We wanted to set up the outreach table last week in celebration of the birth of Jesus to let others know why we believe in Him. What a pleasure for me to work with my pastor, Matthew Recker, of Heritage Bapt. Church where I am a member. (http://www.hbcnyc.org/ ) I want to say that I thank God to have a pastor who loves evangelism and is humble enough to want to reach the lost from all walks of life in NYC, enthusiastically and sincerely working at a table outreach with me. Andy Santiago was also a blessing. He was home from Bible college in North Carolina, and he also joined us. We had a great time telling people about why we love Jesus and offering free materials. We had planned to set up in the warm hallways of the Long Island Railroad, underground at 34th Street and & 7th Avenue, just a couple of blocks from the church office. I found out I must get a permit to set up down there, so back out in the cold we went. It was really too cold to do outdoor ministry, so I am praying for God to give us the safe, warm, clean mission field of the Long Island Railroad in winter months. I plan to turn in the application for a permit this week.
Yet, as we stood out in the cold fighting the wind, God brought people over with questions, many open to know more about Jesus. One man came over interested in the difference between Buddhism and Christianity. He said he was a Christian. He took Zen Buddhism Part 1 and Part 2 by Walter Martin and promised to listen to the sermons on CD, explaining Zen Buddhism from a Christian perspective. I reminded him that Zen Buddhism offers no pure Savior for sin, and no Savior that rose from the grave! He spoke with Pastor Recker for a while and said he would listen to his sermons on the radio in the greater NYC area and hoped to visit our church.
Pastor Recker offered a man a tract, and the man sat down beside him. Pastor Recker began speaking with him. Pastor Recker said, "I want to pray a blessing for you this season." The man said, "Pray that I will repent of my sins."
God was really at work! He brought over a woman with faith in Jesus who needed encouragement. She was living in a homeless shelter with her kids. She said, "I need to have wings like an eagle to rise above my situation." We prayed with her, and she began to weep. We promised that God will be faithful to her as she keeps her eyes on Him. She took materials for her kids and teenager from our table for Christmas, explaining that they love to learn about Jesus.
A Catholic man came over, and we offered him "Scripture vs. Tradition." He read the timeline of the Catholic church with interest and then the comparison between what the Bible teaches and what the Roman Catholic Church teaches. He said he never knew the RCC has teachings so different from the Bible. He said he would share the tract with his family. (Everything was documented from the worship of Mary to the Mass vs. repentance from the heart over sin, as the Bible teaches for salvation, with a relationship with God vs. man-made religion and traditions.) He said he had been in the Catholic church all of his life, but he had never read the Bible before.
One woman approached our table with a background in Hinduism, from a Hindu upbringing. Now, she stated, she did not know what to believe. I started to explain that we are all in a spiritual war, and it is differnt from the battles we face physically. As I continued speaking about a spiritual battle for her soul, she began to nod in aggreement. She replied, "I know I am in a battle. I know about dark spirits." I began to explain the difference between the Holy Spirit and the other impure spirits who lead people away from Jesus. We began to speak about the difference in Jesus vs. the millions of gods and goddesses, which are demons, in Hinduism. She took materials for Hindus, explaining the dangers of the demonic realm. She seemed very open and promised to read all we gave her. She saw a Bible on the table and asked, "May I have the Bible?" I answered, "Yes, but only if you promise to read it." She said, "I promise," and I turned to read her the passage in James 2:19: "You believe in God; you do well. The demons also believe and tremble." She promised to read the book of James and the book of John on the train back home.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." John 1:14
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Hebrews 2:14
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." John 1:18
"For God so loved that world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
"He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us because God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him." 1 John 4:9
