Ravenhill quote of the day

"I would rather have a fool on fire,

than a scholar on ice."

-Leonard Ravenhill

Guidelines to Open Air Preaching

I "boosted" this from Aaron's blog... but I found it to be very helpful to me and maybe you would be blessed by it: Guidelines to Open Air Preaching by Kevin Williams

Spurgeon quote for the day! 7-27-10

“What do you think of the Christ?” Matthew 22:42.

"It was a custom among the Jews before the Paschal Lamb was killed to shut it up for several days for examination. It was at first selected with great care, for it must be “a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year,” and lest at the first choice some blemish should have been overlooked it was continually inspected from day to day. It was meet that the Lamb of God’s Passover should pass through a similar ordeal. It is remarkable that our Savior, during the days which preceded His being offered up for us on Calvary was examined and questioned, both by friends and foes. The sharpest eyes were brought to bear upon Him—eyes made preternaturally keen through the malice of wicked hearts. He passed under the scrutiny of Pharisees, of Herodians, of Sadducees, and of lawyers. They tested Him in all parts and tried Him from all points, yet they found no fault in Him. “They marveled, and left Him, and went their way.” And, like Pilate, they found no fault in Him. Read the chapter before us in that light and it becomes singularly interesting, as exhibiting the unassailable perfection of our Divine Redeemer. Let us pray that when we are proved and tested we, also, may endure the fiery trial and be found to be pure gold. As they tried our Master, so will they also try us—may we, through His triumphant Grace, endure even to the end. As I looked upon our text in my study, another current of thought passed through my mind. The text stands in a remarkable connection. The chapter which contains it opens with the parable of the wedding feast. The marriage banquet was spread, the guests were invited—they would not come—and therefore special messengers were sent to compel as many as they could find to partake of the feast. Then as to warn ministers in all generations that the greatest hindrances they would ever meet with would arise from the quibbling, critical spirit of mankind, we have in the same chapter a long account of the various cavilers that assailed our Lord. When we preach the Gospel, men do not repel us point blank by telling us that there is no importance in our message—instead they suggest difficulties, propound frivolous enquiries, or fly off at a tangent upon some other less important topic. They evade the pursuit of the Gospel by plunging into the mists of debate. Like the cuttle-fish, which escapes by clouding the water all around it, so do they avoid the invitations and declarations of the Word of God by raising questions of a secondary character. It was so in Christ’s day. His adversaries met His arguments with quibbles, or with wrangling. It is certainly so now. We cannot get at men—they stave us off, they parry our home thrusts and baffle us by hiding behind the shields of evil questions. We cannot get close to them—they lie entrenched behind the ramparts of disputation. With other questions they push off the main question and keep far from them the soul-saving Truth of God. The Lord Jesus Christ here teaches His ministers the art of leaping over the sinner’s defenses, dashing into the center of his stronghold and smiting him with the edge of the sword by means of the enquiry—“What do you think of the Christ?” We should deal with matters of disputation as He did—answer them, as far as they are to be answered, with wisdom and prudence. But then He would have us carry the war into the enemy’s country and attack the human conscience with the demand, “What do you think of
the Christ?”

C.H. Spurgeon-"Questions of the Day and THE Question of the Day"

Christians who try to witness eventually run into this; people who try to dodge the gospel by asking secondary questions. Smoke screens: "Wasn't the bible written by men?" "What about the problem of evil?" "What about dinosaurs?" There is no problem in answering questions but be aware that YOU ARE BEING DISTRACTED from the primary goal. Preach Christ and Him crucified. Bring the person to their judgment day and let them see their desperate need of a Savior. Then if you have time... answer their questions in love. But also remember they have to answer questions also, not just the Christian. “What do you think of the Christ?”

Sarah

Burbank Media Center Follow-up 7-24-10

Had a good time at Burbank. Its always a little discouraging because people are blinded with worldliness but as I write I've been recently convicted of my own. Mike did draw a crowd with a little money trivia then BAMM!! He drops the "Gospel Bomb". Praise the Lord His word doesn't return void.

HE REIGNS!!!

Whatever you are going through, be encouraged to know that HE REIGNS!! Sometimes thats all we need to know.

Magnet Evangelism Follow-up 7-21-10

Had a great time seeing and ministering with Mike, Dean, Nathan, Bea, Sai, Tim, Daniel & Mark. I encourage everyone who is not able to come out on Saturdays to join these guys on Wednesdays at Noho subway station.

Here is a story I read on another blog I thought was applicable to evangelism: The Starfish Story

While walking along a beach after a particularly high tide, a man noticed a boy picking up starfish after starfish and throwing them back into the sea. When he neared the youngster, he asked, “What are you doing?” “These starfish will die if they don’t get back into the water,” the boy replied as he hurriedly continued his work.” “There are thousands of starfish on this beach,” the man said. “Nothing you can do can possibly make a difference.”The boy held out the starfish he had just picked up. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said and threw it into the ocean.

Glendale Cruise Nights 7-17-10 Follow-Up

Praise the Lord, we had a great night! By God's grace we handed out over 7000 TRACTS!! This was my 2 year anniversary of street evangelism... but without celebrating it with Tony the Lawman it wasn't quite the same. Still had a good time.

The Great White Throne Judgment - Steve Lawson

This sermon is so magnificent in its exhalation of Christ and the final judgment that it will move you to repentance, gratitude and ACTION!!

Evangelists arrested in front of Mosque.

WARNING: Street preaching can get you into hot water. Witness at your own risk.

Burbank Media Center Follow-up 7-10-10

GLORY TO GOD!! What a great night! Lately Burbank Media Center has been a really exciting place to go witnessing. But this night it was AMAZING. All I have to say is DEAN was "the man"! The Lord drew to him THE biggest crowd I have ever seen at Burbank yet. Mike had set up the heckler mic and we had even prayed for a big crowd and good heckler... the Lord answered. Dean had started with a little trivia for $ but it wasn't until he got the guy in the blue shirt asking him questions before you knew it there must have been about 40 people listening. It was great. Dean handled himself and the heckler well, had good answers and a humble spirit. God is good!

Also please pray for Fatia, who I'm talking to in the picture. She was very receptive to the gospel and you could see "lights going on." She took a bible and thanked me.

Spurgeon quote for the day! 7-14-10

"His face did shine as the sun.” Matthew 17:2

"THE GLORY OF CHRIST SURPASSES ALL HUMAN EXPRESSION.We can measure the illuminating power of the gas that we burn. We talk of it as having so many candle-power, but will any gentleman who is quick at calculations compute for us the candle-power of the sun? No, that is a task he can never accomplish, for the sun has more light than all other lights put together. So far as we are concerned, all the lights that we can make or imagine cannot equal the sun—he is the very source of all the light that floods the world on our brightest days.So is it with Christ. He has in Him all brightness and Glory. If there is any virtue, if there is any goodness, if there is any excellence, it is all in Him. One said of Henry the Eighth that if the portraits of all the tyrants who ever lived had been lost, they might all be painted again from his one face. And, surely, I may change the expression and say that if all the beauty, all the goodness, all the love and all the kindness that there ever were among men should be forgotten, it might all be reproduced from the Character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We cannot really see the full glory of the sun—some have been blinded by looking at him too intently. And no mortal eye can gaze upon all the splendors of Christ. You may see much of Him, but there is such a wondrous mystery—such a marvelous excess of Glory about Him that if any man says, “I know Him fully,” he proves that he knows Him not! Paul wrote to the Philippians, “that I may know Him.” Yet he had known Christ for many years. I suppose that he knew a great deal more about Christ in the first year of his Christian life than most of us know after 20 or 30 years, yet, after that long period of gracious instruction which the Holy Spirit had given him, he still had to write, as the expression of his most ardent desire, “that I may know Him,” for he felt that he had not yet comprehended, with all the saints, what are the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths of the love of Christ which passes knowledge! There is an inexpressible Glory about my Master—I can never exaggerate in speaking of it. I can never go to any excess in praising Him! I can never extol Him so much that anyone shall truthfully dare to say to me, “You have said too much in honor of your Lord.” No, if all human tongues were eloquent and all did speak His praise forever—and if all angelic voices never spoke except to laud and magnify Him—so glorious is He that the praises of all combined would not rise above the soles of His feet!

C.H. Spurgeon - "CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURED FACE"

The Unavoidable Conclusion

This is the unavoidable conclusion of Matthew 10. To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ.

Tony Miano

GLENDALE CRUISE NIGHTS 2010!

Aw YEAH!! Glendale Cruise Nights is HERE!!

This is a great event for handing out tracts!! Next Saturday we'll meet at the church parking lot @ 5:00 p.m. load up tracts to hand out to THOUSANDS of people. Man, this is a good time, hot dogs, cool cars and sinners who need the gospel! I plan to be at the event until 10:00 p.m., but you are free to come for a while then spend time with your family. I've been stocking tracts and have about 1700 Giant hundreds and 5000 Millions and Trillions for this event!!

PLEASE BRING A BAG, BACKPACK, "MAN BAG"... TO CARRY TRACTS!!

HERE was the post from last years follow-up.

Spurgeon quote for the day! 7-8-10

If you are a Christian and struggle with depression, failure or doubt... I pray this section of a sermon from Charles Spurgeon will bless your soul with the balm of Christ's compassion.

"I shall only recall my own experience in order to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, my brethren and sisters. I do well remember when I was under conviction of sin, and smarted bitterly under the rod of God, that when I was most heavy and depressed there would sometimes come something like hope across my spirit. I knew what it was to say, "My soul chooseth strangling rather than life," yet when I was at the lowest ebb and most ready to despair, though I could not quite lay hold of Christ, I used to get a touch of the promise now and then, till I half hoped that, after all, I might prove to be God's prisoner, and he might yet set me free. I do remember well, when my sins compassed me about like bees, and I thought it was all over with me, and I must be destroyed by them, it was at that moment when Jesus revealed himself to me. Had he waited a little longer, I had died of despair, but that was no desire of his. On swift wings of love he came and manifested his dear wounded self to my heart. I looked to him and was lightened, and my peace flowed like a river. I rejoiced in him. Yes, he was moved with compassion. He would not let the pangs of conviction be too severe; neither would he suffer them to be protracted too long for the spirit of man to fail before him. It is not his wont to break a leaf that is driven by the tempest. "He will not quench the smoking flax." Yea, and I do remember since I first saw him and began to love him many sharp and severe troubles,dark and heavy trials, yet have I noted this, that they have never reached that pitch of severity which I was unable to bear. When all gates seemed closed, there has still been with the trial a way of escape, and I have noted again that in deeper depressions of spirits through which I have passed, and horrible despondencies that have crushed me down, I have had some gleams of love, and hope, and faith at the last moment; for he was moved with compassion. If he withdrew his face, it was only till my heart broke for him, and then he showed me the light of his countenance again. If he laid the rod upon me, yet when my soul cried under his chastening he could not bear it, but he put back the rod, and he said, "My child, I will comfort thee." Oh! the comforts that he gives on a sick bed! Oh! the consolations of Christ! when you are very low. If there is anything dainty to the taste in the Word of God, you get it then; if there be any bowels of mercy, you hear them sounding for you then. When you are in the saddest plight, Christ comes to your aid with the sweetest manifestations; for he is moved with compassion. How frequently have I noticed, and I tell it to his praise, for though it shows my weakness, it proves his compassion, that sometimes, after preaching the gospel, I have been so filled with self-reproach, that I could hardly sleep through the night because I had not preached as I desired. I have sat me down and cried over some sermons, as though I knew that I had missed the mark and lost the opportunity. Not once nor twice, but many a time has it happened, that within a few days someone has come to tell me that he found the Lord through that very sermon, the shortcoming of which I had deplored. Glory be to Jesus; it was his gentleness that did it. He did not want his servant to be too much bowed down with a sense of infirmity, and so he had compassion on him and comforted him. Have not you noticed, some of you, that after doing your best to serve the Lord, when somebody has sneered at you, or you have met with such a rebuff as made you half- inclined to give up the work, an unexpected success has been given you, so that you have not played the Jonah and ran away to Tarshish, but kept to your work? Ah! how many times in your life, if you could read it all, you would have to stop and write between the lines, "He was moved with compassion." Many and many a time, when no other compassion could help, when all the sympathy of friends would be unavailing, he has been moved with compassion towards us, has said to us, "Be of good cheer," banished our fears with the magic of his voice, and filled our souls to overflowing with gratitude. When we have been misrepresented, traduced, and slandered, we have found in the sympathy of Christ our richest support, till we could sing with rapture the verse—I cannot help quoting it now, though I have often quoted it before:—

"If on my face for thy dear name
Shame and reproach shall be,
I'll hail reproach and welcome shame,
Since thou rememberest me."
The compassion of the Master making up for all the abuses of his enemies. And, believe me, there is nothing sweeter to a forlorn and broken spirit than the fact that Jesus has compassion. Are any of you sad and lonely? Have any of you been cruelly wronged? Have you lost the goodwill of some you esteemed? Do you seem as if you had the cold shoulder even from good people? Do not say, in the anguish of your spirit, "I am lost," and give up. He hath compassion on you. Nay, poor fallen woman, seek not the dark river and the cold stream—he has compassion. He who looks down with the bright eyes of yonder stars and watches thee is thy friend. He yet can help thee. Though thou hast gone so far from the path of virtue, throw not thyself away in blank despair, for he hath compassion. And thou, broken down in health and broken down in fortune, scarcely with shoe to thy feet, thou art welcome in the house of God, welcome as the most honoured guest in the assembly of the saints. Let not the weighty grief that overhangs thy soul tempt thee to think that hopeless darkness has settled thy fate and foreclosed thy doom. Though thy sin may have beggared thee, Christ can enrich thee with better riches. He hath compassion. "Ah!" say you, "they will pass me on the stairs; they will give me a broad pathway, and if they see me in the street they will not speak to me—even his disciples will not." Be it so; but better than his disciples, tenderer by far, is Jesus. Is there a man here, whom to associate with were a scandal from which the pure and pious would shrink?; the holy, harmless, undefiled one will not disdain even him—for this man receiveth sinners—he is a friend of publicans and sinners. He is never happier than when he is relieving and retrieving the forlorn, the abject, and the outcast. He despises not any that confess their sins and seek his mercy. No pride nestles in his dear heart, no sarcastic word rolls off his gracious tongue, no bitter expression falls from his blessed lips. He still receives the guilty. Pray to him now. Now let the silent prayer go up, "My Saviour, have pity upon me; be moved with compassion towards me, for if misery be any qualification for mercy, I am a fit object for thy compassion. Oh! save me for thy mercy's sake!" Amen.

C.H. Spurgeon - "The Compassion of Christ"

Open Air Preaching - Peter Hammond

Don't Waste Your Life Sentence

Piper is cool.