Worthwhile Videos 9/23/2013

Each of these is about an hour in length. They are each challenging in their own way.

Sye Ten Bruggencate - Apologetics is easy - Believe your Bible



Paul Washer - 2002 Youth Evangelism Concert (w/ Portugese subtitles)

Join us:  Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 at 6:00pm, Burbank Police Dept. parking lot, on Palm Ave., near Glenoaks Blvd., in Burbank.  See you there!

The Gospel is Proclaimed 9/14/2013

Despite the welcome presence of the Burbank High School Dance Team, which was performing once again to raise funds for their program, the CBC Team regulars; Mark, Dr. Jack, Barbara, Sharon, Debbie, Jeremy, Dean S., and Steven V. maintained a peaceful co-existence, as the Gospel was proclaimed.

We were visited by Sean C. and his daughter Hannah.

Also, Steve's wife Anne stopped by to encourage the team!

Once again, due to the performance by the Dance Group, we decided to forgo the "heckler" mic and simply preach.

Many tracts were given out, and at the end of the evening 39 Bibles had been received by people in every age category.

As always, the Lord provided many opportunities for one-to-one conversations.

Mark, Dean S., Dr. Jack, and Steve gave passionate calls to repentance and faith in the Son Jesus Christ.

All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
(Psalm 145:10-13)

LAPD Action at NoHo Station - Pt.2

In last week's blog post we mentioned an incident of questionable enforcement by LAPD at North Hollywood Metro station. Although the members of Dean's Magnet Evangelism team appreciated the intervention silencing the obnoxious and distorted harmonica playing, which frankly sounded demonic, they were dismayed to be caught up in that same net when the police decided to shut down Dean's amp as well. But the real concern was the implied threat posed by the police officer as he pulled out a camera and started taking pictures of the activities on the box.

As it happened, the police stopped by again this Thursday evening, apparently following up on some unrelated business. This time, Dean had instructed the team to preach without amplification and so we were not approached by the officer. However, a local troubadour, who we have seen many times at the station, was serenading the commuters with his guitar and voice amp.

Although the police had a conference with the Metro station patrolmen, no effort was made by the police to shut down the amp of the singer. Perhaps this was because the performer was producing a much more pleasant sound than last week's performer.

But it begs the question: Is the law being applied selectively? If so, based on what criteria? Stay tuned for future posts on this topic.

Reminder: Due to travel plans, there will be NO official CBC Evangelism outreach in Burbank on Saturday, September 21. However, team members are welcome and encouraged to continue their own personal evangelism efforts as the Holy Spirit leads them. And don't forget Dean's Magnet Evangelism, every Thursday Evening, 5:30 to 8:30pm, at North Hollywood Metro Station, on Lankershim at Chandler Blvd. Also, our good friend and brother, Tony Miano, leads street ministry opportunities locally from time to time. You can subscribe to his newsletter by visiting his blog, "Cross Encounters." If you are involved in any outside witnessing, please drop us a line so we can mention it in the CBC Evangelism blog. It will be an encouragement to the team.

PLEASE JOIN US:  Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, 6:00pm, at BPD parking lot, on Palm near Glenoaks, as we meet for prayer and then witnessing to the lost sheep of Burbank, and nearby communities. Maranatha!

Followers of Good 9/7/2013

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  (1 Peter 3:13-17)

Our team was a close-knit group including Mark, Jeremy, Dean, Sai, and Steve.

Visitors included Arvin, Elder Jim, and his wife Kristen.

As always, the Lord blessed our time in the field of harvest in too many ways to count. What may seem to us at first like a "problem" or an insurmountable obstacle, is always revealed to be a means to accomplishing God's sovereign plan for the evening's outreach.

When we arrived on the scene, a team of dancers from Burbank High School was dominating the area with their lively and well-rehearsed routines.

A large crowd ebbed and flowed during the entire evening, as the dancers entertained the moviegoers.

Rather than seeking to compete with the teens, we set up our amp and then focused on giving out tracts and doing one-to-ones.

After an appropriate period of time we began preaching. Thanks to the high level of activity, many heard the gospel, many Bibles were requested, and numerous one-to-ones took place.

Here Mark was presenting information on Creationism and, of course, the Gospel, to a group of young men who had been watching the dancers. They were intrigued by the challenges to evolution posed by the preacher.

As the evening wrapped up we were blessed to meet up with some Elders from an Armenian church who listened intently, and offered encouragement to the team.

LAPD Action at NoHo Station

It was interesting to observe the latest tactic used by the LAPD at the NoHo station last Thursday. "Dean's Magnet Evangelism" is a weekly outreach, led by Dean S., at the Metro station located at Chandler and Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, on Thursday evenings from around 5:30 to 8:30. In response to an unknown complaint, the police arrived soon after we were set up there, and they proceeded to shut down our amplification. This is not a big deal. It's happened several times before (always by the same zealous officer). Our response is to "Whitfield" (preach unamplified) so that the Gospel continues to be proclaimed.

The backstory here is that the complaint was probably made in response to an individual who was doing a spectacularly bad job of "playing" an amplified harmonica. That amp was the first to be shut down, and rightfully so. The Officer then used the opportunity to shut us down, ostensibly in an effort to avoid any appearance of favoritism. Perfectly understandable and indeed a fair price to pay for the blessed relief from the oppressive harmonica racket.

What happened next was the curious part. Mark explained later that, as he was on the box when the order was given by the officer to shut off the amp, he cheerfully complied. Then, as we always do, he stepped back upon the box and began, in full Whitfield voice, to continue proclaiming the Gospel. Anyone who has heard him preach knows that Mark is gifted with a strong voice. When he started up again UNAMPLIFIED, the officer turned around, startled. He then checked the amp, and realized that Mark was louder UNAMPLIFIED than AMPLIFIED. (Preach it Brother! :-)

Then the officer went to his squad car and brought out a camera. He took numerous pictures of Mark and others on the team. No explanations, but eventually he packed up and left. Is there a file being started? Is there already one for each of us? That is unknown at this time. But we are reminded of the question asked long ago: "If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence for a jury to convict you?"

The preaching proceeded unhindered, and many more heard the Gospel. A valuable reminder to keep our Whitfield technique in shape. It is very easy to become too dependent upon the amp although we still have that privilege. It may not last long. (Thanks to Dean S. for tracking down the ordinance pertaining to amplification in public places. We will try to provide a perspective on this issue in a future blog post. -Ed.)

Please join us again next Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, 6:00pm at BPD parking lot.

See you there!

The Nations Have Forgotten God 8/31/2013

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
The Lord is known by the judgement He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in your sight.
Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men.

Selah      (Psalm 9:15-20)

On her first time back with the team, since family responsibilities temporarily filled her schedule, our sister Sharon got right to work witnessing to whoever the Lord would put in her path. She was joined by faithful evangelists Mark, Steve M., Debbie, Dean S., his son Kyle, Dr. Jack, his wife Barbara, Dean C., his wife Sai, Jeremy, and Steven V.

Christ Warns of Not Discerning the Times

A chilling decision by the New Mexico Supreme Court is another sign that we who publicly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior may soon face persecution from our own government. It was also recently reported that the Department of Justice has adopted a policy that requires employees to affirm values that may be at odds with their Christian beliefs.

"Then He also said to the multitudes, 'Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. . . Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?" (Luke 12:54,56)

It seems that our nation is among those who have "forgotten God." Although we still enjoy a climate of indifference toward our presence in the public arena, We must all be prepared for the inevitable confrontations that will occur. Our hope is in the Savior, and His redeeming grace. Let us continually comfort and exhort one another to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

Christ Warns of the Costs of Discipleship

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house with be divided: three against two, and two against three." (Luke 12:49-52)

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.'" (Luke 12:42,43)

Heard from the box:

"If there is any sin in your life that's holding you back from a relationship with Jesus Christ, then you have already made that sin your god. You cannot have any other gods than the Lord Jesus Christ, because that's idolatry. And anything you put before a Holy God, God will look at you on judgement day and say, 'Did you deny yourself, daily? Did you pick up your cross and did you follow Me?' Christ's call to disciplship is complete. He will have you all or He will have none of you. First John chapter three gives us the ultimate assurance. People ask, 'Can I lose my salvation?' Well, it wasn't yours to lose in the first place. God gave it to you. It is God's free gift of salvation. So when God sent His Son on the cross, and He died for your sins, now He is extending that offer to you. Come be reconciled to a Holy God. The Bible says, "And this is the record: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." Do you hear what the Bible says? If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life. Why? Because the blood that He shed on the cross, that blood was poured out for you. The scourging that He went through, the 39 lashes, was for you. And all the while knowing our sins."

Mark shared this:
"Please don't believe in religions. Please don't believe what man says. We'll give you a free Bible. You can read it for yourself. That's the only way I learned how to get out of a cult. You pick up the Bible and your read it. And you pray about it. You say, "Okay, God, if You are real, please reveal Yourself to me, please show me the truth of Your word. Please show me that You are a living God and that You want a relationship with me. And He will do that. If you seek Him He will be found. A broken and contrite heart He will never despise."

Please join us again this Saturday, September 7, at 6:00pm @ Burbank Police Department parking lot on Palm near Glenoaks.

See you there!!