Back on the Street - 83 and Chester in Avon - 4/1/12

Today marks my return to the streets after a long absence. This is the first time I have been in Lorain County with the cross. Most of my evangelism was centered in the western suburbs of Cleveland and I had made an appearance or two in Summit county and downtown Cleveland. Having just moved to Avon Lake a few months ago, I plan to make Avon and Avon Lake my new evangelism stomping ground.

To those who don't know me, let me introduce myself. I am a Bible-believing, born again Christian saved by God's grace in 2008. In September 2011, my wife and I moved to Avon Lake from Westlake. My mission is to spread the Gospel. My inspiration for this form of evangelism is Tony Miano of Living Waters and I employ Way of the Master techniques when sharing the Gospel. Avon and Avon Lake have been described to me as "sleeper communities"- I am going to do my part to wake them up to Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross.

I have to admit that today was nerve wracking for me at first. It's been about a year and a half since I was on the street on a daily basis (around 4 to 5 times a week). This is exactly what I needed, though, because it forces me to draw closer to God and rely on Him.

I arrived at the corner of Route 83 and Chester in Avon at 5 minutes past 11:00 AM. This is a busy area in Avon- there is an interchange with Interstate 90/Ohio 2 and there is a Walmart within walking distance of here. There is also a church nearby with services during this time. I only stayed until 12:20, but some people were starting to leave church. As I drove by their parking lot exit at 12:30, there was a steady stream of cars. Next time, I will be sure to stay until at least 12:45.

About half an hour into being on the street, an Avon police officer in an SUV drove by, turned around at city hall and pulled up to me with his lights on. He approached me and asked how I was doing and referenced the Scripture on my cross- Mark 1:15- to which he said, "Repent and believe the good news." He told me I was doing nothing wrong and that he just wanted to beat the first person the punch who would call and report me to the police. He said as long as I wasn't impeding traffic, I was doing nothing wrong.

After he left, I thought about the pastor in Iran who was sentenced to death for sharing his faith. I am so thankful I live in a country that lets me have religion of freedom and the religion of expression. Not only that- to have a police officer in the community where I want to base a lot of my evangelism at be interested in protecting my rights. I didn't get the officer's name and wasn't able to share Christ with him, but I hope to talk to him again. The fact that he was so supportive and knew Mark 1:15 leads me to believe he is a Christian himself.

One man in a car stopped at the light on Chester rolled down his window and told me that he was ready. I gave him a thumbs up as he sat waiting for the light to turn green. I also had two teenagers drive by and yell what sounded to be "Hail Satan!" They have the same rights that I do, it's just unfortunate how they choose to use theirs. Other than that, it was pretty quiet. I'm hoping to find more areas around where I can actually interact with people.

The Message of the Cross

The message of the cross is simple.

Hebrews 9:27 says, "Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." Do you know how you are going to be judged by God, come Judgment Day?

We've all broken the Ten Commandments. We've all lied, stolen (regardless of value), taken the Lord's name in vain (said "oh my ___"), looked with lust (which Jesus says is adultery in the heart, and hated (which Jesus said is murder in the heart).

Based on that, we are all lying thieves, blasphemers, and adulterers and murders at heart. We will all stand guilty before God on Judgment Day. He should sentence us to Hell for all of eternity.

But God loved you so much that He sent His One and only Son to die in place of your sins on the cross. He rose again on the third day forever defeating death. The Bible tells us if we repent of our sins and place out trust in Him, we will have everlasting life in heaven.

Repentance is more than just confession, though. Although confession is a part of it, repentance involves a turning away from your sin and abandonment of your sins.

Mark 1:15 says this: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Please repent of your sins today and place your trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. Trust Him like a parachute if you were on a plane that was about to crash. Merely "believing" in the parachute will save you isn't going to. You must trust the parachute, strap it on and jump from the plane to be saved. In the same sense, you must trust Jesus Christ, put on the Lord Jesus and abandon your sinful lifestyle to be saved.

For a more detailed article on this topic, please read this post.