I took my 12 year old son out again. We were praying last night and after we were finished, he said "Dad I want to go out door-to-door witnessing with you again tomorrow." You can imagine the joy that this brings to me as a parent trying to instill Godly values and establish a firm Christian worldview in his life.
I can't emphasize enough the importance of prayer in evangelism outeach efforts. When you witness you plant seed of the Gospel, but it is God who causes the increase (1 Cor.3:6-7). I mentioned going out by myself this last Saturday. I was in a hurry that day and I left without the prayer cover needed when doing the spiritual warfare of sharing the gospel. Consequently, I felt no real peace inside, nor compassion for those I was speaking to (Romans 10:1).The one good conversation that I had seemed awkard to me and it was only by God's grace that I was able to have the youn man's attention for so long. A great way to pray for the lost is by praying the scripture. I intercede for those neighborhoods I'm canvassing in using the prayer closet ministries prayer guides.
Tonight I spoke with 2 Born-again Christians at my 1st 2 doors. It was encouraging to share with them and they thanked me for what I was doing.The next door I went to was a self-professed agnostic women. She didn't want to discuss spiritual matters, but was polite and took the gospel tract from me anyhow. I asked if she had a bible inside and she said yes, so I encouraged her to please read it and reference the scriptures from the tract. Here is a picture front and back of the tract I distribute.
The next door I went to was a Catholic women (non-practicing) whom was very generous in her food contribution. I asked her the spiritual survey questions and then transitioned into a witnessing encounter with her. After getting a works based answer on the "How do you get to heaven?" question, I was able to take her through the Law and then share the with her. My son even commented to me that after I showed her the "mirror of the law" her countenance was visibly changed from light-hearted and carfree to one of conviction and guilt. Those weren't his exact words but it was obvious anyhow. Please pray for Kim's salvation. She admitted that her eternal destiny was something she was concerned about.
I had another great conversation with a Catholic man (trusting in good works of course) whom was very appreciative of what we were doing and thanked me after the one-one witnessing conversation. He admitted that not everyone will go to heaven, but didn't know for sure how to avoid it.
I ended the night speaking with a Jehovah Witness woman named Mary at her home. Her husband answered the door but he was on the phone and passed me off to her. She was of course quick to let me know that She was a JW at the beginning of the spiritual survey.I asked her questions about the day of Judgement where everyone will receive either heaven or hell for all eternity. It was an interesting conversation from the beginning. She went from talking about the original sin of Adam and Eve, the JW doctrine of only 144,000 true believers, Jesus being a created being,to hell not being a place with real and literal suffering, her belief that the soul doesn't die (I quoted her Ezek. 18:20 in reply) to a faith without works is dead quote (as an attempt to justify a works-based salvation in addition to the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.) I told her that I had many reasons to disagree with her based on scripture, but quickly steered the conversation back onto track. I asked her how she would answer the question of "What must one do to be saved?". She skirted around the question and appeared very uncomfortable.She had no discernable understanding of biblical repentance and when I told her that Jesus said that "unless ye repent,ye shall all likewise parish", she was just silent. I explained to her that Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God whom took away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and that Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Law and by living a sinless perfect life while here on earth he was an acceptible substitute for us to meet the requirements of being a lamb without blemish.I told her that the bible claims that Jesus was the God in the flesh and that he was the risen Son of God.She said that Jesus went to hell. I explained that because he rose again, he had defeated death and the grave. She only believed that Jesus was a Son of God and Not THE son of God. Mary earlier had admitted that good works alone wasn't sufficient to obtain eternal security with God in heaven, but as the conversation neared an end her false JW doctines betrayed her as she leaned on a missaplication of James 2:18-20 as an attempt to claim works were partially necessary to obtain Salvation. I stated that she had many doctrinal positions that were not scriptural and reiterated that no man made religion that has a works based solution to obtain eternal life was a biblical substitute for
Repentance of Sins and Faith in Jesus Christ alone. She refused to accept a tract from me. Unforunately,I may not have an additional opportunity to witness to this family again. She was adamant that the JW's was the right religion. I would have liked to had a more productive conversation, but this was my first encounter with a JW in a very long time, and admittedly I wasn't quite prepared. Please pray that Mary is delivered from her false religious doctrines and that the Holy Spirit will lead her to genuine repentance and Salvation in Jesus Christ alone.
All in all it was a very productive evening with several good gospel seeds that were sown. To God alone be the glory. Please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit uses my son and I to faithfully to perform the minstry of reconciliation to the lost people in Troy,MO.
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