Confronting the times
Today after much prayer, I started a “Free Water” outing.
There are special tracts made up explaining why we are giving away free water. The first reason is for an apology that so many are asking for money in the name of Christianity. As Christians we should be giving to the community not taking from it.
So the first corner I was going to try already had some people on it “selling” water. So I drove to another location and it was empty on all corners.
I parked and set up bringing the tracts and a cooler full of Ice Cold Spring Water. It was already about 90 degrees and high humidity with a feels like at 100 degrees at 11:00 AM.
I set up in the median and took out a bottle of water and a tract, and started. Most people were running their AC so their windows were up, and a great may of them were tinted. So I couldn't see inside. At first I concentrated on the cars with open windows., But later decided to be at least trying to offer to all I could.
The first person seemed grateful and as I explained that this was free they tried to offer a “donation”, and that presented me with the opportunity to explain a little that this was not about money, and that seemed to take many by surprise.
Most people seemed to have a glaze about them and I could sense a “Not another Christian asking for money” attitude as they waved me by. And there were many who were prepared for the heat and their drive, they simply raised their drinks they had with them.
Several responses were as follows:
“Free? Really? Why free?”
“I couldn't agree with this more”
“Thank you, here is a donation” (which I politely refused several-donations)
“My brother and I were just talking about this last night, why are so many Christians asking rather than giving to the community”
“I don't have any money on me”
I had a few times where people several cars back held out a dollar from their windows, in which they were surprised to get a cool drink and keep their money.
Then after about an hour, a mini-van stopped in the other lane and the driver screamed at me “Do you have a license for that”, taken back a bit I replied I do not need one. She sneered at me and threatened, “that is my spot, and I am coming to set up so you need to get out”.
Until this point I seemed to have no confrontation from Satan yet, but it would be strange not to have him show up to keep those he “thinks” are his.
As I continued I could see her and another gentleman toting a cooler behind them make their way to the median I was working. They made it to the median, and she then approached me, at which time I could see the guy set up a sign on the cooler. The sign is one of the same ones that helped me start giving water away from free. It was “Right Path Ministries”.
At this time she asked me again if I had a license, and I told her I did not need one as I was not selling anything, but was rather giving away free water and sharing the gospel. She was appalled at this and paused a second before yelling “this is my spot, and we sell here, this guy is homeless, and you are going to make him dive into a dumpster tonight.”
So I asked her, “Are you going to let him dive into a dumpster?”
And she prattled on and on, all the time yelling in a most hostile tone, there was no talking to her as I listened to her go on and on.
Now there were 4 medians, all of which had the same amount of traffic, and she only had 2 people with her, so she could have set up at 3 other locations, but was insistent on this spot.
Now as this was going on, the thoughts that were going through my head were many, but the most prominent were those of Paul where many times he had set up and was confronted, as he could have easily moved at the first rock that was thrown or threat of his life, he had set there to share the Gospel, and there it stayed, unpopular as it was, he dug his heels in to complete his task.
When I asked he which was more important, sharing the Gospel and peoples eternal salvation, or a few bucks, she again seemed stymied. This really seemed to be a foreign concept to her. I then addressed her sign, and told her that unlike what they were doing, selling, getting money in the name of the Church, we should be giving. She then said they are not a Church, the sign says ministry, not Church!
I countered and told her people take it all the same, a ministry is a part of a Church in most cases and people see them as Christians asking for money, when our command was to spread the Gospel and reach out to others.
But she screamed back and started calling me names and a hypocrite. I asked her why she was so hostile and rude? She yelled back that she was doing works and not talking about it.
I have had my fears about Right Path Ministry, as I have seen this ministry for a while from time to time, that they were a pragmatic, and works based religion with no theology but that of earning their way to salvation and are “Jesus Users”.
By “Jesus Users” I mean that they like the “AA” Alcohol Anonymous, they use “Jesus” as a genie. I have met people from AA, and although they talk about Jesus, they only seem to have 1 layer, and if you press, their Jesus is just 1 way to salvation, because the important thing is that you just believe in something. Jesus is simply a tool for these programs, a tool that makes it easy for them to earn their way to salvation.
Still a bit confused, as there are homeless being used as pawns if I am not careful. But at the same time and of the greatest value is that there needs to be a voice speaking out against the falseness being perpetrated in the name of Christianity.
Pray for me this week.
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