Coming Events
Friday August 11, 18, 25 3-6 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. (Call us at (510) 282-5629 for outreach location.)
Saturday August 12, 19, 26 11 AM—3 PM Fisherman’s Wharf Outreach Powell & Jefferson St. SF.
STREET PREACHING IN THE BIBLE – PART 1
Dear Christian friends,
The best example in the OLD TESTAMENT of a foreign missionary is JONAH. GOD sent him to warn Nineveh. Jonah was charged to preach to Nineveh (as we are to the world!), not only to those who would attend his meeting, but to the whole city.
The BIBLE says Nineveh was “an exceeding great city of three days journey” (Jonah 3:3); i.e., it took 3 days just to walk around it. Diodorus confirms that Nineveh was 60 miles in circumference. Jonah 3:4 says “Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he CRIED, and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.’”
Jonah went “a day’s journey” into Nineveh and CRIED. He was PREACHING as he was walking, i.e. OUTDOORS. Jonah was a STREET PREACHER, walking the streets as he preached his message of judgment and truth.
Street Preaching in the New Testament
We now turn our attention to the New Testament. We are instructed in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel TO EVERY CREATURE.” Our job is to PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD. Simple logic will show the best way to accomplish this is to find where the most “people” are in one place at one time and proclaim the message loud enough for them all to hear.
“Whom we preach, WARNING EVERY MAN and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in CHRIST JESUS.” (Colossians 1:28)
The first PREACHER in the NEW TESTAMENT was JOHN THE BAPTIST. John was an OPEN AIR PREACHER: “In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2; see also Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) Matthew says Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan came out to hear John preaching (Matthew 3:5-6). John was baptizing in the river Jordan. Jews who traveled back and forth to Galilee refused to take the direct route through Samaria (John 4:9), but rather went to the Jordan River and followed the river to and from Galilee, so John picked out a place to preach repentance and baptize at a place of heavy traffic, with large crowds.
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.
In the four gospels, covering 3 years of CHRIST’s ministry, we find only about THREE cases of personal witnessing: Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus. The Gospels spend much more time pointing out CHRIST’S dealings with “MULTITUDES:” Matthew 4:25; 5:1; 8:1; 18; 12:15; 13:2,34; 14:14; 15:10,30-35,39; 17:14; 19:2; 21:8,11…
JESUS’ most famous sermons were delivered OUTDOORS. For example, the sermon ON THE MOUNT (Matthew 5,6,7). In Luke 6:17 he preached to a “great multitude” in “the plain” (outdoors). The “Olivet discourse” (Matthew 24) was delivered on the Mount of Olives (outdoors). In Matthew 13 His well-known parables were preached to “great multitudes” by “the sea side” (JESUS was a “beach preacher”.) He sat in a boat and taught the multitude on the shore.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke devoted most of their attention to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where He lived most of the time. But several times a year, all Jews would go to Jerusalem for the Feasts (see Exodus 23:14,17). Christ would go to Jerusalem and PREACH to these large crowds gathered there. The Gospel of John is concerned with these trips of Jesus to Jerusalem during these feasts. The PASSOVER is mentioned in John 2:13; 6:4; and 12:1. The feast of TABERNACLES is mentioned in John 7:2. Another feast is mentioned in John 5:1. HANUKKAH is mentioned in John 10:22. JESUS CHRIST came to Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple (at least twice) and PREACH TO THE MULTITUDES. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and CRIED, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37). JESUS commanded His apostles, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak in light, and what you hear in the ear, that preach upon the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27)
His apostles carried this out in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), we find one of the greatest examples of STREET PREACHING of all time. The charismatics read Acts 2, see tongues, and say: We need to speak in tongues like they did in Acts 2. Some fundamentalists read Acts 2 and see 3000 added to the church in one day, and they say: We need to have large church growth like they did in Acts 2. What is missing is the recognition of the delivery and method of STREET PREACHING found in Acts 2. TONGUES drew a crowd, Peter preached REPENTANCE (Acts 2:38), and the church grew.
“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore DISPUTED he in the …market daily.” (Acts 17:17) Yes, the apostles’ evangelism often involved “DISPUTING” and judgment, not just preaching GOD’s love (see Acts 6:9; 9:22,29; 11:2; 15:2,7; 17:2; 18:19,28; 19:8,9; 28:23; see also Neh. 13:11; 17,25; Proverbs 28:4; Ephesians 5:11; I Thess. 2:2; Jude 3,9; see also examples in Matthew 22; John 7,8).
Why the market? Crowds! The apostles wanted to get the Gospel to the most people at one time, so they went to the markets where crowds gathered, and disputed, preaching the kingdom and wisdom of GOD in the open air.
In conclusion, we can focus on how things “could” be. Public open-air preaching of the Gospel and the Kingdom of GOD is imperative for the fulfillment of the GREAT COMMISSION. This is an attainable goal within each of your groups, fellowships, and churches. It is not unreasonable to think that of every 50 or so believers ONE could do this work. The help of GOD is available, and when you add them up a city of say the size of San Francisco would net at least 500 men to shoulder the plow in this great harvest field.
The impact of such a group would be immediate and powerful. GOD’s mind and being would be shown to all. “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)
From www.soulwinning.info/sp/lessons/01.htm)
On the Streets
On Fri. April 21, we witnessed at the Sony Metreon, 4th St. and Mission. When we first arrived, a police officer yelled from his car that we could not be there. He drove away and never shut us down. Tats offered a tract to Carl, a homeless drug addict who asked, “Is there any money in the tract?” Tats responded, “Is money all that’s worth living for?” Carl became more receptive and Tats shared the gospel with him and left him a tract, which he said he would read. Andy witnessed to Trey, a drug addict who said he had “one foot with God and one foot in the world.” As Andy ministered to him, he began crying. Andy and Josh prayed for him and encouraged him to get into a discipleship program at the Richmond Rescue Mission. However, he said he needed to talk with his aunt and never returned.
Andy also witnessed to Marcus, 43, who was in a wheelchair. He said that he used to be a Christian but other people let him down and God let him down. Andy told him that he should not allow himself to become bitter. As a blind woman passed by, Andy said, “You’re not the only person with troubles. At least you can see.” Andy gave him a business card with Alex’s phone number on it. Afterwards, Marcus called Alex and he arranged to pick him up with his wheelchair and take him to Christ Forgiveness Church that Sunday. They were having a special service that was six hours long. After a few hours, Alex told Marcus that this was not the usual length of their service, and he would take him home whenever he wanted. Marcus chose to stay for the whole six hours and said he wanted to come back again!
On Friday May 5 we witnessed at 16th and Mission. Matt, who was visiting from Houston, witnessed in Spanish to Jose, who is from Mexico. Jose claimed to be a Christian, but was intoxicated. Matt shared the gospel with him, and urged him to get help so he could stop drinking.
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.
On Saturday May 13, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf and at Pier 39. Elaine Forbes, the Executive Director of the San Francisco Port and an open lesbian, walked by and asked Andy why he is preaching hate and if we had a permit. She called the police and they arrived immediately. She walked away after spending an hour trying unsuccessfully to shut us down. Ten days later, we received an official reprimand from the Port. The letter said that someone had said “things that disparaged groups of people based on sexual orientation.” I think they were referring to part of Tats’ testimony where he said he came out of the LGBT lifestyle. Apparently, he is no longer allowed to give his Christian testimony in San Francisco. We can’t appeal this reprimand, and they warned us that after three reprimands we will be removed from the Street Performer program at the Wharf, perhaps permanently. Please pray that this will not happen.
I hope many of you will join us for an outreach this next month.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum