SOS Monthly Newsletter - April 2004

Handwriting on the Wall

Dear Christian friends,

In Daniel 5, King Belshazzer of Babylon had a great party. Everyone was drinking from the golden vessels taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. Suddenly, they saw a hand drawing a strange message. Puzzled, they asked the Prophet Daniel to interpret. Here is the message they received: “God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and the Persians.” That night, Belshazzer was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. According to the historians Herodotus and Xenophon, Cyrus diverted the Euphrates River into a new channel and marched by the dry bed into the city. Meanwhile the Babylonians were carousing at an annual feast to their gods, trusting the city walls to protect them.

If our Lord tarries, perhaps one day historians will write about the decline and fall of Modern Civilization. They could begin with Darwin’s theory of evolution. The decline was slow until the 1960’s and 1970’s, which brought an epidemic of drugs, open homosexuality, legalized abortion, and pornography. Many people viewed September 11, 2001 as a wake-up call that would bring people back to God. Instead, the opposite occurred. Almost immediately, Franklin Graham was condemned by the news media for pointing out that the Koran encourages the use of violence in order to win converts. The US Senate began blocking the appointment of Federal judges suspected of holding traditional moral values. In 2002, the US Supreme Court rejected efforts to curb child pornography on the internet, saying that “virtual child pornography” is protected speech. In February 2004, the US Supreme Court, for the first time, allowed a state to discriminate on the basis of religion (Locke v. Davey).

In November 2003, the US Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to regulate homosexual behavior. This decision instantly legalized sex between boys under 18 and men in 17 states. In February 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ordered that state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. That same month, San Francisco Mayor Newsom began performing same-sex marriages for the first time in the U.S. The San Jose, CA city council voted 9-1 to recognize same-sex marriages in March 2004. As they voted, San Jose Mayor Gonzales said, “I don’t live my life in fear of my God...I hope when I have the opportunity to meet my God...he or she will say, `Good job.’”

On Sunday February 15, in observance of Valentine’s Day, Santa Cruz Bible Church offered a gift to the couple that had been married most recently. A lesbian couple stood up, saying that they had been “married” two days earlier in San Francisco. The church gave the gift to the couple. Afterwards they told the congregation that God intended marriage to be between a man and a woman. In response, a Santa Cruz newspaper published a cartoon ridiculing the church for being “anti-gay.”

One prominent homosexual activist said, “The fact that civil unions were considered a radical step in 2000 and they’re now considered nothing more than second-class citizenship by the gay community—and President Bush is not expressing opposition to civil unions—shows you how dramatically the issue has changed in just a few short months....It’s mushroomed in ways we never dreamed possible even two months ago.”

Since time began, every culture and religion has defined marriage as between men and women. Every religion has viewed homosexual behavior as sinful. Today, anyone who opposes same-sex marriage or homosexual behavior is considered to be a hateful bigot and a right-wing extremist. In 1998, a Canadian radio station was ordered to apologize in prime time for broadcasting a “Focus on the Family” program on homosexuality. In December, 2001, a Canadian appeals court ruled that the Bible is hate literature. It sustained a fine against a man who published a newspaper ad that quoted four passages of scripture concerning homosexuality. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil”(Isa. 5:20).

In the current scandal involving Catholic priests, over 80% of the incidents were homosexual. Of those, 78% involved boys aged 11-17.

[ Study of Catholic Priests and Child Abuse ]

Activists in many nations are seeking to lower the age at which sex between boys and men is legal. Currently, that age is 13 in New Mexico, Spain, South Korea, and Japan. Netherlands allows adults to have sex with 12 year olds, as long as neither the child nor parents complain.

[ Age of Consent ]

As Christians, this world is not our home. We are citizens of heaven, ambassadors of Christ on this earth. The light of Jesus Christ will only shine brighter as the world gets darker. On February 25, “The Passion of the Christ” opened in thousands of theaters. According to one survey, over 75% of all Americans plan to see the movie, either at a theater or on video. Hundreds of millions of people around the world will hear the gospel through this movie. Millions of people around the world could be saved after watching it.

Instead of complaining about how evil the world has gotten, Christians need to let their light shine brightly by living a godly life and boldly sharing the gospel with everyone they can. Satan is already defeated. Jesus Christ will return to reign on this earth. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

On the Streets

On Friday February 27, we witnessed outside the Sony Metreon in San Francisco. The movie theater was showing “The Passion” to a sold-out audience. We preached and passed out gospel tracts to hundreds of people, many of whom had just seen the movie. We intend to continue witnessing at the Metreon for several weeks.

On Saturday February 21, Paul and Noreen Coca ministered with us in Berkeley. They opened a jewelry store in Angels Camp a few months ago, but they are now free on Saturday so they can minister with us weekly. On February 28, we again witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. The youth from Message of Peace Church ministered through mime and music, along with Paul and Noreen. Each day, thousands of people heard the gospel through music, preaching, and tracts.

	Santa Cruz Newspaper RidiculesChristian Church (see story)
	Passing out tracts at theater where “The Passion” is showing
	Youth band “Peculiar” ministers at Fisherman’s Wharf on March 13
	Daniel meets Kevin, a backslidden Christian he knew from church, in Berkeley

SOS-San Francisco June 18-26 year 25!

It is hard to believe we are having our 25th annual SOS-San Francisco outreach. By God’s grace, each year many Christians have come to San Francisco to join us in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. A Christian from Pennsylvania wants to bring a team of six from his church. A youth pastor in Idaho told me he wants to bring about 15 kids to SOS. While we are again making a special effort to involve youth groups, Christians of all ages are welcome to participate in SOS-San Francisco.

This year we will again be meeting at Temple Baptist Church, 3355 19th Ave. (near Ocean), San Francisco. Registration begins on Friday June 18 at 6 PM. Meetings are scheduled daily except Sunday at 8 AM from June 19-26. 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. Free housing is available during the outreach. We will be serving breakfast and lunch from June 22-26. Youth under 18 need adult supervision. This outreach is an opportunity to bring the love of Jesus Christ to people who desperately need to know Him. It is truly a life-changing experience.

We have printed 10,000 full-color cards to let people know about this outreach. Please help us get this literature to churches, Christian bookstores, and Christian schools in your area. You can give it out at Christian concerts and other events. Please encourage your Christian friends to get involved. Set aside the week of June 18-26 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend.

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 541-9903 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday April 9, 16, 23, May 7, 14, 21 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call for location).

Sat. April 17, May 15 12:30-4:30 PM Berkeley Outreach. Telegraph and Haste St.

Sat. April 10, 24, May 22 12-4 PM San Francisco Outreach. (Call for location).

Sat. May 8 Whole Earth Festival outreach, Davis, CA. (Call 916-348-6997 for details.)

Ministry News and Needs

Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. God has been speaking to us about the need for more prayer support for this ministry. We minister in two of the spiritually darkest places in the world -- San Francisco and Berkeley. These cities have been on the forefront of a "Satanic revival" that has impacted our world -- the drug movement, topless bars, homosexual activism, Eastern and New Age religions, etc.

Please pray that God will draw many Christians and especially youth groups to SOS-San Francisco this summer. Also, pray that we will have more workers to help us on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Pray that we will have no problems with the police as we minister at Fisherman’s Wharf. Also, please pray for attorney Russell Davis and me as we work on legal briefs from now until June 7.

Our Tape of the Month is Motivating Others to Win Souls by Scott Hinkle. We need to recruit many more laborers to bring in God’s final harvest of souls.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum