Sinagra Park in Lakewood - 9/18/09

Above: Pastor Paul open air preaching at Lakewood Park.



After joining my pastor for his open air preaching in Lakewood Park, I went to a new location today- Sinagra Park in Lakewood. It is located at the intersection of Cook and Detroit in the heart of Lakewood.

Today was a pretty interesting day. This was my first time at this location and I generally didn't hand out tracts- just stood silent with my cross. After a while, a man started saying from his car to me, "Why don't you go feed the poor? Help somebody?" I just let him continue to ask the questions over and over until the light turned green and didn't say anything back.

A man came from across the street and asked me what Mark 1:15 was. I told him so many people believe but don't practice repentance. He asked me if I was going to be here tomorrow because he wanted to take a picture. I gave him the address to this blog and also a Gospel tract.

A man driving a bus that was on Detroit opened the bus door and said something to me. I'm not sure what it was, but I am fairly confident it was in support of what I was doing.

I also noticed a lot of activity in the bank across the street- a lot of people looking at the cross from inside the building from time to time.

Finally, a woman came out of the bank and came up to me and started talking to me. She asked me if I was doing this as part of church and I told her I was fulfilling what Jesus said in Mark 16:15 to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.

I told her I used to be a person who believed, but didn't repent. I referenced the "MARK 1:15" on my cross which says, "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." I never placed my trust in Jesus. I used the parachute analogy with her- believing in a parachute won't save you on a crashing plane, you have to put on the parachute and jump from the plane- in the same sense you have to put on Jesus and abandon your sins.

She asked me, "What about 'faith without works is dead'?" I explained to her that a true Christian should have good works to show for their faith- Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. If someone claims to be a Christian but doesn't show fruit, chances are they aren't a Christian. Not that those works save you- there is nothing I can do to add to Jesus' death on the cross.

I then asked her what version of the Bible she had. "New World Translation."

"Ok," I say.

"Are you familiar with that?"

I say, "I am."

"And how are you familiar with it?"

"I know who uses it." In case you don't know, Jehovah's Witnesses use this translation.

I asked her, "So, what do you believe?"

"I believe that Jesus is God- Jehovah's son. Psalms 83:18." That was obviously a slip of her tongue.

"So, do you believe Jesus is God?"

"No, I don't. He is God's Son."

I told her, "That is one area where we differ. I don't know all the areas we differ, but I know that's one major point."

I told her I believe God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"Do you believe in the Trinity?"

"I believe in the Trinity. Absolutely."

She asked me what made me believe that. I pointed her to Matthew 28:19, which says "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The noun "name" is singular. I told her there are other places where Jesus refers to his deity.

Then I asked her, "Say somebody here gets in a car accident and they have 3 minutes to live. What would you tell them?"

"What do you mean, 'What would I tell them'?"

"If somebody gets in a car accident and they have 3 minutes to live- what would you tell them? What do they do to be saved?"

She said, "It's up to them."

"But, what do I need to do? If I were to get in a car accident and I said, 'I'm going to die-"

"It's up to God," she says. "Jehovah God is the one that decides who is going to go to heaven or who is going to stay here."

"So, you wouldn't tell that person anything? They would just be laying there..."

"Oh, I would comfort them the best I can, but I'm not going to lie to them. I would give them the wonderful hope in the Bible. That there is a resurrection hope. I think that's comforting."

"Ok, what is that based off of?"

"God's Word."

I told her I look to passages like John 3:16, that they need to believe, and the second thing they need to do is repent of their sins.

"Yea.."

"But that's not what you told me. You told me you would go out there and comfort them."

"Yea, and the resurrection hope."

I told her, "The resurrection hope doesn't do anything for me. I need to be told that I need to place my trust in Jesus Christ, alone, as Savior, and repent of my sins- turn away from my sins. Unless I turn away from my sin and place my trust in Jesus, I'm not going to heaven. Luke 13:3: 'Unless you repent, you will perish.'"

I asked her if she would consider herself to be a good person. "Yes!" I took her through the law and showed her how she is guilty before God.

"So would he find you innocent or guilty, based on you break His law?"

"I think it depends on how I live my life my each day."

"Well, try that in a court room. Say I murder somebody. I'm standing in front of a judge and I say, 'Judge, I've done so many good deeds, can't you just slide this murder under the rug?' What's the judge going to say? He is going to say, 'No! Justice needs to be served!' He's going to punish me!"

"But the judge can't read your heart like God."

I say, "It doesn't matter! You've broken the law!"

"It doesn't matter what's in your heart?"

I say, "We'll get to that- but based on your breaking His law- He would find you guilty."

"Yes"

I ask, "Based on a guilty judgment- heaven or hell?" She hesitates. "Sinners can't go to heaven."

"That's where we differ. I think there's going to be a resurrection. God will give people a second chance."

I quote Hebrews 9:27: "It is appointed once for a man to die, and then comes judgment. Doesn't sound like a second chance to me."

"Ok. I have to go back to work."

I gave her a gospel tract and just to be courteous, I took her literature.

Someone who walked by and was then standing at the crosswalk asked me if my sign was in reference to 2012. I told him that it was a general message about Christianity and I told him to look up Mark 1:15.

Another person driving by that was stopped in the intersection asked if the message was about repentance. I replied that it was. I was also cursed at a few times. I can handle that, as long as it stays verbal and doesn't turn into something physical.

On my way back to my car, I passed by a group of teenagers at a local coffee shop and they asked about the sign. I showed them the sign and asked them if they were ready. I told them to go home and look up the verse.

The next time I go to this location, I hope to have my pastor join me to do open air preaching and plan on passing out some gospel tracts.