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Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 282-5629 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday January 10, 17, 24 6 – 9 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.
Sat. January 11 and 18 11 AM – 4 PM Fisherman’s Wharf outreach, Jefferson St. near Powell San Francisco.
Sat. January 25 12:30 – 4:30 PM Berkeley outreach. (call for location)
Three Appeals
Dear Christian friends,
There are three appeals that we use in evangelism. There is the appeal to personal experience, to the conscience, and to the intellect. Each of them is important and often necessary in a Christian witness. Every person who is saved has a testimony of how God saved him and what He has done in his life since that time. Like a witness in court, we tell people what we have seen and heard.
Also, when we witness, we trust that God is working in the lives of the people we are talking with. Perhaps God is convicting them of some sin they need to give up. Or they may have prayed that God would meet a financial need or heal them of some disease. Often, people will come to Christ after their prayers are answered.
We can ask someone if there is a need in his life we can pray with him for. In the New Testament, people often came to Christ because of miraculous healings or words of knowledge. In John 4, Jesus told a Samaritan woman that she had five husbands. She told others in the city “Come see a man who told me all things that I did.” As a result, many believed in Him. In Acts 3, Peter and John healed a man who was begging at the temple gate. They preached to the crowd that gathered, amazed by the miracle. As a result, 5000 men plus women and children were saved.
While personal experience is important in evangelism, it is only one kind of appeal we can make. Some people will respond to your testimony: “That’s good for you. But I am doing fine without Jesus.” Others will say that they have found peace and joy, prosperity, and possibly even healing, through Buddha or the New Age. The Antichrist will come with “signs and lying wonders” 2 Thess. 2:9.
The second kind of appeal we can make is the appeal to a person’s conscience. “I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’” Romans 7:7. “In order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful” Romans 7:13. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God…through the law we become conscious of sin” Romans 3:19-20.
Many of you are familiar with Ray Comfort’s teachings on this subject. By going through the law, especially the Ten Commandments, we can show people the seriousness of their sin, so they can appreciate their need for a savior. Unfortunately, there are also some people “whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” 1 Tim. 4:2. Some people are convinced that the Bible is a fairy tale that only ignorant people believe in. They are convinced that science has proved that God does not exist. Many young people are raised in Christian homes, but when they go to college they are convinced by their professors and fellow students that Christianity is a myth.
The third appeal is to the intellect. We are told to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Pet. 3:15. I often tell people that the Bible is the only book that predicts the future with perfect accuracy. If I could predict the future, I would win the lottery every week and become incredibly rich. I could make a fortune in the stock market. Nobody can do this.
I then will give a few examples of Old Testament prophesies that were fulfilled by Christ. He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He would heal the blind, deaf and lame (Isa. 35:5). He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9). He would be betrayed by a close friend for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12). His hands and feet would be pierced (Psa. 22:16). Then I mention Daniel 9:23-27 in which the exact day Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey is predicted 500 years in advance!
I also use last days prophesies, such as the re-gathering of the Jewish people into their land (Eze. 34:13), that all the nations of the earth would be gathered against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:3), and that knowledge and travel would greatly increase in the end times (Dan. 12:4).
Many people rely on their belief in evolution and the “Big Bang” theory. A few years ago, I did an internet search on the “Big Bang Theory.” The first site I found was NASA’s web site. NASA is the government agency that sent the Hubble Telescope into space, which was used to study this theory. (Edwin Hubble came up with the theory.) This site says, “Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved, consequently, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questions.” The second site was the University of Michigan website. Their explanation reads, in part, “What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation.” In other words, scientists have no idea how the universe got here. They believe in the “Big Bang Theory” but haven’t proved it and probably never will, and have no idea what happened before the “Big Bang.”While there is strong evidence that the Bible is true, scientists can only speculate as to how the universe began.
On the Streets
We had four campus preachers stay with us from October 15-18. They ministered at the University of California, Berkeley, and at San Francisco State University. Several of us joined them. Unlike many campus preachers, they minister with a gentle and loving spirit. I also joined the Northern California Seedsowers in giving out Ray Comfort’s Evolution vs God DVD’s on the UC Berkeley campus on October 15.
On Fri. October 18, we witnessed at 16th St. and Valencia. Eric Martinez, who usually plays music with us, was unable to join us because of the BART strike. This is a difficult location, with a lot of hostility to the gospel, so we like playing worship music here. We did have some police approach us, but they were nice and only asked us to turn down our sound. People were more receptive to the gospel than usual, and we had many good conversations. Allan and Mike witnessed to John, who claimed to be a Christian but believes all religions are the same. Allan and Eddie witnessed to Adam, a militant atheist. Despite this, he listened as they shared the gospel with him. Mike witnessed to Naomi and Jason, who are from Europe and were quite open to the gospel.
The next day, we held our last park outreach of the year at UN Plaza. The band “Sonhouse” and Tim Moon played music. Dave Angeles, who is the leader of “Sonhouse,” has been ministering with us for 30 years. He formerly played with a band called Gideon’s Army.
Eddie witnessed to an atheist named Alan. I witnessed to Jodie. I gave her a New Testament and information about a local church. She said she wanted to start reading the Bible and learning more about Jesus. A few days later, Eddie got a phone call from Roger, who had received one of our tracts. Eddie shared the gospel with him and Roger prayed to receive Christ.
On Fri. Oct. 25, we witnessed at 16th St. and Mission. There were not nearly as many people in this area as usual. The explanation – four police officers were stationed here all night! The good part is that they did not try to stop our preaching and we felt quite safe. Dave witnessed to Alex, who attends church but didn’t know if he was saved. He also witnessed to Taylor, 21, who is Catholic and interested in the gospel, and Jonathan, a college student whose girlfriend is a Christian. I ministered to Francisco, a Christian who needed information about local churches.
The next day, we witnessed in downtown Berkeley. Paul and Noreen Coca played music. Quite often, people stopped to listen. Dave witnessed to Omar, a Catholic from Lebanon, and Samir, a UC Berkeley student from India whose parents are Buddhist but has been “questioning everything lately.” He also witnessed to Jolinda who is from Haiti and attends the Mormon church but was open to the gospel. She said “I want a relationship with God, not a religion.”
Ministry Needs
Thank you for your prayers and financial support for the ministry. We still have openings in our evangelism house in Oakland for Christians with a serious interest in evangelism. We are particularly looking for Christians in their 20’s or 30’s. We need to reach the younger generation for Jesus.
Please pray for those we have witnessed to recently, especially those mentioned in this newsletter. Also, please pray that we would once again be able to get permits on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley.
As we move into the rainy season, our outreach location depends on the weather. The weather is often uncertain, so it is best to call us a few hours before the outreach – 3 PM for Friday night outreaches and 9 AM for Saturday afternoon outreaches.
I hope all of you will make reaching the lost a priority for the coming year.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum