Economic Freedom
Dear Christian friends,
This past week I asked two pastors why it is so hard to get Christians involved in evangelism. Both pastored churches which were very much involved in street ministry 15 years ago. Today, few of their members are involved in evangelism of any kind. They gave several reasons for this. One main reason was economics. Over the past 15 years, there has been a great increase in the number of church families in which both parents work and in which the husband works overtime in order to pay their bills. Many families are heavily in debt and are trying desperately to catch up. They barely have time to attend Sunday morning service and possibly a home fellowship. Many say there is no time for anything else.
While the stock market is (as I write) at a record high and the politicians boast about our wonderful economy, this economic success has come at a price. When I was growing up, most families lived on a single paycheck. We thought that in the future, as automation took over the workplace, we would have more leisure time. Because of technology, the average work week had decreased from 80 to 60 to 40 hours. We expected it to continue to decrease to 30 or even 20 hours. For a number of reasons, this did not happen. Today, most families need two paychecks to maintain their standard of living.
As Christians, how do we relate this new “economic reality” to our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission? For some Christians, their increased prosperity had led to increased support for world missions. But giving is only one part of our responsibility as Christians. We are also personally responsible to bring the gospel to others.
Some Christians find that they have many opportunities to witness in their daily lives–at work, to their neighbors and friends, while riding the bus, etc. However, most Christians rarely witness in their everyday lives. They need to set aside time to witness–on the streets, door-to-door, at prisons and nursing homes, etc. But where do we find the time?
One thing we need to consider is simplifying our lives. The Bible says that “Godliness with contentment is great gain….And having food and clothing let us be content” (1 Tim. 6:6,8). Our actual needs are few. We need food, clothing, and shelter. But advertisers spend billions of dollars trying to convince us we need a brand new car, a new computer, the latest fashions in clothing, and so on. Many Christians work overtime or go into debt to purchase these things. We don’t want to deprive us or our children of anything material. Our children need us to spend time with them, teaching them God’s ways, much more than they need us to spend lots of money on them.
Our time is our most valuable asset. God will hold us accountable for how we use our time. Should we spend extra hours at work trying to support a lifestyle we don’t need and God does not want us to have? Then, when we come home from work, we are too tired and stressed out to spend time with the Lord, our family, our church, or reaching the lost. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” Eph. 5:15-17.
One pastor gave another reason why few Christians witness: we have left our first love. We need to fall in love with Jesus again. If we love Him, we will want to tell others about Him. The sacrifices we must make to do this will seem small.
Ministry News
On Saturday March 14, we held an outreach at the Powell St. BART station. The weather was warm and sunny — a refreshing change from all the rain we have had. Celebration International Church ministered with us for the first time. Their church meets in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco and most of their congregation is from Fiji and Tonga. Pastor Sateki Finau has a real heart for evangelism and they preached, sang and gave testimonies. Later, Paul and Noreen Coca, Mark Whitehead and Children of the Rock ministered. At times, large crowds stood around listening. That day, thousands of people received a powerful gospel witness.
On Friday night March 20, we witnessed on Polk St. in San Francisco. Three Christians joined us for the first time, including Emad, who worked at a store on this street for several years and knows many people there. While we were singing, Brian walked across the street. He became a Christian a few years ago, attending church in Las Vegas. He backslid and became a male prostitute. He said he wanted to rededicate his life to Christ. I also spoke with Michael, who was saved a month ago and is living in a shelter. I was able to help him find Christian fellowship.
On Saturday March 21, we witnessed on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. Paul and Noreen Coca ministered in song and several people preached. It was raining, and we used our new canopy there. It worked well, and we had no problems from the police. The rain kept away most of the street vendors who complain about us, but there were still thousands of people on the streets to witness to. Nehemiah’s men repaired Jerusalem’s walls with one hand, while holding a weapon in the other hand. We give out tracts with one hand while holding an umbrella in our other hand.
Also, for the first time, we were allowed an additional ten decibels of sound on our Berkeley loudspeaker permit. For years, I had insisted that Berkeley’s law allowed this amount of sound, but the noise control officer disagreed with me. Finally, the city’s legal department ruled that I was right. Because of complaints, Berkeley is now checking our sound levels carefully. This favorable ruling should help protect us from getting arrested there.
Firefall Ministries
I first met Paul and Noreen Coca in 1989. They soon became great friends and an indispensable part of our ministry. They minister with us almost every Saturday afternoon in San Francisco and Berkeley. Paul plays guitar and Noreen the violin. They have written many beautiful songs about our Lord and play them on the streets. Paul serves on our ministry Board of Directors. They also have their own ministry in San Jose called Firefall Ministries.
On Friday nights, they lead a street witnessing team that ministers to the “street kids” in downtown San Jose. From ten to thirty Christians from San Jose area churches join them each week. They have gotten to know most of these kids, many of whom are runaways or were abandoned by their parents. They bring food and toiletries to the kids and sometimes take them to a restaurant. Over the past eight years, several people have been saved and are growing spiritually. Matthew is now organizing Christian “raves” each week to minister to youth in the South Bay.
As in any street ministry, some of the people they minister to are receptive to the gospel, while others seem unreachable. David was one of the most hostile kids they had met. He often laughed at them or cursed at them. He had even stolen things from them. Whenever they tried to talk to him, he ran away. But one day they noticed a change in him. Learning that it was his 20th birthday, they sang “Happy Birthday” to him. Then they asked if they could pray for him on his birthday. At first he started to run, but he returned and let them pray for him. Please pray for David, that he will continue to open his heart to God and be saved.
Coming Events
EVERY FRIDAY 7:15 PM. Witnessing in various S.F. neighborhoods. Meet at Vineyard, 7th St. and Harrison, San Francisco. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Saturday May 9 San Francisco worship rally and outreach. 12 – 6 PM. Cable Car Turnaround (near the Powell St. BART station). Call (510) 531-5325 for time and meeting location.
Saturday May 16 San Francisco worship rally and outreach. 941 Market St. (near Powell St. BART station). 12 – 6 PM. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Saturday May 23 Berkeley outreach. 12-5:30 PM. Call (510) 531- 5325 for more information.
July 31-August 8 SOS-San Francisco/Summer of Love Outreach. Year 19. Call (510) 531-5325 for more information.
Ministry Needs
About three months ago, Roland dedicated his life to Christ at one of our outreaches on Market St. Derek brought him to the Celebration International Church and he has attended the church regularly since then. The church is now paying for Roland to attend Bible school in Fiji.
Please pray for those who have written us recently in response to tracts and have prayed with us at recent outreaches, including Pete (San Francisco), Steven (North Highlands, CA), Jessie (Novato), Heather (Fresno), John (Lompoc prison), and Damian (Soledad prison). Please pray for Byron, a heroin addict I spoke with on Polk St. He has been on the street since he was 16 and is now 23. His heart is open to the Lord, but he needs to be saved and delivered from drugs.
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. Please continue to pray that the criminal charges against Eric Livingston from February, 1997 will finally be dismissed. Also pray for a speedy victory in our lawsuits so that we will have continued freedom to obtain permits and minister without fear of arrest. Please pray that many Christians will participate in this summer’s SOS outreach (July 31-August 8) and that God will guide us in planning it. Please pray for more workers for our Friday night and Saturday afternoon outreach groups. We still need one Christian to live in our ministry house. This house is not for new believers but for those who are ready for evangelism ministry. We also need a handyman and a roofer to work on our house. Finally, we still need to print several hundred thousand tracts to use this coming year.
Our Tape of the Month is Witnessing to Children by Sharon Flack. Most people come to Christ before they are 18. Children are most receptive to the gospel, and we need to reach them while their hearts are soft. God bless you all. I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this month.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
