Coming Events
Friday August 5, 19, 26 4-7 PM Witness in San Francisco neighborhoods.
Saturday August 6 2:30 -5 PM Dolores Park outreach, 19th & Dolores.
Saturday August 20, 27 1—5:30 PM Witnessing at Fisherman’s Wharf, Embarcadero between Powell and Taylor.
THE WAY OF LIFE
Dear Christian friends,
By Andy Conway
“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from Hell below” Proverbs 15:24.
“If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3.
As Christians, we must understand that we are now children of the Kingdom of God, no longer belonging to this earth. God now has given us spiritual eyes to see Heaven. We are now to live for Heaven above, and we are no longer to live for this present world. There’s a hope laid up for us in Heaven (Colossians 1:5), and that is now to be our greatest desire. As stated in Titus 2:13, we are looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
We are now, by faith, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. We are no longer to act like the children of this world act, nor think as they think. We are now a holy nation, a royal priesthood, looking towards Heaven above. As stated in Philippians 3:20, our citizenship is in Heaven, and it’s from that place (spiritually speaking) that we look for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies to be conformed unto His glorious Body.
It is this great hope that sustains us day by day, and we look daily unto Heaven. No longer do we live to fulfill sinful desires. Instead, we deny ourselves these things as we anticipate our future home in Heaven. Soon, we will see face-to-face our Lord and King Jesus Christ. On that day, we will become like Him (1 John 3:2).
He’ll keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) if we focus our mind on Jesus. Those who look to the Lord will never be ashamed (Psalm 34:5).
How do Christians keep their eyes on Heaven in this fallen world? First, by prayer. Ask God to increase your desire for Heaven, and decrease your earthly desires. Second, allow God to use the tribulation in your life to give you less of a desire for earthly things and more of a desire for heavenly things. Third, memorize and ponder over Bible verses that speak about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Oh, what a glorious hope we have saints! Please, don’t live for the things of this world. Heaven will soon be our home, and this present earth is a cesspool compared to the glory of Heaven that awaits.
That He may Depart from Hell beneath (Prov. 15:24b)
The second part of Proverbs 15:24 incentivizes the Christian to consider the Hell beneath him. Not only are we to have spiritual eyes to see Heaven above us, but we should have spiritual eyes to see the Hell below us.
We should always keep in the back of our minds what great horror we have avoided in being saved. As saints we are not to get overly comfortable here on earth, as it’s not our home. In fact, the Old Testament saints in Hebrews 11:13 confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We should do likewise.
In Luke 16, Mark 9:43-48, Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:9-11 and in other verses, Jesus teaches us there’s nothing that we should not be willing to give up in order to avoid that horrible place called Hell. No sacrifice is too great to escape it, no warning is too strong. In fact, that’s the point of Jesus teaching in hyperbole (He wasn’t literally saying to pluck out your eye), so that we would understand just how horrible that place is. And that we who are saved would also comprehend just how great a salvation we’ve been grafted into by the Lord Jesus.
The man in Luke 16 who was in torments was fully conscious, had to experience eternal regret, and fully understood his plight. He experienced extreme pain, extreme thirst, had no more freedom of movement, and had no hope of escaping this horrible fate.
Oh, what a horrible fate we have avoided! We should be motivated not only to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14), but to proclaim to everyone around us that they need a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In order to get a better understanding of Hell, pray that God would give you a revelation about the horrors of Hell, that you would have more of a heart to evangelize, and a heart to live holy in your daily walk. It is good to meditate on the Bible verses which speak on Hell. Get a deep understanding of each verse, so that you will live holy and not wallow in the filth of this world. We need to ponder Hell as we ponder heaven.
Finally, we should glory in tribulation. In Romans 5:2-5, God reveals that tribulation works patience, patience works hope, and that our hope will not be disappointed. Our tribulations will keep us from focusing on the things of this world, and get us focused towards Heaven and avoiding Hell.
May the Lord bless you in Jesus name, amen.
On the Streets
On Sat. March 26, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. Paul and Noreen Coca sang at the Wharf. Tats spoke with a group of 5 boys about 14 years old. One of them claimed to be homosexual. Tats gave his testimony of coming out of homosexuality. The young man seemed to be listening, and went away convicted of his sin. As John Yamada was riding home on BART, he began to preach out loud. A young Jewish man on the train started blaspheming God and mocking John. John said that if he’s Jewish, he is in trouble since there no longer is a Temple where he can make sacrifices for his sins. He said the Old Covenant has been done away with in Christ. He shared Isaiah 53, that Jesus, the Lamb of God, became a sacrifice for our sins. The Jewish man stopped blaspheming and listened to John.
We took a two-week break from outreaches in early April. On Fri. April 22, we witnessed at 16th and Mission and 16th and Valencia. Ryan spoke with Ken, a Hebrew Israelite who was initially very angry at their preaching. While they were talking, an older Christian woman approached them. She gave her testimony of being saved after living 40 years as a lesbian. She calmed him down, hugged him, and shared the gospel with him. Ken’s attitude totally changed and he told us we were doing a good work.
That night, I spoke with Jennifer, 35, at 16th and Mission. She said she had walked out of a drug rehab program the day before. She had been in that program for 18 months. She was crying over her inability to get free from her meth and fentanyl addictions. She had a Catholic background and said she had put her faith in Jesus Christ. I shared the gospel with her, and encouraged her to find a church that would give her more spiritual help and fellowship than she is likely to get in a Catholic church. I gave her contact information for Christ Forgiveness Church and encouraged her to attend.
The next day, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. Paul Coca and Mark Whitehead played music and preached at the Wharf. At Pier 39, Alex witnessed to Rob and Judah, both in the Hebrew Israelite cult. In their view, salvation is only available to those with black skin and Hispanics. They think they are saved by keeping God’s law. Alex showed them that the law does not save. Paul wrote to the Galatians that they received the spirit by faith, not by the law. The purpose of the law was to reveal our transgressions. Judah, the younger one, was especially affected by what Alex said. They spoke for over an hour. The conversation ended well and they exchanged phone numbers.
A Final Word
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. Our ministry van needed 4 new tires, which cost over $600. It still needs its steering repaired, which I estimate will cost another $600. As you probably know, gas here is now $6 a gallon.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum