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.

Revealed in Scripture

This is what I got from reading the word of God a few days ago. I hope it encourages and challenges you!

Matt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”^[a]

⁴ Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ⁶ and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

Okay stop now at verse five. Take note, these people were coming to get baptized and they were confessing their sins while they were getting baptized. Okay continue... 

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Hold up now! That wasn't a very nice thing to say to some people who want to get baptized!

⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 

Now it makes a little more sense to me. Obviously the Pharisees and Sadducees were just coming to just get baptized, but they weren't feeling the need to repent. They were just going through the motions, without having their heart changed! Why wouldn't they feel the need to repent?

⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

I guess they were thinking that since they were children of Abraham that they were fine with God. They were "saved". Every time I see something in the Bible about the Pharisees and Sadducees, I think about religious people today. What if the verse said something like this:

and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have been saved and grew up in the church, we were once on fire for God.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up "Christians" from these stone". 

In other words, God doesn't need you. He doesn't want people who are just going to have the appearance of being "good". He wants people whose hearts, minds, and souls are completely His. God calls for complete abandonment.

¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

If we don't bear fruit, we are good for nothing. If our words don't have action, they mean nothing. We can say we love God, but unless our actions show it, we will be thrown into the fire.

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.^[b]

So often, I realize that I don't have a clue of how Holy God is. Have you ever gone into a museum and touched something and then got yelled at for it? Jody just got too close to an artifact at an art museum and got a tap on the shoulder for it. Those people are pretty much saying "Wo! Don't you realize how much this artifact is worth? There is no way you'd be able to pay for it if you ruined it. You aren't worthy enough to touch it"

Do you realize we aren't worthy enough carry God's sandals for him? That is how Holy He is. We are nothing. We can't do anything for God. We can't even approach God. He let's us approach Him, but we are never worthy enough to. 

I take that for granted all the time. Just like a painting I have at my own house. I can touch it, move it, even brake it if I want. I don't value it like I do a painting at the museum. I most of the time do the same with God. I don't value Him as if He was Holy and Sacred. I think of that I can just approach Him anytime I please to, just like a painting at my house. If I don't want to talk to Him or am too busy to, I don't have to.

¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

He is coming. Even though the wheat the chaff come from the same plant, they are two different things. One is useful, the other is worthless and will be burned. Even though there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, only the ones who show fruit of repentance. 

Read verse 11 again. John baptized into repentance. But you also need baptized by Jesus. He is the only one who can give you the Holy Spirit and passion to bear fruit.