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Face-to-face with the truth; in the street, |
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Thursday, May 08, 2008 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."
My wife and I packed up the kids, some lunch and water bottles, and headed for Madison, arriving at the UW at about 11:00 am. We stayed until around 7:00 pm and boldly engaged the crowds with the truth. I was hoarse for a week. We started out by setting up two of our signs and
passing out tracts. One says in large letters, ONLY JESUS SAVES! Then it
has a list of false hopes underneath. These false hopes include being
good, church, Catholicism, Islam, occult,
witchcraft, Buddhism This sign usually provokes much comment and good
conversation. Some people become irate that their religion is listed along
with witchcraft. I point out that it's less important which companions it
has on the list, than that it is included in a list bearing the name
"false hopes." Some get it right away, yet most are offended by
being grouped And these are the things that I preach: that all have sinned are are destined to the Lake of Fire due to their own rebellion against God; that God has made a way, and that it is not our way, but his; and that Jesus is that way which God has made, and that faith is more than lip service, and that the hypocrites shall have their place in the Lake of Fire as well. And don't I know it, for I too once had a temporary job as a hypocrite. The other sign we displayed on this day says
"Sodomy is Sin." Under the word sodomy
is the word homosexuality in quotes, for
those who don't understand. I think I may change this sign and remove the
word sodomy, because every now and then someone in the crowd will begin to
talk about other meanings of the word, and I'd rather not go there. There
are often children around, mine or other people's, and When signs and tracts were not enough to make people stop, I became stirred in my spirit and began to preach. Soon, a few had stopped, and there were many people with us for the rest of the day, and at one point we had around 160 people listening to us. Some protest that God is a creation of man. My response
is that yes, many do worship gods of their own making, including gods that
look somewhat like the true God. There are many so-called
"Christian" denominations that have left the principles of the
faith and deny that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself" (2nd Corinthians 5:19), and denying that Jesus died and rose
again after three days. They have forgotten the scripture that reminds us
that if Christ is not risen, then our faith is in vain (1st Corinthians
15:13,14). And there are many college students who say they "believe
in God" and yet follow none of what God teaches. They do not believe
that the Bible is God's inspired, preserved word, and so as such they have
no standard on which to base anything at all. Their god is a god of their
own making, and so, yes, man has created gods, but has not
created God. Most college
students do not even realize
that, if they are not professed atheists, they are most like pantheists.
Pantheists believe that all The God of the Bible—the true and living God—did not
create space and matter and suns and stars and planets and life... from himself!
He is a transcendent God who is distinctly separate from his creation. He did not grab a chunk of himself and toss it out and say,
"Here's a planet."
Even some Christians believe this error. He needed nothing that
existed formerly to create matter and life. No, "Through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so
that things which are seen were not made of things The two girls in the photo above stayed for many hours. Their one sign said, "Love is Our Soul Purpose." I'm not sure if the spelling was deliberate. The other said, "Ignorance Breeds Hatred: Love Your Neighbor." Funny how they quoted the Bible on that one. The talk of "hate speech" is so prevalent today, that these "liberals" will soon be helping to pass laws that violate our First Amendment protected rights. The twins (as they called themselves), had filthy mouths and were quite loud and obnoxious, and kept putting their signs in front of the sign my son David was holding. So David asked them if they wanted him to hold it, and they said yes, so he took it and put it behind his. Then they took it back and left him alone. One twin stood up and started singing "I Will" by the Beatles, a cute little love song. I surprised her when I joined in and did the actual harmony. When we finished I said, "The White Album, right?" and she said yeah, that's right. I think she respected me a tiny bit more after that show. The two key words on campuses
today are tolerance and
diversity, and yet there is
little tolerance for the diversity of Jesus. Yes, he is diverse
(different). He is different from all other
religions. "All the religions Since the Bible tells us that all that can be known about God is evident to us, and that the creation itself is a witness to this truth, and that no one has any excuse (see Romans chapter one), I do not really need to prove anything to anyone. The word will quicken those whose hearts are open to the truth... all others need not apply. All of the talk about philosophy and evolution and different religions probably does nothing more than prove to these crowds that I'm a bit more than some insane goon with a tin foil hat spouting off about nothing. Just the fact that a hefty bunch of college students will skip classes for hours and stand and debate with me, or any other preacher, tells me that I must be on to something. The truth cuts like a knife. It's alive and it's powerful and it's sharper than any two-edged sword! There was one fellow who stood
quietly for hours. He was either a brother, or someone who was just
"getting it," because, throughout Although the photos do not show it, we had crowds of at least 150-160 people during the peak hours, all listening and debating. My daughter Stephanie, who was took these photos early on, was later caught up in debates and conversations while it was very crowded, and so did not get photos of the bigger crowds. All in all this was a blessed day. We do not see the results of this ministry much, as people move off and go to other parts of the country, but rest assured that God's word accomplishes its goal. It does not return void. Those in whom seeds have been planted, who will draw nigh unto the Lord, will be the sweet fruit of the Lord's harvest. One plants, another waters, but God brings forth the increase. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement and support, and for just being there as friends. May God bless you according to your faithfulness and his rich mercy. Brother Charles KNOW
JESUS |
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This
was our first college campus day this year. April was iffy with the weather, and this
is a working ministry, so we were hard-pressed to break out
of our winter mode into the world. Of Paul, Acts
18:3 says, "And because he was of the same trade, he stayed and
worked with them; for they were tentmakers by occupation." I am
self-employed and only occasionally ask for help to pay for tracts and
other materials, and for gas money. We use nothing donated to live on. All
is accounted for and we keep complete records. I appreciate so much you
brothers and sisters who are either retired or otherwise situated that you
may give nearly all of your time and energy to God's work. I do all I can.
What else can I spend my "spare" time doing? We need to redeem the time, for the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16
& Colossians 4:5). We must work, while
we can yet work, for the time is coming when no man can work (see John
9:4). This becomes ever more apparent as we continue to see laws being
passed around the world, even in so-called free democratic nations,
restricting the right to preach the gospel. The Old Testament speaks of how
those who did not want to hear would turn away the shoulder and stop up
their ears. Now, they want to stop the mouths of God's preachers! Let's
work while there is opportunity to work.
and
meditation. I chose those words specifically to cover as many false hopes
as possible, for example, meditation covers Hinduism and any Westernized
form of Hinduism. Occult is very broad and covers New Age philosophies and
any generic form of a quest for hidden knowledge. Buddhism and Islam
needed their own mention, as did Catholicism. Church and being good were
added for those who erroneously believe they are good enough to go to
heaven on their own merits or think that attending church somehow
guarantees one entrance to God's kingdom.
together with the others. Even so, it sparks conversations, which leads to
much seed sowing. Some falls on good ground, and
that is why we are here. The scripture references are at the bottom of the
sign, but not the actual text. This gives me opportunity to open the word
with some people. John 14:6 is "Jesus said unto him,' I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'"
1st Timothy 2:5 is "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus." Acts 4:12 is "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
And Acts 10:40-43 is "God raised him up the third day, and showed him
openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of
the living and the dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name,
whoever 
believes in him shall receive remission of sins."
That last scripture is so profound, that I need reminding now and again.
It seems that even we who are in the kingdom need reminding of the
awesomeness of God, and that we are moving through history right now,
and that the world will not go on forever, and that America is not
invincible, and that we won't always be as prosperous as we have been.
We're here smack-dab in the middle of what God is doing, and we often
can't even see it. And if we have a hard time seeing it,
what about those whose eyes have been blinded by Satan, the god of this
world? Ah, yet faith cometh by hearing!
it can be uncomfortable to me and others to go down that road. So few have
any shame nowadays, that they will say just about anything out loud in
public, using the most vile language to describe the most perverted
practices. Occasionally someone will yell out, "Well, if you don't
like how we talk, why do you bring your children?!"
is god, and god is all. To them, everything
that is... is god! (small "g" please)
Matter, space, good and evil... it's all god. But this god does not make
sense. Everyone judges all the time. How can we
condemn god? If all is god and I say that a person was wrong to do a
certain thing, then I am condemning myself, if I am part of god. Hey,
there's some truth in there! Read the book of Romans. Very deep! If god
is all, then evil is part of god. I want none of that god. In fact, due to
my understanding that people know they ought to be better than they are, I
can see clearly that there is a higher standard above mankind, and that we are
not a part of god.
which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3). College students have not thought
these things through. I do not say that men can be brought to a saving
knowledge of God merely through logic or a study in comparative religions
and philosophies. No, that is why our preaching must be based upon the word of
God.
except
for the truth," I preached, "are systems of salvation by your
own works. And that's the beauty of God; that he saves us freely! Isn't it
beautiful? Salvation is a free gift from God to the person who
acknowledges and follows him! Even if you could stop sinning from now
until you die, you would still have the stain of sin on you. And how will
you erase that? You can't! But Jesus can. And that's why he came... to save
sinners. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin, and nothing
else."
the day, at critical moments in the conversations and debates, I would
catch him nodding his head up and down in agreement. He never said a word
to me or anyone else. Whoever he was, he has no idea how much of an
encouragement he was to me.