close friendships are ideal at least..? If we can start there... there's a chance. Now don't hear me wrong. There are some people you need to stay away from. Physical abuse, stalkers, etc. There is some wisdom and discernment involved here. I am simply pleading for the men out there that get stuck working within a system that is self-defeating and inconsistent. How can a REAL friendship before a relationship develop if one or both people are unwilling to take the risks necessary to form it? The inevitable result of an apparent success for those working in this system only seems to arise when (1) A guy smoothly slips past the woman's radar and she opens up, (2) She likes him before-hand and therefore opens up, (3) Or some other unknown mystical magical fairy dust and mistle-toe effect happens.

From a purely human viewpoint we then find ourselves at the current dilemma: You can't be passive (because you need to pursue). You can't be active (because they pick up on it and RUN). The only option is to be passively active. That means pray. All we can do... is pray. God is still sovereign and the single women are still single therefore God can do anything with such a situation if it brings Him the most glory. On the other hand, as with sanctification... we know God enables us and promises to guide us in the right direction, but there is still an element of cooperation in it. I propose the answer to our dilemma is this: Honest, no-nonsense, mature communication. This combined with a focus that remains God-centered through all of the communication is a step we cannot afford to overlook. The question now is... will we do this? Can we do this? This takes more courage than running from people when a potential problem or interest is suspected. This takes more courage than simply asking a woman out on a date.

If I may be so bold to suggest it: Anything less than this is a waste of our time, emotional investment, weeks of "how was your day?" questions, and hours of worrying. Let's grow up and take the risks necessary (while bathed in prayer) to develop rich friendships and even healthier relationships that begin on a foundation of communication.

1 Kings 17: Elijah's Ministerial Training Ground

This is the sermon manuscript for my first sermon in Narrative Messages Preaching class.


Intro: This is the story of a preacher… you know him well. He once miraculously raised a woman’s son from the dead. He was thrown into a deathly depression while on the run from the wicked woman Jezebel. Though he struggled with depression he was not without courage when he challenged 450 priests of idolatry to test; “Is your god the true God or is the LORD?” And the LORD was proven true by fire! He also maintained his confidence when King Ahaziah’s men were sent to fetch him sitting on a hill and he said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire consume you all” and it did. He was also the man who never died, but climbed up into the heavens with a flaming whirlwind of horses in a chariot of fire. This only after he discipled another preacher to take his place… as any good preacher would do. His name is Elijah. His name means, “Yahweh is God” which sets the tone for his ministry against Ba’al, the false fertility god of rain, fire, and the elements. While you may look at all these events and say, "wow he really was a man of God..." it wasn't without a beginning. This morning we’re looking at Issue #1 in The Adventures of Elijah, his first appearance. And this is very special because this is his internship, his training ground for ministry. Ahab had been more wicked than all the kings before him. In a “trivial” way Scripture says He set up an altar and formally introduced idol worship into Israel. He had to be rebuked for his sin. Here comes… the preacher.

Look with me at v.1 if you're able: "Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of (A)the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely (C)there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 2The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3"Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 "It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and (D)I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there."

We know very little about Elijah. We’re not sure who his parents were nor exactly where he came from. John Wesley said it’s as if he just “dropt from the sky.” And if this was so then he dropped providentially, because he approaches the mighty throne of the king of Israel to declare, “Because of YOUR wickedness King Ahab, the LORD is going to make this land SO dry for SO long (3 years) that even your idol will feel the dehydration of his nonexistence!” And after saying something like that you don't stick around for tea and crumpets. God says to go to the Brook Cherith. This was a wadi, a stream of water that only flows during a rainy season and God says you are to drink from this and that's what will be your water supply. Can you see Elijah's face? "Sure. Lord you know this won't last very long right? You know we're in a drought right?" But that's not all. The ravens would provide for him. The animal that's known to be a scavenger, not a provider. The animal that some commentators say is hardly known to feed its' own young. Can you see his face? "Are you serious God?! Ravens!?" So he travels eastward and begins to notice the plants withering for lack of moisture. The ground grows parched beneath his feet. But as he nears the place where the Lord had directed him he begins to notice a glimmer of hope reflecting the sun amidst the surrounding barrenness. The sound of the water was music to his ears. God was right. The brook was ready and waiting. (PAUSE)

It's day 1 of Elijah's stay by the brook. The sun is rising. As he begins to stir from his slumber his nose picks up a curious scent. He's hungry. "What IS that smell?" And as he rolls over and looks to the other side of the wadi he sees them... sausage biscuits! And these aren't McDonalds either. This is the good stuff. When God provides He does it well. The Bible says the ravens brought him bread AND meat in the morning and in the evening. God didn't just give him bread, but bread and meat. Here we also have a grammatical merism. Two opposites to denote totality. "Morning AND evening": This says God provided not only well, but for the totality of his needs each day. Jewish Rabbis speculate that the food may have come from King Ahab's own table. So Elijah got used to this. Life is good. Some say considering the length of the drought he could've been there at the brook for months, but Scripture only says, "after awhile..." something happened. He was easily trusting the Lord as he could clearly touch, taste, and swallow God's provision each day, but this morning was different. The sun was rising. Elijah was stirring. He was thirsty. As he rolled over and cupped his hands for a drink, with eyes half open, he plunged them right... into... dry... dirt. The brook was no more. The body can only go about three days without water. Can you see his face today? "Lord I knew this would happen! You bring me out here in the middle of a drought and tell me a seasonal stream will last forever?! I'm thirsty and now I'm homeless... what am I gonna do?"

V.8 begins, "Then the word of the Lord came to him..." (PAUSE) God was there all along. Elijah's needs were not unknown to God. He was there. You and I have times where our provision dries up. Someone asks you to help them move: $40, A family you know needs a house-sitter: $100, Maybe you do a little catering here and there: $100 a month. But all those things end. They are temporary. The moving ends at 3pm Saturday afternoon, you turn over the keys of the house to their owners, and the catering company says, "We're sorry, but the economy has affected business. Call back next month." Don't be upset. Your God is more sovereign than those things. Don't live your Christian life like an Open Theist. They don't teach you that here. God knows the beginning and the end. God is personal. God is there and He'll provide. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Back to v. 8 "...the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

Elijah stood and traveled 7 miles to a public road along the Mediterranean seashore where we find the city of Zarephath. As he traveled I wonder went through his mind. Was he thinking he'd been through this before. Was he asking God in the quietness of his seaside journey, "Lord, how long will this one last? She's a widow, you said, right? They're not known for the means of generosity. Lord I'm getting thirsty. What if she refuses? What if it only lasts a few days? I'm getting hungry." Or was Elijah moved to confidence in the Lord? He did provide for so long and He knew exactly when that brook would be empty. Elijah could've reasoned, "God had to have been there with me or I wouldn't even know to go to a widow right now." What was he thinking? Maybe we'll never know. What we do know is what happened next... He reached the city gate of Zarephath and he noticed a woman, dressed in black, picking up sticks. She had no servant to pick up the sticks and her son was too young to do that for her. But they needed to prepare the food so someone had to do it. Elijah thinks to himself, "Well, one widow is as good as any," and he says, "Can you please get me a jar of water that I may drink?" Always be polite. This wasn't a problem for her. They're along the Mediterranean Sea. But as she goes to fulfill his request he really pushes the envelope. "Can you also please bring me a piece of bread in your hand?" Widows were the first to run out of food during times of famine and drought. Imagine her reaction: "What did you say to me? You want what!? Do I look rich to you? I don't have any bread. I just have this handful of flour in a bowl and a little oil in the jar. I was picking up these sticks before you interrupted me so I could prepare what little I have for my son and I so we can eat... and... die. Alright? I don't have any bread." Her reaction was normal. A piece of bread was a tall order for a widow. But what do you say to that? Can you see Elijah looking up to heaven saying, "Now Lord you said you commanded this widow..? She must be in disobedience because this isn't working out. I need a little help here...." No he didn't he say that.

V.13... "Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14"For thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'" Elijah believes God and evokes His promise to provide for his needs, even extending this promise to the widow and her son... should she also believe. She does and the Bible says her house had food for MANY days. And it all happened according to just the way God said it would.

We see from this story that Elijah learned what we all need to learn...
Big Idea: When we trust God and do what He says in our times of drought, He shows Himself to be The Lord who provides. In our times of drought when we trust and obey God, He shows Himself to be our Jehovah Jireh, our provider.

Primary Applications: Some of you are sitting in a financial drought. You open your wallet and it nearly cracks in two for lack of moisture. We're nearing the end of the month. It's October 27th. You don't know if you'll even be here at this school next month if you can't find the money. About a year ago I wasn't sure how my meager job at the time was gonna get me through school. I was worried. I get an email from home saying, "Call your dad ASAP." I didn't know what that meant. Was something wrong? I called as I soon as I could only for my dad to remind me of a life insurance policy in my name. I'd forgotten it. I was older enough to cash it out: $3500 lump sum. The beginning of this semester I was wondering how I could possibly afford to come back in the Spring. I call my father to talk one night and he says, "I'm taking the money you needed out of my 401K to put into your school account." My dad is the only breadwinner in a home of five and I totaled one of our vehicles this past summer and he's giving me $3,000 from his 401K. My dad isn't even a Christian. God provides and sometimes from the least likely of places (seasonal streams of water, ravens, widows). You may that's great, but what if God doesn't provide? Then have the attitude of Daniel's friends who trusted God whether He protected them or not. Acknowledge God's ultimate control over your situation.

Some of you are in a romantic drought. Your love life is so dry it needs its' own brand of chapstick. Trust God. If He has placed that desire in your heart He'll provide. He knows who's best for you. He knows what you need when you need it. If I were talking to the single women of this campus I would say that God will provide for you as well, but it may not be from among the King Sauls who stand a head above the rest, but among the shepherd boys, the Davids, who seek after God's own heart. Some of you are experiencing ministerial drought. You're trying as best you can at PCM but people aren't growing. Seemingly no one is responding well. You counseled someone on your floor and they ignored your advice. Know that God is there in midst of those situations. We're so pragmatic aren't we? ...To think we always have to see the results. What if you don't see them, but someone else does? Trust the Lord. Remain faithful in doing what He's called you to do. (PAUSE)

John Waller wrote a song (you may have heard it in the movie, Fireproof). It's called While I'm Waiting. Tucked in the middle of the song is the attitude we all must have..

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

God is training you and I for ministry... just He trained Elijah, to trust Him in times of drought. Will we trust Him?

Prayer This Semester

"I don't want to go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day... without your all-consuming... passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, 'What if I had given everything instead of going through the motions?'" -From the song, The Motions By Matthew West.


Another semester and a year older. By God's grace I've lived up to the ripe old age of 25. The age where car insurance prices drop and where you begin to notice and accept your receding hairline. God is always good, but He's been particularly good to me this semester. While I shouldn't have been surprised, it looks like the Lord has provided financially so that I won't have to work for this last half of my time at Moody. This of course is assuming I can work next summer as usual and that my final semester yields a couple scholarships through the pastoral department. the question I ask though is... why has God opened this time for me? For what purpose? To what end? I know myself... my tendency to rely on cushions and backup plans. I know how that has affected my trust in God and His provision. Why has He nearly shown me the end this soon? Is He opening up time for me to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ? Spend more time with Him? Or is there something else? Well, I've chosen to spend the time getting ahead in schoolwork comfortably and I feel (as I haven't before) that I'm able to spend time with people, the sister floor, and be alright with that. If something spontaneous happens I won't be worried that I'm being lazy the whole time. This is BIG. For someone who commonly views all planned recreation as a threat to homework time... it's BIG. Maybe the Lord will use it to someone's benefit.

I might have mentioned this but I've chosen to spend Wednesdays and Fridays this semester with a certain prayer focus on each day. While there is sometimes overlap, Wednesdays are spent praying that the Lord would prepare me for ministry. For me this means:

-Thanksgiving for the financial provision to be here. It's hard to believe that after it's all over it will have been about $30,000 spent for school... and this, without debt.
-That He would increase my confidence, boldness, and decisiveness when it comes to leading and preaching to other believers. I find that because of practice... I can preach and witness to the unsaved all day, but when it comes to other believers it's harder.
-That He would grow me in my ability as a preacher and similarly that I would always hold Scripture in high regard. This should spill over to my reverence in speaking about the things of God and keeping a close eye on my use of humor.
-That He would solidify my internship and order things in a way that it would be a most beneficial ministry experience. If all works out I will essentially be spreading it between 2 semesters full of pastoral care (prayer/visitation) and preaching.
-That He would provide direction on what to do after Moody. Should I enter the ministry? What opportunities will open up at that point? Should I go to the Master's Seminary in CA as planned? What complications or changes of plan will come at that time? What will my life look like when the time comes? I pray that He will provide the direction and discernment necessary for these questions and uncertainties.


For Fridays I spend time among other things on probably the second most important consideration in one's life:

-I pray for my future wife, whomever she may be. I've recently decided to pray Proverbs 31 over her. As I was reading it yesterday I was reminded of v.30, which says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." I think this is verse will be my focus. I pray that the Lord would increase her love for me (because I can't always trust my own emotions) and I pray that He would provide a woman who loves Him infinitely more than she would love me. I want nothing less. I am content waiting on God, but I am active at the same time. One could call it a dissatisfied satisfaction.
-I pray that He would make me into the man I need to be... a man of courage, a man who can protect his future wife, a man of gentleness, a man of truth, and a man who is prepared to lead a house who will "serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
-Because those things are future I've also chosen to spend this day in prayer for my sisters in Christ. My friendships with them will prepare me for my wife and in a real way reflect how I interact with godly women. I reveal these things knowing that they may be read and even perhaps read into, but the Lord knows my heart and that's all I need to be concerned with.

Hello Semester.

And summer is over. I watched a lot of Star Trek, did some evangelism, prepared for this semester's Greek and reada textbook, visited a Jehovah's Witness convention with a few fellow church members (which was very beneficial by the way to see how they lived, "studied" and it was a good way of getting into the mind of a cult). Now I'm in the swing of things...

At first I was pretty overwhelmed, but once I was able to input all the due dates for my assignments and corresponding email reminders I feel like things are in place, organized, and systemetized. I now can see a doable semester of schoolwork.

Narrative preaching class is looking pretty good. I still believe the depth of the preaching is not nearly what a structured Expository sermon would provide, even though Narrative sermons are still called "expository." There will be quite a while longer though for me to flesh out my questions and issues with the class and I'm sure the best person to answer those will be the teacher I have because is the well known professor of Homiletics on campus. I'm excited to see what will come of the class. We were given our preaching passages on the first day and it looks like I have 1 Kings 17:1-16: The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. I've heard this story preached before I think. I'm excited regardless though because I love preaching and yet am terrified of it at the same time.

Greek Exegesis was a shocker at first and a rough transition from a summer with little study. I've made all A's on the homework so far however. It turned out it's not quite as much Exegesis as it is further Grammar study. The professor said we'll get into true exegesis next semester. It turns out our homework assignments are simply all the in-class questions he would ask us throughout last semester. He was actually preparing us for Exegesis the whole time. for that reason my first couple of homework assignments went from taking 2 hours or more a night to about an hour and a half. It's getting easier and I praise the Lord for that!

Systematic Theology brings a reasonable workload and a surprisingly light amount of reading. It's supposed to expand on the first intro-level Theology class, but something tells me it will only remind me of what I already know. That's cool though... it's naturally hard to remember stuff anyway. I took the first quiz and didn't miss anything. I'm thinking this class will be free of hassle.

American Church History and Evangelism is still a wild card. The teacher seems to enjoy provoking thought (which is good), but if it's only on the level of foundational things it will get boring real soon. It looks like we'll be studying the major American revivals and church movements. The workload seems reasonable, but there's a lot of reading. Right now I'm thinking the class will either be just alright or a waste of time. Apparently we're gonna watch videos from secular sources (which immediately feels like a waste of time) and I'm also not sure how valuable the lectures will be. Part of this is due I'm sure to the fact that the professor originally planned to teach the class left the school and someone had to replace him.

Student Outreach has had a booming kickoff. We made ourselves known at a major beginning of the year chapel and then followed with a chapel that was entirely our own. I was scrambling around before it started getting everything organized. We had a video clip of a student preaching, a few photos, and then one of the ladies from a former sister floor who is now married agreed to sing Bill and Cindy Foote's Rescue The Perishing. This was followed by Dr. McDuffee who spoke about the importance of public proclamation. It was a simply awesome message that well portrayed the heart of our ministry. I'm planning to get a copy of the CD to send to my former roommate who was unable to return to school this semester. We had our PCM chapel and that seemed to go well. I'm excited at what the Lord is going to teach the students who've come into the ministry this semester.

I've also begun this semester with a plan to spend Wednesdays and Fridays in prayer about a couple specific things in my life. I'm dedicating these days to the Lord to worship Him and petition Him about some things on my heart. This doesn't mean of course that I won't do any homework or work (if I can get a job), but simply that I will set aside time to seek God with a clear purpose on those days. My new roommate and I are getting along well. His personality is the punk fun type... I suppose the best way to explain it. the other day he came back to the dorm with google-eye glasses, wind up chattering teeth, and Jesus pencil toppers. We've had some opportunity to share a bit about ourselves and pray together to inaugurate the semester. It looks like we will complement eachother well. He's also (as many are) quite a bit younger than me. He's already expressed a respect for me and my leadership. He wants to learn from me. Lord, keep me humble! May no sign of pride arise in even the inner recesses of my thoughts!

Summer Events

This summer has been different and the same. I spent the first month of it taking summer classes at school. I knocked out the basic church history classes that qualify as "general ed" at Moody which ends my underclassman classes.... finally. I look forward to continuing the classes more specific to my degree. The excitement is somewhat bittersweet however. If I walk by sight my bank account will nearly run out after the coming semester and I won't have a summer in between to save money either. Part of me is comforted (perhaps not enough of me) in an accident I had this summer. I rear-ended someone at 40 mph while they were stopped. This nearly totaled my van. My dad plans to fix it and get parts from the junkyard to make it as cheap as possible to repair... regardless of that, I'm sure it will cost a grand or more. This is money he will not be able to contribute to school for me. Why am I comforted? Because this only allows God to show Himself faithful and receive all the more glory. He has provided miraculously in interesting ways up to this point and I know that whatever happens will also be His will. I got a B- in the first summer class and the 2nd grade is still MIA. It was awesome to hear John Piper and John MacArthur in person at the Moody Pastors' Conference for free and get free books that I was able to take home just barely making the weight limit for my suitcases on the plane.

Since I've been home I regret to say I've made little opportunities to share my faith. I was able to share with and answer some of the questions of a kid who came over (a friend of someone who lives in our house). He asked if I believed in the Mayan calendar that predicts the end of the world. It was a good conversation and the answers to his common questions came back readily and easily. I was able to communicate them in a warm and confident manner. I praise God that I haven't lost the knowledge and ability to evangelize. It bugs me that I haven't been out on the streets reaching the lost as often or as seriously as I used to. When you go out to share your faith regularly there's a very real sense you develop that you know you're in the center of God's will at that moment. The Lord wants to use us to make His truth known and nothing compares to being engaged in activity that seeks to do that. the implications of such activity are eternal and incomparable to the receiving of an earthly gift, the nostalgia of seeing an old friend, the reuniting of a separated husband and wife, or anything temporal. I recently learned that I work with a couple Jehovah's Witnesses. I've taken a posture of interest and the time will come very soon that I am clear about the Bible's teaching and the biblical gospel. Yesterday morning two women came to my door who also were JWs. I was able to mention people in their Kingdom Hall who I'd spoken with and again build a foundation of interest. If and when they return I would then be able to start sharing with them and asking questions. I was also able to share the gospel with a Hispanic gentleman at the train station before I left Chicago. He was a JW who was trying to reach the Hispanic community with the false gospel. I was thankfully able to get an old copy of the Awake magazine before they changed the purpose statement in it. Praise the Lord for Apologetics resources!

Beyond that I will (Lord willing) be able for the first time this weekend to go witnessing in both Ft. Worth (my old turf) and Southlake. I actually have the whole weekend off! It's also been a blessing to meet with a guy I'd been witnessing to back when I worked primarily in the Deli. He recommended I watch Bill Maher's movie Religilous because he said it raised some good questions he was curious about. He loaned me the movie so we could discuss it afterward. The movie was just as vulgar as he said it was. Maher raised the common questions the world has in an arrogant, ignorant, and over-confident way. He entered the film with his Roman Catholic understanding of "Christianity" as many people do and assumed quite a bit. He took shots at the fringe whackos of Christianity (who don't represent it faithfully) and his interviews were edited to make the "Christians" look stupid. While many of them did in fact look stupid... the only legitimate one he interviewed (Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis) he edited down to nothing. We were able to discuss the film and easily answer many of the questions raised. Other than that my days have been spent working and attempting to study and read. This summer I had an urge to revisit a little Star Trek. I haven't seen the new film, but for some reason I missed good ole Star Trek.

Much of my free time has now been sucked into reliving many of the episodes on the internet I loved and the ones I never saw. After doing so I must admit that I can deny it no longer... I am a Trekker (one who likes all the series, not just the modern ones). Science Fiction has been some of the only fiction I can tolerate enough to read about, but much of my exposure to it has been through video and Television. It seems my fascination with time travel, alternate realities, shape-shifting, and eye-opening discoveries will never leave me. I am a geek and proud of it. On the other hand I must admit that while I enjoy the drama and storyline of Star Trek (it's been far ahead of its' time), I must heartily deny its' fundamental premise. the founder of Star Trek and the whole philosophy of the show is rooted in humanism. The idea is that humanity will/can progress to a society without disease or the need for money. People work to "better themselves" who have a "more evolved sensibility" (Picard in Star Trek: First Contact). This evolved sensibility has denied itself in sexual promiscuity, needless profanity, and a number things. The humanity of Star Trek is not evolved morally... this is certain. Furthermore Evolution is assumed and Biblical Creationism is mocked. The maturity of the characters in the shows outside of these obvious issues seem to carry attitudes of undeserved grace, understanding, ethics, etc. that would characterize a mature believer in Christ. The show however seems to desire a humanity that becomes Christian without Jesus Christ or His Word. It desires a humanity that makes progress without the help of God. The sad truth is that human depravity runs far too deep for this to ever happen. Mankind loves sin too much for such a dream to be accomplished on his own. God must change his heart.

I've been able to slowly have worked though the highlights of my Greek grammar and will soon begin doing translations in preparation For Greek Exegesis I in the coming semester. I've also nearly finished a textbook for preaching class too. God has granted me the perseverance also to write a 30-page training manual for the street evangelism team at school. While all this sounds like I've been busy and productive... I know I could accomplish so much more. It's been a constant battle between recreation and study/work. I know I don't need as much rest and relaxation as I'm taking, but do I? Should I be relaxing more? Beyond this I face the constant challenge to myself that I may not be working as hard at my job I used to. I always seem to struggle with this when I return home for breaks. But am I being too hard on myself? Two managers have told me I could pursue a career as a manager in my department if I really wanted it. I've been told this long ago, but now? When I feel like I'm slower and less precise with my work? Is it all me? Am I being too hard on myself? It's hard to say. They say the testimony of others is a good way to see yourself objectively. If this is true... then I'm not doing as bad as I think. Maybe the workaholic in me is in a state of denial so as to maintain a subtle desire for burnout. Either way, God is good and I know He is sanctifying me in His own peculiar and efficient way. Praise Him for what He does while we are unaware!

Student Outreach/Open Air Training Notes

Note: These notes are divided into two parts to reflect both the conceptual training night and the practical night. Both are provided for your reference, but you only need to read the one you missed. Part one is the conceptual night’s training.

Part 1

What comes to mind when you think of street preachers, street evangelism, etc.? What do you think most Christians think of these things? For many in the Church these ideas bring to mind images of crazed arrogant people with a bullhorn and a few large signs with Bible verses on them. They imagine the presentation of such evangelism to be centered on external sins and even irrelevant issues (fornication, smoking, drinking, etc.) with a minor mention of Jesus being their answer. The phrases “turn or burn” and “hellfire and brimstone” may come to mind. These stereotypes are understandable. These people do exist and do head out to the streets and the front of concerts every weekend. A man was once street preaching in downtown Ft. Worth, Texas with a sign that read, “…God is angry with the wicked every day…” –Psalm 7:11. This is true. This is Scripture. What was missing however was the other side of the story… the grace of the gospel. While these people have good intentions and seem to miss the mark we can’t judge all of it and say it’s wrong or that only some people are gifted for street evangelism. Anyone can do this and it will be a rewarding experience that will challenge your personality and perceptions. We can correct this stereotype without ignoring both the truth and the grace of the gospel.

With that in mind, there are generally four ways contemporary Christianity approaches evangelism;

1. Lifestyle Evangelism (Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:11-12): This is probably the most popular form of evangelism today. It’s often expressed by saying something like, “We should live in such a way that the world takes notice that we have something they don’t have.” The hope is that they would approach us and ask us about our lifestyle and our Jesus. It’s presented as a noble calling to share your faith by the way you live. While Scripture does elude to our lifestyle having an effect on a watching world, it’s doubtful that the Lord intended us to base our evangelism in a passive hopeful expectation that unbelievers would grow interested in our way of life without us taking an active step in verbally making Christ known. At the end of the day we must admit that we don’t live as perfectly as Christ did. We all still sin and sometimes badly. Our lifestyle shouldn’t and ultimately can’t determine our chances to share.

D. L. Moody was once street preaching and a woman approached him and criticized his method of evangelism. He asked her how she shared her faith. She admitted that she didn’t. He replied, “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.” Often when this approach is our default we think we are obeying the Great Commission when in reality we are rarely sharing at all. It becomes more an effort at being kind than sharing Christ. If anything it translates to a brief abstract mention of church, Jesus, Christianity in general, or a Bible verse… with no clear and honest explanation of sin, hell, judgment, the reason Christ died, the resurrection, and the biblical response to be saved. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted when he said, “Preach the gospel and if necessary use words.” He founded the Franciscan Order of Friars and preachers. Francis said this in reaction to the fact that some of the preachers in his order were involved in some things a preacher of the gospel should not be involved in. He certainly didn’t intend for it to be used as it commonly is today to support the idea that words aren’t necessary to communicate the gospel. The gospel is a message and a message requires words. God chose the text of Scripture and the preaching of the apostles to pass the gospel onto us and we need not neglect using words ourselves. One of the major tenets of the Franciscan Order was “A godly life must support the witness of preaching.” The issue then for Francis and even today at the heart of this form of evangelism is fundamentally a desire for holiness. We are to live holy lives because Scripture calls us to do this. That must however be married to our proclamation of the gospel to “support” it not to replace it. If we don’t share the message we cannot call what we’re doing “evangelism” in any legitimate sense. Romans 10:14 asks, “…how can they hear without a preacher?”

2. Servant/Social Evangelism (Matthew 25:40, Luke 10:30-37): This generally places an emphasis on helping the poor, feeding the hungry, and meeting the tangible needs of the less fortunate. A common contemporary expression of this is a mission trip to build houses and do manual labor. This can extend to efforts at political and moral reform or Theonomy (a desire for a Christian government/one in which God is the head). A church once made a youtube video titled, “Servant Evangelism.” The video showed a pastor and a number of people hitting the local park with coolers filled with canned soft drinks. They distributed the drinks with something to the effect of saying, “Jesus loves you” and that was all. Is this evangelism? A larger church once hit the streets of a downtown area on a warm day with cold water bottles. These bottles had a custom designed label on them with their church information (service times, address, website, etc.) and circling the top of the label a line that read, “God so loved the world that He gave…” –John 3:16. The question is begged... what did God give? Bottled water? His Son? A group of Moody students once wanted to make an impact on the surrounding community and fulfill a class assignment. One of them baked cookies. The group met together in the Commons and packaged them with small cards that read something to the effect of “The students of Moody Bible Institute thank you for what you’re doing for the community” and went about handing them out to the employees at local restaurants up and down Chicago Avenue. Will this reach those people with what they need to hear?

The heart of Servant Evangelism when done well is needed on many fronts. It has its’ place and there will always be those whose heart burns for the needy and who thrive on a principal of justice and care for the oppressed. At Moody we have another group/PCM on campus called Frontlines specifically to the homeless on the streets of Chicago. Through all of these things however we cannot forget that the gospel must go forth. These things must also support our preaching of the gospel, because if the temporal replaces the eternal we have lost sight of the main thing God specifically and assuredly chooses to use to bring men and women to Himself. A man had the desire to preach under a tent one hot day. It was a large tent on the lawn of a Baptist Mega-church. The church volunteers were aiding the victims of Hurricane Katrina that we all remember so well. Under that tent as the environment resembled an outdoor flea market he caught the crowd’s attention and began to preach the message of salvation. Afterward he reflected on the experience and later wrote these words, “God forbid we clothe their backs, feed their stomachs, and send them off to hell!” May we never forget what the apostle Paul also said, “For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” -1 Cor. 15:3. Again there is nothing wrong with helping those in need, but we can’t ignore their eternal needs alongside this.

3. Relational Evangelism (Acts 8:27-39): This is usually expressed in the form of Friendship evangelism. Someone desires to build a relationship with a person and once they’ve developed credibility to then discuss spiritual things and/or share the gospel. For some out there this is the best way to reach them. Some have so much animosity toward anything close to Christianity or even religion in general. Perhaps they’ve been burned by a church or see most “Christians” as hypocrites. These things can over time form a hardened exterior that can often best be broken down over a longer span of time and regular contact. This is most easily accomplished when working or going to school in a secular environment that brings us in the vicinity of the same non-Christians regularly. Professor Clive Craigen who teaches Intro to Disciplemaking makes this emphasis his primary method of evangelism, but makes a timely point when he says, “You can be relational without having a relationship.” Very often we believe we need to build a friendship before we can ever share the message they need to hear. This usually degenerates to a situation where we develop many friendships with non-Christians and some of them for years without ever discussing the hard question of where they will go when they die. They may know we are a Christian and try to curb their profanity when in our presence, but they may not know how they can be saved as well. The fact remains that the longer we leave it the harder it gets.

We can develop a fear of offending someone or losing the friendship and time goes on and on. A man once worked in a high rise building and he worked near the same woman each day. He tried and tried to work himself up to sharing his faith with her, but just couldn’t do it. One morning as he walked up to the building he found that this very woman had been overcome with depression and had jumped from her high level of the building only to meet the pavement below before his very eyes. He never shared with her. While this isn’t common we must admit that death is possible for anyone at any time. We don’t know the future and if we really do care about the eternity of a person we can build a relationship in a few minutes. Philip did witness relationally with the Ethiopian Eunich, but he didn’t wait a year to share with the guy! One of the ways Student Outreach does this is to do 1-2-1 witnessing. We offer a gospel tract and begin a spiritual conversation with someone on the streets. This will be discussed in detail later. Once again the point is that the gospel goes forth. Our goal should not simply be to get to know the lost (while we should be genuine in that also), but to share the actual message of salvation.

4. Confrontational Evangelism (1 Cor. 9:16, 1 Cor. 15:3): The word “confrontational” is used out of convenience, but it usually has a negative connotation. A better word would be Active or Intentional Evangelism. This is the kind of evangelism that is direct and purposeful in going out to share. This is where you’ll find Student Outreach lands out of the four. We are primarily a proclamation ministry. While we have incorporated various aspects of some of the others mentioned above from time to time (and are open to new ideas and anything you would bring to the table), we primarily focus on simply sharing the message. We do of course have conversations (some of which can last well over a half hour). We don’t restrict anyone or force them to end a conversation prematurely. There are precautions taken however and we do remain responsible to see that everyone arrives back on campus safely.

We aren’t just advocating a “hit and run” kind of evangelism where we have a monologue, shake their hand, and leave. The context in which we minister is just usually one in which you see different people each week and don’t have a lot of time with them (while that isn’t always true of course). This is what we’re training you to be able to do so you can share the gospel in a reasonably short amount of time and in a clear concise way. This is also one of the most challenging forms of evangelism because it forces you to leap out of your comfort zone, speak to strangers about the truth of God’s Word, and enter the night not knowing who you’ll meet or what questions you’ll be asked. In this we want to encourage you to pray for an urgency in reaching the lost. When our perspective is truly informed by the reality of Hell, the severity of sin, the fate of the lost, and offer of the cross it will influence our methodology. Regardless of how you’ve shared your faith in the past and how you’ll do so during and after you leave this ministry, we want you to have the urgency and zeal of the apostles and the early church.

Facing our fears

What scares you the most about sharing your faith? There are a few common fears Christians often express. We are afraid that (1) We won’t be able to answer a tough question. Once one of our guys was out witnessing and ran into two professors of religion at a secular university. They began asking about biblical textual criticism and the Gnostic gospels and all kinds of things. He was frankly feeling quite inadequate to the task on the spot like that. Another guy was preaching once and a zealous college student began a barrage of questions that culminated in him declaring, “If you don’t know the Greek and the Hebrew you shouldn’t be out here!!” These questions come and they come from all sides. You’ll never know what you’re bound to be asked or what you’ll run into in a given night. Remember this is one of the reasons God has brought you to Moody… to study the Word and all that surrounds It. We’re all learning and we all unfortunately can forget things. We aren’t computers that store data flawlessly. Do the best you can in answering a question, offer them an email address where they can send the question, get their information, etc. so you can have time to research and provide a thorough answer. If they deny your offer they probably weren’t sincere in asking the question. Often people enjoy playing a game of “stump the preacher” or “confuse the Christian” just to walk away in maintained victorious ignorance. Others have genuine questions. Don’t let it get to you and know that it’s alright to say, “I don’t know.” God can use these situations to keep us humble and keep us in study and prayer.

We’re afraid that (2) We won’t know how to start a conversation. This will be addressed when we talk about how to share on a practical level. Fear of getting started can be paralyzing. Some people admit they’re even more comfortable street preaching than talking 1-2-1 in a conversation. You’ll find that this comes easily with practice and trial and error. When you begin witnessing you may find that the hardest thing to do is to put your first foot forward to open your mouth. Once you’ve done that it’s all down hill. It’s simply a matter of knowing the common ways of getting started then closing your eyes and stepping off the ledge with the Holy Spirit as your guide. There are right and wrong ways to do this and as you learn and experiment you’ll find the ones that suit you best.

We’re afraid of (3) rejection. A peculiar amount of discouragement can come over you in waves at the thought of being rejected. Remember what Christ said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) and “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12) Someone once said, “If God is on our side we are the majority.” Someone else said soberly, “Don’t be surprised when pagans act like pagans.” Prepare yourself ahead of time to be cussed out, flipped off, yelled at, and use your imagination for whatever else. We respond in love and without retaliation just as Jesus did. Know that it’s simply common that some will reject and some will receive. Biblically there are “many” who go down the “wide path” to Hell and “few” that “find” the “narrow way.” Sometimes people find out you’re handing them a gospel tract and they hand it back to you or walk to the nearest trash can with little concern that you can see them throwing it away. Some will tear it up and others will ask for more to hand out on their own. Also remember that unless your attitude is out of line it’s not you they are rejecting, but God Himself. If you’re attitude is right and you’re presenting the biblical gospel you can’t theologically push them any further away from the Lord than they already are. Take comfort in knowing that when they do this they are fully aware of Who they are rejecting and will be held accountable for each time they did so, but don’t be so comfortable that this doesn’t break your heart and increase your urgency. These are the times that bring us to our knees in prayer. If these things don’t break your heart… be reminded of what Charles Spurgeon said, “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself.”

We’re afraid that (4) we’ll run into other religions that we’re not prepared to address. Because of the diversity of Chicago we have encountered a variety of religions. One of the outreaches we’ve participated in is going out with the Graduate students and Dr. Feuder to Devon Ave. (commonly called “Little India”) to witness to the Muslim community of Chicago. As we’ll see… the principles we use to share are universal and will cross many of these and other barriers. We can admit we aren’t all Apologists and even what we have heard through a sermon series, small groups, books, etc. may not stick with us. Just do the best you can with what you know and be in constant prayer that the Lord will bring to your mind what He wants to communicate to the specific person you’re engaged with. Again if you have an opening for another conversation you’ll have time to brush up on their religion before the next opportunity. Also keep in mind the place of Apologetics in evangelism. The gospel is the message that saves not our clever annihilation of another religion’s major beliefs. If you attack you’ll likely only breed futile endless arguments that end unfruitful. If you retreat you’ll miss an opportunity to peer into the mind and life of another religion with the hope of bringing light into the darkness they’ve accepted. One of the best ways to reach them is to ask questions as you share. If you’re unfamiliar with their beliefs ask them about them! If your memory is faded a bit, ask them for clarification. But do so in a curious manner not “you believe this fallacious heresy, right?” Remember… Apologetics is the gravy on top of the gospel. Your goal is to share the truth of the gospel clearly before getting bogged down in Apologetics. Often the subjects of the gospel and their understanding of it will bring enough to the surface that you won’t even need to discuss other doctrinal distinctives. Make the gospel clear first and then address the other things. If done well... the Apologetics you use will only further confirm and support the gospel message you’ve shared.

We are also afraid that (5) we’ll interrupt the everyday lives of people. When you see an older woman laughing with her daughter something in you can not want to break up such a moment with a message that you know will be serious, sobering, and will have to address their sin. A woman who was formerly a Mormon was once interviewed. She said that where she worked she often saw repeat customers. When she became a Christian and joined a local church she ended up running into some of those same customers at church. These people had even known she was Mormon as they did business. She expressed her incredible frustration at the fact that these people never tried to share with her. She even asked them why and their response was disheartening, “You seemed so happy the way you were.” Remember… unsaved people can be happy and deceived at the same time. They can be content in ignorance. This takes discernment and you obviously wouldn’t walk up to a group and ask “WHAT is the state of your sooouuuls!?” Chicago is an interesting demographic of people. There is not nearly as much gray area like there is in the South and the Bible Belt. People tend to either be Christian, another religion, or Apathetic altogether. Much of the people who frequent the streets while we’re out are people going about their daily lives in endless routine paying the bills, putting food on the table, and waking up to do it all over again. These people also need the gospel. They may be able to pay their bills, but they’ll never be able to pay the debt their sin has incurred. This is what Jesus Christ has done and this is what we must make known to them. With all fears we must remember that they probably won't go away entirely. Courage is not the absence of fear, but pressing on despite the fear.

Police Officers and the CTA

Over the years we have had trouble with various police officers attempting to limit our rights to freedom of speech (the 1^st Amendment). When it’s colder outside (Spring semester) we tend to stay in the underground paid areas of the subway at the Lake and Jackson stops of the Red Line in which we have trouble with the CTA employees and security. We’ve heard everything from people asking us to move to another location all the way to threatening arrest. A few general things to remember are as follows; the public sidewalks are paid for by taxpayer money and are ours for the taking. This is also true of public parks and even the beach. We aren’t legally allowed to infiltrate parking lots or hand out tracts to cars on the street. We cannot legally block the flow of foot traffic on the sidewalk as this could cause a hazard. We cannot in any way force people to take tracts. If they say,”no thanks” we must respect that. Sometimes people have permits for specified areas. In these cases it’s best to try to share covertly until you’re told not to. Often this can be done with casual conversations and discernment. In the event you’re told not to you can then ask about the legalities of public property and the details involved. This is often annoying because outdoor events like the Jazz Fest and others happen at public parks.

These events are where the people are and where they gather is where the gospel seeds need to be sown. Once we went out to preach and witness in a usual spot and there happened to be a gay rights group of about 50 people singing and doing a public demonstration that expressed their views. One of the leaders found out who was heading the demonstration and told him personally what we were about to do and that we did it every week. We even told him we weren’t there to preach against their group or homosexuals specifically. He had no problem with it and in fact encouraged freedom of expression. Someone began preaching and before anything relevant was mentioned two nearby police officers shut it down saying they had a permit and the police had to protect them within a certain limited amount of space. We moved across the street and continued. When a permit is involved don’t forget to ask what time the permit expires so you know when you can return if you want to. When dealing directly with police who are telling you that you aren’t allowed to share on a sidewalk or other clearly public property; always stay calm, speak normally and not too fast, and be kind (often Chicago police can have fiery attitudes. You want to diffuse them not add to them). Ask if you are violating any ordinances and ask them to name those ordinances. Don’t try to teach them the law, but it wouldn’t hurt to explain your reasoning for being able to do what you’re doing. If all else fails and they still deny you your rights… ask for and write down their name and badge number and ask to speak with their Sergeant/Superior. If they refuse these two things and if you are totally confident you are within your legal rights… you can continue witnessing and the consequences of what they do will be on their heads and you can pursue wrongful arrest legally. Don’t be afraid to go this far… the only people who have the freedom of speech are those who use it and sometimes fight for it.

There have even been times in the past when police officers have responded to a call by a nearby business and to try and keep the peace would even lie about our rights just to get us to leave saying we need a permit on the sidewalk. The truth is we are allowed to have conversations, use tracts, and even preach (vocally, not with microphone or amplification) without a permit. One of our guys even went to meet with the Chicago Chief of police to get a written letter to show to other officers and they wouldn’t even accept that letter on the streets. We’ve also had trouble in subways with the CTA personnel (usually at the beginning of a semester because they have forgotten about us being there). Often they will also approach us and say we need a permit. At times you’ll see street performers in the subways playing music or reciting poetry. They all have permits, but this is because they are clearly advertising or using instruments. Furthermore they are Illinois residents. We even tried to get permits from the CTA main office only to find that they would only accept an Illinois driver’s license and proof of student residence wouldn’t be acceptable. Apparently even this hasn’t always been the case and others before us have been allowed to get permits. One of the guys in our group had connections with a Chicago Christian lawyer (Mauck* & Baker). The firm sent a letter to the CTA asking about the situation to see if a lawsuit was necessary. The CTA legal department wrote back affirming our right to preach in the subways under the 1^st Amendment. We’ve made copies of that letter and a letter to accompany theirs from the law firm that each of the leaders carry while in the subways. The CTA personnel have also at times not accepted this letter. From that we have decided to limit our subway activity to preaching and discreet conversation. Since our letter only officially covers preaching we need to stay within reasonable bounds so if we ever have to pursue a lawsuit or court order for our right to preach… we can prove that we have complied with the letters. This means; no mass gospel tract distribution (after all people could slip on the tracts and fall into the way of the train

Frequently Asked Questions

Next we want to address two major questions of contention many believers have with street evangelism; Follow-up and effectiveness. Follow-up can be defined as the "what happens next" after sharing the gospel with someone and/or someone is saved. How does street evangelism address follow-up on a conceptual and practical basis? Follow-up is usually handled on an individually. We discourage women from giving personal information to men they encounter on the street and the PCM office even says not to give out phone numbers at all. If a church is the next logical step for someone we invite them to our own churches or offer to visit Moody Church with them for a week. Some have met with people for coffee a few days after witnessing or something like that. All of this is at the prerogative of the person witnessing. If by follow-up it’s meant that we need to get them to church and Christian events, make frequent phone calls, and do everything short of dragging them to places… this is something we would not encourage. Most people we witness to are adults and even teens should at least express a desire and effort to meet with us or come to church. This will require discernment. It’s also never good to tell someone they are saved as it may give them a false assurance. Let their own reading of Scripture and the Holy Spirit affirm that to them. There have been those who do meet a second time and also those who agree to meet the following Sunday to go to church and never show up. While baby Christians do need guidance there’s also a very real sense in which a true believer will desire to study the Word and will desire to go to a local church. They will seek out these things on their own. In the past Student Outreach had started working on a kind of discipleship curriculum for those who are saved through our ministry, but at present the need for this hasn’t exceeded what we can handle on an individual basis.

Often we’ve also heard questions like this; How effective is what you do? What do you hope to accomplish? Do you see any fruit from your method of evangelism? Or more directly, do people actually get saved? Often we’re of the mindset that if we can’t see people tangibly getting saved that it means our method isn’t effective and we need to rethink, revisit, adapt, contemporize, or otherwise be more creative to see results. We are not to seek decisions for Christ, but true repentance and conversion of the heart. This certainly could happen right on the streets, but it may also happen in the quietness of their bedroom as the weight of sin is heavy upon them and the gift of Christ on the cross is truly realized. We hear stories of Vacation Bible School where lots of kids get saved, mass evangelistic events and crusades where thousands come to Christ, and we almost never hear about where those people are years later. A college student once realized that when she was baptized as a child she may not have fully understood the gospel, but now that she did for sure she wanted to be re-baptized.

She went to a Wednesday night service of her boyfriend's church and walked down during the altar call to explain the situation and be baptized. After baptism she walked down a stairwell to a room with decision counselors. The first thing the counselor asked her was, “You’re saved, right?” Reflecting on the experience she wonders what would have happened if she replied, “Saved? What does that mean?” 2 Peter calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness.” It stands to reason that Noah was preaching and he was probably preaching that people need to get right and escape God’s judgment on the ark. Imagine how long it took him and his sons to build the ark… how many converts did Noah get? Zero. The test of our evangelism is not its’ results, but its’ faithfulness to Scripture. The question is not if what we’re doing is pragmatically effective, but rather… is it biblical? That being said we once ran into a man in the subway who said he was saved in 1984 through the ministry of Student Outreach and he was still going strong in his faith. In another state an evangelism team was packing up for the night and as they were walking back to their cars they passed a young man by himself handing out half-sheets of paper. One of them stopped to find out it was a gospel tract. They spoke to him to hear that he had recently been saved and was out sharing his faith. He asked the group who specifically preaches a few blocks down the street (on the group’s corner), because he wanted to meet the man who he used to mock and heckle before he was a Christian. Because so many people preach on the corner there was no way of knowing who he meant, but at least we can see that God does use street evangelism.

Principles for Sharing

What guides the content of our message? Imagine if someone came to your door and told you a guy paid a $20,000 speeding fine on your behalf. You would think they are crazy. You’d be asking, “What fine?” “What did I do wrong?” It wouldn’t make sense and you wouldn’t be at a place to be grateful that your debt was paid because of such confusion. Beyond that the person would be accusing you of wrongdoing when as far as you’re concerned… you’re entirely innocent. Similarly one of the average gospel presentations today is to begin with “You are a sinner” moving to “Jesus died for your sins” and then to “accept Jesus into your heart.” To tell the average person in America they are a sinner without explanation or clarification amounts to little more than name-calling. If your child is misbehaving you wouldn’t look at them and say, “Honey, all children disobey their parents.” In the same way we quote Romans 3:23, “All have sinned…” without any of the rest of what Scripture says about that.

Now imagine the police knock on your door and say, “On the way to work today an officer clocked you at driving 55mph in a school zone and you’ve incurred a large fine for your disregard for the law. We were going to process your crime and appropriate punishment, but someone you don’t even know paid that fine this afternoon.” It would make more sense if you were told what you’d done wrong first. To do this we use the 10 Commandments (the Law of God) to show someone their sin and need for the Savior before presenting the gospel. Consider the following; “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” –Galatians 3:24. “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." –Romans 7:7. “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;” –Romans 3:19. “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,” -1 Timothy 1:8-10. God’s law is not a list of moral guidelines for humanity. It’s not a way to try pleasing God and hopefully get to heaven. It’s a mirror to see ourselves in truth. It is a mirror to show us that we have sinned. It doesn’t help us… it just leaves us helpless.

Consider also the following illustration: Two people on an airplane are both given a parachute. Passenger A is told the parachute will improve his flight. He believes the claim and in an experimental fashion puts on the parachute to test the claim. Eventually the parachute becomes uncomfortable in his seat and the other passengers begin to laugh at him for wearing a parachute on a plane. They make fun of him even. He becomes discouraged and disillusioned, throws the parachute on the floor, and is angry at those who gave them the parachute because he was promised a better flight and only got trials, persecution, etc. Passenger B is given the parachute and told that the plane is going to crash and he is going to have to jump. He gratefully receives the parachute and puts it on. He ignores the discomfort in his seat and withstands the mockery of those around him because his mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without that parachute. Later a flight attendant even accidentally pours hot coffee into his lap. It burns. Does the man then pull the parachute off his back throw it to the ground in anger? No he doesn’t. The coffee has nothing to do with the parachute or the jump to come. Another common thing to say in many gospel presentations is that people should come to Jesus because He will bring them peace, joy, fulfillment, and lasting happiness. Is this true? Absolutely… these things are the fruit of salvation. It’s not legitimate however to use the fruits of salvation as draw cards for salvation. Why? This usually ignores the promise of trials, temptation, and tribulation that come with salvation. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” -2 Timothy 3:12. This makes salvation look better, but it is unfaithful to the real struggle with sin, the world, and the devil that we all truly face.

This may produce “decisions for Christ,” but does it really produce salvation? When we give people the wrong motive for coming to Christ they will appear to come, but will be looking for a better lifestyle or to merely add Jesus to what they’re already doing. When they begin to experience problems and when their life doesn’t get better as promised they reject all of it and grow bitterly into what we usually call “backsliders.” These often in fact become the hardest people to witness to because they feel they’ve gone through the motions, they’ve “been there and done that,” but pragmatism prevails as it didn’t “work.” They’ll be able to recount stories of going to church, going to small groups, and attending seminars that amounted to nothing. It was all because they didn’t understand the foundation of the gospel. When people come for the right motives they will be able to withstand the hard times and the circumstances of life to press on by the strength of the Holy Spirit. They won’t reject Christianity entirely when life doesn’t go their way. They will undeniably be a “new creation” that views the world through new eyes as the Bible says. This kind of transformation can only come when someone understands the essentials of the gospel and comes to Christ in true repentance and faith toward Christ. “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” -2 Corinthians 7:10. When someone realizes the fact that they will one day die (jump from the plane), their need to flee the wrath to come, and recognize their sin as truly sin they can say with Paul that the law was, “effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.” -Romans 7:13. This is precisely what will make the grace of the gospel make sense and the desire for the cure will be driven from motives that are informed, honest, and pure. For a further explanation on this in sermon form you can visit www.hellsbestkeptsecret.com or www.livingwaters.com. We will discuss what this looks like on a practical level in a witnessing conversation in Part 2.

Part 2

Here’s what a given night will look like…

5pm-5:30pm – Meet in the Culby 2 Prayer Chapel for 30 minutes of Prayer (Please arrive on time). Prayer is a vital part of this ministry. It prepares us for the task at hand, helps us to seek God for pure hearts and to eliminate academic and emotional distractions. Pray during this designated time and pray throughout the week.

5:30pm-6:45pm – Gather and divide tracts and supplies, break up into groups, and head to the streets at one or more locations for witnessing (Fall: Michigan Ave. across from Water Tower Place and possibly in the small plaza area nearby, Clark&Division outside Jewel, Spring: Red Line Subway at the Jackson and Lake stops). We may at times experiment with other locations like Belmont (near the gay club district), Millenium Park, and the beach.

7pm-7:30? – Arrive back on campus to hit the commons for meal replacements to eat dinner as we share stories, prayer requests from the night, and close in prayer. The PCM officially ends at 7:30, but anyone is encouraged to stay.

A note about witnessing on the streets: We're generally situated at a street corner or in an area with heavy foot traffic. People of Chicago are often used to being solicited by charities, homeless, the kids with worn fliers who claim they're raising money to play school sports, every now and then a political activist, etc. so they are slightly pre-dispositioned against us. On the other hand there are also tourists. Keep these things in mind. Good chances for conversations are at stoplights before the walk signs, when people stop to listen to the preacher, and at benches or bus stops. Keep a watchful eye out for these opportunities and always be discerning. Don't tackle people.

A note about witnessing in the subways: Be creative and intentional. Due to our restrictions we are limited. Take this as an opportunity to stretch yourself. The subways are difficult on another level: trains. While a rather large group can gather on one or both sides of the subway before a train comes... when it does come the entire crowd obviously disappears. You may have 1-10 minutes until a train comes, but shoot for about 3 minutes. Try to strike up a conversation with someone as they wait for the train. This can be done with a covertly offered tract or casual conversation. If a conversation ensues you can offer the common greetings and then directly swing to an evangelistic conversation (explained below). You could also simply use your time to give the person a challenging thought about life and death while leaving them with a tract as they get on the train. Do not hand out tracts in mass distribution indiscriminately. Be discreet. It would also be helpful to watch and listen for the trains. You'll be able to see the light and hear the train coming. This is your cue to wrap your conversation and give them a tract. It wouldn't hurt to keep a lookout for these also to let the preacher know if he has a good quiet time window to speak. Occasionally we'll also have a disgruntled street performer. They'll be upset we're stealing their attention. There a number of ways this can be handled; the preacher continues out of freedom of speech, the preacher stops and you're limited to conversations, negotiation with the performer to take breaks so that each group has a chance to speak/perform, or you can relocate (the Jackson stop has an undertunnel that connects it to the Blue Line. You can use the tunnel itself or cross over to the blue line side). Whatever your leader or group decides... bear in mind that the noise of the performer and the noise of the train will compete with your ability to have conversations AND preach, but sometimes the performers' crowd is really an easy target for witnessing. They can gather the crowd for you without even knowing it. Don't intentionally upset the performer, but don't pass up the opportunity either.

We're now going to share some principles on how we most commonly communicate the gospel. Student Outreach is not limited to these three forms. We invite input on how you can use any talents, ideas, or past experiences in communicating the gospel effectively using the principles we've shared above. We've had someone rap the gospel message, someone could do a drama/acting presentation of the gospel, the chemical cross, etc. We certainly welcome creativity, but if you bring the idea to us... you're in charge of the planning and operation of the idea. We are able to support new ideas financially (after discussion and leadership agreement) because Student Outreach is provided a significant budget from the school for tracts, supplies, and miscellaneous use.

1. Using Gospel Tracts

Charles Spurgeon who being a fervent Calvinist was also a fervent evangelist said, “When preaching and private tale are not available, you need to have a tract ready…get good striking tracts, or none at all…therefore, do not go out without your tracts.” Once a Young Adult Minister expressed his distaste for tracts by equating them to an experience he had in Las Vegas. He spoke of how people on the street would hand out fliers advertising various forms of immorality and prostitution. The ministry leaders he was serving with told him to never look at the ground due to the images on the fliers and handouts that people dropped. His point was that people commonly don't read things they are handed on the street much less seriously consider them. We've had Moody students express concern and even deny using tracts for one reason or another. There's nothing wrong with that. We're more concerned that you share the gospel not that you copy all the ways we do it. Please hear that clearly. We do want to encourage and challenge you with a few thoughts though. Doing this form of evangelism for as long as we have... the stories of God using tracts to impact lives are abounding. People come back to us and say that what they read really got them thinking. This leads to an often meaningful conversation.

Tracts are also helpful to function primarily as springboard to the goal of having a conversation. Many believers feel tracts are impersonal and some would even say they could be offensive to those whom we offer them for this reason. Not everyone on the streets is as concerned with building personal relationships (especially with strangers) as Christians usually are. The average unbeliever is probably not thinking about how personal or impersonal your attempts to evangelize them are. Please again bear in mind the context in which we minister and the time constraints often associated with it. It's possible that you may have a significant amount of time for conversation, but not always certain. You may find that the conversation doesn't easily end up going in a spiritual direction, the person blasts you with irrelevant questions, they dominate the conversation, they get a call on their cell phone, you're both interrupted by a third person walking up, they have to leave suddenly, or any other number of unforeseen circumstances. This is where a tract comes in handy. If you at least leave them with a tract you can walk away from that situation confident that in one form you have shared the gospel. It's important to maintain an eternal perspective. If when you arrive in heaven even one person you don't know walks up and shakes your hand thanking you for the tract you handed them on such and such night you've long forgotten... all your efforts will culminate in that moment to have been worth the time, money, effort, and prayer. Even Moodys' own President Mr. Nyquist was saved through the appropriation of what he read on a gospel tract.

Consider these 10 reasons for using tracts:

1. They're an economical form of evangelism
2. They work while we sleep
3. They have the ability to get into a house and stay there
4. They are never afraid or show cowardice
5. They are never tempted to compromise their message
6. They never get tired, discouraged or give up
7. They stick to what they have to say and never argue
8. They can present the message when we don’t have the time
9. They can go to places and travel distances we cannot
10.They get people in the mood – they only speak when they are read (from Transfired Ministries)

Some principles when choosing and using tracts: Try to read the tracts you're handing out before you use them. This can be difficult when we're in transit and you've just grabbed a handful of a couple different varieties of tracts, but do the best you can. It's an embarrassing experience to hand out a tract and have the person ask, “what does it say?” leaving you with little reply. You know it shares the gospel, but nothing more. Many of the tracts we use are designed in such a way that they catch your attention on the front and lead into the gospel on the back. A tract may begin with trivia, facts, jokes, etc. but if someone asks you what it is... resist the temptation to just say “it's trivia” and nothing more. Be honest enough to say it's a gospel tract. This will help you immediately transition into a spiritual conversation and maintain integrity. A few good websites to buy tracts are; www.livingwaters.com, www.customtractsource.com, and www.onemilliontracts.com. These sites are for your reference. We will provide you all the tracts you need by printing them ourselves or buying them with our budget. Tracts can be handed out anywhere that is public property and they can be covertly planted everywhere else. It never hurts to leave a tract on the shelf of a department store, a bus stop bench, the pockets of clothes in stores, or in unbiblical books at Borders bookstore. Tracts are especially helpful for those who are timid. Evangelism is frightening... especially for newcomers. Tracts can be a way for you to practice sharing your faith and the Lord has been known to throw a few conversations and curve balls your way to nudge you to the next step. A good way to get started is by using some of the tracts we sometimes buy that look like money. You may have seen them somewhere. These tracts have so many uses and draw so much attention that the possibilities are endless. You could begin by doing what may be called “Tract Fishing.” You place or drop one of these money tracts in a high traffic area or on a bus stop bench (folded and/or slightly ruffled and crumpled) and stand at a distance to watch someone take the bait. This can really be an invigorating experience.

If you're simply handing out tracts in mass, know that entryways and exits are good spots if you can stand there without being asked to move. Once someone was standing next to a kind of night club or party venue and began seeing people flood out the doors as an event or concert had just ended. He held one door open with his foot and unloaded nearly a hundred tracts to those leaving. It's natural for people to receive things when entering and exiting entertainment establishments. In a media and advertisement driven culture they almost expect things like this. Also know that people talking on cell phones will take almost anything out of preoccupation. When handing out tracts... don't ever ask, “would you like one of these?” If you were running an errand or rushing a few minutes late to meet someone for dinner and asked if you wanted a flier without knowing what it was, would you readily take it? Probably not. You'd say, “no thanks” without breaking your stride or asking anything further. It's better to ask, “Did you get one of these?” This question has the effect of people thinking they are entitled to receive something and feeling they may have been left out. If you're at a large event with massive crowds or at a doorway it would be even easier perhaps to just say, “Here ya go...” You could even hand out tracts to an outdoor line to enter a business or venue (don't get too close to the front where the employees can see). In this case you have a captive audience so why not take advantage of such an opportunity? If you're still skeptical about tracts and if discouragement ever grazes your mind as you labor in evangelistic tract ministry get on youtube or google and search for “I got off at George Street” to hear a story that will warm your heart and hopefully encourage your faith in gospel tracts as an effective means for sharing the gospel.

2. 1-2-1 Witnessing/Conversations

We encourage you to go in two's or at the very least to stay nearby the group as you make (not look for) opportunities to witness. This is for your own safety and to challenge you to work together in your own particular styles of evangelism. Ladies should certainly never be left alone. If someone stops for any reasonable amount of time once you've handed them a tract you have an opportunity to engage them in a conversation. Some have opted to begin with “my name is _____ and I'm here to talk about...” You can jump into telling them it's a gospel tract and go from there or you can say something like, “I'm out here talking with people about what they think happens after someone dies. What do you think?” Open ended questions like this allow people to talk about their favorite subject and the one they know the most about... themselves. This also allows you to assess the direction in which you may need to go. If the person says they were raised in a particular kind of religion or Christian denomination you may have a basis at which to understand how they view or will view Christianity and the Biblical truth you're about to present to them. It will also show you how their worldview used to or still does effect their outlook on life. Sometimes people may say a lot of things that make them appear to be a believer. While you shouldn't interrogate someone in systematic theology, it wouldn't hurt if you asked them kindly how they came to know Christ. Testimonies reveal a lot and further conversation can sometimes affirm or deny the testimony they told you. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.“ -Luke 6:45.

Below is a way to share with someone using the 10 Commandments. This model is merely a framework that uses the principles we've mentioned. It's basically a rough expanded outline of what Jesus did in Mark 10:17-22. If you're new to it knowing a basic framework to launch from will be helpful. As you grow in confidence and experience it would then be easier to branch out, adapt, and tailor the principles to your personality and style. You don't need to say every word or line that's written here and you don't need to use the same or as many of the commandments or verses that are used below. You only need agreement on one of the ten commandments because you can remind them of James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” God would be just in punishing even only one sin that happened once. It's simply important that you touch the areas of sin with the law, the logical concept of God's justice/judgment, heaven and hell (their possible destinations), the reason Jesus died on the cross, his miraculous resurrection, and the Bible's call of response to turn from sin and trust in Christ alone... not in their efforts/works...

While you may talk about many things beforehand, the idea is to somehow make your way to this question: Would you consider yourself to be a good person? They might say, “Yeah, I mean I haven’t killed anybody or robbed a bank.” Most people say they're pretty good or at least trying to be. Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” Well, may I ask a few questions to see if that’s true?

1. Have you ever told a lie?

Even a small lie, a half-truth, a fib? A white lie is still a lie; after all it’s called a white ___? It doesn't matter what color the lie is... blue, green, purple, red, orange, black, or white. What does that make you? You say, “Human…” If I told a lie what would you call me? (It's easier for many people to point the finger at others instead of looking inwardly) If you’ve murdered someone, you’re a murderer. If you’ve raped someone, you’re a rapist. If you’ve lied, you’re a “liar.” The Bible says, “All liars will have their place in the lake of fire.” (Rev. 21:8)

2. Have you ever stolen anything?

No? Are you sure… you just admitted you were a liar (this is a joke). If you didn't admit that, then you've told another lie. A pen? A notepad? A ball point pen? Candy? Anything regardless of the value or how old you were when you stole it? Be honest! Call it what it is! What does that make you? Not a Steeler, because that's a football team. You'd be a thief.

3. Have you ever taken God's name in vain or used it as a cuss word?

If so, what you’ve done is taken the name of the God who gave you life and brought it down to the level of a 4-letter filth word used to express disgust. It’s called blasphemy. It’s very serious. To take God's name in vain also means by definition, to remove the content or value from it. Have you used it loosely? Without the respect He deserves? The Bible says, “the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

4. Jesus said that if you look with lust... you've already committed adultery with that person in your heart. Have you ever looked at someone with lust?

All men are certainly guilty of that one and most will admit it. Science tells us women have better peripheral vision and they lust too... perhaps more secretly. God says that’s adultery of the heart. You don't have to sleep with someone to be guilty of the same thing when you look at them and think thoughts you shouldn't. He created the mind, therefore he knows our thought life!

You see your conscience accuses you. Con – means “with,” and Science – means “knowledge.” When we sin, we do it “with knowledge” that it’s wrong. If you said yes to all those things, then by your own admission… you’d be a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. If God judges you by those standards on the Day of Judgment, do you think you’ll be innocent or guilty? Would you go to heaven or hell? You say, “Heaven, because we have a forgiving God and a good God and I don’t think he’d send me to hell. God forgives everyone.”

You’ve now actually broken the 2^nd commandment. This is shaping a god that you're comfortable with, but who may not be the real God. Let’s go to our civil court for a moment … Let’s say you’re in a court of law and you’ve been convicted of multiple crimes. You say to the judge, “I know I’m guilty but because I think you’re a good man and I’m sorry… you’ll let me go.” He’d probably say, “You’re right, I am a good man and because of my goodness, I’m going to see that you’re punished.” If he did anything else, he wouldn’t be a good judge; he’d be a corrupt judge. Yes you should be sorry, but you’re still guilty. You can't say, “judge forgive me” because a fine still must be paid for the crime. You can't say “but judge I did a lot of good things. I washed your car on the way in, I cleaned the bathrooms in this office building, and I even offered to take the court reporters' son to a water park.” The judge would look at you, chuckle, and say those things are irrelevant to your crimes. You may say, “but God is different than a human judge.” This is true... a human judge can be corrupt at times. A human judge only has the evidence and testimony presented before him. God knows everything you've done behind closed doors and sees your thought life in its' entirety. Furthermore God is perfect in every respect (if he isn't he can't be God by nature) and while He is infinitely loving He must also be infinitely just. He would in fact be more thorough and even more unwavering than a human judge.

So by that standard when you stand before God on the Day of Judgment… would you be innocent or guilty? The bigger question... would you go to heaven or hell? If you still believe you'd go to heaven, why? Many people say God will be the one to decide and that's true, but what if He's already decided? “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-10) Does that concern you?

If no, let me ask this question… would you sell your eyes for a million dollars? 10 million? 50 million? Of course not, you’re eyes are precious to you. How much more then should your soul be precious to you? Jesus said you should despise the value of your eye compared to the value of your soul. (Mark 9:47)

Back to the court room… you’re guilty and you’ve been given a fine you could never pay in your entire lifetime. Then imagine someone you don’t even know walked in and paid your fine for you. You'd likely be grateful. Well, 2,000 years ago… God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross to pay for your sin and mine, raising Him from the dead on the third day. The Bible says, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) It’s as simple as this… we broke the law and Jesus paid our fine. If you repent (turn your back on sin) (Acts 26:20, 17:30) and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-10) like you would trust a parachute as you jumped from a plane.

Surveys and Testimonies

If you don't have any tracts you can begin with a conversation about the fickle Chicago weather. You can ask them about a good place to eat. Which is the best restaurant for Chicago style Pizza? You can look for common ground to begin... a T-shirt logo, a Chicago Cubs hat, you can try and find anything to engage the person about. If you're kind, friendly, and transparent enough people should be open to talk. At some point you can ask if they're from Chicago originally, if they've lived there long, etc. They may ask the same of you. This provides an opportunity to say you're here for college. They may ask which school or you can volunteer that information. You may need to explain what kind of school it is, but most often not. This will allow you to immediately follow with something like, “What about you, do you have any spiritual beliefs?” (you've already hinted that you're a Christian, now it's their turn) ...and you're off! You can also do a survey approach. This is where you use a clipboard (which we can provide) or any notepad (of any size) and a pen. You approach people and ask if they would help you with an assignment for school or you can ask if they want to take an intelligence test. You can prepare a few brain-teasers easily found on the internet or other questions ahead of time. Gather some basic biographical information as any survey would and then begin to weave spiritual questions into the survey... do you believe in a God? Do you have any spiritual background? Who is Jesus...to you? If you could say anything you wanted to the Christian Church, what would it be? What do you think will happen after someone dies? These questions then lend themselves easily to asking if they've kept the 10 Commandments. Ask how many of the commandments they can name and then ask if they've kept those..etc. It might be wise to avoid calling it a “survey” based on the impression many people have of surveys taking too much time or being more annoying than anything else. Make sure you write their answers down as you talk.

You can also share your testimony. This is a good approach if you're talking with a particularly angry or divisive person. It also works well with family members. This is a way for you make the gospel personal and clear without directing the talk of sin and the asking of the questions about the commandments of the person specifically. You still address the issues, but they are referring to you and not them. This way the issues are still covered, but in a softer way. This also allows you to more easily get it all out at once and merely respond to what they say next. Bear in mind however that testimonies are subjective. Anyone can have an experience. Mormons base their conversion on the “burning of the bosom” that is experienced when someone prays to ask god if the Book of Mormon is true. Their prayer might be answered and might confirm that the book is true, but God wasn't the one answering their prayer. You could be posed with the question of what makes your experience any better than the person you're speaking with. Be prepared for this while recognizing that it's the law that will convict them and the gospel that God uses not necessarily your story. Major on these things. As you share your testimony try to make it clear that it's not that life becomes blissfully perfect once someone is saved, but that you now have an Advocate to bear burdens with you as you struggle with sin. Include the necessary elements of a gospel message mentioned above into your personal details saying something like “I realized that when I'd lied, looked with lust, etc. I was sinning against God, not just other people.” This is true of all of us because we all had to recognize the severity of our sin (in general) before we could be saved. Perhaps for those mentioned earlier who sound like Christians after sharing their testimony would open the door for you to share yours and include the biblical gospel.

Ending a Conversation

Some have asked about the importance of “closing the deal.” Is it important to ask them to pray a sinner's prayer or move/ask them to make a decision? If it hasn't been made clear already... the answer is no. Contemporary Christianity often equates decisions for Christ with success in evangelism. If no decisions and “no one came to the Lord” then we get discouraged. Remember that Scripture says one sows and another reaps, but God alone who makes the seed grow. Begin with nothing more than the expectation that you will sow. If you reap it's because someone else has sown and God has made those seeds grow. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44). Again, you don't want to give someone a false assurance and you don't want to tell them they are saved. The Holy Spirit can do that better than you can and He is never wrong as we can be. Often evangelism takes someone through a few steps, has a person repeat a plastic pre-packaged prayer and then offers them tips on how to grow spiritually assuming (1) They really understood all that was said, (2) They really grasped the severity of their sin, (3) They really grasped the truckload of grace they've been offered in comparison to the magnitude of their sin, (4) They even agreed with all that was said, and (5) The conversation was enough for them to weigh all the issues at hand. Look for clarity on these things in your conversations, ask questions of clarification, and see if the person is truly contrite and serious about their offense toward God and subsequent gratefulness of His grace.

If you feel the urge to ask for a decision, consider for a moment what you've just done: You've shared a LOAD of truth about the eternal destiny of someone. You've likely opposed perceptions they've held for years. This is a lot to take in 20 minutes, an hour, or a night. They may want to consider what you've said and the law may need time to do its' work of conviction in the heart. This may happen best on their own time and in their own private closet with God. You could end with a simple, “I would ask you to please consider this. We aren't guaranteed our next breath and I want to see you in heaven one day.” If you do believe a time of prayer is appropriate and the person is ready it's best not to have them repeat your prayer. The words must be their own. You simply can't help them get saved. It's between them and God. It may be wise to say something like, “You pray first and then I'll pray for you.” This topic is very important because the worst thing that could happen is they wake up the next day feeling better about themselves religiously, but still not know the Lord. The feeling will wear off eventually and they'll chalk it up as another self-help that doesn't “work.” After ending you may want to ask for their information. As mentioned above... it may be best for women to not contact men or give them their information. Ladies could pass the info to a guy on the team or limit correspondence to email.

3. Open Air/Street Preaching

If anyone studies the ministry of George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, D.L. Moody, William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army), Paul Rader (who was influential in starting Awana Clubs), and a host of other bold believers of old they will find these men spent time among the common people in open air preaching. We read of Paul that “he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.” (Acts 17:17) These and many others before and after them went where the people gathered to preach the gospel. Many of these people in the “marketplaces” of our day would very likely not ever step through the doors of a church building. An open air preacher can reach them. We will by no means require you to do it though. Again we simply want you to faithfully share the biblical gospel. What is written below will hopefully help you in your consideration of street preaching. The leaders who do preach are more than willing to meet with you and provide any further suggestions, practice, and encouragement than is discussed in the training.

The Many Faces of Open Air Preaching

Street preaching can be done a number of ways; Once a man wore shoes with white shoelaces. Both shoes were tied. He then had an extra pair. He tied one lace to the middle of the other and ran it up his pant-leg outside the top of the back of his pants where he could grab it. He then stood on the street with his pant-leg covering the already tied shoelace of one shoe and the extra lace splayed out as if it looked untied. He would then loudly prepare the crowd saying something like, “in a few moments I'm going to demonstrate 'Self-tying Shoelaces!'” After a brief pause and perhaps a few people stop out of curiosity he would then quickly shake his leg while pulling most of the extra shoelace up into his pant-leg and tucking the excess it into his back pocket in a final stomp on the ground to reveal a tied white shoe lace. He would then say something like: “Now I wanna ask you all... do you really believe in self-tying shoelaces? Do you believe everything you see? What do you believe? Would you die for those beliefs? If you did, where would you go?” ...and the transition is made! Another man bought a real full sized casket, set it on a small table about 3 feet from the ground, and opened the head piece to reveal a black light inside. He then preached at night about the reality of death. Often he could hardly continue preaching after the first time because there were so many people stopping to talk. Similarly another preacher had a team member lay down on the ground and be covered with a white bed sheet with shoes hanging out as the preacher stood over him to speak.

We used to have two Moody students that would work together as a team and one would juggle as they had a public conversation with each other sharing the gospel. Each time a commandment was discussed another ball was added to the juggler. A different preacher would carry a thin, but large wooden cross as he preached. Other preachers begin by sounding out that they will soon be giving away money or free stuff and asking trivia questions. When a crowd gathers or in order to gather a crowd the preacher stands up with four one-dollar bills and a five-dollar grand finale... or a bunch of little stuffed animals or trinkets of sorts with a gift card as the final one. The preacher then says, “for one dollar... what is the capital of Georgia?” State capitals are easy because someone is bound to know them and yet not everyone will. You could also use other questions like, “What alcohol is made using bats? (A: Tequila)” These questions would then culminate in the grand finale item where you say, “OK, for five dollars... I need someone who thinks they are a good person.” You may need to point to someone and ask them to try if you don't get any immediate volunteers. If someone volunteers it will make the point even clearer when you take them through the commandments. You then ask their name for the sake of the crowd. You tell them if they answer a few questions and prove to be a good person they will get the prize. As you then publicly take them through the commandments just as you would in a personal conversation they begin to see they don't deserve the prize. As you close you then say, “Now _____, you don't deserve this ______, but the Bible says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). God offered us forgiveness through Christ even though we didn't deserve it and I'm going to give you this ______ even though you weren't a good person. Please think about what I said. God doesn't automatically let us into heaven. He offers us eternal life if we would turn from sin and put your faith in Christ alone.”

Paint board and Soap Box

Though all those things have been done and we certainly still can do them... Student Outreach has generally gravitated toward two basic forms of Open Air Preaching. The first is using the paintboard. This is where someone sets up a portable easel and a simple painting with partial pictures and letters. As they paint it's expected that people will get curious and stop. At the time the preacher is ready he will then begin with a thought provoking springboard/introduction. As he preaches he will paint further to reveal more of the letters and pictures. This method was popularized by Open Air Campaigners www.oacusa.org. You can find their videos and see this in action on www.youtube.com. Another ministry called The Ezekiel Project also uses this method. Their founder was formally a student at Moody and actually is the one who started Student Outreach. You may get to know them well because they visit the campus once or twice a semester and have a heart for training students to share the gospel. Each summer shortly after finals week they hold a training seminar on campus. Moody will grant 3 hours of Evangelism elective credit if students attend this seminar. There is a significant cost for supplies. You can find out more about it by contacting them at www.tepse.org or speaking with them while on campus.

The other form of Open Air Preaching we do is soap box style. This is where someone stands up on a step-stool or other form of elevation (while not always) and simply preaches to those passing by or to those stopped before crossing the street. Why a step-stool? Why elevation? Some have said this allows the preacher to have a kind of psychological authority. When people pass by it commands a presence of sorts that grabs their attention: “That person is taller than me... what do they have to say?” Many of the early street preachers insisted on elevation. Whitefield used a metal cage-like structure with a latched door that went up to his waist. There are photos of it online. It's often mentioned that Jesus preached His greatest sermon “on the mount.” Others have debated that it's better to be “on the same level” as the people you're trying to reach, because otherwise you will only appear to have a superiority complex. Once an older man was preaching on the sidewalk standing on a stool and another zealous Christian accused the preacher of pride because of his step-stool. The Christian was asked, “how do you know that man's heart?” and his zeal was quickly humbled. On another occasion a group was speaking to the preacher after he'd finished. One woman in the group asked if she could stand on the stool to make her thoughts known. People do recognize authority and may want to show their own pride by standing on the stool and proclaiming their blasphemy and rebellion with this perceived authority. Regardless of the issues involved and how dogmatic some may view this... it's most likely done out of simple tradition. Our clever methods at causing people to listen do not ultimately matter.

With soap box style also comes the question of drawing a crowd. It's assumed that if there is no painting or other means of relating to people that they won't listen. In the days of Whitefield and others it was common to attend an “open air meeting” on Sunday afternoons. Many of these preachers were kicked out of the established church because of the hard truth they preached so they took their message to the common folk. They also did more than simply preach. These were called “meetings” because they were literally makeshift church services with hymns and all. Our culture is becoming more and more Postmodern and simply isn't attracted to Christian anything. This is especially true in Chicago. This makes such meetings difficult to duplicate... and we certainly couldn't expect the thousands of listeners the old preachers had. It's important to rest upon the truth that God's Word won't return void (Isaiah 55:11). If our desire is to spread the gospel and plant the seeds then we can trust the Lord to be faithful in making them grow. Before they're saved we're called to do nothing more than preach faithfully.

We are unaware of the man who's grandmother has been praying for him and who tried to speak to him about his eternity just a few hours before he walked by and heard one of us preaching as we shared the very same verse his grandmother shared with him. God is aware of these and others who will hear exactly what they need to hear at exactly the time they need to hear it. On a practical level this can be handled by simply being wise about repeating aspects of the message and/or wrapping up over and over again so your listeners hear it. As people pass by resist the urge to follow groups or individuals with your eyes and mouth. It can be unnecessarily intimidating. You're trying to preach to people in general not preach at certain people. It's also expected that the other team members form a kind of crowd on their own or acts as though they are listening. A crowd draws a crowd. When the preacher is finished or if someone stops for a while and begins to leave... a team member can turn to them and ask what they think of the preaching or offer a tract. This begins a conversation. We do ask you to remain active in witnessing or forming a crowd. Sometimes PCM-ers will huddle up into a group talking or sit on the side talking instead of sharing their faith. The time for fellowship and group Bible study is not on the streets. Nor can you sign in to your PCM honestly having said you did ministry or PCM makeup if you merely were an observer. We are here to learn, grow, and prepare for ministry, but we must not forget our constant task of making Christ known. This stretches beyond Student Outreach and if that is true... it should certainly be happening within this ministry. Kirk Cameron once spoke to the students of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as he made the point that Christians have become “theologically obese” with knowledge and yet we rarely ever use it to further the gospel. Consider his audience and look in the mirror. Charles Spurgeon once made a similar point when he said, “Don't let your fire go out while you're picking up sticks.”

The Content of an Open Air Message

Because fear grips all of us there are a couple ways you can transition into preaching; You can open up for another preacher by sharing a Bible verse out loud, doing an introduction, or you can divide up so that one person does the law/sin and the other comes up to preach the gospel. When beginning an open air message it's best to have some kind of springboard or introduction. For this you can use a brief story, quote, tell a joke or two to prepare people, statistic, share a historical fact, create a hypothetical situation that ties into what you're going to say or any number of things. Pay attention to holidays, special events, and your surroundings. If you hear the siren of an ambulance it provides an opportunity to remind people that one day the ambulance may come for them. If you see two cars get into a wreck it's a good time to remind the people passing by that death may be as sudden as a car accident. Holidays like St. Patrick's Day or Ash Wednesday can allow you to research the origin of the holiday and say a few words about it that you can transition into talk of eternity. Also keep an ear open for current events that would be useful in an open air sermon. The easiest default springboard is to begin with “Good evening. I want to share with you a startling a statistic... 10 out of 10 people die.” While you don't need to stick to speaking about death this just happens to be the easiest connection point. You could start with answering a common question or objection to the faith to show them you're open to doing so.

You could zero in on one of the commandments like theft and form a story about a man who works in an office building who slowly and secretly directs company funds into a masked offshore account in his name. For all you know this could be happening in the life of someone walking by and it will provide a real life picture that shows theft as more than masked bank robbers with Tommy guns. Some have also simply began with a Bible verse by saying, “the Bible says, 'every knee will bow and every tongue confess...'” etc. Others have opened up Scripture and briefly preached a specific passage that could be preached evangelistically. You certainly wouldn't be detailed in doing this and it's also good to paraphrase or summarize some things due to your time. John 3 would be a good example of a passage to use. Illustrations come in a similar way. Live your everyday life like a preacher. Listen for things people say, strange circumstances, seeming coincidences, passages you may study in class or read in your devotional time, analogies professors use in class, anecdotes, etc. Train yourself to look for things in daily life to address a misconception about the world's thinking and mindset that will help you better communicate the gospel. As far as how you actually communicate the law and the gospel you can begin by simply doing the same thing you would in a conversation only in monologue format while asking the questions rhetorically and answering them yourself when applicable. You can close with a short summary and a simple verse of Scripture (perhaps one that exalts God) or a challenging thought.

Vocal Delivery

This is the most challenging part of open air preaching and it takes some practice. It would helpful and would save your voice if you had a self-powered portable amplification system and microphone, but those require permits in many public places. If you were able to go this route a wireless headset microphone works best. These systems aren't cheap: ranging from $200-500+. There is a difference between screaming and speaking loudly. Screaming and yelling usually carry emotions of anger, while speaking loudly is temperate and controlled. People like to accuse street preachers of preaching out of anger because (1) They're convicted by what is being said, (2) They're not used to someone expressing themselves in that way, or (3) They've only experienced the preachers who do preach out of apparent anger and arrogance. The second and third are why Christians criticize street preaching. They've simply never seen it done right so they condemn all of it. More often than not they won't even consider street preaching as a legitimate means of advancing the gospel. Perhaps you are or have been someone in this category. If so... consider this your opportunity to do it right. As you preach try to picture yourself speaking from your stomach. There will be a kind of pushing feeling in your lungs as you prepare to project your voice. Other than that it will simply come with practice. One who preaches regularly could maintain a high volume to preach for up to 12 minutes without much wavering in tone or their voice cracking. Otherwise you won't get too far beyond roughly 5 minutes. Drinking plenty of water will help your throat some.

Dealing with Hecklers

Ray Comfort said, “Jesus gave us some of the greatest gems of Scripture because someone either made a statement or asked a question in an open-air setting. A good heckler can increase a crowd of 20 people to 200 in a matter of minutes. The air becomes electric. Suddenly, you have 200 people listening intently to how you will answer a heckler. All you have to do is remember the attributes of 2 Timothy 2:23–26: be patient, gentle, humble, etc.”

Hecklers are simply a blessing in disguise. America loves conflict and its' interest in talk shows makes this plain. Occasionally someone will engage you while you're preaching. They'll express a disagreement, use profanity, or ask a difficult question. Don't fear them... they are biblically “blind” and they usually have a primary motive of wanting to justify sin or take you down a rabbit trail so you'll stop preaching the gospel. They will sometimes not only ask one question but throw a number of them at you all at once. It doesn't hurt to answer reasonable questions briefly, but beware because it's easy to get caught up in debates about Evolution, Carbon Dating, and who knows what else. The same is true for 1-2-1 Witnessing. Perhaps you may need to limit yourself to answering only one of their questions before returning to a direct address of their own personal standing with God. You can also say, “We can talk about that later. Let's get to the real issue here....” A lot of times they forget what they asked because their motive for asking was merely to overwhelm you. Sometimes these people haven't heard the message you've been preaching and they merely walk by to hear “Jesus” and attack. It never hurts to point the questions back at them in light of their eternity. Don't waste time arguing. Listen for their logic. More often than not they'll do things like quote the Bible while making a point that denies what Scripture says elsewhere. A common form of heckler is one that yells something out loud as they're walking away. At that time it may be appropriate to quote Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” When Christians are being bold in speaking the truth people will yell out an obscenity or objection and continue walking away... though no one is pursuing them. You can take this as an opportunity to publicly show that the Bible is accurate in its' predictions and perhaps motivate your heckler to return for a mature conversation.

Women in the Open Air

The question has been asked about whether women can preach. 1 Timothy 2:12 is the passage in question. Most Hermeneutics classes ask you to write a paper and interact with the debate surrounding this passage. Moody traditionally takes this passage to limit the role of Pastor/Elder/Teacher to men. This is a Christian context. The Great Commission however has been given to men and women. The gospel is not restricted. Any and all believers are commanded to proclaim it. This includes women. Our Faculty Adviser has counseled us to let the women in our group limit their preaching to testimonies due to Moodys' conservative stance, but we are still in dialogue about this.

A Christian student group at a secular college was once planning an Easter Egg Hunt for the community around campus. The leader sent out an email to the rest of the leadership saying the primary purpose of the event was, “To continue hosting a fun-filled Easter Egg Hunt for the children and their families of _______ Community College. At the same, this is a great opportunity to promote ourselves while soliciting new members.” A student in the group wanted to reach the kids with the gospel so he prepared a possible presentation. Later the group accidentally raffled off the poorly designed story book that would have be used and were forced to go with the student's presentation. The Lord will stand by those who have an urgency for the lost and His Word will go forth. May we go together, not promoting ourselves, but promoting Him!