He's coming!

The other day on the way home from work, I stopped to give a bag of snacks and a New Testament to a person on the street. They weren't a native English speaker, and couldn't really converse with me when I first started talking to him. I draw crosses on the paper bags, though, and I pointed up when I gave it to him and told him it's from Jesus. When he saw the cross and heard me say Jesus' name, he mustered two simple words to me: He's coming!

From the day Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, the apostles were proclaiming the return of our King and His Kingdom. In one sense, the Kingdom of Heaven resides within every believer who has been baptized in His Holy Spirit. In another sense, a more visible one, Christ's Kingdom will eventually come down upon earth. That day won't come until He returns to judge the wicked and reward the righteous, though.

Jesus, and the apostles, exhorted us all to live as if Christ's return is imminent, because it always has been imminent. He could return at any moment.

Today, however, the Body of Christ is especially excited because so many things are coming to pass that can be found in the prophetic Book of Revelation. But God is longsuffering, and wishes that no one misses the opportunity to partake in His Kingdom, so we don't know just how long it will be before His return:

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

It could be decades, but things seem to be accelerating at a pace that denies such a wait. It could be years, or it could be months. He may show up tomorrow. It is important that we all live our lives as if Jesus was about to return any moment, because the signs of the times are here declaring loudly that He could return any moment. If you haven't yet, get straight with God...

Prayer requests:

• Please pray for Carl. He's out of work and without home. He has a job opportunity to wash dishes in a restaurant, and he's hopeful it will be made available to him. He studies the word daily, as the well-worn Bible in his backpack evidenced, and has been born again of His Holy Spirit. Let's pray the Lord will deliver him from this trial and that God's glory will be magnified in Carl's life.
• Joseph has been on the street since Hurricane Katrina. He lost a home on the east side of New Orleans, like so many others, by the schemes of insurance companies. During his battle with the insurance companies, as he struggled to get his life back together, he lost upholstery company he had in the French Quarter. He believes in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, but has not repented. He battles the bottle every day. We talked about repentance and the baptism of His Holy Spirit, and we prayed together. Let's lift him up so that he will seek God sincerely and repent of his addiction. We know he will never be able to do it in his own flesh, but Jesus can finish what he starts with His Holy Spirit and break the bondage of this addiction in a moment.
  
• Nathan is a man who has been on the street for 15 years. At one point, he found Jesus and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. He has backslidden, however, and has been deceived by the sins he is currently wallowing in. He's very frustrated, and is struggling with alcoholism daily. Let's pray that the Nathan will return to prayer, seeking out God daily for strength to overcome his sins.
  
• Jeanette, the woman I put on our prayer list last week, was pleased to hear we have been praying for her and she continues to keep her eyes on Christ to strengthen her through these trials. Let's continue to lift her up.
  

Salvation in a laundromat.

Since the first day I went out to the streets to do this ministry, I've been taking hold of people's hands when we pray. I didn't realize the scriptural significance of this until a recent study of the Book of Acts.

Over the months, there's been a lot of tears and rejoicing. Now this is the work of His Holy Spirit. I'm nothing but a vessel, and He is doing His work in the hearts of those whom I witness to and pray with. But the apostles regularly put their hands upon those who wished to receive His Holy Spirit:

Acts 8:14-17

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet He was fallen upon none of them: Only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Last night, as I was driving home from work, I stopped to minister to a homeless person I had talked with earlier in the month. They needed some help getting their laundry done, so I went with them to a laundromat down the street.

As I was there, I heard two people conversing. They were talking about Jesus. I went over and joined the conversation. One of them was an older woman who was very well-versed in the scriptures, and was a born again Christian since she was seven years old. The other was a man in his thirties. As we all talked, the man admitted he wanted to know Jesus like we knew Jesus. I talked to him about whether or not he believed Jesus died for our sins, and he did. I asked him if he knew about repentance, and he didn't.

I explained that repentance is a simple act of sincerity on the behalf of the person who seeks Jesus. A simple act of recognizing the wickedness within us, and the wickedness of this world. I told him his repentance is between he and God, but that we could pray for him to be baptized in His Holy Spirit. He wanted very much for us to do that.

As I prayed with this man, and asked the Lord to use me as a vessel to pour out His Holy Spirit upon him, the tears began to roll down his cheeks. The old woman continued to fold her laundry, occasionally accenting our prayer with an soulful "amen."

What happened next is something I'm getting quite used to: The man looked at me and said, "I wanna do this with you. I wanna go out with you to do what you do."

I cannot tell you what was in this man's heart, or why he would say this, but it has happened over and over again when I am witnessing, sharing the gospel of Christ, and praying with others for their salvation. Even people who I'm not even talking to start to stare and they come around to see what's happening. And they're not staring because they think I'm nuts. They're staring because they want to know more. Invariably, they all suggest the same thing: They want to go out and do what I'm doing with me.

Now in where I am with my walk with Christ, I cannot explain this with scripture. But it looks very simply to me that this is the power of the Gospel of Christ! When you speak these truths to people, they are drawn to it!

I believe that His Holy Spirit is coming down upon these people and they are becoming zealous for God. They look at me, and they can see Jesus radiating from me, and they simply assume they need to be with me to get closer to Jesus.

But who am I? I am nothing. I am merely a vessel. A broken one, at that, patched up by God and sent out to do His will. So I can only point them to Jesus through prayer, study of His word, and the baptism of His Holy Spirit. This work, after all, is His work. He is the one who draws them near and works in their hearts.

This week in prayer:

• Please pray for Lional. He's been on the street for a while after doing a 20+ year stint in the maximum security jail of Angola. Truly, he needs our prayers because the streets have led him to backslide away from a daily life he lived for Jesus. He told me he wished he was still in jail, as it was easier for him to be close to God while within those confines. Let's pray that he will lay all of these troubles at Jesus' feet, and He will deliver him from this trial.
  
• Sandy is a woman who can never forget a name. She recognized me from a couple months back. She needs us to pray for her salvation in Christ.
• David is the man from the laundromat. Let's pray he continues to seek Jesus, and that the Lord has saved him and baptized him in His Holy Spirit.
• Pray for Emma, the older woman in Christ at the laundromat. It was so obvious she had been walking with the Lord for decades. Let's simply pray blessings upon that woman.
  
• Let's continue to pray for James' salvation as well. He was the homeless man we prayed for a month ago.
  

Let your light so shine before men...

Matthew 51

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.

When we first started this ministry, it was on a very small budget. Very quickly, however, we found that giving and doing things in the name of Jesus Christ would not leave us without or wanting ourselves. It was then we decided to make sure that we do these things well, in order to assure people truly felt the blessing that Jesus is wishing to bestow upon them.

It is in the Spirit of Jesus' message that we strive to ignore the fleshly worries about whether or not we have enough to give. Rather, we give freely and have received blessings in abundance from God. We heap plates high, we readily give from our own food pantry to needy families, and we find more and more money is available to do the things we do in His name because of this. We want to assure that our light shines brightly as we do these things.

This is one of the ways Jesus manifests His love through us, and we try our best to yield to the prompting of His Holy Spirit over our fleshly wants and concerns so that others may be served in His name as much as we can.

This week in prayer:

• Please pray for all the people in Haiti. God is working mightily there, and people one week later are still being pulled form the debris and rubble (proclaiming His power). Truly, miracles have abounded there this week in the face of pain, grief, and misery. People aren't meant to go more than three days without water and live to tell about it, so let's all recognize the glory of the Father in Heaven and His might!
  
• Joelle is a woman who is new to the street. She was so blessed by the meal we served her, she stayed back while the shelter was getting ready to close its doors in order to talk with me about Christ and salvation. She admits that her current situation is likely God's way of drawing her closer to Him. Let's pray that Joelle will seek His face more than she ever has before in her life, and that His Holy Spirit will work in her heart.
• Audette is another woman who is homeless and without means. Please lift her up in prayer so that when she opens up the Bible we gave her and Jesus Word will draw her closer to Him.
  
• L.D. is an out of work carpenter who has backslidden into sin over the years and finds himself homeless and without work. Say a prayer God will draw him into the fold and Jesus' power will break the sins he is living in currently.
• James is an elderly man who is homeless and struggling with alcoholism. Say a prayer he will turn to God the Father and get strength to turn away from the bottle.

What's new?

• I saw Martin, the man I prayed with and felt His Holy Spirit descend upon us that cold night in the lot beside the shelter. He said God has worked a miracle in his life and that his wife has returned to him. I only saw him briefly, and was unable to talk further to see if he sincerely repented and Jesus broke the bondage of addiction upon him, but I will be sure to follow up next time I see him. Whatever the case, it's obvious God is working in his life. In my own experience, God did many miraculous things before I had the sense to turn fully to him and sincerely repent in heart and in deed. Let's say a prayer for Martin that this may happen to him, too.
• The last few months, we begun to distribute dollar store reading glasses. So many people we minister to on the street cannot read the Word without them, and we have decided it's going to be a new item we will be putting resources into. If we get the Word in their hands, we have to assure they are able to read it. For a mere two dollars, we can purchase a set of glasses and a hardshell case. It's a real blessing to those on the street. Here is a batch my wife bought last week:

When the Holy Spirit falls upon you, you know it.

This last weekend was pretty active for our ministry. Another brother in Christ from the church I attend wanted to come out and help out on Saturday, and it was a real blessing. It freed me up to spend more time witnessing to people and praying with them.

Since this was the weekend after New Years Eve, the area had an abundance of women. Apparently, likely due to increases of spousal abuse during holiday events that feature drunkenness and sin, the battered women's shelters were all filled up in New Orleans. That left an inordinate number of women on the streets of New Orleans with nowhere safe to go but to the shelter by the overpass (a temporary night shelter which is mostly used by men). I spent a good amount of time with Jessica and Raquel, both new to the streets for different reasons, but was unable to secure either of them a place in an appropriate local woman's shelter despite repeated attempts. Since the shelter near the overpass is predominantly male, it's not an appropriate or safe place for a woman to spend any length of time. All we can do is pray they both avoid the exploitation and danger that come by being a young woman without a home and on the streets of the city.

In attempting to help them find an appropriate place for them to stay to get back on their feet, however, I went down to there at a time I rarely ever do. As I was about to leave, I decided to go through the lot beside the shelter to encourage people to get inside as the temperature had dropped to freezing.

As I went through the lot, I came upon two people drinking in the corner of a crumbling cement wall. My intent was merely to tell them the weather report, hoping they would seek shelter inside for the night, but He had other plans for me. The people wanted to talk to me, and encouraged me to stay for a bit. As I witnessed to them, we began to pray. I talked about what I always talk about when I witness to those whom are bound by the sin of addiction: repentance and faith in Christ to deliver them. As we prayed, something happened that has never happened to me on the streets in prayer. The Holy Spirit descended down upon us all.

Now, when the Holy Spirit descends down upon you, you know it. This is the kind of thing that has only happened to me when I am in deep prayer alone at home, or when I am participating in a very powerful praise and worship ceremony in a church. What we experienced immediately made me think of the Book of Acts, and how the apostles and those converted must have felt on the day of Pentecost.

This is the stuff that people who have been baptized in His Holy Spirit experience when they fully submit to Him. This is the stuff that brings tears of joy and rejoicing. This is His Holy Spirit directly touching down upon us with great power and glory!

I'm sharing this experience with you because it was glorious, and left an indelible impression upon me. But, only God and they know whether or not they were saved at that moment. Both of these people were fully repentant in their minds, whether or not the Holy Spirit works in their hearts fully and breaks the bondage of addiction over them is entirely up to Him.

It was kind of amazing, and very powerful. We were simply praying quietly when all of a sudden you could feel His Spirit fall upon us all at the same moment. They started screaming His praises, glorifying God, much like it happened in the Book of Acts. The apostles knew that people were converted and saved when:

Acts 10:46

For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Now they didn't speak in "tongues." I've never spoken in tongues, either. It's a Spiritual gift I have not been given. But, the rejoicing (magnifying God) was undoubtedly a manifestation of the Holy Ghost upon them. I was startled when it happened, but also filled with joy.

When I left that night, I knew I hadn't gone down there simply to check up on that woman. I believe I went down there for a purpose.

Now, whether or not they are fully saved is only known to God right now. Both people have amazing backgrounds, and would be fantastic testimonies to His power, mercy, and glory. I will look them up this weekend and see if I can find them to see if they've repented fully, and have accepted Jesus' power over their sins and are free from that bondage. If it happened, it wasn't my doing. All the glory goes to our Father in Heaven.

For now, though, let's pray for this man and this woman that they may seek His salvation, and repent of their sins laying all of it at His feet to free them from their bondage.

Prayer requests for salvation.

We've had a very hectic week with the ministry. I've wanted to update things about what's happening, but I didn't want to neglect the most important part of this ministry: Salvation. It is our hope that the Lord will draw all that we come into contact with closer to Him, so that they may receive the gift of salvation:

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own works, but God's gift, so that none can boast about it.

So please consider coming to this page once and again this week quickly saying a prayer for the salvation of these people. I've spent time ministering to them, and the seeds have been planted for repentance. Many of them believe, but most are struggling with repentance. Truly, they need the power of the Holy Spirit to move in their lives:

• Clayton is homeless and struggling with addiction issues. He's been in New Orleans a very short time, but has no means of returning to his home state.
• Chris is a Gulf War veteran who is the recipient of the Purple Heart (he was shot in the face while at war). His wife died of cancer two years ago, and he has been on the street ever since. He spends most of his time hustling for change as a street magician. He struggles with drug addiction, and is currently homeless.
• James is homeless and has no means to support his family. He is struggling with alcoholism.
• Coranna is a homeless woman who has a major job opportunity that may become available to her in the coming week. Let's pray she gets that opportunity, and she will see the glory of God at work in her life and receive the Holy Spirit.
  
• Chris is another war veteran who struggles with alcoholism and is homeless. He was trained to be a chaplain, but was never baptized in the Holy Spirit and has fallen away from the church.
• Bobby came to New Orleans to do construction work after a divorce and a bankruptcy disjointed his life. The economy has really hurt the construction business, though, and he now finds himself without home or job.
  
• William is a homeless young man on the streets who also struggles with addiction issues.

Now, if you have the time, say a quick prayer for a man who is already in Christ:

• James has recently completed a program for Christian discipleship. He has been in and out of the shelter for a couple years, but things are looking up for him lately. I had a fantastic theological discussion with him, and I hope you will lift him up in prayer so that the Lord will strengthen him to be a strong witness to the restorative power of Christ among the people who are at the shelter.

Our ministry is slowly growing.

Thanks to blessings from God, and the prayers and support of people who tune in to this blog, our ministry is slowly growing. Just last week, we added an additional day to our ongoing weekly outreach.

Mind you, whenever I travel throughout the city, I've always got a stash of lunches made up of non-perishables that are easy to eat on the go. In each bag, we put a bunch of snacks, a bottle of water, and an outreach New Testament Bible. We've been averaging between 24-30 bags and Bibles given out a month in this manner. I simply pull over, and as the person walks by I offer them up this small gift with a blessing from Jesus. Some days I give out 2-3 bags, other days are quieter. People really appreciate it, and we've been doing this for as long as we've been going out to feed people. We've given away well over a 100 Bibles this way.

All along, I've been going out on Saturday afternoons to feed people, give out Bibles, and pray with those whom are downtrodden. Now, however, we've added an additional day in which I go out with donated jackets, sweaters, blankets, among other things. It's kind of like a mobile goodwill store, and everything is free. See the picture below from when I went out last week:



At the top left of the picture, you can see a box of groceries which we donated from our personal food pantry to a family in need. At the top right, you will see a box of donated fleece blankets (Thanks, Jo-Jo!) with a stack of outreach Bibles on top. Bottom left, you will see a box of donated sweaters and sweatshirts. At the bottom right, there is a box of donated jackets.

Additionally, my wife and I participated in our first "Praise & Worship" service at our local church. We have about a half-dozen songs ready, but we intend to expand that and begin playing for local nursing homes, children's hospitals, Christian fund-raisers, whatever, in order to give glory to God and help others lift up His name. Here is a picture from that service. On this song, I'm playing bass in the background and my wife is playing guitar and singing:



Eventually, I hope to have either video clips or sound clips of the songs to share on the blog. Please keep praying for our ministry in order that God will continue to guide us to do His will and that we are useful vessels for Him to draw others to salvation.

I thank you for your prayers, and have a special prayer request. Please pray for God's guidance in the consideration of starting a private Christian school for impoverished kids in the city. I know this can be done because Jesus plainly said all things are possible with God:

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

We're blessed, you and I.

A week ago last Saturday, it rained in New Orleans. A lot... Almost 13 inches of rain had fallen by 9pm. It began in the morning, and continued all day. Torrential rains beat down upon this city, and it wouldn't let up. It was chilly, too. Not cold enough for snow, which would have been a real blessing to someone like me who misses the northeast winters, but not warm enough to make it refreshing. It just rained and rained and rained.

We are very fortunate, you and I. God has blessed us with homes and warm, dry places to lay our heads at night. For a couple hours, I experienced what it was like to be without a dry, warm place during a torrential downpour.

I went to the overpass at first, and fed people. It was somewhat dry under there, if you were careful not to get under the gaps in the overpass. I then went to a homeless shelter in the French Quarter. Shelters have rules, and aren't open all day to the public. This means people hang out in the yard, or on the street, during the in-between hours. This isn't too bad during decent weather. On a day like this, however, it's couldn't have been fun.

The shelter let me pull my car into the yard, and I was able to pull a tarp by their garage door over the top of the hatchback as I fed people. It was most inglorious in the physical sense, but people were happy to get a hot meal. In that respect, it was spectacular in the Spiritual sense. The rain kept pouring, and I kept feeding people.

To say I got wet would be an understatement. I was utterly drenched by the time I was done. It was dusk as I pulled out of the shelter's lot. There was a foot of water at least in the streets by the early evening. It was a simple work that day. Nothing spectacular, no prayer, just simply feeding hungry people in the cold, wet downpour.

Someone posted a Youtube video of the rainstorm from that night. This is what much of the French Quarter streets looked like as I drove home from the shelter: