New York Needs Jesus

We are back from New York- a city that is very fast-paced and the Nations truly dwell there! We had interactions with Muslims, Universalists, Homosexuals, Atheists, Jews, Christ-followers, and people who had no idea what they believe. I would like to thank Bill Adams from Sports Fans Outreach for putting this event together.  I would have to write a book to exhaustively fill you in on all the stories; however, instead, I am going to give a few highlights. Here is a divine template I find to be true everywhere I go from Act 17:32-34, “Some mock, some want to know more, and some believe.” I will share what God has reconfirmed in me and then give an example of this Act 17 template.

The Reality of this Statistic

Why does Gospel of God Ministries exist? We believe that lives can be transformed by the proclamation of the Gospel. America needs to be transformed by this Gospel.  The knowledge of the one true God is basically absent from the majority of Americans. Ninety-eight percent of the people I had individual conversations with believed that no matter what religion you believe, you are right with God. Ignorance of God is filling America. However, the bride of Christ is strong and growing in the middle of this darkness and we saw both on our trip to NY city.

Bob the Mocking Atheist and Friends       

Bob turned away from Christianity because the God of the bible reminded him how bad he was. His philosophy was to focus on the good side of humanity.  Why focus on the few bad people instead of focusing on all the good that we find in humanity?  He refused to accept the fall of humanity. When we compared his life to God and His standards, there was a huge contrast between his self-proclaimed goodness and the reality of his sin.  However, he refused to acknowledge the truth. He also had some friends that continually yelled, “Give me evidence of God!!” They mocked the truth for over two hours, yet drew really good crowds to hear the truth. 

Some believed and faced persecution

 An elderly black lady came up and stood beside me with a smile, while I preached from Mark 1:11. One of the young men came over to this elderly lady and began to yell about how Christianity was created by white men to put the black race down. She calmly dismantled every point that he brought up with a smile. She faced ridicule and verbal persecution from this young man for over twenty minutes.  The end of the conversation left the young man very frustrated, and he walk away really angry. She looked at me with a smile and thanked me for standing up for Jesus, and I thanked her. Jesus transcends color, culture, and age.

Some believed in the middle of persecution 

 We were preaching in front of Madison Square Garden one night when an Atheist, a Universalist, and a Homosexual started yelling at me as I preached from Mathew 3:1. They said that they had the right to do whatever made them happy. I was explaining at the time what repentance meant. As I began to respond to them, one of our team members began to talk with a young man named Jason who was listening to the preaching. He said that I had helped him understand repentance. Our team member Terry gave him a tract explaining the Gospel and his need for Jesus. He saw his need for Jesus and that he needed to repent and believe in Him. Right in the middle of all this persecution, God was working on a soul.  We had three from our preaching come under this type of conviction. Worthy is the Lamb!!   

  Some wanted to know more   

 I had the privilege to explain the difference between Islam and Christianity to a young Muslim. I showed him God’s holiness and the weight of his own sin compared to God’s holiness. I showed him how he could not perform enough good deeds to be right with God. He wanted to know more, so I explained more about Christianity and how Jesus took the wrath of God that he deserved on the cross. He was very open and said he needed time to process all of this alone. I gave him all of my contact information. Pray that he calls me. Thank you for your prayers and support!!

Pray for:

·         Julius, Jason, and Anthony – Growth in Christ and assurance of their conversation through self-examination 

·         Edgar and the young Muslim - That they would continue to seek truth and God would save them.

·         Our weekly preaching at the Abortion mills

·         Our preaching on the campus of NC State

·         Our upcoming preaching event on St Patrick’s Day

·         Quantity and quality family