Milwaukee Seed Sowers

Sent to Trisha Ramos, Coordinator of the Biggest Question Outreach:

Below is a brief report of the Milwaukee Seed Sowers www.milwaukeeseedsowers.com Biggest Question outreach at UWM on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012:

Overall, despite the damp weather which prevented us from doing Open Air afterword’s, we were able to distribute all 1200 DVD’s in about 90 minutes. Most people gladly took the DVD with the instruction to watch and let us know what they thought. Some asked what it was about and we responded “What’s the biggest question they have ever considered?” With the recent shootings that we’ve had here in the Milwaukee area, what did they think the question would be?

All of those people that participated were excited and had very positive feedback afterword’s.

Jim B

Muehdi – Muehdi was a friendly young Muslim man who was in this country from Saudi Arabia studying business but was unhappy with that because it was what his country was dictating he was going to study based on the needs of his country.

I offered him The Biggest Question DVD and he was curious what it was about which gave me an open door to talking about what he thought was the biggest question that he’s ever had to consider. We eventually got around to talking about what happens when a person dies. He said that it was up to Allah to make that determination. I was able to take him through the law and asked him if the judge would dismiss his case based on his apology. He agreed not. I was able to share with him about the fine payer, Jesus and what he did for Muehdi at the Cross.

I asked him to watch the DVD and gave him my contact information so that we could get together for coffee and talk. He agreed to watch – Jim B.

Paul – Paul turned out to be one of the more unusual encounters that I’ve ever had. I saw him waiting outside on the buildings smoking a cigarette. I approached him and asked him how he was doing today and if he was between classes? He said fine and no that he was visiting. I asked him where he was visiting from and he said that he was on an out-patient visit from Rogers Memorial Hospital where he was being treated for OCD. I told him that I was familiar with the place because my brother in law was just there a few months ago being treated for OCD as well. I asked him if he was living in the residences at the bottom of the hill separate from the hospital and he was.

I asked him what he was being treated for and he said the fear of being approached by strangers! I told him that I was helping him then to get over his fears. We had a great conversation about what he thought the biggest question was and what happens to a person after they die. Paul said that he was spiritual and believed that we continued on through reincarnation. We talked about what he would come back as and he thought as a more evolved being.

We discussed his background and he said that he had been to church but stopped going. We talked about what was on the DVD and he said that maybe it was good timing that I came along because he was meeting with his spiritual advisor at the hospital today and maybe they could watch the DVD together. I wished Paul well and told him that I would be praying for him. – Jim B.

Ade K

I’m speaking for two fishermen blessed with the glorious opportunity to distribute the Biggest Question DVD on our University Campus in Milwaukee Wi.

Our experience  was  exceptional and  fruitful.  God’s Living Word was shared and heard and we know without question now in many lives, working to effect personal salvation through Jesus Christ.

This outreach was bathed in prayer and God’s response felt through respectful, willing and often gratefulness for our gift. This fisherman personally perceives this Biggest Question presentation to be the gem of the heavens. Offering to those sitting in the dismal darkness of sin and a true bell of freedom, rung to release those stuck in religious chains.

The location where we distributed the DVD’s was held without assault of harassment and diversion and the joyful work of real bell ringing was our grateful pleasure.

Thank you at Wretched Radio for cutting through the darkness for the sake of Jesus Christ. – Ade K

Bob K

Keith and I each had 100 DVDs that we handed out. We stood at different spots across from each other at a Northeast walkway intersection. People were mostly surprised and appreciative at getting a free movie!

Conversations were few, but then they were not solicited.

I’m thinking most were genuinely curious that they would at least watch it. From there, we trust the Holy Spirit to give them ears to hear they might be saved.  I would also guess that it had a multiplier effect when those who knew them asked about it. Hopefully, the DVDs have a 2-3-4 or more “people lifespan” as they get circulated.

In any event, we look to the Lord for the great harvest He will bring!

It was a personal joy for me to once again see the gospel go out. – Bob K

Randy B

While handing out DVDs at UW Milwaukee I got to talk with someone who already received a Biggest Question from someone else. He asked what it was about and then asked who I thought God was. I said that Jesus is God and the creator. He seemed confused and explained that he was a Muslim. The atheist sitting next to him at the enclosed bus shelter was being distracting so the Muslim asked if we could step outside to talk. (I had previously tried handing a Biggest Question to the atheist but he said he already watched it, although when I pressed him he couldn’t recall what it was about.) We talked for several minutes before the bus arrived but he said he would definitely watch the DVD. – Randy B

Amy K

I had invited my friend Lois to join me and the Milwaukee Seed Sowers to distribute The Biggest Question DVDs at UWM.  We met at my house, got into one car, and went to the Union and met the Milwaukee Seed Sowers inside the Union. We each took a pack of 100 DVDs and set out.

I found that once I was able to make eye contact, the students responded very politely.  Almost every single person used the word “thank you”.  Even those who refused the DVD said “No, thank you”.  A few students did engage in a bit more conversation.  The most common question was “What’s it about?”.

The experience was easy and fun. We will continue to pray that the students with the DVDs watch it seriously and allow God to touch their hearts.  We thank God for this opportunity. – Amy K

Jeff F

I was able to share the Gospel with a number of people this week via the DVD after the UW-Milwaukee distribution.  Thanks for the extra copies; they are being used for His glory! – Jeff F

The key to effective evangelism is navigating around the intellect and addressing the conscience. We do this most effectively by using God’s law to lead people to Christ, so that they may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). But sometimes addressing the intellect by using science and logic is effective to:

• Draw people into conversation so you can swing from the natural to the spiritual.
• Show people how Christianity is reasonable, and is the only worldview that makes sense of science and logic.
• Show people that the unbelievers worldview is based on false assumptions and logical fallacies.

Some people scoff at the belief that God created the world (2 Peter 3). Instead they believe that the world, and all creatures therein, evolved without any intervention by God. Both creation and evolution are beliefs about the past; however, some people have been convinced by a logical fallacy that evolution is science.

Below is an example of the logical fallacy of equivocation:

• Premise #1: Practice makes perfect.
• Premise #2: Doctors practice medicine.
• Conclusion: Therefore, doctors are perfect.

This would be a valid argument if the word ‘practice’ did not change meanings between the two premises. Below is another example of equivocation:

• Premise #1: Science deals with things we can test, study, and observe.
• Premise #2: We have observed the evolution of bacteria into bacteria.
• Conclusion: Therefore, the evolution of humans from single celled organisms is science.

This would also be a valid argument if the word ‘evolution’ did not change meanings. Operational science does deal with things we can test, study, and observe, but evolution can have a variety of meanings. Evolution can just mean “change within the kind” (existing genetic information expressing itself), or evolution can mean “change from one kind to another” (new, never before existing, genetic information being added to the genome).

When you are evangelizing, or addressing the intellect as a spring board for the gospel, don’t be intimidated by people claiming to have scientific evidence that evolution is true. Instead make sure to point out how they have committed the logical fallacy of equivocation.

Many people today have grown up in a school system, or watching TV programs, that claim humans are the result of millions of years of evolution. If the world was created by random chance, then the Bible is not the Word of God. As Christians we “know” we have eternal life (1 John 5:13), and we know God’s Word is true (John 17:17). If people do not realize that God owns the world and has the right to punish sin, then the preaching of the cross will seem foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18).

To effectively evangelize it is important to start from the beginning:

• God is the lawgiver because He created the world. (“In the beginning God created…” Genesis 1:1)
• God is very good; therefore, the world He created was very good. (“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…” Genesis 1:31)
• Man sinned and brought death into the world. (“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…” Romans 5:12)
• We all deserve to die because we all have broken God’s laws. (“…and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12)
• God is holy and just. He will not let lawbreakers go unpunished. (“…and that [God] will by no means clear the guilty…” Exodus 34:7)
• God is rich in mercy and has provided a Savior to take your punishment. (“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Romans 5:18)

While evangelizing someone with a secular worldview (belief in evolution), or anyone of a non-Christian background, it is important to mention that God created the world, and it was very good. Doing this will help the hearer to understand that there is only one true God we are accountable to, and that man is responsible for the evil, death, and suffering in this world.

Most people you evangelize will have a different god from the God of the Bible. Even though they believe something very different, God has given everyone a conscience (Romans 2:15) that can be used to reveal how we will stand guilty in front of a very good God. All people believe that lying is wrong, stealing is wrong, murder is wrong, but the Bible explains why lying, stealing, and murder are wrong. Use the Bible to show who God is, and use the conscience to show how the Bible is true.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

– Randy

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way — in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Some might find it odd to start a Christian blog but this really describes a couple of outreaches that we recently had at area high schools, Riverside and Washington.

We had gone the week before to Whitefish Bay and Shorewood High Schools. It was the first experience that we had as a group with the Police. The Whitefish Bay police were wondering what we were doing and we explained that we were giving out free 180 movie DVD’s (go to www.180movie.com to watch the free 33 minute movie) and explained that it was about interviews with young people asking them about World War II, Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany and what happened with the Jews, then drawing a parallel with modern day United States called the American Holocaust.

The police asked us stop distributing but we were firm and said that we were on public sidewalk and exercising our free speech rights. After that they were fine with that and simply observed us after that. We were able to hand out about 200 DVD’s and a few gospel tracts. Pray for many to come to the Lord along with their families.

There was one woman walking around that neighborhood who when she saw us became very irritated and couldn’t be spoken with. We tried to share the good news of the gospel but she was opposed. Pray for her and soft heart to hear the gospel.

At Shorewood High, when we arrived, I saw an officer sitting in her patrol car and I approached her and explained what we would be doing there. She said that as long as we stay in the parameters that we stated, we should be OK.

As the kids were leaving, initially the giveaway went great. There were some administrators who approached us. We gave them a DVD and explained to them what we were doing and continued to hand out DVD’s.

We were approached by a person who identified himself as a teacher at the school and wanted to know why we were giving the DVD’s out to young people.

We had quite the battle. The man wanted to go into all the arguments against Christianity and why all religions are the same and it’s all the same god. At the end we were finally able to share with him why not all religions are the same and share the gospel with him. We showed him what God had done for us and why man cannot make amends for his ways before a Just and Holy God. Pray for his salvation and for the kids who received a DVD and their families.

The Best of Times

The next week we scheduled to go to Riverside and I called the Milwaukee Police ahead of time to let them know that we would be there, staying on the sidewalk and handing out the DVD’s. The Sargent that I spoke with said that we were in our right to practice free speech.

When we got onsite, we were approached by some school administrators. We explained to them what we were doing and they said that we were OK to be there.

As the young adults were leaving, the experience was amazing. They gladly took the DVD’s. Some asked what it about. We were also able to hand out some gospel tracts. The whole experience was over in about 15 minutes. Pray for many to come to the Lord.

The Worst of Times

Now we’re feeling pretty good so we decided that since there was an hour difference in dismissal times between the two schools we’d try to head over to Washington H.S. I had call the district Police station for that school and explained to the officer what we’d be doing.

When we got to the location where we’d be handing out the DVD’s we were approached by an officer who wanted us to move across the street. I respectfully explained that we had spoken with the district station and that as long as we stayed on a public sidewalk, we should be able to practice our free speech rights and hand out the DVD’s.

Then a school administrator came out of the building and confronted us. I explained what we were doing and why we were there. She asked us to move across the street and I respectfully told her no, as there would be no students exciting the grounds there. All the students would be getting on buses near the sidewalk where we were standing.

She went back in the building and as it approached the time for students to go home, more administrators and private security came out of both the front and back of the building.

As the students left, we began to hand them the DVD’s to which the administers and security yelled at the kids to give them back or don’t take them or they gave the kids the slashing across the throats sign indicating not to have any contact with us.

On the other side of the school, one administrator was asking students to ask us for more DVD’s and we found out later that he was confiscating them.

All in all, it was a very disappointing experience and the exact opposite of Riverside. I would have to say in hindsight that we weren’t prayed up enough for that outreach and we  took for granted the goodness of God.

Acts 5: ⁴¹ And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

I love a parade! I think there is a song by that title. It’s easy to hand out tracts when everyone is in a good mood and you’re handing out the million or trillion dollar bill. It’s always a good ice breaker to start a great conversation.

The weather was incredible and we were able to hand out zillion tracts. OK, maybe a few less than that, but it was joyful!

The Milwaukee Seed Sowers recently held it first Boot Camp and it was well attended. Each person received the Conquer Your Fear and Share Your Faith book along with free lunch and snacks.

There was great camaraderie, questions and answers. All in all it was a great equipping session. There were more fishermen at the end than when we started.

Some of the comments afterwards were:

• I excitedly have already spoke with someone about what I had just learned – Wildred
• So helpful it’s getting clearer about using the Law, lawfully – Jayne
  Glad I made it – Cynthia
• Every person in this church and every believer should be taking this course! – Sharon
• We need to be prepared to point people in the right direction for follow-up – Cheryl
• Wanted to let you know that my husband Jim and I took the plunge this afternoon and went down to the Lakefront and engaged a number of people in spiritual discussions using the Trillion dollar bill and the Smart Cards.  We had various responses, but were happy that we went. The house that exploded in Glendale last evening was 7 houses south of us which was a good discussion point with a number of people. Thanks for your willingness to lead the Way of the Master classes and the seminar.  We both feel like novices at this, but look forward to continue sharing using the Way of the Master approach. To God be all the glory and praise. Thanks again – Sharon

Please keep watching for the next opportunity to get yourself equipped!

Thursday evening at UWM we met a young man who shared with us that he was on the path of studying the brain and was hoping to go to medical college. He wants to be in the field of research.

He had grown up in a Christian home, gone to Awana and generally had a good upbringing. He admitted that when he began public school and learned the theories that they seemed to make sense to him. That led to a general dismissal of God’s word and creation. Creation teaches that God created the world and everything in it in six 24 hour days and rested on the seventh.

He put himself not in the category of an atheist but was more agnostic in his beliefs. That there was an all-powerful being, who created the world through evolution (the two can coexist according to him) and is sitting back watching everything. I asked him if there was anything specifically in the Bible that caused him to not believe it but he couldn’t really think of anything other than his study of evolution.

We had a wonderful conversation and as we talked the thought came to me that how could a person study the human body, with all it complexities and not believe that a all-powerful God, through the power of His word, create this wonderfully complex and designed universe.

As we talked, I was amazed at how much of God’s word this young man knew and God was bringing back to his memory. As I took him through the commandments, he admitted that he was a liar, a thief, a blasphemer and adultery at heart that if there was a God who judged him, he would be guilty but when I asked him if he thought God would send him to Heaven or Hell, he said heaven because he thought God would look at his overall life not solely based on the 10 Commandments.

I shared with him that he was also guilty of breaking the second commandment, that he was making a god that he was comfortable with and that he had made himself a graven image or an idol. I shared with him that God would find him guilty and send him to hell for all eternity. I asked him if there was a God, who is a good judge, and He sent you to hell, would that concern him? It did. I then reminded him that it isn’t God’s desire to send anyone to hell but His true desire is that all are saved and come to the knowledge of truth.

That truth can only be found in Jesus Christ, who through the cross, suffered for us, died for us, was buried for us, rose from the dead for us and defeated death for us for all eternity. Jesus took the Father’s entire wrath on Himself in our place.

Finally I shared that James 2:19 says, Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. This verse reveals that mere belief, when not accompanied by repentance (Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.) and placing one’s faith in Christ (Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.) is not sufficient for salvation.

I thank him for his time and the talk that we had. I urged him to read Genesis Chapters 1-11, because that tells us we got here and why this world is in the mess that it is and the gospel of John because that is God’s answer to the mess. He agreed that the gospel of John is a good place to start. We separated friends and I’m praying for truth to reveal itself to this young man and the rest of those who we shared with that evening.

I have a confession to make, I made a personal observation about a person and let that cloud the truth rather than rely on what scripture says about the state of man.

Let me introduce to a person that I’ll refer to as “S”. I’ve known “S” for almost 1 ½ years now. They work at the hotel that I stay at when I travel to my client in the Kansas City. We have the same likes and interests. We both talk in the same tones and have a lot in common. We could get started on a topic and talk for hours. I believe that we’ve become good friends.

One early morning I was prompted to give them a tract entitled: “Are You Good Enough to Go To Heaven?” available at www.livingwaters.com. I politely gave it to them with a gift offering as it was close to Christmas and urged them to take the time to read it during a break explaining that there is nothing more important than where a person will spend eternity.

After I had gotten ready for work that morning and returned to the lobby, “S” saw me and declared that they didn’t know if they were good enough to go heaven but that they thought they might be. As there were many people in the Lobby and it wasn’t convenient to talk at that point, I urged them to read the tract and consider what it had to say.

That is a good thing about a tract, you can leave it with a person and it can say the things that you can’t get to speaking and it never forgets to leave out the important parts such as: Where will you spend eternity? Have you considered or examined yourself against the light of God’s law (the 10 commandments) versus your own goodness? If God judges you by His high standard, would you be guilty or innocent? Would you go to heaven or hell? Given that Bible says that all liars will have their part in the fire and that no adulterers, thieves, blasphemers, murderers, etc. will enter the kingdom of God. A tract then shares the glorious gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the death, burial and resurrection. It asks them in light of their sin, to repent and to put their trust in Jesus and tells them they will be born again. They will be new creatures and have now entered into eternal life. It tells them to read their Bible every day and to obey what they read. To go and sin more, as Jesus said, then to go and share this unbelievably good news with others.

The next month when I went to Kansas City, I made it a point to speak with “S” more directly and we went through the commandments and they could see that against God’s Holy Law, they weren’t good but they still wanted to justify themselves and thought that God would still let them into His heaven. That if they would just confess their sin when it occurs and ask for forgiveness and try not to do it again, that God would overlook their indiscretions. I admonished “S” to really consider the criminal standing before an earthly judge and using this approach, “Judge I know that I broke the law, I hope that you’ll forgive me and I’ll try not to do it again”. “S” agreed that the judge would not let him go free and that justice must be served and that the fine must be paid. Who’s going to pay that fine? Jesus paid the fine and we are set free from the grasp of the evil one and free from the grasp of sin.

“S” didn’t repent and put their trust in Christ as their Savior, but I continue to pray for them and believe that the Holy Spirit is working on their conscience. Perhaps the next time I’m in Kansas City, there will be a praise report.

This brings me back to my faults and raises a few issues when determining of whom we should witness to and when we should do it.

I let how I felt about someone cloud my judgment about sharing the gospel. They were so nice that I made an assumption rather than finding out for sure, which put them at risk. How did that put them at risk you may ask? What if that person would have died without at least hearing the gospel? They would have no opportunity to repent and trust the Savior. Ultimately without that a person will spend an eternity in Hell with no time off for good behavior and no possibility of parole. ETERNITY!

The second issue is that this is the reversal of asking what is different about this person. Why are they the way that they are? Have you ever heard that argument about why people don’t openly share the gospel? I’m just going to let my little light shine at work or in my neighborhood with the hopes that perhaps they’ll ask and I have an open door to share the gospel.

I don’t know about you but I’ve never had anyone ask me why I bother to care, showing it by snow blowing the neighbor’s driveway if they are a widow or are out of town or checking in on someone out of concern for their wellbeing.

We should always show our concern for another person by starting a conversation and sharing what we believe and why we believe it, explaining that we’re sharing because we love the person and are concerned for where they will spend eternity. The biggest reason is, does the person have the next minute? We don’t know and neither do they. Only God knows for sure.

Finally the biggest problem that I ignored was what does God’s word say about the State of Man or the Sinner? I’d like to share with you an excerpt from a book entitled The Ambassador’s Handbook:

State of the Sinner:

In order to talk to the sinner we need to know the sinner as defined in the Bible. This will clarify how we reply no matter what someone says (believe it or not, there are only a few biblical categories of possible replies). This also frees us from having to learn a vast number of possible replies to counter with.

Here’s a snapshot of the lost. The lost person is not seeking God – Ps 14:1, 53:1. He doesn’t care about being saved, about going to heaven, or about obeying God, or anything else spiritually. In his mind he is an enemy of God (Ro 8:7). He cannot understand God nor does he want to. There is no good thing in him (Ro 3:10-22). His righteousness is as filthy rags (Is 64:6). He is in bondage to his sin and enslaved to it (2 Peter 2:19). He loves his sin more than anything else (John 3:19). He cannot understand Scripture because he is spiritually dead (1 Cor 2:14). Some will be offended upon hearing the gospel; others will stumble (1 Cor 1:23, 1 Peter 2:8). So what are you going to say?

In addition, the lost person currently stands condemned (John 3:17-18); God’s wrath is abiding on him (John 3:36); every day he continues to sin he is storing up more wrath for his day of judgment (Ro 2:4); God is angry with him every day (Ps 7:11); and the day he dies he’ll face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

And it’s your job to let him know of all of this – what do you say?

Contact: jesuswaytruthlife@yahoo.com The Ambassadors Handbook – Page 7

Please pray for “S” and may we stand in our witness with the Apostle Paul and share from the heart without tarrying:

1 Corinthians 2: 1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

…It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 3

What are the lost saved from? Their sin and God’s wrath. Period.

Matthew 1:21 – thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Romans 5:9 – …we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 2:5 – But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath.

How do they know they’re a sinner? By God’s law – the Ten Commandments. Period.

Ro 7:7 – … Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law.

1 John 3:4 – For sin is transgression of the law.

Romans 2:15 – Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;

See also Romans 3:19, 7:13, Gal 3:24, 1 Timothy 1:8.

How do believers witness to the lost? By preaching the gospel. Period.

Ro 10:14-15 How then shall they [the lost] call on him [pray for salvation] in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard [have not heard the words of the gospel]? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Matthew 4:1 – From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 10:5-16 – These twelve Jesus sent forth…  And as ye go, preach, saying…

Luke 10:1 – After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place.

Mark 16:15 – And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

1 Cor 1:17 – For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

Acts 20:20-21 – but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 8:4 – Therefore they [all the believers; not just the evangelists] that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

See also Acts 12:24, 13:5, 12, 38, 44, 46-49, 14:21, 25, 15:7, 16:35, 17:30-31.

Jonah 3:4 – And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.         Note: Jonah preached open-air once to strangers and 100% were saved!

How are the lost saved? By the preaching of the gospel. Period.

John 5:24 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life…

Eph 1:13 – In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

1 Thess 1:5 – For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost.

1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God.

Note: If a believer is too fearful or not equipped to preach the gospel there’s something called gospel tracts that can be used until they do get equipped.

If one doesn’t approve of Way of the Master/Ray Comfort, open air/street preaching, witnessing to complete strangers, door-to-door then by definition they also don’t approve of the following list of open air/street preachers (looking backwards in history). It’s not Ray’s method – never was; he simply studied Scripture and preachers of the past – it’s the biblical gospel.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Dr. David Livingston
Public Crier George Fox
Street Preacher Dwight Lyman Moody
Emma Revell Moody
Street Preacher George Whitfield
Public Proclaimer William Booth
Catherine Booth
AW Tozer, saved by a street preacher
William Ashley “Billy” Sunday
Preacher John Bunyan
Scores of independent Baptists in colonial America who spread the gospel across the fruited plains   (from What Hath god Wrought?)
Rueben Archer Torrey
John Huss
William Penn
John Wycliffe
John Wesley
Jonathan Edwards
John Knox
Peter Waldo
Francis of Assisi
Robert Flockhart
Charles Finney

(from: http://www.officialstreetpreachers.com/Faces%20from%20the%20past/FacesFromThePast.pdf)

Miracle on George Street http://www.livingwaters.com/listenwatch/georgestreet.m3u

Hudson Taylor, the first missionary to closed China, was saved by a gospel tract.
Noah, a preacher of righteousness.
The 12 apostles.
Paul, an apostle.
The two witnesses of Revelation (Rev 11:3).
A flying angel in the midst of heaven (Rev 14:6).

…and most importantly, Jesus Christ.

The preaching of the gospel is foolishness to those that are perishing. It is also foolishness to some believers who don’t believe that the preaching of the gospel is the power of God unto salvation; hence they believe there are others ways for the lost to be saved:

1 Cor 1:18, 21 – For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. … it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

God is a jealous God and He will not share His glory with another:

Deut 4:4 – For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

This is why people only get saved by the gospel and no other way; otherwise man would share in God’s glory as they would’ve thought up a new way ‘to reach people’. God draws them; the Holy Spirit convicts them, and the gospel saves them. Period.

Luke 16:31 – And he said unto him, If they hear [hear words] not Moses [the Ten Commandments] and the prophets [God’s Word], neither will they be persuaded [convicted, broken and contrite heart, repentant, have belief or faith], though one rose from the dead [even if they saw a miracle].