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SOS Ministry Newsletter - August 2009
Youth Outreach
Dear Christian Friends,
On June 19-20, a team of 25 high school and college youth from Calvary Chapel in San Jose came to San Francisco to witness on the streets with us. On Friday morning, Larry DuBois, his 12 year old great-nephew Jacob, and I met with their team at Dolores Park Church. I did a brief teaching on evangelism. Afterwards, we met with 50 Christians from Reality Church to pray for the city at Buena Vista Park above Haight Street. This Southern California church is sending 80 couples to start a new church in San Francisco! That afternoon, we witnessed on Haight St. We talked with many people, including several young people who had traveled here from around the country. I witnessed to three young men from New York.
That evening, we witnessed at the SF Giants baseball game. The youth group was supposed to join us, but they were too tired. So our small team of “old folks” preached and witnessed to thousands of people as they left the game. Many people shouted profanities at us, while others listened and took gospel tracts from us.
On Saturday we ministered at UN Plaza. We had music groups from three Calvary Chapels: San Francisco, San Jose, and Monterey. The San Francisco team also brought food and water for the many homeless and poor in this area. We set up a table, where we also gave out New Testaments and books given to us by Christian author Mark Cahill. Another team of Christians, who minister every Saturday in this park, joined us. They preached in Spanish and Chinese.
We witnessed to and prayed with many people that afternoon. It was a great, but unfortunately rare event, to have so many Christians join together to preach the gospel. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers.”
That afternoon, I witnessed to two boys who were about 12 years old. They said some obscene things about Jesus and then said the Bible was full of contradictions. I asked them for an example. Of course they didn’t know any. They said someone had told them the Bible was full of contradictions. Then they mentioned evolution and the “Big Bang.” I asked them what happened before the “Big Bang.” They could not answer. By the end of our conversation, their attitudes had changed. One of them took a tract from me. It is sad to see young people who have so little knowledge of Christ, but so much hostility towards Him. Please pray for these boys.
Three Appeals
While I was praying about what to say to the Calvary Chapel youth, God showed me that there were three appeals that we use in evangelism. There is the appeal to personal experience, to the conscience, and to the intellect. Each of them is important and often necessary in a Christian witness. Every person who is saved has a testimony—of how God saved him and what He has done in his life since that time. Like a witness in court, we tell people what we have seen and heard.
Also, when we witness, we trust that God is working in the lives of the people we are talking with. Perhaps God is convicting them of some sin they need to give up. Or they may have prayed that God would meet a financial need or heal them of some disease. Often, people will come to Christ after their prayers are answered.
We can ask someone if there is a need in his life we can pray with him for. In the New Testament, people often came to Christ because of miraculous healings or words of knowledge. In John 4, Jesus told a Samaritan woman that she had five husbands. She told others in the city “Come see a man who told me all things that I did.” As a result, many believed in Him. In Acts 3, Peter and John healed a man who was begging at the temple gate. They preached to the crowd that gathered, amazed by the miracle. As a result, 5000 men plus women and children were saved.
While personal experience is important in evangelism, it is only one kind of appeal we can make. Some people will respond to your testimony: “That’s good for you. But I am doing fine without Jesus.” Others will say that they have found peace and joy, prosperity, and possibly even healing, through Buddha or the New Age. The Antichrist will come with “signs and lying wonders” 2 Thess. 2:9.
The second kind of appeal we can make is the appeal to a person’s conscience. “I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’" Romans 7:7. “In order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful” Romans 7:13 “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God…through the law we become conscious of sin” Romans 3:19-20.
Many of you are familiar with Ray Comfort’s teachings on this subject. By going through the law, especially the Ten Commandments, we can show people the seriousness of their sin, so they can appreciate their need for a savior. Unfortunately, there are also some people “whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” 1 Tim. 4:2. Some people are convinced that the Bible is a fairy tale that only ignorant people believe in. They are convinced that science has proved that God does not exist. Many young people are raised in Christian homes, but when they go to college they are convinced by their professors and fellow students that Christianity is a myth.
We are told to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Pet. 3:15. I often tell people that the Bible is the only book that predicts the future with perfect accuracy. If I could predict the future, I would win the lottery every week and become incredibly rich. I could make a fortune in the stock market. Nobody can do this.
I then will give a few examples of Old Testament prophesies that were fulfilled by Christ. He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He would heal the blind, deaf and lame (Isa. 35:5). He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9). He would be betrayed by a close friend for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12). His hands and feet would be pierced (Psa. 22:16). Then I mention Daniel 9:23-27 in which the exact day Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey is predicted 500 years in advance!
I also use last days prophesies, such as the re-gathering of the Jewish people into their land (Eze. 34:13), that all the nations of the earth would be gathered against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:3), and that knowledge and travel would greatly increase in the end times (Dan. 12:4).
Many people rely on their belief in evolution and the “Big Bang” theory. A few years ago, I did an internet search on the “Big Bang Theory.” The first site I found was from NASA’s site. NASA is the government agency that sent the Hubble Telescope into space, which was used to study this theory. (Edwin Hubble came up with the theory.) This site says, “Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved; consequently, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questions.” The second site was the University of Michigan website. Their explanation reads, in part, “What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation.” In other words, scientists have no idea how the universe got here. They believe in the “Big Bang Theory” but haven’t proved it and probably never will, and have no idea what happened before the “Big Bang.” While there is strong evidence that the Bible is true, scientists can only speculate as to how the universe began.
Click Pictures To Enlarge
Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 926-3299 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday August 7, 14 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 - 10 PM
Sat. August 8 San Francisco Outreach U N Plaza (7th St. and Market) 12 – 5 PM.
Sat. August 15 San Francisco Outreach Fisherman’s Wharf (10 AM – 1 PM) Union Square (3:30 PM – 5:30 PM)
Ministry Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. If you get this newsletter before our SOS-San Francisco outreach ends on July 25, please pray for the outreach and come join us if you can. Also, please pray for those who heard the gospel during the week, that many will be saved. Next month’s newsletter will include an outreach report.
We still have two openings in our Oakland ministry house. We are looking for men in their 20’s or 30’s who are spiritually strong, have administrative gifts, and are committed to evangelism. Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house.
We also need musicians to minister on the streets with us. Please continue to pray that the Berkeley City Council will not take away our freedom to minister in that city. Our CD of the Month is KFAX radio interview. This interview was done 10 years ago. In it, I announce our 20th SOS outreach and answer questions. KFAX is the largest Christian radio station in the SF area.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.
Yours in His Love,
Larry Rosenbaum
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