The Word Street Journal

MY SHEEP LISTEN TO MY VOICE

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:37:00 +0000

Missionary street evangelist, Christopher Sippley of Jeremiah Cry Ministries, has been in the UK this past week ahead of the rest of the JCM evangelism team who will be arriving today in Glasgow, Scotland to begin their annual gospel preaching tour. This year's event is called, "Fire In The City".

Not one to stand still for long without preaching the gospel, Chris was on the box last Saturday on a busy pedestrian street. I will let him tell of this account in his own words:

"This past Saturday, after open air preaching, I approached and talked to a young couple who had been in the crowd listening. They were very attentive to the Gospel and seemed very affected. After encouraging them to close with Christ, we parted ways. A couple of hours later I ran into them again, talked with them some more and got this picture with them. Today, while we were walking back home I heard someone call out my name. Turning around I saw that it was the same couple. They seemed glad to see us, and while we talked I asked them if they had given much thought to what I had said before. The girl looked at me and said that before Saturday she had not given much thought to this kind of stuff, but since our first witnessing conversation she has not been able to stop thinking about it and has so many things going on inside! She didn't know what to do. I spent some time further explaining the Gospel and stressed her need to come to Christ today. Please be in prayer for Jordan and Nicole, that they would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved."

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes..." - Romans 1:16

This is of great encouragement to me as it demonstrates the power of God through the faithful open air preaching of the gospel in the public square. Open air preaching reaches people like Nicole and Jordan who would otherwise never be exposed to the gospel and its saving truth.

Open air preaching IS effective no matter what naysayers might say. The people who hear the gospel are usually many. The people who respond to the gospel are usually few, if any. But seeds are planted and seeds are watered in the meantime. The regeneration of one's heart is the supernatural work of our sovereign God in His way and in His time, and all whom He has chosen for salvation before the universe was created shall receive the gospel one way or another, respond accordingly and be saved. The Great Shepherd shall lose none of His sheep and His suffering, along with the preaching of the gospel, shall never be in vain.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:27-28

Please pray for those like Nicole and Jordan who have demonstrated evidence of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts in the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And pray for Chris and his team as they will spend the next two weeks travelling through Scotland boldly preaching Christ and Hm crucified to the lost of that country.

PROCLAIMED IN TAIWAN

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:04:00 +0000

So I met this guy in Taiwan. Well, actually, this guy is IN Taiwan and I met him on Facebook just recently.

This guy is only three years old. Well, actually, three years old in Christ and ever growing. This guy's on fire. Well, actually, not like in flames but he certainly has a burning desire to serve His Saviour (that's Canadian for "Savior", eh?) and from the looks of things, it doesn't look like he will ever be extinguished.

And so it is that the Lord turns yet another heart from stone to flesh and helps him to see the world as he used to be: lost and on the road to perdition without Christ. Upon saving this guy, God has planted in him a seed of compassion for the lost and it has grown to the point where he has buried what pride he ever had in him and is now risking being looked upon as a fool, in public.

Yes, this guy has taken to the stand in the public square and is now preaching the same gospel that God had him hear and receive which led him to a broken heart, followed by repentance and then faith in Jesus Christ for his eternal salvation.

Last month was only the second time he had ever preached the gospel in the open air. This guy thinks he's not a good public speaker. Another guy, the apostle Paul, admitted the same thing so I think this guy is in good company. I look forward to hearing more from him.

I would like you to see this video and, by it, I would hope you would be as encouraged as I was. I would like you to meet this guy in Taiwan, my new friend and fellow gospel soldier, Blaine Seman.

GOD'S KINDNESS, NOT MAN'S

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:41:00 +0000

Truth be known in regard to the title of this video, it is only God's kindness (His sovereign power, grace, mercy and will) that keeps the world afloat, not man's.

Yes, this video tugs at the old heart strings but even nice people who do nice things for others need to see that, ultimately, they are sinners in need of a Saviour; that without Christ, their "righteous acts are as filthy rags", according to word of God, in Isaiah 54:6.

Most people believe that if there is a heaven then they are going there because they were kind people. But kindness toward others is a fruit of one's salvation not a means TO salvation.

It must be made aware to all people, kind and unkind, of their need to be saved from God's eternal wrath for their sins through genuine repentance and faith in Christ who paid the price for sin on the cross by His substitutionary and sacrificial death on the cross.

Truth be known in regard to the title of the video, it is only God's kindness (His sovereign power, grace, mercy and will), not man's, that keeps the world afloat.

The Lord has commissioned those He has already saved to share and proclaim the Good News of God's provision and offer of salvation to the unsaved.

Christian, how will you do that today?

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" - Romans 10: 14-15

EVANGELISM: A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:06:00 +0000

I cannot take credit for this encouraging 7 point list of biblical reasons why evangelism is a must for the Christian. I actually copied it off of a Facebook post, asked for and received permission from the author to repost it here on my blog but somehow forgot to mark down the author's name. My apologies to you, brother, whoever you are and thank you.

__________________________________________

Evangelism: A Christian's Duty

#1- There is work to be done

"Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." - Matthew 9:37-38

#2- Jesus has commanded you to do it

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

#3- Success is guaranteed

"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." - John 10:16

#4- Jesus is the only salvation

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

#5- You were given the Holy Spirit for this purpose

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8

#6- People won’t be saved without hearing

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:11-15

#7- Evangelism is necessary for your own growth in Christ

"And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." - Philemon 6

RESURRECTION DAY 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:54:00 +0000

Resurrection Day! The day of days for Christians. Had it not been for Jesus rising from the dead, our faith would be in vain and our eternal destiny absolute hell, in the literal sense of the word.

Continuing on in demonstrating our appreciation to the LORD for what He graciously/powerfully did for us on our behalf and for the sake of the souls of those lost in their sin, a handful of us took a couple of hours after a wonderful morning of worship to bring the gospel message of saving hope at a busy intersection of Westboro, in Ottawa, and be a public witness for Christ there with our crosses and gospel tracts.

At work in the Lord's service today were myself, Kim, Serge, elder Denis and his wife, Peggy.

Here are a few pics from our Easter witness this afternoon...

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen!

GOOD FRIDAY 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:03:00 +0000

Good Friday is good for reasons Christians are well aware of and should never take for granted. We, the redeemed, should be so incredibly amazed, humbled, grateful and moved by God's demonstration of His love, grace and mercy for the likes of sinners like us, His elect, that our hearts should be found bursting with eagerness to do all we can to share this Good News with the lost all around us, even if it makes us seem like fools to them.

Such are the hearts of those at Emmanuel Baptist Church here in Ottawa. Our annual Good Friday gospel outreach is only one of the many occasions we take advantage of in a year bringing the saving gospel of Jesus Christ beyond the four walls of our church and onto the streets of our fair city.

And there is no better time in the year than Easter to proclaim to the masses the great and wonderful thing Jesus did for sinners in their place by taking on our sins, guilt, shame and the consequential wrath of God upon Himself in order that we may have our sins paid for, be forgiven, be granted the gifts of repentance and faith in Christ and thus escaping hell, guaranteeing our place in Heaven after we die by His grace alone and nothing of ourselves. Christ's vicarious atonement on the cross for our sins is what Good Friday is all about.

Our Good Friday outreach always includes a few from our congregation going to the Byward Market, the only place in Ottawa where shops, restaurants and bars remain open on this Holy Day. If we Christians are not serious and active in bringing the gospel to the lost in our area..."How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" - Romans 10:14

Flanked by two of our men with Christ exalting crosses, our outreach began with an introduction to the reason why we were there, which was to give glory to God in the public reading of His holy word from the last three chapters of the Book of Matthew detailing the passion of Jesus in the last hours of His life here on earth leading to His death and resurrection. It was made clear that we were there to tell the public what the "good" of Good Friday was all about.

The above photo depicts a first for three men from our church. This was Pastor Bob Doble's first time "on the box" reading Scripture in the open air. And it was a first time for both Serge (L) and George (R) holding a cross on the street. They are both relatively new to our church with George, who pastored a church in Haiti for 28 years and is a veteran street evangelist and Serge, a new believer with a heart eager to help us get the gospel out onto the streets.

Some stopped to listen, some heckled, some sneered, some smiled and some, like this lady passing by, gave waves of support as the word of God was being read aloud.

Kim was last to take to the stand as she read the final chapter of the Book of Matthew. I had planned to open air preach the gospel with Good Friday as my springboard, but, unfortunately, those plans had to be dashed.

I was approached by Byward Market security patrol and was told we were not allowed to do what we were doing. Kim and I have had a long history in dealing with Market authorities and their particular by-laws. The patrol said I had to go speak with the Market manager to which I replied that if he had an issue with us that he could come speak to me, which after being radioed, he and the head of Market security did.

Our exchange was mutually cordial. I was told of their need to enforce their rules and given a copy of the updated by-laws regarding "non-profit organizations" using the Market for their purposes. We were then asked to comply, to which we did. So from here, it looks like I have yet more reading to do and deal with the situation of open air preaching in the Byward Market, which we have been doing for years and hopefully will somehow be able to continue.

We pressed on with being a visual presence in the Market by holding our crosses at the busy pedestrian intersection we were stationed at. No by-laws against that, thankfully.

And, as per usual, gospel tracts were given out by the hundreds and one-to-one gospel conversations began.

One conversation with a fellow named John, (back to camera) turned into a marathon discussion, mostly with Kim along with Pastor Bob and brother Tony (middle) chiming in now and again. Apparently, the only issue John had, a serious one, was that said he believed in Jesus but claimed He is not the Son of God. He was interested in hearing what we had to say about that.

While the above was going on, Pastor Bob's wife, Marie-Josee, tended to and, among other things, explained the gospel to John's girlfriend. Following their discussion, Marie-Josee was asked to provide her with the address of our church along with the time our Sunday worship time began as she expressed interest in paying us a visit some Sunday, hopefully with John.

If there was anyway to see the joy we felt being given the privilege to once again exalt Christ and proclaim His word in the public square, especially on Good Friday, it can be found represented in Serge's expression as he unashamedly held our crosses during our outreach. This was Serge's second outreach with us. We believe it was the second of many to come and we are honoured to have him join us. God is so gracious.

Three hours passed by in a blink of an eye before we prayed, giving God the glory with heartfelt gratitude and petitioning Him to sovereignly act upon those who heard and received the gospel this Good Friday. We then packed up our bags and headed home.

It's a wonderful thing to be in the service of our wonderful Lord, our King, our Redeemer...our God!

ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE OUTREACH 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:20:00 +0000

Before I begin, let me say that for the first time in Word Street Journal history, there will be no photographs nor videos to accompany this post. Reason: somebody forgot to load the camera with a freshly charged battery before leaving the house. Yes, I confess, that "somebody" is me and now I don't want to talk about it anymore.

As every year at this time, it was our privilege as a church to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the throngs of green-donned, cold-weather-brave people as the St Patrick's Day Parade took to it's annual trek through the downtown streets of Ottawa. It was bitterly cold but that does not stop a parade. Especially an Irish one.

This year, the ten of us from Emmanuel Baptist Church were pleased to have join with us a pastor, his wife and 3 of their congregants from a local Haitian Christian church. They were on hand to experience the work and joy of handing out gospel tracts to parade viewers lined up along the parade route. Elder Denis Pomerleau held back on the tract giving to walk the route with an "Are You Ready" cross.

I thought I would do something different this year. It came to mind that those who missed out on receiving tracts in past years were the actual participants in the parade. So when the lead people in the parade reached me, I walked alongside them to the end of the parade in the dismantling area where I proceeded to hand out tracts to the participants.

The first person I gave a tract to was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa, who rode in a convertible and waved at people. (He had no gospel to proclaim.) I put my hand out with a tract and offered it to him as I approached him. I smiled and said, "Good morning and Happy St Patrick's Day! I'm sure you are somewhat familiar with this. It's the truth." He did not smile back as he snatched the tract out of my hand and under his breath he mumbled, "Thank you." He didn't lose a step and kept right on walking reading the tract for a few seconds, whipping it into his pocket and carried on.

After handing out about 100 tracts, I "bumped" into a former news photographer colleague of mine I haven't seen in 10 years. We worked together for the Ottawa Citizen newspaper for 20 years. He was on assignment this day.

In short, he started the conversation telling me he's about to turn 65 and had recently been thinking about his days being numbered. He started asking me questions about my faith knowing I had become a believer shortly after I left the paper in 1999.

We stood on the street talking and freezing for one hour until he invited me to a coffee shop so we could continue talking about God. We went to a shop not far from us, sipped on a hot chocolate and spoke of nothing else than the gospel. He is very philosophical in his thinking but said he was very interested in what I was sharing with him.

Before we left, he asked for the address of the church I attend and said he might drop by sometime in the next few weeks. We parted pleased that we had met, agreed that there is a reason for everything and he went home thankful with a gospel tract, as well. I love "chance" meeting like these. God sure knows what He is doing!

In total, the team handed out gospel tracts to well over 1000 people along and at the end of the parade route. It was a cold, but good day. With Winterlude behind us and Good Friday/Easter Sunday outreaches on the way, it's safe to say our gospel outreach season is about to be in full swing with the coming of spring.

May the Lord continue to bless our gospel giving efforts on the streets of Ottawa for 2013. It is a privilege and a joy to serve the Lord in obedience to His Great Commission given to us in Matthew 28. All glory to the God and to Him alone!

EVERYDAY EVANGELISM

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:17:00 +0000

I sure miss being out in the open air preaching the gospel on the streets of Ottawa. But up here, the open air has a mighty bite in it that has its way of slowing things down in that department. It's something we call, "winter".

For that reason and others, I have not been able to get out on the "highways and byways" to preach as often as I would like to. But, thankfully, open air preaching is not the be all and end all of evangelism. If one is willing, faithful and ready to present the gospel wherever you may be, God is willing, faithful and ready to provide the opportunities to do so.

As I walk to work each morning (I'm a bus driver for the city of Ottawa) I pray God the Holy Spirit to grant me opportunities to share the gospel with people, whomever He may put in my path or lead me to approach: co-workers, bus passengers, people I meet on the street as I walk home, etc. God is gracious to answer favourably to this request on an average of about once a day, and He divinely orchestrates every meeting.

The Lord has entrusted me to share the gospel and hand out tracts to all kinds of people on almost a daily basis all winter long. Here, just to give you an example, I'll tell you of some of the everyday opportunities God provided for me to spread the gospel in the past 3 weeks:

- A passenger mistakingly got on what I call "the right wrong bus". A young visitor from Texas, he had to come to the end of my route and sit with me for 15 minutes on my break before I was able to return him to the right stop he was seeking. Regarding his unexpected delay, he said, "I guess there's a reason for everything". With that, a chat about the sovereignty of God, His purpose in all things, the gospel and his need for Christ ensued. He left, thankful, with a gospel tract in hand affirming that THIS may have been the reason why he was on the "wrong bus".

- A young lady got on board asking if my bus would take her to a specific place and I assured her it would. As she searched for her fare, she told me she was on her way to a lecture and didn't want to be late. Interested, I asked what might the lecture be about. She said it was about how the world can attain "Global Peace". I asked her if she would like to hear what I had to say about that and she said, "Sure." I told her I thought the expression "global peace" was not only an oxymoron but unattainable due to the depraved nature of man's heart. She was taken by my statement and we had a good discussion. That led to her hearing the gospel, feeling intrigued and gladly accepting a gospel tract as she left.

- A fellow got on my bus during one of my lay ups in a residential area. He told me he had just finished refereeing a basketball game. With the gospel in mind, I brought up the recent story of basketball superstar Michael Jordan who, as a retired and extremely wealthy man, lacking for nothing in life admits to feeling empty in his life. My passenger told me that another superstar 'Pistol Pete' Maravich was one of his basketball heroes. I informed him of what he didn't know about him: I told him after Maravich retired from basketball, great fame and fortune achieved, he felt so disappointed, empty and depressed about life that he was led to the brink of suicide, until God intervened. Long story short, Maravich surrendered His life to Christ, did away with all his awards and used his fame to travel across the states sharing his testimony and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere he went. I then took him through the gospel and his own need for redemption. My passenger seemed amazed. When he came to disembark the bus, he thanked me for what I shared and told me he was going to research Maravich's testimony and walked off with a gospel tract to read and ponder over.

- One of our supervisors at work was on his way to the office 3 weeks ago and was hit in a head on collision, injuring him and totalling his car. He was sent to hospital, treated and was back to work last week. I approached him at the office and said how thankful I was that he was not seriously hurt. He said, "It could have been so much worse. Somebody above must have been looking after me." I smiled and said, "I know who that somebody is." We couldn't take the time to talk so I handed him a copy of my "Are You Ready" gospel tract to which he said he would read. I am hoping to see him again soon and talk.

- In the last 3 weeks, just by turning a general conversation into a gospel conversation, I also shared the Good News of Jesus with 2 fellow bus drivers, one who blasphemed God's while telling me something and one who told me her mother had just almost died.

- Kim and I had meetings with two separate financial advisors. In both cases we were given the opportunity to share the full gospel with them before leaving our meetings and present them with tracts. Their response was more than just polite. They seemed genuinely interested and thanked us for sharing.

To keep the gospel going elsewhere, when we are out on errands (which is also a daily thing) we strategically lay gospel tracts wherever we go for people to find, pick up and read.

This post is not meant to be a braglist of personal outreaches, but rather an encouragement and demonstration to you of how God blesses his gospel harbingers with opportunities to reach the lost with the His gospel in everyday situations. Missionary work is not just about bringing the gospel to Third World countries. The whole world is the Lord's harvest field and that includes our own back yard.

Yes, I'm anxious for spring and warmer weather which will get me back better conditions to preach the gospel "on the box". But, until then, there is always opportunity to share the gospel everywhere you go IF you are willing, faithful and ready to share.

Are You Ready to share the gospel wherever the Lord has you today?

SUPERBOWL OUTREACH 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:08:00 +0000

Everyone knows what the Superbowl is. An annual football tradition that is attended by thousands and viewed by millions on TV. Another tradition that comes with it, though unofficially, is the open air preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Superbowl Outreach is a gospel ministry, affiliated with Sports Fan Outreach International, that organizes and brings in over 100 veteran and novice open air gospel preachers and street evangelists to spread the gospel throughout the host city's streets.

This year's championship football match was held last weekend in New Orleans, Lousiana. Hundreds of thousands of football enthusiasts roamed the streets of this famous city as they toured, drank and whatever else that goes on in a city that is in party mode.

For three solid days, the gospel was heard just about everywhere that people went. Teams of open air preachers, brothers and sisters in Christ, were stationed here, there and everywhere. For 8.5 hours a day non-stop, the gospel was being preached on the corners and byways of downtown New Orleans. Many heard, many received, many approved and many rejected the word of God as it was being preached in the public squares.

God was indeed glorified, His name exalted and His glorious gospel proclaimed at a time in a place where He is the last thing on the minds of sports and party enthusiasts. As always, God will bless this gospel outreach effort by affecting the unsuspecting hearts of those whom Christ died for, who passed by the proclamation of the gospel, whose planted gospel seeds are being watered, grown and prepped by the working of the Holy Spirit in time for the Lord's harvest of souls.

May God bless each and every gospel harbinger who gave up their time and energy toward such a worthy cause for the continued building of the kingdom of God. They worked very, very hard.

WITNESS WINTERLUDE

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:56:00 +0000

It's that chilly time of the year again when certain members of our evangelism team (true cold blooded Canadians) from Emmanuel Baptist Church get all bundled up and brave the biting cold to spread the gospel and be a witness for Christ to attendees of the city's annual Winterlude festivities in downtown Ottawa.

For the two hours that we stood at the gates to Confederation Park we were privileged to hand out hundreds upon hundreds of gospel tracts as people entered and exited the park. Pastor Bob Doble and Elder Denis Pomerleau brought their "Are You Ready" crosses and utilized them during our gospel giving efforts there, as well.

Pastor Bob and his wife, Marie-Josee, were stationed at one entrance gate and Elder Denis and his wife were stationed at another one block away. I was miked up and went back and forth from each gate standing on the corner reading excerpts of Scripture that pertained to the greatness and love of God as found in Psalms 145 and 146. As well, I read encouraging excerpts of Scripture from the Book of Isaiah focussing on God's invitation for all to come to Him for salvation.

Chilled to the bone after two hours, we packed up and headed across the street to a coffee shop where we defrosted with hot chocolate and coffee tied along with rich fellowship for over an hour. Many went home with the gospel in their pockets, with the memory of seeing the cross and a hearing from God's word ringing in their minds. May God bless all those whom He has sovereignly predestined to receive and respond to His calling.

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:27-28

"ONE MILLION TRACTS" NOW IN CANADA

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Chris Curry, husband, father, brother, friend, tract designer, street evangelist, all round nice guy if you catch him on a good day :) and the now former representative for what was the wonderful ministry of Living Waters Canada, has some good news!

Here in his own words:

"As promised, Canadian Gospel tracts are now available to order in Canada! I have partnered with Marv Plementosh of One Million Tracts in the development of a Canadian diestribution for One Million Tracts. OMT Canada will begin shipping orders by the end of this month.

You may begin ordering immediately here at:

www.onemilliontracts.com

We presently have our four original Canadian gospel tracts available, including: the Canadian million dollar bill (with a revised and reformatted gospel presentation on the back), the Quebec million dollar bill, the Canadian Intelligence Test and the "I AM Canadian" gospel tract.

You can go directly to the 'Canadian Tracts' page here at:

http://www.shop.onemilliontracts.com/Canadian-Gospel-Tracts_c32.htm

One Million Tracts has a numerous selection of unique and clever gospel tracts to choose from, all of which use the same biblical evangelism concept of law and grace. You will be pleased to see that the pricing is very reasonable with the option for bulk orders at lower prices!

We welcome our Canadian friends to take advantage of this new arrangement and I would like to thank Marv Plementosh for extending his ministry to us in the Great White North!

May God bless all of your evangelistic tract giving endeavours."

CALL TO PRAYER FOR MISSION JAMAICA

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:02:00 +0000

Full time evangelists Mike Stockwell and Robert S. Gray have touched down in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for the 4th annual Cross Country Evangelism Mission to Jamaica.

Joining these two intrepid gospel harbingers at the onset is fellow evangelist, Christopher Sippley, of Jeremiah Cry Ministries, four people from his home church in New Brunswick, Canada, and Don Karns . By mid January a dozen more labourers for the Lord shall arrive to join in and help out on this important mission where Christ is preached, exalted and glorified in the public squares of Montego Bay and beyond.

No sooner did the first part of the team arrive on Thursday, despite the fatigue from their travels that day, did they hit the streets and begin to powerfully preach the gospel in a place called Sam Sharpe Square, where people not only heard the gospel but many received gospel tracts and many went home with a free Bible.

The posted video of last year's Jamaica outreach is just a small glimpse of the kind of hard work they are doing there for the sake of the gospel. Please, be in prayer for this year's effort not only for those who will be diligently presenting the gospel on the streets and market places, but also that many may respond favourably to the hearing and receiving of God's word via open air preaching, the public reading of Scripture, the handing out of gospel tracts and Bibles, and the many gospel conversations that result from their presence there.

"(Jesus) said to them: 'Go out into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.' " - Mark 16:15

HAPPY NEW YEAR OF EVANGELISM

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:26:00 +0000

If there is one need that increases as the years go by and by, it is the need to proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ in the public square, as biblical Christians have been commissioned to do so to this lost and dying world that is so far removed from God who created us all. There is no greater love than the love of God demonstrated to the world by sending His Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for the sins of His created beings.

And there is no deeper way a Christian can show love for fellow man than to present the true gospel to those who have yet to be born again in the spirit in order to receive the free gifts of forgiveness, repentance and faith in Jesus, Lord and Saviour, being put in a right relationship with God and granted eternal life in the glories of heaven with Him, His angels and all for whom He sent Jesus to die for.

Yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. The party's over. Let's get back to work, for the time is short.

DAILY EVANGELISM & CHRISTMAS

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:01:00 +0000

As wonderful as it is to be given by the Lord the fire in our hearts, the absolute privilege and the many opportunities to proclaim His saving gospel on the streets in the open air, open air preaching is not the end all a be all of evangelism. It is not the only means by which we spread the gospel.

Actually, I haven't open aired since October. Have I wanted to? Yes. Have I been able to? No. Have I shared the gospel by other means, nonetheless? Most definitely! And for that, I am grateful.

This fall has been a super busy season aside from our desire to be out there with the gospel.What with my daily long shifts, family responsibilities, home stuff and other issues, it has been impossible for Kim and I to "hit the streets" as often as we would normally do, especially in the last two months.

Where God closes one door, however, He sovereignly opens others. Evangelism in other forms remained available to us to take advantage of or just make happen. Kim runs multiple errands everyday sometimes by car and sometimes by foot. Wherever she went she planted gospel tracts for people to easily find. We are talking everyday in the last two months especially, hundreds upon hundreds of gospel tracts were left in strategic places wherever she went. Seed planting.

As for me, it has been almost a daily occurrence whereby the Lord provided opportunities for me to verbally share the gospel during my working hours and afterwards with certain passengers and with co-workers. There were times when I went seeking and other times where the opportunities were brought to me or where I just walked into peoples' conversations where, given the context of the discussion, I used them as a springboard to get a gospel conversation going.

So, though it has been quiet recently here on the blog, we have been busy, both with our daily lives and with the spreading of the gospel. I will be on a new shift schedule starting today and ending in April which should give me some freed up time to do a little more. And we are eager.

No matter our daily life circumstances we are, as Scripture exhorts us to do, always at the ready to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Christmas time being no more or no less than other times, though somewhat easier given that Jesus has everything to do with Christmas.

I just go back from my chiropractor appointment this morning. Afterwards he wished me a "Merry Christmas" to which I responded, "Christmas means a lot to me, everyday of the year." He asked, "How so?". There it was, another door was opened and I shared the full gospel with him to which he seemed genuinely pleased to hear and he thanked me for sharing.

To all who drop by hear now and again for some encouragement, the management and staff of The Word Street Journal (Paul & Kim) would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and may the new year bring you many, many, many opportunities to share the gospel with the lost who are all around us everyday by which ever way you sense God has blessed you to do so. Every little bit helps.

Oh, a by the way in case you were wondering, the event in the picture above never really happend. It's just a little phun I had with photoshop from two separate photos of weird people, especially the person in the foreground. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

OTTAWA STREET EVANGELISM ON GOOGLE EARTH

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Last June during our Mission Ottawa gospel outreach, four of our team went to the downtown corner of Bank and Laurier Street to do some open air preaching and to hand out gospel tracts. While there, we noticed a Google Earth car drive by us on Bank Street and then later on Laurier Street. We laughed as we thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if we ended up being on Google Earth?"

It wasn't too long until we totally forgot about it. That is until last night when Kim and I were checking for something on Google Earth and it suddenly popped in my head and I said to Kim, "Hmm, I wonder if we ever made it on Google Earth."

I typed in "Bank and Laurier Street, Ottawa" and lo and behold! We burst out laughing as the first image we saw was of Elder Denis Pomerleau preaching on the box with the Are You Ready cross in front of him. In the same image was a profile of Kim with hand extended out with a tract, a back view of yours truly and then, in the foreground is our dear friend and brother, Vernon Costolo (who came up from Georgia as he does every year).

Then next image we saw was of me preaching open air on the box with Denis in the background and Kim and Vernon at the street corner.

Now, it isn't like we think anyone who stumbles upon these images would actually know what we are doing, of course not. But who knows where God and someone's inquisitive mind would take that person who saw the Are You Ready cross in the photo and go him wondering? Hmmm.

We also find it doubly funny, however, because not only did we find ourselves featured on this global locating site but we also sought and happened to find an image of Grace, Kim's teenage daughter, waiting for a bus in front of her high school with a friend. I mean, what are the chances?

A BUG IN MY BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:14:00 +0000

A note to the faithful subscribers of The Word Street Journal:

You have no doubt by now have recently received notification by email or otherwise of new postings only to find that you received a couple or more reposts of my last two blogs from our outreach in the Byward Market and one from a few weeks ago of Kim reading Scripture in the Gatineau Hills.

Please accept my apologies for this as these were necessary steps I had to take while I was trying to capture a bug that crept into my blog program and started messing around with things to the point where I was not able to post videos anymore and the "html" went on a course of its own. I finally got around to spending the time it required to virtually dig that thing out of there, squish it and chuck it out it the bin.

All is back to normal now but I thought you might like an explanation lest you thought I was losing my mind. (No comments from the peanut gallery.)

Thank you for your continued interest in this blog. I hope that it is of value and encouragement to those who frequent these posts regarding life on the frontlines of local street evangelism here in Ottawa.

Please be in prayer for us as we strive to do all we are commissioned to do in the building of God's great kingdom by bringing the gospel of Jesus out to this lost and dying world.

THE HECKLING MINSTREL OF IDOLATRY

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:36:00 +0000

Heckler: one who interrupts a public speaker in attempt to harass, embarrass, annoy or challenge by questions, insults, gibes or objections.

I thought I had seen them all until this guy showed up. Hugs and love were the order of the day when he approached me and began to extol the relativeness of different belief systems. When he realized he wasn't getting through to me, he tried a different approach.

He pulled out his guitar and tried to convince me of his argument by singing an impromptu song. He didn't get very far as I didn't let him get away with his misguided beliefs and his song came to an abrupt end. That's when his true colors began to creep out of his heart through his mouth.

He left in a huff with a promise of him praying to "Father Sky" and "Mother Earth" for me. I left that day with a prayer on my heart to the one and only true God that He would be gracious to remove the blinding veil of idolatrous universalism that keeps this wandering minstrel from "the way and the truth" that leads to eternal life through, in and with Jesus Christ, the Lord.

OPEN AIR AT THE MARKET

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Brother in Christ, fellow gospel harbinger and friend, Chris Curry and I paired up for an afternoon of open air gospel preaching in the Byward Market a few weeks ago. Many passed by and a good number of people stopped for a while and/or a long time to hear what we had to proclaim. Here are some clips of our outreach. Christ was exalted and glorified in the public (market) square.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CIRUIT RIDERS

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:50:00 +0000

An exhortative and encouraging video from Full Proof Gospel Ministries in the U.S.

It's great to see God at work through the tireless, faithful and dedicated men who travel coast to coast, back and forth preaching the gospel, bringing light to some of the darkest areas of North America today...university campuses.

STREET TALK

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:07:00 +0000

This is a 5 minute segment out of a 30 minute conversation I had with a student a few weeks ago at the University of Ottawa.

I was doing some "stoplight preaching" and she sat nearby for a long while and listened to what I was saying and was compelled to dialogue with me regarding some of the gospel issues I was presenting.

It was a fruitful conversation and when we shook hands at the end of it she said she appreciated having her questions answered, she found our talk interesting and that she would think about what she had heard. Please pray for Victoria.

Thanks to Chris Curry for the clip.

A CALL TO REPENTANCE FOR MARK CAHILL

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 04:23:00 +0000

Mark Cahill.

To many of us in the realm of Christian evangelism, a household name. A fervent, no-holds-barred evangelist, a sought after speaker who has been known to set Christians' hearts aflame for evangelism, a prolific writer of books on the same and an all around nice guy towards everyone.

Everyone unless, as it has been revealed, you are a Christian who ascribes to the Doctrines of Grace.

I have read Cahill's books and have viewed his presentations on the internet. As an evangelist, I have benefitted from his teachings. As by other Christian mentors whom the Lord has blessed me to glean from, I have been encouraged by and responsive to Cahill's call for Christians to take seriously the Lord's command to obey the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28.

It therefore comes as a great disappointment to learn that Cahill's good reputation has become stained as a result of the work of his own hand. Or should I say, heart? After two years of simmering, the unfortunate issue regarding his apparent relentless disparaging attacks on Christians who ascribe to reformed doctrine, otherwise known as Calvinism, has reached an inevitable boiling point. As a result, and not for lack of trying through private correspondence, Mark Cahill, with righteous intent has been publicly exposed, rebuked and called upon to repent.

In response to the unnecessary and destructive poison Cahill has been spreading coast to coast, CARM has recently published an article authored by fellow evangelist and mentor, Tony Miano, who in personal correspondence with Cahill has been, as one of many, unrighteously judged by him as a persona non grata in the family of God for his adherence to Calvinistic theology. Apparently, all professing Christians who adhere to the Doctrines of Grace sail on the same sinking ship as Miano does according to Cahill's judgment.

An excerpt of Miano's rebuke of Mark Cahill concerning the hypocrisy found intertwined in his self made mess reads as follows:

"Several Christians, including this writer, have encouraged Mark Cahill to remove his books One Heartbeat Away and One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven from circulation until such time as he edits the books to remove all of the quotes from Calvinists and every positive comment he made about some of those same Calvinists. These admonitions have been communicated to Cahill multiple times over the last two years, and he has ignored them. Cahill continues to print and distribute these two books, in spite of the fact he believes Calvinists teach a different, anathematized gospel and believe in a Jesus who is not the Jesus of the Bible. Evidence of this is found in Cahill’s Calvinism and the Bible article.

"'If you believe in the god [sic] and jesus [sic] of Calvinism, you are either in Galatians 1 territory, or you are heading straight toward it.'

"Mark Cahill continues to profit — if not financially, by way of notoriety and popularity — from the distribution of his first two books. This shows either a lack of integrity and/or a lack of care for those he seems to be so determined to save from Calvinism. CARM believes in order for Mark Cahill to be theologically consistent and have integrity in his first two published works he must remove any and all quotes by Calvinists and positive references to the same. We also believe Mark should issue a public apology for misleading Christians by positively quoting Calvinists who he believes worship a false god."

The article makes it clear that CARM's goal is not to promote Calvinism or Arminianism but rather to encourage Christian unity in the essentials of the faith and have charity for one another in areas where Christians disagree. Furthermore, it states that Christians must stand in opposition to those who cause division in the Body of Christ and who bear false witness against fellow believers.

This is an important issue that must be dealt with in hope of mending the damage caused by Cahill's sinful behavior and that the Lord would be quick to cause him to understand and acknowledge the error of his ways for his sake, the sake of Christian unity and for the glory of Christ.

I invite you to read Tony Miano's article here.

I plead with you to be in prayer for Mark Cahill that true repentance may be granted to him resulting in reconciliation with his brothers and sisters of the faith whom he has wronged and the subsequent damage to the Body of Christ repaired. As all men are, Cahill is fallible, Christian or not.

ISAIAH 40:3-9

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Kim took to the hills to shout the word and the glory of God among the splendour of the autumn coloured Gatineau Hill 'mountain tops' where she read a small passage from the Book of Isaiah during our last hike through God's wonderful creation in our own back yard.

OA AT U OF O

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Recently, Chris Curry, Kim and I spent 6 hours posted at the gates of the University of Ottawa to present the gospel to the hordes of students passing by and hanging out via tract giving, one-to-one and group conversations, public reading of Scripture and, of course, open air preaching. The Lord blessed this work and we went home elated and exhausted. This video is one of Chris' gospel offerings from "the box". Be encouraged.

HOW KATERI TEKAKWITHA WOULD BE A SAINT

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:52:00 +0000

If Kateri Tekakwitha is in heaven today, she would be there NOT because, 1) she was a convert to Roman Catholicism, 2) she was a virgin, 3) she was mistreated for her faith, 4) she mortified her flesh (flogged herself) for her sins and the sins of her people, 5) she laid on a bed of thorns as she prayed for others.

If Kateri Tekakwitha is in heaven today, it would be because she heard and/or received the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Kateri would have been convicted by the Holy Spirit and had been made aware that she was a sinner in need of a Saviour, one who would have paid for her sins in her place as her substitute. From the depths of her heart, she would have cried out to God for mercy.

God the Father, by His sovereign will and grace, would have regenerated her heart supernaturally and would have granted her the gifts of repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, her sins freely forgiven once and for all.

It would have been at THAT moment, Kateri would have become a "SAINT", (by biblical definition) a follower of Jesus Christ, a true Christian, by sheer belief and trust in Christ as her Lord and her Saviour. She would have died in God's grace, through Christ, and have been lovingly ushered and welcomed into heaven by Him.

The popes of the RC Church continue, as always, to raise up certain people to a specified level of recognized holiness and declare them as "saints". RC adherents, unknowingly, are encouraged to engage in the sin of idolatry, the breaking of God's 2nd Commandment, by praying to whom the RC Church has deemed as saints for particular requests and favours, as though they had the ability to hear their prayers and the power to answer them.

God alone hears and answers prayers. Jesus alone is our high priest, our intercessor, our advocate and mediator. Nowhere in the Bible does God speak of our need to be praying to anyone else but to Him alone, in the name of Jesus.

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," - 1 Timothy 2:5

"Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." - Romans 8:34

There is no other way to God the Father except through Jesus, the Lord. Through Him and Him alone, are we able enter the holy of holies and stand before the throne of God to worship Him, seek His favour and commune with Him.

The apostle Paul began many of his letters addressing "To the saints of…." so and so. Why? Because he was writing to Christians. Born again followers of Jesus, become "saints" the moment they become Christian through genuine repentance and faith in Christ.

It is my hope that Kateri Tekakwitha is in heaven and not in hell. But if she is in heaven, it is by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not because of her sufferings (by others and those self-inflicted in trying to pay for her own sins) nor her good works.

"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

The Roman Catholic Church continues to hold people hostage to the false gospel and doctrines it professes. All the more reason why we need to be mindful of our commission to "seek and save that which is lost" which includes our Roman Catholic friends and family. Not an easy task, yes, "but with God, all things are possible."

DEATH COMES UNEXPECTEDLY

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Latour) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 01:06:00 +0000

Kim returns to the gates of the University of Ottawa to open air, focusing on the reality and seriousness of death, something most people don't consider until it's too late. She then presents the truth and hope that the gospel of Jesus Christ gives for all who repent and trust Him as their Saviour, leading them to forgiveness and eternal life in heaven.

"Men have been helped to live by remembering that they must die." - Charles Spurgeon