Attention Mall Shoppers

Wow, it's taken me several days to sit down and write this entry. We hit the mall this weekend and were able to talk to about 12-14 unsaved people. I say 12-14 because I'm causas about who I call a Christian. I don't want to skip someone who needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I found myself a bit on the nervous side while sitting in the parking lot. My nerves usually go off before I going witnessing, but tonight seemed to be expectionally strong. I don't know if the following events had something to do with it or not, but my heart raced as I prayed and I even asked a friend of mine to be in pray for me as I went "fishing." The best way to break the nervousness of witnessing to people you don't know is to do it. I prayed, asking the Lord for those who would hear, stepped out of the car and almost immediately spotted my first two "fish." They were gauking at a young girl as she walked off. That's great because it gives me ammunition when I ask them about lusting after a woman and that being adultery of the heart.

My heart was really racing as I engaged in the witness encounter (I wonder if evangelism could be considered as exercise?). To my surpurise, they answered no to the "lusting after a women" question. Maybe that's why God allowed me to over hear them lusting after the young girl that just walked away. My heart was racing so fast, I actually stuttered a couple of times and I was glad to be finished with the encounter, but I managed to get through the Gospel and Christ crucified for them.

I decided to get a little dinner at this point and calm down. Other than the struttering, the witness encounter went just fine. As is my custom, I like to get something to eat at the mall before witnessing. I don't know why other than this allows me to survive the people a bit and see how busy the mall is. Our mall is also small, but it was not very busy that day. I was a little shock (must have something to do with the economy). The next witnessing encounter came sooner than I expected:

As I ordered from the menu at the local eatery, I pull out my card to pay for my food and, almost out of habit, I also pulled a million dollar bill tract. Always pay for your food first, before handing someone something that looks like real money (or close enough). Do this so that they don't think your trying to pay with a Gospel tract. I asked if they had change for a big bill and they laughed. Before I knew it, I had six teenagers listening to the Gospel and answering questions. One of which was a Christian, but unfortunitely, she was answering the questions before the unsaved. I actually had to cut her off so I could finish the encounter.

After eating a bite, I decided to go towards the west end of the mall. I say, "I decided," but I know it was God's will for me to go that way. As I walked down the mostly empty mall, I spot about five teens hanging out around the couch seating area (yes, we have couches in our mall). I don't know why (it was God's will), but ducked into radio shack to check out video carmeras and complete forgot why I enter the store five seconds after I did. The store clerk asked me if he could help me find anything. I replied, "I don't know, forgot why I came in here, must be getting old." So, after a several minutes in the store I walked out wondering if I had missed witnessing to the teens. Thankfully, I hadn't and walked straight to them and asked them if they liked magic and pulled out a curved illusion. They said yes and the Gospel was presented. However,...

There happened to be a man from the Army recruiter's office who had walked out to great the teens. I caught him out of the corner of my eye and wondered if he would run me off, argue with me, or challenge me in some way. As I progressed through the Law and the Gospel I saw him nodding in agreement. He never once argued or tried to answer the questions I had for the teens, but politely allowed me to finish witnessing to them. Just as I was finished and about to leave, he told me that he was a Christian also and told me "that was the most comprehensive Gospel presentation" he had ever heard. I was a little shocked...and excited. He invited me to have lunch with him and I said that I would with the disclaimer that I wasn't going to join the army. He laugh and said he wanted to talk to me about the Gospel. That was encouraging. It inspired thoughts of going full time and thoughts of meeting people and being asked to speak in churches. I love to share Jesus Christ with people. That has to come first, so we'll see what happens.

One of the teens that I had just talked to mentioned that he wanted to share his faith as well. As, with anything, I believe that a little training always helps. So, I pointed them to the wayofthemaster.com. If you are reading this and would like to learn how to share your faith, Biblically, and have never heard of the Way of the Master (with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron), go to the wayofthemaster.com and listen to "Hell's best kept Secret" and "True and False Conversions." This will help you begin to witness the way Jesus did.

The Lord allowed me to witness to four other people that night. The night had started out with nervousness and ended up with so much joy and excitement that I could hardly contain myself.

Friday Night on the Town

I thank God that He has given me the blessing of sharing His Word with prefect strangers. It's great when you are able to walk up to someone you don't know and share the Gospel. As you may have guessed by the links to the left, I choose to use the "Way of the Master" format and it works quite well. One of the biggest reasons that I love the format is because when I use to share my faith with people, we would normally end up in an argument and that doesn't help anyone see their need for the Savior Jesus Christ. It is also a simple way of showing those who will listen that they're guilty before God (as we all are) and how God showed His amazing love by becoming a man and paying our sin debt on the cross.

That being said. I have set myself a goal of witnessing or reaching at least ten people for Christ a week. Some might say that's not many, but it's a start. IF I had witnessed to ten people a week, since being saved, God would have used me to witness to 7,540 people. That would have been great. Alas, I didn't learn how to Biblically witness until a few years ago when I first discovered WOTM.

So here it is: Last Friday evening I decide to go out to the local downtown area. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I knew there will be people all around. When I arrived, I prayed, took a deep breath, grabbed my tracks and walked up around the movie theater and headed towards the shops and bars in the area. The reason for my nervousness was not because this was my first time witnessing, but because I had been entertaining the notion of Open Air Preaching. The theater area is prefect for this. It provides a raised public side walk in which to preach from and a crowd of people to preach to. To my relief and regret, there was no one there. It was still early.

I headed further down the street offering a couple of people a million dollar bill tract: "Excuse me, do you happen to have change for a big bill?" Once they see and realize that its a million dollar, they usually laugh, then I offer them the tract. Some refuse it, some take it, and some take it with some coaching. I have to remember that those who reject it are not rejecting me, but rejecting Jesus. As for street witnessing, I have found that its easier to approach someone who is not moving. If someone is walking, then they usually will not stop to talk to a stranger. Conversely, someone who is sitting or standing around will not get up and leave.

Around the corner and through the breeze way area. This looks like a great place for a crowd, but there's not one at the moment, I dropped a wallet tract on the bench. The further I walk, the more I think I'm too early. The bars will start attracting folks when it gets darker. I decided to go get a slice of pizza and as I rounded another corner I finally spotted my first fish.... two guys sitting down taking a smoke break. I reach for my tracks, my heart starts pounding, I open with with the "big bill" line...got a laugh, got a bite....now I've got a witness encounter. About three minutes into the encounter, one of their co-workers walks up. The question that I think of is: do I start over? I decided not to and within five minutes, we wrapped it up with the usual "thanks for talking to me" and "I hope you'll think about these things." After that, there was no one else in site, so on to the pizza pallor I went.

Businesses are always tricky when it comes to witnessing. Some waiters/waitresses will chat with you if they have time. I like to either leave a tract (money tract or a Ten Commandments penny) laying on the table in hope that a conversation will ensue. If not, I like to leave a money tract with the tip (Now here's a tip: never leave a tract and not leave a real tip. Even though the tract is more important, the unsaved will see right through your Christianity if your not generous up front). In the case of the pizza parlor, I got my slice o' pepperoni to go and sat at the bench waiting for my food. The nice thing about "hit and run" witnessing is that you can conveniently forget a wallet tract right where your sitting (if you have them in your back pocket). Somebody will find it.

The pizza hit the spot, didn't leave a spot on my shirt, and I found a spot on the square to relax for a minute. I go into cravings to witness. I know that sounds strange, but if I go a week without talking to someone (not just leaving a tract, but actually witnessing to someone), I start chopping at the bit. I usually witness on weekends and when I can during the week. The weekends, however are my main evangelistic times. I was excited about the witness encounter I just had, but two people are just not enough for me. I finished my pizza and my bottled water and continued around the square and hooked my next fish. He was a 12 year old lad in at the square with his mother and sisters for movie night (flicks on the bricks). I wanted to talk to his mother, but she was not having anything to do with me. So, I started talking to him (and in around about way witnessed to his mother too). To my surprise, he was getting the message and thinking it through. That was a blessing in disguise. It is so encouraging to talk to people and see that they're listening to you. I handed them all a tract as I finished up and thanked them for their time. I was getting tired and decided that I would head back to the car. Little did I know, the night was about to get a lot more interesting.

I walked back down the streets, through the cobblestone walk ways and offered a few tracts here and there, most of which were taken. A couple of the younger kids calmed that they were rich and I told them not to spend their new found wealth in one place. Across the street, I saw my first two fish. I said hello and headed back through the breeze way in which I first passed through, handed another tract to a girl on a cell phone, and then I ran into a fellow on the stairs. I offered him a million dollar bill and he stopped and chatted for about five minutes. He claimed to be a christian and a good person and he politely allowed me to take him through the law. About half way through the encounter, a lady who worked at the movie theater came walking by and requested a million dollar tract. She had seen me give one out and knew what it was and wanted one. After she left, the guy on the stairs and I finished our chat, shook hands, and I moved on. Then I sighted them...the ones I had come for in the first place.....teenage movie-goers!

I had gotten the curved illusions from Livingwaters.com. I haven't really used them until now and I didn't know how they would work, so I gave them a try. "Do you like magic?" I normally won't even use the word "magic," but it go their attention. "Yeah!" one hollered out ("hollered" is a southern word). I pulled the curved illusion from my pocket and presented the trick. That's neat they replied. "Let me ask you guys a question, would you consider yourself a good person?" Of course, they replied "yes" and I had hooked seven fish...WOW! If you like thrill seeking, go out and share the Gospel. That'll get you blood pumping! We went through the law, justice, mercy, grace, and righteousness, then I handed all of them tracts, I thanked them for their time, told them to enjoy their movie and moved to the next set of teens. After three more encounters, I was out of tracts and tired. It was time to go home and rejoice at what the Lord had done and what He allowed me to share in. I don't think anything has made me happier other than learning to share my faith Biblically.

If your not sure that you are saved, please take a minute to check out Needgod.com.