Redeeming the Time
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5: 15-17). Many Christians drift through life with no clear understanding of God’s will. Sometimes we think of God’s will as a mysterious thing, but the greatest part of God’s plan for our lives is clearly revealed in scripture. First, God desires that we will know Him. Second, He wants us to make Him known to others.
How much time should we give to evangelism? The average Jehovah’s Witness spends four hours a week spreading their false message. They work, spend time with their families, and are involved in “church” activities, but still find time to “witness.” Should we do less than they with the true gospel? They are also persistent–it takes them about 16 years to make a single convert!
We find time for the things that are important to us. But are our priorities the same as God’s? For most Christians, evangelism is at the bottom of their list of priorities. As we enter into 1992, let us reevaluate our priorities, making time for the things that really matter. Let us redeem the time (make the most of every opportunity), find out what God wants us to do, and give ourselves to His work.
If you are not presently involved in some kind of evangelism, consider joining us once a week, either on Friday night or Saturday afternoon. If you are timid about witnessing, come out with us and pray for the other workers. One easy way to start witnessing is by giving out gospel tracts. If you make yourself available, God will use you, giving you boldness and an anointing to witness for Him. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus is coming soon, and we need to make an extra effort to bring in an abundant harvest before He returns.
Chinese New Year Parade Outreach
Saturday February 15
The largest annual event in San Francisco is the Chinese New Year Parade, which draws up to 400,000 people! This is also the second most popular outreach we do, next to SOS-San Francisco. We will be meeting for a worship rally at Powell St. BART station with the New Life worship group at 3 PM, and will witness at the parade from 5:30-11 PM.
SOS-San Francisco
June 26-July 4, 1992
We want to give you the dates of next summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach now so you can arrange your vacation schedule. This year we will be working with the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship. They will be holding their 40th annual international convention in San Francisco during this time. About 3000 Christians from over 50 nations will attend the convention and we expect many to participate in this outreach. We will be inviting some top executives of U.S. corporations to give their testimonies in the Financial District and planning outreaches to reach the business community. Please pray for us as we plan this outreach, that it will be a powerful witness to every part of the city.
SOS Retreat
From November 15-17, about 35 brethren who had participated in past SOS outreaches joined us for our first-ever SOS Retreat in Mendocino. The New Life worship group led us in worship and we spent much of the weekend praying for one another and for the ministry. We all shared about how SOS-San Francisco had impacted our lives and several gave helpful suggestions about how the outreach could be improved.
One thing that came out of the retreat was the need for more prayer. Some of the participants agreed to participate in a monthly prayer meeting to pray for San Francisco and SOS Ministries. This meeting will be held normally the first Saturday of each month at 7 PM at our house on Dakota St. (see Outreach Schedule on back for address and directions)–Jan. 4 and Feb. 1. We welcome you to join us for this important time of prayer.
Letters and Testimonies
“We just wanted to drop you a line and say that we really enjoyed the retreat. The accommodations were great and so was the food. But better yet was the fellowship and spiritual renewal. The meetings had a sense of God’s presence. What a privilege to have the worship group there all weekend. In our times of praying for each other we felt God’s touch. Keep up the good work and we hope we can continue to minister together in the days to come.”
“Please pray for our street witnessing ministry in Tuolumne County. Satan has really been working hard to get us to disband. An elderly gentleman that had gotten saved downtown was found dead with his throat slashed last week. But with God behind us I know we’ll continue. Thanks for the newsletter.”
“Always am looking forward to the SOS Newsletter and I read it from cover to cover. It is true that many or most do not come to church, so it is most important to go out into the streets….For ten years I enjoyed ministering (on the street and in convalescent homes) tremendously, but beginning in December 1990 the Lord began to take these ministries away one by one, so as to prepare me for a prayer ministry. Being 73 years old and living alone I have the wonderful opportunity to pray up to 6 hours a day….Yes I will pray for you and the men in the house with you and the other requests you send me, and I will do this by keeping your newsletter.
“Your situation in the house reminds me of when one is first married. Oh what a wonderful man or woman you are living with, until you discover they have as many faults as I have but all different…Not very long ago, it seems like my life savings have disappeared, and it was the interest on that money that I could share with ministries that proclaimed Jesus as Lord. But I praise the Lord for Who He is, thanking Him for meeting all my needs.”
We’ve also heard some exciting testimonies in the past month. One brother at the retreat shared how he was witnessing to an alcoholic named Charles at Market and Powell during a worship rally. A clean-cut man named Billie Joe joined the conversation and Charles recognized him as a former drinking partner. Billie Joe shared how he had been saved after listening to the gospel preached at Market and Powell two years ago and God had set him free from alcohol. Last Friday night, we witnessed to a group of punk rockers, several of whom were quite receptive to the gospel. Eventually we had to leave but two Christians continued to witness to them. The next day, I was told that two of them had prayed for salvation. At our worship rally on Saturday, a man who said he was about to murder someone because of a bad drug deal walked by our worship group and was touched by the anointed music. Some Christians witnessed to him and he reportedly prayed to receive Jesus.
A Final Word
Most of you have heard about or seen the recent expose of three TV evangelists. My first reaction on seeing the show was to be grieved that it would give occasion for unbelievers to mock the gospel and think that all ministers are only in it for the money. Also, that it will lead to increased persecution of Christians and increased government regulation of Christian ministries. My next reaction was that sin in God’s camp must be exposed. If the church will not judge itself, God will use the heathen.
When the Bakker and Swaggart scandals began several years ago, I had hoped that Christians would wake up and use more discernment about where they gave their money. I suggested that believers check out the ministries they give to, find out where the money is going, and stop supporting those ministers who are getting rich off the gospel. But it seems that some “ministers” are still robbing widows to buy million dollar homes. Meanwhile, many small ministries that don’t use slick methods to manipulate people to give are suffering. After those scandals, most street ministries experienced a large decline in their income and several ministers found it necessary to leave full-time ministry and get jobs. Our ministry income dropped from $3500 monthly to $2500 monthly, which is its present level. (A statement on income and expenses is available on request.)
I am thankful for those who are faithful to support us and for God’s provision in meeting all our needs. I rarely even mention our financial needs in this newsletter, not wanting to pressure people to give. Still, it is sad to see God’s money be wasted when so much good could be accomplished. I can envision our house filled with workers who instead of working all day could be out on the streets, witnessing to people and discipling new believers. They could concentrate on a specific neighborhood such as the Haight-Ashbury, build relationships with the people there, start a Bible study in that community, etc. There is so much work to be done, and so few workers. For about $700 per month we could support a full-time evangelism worker. There are many Bible college graduates and others who would welcome such an opportunity to work full-time for the Lord. We really need at least two workers so we could send them out together. By supporting an evangelist who would be freed up to witness, you will share in their heavenly reward. Pray about it–perhaps you, your church, or someone you know would want to make a monthly commitment to make this dream a reality.
Meanwhile, we have several openings in our house for dedicated Christians who want to help us in evangelism. For the present, you will need to support yourself by working. We need mature Christians who are called by God to this ministry. The spiritual warfare is often intense, and we need to rely on God’s strength to sustain us. Also, we need a washer and gas dryer in good condition for our house. And our gas oven is broken and needs to be repaired or replaced.
Our Tape of the Month is a teaching I did on Fundamentals of Evangelism. In this tape, I share about how to get started in witnessing–on the streets and in everyday life. Pray that God will give you such a burden for the lost that you can say with Paul, “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16).
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
