SWAT TEAM Witnessing - Springfield, MO - 7/07/06

Street Witnessing And Training
Taking Evangelism Across Missouri
Friday Night – 7/07/06 -- Park Central Square –
Downtown Springfield, Missouri

The gospel tracts we use can be found at Gospel Tracts: Living Waters Store.

Right away, we want to thank God for tonight. It was a very fruitful night of witnessing and getting to sow the Word of God into the lives of people.

Tonight was a very nice night. The weather was cool and a little breezy. Since it was “Art Walk” night, it was more crowded than the other Friday nights. We had a total of 17 people come out to witness with the SWAT TEAM. Here are the people that came out: GNN Seed Sowers Michael Borich, David Lohn (and his son, Nathanel) and Russ Mohrman. Also, we had Jeff Reeb, Mike Lynch, and Pastor Ron Burks from www.bethesdachristianfellowship.org along with six of his children, and two friends of his kids, myself and Richard Molina, who we met last Friday night while he was out witnessing.

We split up into smaller teams to hit the downtown area to witness for a little while before doing open-air preaching. Michael and I handed gospel tracts to Adam and Camille, who said they were Christians. Since they said they were Christians, I asked them if I could role play and show them how we witness to others. They agreed. We went through the Law (the Good Person Test) with them, then grace. They thanked us for sharing.
We always try to share with Christians the biblical way of presenting the gospel. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) It will give them a different way to witness that is biblical and very effective that they can learn about, and 2) In case they are not Christians, it will give them a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Michael and I continued past the bus station, passing out tracts to folks, as well as the security guard who was there. I then handed the Million Dollar Bill – Secret Service Version to two young men named Duke and Daniel. Duke was wearing a bandana and had lots of colorful tattoos. I told them that the million dollar bill was a gospel tract, and asked them if they had a Christian background. They kind of said, yeah. I asked them if they considered themselves to be a good person. They said, “yeah, pretty good”. I asked if I could ask them if they wanted to take “the good person test” to see if they really are good people. They said yes. They agreed to lying. After they agreed to stealing, Duke said, “man, I’m a terrible person”.

You see, when you use the law of God, the 10 Commandments, as a mirror to show a person how that God sees them, it is very convicting. Paul said in Romans 7:7, “…I had not known sin, but by the law.” Romans 3:19 says, “Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

After all was said and done, Duke and Daniel admitted to being lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulters-at-heart. They would be guilty on the Day of Judgment and on their way to hell. It did concern them. I explained grace and that Jesus died for our sins, explaining that “we broke God’s law and Jesus paid our fine”. That they need to repent (ask forgiveness and turn from sin) and believe (trust) in Jesus Christ to be forgiven. We asked them to think seriously about what we talked about. They were appreciative that we took the time to speak with them.

We ran into Morwen again tonight. Morwen is a self-proclaimed atheist that we met last Friday night, that didn’t want anything to do with talking, wouldn’t accept a gospel tract, etc. We talked to her more tonight, about general things. She ended up being on the front row of the open-air preaching presentation and she was able to hear us go through the law and grace. She spoke to me later and actually offered me some bread that they had. I am praying for Morwen.

We did get to see Josh tonight. Josh was self-proclaimed pagan who studied Wicca for years. He recently told me that he stopped studying Wicca, stopped wearing his pentagram necklace and started going to church. I gave him a bible tonight. He said he would read it. Pray for Josh. He is having a tough time right now. He is in transition between apartments, currently living in a hotel. He needs a job.

I was able to stand up on the water fountain wall with my Anchor Mini-Vox PB-25 speaker box and do open-air preaching. Michael brought some stuffed animals to give away, and I began asking trivia questions to draw people to where we were preaching. We have out 6 or 7 animals, then I asked for a volunteer…someone who could prove to me that they are a good person. Morwen, our atheist friend, almost volunteered, then decided not to. However, her friend, Shantara, volunteered.

We went through the law and grace. She was guilty and on her way to hell and said she sometimes thinks about it. Shantara didn’t prove to me to be a good person and therefore did not deserve to get the stuffed animal. However, I asked her to come up and take the animal, that she could have it. And in the same way that is what God did for us. We didn’t deserve salvation, but God is offering it to us through Jesus Christ. We have to reach out and take it. There were a couple of mini-hecklers, people who kept speaking up and asking about this or that. I would answer their questions sometimes, but others I said we would discuss that after we are finished with the good person test. About three quarters through the presentation, a music band started playing their electric guitars and started to drown out the speaker box I had. We were still able to get the message across to folks and they could hear it.

After it was over, people came up to our team and started talking and asking us questions. I spoke for a while with Antone. He is a 17 year old young man who is very intellectual and full of questions and debates. I enjoyed speaking with him. He claimed to be a “Deist”. However, his beliefs did not necessarily line up with the beliefs of a deist. He does believe in God and Jesus, but also believes in evolution. He believes in the bible somewhat, but believes it was written by men, who put their own ideas into it. We discussed and reasoned for a while, having a great discussion. I asked to think about what we talked about. One day we will all die and stand before God. God gave you a conscience, and you know it is wrong to sin.

Michael had been speaking with a man named Andy. Andy is a Christian that was possibly interested in learning more about the Way of the Master evangelism training. There is a picture of Andy below.

Later, Michael and I went to the bus station. We handed gospel tracts to four people, Carlos, Cathy, Leslie and Kay. They named about 6 of the 10 Commandments between the four of them. Michael took them through the good person test, then shared the gospel with them. They seemed receptive. We gave the “Save Yourself Some Pain” booklets to read. Carlos didn’t take one. I originally gave him one, but the look on his face was a give away. I asked him, “Carlos, are you just going to throw that away?” He said, “yes”, so I asked for it back to give to someone else.

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The following report is from GNN Seed Sower, Russ Mohrman, from "THE JENNER BRIGADE".

During the OPEN AIR presentation By Brad St.Clair, I, along with other witnesses from various churches, began to roam about the perimeter of the crowd challenging those listening to Brad to reiterate on what they just heard. There were many intently interested.

I also helped pass out tracts like the various sized giant bills , the DiVinci tracts and Titanic tracts. I love to use the old reliable Pink & Blues to start conversations. Like when I approached five High School Students. Three Boys and two Girls sitting as group near by the stage having listened to Brads Open Air Presentation. They were impressed with the presentation and with the pink & Blue Tract.

I felt it necessary to share my motive for being there, early in the conversation. I would tell them that I was there to fulfill Christ's command to "Love the Lord my God with all my Heart Soul, Mind and Strength and to Love my neighbor as myself" and to share this Gospel was the most important thing I could do for them. I wanted them to know that I really believed in a literal solitary Eternal Hell, and that knowing this I chose to leave family for the evening and trying to persuade them radically of the impending judgment to come. Just like a person would radically do if his neighbors house was on fire at midnight, unaware, and he would have to wake them and convince them of the danger coming even at such late hour.

Of course I used the "Good Person" test. One Girl particularly was sweating profusely after the revealing the convicting mirror of the Law and Gods justice.

One of the Boys had tried to defuse the conversation by asking various questions during my Relate, Create, Convict, Reveal (RCCR) process, and I said that I would get back to him on that, and completed my RCCR. He ended up finally listening and being convicted himself, then thanked me for 'not pushing my denomination or church on Him, and he ‘really appreciated that', and shook my hand.

I then approached four Gothic styled dropouts in Black complete with nose & chin rings. One boy was saying "My life has been so G%#m(Beep) bad that I don"t care anymore" I shared with him that God still cares but he refused to hear it. Interestingly he shook my hand too with respect for the attempt.

There was also an opportunity to witness on the streets to known Believers downtown for the evening with friends. I got to role play the RCCR Way of the Master approach before them, and telling them that they could learn too,like I have boldness, HOW to share there faith without fear. That God is seeking weak knee-ed Christians empty of self and dependent on Him. That he would fill and use them (Like Joshua & Caleb). I gave them Sample tracts along with the WOTM website. They thanked me and I finished the evening discussing privately future strategy with the GNN local leadership.

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Richard, Andy and Michael

During my open air. Sorry so blurry.

Again, we thank God for tonight. It was a very blessed night of witnessing. I pray this motivates the Christians to go out and share their faith with others. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about witnessing and I will be happy to assist in any way I can.

In Christ,

Brad St. Clair

www.repentandturn.com
www.gnnlocalleader.com

SWAT TEAM Witnessing - Branson, MO - 6/25/06

Street Witnessing And Training
Taking Evangelism Across Missouri
Sunday Afternoon- 6/25/06
Downtown Branson, Missouri

I happened to be the only one going out to witness in Branson today. When going out alone, remember that God is with you and when you speak to someone, the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts. God’s Word will not return void, it will accomplish that which God wills it to do.

I began passing out the Giant Money $100 bill gospel tracts, with the Million Dollar Bills in my shirt pocket. As I passed out the Giant $100’s, the same people would ask me for the million dollar bills….so, they got both of them!! You can never get too much of the gospel message!! J I probably gave out over 100 tracts this afternoon.

I spoke with Edi and Geno, who is from Phoenix, Arizona. They were in Branson visiting and sightseeing. When I asked if she had a Christian background, she mentioned that she was Methodist. I asked if I could role play and show her how we go about witnessing to someone on the streets. Edi agreed. We went though the10 Commandments, then how to be born-again. Geno said they are trying to do better. They were a very nice couple.

I handed a tract to Martin and Stan, who live in the Branson area. I gave them both the Giant Money and the Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts. They said they were Christians, so I asked them if could use them to do a role play so that they could see how they witness. They haven’t heard of Way of the Master, so I thought we’d just show them this way. Martin agreed.

Something funny happened in the middle of the witnessing: a lady walked up to Stan and asked if she could have his Giant $100 and Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts. She is from Germany and wanted to take them back with her. So Stan gave up his tracts (then of course I had to replace Stan’s). Stan was already handing out gospel tracts. J

Martin thought this was a good way to witness and said he only lives down the road. He gave me his phone number and asked me to call him. He said that he might come out witnessing with us sometime.

There was a group of teenager girls that seen me passing out the tracts. They were from St. Louis, Missouri. They each wanted both of the tracts. They let me take their picture.

Please pray for the people we spoke to on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

In Christ,

Brad St. Clair
http://www.repentandturn.com
http://www.gnnlocalleader.com

SWAT TEAM Witnessing - Springfield, MO - 6/23/06

Street Witnessing And Training
Taking Evangelism Across Missouri
Friday Night - 6/23/06 -- Park Central Square –
Downtown Springfield, Missouri

The gospel tracts we use can be found at Gospel Tracts: Living Waters Store.

Report from Brad:
As I arrived in downtown Springfield and began walking into the square, I noticed that GNN Seed Sower and SWAT TEAM member, Michael Borich, as well as Jeff Reeb, was already witnessing to someone (see below for Michael’s report). I also noticed that as soon as I entered the square, a man stood up and began walking towards me. As he got closer, I noticed that this man was Josh, a self-proclaimed pagan. He has studied Wicca for the past 10 years. He normally wears a pentagram on a necklace.

We have been talking with Josh most weeks that we are out on the square. He went from being a heckler, to not heckling us (although he does, at times, still heckle other Christian preachers out in the square). I’ve given him gospel tracts, a gospel of John, talked to him about the Law, his sin against God and his need for repentance. I’ve also been a friend to him and just talked about his life. He said, “you will be proud of me, I’ve stopped studying Wicca, I’m not wearing my pentagram and I am now going to church.” I told him that is great news. I asked if he had been reading the materials that I gave him. He said that he had. I then gave him a New Testament that I had with me, and told him I will bring an entire bible (old and new testaments) with me next time to give to him. Praise God for convicting Josh. He still has a long way to go, but he’s headed in the right direction.

Two police cars were in the square when I arrived. They have been hanging around quite often lately. A couple of weeks ago, I was told that the police caught someone with a 9mm pistol in the square, and that there had been more fights than usual. The police drove away, then the people started arguing. The police parked and walked back to the square in “stealth mode” and broke up the arguing, handcuffed a person or two and dispersed the crowd. I witnessed to these people and did an open-air preaching to them tonight – see further in the newsletter.

Michael and Jeff were still witnessing to someone, so I walked over and passed out the Giant $100 gospel tracts to three men (late 40’s or early 50’s) sitting down, Jimbo, Brad (who had attended Bible college) and Gunny (Gunnery Sergeant-he had been in the Marine Corps).

They said they had Christian backgrounds and were pretty good people. I took them through the law, then spoke about grace, and how to be born-again. They said they were all doing the best that they could. They mentioned that I should go to the “Victory Mission” that was down the street and preach to them in the evenings before dinner. He was serious and kept mentioning it. I may have to look into that.

Michael, Jeff and I walked over to the area under the pavilion where the fight(s) broke out earlier and the police showed up. There were probably 12 people hanging out. Michael and I began giving out Giant Money $100 and Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts. They loved them. Danny, one of the guys there, had quite a few tattoos on his body and was telling us the meaning of each one, said that he liked us, and that we’re not like the rest of the “Christians” that come down and yell at them. Michael and Jeff left to go witness at the bus station, but I stayed to witness to this group for longer.

I decided to a mini open-air preaching time with these folks. I had some stuffed animals that we used and I gave them away to the people that answered the trivia questions accurately. After a while, I had a larger stuffed bear to give out to a volunteer that could prove to me that they are a good person. Amanda accepted. As I was taking Amanda through the law, all the people around her admitted to being a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart.

Amanda only admitted to being a liar and a blasphemer. She wasn’t as “bad” as the rest. However, I mentioned that James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” So, she admitted that she will be guilty on the Day of Judgment and would be going to hell. I explained that we broke God’s Law (the 10 Commandments), but Jesus paid our fine. We must “repent” of our sins and “trust” in Christ to save us. Amanda didn’t prove to be a good person, to win the stuffed bear, but I gave it to her and explained that this is just like salvation. We didn’t deserve it, but God sent his only son to die for our sins. We must reach out and take hold of it. The names of the folks that I was speaking to were named: Danny, Amanda, Cory, Tish and Leo and their baby, Angel faith.

Michael, Jeff and I met up and met a guy named Bill. He is a veteran from the Marine Corps. He said that he has years of street witnessing experience and gave me his number. He said that he would like to come out with us sometime. Praise God.

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Report from Michael Borich:
When Jeff and I arrived at the square I played "Amazing Grace" on the harmonica, which usually draws people's attention. A young man on a bicycle rode over to us and asked if the song was meant to be ironic, because of the two police cars parked in the square and the rowdy group of young people the police were talking with.

His name was Richard, and he was a college student at MSU, a recent transfer from Carbondale, Illinois. He was intelligent and told us he had a church background, but had gotten turned off by the hypocrisy of "Christians" so at the moment he was down on religion. We didn't go through the good person test because he had other issues he wanted to talk about. He asked Jeff to share his testimony, which he did, very effectively. We gave Richard some tracts, spent about half an hour talking with him-- we did manage to get in the law, sin and judgment. Pray for God to soften his heart and not be distracted from the gospel truth by past actions of other Christians.

At the bus station I had an opportunity to share with Jim -- 70 years old, a former Evangel College student, a thoughtful gentleman who wanted to talk about the 7 seals of Revelation and what prophetic events were awaiting us. He seemed solid in his Christian faith and knowledgeable about scripture, but was struggling with some financial-personal problems.

I also had the opportunity to speak with Carl, an African-American with 7 felonies, and his companion, Jeremy. Carl, in particular, felt he was a child of God, but knew he was not living for the Lord. He said he had a big problem with anger and rage. Again, I gave him some material to read and just encouraged him to seek the Lord, find a good faith community, and maybe even think about going into fulltime ministry as he would have a powerful testimony and had a natural speaking ability. He had just come to Springfield from Kansas City. Jeremy mostly listened, but both were friendly and grateful that I shared God's love with them.

Jeff and I also went through the good person test with a couple young women who turned out to be Christians, but it was good practice and they didn't seem to mind being asked about how good they were. We even gave them a couple stuffed animals.

We passed out a lot of gospel material -- it great evening. All Praise to Jesus.

I will send you the book and check on Monday.

In His Service,
Michael
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In Christ,

Brad St. Clair
www.repentandturn.com
www.gnnlocalleader.com

SWAT TEAM Witness - Springfield, MO - 6/09/06

Street Witnessing And Training
Taking Evangelism Across Missouri

Friday Night – 6/09/06 -- Park Central Square –
Downtown Springfield, Missouri

I went out of town this weekend, but we have reports from team members who went out.

From Michael Borich, GNN Seed Sower:
Excellent night out witnessing, warm, even though it was an off-Friday and not too busy downtown.

Eight of us met at the square at 8 p.m. -- Jeff, JJ, Danika, Mike, his fiance’, her son and daughter, and myself. Later Lee and his friend Chandler (?) -- not sure I recall, but his name did begin with a C also joined us.

Jeff and I walked around the downtown area. We first met the two Glendale girls, Melissa and Myka, who I have witnessed to a half dozen times. Jeff went through the Good Person test with Melissa (she didn't do too well), but we gave them gospel materials and shared with them.

We then passed out a lot of million dollar bills, some silver coins, some Good Person cartoon tracts.

I took a girl named Kristen through the Good Person test; she had made a profession as a middle school student, but was not living a consecrated life. But we passed out more gospel materials to she and her friends.

Then we rejoined everyone, and on our way to the bus station, heard music coming from Gary and Monica Dennington's loft, so we went up -- they were recording a song for their website. About 20 people were there -- listening, helping -- so we added five more.

Then we went to the bus station and were able to pass out another 20 or so tracts and silver coins.

Mike with his group had an excellent experience. We felt that the Lord had blessed much good seed planting, much more than we might have expected.

In His Service,
Michael

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The following is from Mike Lynch. Mike has been out witnessing with the team a couple times now.

Traci and two of her three children, Zach and Abbi, joined the rest if the SWAT Team and I last night. The kids handed out about 50 "Million Dollar Bill" tracts while Traci and I shared our faith.

Sharing there faith is new for Traci and her family, but they were eager to serve our God in this way. Though not planned, we spent over an hour with one man. He came close to putting his faith in Christ, but when it came down to the big question, he said he was not completely ready, but sincerely wanted to think about it that night.

He said he was with the Jehova Witnesses at one time, but was now suffering from some form of paranoid schizophrenia and that "religion scared him". Strange thing, I saw him in the square while the team was praying before we went out into the streets, but I almost was not even going to approach him with the kids with me because he looked a little "scary" himself. God clearly spoke to me, turned me around as I was walking in the other direction, and told me to go to him.

When I spoke to this man, he quickly shared he had come here from New York, had been in the Navy, and was named Mike, all three things just the same as I. Go figure! Everything is part of God's great plan. I gave him some reading material and means to contact me. Pray for him as well as those who are coming to understand that the great commission applies to all of us believers.

Blessings in Christ,

Mike

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I thank God for this group of Christians that see the importance of witnessing. Please pray for those that were witnessed to.


In Christ,

Brad St. Clairwww.repentandturn.com
www.gnnlocalleader.com