Wednesday, June 2, 2010

It was a year ago that we participated in our first real evangelism outing. A friend of mine invited us to go to the Jehovah Witness Convention in San Diego and simply hold a sign that said www.followtheChrist.com . A few years a go “follow the Christ” was the theme for their conference. My friend bought the URL and built a website designed to challenge JW’s to seek the truth about the WatchTower organization and more importantly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we held the signs I recall people sticking out their tongues. giving us the thumbs down, and worse. I was a little surprised. I have seen picketers at my church but the thought never crossed my mind to stick out my tongue at them. It turned out that the site got an abnormally high number of hits and I was interviewed by the news media that day. The Gospel was heard.

This event was the beginning of the wildest year of my life. Well, I have had wilder but this was a good kind of wild. This event launched us into the development of our website www.allneedChrist.com, a Youtube channel, Facebook page, Tangle page, iTunes Podcasts and a couple of blogs. We began going out twice a week to talk to people about their beliefs, faith, and thoughts on the afterlife. We used many of Ray Comfort’s, Kirk Cameron’s and Todd Friel’s resources but ultimately it is the simple Gospel message that has fueled our passion. We have talked with hundreds of people on camera and posted these videos for the world to see. Our site has reached more than 70 countries and generated more than 300,000 hits in its first year. We have wrestled with atheist, Jehovah witnesses, Hindus, Buddhists, luke warm Christians and a wide variety of others through comments on Youtube.

This week we returned to Qulacom Stadium where 40,000 JW’s were again having there convention. I was excited. I thought for sure we could walk around the parking lot and find some people to interview for the website. We were not antagonistic. We just wanted to record a JW communicating what JW’s believe. In the process we hoped to leave them with some lingering questions that may lead them to the true Christ. I was quickly disappointed. My son was operating the camera for the first hour. No one would speak to us. One guy started to speak to us but was quickly taken away by an attendant. Others were just mean or scared. Discouraged I went to one of the gates going into the stadium and leaned against a wall and just watched people. They were hugging and greeting one another with terms like “brother”. So loving it seemed. But only with each other. They were very much under the control of the Watch Tower organization. They cannot think for themselves or test the JW faith. If they think I am “lost” why not speak kindly to me? Why not try to save me? Maybe because in their faith there is not much to be save from. There is no hell or eternal consequence for sin. I didn’t say anything to offend them. I didn’t challenge their faith. Not that I wouldn’t if given a chance.

Later, a friend of mine joined me and we went again through the parking lot at lunch asking people if they were willing to participate in a short interview explaining the JW faith. A guy sitting in a van with his doors open said sarcastically something like “why don't you go find an usher and ask them to take you to administration? I am sure they will talk to you.” Well I thought that was a great idea. That’s what we did. Sure enough after a little conversation and explanation we found ourselves in their press box high in the stadium. We were overlooking the whole event. A man named Kevin, a JW representative handling media requests, did an interview with us. We were totally unprepared but had an interesting discussion. He articulated his JW views in such way that there was a clear distinction between the JW faith and the orthodox Christian faith. We walked away saddened knowing there was no salvation being offered to these 40,000 people. As were getting ready to leave we were stopped by security and questioned.

Well we are off to year 2 now. Please pray for us. We are 2 families with many responsibilities. We have many challenges ahead of us but realize that there are eternal implications to the Gospel. We must share it with others!