2012 Tucson Fire Dept Chili Cook-Off

Well, we were going to go to the Foothills Mall for our weekly share but the Lord had different plans and called us to go somewhere else.  It was the Tucson Fire Departments Annual Chili Cook-Off 

(http://www.tucsonfirefighters.com/chili_cook-off.html).  

There they seek to raise money for different reasons by having a friendly competition between any entries. They all simply make their home remedies of chili and let the best one win.  

It all sounds good and fun but when the sun went down it basically turned into a drinking festival.  I pick my mom up at work most days and we just happened to drive by and the Lord revealed the great opportunity so I immediately called my wife and Josh and they were on board.  So off we went.

As we went we really weren't expecting the environment that was ahead of us.  We thought we were off to a family friendly picnic setting but instead we came upon a college drinking party.  Everyone with a draft beer in their hands along with your usual Halloween costumes to go with the mix.

The Lord had called us there so we lifted up the night to Him in prayer and off we went.  Below was a little greeting video as we walked from the parking lot to the event and my little fisher woman wife was already being led to share with two ladies walking along side of us.  It was amazing to see her being lead to share immediately as she does not naturally feel comfortable sharing in a crowd.  Praise God all things are possible by Him and not by us (Mathew 19:26)!

Oct 26, 2012 | Sharing the Gospel at the 2012 Tucson Fire Dept Chili CookOff. #wehavegreatnewstoshare by peartkyle on Keek.com

As we approached the entrance we saw my sister-in-law with her boyfriend hanging out which was a great witness as they are not believers and for the world to see us take our Friday night and give it to the Lord is all glory to Him.  We gave big hugs and my wife chatted with them for a bit as Josh and I lingered and met with a few men.

We did not catch the first mans name so keep the unknown in prayer.  This man was available to hear but drawn by the world quickly.  We were mid sentence sharing the truth as a friend of his was told by his girlfriend to get this man "outta there".  He did receive a tract so we pray that man wakes up and seeks the Lord when all alone and remembers the things Christ gave him that night.  Hope.

Next was our new friend Chuy.  This young man was greatly influenced by his love for the flesh and need to continually "experience" his life.  He knew that the direction he was going lead to eternal death but he wanted to live his life to the "fullest" by smoking and drinking which was way more important than what Christ could do for him. I am very thankful for him allowing us to carry as long as a conversation as he did but in the end he truthfully admitted that he wanted to enjoy his temporal life though he knows where it leads.  He has hit rock bottom several times and knows he is a sinner but it doesn't impact his life.  We pray that the Lord continues to work on our friends heart.  Please cry out for Chuy.  He received a Gospel of John from us and our contact information so we pray and wait on the Lord!





Next was a long very fruitful but testing at times conversation.  We came to meet several new friends here.  Josh had approached three gentlemen and asked what their thoughts were on Heaven.  Two immediately claimed to be Christian and another was Catholic.  It was interesting that the Catholic recognized he was not Christian as most assume they are the same.  We asked him why he said and believed they were different but he was not interested so he walked off.  We didn't catch that young mans name but we ask for your prayers for him.

The other two guys blessed us by staying and engaging in the conversation.  There names were Zack and Michael.  Zack was a younger 17 or 18 year old man that grew up in the church.  He knew the "copy and paste" version of the Gospel and admitted that if he died at that moment he would go to Hell because of his lack of relationship with Christ.  Throughout the whole night, I myself with my fleshful eyes, think this was the most fruitful conversation of the night.  This man let us pray for him and really recognized he needs to repent and go the opposite direction that he is headed.

There was a whole group of the family there while we spoke with Zack, along with his mother, which wanted to heckle a little bit but the Lord opened a great door for my wife to be able to speak with her so I am so thankful we had my wife there to speak with the ladies.  Overall, the whole group was looking for a church on the north side of town, so we ask for your prayers for this family to reach out to the body of Christ and seek new life in the Lord!

Last we wrapped it up at a picnic table full of people and ended up having a one on one conversation with Julian.  Julian is a high school senior that is a proclaiming Atheist.  He said that he likes to believe in "facts" and "science".  I promise this was a great conversation.

Before we jumped into the actual science in the Bible, we asked Julian if there was a truth that he did not know would he want to know it and he truthfully answered no.  I am glad he was honest though that seems to be the common desire of the world more and more.  From there, Julian asked for me to show him how God was real.  Without putting God on the stand, all we had to do was have Julian read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.  I asked him after reading, who that was talking about and he said Jesus.  Without me even swaying him that way, that is how he answered.  I proceeded to ask Julian if he knew those each were written from 500-1000 years before Christ ever lived on earth.  Julian was speechless.

At that point, I asked him to show me scientifically how evolution is correct.  He said he couldn't.  I reminded him that he said he believes in facts and science so it doesn't really make sense that he believes in a theory claiming it to be fact.  We explained to him the difference between "Observational Science" and "Historical Science" which Julian wasn't aware of.  It was clear that Julian had faith but it was much more blind than hope in something sure.

The whole table was ready to go though they were so thankful for us taking the time to speak to this Atheist young man so we left Julian with one question.  We asked him "How could something, come from nothing?"  He was handed one of the tracts that point him to http://www.youroriginsmatter.com/ and asked him to please consider that question.

We are so thankful for all of the conversations that the Lord lead.  He continually proves it is not us out there but Him speaking individually to these souls.  We merely are just vessels filled with His Holy Spirit ready to be used by Him.  Please do pray for these men and woman as we all wish for them to have that intimate and saving relationship through our Lord Christ Jesus!

Christian by default?

  So often today, we see Americans who naturally think they are born into the Christian faith. An example that comes to mind are country music artists. Why do so many of them think they are "Christian" by default? It's become more and more apparent that certain cultures, especially within our country believe they are Christians simply because they sing supposedly wholesome songs, going to church, etc.  Simply writing lyrics about faith in God doesn't make one a Christian. The Gospel of John provides a good definition of how the Lord defines Christianity: 

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12,13)  

  Believers in the true Gospel of God should not stop at, "Oh, you're a Christian.  Okay, God Bless you" when evangelizing.  The mediocre and sometimes misrepresented conversions that occur in America today only add to our lukewarm attitude that Christ talks about in Revelation 3:16.

Rev 3:14-22  ¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 
¹⁵ “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

  I think America is a picture of the church of Laodicea; a country filled with too many lukewarm people proclaiming to know Christ with their mouths, yet having no desire to walk with Him.  So often a proclaiming believer in Jesus will say it just takes confessing with your mouth and believing, and while true belief in Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross does save, we have to be honest and recognize there is a difference between having "head knowledge" about the truth (like the Jews did) and having faith and trust in the truth of Jesus and His Word.  Jesus told the Jews in John 5: 39-

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me."

  Taking this a bit further, you can have knowledge of God without personally placing your trust in Him.  You can know the truth and think you are good based on that knowledge, but that would mean you trust in works to save you. It is insufficient to simply know about God without allowing His Son Jesus to change their life. You see, the Scriptures testify of Him, but the Scriptures themselves do not give eternal life. They simply point to the One who does. 

  There is a good reason why so often the Word of God is more readily received in foreign lands.  When you preach the Good News of God's forgiveness to someone who has never heard it, and has a full understanding of his desperation there is a sense of warm welcome to the news.  In contrast, there are those in this country who have heard the Gospel over and over through out their childhood, yet not recognized their own sin that's worn on their sleeves.  They may have plenty of knowledge of the Gospel, but to appreciate and receive it would literally take losing everything they consider as their life.

  I hope anyone reading this does not take it as though I am directly saying Americans stand no chance at being saved because of the spiritual numbness that's alive today, (I know the Lord has done a work in me, the last one deserving His grace).  It's my personal opinion that America is a great example of the rich man Jesus was talking about in Matthew 19:24.  Here Jesus describes how hard it is for someone who already thinks he's good enough and in need of no earthly thing to receive the Gospel.  

  Because of the lukewarm and confused state of American Christianity, it's become more and more apparent that we need to stop holding our tongues as Believers and get out there and ask people some serious questions.  In this culture we see the common country artist naturally bring Jesus into his songs.  I am in no way proclaiming all country artists are non-Christians.   I am simply using an example of how too many people in America do not fully understand the meaning of true Christianity.  Per statistics, the percentage of proclaiming Christians today (2012)  in America is 78.4% (http://religions.pewforum.org/reports).  Being honest, do you really think this percentage is true?  If this is true then why is this country clearly getting more depraved every day?  

  We have to being willing to break through the barrier of tradition and religious talk when speaking with people.  As true believers, we have to use the full Word of God when sharing Christ.  That is the only thing that will penetrate through the hardness of hearts that Americans carry today.  

  You see, I can name a list of artists (ie. Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, and Montgomery Gentry) just to name a few (and I am being very broad here) that include Jesus in their songs.   Again, I am in no way making a judgment on their heart by saying they are non-Christian but I can and do share the truth of Gods Word and what it states about His children.  

  In Matthew 7:20 the Lord tells us, 

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

  It's very clear that by the fruit they produce you will know what kind of tree you are looking at.  By observation, I can reveal several songs with graphic lyrics, that would explain to you exactly the fruit those people I stated produce.  Again, we have to be honest that because someone proclaims and gives you the copy and paste version of the Gospel does not mean they are a converted believer.

  We must examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5) continually to see if we are in the faith and never withhold the truth from anyone.  I know myself have been challenged every time I dive into the Word.  I have a more sure hope in Christ that I have received Him because the Word is sharp and it naturally causes me to evaluate my life and the type of fruit I produce.

(I encourage EVERYONE to put aside 45 minutes for this teaching!) 

True and False Conversion - Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron

  I'll close with this.  Whether you are a proclaiming Christian reading this or a non-believer, first evaluate your life.  Get right with the Lord and repent.  Make sure you have an intimate relationship with the only Savior of the world which is Christ Jesus.  Christians, take heed that no man deceives you, including the one writing to you now, and be ready at all times with the boldness that the Lord gives all men to share the truth.  Please do not stop at "hello" and "oh, your a christian".  Ask questions like "How do you know" or "Explain what you mean by that."  These are great ice breakers to get the conversation started and get to know the person you are talking with.  Remember, its a conversation, not a skull crashing session.

  The song below is just one of the examples that kind of set this article off.  May we always be willing to evaluate whether someone knows the True Gospel of God and not stop there, but seek a way to reach the one that so easily falls into the "lukewarm" territory.  We need to pray for these artists that are lost into the famous game and ask the Lord to lead them to repentance as they are leading so many proclaiming "Christians" right into Hell.  

ATTENTION:  THE SONG BELOW IS NOT BEING ENDORSED BUT BEING REVEALED AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW MISUSED CHRIST IS IN TODAY'S CULTURE!!!

   Thomas Rhett Akins - If I Could Have A Beer With Jesus Lyrics

If I could have a beer with Jesus 

Heaven knows I’d sip it nice and slow

I’d try to pick a place that ain’t too crowded

Or gladly go wherever he wants to go 

You can bet I’d order up a couple tall ones

Tell the waitress put ‘em on my tab

I’d be sure to let him do the talkin’

Careful when I got the chance to ask

How’d you turn the other cheek

To save a sorry soul like me 

Do you hear the prayers I send  What happens when life ends

And when you think you’re comin’ back again

I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it

If I could have a beer with Jesus If I could have a beer with Jesus

I’d put my whole paycheck in that jukebox

Fill it up with nothing but the good stuff

Sit somewhere we couldn’t see a clock Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek

To save a sorry soul like me

Have you been there from the start

How’d you change a sinner’s heart

And is heaven really just beyond the stars

I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it

If I could have a beer with Jesus

He can probably only stay, for just a couple rounds

But I hope and pray he’s stayin’ till we shut the whole place down

Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek

To save a sorry soul like me

What’s on the other side?

Is mom and daddy alright?

And if it ain’t no trouble tell them I said hi

I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it

If I could have a beer with Jesus

I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it

If I could have a beer with Jesus 

A teaching we did back on the 10th of June, 2012 about the gods people build up and then reject, ultimately rejecting the One true God of the Bible.

Scripture references: 

Romans 1:18-19 (King James Version)

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Nogales Landfill Mission Trip Sept 22, 2012

Here's a compilation of a lot of the work the Lord did in Mexico!!! Thank you to Sonny Islas for putting this video together!

CASTING NETS AT THE FOOTHILLS MALL!
10.4.12


Man, what an exciting night going out with empty nets and seeing the Lord draw such great conversations.  I am never surprised but just in AWE of how God uses us despite our ability.

Three great conversations.  It would be hard to describe them in written form and it was awkward to try and ask to record with video but let me just say, three different conversations, three different situations.  ALL LEAD BY THE SPIRIT!

Our first was a couple, from Pueblo High who were in there Senior year.  There names were Sergio and Leticia   Both raised Roman Catholic and Sergio actually had a "Saint" Jude necklace on.  Sergio was pretty receptive even though Josh and I were ruining their alone time in the mall.  I appreciated there willingness to hear the Gospel and not walk away.  Thank you to you both for bearing with us and I ask all who read this to please pray for them each individually.

The second was a worker in the food court and we were cut short after about 15 minutes but from starting to end we got into a discussion on how the earth was made and how all creation points to a Creator and the issue evolutionists have with recognizing this is because though science reveals it, if they admit to it, then they have to fall into subjection to the One who made it all!  Our new friends name is Jake and though our conversation was cut short, he did hear the truth of the Gospel in short form and God's Word never comes back void.  We exchanged numbers and he was willing to meet and continue our conversation so please pray that the eagerness to talk will stay and we do meet up!

Last but definitely not least, our fourth new friends name is Erie.  Wow, the Lord totally allowed us to have such a fruitful conversation with him.  Erie had so many questions from, "why do you believe that" and "how do you know".  Interesting those are the questions so commonly we ask the non believer but I am so thankful that we are also put in that same situation.  How awful for us to go out expecting to show people the truth but when asked the very same questions we freeze.  Thank you Lord for preparing our hearts by sticking to your Word.  We are called to always be ready (1 Peter 3:15) to give an answer.

We would really appreciate your prayers as we continue this ministry and for these souls we run into.  God knows exactly who and where they are and we are called to just share that GREAT NEWS!  He will bring the increase!