Immediately 10/18/2014

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  (Mark 1:14-20 NKJV)

“In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8)

There was no stopping the gospel at the Town Center Mall on this busy Saturday night. Due to some smoke from a burned out electrical motor, as many as a dozen fire engines descended upon the intersection where we were proclaiming the risen Christ. And just as Burbank's finest immediately responded to save people from the potential flames (which thankfully never erupted), the Holy Spirit worked to save some from the from the far more deadly flames of hell which are never quenched.

Steve M.: We want to pray for whatever is going on right here, that God would protect these firemen and give them wisdom. And you see, as certainly as we are standing right here watching this incident, we will all stand before God and the books will be opened someday. And the Lord is not slack concerning His promises, but He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and faith. The only way that lost sinners can receive a pardon from their sin, is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

Dr. Jack: As a matter of fact we have hardened our hearts in rebellion. We no longer honor God, we no longer fear God anymore. Now what we do is we fear men. We fear disease. We fear terrorism. We fear politicians. We even fear losing our own constitution of the United States. And the reason that all of that is happening is because we don't fear God, we don't put God first in our lives. The Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10) In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)

Many one-to-ones took place, and many bibles and tracts were given out.

PF Chang's restaurant had this unique way of proclaiming their support for cancer awareness month.

These Firemen stopped to give a high-five to Razmik's daughters who were visiting the team with their mother and aunt.

To close the evening, Richard had the opportunity to share the Gospel from the box. These teens were excited by the opportunity to win $20 simply by proving that they can pass the Good Person Test. How hard can that be? As Richard went through four easy questions: Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever had anger in your heart toward another person? Have you ever used God's name in vain? They honestly and cheerfully answered yes to all the questions. Not untypically, though, they were astonished when they were told that they had not won the $20, even after it was explained to them that we cannot expect God to consider us to be a good person if we have broken His law. Richard went on to explain what God did by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit will bring them to an understanding of their sin and to repentance.

Colorado Report

Our beloved brother David informs us that the Twitpic app will no longer be available for him to post pictures. So we've asked him to simply post blog entries instead, whenever he has something to share. Recently he sent us these quotes:

"As with Moses in Egypt, Paul in Rome, or Luther in Wittenberg, God places His chosen servants in decisive eras of history when a voice is needed to advance the cause of His kingdom." Steve Lawson 

"Christ's presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter's boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church's power—the shout of a king is in the midst of her. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes." Spurgeon 

The Morning Shift  10/15/2014

Please stand with us on 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.

Abortuary Duty  10/18/2014

Our friend Lupe is a dedicated worker who fearlessly intercedes on behalf of the innocent unborn. Here she is counseling a young woman who had been told by her physician that the baby she was carrying had died. Lupe is especially effective in providing guidance and direction for Spanish speaking couples.

News Items

Baby Saved From Forced Abortion

Couple Refuses Abortion Despite Doctors

Vatican Attacks Young Earth Creation

Renowned Chemist Questions Evolution

Marriage and Family Shattered by Homosexuality

Apologetics Corner

Article:  Every Mormon's Need for Rest

A beautiful animation . . .

Join Us! HALLOWEEN UPDATE!!

Halloween is on its evil way! Time for all believers in the True and Living God to respond in love and faith by JOINING WITH US IN SHARING THE GOSPEL IN HOLLYWOOD ON HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 31st. We'll be gathering at Dean's place, 816 N. Hollywood Way (1 Block South of Magnolia) in Burbank at 5:00 pm. Sai will be providing a wonderful Thai dinner for us to enjoy before we carpool/caravan to Hollywood at about 6:30. There will be Giant $100 Tracts to hand out. We plan to be there till about 9:00 pm, returning to the store. Contact Steve if you plan to meet us in Hollywood. Please RSVP to Dean, (661) 810-5540, if you plan to attend the dinner!!

Please join us as we proclaim the glorious Gospel to a lost and dying world on the streets of Burbank, Glendale, Hollywood and beyond.

Maranatha!!

Let Your Light So Shine 10/11/2014

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:11-16 NKJV)

With several other important events taking place on this Saturday evening, including the 60th anniversary celebration of Calvary Bible Church, and Paul Washer speaking at a local church, the team was rather "lean" at first. Jeremy and Steve met for prayer at the Burbank PD parking lot, but when they arrived on location at San Fernando and Magnolia they were quickly joined by Deacon Mark, and brothers Vinny and Shawn.

Shawn, who plays guitar almost every Sunday at CBC, was a key member of the CBC mission team to the Philippines this year. He wasted no time, jumping right in to hand out tracts and to ask people boldly, "Would you like to hear the Good News about Jesus Christ!?"

Brother Vinny dropped by to encourage the team and to take a turn on the box. His challenging style never fails to prompt hecklers who are offended by the glorious gospel.

Vinny: You see over and over, when catastrophes happen, just like in New York when the World Trade Centers went down, and I was there, all of a sudden people were scared and afraid and praying. Praying to what? If you don't believe in God then what are you praying to? You see the reason those people were praying on that day, the reason that the Churches were so filled on that day, I was there and I saw it, was because the Bible says that God has placed eternity into the hearts of men. You see, we know there is a God, and YOU know that there is a God! And you deny it, because you don't want to hear the Bible that we are preaching to you.

Heckler: You're really loud dude, really loud!

Vinny:  Good! Because some people are deaf! And even though they may hear this message they'll tune it out. And the message is that there is a loving God who offers forgiveness for our sins, the wrath of God, the judgment of God against sinful men. You, I, we are all sinners, and a just God is going to bring us judgment. The Bible says that Jesus is going to come, and He will bring His judgment upon those who have disobeyed God.

Second Heckler: Will Jesus forgive us?

Vinny: If you are willing to deny yourself, repent of your sins, and turn to God for forgiveness, yes He is willing to forgive. And it's a free gift, you can't work for it, you can't earn it.

As this discussion progressed it became clear that the man who was heckling was a Muslim who said he believed Jesus was a prophet, but not God. Vinny strongly cautioned Him that Jesus is more than a prophet, He is God, and that Muhammad is a false prophet. The Muslim men did not stay to discuss the issue. Providentially, we have just received a new tract that carefully compares the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Bible, with the false view of Christ presented in the Koran. If you are witnessing to Muslim friends or co-workers please check with Steve for a copy of this informative tract.

As always, the Lord is faithful to bring laborers to the field. If you feel the calling of the Holy Spirit to step out in faith and see what this ministry is about, please join us. We'll equip you with everything you need to serve in this way.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV)

The Morning Shift  10/8/2014

It's starting to get light later in the morning so we are starting out in the dark, but it is always bright and sunny by the time we leave. No, the K-9 unit is not there for us, although we had a moment of concern when they pulled up.

This week, Jeremy and Steve shared the gospel through tracts and proclamation. Please stand with us on 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.

Also, during Deans's Magnet Evangelism outreach on Thursday, the 9th, an unusual event occurred in which the gates into and out of the train station were closed and locked for around 20 minutes. No one could enter or exit the station. Although President Obama was in town at the time, it did not appear to be related to the traffic interruptions caused by his motorcade.

News Items

Chimpanzee Personhood Hearing

Houston Subpoenas Pastors' Sermons

Apologetics Corner

Paul Washer: Regeneration v. The Idolatry of Decisional "Evangelism"

This great teaching by Paul Washer is from 2008. It is powerful for transforming our gospel presentation.

Article: Why Did God Allow Satan to Harm Job and His Family? by Chris Brauns

Article: Missing the Link Between Darwin and Racism

Join Us!

Please join us as we proclaim the glorious Gospel to a lost and dying world on the streets of Burbank and beyond.

Maranatha!!

Deliver Your Soul 10/4/2014

So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekial 33:7-9)

Our Saturday evening in Glendale was far greater a blessing than we had even hoped for. Prayer time on the roof of the parking structure included Jeremy, Razmik and Steven V. When we reached the location we were greeted by Steve M.'s smiling face. Soon after that Dean and Sai arrived.

Mobs of people flowed back and forth across the intersection every time the lights changed. Soon we were taking turns on the box, proclaiming the Gospel. People began stepping up and requesting bibles. 

A mood of euphoria energized the team as it became clear that perhaps thousands would be exposed to the gospel tonight and many would stick around to listen and receive Bibles.

Almost all of the bibles were given out. One father brought his 3 sons forward each to receive bibles. Glory to God!

Needless to say, we will be back, Lord willing! Stay tuned for another Glendale outreach next month.

The Morning Shift  10/1/2014

This week Steve was joined by Brother Jeremy and Paul's friend Kelly. Please stand with us on 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.

Abortuary Duty  10/4/2014

Like the phantom of the open hearth (the name given to the face-like image in the steel mill furnaces of a bygone era), the garage entrance to the Mission Hills abortuary building seems as if it was designed to guard the demonically inspired activity that takes place within.

Anne and Don hold some of the signs that volunteers carry in front of the building. Every car that passes by, and every person who enters the parking lot, sees the word of God as a testimony to the judgment of a righteous God against the sin of murder. What men see as a "final solution" to an inconvenient problem, that is abortion, is murder in God's eyes.

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

News Items

Christian Bakers Face Bankruptcy

Christians Killed In Nigeria

Second Man Arrested After Oklahoma Threats

Pro-Life Pastors Rebut Liberal Clergy

Apologetics Corner

Paul Washer: The Personal Impact of Street Preaching

Excerpts from article:  Eve's offspring, the serpent, and his offspring - Part 3 - Jesus and the church

by Lita Cosner, Creation.com

There are a number of contrasts between the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Jesus. The first Adam was tempted in a garden paradise, while Jesus was tempted in a barren wilderness after being without food for 40 days. Eve leaned on her own understanding of the situation when she talked to the serpent, and it didn’t take her very long to be deceived. Even though Jesus is God, He depended on Scripture to refute Satan’s lies (and so He is an example for us to also lean on Scripture). Adam and Eve became unfaithful to God, but Jesus stood firm.

Each of the temptations is significant. First, Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread so He could eat. At a first glance, it might be unclear why this would be a bad thing. If someone developed technology that could turn rocks into bread, it would be hailed as a breakthrough that would solve world hunger. But Jesus never did a miracle to benefit Himself, and He never did a miracle without relying on the power of the Spirit. This is important, because Jesus’ perfect life also had to be a human life. If He relied on His divine power to ‘skip’ the discomforts and inconveniences of life, it would cease to be the sort of life that could be credited to us as righteousness. So Satan’s temptation was for Jesus to use His own divine power, and to cease to live a purely human life.

The second temptation was for Jesus to cast Himself off the Temple, so that the angels would keep Him from harm. Satan even quoted a Scripture that legitimately applied to Jesus to prove that it would happen. But this would have been putting God to the test in a way that is expressly forbidden in Scripture. Jesus completely and implicitly trusts His Father, but He refuses to put Him to the test in such a way.

The third temptation was for Jesus to take a ‘shortcut’ in His mission, and to rule the whole world and all its kingdoms by worshipping Satan. But this would have eliminated the Cross, the reason Jesus came. Jesus came to suffer on behalf of sinners who would believe in Him, not to enjoy power and wealth. Worshipping Satan would also render to Satan what only belongs to God. So Jesus refused.

Having ‘passed the test’, Satan left Jesus and the angels came to comfort Him. However, the battle had only begun. It says, “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). While this episode was a critical battle against Satan, His whole life and ministry was an ongoing war against Satan.

Could Jesus have sinned?

Some people say that because Jesus is God, He could not really be tempted. Others say that it was not a real temptation because Jesus could not sin. However, this is not how the Bible presents Jesus. Jesus got hungry and tired during His earthly life—He experienced all the struggles of life in the fallen world, except that He did it all without sinning. And part of what He experienced was temptation—the Bible says He “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). That means that in His human nature, He really was tempted with every sort of sin, but never committed the slightest sin. He could not sin because He is God, but He resisted temptation as a man, so that His righteousness could be imputed to us. If Jesus’ righteousness was only the righteousness of God, it could not be credited to us—He had to have the righteousness of a perfect man so that we could be counted righteous.

Because Jesus was righteous as a man, His resistance of temptation and obedience to God is a powerful example to us as we follow Him.

Join Us!

Please join us as we proclaim the glorious Gospel to a lost and dying world on the streets of Burbank, Glendale and beyond.

Maranatha!!

The Hour Is Coming 9/27/2014

"Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:31-33 NKJV)

When's the last time you've seen signs like these? Yes, the times they are a-changin' once again. This cartoon is grimly clever. Thanks be to God that He is our sure foundation. Surely the Lord is using these events to convict and draw near to Him those whom He has called unto salvation. How much more should we seek to reach out to the lost whom the Holy Spirit is drawing. Let us be bold in proclaiming the true Gospel that Christ may be glorified.

 

A core team consisting of Dr. Jack, Jeremy, Mark, Razmik, and Steve, took up a position on the public sidewalk in front of the Town Center Mall. This is an ideal spot due to the great number of pedestrians who constantly pass by, combined with the halting power of the traffic lights. 

It was a blessed evening of proclamation and one to one sharing of the Gospel.

Brother Razmik had several conversations. At one point there was a group of Armenian men who were very supportive and interested in our ministry, including a Gospel preacher (in white shirt). They stood with us for quite a while as we preached.

Another Armenian man came back after receiving a tract. Razmik had a discussion with him that revealed much confusion on his part. It is interesting to see how the Armenian people open up and become engaged in discussion when someone speaks their language.

Steve had no sooner stepped off the box when this man, also named Steve, came out to ask us to move. He is the manager of the PF Chang's restaurant, and he was acting on a complaint by a man who was eating nearby on the patio with his family. The tone of the discussion was polite. Yet, the restaurant manager was demanding that we move. To us, this seemed unreasonable as we were clearly situated on public property, at least fifteen feet away from the restaurant patio area, and we were directing our Aker amp away from the restaurant and toward the noisy intersection. 

Two things to take away:

1. We need to remember to limit the discussion to one or at most two members of the team, so that the whole team does not waste valuable evangelism time.

2. The most effective means of avoiding ungodly and unproductive wrangling is to be quick to negotiate by giving up some unnecessary thing (e.g. amplification) so as to not jeopardize our witness to the complainant. After all, he is someone our Savior died for, just as we are.

The outcome was simple: After a few minutes break from proclamation, Mark got on the box and Whitfielded his message. Later the manager came out and thanked us and apologized.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NASB)

Photos by Jeremy

This Saturday, October 4th - UPDATED

Instead of our usual Burbank outreach we will be witnessing in Glendale at the Central Avenue entrance to the Galleria Mall, across from the Americana. There is a large sidewalk area at the stoplight located midway between Broadway and Colorado. Large groups of shoppers gather at the light waiting to cross back and forth between the two malls. 

Click on image to see larger size

REVISED PLAN - Please join us on the TOP FLOOR of the parking structure at the South West corner of the Glendale Galleria. This is the end of the mall where Target is located. Nearest corner is Orange and Colorado. Please meet us there at the usual time, 6:00pm, for prayer and then we will walk to the ministry site described above. See you there!

NOTE:  From the 134 Freeway, exit onto Central, going South from the Freeway. Turn Right at Colorado. Then turn Right again at the entrance to the Galleria. Turn Left into the parking structure and follow the signs to the roof. We will gather at the South East corner of the roof, as outlined in the illustration above. (Thanks to Razmik for the satellite view!)

The Morning Shift  9/23/2014

Please join us on 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. 

News Items

First Ebola Case In the U.S.

Apologetics Corner

Brother David sent a link to an excellent sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "The Wrath of God"

Brother Razmik sent a link to a great article by Tim Challies, "All Those Things I Will Leave Undone"

Join Us!

Please join us as we proclaim the glorious Gospel to a lost and dying world on the streets of Burbank and beyond.

Maranatha!!