Street Witnessing before Easter

Last Saturday before Easter, I met up with Jon Speed of LostCauseMinistries and Ron Martinez. Being my first time out, I watched and observed and prayed. Most of the people they approached took the gospel tracts they handed out and some even stopped to talk about Jesus. It was very stirring to see some of the folks really listening to them, soaking in the gospel.

Some Christians tend to think of this style of witnessing is bad and possibly detrimental way of spreading the gospel (even though Christ and the disciples used this method) but when Jon and Ron spoke they showed nothing but love and respect and to be honest some of the folks probably weren't used to that. This is a quote from Jon's blog that I found interesting, "In DFW, the only ones who seem to get offended are either professing Christians or atheists who once claimed to be Christians."

Jon Speed
Lost Cause Ministries

Ron Martinez
Gospel to the Perishing

Rotting Corpse CD Review with mention of a Chick tract

I was looking on the Internet for a certain review of my band's CD from a couple of years ago. I found it. You have can follow the link and then you have to scroll down a bit because he reviews several bands before us but I also have it pasted at the bottom of the page.

The reviewer, named Todd, takes exception to my including a Chick tract in with the promo package I sent him. The seeker sensitive crowd would have a problem that I used a Chick tract and not a new hipper style of tract that's more tolerant. But if Todd read the tract, he read the gospel and that's what's important even if he didn't accept Christ on the spot. He's sarcastic but I think he also having a hard time believing that a member of Rotting Corpse would send him a Chick tract. And it's funny he calls me ex-Rotting Corpse bassist even though we were playing shows at the time apparently wanting to distance me from the band. I remember reading this and glorifying God that he mentioned the tract in the review because most people I send tracts to act like I never sent them. It's almost like the crazy uncle that the family pretends isn't doing something weird.

When I sent this tract several years ago, I only sent them with people who weren't paying customers so I sent several to web 'zines and magazines (promo material). For over the last year, I send them to whoever I mail material too. It's easy to fall into the "I don't want to offend" mode but what's important is sharing the message of the gospel.

For the 3 people that ever read my blog, please say a prayer or two for Todd.

His review:

Rotting Corpse - _The Demos_ (F*ck It Records)

Rotting Corpse emerged in the heyday of the Texas underground, churning textbook thrash alongside more notable acts like Devastation and noted for a founding member going on to form Solitude Aeternus. This disc (now in its third print) compiles each of the group's four demos, starting in 1986. While not too distinct from the Bay Area sound in general, this collection remains a fairly enjoyable and quality recorded with a slightly "tinny" production to offset the energetic riffing. There's trivia here as well, as the group's second demo was produced by Vinnie Paul Abbot. An eight-page booklet includes lyrics as well as tons of photos and show flyers plus a sticker and pin. My copy was actually mailed with a Jack Chick tract, which always cracks me up -- even more so after I found out that ex-Rotting Corpse bassist Steve Murphy truly does care about my soul's final abode in the great hereafter. Parties still interested may want to request a better companion piece by Mr. Chick, perhaps the more appropriate "Angels" or "The Sissy"?

Todd DePalma

The Chapel prepares for Easter Sunday service

Members of The Chapel who meet at the YMCA in Coppell prepared the area to the southeast of the main campus Saturday morning for an outside Easter Sunday service. In this area is an outside worship area with an old rugged cross. Church members cleaned the area and scrubbed benches in preparation of the Easter service. The service will be held at 10:20 am on Sunday, March 23, 2008. John Nieder, pastor of The Chapel, will lead the service. The service is open to anyone wanting to attend. The Chapel is a relatively new church which stresses Biblical beliefs in a small group environment.

For information or directions please check out: The Chapel

What is Deconstructionism? Postmodernism?

I first heard Todd Friel discuss these terms when WOTM was in Europe last year (2007). Many of the people in Europe they ran into tended to hold postmodernist beliefs.

So what is deconstructionism anyway?

A philosophy coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s that interprets history by trying to determine the meaning from what is left out of the text or ignored or silenced by it. This philosophy is an extending the philosophical excursions of Nietzsche and Heidegger.

The example that Todd used was George Washington. He was a slave owner, therefore he's a bad person (even though history doesn't record this and actually shows him to have treated the slaves as family members). Therefore, everything he made contributions to (being a devout Christian who wanted his government to reflect his beliefs) is called into question and doubted, although there is no proof of it. A deconstructionist maintains these assumptions because they can't see or experience something in the past. They don't care if they have no proof of their assumptions. They interpret history by adding their prejudices and assumptions to history. They assume, based on these prejudices and assumptions, what has been left out, ignored or silenced in historical writings.

How does this effect us as Christians? When we talk about our Christian heritage in the building of the United States of America, they deconstruct it by finding faults in the founding fathers, as in the example above.

So when witnessing, be ready for this!

If your head isn't spinning enough already... How about postmodernism?

From an article by James Beverley in 2002:

"Postmodernism is a term of recent vintage, but the seeds of postmodernism hearken back to thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Martin Heidegger who raised radical questions about the intellectual, cultural, and political ideologies of their day. Though none of these thinkers were postmodernists, per se, each saw that powerful elites use "reason" and "logic" and "truth" to hold humans in captivity in some form."

Postmodernism: "There is no single world view that captures reality, no master story (or meta-narrative) that underlies humanity. Reason is to be distrusted because there is no way to know which person's reason is reliable. There is no such thing as objectivity. There is no "truth" to appeal to for understanding history and culture. There are no moral absolutes. The West, with its colonialist heritage, deserves ridicule. Texts, whether religious or philosophical or literary, do not have intrinsic meaning. Ideas are cultural creations. Everything is relative. We need to be deeply suspicious of all ideas since ideas are used as tools to oppress and confine humans."

So a postmodernist has trouble knowing whether or not he is alive for sure...

How to witness to a postmodernist\deconstructionist?

When trying to witness to a postmodernist, they might counter with, “Christianity was created to control the masses.” They might also suggest that nothing can be known for certain; such as the fact that Christ was the Son of God who came to earth for our salvation.

When witnessing, obviously we don't want to stay in these arguments long because you will make no progress arguing with the intellect. Instead we might ask them, “Is there absolute truth?” If they say no, ask them when it is right for someone to rape someone else? Maybe from there, state that there are absolutes in life and then take them into the moral Law, the Ten Commandments.

This is a good article on witnessing to postmodernist.

Below in quotes was taken from this article and are good to keep in mind when witnessing to a postmodernist or someone with these leanings. To sum up below I think he's saying we've got the truth of God (positive) as opposed to the negative view that postmodernism tends to create within a person (when they are being open and honest).

"Our reasons for optimism include the power of God, the loneliness of postmodern culture, postmodern nihilism, and a vacuum of truth."

"By discovering the presuppositions of others and gently leading them to discover the problems with their own views, we can thaw the dogmatism of postmodern consensus and ceate a new openness to alternatives."

***I'd like to thank Jon Speed of Lost Cause Ministries for helping me with this article.

Bleach - a Christian rock band

One day as I pondered whether I had made even a tiny difference in anyone's life to accept Christ as their savior, my thoughts went back to the people who helped plant a seed with me. I had one friend who didn't share the gospel but did share his enthusiasm for the church he had been going and even invited me to a service. I attended once.

Another seed was planted by a Christian rock band that is now disbanded called Bleach. I first saw them late one Saturday nite on Christian television in 1998 with a video for "Children of Sod." They sounded like Weezer but even nerdyier. Even though I didn't accept Christ at that point, I bought their CDs and enjoyed the heavy rock music that had positive lyrics which I certainly didn't find in the lyrics of the other bands I listened to at the time. It's important to note that music was most definitely my god before coming to know Christ. I had played in bands most of life and whether happy or sad I turned to music to escape the cares of this world. I bought tons of CDs and downloaded music constantly looking for my next fix of good music.


original bleach

Bleach is an interesting band because they did two great albums with the original line up. By the 3rd album they lost the lead guitarist and bassist but produced I believe to be their best album. By the 4th album the band had only the rhythm guitarist, Sam Barnhart, and singer, Dave Baysinger from the original band, and the rest being new members. With the second blech they made 2 incredible albums and ended with a 6th final album called "Farewell old friends" in 2004. If you know anything about bands, this is a fairly incredible accomplishment but God apparently had his hand on their progress. I might be fooled but the members come across as amazingly humble and devoted to Christ. Don't fool yourself, not every band that calls itself Christian really gives a hoot about being devoted to Christ. This is still the music business, mind you.


second bleach

A funny story is that in the late 90's original bleach played in Dallas but I was afraid to go because I thought someone might preach to me. I didn't realize how much I need some preachin'...

I still listen to Bleach (orginal and second) quite frequently and recommend them to anyone that wants some heavier music but not with bad, nasty lyrics. I really don't listen to any other Christian bands at this time. Not that I have anything against them, I just have not heard anything that moves me.

They don't have a webpage anymore but there is a couple myspace pages for them:

http://www.myspace.com/thebandformerlyknownasmuffin

http://www.myspace.com/bleach717

original bleach

second bleach

Moral Relativity on your Television set?

Do you remember in the olden days when you would watch a show on television or the movies? By the end of the show you felt good about cheering for the hero and when he achieved his goal (catching the bad guys), you felt good about what you have just seen.

Don't see that much on TV anymore, do you? The heroes of today's TV are closer to Hannibal Lector than they are the Lone Ranger. One example that comes to mind is Grissom on CSI Vegas who is almost insect like. Today's characters tend to hold humanist postmodernist views on society rather than Jesus Christ is Lord.

This leads me to an observation that most story lines on TV today are crafted with moral relativity. What's that mean? In the story characters are put in situations where the lines of right and wrong are blurred, the characters are almost always driven by emotion with very little logic so they settle for a wrong decision and the writer builds in sympathy for the character in support of this decision (ex. pro-choice, gay lifestyle, vigilante justice, transexuals as victims). Viewers are desensitized by repeatedly seeing these shows and tend to believe there are times when you have to do what you do whether or not the situation is wrong.

Many times I finish watching one of these shows I feel like something is wrong, I feel unsettled. A friend pointed this out with the recent movie, "No Country for Old Men." He was reminded that this movie had bothered him when he read an article about Javier Bardem, the main antagonist bad guy. Bardem said that he wasn't quite right while playing this character and it even followed him until he started his next role. What would have happened if he had taken a year off?

An example of this is "Forrest Gump" when his mom has sex with the principal so Forest can go to regular school because of his low IQ. Not being a believer at the time I first saw this, I found it funny but somewhat shocking and it bothered me (my conscience). This is an example of moral relativity because Forest wouldn't go through all the wild wonderful things that happened in his life if his mom hadn't made this sacrifice for him. They want you to believe the ends justify the means. Without a good sense of right or wrong, young viewers are being taught that there are no absolutes. Confusing, yes, but you see it all the time on TV and movies. Ultimately, the enemy uses this to chip away at people's faith in a power greater than themselves.

We, as Christians, should be careful what we view and watch because Hollyweird isn't thinking the things of God when they make their TV shows, movies, pornos, etc. Something Mark Cahill once said has really stuck with me to the effect that if it's not of God, it's of the devil. And we tend to have trouble with this because we struggle with not being of this world, do we not?

So my advice is TURN OFF THE TV!!!

Fighting Horses

READ YOUR BIBLE EVERYDAY!

Tracts are still effective

Steve states:
Pretty quickly after saying my prayer to Jesus, I started to pass out tracts. Concerning sharing the gospel, I am shy about striking up conversations with strangers, but I can at least leave tracts here and there.

I originally bought Chick tracts and I still do. Some people may think they aren't cool or in vogue but I believe that the little comics are still effective to lure people into reading them.

About a year ago I found Way of the Master (Living Waters) and have bought many a tract from them. My favorite would be the million dollar bill which is wonderful to leave with your tip when you eat out. I'm also big on the 10 Commandments coin.

I just bought some tracts from Custom Tract Source. They are in Texas and I really like the post notes they have. I leave them on pay phones in plain site for people to see. These don't have a gospel message on it but it refers them to a web page.

Another is One Million Tracts. Jon Speed of Last Cause Ministries recommended these guys and from their website I can see several I'd like to try. The card-sized tracts with a sports team schedule on one side and a gospel tract on the other sounds like it might get read eventually. I know in Dallas-Ft Worth the Cowboys are held in high esteem. I will definitely get some of those.

How I use them:
I leave them places I go and I always try to carry them with me. When I mail merchandise from my band to fans, I slip in tracts. It's funny they usually don't say anything about them, but I pray that I have planted a seed.

Some times I do something I've dubbed a "Time Bomb" and that's when I hide tracts from plain site. In some places you get the feeling they'll be thrown away pretty quickly so I hide some in the toilet paper ring, in paper towels that are stacked on the counter of some fancier restrooms, under a vase on the counter, etc. People may not find them today but it plants the seed for a later discovery. I will do this even when I leave some tracts in plain site.

This blog shows the BIG list of tracts that are available plus places you can put tracts.

Quotes on tracts:

Charles Spurgeon stated, “When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready. . . Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts.”

Charles Spurgeon on the use of tracts:
I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do something . . . [Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They may not have the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers . . . They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute broadcast.

I found this on Repent and Turn Ministries webpage which has some good information on tracts and evangelism.

Why don't they talk about HELL in church anymore?

Taken from a sermon "Hell No Exits" Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)

"When you last hear a sermon on TV about hell? About everlasting destruction? It's not fashionable, it doesn't bring the money in. Doesn't tickle the ears, tickles the conscience..." Leonard Ravenhill

Steve notes:
After listening to Leonard Ravenhill's sermon above, I decided to read Jonathan Edwards' infamous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (1741). These choice words jumped off that page at me.



From Section IV:
So that is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and don't resent it, that he don't let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such as one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation don't slumber, the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them, the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened her moth under them.

From Section V:
The devil stand ready to fall upon them and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The Scripture represents them as his "goods," Luke 11:21. The devils watch them; they are ever by them, at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back; if God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

From Section IX.
They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the bigger part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done; he don't intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take care that shall be effectual, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

Under Application section:
The use may be of awakening to unconverted person in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. The world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God, there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of: there is nothing between you and hell but the air; 'tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this, you find you are kept out of hell, but don't see the hand of God in it, but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for you own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.

Some paragraphs down in Application section:
Thus are all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls, all that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life (however you may have reform your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, and may be strict in it), you are thus in the hands of an angry God, tis nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction.

Last paragraph:
Therefore let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over great part of this congregation: let everyone fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed." Gen 19:17

Steve concludes:
Can you imagine Joel Osteen preaching this?

What has your church turned God into? Santa Claus, a best buddy, a magic genie with three wishes, Jesus is my homeboy, self-help God? Do you never hear of Jonathan Edward's God there? God is only love? Is God not righteous (just) and morally perfect? And we are not?

Most people would call this hell fire preaching. And I agree, but what I have a problem with is that if you truly believe what's in your Bible, what would be wrong with warning people of the wrath to come? We have been tricked by today's political correctness to believe that not offending people is more important than warning them of what happens in the next life. How logical is that? But most of us, me included, suffer from this. We know that we won't be very popular if we start talking about hell to unbelievers, luke-warm believers.

I'm not saying we should return to hell fire preaching, but we should not be afraid to talk to people about the reality of hell. We need to verbalize to people that hell exists and is a real place that some people will definitely spend eternity if they don't trust in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. It can be done in love.

Revelation 20:15 (NIV)
"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Read Luke 16:19-26 - Lazarus and the Rich Man


A sermon from Robert Jeffress "The Truth about Hell" January 1, 2008

PLACEBO

Steve says:
I am fascinated with Near Death Experiences. I love to try to play detective and determine if they are faithful to the Bible or not. I try to determine if the person telling the story is a reliable witness or not.

One NDE that I find intriguing is from Howard Pittman who is featured on Spirit Lessons website. I do warn that you must be very careful when listening to these type of experiences almost as much as reading some of the garbage the modern Christian writers are churning out these days. But I am not focusing on his NDE story in this blog, just the forward to his booklet called "Placebo". In my opinion he describes the modern church perfectly. He uses the placebo pill used by doctors as an analogy of many churches in our land, it describes believers who are not saved yet are being coddled into thinking everything's fine, not being challenged in the Word and therefore think they are saved.

Go ahead and read below and see what you think.

Below taken from Spirit Lessons website:

On August 3, 1979, Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister for 35 years, died while on the operating table during surgery and had a near-death experience. After angels showed him the second and third heavens, he was taken before the very throne of God where he was given a message to share with the world.

The following is an excerpt from his booklet, Placebo, which documents his amazing near-death experience. You can purchase his audio tapes and booklets at the Lake Hamilton Bible Camp store.

Forward

Webster's Dictionary defines "placebo" as "a medication prescribed more for the mental relief of a patient than for the actual effect on his disorder, or something tending to soothe."

The doctors tell us that if we know we are being treated with a placebo, it does not work. In our minds we must think that it is a real medication and has the strength or power to heal. If the patient believes this, then the treatment has been known to work wonders in many cases that otherwise could not have been treated. Placebo treatment is, in fact, nothing of substance, but in the mind of the patient it is real. In order for this kind of treatment to work, the doctor must convince the patient of the work of the medication.

My friend, I declare unto you that this is the exact "treatment" that most "mouth-professing" Christians are using today. The doctor administering this "medication" is Satan himself. He gives the "patent" a sugar-coated religion, a shallow experience, and whispers half-truths into his ears. He then tells the "patient" that it is real and that it is all the "patent" needs. The "patent", having been taken in by Satan, believes this and goes on his merry way declaring to all that he has been born again, his salvation is real, and this experience is all that he needs. Doctor Satan will allow his "patient" to continue to go to church and will allow him to take part in any church, that is, singing, leading in prayer, teaching Sunday School, and even preaching. He will allow the "patient" to make any kind of statement in connection with his "mouth-professing" religion, even to the point of the saving power of Jesus. Yes, he will allow the "patient" to do all and say all with one exception. That exception is that the "patient" will not be allowed to live the life that he confesses with his mouth ...