Christmas in the Park Witnessing Part 4

Remember that young man I gave an apple because he held up a sign that said "hungry"?  First of all, Sam, that's his name, didn't look hungry or homeless , especially with that cell phone.  Well, I had told him that I was coming back to ask him how he did on the quiz.  I thought that since he was just sitting there, he would have plenty of time.  Surprisingly, he told me he didn't have time because he had to do that first--meaning his asking for money.

"Oh, ok, well, do you have a CD player?"  I thought he was listening to something since he had these really nice earphones on.

"No, this is my cell phone, you never know when someone is going to call"  he said.

At this, I just said good bye because we were on our way to take the children to the bathroom.  Next to this young man was a lady on a bright yellow shirt distributing "The Way to Happiness"  booklets.  Since we were passing by, Jose accepted it and began to browse through it.

By this time we were ready to leave because we didn't notice that four hours had passed!  The children had done so well I was amazed! But, by now we were all ready for some lunch.   Unfortunately, we couldn't talk to the lady passing these out.  We noticed that now there were two ladies.

"Hi," I attempted to at least make a quick stop and give them a tract. "I noticed that this booklet you're passing out contradicts itself and doesn't tell you what Truth is."

"Well, you are right this is more of a moral ethics approach than a religious approach," she replied.

"You know, I am sorry.  I have to go, but..." I tried to tell her that I can't stop to talk as I was looking for a tract and CD to giver her.

"Ok, well, what are you passing out?"  She was actually very kind and easy to talk to.  I wish I had more time.  I left her with a Christmas tract and a CD of "The Road that Takes Me Home."

Jose wanted to go back and talk to the ladies because they are so deceived and are deceiving others.  The booklet is by L. Ron Hubbard.  I guess he is a famous author.  Jose had seen his name around.  Some of the lies in this booklet are:

"What is true is what is true for you...If it is not true for you, it isn't true."  Then, it goes on to base the whole book on most of God's Ten Commandments--of course it doesn't say that is where he got this ideas.   It gives a deceiving made-up definition of what truth is and finally ends up with "Do not bear false witness."  An  outrageous example is the section in the book called, "Do not Murder."  Then it goes on to define murder as "the unlawful killing of one or more human being by another, especially with malice aforethought (intending to do so before the act.)"

This would protect all abortions because they are not "unlawful" and the cruel slave trade of the 1700s where many Africans were brutally murdered and thrown aboard.   You get the idea of what this is about.   It is very sad and upsetting at best because it uses God's "moral code", as they call it, to fit their own lifestyle and denying any alliegance or even acknowledgement to Him.  It reminds me of the money changers using the Temple for their own gain than as a God's holy place of prayer.

Jose asked a series of questions to get these people thinking like, "What if murder is true to me because it is part of my religion."  Jihad is the annihilation of the enemies of Islam for example.

I went to their website and it was alarming to me how much they are spreading this "religion".  It's international and they take it to schools and all sorts of societal pockets claiming that because of this teaching, "wow, their crime has dropped and they are so happy".

This "religion" is what makes people think they are so"good" and get into a self-righteous mode; which is exactly what we were addressing with the ones we talked to.  We are not good and we cannot be good apart from our Savior.

We do hope to come back and encounter these nice ladies again.  If they claim that there is  no absolute truth, they can't be using God's Laws because they are absolute Truth. "The Word became flesh and dwelled among us" John 1:1-3.

One thing I learned, at least for this season, is that I can't just enjoy myself through the crowd knowing they know nothing of the hope I have in Christ, and that they would listen if I take the time to LOOK.  With all the noise, lights, color, big center stage of Christmas trees and Santa Claus, the Nativity is drown unless the light (us) shine in the deceiving darkness.

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Christmas in the Park Witnessing Part 3

Two beautiful young ladies approached me, I call it "God sent" or "Divine Appointment".  They were also volunteering for Christmas in the Park asking for donations.  Their names were, Grishma left, and Krishna right.  They were friends from Valley High School.

"Would you donate to Christmas in the Park?"  they asked.  Although, I had already donated to the other girls, I knew it was a great opportunity to share with them too.

"Sure,"  I said smiling. "So, you are volunteers for Christmas in the Park.  That's great!  Do you know what Christmas is all about?" They looked as each other smiling and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know", said Grishma.

"Here, this is a quiz of how well you know about Christmas."  Immediately, I could tell they were ready to talk and listen.  I asked a couple of the trick questions.  They had fun answering.  I asked the question about why Christmas on December 25th.  Krishna said,

"Jesus' birth?"

"Actually, Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th."

"Oh, yeah that was Easter," said Grishma quickly and softly as if not really sure either.

"That is when Jesus rose from the death, " I clarified.  Then gave a quick history about how it used to be a pagan holiday.  "Christmas is when we remember Christ's birth, it was actually never celebrated until about 300 AD.  God doesn't ask us to celebrate  it.   But it is very important to remember and celebrate it too.  So, do you know why God chose to become a man and come into the world as a Babe?"

"No,"  they were honest.  By this time I realized that Christmas is not about Jesus anymore but about Santa Claus, Christmas trees and presents.  Families are not passing the truth unto their children.

"You know, the Christmas songs," I prodded, "about Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King..."  But I knew they still had no clue.  They were smart girls and were interested in the questions.  "Here is another questions: If Santa was to used the Ten Commandments as a standard for naughty and nice, how would you measure up?"

"Ummm,"  giggled Grishma, "can you be in the middle?"

"Nooooo!" Kishna was quick to answer.

"Well, you are either naughty or nice, there is on in between," I too clarified.

"Yeah," Krishna asserted, as if knowing what it meant, but was rather thoughtful to answer the question herself.

"Nice?"  Grishma finally answered doubting herself.

"Well, then, let me ask you some questions to see if that's true.  Have you ever told a lie?"

"White lies?"  she said.

"Ok, yeah, white lies are lies.  Have you ever disobeyed your parents?"

"No."

"Never? Wow," I turned to my little girls, "Did you girls hear that, Grishma has never disobeyed her parents!"  We all know disobedience is rooted in the heart since birth.

"Have you used God's name in vain like OMG?"

"Yes", they both laughed admitting it.

"Ok, so when you die and you are before God, the Judge, you have admitted to have broken at least two of the Ten Commandments.  Will you stand guilty or innocent?"  Even though, I didn't go through all the Ten Commandments and they were very smart good girls, for some reason, they knew they were in trouble, especially Grishma.  I could tell the Holy Spirit had prepared her heart.  She really thought she was a very good innocent girl.  All of the sudden, she knew she was guilty.

"Does that concern you; where you will spend eternity?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do" she nodded with a worried serious expression and singling herself now from her friend who too nodded.

"God is Just and therefore he has to punish your sin.  The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death."  Now, they were  listening attentively like sponges. "There is a way out, do you want to know how?" I asked keeping them is "suspense".  "God, came down from His throne and took your guilt, your sin, your penalty by dying a horrible death on the cross.  You can go free, if you repent from your sin."  Their eyes widened.  "To repent means to turn away from your sin, to hate and forsake it....  Isn't that amazing!"

"Yeah," they nodded as if still taking it all in.

"It is a message of love!"  I affirmed them.  "That is how much God loved you.  He wants to save you from going to hell And more than that, He wants to adopt you so you become His daughter...."

"Wow! Thank you for talking to us!" said Grishma with a pleasant smile and still thinking about what I had shared.

"Will you girls think about your eternity, repent from your sin and trust in Jesus alone for your salvation..."

"Yes, I will," asserted Grishma once again answering for herself.  And she thanked me again for talking to her.

"I do want to thank you too for listening to me.  I have a gift for you!  A friend of mine made this CD."  Joyfully I gave them a CD of "The Road that Takes me Home" by Dorothy Schwartz.  I also gave them each a copy of the Christmas Story.  I told them to share it with their family.  They said they will and were grateful to receive the CD and the story and said they will share it.  (The Christmas Story list dates and Prophetic Scriptures of Jesus birth,  Scripture about His birth and the reason why He came to the world.)

I would have spent more time with them, but my little people had been patient to wait for me to take them to the bathroom.   I gave the Grishma and Krishna my e-mail to keep in touch and let me know how they are doing.  I pray this seed will produce much fruit.

Jose  and I talked to a couple more and also found out that Christmas really didn't mean anything other than pretty decorations.  One man answered, "Isn't it about people getting drunk?" he was being honest, not being sarcastic or rude.   Jose took on this conversation.  The man was also pretty open, he had never heard the message either.  I had seen him earlier, by himself on his bike, going from display to display and just looking at them as if wanting to learn something from them.  Sadly, they are cute, but tell nothing about Christmas, except for the Nativity one.

I like talking to young people.   If you are friendly, they are ready to listen.  I found out they were the most open to the Gospel.  This whole experience was also a reminder that Christmas doesn't mean people are thinking about Jesus.  It's just easy to bring up the subject.  So, take the opportunity to let people know what it's all about.

Part 4 is not over yet, we hope to come back.

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Witnessing at Christmas in the Park Part 2

I went over to talk to these three young ladies who where standing there waiting for something.  I took the opportunity to ask them about Christmas.  Their names are, left to right, Darlene, Trinny and Tiffani.

I parked my stroller next to them and asked, "Hi, girls, so what is your favorite Christmas tradition?"

They laughed.  Trinny said, " opening presents."

Darlene said, " everyone eating at the table."

"Oh, that's nice. I  like the family table.  It's one of my favorite too," I said smiling.  "So, what is Christmas all about?"  At this question, they giggled again insinuating they didn't know.   So I asked them if they would take the "Christmas Quiz" I had.  They said "yes".   So I asked a couple of questions.  They were having fun with it.  One question was "Why is Christmas on December 25th?"

"It's Jesus' birthday?" Tiffani said softly.

"Actually, Jesus wasn't born on December 25th.  Have you studied this history at school?"  I asked, knowing of course that it is not taught.

"We don't learn about Christmas at school."  Darlene answered.  Then I quickly explained that it was a Pagan holiday introduced by Constantine in the 300 AD with the hope to unite his empire, thus merging his pagan practices with Christianity.

They were enjoying the conversation, so I proceeded. The last question in the quiz is, "If Santa were to use the Ten Commandments as a standard as being naughty or nice, how would you measure up?"

They giggled and Darlene answered smiling, "Nice, I guess."

"Ok, let me ask you some Ten Commandments questions to see if you are really "nice" according to them.   Have you ever lied?" Even though I directed the question to Darlene hoping they would all think about it, they all laughed again and admitted they had.

"I have lied too.  Have you ever stolen anything?"

"No," she kept giggling slightly.

"Really, not even some small change you didn't return, a pencil..."

"Well, when I was little."

"Have you ever used God's name in vain OMGD?" I asked Darlene looking at all three.

"Oh, yeah," they admitted, like "who doesn't?"

"That is called blasphemy, the breaking of the third commandment.  So, now, when you die and you are before God, the Great Judge, as a lair, theif, blasphemer.  Will you be innocent or guilty?"  I noticed Tiffany was the most serious of all and really trying to listen to what I was saying.

"I will be guilty", she said.  By  now, she wasn't laughing anymore and wanted to listen.

"Then, will you be going to heaven or hell?"

"Huuuuuhh," she said, not saying hell, but knowing that was the obvious answer.

"Does that concern you?" I asked to all three.

"Yes," Darlene said and all three nodded.  Right away, they were seriously listening.  I explained that if God is a Just Judge he has to punish sin and have all sinned and have been born sinners.  I mentioned a few Scriptures like Romans 6:23.  They nodded in agreement.  It was a joy to explain the Good News to them about Jesus coming into the world and taking that penalty of sin for us so we can go free.   I explain that they must repent of their sin to receive this free gift.  I clearly explain how to repent.

"That's what Christmas is all about, God coming to save us from the penalty of our sins like the Christmas songs say about the newborn King coming as a Babe."  I told them so they can be more aware of the words of these Christmas songs.  I shared a little bit more because they were attentive and assertive.  Then I asked them what school the went.

"We all go to Independence"

"I went to Independence,"  I said and they kind of liked that.  I asked about a few teachers there.

I urged them to think about their eternity and their salvation.  They all said they  will think about it and told me they did care more about their eternity more than this short time of life.  I thanked them for their time, gave them a copy of the Christmas quiz to each of them so they can do it with their family at the dinner table.  They took it and said,  "thank you!"

"I have a gift for you too,"  I said smiling, "my friend made this CD and I want to give each of you a copy as a thank you for listening."  I gave each a new copy of "The Road that Takes Me Home" by Dorothy Schwartz and they were most thankful.

This conversation with these girls was most encouraging and refreshing.  It brought back many memories of when I was in Independence High School.  I was an evangelist there.  Every year and every day I would be praying for the students and telling those who would listen about the Lord.  The administration gave me room so I can hold Bible meetings during lunch.  Many girls came and were saved and are now following the Lord.  I carried my Bible everyday and read it in class.  I lived and breathed the Scripture, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" Romans 1:16.  I showed Gospel center movies as an outreach and much more.  This was no once-a-week meeting.  They wanted to meet everyday, so we did.  Many girls tried to listen to the Word of God from the outside of the  room because it would be jam packed.  The girls were bringing their friends and we had to have a bigger room.  I did get a bigger room.  I wonder how they let me, since we were no "approved school club."

Well, I also encountered persecution and hatred.  Just like Jesus said it will be.  I was even shot at, yes with a gun.  Apparently, the devil was upset and tried to get rid of me.  A series of weird events happened to me like strangers on campus looking like Satanist, with the pentagram hanging on their necks, video taping me and asking me if I was scared.  First of all, who are you? and scared of what?  I actually considered myself "shy" in high school, not confrontational at all.  I must admit, I lacked the boldness of Jesus.  Incidents like these culminated to this event:  I was standing by the bus stop in front of the school waiting for my Mom to pick me up.  I was the only one standing there when a car coming at full speed came close to me, the guy shouted some profanity to me to get my attention and pulled a gun and shot me three times within a distance of about 4 yards.  No, I am not kidding.  It happened so quickly that I had not time to react.  They quickly drove away.  The next day, my Mom made the report to the school office.   The police was sent to investigate the scene of the incident.  That day, they called me to the office to show me three bullets they had found in the place I was standing.  Seriously, I am not kidding.   The police gave me "attempt of murder" report case.  It was a testimony to the administrator lady who was the one who gave the permission to use the rooms for witnessing.

If the guy had missed his shooting, why didn't the bullets just flew far behind me and were lost in the bushes?  The only explanation is that God had protected me.  "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" Psalm 91:11.

Please pray for Darlene, Triny and Tiffani, that they will follow Jesus and too will take the Gospel again to this school.  Later on the day, I saw them again because they were volunteering at Christmas in the Park asking for donations.  This time, they approached me to ask me for a donation.  I called them by name as if I just made new friends.  I was thankful for that because I gave them my e-mail and asked them to e-mail me with any questions they had.

May the Lord give growth to this planted seed.

But, the most beautiful story was with other two young ladies inPart 3

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