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SOS Monthly Newsletter - March 2004An Amazing StoryDear Christian friends, Recently, I heard a tape with an amazing testimony on it. The pastor who told the story, Dr. Francis Dixon, died in 1985. I emailed his son-in-law who confirmed that it is true. Dr. Francis Dixon was a well-known pastor in England (from Lansdowne Baptist Church). One night in church, he asked a man named Peter Culver to share his testimony. Peter got up and said, "This is how I was saved. I was in the Royal Navy. I was walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia and out of nowhere stepped a little old gray-haired man and he said to me, 'Excuse me, sir, but could I ask you a question? I hope that it won't offend you, but if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says that it will either be in Heaven or it will be in Hell. Would you think about that, please? Thank you, God bless you, and Toodle-oo!' Then the man left. I had never been confronted with that question - I couldn't get it out of my mind; I got back to London, I sought out a pastor, and I became a Christian.” Several weeks later they had a revival in the church and Noel, one of the visiting revival team, shared his testimony, "This is how I came to know Christ. I was in the Royal Navy and I was walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia and out of nowhere stepped a little old gray-haired man. He said to me, 'Excuse me, sir, but could I ask you a question? If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?...What he said bothered me and later, I sought out a Christian and I was converted to Christ." Several months after that Dr. Dixon was in the city of Adelaide in eastern Australia, he decided to share the testimony of Peter and Noel. A man in the congregation jumped up waving his hands and said, "Well, I'm another. The same thing happened to me. I couldn't get what he said out of my mind and I became a follower of Jesus." Dr. Dixon went to western Australia for a revival meeting and shared this story. Afterwards a deacon of the church came to him and said, "Dr. Dixon, I'm another, I'd never been asked that question and later I prayed to receive Christ." Pastor Dixon went home to his church in England and shared about Peter and Noel and the man in Adelaide and the deacon from the western part of Australia. When he finished a young lady came up to him and said, "Pastor Dixon, I'm another. This man said the same thing to me and later I became a believer.” Several weeks after that, Dr. Dixon was attending a conference in northern England where he shared this growing story. Afterwards, a man came up to him and said, "Dr. Dixon, well, I'm another. Several days after hearing the little man's question, I made Jesus my Lord and Savior." A year later Dr. Dixon went on a world tour and one of the stops was India. He was at a missionary conference and spoke on the topic of personal evangelism. Dr. Dixon thought, "What a perfect illustration!" He went through the story and afterwards a missionary come up to him and said, “Dr. Dixon, I'm another. It happened the same way for me and I trusted Christ later." After India he went to Jamaica. He was meeting with a group of pastors. He shared this story with them. A pastor came up afterwards and said, "Excuse me, Dr. Dixon, I'm another. The exact same thing happened to me and later, I was converted and went on to seminary." Well, do I need to tell you where Dr. Dixon went? In 1953, he went to Sydney, Australia. He sought out a Christian friend of his and told the story. He asked him if he knew a little gray-haired man on George Street? "Oh, yes! Everybody knows him. That's Mr. Frank Jenner. He did that for twenty-three years! But he’s very old now." Dr. and Mrs. Dixon were invited to the Jenner home for tea. As he was giving specifics of each story, Mr. Jenner began to weep. And he wept and he wept. Dr. Dixon asked, "What's wrong?" And Mr. Jenner said, "Sir, this is the first time in my life that I have ever known of anyone coming to know Christ through my witness." I hope you remember this story the next time you get discouraged sharing the gospel with people, or you hear someone say that street witnessing is not effective. 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, many Christians have come to San Francisco each year to join us in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, I received a call from a youth pastor in Idaho who wants to bring about 15 kids. 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 9 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 are printing thousands of 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. On the StreetsOn Saturday January 17, January 31, and February 14, we ministered at Fisherman’s Wharf. Tens of thousands of people pass by each afternoon. At each outreach, Tim Moon sang and several of us preached. Each day, several Christians who were walking by stopped and ministered with us. On January 31, Lou Engle and a team from The Call Discipleship School in Pasadena were walking by. Lou has organized hundreds of thousands of youth in large fasting and prayer rallies around the world, including one last spring at 3Com Park in San Francisco, which drew about 20,000 youth. I invited them to join us. Lou and several students preached for over an hour. On February 14, a youth group from Message of Peace Church joined us. They ministered through music and mime. A large crowd gathered to watch the mime. Also, a singles group from Victory Outreach in Sacramento, who were walking by, stopped to preach, sing and witness with us.
Coming EventsNote: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 541-9903 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information. Friday March 12, 19, 26, April 9, 16, 23 7:30-10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call for location). Sat. March 27, April 17 12:30-4:30 PM Berkeley Outreach. Telegraph and Haste St. Sat. March 13, 20, April 10, 24 12-5 PM San Francisco Outreach. (Call for location). Ministry News and NeedsAgain, I want to thank you for your prayers and financial support of this ministry. God has been faithful to meet our needs, and I am thankful that many of you continue to support this ministry. 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. We have a new SOS-San Francisco video/DVD. It is high-quality and only 5 minutes long, perfect for showing pastors, youth leaders or at church services. Our Tape of the Month is Inheriting the Desolate by Arthur Blessitt. Over the past 30 years, Arthur has carried a cross in every nation on earth, and has witnessed to countless people including many world leaders. Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum |
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