STREET PREACHING IV--Spiritual Carnage

Last night was the first night for me to go out street preaching for the summer this year. It was a weak start because we were only out there for about one and a half hours.

Did you notice the "we"? Yes, I now have two partners and neither of them are weak sisters, either. Both are Bible college students and both are real evangelists. I am totally jacked to have some help this summer. Last summer I was alone. I'll tell you more about them another time.

Once again, I was impressed last night by what I call the spiritual carnage left by the doctrinal bombings done from American pulpits. Lost people are convinced that they aren't because some preacher lied to them. The first young men to whom I talked were at a roller skating park. They were actually part of a church group so I asked them right out how to be saved. "Be baptized." They said it in unison. When I asked them if they had heard that they must repent of their sins, one kind of acknowledged that he'd heard something about that. The other, Sam, hadn't heard any such thing. He admitted that he had never repented of his sins.

Another young man, Steven, was from Wyoming. He was a joy to talk to because he really wanted to talk about God. I asked him how to be saved, because he, too, was raised in church. THIS WAS HIS LITERAL ANSWER: "That little prayer thing." I asked him if he's repented of his sins. He didn't really answer. I asked him if he reads his Bible. "No." I told him to read it daily and obey what he reads.

Next, my partners and I talked to a Catholic fellow who really wanted to talk. Pray for him. I expect to see him again.

Lastly, we spoke to a group of three or four and that was really disappointing. One of my partners lead the way on that one and he's really had a lot of experience witnessing. That part was awesome--I have two real partners who really love God and want to preach. The bad part was that the main guy who was doing the talking in the group we approached was a typical example of what I call the Idolaters of Luuv. When we talked about judgment, he responded that God was not a judge and no one was going to hell. No matter how we talked to him, he wouldn't budge off his center. May God judge the preacher who lied to him this way.

All in all, it was a great night. It's great getting back to it and it's great having two really great partners.

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.

Street Preaching III--Evangelicalism Sending People To Hell

Last night, I went out in a relief bus from Harvest Church. A married couple from that church ran things. It was a pretty nice converted ambulance and it was equipped with blankets, hot soup, coats, hats, and so forth. In addition to the married couple, Jeff and Susan, were Mark Johnson and Mike Martinez. Mark is a long time friend of mine and it was he who arranged for me to come along and minister to street people. Mike was brought by Mark, too.

Evangelicalism stinks--Case #1.
The first guy I tried to tell the gospel to was another "Mike." He was troubled. He'd lost seven brothers over a two year period. He didn't know why God had done this or how he could get over it. Eventually, I said that death is not normal; God did not make us to die. Then I asked him what he was going to do when he died. He said he had "accepted Jesus" so he thought he had "a shot."

So he had been told all he had to do was pray a prayer and that would save him, regardless of his lifestyle. Some Evangelical preacher told him that.

The second fellow I got to tell the gospel to was not interested in thinking very far ahead. He didn't want to hear of it. So we small-talked. He was shivering so I asked for and got a coat and a blanket for him.

Evangelicalism stinks--Case #2.
The third fellow I got to tell the gospel to was a Jesse Duplantis fan. Duplantis is a word-faith heretic. However, such are now considered Evangelical. Witness Joyce Meyer and Kenneth Copeland. Copeland teaches that God has a body and that Adam was equal with God before the fall. So Copeland is not even a Christian in the sense of historical orthodoxy. He's closer to a Mormon. However, under the big dung heap called Evangelicalism he is a legitimate minister to be found on the same stations and in the same book stores as godly men like John MacArthur or R. C. Sproul. (More prominently displayed, however.)

Well, this fellow was not homeless. He just saw free food. I asked him if he had a problem with God. No, he was going to be forgiven. God forgives everybody. Jesse says so. He gets Jesse's monthly publication. Everyone is forgiven. We all go to heaven. I am not familiar enough with Duplantis' ministry to know if he actually teaches universalism, but it is clear that a fan can listen to him for a long time and never hear that there is a hell to avoid. I told him that few will be forgiven and gave him a tract. He seemed a bit more quiet when told these things.

Evangelicalism stinks--Case #3.
Finally, there was the clean, handsome, young homosexual. I did not get to visit with him. Others did. He "followed the teachings of Jesus." Or so he thought.

I really loved going out to witness and will next week with them again. However, it is evident that to reach these folks we will have to overcome decades of Evangelical error before these folks know they need to repent of their sins.

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.

Street Preaching II

I went street preaching again yesterday. The last few weekends the weather and other circumstances prevented it. Yesterday, however, I took the time to write my own tract. I went to a local skateboard park and passed some out. I also spoke with some of the young men there. I preached while their backs remained turned to me. However, after a bit of time a young man turned and said he was glad I was there and he had a genuine smile. He was raised in a Christian home and was away from God. So please, pray. I am going to be down there regularly, God willing. I want to make relationships. God has His elect in there. Pray for my purity and faithfulness. Pray for those young guys.

As to the tract I wrote, I am going to keep doing that. The tracts and my messages spoken are intended to be very hard edged. Law, wrath, and repentance will be the emphasis 90%. Then the good news is given. Another reason I am making my own tracts is that most tracts are very simplistic or they are printed in such tiny type they are irritating to read. I'm sure that many older folks are unable to see it. The ones that are not in very fine print are so limited in content that I don't like them.

I am making them on regular 8 1/2 x 11 paper. After I print the text side, I turn them over and print a title in very large print. For the tract I used yesterday I used two titles. One is "Come And Die" and the other is "Do You Have A Problem With God--Here's The Answer." This title is printed in large block letters and positioned so that when I fold them, the title shows.

On the text side of the flyer the headings are large and printed in a color, leaving the rest of the text black.

Anyway, here is my first tract:

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You have a problem called sin.
Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21 ... the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth....
Isaiah 64:6-7 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on Your name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
Romans 3:10-18 10as it is written,
"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
13"THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,"
"THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
14"WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
15"THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
16DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
17AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
18"THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

You may not understand that you have this problem.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Because of your sin, God hates you and will destroy you.
Psalm 11:4-7 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
John 10:26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. –Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 66:24 Then they will go forth and look
On the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Despite your sin problem, God loves you and offers you a solution.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

To get this solution, you must be willing to die and follow Jesus.
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Psalm 24:4-5 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Questions or objections? Call 406-672-7450.
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You may notice the glaring contradiction between "God hates you and will destroy you" and "God loves you and offers you a solution." That is for the purpose of causing thought. I want them to be faced with both wrath and grace. If it makes them angry at least they are thinking about it. Hopefully, they will call.

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.

Come And Die!

COME AND DIE!
Come and join a Billings street preaching team. We will concentrate in Billings going to parks, bars, and all sorts of public spaces. You can sharpen your gospel preaching skills. Learn to preach the law and the gospel as God’s tools for saving souls. We will also be preaching repentance at church parking lots all over town to church-goers.

Requirements:
1. Prayer and fasting. You will be expected to do both the day before an event.
2. Holiness of life. You will be expected to confess all sin and get rid of it before an event.
3. Preach and witness at least once a week. Week days and Saturdays we will go to the skateboard park, other parks, bars, gathering places, etc. There we will preach repentance and grace to unbelievers with boldness. On Sundays we will preach repentance to church goers in the parking lots of Billings churches.

Opportunities:
1. Preach repentance and grace in Billings and surrounding towns.
2. Sing for the Lord.
3. See folks saved.
4. Be mocked as He was mocked.

Needed:
1. Musicians.
2. Preachers.
3. Witnessers.
4. Prayer warriors to pray during events.

Contact: Phil Perkins 406-672-7450.

Mega Church Experience

As promised, I went to a local mega church. I went there in the middle of the afternoon yesterday to find when the evening service would be. Folks were going in and out so I went in. Two pin ball machines were in the entrance lobby. So were about a half dozen TV's showing pregame goings on about the Super Bowl. Popcorn popped. Soda flowed. It was just like a movie theatre. Two big bouncer-like guys stood arms folded at the entrance to the "Worship Center." I peaked inside, not steppeing too far since I didn't have a ticket. Don't know if you needed one, but why take chances? Huge TV's showing the same Super Bowl prelude supplanted the altar. I forgot to look for the beer and nuts.

I asked one of the bouncers when evening service was. He said, "Five o'clock Saturday," with the same superior smile you get from a bouncer at a really popular night club that tells you he just might not let you in. I look forward to preaching repentance this coming Saturday in their parking lot. It will be interesting, at least.

I wonder if those big bouncer guys go to evening service.

Pray for my boldness.

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.

First Time Street Preaching.

Well, okay. I didn't really preach. I was going to, but it was 28 degrees F and not too many folks were out today. I had decided to go to the local skateboard park and preach there on Saturday afternoons. I like that idea because there are lots of young men there. Lots of boys, but some are 15 through 20. Great ground to start making friends.

There were only two guys, about 16 and 17. When I first drove up they looked at me and I was looking at them. They sensed I was up to something I guess. So I waved, they waved back to the old guy, and I parked. I sat and skimmed the first 2 or 3 chapters of each gospel and Acts for any last minute wisdom. Then I got out and approached them. They were really polite. Neither of them knew what the gospel was. One appeared Native American, the other was Jewish. I told them my name and got theirs. I told them I was going to be there every Saturday afternoon to preach the gospel. They shrugged and nodded their heads as if that was okay with them, kind of in a do-what-you-want-old-guy way.

"Do you know what the gospel is?"

Heads shaking.

"Do you know anything about God?"

Heads shake and shoulders shrug.

The Jewish one: "I'm Jewish," pointing to his chest.

"Do you practice your Judaism?"

"I don't practice anything."

"Do you know what the 10 commandments are?"

"Don't steal..."

I explained what the 10 commandments were and told him where to find them in the OT. I asked them what they thought God would say to them after they met Him. The Jew promised to read the ten commandments in his Torah and see if they fit him. I promised I would see him this coming Saturday and talk about what he thought.

So, my first time out, I didn't really get to preach. But I made at least one friend. I think he knows I care about him and I made him think about meeting God. Pray he will read the Torah and the Holy Spirit will convict him.

Meanwhile, I will be preparing to present the gospel strictly from the OT this week.

Tomorrow, I plan to go preaching in a church parking lot of a mega church. There I will be preaching repentance hard. This will be interesting. Pray for continued boldness and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Pray for my personal purity.

In Christ,
Phil Perkins.