Memorial Day and the Wisdom of Solomon

I was able to get down the Des Moines Farmers Market this morning, the first time this season, and I spoke about Memorial Day and remembering. Our brother Terry Daniel was at his spot on the northwest corner of Court Avenue and 3rd Street, and I set up in what has become my usual spot across the way on the northeast corner. It was beautiful and warm, and a lot of people walking around.

This being Memorial Day weekend, I shared some comments about the holiday, stuff I'd read about and was not too familiar with (flag etiquette and the National Moment of Remembrance), and moved from there to the Holy Scriptures and Solomon's words about "remembering."  

The link to the audio is HERE.

 Below is a loose outline of what I spoke about. The small font is there because I did not quote those verses, I only referenced what Solomon spoke about here, and focused on the larger text. 

As usual, with moving people and the general chaotic nature of public ministry, you have to speak in short "bursts", repeat, go back and reference where you started from. I'm sure violate all the rules of public speaking, but oh well. I pray God will use something said from his word to encourage a brother in Christ, or cause one who does not know the Lord to think deeply about Jesus Christ and his eternal soul.

 The Wisdom of Remembering

Solomon reigned forty years over the united kingdom of Israel, from B.C. 1015 to 975. David, when near his death appointed Solomon his son (as king), whom God had chosen to sit on the throne of the kingdom.

He “had it all” - all that this life could offer, Solomon experienced: wisdom, wealth, power, pleasure. But as an older man (not too old…I believe he died at 58 years old), reflecting on life in light of his experience, he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes. In it he says:

Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

1) Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2) While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3) In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4) And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

5) Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6) Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8) Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

9) And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

10) The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11) The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12) And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14) For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

To understand how God will evaluate our lives, look at the moral law - the 10 commandments. God’s judgment will be according to his perfect, holy standard. Solomon said we have a “duty” - we should live a life in the fear of God. We can judge ourselves by the moral law to see how we’ve performed this duty, and when we do, we all must admit we are guilty & without excuse. We’ve all turned away from God, and need a Savior.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this future reality during his visit to Athens, and we should think seriously about his words (read Acts 17:24-30).

God has provided a way for all of us to escape His judgment: it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Actually, it is Jesus Christ himself: he is “that man” Paul refers to in Acts 17:31. The gospel is…

1 Cor 15:3-4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

We should think seriously about these things. Jesus paid it all on the cross, laying down his life as the sinless Lamb of God, and taking the judgment of God on sinful man. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:3)…the joy of obeying the Father and that he might bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10): you and me.

The gospel is available to everyone. The last chapter of the last book of the Bible says, “…whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev 22:17) Whoever wants it can have it.

 If you want forgiveness & a loving, family relationship with your Creator, you can have it.

Come to God His way, as a sinner trusting in the one-and-only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Good things to remember.

Maranatha.

Paul

Tulip Time Outreach 2019

Tony Ramsek sharing the gospel

 Once again, Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa May 2 - 4 was a huge success, and our numbers more than doubled from last year. With more evangelists on the streets, we were able to cover more ground and get alot more done.

Jon Niefert, who organized the event, provided us all with tracts that he created specifically for Tulip Time. With the addition to the tracts from last year, he also created a new tract which elaborated on how Pella got its name from the original city in the Holy Land.

Each morning was started with amazing teaching from Tony Ramsek of Answers in Genesis and Allen Atzbi of  Living Waters Ministries.  Their motivation, encouragement and tactics were invaluable along with a ton of free tracts, dvd's, and booklets for us to use. Their teaching and stories inspired us to get out there and share our faith. As they hit the streets they took others with them who were either new to evangelism or wanting to try different approaches.

Tony Didlo sharing Christ with
some teens

My mentor, Tony Didlo and I had a blast working together for most of the time spent. We joked around alot, and was like in the early stages of our ministry efforts when I first got saved. He is really challenging to work with because he tends to see witnessing opportunities before I do. One of my tactics on how to conquer fear is to "just do it". I know that I have less than 2 minutes after getting out of the car to give a person a tract, or I will start to feel the fear. Hesitation to fear is like wood to a fire. Literally, the first person I see, no matter who it is, has to get a tract. This sets the tone for the rest of the outreach, and is very important. The bad thing working with my mentor, Tony, is that he tends to see those opportunities before I do. I need to make myself ready, with tracts in hand before I even get out of the car.

As like last year, it was slow getting started. Since I am an introvert, I do not like crowds. They really drain my energy, and I get tired very easily. Because of this I want my conversations to be meaningful, so I opt for more one-on-one's than just passing out tracts. But this does not excuse me from sharing the gospel. I need to put my body into subjection, and force myself to overcome any and all obstacles to get the gospel to a lost world. One way I like to approach the situations and get me talking is to look for people who are trying to take selfies and are struggling trying to get the picture just right. They need help, and I am just the man for the job.

Jon Niefert, our team leader presenting the gospel

When I see a couple or group struggling, or I see someone in a group taking the pictures of others in the group, I will ask, "Would you all like a picture together?" Most of the time they are extremely thankful and start handing over their phones. The only times I get rejections is if they are worried about their phone, in which I will joke and say something like, "I'm big and slow. I think you could catch me pretty easily." It's even funnier when I say it to a group of elderly ladies and one is on crutches. I've gotten some pretty good laughs with that. I try to get a few good shots. Humor is great. Sometimes I walk closer as I'm zooming in and get really close to one person. As everyone laughs I'll ask if they are new to the neighborhood, or from around here hand them tract or a gospel of John and tell them it's a gift. Many times it leads into spiritual things, or they ask questions about the area like restaurants, nightlife, etc. If they don't stick around to talk, or have somewhere else to go, I don't push it. You not only shared the gospel, but was friendly, helpful, and it gets you talking to strangers. The friendlier you are, the more apt they are to read the material you gave them. The best part is that if you are at an event like Tulip Time, other people see what you are doing and want their picture taken as well, which opens up more conversations!

As the time went on it got easier, and I was able to have multiple conversations with other people. Prayer is important when you are looking for those individuals to talk to. There were times when I got "stiff-armed" alot, so I moved to a different area, or tried other approaches. Sometimes the best tactic is just sitting down somewhere and let the "fish" come to you. Just leave your line in the water and wait in the boat. The food court is a great way to sit with strangers, especially when it's very busy and nowhere to sit. Conversations need to take place or it's super awkward when your eating looking at each other and not saying anything. 

The weekend ended very well and everyone in the team was able to have several conversations. Coming to Pella is a great way to share the gospel with complete strangers. The training provided in the mornings really help inspire us to go out and give it our best. If you are wanting to get some training in evangelism, or want to find people in the Des Moines area to go with, don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to help.