S O S – The International Distress Signal
It is said that the Roman emperor Nero played his fiddle while Rome was burning. His behavior was understandable: he had started the fire himself, cared nothing about the people who would die in it, and intended to use the fire as an excuse to murder Christians. What is harder to comprehend is the behavior of today’s Christians, who are so different from those who gave their lives as witnesses for Jesus Christ in Nero’s day. We calmly “play our fiddles” while the people around us are heading straight for the fires of eternal Hell. Why is this? I am convinced that Satan has used our material wealth and freedom from persecution to lull us to sleep, giving us an abundance of convenient excuses for not witnessing.
If I lived in an apartment building and awoke one night to find the building on fire, would I merely run out of the building or would I bang on people’s doors, waking them and warning them to get out immediately? Would I be content to save only myself, or would I try to save others? Certainly, people might be upset with me if I banged on their doors in the middle of the night. But those I could persuade to leave the building would thank me later.
How can we — who believe in Heaven and Hell and know that ending up in eternal Hell is a far worse fate than dying in a burning building — fail to warn the wicked? What happened to our sense of urgency that would cause us to say with Paul, “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” 1 Corin. 9:16? In Luke 21, after speaking of the end times, Jesus warned us, “Watch out! Don’t let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don’t let me find you living in careless ease, eating and drinking in excess, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world.”
Many Christians at one time had a zeal for God and a burden for souls. But today they are caught up in worldly activities and have lost that zeal. I believe that God wants to use this summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach to restore this fervor in many of His people. Jesus is coming soon! Let’s get our hearts right with God and get busy doing the work He has commanded us to do: investing our lives winning souls for His Kingdom.
Outreach Details
We are happy to have Chuck Girard with us again this year as our special guest for SOS. Chuck has been writing and singing Christian music for over twenty years. Today he travels around the world, ministering in the areas of worship, spiritual warfare, and evangelism. Chuck will be ministering at outdoor outreaches as well as at the church.
Once again, Vineyard Christian Fellowship has opened up their church to us. The outreach begins on Friday June 17 at 6 PM at Vineyard, 1098 Harrison St. at 7th St, San Francisco. Meetings are scheduled daily except Sunday at 9 AM and 6 PM (7 PM on Friday and Saturday) from June 18-25. On Saturday June 18 we will have a rally at Dolores Park, 18th St. and Dolores, from 1-5 PM. The outreach will conclude on Saturday June 25 as we join thousands of Christians for the March for Jesus. This march is scheduled to be held that day in hundreds of cities and in almost every nation on earth.
We have enclosed a registration form with this newsletter. If you register by May 15, you will also receive a free SOS T-shirt. Free housing is available at the Vineyard Church. Bring a sleeping bag and foam pad. If you prefer, we can send you hotel information. We will be serving breakfast and lunch starting Monday June 20. (No meals the first weekend. However, there are inexpensive restaurants nearby to get dinner.) If you live in the Bay Area and must work, you may join us at night and on weekends. Please call or write us if you have any questions.
We need your help!
We are printing 4000 posters and 20,000 bulletin inserts to let people know about SOS-San Francisco. Please help us get this literature to churches, Christian bookstores, and Bible schools in your area. Also, you can give them out at Christian concerts and other events. A response sheet has been enclosed to order literature. Also, talk with your pastor and Christian friends and encourage them to get involved. Set aside the week of June 17-25 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.
DON’T DELAY. SEND IN YOUR SOS REGISTRATION FORM TODAY!!
On the Streets
On Friday night February 11, as we were witnessing on Haight St., Sarah walked up to us and asked if we were Christians. She is only 12 years old and was alone. She told us that she knew the Lord and that God had even used her to pray for healing and to cast out demons. Sarah said her mother is a “bag lady” living somewhere on the streets. She lives with her father in a homeless shelter in San Francisco. She asked us to pray for her father, who had backslidden recently and was into “Shamanism” (witchcraft). Despite these obstacles, she is still able to go to church with some friends and continues to read her Bible and follow the Lord. Please pray for Sarah that she will stay strong spiritually and that her Dad would rededicate his life to Christ.
The next Friday, we witnessed on Castro Street. This area is the center of the militant homosexual community, and we often face hostility. That night, we had no real opposition. We sang worship songs, gave out tracts, and had several good conversations. I spoke for a long time with Justin, whom I had not seen for 12 years. He received Christ in 1978, attended Gospel Outreach church for several years, and spent a year at Lighthouse Ranch, a discipleship ranch near Eureka. Today, he is heavily involved in homosexuality and drinking. He knows the way he is living is wrong, but feels unable to change. Please pray for Justin.
We have witnessed at the Chinese New Year Parade for 12 years. Almost every year it rains. This year, the rain stopped as the New Life worship group began to minister. Teams joined us from Victory Outreach in Pittsburg and West Heights Christian Church in Los Gatos. After the worship rally, we witnessed at the parade. We preached and gave out several thousand tracts, including 2000 tracts that West Heights had printed especially for the parade. The police estimated the crowd at 350,000. The parade includes numerous dragons, serpents and demons. For the first time, a homosexual group marched in the parade.
Please pray also for those who have responded to tracts this past month: Allan (age 16), Tami, and Michael (all from San Francisco), Mike (San Quentin prison), and Jesus (San Bruno jail). Jesus wrote us this letter: “I want to know more about Jesus Christ. I have 3 kids….I need someone to pray for me and my family. I want to really change my life around. I need God in my life….I really liked the [tract]. [We] need more loving people like Christians to help the lost people in jail like me.”
Ministry Needs
Several times a month we have been holding a worship rally at the Powell St. BART station. This is our best outreach location, with thousands of people passing through this area — rich, poor, middle class, tourists and locals, people from every nationality and ethnic group. This week, as I called about our May permits, I was told that we may not be able to get any more permits here. In an attempt to raise money, the city wants to lease this area to an espresso vendor, who wouldn’t want us to be there. Please pray that we would continue to get these permits, as this location is vital to our outreaches. If the permits are denied, we may be able to go to court, but this is a difficult and time-consuming process, and we would need a good lawyer who would not charge us.
We have prepared a video of last summer’s SOS-San Francisco outreach. The video contains our professionally-edited 11 minute video plus 30 minute and 9 minute videos containing highlights from last summer. A good way to encourage people to come to SOS this summer is to show this video in your church or Bible study group.
Our Tape of the Month is “The First Amendment and the Gospel” by Jay Sekulow. Jay is General Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and has won several cases involving religious freedom before the U.S. Supreme Court. Also, many of you have never read my book You Shall Be My Witnesses: How to Reach Your City for Christ. This 140 page book tells the story of SOS Minis tries and contains teachings to help you reach your community for Jesus. If you’ve already read the book, you may want to get one for a friend.
Remember to pray for us that God will direct us in our preparations for SOS and provide our needs. Our expenses are greatest in the spring, as we prepare for SOS-San Francisco. I hope to see you at one of our upcoming outreaches and, especially, at SOS-San Francisco.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
