And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11 NKJV)
The Coming of the Son of Man
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
The Parable of the Fig Tree
Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
The Importance of Watching
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:25-36 NKJV)
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December 2015 Outreach
Glendale 12/12
The team met for prayer, as usual, on the rooftop of the Glendale Galleria parking structure. The chilly air did remind us of the reality of global climate change. As it has for millenia, the God-ordained change in the seasons brought with it the annual change in temperatures from the balmy days of summer to the nippy nights of winter. Glory to God!
We were greeted by the musical stylings of the violin lady. Whereas this performer is usually positioned across the street, we forged ahead to establish a base of operation in our usual spot by the stop-light.
Hmmmm. Looks like someone's already taken our usual spot. The nice patrolman informed me that he and his team would be parked there for about an hour.
Well, things were decidedly different than we had anticipated. The Lord clearly had something else in store for us. So, on to plan B. Here we are in front of Glendale's answer to the Hollywood sign.
And so the Gospel was proclaimed. Perhaps due to the cold weather, or the impending deadline for shopping, the crowd seemed resolute in their task-oriented mindset. Some, however, could not resist a tentative glance to see what sort of madness was manifesting on the streets of Glendale.
In an effort to be heard above the highly amplified violin, the team decided to move closer to the passing throng.
This simple action brought a swift rebuke from the violin Lady who felt personally attacked by our mere presence. We have always sought to "CoExist" with the local street musicians, yet it has always been our goal to avoid conflict without being bullied into silence. The muscians seem to be experienced at fighting for their turf. This makes sense since two competing bands are seldom harmonious. But it seems reasonable that the verbal proclamation of the Gospel would be compatible with most types of music and so would not be too much of a problem. The real issue is volume. The musicians are used to the law of the asphalt jungle which says that whoever has the most powerful amplifier wins. In this case, the winner was the violin Lady.
Our third and final setup of the evening was our original destination, which became available after the Motorcycle Patrolmen kindly moved on.
Let us pray that the Lord will use all our outreaches to bear fruit for His kingdom.
Burbank 12/19/15
It was a rainy night in Burbank, and the new Star Wars epic had just opened.
The new Star Wars themed Million Dollar Bills from Living Waters were very easy to distribute. Approximately 400 were handed out in one hour.
Burbank 1/2/2016
The first outreach of the New Year was a blessing to many passersby as they listened to the glorious gospel of God.
The second unit team also was blessed by several who stopped to ask questions and listen to the gospel message.
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Morning Shift - NoHo Metro Station 12/16/2015
These morning outreaches will be resuming soon. Stand with us on Wednesdays 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. Please watch for text announcements on Tuesday evenings. Please always RSVP if you plan to join us on Wednesday mornings.
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Abortuary Duty - Mission Hills
12/23/2015
Don was joined by this fellow who is a distinguished Neurosurgeon who teaches at a local University. Don frequently cites the fact that 95% of doctors refuse to perform abortions. Clearly, most doctors understand how precious life is and how wrong it is to wantonly destroy life in the womb.
This fellow hiding amongst the parked cars was not bold enough to come over and talk with Don and the Doctor. He seemed quite content to pass the time smoking as his child was being murdered.
1/2/2016
Brother Tony joined the watch and, as always, he brought his booming voice and conscience-disturbing expertise. People often respond defensively to Tony's convicting appeals to mercy, reason and God's inescapable justice.
This fellow won the Expletive Deleted prize. His response to every reasonable admonition to go in and save the life of his child was met with a cuss word, or the lame attempt to play the victim card: "Stop hating."
This is called, "drop and kill." The car speeds past the witnesses and stops briefly at the rear entrance. The mother gets out and steps into the doorway. The driver zooms past the witnesses again, windows up, pausing for traffic, while ignoring the pleas to talk, and to go back to save the life of the child. It provides the minimum amount of disturbance to the conscience.
Tony and Don talk with a young man who repeatedly and calmly denied the deity of Christ and provided every excuse in the book as to why he is immune to blame for participating in the act of killing an innocent life.
Tony posted a video that shows what happens at the Mission Hills clinic. Sometimes it is cold and rainy. Sometimes it is a holiday. Please pray for this ministry as well as other clinic ministries in the region and across our nation. And please ask the Lord to grant you the burden of serving Him in this way. If ever there was a tangible way to serve our Lord simply by showing up, this is it. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble ..." (James 1:27 NKJV) John MacArthur's note says: "Those without parents or husbands were and are an especially needy segment of the church. Since they are usually unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them clearly demonstrates true, sacrificial Christian love."
If every believer were to spend 2 hours per month holding a sign at a clinic nearby, consider the number of "orphans" who might be spared. It is very tough, especially at first, to be there and to think about what is happening inside the building. But, when Christians join together there is great fellowship. And consider that when this ministry is properly done, there are only one or two who speak, and the others remain silent and let the signs, and their presence, speak for them. It is much easier to quiet one's conscience when zooming by one or two lone witnesses. But if there were a block-long line of saints holding signs it makes it far more difficult to ignore the consequences of one's actions.
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
Article: Creationist Contributions to Science
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Join Us!
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 this ministry, the Calvary Bible Church body, and our Nation.
Maranatha!!
