Rejection and Repentance

2013 Aug 6 (44)

Exhortation

Testify Tuesday. What does that mean? That means it is Tuesday and therefore we go to Markville Mall and share the gospel. Tonight we are starting at 6PM.

"Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!"
- 1 Chron 16:23-24

That! That is what we are doing tonight. You are invited to join.

Testimony

Testify Tuesday:
When God's people pray for his kingdom to be expanded he opens up Heaven and gives them more then they could expect. LTM~

Praise God for the amazing conversations we had tonight!
Our team consisted of Tony, Norman, and Melinda.
Upon arrival, Tony, Norman and Melinda were in conversation with a couple who seemed to be listening courteously. Apparently no one had ever shared the gospel with them, but they were willing to listen, and thanked us for sharing with them- which was an encouragement. We never know how the seeds will be invested in the soil.
We then divided into pairs, girls and guys. Initially as Melinda and I set off with our fire to share the gospel- it felt like it was doused with the water of rejection. We couldn't understand why no one we approached (three attempts) wanted to talk to us. Yet God is faithful, our fourth attempt was a lady waiting for her daughter, she professed to be a Christian and was so encouraged by us and wanted us to meet her daughter- who was inside the store. Further she was so encouraged by us she wanted to treat us to ice cream! We kindly refused the offer but appreciated her prayers and support- our efforts were renewed.

Norman and Tony seemed to have a fruitful conversation, so much that when they gave a invitation to check out our church, the guy they talked to said he would be interested in coming! Please pray for no hindrances, but for God's will to be done.

So after a reboot in confidence, Melinda and I approached a guy who is Catholic but also believes parts of the Muslim faith.
Melinda did a fierce job presenting the truth of the gospel stating that it's not about labels but about the heart what a person believes and a relationship with Christ. It seemed like we went down tangent lane alot- but through our discussion he came away knowing why as young people we were there sharing the gospel on a Tuesday and that Christ wants to pursue a relationship with him.

Norman and I then had the opportunity to have two conversations; One with a young man whose religion is Hindu, but he is an atheist. Praise God this young man has a friend who is a Christian, and apparently his Christian friend has talked with him and shared from the Bible! Amazing...seeds being planted at different stages! So Norman and I shared with him the gospel- although for an atheist he knew alot OF the Bible but not as much about the relationship with God- this was deeply lacking. He asked alot of good questions like how come we were Christians? What made us turn our lives around. This opened the opportunity for us to share our testimonies briefly and we both touched upon repentance in our own way. It seemed fruitful until his family came. We had given him a card and invited him to come out to Harvest and he seemed interested, but his Mom took the card. Regardless, our God is greater. Like we told him God has a plan for each of us and we never know where our discussion will lead.

Our second conversation was with a woman who says she is a Christian,although she doesn't go to church as often as she should, nor reads her Bible as much. When asked where she is going to go she said somewhere in reunion with her mother, father and brother- but not Heaven. We probed her about heaven and Hell and she refused to believe there was a hell or further that God would send people there. She couldn't get over how a little sin could send someone to hell. She was knowledgeable about the Bible, and Norman was really fierce in presenting the origins of Sin from Adam and Eve and how God is a righteous judge-but she just wouldn't budge.Overall she was kind to us. We wish we had more time with her, she was delightful to talk to, but had to leave. Apparently she was visiting her grand daughter and sister since she lives in Florida! Divine appointments tonight for sure!

Thank you so much for partnering up with us through prayer tonight, and for trooping through this essay .
Please continue to join us in our petitions that God will add to our numbers, unify us, give us courage, boldness when we go out and have wisdom in following up with those God places before us.

Thank you dear brothers and sisters.

1 Timothy 4:12:
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Souls (11) {Total: 358}

J, R;
D;
P;
J;
J;
M;
A;
T;
G;
N

Team (6)

Tony, Norman, Melinda, Linda; Ryan, Stephen, Matthew