Friday  January 3, 10, 31     4 – 7 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.

Saturday January 4, 11       12 – 4  PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.

Location subject to change because of possible rain. Call 510-282-5629 on morning of outreach for location.

LESSONS ON PREACHING

Dear Christian friends,

This is the seventh of an eight part teaching series on New Testament preaching from the book of Acts. My goal is to try to look at the Bible without any preconceived ideas. I learned a lot from this study, and I hope you did too.

The first thing that stands out is the extent to which New Testament preachers relied on Messianic prophesies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus. In most cases, these messages were directed to a Jewish audience. But Paul also referred to Messianic prophesies when speaking with Agrippa, an Edomite familiar with Jewish matters, and Felix, a Roman less familiar with them. He told them, “I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen” Acts 26.

Another common theme was Christ’s suffering and resurrection. Peter, Stephen and Paul all spoke about it. Mentioning the resurrection of Jesus would be particularly powerful before a Jewish audience. It was well known that Jesus’ body was missing, and there was no good alternative explanation for what happened. Also, the Pharisees and Sadducees argued about whether the dead are resurrected. The statement that Jesus was resurrected would seem strange to the Gentile audience in Athens, but Paul nonetheless told them about it.

Peter, Stephen, and later Paul confronted their audience with specific sins. They all told the Jews that they had crucified the Messiah. Paul spoke with Gentiles about the sin of idolatry.

Many of the preaching situations were in response to a miracle—tongues at Pentecost, healing a lame man in Jerusalem and healing a crippled man at Lystra. Paul survived a shipwreck and being bitten by a poisonous snake. He healed people at Malta.

We are not given a lot of information about how to witness to a Gentile audience. The main example is Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17). Paul used an inscription from a Greek temple and quotes from two Greek poets to relate to his audience. His message was quite simple. He started with the concept that one God made all things, and that He does not dwell in temples. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men every where to repent. Because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained, whereof he has given assurance to all men, in that he raised him from the dead.” Paul speaks of God’s judgment, the need for repentance, and the resurrection of Jesus as evidence that He is the One we must trust for salvation. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabus told the Gentile crowd at Lystra not to worship them as gods, but that there was one true God who made all things, and left a witness in doing good, and bringing rain. Again, the message was very simple.

Later we have Paul’s witness before Felix and Festus, both Roman governors somewhat acquainted with Jewish law. Paul spoke with Felix about “righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment.” This caused the corrupt ruler to be afraid, but he didn’t repent. When Paul spoke with Festus about Christ’s resurrection, he thought he was crazy: “much learning has made you mad.” Paul also gave his testimony several times, how he had opposed the gospel and persecuted Christians before Jesus appeared to him.

Finally, we have Paul’s witness to the workers on the ship that wrecked and the natives on Malta. He used supernatural gifts—the word of knowledge and gift of healing—to persuade them that the God he worships is the true God. However, we don’t know what he said to these people.

The Gentile audiences we preach to today have more Biblical knowledge than did the people of Athens or Lystra. Today, some people know the Bible well, while others know very little about it. Also, many people are confused by false information about Christianity.

All the New Testament preachers were well aware of their audience, what they knew about the Bible, and the sins they needed to be confronted with (killing the Messiah, lack of self-control, idolatry), and tailored their message to the people they were talking to. They tried to relate to their audience, often using things they were familiar with. They spoke in a dignified manner about sin and repentance. There was no hint of pride or self-righteousness in their preaching. At the same time, they were not ashamed of the gospel. They boldly preached God’s word, even when they risked death and imprisonment.

On the Streets

On Sat. June 29, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mike had a long conversation with Mohammed, 45, from Eritrea, about the differences between Christianity and Islam. Mike shared my testimony with him, that I was raised Jewish but became convinced that the entire Bible is God’s word because of the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. He was very respectful and listened to the gospel message.

On Sat. July 6, we witnessed at 5^th St. and Market. Despite the perfect weather, there were far fewer people on the streets than the last time we were here, before Covid. Mike spent an hour ministering to Sidney, 35. Mike had witnessed to him several years ago. Jacob, who lived in our house in 2017, had once spent the night with him because he was suicidal. Sidney was told he was adopted at the age of four and his mother was a prostitute. A few years ago, his girlfriend abandoned him and he started using drugs. He was about to be evicted from his room in one week. Mike suggested programs to help him get free from drugs, but he resisted the idea. Mike shared the gospel with him and invited him to City Impact. He responded, “I feel so guilty because I know I will still use drugs.”

Mike also ministered to Sonya, a nurse, who came from a Oneness Pentecostal background. She seemed to have faith in Jesus but was confused about the Trinity. Mike shared that Jesus prayed to his Father, so they must be distinct persons. Mike invited her to City Impact.

While I was preaching about forgiveness, Amanda approached me. I let Ben preach and spoke with her. She told me how her father molested her and others had wronged her. She knew she should forgive them but didn’t know how. She had attended the Unitarian church and Christian Science churches, so she was very confused. I shared the gospel with her and gave her contact information for City Impact church. I also shared that the reason I am able to forgive others is that I realize how much greater my sins against God are than the sins others have committed against me. Because Jesus has forgiven me, I can forgive others.

Ben has been witnessing with us for the past 8 months. He is 30 and is from Kazakhstan. He was raised a Muslim. Three years ago, he visited the First Baptist Church in San Francisco. He sat next to a man who had been a missionary to Russia. Afterwards, they went to lunch and that man shared the gospel to him in Russian. He was radically saved and now is zealous to preach the gospel. We are blessed to have him join us.

Our 45^th annual SOS-San Francisco outreach was held on July 10-13. Chuck Girard, Paul  and Noreen Coca and Tim Moon played music on all four days. About 15-20 Christians joined us each day. Steve Carothers, who has witnessed with us since the 1980’s, drove over 700 miles from Idaho to attend the outreach.  On Wed. July 10 we witnessed at 16^th and Mission. Mike witnessed to Ash, 34. He was raised as a Mennonite but became a heroin addict. He stopped using heroin when he was in the military. He said he murdered his commanding officer. After leaving the military, he returned to using heroin and was now living in constant pain and very bad health. Mike tried to encourage him to read the New Testament and put his faith in Jesus Christ.

A Final Word

Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry.   We have three openings in our ministry house. We are looking for spiritually mature young men with a serious desire to evangelize San Francisco. During the COVID lockdown, quite a few Christians wanted to participate in evangelism and live in our ministry house. Our ministry house was filled for 3 years. Now that the lockdown has ended, it seems that there is less interest in evangelism among Christians in our area.

San Francisco’s rainy season begins soon. On many days, we are not sure whether or not it will be raining. When rain is likely, we witness at Powell and O’Farrell St. There is a large awning over this sidewalk, but the building owner does not like us and the police lieutenant has threatened to arrest us several times, even though we are not breaking any law. Please pray that God will give us wisdom in handling this difficult situation.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum