"True Meaning of Death" reply to a column of Al Jones in "Here's the Scoop" magazine

Tonight I saw a copy of "Here's the Scoop" magazine that was delivered to my door today. The front page started with a column by Al Jones, entitled "True Meaning of Death". This was a story of a childhood friend of Al's names Paul Spears, in the fifth grade, who struggled with severe diabetes. Al describes very vividly his friend and the 'incidents' where some incidental thing happened to Paul that ended with him being hauled away by parents or medical personel for an extended absence...the last absence being permenant. Al's column caught my attention and imagination....I wrote the following response to him by email:

"I was very interested to read the column by Al Jones, in Issue #305 of Here's the Scoop, entitled "True Meaning of Death". It is sobering, isn't it...to think of death, the suddenness with which it may have to be faced, the certainty that we will have to face it. For every ten people in this great province of Alberta, ten will face death. Ten out of ten people die. When someone around us dies, if we think clearly, the shock really isn't THAT they died, but WHEN they died. We know death is inevitable for all of us, it's the unexpected timing that shocks us must.

It makes one beg the question though, when you die, what will be next? What is out there when you step out of this world into eternity? This is a question that fixates some, scares others and some even dismiss. There is no getting around it though, each of us will have to face whatever it is out there. Sobering still when God states that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). For some this is a shock, that upon their death, they will be standing before God in judgment. There's more; "...he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31). This gives us a hint, not only will we all stand before God on the Day of Judgment, but there is a standard, "righteousness"...God's standard of right & wrong. If you were charged with a crime & had a court date set, you would scurry down to your lawyer & check the law and see how you would do at your day in court. You DO have a court date; God has appointed a day...you just don't know when it is...yet. Should you not check God's Law (the Ten Commandments) and see how you'd do? Let's take a small test. Have you ever told a lie? If I lied to you, what would you call me? A liar! Have you ever stolen anything (regardless of value)? Thief? Have you ever used God's name as a curse word to express disgust? God says he will "not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain"...blasphemy is a very serious crime in God's eyes. The seventh commandment is "Do not commit adultery"...in case you think you are okay with that one, listen to the words of Jesus Christ "whosoever looketh at a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart". Have YOU looked at someone you're not married to with sexual desire? If you died right now, and stood before God, would he see you as a Lying, Thief and a Blasphemous Adulterer at heart? This is only four of the Ten Commandments. Would he sentence you to Heaven or Hell? Did you know that the Bible says that "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Rev.21:8). The Bible also explains that NO Thief, NO Blasphemer & NO Adulterer will enter God's Kingdom (I Cor. 6:9-10). Would YOU be sentenced to Hell?

Wow...Hell...does that concern you? It should...concerned me! Remember, being religious or church-going will NOT help you on the Day of Judgment. Your priest or pastor will not be standing with you and talking to God for you...YOU will be on your own! Giving your money, or doing good stuff will NOT help you either. If you committed a serious crime...murder...and were not caught for several years, during which you spent your time volunteering to help the poor, helped little old ladies across the street and filled your days with random acts of kindness, would you still be tried and convicted when you were caught? Of course you would, your good works were never the point, it would be your crime that you would be punished for. The same with God; good works are of course what you should do, it's your crimes before God's Law you will be judged for. God did an amazing thing for you. Something pre-planned to show what an amazingly great and kind God He is. God gave you and I his Law (He even gave us a conscience to know right from wrong..con means "with" and science means "knowledge"...you are with knowledge of right & wrong). God knew that you and I would blow it & break His Law...I've broken all Ten, how 'bout you? Knowing we would break His Law and be deserving of Hell, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took on a body, was born of a woman, lived a completely sinless life (kept all the commandments). He allowed mere men, to nail his hands and feet to a wooden cross, stick a spear in His side, he bled and died. God His Father, blackened the sun for three hours, and poured out on Him the punishment of Hell that you and I deserve for breaking His Law.

Okay, so Jesus died...how does that help you? Good question! Imagine you are convicted of a very serious crime here in Canada. Standing before the Judge at your sentencing hearing, you are informed that you have two penalty options under the law; $1,000,000 fine or lifetime in prison without possibility of parole. Your heart sinks, you have no money to pay the fine...you will never see the light of day again! The judge stands up, steps down off the bench, informs you that he has sold all his earthly possessions and has $1,000,000 to pay your fine. You are free to go. This is exactly what God has done for YOU through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. God simply "commandeth all men everywhere to REPENT"..."REPENTANCE toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 17:30 & 20:21). Repentance is an old-fashioned word we don't use much any more. Repentance would be like you going to God in great sorrow for having offended Him, agreeing that is just that you should go to Hell, you deserve it, confessing to Him you sin then turning from your sin, abandoning & hating it...then turning to Jesus Christ in faith...trusting that He has paid the penalty you deserve to have paid for your sin (lawbreaking). If you truly turn to God in repentance and faith, God promises that He will forgive your sin, not because he 'let you off', but because your fine was paid with the blood of Jesus Christ and he will credit to your account the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He will reward you with an eternity in Heaven...not because you are a good person, but because you are a depraved person (like the rest of us) redeemed from sin by the blood of His Son.

Consider seriously what is out there, what is after death. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ. Get a Bible, read and obey it. What will you miss out on by doing this?...HELL!

Glenn A. Heslop
Airdrie, Alberta
www.greatnewscanada.com"

Please pray for Al, and others at "Here's the Scoop", that this message of the incredible Gospel of Jesus Christ, would convict of sin and bring some to repentance and faith.

Glenn.

P.S. Have you warned anyone around you today of the coming wrath of God?

Another Red Mile Friday Night

Freakishly tall dude…self-styled ‘thinker’…mostly talker

Approaching a group lounging on and around a bench, in front of Blockbuster video on Calgary’s Red Mile, we found a mixture of folks, talking and playing guitar. Some of them where young and well dressed and others appeared to be living on the streets. Handing them million-dollar bill Gospel tracts I began to elicit some reactions. One refused while another began to read. One began to rip his into little tiny bits…this one I handed a “Ticket to Heaven” tract. He was unable to tear this one, after much effort (as it is printed on untearable paper).

A freakishly tall young man engaged me in conversation. He is quite a friendly young man…we talked at length of whether this is a God, how we can know who He is, could the Bible be true and many other things. Any talk approaching the conscience, guilt before God’s Law (Exodus 20) or the Day of Judgment he quickly diverted. Though this young man appeared on the surface as an academic, a thinker, I quickly realized he is much more of a talker…he refused to honestly think through and of these issues of fact and reason. Pray for God to activate his conscience so he can face his sinful state before a Holy & righteous God…before he must face the horror of Judgment Day.

Leaving this young man, another man from Grace Gospel Church and I walked two of the men living on the street down to a local pizza shop buying them each a slice in the name of Jesus Christ.


Henry from St. Lucia

Further west on the Red Mile, I met a man ‘from da islands mon’. Henry is from St. Lucia. Standing on a street corner in front of a small convenience store, holding his cap out, Henry was politely asking for ‘donations’. Handing him a tract and asking about Heaven, Henry almost immediately commented to me. He gestured toward the people passing by in both directions and emphatically stated that these people where living their lives without thinking of the coming Hellfire.

Henry was concerned about Hell and trying to get to Heaven by good works. We discussed God’s Law and showed how it was too late for him to do good works as he had already broken God’s Law by lying, stealing, blaspheming and lusting…and only looking at four of the Ten Commandments. Henry saw he would be guilty on the Day of Judgment and only Hell lay before him. He was very concerned! Using a court room example I explained to Henry how Jesus Christ (God Himself) paid the ‘fine’ for sin on the cross of Calvary 2000 years ago…and that God “…commandeth all men every where to repent:” (Acts 17:30)…” repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Because the terms ‘repentance’ and ‘faith’ are often misunderstood, I helped Henry to understand their true meaning and talked to him of the brevity of life…where your life is kind of like steam off a cup of Tim Horton’s coffee…appears, but is quickly gone. ” Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14). Past fifty, Henry expects to live for another thirty or forty years. Thirty or forty years of the pleasures of sin vs. eternity in the harsh burning flames of Hell. “You can feel the flames?!” asked Henry. Henry began to talk of death. He mentioned that now that he was past fifty he had realized that people don’t live to be 100…he was at least half-way to death and that didn’t seem very far away. I explained the cost of becoming a Christian…how God’s Word promises hatred & persecution in this world for all who are His disciples. I exhorted with Henry to repent and put his faith in Jesus Christ….to trust his eternal soul in the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross at Calvary…in our risen saviour. Please pray for Henry. It seems that this gentle soul from the tropical island of St. Lucia may not be far from salvation…or from damnation…I don’t know which.


“I’m sorry; I just can’t do this right now!”

Walking by myself to join some of the others on the way back to our cars, I stopped a young man who seemed to be of Hispanic descent. He admitted his guilt before the Ten Commandments and saw Hell was before him…refused to admit he was concerned but reasoned that because Hell was inevitable for him, he should live to the fullest and enjoy all he could. I asked how long he expected to live and we agreed that if he lived to be 80, he’d have another 58 years or so left to enjoy the pleasures of sin and then an endless eternity of torment under the wrath of God. After less than a minute of pressing him of the reality of judgment and the wrath of God he got agitated and quickly quipped, “I’m sorry, I just can’t do this right now” and hurried off down the street into the night, looking agitated and concerned…I hope so!


Freaky Eyes!

Almost back to where we had parked our cars, handing million-dollar bill tracts to a couple young men, I pointed out the ‘million-dollar question’ as they began to walk away. They stopped to talk. One of these lads had some kind of freaky contacts in giving one of his eyes a very creepy look…maybe I should get one as a conversation starter (just kidding). These lads professed to not believe there is a God, though felt there was some kind of ‘power out there’. Offering to prove God’s existence we talked of how the building in front of us proved the existence of a designer and a builder, of how a painting proved the existence of a painter and the incredibly intricate creation…100-million light-sensitive cells in each of their eyes (even the freaky one) and that each cell of their body stored more information than is contained in an entire set of the Encyclopedia of Britannica…proving the existence of a creator. We talked of proofs to show the God of the Bible is indeed the creator. Transitioning to the conscience, I asked if they would consider themselves a good person. Predictably, they did (“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” Proverbs 20:6). Opening up the Ten Commandments this was disproven. They argued that this didn’t mean they were not good people still. Explaining that good means ‘moral perfection’ and the Ten Commandments are God’s Moral Law….thus they did NOT qualify as ‘Good’. I left them to think this over, met the others and walked to the cars.

I am never ready to go h0me, but left reluctantly.


Faithful Men of God

Praying together, we prepared to leave for home. Think of this; how many from your church go OUT to preach the Gospel (as we are commanded)? A church of 100’s or even a thousand…I’d guess a number somewhere in the range of 1 to 2. Here, from a church of 50 or so (kids included) 6 men were out on the street in the bar section of town, at night, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine half the men from your larger church where as obedient to the call to preach the Gospel…what impact would this have on your city for Christ? Closer to home, are YOU being obedient to the command of Mark 16:15, of the exhortation of II Timothy 4:2-5? Can you honestly in good conscience repeat the words of Paul from Acts 26:20?


CRASH!!!

I left for home with two of the others in my van. Slowing to a stop at a red traffic light, we were suddenly and violently struck from the read. A small car had failed to slow and slammed into us very hard. The woman driving the car that hit us seemed cooperative at first but after noticing her stagger, we thought it best to call the police and ask them to attend the scene. Seconds before the police arrived, the woman started her car, and roared away from the scene. Taking her plate number and pointing the police to the fleeing vehicle, they pursued and arrested her…apparently for drunken driving. The LONG delay allowed opportunity to approach and talk of eternity with some folks congregated outside a nearby club. The anti-smoking laws prohibit smoking in bars and clubs so folks stand outside where they can be witnessed to of the Gospel.

Please pray for David and Matthew as they both where experiencing neck pain and headaches at the scene. My back was somewhere sore but I am trusting it is simply from the stress of the accident and will not persist.

These are some of the memorable chats. We talked to many, many more...come along one Friday night!

In Christ,

Glenn.

P.S. Check out our Gospel site at: www.greatnewscanada.com. Your comments are appreciated!

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE RED MILE!

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE RED MILE!

Here in Alberta, most of the time I’ve been witnessing during the day. Often I spend Saturday afternoons downtown Calgary walking around and talking to people. While in Florida, I did spend some time out at night….Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers Beach and found night witnessing works really well.

This past Friday night a friend Brent and I spent a few hours on the Red Mile in Calgary. The Red Mile (www.theredmile.ca …warning, I have not reviewed all the content on this site) is a stretch of 17th Avenue SW in Calgary, Alberta; stretching from Stampede Park (where the Calgary Flames NHL team plays) to 14th street SW…about 16 blocks long. This area is liberally populated with bars and restaurants and the scene for lots of nightlife and street celebrations when the Flames are winning during the annual play-off games.

Brent and I arrived around 7:30pm and began to walk up and down the Red Mile handing out tracts and talking to all sorts of people. We talked to men, women, successful and homeless. Some were sober while others…well…not so much.

Because of Calgary’s smoking bylaw, many folks end up standing outside the bars sucking on cigarettes. I got in an interesting conversation with one of these folks. Bart, a heavily tattooed young man grew-up Catholic but has rejected that religion. Bart immediately stated that he has been thinking about what he would face after death. Bart was unsure about the existence of God, but thought that when we die at least some kind of energy would remain. I showed him how the existence of God can be proven in less than a minute without using the Bible (not sure how…email me!). He started to mention evolution, but quickly agreed that it took much more faith to believe in that theory, as there was NO evidence at all. Turning to his conscience, we looked at his the Ten Commandments to see if he would be guilty on the Day of Judgment. We found that he is guilty and would be in big trouble…as of now Hell is where he is heading. Bart was concerned and thoughtful as I left him. Pray for Bart…pray for a strong conviction of sin and that God will give him the gift of Godly sorrow and a repentant heart.

We talked to lots more people…some for short times and others longer. One man, first-thing after handing him a tract, stated that he was going to Hell because he had committed sin he was not sorry for. I asked him what sin was…he looked at me funny and fired right back at me, “breaking the Ten Commandments”. I was incredulous…that is the answer that 100’s of ‘christians’ were unable to come up with and here this lost man has a clear understanding. I talked to he and his friends for a while. His friends were very hostile to the Gospel. Another man, Raymond, an Acadian from New Brunswick was an interesting chat…with some very skewed and complicated ideas about God. Quite a few people stated that they believed they were going to heaven, but had nothing even close to a biblical confession of faith…heartbreaking!

One of the bars had a large line-up on the sidewalk. I walked down the line handing out million dollar bill tracts and later walking the other way Free Ticked to Heaven tracts. The bar security people were freaking out and repeatedly telling me that I couldn’t do that…while I reasoned with them that the sidewalk was city property and kept handing out tracts. Fortunately, this country states that we have freedom of speech…though we may have to stand up for this at times.

I came home with a pulled muscle in my back. I don’t remember anything happening when I was out, but returning home late, I set down on the couch and began to feel the pain. The only thing I can think of is that I was crouched down for a time talking to Raymond, who was sitting on a small planter on a street corner. By Saturday morning, I was in enough pain that I had to be helped out of bed. Peculiar huh? I work on construction site, I’m okay…go battling forces of evil by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I come home injured. Hmmm.

Glenn.

P.S. Check out our Gospel presentation site: www.greatnewscanada.com

WARN NOW OR WORK ON RELATIONSHIP?

WARN NOW OR WORK ON RELATIONSHIP?

What should you do? Is it better (or even right) to develop a stronger relationship with someone before talking to them about eternity or should you warn them of the coming Day of Judgment now?

Mid July this year, I hired a young man (Tyler) to work with me for a day. Tyler smiles easy and is quite pleasant to be around. At the end of the work day, I paid Tyler, handed him a Gospel tract and spoke to him briefly about eternity, warning him of death and the coming Judgment. Should I have done this then, or waited ‘till we had built a stronger friendship? What would you have done? Was I wrong? Could doing this turn Tyler off the Gospel?

Let me tell you the rest of the story. Friday I attended Tyler’s funeral. This past Monday Tyler was driving his semi-truck loaded with 40,000 of 300-degree asphalt oil down a steep grade near Drumheller Alberta…the truck was involved in a devastating crash, killing Tyler instantly. Now what was the right thing to have done? Did you give the same answer this time? Who do you know that needs to hear the Gospel…someone who could be dead by tomorrow? What should you do?

Glenn.

Ten-Thousand Tracts, One Day!

Ten-Thousand Tracts, One Day!

What a day! It all started weeks earlier back home in Airdrie. The idea germinated in my mind, to print a tract for Canada Day; something really Canadian. I was thinking of something with a Canadian Flag. What I came up with turned out much better than I imagined. We ended up with an 8.5 x 11 glossy, full-color piece. The front reads “Canada” and has a large photo of a Canadian Flag waving in the wind. The back contains a Gospel message in both English and French. By Gospel tract standards, the message is very complete. It’s always a challenge with Gospel tracts; providing as much information about the Gospel as possible while maintaining the readability. When someone reads a Gospel tract, questions arise. To assist in answering questions my friend Denis volunteered to create an accompanying website. The site allowed me to write an expanded Gospel message and with Denis’ help, provide some answers to questions as to the reliability of scripture and others. Check out the site at www.greatnewscanada.com. Click on the email link at the bottom and send your comments or suggestions.

With 20,000 printed, I made plans for distribution. My wife and I were planning to be in the Montreal area the week over Canada Day. We decided to drive to Ottawa and hand them up on Parliament Hill. I contacted numerous people interested in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Calgary area and a number of them agreed to help pass them out in both Airdrie and Calgary.

Canada Day found Sue and I on Parliament Hill, jointed by Christian (from Quebec) and Pascal from Livingwaters Canada. Handing out Canadian Flags on Canada Day turned out to be relatively easy. Arriving on the Hill, we began handing them out, even the kids got into the game. We all had fun. At one point, I perched myself at the entrance to the Parliament grounds, right in front of the RCMP security checkpoint. I was calling to people “one each”. I handed out 1000 or so in an hour. All day we handed out some 4000 tracts.Back home in Alberta, my parents and a bunch of volunteers passed out about another 6000 (maybe more). Sitting down that night back in Sue’s parents’ home outside of Montreal, we realized that because of this effort, 10,000 Canadians that very day had the chance to learn of their sin, God’s righteous high standard and the coming judgment. They’ve the chance to learn of Christ dying on the Cross of Calvary as payment for sin; of repentance and faith. Pray for those that have received the tracts; pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of its message to them.

Using experience from creating business flyers, we were able to create these tracts very economically, though we did print 20,000 of them. Including the website, the investment was significant. We have willingly funded this project ourselves. If you are able, consider contributing to the cost. Several people already have and this simply helps to print and purchase more tracts and our efforts to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.

Blessings!

Glenn.

The Basic Training Course

For months now, I have experienced reoccurring frustration. I have been frustrated, as my eyes have been opened, as my passion for the lost is growing. What is at the root of this frustration is an enormous sea of lost souls and sparsely few preaching the Gospel, and even fewer preaching a biblically accurate Gospel.

How can so many Christians sit idly by while millions and millions around them sink hopelessly into the Lake of Fire, into eternal damnation in HELL?! Christians seem to have ingested dangerous lie from the pits of Hell. The lie is that warning the lost of their coming doom is only the work of those with the gift of evangelism, and of course, that is always not them! Why do Christians buy such a lie? Christians are some of the first to respond if someone around them is in physical need. If a neighbor’s life were in danger, Christians would feel it was their duty to come to their aid. Why is it then, that when those around them are in serious peril of eternity under the wrath of an angry and just God, almost universally Christians do nothing?

In polls, 99% of North American church leaders agree that the job of going into all the world and preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15) is the job of every believer. According to Bill Bright’s book “The Coming Revival” only 2% of Christians actually go out and share their faith. What’s up with the 98%? I want to ask if they are really Christians at all. Do they not care? These and other serious questions should be asked.

Fear is a real issue for modern Christians. Read the book of Acts; read “Fox’s Book of Martyers” or “Jesus Freaks” by D.C. Talk. Read early church writings, such as the very early description of the martyrdom of Polycarp. If those Christians can stand for their faith facing jail or death, what are we worried about? What great persecution are we concerned about when we wimp out and avoid warning people of the coming judgment? Are we worried we will be jailed or killed? Not at all, in fact evangelists can freely hand out Gospel tracts, approach people with the Gospel and even stand on street-corners and preach, protected under the law. Modern Christians are fearful of two things; simple ridicule and not knowing how to answer a question or objection.

I have asked Christians, if I offered them $1000 cash for each person they witnessed to, could they overcome their fear of man. I expect many of them would be involved in 4am flashlight evangelism. They’d be out with their Bible in one hand and a calculator in the other. If they (you) could overcome their (your) fear of man, for the love of money then why not for the love of God? Why not for a concern for the lost? Why not to glorify the name of their Lord and saviour Jesus Christ?

In the effort to help Christians around me overcome their fear of man (which once paralyzed me) I am embarking on an effort to train them. My wife and I are hosting, in our home, the Basic Training Course (from wayofthemaster.com). Starting this July, we will be beginning a weekly training time for those interested in learning how to share their faith. Pray for open hearts willing to be obedient to the call of God to evangelize our world.

FINALLY BACK TO THE FROZEN NORTH

BACK TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH!

Yes, I’m back in the COLD north, braving the elements of the frozen tundra. Can you believe it…I was out sharing the Gospel tonight…it was about 50 degrees F and folks were wearing t-shirts…brrrrrrr.

So much has happened, too much for my feeble mind to remember, so let me recount a few things that come to memory.

WEDDING BELLS & BROTHER MET:

Before I left Florida, I was able to attend a wedding of some friends in the boat-yard. It was a fun wedding, pretty informal, with lots of shorts, tropical shirts and straw hats…y’know all the sailor-trash folks (like me) hangin’ round. My friends Don and Deana…I’ve had a chance to share the Gospel with them…am very concerned, but the Holy Spirit will be the one to convict of sin and bring them to repentance before God and faith in Jesus Christ.

At the wedding I got to chat with a man Hugo and his wife. I’d met them before but never really got to know them. Dad was there and handed them a $1,000,000 tract…Hugo stared…then told us that he had a pack of them at home. It was good to visit and see that he seems to be a genuine Christian, with a concern for the lost. I’m sending him some CD’s and stuff…pray that he will pick up the torch and reach out to the lost with urgency “knowing the terror of the Lord we convince men”.


LONG (FAST) TRIP HOME:

After the wedding…actually while the party part was still on, I got antsy, loaded up my car and headed north. The long 5000km trip home took me three days. I got sleep at night and had fuel stops but stopped for almost nothing else. Because I stopped for little, I also talked to few people about the Gospel, but some still and left tracts in many fast-food places along the way.

One hotel operator in Illinois gave me the opportunity to share the Gospel with him, but was a little cavalier about judgment day. The same place, in the morning I met a man who claimed to believe in God. When we began to look at his guilt before the God’s Moral Law, he sent his children inside. He could not be moved from his idea that God will simply forgive, however…pray that he will see the need for repentance and faith.

In South Dakota, a Super-8 desk clerk talked to me for a while. She is Catholic and believes what he priest tells her…O what a terrible day Judgment Day will be for such as him. She saw her guilt before God but believes the priest has the authority to forgive sin here on earth, though she did acknowledge that her priest would not be standing with her on Judgment Day…she will be alone.


CRAZY ‘CHRISTIANS’:

Okay…so I should maybe keep my mouth shut…no, I shouldn’t. I was at a charity BBQ back home and met some professing ‘Christians’ through a friend of mine. In conversation began asking questions about evangelism and talking of our responsibility to warn people of the wrath to come. After answering their objections with scripture and reason this seemed to develop into a time of yelling, where they gathered around to scream at me. If Christians were paid a $1,000 for everyone they witnessed to, would they overcome their fear of man? You bet they would…so why not for their Lord and their God?

I am beginning to thing the evangelical church as a whole has gone mad and is buying into the world’s ideas and abandoning the scripture and the commands of the Lord.


HUTTERITES;

This week, I went with my son on a class school-trip to visit a Hutterite Colony. These are people of German descent, who moved to Canada to escape persecution for their beliefs. They have a tradition of Christianity, though it isn’t very clear that there is much reality, but a lot of legalism.

I was visiting with some of the boys as we toured the colony. At lunch, we all sat on a lawn while we ate…I began to share the Gospel and most of the young boys crowded around to listen about the Gospel. It was great to share. These boys knew a lot of the stories in the Bible even a few that were fabricated and taught to them (i.e. not in the Bible) but repentance and faith for justification before God seemed to be foreign to them.

I was able to talk to two of the mothers on the trip that also seem to have a growing burn for the Gospel within. Praise the Lord for that…maybe more laborers for the harvest!


STREET PREACHING:

Tonight I was able to go out preaching downtown Calgary with a group of Christian men I met। I was able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with quite a few people। One man, funny enough named Glenn, was quite flippantly opposed to the Gospel। We learned that he came from a professing Christian home। We were able to answer many of his objections and show him the Gospel। He was not aware of his true sinful condition, the righteousness of God and the judgment to come…and especially unaware of the significance then of the work of Christ on the Cross. If Christians would preach the disease before they preach the cure, folks would be clearer over what they are rejecting. If one is not convinced they are sick with the terminal disease of sin, why would they be interested in the cure by the Blood of Jesus Christ?

It was good to be back with some friends here on the streets, witnessing for Christ…even though it was ridiculously cold….like 50 degrees F.

More details later.

Glenn.

HEY...I Finally Found One!!!

FINALLY FOUND ONE!

An amazing thing happened today. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the streets, I've encountered I'm sure 100's of professing Christians. Among all these people, I can't recall ONE that could clearly and accurately verbalize the way of salvation. Doesn't this freak you out?...dozens and dozens and dozens of people claiming salvation through Jesus Christ but unable to tell me the way of salvation. If they couldn't tell ME the way of salvation, how where THEY saved?!...or where they?

While picking up some supplies for the renovations on Seawing, I met an older gentleman who served me at the hardware store here in Fort Myers Shores, Florida. Funny, I was about to wimp out and not shift the conversation to spiritual things, but decided not to wimp out and began a conversation. I asked if he'd any kind of Christian background...he had. As usual, I asked..."Okay...I'm laying on the ground in front of you, a knife in my chest...I'm bleeding out. I've only 60-seconds to live...I'm scared of hell...HELP...how do I get to Heaven?!" Usually 'Christians' stammer a bit or mumble something about asking Jesus into your heart (what verse is that?). This gentleman coolly looked at me and came out with Repentance & Faith! WOW! I know this shouldn't be mind-blowing, but I actually found a real one! :-)

HARD HEARTED PEOPLE

My uncle is on his death-bed back in Canada. Last Tuesday, I dropped my Dad off at the Fort Myers airport...he flew back to say good-bye to his older brother and take one last opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him.

While at the airport, I was passing out Gospel tracts (as is my regular M.O.). One particular well dressed older couple were very indignant at being approached with a tract and asked if they would go to Heaven when they died. They stomped off, crumpled up their million-dollar bill tracts and forcefully threw them in the trash.

This example just reinforces my observation that older people are, in general, so much more hard hearted than youth. Youth might be profane, wild and lacking any moral standard, but when approached with the Law of the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are many, many times more open to the conversation than older folks. Why is this? Maybe the heart gets harder over the years. Maybe, however, the conscience, burdened by years and years of SIN gets surly and out of sorts...angry at being reminded of the tremendous burden of guilt.

LOST FRIENDS?

Do you have friends or family members who have NOT repented of their sin and trusted in the Savior? What would happen to them if they died tonight...where would they go? Hell?! How can you sit there, reading this and NOT warn them of the wrath to come?

LEARN TO SHARE YOUR FAITH

When I return to Airdrie this spring, I am planning to begin a study/training group to show YOU how to simply and biblically share your faith in a simple and comfortable manner. Speak the truth in love, and have it make sense to the hearer. Are you a Christian? Do you need training in how to share your faith? Are you within driving distance of Airdrie? If this is you, email me today!

Glenn.

EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Sunday

What a Blessed day this had been. Last night, I was thinking of a place to attend church today. I’ve been a little frustrated in finding a good place to worship as there seems to be an epidemic in evangelical churches today; preaching a weak Gospel and a soft on the truth…seemingly more of a concern about selling pew space/religion than preaching the truth at all costs. I heard about a website 9marks.org where churches sign a set of doctrinal statements, then are listed geographically. I punched in a zip code and found a couple churches within a half-hour drive of Seawing. Wow, was that a good idea.

The church I found was Grace Baptist Church of Cape Coral. I arrived early to find an adult Sunday school with lots of adults in it…good sign. The sermon (I Peter 1:13-21) was really a bang-up sermon. Guess what…I met a number of people at the church that were street preachers. Their pastor actually supports them…even though some of them go door-to-door (gasp). Awesome!

Some of the preachers drug me home for a great lunch and a sharing of testimonies. What a great time of encouragement. Funny how many folks that are actively preaching the Gospel have a very similar experience; they listened to the modern Gospel, prayed the sinner’s prayer and were assured of their salvation, many serving in the church…only to encounter the Law of the Lord and find they were LOST! They experienced Godly sorrow and were converted. Maybe this is why a pastor once told me that those that have a burden for preaching the Gospel are often at odds with the church.

One of the men (Bob) and I went out on the streets of Fort Myers Beach tonight, sharing the Gospel with all who would listen. Early on, one of the business owners near Times Square challenged us and told us that in Fort Myers Beach, we needed a permit to pass out stuff and talk to people. I reminded her that the United States Constitution protects our right to free speech…though she thought that a local bi-law trumped the constitution. We kept on going and no-one else bothered us…Bob even gave tracts to some police walking by.

I talked to one young-man who had been demon oppressed. He was arguing with me abut baptism, even called his Dad to get ask questions…but he would NOT answer whether he had repented and trusted the Savior. Another couple I met, claimed to have visited Israel, walked where Jesus walked and heard from him a different way of salvation than the bible, but claimed they could not explain it to me, I’ve have to visit Israel. I tried to share all the scripture I could, hoping that the sword of God’s Word would strike at his conscience. Bob and I talked with many, many others challenging them with the sin, righteousness and the judgment to come.

It was SO encouraging to meet with other like-minded believers.

Glenn.

P.S. The subject of being born again and the sinner’s prayer has been on my mind lately, especially as I see so much of the spiritual carnage from this practice. Below are a couple links to both a sermon and a PowerPoint showing the Biblical viewpoint and the HISTORY of the practice…ery interesting:

http://www.christianebooks.com/Jimn_Kyles_sermon.mp3
http://www.christianebooks.com/sfee_presentation.ppt

December 06 to April 4, 07

December 20, 2006

Today I left for Florida. It was hard to leave my family, but together we have a dream to sail to the islands and preach the Gospel wherever we go. So…off I go to renovate our family’s floating home in Florida. Our floating home is the sailing vessel Seawing (see Psalm 139:8-9 KJV).

What a long drive to Florida…all 5000km of it! I drove through snow, rain, sunshine…all kinds of weather in my very heavily loaded diesel Jetta. United States Customs was very suspicious of this ponytail sporting dude with what looked like everything he owned in his car…talking of Florida, a boat and some crazy stuff. I was at the border for a long time as they dug through my car, make me fill out tons of papers and grilled me verbally…them and their dog. So…guess they thought I was okay, as they very unfriendly like, bid me a safe trip.

The trip was long, very long, punctuated by chances to speak to folks about Christ. I handed out a bunch of tracts along the way…like McDonald’s in somewhere North Dakota…passed out tracts to several and talked to two families of the Gospel, one professing Christ and the other not. I must tell y’all (I can say that as I’m in the south now) that I am more and more suspicious of a profession of faith now as I’ve met…probably hundreds now…profession Christians who can’t explain the Gospel, have a very sketchy conversion story and are living in sin and think they are still good-to-go. I believe that many pastors and preachers will have MUCH to answer for on the day of judgement…see Ezekiel 3:18-19 and 33:8-9.

As I write this…it’s all a blur…so many folks. I remember two really large men in a Walmart in Georgia; they grew up in the church, but one of them, though ‘saved’ as a child, was really rocked by the presentation of guilt before God’s standard of righteousness (10 Commandments) and left me very concerned. Another is the desk clerk from the Motel 6 in someplace Florida. She professed to be a Jehovah’s Witness from Queens New York…no inclination of Hell…no concept of the judgment to come.

I spent Christmas Eve and Day with our friends Cliff & Lynn Mahon and kids. They are full-time missionaries on a boat (www.maritimediscipleship.org). It was good to be with them at Christmas. I didn’t think I’d miss my family so much then, but it helped to be with them and get to get down on the floor with their kids and play with their new toys. They live a frugal life…we spent Christmas at their ministry office, a converted storage locker, now an office. I love these people. They asked me to help them sail their boat to the Florida Keys and then to the Bahamas. It turned out that they’d enough crew for the trip to the Keys…and I bailed on the trip to the Bahamas. I felt like a real heal…joking with Cliff the day of the sailing (at Church in the Keys) that I was a really sucky friend…he said I was not. I took pictures of them as they sailed…broke my heart to see them go without me…it’s only a two+ day crossing to Nassau in the Bahamas but these are great and Godly people…good to be with them.

January & February 2007

The boat yard! I spend a HUGE amount of time in the Glades boat yard near Moorehaven Florida. This I a place where boats are stored on land (using stands) and a yard where one can work on the boat while it is up on stands and do things that are hard to do in the water…like work on the hull. The engine room has now had a complete transformation but it has taken a HUGE amount of time. The farther I dug into things, the more problems came up…we saw a HUGE mercy of the Lord; last time, we were with friends and sailing from the Keys north to here…the engine raw cooling water started to leak and spray around (including the back of the electrical panel…touch anything metal and ZAP). I ‘fixed’ it with duct tape…this year I (with a marine mechanic friend) began to take it apart to fix it…the exhaust elbow fell apart in our hands…if it had failed at sea, the engine would instantly begin to overheat and the cabin would fill with diesel smoke…not good…the Lord spared us though. We took about everything apart…ditched about 500 pounds of extra stuff and made the engine room simpler and more reliable. Because of this however, the interior renovations and carpentry suffered and are very much behind schedule…looks like will not be completed before I must return home.

February 11-24, 2007

THEY CAME!!! My wife & kids came to visit! It was so good to have them here. We packed up Mom and Dad’s boat and sailed south for the Keys. As forcasts were for near freezing weather at night…we traveled by the ‘sock-rule’…need socks?...go south! We had a good time, saw lots of dolphins, played in the sand and enjoyed being together. When I left them at the plane, I was a blithering fool…crying my eyes out as I walked to the car. So hard to see them go. I miss them terribly and am daily looking forward to seeing them again very soon.

After my family came and went, my brother came and stayed for a few days. It was very good to be with him. Though he lives close, I don’t get a chance to spend much time with him. I am so glad he came…got to visit, share the scriptures together and just plain laugh and enjoy being together…sailed up north to the little town of Gasparilla on Boca Grand (where the Bush family spends Christmas). We rented a golf cart and ran all over town (legal to drive them on the streets there). It was a fun trip and a great visit.

March 24, 2007

Today I drove over to West Palm Beach…or Jupiter to be most correct to go street witnessing with a friend from the Great News Network.

We went out on that night on the streets of West Palm Beach, witnessing and preaching the Gospel. One group of a dozen or so youth stood around while we talked of their pending death and the day of judgment…seems something really bothered one of the girls and she looked teary as one of the guys with her lead her away. These hearts were hard and not open to the truth.

I remember one older man, a ‘water’ bottle in hand, claimed to be a Christian, but seemed unaware of sin and judgment. Later on, we went to an open-air mall sort of area and talked to various folks. Was an interesting night.

The next day, my friend Jonathan and I were the surprise speakers at an adult Sunday school class. We opened with introductions of who we were and then turned to the class with, “I’m laying in front of you with a knife in my chest, bleeding out…I’ve got two minutes to live…I’m scared of Hell….HELP…HOW DO I GET TO HEAVEN?” We tag teamed back and forth barking out the 120 second countdown…just about no ability to verbalize the Gospel. We later asked who, in the last six months, had made a point of witnessing to a stranger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ….one person had witnessed to three, the others…none! By the end of the class, one had walked out and the comment sheets came back with a couple negatives, but the others commented that the whole church needed to hear this message. Two of the attendees were convicted of their need to be active in the sharing of the Gospel, one asked to come along on the street witnessing. Praise the Lord of the Harvest for one more worker…pray for more!

I later sat through the church service and sermon…me things the pastor himself needs to study the message of biblical evangelism too. Scary what passes as a Gospel proclamation these days….real sobering.

March 31, 2007

Hi all. Friday, Paul Holmes from Airdrie Alliance Church came down for a couple days of sailing about and a couple days of working on my boat (my preoccupation lately). Because my boat is in the middle of a construction project, we drove over to my parents boat, took them ‘hostage’ and went cruising for a couple days. We went down the river and out to Fort Myers Beach…walked around there Saturday evening and then back on Sunday, up the river to the marina where Mom and Dad maintain a boat-slip.

Saturday evening was fun. Fort Myers Beach is very much a different town than Fort Myers…a beach/surf kinda culture…party/spring-break atmosphere. As we approached Times Square, we stopped to see the end of a street magician’s performance. As it ended, I approached the small group of youth in front of me with boldness and some million dollar bill tracts. I pointed out the million dollar question on the back and asked where they thought they would go when they died. I walked them through the Law of the Lord…showing the whole Gospel. One of them is a profession Christian, but on the spot could not explain the way of salvation to me. One young man seemed very convicted of sin.

Later, walking down the beach, I found a group of slightly older youth. These took million dollar bills, and about three of the five or six stood around while one of them answered questions about himself before the Law of the Lord. A couple of them were profession Christians, but where making light of the presentation of the Gospel to their friend…can you can ‘false convert’?

A number of other took tracts, but these conversations stood out.

April 4th, 2007

Today I worked the whole day on my boat, putting up strips of cedar on the walls. My parents drove over to give me a hand, as I have a real sore foot.

A couple days back my slip on shoes (Crocs) began to bother my left foot. Than night, I went to bed with the chills…thinking it was heat stroke, I just drank lots of water and went to bed early. The next day, I found it really painful to walk on my left foot…it was swollen HUGE! Paul (a friend visiting from Airdrie Alliance Church) made me sit down and brought a bucket of hot salty water to soak it in…it just got worse. After dropping Paul at the airport for his flight home, I began to get concerned about my foot. I consulted a pharmacist, who looked pretty concerned and sent me straight to a doctor. I eventually found a doctor, who would see me. I explained to them that I had been working with these shoes on and no socks…getting dirt and sawdust in my shoes and causing an abrasion…they began to ask about bug…spider bites. I’m learning that there is a Brown Recluse Spider that likes to bite people’s feet…if you react, you can actually DIE from the bite…nasty! The doc sent me home with a bag of medication to take (courtesy of generous drug company samples). This morning, I found that I felt pretty good…’till I tried to stand up and go make coffee…WOW did it hurt and was it ever swollen! I put the coffee on and brought up westjet.com to look for a possible flight a home…turns out I could have flown home tonight for $141…but after the day decided to stay. Through out the day I was able to stay seated for much of the day, measuring, trimming and gluing finish wood to the boat, while my Dad did the cutting above deck for me…I was able to soak my foot in ice and water...seems to be bringing the swelling down a little bit…pain down a bunch!

Tonight I went up the highway a bit to #WOK for Chinese food. The girl serving me spoke with a strong Chinese accent…seemed right from China. After paying for my order, I gave her a $1,000,000 tract (www.livingwaters.com). I pointed out to her that there was a million dollar question on the back…would she go to heaven when she died. There was a language barrier…I paused and then sat down to wait for my order (yep…wimped out). I watched as she read, read and re-read the message on the back…called out to others in the kitchen, showed it to them, and then re-read. She offered it back to me, when I told her it was for her, she thanked me and re-read it. While this was going on, I was bowed in prayer, asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit to fill the place, convicting these people of sin, righteousness and the judgement to come. Pray for the folks at #WOK in Fort Myers Shores, Florida.