Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained that Evil Be?

Recently, I enjoyed a brief dialogue on this blog with someone known only as "Degenerate Atheist." His real identity remains unknown to this blogger. "Degenerate Atheist" responded to my article, The Depravity of Self-Glorification.

"Degenerate Atheist," like so many professed atheist, played the theodicy card in his argument against the existence of God. In response, I provided a link to an excellent article by John Piper, entitled "Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained that Evil Be?"

While the following article may not persuade "Degenerate Atheist" and others who hold his (or her) position regarding the existence of God, maybe it will encourage Christian readers in their faith and further equip them to answer the question regarding theodicy.

Here is the the text of message presented by John Piper, on July 1, 1998. The message was presented at: The Jonathan Edwards Institute--Evangelicals Seeking the Glory of God Conference.

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Fourteen years ago Charles Colson wrote, "The western church – much of it drifting, enculturated, and infected with cheap grace – desperately needs to hear Edwards' challenge. . . . It is my belief that the prayers and work of those who love and obey Christ in our world may yet prevail as they keep the message of such a man as Jonathan Edwards." That conviction lies behind The Jonathan Edwards Institute and behind this conference. And I certainly believe it.

Most of us, having only been exposed to one of Edwards' sermons, "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God," do not know the real Jonathan Edwards. We don't know that he knew his heaven even better than his hell, and that his vision of the glory of God was just as ravishing as his vision of hell was repulsive – as it should be.

Most of us don't know:

• that he is considered now, by secular and evangelical historians alike, to be the greatest religious thinker America has ever produced
• that he not only was God's kindling for the Great Awakening in the 1730's and 1740's, but was also its most penetrating analyst and critic
• that he was driven by a great longing to see the missionary task of the church completed, and that his influence on the modern missionary movement is immense because of his Life of David Brainerd
• that he was a rural pastor for 23 years in a church of 600 people
• that he was a missionary to Indians for 7 years after being asked to leave his church
• that, together with Sarah, he reared 11 faithful children.
• that he lived only until he was 54 and died with a library of only 300 books but, nevertheless, his own books are still ministering mightily after 250 years.

But not as mightily as they should. Mark Noll, who teaches history at Wheaton and has thought much about the work of Edwards has written:

"Since Edwards, American evangelicals have not thought about life from the ground up as Christians because their entire culture has ceased to do so. Edwards's piety continued on in the revivalist tradition, his theology continued on in academic Calvinism, but there were no successors to his God-entranced world-view or his profoundly theological philosophy. The disappearance of Edwards's perspective in American Christian history has been a tragedy."

One of the burdens of this Conference, and certainly one of the burdens of my life, is the recovery of a "God-entranced world-view." "Evangelicals Seeking the Glory of God," in my understanding, means "evangelicals seeking a God-entranced world view." But what I have seen over 18 years of pastoral ministry and six years of teaching experience before that, is that people who waver with uncertainty over the problem of God's sovereignty in the matter of evil usually do not have a God-entranced world view. For them, now God is sovereign, and now he is not. Now he is in control, and now he is not. Now he is good and reliable when things are going well, and when they go bad, well, maybe he's not. Now he's the supreme authority of the universe, and now he is in the dock with human prosecutors peppering him with demands that he give an account of himself.

But when a person settles it Biblically, intellectually and emotionally, that God has ultimate control of all things, including evil, and that this is gracious and precious beyond words, then a marvelous stability and depth come into that person's life and they develop a "God-entranced world view." When a person believes, with the Heidelberg Catechism (Question 27), that "The almighty and everywhere present power of God . . . upholds heaven and earth, with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, all things, come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand" – when a person believes and cherishes that truth, they have the key to a God-entranced world view.

So my aim in this second message is to commend to you this absolute sovereign control of God over all things, including evil, because it is Biblical, and because it will help you become stable and deep and God-entranced and God-glorifying in all you think and feel and do.

And when we set our face in this direction, Jonathan Edwards becomes a great help to us, because he wrestled with the problems of God's sovereignty as deeply as anyone. And I want you to know how he resolved some of the difficulties.

So my plan is to lay out for you some of the evidence for God's control of all things, including evil. Then I will deal with two problems. 1. Is God then the author of sin? 2) And why does he will that there be evil in the world? I will close with an exhortation that you not waver before the truth of God's sovereignty, but embrace it for the day of your own calamity.

1. Evidence of God's Control

First, then, consider the evidence that God controls all things, including evil. When I speak of evil, I have two kinds in mind, natural and moral. Natural evil we usually refer to as calamities: hurricanes, floods, disease, all the natural ways that death and misery strike without human cause. Moral evil we usually refer to as sin: murder, lying, adultery, stealing, all the ways that people fail to love each other. So what we are considering here is that God rules the world in such a way that all calamities and all sin remain in his ultimate control and therefore within his ultimate design and purpose.

If you are wondering whether there is a connection between this message and the one I gave this afternoon (on the foreknowledge of God), there is. The denial of God's foreknowledge of human and demonic choices is a buttress to the view that God is not in control of evils in the world and therefore has no purpose in them. God's uncertainty about what humans and demons are going to choose strengthens the case that he does not plan those choices and therefore does not control them or have particular purposes in them.

For example, Gregory Boyd, in his book God at War, says, "divine goodness does not completely control or in any sense will evil."

"Jesus nor his disciples seemed to understand God's absolute power as absolute control. They prayed for God's will to be done on earth, but this assumes that they understand that God's will was not yet being done on earth (Mt. 6:10). Hence neither Jesus nor his disciples assumed that there had to be a divine purpose behind all events in history. Rather, they understood the cosmos to be populated by a myriad of free agents, some human, some angelic, and many of them evil. The manner in which events unfold in history was understood to be as much a factor of what these agents individually and collectively will as it was a matter of what God himself willed."

In other words "the Bible does not assume that every particular evil has particular godly purpose behind it."

This is diametrically opposed to what I believe the Bible teaches and what this message is meant to commend to you for your earnest consideration.

1.1 Evidence that God Controls Calamity

Consider the evidence that God controls physical evil – that is, calamity. But keep in mind that physical evil and moral evil almost always intersect. Many of our pains happen because human or demonic agents make choices that hurt us. So some of this evidence can serve under both headings: God's control of calamities and God's control of sins.

Life and death

The Bible treats human life as something God has absolute rights over. He gives it and takes it according to his will. We do not own it or have any absolute rights to it. It is a trust for as long as the owner wills for us to have it. To have life is a gift and to lose it is never an injustice from God, whether he takes it at age five or age ninety-five.

When Job lost his ten children at the instigation of Satan, he would not give Satan the ultimate causality. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). And, lest we think Job was mistaken, the author adds, "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong" (Job 1:22 RSV).

In Deuteronomy 32:39 God says, "There is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand." When David made Bathsheba pregnant, the Lord rebuked him by taking the child. 2 Samuel 12:15 says, "Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was sick . . . . Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died." Life belongs to God. He owes it to no one. He may give it and take it according to his infinite wisdom. James says "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. . . . You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that'" (James 4:14-15; see 1 Samuel 2:6-7).

Disease

One of the calamities that threatens life is disease. In Exodus 4:11, God says to Moses, when he was fearful about speaking, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" In other words, behind all disease and disability is the ultimate will of God. Not that Satan is not involved; he is probably always involved one way or the other with destructive purposes (Acts 10:38). But his power is not decisive. He cannot act without God's permission.

That is one of the points of Job's sickness. When disease happened to Job, the text makes it plain that "Satan . . . afflicted Job with sores" (Job 2:7). His wife urged him to curse God. But Job said, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity" (Job 2:10). And again the author of the book commends Job by saying, "In all this, Job did not sin with his lips." In other words: this is a right view of God's sovereignty over Satan. Satan is real and may have a hand in our calamities, but not the final hand, and not the decisive hand. James makes clear that God had a good purpose in all Job's afflictions: "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose (telos) of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful" (James 5:11). So Satan may have been involved, but the ultimate purpose was God's and it was "compassionate and merciful."

This is the same lesson we learn from 2 Corinthians 12:7 where Paul says that his thorn in the flesh was a messenger of Satan, and yet was given for the purpose of his own holiness. "To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself!" Now, humility is not Satan's purpose in this affliction. Therefore the purpose is God's. Which means that Satan here is being used by God to accomplish his good purposes in Paul's life.

There is no reason to believe that Satan is ever out of God's ultimate control. Mark 1:27 says of Jesus, "He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And Luke 4:36 says, "With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out." In other words, no matter how real and terrible Satan and his demons are in this world, they remain subordinate to the ultimate will of God.

Natural disasters

Another kind of calamity that threatens life and health is violent weather and conditions of the earth, like earthquakes and floods and monsoons and hurricanes and tornadoes and droughts. These calamities kill hundreds of thousands of people. The testimony of the Scriptures is that God controls the winds and the weather. "He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bread" (Psalm 105:16). We see this same authority in Jesus. He rebukes the threatening wind and the sea, and the disciples say, "Even the wind and the sea obey Him" (Mark 4:39, 41).

Repeatedly in the Psalms God is praised as the one who rules the wind and the lightning. "He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers" (Psalm 104:4). "He makes lightnings for the rain, [he] brings forth the wind from His treasuries" (Psalm 135:7). "He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow . . . Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word" (Psalm 147:18; 148:8; see 78:26). Isaac Watts was right, "There's not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known; and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne." Which means that all the calamities of wind and rain and flood and storm are owing to God's ultimate decree. One word from him and the wind and the seas obey.

Destructive animals

Another kind of calamity that threatens life is the action of destructive animals. When the Assyrians populated Samaria with foreigners, 2 Kings 17:25 says, "Therefore the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them." And in Daniel 6:22, Daniel says to the king, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths." Other Scriptures speak of God commanding birds and bears and donkeys and large fish to do his bidding. Which means that all calamities that are owing to animal life are ultimately in the control of God. He can see a pit bull break loose from his chain and attack a child; and he could, with one word, command that its mouth be shut. Similarly he controls the invisible animal and plant life that wreaks havoc in the world: bacteria and viruses and parasites and thousands of microscopic beings that destroy health and life. If God can shut the mouth of a ravenous lion, then he can shut the mouth of a malaria-carrying mosquito and nullify every other animal that kills.

All other kinds of calamities

Other kinds of calamities could be mentioned but perhaps we should simply hear the texts that speak in sweeping inclusiveness about God's control covering them all. For example, Isaiah 45:7 says God is the "The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these." Amos 3:6 says, "If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?" In Job 42:2, Job confesses, "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." And Nebuchadnezzar says (in Daniel 4:35), "[God] does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What are you doing?'" And Paul says, in Ephesians 1:11, that God is the one "who works all things after the counsel of His will."

And if someone should raise the question of sheer chance and the kinds of things that just seem to happen with no more meaning than the role of the dice, Proverbs 16:33 answers: "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD." In other words, there is no such thing as "chance" from God's perspective. He has his purposes for every roll of the dice in Las Vegas and every seemingly absurd turn of events in the universe.

This is why Charles Spurgeon, the London pastor from 100 years ago said,

"I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes – that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens – that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence – the fall of . . . leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche."

When Spurgeon was challenged that this is nothing but fatalism and stoicism, he replied,

"What is fate? Fate is this – Whatever is, must be. But there is a difference between that and Providence. Providence says, Whatever God ordains, must be; but the wisdom of God never ordains anything without a purpose. Everything in this world is working for some great end. Fate does not say that. . . . There is all the difference between fate and Providence that there is between a man with good eyes and a blind man."

1.2 God's Control over Moral Evil

Now consider the evidence for God's control over moral evil, the evil choices that are made in the world. Again there are specific instances and then texts that make sweeping statements of God's control.

For example, all the choices of Joseph's brothers in getting rid of him and selling him into slavery are seen as sin and yet also as the outworking of God's good purpose. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph says to his brothers when they fear his vengeance, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." Gregory Boyd and others, who do not believe that God has a purpose in the evil choices of people (especially since he does not know what those choices are going to be before they make them), try to say that God can use the choices that people make for his own purposes after they make them and he then knows what they are.

But this will not fit what the text says or what Psalm 105:17 says. The text says, "You meant evil against me." Evil is a feminine singular noun. Then it says, "God meant it for good." The word "it" is a feminine singular suffix that can only agree with the antecedent feminine singular noun, "evil." And the verb "meant" is the same past tense in both cases. You meant evil against me in the past, as you were doing it. And God meant that very evil, not as evil, but as good in the past as you were doing it. And to make this perfectly clear, Psalm 105:17 says about Joseph's coming to Egypt, "[God] sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave." God sent him. God did not find him there owing to evil choices, and then try to make something good come of it. Therefore this text stands as a kind of paradigm for how to understand the evil will of man within the sovereign will of God.

The death of Jesus offers another example of how God's sovereign will ordains that a sinful act come to pass. Edwards says, "The crucifying of Christ was a great sin; and as man committed it, it was exceedingly hateful and highly provoking to God. Yet upon many great considerations it was the will of God that it should be done." Then he refers to Acts 4:27-28, "Truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur" (see also Isaiah 53:10). In other words, all the sinful acts of Herod, Pilate, of Gentiles and Jews were predestined to occur.

Edwards ponders that someone might say that only the sufferings of Christ were planned by God, not the sins against him, to which he responds, "I answer, [the sufferings] could not come to pass but by sin. For contempt and disgrace was one thing he was to suffer. [Therefore] even the free actions of men are subject to God's disposal."

These specific examples (which could be multiplied by many more instances) where God purposefully governs the sinful choices of people are generalized in several passages. For example, Romans 9:16: "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." Man's will is not the ultimately decisive agent in the world, God is. Proverbs 20:24: "Man's steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?" Proverbs 19:21: "Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand." Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." Jeremiah 10:23: "I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps."

Therefore I conclude with Jonathan Edwards, "God decrees all things, even all sins." Or, as Paul says in Ephesians 1:11, "He works all things after the counsel of His will."

2. Two Questions

And I pose two questions as an evangelical who is seeking the glory of God, and who longs for a Biblical, God-entranced world-view. 1) Is God the author of sin? 2) Why does God ordain that evil exist? What are the answers that Jonathan Edwards gave to each of these questions?

2.1 Is God the Author of Sin?

Edwards answers, "If by 'the author of sin,' be meant the sinner, the agent, or the actor of sin, or the doer of a wicked thing . . . . it would be a reproach and blasphemy, to suppose God to be the author of sin. In this sense, I utterly deny God to be the author of sin." But, he argues, willing that sin exist in the world is not the same as sinning. God does not commit sin in willing that there be sin. God has established a world in which sin will indeed necessarily come to pass by God's permission, but not by his "positive agency."

God is, Edwards says, "the permitter . . . of sin; and at the same time, a disposer of the state of events, in such a manner, for wise, holy and most excellent ends and purposes, that sin, if it be permitted . . . will most certainly and infallibly follow."

He uses the analogy of the way the sun brings about light and warmth by its essential nature, but brings about dark and cold by dropping below the horizon. "If the sun were the proper cause of cold and darkness," he says, "it would be the fountain of these things, as it is the fountain of light and heat: and then something might be argued from the nature of cold and darkness, to a likeness of nature in the sun." In other words, "sin is not the fruit of any positive agency or influence of the most High, but on the contrary, arises from the withholding of his action and energy, and under certain circumstances, necessarily follows on the want of his influence."

Thus in one sense God wills that what he hates come to pass, as well as what he loves. Edwards says,

"God may hate a thing as it is in itself, and considered simply as evil, and yet . . . it may be his will it should come to pass, considering all consequences. . . . God doesn't will sin as sin or for the sake of anything evil; though it be his pleasure so to order things, that he permitting, sin will come to pass; for the sake of the great good that by his disposal shall be the consequence. His willing to order things so that evil should come to pass, for the sake of the contrary good, is no argument that he doesn't hate evil, as evil: and if so, then it is no reason why he may not reasonably forbid evil as evil, and punish it as such."

This is a fundamental truth that helps explain some perplexing things in the Bible, namely, that God often expresses his will to be one way, and then acts to bring about another state of affairs. God opposes hatred toward his people, yet ordained that his people be hated in Egypt (Genesis 12:3; Psalm 105:25 – "He turned their hearts to hate his people."). He hardens Pharaoh's heart, but commands him to let his people go (Exodus 4:21; 5:1; 8:1). He makes plain that it is sin for David to take a military census of his people, but he ordains that he do it (2 Samuel 24:1; 24:10). He opposes adultery, but ordains that Absalom should lie with his father's wives (Exodus 20:14; 2 Samuel 12:11). He forbids rebellion and insubordination against the king, but ordained that Jeroboam and the ten tribes should rebel against Rehoboam (Romans 13:1; 1 Samuel 15:23; 1 Kings 12:15-16). He opposes murder, but ordains the murder of his Son (Exodus 20:13; Acts 4:28). He desires all men to be saved, but effectually calls only some (1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Corinthians 1:26-30; 2 Timothy 2:26).

What this means is that we must learn that God wills things in two different senses. The Bible demands this by the way it speaks of God's will in different ways. Edwards uses the terms "will of decree" and "will of command." Edwards explains:

"[God's] will of decree [or sovereign will] is not his will in the same sense as his will of command [or moral will] is. Therefore it is not difficult at all to suppose that the one may be otherwise than the other: his will in both senses is his inclination. But when we say he wills virtue, or loves virtue or the happiness of his creature; thereby is intended that virtue or the creature's happiness, absolutely and simply considered, is agreeable to the inclination of his nature. His will of decree is his inclination to a thing not as to that thing absolutely and simply, but with reference to the universality of things. So God, though he hates a things as it is simply, may incline to it with reference to the universality of things."

This brings us to the final question and already points to the answer.

2.2 Why Does God Ordain that there Be Evil?

It is evident from what has been said that it is not because he delights in evil as evil. Rather he "wills that evil come to pass . . . that good may come of it." What good? And how does the existence of evil serve this good end? Here is Edwards' stunning answer:

It is a proper and excellent thing for infinite glory to shine forth; and for the same reason, it is proper that the shining forth of God's glory should be complete; that is, that all parts of his glory should shine forth, that every beauty should be proportionably effulgent, that the beholder may have a proper notion of God. It is not proper that one glory should be exceedingly manifested, and another not at all. . . .

"Thus it is necessary, that God's awful majesty, his authority and dreadful greatness, justice, and holiness, should be manifested. But this could not be, unless sin and punishment had been decreed; so that the shining forth of God's glory would be very imperfect, both because these parts of divine glory would not shine forth as the others do, and also the glory of his goodness, love, and holiness would be faint without them; nay, they could scarcely shine forth at all.

"If it were not right that God should decree and permit and punish sin, there could be no manifestation of God's holiness in hatred of sin, or in showing any preference, in his providence, of godliness before it. There would be no manifestation of God's grace or true goodness, if there was no sin to be pardoned, no misery to be saved from. How much happiness soever he bestowed, his goodness would not be so much prized and admired. . . .

"So evil is necessary, in order to the highest happiness of the creature, and the completeness of that communication of God, for which he made the world; because the creature's happiness consists in the knowledge of God, and the sense of his love. And if the knowledge of him be imperfect, the happiness of the creature must be proportionably imperfect."

So the answer to the question in the title of this message, "Is God less glorious because he ordained that evil be?" is no, just the opposite. God is more glorious for having conceived and created and governed a world like this with all its evil. The effort to absolve him by denying his foreknowledge of sin (as we saw this afternoon) or by denying his control of sin (which we have seen this evening) is fatal, and a great dishonor to his word and his wisdom. Evangelicals who are seeking the glory of God, look well to the teaching of your churches and your schools. But most of all, look well to your souls.

If you would see God's glory and savor his glory and magnify his glory in this world, do not remain wavering before the sovereignty of God in the face of great evil. Take his book in your hand, plead for his Spirit of illumination and humility and trust, and settle this matter, that you might be unshakable in the day of your own calamity. My prayer is that what I have said will sharpen and deepen your God-entranced world view, and that in the day of your loss you will be like Job who, when he lost all his children, fell down and worshipped, and said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

© Desiring God

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Thanksgiving Weekend Evangelism

Thanksgiving Dinner

For more than 20 years (give or take a year or two) I have enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with my wife's family. Since I started dating Mahria some 25 years ago, her family has been every bit as much my family, as my own family. Mahria's parents, like my mom, are my parents. Her uncles and aunts are my uncles and aunts. Her cousins are my cousins--and so on. I have been truly blessed with good and loving relationships with Mahria's family.

Neither Mahria nor I have ever taken advantage of a family gathering to share the gospel with even one of the family members, on her side of the family. Yes, it is true that witnessing to family members is by far the most difficult group of people with whom to share the Law and the Gospel, for all of the obvious reasons. However, I think, in the end, we can all agree that such reasoning is nothing more than excuse-making. Well, at least for me, I know that's the case.

So, before we made the hour-drive to Mahria's cousin's house, I told her that I was going to share the gospel with someone today and the first person who came to mind was Uncle Larry. Uncle Larry, according to the world's standards, is a "good" man. He loves his wife and children. He works hard. He is kind. He's just a "good" uncle. :-)

We arrived at Mahria's cousin's house earlier than expected. Uncle Larry arrived about a half hour later. He was there for only a few minutes when, with a serious look on his face (unusual for the family jokester), he motioned to me and said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I followed Uncle Larry into the hallway. "You usually pray the blessing over the meal. Could you remember Julie this year?"

Julie, one of Uncle Larry's daughters, was killed in a tragic, alcohol-related accident 20 years ago.

"Sure, Uncle Larry. I would be happy to. Thanks for asking me to do that."

That was the most significant, spiritual conversation I have ever had with the man, in the 25 years I have known him. And he initiated it! But it gets better.

As we sat on the couch watching the football game and making small talk, Uncle Larry said, "Imagine what the world would be like if people obeyed the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments really are the only true moral standard."

"What?!" I thought to myself. "Did Uncle Larry just bring up the Ten Commandments out of the blue? Did I really just hear what I thought I heard? Well, Lord, if you were ever to put a flashing neon light in front of me to get my attention, I guess you just did." :-)

Uncle Larry's comment started about a 20-minute conversation about the Law and the Gospel. Mahria's dad and another one of her uncles were also in the room, watching the football game. All three of the patriarchs in the family heard the Law and the Gospel yesterday! All praise and glory to our great God and King.

Although Uncle Larry was not completely humbled by the Law, and while I didn't convince him of the reality of heaven and hell (he didn't deny the reality, he just remained unsure), he did hear the Law and the Gospel, and spiritual seeds were planted. And it only took 20 years to do it! :-)

There were no angry tones. No destruction of important, family relationships. No one stormed out of the room. No mashed potatoes were hurled across the table. There were no shouts of "incoming!" as biscuit mortars were lobbed across the room. And, at the end of the day, as we said our goodbyes, I received probably the biggest hug from Uncle Larry I have ever received. (And he's not shy about hugs.)

While it was utterly sinful of me not to share the gospel with the family all these years, God's grace continues to amaze me. His goodness and longsuffering continue to amaze me. His sovereignty in every conversation continues to amaze me. And, again by His grace, He made His sovereignty visible through how He used what was on Uncle Larry's mind and heart to set up the conversation. It was like a change-up over the heart of the evangelism plate.

"Black Friday" Morning

My sister, Cheryl, and I got started at 4:00AM. Our intention was to start at Best Buy. But on the way, we so a very long line outside of Kohls. The store was opening at 4, so we quickly parked, and tracted the line. Of course the line was even longer at Best Buy. Folks at the front of the line had been there since Wednesday afternoon. Again, we tracted the entire line.

Our next stop was Circuit City and another line of a few hundred people. Our last stop was Wal-Mart. We stationed ourselves outside the exit and distributed a couple hundred more tracts. The manager tried to get us to leave, saying that we were not allowed to solicit or impede the flow of customer traffic. I assured him that we were not selling anything or signing people up for anything, and that we weren't in anyone's way. AND WE KEPT ON TRACTIN'! :-)

In two hour's time, we distributed almost 2,000 gospel tracts! It was a good "warm-up" for what would prove to be a very fruitful afternoon of OA, tracting, and 1-to-1 in Burbank.

Burbank Town Center

Leon Brown of EvangelismTeam.com and I arrived at the Burbank Town Center at 2:00 PM. We met my friend and church family member, Mike, at In-n-Out Burger (of course) to grab something to eat, before heading to the fishing pond. We would be joined by Dru Morgan and about ten other fishermen later in the evening.

Things started slow, with relatively small crowds. There would be an ebb and flow of pedestrian traffic throughout the seven hours we fished. But by the end of the evening, we had more one-to-one and small group conversations than I can remember. Leon and I both open-air preached. Hundreds of tracts were distributed and hundreds of people heard the Law and the Gospel.

Here are links for my three open-air sessions and a conversation with a group of six "church" kids, along with a brief description of each audio. Of course, you are going to hear very similar messages but then again, there is but ONE true Gospel. :-)

Amber and the Blasphemous Philosopher: Amber was offended by the Law, but readily accepted the grace of the gospel. During this OA, a man in his 50's marched up to just a few inches from my stool, took a knee, and made the sign of the cross. Leon has video of this OA. Hopefully, time permitting, Leon will post the video on GodTube.

Diane the Nice Lady: Diane readily admitted that she was unable to keep the commandments, but she held onto her belief that she is a good person (although not with much conviction). She believed she would go to heaven based on her desire to be forgiven. She asserted that God does not judge. Oh, I wish you could have seen her eyes light up when I told her that "all liars will have their part in the lake of fire."

Christopher: Christopher seemed humbled by the Law. Interestingly, those who heard this OA seemed to hang around when I was done preaching. Every person who stayed received a copy of "How To Live Forever Without Being Religious." We probably gave away 50+ copies of the book throughout the evening.

6 Church Kids: This was an important conversation for a young lady named Jenny. All six kids professed to be Christians but by the end of the conversation Jenny (almost in tears) wasn't sure. Oh, a couple of times you will hear the theme to "Hawaii Five-O" (for those of you who are old enough to remember the TV show). That's my cell phone ring tone. Sorry. Once a cop, always a cop. :-)

Way of the Master Television -- Season Three

This morning, Leon and I had the opportunity to serve on the set of Way of the Master Television. Today, Kirk Cameron was filming a few scenes from an episode titled, "America, America." Leon and I ran a couple of errands for the producer and assisted in serving the crew lunch.

We went to In-n-Out Burger (of course) to pick up lunch for the crew. While we waited for the food, we sat down on a bench next to a man who was likely in his late 60's, early 70's. We made some small talk with him about the work he does and then I handed him some Christmas Cash. He got a kick out of it.

"You know, after you read it, maybe you can give it to your boss." I said.

"Yeah. 'Hey boss here's your #$%&@ Christmas card!" He said, sarcastically.

"So, what do you two do for a living?" He asked.

Leon and I looked at each other and smiled.

"We're in the ministry." I said.

The man's eyes got as big as saucers. "Well! Here I am a Southern Baptist cussing in front of ministers!"

"Yeah. Imagine that." I said.

It wasn't the prettiest ice-breaker, but it served its purpose. Leon began to probe for the man's spiritual beliefs. We learned that he went to a baptist college, in Virginia but left school after a run-in with a professor. After serving in Vietnam, he and his family started attending a Lutheran Church -- a church pastored by a man who said he wasn't sure about the existence of heaven and hell so he had some fire insurance "just in case."

Leon took the man through the Law and the Gospel. I'll let Leon fill in the details. But it was an unexpected adventure...and a good one.

It's been a jammed-packed, but very fruitful 24 hours. Leon, Cheryl, Mike, Mahria, Amanda, Dru, and everyone else who joined in the effort--thanks for partnering with me this weekend. It was a blessing to have enjoy fellowship with you and to bring the Law and the Gospel to so many people.

To God be all the praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus' name!

Confession: Guilty of a Bank Hold-Up

Yes, my friends, today I was guilty of holding up a bank.

I was in a hurry. I have a very important ministry-related meeting later today and there is much I must get done before the meeting. One of the things I had to do was go to the bank. I didn't have much time. I don't know what came over me when I entered the bank, but what resulted was a hold-up.

It all began with showing the greeter inside the bank the Curved Illusion gospel tract. Then two of the customers wanted to see it. Then the tellers behind the counter wanted to see it. For a few moments, I help up business at the bank with the distribution of the Curved Illusion tracts and Billion Dollar Bills.

On the way out of the bank, the security guard said, "That's a nice trick."

"Would you like one?"

"Sure!"

"Do you have any kids?"

"I do."

"Well you better take some home to them."

"Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Same to you." :-)

When you only have a few moments, gospel tracts are a very effective and fun way to put the Law and the Gospel into the hands of lost people.

Oh, since I'm confessing today's hold-up, you should know that I've held up banks, before......and grocery stores, and department stores, and.......... :-)

Anthony, Cornelius, and the Blind Man of Bethsaida

"Anthony, I think this is the most important question I can ask you. Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation; or are you trusting in Jesus Christ and Anthony for your salvation?"

"Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually" (Acts 10:1-2).

"And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, 'Do you see anything?'

"And he looked up and said, 'I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.' Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly" (Mark 8:22-25).

My team (my family) spent the morning at the Annual Santa Clarita Arts & Crafts Fair. We did very little shopping. Our real purpose for being there was to share the Law and the Gospel with the hundreds of people buying and selling handmade and other kinds of treasures. In the few hours we were at the park, we distributed hundreds of gospel tracts.

I saw one lady walking through the park, reading the back of a million dollar bill, given to her by someone else on the team. It was fun to walk around the park and see million dollar bills and other gospel tracts sticking out of shirt pockets or in people's hands. Well, I remarked to the lady that I saw that she received a million dollar bill. She, said, "Oh, I know I'm going to heaven." Her tone oozed with self-righteousness.

"On what basis?" I politely asked.

"Oh, I'm not talking about this. I'm walking that way." Pointing in a direction away from me. "Everyone goes to heaven."

"That's not true. Everyone does not go to heaven. I hope you read the tract."

I did have one conversation while we were at the park. "Just one conversation?" You ask. Well, it was a conversation that lasted 90 minutes. And it was one of the most extroardinary witnessing encounters I have ever experienced.

As I walked behind a row of vender tents, I noticed a young man sitting on a picnic bench. An open book lay on the bench, just left of his elbow. In his hand was a pen. I watched him as he glanced at the book, maybe flip the page once or twice, and then feverishly write in a spiral-bound notebook. The open book was a Bible.

I walked up behind the young, Hispanic man. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't hear me come up behind him. I stood behind him for a moment or two.

His Bible was open to 2 Samuel 12--the death of David's baby. The Bible he was reading was a parallel Bible, with both the KJV and Spanish translations. The Bible looked the way the Bible of a lover of God's Word should look. It was worn. The pages were yellowed. Many of the pages appeared torn, creased, and wrinkled. The empty borders of the pages to which his Bible was opened were filled with handwritten notes. Verse references were circled. Specific words were underlined.

This young man's Bible was more than a decorative item, a status symbol, or an idol. It appeared as a hungry, young man's plate of food--a plate half empty, a meal half eaten. It appeared as a tall glass with little water in it--the rim of which bearing the stains of dry, dirty, thirsty lips, having been pressed against it in order to drain the glass of its refreshing contents. His Bible looked the way a Christian's Bible should look.....used.

"What are you studying?" I asked.

Even though I took him by surprise, he looked up at me and smiled. Without hesitation, he began to tell me what he was gleaning from the Word of God. "You know, even though God told David that his baby wouldn't live, and even though he was mourning the death of his baby, he didn't curse God. He worshiped God."

We spent a few minutes talking about David's sin and the faith with which he approached and submitted to his God.

"Would it be all right if I sat down?" I asked.

"Sure."

"My name's Tony."

"My name's Anthony." (Anthony was 22.)

"Well, I guess I won't forget that." We laughed.

"Where do you go to church?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't go to church. I haven't found the right one yet."

"Are you a Christian?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been a Christian?

"That's all I've ever known. My dad was a pastor. I've only read a couple of books in my life. I really don't like to read. But this book--well, this book I have read my entire life."

"Where does your father pastor?"

A look of hurt and disappointment covered his face like the shadow cast by a thick cloud moving in front of the sun. "He's not a pastor anymore."

Something I have learned over the years--something I wish had never been necessary for me to learn--is that I cannot believe a person is a Christian simply because they say, "I'm a Christian." The false conversion rate in the American Church is far too high.

I will never again say, "That's nice," when someone tells me they are a Christian. It is not a judgmental spirit that fuels this mindset. Rather it is concern, fear, and a sense of urgency that fuels it--concern that the person in front of me might be a false convert; fear that the person in front of me will one-day stand before the Lord only to hear Him say, "I never knew you; depart from Me;" and a sense of urgency that the person might die today and spend eternity in hell.

"Anthony, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Let's say that I am not a Christian...."

"You're not a Christian?"

"No. I'm a Christian. But let's pretend that I wasn't and I sat down next to you. If I asked you what I had to do to go to heaven, what would you tell me?

"I would say that you would have to read the Bible, obey His commandments, and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

"Would I have to be a good person to go to heaven?"

"Well, I think if you follow the Bible, you will be a good person."

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"I think so. I'm trying to be."

"Can I ask you a few questions to see if that's true--to see if you are, in fact, a good person?"

"Okay." He answered with a curious look on his face.

"Have you ever told a lie?"

His countenance fell as if I had just caught him in the act of lying. It was remarkable to see.

"Yes."

"If you tell a lie, what does that make you?"

"A liar."

"Have you ever stolen anything?"

"Yes."

"If you steal what does that make you?

"A thief." He said, dropping his head.

"Have you ever taken God's name in vain?"

"Oh, yes."

"And you understand that when you do that you commit the sin of blasphemy against God."

"Yes."

"Have you ever looked at a woman to lust after her?"

"Yes."

"Then you have committed adultery in your heart."

"But doesn't the Bible say that it is only adultery if you have sex with a married or divorced woman?"

"No. Let me show you what Jesus said." I turned to Matthew 5:27-28. I read it aloud, moving my finger across the page as I read, so he could see what I was reading. Anthony wrote the Scripture reference in his notebook.

"Oh. I'm guilty of that, too."

"Have you ever murdered anyone?"

"No." He said, his countenance brightening ever-so-slightly.

"Have you ever been angry with someone, without cause? Have you ever harbored anger, resentment, bitterness, or even hatred in your heart toward someone?

"Yes I have." I couldn't help but wonder if he thought of his father, as he answered the question.

"Anthony, are you aware of what 1 John 3:15 says. It says, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer." Once again, he wrote the Scripture reference in his notebook.

"Have you obeyed your parents perfectly all of your life?"

"No."

"Then you've dishonored your parents. So, Anthony, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterous, murderer, who disobeys his parents. Does that sound like a good person to you?"

"No it doesn't."

"We've only looked at five of the Ten Commandments. If you were to die and stand before God, and He judged you on the basis of His Law, do you think He would find you innocent or guilty?"

"I would be guilty."

"Do you think you would go to heaven or hell?"

He hesitated. I knew he was thinking about Jesus. He was raised in a home in which Jesus was at least talked about, if not followed in a genuine way. "Are you thinking about Jesus?"

"Yes."

"We're not talking about grace, right now. On the basis of His Law and the fact that God is a holy and righteous judge, should you go to heaven or hell if He finds you guilty of breaking His Law?

"Hell."

"Does that concern you?"

"Yes it does. I've been struggling for the last couple of weeks. I've been trying my best to live a righteous life. But I'm just not sure. Can we be sure?"

"Sure about our salvation?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I think a Christian can have assurance about their salvation. But hold on to that thought, for a minute. Have you ever been to court?"

"Yes. I've done some--I've done some stupid things."

I took Anthony into the courtroom . . . "And that's exactly what God did, Anthony. God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ--fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He died a horrible, bloody death on the cross to take upon Himself the punishment you and I deserve for breaking His Law, for sinning against Him. Three days later, He rose from the dead and forever defeated death.

"But it's not enough to believe what I've shared with you, in your head. It's not enough to say you believe these things and try to live a righteous life. Have you ever been on a plane?

"No."

Well, let's say we were on the same flight, heading to Hawaii." I shared the parachute analogy with him . . . "Saving faith is believing in your heart--believing to the point that you turn from your sin--that's called repentance--and put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, the same way you would put on a parachute and trust it will open and save your life when you jump out of the plane. Does that make sense?"

"Yes it does."

"Anthony, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.'"

After writing the Scripture reference in his notebook, he turned to me and asked, "Could you, please, say that again?"

"Ephesians 2:8-9 says, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.'"

"Anthony, do you understand what that means? There is nothing you can do to save yourself. Your good works will never be enough to earn your salvation. In fact, the Book of Isaiah tells us that 'all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment' (Isa 64:6b).' Did you know that a more literal translation of that verse says that our good works are like a dirty menstrual rag to God?"

"Whoa!"

"That's right. On our very best day, our very best works, look like dirty rags to the Lord. If we stand before Him on the Day of Judgment with nothing more than our good deeds to show for ourselves, then we will face eternity in hell as the just punishment for our sins against God. But if we turn from our sin and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then instead of seeing our filthy self-righteousness, we will be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God will grant us eternal life, not on the basis of anything we have done; but entirely on the basis of what Jesus Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection."

"Anthony, do you have a good relationship with your father?

"No." He said, bowing his head.

"How about with your mother? Do you have a good relationship with her?"

"Yes. That's why I'm here, today. My mom couldn't be here to work her booth, so I came to help out."

"Do you help you mother because you think by doing so you will earn your mother's love? Or do you help your mother simply because you love her and you are so grateful for the love she has given you?"

"I do it because my mother loves me and I love her."

"And that's the way our relationship with God should be. There is nothing we can do to earn God's love. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. We should do good works, not because it earns us anything, but because we love our heavenly Father and we are so grateful to Him for giving us the free gift of eternal life. A Christian loves God because He first loved us; not because we want to try to earn God's love or our salvation. Does that make sense?"

"Yes it does."

"Anthony, I think this is the most important question I can ask you. Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation; or are you trusting in Jesus Christ and Anthony for your salvation?"

As I talked to Anthony, I was reminded of Cornelius the Centurion (Acts 10). Cornelius was a gentile who had apparently abandoned the pagan Roman religions and became a devout follower of Judaism. He was a man who, while not yet circumcized according to Jewish custom, followed the ethics of the Old Testament Law. Cornelius would eventually come to faith in Jesus Christ, but not until Peter came to his house and preached the gospel.

Anthony was trying desperately to live a life pleasing to God. Sin was becoming increasingly sinful to him. The ungodliness of the world was becoming offensive to him. He broke up with his girlfriend because their relationship was not pleasing to the Lord. While all of this behavior can be signs of fruit brought forth in keeping with repentance, Anthony's answer revealed that he was holding on to a works righteousness formula as his means of salvation.

"I think I have been trusting in Jesus Christ and Anthony for my salvation."

Anthony and I continued to pour over the Scriptures together. It was funny to watch members of my family walk by, from time to time. This was a long conversation, even for me; and it was obvious that they were all dying to know what was going on.

Every time I mentioned a verse, passage, or Bible story, Anthony diligently wrote it in his notebook. We looked at verses that talked about repentance, faith, grace, works, and salvation. Periodically, I would ask Anthony the same question: "Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation; or are you trusting in Jesus Christ and Anthony for your salvation?"

This reminded me of the great story about the way Jesus healed the blind man from Bethsaida. "And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, 'Do you see anything?'

"And he looked up and said, 'I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.' Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly" (Mark 8:22-25).

I found it fascinating that although Anthony said he has read the Bible most of his life, most if not all of the verses and passages I shared with him from the New Testament were entirely new to him. Each verse or passage I shared with Anthony was like each time the Lord laid hands on the blind man's eyes. Each time the Lord touched the man, his vision became clearer. With each verse and passage, Anthony's spiritual vision became clearer.

"Anthony, are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, or are you trusting in Jesus Christ and Anthony for your salvation."

"I think I am trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation."

"Anthony, I believe in a sovereign God, the Creator of the Universe, who is in complete control of everything. I do not believe in coincidences. It's not a coincidence that you came to the arts and crafts fair, today. It's not a coincidence that I came here, today, to share the gospel with people. It's not a coincidence that I walked by and saw you reading the Bible. It's not a coincidence that we've had this conversation.

"Look, I may never see you again. I hope I do, but I may not. I care about you, and I don't want to see you go to hell. You seem very sincere. As I've talked to you I have not heard any arrogance or pride come out of your mouth. And I have no doubt that you believe in Jesus.

"But, Anthony, there are likely millions of people around the world who read the Bible, believe in Jesus, and try to live a life pleasing to God. Yet they are not going to heaven. They are trying to get to God by their works and not by faith in Christ alone. In the end, they are no different than the person who spent a lifetime denying God's existence and lived in open rebellion against Him. Both are bound for hell apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone.

"Anthony, I told you a while ago that a Christian can be assured of his or her salvation. I know I am going to heaven. But that assurance comes not from anything I have done. I am not a good person. What I deserve is hell. What I deserve is to be punished for my sins against God. I cannot do anything to make myself right with God, and I cannot do anything to earn the free gift of eternal life. 'For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 6:23)

"No. I am sure I am going to heaven, not on the basis of anything I have done, but entirely on the basis of what Jesus Christ accomplished on my behalf, through His death on the cross and His resurrection. I am saved by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. I have repented of my sins against God and I have believed the gospel. I have received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And I believe what the Bible says in Romans 8:38-39: 'For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

"If you have truly turned from your sins and, by faith, have placed your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, then you, too, can have this assurance.

"Anthony, have you turned from your sins and placed your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation; or are you still trusting Jesus and Anthony for your salvation?"

"I am trusting Jesus Christ alone for my salvation."

"Is there anything you can do to save yourself?"

"No."

"Is there anything you can do, like good works, to help Jesus save you?

"No."

We continued to talk for a while. Now the conversation turned to matters of Christian living and some of the wrestling matches that have recently taken place in his conscience. It was as if discipleship had already begun.

I didn't lead Anthony in a "sinner's prayer;" and I didn't declare to Anthony that he was a Christian--two practices that have been responsible for the creation of an unknown number of false converts. But I did put my arm around him and pray for him. I prayed that the Lord would reveal to Anthony whether or not his profession of faith was genuine. I prayed that if Anthony was born again that he would bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. I prayed that Anthony would grow in his faith, in Christ, and that the Lord would use him for His glory. I also prayed that Anthony would be like the Bereans of old who returned to the Scriptures to make sure everything Paul had told them was true."

While only God knows Anthony's heart, I believe that I saw this young man come to repentance and faith during our conversation. I hope to one-day see him in heaven. In fact, I hope I see him before then. If this young man truly came to repentance and faith, today, I would love to disciple Him in the faith. I gave him all of my contact information and a business card with information about our church. I do hope I see him, again.

Please pray that Anthony's profession of repentance and faith is genuine; and, if it was, that the Lord would allow me to disciple him. If that is not the Lord's will, then pray that the Lord will direct Anthony to a solid, Bible-teaching, Bible-believing church and that the Lord would bring godly men into his life who will help him grow in his faith.

I thank God for the remarkable opportunity he gave me today to share His gospel and, I believe, to watch Him work in a young man's life.

All for His glory!

Never Underestimate the Power of a Gospel Tract

Following my conversation with Ruben, I walked across the street to the shopping center. Along the way, I managed to find a few English million dollar bill gospel tracts* sandwiched between the Spanish version bills in my pocket. I handed out a few million dollars as I walked through the shopping center.

When I came to the grocery store, I saw a young man sitting at a patio table outside the store. His clothing indicated that he was a store employee. He sat at the table with his arms folded on the table, with his head resting on his arms. He looked like he was trying to take a nap.

"You look tired." I said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

He slowly lifted his head and smiled. "Yeah. I just got off work."

"Well, maybe a million dollars will perk you up." I handed him the gospel tract, his smile widening.

"Someone gave me one of these a couple of years ago, at the fireworks show." The young man went on to explain that he attended a fireworks show that was held at a nearby mega-church.

I had a good idea as to who gave him the gospel tract. You see, a friend and fellow evangelist went to the mega-church's fireworks show, but not for the fireworks. Tens of thousands of people would gather on and around the church grounds to see the fireworks display. So, my friend went to the event, dubbed by the church as "community outreach," to distribute gospel tracts.

Sadly, my friend was told by church security that he was not allowed to distribute tracts on church grounds. Apparently, the purpose of the event was to simply entertain the public. Fortunately, my friend was able to get a tract into the hand of this young man, before my friend was told he would have to leave the church grounds if he wanted to hand gospel tracts to people. Yet one more sad and unfortunate commentary about the American Church.

"Did you read the tract back then?" I asked.

"I think so."

"So, what did you think?"

"I need to forgive myself."

"Well, not really. Would it be all right if I sat down."

"Sure."

I introduced myself. The young man's name was Ryan. He was 16.

I took Ryan through the Law. By his own admission, he was a lying, murdering, blasphemer, who disobeyed his parents. He agreed that according to God's standard, he was not a good person. He also agreed that if God judged him according to the standard of the Ten Commandments, God would find him guilty of breaking His Law.

"Ryan, if God finds you guilty, do you think you would go to heaven or hell?"

"Heaven?"

"Do you say 'heaven' because that's where you want to go?"

"Yes."

"But if you have broken God's Law what should He do with you?"

"Send me to hell."

"Does it concern you that if you were to die, right now, and stand before God, He would find you guilty of breaking His Law and would sentence you to eternity in hell?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what God did to make it possible for you to avoid eternity in hell?"

"No."

"Have you ever been to church?"

"No."

"Have you ever read the Bible?"

"No."

Sad, isn't it, that so many Christians think the mission field is "over there"?

"Would you like me to tell you what God did?"

"Sure."

I shared the gospel with Ryan, and I explained to him that what God required of him was to repent and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I also spent some time making sure he understood that salvation is by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone--apart from any works or religious activities.

"Do you believe what I just shared with you?"

"Yes."

"Ryan, is there any reason why you wouldn't turn from your sin and, by faith, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?"

"No."

"Is there anything that would keep you from doing that right now?"

"I'm not sure."

At this point, I could have very easily convinced Ryan to pray a "sinner's prayer." The result would likely have been the creation of yet one more false convert--a young man who trusted in a prayer, but was not truly transformed and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. I wasn't about to do that.

"Ryan, is there something in your life, a sin in your life that you love too much to give up for Jesus Christ?"

He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "No. I can't think of anything that I wouldn't give up for Jesus."

"Then why wouldn't you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, right now?"

He couldn't answer.

"Well, will you do me a favor? Please think carefully about what I've shared with you. I don't want you to go to hell, Ryan."

"I will. Thanks for talking to me."

I gave Ryan a copy of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious.

"Ryan, a friend of mine wrote this book. In this book you will find the Gospel of John. It's the fourth book in the New Testament. If you've never read the Bible, the Gospel of John is a great place to start. Please read it and ask God to open your eyes to the truth it contains. You'll see that what I've told you is true."

"I will. I can read during my breaks at work!" He said with a smile.

We said our good-byes and I made the walk back to my church. I called and left a message for my friend who I suspect gave Ryan the tract.

"Hey, it's Tony. Just wanted to let you know that you likely gave a young man named Ryan a million dollar bill at ------ Church's fireworks show. I just shared the gospel with him and he told me that someone else had given him a gospel tract at the fireworks show.

"You giving Ryan that tract planted a seed, which helped to break the ice for my conversation with him tonight. Thank you, brother."

If you're reading this and have often wondered about or questioned the effectiveness of gospel tracts, I hope this story has helped you to see the light. The effectiveness of gospel tracts is not determined by how many people come to church as a result of distributing tracts.

No. The effectiveness of well-written, biblical gospel tracts is seen in the number of spiritual seeds planted. And the true results of distributing gospel tracts will only be fully realized when those who go to heaven see others there who were brought to repentance and faith after reading a gospel tract handed to them by a stranger.

So, are you still nervous about sharing your faith with strangers? Can you take a gospel tract and put it into a stranger's hand? Can you hand them a tract and say, "Here's something good to read," or "Did you get one of these"? Come on. Sure you can. You never know, you might just give a tract to someone like Ryan.

Please pray that the Lord will draw Ryan to genuine repentance and faith, extending to him the free gift of eternal life that only He can give.

* The Million Dollar Bill gospel tract is available through Living Waters.

Not All Witnessing Encounters Go As Planned :-)

So, I had a building project meeting at church tonight. I decided to head to the church about an hour and a half before the meeting so I could do some witnessing at a nearby shopping center.

As I walked to the shopping center, I prayed for God's blessing upon my time on the streets.

Before arriving at the shopping center, I stopped in a liquor store. (Settle down! I just wanted to talk to the guy behind the counter.)

His name was Ruben. I waited for the customer he was serving to leave before I approached the counter. "Hey, here's a million dollars for you."

Ruben smiled and took the million dollar bill. he immediately turned it over and began to read the gospel message on the back. "Do you know what the million dollar question is?" I asked.

He raised his hand and said, "Wait. I'm reading."

So, I waited for Ruben to finish reading the tract. "So, what do you think?" I asked.

"Oh, this is not good."

"You didn't like it?"

"No, it's just hard."

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"My English is not that good."

I tried for a minute or two to take Ruben through the Law. But the language barrier was too great. "Oh, I wish I had my Spanish million dollar bills." I said aloud.

With a somewhat perplexed look on his face, Ruben said, "This is in Spanish."

"What?"

"This is in Spanish."

I took the tract from his hand and inspected the gospel text. Umm, yeah, it was in Spanish.

Now, on the one hand, this was a good thing. At least Ruben was able to read the Law and the Gospel in his own language.

Well, this is the stack of million dollar bills I have been using all week. That means all of the "gringos" to whom I handed million dollar bill gospel tracts this week probably scratched their heads as I walked away wondering why the strange white man handed them "funny money" with Spanish text on the back.

"Doh!"

Oh well. Maybe some of the folks to whom I gave the Spanish million dollar bills were bi-lingual.

Pray that the Lord will use the gospel tract to bring Ruben to repentance and faith.

The next conversation I had was, well, very special. Stay tuned. :-)

Behind the Scenes of Way of the Master Radio (11-13-07)

After what the Lord did this morning before today's edition of The Way of the Master Radio show, I could hardly wait to see what He would do next. He most certainly did not disappoint. The Lord blessed me with some great "fishing."

I spent the better part of the day on the campus of College of the Canyons (our local community college). Today, I was blessed to be joined by my friend, Josh. Josh is a student at COC and a graduate from a The Way of the Master Basic Training Course I taught.

Our guest for the first hour of the show was Blake, outside linebacker for the COC Cougars--one of the finest community college football teams in the country. Blake was with a young lady named Tara.

As I conducted my pre-show interview with Blake, I learned that he did not consider himself to be a good person (a rarity). He believed that people go to heaven when they die and that one has to be a good person to get there.

I put Blake on the phone with Ray Comfort. It was fascinating to watch Blake's demeanor change as the phone conversation progressed. Initially, Blake was light-hearted and jovial. Having done this for a while now, I could tell that Ray was making small talk with him.

Then Blake's demeanor went from jocular confidence to uncomfortable fidgeting. Ray was taking him though the law. His demeanor changed yet again when Ray took Blake to the cross. He became very subdued. There were a few instances when Blake touched the tip of his pinkie to the corner of his eye. Was it dust? Or was the linebacker trying to suppress a tear? During this last demeanor change, I noticed that Blake repeatedly looked at Tara, as if to see if she saw was looking at him and seeing what he was trying to hide--emotion.

Blake handed me my phone, indicating that his conversation with Ray had come to an end. When I asked Blake how the conversation went, he said, "It went pretty good. He told me some things that I didn't necessarily know, and he cleared some things up that I thought I knew. So, it went really well."

Blake and I talked for about ten minutes. Listen to his answer when I asked him what he was going to do about what he heard today.

Before Blake and Tara left, I asked Tara if she had any spiritual beliefs. She said she was Muslim. So, praise God. A Muslim heard the Law and the Gospel today! Blake and Tara received copies of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious and You Can't Handle the Truth gospel tracts.om

Our guest for the second hour of the show was a young lady named Carmen. Josh and I found Carmen sitting alone reading a book. When I asked her to be on the show, she didn't hesitate. I was so excited about what had happened with Blake that I didn't ask Carmen a single question about her spiritual background.

When I handed Carmen my phone, she put her book on the bench. The title: "God is Not Great--How Religion Poisons Everything," by Christopher Hitchens (an avowed "antitheist).

Carmen's face was very expressive throughout her conversation with Ray. I could tell the conversation wasn't going beyond the Law.

I spent almost twenty minutes talking to Carmen, once she was off the phone. It was a very pleasant exchange, but Carmen wouldn't budge from her agnostic points of view. Listen to our conversation and you'll see what I mean.

Two conversations, with two distinctly different people. One was humbled by the Law and one was not. Both conversations were a blessing and privilege to experience.

The Lord further blessed me with a wonderful postscript following my conversation with Carmen. As I talked to Carmen, I saw my friend, Lindsey. Like Josh, Lindsey is a graduate of a WOTM BTC that I taught. Lindsey was with her friends, Hannah and Jane (not her real name).

As I talked to the three ladies about what the Lord had done during my fishing trip to the campus, Lindsey and Hannah seemed interested and excited. Jane, on the other hand, seemed a bit taken aback. It dawned on me that I assumed that both of Lindsey's friends were Christians.

So, when there was a lull in the conversation, I asked Jane if she had any spiritual beliefs. She said she was a Christian. I asked her what it meant to be a Christian. She said that she had accepted Jesus as her Savior and that she wanted to live for Him.

I took Jane through a "Three Minutes to Live" scenario. She had no idea how to share the gospel with me.

"Jane, what if I told you I know how a car engine works. But when you asked me to explain how a car engine works I tell you that I can't explain it. Would you have any confidence that I really know how a car engine works?

"No. Not really."

"Tell me about something you know."

Jane proceeded to give me a 30-second lesson in music theory.

"Jane, while you don't know all there is to know about music, in about thirty seconds you were able to give me a lesson in music theory that I could understand."

She smiled.

"Don't you think that if a person knows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they should be able to tell someone else how they can know Jesus Christ?"

"Yes."

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you have to be a good person to go to heaven?"

"I think it can help someone get there."

Since it was possible that Jane was simply an undiscipled believer, and since it was just as possible that she was a false convert, I gently took her through the Law and the Gospel.

"Jane, what I'm about to suggest to you might seem hard, but it's very important. I want to encourage you to go before the Lord and ask Him to search your heart and reveal to you if you have truly repented of your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you have, then praise God. Read your Bible every day and learn how to articulate your faith to others. But if you come to the realization that you have never truly repented of your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because the gospel you believed in high school was different than the gospel you heard today, then please get right with God, today. Repent and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

"There are many people around the world who will one-day stand before God expecting to enter heaven, only to hear Him say, 'Depart from me; I never knew you.' They thought they knew the Savior when they really didn't. I don't want that to happen to you. I want to see you in heaven, someday."

I said good-bye to the three ladies and made my way to my car. I honestly don't know how many times my feet actually touched the ground, during the walk to my car. :-)

It was a great day of fishing!

From Train Wreck To Testimony

Today began like a train wreck. (How's that for a wonderful start to a blog article?)

Two of my three daughters weren't feeling well this morning. A dear lady from church was in the hospital with a very serious medical condition. I was feeling tired and out of sorts. I was not myself (or, maybe on some level, I was myself). I was somewhat whiny in my spirit.

I arrived at College of the Canyons at about 10:00 AM. My plan was to do as much evangelism as I could before my scheduled "street fishing" segments on The Way of the Master Radio. So I "plopped" down in the amphitheater and surveyed "the pond." There were people everywhere, and I really didn't feel like talking to any of them. Part of me was afraid to talk to them. (That's right. You heard me. The "Lawman" was battling fear of man. What? You thought it only happened to you?) Oh, and I wasn't in the mood to be rejected by people half my age.

So, I prayed. But even my prayers seemed shallow and hollow.

I sat there, sulking, for several minutes--wallowing in my sinful self-pity. I almost went home. But I knew I couldn't do that. Leaving would be wrong. My attitude was wrong. I just had to repent and, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, had to overcome the sins of fear, complaining, and self-pity.

I finally pulled my sinful backside off the concrete amphitheater seat and walked over to the first person I saw. I told him that I was with Way of the Master Radio, and I asked him if I could interview him about his spiritual beliefs. "No." was the answer. "I'm not interested."

Did I mention that I didn't feel like being rejected by people half my age?

"All right. Shake it off. Go ask someone else." I thought. And that's what I did.

"No thanks, man." (Did he really just call me "man?") "I'm not interested."

So, I walked across the campus, sizing up the potential "fish" as I made my way through the cement pond. After my first two attempts to engage people in conversation, no one looked good to me. I managed to come up with an excuse for not talking to each person I saw. I handed out a few Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts along the way, but that was it.

I sat down on a bench. I did the manly, mature, and super-spiritual thing. I sat with my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands.....and I pouted. "Great! It's going to be two lousy days of fishing in a row." I sulked. I tried to do a little fishing yesterday, but the fish weren't biting at all.
So, I prayed. I begged God to turn the day around.

I handed out a few more tracts to people who passed by. I didn't even get off the bench to do it. I just waited for people to come within arms reach before I offered them a tract. Pretty lame, huh?

I share these things not to get a few "aw, there, there" strokes from you, the readers. Rather, I share these things because I would hazard a guess that some of you have had days like this, too.

What happened next would change what I thought was going to be a terrible day to one of the best "fishing" experiences ever. Although the day started with no fish and several holes in the boat, the Lord was about to patch the boat, into which the fish were about to jump.

Three students (two young ladies and a young man) walked past me. As they did, they all looked at the empty portion of the bench as if they were contemplating sitting down. "I don't bite." I said.

One of the young ladies affirmed what I said, but they continued on to another nearby bench. Moments later, they got up, walked back to where I was sitting, and joined me on the bench.

"Hi. How are the three of you doing today?" I asked.

"Good." They answered in unison.

"I'm with a radio station called The Way of the Master. I'm on campus today conducting interviews. I'm asking two questions. 'Do you consider yourself to be a good person?' And, 'What do you think happens to a person when they die?' Can I interview the three of you?"

"No." They each replied.

"Okay."

I sat quietly for a moment or two.

"So, what do you think happens to a person when they die?" I asked the young man.

"I think we will all stand before God and He will judge what we've done and where we should go."

"Do you believe in heaven and hell?"

"Yes."

"What do you think a person has to do to go to heaven?"

"I guess obey the Ten Commandments. Be a good person."

"Have you been able to keep the commandments?"

He shook his head. The two young ladies with us on the bench were listening closely.

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"I think so."

The young man admitted to being a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart. But he minimized and justified his sin. However, there didn't seem to be too much conviction behind his self-defense.

Once we started talking about sin and judgment, one of the young ladies grew increasingly uncomfortable. She made a call on her cell phone and soon quietly walked away without even saying good-bye to her friends. But Otto and Stephanie stayed.

It didn't take long to overcome Otto's self-righteousness and self-justification. Once I felt the time was right, I shared the gospel with Otto and Stephanie.

"Otto, you probably weren't expecting to have a conversation like this, today. Were you?"

"Not at all." He said with a slight chuckle. "But I'm glad I did."

I thanked Otto and Stephanie for allowing me to talk to them. I gave them each a million dollars for their time and patience. :-)

While Otto and Stephanie's salvation is of the utmost importance and the reason for my conversation with them, those two young college students will likely never have any idea how much the conversation with them meant to me. That is, unless I am one-day blessed to see them in heaven.

Otto and Stephanie got up, said good-bye, shook my hand, and headed to their next class. I watched them walk away for several moments, utterly amazed at God's grace and mercy--not only by allowing Otto and Stephanie to hear the Law and the Gospel, but also the grace and mercy He showed me by allowing me to talk to them.

I threw my hands in the air and praised God. With outstretched arms I prayed for Otto and Stephanie. It was a minute or two before I realized that I wasn't alone in a prayer closet; but on a bustling community college campus. Oh, well. I didn't care how I looked. But I did lower my hands and continued to pray, asking God to allow me to talk to someone else.

"Amen." As I looked up, I saw two Asian students walking toward me. They were not simply walking in my direction. They were coming to talk to me.

The young lady was carrying a clipboard, which was holding some paper. The young man was obviously escorting her. The two sat down beside me.

I think I'm starting to like this bench!

"Will you take a survey I am doing for a class?" She asked, politely.

"Absolutely!" I answered, enthusiastically. "When you're done with your survey, will you take mine?"

"You have a survey, too?"

"I sure do!"

"Okay."

"I could tell the young lady was nervous. She had not yet mastered the English language. She seemed very shy.

"The topic of the survey is censorship. Do you think there should be censorship?"

"Well, it depends. I don't think the question warrants a simple 'yes or no' answer."

"What do you think should be censored?"

"Anything that dishonors God."

"Umm. Excuse me. Dishonor God?"

"Yes. Anything that that dishonors God, anything that violates His Word and His Law should be censored."

"Umm. Okay. Where do you think censorship should begin?"

"It should begin with blasphemy."

"Blasphemy?"

"Yes. Any misuse of God's name should be censored."

The young man (his name was Joe) smiled. "I am a Christian. I love Jesus." He announced.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Wendy."

"Wendy, can I ask you some questions now?"

"Okay." She seemed even more nervous.

"Wendy, would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

I took Wendy through the Law and explained judgment to her; but first I had to explain to her what the Ten Commandments were. Wendy admitted to breaking God's Law. She understood that she would be guilty before God. When I asked her if she would go to heaven or hell, she said, "I guess hell. But we don't believe that in my religion."

Wendy was from Taiwan. Although she never identified her religion, I assumed she was Buddhist. I talked to Wendy about the difference between belief and truth. And then I shared the gospel with her. Joe continued to smile.

"Wendy, have you ever heard the gospel explained that way?"

"No."

"Joe, you said you are a Christian."

"Yes. I became a Christian five months ago."

Joe is an exchange student from Korea. He will return to his country at the end of the school year.

"Wendy, has Joe ever shared his faith with you."

"Oh, yes. Many times, in class."

Joe extended his hand to me--the smile on his face, ever present. "I am very glad I met you today."

"Oh, it was a pleasure to meet and talk to the two of you, too!"

I asked Wendy to carefully consider what I told her and what she has heard from Joe. She said she would.

The two got up from the bench (now, my favorite bench on the campus) and walked away.

Once again I found myself praising and glorifying God--thanking Him for allowing me to talk to Wendy and Joe. I thanked God for Joe's enthusiastic faith. And I prayed for Otto's, Stephanie's, and Wendy's salvation.

What began as a train wreck ended in a wonderful testimony to God's grace, goodness, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and love--not only for those who heard the Law and the Gospel this morning, but for a wretch like me. I entered the college campus a pitiful lump of dirty clay--in no condition to be of any use to the Potter. But the Potter, in His sovereign grace and mercy, chose to fashion me into a vessel He could use to bring the Law and the Gospel to three young co-eds, and Christian encouragement to a fourth.

How this all happened this morning shows that the clay is in no position to take any credit for what the Potter does with the clay. The clay cannot fashion itself into anything of value or usefulness. The clay is fashioned by the Potter's hands, according to His good pleasure, will, and design.

So, to God, and to God alone, be all the praise, honor, and glory for a train wreck turned testimony.

Join me in praying for the salvation of these young people. I do hope to see them in heaven one-day.

And this all took place before today's edition of The Way of the Master Radio. Stay tuned..... :-)

A Letter From Hell

What you are about to see and hear is disturbing. Once you've watched the video, please take the time to read what follows.




If you are a Christian, realize this. Zack, the Christian "friend" in the video, might be a false convert. Charles Spurgeon said, "Have you no desire for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, you can be sure of that." If you profess faith in Jesus Christ, yet you are not actively engaged in verbally proclaiming the gospel to your lost friends, family members, co-workers, and the strangers you meet each day, or at least putting the gospel into people's hands by way of well-written, biblical gospel tracts or other printed material, then it is reasonable for you to question the authenticity of your salvation.

If you are a Christian, then your purpose in life is to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed; to love lost people enough to warn them that they are children of wrath who are waiting to be sentenced to eternity in hell for breaking God's Law; and to love lost people enough to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ--that their only hope for avoiding God's wrath is to repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Your purpose in life is to obey the two greatest commandments, and to fulfill the great commission.

If you profess to be a Christian and this video and the ensuing commentary is offensive to you, then you might be like Zack. You might be a false convert. Now, before you wag a judgmental finger at me and accuse me of being judgmental, please hear me out.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing with certainty your real spiritual condition; and it certainly isn't up to me to determine the authenticity of your faith in Christ.

However, if you are not actively engaged in sharing your faith with lost people; if the video you just watched doesn't move you on some level; if you can't be bothered with evangelism and you are masking your indifference with excuses such as fear, inability, or lack of opportunity; or if you have bought the lies of modern evangelicalism that have told you that evangelism is only for those with the gift of evangelism, or that simply living the "Christian life" in front of unbelievers is the entirety of your evangelistic responsibility; then you must do one thing and come to one of two conclusions.

The one thing you must do is look in the mirror with honesty and sincerity of heart and ask God if the above is true about you. If it is true about you, then you must come to one of two conclusions. Either you are a false convert who has never truly repented and received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or you are a genuine follower of Christ who must confess before your Lord and Savior that you have sinned against Him, through your disobedience to His Word, as seen in your failure to share the gospel with lost and dying people. Either way, you must repent.

If you are not a Christian and you have stumbled onto this site, or you are one of the handful of unbelievers who read this blog and heckle me from time to time with your written comments, I hope the video has served as a wake-up call. Heaven is a real place. And hell is a real place. It matters not if you believe it. Truth is not determined by your beliefs. What matters is whether or not what you believe is true.

I am once again reminded of what God said to the prophet Ezekiel, when he commanded him to call the people of Israel to repentance. "When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand" (Eze. 3:18).

Friend, your blood will not be on my hands. For I am here to warn you, with love and concern in my heart for you. I do not want you to perish and spend eternity in hell.

In God's eyes, you are a lawbreaker. Don't believe it? See for yourself. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of the value or how long ago you committed the act? (Time does not forgive sin.) Have you ever taken God's name in vain--used His holy name carelessly, flippantly, or as a curse word to express excitement, fear, or disgust? Then, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart; and you are going to face God on Judgment Day.

God will judge you according to the perfect and holy standard of His Law (The Ten Commandments). He will find you guilty. Since He is good--since He is holy, righteous, and just--since He is loving and kind--He will sentence you to eternity in hell as the just punishment for your sins against Him. Yes, you will end up just like Josh, in the video.

But there is good news. The loving, kind, holy, righteous, and just Creator of the Universe--God--has provided the Only Way of escape from His just, awesome, and terrible wrath. He provided Himself.

God came to earth. He took the form of a man, in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was fully God while, at the same time, fully Man. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He suffered and died a horrible and bloody death on the cross, taking upon Himself the just punishment you deserve for breaking God's Law. He was crushed under the weight and fury of God's holy wrath--the Just making the perfect sacrifice and payment for the unjust. Three days later, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, forever defeating death. He is alive! He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

And this is what God requires of you. You must repent. You must turn away from your sins. You must throw yourself upon the mercy of God and beg to receive the mercy and forgiveness you do not deserve. You must, by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then, and only then, will your sins be forgiven. Then, and only then, will you receive the free gift of eternal life that only He can give.

There is nothing you can do to save yourself. You are dead in your trespasses and sins. Your good works cannot save you. Your good feelings about yourself will never negate your crimes against God. And what you see as your good deeds will never outweigh the sinfulness of your sins against Him. Your own perceived goodness will never satisfy the debt you owe God for the sins you have committed against Him.

Please. I beg of you. Turn away from your sins, today, while you still have time. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today, while you still have time. I don't want you to end up like the fictitious character, Josh. I don't want you to end up in hell.

And Christian, please don't be like the fictitious character, Zack, whose hands are stained with the blood of his friend, Josh--the friend he did not love enough to share the Law and the Gospel.

Who will hear the Law and the Gospel proceed from your lips, today?

Gospel Preaching

Paul Washer is very quickly becoming my favorite preacher.

Do you hear gospel preaching like this on Sunday morning? No? Hmm.

I just watched/listened to the sermon. I thank God for solid, passionate teaching like this.