SOS Ministries Blog

Our Nation’s Spiritual Decline

Dear Christian Friends,

In our January newsletter, I gave some disturbing statistics from Gallup polls. According to Gallup, from 1976 to 2005, the number of Americans who believe that the Bible is the word of God has decreased from 38% to 32%. Since then, my friend Matt Bromberg showed me some poll results from George Barna that are even more frightening.

According to Barna, only 9% of Americans have a biblical worldview. But less than ½ of 1% of Americans aged 18-23 have a biblical worldview! (Perhaps this is one reason we are having such a hard time finding young men to live in our evangelism house.) Of those who say they “have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior,” only 19% hold a biblical worldview.

So what does Barna consider to be a biblical worldview? “A ‘biblical worldview’ was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.”

That certainly is reasonable. So if only 19% of those who consider themselves to be born-again Christians hold to these views, what is happening with the other 81%? Certainly, many are false converts – they think they are saved but really aren’t. The rest, I suppose, are confused by bad teaching or perhaps did not understand the questions that were asked. Of course, it is possible to hold a “biblical worldview” and not be saved.

In another Barna survey, only 51% of Protestant pastors have a biblical worldview. There are many theologically liberal Protestant churches, so I was not surprised to learn that only 27% of United Methodist pastors have a biblical worldview. But only 44% of Pentecostal or charismatic pastors have a biblical worldview! The number is highest with Southern Baptists—but only 71% of them have a biblical worldview. Almost twice as many white senior pastors (55%) have a biblical world view as black senior pastors (30%). That possibly reflects the influence of “liberation theology” (the belief that Jesus came to liberate people from economic oppression) in many black churches.

So what are the doctrinal issues that “born again” Christians have the most difficulty with? Only 53% of “born again” Christians believe that it is “impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior.” How could they get that one wrong? Only 62% of “born again” Christians believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life while He was on earth. Certainly, we’re talking about a lot of false converts who think they are saved.

I hope you aren’t too confused by all these statistics. Here is what I think they are saying: First, many of the pastors in evangelical churches, and especially Pentecostal and charismatic churches do not have a biblical worldview. If you attend such a church, most likely you belong somewhere else. Many of those who think they are “born again” Christians are either false converts or confused by poor teaching. Finally, only ½ of 1% of adult Americans between age 18 and 23 have a biblical worldview.

Many of these young adults were raised in evangelical churches. We are losing almost all of them. America is in the process of rapidly becoming a pagan nation – if we do not reach our youth with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  For the past 150 years, we have been sending missionaries to other nations. But we have neglected our own nation. The United States is in danger of becoming even less Christian than the Third World nations that have been the focus of our missionary efforts.

Dealing with Discouragement

Everyone who is involved in Christian ministry will experience times of discouragement. After Elijah’s great victory over the prophets of Baal, he ran into the wilderness after being threatened by Jezebel. He felt that he was the only one left who was faithful to God, but God assured him that he had 7000 left who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).

The ministry of Paul the apostle had its moments of victory, but largely it was one of tremendous suffering and opposition. He was beaten at least eight times, stoned, shipwrecked, and spent many years in prison. Other Christians questioned his apostleship and several of his closest friends deserted him. When Paul and Silas were jailed at Philippi, at midnight they were singing praises to God. Paul wrote most of his epistles from jail, yet they are filled with joy and encouragement. At the end of his life, Paul wrote from prison, “At my first defense, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:16-17).

The Bible promises us that if we are to serve God we will suffer persecution, afflictions and tribulations. We will be rejected by the world and often also by other Christians. There will be times when we won’t understand why God does something or doesn’t answer some prayer. Peter writes us, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Many American Christians have been taught, and come to expect, that the Christian life will be easy, that problems should be small and easily overcome through faith in Christ. When persecution comes from witnessing, they think they must be outside God’s will so they stop witnessing. “Yes and all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

True disciples of Christ have always known that the Christian life is not easy. In fact, it is very hard. It will include much persecution, afflictions and suffering. There will be times of disappointment and discouragement. Yet we must persevere in the work God has called us to do.Today, American Christians find that they can have a pretty comfortable life, without persecution or too many afflictions, by not witnessing for Christ or by watering down the gospel so it doesn’t offend anyone. Many have fallen for this temptation. Don’t let it happen to you.

“Endure hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man who wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The farmer who labors should be the first to partake of the fruits.” (2 Tim. 2:3-7)

Kevin (r) witnesses to John while Tim sings at Wharf.

Kevin witnesses in Spanish to Lily from El Salvador.

Youth worship group sings at Powell & Market.

Chuck prays with woman in Berkeley.

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 761-6120 to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday March 5, 19, 26 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 – 10 PM (Call for location.)

Saturday March 6, 20, 27 San Francisco or Berkeley Evangelism Outreach (outreach location depends on weather. Call Sat. from 8-10 AM for location.)

Saturday March 13 Transformed Conference Calvary Chapel, 1175 Hillsdale Ave., San Jose 1-5:30 PM. Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Todd Friel. Free.

transformed@wayofthemaster.com

Ministry News and Needs

We have set the dates for our annual SOS-San Francisco outreach: July 16-24. Please consider taking time off work so you can attend this important outreach. Please pray that God will help us in planning the outreach, and that He will call many laborers to bring in a great harvest of souls this summer.

On Friday February 12, we were planning to witness at Powell and Market St. When we arrived, about 40 high school students from Colorado were right in front of us. I started preaching, and several of them asked me questions. Most were silly, like “Can God make a rock He can’t move?” Still, I had a good dialog with them. Later, we saw a group of high school students from Southern California. They were a school choir, and five of them were Christians who were also part of a youth worship group. I invited them to sing some worship songs. Later, we met a group of Mormon students from Brigham Young University. They took tracts from us, but didn’t want to talk.

 Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. We still have three openings in our Oakland ministry house. We are looking for men in their 20’s or 30’s who are spiritually strong and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism – to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house. Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house. It is very difficult to do these outreaches with such a small outreach team.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum

A New Decade of Street Ministry

Dear Christian Friends,

During the Jesus Movement of the 1970’s, there was a lot of street evangelism. Young people who had been recently been saved out of drugs, sexual immorality, and Eastern religion were zealous to witness to others about Jesus. I was saved in Portland, Oregon in 1970. At the time I was living in a Christian ministry house called Shiloh. Two months after I was saved, we stopped working at our agricultural job to witness full-time on the streets. During the winter, it rained almost every day. We walked around downtown Portland and passed out gospel tracts for hours. I would stand on the street in the rain, peeling off wet gospel tracts and offering them to business men! Amazingly, a lot of people took them. We also invited young travelers to our house for dinner and a nightly Bible study. Quite a few people joined us and, at times, we saw at least one person radically saved every day.

The Jesus Movement ended around 1978, but some Jesus Movement veterans began street ministries in the 1980’s. Many cities around the country had ministries that witnessed in busy areas and at special events. Christians from many locations joined together to witness at events like the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Rose Parade in Pasadena, and the Super Bowl. These outreaches are still going on. We had a Street Ministry Association and a National Street Ministry Conference which drew 1000 Christians each year.

After the Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart scandals of the late 1980’s, there was a sharp decline in financial contributions to street ministries. Many street ministries closed down. Others changed their direction. Christians, it seemed, did not want to support “pure evangelism” but they would support a ministry that was helping with people’s physical needs as well as witnessing to them. Almost every street ministry started to focus on helping the homeless or drug addicts. Some got government funding as “faith-based” organizations. Often, a ministry that focuses on the poor will get so caught up meeting physical needs that they neglect or even reject evangelism. 

The last time I attended the National Street Ministry Conference in the early 1990’s, I was surprised to learn that we were virtually the only ministry there that did not focus exclusively on reaching the poor. When we witness at a place like UN Plaza, with lots of poor people, we see a far greater response to the gospel. God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). We need to continue witnessing to them. Many Christians find it satisfying to walk up to a homeless person at UN Plaza and offer him a sandwich. He clearly appreciates it. It is often easy to talk with him about Jesus. He may even pray with you. It is far less satisfying to try to witness to middle-class people who often act like you don’t exist. But there are dozens of places that offer free food to the homeless. Many if not most of the homeless in UN Plaza hear the gospel several times a month. Quite a few Christian ministries focus on this place. We don’t witness for our own personal satisfaction but rather to please God and reach the lost.

Unlike the people in UN Plaza, 95% of the people in San Francisco and Berkeley almost never hear the gospel. In many of the places where we witness, we are the only Christians who witness there. It is much more difficult witnessing to tourists at Fisherman’s Wharf and intellectuals in Berkeley. They also need to hear the gospel. They may pretend they have no needs, but we know that they need salvation as much as anyone. Who will go with us?

Redeeming the Time

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5: 15-17). Many Christians drift through life with no clear understanding of God’s will. Sometimes we think of God’s will as a mysterious thing, but the greatest part of God’s plan for our lives is clearly revealed in scripture. First, God desires that we will know Him. Second, He wants us to make Him known to others. 
How much time should we give to evangelism? The average Jehovah’s Witness spends four hours a week spreading their false message. They go to work each day, spend time with their families, and are involved in “church” activities, but still find time to “witness.” Should we do less than they with the true gospel? They are also persistent–it takes them about 16 years to make a single convert!

We find time for the things that are important to us. But are our priorities the same as God’s? For most Christians, evangelism is at the bottom of their list of priorities. As we enter into a new decade, let us reevaluate our priorities, making time for the things that really matter. Let us redeem the time (make the most of every opportunity), find out what God wants us to do, and give ourselves to His work.

If you live in the SF area and are not presently involved in some kind of evangelism, consider joining us once a week, either on Friday night or Saturday afternoon. If you are timid about witnessing, come out with us and pray for the other workers. One easy way to start witnessing is by passing out gospel tracts. If you make yourself available, God will use you, giving you boldness and an anointing to witness for Him. If you don’t live in this area, look for an evangelism ministry in your area that you can work with. One good way to find a street ministry, for example, in Dallas, is to do an internet search for “Dallas street evangelism” or something similar to that. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Jesus is coming soon, and we need to make an extra effort to bring in an abundant harvest before He returns.

Jeanette witnesses to men at Wharf.

Paula prays with a homeless woman also named Paula

Dave and Richard minister at Fisherman’s Wharf on January 9.

Eric witnesses to man at Powell & O’Farrell St.

 Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 761-6120 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday February 12, 19, 26 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 – 10 PM (Call for location.)
Saturday February 13, 20, 27 San Francisco or Berkeley Evangelism Outreach (outreach location depends on weather. Call Sat. from 8-10 AM for location.)

Ministry Needs

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. We have three openings in our Oakland ministry house. We are looking for men in their 20’s or 30’s who are spiritually strong and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism – to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house. Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house. It is very difficult to do these outreaches with such a small outreach team.

We have a new ministry phone number: 510-761-6120. This number rings on my cell phone and our internet phone, making me easier to reach. We are getting rid of a landline phone (510-531-5325), which will save us $35 a month.  Our CD of the Month is Raising Up Frontline Leaders by Sonny Arguinzoni. Sonny is founder and director of Victory Outreach, a worldwide network of churches ministering primarily to drug addicts and gang members.

Yours in His Love,

Larry Rosenbaum

A New Decade

Dear Christian Friends,

When I was saved in 1970, I thought that Jesus would return within a few years. It was a simple calculation—Israel became a nation in 1948, a generation was another 40 years, and Jesus would return by 1988. Subtract 7 years and the rapture would be in 1981. If instead you started with 1967 (when Jerusalem was unified), that would bring the rapture to 2000. It all fit so well. If you figure one day for 1000 years (2 Pet. 3:8), and date the creation at 4000 BC, that makes 4 days before Christ, 2 days for the church age, 1 day for the millennium, making one full week.

Of course, I knew Jesus had told us that “no man knows the day or the hour” of his return. Still, in the back of my mind, I thought Jesus would return by 2000 at the latest. I still believe that the reestablishment of the nation of Israel is in fact a fulfillment of Bible prophesy. I believe it is a sign of the soon return of our Lord. But long ago I gave up trying to figure out exactly when that would happen.

Another reason I was sure that our Lord’s return was quite soon, was the amount of evil in the world. Certainly, the decadence of the 1960’s was related to the unleashing of Satan. “But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” Rev. 12.12. Surely it was no coincidence that in the year 1967, in which Jerusalem was reunited, the “hippie” movement also began with a flood of drugs, sexual immorality, and new age thinking.

Here we are entering the second decade of the twenty-first century. The Western world, at least, has become wicked beyond anything we could have imagined 50 years ago. We have certainly come a long way from the world I grew up with in the 1950’s. Who could have imagined that some of our states would be legalizing same-sex marriage in a few decades? One of the biggest and most damaging changes in the past two decades is the epidemic of internet pornography in the Christian world, even among pastors. Rev. 9:21 accurately describes four of the chief sins of our day: “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (drug-taking), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

According to Gallup, it is difficult to tell if the number of evangelicals is increasing or decreasing. From 1976 to 2005, the number of Americans who say they have tried to “encourage someone to believe in Jesus Christ or encourage them to accept him as their Lord and savior” has increased from 47% to 52%. The percentage who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God has decreased from 38% to 32%. The number who claim to have had a “born again experience” where they committed their lives to Jesus Christ has increased from 35% to 48%. The number who said yes to all three questions was 22% in 2005, which is probably closer to the true number of evangelicals in the U.S.

In Europe, the situation is far worse. Among Protestant European nations, regular church attendance is from 3-15%. The number of evangelicals, undoubtedly, is far smaller. Church attendance is much higher in Catholic nations—ranging from 18-75%. I have been witnessing for Jesus for almost 40 years now. In my opinion, it has become a lot more difficult to reach people with the gospel. In the early 1970’s, I lived in a Christian ministry house. We did a lot of witnessing to “hippies” who were traveling. At times, we saw someone dramatically saved almost every day. When I came to San Francisco in 1975, I found that many people were willing to pray a “sinner’s prayer” but few were truly converted. After Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell (1977-80), there was a tendency to equate evangelism with conservative politics, which caused increased opposition to our witnessing. After the Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart scandals (1987-88), a lot of people became cynical about Christianity, believing that all Christian ministers are hypocrites who are involved in secret sin and greedy for money. With each new scandal, it seems that Americans have become increasingly hardened against the gospel.

How are we to reach people for Jesus in this new decade? I believe we need to show people that our Christian faith is genuine. We need to seek to be Christ-like in our behavior—to walk in humility, love, and true holiness. We need to remain faithful to the gospel message. Despite the moral relativism of our times, the gospel message is eternal. We need to make witnessing for Jesus a priority in our lives. If Christians do not believe in the gospel strongly enough to witness to others, why should we expect non-Christians to believe the gospel?

Dealing with the Police

On Friday December 4, we witnessed at Powell and Market, in the center of San Francisco. The area was filled with Christmas shoppers. We were able to share with them the “reason for the season.” Eric Martinez sang worship songs. A police officer approached Eric while he was singing. He said we were too loud, so we turned down our sound. We did this several times, but the officer kept telling us to turn it lower. Our sound level was so low that the people in the area could not hear us. The officer was still threatening to arrest us. We asked him what law we were violating and he said, “I’ll put it on the citation.” According to police regulations, officers are supposed to look up codes when a request is made. However, most officers don’t want to do this. We just stood there for a while, and eventually the officer left. We continued to minister, and he didn’t return.

On Friday December 11, it was raining, so we witnessed at Powell and O’Farrell in San Francisco, one block from Union Square. For about five years, we have used this location on rainy days, because of the large overhang on this corner that protects us from the rain. That night, we had about six encounters with police officers and security guards. Several security guards told us we couldn’t be there. Finally, an officer told us we would have to shut down. I asked him to tell us what law we were violating. He said there was a person in a nearby hotel who “always” complains about amplifiers in the area. So he wanted to shut us down based upon a complaint he hadn’t even received. Eventually, he told us we could stay unless he received a complaint.

On December 12, we were scheduled to witness at Fisherman’s Wharf. However, the weather forecast predicted 100% chance of rain. There are very few people at the Wharf on rainy days, so we decided to return to Powell and O’Farrell. While I was parking the car, a Police Lieutenant told the group they could not use that location. He said they were blocking the store doorway, even though they were on the side of the building, not in front of the door. When I returned, I brought my video camera and spoke with the Lieutenant. Seeing the video camera, he said he would shut us down if he got any complaints but would not stop us otherwise. Tim Moon sang Christmas carols and worship songs, and Loi and I preached, for five hours. Despite the rain, thousands of people passed by us that afternoon and heard the gospel.
In order to prevent problems, we taped our Christian signs on a corner across the street from us. Someone tore down our signs and took one of them. We found it three blocks down the street.

As I write this, I realize that these things will seem strange to a lot of Christians. Even though the U.S. is supposed to have freedom of speech and religion, almost every person who seeks to proclaim the gospel in a public place will have difficulties with the police. Most officers have little knowledge of noise ordinances or Constitutional rights. Unless a Christian is willing to stand up for his right to preach the gospel, he will probably be shut down by the police. In Berkeley in the 1980’s and in San Francisco in the 1990’s, the police made a serious effort to stop us from witnessing, If we had not fought to defend our Constitutional rights, we would no longer be able to preach the gospel in these cities. “All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

“Santa” takes tract from Dan

Sky preaches to large crowd at Wharf.

Eric talks with officer who wants to shut us down.

Dan Losak, Larry DuBois, Eric Baxter and Larry Rosenbaum

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 761-6120 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday January 8, 15, 22, 29 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 – 10 PM (Call for location.)
Saturday January 9, 16, 23, 30 San Francisco or Berkeley Evangelism Outreach (outreach location depends on weather. Call Sat. from 8-10 AM for location.)

Ministry Needs

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. The economic recession has affected our ministry, as it has many others. Our donations for the past year are down 28%. We trust that God will continue to provide for our needs as He always has. 

After serving in this ministry for three years, Larry DuBois has decided to move to Sacramento. Larry was our best preacher, and did a lot of our ministry administrative work. He will continue to update our web site. We will miss him greatly.

We have two openings in our Oakland ministry house. We are looking for men in their 20’s or 30’s who are spiritually strong and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism – to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house. Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house.

On December 8, Berkeley passed a new noise ordinance which could make it more difficult for us to get permits. Please pray that we will continue to be able to minister there. Our CD of the Month is The Gospel in Today’s World by Winkie Pratney. For over 30 years, Winkie has been traveling 150,000 miles a year ministering to millions of Christian youth.

Yours in His Love,

Larry Rosenbaum

Overcoming Fear

Dear Christian Friends,

A few years ago, I read a book on John and Charles Wesley and the 18th Century Revival in England. While we sometimes face opposition to our preaching on the streets, it is nothing compared to the persecution they faced. Here are some excerpts from the book concerning one incident:

“Charles preached for three quarters of an hour the next morning. But the mob soon attacked, at first using a hand-operated pump to cover the Methodists with water. Then they resorted to a larger engine which broke the windows, flooded the rooms and spoiled the goods. We were withdrawn to a small upper-room, in the back part of the house, seeing no way to escape their violence…One brother they dragged away. They threw him into the horse-pond and broke his back.”

Continuing from Charles’ journal: “Now we stood in jeopardy every moment. Such threatenings, curses and blasphemies I have never heard….They were now close to us, on every side, and over our heads, untiling the roof. I was diverted by a little girl, who called to me, `Mr. Wesley! Mr. Wesley! creep under the bed: they will kill you. They are pulling down the house.’ Our sister Taylor’s faith was just failing, when a ruffian cried out, `Here they are, behind the curtain!’ At this time we fully expected their appearance, and returned to the furthermost corner of the room…In about an hour after the last general assault the answer of faith came, and God made bare his arm. Soon after three, Mr. Clark knocked at the door, and brought with him the constable. He said, `Sir, if you will promise never to preach here again, the gentleman and I will engage to bring you safely out of town.’ My answer was, `I shall promise no such thing.’”

“Finally they were able to leave town on horses, with the mob following. They pulled one brother off his horse, and two bulldogs tore his flesh. He got back on his horse and they rode off, singing the hymn `Worship, and thanks, and blessing.’”

Fear of Witnessing
A great many in the church have a fear of witnessing. Our word “martyr” comes from the Greek word martus meaning “witness.” Because so many in the early church who witnessed died for their faith, the word “witness” became associated with death. We are fortunate in America today that we have great freedom to preach the gospel and little danger of physical harm or death for doing so. Over the past thirty years, thousands of Christians have witnessed in San Francisco through this ministry, but nobody has been seriously hurt. Yet, it seems that fear of witnessing is even more prevalent here than in places where witnessing often results in death.

Today, the main fear that keeps us from witnessing is fear of ridicule or rejection. This is one of the main reasons we do not witness as we know we should–whether at work, to our friends and relatives, to people we meet in everyday life, or in special outreaches.

How do we overcome this fear? The first step is to recognize this as a sin, and repent of it. Second, understand that the reason we fear rejection, ridicule, injury or death is because we do not reckon ourselves dead to the world. Finally, we overcome fear of man by trusting in God’s love. Here are a few of the many scriptures relating to this: “Do not be afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. … Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God; But he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:4-8). “If any man come to me, and hate not…his own life…he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung” (Phil. 3:8). “Fear none of those things which you shall suffer; Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried…be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11). “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4: 18-19). “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). As we come to know God’s love, and are assured that He is with us and that nothing can come into our life that He does not allow, then we will be freed from the torment of fear and know His peace. “He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb. 13:5-6).

On The Streets
On October 9, we witnessed in Berkeley. Richard Griffin played music. We had several good conversations. Dan witnessed to Tony from England, who was very receptive to the gospel. Amanda witnessed to Michael, who was also receptive. We returned to Berkeley the following Saturday. While Timothy was preaching, a group of high school students gathered across the street. One of them, Cody, was heckling. I started talking with Cody. It turns out that he has a Christian background and was actually quite receptive to the gospel. I gave him a book by Mark Cahill, One Heartbeat Away.

On October 30, the Bay Bridge was closed. It took us an extra hour each way to get to San Francisco. We witnessed at Powell and Market St. A young man named Jimmy approached Larry DuBois and said, “I’m Jewish and gay.” His friends immediately tried to get him to leave with them. Larry told him, “If you want to hear the truth, I’ll tell you the truth.” He stayed and listened as Larry ministered to him, and he took a gospel of John.

On October 31, we again witnessed in Berkeley. Tim Moon played music, and several of us preached. Sky Cline brought his four children to witness with him. Gary stood across the street from us holding two signs. One said “Away with all Gods.” The other stated that Mao was the great liberator of women. While I was preaching, I invited anyone who had a good reason for not believing in Jesus to discuss it with me. Gary came over, and asked to debate me. He spoke about the various people who had been killed in the name of Jesus. I replied that it was sad that people had been wrongly killed in Jesus’ name over the years, but far more had been killed by a single atheist, his hero, Mao. An estimated 48-70 million! In contrast, 500 years of Inquisitions resulted in about 6000 deaths. The Salem witch trials resulted in about 30 deaths. He was not able to give any evidence that God does not exist. I do think that our brief debate did stir up some interest in what we were saying. Later, Sky witnessed to Gary. Several hundred people received gospel tracts that day. Adam, a young man from Berkeley, returned his tract to Eric. Eric wondered why he was doing that, but then he noticed he had put his name and address on the back and checked the box saying “I want to know more about Jesus.” He walked away before Eric could talk with him.

On November 6, we witnessed on Castro St. We hadn’t been there for two years, and were a bit concerned about hostility. However, a lot of people took gospel tracts and we had a few good conversations. Larry DuBois spoke with Bob, a backslidden Christian. We gave Spanish tracts and a Spanish Bible to five tourists from Spain. Dennis, a homeless Christian, preached while two students who are making a documentary on his life filmed him. Apparently, the film will be shown at the Castro Theater!

 
Richard Griffin ministers in Berkeley

Sky witnesses to the Maoist who debated with me in Berkeley

One of Sky’s sons passes out tracts in Berkeley

Steve witnesses to street people

Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 926-3299 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday December 4, 11, 18 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 – 10 PM (Call for location.)
Saturday December 5 Berkeley Evangelism Outreach (Telegraph & Haste St.) 12:30 – 4:30 PM
Saturday December 12, 19 San Francisco Evangelism Outreach 11:30 AM – 4 PM (Jefferson St. between Powell & Mason.)

Ministry Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. Our tract supply is getting low and we need to print some more tracts. It will cost us about $1300 to print 60,000 tracts. We also want to put in some new landscaping in the front yard of our house. It is looking pretty bad, and is a poor witness to our neighbors. This will cost about $1000.
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 and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism – to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house. I have been letting my 4000 Facebook “friends” know about this need. So far we have a few inquiries and one good applicant.

Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house. Our CD of the Month is Introduction to Personal Evangelism. This is Part 2 of a teaching I gave at my home church. You may also request Part 1 of the teaching.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month. Christmas is a great time to witness. We need to remind people of the real reason for Christmas – not shopping and Santa but Jesus!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Yours in His Love,

Larry Rosenbaum

Retirement

Dear Christian Friends,

In a little over a year, I will have my 65th birthday. People often ask me if I am planning to retire. My usual answer, simply, is “no.” I hope to continue preaching the gospel as long as God gives me the strength to do so. I wonder what it would be like to retire as a Christian. Some Christians purchase a cabin in the country. They spend their time fixing up the place. Some like to fish. Some play golf. Others drive around the country in their RV. Is that why God created us?

Our adult years tend to fall into three portions. From about age 18 to 25, our lives are usually devoted to getting an education and entering the job world, also on finding a mate. From about age 25 to 55, we work, raise a family, and watch our children grow up. At about age 55, our children are grown and we hope we can retire soon, usually around age 65.

The Mormons expect their children to spend two years in full-time missionary activity before they get married. Unfortunately, most Christian parents do not have the same expectations for their children. Young people have energy and idealism. The years before marriage are the ideal time for them to dedicate themselves to evangelism. Sadly, very few do this. Most Christian youth are in a hurry to get their education, get married and start a family. Reaching the lost is not a priority in their lives.

During the period from about 25 to 55, Christian parents are busy working and raising their children. This is, properly, a priority for them. If they were not accustomed to witness for Jesus in their younger days, when they had fewer responsibilities, they are not likely to witness for Jesus during this period of their lives. They say that they are too busy.

Once their children are grown up and leave home, they don’t have the same financial responsibilities they had before. At this point, many Christians are looking forward to the day they can retire. Often they worked at jobs they didn’t particularly like, just to pay the bills. They can’t wait until the day comes when they can dedicate themselves to their favorite past time and not have to go to work every day. Sadly, for most Christians, witnessing for Jesus was not a priority in the earlier parts of their life. Now that they actually have plenty of time to witness for Jesus, it doesn’t even occur to them to do so.

My life has been quite different. From age 20 to 24, I dedicated my life to wild living. At age 24 I was radically saved. Soon after I was saved, I started witnessing for Jesus and I realized that there was nothing more important that I could do on this earth. I have dedicated myself to doing something that I love. Why should I retire?
I think of Sabine Ball, who died on July 7 at the age of 83. I knew her for over 30 years. Sabine owned a piece of property in Mendocino County, which was a hippie commune. When she got saved, she turned it into a Christian commune, which she called the Lord’s Land. Over the years, many Christians went to this place as a retreat center, to get spiritually refreshed. Sabina spent countless hours cleaning cabins so they would be ready for guests. But she never lost her desire to evangelize. Even though she lived in the country, she would pick up hitchhikers on the way to town. She witnessed to them and brought many of them back to the Lord’s Land. She joined us for SOS-San Francisco several times, and brought other Christians with her. Over the years, many people were saved through her ministry, including several who now are pastors and leaders.

When she was 67, she returned to her homeland in Germany. She saw many homeless and alienated youth on the streets of Dresden. While praying for them, God showed her to take the $1500 she had and rent a former liquor store. She turned it into the Martin Luther Street Café as a gathering place for youth. Where ever she went she spoke freely of her experiences and was thus able to encourage and challenge others to surrender their lives entirely to God’s will. She died in her sleep. What an example for us all, that God desires to use us as long as He has us on this earth.In a little over a year, I will have my 65th birthday. People often ask me if I am planning to retire. My usual answer, simply, is “no.” I hope to continue preaching the gospel as long as God gives me the strength to do so. I wonder what it would be like to retire as a Christian. Some Christians purchase a cabin in the country. They spend their time fixing up the place. Some like to fish. Some play golf. Others drive around the country in their RV. Is that why God created us?

On The Streets
The SF Bay Bridge was closed on Labor Day weekend. We decided to take the BART train on Friday night. We bring a lot of equipment, but managed to get it on the train. We witnessed at Powell and Market, right outside the BART station. Eric Martinez sang, Larry DuBois and I preached, and the rest of us passed out tracts and witnessed. Tom Stebnisky joined us for the weekend. He first learned about our ministry from Chuck Girard 20 years ago, but was not able to make it to one of our outreaches until this summer. He witnesses regularly in Fresno, and prayed with quite a few people this weekend. On Friday, he prayed with Katy and Ray, both in their early 20’s from San Francisco. He also prayed with Lucas, a teenager from Australia. When we arrived, we found a lot of resistance to the gospel. I passed out tracts for about 15 minutes before anyone took one. However, by the end of the evening, half of the people I offered tracts to would receive them. A police officer stopped to order us to take down a banner, but otherwise we had no problem.

On Saturday, we needed to drive to UN Plaza, because we had an entire sound system to set up. It took us an extra hour, but we had no real problem with traffic. Tim Moon ministered with music, and Larry DuBois, Jeff King and I preached. Before we began, Tom and I witnessed to David, a young Catholic from Santa Rosa. We believe he genuinely prayed for salvation. Throughout the afternoon, we ministered to and prayed for many people.

The following week, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf both Friday night and Saturday afternoon. We hadn’t been to the Wharf for two months, and it was good to return. The area has become more popular with street performers, so it has become difficult for us to find a location to witness there. We can reserve a location, but this requires someone sitting at a monthly meeting for six hours while the various street performers request various locations for that month. These street performers make their living at the Wharf, so this meeting is worthwhile for them. Since we only go to the Wharf once or twice a month, it usually is not worthwhile for us to attend this meeting. Instead, we hope that there is some location available for us to minister.

This weekend, there was only one spot available, but fortunately it was our favorite spot, across from Johnny Rocket’s Restaurant. This is the first spot we came to when we started ministering at the Wharf with a PA system six years ago. This seems to be the best place to avoid conflicts with local businesses and other street performers. A Catholic lady who works across the street actually misses us when we aren’t there. And, for some reason, the other street performers don’t seem to like it.

On Friday night, Eric Martinez sang and Larry DuBois and I preached. Eric Baxter and I both witnessed to Franklin, a teenager from El Salvador. Franklin actually was carrying a Bible, and was quite receptive to the gospel, though he is not saved. Please pray for him. On Saturday, Mark Whitehead brought a few Christians from the church he pastors, Victory Assembly of God in Ceres. The nice weather brought thousands of people to the Wharf. Mark sang and several of us preached.

Tom prays with man at UN Plaza.

Tim Moon ministers at UN Plaza

Mark Whitehead sings and Dan passes out tracts at Wharf.

Eric (2nd from left) passes out tracts in Berkeley

Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 926-3299 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday October 30, November 6, 13, 20 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 – 10 PM (Call for location.)
Saturday Oct. 31, Nov. 7, 14, 21 Evangelism outreach. Berkeley (Telegraph & Haste St.) or San Francisco (Jefferson St. between Powell and Mason). (Location depends on weather. Call Sat. from 8-10 AM for location.)

Ministry Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. Our tract supply is getting low and we need to print some more tracts. It will cost us about $1300 to print 60,000 tracts. We also want to put in some new landscaping in the front yard of our house. It is looking pretty bad, and is a poor witness to our neighbors. This will cost about $1000.
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 and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism – to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house.

Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house. Our CD of the Month is Introduction to Personal Evangelism. This is part 1 of a teaching I gave at my home church, New Life Christian Church in Castro Valley.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month. Halloween falls on Saturday this year. This is an especially good time to witness, since people are already thinking about spiritual things that day.

Yours in His Love,

Larry Rosenbaum

High Visibility Evangelism

Dear Christian Friends,
Often, Christians ask us if it is effective to preach, give out tracts, and carry signs. Isn’t it better to develop a friendship with a single person, and spend a lot of time witnessing to him? Certainly, friendship evangelism is very much necessary, but it does not eliminate the need for mass evangelism.

Today, we are obsessed with the need to justify everything with statistics. We at SOS Ministries are frequently asked how many people were saved at our last outreach. Of course, we desire to see many people saved, but this does not justify our ministry. Noah was called a preacher of righteousness, and he warned his generation, probably, for hundreds of years, yet only his family was saved. The important thing is to obey God.

Throughout the Bible, we see God calling His servants to publicly proclaim His word in the public places, to multitudes of people. Jesus preached in the open, as did His disciples. The early believers preached publicly in the city centers wherever they went. Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone. While one-on-one witnessing is a very important kind of witnessing, little is said about it in the Bible and only a few instances are recorded. 

Preaching, on the other hand, is a major theme in the scriptures from beginning to end. Today, however, very few Christians preach in the public places and many argue that open-air preaching is ineffective and should be avoided. Tract distribution is a form of preaching. Many people will not stay around long enough to listen to gospel preaching, so we can put the message on a tract for them to read later. Often a person will leave a tract in his pocket, or stick it in a drawer, and read it at a time when he is depressed, or thinking about the meaning of his life. Many people have been saved through a tract they picked up off the ground. Even if a person isn’t saved through a tract, God can use it to get him to think about his relationship with God, or to understand better what it means to be born again.

Signs are another form of preaching. A person may not take a tract, but he can’t help reading the sign you are holding. God will use that brief message to convict a person of his sin and need for salvation. People who are passing by in their cars will also read your sign.

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” In this newsletter, I am constantly stressing the need for more workers to witness in San Francisco. In this city as in many others, the voices advocating sexual immorality, drug abuse, occult activities, and Eastern religions and cults are very loud. The voices calling people to turn from such things to faith in God through Jesus Christ have been virtually silenced. As God’s word is continually proclaimed boldly and openly in the public places of the city, people will be continually confronted with their need to make a decision regarding Jesus Christ. Satan is seeking to distract people from that reality. We need to remind people continually that they have a choice to make which will determine their eternal destiny.

Is Witnessing Dangerous?
Christians often ask us if witnessing on the streets is dangerous. Actually, several thousand Christians have witnessed with us in San Francisco and Berkeley over the past 30 years. A few people (including me) have been hit, but nobody has been seriously hurt. Compared to driving a car, witnessing (at least in the U.S.) is extremely safe. Lots of people are killed in auto accidents, but that doesn’t keep us from driving. However, witnessing is dangerous—to the Devil and his kingdom. That’s why he tries so hard to prevent Christians from witnessing. 

On The Streets

We had only expected a few Christians to join our August 8 outreach at UN Plaza, but God had different plans. I knew that James Croci and Tim Moon would be playing music that day. I had also invited Raymond Landry, but didn’t know until the day before the outreach that he would be coming. Raymond used to be a homeless drug addict over 20 years ago. He often heard our outreaches at Powell and Market. He was saved 20 years ago, graduated from college, and is now married with two children. On August 8, he preached and gave his testimony, which really ministered to the many homeless people and drug addicts in this plaza.

Raymond also brought several people from his church, a dozen Christian youth from a church in Concord, and about 15 Christian youth who were visiting from Australia. Two young men did Christian rap. One of them had been sentenced to 15 years in Federal prison, but after he was saved, the judge released him after he served less than 2 years! The Australia group preached and did some skits. Also, when we arrived, about 20 Hispanic Christians were witnessing in the park. They witness there almost every week. Many people gathered to hear the music and preaching, and we prayed with quite a few people that afternoon.

We knew a large group would be with us on August 15. Sixty youth from Shelter Cove church in Modesto were joining us for the first time. Their worship band played at Fisherman’s Wharf and later at Union Square. The band “Factor 11” also played at Union Square. There was an art show that afternoon, which drew many people to the park. That day, some of the largest crowds that we had ever seen at Union Square gathered to hear the music. That evening, Paul, Noreen and I visited the Carlos Annocondia crusade at Civic Center. Several thousand people, mostly Hispanic, were present at the crusade.   

SOS San Francisco Outreach Report

Dear Christian Friends,

For the 30th year, Christians came from around the U.S. to bring the gospel to the people of San Francisco and Berkeley. For the 4th year, a youth group joined us from Payson, Utah. The outreach began with a flurry of police activity. As the team was witnessing at the Sony Metreon entertainment complex Friday night, seven police officers suddenly arrived, batons in hand. They had received a report that a preacher had pushed someone with an amplifier. Fortunately, they left after realizing that it was a false report.

On Saturday, the band Machaira ministered at UN Plaza. Many people stood around, listening to the excellent music. Lt. Balma, who had arrested me 11 years ago and confiscated our PA system for a year, approached me and asked to see our permit. He didn’t do anything, but he drove back several times, and appeared to be writing some kind of report on our activities. We haven’t had any arrests since 1998, and hope this continues. Usually during SOS week, at least one team gets shut down by the police, but it didn’t happen this year.

We may have spared the police from a big problem that day. A man approached us, saying he was on the way to kill someone for money. He heard the music, stopped, and God convicted him that what he was going to do was wrong. He said he wanted to give his life to Christ. The Utah youth prayed with five people that afternoon. Several others also prayed with people that day.

Paul Coca and Tim Moon ministered with us every day, starting on Monday. Chuck Girard ministered Thursday through Saturday. On Monday and Wednesday, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. On Monday, the Utah team ministered through music and ?human videos.? On Wednesday, a youth band from Church of the Valley, Morgan Hill, ministered there. Each time, a large crowd gathered to listen. We had many good conversations at the Wharf. On Monday, Jeff and Lorretta witnessed to Wi, a Vietnamese man who is living in Hong Kong. They gave him a book by Max Lucado that explains the Christian faith. Craig ministered to Robert, a Christian who came to San Francisco from Alabama looking for work. He was homeless, so he took him to the church. We ministered to him and helped him get a bus ticket home. Kim gave a tract to Lawrence, a young man on a bike. He returned and said he really needed prayer. He has cancer and no family, and is homeless. Jeff and Loretta prayed with him.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we witnessed in Berkeley. The Utah team ministered on Tuesday. On Thursday, Chuck Girard and Zack and Christian ministered. Zack is 13. He writes songs and is an excellent guitar player. His brother Christian is 8 and plays drums. Both live in Nashville, where Zack is learning music and starting to record some songs. On Tuesday I witnessed to Amir, a Berkeley student from Iran. He asked me about evidence that Christianity is true. I showed him some of the Old Testament prophesies that were fulfilled by Jesus.

On Tuesday, Jeff spoke with a different man named Zack. He said he used to harass us when he saw our team on the streets. He said he would try to come up with intellectual arguments to mock us. Now, however, he is a Christian! On Thursday, Paul spoke with a man who was selling pornographic videos from a cart. At first, he tried to justify his actions, but eventually he admitted that what he was doing was wrong. Terry spoke with Filipa, a woman from England. She asked her, “Does God love gay people?” Terry said “yes” and ministered to her for an hour. Filipa was raped and beaten by her father, which she said is why she became a lesbian.

On Friday, we witnessed at Haight St. near Masonic. Mary spoke with Pat, an Irish woman. Her son is a heroin addict. She said she wanted to know Jesus, and Mary prayed with her. She also ministered to a man who was heckling my preaching. He had played in a Christian worship band for 8 years, but was now very angry at the church, he said, for political reasons. That night, we also witnessed on Haight St. A large event had been planned that night involving local businesses and a street closing. The event was canceled, leaving our outreach the only thing going on. Frank spoke with Jesse, age 21, from New Jersey, who said he was interested in spiritual things. He shared his testimony and gave him a Bible. Later, he offered three people a New Testament as they passed by. Two said no, but one girl turned around and said she wanted one.

We finished our outreach on Saturday afternoon at Dolores Park. It was a warm, sunny day, and by the end of the day there were at least 1000 people in the park. Tim, Paul and Chuck ministered with music and Larry DuBois and I preached to the crowd. At the end of the day, Jeff spoke with me. Jeff lived in our ministry house when he was 19. However, he has been backslidden into the homosexual life for 30 years now, and I had not spoken with him for about 20 years. He gave me his email address and asked me to contact him.

Please pray for all those we ministered to during SOS week. I cannot begin to tell you everything that God did during this week. Loretta sent me daily emails with dozens of testimonies in them. Last week, I received three letters from prisoners who had somehow received one of our tracts. I want to thank all those who helped us during the SOS-San Francisco outreach, and especially Park Presidio Bible Church for once again opening up their facility to us.

Coming Events
Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 926-3299 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday Sept. 4, 11, 18 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30 - 10 PM
Sat. September 5 San Francisco Outreach U N Plaza (7th St. and Market) 11 AM - 4 PM.
Sat. September 12 San Francisco Outreach Fisherman’s Wharf (Jefferson St. near Mason) 11:30 AM - 4 PM.
Sat. September 19 Berkeley Outreach Telegraph and Haste St. 12:30 - 4:30 PM.

Ministry Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry.

We have three openings in our Oakland ministry house. We are looking for men in their 20’s or 30’s who are spiritually strong and are committed to evangelism. We need to train younger believers in evangelism - to reach a new generation and help us continue this work of evangelizing San Francisco and Berkeley. We are also open to having older Christian men live in this house.

We have been trying for five years to find younger Christians to join our ministry. So far, we have not been successful. It seems that very few Christian youth are interested in evangelism. This certainly needs to change if there is any hope for our nation. Last March, I joined Facebook (facebook.com/sosmin), a social networking site with 100,000,000 members around the world, including over 1 million Christians. I have been using it to contact Christian youth and speak to them about evangelism. I now have over 2500 “friends.” Currently, I am asking 30 California Bible college students a day to be my “friend.” About a dozen people have expressed interest in our house, but so far nobody has actually moved in. Several people have come to our outreaches through Facebook.

Please pray that God will bring the right people for our house. 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 The Gospel in Today’s World by Winkey Pratney.

I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.

Yours in His Love,

Larry Rosenbaum