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Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 282-5629 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday July 2, 19, 26 6 – 9 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.
Sat. July 20 11 AM – 4 PM Fisherman’s Wharf (Jefferson St. near Mason)
Sat. July 27 11 AM – 1 PM Fisherman’s Wharf (Jefferson St. near Mason)
3-5 PM Union Square (Powell & Post St.) Factor 11.
SOS-San Francisco Outreach Schedule
(Schedule subject to change. Call 510-282-5629 to confirm.)
Wed. July 10 12-4 PM Berkeley Outreach. Telegraph & Haste St.
Thurs. July 11 11 AM – 4 PM Fisherman’s Wharf (Jefferson St. near Mason)
Fri. July 12 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM Financial District (1st St. and Market), SF. 6-8 PM Haight St. & Masonic, SF.
Sat. July 13 12-5 PM UN Plaza 7th St. & Market SF.
True Discipleship
Dear Christian Friends
“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” Luke 9:51. As he traveled with his disciples, three men offered to follow him. Jesus told the first man that “the son of Man has no place to lay his head.” A second man asked him to first let him bury his father. Jesus responded, “Let the dead bury the dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” A third man said “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus told him “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Was Jesus being unreasonable in His demands? He knew the hearts of these three men. He knew that the first man wouldn’t sacrifice his comfort and security, that the second man’s father wasn’t dead, and that the third man’s family would distract him from following Jesus.
We are a lot like these three men. We all have excuses for not obeying Jesus’ command to follow Him and proclaim the kingdom of God. Some of our excuses sound very convincing. “Let me first bury my father.” “Let me first say good-by to my family.” We are busy with a multitude of legitimate activities—work, school, family, recreation, etc. One day we’ll start obeying our Lord’s command to take the Gospel to the lost. However, right now we’re busy with other things.
Jesus told us that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Thousands of people enter eternity every day without knowing Jesus Christ. We know the One Who can save these people from eternal Hell, but we are too busy to tell them about Him. We all have 24 hours each day. We find time for the things that are important to us. Certainly, rescuing lost souls from Hell is important enough to deserve some of our time!
The Greatest Need
The greatest need for every person on this earth is to receive salvation from Jesus Christ. The greatest thing any one of us can do is to present the gospel to someone and give him or her a chance to be saved. Almost every day, we have opportunities to witness to people. We encounter people at work, at school, on the bus or airplane, on the street, at the grocery store, in our neighborhood, etc. We all need to take better advantage of these opportunities and be bolder in our Christian witness.
However, there are many people who do not have any Christian friends or co-workers to witness to them. They will not be reached for Jesus unless someone makes a special effort to reach them. This is why we need special evangelistic outreaches.
One of the main reasons we do not witness in our everyday lives is that our minds are focused on other things. During an outreach like SOS-San Francisco, we can focus on one thing — reaching people with the gospel.
Another reason we do not witness is because we fear rejection by friends or co-workers. SOS-San Francisco provides an opportunity to overcome fear and witness boldly for Jesus, with the encouragement of other Christians.
A third reason we don’t witness is that we don’t know how. SOS-San Francisco provides an opportunity to get practical training and experience in personal witnessing.
An “SOS” is an urgent call for help. The people of San Franciscoare in great spiritual need. They may not be starving physically, but they are starving spiritually and are headed for eternal torment if they do not trust in Jesus. We have the spiritual food, the Word of God, that can save them from a fate worse than death. How can we withhold God’s Word from those who desperately need it?
Many Christians at one time had a zeal for God and a burden for souls. But today they are caught up in worldly activities and have lost that zeal. I believe that God wants to use this summer’s SOS outreach to restore this fervor in many of His people. Jesus is coming soon! Let’s get our hearts right with God and get busy doing the work He has commanded us to do: investing our lives winning souls for His Kingdom.
Don’t miss this year’s SOS outreach. We will be holding daily noon worship rallies in city parks, bringing the church to the street. If you need housing, I can provide a list of (relatively) inexpensive housing. Please encourage your Christian friends to get involved. Set aside July 10-13 to attend the SOS outreach and bring a friend. Please call or e-mail us if you have any questions. 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.
On the Streets
On April 20 we witnessed at UN Plaza. I was blessed that my home church’s worship group ministered that day (New Life Christian Church,Hayward). The band “Book” and Richard Diaz also played music. Larry DuBois prayed with Rod and Jerry, both struggling believers. We returned to UN Plaza on May 4. The worship group from Shelter Cove Church, Modesto, played. Many people stopped to listen to the excellent music. Mike and Eddie witnessed to Katrina, 24. She attended Reality Church in San Francisco with them the next day and they have met with her several more times. Isaiah and Dave witnessed to Romero, a 26 year old skateboarder. His 31 year old friend died recently and got him thinking about the brevity of life. They shared the gospel with him and gave him a Bible. Mike witnessed to Tony, a homosexual who knew the Bible well and knew he was sinning. He asked him to pray that God would give him a repentant heart. He also witnessed to James, 27, who said “I’m Satan” but nonetheless listened to the gospel message for 20 minutes. Mike and Dave witnessed to Nick, who was convicted of his sin but not ready to repent. Dave also ministered to Nargess, a Muslim woman from Afghanistan who works in the area. He has spoken with her several times.
On May 10, we witnessed at the SF Giants baseball game. Thousands of people heard the gospel as they left the game. Isaiah prayed with Anthony to rededicate his life to Christ. Mike witnessed to Aaron, a Jewish agnostic. The next day, we went to Dolores Park. It was a warm, sunny day and about 1000 people were in the park. At the beginning, Eddie played Christian music over his iPhone. When the phone rang, people all over the park began to laugh. So we knew a lot of people were listening to us!
That afternoon, Dave witnessed to Antoine, Preston, and a park worker named John. All were quite receptive to the gospel. Mike and Eddie witnessed to David, who was into New Age thinking. Mike also witnessed to Jose, a Catholic from El Salvador who had never heard the gospel, and Ian, who believes in evolution but was receptive to the things Mike shared with him. He also ministered to Gerald, a Christian whose wife and children had recently left him.
Ministry News and Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for the ministry. Please pray for those people we have witnessed to this past month, especially those I mentioned in this newsletter. I hope many of you will join us for our SOS-San Francisco outreach, June 10-13.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum