Behind the Scenes of Way of the Master Radio (06-05-07)

No photos for today's fishing trip. Sorry. I decided to leave the camera at home since, last week, mall security asked me to remove my camera from the premises.

I was blessed today to be joined by my friend, Leon Brown, with EvangelismTeam.com. Leon drove three hours from San Diego to spend the day with me. The Lord has shown me that the best fellowship, discipleship, and mutual accountability takes place in the context of evangelism. Today was certainly no exception. Thank you, Leon, for your friendship and partnership in ministry.

We went fishing at the Valencia Town Center. The Lord was gracious today. Finding people to put on the phone was easy; even though the we found the second guest with only forty-five seconds to spare.

The guest for the first hour's segment was a 15-year-old named Sam. What drew me to Sam was the shirt he was wearing. His shirt sported the album cover of a punk rock band. The shirt was so offensive, so very blasphemous, you might think that I would walk the other way--find someone else with whom to speak. However repulsed I was by Sam's shirt, the Lord allowed me to look past the shirt to the young man wearing it--a young man who desperately needed Christ. Click here to listen to Kirk Cameron and Todd Friel's conversation with Sam.

Following Sam's conversation with Kirk and Todd, I spent about twenty minutes talking to him--almost missing the start of the scheduled, second-hour "street fishing" segment. There was nothing unique about Sam's objections. "Why did God allow evil?" "How can I believe God exists without proof?" "How can I trust that the Bible is true?" The objections were not difficult to overcome. However, sadly, like so many unsaved people, when given an answer, Sam tried to move on to the next question, instead of dealing with the answer he was just given. So, was Sam really looking for answers; or was he simply looking to justify his unbelief?

Through it all, I was able to get Sam to admit that he had created a god of his own imagination--one who will not judge those who sin against him, and one that will do Sam's bidding. Considering the hardness of Sam's heart, seeing him come to this realization was significant.

While Sam was not humbled by the Law, seeds were still planted. He told me that he appreciated how nice Leon and I had been to him. He said that no one had ever taken the time to try to answer his questions. He believed our motives were sincere. Before we parted ways, I left Sam with this thought. "Sam, if what I'm telling you is not true, then it will have no affect on you, eternally speaking. But if what I am telling you is the truth, then eternity hangs in the balance and you are facing eternity in hell for breaking God's Law. I don't want you to go to hell. So, please consider what I've told you." He agreed to do so.

As is the case with every witnessing encounter, the best I could hope to do was to plant spiritual seeds in Sam's heart and mind. Only God can draw Sam to Himself. Only God the Father, by the power of God the Holy Spirit, can bring Sam to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ--God the Son. Only God can save Sam, or condemn him (James 4:12). I pray that God will save Sam.

Our guest for the second hour was a Hispanic lady who was not at all ashamed to admit she was a senior citizen. Eva was also a professional, having spent the last twenty-seven years serving as an oral surgery assistant for a prominent, local dentist. Like Sam she considered herself to be a good person. Unlike Sam, she attends church faithfully each week. She is Roman Catholic. Sam and Eva couldn't have been farther apart socially, economically, and ethnically. Eva was old enough to be Sam's grandmother. Yet as different as the two appeared outwardly, inwardly they were very much alike. They were both lost, spiritually.

Todd and Eva enjoyed a good conversation. Yet at the end of their conversation, Eva was still holding on to her belief that God will simply forgive her for her sins because she asks. So I took Eva into a hypothetical courtroom and onto a hypothetical airplane ride. Twenty minutes later, I asked Eva if there was any reason why she would not repent of her sin and truly place her faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save her. Click here to listen to our conversation and to hear Eva's answer.

It was yet another blessed day of "street fishing." And today I enjoyed the additional blessing of spending time with my friend, Leon.

In addition to allowing me to have two good conversations with lost people, the Lord once again confirmed the place of His Law, in evangelism. He likewise confirmed that a biblical presentation of the Law and the gospel transcends culture, in all its forms. There is but one gospel for all people. It matters not what the person looks like. It matters not how old the person is. It matters not in which social-economic part of the culture the person holds station. A lost person is a lost person is a lost person. The gospel remains the only power for salvation. And I am not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16).

Please pray for Sam and Eva. May God sovereignly choose to glorify Himself by saving both of them.