February 26, 2019

St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade

I spend the better part of last week in St. Louis, at the invitation of Christ Fellowship Bible Church (Geoffrey Kirkland, pastor). Pastor Geoff has been a dear friend and brother for many years. "Back in the day" we open-air preached together at some of my favorite fishing ponds, in Southern California. Pastor Geoff would subsequently move to St. Louis to plant the church.

I was blessed to have Matt Lincoln join me. Matt is one of the newest members of our church family and he is passionate about evangelism. This trip would mark the first time Matt preached in the open-air.

My mission for the week: 1) assist Pastor Geoff by leading one of two teams during the church's Mardi Gras Parade Outreach; 2) preach two sermons during the CFBC's Sunday corporate times of worship; 3) shepherd Matt in his first opportunities to open-air preach.

Here's a breakdown of how the trip went:

Thursday -- Matt and I made the almost 300-mile drive to St. Louis. Shortly after we arrived, we sat down for coffee with Pastor Geoff and a young man and recent convert who recently began to attend the church. He began open-air preaching not long after coming to faith in Christ. In God's providence, I was given the opportunity to minister to the young man by encouraging him to submit his street evangelism to the authority of his pastors. He received the counsel well. He served on my team for the Mardi Gras Parade Outreach. It was a blessing to minister to and with him.

Matt and I spent Thursday evening enjoying a wonderful meal and fellowship with Pastor Geoff and his wife Elizabeth. And of course, no day in the Kirkland home would be complete for me, without spending time reading to the Kirkland's five wonderful children (they call me "Papa Tony").

Friday -- The day began with CFBC's weekly men's Bible Study. Pastor Geoff devoted the first half of the study to a Q&A about evangelism, during which I fielded questions. We finished our time together with a study in the Gospel of Matthew.

We spent the rest of the morning (about three hours) engaged in a time of prayer with a small group of brethren from the church. It was a sweet time of prayer, worship, and fellowship.

A few of us then went to nearby Clinton, MO, to open-air preach. This is where and when Matt preached his first few open-air sermons.

Video: Open-Air Preaching in Clayton, MO

Saturday -- The morning was dedicated to the Mardi Gras Parade Outreach, in downtown St. Louis. Our two teams, totaling 17 people, were stationed outside a subway terminal where the majority of parade goers started the walk to the parade grounds. Thousands of people passed by. We distributed thousands of gospel tracts. Several team members held gospel signs. Seven of us preached the gospel in the open-air.

Video: Preaching at the 2020 St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade

Sunday -- The Lord's Day began with Matt and I joining Pastor Geoff and several men from the church, for their monthly leadership development meeting. The topic was prayer. It was a profitable time.

Matt and I joined the CFBC family for corporate worship. Pastor Geoff allowed me to stand in his pulpit for the Bible Study Hour and the Worship Service. Here are the two sermons I preached:

Robert Annan: A Christian Hero and a Life Worth Emulating

Preparing to Suffer as Evangelistic Christians

It was several wonderful days of ministry and fellowship. I am grateful to Pastor Geoff, the Kirkland Family, and the CFBC Family for their hospitality, love, care, and fellowship. I am also grateful to my pastors for sending me and Matt on the trip.


Uber1000

Today I drove my 1,000th trip for Uber. Factoring repeat riders and the rare refusal to take a gospel tract, I estimate that at least 900 Uber riders have received gospel tracts from me. Along the way, I've been blessed to have many gospel conversations. Today was no exception.

I picked up Beth at a local hotel. Her destination: her first meeting with her probation officer.

Beth moved to Iowa several years ago from the West Coast. The grass wasn't greener. She fell in with the wrong crowd. While she didn't tell me, it wasn't a stretch for me to think drugs were involved. She was arrested and convicted. Her two sons are presently with their father.

Beth expressed her remorse for the direction she had taken her life. Her hope was to get her life back on track. Hers was a worldly sorrow that ultimately leads only to death (2 Corinthians 7:10).

I asked Beth if I could offer some counsel. By now she knew I was a retired deputy sheriff turned street evangelist. I told her she was paying for a ride, not a sermon. I drive Uber, first and foremost, for the gospel opportunities the part-time work provides. At the same time, since my Uber riders are a "captive audience," I always try to make sure the person in my passenger seat wants to have the conversation. She welcomed the conversation.

Over the next few minutes, as we finished our drive to the Probation Office, I communicated the law and the gospel to Beth. Due to her situation, I also made sure she understood that coming to faith in Jesus Christ isn't a "get out of hell free" card--that repentance and faith in Christ is not a guarantee of health, wealth, and prosperity. Receiving salvation by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone is eternally better than anything this life could possibly offer.

I stopped my car in front of the Probabtion Office. I turned to Beth and offered her what, in the end, only Jesus Christ can give: forgiveness for her sins and eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord. I handed her one of my church's gospel tracts, invited her to visit us, and told her I would be praying for her.


Stoplight Preaching: One Minute Gospel

Here's one way I communicate the law and the gospel to people in my community, and they don't have to leave their cars. :-)

SEE THE VIDEO


Did the Lord Save Blake?

The Lord continues to bless my times of ministry on the campus of the University of Iowa. I hope you will be encouraged by this recent conversation with Blake.

SEE THE VIDEO