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Coming Events
(Note: Outreaches subject to change. Call 510-282-5629 to confirm.)
Friday April 6, 20, 27 5 – 8 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.
Sat April 7 Shattuck and Center St. Berkeley 12:30 – 4:30 PM
Sat. April 21 5th St. and Market SF 12 – 4 PM
Sat. April 28 Fisherman’s Wharf outreach (Jefferson St. near Mason) 11 AM – 4 PM
True Joy
Dear Christian friends,
As a new believer, I learned that the secret to happiness in the Christian life is “J” “O” “Y” : Putting “J”esus first, “O”thers second, and “Y”ourself last. Jesus said the First Commandment was to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. The Second Commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. We don’t need a third commandment to love ourselves. That comes naturally to our fallen nature. “No man ever yet hated his own flesh” (Eph. 5:29).
In light of this, why should we witness for Jesus? First of all, it pleases Him. He commanded us to go into all the world to preach the gospel. He died for the sins of mankind and is calling us to bring in the harvest of souls He died for. God’s one and only plan is that lost people would come to Him through the preaching of His obedient servants.
Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. If we love Jesus, we will obey His Commandment to tell others about Him. If we really love someone, we will not be ashamed of them. We will naturally tell others how much we love that person. When we have heard good news, we will want others to know about it. The Gospel is the Best News there is! Jesus, give us a passion to tell the whole world about You!
Second, we witness for the sake of others. If we love people, we will be concerned about their eternal destiny. We certainly will not want them to spend eternity in Hell, and will do everything we can to persuade them to be saved. Also, we will want them to be freed from the bondage and horrible consequences of sin and to experience the abundant life found in Christ.
Of course, the eternal state of people is infinitely more important than their happiness in this life. We need to ask God to give us a heightened awareness of eternity. We need a greater burden for the lost — to realize that every person on earth will spend eternity in the joy of Heaven or the torment of Hell. As evangelical Christians, we believe this in our heads, but do our actions reflect our beliefs? How much effort do we make to bring others to Christ?
Nobody who had discovered a cure for cancer would keep silent while thousands died of the disease. We have found the cure for sin! If you were on the beach and saw someone drowning, surely you would try to rescue him. Thousands of people around us are drowning in their sins. We must do all we can to rescue them!
Finally, we witness for our own sakes. We are storing up treasures in Heaven. “They that turn many to righteousness [shall shine] as the stars for ever” (Dan. 12:3). Also, there is great joy in witnessing for Jesus. There are four essential ingredients to the Christian life: prayer, God’s word, fellowship, and witnessing. Most Christians are missing at least one essential ingredient — witnessing. Most of our problems are caused by self-centeredness. Witnessing for Jesus helps us get our eyes off ourselves and onto Jesus. Our problems seem small as we offer others the Hope of the World. As we minister to others, God ministers to us. There is great joy in obeying Jesus and letting others know of His goodness. And we can rejoice with God and the angels when a sinner repents.
Why don’t people witness? The main reason people give is “fear.” Now, do you think a Christian will experience more joy by remaining fearful and disobedient to the Great Commission or by overcoming his or her fears and obeying our Lord Jesus Christ? God, cause us to know You and Your love for us so deeply that our fears will be cast out and we will boldly proclaim Your gospel to a lost and dying world!
On the Streets
December is normally a rainy month, but we were blessed with good weather for every outreach. On Friday December 1 we witnessed at 4th St. and Mission. Scott witnessed to Donnie, a security guard at the parking lot next to us. He is a Catholic, and thought he was saved because of his Catholic upbringing. Kathy and Dave witnessed to Vinnie, who was 23 but looked 15. She had been homeless for 1 ½ years. Mike ministered to Eric, who grew up in an Assembly of God church and was coming back to God. He got his phone number for follow-up.
The next day, we witnessed at 5th and Market. Dave witnessed to Mo, a Chinese woman attending San Francisco State. She said she had been attending Bible studies but didn’t understand the gospel. Dave shared the gospel with her and gave her a gospel of John. Cal witnessed to Emanuel, who had arrived in San Francisco that day after living in Europe. He is renting a place a few blocks from us in Oakland and gave Cal his phone number. Cal shared his testimony with him. Cal also spoke on the phone with Carlos, who called us in response to a beaten-up gospel tract he found.
On Fri. December 8, we witnessed at 5th and Market. Dave witnessed to Delsean and Rebecca, both about 18. They offered him marijuana. He shared his testimony and how marijuana is related to sorcery and spiritual deception. Rebecca said, “my grandmother tells me the same thing.” Kathy and Mike ministered to Michael. He grew up Catholic and was recently saved. When he shared his testimony with his sister, she told him he had to leave the house. She dropped him off in San Francisco and he slept on the streets for five nights. Mike helped him find a hotel room.
The next day, we witnessed in downtown Berkeley. Mike witnessed to Patrick and Sam, both about 20. Sam is Jewish but familiar with Christian theology. Mike spoke about the need for blood sacrifices. Dave witnessed to Harry, a young Jewish man who wants to be a diplomat. He listened to the gospel message and read Isaiah 53.
On Fri. December 15, we witnessed at 5th and Market. After some other street performers left, we moved to Powell and Market. Dave witnessed to Colt, a professional actor who grew up in a Christian home but said he was a good person and didn’t need Jesus. All of us witnessed to Loreen, 36, who said she was a new believer but just learned that the man she was renting from was a murderer who had threatened her. We took her home for two nights and ministered to her. It turned out she had delusions of grandeur and it was difficult to know what was really happening with her. We suggested some places that could help her, but she wasn’t interested.
The next day, we held our last outreach of 2017 at 5th and Market. Tim Moon, who had recently recovered from a severe heart attack, played music. He is doing quite well. Dave witnessed to Matt, 30, whose brother hanged himself a month ago. He was very receptive to the gospel. Cal witnessed to Justin, 27, who was boasting about his success with women. After he shared that his parents died before he was two, he suddenly started crying. He complained that God hated him and Christians didn’t help him. He said nobody would give him rides. Cal hugged him, gave him his phone number, and offered to give him rides. Later that day, Cal saw Nicky, in her 40’s, in a mall across the street. He felt he should pray for her. He introduced himself and asked if she needed prayer. She started weeping. She said she is a Christian and all her valuables were recently stolen by a trusted friend. Cal prayed with her.
Ministry Needs
Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. I have applied for San Francisco park permits for the coming year. Please pray that we will have no problems getting permits. It was cost about $1500 for the permits.
Last December, Paul Coca’s grandson Paul, 17, fell asleep while driving to church. The truck he was driving crashed. He survived, but was seriously injured – both ankles, his back, and the worst injury was to his jaw, which was mostly crushed. He has had several surgeries, with more to come. Right now he can walk on crutches but can only eat liquids. He has also lost hearing in one ear. Fortunately, he has no brain injury. Please pray for Paul’s total healing. Please also pray for the rest of his family, that God would comfort them in this difficult time.
Usually when we witness, we have at least a few good conversations with people who are receptive to the gospel. Occasionally, we see someone we witness to get saved, and help minister to him as he grows spiritually. Several months ago, we met Steve, a Chinese student at UC Berkeley. We helped him come to Christ and begin to grow spiritually. (Please pray for Steve. He is moving back to China.)
Last year, I sat next to a woman at church who told me she had been saved at one of our outreaches several years ago. We only see a small amount of the fruit that comes from our evangelism. God is calling us to plant and water gospel seeds, and trust Him with the increase.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum