SOS-San Francisco
Outreach Schedule
44th Year
Wed. July 5 16th St. and Mission 3-7 PM
Thurs. July 6 5th and Market St. 3-7 PM
Fri. July 7 Taylor and Jefferson St. (Wharf) 4-8 PM
Sat. July 8 Powell and Jefferson St. (Wharf) 11-4 PM
Coming Events
Friday July 14, 21, 28 3-6 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call us at (510) 282-5629 for outreach location.)
Saturday July 1, 15, 22, 29 11 AM – 3 PM Fisherman’s Wharf outreach. (Powell and Jefferson St.)
Josh preaches, John witnesses and police arrest shoplifter at 4th and Market.
STREET PREACHING IN THE BIBLE – PART 1
Dear Christian friends,
There is not much “one-on-one witnessing” talked about in the BIBLE; the emphasis is on PREACHING TO CROWDS. We are not saying to stop witnessing one-on-one. We do it. We encourage it. However, the method most commonly mentioned in the Bible yet ignored by most Christians today is OPEN AIR PREACHING.
The Old Testament is rich with accounts of PUBLIC PREACHING.
“Wisdom CRIES WITHOUT; she utters her voice IN THE STREETS: SHE CRIES IN THE CHIEF PLACE OF CONCOURSE, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words…” (Proverbs 1:20-21)
“CRIES” means shouting out loud. “WITHOUT” means outside. “CHIEF PLACE OF CONCOURSE” means where the biggest crowds are.
“Does not wisdom CRY? And understanding PUT FORTH HER VOICE? She stands in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She cries at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.” (Proverbs 8:1-3)
Old Testament prophets often PREACHED at the GATES of the city. The gates were the busiest places in town. The cities in Bible times were surrounded by walls for protection, and all traffic in and out of the city went through the gate. It was the place to be to get a message to all visitors (Genesis 19:1) as well as the citizens going in and out to work in the fields, and the king and all dignitaries.
A man PREACHING at the gate would not only reach large crowds, but also have an IMPACT on and a direct outreach to such varied arenas as: the business community, court decisions, idolatrous meetings, soldiers, government, etc. Amos was a STREET PREACHER! “They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.” (Amos 5:10)
Isaiah was a STREET PREACHER! They “lay a snare for him that reproves in the gate…” (Isaiah 29:21)
Jeremiah was a STREET PREACHER!
“Thus said the Lord unto me, Go and stand in the GATE of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the GATES of Jerusalem; and say unto them, Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem that enter in by these gates: Thus says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 17:19-20)
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Stand in the GATE of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. (Jeremiah 7:1-2)
To be continued, from www.soulwinning.info/sp/lessons/01.htm)
On the Streets
On Fri. March 11, we witnessed at 4th St. and Market. Ryan witnessed to Nicci, 25, who said she was searching for truth. She was open to the gospel and to attending church. He invited her to church and got her contact information. Ryan also ministered to Victoria, a backslidden Christian. She was raised in church but questioned her beliefs. He got her contact information. He also ministered to Breeah, 26, who said he was a Christian but was smoking marijuana. Ryan told him he needed to repent of the marijuana. He cried and said, “I need help.” He urged him to throw the marijuana away. He threw it on the ground and stomped on it. On Sunday, Ryan picked him up and he came to church with him.
After the outreach, Andy went to an Indian restaurant. An Iraqi man named Nassir asked Andy what I was reading. Andy said he was reading the book of Isaiah in the Bible. Nassir said that in the Quran it says Jesus is coming back. Andy asked if the Quran believes in the deity of Jesus. He quoted John 8:58 and Ex. 3:14. Andy asked him if he had ever read the Bible. He said no, and didn’t want to receive a Bible. They left on good terms. Others in the restaurant, many of whom were Muslim, heard their conversation.
On Fri. March 18, we witnessed at 16th and Mission. Mike and Tats witnessed to Abdul, 18, a Muslim who attended City Impact’s Christian school. He was open to the gospel but didn’t understand it. Mike and Tats explained it to him, and they gave him a Bible. He said he would read it over the next few weeks. He had an addiction problem and was looking for help. Mike also witnessed to Lamont, who had spent a lot of time at City Impact, where Mike works and attends church. He had good memories of his time there. He boasted that he would commit “10,000 crimes” but only get caught once. However, after two encounters with demons, he gave up the criminal life. He also did not understand the gospel, so Mike explained it to him. He said he would return to City Impact.
Tats witnessed to Chloe, who asked him for prayer for his daughter in the hospital. Tats asked if her daughter was saved. Chloe didn’t understand about salvation, so Tats shared the gospel with her. He said this is the most important thing both for her and her daughter, and then he prayed for both of them. Andy and Weston witnessed to Ronnie, 42. Ronnie asked Weston if he was gay and appeared very interested in the subject. They explained the gospel to him, and shared Tats’ testimony of coming out of that lifestyle.
The next day, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mike Chubick played music. Tats witnessed in Japanese to Yuu, 23, an exchange student from Japan. Yuu asked, “What is Christianity?” He also asked if Jesus was the only way to God. Tats explained the gospel to him and gave him a Japanese tract.
On Fri. March 31, we witnessed at 24th and Mission. Mike witnessed to Senga, a Catholic woman from Eritrea in Africa. She asked for prayer for her relatives. Mike prayed with her for them, but also shared the gospel with her and urged her to receive Jesus as her savior and read the gospel of John. Alex talked to Alfonso, who only spoke Spanish. Alex knows a little Spanish but their conversation was limited. Alfonso asked for prayer for his leg. Alex prayed for him, and Alfonso said his leg felt much better. Tats spoke with Anna, who had been a Jehovah’s Witness for 52 years. She was very bitter and angry. Tats shared a few scriptures with her about Jesus being God, but she was quite resistant.
The next day, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Andy and Victor both witnessed to Jamal, 35. He was raised Christian but ended up in prison, where some Muslims tried to get him to follow their religion. He was impressed by their dedication and participated with them in a Ramadan fast and read some verses from the Quran. He realized the two religions contradicted each other, so could not both be right. He realized that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God, but he rejected the idea. After the outreach, Tats went to get some pizza and met Mormon elder Oiler, 23. Tats asked him, “What is the gospel?” Oiler couldn’t give an answer so Tats shared the gospel with him.
On Fri. April 7, we witnessed at 4th and Market. Mike witnessed to Caleb, a Catholic from Ethiopia. He got his phone number and will contact him. He also witnessed to Ray, another Catholic, who just came from City Impact (where Mike works and attends church). Andy, Girard, and I all witnessed to Abigail, 30, who was raised an Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem. She asked lots of questions about where Jesus appears in the Old Testament, how God could become a man, and about Hell. She told me Jews do not believe in Hell. I explained that the concept of Hell is much clearer in the New Testament, but showed her Daniel 12:2 where it says “some [would rise] to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Andy gave her a full Bible along with his contact information.
The next day, we went to Japantown to witness at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Tats wore his kimono and preached both in English and Japanese. Mike witnessed to James, Ben and Angela, all of whom were watching Tats preach and were receptive to the gospel. He also witnessed to Brian, whom he had worked with and witnessed to about 6 years ago. Brian was impressed to see Mike still preaching the gospel. Brian is still not saved. He introduced Mike to his wife of 5 months, Daniella. Daniella was raised in a Christian home and went to Bible school, but seemed not to be walking closely with God. Mike invited them to City Impact.
On Sat. April 15, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Tats, Alex, May and Lucci all witnessed to Steve, a homeless alcoholic. As they spoke with him, he poured out the bottle of alcohol he had. Tats gave him a Bible. Alex bought him some food and shared his testimony of getting free from heroin addiction. He encouraged him to get into a program and gave him the address of the Salvation Army rehab center. John ministered to Aaron, who initially opposed our message and said there was nothing wrong with using mind-altering drugs. John asked him if he was using drugs. He said he was, and admitted that it wasn’t right since he claimed to be a Christian. He started crying. John invited him to church, but he didn’t come.
A Final Word
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. The post office has stopped sending out address corrections to us. Please let us know if you move.
After decades of disputes with the SF Park Department regarding permit fees, we reached an agreement with them in 2019. The agreement increased our fee from about $72 to $143 for each permit. This past month, they sent us a letter demanding at least $600 for every permit. Please pray for us as we seek legal help.
I hope many of you will join us for our 44th annual SOS-San Francisco outreach on July 5-8.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
