Coming Events
Friday October 6, 13 3-6 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call us at (510) 282-5629 for outreach location.)
Saturday October 7, 14 11 AM—3:30 PM Fisherman’s Wharf Outreach Powell & Jefferson St. SF.
WHO’S RUNNING THE SHOW?
Dear Christian friends,
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Prov. 29:2
Edited from an article by John Davidson (The Federalist):
We all became familiar with our new world order during the Covid pandemic. Gathering for church, even outside, was against the law, but mass rioting in the streets was OK — so long as you were rioting for racial justice. Ordinary people had to let their elderly loved ones die alone and were not even allowed to bury them, yet thousands attended the funeral and memorial services for secular saint George Floyd.
This is simply another example of those running our most influential cultural and political institutions, sending a message: There’s a new social hierarchy in America. And this one isn’t about what you can afford to do, it’s about what you’re allowed to do.
Once you understand this, you begin to recognize it everywhere. Antifa thugs and BLM rioters were allowed to trash entire city blocks, torch police stations, take over neighborhoods, besiege federal courthouses — and do so with the blessing and encouragement, at times even with the complicity, of elected government leaders. But every granny that set foot within a mile of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 had better brace for a federal indictment if they haven’t already been sentenced to many years in prison. Many of these prisoners have been tortured and live in inhumane conditions.
The same goes for teachers who push transgender ideology and critical race theory on students versus the parents who object to these things being taught behind their backs. The former are courageous leaders, the latter are potential domestic terrorists, at least according to the US “Justice” Department. Ditto for the treatment by government prosecutors and the media of the Trump family business versus the Biden family business and their treatment of Trump’s classified documents vs Biden’s classified documents. None of this is hypocrisy, it’s hierarchy. Those who have the power are trying to tell you something, which is that they have all the power and you have none.
Recently, we saw Donald Trump being indicted for a variety of reasons, including questioning the results of the 2020 election. Georgia’s prosecutor Fani Willis claims that Trump’s legal efforts to challenge the election results in Georgia amounted to a criminal conspiracy, with Trump as the criminal mastermind. What that means, outlandishly, is that every phone call or tweet related to those legal efforts, every step Trump and his team took to press their legal case, counts as “an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
With each new Trump indictment, the strategy becomes increasingly clear. It isn’t to bring real criminal charges based on actual violations of the law, or to see justice applied equally and fairly even to a powerful person like Trump. The strategy is to demonstrate power and thereby humiliate and discourage ordinary people by showing them how powerless they are.
Another aspect of this strategy is to provoke the right into reacting. The purpose of such warfare is to provoke a reaction similar to January 6 that would justify the further consolidation of power.
This is about power — who has it, and who doesn’t. The people at the top are trying to tell you, the masses under them, that they can do whatever they want to you, at any time, and there’s nothing you can do to fight back. Just look what they’re doing to Trump, a former president. If they can do that to him, imagine what they can do to you.
From Larry: As Christians, we know that the power our world’s leaders now possess will soon end. We are heading rapidly to the rule of Antichrist, who will let nobody buy or sell without taking his mark. Those who resist will be beheaded. But his rule will be short-lived. God is the one who ultimately controls the universe. He will judge the evil leaders of this corrupt world.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” 2 Tim 2:1-8. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Rev. 12:12.
On the Streets
On Friday June 23, we witnessed at 24th and Mission. Andy witnessed to Irene, 60, who is a devout Catholic. Andy gave her a New Testament and encouraged her to read it. He said if anything in the Bible does not align with Catholic teachings, she should believe the Bible. For example, Mary is never called the “mother of God” in the Bible and nowhere are Christians told to confess their sins to priests. Irene was interested in what Andy said and said she would read the whole New Testament. Andy gave her contact information for our ministry and she stood around listening to our preaching. Mike spoke with Ramon, who had attended Victory Outreach but was now backslidden. He gave him contact information for the San Francisco Victory Outreach church and urged him to attend.
The next day, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. About 40 Christians came from “Takin’ it to the Streetz” Ministries in Sacramento and from several other churches. Many of them shared their testimonies over our microphone. One man shared about how he had tried to kill himself at the age of three after his father molested him! Several others gave remarkable testimonies. Alex witnessed to four members of the black Hebrew Israelite cult. Alex showed them that they were acting like the Jews in Galatians, who were telling Gentiles that they must keep the Jewish law. Andy and I witnessed to Rafael, 34, who was raised an ultra-Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn. He thought his mission was to go throughout the world and tell Gentiles that they could be saved by keeping seven Noahide laws. This teaching is found in the Talmud, but not in the Jewish Bible. I encouraged him to read the Jewish scriptures instead of relying on Talmudic traditions.
On Friday June 30, we witnessed at the cable car turnaround at Powell and Market. With summer here, there was a 45-minute wait for tourists to get on the cable car. So people heard a more complete presentation of the gospel than at other locations. Alex ministered to Mason, who is a Christian in a difficult marriage who still used marijuana. He said he was in San Francisco trying to get himself right with God. Alex encouraged him to give up the marijuana, find work and Christian fellowship, and read the Bible. John witnessed to two 18-year-old boys from Germany. John went through God’s law to show them their sinful condition and need for a Savior. He saw them at the Wharf the next day and witnessed to them some more. Mike ministered to Twon, whom he had spoken with a few months ago. Twon is a Christian, but thought he needed to keep the Sabbath. Twon showed up at our outreach the next day and I explained to him that we as New Testament Christians are not required to keep the Old Testament laws.
The next day we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Alex ministered to Pedro, 55, who said he was saved in 1994. He thought that because he was a Christian, he could continue to sin with few consequences. Alex shared that there are always serious consequences to our sins, and that Jesus could help him to overcome sin.
We held our 44th annual SOS-San Francisco outreach from July 5-8. Chuck Girard, Paul and Noreen Coca and Tim Moon ministered through music all four days. On July 6, we witnessed at the cable-car turn-around at Powell and Market. Mike ministered to Javier, a homeless believer who was very lonely and broken. His mother and several other family members had been murdered by a Mexican drug cartel. He wanted to get revenge on them. Mike shared with him that, difficult as it would be, God wanted him to forgive them and move on with his life. He also encouraged him to get Christian fellowship and invited him to City Impact Church. Mike also witnessed to Daniel, whose father was murdered in Oakland. Alex ministered to two women in their mid-20’s, Janet and Sophia. They asked him what he was doing and he explained the gospel to them.
A Final Word
Thank you for your prayers and financial support for this ministry.
This past September, I celebrated my 53rd spiritual birthday. When I was first saved, I thought I would be miserable as a Christian. After all, it seemed that everything that gave me pleasure was condemned as sin in the Bible. I was certain that all my friends would desert me. They did. However, I knew that the Bible is true and any temporary suffering I endured on this earth would not compare to the eternal joy I would have in Heaven.
As it turned out, after I was saved, God changed my desires. My Christian life has been filled with joy rather than misery. It is the best decision I ever made and one that I have never regretted.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
