My Plea to the Street Preachers

How do I do this? I want to preface this letter with my most earnest plea for it not to be taken the wrong way. I know some of the things I’m going to say in it are not going to be well received, but there is a burning in my heart to make this plea to the street preachers of America. Please as you read these know that I am prayerfully and carefully writing this to promote street preaching and not to counter it in any way, I want us to continue to preach the gospel in the open air, I just want to see us do it better.

Better? What do I mean? I know right here would be where you would check out and dismiss me as one of them liberal Christians, who are ashamed to lift up their voice like a trumpet, please...I am not! God had graciously saved me, and called me to preach His Word, and that is inside, outside, in the pulpit, or on the street corner. I’ve done parades, pageants, bus stops, festivals, and more, and God has always blessed, not because of me, but because His Word is quick and powerful.

Every time I do one of these events there are other street preachers who are trying to do the same thing I am. They are trying to turn people from their sins and turn them toward God. I have no misconceptions about why they are there, and I love these folks in Christ. They are there to preach Christ and Him crucified! Amen! They are my brothers and sisters in the Lord, and this is not meant as a rebuke, but a desperate plea from the heart of one of your fellow laborers…Preach with a Broken Heart!

I’m not asking anyone to tone down their message;
I’m begging some to change their tone!

We all agree that we are out there primarily out of Love and Obedience to our Saviour, and secondly we are out there out of concern for souls. Are we on the same page?
If so, can I implore you to preach to them like you are concerned? Too many times I have heard preachers move from preaching to name calling, too many times I’ve head a preacher almost sound glad that a sinner is headed toward Hell, and that ought not to be the case! I’ve seen good signs, and bad signs, I’ve heard people who know how to use a bull horn and others who are so shrill that you want to plug your ears. Please guys…Preach with a Broken Heart!

I know Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the prophets preached hard, about sin, righteousness, and judgment, but something tells me it was with a broken heart. Jeremiah we know as the weeping prophet, and my guess is that the others wept as they preached as well. George Whitefield was wet with tears as he preached, but when he preached God came down!

Now I’m not saying that we should work up some emotion and try to cry like them TV preachers, I’m saying we need to take time to prepare our hearts for street work. I have never found it so easy to get in the flesh as when I’m doing street ministry, but when I have prepared myself by spending time with the Lord, and in His Word, I can feel the compassion that I don’t have when I go unprepared.
I know it concerns you that people without Christ go to Hell! I know it does, but sometimes I can’t hear it. I think we ought to tremble as we preach Hell, it’s unimaginable, and lets face it as street preachers most of our audience is headed right for an eternity there. Doesn’t that Break your Heart? Then Preach with a Broken Heat!

We can preach to homosexuals without calling them Sodomites, and you can preach sin, righteousness and judgment. I have no qualms with telling them that unless they repent they will all likewise parish, but I don’t need to call them fags!

We can preach to Mormons without calling them Morons, and still in compassion tell them that the Jesus they worship is not the Jesus of the Bible and will take them to Hell.

The lost girl who is dresses immodestly, does not need to be called a whore…she is lost! How do you expect her to dress? What rules is she following without Christ in her life?

Do you hear what I’m trying to say, or have you written me off as a compromiser?

Please understand my deep respect for all who stand out on the “front lines” I really believe that God has given us a high calling in Christ Jesus to preach the Word. Also I know we don’t preach out in public to be popular; we do it to be obedient.
(If you’re upset I didn’t spell “public” with a “K” right there, check your heart! You’re trying to find fault)

All I’m saying is that each one of us will give an account for every idle word, moreover we will be accountable for what spirit we preached in, and for who we were trying to please when we did preach…again I am not trying to get anyone to tone down their message…I begging some of you to change your tone!

Consider this quote from Henry Scougal and with an open heart examine yourself…

“There are but too many professing Christians who would consecrate their vices and follow their corrupt affections. They pass their ragged humor and sullen pride for Christian severity. They call their fierce wrath and bitter rage against their enemies, holy zeal. Their distain toward their superiors and rebellion against their governors they call Christian courage and resolution.”

This quote weighed on me and made me stop and examine myself, will you allow it to do the same for you or will you just try and look up how you can dismiss Scougal’s words by examining the flaws in his theology…come on…be real, and ask God to show you where you may be getting in the flesh, it only hurts until you repent.

Like I said this is not a rebuke, it’s a plea from the heart of a fellow laborer…I’m nobody special, and I do not even have the credibility to make this plea, but God had burdened me with this and I must be obedient and encourage you all to Preach with a Broken Heart! Don’t tone down your message, just examine your tone, and we’ll continue to call sinners to repentance together.

Psalm 126:5,6 - They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Boy that was great...What did he say?

Ezekiel 33::31-32 - And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

I wonder how frustrating it was for Ezekiel given the circumstances in this verse. I can see him at the gate of the city preaching to the people…preaching hard, preaching sin, righteousness, and judgment, and I see the people. I see the people nodding their heads in agreement. Some of people yell “Amen” at just the right time, and when Ezekiel starts to get on their sin they yell “Amen” a little louder as to make sure no one thinks that they are feeling any conviction. A little later on that night those women that were nodding their heads are weeping for Tammuz, while the men are off in their chambers imagery. The same people who sat and listened at the gate are out sacrificing on the high place, practicing their divination, and Ezekiel the great prophet is to them nothing more than an entertainer…a great orator…a good show.

This passage stuck out to me because as I have had opportunity to preach to people, and teach people, I have seen the same thing. You can be preaching away and thinking that the people are getting it, and that they are with you, and then months, or weeks, or days later you realize by something that they say or that they do that you were just a pleasant voice, or an obligation out of the way. It is frustrating!

Then I think of my Pastor, or other men who have preached to me, and I’m sure I’ve been the one nodding my head and saying “Amen” Think about some time when the preacher was getting all over a topic and you were slapping the back of the pew to encourage him…but really you just watched a movie that had the same stuff he was preaching against. I’ll admit it…it’s happened to me. I’ve been all revved up at a sermon about witnessing, and I did some shouting, and went to an altar, and a few days later here I am…I heard the words, but I did them not.

I love good preaching! I remember Sam Gipp saying one time, “Liking good preaching may not be sin, but it could lead to sin.” And after reading this passage I see the sense that makes. Each message we hear we are accountable for. Preaching is done to lead us to change or decision, and if we just harden up and sit through the sermon enjoying the preacher’s alliteration and antidotes we turn him into an entertainer and that’s not what God calls preachers to be.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 - Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Rochester's Proud Mayor

Mayor Bob Duffy is a professing Christian...

Here he is marching with pride in Rochester's Annual Gay Pride Parade

He Looks Happy

He Should Be Ashamed!

Isaiah 5:20 - Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Where Were You July 14th?

I was out at the Gay Pride Parade...I know that doesn't sound good, but I was there to let these people know that Jesus Christ died to save them from their sins, and also to let them know that despite all their rhetoric about tolerence, God does not tolerate sin. For my next few posts I will share some interesting photos from the parade...My hope is that it will motivate some people to come out next year and stand up for Jesus.

Let this break your heart!

Why would this little girl have a dollar?

Oh......her two mommies brought her to see the cross dressing stripper...

Yeah...that's the kind of stuff that goes on at these things...

What are you doing next year?

Busy, Busy, Busy

I don’t really know who I am apologizing to, but I’m sorry that I have been such a lazy blogger. I see that it has been like two weeks since my last post, and that’s just ridiculous! But allow me to make excuses and share with you very briefly what has been going on. July 14 was Rochester’s annual “Gay Pride Parade” and I had the opportunity reach out to these homosexuals with a few Christian brothers. It’s never a fun event, but I will do what I can every year to let these folks know that Jesus Christ can save them. He can save them from their lying, their addictions, their homosexuality, and He can save them from an eternity in Hell. It’s not hateful to say that…it’s hateful not to, that’s why I go. I left the next morning after church for my first family vacation. We went camping out in Old Forge and had a great time…except for the bear incidents…that will have to be it’s own post. After I got home from camping I went back to work during the day and went out to the Hill Camorah Pageant at night to work with CRC reaching out to Mormons. That was interesting on a whole other level, and will have to be it’s own post as well. Now things have just about settled down and I hope to get a little more blog active. I will probably share some stories from the past two weeks, but I just don’t have time to type them out now, but please visit, read, and comment. It’s always an encouragement to see that someone reads these.

Fear Not...

I just want to share an answer to prayer today. I don’t know what had happened over the past few months but my youngest daughter Taylor developed a fear of…well…pretty much everything, especially her Uncle Daniel’s dirt bike, which was parked in the back yard. This wouldn’t have been so bad, but Taylor has been so scared that she would not even play in the back yard. She would literally tremble if I took her out there; regardless of it was running or not.
During the summer, the back yard is supposed to be the center of all kid activity! There is no way a child can spend the summer in the house attached to Mommy’s hip. The other fear that developed is the fear of the pool…the only other place where kids should be (with parent supervision of course) when they are not in the back yard. This was making things very difficult for Mommy.

I asked Jen if she talked to Taylor about why she has been so afraid, and she had many times. She went through all the different questions, and tried to reason with her.

Is the bike running? – No!
Can the bike hurt you? – No!
Then go out and play – No!
Why? – I’m scared.
Can the bike hurt you? – No!
Then go out and play? – No!
Why? – Because I’m scared!

The same conversation took place about the Pool.

Come in the pool – No!
Why? – I’m scared.
Is Daddy going to let go of you? – No!
Is your life jacket going to let you go under water? – No!
Then come in the pool? – No!
Why? – Because I’m scared!

Well after our efforts to help Taylor overcome her fear failed, I did what I should have done from the very beginning. I took it to God. Now, I pray for my kids, and I thank God for them everyday, but for some reason I had not taken this issue to God, so I prayed for her while I was at work, and on my break I began to look up verses about fear, and I began putting together a little family devotion on “fear”. I preach that God’s Word has the answers, and yet for too long, I was trying to reason out Taylor’s fear, and give my answers to it…I say this in shame, I should have listened to my own preaching. God’s Word has the answers! The phrase “Fear Not” appears 62 times in the Bible, most of those times, it’s directly from God, and other times it is someone saying based on what God has already said. “Fear Not!”

Well I got home that day, with my little devotion in hand, and as I approached my front steps Taylor came running at me yelling “Daddy’s Home!”…from the back yard. What a God! I asked Jen why Taylor was in the backyard and she just shrugged her shoulders, and said “I don’t know, all of a sudden she was just ok with it” Thank You Lord!

Now we’ll see about getting her into that pool.

Another Story from Life…

This Saturday I was able to see God’s mighty hand once more. I was visiting a new establishment and as I browsed through I recognized the owner. Now I knew this person in a former life (my BC days), and I only knew her because her son was a good friend of mine. I really did not know how to say hi because I knew her back in the day. She worked nights and I’d party with her son in the evenings after we got home from school. She didn’t “let” us party there, but it was sort of a “she didn’t try and prevent us” thing either. I remember times when her son stole her pot, so it wasn’t like she was your average mom.

Her son and I were close for a time, but we lost touch when I moved away, and from what I had heard his partying got worse. I still would see him, but we just didn’t hang out. I knew he got bad, because he was in AA before he got out of High School. I remember him telling me a story after he was sober, about draining his savings the night he discovered crack. It was a hard thing to hear, even way back then. Well from what I know now he is sober, and I ran into his mom Saturday.

I said her name and she looked at me curiously…after I said “it’s Shannon Young” she gasped and her eyes got teary. She hugged me and started asking how I was, and praising God…what…that part threw me. I am usually the one looking for an opportunity to try and work that in when I see an old friend…She started testifying to the glory and grace of God in tears, rejoicing. She was unashamed and glowing with the peace of Christ…a peace I had never seen on her before. She began to tell me of her long trip off into drink and drugs, and how God reached down in His tender mercy, and saved her from alcohol and crack and all…WOW! She said “Shannon, when the Bible says that sin has no more hold, I want you to know it’s true!” Glory! What a God! I told her I got saved in September of 2000, and was preparing for the ministry. She hugged me again, and after chatting a little more I left, totally awestruck with God’s Goodness again.

Now my mind enquires about her son. He was sober after his exploits with alcohol and drugs just like his mom. Who saved him out of it, if he wasn’t a Christian? I really can’t answer that at the moment, but my mind goes to Matthew 12:43-45…I guess I can’t explain that right yet either, but I know this…

The biggest difference between a Christian and a lost person is not what we see in the temporal…but in the eternal. You see my friend’s mom was not just saved from alcohol and crack, like others have been. She was saved from her sin! She was not only saved from the big sins in her life like the parties, and the men, and the drugs, and the divorces…she was saved from what we could consider “little” sins. She was saved from the penalty of one lie…which is Hell. She was saved from the penalty of one time taking the Lord’s name in vain…which is Hell. She was saved from the penalty of not putting God first in her life for some 40+ years…that’s an Eternity in a Lake of Fire, and I know that just saying that rubs people…especially un-believers. They say “you can’t possibly think that one little lie could send someone to Hell for all eternity, do you?” and the answer perhaps uncomfortable really is “It doesn’t matter what we think, it matters, what God says.”

Proverbs 16:25 - There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

The Bible so closes the door on what men think…Men think that they have to have their good deeds outweigh their bad, and all will be well. In this they are totally ignorant of God’s perfect standard of righteousness.

James 2:10 - For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

One sin is too much in God’s presence.

Habakkuk 1:13a - Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

It’s not a matter of more good than bad. Many lost people have stopped smoking crack, and put away their cigarettes, and turned away from pornography, and I’m not sure but maybe they can say “I did it myself” and they can boast in their accomplishments, as I’m sure giving up these things is even harder without the help of the Holy Spirit, but there is not one that has ever entered into the presence of the Lord, and been able to say “I did it myself” not one…

Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

I thank God that Jesus Christ saved my friend’s mom from all the drugs and alcohol, but more importantly I’m glad He saved her from the wages of her sin. There are many people who have stopped drinking, stopped smoking, stopped swearing, and yet, without Christ, they go to Hell.

You may have accidentally stopped here and started reading…I don’t assume most of my readers needed a gospel presentation, but you may have…I want to plead with you, regardless of how good you think you are follow this link and see what the Bible says about how good you are, or e-mail me, and ask the questions you have…Don’t let this go.

http://www.livingwaters.com/good