Low Hanging Fruit

2013 Jun 25 (38)

Exhortation

It's Testify Tuesday again. I hope every Christian reading this is testifying about Christ in their own unique way today. For a few of us, we are going to Markville Mall at 6:30PM to do just that. Join us if the Holy Spirit tells you to.

Those of you at Harvest Bible Chapel York Region last Sunday heard a bit about the shepherd heart of David. I pray often that God would give this heart to more people. I pray that more people would weep for the countless number of lost souls heading to Hell. I pray that God would send more laborers to this harvest field. I pray that these messages I put up every Tuesday do not fall on deaf ears.

Am I asking you to come out to the mall to evangelize to strangers, that you're not a good Christian if you don't? NO!!! Stop getting that idea! I am asking you to have a shepherd's heart for the lost, to have a gospel-centric lifestyle, to seek out ways to help, to pray for open doors for the gospel... I KNOW there's something only you can do. Do it!

And pray "also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel" (Eph 6:19), which is neither natural nor easy for me. Pray for that tonight.

Testimony

As usual, at the mall tonight for our weekly evangelism, we have many interesting stories to share, but we'll share one:

There was this group of two guys, one of whom had a best friend who died when he was a kid (hit by a car) and have since turned away from God. The other guy (let's call him Sam) just broke up with his girlfriend 3 weeks ago. He was obviously frustrated and angry, saying that she treated him like dirt even though he treated her like gold. We shared snippets of the gospel but could not get the whole thing out in one go. However, as we kept talking (and it was a very long conversation), he started opening up a bit more. I liked how Stephen kept pushing and digging deeper.

He started asking questions as we talked about sin and about how maybe he's been treating God like dirt while God has done nothing but love him. After some more time, Sam's friend got impatient and wanted to leave. But Sam wasn't done talking and wanted to stay! In fact, we exchanged contacts and he said he'll be here again next week on Tuesday.

As we parted, we told him that this was no coincidence, and he heartily agreed! We know the seed has been firmly planted and he seems so close! We've already sent a few text messages back and forth! Pray that we will see each other next week and be able to follow up with Sam. :)

The Holy Spirit moved powerfully tonight. Praise God!

PS. Props to Linda and Ryan for speaking to tons of people.

Souls (10) {Total: 294}

T; P, J, A, J;

F;

Guy;

K, S;

A (Christian)

Team (4)

Tony, Stephen; Linda, Ryan

So an Atheist and Agnostic Walks in...

2013 Jun 18 (37)

Exhortation

What do you do when you have prayer and evangelism going on at the same time? Which one is more important? Which one should you go to? My answer: Do both.

It's Testify Tuesday. Come to Markville Mall to evangelize at 6PM and come to Harvest Bible Chapel York Region to pray at 7PM.

God, do a mighty work tonight.

Testimony

Today was Testify Tuesday once again at Markville Mall. This week was much shorter since Harvest Bible Chapel York Region was having a prayer night, but we got out there and proclaimed Jesus to people. Today, we only had time for one conversation, but it ended up going so long that we were 40 minutes late for church prayer! I was joined by Ambrose Cato and Nathaniel Chow and Tony Chuang even joined us for a little bit. We spoke to two friends Myles(agnostic) and Cameron(atheist) and they were very talkative and open to talk about spiritual things. One of the guys said that he really liked all of the things that Jesus did and taught, but didn't see the relevance of having to believe in Him. We explained the fact that their sin had separated them from God and they needed a saviour. We went through the gospel, among other things, many times over and over. At the end of the day, we realize that we're not the ones who do the saving, but it's only the spirit of God that can regenerate the heart. Please continue praying for us and maybe even consider joining us :)

Souls (2) {Total: 284}

C, M (agnostic, atheist)

Team (4)

Mike, Ambrose, Nathaniel, Tony

Another Hectic Week

2013 Jun 11 (36)

Exhortation

It's Testify Tuesday once again Harvest Bible Chapel York Region. Please pray for us as we carry the good news to the poor once again at Markville Mall @ 6:30pm or even join us! We've been praying for the seed of the gospel to find good ground and for workers to go out into the harvest with us. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" - Matt 9:37.

Testimony

Today we had Testify Tuesday again! Thanks for keeping up in prayer Harvest Bible Chapel York Region, we surely need them as we hit Markville mall to share the gospel. Ben and Ryan joined me this week. It's only Tuesday and we all agreed that our weeks had been hectic already, but just like Romans 10:14-15 says "How then, shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard. And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?". We must preach!

We had a really good conversation with these 3 friends (Tristan, William and Alvin) who were Catholic, yet believed in reincarnation. We explained that all have sinned and we went through some of the 10 commandments. Just like a criminal being sentenced by a judge would not get off for any good deeds done, they began to understand that they had offended the God of the universe. We shared the gospel and of the 3 guys, Tristan seemed the most responsive and asked a lot of questions! Although we don't know what they experienced, they heard the complete gospel and Ryan exchanged contacts with them to follow up. Please pray for these guys, especially that they would come to repentance and faith in Christ. Ben Sampson had some interesting conversations of his own that I'm sure he will share below! Please continue to pray that we would be faithful in sharing the gospel and that God would give us fruit that would remain.

-Mike

You are right Mike Fenty, the first guy I spoke with had never heard the true Gospel before. He agreed with me that there was good evidence for God's existence but thought that even if God did exist, he just had to be a nice guy - doing good things in order to go to Heaven. When I walked him through the Ten Commandments to demonstrate that he wasn't as nice as he thought, added to the fact that doing good things cannot cancel out bad things, he was visibly shaking in front of me (actually physically shaking). He kept saying how amazing the conversation was before we had even finished. Unfortunately, his family came and he needed to head out. But I know that he at least understood that he needed to repent and believe in Jesus in order to be saved. It is now in God's hands. The other conversations were a little rough :)
-Ben

Souls (11) {Total: 282}

T, W, A (brother Andre);
V;
The Zoroastrian family;
H;
A;
R (Christian);
N

Team (3)

Mike, Ben, Ryan

Lots of Rejection

2013 Jun 4 (35)

Exhortation

N/A

Testimony

Today was Testify Tuesday once again at Markville Mall! Thank you Harvest Bible Chapel York Region for constantly keeping us in prayer, we definitely needed that today. I was joined by Melinda, Ryan and Ambrose as we sought to glorify God through telling unbelievers about His great love for us. Throughout the month of May, we've been in prayer asking God to add to our team and this has been a prayer that has been continuously answered! Ambrose joined us for the first time this week!

I teamed up with Ambrose and we started a couple of conversations that were either shutdown prematurely or just went nowhere. We know that it is only through the working of the Holy Spirit on a sinners heart that one would ever come to Jesus, but sometimes it's easy to get discouraged. After praying that the Lord would lead us to someone who would be willing to hear the gospel, we were lead to two friends Alan and Riaz who were in their 30s. They were both Guyanese and just like all good west indians, they grew up with a lot of respect and a little bit of Christianity. It is amazing how the "light" goes on when someone realizes that they are not good enough and that they need a saviour. They asked a lot of questions near the end of the conversation, but had to leave early because one of their wives was ready to go. It was exciting to be able to plant the seed of the gospel in their lives. We may never know, this side of heaven, what that seed produces in their lives, but the gospel was preached!

Tonight was filled with a lot of rejection and possibly even fear of rejection, but our hope is not in ourselves and our abilities...it's in Christ. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18. When I think about what Christ has saved me from I rejoice in rejection, I rejoice in trials and I rejoice in the gospel. Friends, even when it seems like there's no hope, we have hope! Please continue to pray for us and perhaps even join us..we'll be there next Tuesday! "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives." - Proverbs 11:30.-Mike

Souls (7) {Total: 271}

M, S, V;
R, A;
A;
C

Team (4)

Mike, Melinda, Ryan, Ambrose

God Answered Our Prayer! Someone Got Saved!

2013 May 28 (34)

Exhortation

6:30PM, Markville Mall, Testify Tuesday. Be there or be praying. Please? We NEED your prayers.

I’d like all you Christians reading this to be praying for these two things:
1. At least one more team member (anyone is welcome to join us)
2. At least one person come to saving faith and discipled

This is the last Tuesday for May. God has already answered the first item. Now we are begging Him for the second. Know that when it happens, it will not be by coincidence or the power of man, but because my God is real and my God is powerful. Glory to my God, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ!

Pray with me, my family at Harvest Bible Chapel York Region and my family from afar.
-Tony

Testimony

God answers prayer! Both items have been answered! Someone trusted Christ as Lord and savior tonight!!!

Remember how for the month of May we asked God for two things, a team member and a saved person? Got gave us many new team members. Shout out to Ryan and Melinda, who encouraged Mike, Ben, and myself greatly. God also saved someone tonight! I ran into K, whom God brought to me. As I explained everything, he told me many times how "If you put it this way, it makes so much sense." I really focused on the fear of the Lord as I talked about the reality of death and the harshness of Hell. At one time, he told me, "Now you're just scaring me."

Hell is scary! But praise the Holy Spirit for opening his eyes to see everything so clearly for the first time and the desperate need for Christ to be saved. He kept saying, "My mind is just blown!" After we prayed together right there against the railing on the second story of Markville Mall, he said he felt this burden lifted off. Praise God!

Please, please keep praying for K. He got my contact information and said he'll be coming to church as well as promising me he'll read the gospel of John. I told him how real Satan is. So please, pray that Satan won't snatch him away, scorching him with the sun or choking him with the thorns (Matt 13:6-7). Pray that I can disciple him. It's no coincidence that we focused so much on prayer this month. Prayer IS where everything happens!

I'm reminded of all the fasting and praying we've been doing. You there, do you see this? Do you see God answering prayer? Did I not say that my God is real and powerful and mighty to save? Did I not say that He hears our cries? Did I not say that this WILL happen and that when it does, you should glorify God?

Well, this did happen! God did increase our team. God did save someone in the month of May, just as we prayed. Do you still doubt the faithfulness of God? Doubt no more Christian. Doubt no more atheist. My God IS real and very powerful. So glorify God! It's all Him! Believe in Him, and you WILL be saved (Acts 16:31).

-Tony

PS. Harvest Bible Chapel York Region, look forward to meeting a new brother this weekend. :)
PPS. Check out http://testifytuesday.blogspot.ca/, especially the month of May, for more testimonies.

Souls (11) {Total: 264}

E, G (E's gf, pastor's kid);
K;
J;
J;
K;
D;
M, T;
D;
K (salvation)

Team (5)

Tony; Ben, Melinda; Mike, Ryan

He Asked All the Right Questions!

2013 May 21 (33)

Exhortation

It is Testify Tuesday. That means at 6:30PM, a bunch of us will be sharing the gospel at Markville Mall.

I’d like all you Christians reading this to be praying for these two things:
1. At least one more team member (anyone is welcome to join us)
2. At least one person come to saving faith and discipled

We are praying for God to do something amazing this month of May. It’s going to happen. So watch, and pray. Pray to Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). Pray that people won’t just have excellent days, but excellent eternities.

Seminarian attending Harvest Bible Chapel York Region,
-Tony

Testimony

You want to read this! We have an amazing testimony tonight sharing the gospel at the mall!

We approached this high school kid Mike to ask him what he thought the worst suffering he can imagine is. He mentioned depression, physical pain, and death. This led perfectly into a definition of Hell. After spending a few more minutes elaborating on Hell and assuring him of his status as a sinner with no hope, Melinda came in and shared about the hope in Jesus Christ, about justification by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). It was a perfect tag team's one-two punch!

Initially he seemed put off, but as we talked more, he became more and more engaged. When asked if he thought this was interesting, he said straightforwardly that he'd have left if it wasn't. He then asked really good questions like what the cross meant and who Jesus was, to which we gave a brief history lesson. He also asked how we came to be Christian, to which I shared my personal testimony. He even asked what it meant to pray and how we know God is talking to us! He asked many more pertinent questions, those that only genuinely interested people ask.

Near the end, he asked whether sufferings will cease once we believe, to which we shared the cost of discipleship, essentially telling him that even if he believed, life might even get harder as persecution comes. But this aroma of Christ was definitely a fragrance of life to him (cf. 2 Cor 2:15-16). It's so obvious that the Holy Spirit was working in him, tugging him to give his life to Christ.

We asked what was stopping him from entering into this saving relationship with God, to which he said "Nothing"! Though he wasn't comfortable praying with us then, he has our number and seems interested in either youth group or meeting up to discuss further. Pray for him to call me.

Christian, don't stop believing that God can use you in any encounter if you put yourself out there. Don't stop praying for our new friend to be saved, as he is so ready! Don't stop sharing the gospel for the harvest is oh so plentiful (Matt 9:37)!

-Tony, Ben, Mike, Melinda

Souls (6) {Total: 253}

Older couple;
E;
M;
C;
M

Team (4)

Tony, Melinda; Ben, Mike

God Brought More People

2013 May 14 (32)

Exhortation

Testify Tuesday, 6:30PM, Markville Mall. You know how I feel about evangelism. Please, pray with us. We got two requests that we hope God will answer this month:

1. At least one more team member
2. At least one person come to saving faith and discipled

Do you believe God hears and answers prayers? We do. Prayer is where things happen. Going out is but a mere byproduct of hours of prayer. We are tired of watching death rule this world. We refuse to idly sit by and do nothing! No, we shall preach life; we shall preach Christ. So pray with us.

Evangelist at Harvest Bible Chapel York Region,
-Tony

Testimony

Today, we had a team of 6. Praise God! He grew the team! These are the evangelist tonight: Mike, Ben, Linda, Timo, and Melinda. Though some came out for the first time, their boldness and obedience were really encouraging to me.

I will share one story: We talked to this girl Christine for a long time. She's a very kind person. She grew up in a Christian home and believed in this kind of new age spirituality. As we shared the prison analogy and how Christ came to save us, she was just agreeing with everything we said. She even elaborated on how painful it must have been for Him to have died on the cross. She agreed how punishment for sin has to be dealt and it has to be death.

We could have just prayed for her, but that wouldn't be sharing the gospel. She didn't believe in the blood of Christ as the sole propitiation for her sins and didn't see Him as Lord and savior. And she needed to... After a while, we finally shared enough for her to say this, "I respect you for your views, but I don't exactly see it like that." She rejected the gospel...

I experienced more joy in this rejection than I have in recent memory. I rejoiced because she finally understood what we were saying. She understood that what she believes and what we believe are vastly different. She understood that being a Christian isn't about doing good, it's about Christ and His cross. See, you can't reject something you don't know. If she rejected us, that means she now knows the gospel. The seed has taken root! Whatever it grows up to be is no longer my responsibility, it is God's. And for that, I rejoice. Because I know that there's no better hands to be in than the loving hands of my God (cf. 2 Sam 24:14).

Souls (15) {Total: 247}

M;
J;
T+3;
F, Miss H;
I, C, M;
3 ladies (mother and daughters);
A;
C

Team (6)

Tony, Timo; Ben, Linda; Mike, Melinda