Three Minutes to Live and a New Birth

I have been so very blessed to serve as a "street fisherman," on Way of the Master Radio. Each week, I am allowed to serve Christ and share His gospel, by convincing people to get on the phone with Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Todd Friel. After the phone conversations, I have the opportunity to affirm that which Ray, Kirk, or Todd said to the person, during follow-up conversations.

I can say with all sincerity that today's "street fishing" opportunity was, to date, the most amazing. I was allowed to watch God work in an extraordinary way.

As so often happens, I had about a minute until I was due to go on-air, and I had yet to find someone to put on the phone. I had received a few rejections (even after offering people a free lunch at "In-n-Out Burger"), and the traffic at the mall was light. Then, I saw a young man walking toward me.

I introduced myself to Israel and assured him that I didn't want to sell him anything. I told Israel that I was with WOTM Radio and I was looking for someone to put on the radio to talk about the spiritual ramifications of the massacre, at Virginia Tech University. Israel told me that he was a Christian. When I asked him if he considered himself to be a good person, his answer took me by surprise.

When I ask the "good person" question, I usually receive one of two answers. The person will either proclaim their own goodness (usually an unsaved person), or they will say that they are not a good person, explaining that they have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (usually a saved person). Israel's answer, however, was different. He said, "Well, if God judges me based on the Ten Commandments, I think I'm going to hell."

We walked outside the mall and sat down on a bench. While I waited for my segment of the show to start, I learned that Israel is a 2-year veteran with the Los Angeles County Police Department. (The Los Angeles County Police Department has jurisdiction over all of the county parks and hospitals.) At this point, I recognized that Todd and Ray were eavesdropping on our conversation, so I gave my phone to Israel.

Ray talked to Israel for a few minutes. You can listen to their conversation, here.

Once Israel was off the phone, I still wasn't sure about his spiritual condition. So, I took him through the Law and the gospel. The turning point in the conversation was when I put Israel in a hypothetical situation. In the scenario, the two of us were patrol car partners. We stopped a vehicle and shots rang out.

In order to find out what happened next, you will just have to listen for yourself.

What God did next was, well, amazing.

Don't Fear Fools

“I’m uncomfortable witnessing to people. What if they ask me a question I can’t answer? What if the person is college educated, a teacher, or a scientist? What if the person is a philosopher? How do I argue with someone who is probably smarter than me about the existence of God?”

Many Christians are intimidated by people they assume are more intelligent than they are. Are there people in the world that are smarter than you are? Yes. Oh, by the way, I have no delusions of grandeur. I know there are people in the world far more intelligent than me. I talk to smart people almost daily. But I’m not afraid of them—especially those who doubt or deny the existence of God. Why? Because when I talk to such people I am reminded that the Bible describes them with one simple, unarguable, definitive word—“fool.”

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1).

“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds, and four-footed animals and crawling creatures” (Romans 1:22-23).

I am not suggesting that we walk around, pointing a finger at agnostics and atheists, angrily and disdainfully telling them that they are fools. What I am suggesting is that Christians have no reason to fear people that God refers to as fools. No matter what a person’s academic credentials might be, no matter how intelligent or philosophical the person sounds, if they doubt or deny the existence of God, they are foolish. They are lost. They are bound for hell.

Instead of fearing such people, the Christian should lovingly, sympathetically, graciously, and kindly present them with the Truth that will save their lives—“repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Remember, if you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, then He has not given you a spirit of fear. Rather, He has given you a spirit of power, and love, and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

There is no reason to fear a foolish person when engaging him or her in spiritual conversation. You know the Truth. They do not. You believe the Truth. They do not. You are relying on the infallible, inerrant, God-breathed Scriptures. They are relying on their fallible, sin-stained intellect. You are relying on the wisdom of the Word. They are relying on the wisdom of the world. You are clothed in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). They are unarmed.

So, speak the truth in love. “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Remember who your intellectual opponent is at heart.

“The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel” (Proverbs 12:15).

“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless” (Proverbs 14:16).

“Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24).

“A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind” (Proverbs 18:2).

“He who trusts his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26).

“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and by merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared.’ So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-21).

Yes, there are people in the world smarter than you. Some of them doubt or deny the existence of God. They are fools. God’s Word is true. When you engage them in conversation, they may respond arrogantly and carelessly. Their eyes may remain fixed on the world around them, blind to the Creator’s work. Their only reason for talking to you may be to hear themselves talk. And they may continue to put their trust in their own heart—a heart that is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).

Be that as it may, if you really care about them, you will not fear the fool. You will talk to them. You will share with them the only message that will save their lives—the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). Remember, this very night their soul may be required of them.

Don’t fear fools.

Lunch Hour at the Mall

My brother-in-law, Ian, is a traffic engineer for our city. Like me, Ian, enjoys sharing the gospel with lost souls. Instead of downing a ham & cheese sandwich for lunch, Ian decided to spend his lunch hour with me, fishing for souls at our local mall.

We had several good conversations, the last of which was was with a group of teens in the food court. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager?

You have? Okay. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager who claimed to be a Marxist?

You have? Okay. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager who claimed to be a Marxist and a deist--someone who believes God exists but is uninvolved in the affairs of the world and of men?

You have? Okay. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager who claimed to be a Marxist, a deist, and a theistic evolutionist--someone who believes that God initiated creation, but then evolution took over?

You have? Okay. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager who claimed to be a Marxist, a deist, a theistic evoluntionist, and a person who believed that truth was relative--not absolute?

You have? Really! Okay. Have you ever shared the gospel with a teenager who claimed to be a Marxist, a deist, a theistic evolutionist, who believed that truth was relative--not absolute, and had a somewhat smug attitude?

You haven't? That's okay. Neither had I...before I met this young lady.

A young man in the group professed to be very religious. He was friendly, but rather self-righteous. Another young man in the group claimed to be a Christian who disagrees with what the Bible says about homosexuality.

What began as a silly offer to win a $5 gift card to "In-n-Out Burgers," became a 20-minute conversation in which Ian and I talked to the teens about evolution, the Big Bang Theory, truth, science and the Bible, the Law, and the Gospel.

Click here to listen to the entire conversation. There were disagreements (certainly), but no arguments. The Law and the Gospel was preached. Ian and I used a number of analogies. And pay particular attention to how Ian uses the imagery of a dismantled clock to dismantle our Marxist, deist, evolutionist's view of things.

What I hope you will take away from listening to this conversation is that no matter what someone may throw at you, so long as you stand on the truth--the Law and the Gospel--you can survive conversations like this. Not only can you survive, but you can effectively leave your listeners questioning their faulty belief systems and, in their place, plant spiritual seeds the Lord could use to draw unsaved sinners to Himself.