Thomas and I prayed for Nina who was having a really bad headache. Later on, we saw her almost skipping along, smiling. Thank you LORD for taking away her headache!
We spoke with Justin (the Jew) and his girlfriend. He was an agnostic. We had a very nice conversation, and he recognized we cared about his soul. We tried, as best we could to answer his questions, but he was too in love with his sin.
We spoke with a young guy (who said he was a christian), while he was loading up a bong. He too, recognized we cared about them, but he was unwilling to give up his idolatry of marijuana.
We spoke with several other people, young and old.
A funny encounter I had, was when I handed a young guy a tract. He looked at it, through his bloodshot eyes, and said the lettering was too small for him to read. He handed the tract back to me and said, "here, you read it to me." Sweet!
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| Picture courtesy of myeverettnews.com |
I preached the following:
Hi friends, my name is Keith. I’m here to share some good news with you. I’m your neighbor, I'm trying to be a good neighbor. I was at hempfest a few weeks ago, and here I am today. Speaking of hempfest, there was a story on the news about hempfest. It showed a big stage with some band on stage playing music, and there was a big banner behind the stage that read, “Hate Free Zone”. I’ve heard it said, “Don’t be a hater!”. But let me ask you; is it ok to hate anything? May I express my hate for anything? For example, I would hate for someone to try to harm my wife or sons. I hate child abusers. Another thing I hate is disease. Especially Cancer. I guess I'm not the only one that hates cancer, last night almost every channel on TV was showing a telethon raising money for the fight against cancer. I’ve had several family members die of Cancer. Most recently, my mom died from cancer, just two months ago. I pray that a cure is found for Cancer.
But until then, you wouldn’t try to treat cancer with a band aid would you? No, in fact if you did, not only would a band aid not do anything to treat the cancer, it would hide it, cover it up, and it would be forgotten; all-the-while the cancer would still be growing and spreading throughout the body.
Turning the conversation to the spiritual, to use this as an illustration, Treating cancer with a bandage is about as effective as trying to get right with God by being a good person. Or to say it another way trying to get to heaven through religion or good works is about useful as treating cancer with a bandage. Nowhere... nowhere does Jesus say, “I have come to to start a religion”. He did say, “I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly”. Jesus did say, “I have NOT come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and save the lost. Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. Jesus came bring a sharp sword of division between right and wrong. Jesus came to draw a clear and crisp distinction between good and evil.
There is a true religion but its not what you think its for; its not to get you to heaven. The Bible says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled is this, that you visit widows and orphans in their distress and to keep yourself unspotted from the world. Man made religion stinks. Man made religion produces pedophilic priests, wars, terrorists, abortion mill bombers. Man made religion produces hypocritical, self-righteous, pompous money-grabbers. Religion just covers up hate. Religion covers up violence. Religion does nothing to solve the problem of crime and evil like fraud, rape, murder, and assault, even drug addiction... Literally, all these things are just symptoms of a deeper problem.
The Bible says the problem is that our heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it. You can not, and will not be saved by any religion or any religious activity or affiliation, in fact if you think you can offer any good work to God to earn His favor, it is as if you are trying to bribe the Judge of the Universe, to turn a blind eye to your sins. You might have heard the saying “All Roads Lead To God”... In other words what they're saying is that "all religions are equally valid". I would have to agree, all religions are equally worthless. It is true that all roads lead to God, because everyone will eventually stand before God. We will all be made to give an account of our lives to our Creator. But the question is; where will you go from there?
Jesus said he would judge the living and the dead, and some would go on to everlasting life and others would go to everlasting punishment. His judgment will be so complete that He said that every idle word (or careless word) that we speak, we will be made to give an account of on the day of judgment. As well, the Bible says God will render to every man according to their deeds. And it says that God will judge the secrets of men’s hearts. So God will judge not only everything you've ever done, but every word you've ever spoken and even every thought and motive of your heart and mind.
“The Day of Judgement will not be a court trial. The Day of Judgement will be a day of sentencing. If you find yourself before the Judgement seat of God, without having already received a pardon for your crimes (that's what your sins are, crimes against God), you will be made to pay for your crimes. The wrath of God already abides on you. When you stand before God, it will not be to argue your case, it will not be to lay good works at his feet, because all those are but filthy rags and nothing but an attempt to bribe the judge of the universe. If you try stand before God in your own “self-righteousness” you will be made to pay for your crimes against God. That’s means Hell and its for all eternity because of your sin.” But, If you stand before the Judgement seat of Christ clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ you will enter into the joy of heaven/paradise.
There’s a saying that goes, “A man who represents himself as his own lawyer has a fool for a client.”
So the question is, will you choose to embrace the truth or believe a lie? Romans 8:7 The carnal mind is at enmity with God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Ten Commandments
Gospel
Repentance
Faith
New life
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