Even the Irish Need a Savior

Jody and I went witnessing at the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Pittsburgh. Here is what Jody wrote about it! 

Even the Irish Need a Savior

Dear Friends,

There are things that happen that I want to tell you about, but when I wait a whole month to send out updates, my old age sets in and I end up forgetting half the stuff I wanted to mention (it seems as though I am experiencing old age sooner than most). So, I've just decided to send out updates as they happen.

This past weekend, Elisabeth and I had the privilege of handing out gospel tracts at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Pittsburgh. Thousands upon thousands of people converged to see the parade; many of whom had already been there for hours, drinking and partying their brains out. (Who wouldn't want to get drunk in celebration of St. Patrick bringing the gospel to Ireland, anyway?)

There were four of us in our team. We prayed, made sure we each had plenty of tracts, and hit the streets.

Jen, our team leader, had the brilliant idea of getting there before the parade and walking down the parade route handing out tracts (since everyone would already be lined up waiting for the parade).

The tracts that we handed out were printed on trillion dollar bills. The crowds thought that they were a political statement about the country's financial deficit and so most everyone was eager to receive one. By the time we left, Elisabeth and I guesstimated that we had handed out between 1,500–2,000 tracts and the rest of our team probably handed out several thousand more.

We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity of putting yet another call to repentance in thousands of peoples' hands whom we otherwise never would've come in contact with.

Nick

I want to tell you briefly about a young man named Nick who had received a tract. Several minutes after receiving the tract, he approached me, informing me that he had read it.

"I read what you gave me...and...do I really have to repent of my sins to get into Heaven?"

I was a little taken back by his frankness but hopeful about the opportunity.

"That's correct." I responded.

He replied, "Going to church every weekend isn't enough, is it?"

He went on to express his need and desire for Christ but his unwillingness to turn from his sin.

"I know what I need to do...but I just can't do it...not today."

One of his buddies cut in and started mocking me about all the Jesus stuff. Nick told him to shut up and his friend responded quite soberly, "I will never claim to be a Christian until I am ready to live it out."

Sure, I appreciated his honesty, but he can acknowledge his sinfulness till he turns blue in the face and it won't do him a lick of good when he is standing before a righteous and just God without an Intercessor on his behalf. What grieves my heart the most is that I saw the sincerity in Nick's eyes when we talked about his need for Christ. I've been agonizing in prayer over Nick.

The Lie

Nick has bought into the same lie that millions of people around the world have bought into: that God's forgiveness and grace will always be at their disposal.

Ah, it's ok if I sin today, I can always run back to God tomorrow.

Only one problem: tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.

Mark Cahill (a well-known evangelist) says, "There is one thing you can't do in Heaven: you can't witness to a lost person."

Sometimes we get so caught up in the constant drag of our day-to-day routines that we forget that the majority of the people around us are in rebellion with God and are on a straight course to hell. (Even some of the sweet old ladies at the grocery store!)

A Few More Words

In closing, I just want to leave us all with two reminders:

1.) There is a fairly good chance that wherever your busyness takes you today, you will most likely come in contact with at least one person who doesn't have a true relationship with the Lord. There may even be someone like Nick who faithfully attends your church but is living a life of sinful rebellion. Do them a huge favor and point them in the right direction (even if they're Irish).

2.) Don't put off what you need to do today until tomorrow. I once read somewhere that delayed obedience is still disobedience. If you're like me, you naturally tend to take the path of least resistance, pushing off the hard things for at least a decade. Don't do that. It only ends in painful regret. Remember, tomorrow is not a guarantee.