Parable of the Two Ships
Dear Christian friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of you getting this newsletter haven’t received a letter from us since last year. If you would like to get this letter monthly, and will read it and pray for us, please return the enclosed card. We hope this letter will be a blessing to you, and will help you to grow in your knowledge of and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christians often ask us what “SOS” stands for. “SOS” is the international distress signal, used initially for ships that were in danger of sinking: “Save our Ship.” Speaking of sinking ships, let me tell you the Parable of the Two Ships:
Two ships were traveling together: Destruction and Salvation. Destruction was beginning to sink. This was evident to the people on Salvation, but those on Destruction couldn’t see it. Salvation had all the necessary resources to save the people on Destruction. So the people on Salvation sent out a few rescue boats. They rescued a few people but found that most people refused to believe their ship was sinking, and would not be rescued. “If they could see that our ship is sinking,” they reasoned, “why did so few people from Salvation come to rescue us?”
Word spread throughout Salvation that the rescue operation would be difficult because of this resistance. A few people were determined to continue the effort, but most refused to join them. They had comfortable living quarters, great food, and lots of activities to keep them busy. Why brave the seas on small boats to try to rescue people who didn’t want to be rescued? They also reasoned that they didn’t have any special training in rescue operations and that they were not especially gifted at rescuing people. So they continued on their cruise and pretty much forgot about the other ship, although some enjoyed speculating about the exact date when the ship Destruction would finally sink.
No Excuse
Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16: 15). “You will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you shall be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Our Lord has commanded us to rescue those around us who are headed for eternal torment in Hell. He has given us supernatural power to rescue them. Still, most Christians refuse to obey Him. We are busy with our job, family, church activities, and entertainment.
Many Christians say, “I am not called to do evangelism.” It is like a person on a sinking ship saying, “I am not called to rescue people.” We have forgotten the urgency of the task God has called us to. Where is our compassion for the lost people Jesus died for? A hundred thousand people die each day, destined for Hell! Yet how much time do we spend trying to reach these people with the words of Eternal Life? Can you imagine someone who had discovered a cure for cancer and kept it a secret? We have a message that can change a person’s eternal destiny, and we are silent!
Our churches should be places where Christians are trained and stirred to bring the gospel to the lost. Instead, the subject is rarely mentioned from the pulpit. We need to stop being so preoccupied with the cares of this life, and start thinking about eternal things. This world is a sinking ship, and it is going down fast! We need to rescue as many as we can, before it is eternally too late!
Outreach Details
San Francisco is certainly one of the most influential cities in the world, along with New York, Los Angeles and a few other places. Its influence has been almost totally for evil. While most San Franciscans have heard something about Jesus, they have seen a lot more religious hypocrisy than real Christianity. There are thousands of children, immigrants and tourists here who have never heard the gospel. This city is still the third most popular tourist destination in the world.
So for the fourteenth year we are sending out an “SOS” — a call for Christians to “preach the Word of God urgently” (2 Tim. 4:1) to the people of San Francisco. God also wants to use this outreach to shake us from our spiritual apathy and lukewarmness and give us a new excitement about serving Jesus. Those who think Christianity is boring have never been to SOS-San Francisco.
We have scheduled three special guests for this year’s outreach. Chuck Girard 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.
Ray Comfort preaches regularly on the streets of Los Angeles and teaches evangelism to Christians around the world. He has written over twenty books, including Hell’s Best Kept Secret. His teaching on the use of the law to produce true conversions has had tremendous influence around the world. His teaching has been distributed widely through the ministries of Bill Gothard, David Wilkerson and John Wimber.
Jerry Brandt has been mobilizing Christians to evangelize for many years. He is currently working in Florida, training Christians to help the homeless. He recently ministered in the Philippines and will be traveling to Romania in June. We are really excited that these three Christian leaders will be with us. Even though they regularly minister to large gatherings of Christians, each of these men loves to witness to the lost on the streets.
We have printed 5000 beautiful posters and will soon be printing 30,000 bulletin inserts to let people know about this outreach. Please help us get this literature to churches, Christian book stores, and Christian schools in your area. You can give it out at Christian concerts and other events. Also, talk with your pastor and Christian friends and encourage them to get involved. Set aside the week of July 9-17 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.
We have enclosed a registration form with this letter. If you register by June 1, you will receive a free SOS T-shirt. Registration begins on Friday July 9 at 6 PM. Meetings are scheduled daily except Sunday at 9 AM and 6 PM (7 PM on Friday and Saturday) from July 10-17. We will meet at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 1098 Harrison St. near 7th St. in San Francisco. Evangelism training will be provided throughout the week. We will be holding daily noon worship rallies in city parks, bringing the church to the street.
On Saturday July 10 we will have a noon worship rally at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell. The outreach will conclude on Saturday July 17 with a noon rally at Washington Square Park (Columbus and Union St.) followed by a praise march through downtown San Francisco. Free housing is available during the outreach. Bring a sleeping bag and foam pad. If you prefer, we can send you names of hotels in the area. We are planning to serve breakfast and lunch from July 12-17.
If you’ve never been to an SOS outreach before, let me say that the fellowship with other believers, the times of worship and personal ministry, and the times of outreach all make it an incredible and unforgettable experience. We have enclosed some pictures of last summer’s outreach. A picture may be worth 10,000 words, but a video is better. So we have prepared a video of last summer’s outreach. The video contains 45 minutes of highlights from the outreach, a shortened 15 minute version for showing to churches, and our 11 minute SOS-San Francisco video, which is edited and narrated in a more professional manner for showing to churches and other groups. This video shows many different kinds of outreach and thousands of people hearing and responding to the gospel in San Francisco.
Ministry Needs
Once again we want to thank you for your prayers and support for this ministry. Our expenses are always greatest in the spring as we prepare for SOS-San Francisco. We hope to print 200,000 tracts this spring. Also, consider supporting a worker for SOS. Many Christians would like to participate in the SOS outreach but cannot afford the registration and meal costs.
We have openings for two Christians to live in our ministry house. This house is not for new believers but for those who are ready for evangelism ministry. We are looking for soldiers who will endure hardship and persist in God’s calling to evangelize the San Francisco Bay Area.
Our Tape of the Month is Praise and Worship on the Streets by Chuck Girard. This teaching is from last year’s National Street Ministries Conference. 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 Ministries 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.
On Saturday June 12, a thousand or more Christians are expected to join together for the March for Jesus–taking praise, prayer and proclamation to the streets. We will be meeting at 1 PM at the Embarcadero Plaza at the foot of Market St. and marching to City Hall in San Francisco. Over 500 such marches are scheduled the same day in cities around the U.S. and in 80 nations world wide, with over a million Christians participating.
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for SOS-San Francisco. We need God’s wisdom in putting everything together. Pray that He will guide us in every area of the planning. God bless you all. Don’t forget to order SOS posters and bulletin inserts, and to send in your registration form by June 1 to get a free T-shirt.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum