Friday, June 10, 2016

The New Covenant

The New Covenant (Part 1)

Christ, the substance of the New Covenant,

Isaiah 42:6

“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,

Isaiah 49:8

 Thus says the Lord:

“In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant,

Hebrews 8:6

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Hebrews 9:15

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 12:24

to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

The Messenger of the New Covenant,

Malachi 3:1

“Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

God's making of the New Covenant,

Jeremiah 31:31-33,

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,[a] says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Romans 11:27

For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.

Hebrews 8:13

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

(Source: The MacArthur Topical Bible, John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson. NKJV)

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Saturday Outreach - Burbank


May 7


Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV)

The competition for attention is legion. The good weather brings out the performers, as well as the listeners.

Meanwhile, Jack, Chris and Steve M. were busy witnessing to those on the Mall who were heading to see movies or to grab a bite to eat. Our new friend, Arno, was there with his powerful amp playing back recordings of preachers from Grace's evangelism team. This brother is very faithful to be out there and it will be very interesting to see what the response is to this approach. He has tracts available, and he sits quietly with his sign, as the gospel goes forth from the amp. 


Arno has always been very gracious to coordinate with us so that we are not competing for listeners. This is important because his amp is much more powerful than ours.

We were very encouraged by the young man seen here. He was passionate for the gospel and had many questions about doctrine and theology. He certainly came to the right person! (Another of countless divine appointments arranged by our gracious God.)

Dean usually bats clean-up, graciously presenting the gospel in his passionate, accessible way.

As the first unit packed up and headed back to the Mall, we were excited to find that an instant crowd had formed while waiting for the 9:00 showing of the new movie: "Captain America: Civil War." Jack was busy on the box, taking advantage of the opportunity. Although it appears that no one was listening, we know that some were prompted to came up to get bibles. Glory to God!

May 14

Elder Jim and his wife Kristen stopped by to encourage the team. 

Tracts do get read.



People do listen.

Our friend Arno had his first encounter with Roger. We were just leaving and we were tempted to go over and help him out, but we figured Arno, having sat under the teaching of Grace Church, was well equipped to see through Roger's false beliefs. Besides we did not want to intrude on his "trial by fire." ;-)

May 21

If there aren't any pictures does it mean that it didn't happen?

Actually, three brave men met to share the gospel in Burbank. While others on the team were out of commission due to illness, family matters or other commitments, Mark, Jack and Dean faithfully took to the streets to pass out tracts and proclaim the Word of God.

May 28 - Glendale


Our regular team was joined by sister Ruth and our friend Earnest. The Glendale outreach is always like a refreshing stream of living water, many stop to drink of it. Many hearts are open to the glorious gospel.

Sister Ruth was setting the pace, and she taught us all a lesson in courage as she boldly approached people to share the gospel.



There is a steady supply of new ears to hear the gospel in the flow of foot traffic.




The arrival of emergency equipment always offers an object lesson on the uncertainty of tomorrow and the need to turn to Christ while we still have breath and life.


Later on we were pleasantly surprised to be joined by brother Vinny. Curiously, many pedestrians hurry past the preaching when Vinny starts listing out the sins of modern man.



This is a curious fellow. In a previous conversation, and again this evening, he identified himself to us as the "third angel." In fact when asked for his name he claimed that it was "Apocalypse." He stood for several minutes listening intently to Vinny's preaching. "There are signs everywhere," he said. "Amen," I replied. "And it will spring like a trap upon the unsuspecting," he added. He encouraged us and agreed wholeheartedly with the preacher. And then he left, disappearing into the crowd crossing the street.

Later I checked the scripture and found three references, in Revelation, to a "third angel." (Rev. 8:10-11, 14:9-11, 16:4-6) Each time it is in reference to a specific judgment of the Lord.

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20 NKJV)

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Morning Shift - NoHo Metro Station  


May 18


Back on the box after a few weeks absence, Paul and Steve took turns sharing the Gospel.


The pigeons are always ready to receive.


The people, not so much so.

The Wednesday morning outreaches have been irregular this year. Please let Steve know if you feel called to be placed on the list for text announcements on Tuesday evenings for Wednesday mornings at 6:00 AM at the North Hollywood Metro Station on Lankershim Blvd. It's a great opportunity to share the truth with the thousands of commuters who pass through this area.

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Dean's Team - Thursdays at NoHo station


May 19


It seems that all roads lead to NoHo, and brother Dean has been welcoming fellow evangelists to this Thursday night outreach for at least 8 years now. It's a great opportunity to get one's feet wet in the "Jordan River," evangelistically speaking.


Brother Armando is one of several spanish speakers who faithfully join in proclaiming God's word.



Brother Alex preaches in Spanish and English, but his passion is one to one witness. Here he is presenting the gospel to some Jehovah's Witnesses.

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Abortuary Duty - Mission Hills  


May 14

This Saturday morning was a study in extremes.





One man was broken with sorrow over the murder of his child that was about to take place in the building. Don gently consoled him and encouraged him to go in the clinic and plead with her to get a sonogram at the free clinic across the street. We prayed with him and he went back into the building.





The other man was a combative blasphemer who hatefully issued threats to each man on the team. Both men, it seems were bothered by their consciences.



The man who was broken managed to persuade his girlfriend to come out of the clinic, though he suffered much verbal abuse from her. He reported that she made an appointment for the following Wednesday, but we never saw them return.

You can join the effort at the Mission Hills clinic, 10200 Sepulveda Blvd., 91345, every Saturday and Wednesday morning from 8 to 10 am. No experience necessary.

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News and Apologetics

Gregory Koukl: Tactics for Discussing Christian Convictions



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Join Us!


This is the blasphemous and man-centered version of the Ten Commandments that is "proudly" displayed outside of an area church. With doctrines like this, where will people go to find the Gospel? (Click on the image to see larger view.)

Please join us as we proclaim the glorious Gospel to a lost and dying world on the streets of Burbank, Glendale, Hollywood and beyond. And please pray for our ministry, our Calvary Bible Church body, and our Nation.

Maranatha!!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Making Use of the Time

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2-6) *


April in Pictures


Thanks to the climate in Southern California, and the Lord graciously providing a consistent set of men, we have the pleasure of going out nearly 52 weeks a year to the streets of Burbank and Glendale.  Unfortunately our regularity in going out doesn’t always translate to our regularity in the upkeep of this blog!  We hope that you will enjoy this April, 2016 “catch up” posting of images and hope they will encourage you to come out and join us!

Check out the calendar on the side bar (which we DO keep up to date!) for upcoming Saturday evening outreaches.  If you can’t make it on a Saturday evening, speak with Steve for other outreach opportunities, such as Wednesday morning (NoHo) and Saturday morning (Mission Hills Abortion Clinic).  Also you can join a couple of the team members on Thursday evenings in NoHo, hosted by Dean.

If you are unable to come out, please remember us in your prayers.  We are not “super evangelists”, but a bunch of feeble men who are there only out of love for our Savior and desire to see others saved.  Trust me - our knees knock as much as the next.  We need your prayers!

And if you ever in the area for dinner or a movie - stop by!  You have no idea how encouraging it is for the team when another brother or sister passes by with an encouraging word.  It’s a breath of fresh air that adds a spring to the step to know we aren’t alone in this dark world.


Saturday Outreach
Burbank and Glendale

April 02, 2016



This young man has been featured on one of our blogs, before.  He’s a former atheist turned follower of Judaism.  His mom is Christian, and hopes for him to see past obedience to the Law as the way to righteousness, to the Messiah who fulfilled the Law and is righteousness for all who place their trust in Him. (Romans 10:1-4)





The man handing out tracts lays a breadcrumb trail, while the man on the box keeps pointing them on to Christ.  But the man handing out the Bible is giving the very word of God, sufficient to teach, save, sanctify, and keep!  We enjoy these moments when someone comes up and takes one, and we pray they read and are saved!






April 16, 2016


Mark reading his Bible as he prepares to take the box.








Si speaks very little English, yet that doesn’t stop her from pointing at the Bible and saying, “Read!” :)


April 23, 2016







We have foot traffic in Burbank, but in Glendale we have foooooooot traffic!  Requires short, concise messages by the men on the box, but is a tract-hander-outers dream location :)


















April 30, 2016




When we arrived this evening, there was the “oh no” moment with this guy loudly broadcasting a message that we could hear blocks away.  It was a Christian message, so Steve and Dean went over to see if they could negotiate some quiet so they could speak.  Turns out that he was from Grace Community and was more than willing to move to allow us to preach there.  It was his first time “out”, and he was humble as Dean helped him set up on another corner and gave him some advice on a volume level that didn’t make the message an auditory offense to the hearer!




It never ceases to amaze that as many million dollar tracts we’ve handed out, that there are still people in Burbank who have never seen them before!



Our brother Razmik unexpectedly stepped into some hot water with this couple when he suggested that the man’s lifestyle didn’t appear to validate his profession of faith after he showed Razmik the tattoo of Jesus on his chest.  This in/out of jail gang member would have nothing of that, and Razmik quickly retreated when the girl warned him he was in danger from her uncontrollable boyfriend.








Abortion Clinic and North Hollywood

Due to various reasons, Steve was not able to go out to the abortion clinic outreaches more than once this month.  Continue to pray for Don as he is there two days a week, every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am - 10am.





Also, because of scheduling reasons, Steve was also unable to be at North Hollywood Wednesday mornings in April.  Because the number of people who go out is few in number (generally just Steve and Paul), ask Steve to add you to his text notification list if you think you might be interested in joining them.  It 1) helps for him to know if someone will be going with him, and 2) makes sure you get cancellation notices the evening before so you don’t show up only to find yourself alone!




Media






Voddie Baucham: Misusing the OT to Misuse the OT






* All verses from the ESV, unless otherwise noted