Coming Events
Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 282-5629 to confirm outreaches or for more information.
Friday December 5, 12, 19 6 – 9 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.
Sat. December 6 and 13 12-4 PM Downtown San Francisco outreach. 5th St. and Market.
Sat. December 20 Berkeley outreach. Shattuck & Center St.
Our Lord’s Mission
Dear Christian friends,
For me, Christmas is a wonderful time to contemplate God’s love in sending His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. Truly, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to search for the one lost sheep. “For the Son of man is come to seek out and to save that which was lost.” Jesus Christ came to earth on a mission: to seek out and save the lost. He has given us the same mission. What a privilege it is to follow in His footsteps. Sadly, many professing Christians care little about reaching the lost.
Christmas is a great time to witness, as people seem to be most open to the gospel at this time of year. They are looking for the “Christmas spirit.” What they need is the Spirit of God, the true Christmas spirit.
While New Year’s Eve is a time of drunkenness, New Year’s Day is a time for resolutions and self-examination about where our lives are heading. This can also be a great opportunity to witness. One year I witnessed at a New Year’s Eve party and prayed with a young man to receive Christ as the clock struck twelve.
Getting Started in Evangelism
I believe that every Christian should make a commitment to get involved in some kind of evangelism ministry on a regular basis (besides witnessing to friends and at work). In order to make such a commitment, we must first be convinced that God has commanded us to do this.
The Great Commission was given by our Lord for us to obey. As John Stott put it, “Evangelism is a responsibility laid by Christ upon His whole church and every member of it. So the people of God must be both mobilized and trained.” God will hold us accountable for the blood of those we are supposed to warn. (Acts 20:26, 1 Corin. 9:16-17, Ezek. 3.)
Once we are convinced of this, we will overcome whatever obstacles are keeping us from getting involved in evangelism. There are many different kinds of evangelism ministry. We need to find out where God wants us. Ask Him for direction. If you don’t receive a clear direction for ministry, get started doing something. It is easier to steer a vehicle that is moving than one that is stopped. Check out the opportunities for evangelism in your own church. They may have a street outreach, a nursing home ministry or jail ministry. Go out with the group a few times. Next, check out other opportunities in your city. If you live in a small town, you may have to travel some distance to find an evangelism group you can work with. God may want you to gain experience working with this group until you can help start a similar ministry in your own town. There are also ministries you can do at home, such as writing prisoners and internet or telephone evangelism.
The important thing is to start doing some kind of evangelism ministry on a regular basis. Make a commitment to set aside a certain period of time to do this ministry–at least a few hours a month and if possible, once a week. Give this commitment high priority in your life–make it as important as attending church on Sunday morning, reading the Bible, and prayer. Just as there may be a period when you visit different churches to find out what your home church should be, so there may be a period when you try out different kinds of evangelism. But ultimately you need to make a regular commitment to a single evangelism ministry just as you need to commit yourself to a single church. Our commitment needs to be strong enough to sustain us through times of difficulty and discouragement. We may get discouraged about evangelism just as we may get discouraged about our church, job, or spouse. It is our commitment to walk by faith in obedience to our Lord that sustains us through these times. One thing that can help is for you to join with a friend in making this commitment, and hold each other accountable to keeping it.
On the Streets
On Sat. Aug. 23 we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mike spoke with Jeff, a homeless man in his 20’s who was asking for money for beer. Mike bought him an iced coffee and spoke with him. Jeff had been a worship leader in a church, but was far from God. Mike ministered to him, and he was receptive. He also witnessed to Andrew and Jose, who are Hispanic and looked like gang members. Andrew said that he went to church and God did something for him. They were both open to the gospel message. Dave witnessed to Mark, who is Catholic, and Gabrielle, who attends an evangelical church but did not want Dave to witness to her unsaved boy friend. Amos witnessed to Carl, who is a street performer and a Jehovah’s Witness. He took a break from the outreach to go back to the office where he works. There, he witnessed to a co-worker, Heinz, who asked about his Christian activities and was receptive to the gospel message.
Larry DuBois went to Roseville (near Sacramento) that day to participate in a church outreach in a local park. Paul and Noreen, Scott Crawford, and Chuck Girard all ministered there. They gave out about 40 New Testaments at that outreach and two people attended church the next day.
On Fri. Aug. 29 we witnessed downtown at Powell and Market St. Dave and Phil witnessed to Ahmed, a Muslim from Yemen. He took a New Testament and said he would read it. They also ministered to Raymond, a backslidden Christian who was using drugs. They prayed together.
The next day, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mike witnessed to Nick, who grew up Christian but was going to Santa Cruz to buy marijuana. He said that he had spina bifida and had “died’ and been revived eight times during surgery, during which time he saw the flames of Hell. Apparently these experiences did not keep him on the “straight and narrow” path. Amos witnessed to Kyle, who grew up in a Christian home but was now an agnostic. When he was young, he feared death but decided what happens after we die wasn’t important to him. Amos and Eddie also witnessed to Max, a Russian truck driver from Minnesota. He said bluntly, “I want to go to Hell.” He said he had been in jail, and said it was horrible. “I never want to go to jail again.” They assured him that Hell is a whole lot worse. As they ministered to him, tears came to his eyes. Larry D. and Mike spoke with Barry. Larry had spoken with him several years before. Since then, he had been in a drug treatment program and was reading the Bible.
On September 5, we witnessed on Haight St. We gave away sandwiches and clothes to the homeless who congregate in this area. Dave witnessed to Jeremy, who was raised in a Christian home, and Yeir, an atheist Jew from Israel. He also spoke with Trey and Justin, who were 19 and 20 years old. Dave and Mike witnessed to Alex, 19, who was raised in a Christian foster home. Phil witnessed to Boris, a Russian man who was adopted by Jewish parents and was not religious.
The next day, we witnessed downtown at 5th St. and Market. Dave gave a tract to Jimmy. Later on, he saw him reading the tract and witnessed to him. He also witnessed to Johnny, who was listening to the preaching. He asked, “what is truth?” Dave encouraged him to seek the truth. Mike witnessed to David, who said he grew up Christian but was now an atheist. He also ministered to Matthew, who was begging for money. He said he attended the Vineyard church in the 1990’s but had lost his family due to alcohol. He let Mike pray for him. He also prayed with Micah, who had lived in the City Impact recovery program for one week. He struggles with alcohol and mental illness. He also prayed with Antonio, who was open to the gospel and broken. He seemed to be weeping as he walked away.
Phil witnessed to Jessica, a young woman who was listening to the music. She was sincerely interested and took a New Testament. He also witnessed to John, who complained that Christians just want to preach and won’t listen to people. He said “people just want to unburden and have someone really listen to them.” Phil said he would be happy to listen to him, but John didn’t want to talk. Phil gave him a tract, and said he would be happy to talk with him and pray for him at a later time.
Eddie and Amos ministered to Stanley, a Christian from Nigeria who was in San Francisco for a year to do graduate work in international business. Eddie had recently returned from Nigeria and was familiar with some of the false teachings that are common there, so he was able to minister to Stanley. Amos invited him to attend Reality Church with him. He picked him up on Sunday. Stanley really enjoyed the service and met the pastor afterwards.
Ministry Needs
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry.
Please pray for those we have witnessed to recently, especially those mentioned in this newsletter. I hope some of you will join us for an outreach this next month. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
