Today we celebrated the fourth of July, otherwise known as Independence Day. It’s a day when we celebrate the birth of this nation; when fifty-six men of God came together to pledge their lives on a document, declaring our independence from the tyranny of Great Britain. But, more importantly, our Dependence upon Almighty God.
So, as much of you probably took part in some sort of festivities, so did we. My family and I met some friends at a park in Harrisburg to enjoy a people-packed festival and some incredible fireworks. Our sole mission, though, was not entertainment. We were on a mission, on a day in which we celebrate freedom from the bondage of a tyrant, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Which is the only path to true freedom from the bondage of sin. How incredible it is to see men and women, boys and girls, as they are pricked to the heart with the convicting message of the gospel. Yes, convicting. For, you cannot be set free until you realize that you are in chains.
Tonight, I would like to share with you a few conversations that I had. I am partly writing this so I don’t forget it, but also to encourage you to get out and share the gospel, too. If you would have seen the sea of people tonight! The field is white unto harvest, but the laborers are few. So, get out. Jesus commands us to go!
The first conversation that stands out was with two young men and a young lady. Their names were Mike, Mike and Amanda. Let’s go with Mike and Michael, so we don’t get the two mixed up.
My first question, when witnessing, is typically asking them if they can help me with a project I am working on. They said yes, of course. So, I then asked them what they believed was on the other side of death. Mike answered with a quote from a 1946 movie called, “Stairway to Heaven.” I don’t remember the exact quote but it had something to do with inheriting a whole new set of problems in the life to come.
Mike had embraced many of the teachings of Hinduism. But, not Hinduism alone. He said that he had chosen the things that he liked from several different religions. I had a great time listening to what all he believed. It’s very important to listen when witnessing. People have a lot to say if you’ll let them talk. And we talked about all sorts of things.
His friend, Michael, was a little more argumentative. He, from time to time, would misquote some scripture. It was obvious he found Christianity offensive. His periodic stabs at Christianity were actually golden opportunities though. Mike was watching intently as I was able to shoot down his attacks on Truth. Mike was extremely smart. I really liked talking with him.
I went through the Law a little bit with them, and they quickly realized that they had broken it. But I had to take a detour. Mike kept going back to the beliefs of Hinduism, so I asked him, “What do Hindus think of Jesus?” He told me how they believed that he was an enlightened individual and a great teacher. I took that opportunity and ran with it.
I said to them, “If Jesus was a good teacher, than He taught the truth, right?” “Yes”, they answered. I showed them in the Gospel of John that Jesus claimed to be God. “So,” I asked Mike, “was Jesus a liar?” Mike said no. “Than He must have been a lunatic. Was Jesus a lunatic, Mike?” Mike said no. So I said, “Well, than Jesus must have been God, because that is who He claimed to be.” Things were starting to sink in with Mike. You could see an inquisitive look on his face.
We then talked about the faith of the apostles. He said that he had heard that the apostles were martyred but did not know that all of them had scattered at the death of Christ. I asked Mike what must have happened to these twelve men, who at one time cowardly forsook their Lord, yet ended up dying martyrs death. Mike’s exact words were, “They must have seen the truth.” Wow. His eyes were being opened right in front of me. What an incredible sight it was!
We talked about some other things, but as we parted ways, I gave him a pocket-sized Gospel of John. His eyes lit up when I gave it to him. I told him that he was in for an awesome experience if he committed himself to search the Scriptures for the truth. I also gave him a copy of Mark Cahill’s, “One Heartbeat Away.” I could see the excitement in his eyes.
I had a few more conversations but the other one I’d like to talk about was with Eric and Tyreke. They were both sixteen years old. These kids were fun to talk with. We went through the Law of God and both of them fell under conviction. It was incredible to see their countenances change from happy-go-lucky to extremely concerned. Both of them were met with the truth about eternity.
I asked Eric if he was willing to surrender to Christ. He said, “Sure.” Sometimes people are willing to say a prayer or something, but they don’t understand the cost of complete surrender. So, tonight, the Holy Spirit showed me a practical way to explain it.
I asked them if they were willing to save themselves until marriage. Tyreke said he probably would, but Eric said he doubted it. So, I explained to them, that they were not willing to surrender all if they could not completely commit themselves to the will of God. Of course, I told them that the power to do this would not come from them.
So, I asked them again. Are you truly willing to surrender your entire lives to Christ? Tyreke said he was, but Eric said he wasn’t. So, I looked at Eric and told him firmly, “Then you are committing your life to eternity in Hell.” His eyes perked up. I explained that there is no middle ground. You are either with God or you are against him. This really hit home with them. Eric never really could give me a solid answer and that’s completely understandable. It’s a lot to swallow, all at once. It’s good to go home and search these things out.
We ended the conversation with prayer and I gave them some books and a dvd. They were grateful and I could see it in their eyes that they were eternally grateful that I had shared the truth with them.
What a night.
Posted by akatennant 
IF MY PEOPLE... 