Archive for the ‘Guest E-vangies’ Category

Guest E-vangie: ABUSED! By Mark Haley

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007

I too have been persecuted for handing out a Million-Dollar bill Gospel tract! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Now that I have your attention, this is my E-vangie tale:

I have been on 3 excursions with Steve to hand out Million-Dollar bills and the most heinous persecution that I received has been, (are your ready for this, are you sitting down, are you really sure that you want to read further, turn away before it too late): NO THANK YOU! That’s it, that is the worst thing that anyone has ever said to me.

But on a more serious note, the most frightening thing that someone has said to me, (after I asked them if they were going to Heaven or Hell) was: “I will deal with Hell when I get there.” Ooooohhh, you sure will but I’m afraid at that time, it will be too late for you.

People are going to Hell all around us. What has God called you to do? Simply open your mouth and ask, “Have you gotten one of these?” Then hand them a Gospel tract, speak some words about their accountability before God, and let the Holy Spirit do His work.

Guest E-vangie: MORE FUN WITH “CHRISTIANS” By Richard Chaverria

Tuesday, February 20th, 2007

I met a gentleman who was sitting with his friend drinking Coronas at one of the outside patio bars in Hermosa Beach.
null He objected to the way I was evangelizing his unsaved friend seated next to him. “I’m born-again,” the gentleman said, “and I attended Jerry Falwell’s school of theology. I’m working on getting my friend saved.”

“You do not know the hour of your friend’s death,” I whispered.

“You are soliciting Jesus and you need to stop!”

I left them both with a Million-Dollar Bill Gospel tract.

Persecuted by Christians

Thursday, February 15th, 2007

This is written by my friend, Logan Paschke, a member of The Great News Network.

I sat down to eat with a friend at a restaurant while a group of people near us were having a party. I grabbed a bunch of Million-dollar bill Gospel tracts and started passing them around.

“What’s this?” one of them asked.

“We don’t want your Jesus Junk!” said another.

“Take it back!” insisted a third.

They gave back all the million dollar bills. I turned around to them and said, “God Bless you.” I didn’t mean them any harm. I went back to eating.

A little while later two guys from the group came over to our table and apologized. I asked one of them what he does for a living.

“Oh, I’m a worship pastor,” he replied.

What’s YOUR E-vangie Tale?

Friday, February 9th, 2007

Okay. You’ve been reading about my evangelistic encounters, stories revolving around the use of Million-dollar bill Gospel tracts, and my latest venture into open-air preaching! Now I want to hear about your adventures.

What happened when you invaded pagan territory with the Gospel of Christ? Did people laugh you to scorn? Throw rocks at your person? Run away screaming? Call Security? Smack you about the head and shoulders? OR… Did they patiently listen, receive your gracious words kindly, and thank you?

Post your own E-vangie Tales in the comments section and I might post them here on the blog in the future!

This will be a weekly Friday feature!

Guest E-vangie: Robbed at Gunpoint!

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006

Herman Chi, a Chinese evangelist for many years, just graduated from my evangelism class and he is on-fire. Learning how to use the 10 Commandments, Judgment Day, Hell, and the Million-dollar bill Gospel tract has made him absolutely fearless!

He ran up our church steps the day before Christmas and told me this story of how he was just recently robbed at gunpoint near the local Starbucks in Redondo Beach:
null I was on the sidewalk and a guy pulled alongside of me in a car, pointed a gun, and shouted, “Give me all your money!”

I pulled out a stack of Million-dollar bill Gospel tracts and threw them in his car through the open window. He looked at them and said, “I don’t want those!”

“That’s all I have,” I replied. He sped off quickly.

This is why he’s earned the nickname: “The Hermanator.”

Guest E-vangies: FAMILY FUN by Anonymous

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

Christmas-time can sometimes bring wondeful memories as well as unwanted conflicts. This is written from a graduate from my evangelism class who gave permission to print this, but wished to remain anonymous. Please pray for her and her family.

My husband was apparently “saved” when he was in High School. According to my mother-in-law, he was very active in church and passed out bibles. However, since I’ve known him he hasn’t attended church regularly, doesn’t take communion, and unfortunately won’t pray with me. That leads me to think that he is a false convert.
null We were talking last night and I told him that I couldn’t make it to a social event Tuesday night because it was the last class, etc. He nodded and said something about how I better not try using any of this on his family during Christmas. I replied with “I can’t guarantee that.” So he told me that I can only talk to them about it if they ask me specific questions about my faith. I agreed. Then I started explaining to him how I would share it with them: “I would ask them if they died today would they go to heaven or hell? Then I would ask them if they’d kept the 10 Commandments starting with lying, then stealing, and blasphemy”—then my husband stopped me.

“Why are you going through all this with ME?” he said. “I already know it.”

“Do you?” I asked. “You don’t go to church and you won’t take communion. How do I know that you are saved?”

He just looked at me quite stunned and said, “I guess that’s between me and my God.”

What do you think? Was the wife’s approach appropiate?

Guest E-vangies: THE SECRET CHRISTIAN SOCIETY by Ed Lee

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

null I handed a Million-dollar bill Gospel tract to an elderly man who was fishing on the Redondo Pier and asked him, “If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?”

Smiling, he said, “I would be going to Heaven.” I asked him why and he said he believed in Jesus. As I always do when I get this response, I asked him what happened the day he came to faith. He hesitated for a moment, looking a little bewildered, then replied, “I have received Jesus and believe in him.”

I pressed on by asking him, “Have you repented of your sins, and have you placed all your faith and trust in the Lord?” He again gave a bewildered look and the same statement of belief, but did not mention that he had repented of his sins. I explained what repentance is and its absolute necessity in salvation, and that he must turn away from his old life and turn towards Jesus. While speaking to him, I noticed a woman sitting on a bucket directly behind this fisherman. She had been peeking around him to get a look at me a couple of times during my conversation. She had a very worried look on her face, but said nothing.

I finished my message to the man, encouraging him to make sure he had repented of his sins, to read the Bible daily, and pray to the Lord for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in his life. As I turned to leave, he reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“Do I need to join a secret Christian group to ensure my salvation?” null I thought that he was pulling my leg, but looking into his eyes I could see he was serious. “Jesus walked among all men,” I replied, “and publicly preached his message of repentance and salvation to all who would listen. The gift of salvation is by grace alone, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t earn it, we can’t buy it, and we don’t deserve it. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“Are you sure that I don’t need to join a secret Christian group to ensure my salvation?”

“I’m sure.”

He then told me he had received a letter soliciting his membership in a secret Christian group. The letter guaranteed him that if he would join this group of fellow Christians, his salvation would certainly be assured. At this point the lady sitting on the bucket spoke up, “Will you pray for my husband? My husband decided to pay a substantial amount of money to gain membership in this secret group; I advised him against it but he wouldn’t listen.” She again pleaded with me to pray with her husband which I agreed to do. I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder and began to pray. Almost immediately his shoulders began heaving, and he broke into tears. I continued to pray, lifting him up to the Lord for emotional healing, and asking for the Holy Spirit to protect this man from evil.

“Thank you for stopping to talk to me,” the man said, clutching my hand.

I looked over at his wife and saw that she was wiping tears from her eyes. “Thank you for saving my husband from a grievous error in judgment.”

I bent down to take her hand, and she just about pulled me off my feet to give me a hug.
null

Guest E-vangies: Small World!

Monday, November 27th, 2006

My friend from Kentucky, Danny Allen, whom I met at the Hollywood Blvd. Evangelism Bootcamp several months ago, where we got chased by crazed Scientologist security guards, (see Hollywood Babble-On, Parts 1,2 & 3)sent me this. It is an unusual E-vangie Tale…
null Last night I had the privilege to witness to Mark in my “fishing hole” in Louisville Kentucky on Bardstown Road.

When I asked him if he wanted a Million-Dollar bill Gospel tract he immediately knew what it was and that he wasn’t a good person. He told me that his church hands these out. I was curious what church in our area was using “The Way of the Master.” He then told me that he was from Los Angeles.

“Do you know Ray Comfort and his ministry Living Waters?” I asked. He said no. Puzzled a little I continued to question him. “Do you hand out these million dolar bills?”

He replied, “No… but my evangelism pastor from Hope Chapel does all the time.”

I then HAD to ask, “What’s the name of your pastor?”

“Steve Sanchez,” he replied.

It is indeed a small world! I told him about our adventures in Hollywood and I gave him some material to read on the way back home: Mark Cahill’s book, “One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven”.

WOW! What a great God we serve. I just thought you might want to include this in your E-vangie Tales adventures.

(In the pic, Danny is wearing the brown jacket and a smile.)

Guest-E-vangies: GRUFF GRANNY by Bronson McFarlin

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

I teach a drama/evangelism class for kids in our church homeschool network. Part of the weekly homework is to hand out one Million-Dollar bill Gospel tract a day. Bronson is twelve years old and very bold. Here’s what happened as he was doing his “homework”:

One day I was playing with my friends when I saw an old lady. null I asked her if she wanted to know the million dollar question [which is, "If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?"]. But she said she didn’t want to know. So I asked her to take a million-dollar bill Gospel tract instead.

She said, “What do you think I am, dumb?” Then she held up her cane null and her dogs began barking at me.null
I ran home screaming like a little girl. null As soon as I got home I thought I would have to change my underwear.

null

Guest E-vangies: FROM DISNEYLAND TO FINLAND By Warren C.

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Today we went to Disneyland (otherwise known as “DL” in our household or DL could mean “da lost”). This time I avoided the rookie error of not taking enough Million-Dollar bill Gospel tracts; I stuffed a stack in my right pocket. Throughout the day I handed out quite a number of bills. Toward the end of the day I was sitting on a bench with my son Jacob at the end of Main Street near the Baby Center. The gentleman next to me looked at Jacob and smiled. Jacob was already holding the Million-Dollar bill. I like to strategically place the bill in Jacob’s hand. As people come by, they are curious, so they stare and take the bait!

“Jacob, give the man a million-dollar bill,” I said.

“Thank you,” said the gentleman.

“What’s your name?”

“Ritos.”

“I’m Warren and this is Jacob.”

“Hi Jacob.”

“Where are you from?”

“Finland.”

“Enjoying your stay?”

“Yes.”

“Can I take a picture of my son and you with the million?” I asked.

“Sure.”
null I took the picture and Ritos’ wife came out of the Baby Center with their 22-month-old daughter. They started speaking to each other in Fin, saw the bill and quickly stuffed it in her purse.

“Bye,” said Ritos.

“Bye,” I said.

In an international meeting place like Disneyland we don’t have to go overseas to reach people with the Gospel. Disneyland brings the world to us.

Isaac, my second son is 8 months. He’s just waiting to pass out his first million-dollar bill!


(Note: This is the youngest photographed evangelist on the blog.)

Guest E-vangies: Tripped Up!

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006

By Lori Porter

There is a 55-year-old Chinese man who played basketball with us on our women’s team.

A couple of Fridays ago I decided he would be my “person of the day” when we practiced. I discussed the million-dollar bill Gospel tract with him, but he was very nonchalant about Hell. I called Pat the coach over to discuss this. We went over Hell and how real it was, yet he was still mocking us in a nice way. He thought that because all the prostitutes, drunks, etc., were going to be in Hell that it would be a fun place. He said he could not read the little print and asked me to read the back of the million-dollar bill to him.

While we were playing basketball he tripped on a pencil that mysteriously appeared on the court. I said, “Harry, you could have just fallen and broke your neck and died. God must be sending you a message.”
null “Maybe, he replied.

Sadly his brother died the Saturday after that. I found out that he called Pat the coach to talk about the things we were talking about previously.

“A little bird told me you might be coming to church,” I said.

He said, “Yes,” then we just sat in silence for a few minutes because I did not know what to say.
null I will probe him more on eternity the next time I see him.

If you see an older Chinese man with Pat the coach this weekend, introduce yourself. His name is Harry. Please pray for him. Even though he was mocking, he is a very sweet man.

E-vangie Tales # 89: Ed’s Supernatural Day

Wednesday, September 13th, 2006

I thought this story from Ed Lee, (who has been a Christian for only eleven months), was so moving that I wanted to share it with you. You will be encouraged!

Last Saturday afternoon was amazing… the most amazing day I have ever experienced in the four months that I have been evangelizing. There were only 5 of us: Craig (the Animal); Dale (the Hawaiian Redwood); Veronica, who came out for the first time; my wife; and yours truly. Veronica was a little apprehensive because she had never attended any of our evangelism classes, but she said she saw something about the PIE (Pizza, Intercession, Evangelism) event, and just decided to come!! Dale said he didn’t feel inspired and had fought off thoughts of not showing up all morning. “Animal” is “Animal;” he’s up for anything! So I thought to myself, Self, looks like we have a ragtag band today. Undaunted, we gathered in our usual meeting place, dined on pizza, and prayed together. As we prayed, I consciously felt the Holy Spirit descend upon us. I gave everyone a pep talk, reminding them the Holy Spirit would not fail us. We then piled into the van and headed for the Redondo Beach Pier. null

We hit the bricks and immediately went to work. It was a beautiful day, the sun sparkling off the ocean, and a gentle breeze wafting in the air. My wife and I headed up the south side of the pier where the fishermen hang out. I passed out some million-dollar bill Gospel tracts, and talked with a few people. I got to the end of the fishing area and stopped to talk to a Philipino man fishing with his family. I held out a bill and asked if he had gotten one yet. “Oh yes, I got one just a few minutes ago!” null I asked him if he had read it. “No, no,” he said, shaking his head and looking away from me.

I then laid the million-dollar question on him, “If you were to die today would you go to Heaven or Hell?”

He looked up and said, “I don’t know,” then folded his arms across his chest gazing up at me with passive, sad eyes. I told him of Heaven and Hell. He didn’t speak much; he just nodded his head, however I saw tears forming in his eyes. I asked, “If God judged you by the 10 commandments would you be guilty?” He nodded yes. “Would a just God would have to send him to Hell?” Yes again. This concerned him. My wife had now quietly walked up next to me while I gave him the good news of the Gospel. “Do you want to confess your sin, repent, and trust in the Lord?”

With tears welling up in his eyes, he said, “Yes! How do I do that?”

“Pray to God with what you feel in your heart, and don’t worry; I’m right with you.” He prayed a simple heart-felt plea to the Lord for forgiveness of his sins.

What a grace filled moment; the Holy Spirit touched both of us. I guided him through some more prayer, blessed him and his family and lifted them up to the Lord. He took my hand in both of his and thanked me, tears still in his eyes. I encouraged him to find a Bible teaching church, and to read and pray daily.

As my wife and I walked away, she looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I gave that man a tract just a little while ago, and he didn’t want to talk to me.”

“God used you to prepare him, and for me to reap the harvest. Praise the Lord!”

My wife stopped to pass tracts out to a couple of ladies shopping. I kept walking, and came to the wide portion of the pier where they occasionally have open-air concerts. I looked to my left and noticed a young black family standing at the rail looking out over the ocean. I approached and the mother smiled at me. “Did you get your free millions?” I introduced myself, shook hands with them and asked their names and the name of their beautiful daughter, a toddler maybe 2 years old. Their daughter’s name was Heavenly… tell me this wasn’t a divine appointment! As I went into my message, both parents warmed to me. Then the little one toddled off pushing her stroller ahead of her, and the mother gave chase.

Dad was seated on a bench, looking at the ocean. I continued speaking to him, and saw that I was having a sobering impact on him. He was a young man, 25-30-years-old, wearing a diamond stud in his ear, heavy gold chain around his neck, hip hop clothes, well groomed—Mr. Cool.
null When I got to the point of Judgment Day, guilt, and Hell, he said in a soft voice, “Yeah, I hear you,” slowly shaking his head and still looking out at the ocean.

“God made you the spiritual leader of your family, and God will hold you responsible for guiding your family in righteousness,” I said firmly.

He looked up at me again—straight in the eyes—and said, “I know you’re right.”

“You know what’s out there on the streets, the life glorified by the world, none of which is holy in the sight of God.” He nodded again. I gave him the good news of the Gospel, and asked if he wanted to get right with God right now.

“Yes.” He prayed an eloquent prayer, confessing all his sins, and asking for forgiveness. He asked God to guide him from then on as a righteous father. I was blown away and almost broke down crying, but I kept it together. I lifted him up to the Lord in prayer, thanking God for his life and his courage. After I finished praying he stood up, shook my hand and said, “Thank you for coming to me. God meant for us to talk today.” I thanked him for listening, and he walked off to catch up with his family, thanking me again as he left.

I stood there for moment, and realized my body was shaking. I sat down slowly and took a deep breath. Tears came. I prayed a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord. I sat for a few more minutes to bask in the glory of God and his amazing grace and goodness. Taking another slow deep breath, I stood, ready to continue.

I turned away from the rail and began walking toward the center of the open area. There was a middle-aged couple walking towards me. “Did you get your millions?” They both smiled and took them. The lady read it, became disgusted when she realized what it was, then quickly walked on. The gentleman slowed down, so I asked him the million-dollar question.

“Heaven, I hope,” he answered. He came to a stop and we were on! He realized that he was guilty before God and going to Hell. He was very concerned about this. I gave him the good news of the Gospel, but he stopped me after I said Jesus died on the cross for all the sins of mankind. “I hear what you are saying, but I have a hard time believing you when you say God will forgive my sins.” I told him God forgives all sins, but he stopped me again. “I really don’t believe God will forgive my sins.”

I asked him why he felt that way, but he hesitated and lowered his head in shame. When he started to speak, his voice broke several times as he explained, “I’m a Vietnam veteran and I’ve killed women and children in close quarter’s combat numerous times. I had no choice because they were firing weapons at me, trying to kill me. It was kill or be killed.” The memories of these things haunted him. He was sure that God wouldn’t forgive him. null I paused for a moment, fighting to keep my composure, feeling the deep sense of shame this man felt. The Holy Spirit strengthened me, and put the right words in my mouth. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I said, “Look, do you really want to know why you feel this way?”

“Yes.”

“Satan is binding you with shame and self-loathing in order to keep you away from the saving grace of Jesus,” I explained. “Satan’s purpose on earth is to prevent us from coming to the Lord through all manner of lies, deceit, and confusion.” I told him of my life of sin—30 years of things that I was not proud of—failed marriages, adultery, fornication, worshiping money and success… “But when I came to the Lord and confessed my sin, telling him of my shame, asking for forgiveness, and committing to place all my faith and trust in Jesus, all my sins were washed clean by the blood of Jesus.” There was silence for a few moments. He was still hanging his head. “Would you like to repent right now?”

“I don’t know if I can.” I offered to pray for him. “Not right now.” I asked again if I could pray for him and in a barely audible voice he said, “Yes”.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. “God, stretch out your mighty hand and touch this man’s heart with your peace. Strengthen him, and give him the assurance that if he humbles himself before You, his sins will be forgiven.” Then I said, “God is faithful. In the Scriptures his promise of grace is always delivered to those who come before him with a penitent heart.” I thanked him for his service to our country, and asked the Lord to bless this man’s life.

I felt the weight lift from this man, his shoulders dropping, his breathing becoming deep and measured. Relieved, he grabbed my hand with a vice grip. “We were supposed to talk today. Thank-you.” I smiled and told him I agreed with his assessment, then blessed him again.

We parted company, and again felt like I needed to sit down. I took a deep breath and realized my ears were buzzing. I felt like every atom of my being was vibrating overtime. Again I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, thanking him for his mercy and grace. I asked the Lord to restore calm to me, and to strengthen me.

I stood up from my bench, returning to the same area I had been for the last hour and a half. I passed out some more bills, just trying to mellow out and take it slow and easy. I walked about ten yards and looked to my right and noticed a pair of young love birds leaning against the rail, gazing at each other and the ocean beyond. I almost passed them by, thinking I didn’t want to disturb their moment together, but the Lord prompted me to do otherwise. I walked up to them smiling and asked, “Did you get your free millions?”

They smiled back and said, “No,” then took them from me. I popped the million-dollar question. The guy answered, “Heaven, probably”. The girl didn’t answer, and when I asked again, the guy told me she didn’t speak English.

“No problem,” I said cheerfully giving him my undivided attention. As I led him through the 10 commandments, he admitted guilt, admitted a just God would have to send him to Hell, and admitted that it concerned him “very much.” I gave him the good news of the Gospel and said, “Even though you’re young, God tells us in the Bible that no man knows when his last day comes, and that he should not delay in getting right with God.” When I said this, a look of uneasy concern intensified on his face. I didn’t say anything for a moment.

“I’m joining the Army in 2 weeks and going to Iraq.”null

I looked him in the eye, and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Like I said, no man knows when his last day on earth will be. You’re going to a war zone. Do you really want to gamble on your salvation?”

He thought about this for a few moments then answered, “No.”

“Would you like to pray to the Lord right now, and get yourself right with him?”

“Yes.”

I told him to pray. He did, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was unmistakable. His voice was shaky, but he did it. I again placed my hand on his shoulder and lifted him up to God. I thanked him for his willingness to serve his country, and asked that the Lord protect him, and give him the courage and boldness to share his newfound faith with his comrades-in-arms. When I finished praying, I opened my eyes and saw him wipe tears from his eyes. He shook my hand and thanked me. “Make sure you give this message to your girlfriend,” I urged. He smiled and said he would.

It was time to go and meet the rest of the team. I took a quick look at my small remaining stack of million-dollar bills and thought I’ll just blow these out on my way back to meet the group. I saw another couple with a small child. Hurrying, I wanted to keep moving and dispense of my remaining bills. The man took one from me, looked at it, looked right at me, and asked, “What are these about?”

Apparently God had little concern for my schedule. I started talking with him about the 10 commandments and he agreed that he was guilty of breaking them. I began to explain what a just God must do with someone who is found guilty of breaking His law when a seagull flew overhead and let loose with a bomb that scored a direct hit on the shoulder of his wife, splashed onto him and onto the baby carriage! The wife leaped to her feet in disgust, and said to her husband “We need to get out of here, now!” null I tried to follow them, but they made it clear that the conversation was over. I thought to myself Oh well, at least they got the bills. It wasn’t until about an hour later that I realized that the seagull bomb was literally spiritual warfare! The enemy had attacked with a vengeance, angry that lost souls were being saved! I can hear him now, “Noooooooooooo!!”

I gave out my last 2 bills to a nicely dressed Jewish couple. The man greeted me and asked, “What are these bills were for?”

“I’m part of a Christian missionary local outreach program from Hope Chapel in Hermosa Beach.”

“Really? That’s great. I am a Rabbi and I spend a lot of time speaking to Christian churches who support Israel!!”
null I told him about our recent work moving families from the war zone in northern Israel to safety. He was touched. I told him to call the church and they would give him any additional information he needed. He shook my hand and blessed me for my ministry work.

The evangelism team was waiting for me and asked how my day went. I laughed and really didn’t know where to begin. My first response was, “God blessed me with a Supernatural day!”

Steve’s note: Shortly after Ed became a Christian a well-meaning brother told him that he didn’t need to evangelize. He just needed to “live the life and others would be drawn to him.” I’m sure glad he ignored this advice and has decided to “live the life,” and “open his mouth.”

Guest E-vangies: Do-it-Yourself

Tuesday, September 12th, 2006

This is from an on-fire student, Natalie Foley, who is currently taking my evangelism class.

At my first class of “Sharing Your Faith Without Fear” I took my million-dollar bill Gospel tracts with me to Home Depot where I was ordering appliances. null The mild-mannered young clerk, “Reggie,” led me to the special services desk to schedule the installation date. When a co-worker joined him behind the counter I pulled out the million dollar bills and asked, “Did you guys get one of these yet?” They took them politely, then set them down while they continued working. Then they ran into a problem ringing up my order and called for “Maria,” a supervisor, who promptly arrived. When “Maria” saw the million dollar bills on the counter she picked one up and said, “What’s this?” nullBefore I could answer she turned it over and started reading the questions on the back. In a very loud voice and mocking manner she began reading the gospel tract on the back of the bill. Did I mention she was reading it very loudly and that this was only the second time I attempted to hand out million dollar bills? Everyone within a 20′ perimeter could hear “Maria” reading God’s Word.

First “Maria” began reading out loud, “If you died tonight would you go to heaven or hell?” Then she looked at me, laughing (more…)

Guest E-vangies: Pier Pressure

Friday, September 1st, 2006

This is from college student Andy Ross:

I had just walked down to the end of the pier with my sister Amy, Howard, and Ryan. After we had talked to everyone out there, we walked back. When we got to the base of the pier there was a group of 3 (slightly grubby-looking) people sitting on the wall. I walked up to them with Ryan and Howard and handed them the million-dollar bill Gospel tracts. As I talked with them, I began to get the impression that they were high on something.
null
The first guy and the girl took them and said thank you, but when I handed a bill to the second guy, he took it, looked at it, and asked, “Is this from Hope Chapel?”
I said, “Yes, Hope Chapel was our home church.” His face darkened, and he asked, “With Pastor Zac?”
As I started to respond, I noticed his fingers taking up tearing positions on the bill. But what else could I do? I said “Yes, Pastor Zac was our Senior Pastor.” He proceeded to tear the bill in half, (more…)

Guest E-vangies: The Million-Dollar Answer

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006

My administrative assistant, Barbra Twyman wrote this:

Someone very close to me had their life changed because of the million dollar question.

I came home on a Saturday afternoon from P.I.E. (Pizza, Intercession, Evangelism) at the Hermosa Beach Strand. I was so excited about what happened that I began telling one of my family members that I had the chance to witness to several people by asking them the million dollar question, and as I told her about everything she asked me what the million dollar question was. ["If you were to die today would you go to Heaven or Hell?] I went step-by-step through every question and said that the penalty was Hell [if she had broken any of the 10 Commandments]. I didn’t tell her anything else; I just let her think about it. null A couple of days later she came to me and said, “So if I told one lie that means I will go to Hell.” I told her that she would need to repent and make Jesus her Lord and Savior.

A couple more days passed, she came to me again and told me she did not want to go to Hell and wanted to make things right with God. The next day she came to church with me and cried through the entire service. Every day since I have seen God moving in her life as she has begun to trust Jesus.

The million dollar tract/question is so easy to do and it does work; it is the most amazing road God has ever let me walk on. And everyday I can’t wait to see who will have their life changed because of it.
-Barbra Twyman

Da Vinci & Denisse

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how a young woman, Denise was handed a million-dollar bill after watching the Da Vinci Code. Here’s her actual version:

A while ago I went with my friend and her mother (who are unbelievers) to see the movie The DaVinci Code. We ended up going to the Palos Verdes theatre because her mom thought it wouldn’t be that crowded (it was my first time going there). When the movie ended we started to exit the theatre, and who do I see? My Pastor Steve Sanchez, handing out million dollar bills left and right like there was no tomorrow! I was in shock! Out of all the movie theatres in all the South Bay why did he have to to be at this one? I was scared of what he might say,; I thought maybe he might rebuke me in front of all the people, or maybe I felt guilty for going to see the movie. I wasn’t about to let him see me, so I ducked and made a run for it.

On the way home my friend started to read the million-dollar bill out loud. I remember her saying, “Adulterer! Blasphemer! Ugh! That is so rude!” Her mom turned to me and asked, “That’s your Pastor? What are they teaching you at that church?” null I said, “No, no… you have it all wrong!” Then I began to ask them the million-dollar question… Then step by step I explained to them about how we can have forgiveness through Jesus Christ. After I was done they were just silent. I had goosebumps afterwards. It was the most amazing experience because I unintentionally shared with them about the Gospel, and I couldnt have done it without Steve. All those times I sat in church and heard Steve tell us how to evangelize by asking the million-dollar question—and it actually stuck in the back of my head. I was able to share the good news!
-Denisse V.

Guest E-vangies: The Fortune Teller

Monday, August 14th, 2006

This is an account from a high school girl, Micah Mounts, who went on a mission to New Orleans last week:

My first million dollar bill story! While shopping in the French Quarter on the last day of our missions trip in New Orleans, Courtney, Anais, and I got separated from the group. We stood on a street corner deciding what to do next. To the right of us were about five fortune teller stands, and one of the ladies working there was staring at us. null After a few minutes I realized that there was a reason why we’re standing there. I told my friends that we needed to talk to this lady. “Does anybody have a million dollar bill?” I asked. (more…)

Guest E-vangies: Jumpstart

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006

This is from Warren Carlson, a bigwig for the Defense Department:

I ran into Kragen Auto Parts for just a second; I only needed one thing and was standing at checkout with no checker in sight. After several minutes of waiting I went looking for someone. I found the checker standing at the back of the store talking and she apologized for not waiting on me. I began to leave and was going through the front door when a quiet voice said, “Give her a million dollar bill.” I turned around feeling a little silly and said, “May I give you a tip?” I pulled a million dollar bill gospel tract out of my wallet and handed it to her. “A million dollar bill!” she said. I told her it wasn’t real but that there was a million dollar question on the back that was. I started by asking the question, “If you were to die today where would you go, Heaven or to Hell?” I quickly realized she had turned the million dollar bill over and was reading the back of the bill out loud: Have you ever told a lie? “Yes.” Stolen anything? “Yes.” Used God’s name in vain? “Yes.” She stopped reading and had a look of horror on her face. null “I am going to Hell,” she said. I then told her the Good News; she didn’t have to pay the price because God’s Son already paid the price and that she needed to repent and turn her life over to Him. She thanked me and asked if she could keep the million dollars. I told her yes, and invited her to come to Hope Chapel.

Guest E-vangies: Easy as P.I.E.

Wednesday, July 26th, 2006

By Barbara Twyman

This is an email that I received from my administrative assistant:

Just a note to let you know how much I enjoyed P.I.E. [Evangelism, Intercession, Pizza] on Saturday. I had never been out to evangelize. I have only really talked with family or friends about my Christianity and to be honest, most of them just blew me off, told me I was wrong, that I was a fanatic, or told me I had gone over the the edge with my Christian beliefs. I wasn’t afraid to tell people—I just didn’t know how to. But I have had a burning in my soul to go out and tell others what I know, and knew that it was something God called me to do.

Off we went to the Strand in Hermosa… we began passing out million dollar bill gospel tracts and some took them with excitement and some said no thanks. Then God opened the door when we began to speak to a young lady named Tatianna… we asked the million dollar question [which is, "If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?"], and as she told us about her life of sin, she giggled as if it were a joke. When we told her the penalty for her sin, her attitude totally changed and her eyes filled with tears. When we told her the good news about Jesus, she started rubbing her arms and telling us she had the chills—which was really strange since it was about 100 degrees out there. We asked her if she would like to pray and she said yes. Right there in the middle of the Strand with 100’s of people passing by, we prayed for repentance, forgiveness, and for Jesus to come into her heart; it was the most awesome miracle God has ever let me see And what a privelege it was to be used by God for something like a life being saved.

It was the easiest thing I have ever done, even easier then talking to my own family. For those people who say they can’t do it for any number of reasons, I want to say to you: “Yes you can! It is something that all of us should be doing, because God has told us go into all the world and preach the gospel. This wasn’t a statement for some of us;
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it was for all of us.

Guest E-vangie: Wrong Theory

Friday, July 21st, 2006

At the “Hour of Power,” this evening, Richard Chavaria struck up a conversation with a couple of girls. One said, “I don’t believe in Heaven and Hell. I believe in revolution.” Her friend stifled a giggle and corrected her, “You mean evolution.” “Oh, yeah.”
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Guest E-vangie: Foul Mouths, Frogs, and Magic

Friday, July 7th, 2006

By Kirk Cameron
(This is an article from www.wayofthemaster.com)

I was walking quickly along a busy Indiana highway in the dark, trying to get back to my hotel (I was scheduled to speak at a church), when I noticed a lot of commotion coming from the parking lot. There was a pond surrounded by large rocks and about a dozen loud, foul mouthed teenagers. Water was flying everywhere and the young men sounded like a pack of hyenas that had just captured their prey. When I asked them what they were doing, they laughed and showed me. I felt sick. I watched as one kid lifted up another rock to find a big fat frog, and the others hurled more rocks at the frog until they killed it.

I returned to my room, but couldn’t stay. I marched back out to frog killers armed with some Million Dollar Bill tracts, a simple magic trick, and a determination to share the gospel with some heartless souls. This is how it played out:To continue reading, just click here!

Guest E-vangies: One Proud Mom

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006

This was an encouraging email I just received from a proud Mom, Kyungbin Yi. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, coming on the heels of two very discouraging emails I got last week.

I just wanted to share with you something very exciting. My 7th grade son, Elijah, lead his friend to Christ by asking the million dollar question yesterday. When he first told me and my husband, we were a little surprised and wanted to know if he really had done it “correctly”. He told us what he did and we were really amazed at the steps he had followed—even down to having his friend follow him in the sinner’s prayer. We had never practiced these steps or even talked about evangelizing in this way and asked him where he had learned it. He just said he heard [how to do it] at church. He was at the service when you shared about leading people to Christ using the million dollar question and he said it just stuck in his head. After hearing his testimony, his little sister commented, “Wow, God really helped you.” It truly was God! It was so exciting that I just had to share with you! Thank you for your commitment to training people in this way of evangelism. It’s so easy that even a 7th grader can do it :). I know that you can get discouraged sometimes, but I wanted my son’s testimony to really encourage you.

Guest E-vangies: Queen of Heaven

Wednesday, June 14th, 2006

The following is an outrageous account from Kandra King who is a total extrovert/actress/performer—but was too intimidated to hand out some million-dollar bill gospel tracts. Read how God blessed her efforts when she stepped out in faith…

The first time Steve came & spoke on the new “million dollar bill” method for winning souls, I thought I’m happy for Steve, how great for the Kingdom… I wasn’t convinced it was for me. After all, my ministry is with kids. However, I did buy a stack of bills & was going to at least try & hand some out. I put 7 in my purse & the rest in a drawer. 3 weeks later, Steve returned to the pulpit with even more enthusiasm & excitement about evangelizing. This time my husband Jack & I bought stacks of bills for our entire mini-church. Later that evening at a church Leadership meeting, Steve re-emphasized its importance & I was determined to “take the next step.” Another week goes by, our Senior Pastor Zac expresses his urgent request to get on board with Steve. I still have not handed out a single bill. I know I’ve got to force myself to do what my pastors have instructed.

The next day, I was being blessed with a manicure on our Sabbath. I over-heard 3 teenage girls talking. They were speaking in ways that were definitely worldly & included a few barked out orders to friends. I saw this as my chance. However, it was like an angel was on one shoulder & the devil on my other. The angel saying (more…)

Guest E-vangie: Armed for Battle

Monday, May 22nd, 2006

This is an email I received from Bekah Wiedenhoeft, a high school student who is taking my evangelism class:

I had an amazing evangelism day and I couldn’t wait until Tuesday to tell you!

This morning after church I bought a stack of million dollar bills, then my family and I went to the Armed Forces Day thing at the Del Amo Mall. I was giving the bills out left and right! My first day “on the field” and I gave the whole stack away in about 2 hours!! Wow! That was amazing! After I ran out I felt weird not having any more because there were so many more people that needed them! But I’m so glad I could give them to the ones I did. I’m hoping that the soldiers will come to know Jesus before they go out on their next mission!

I only went through all the questions with about 5 people; the rest were just, “Did you get one of these? It’s a million dollar bill; the million-dollar question is on the back,” and walked away. I was glad my mom was close so she could help me out if I couldn’t find the words to say.

The first person I went through the questions with wouldn’t tell me he was a liar, since he had different definitions of lying, “I’m in the military and I can’t tell the parents of the soldier who died what really happened to him, so that’s not necessarily lying…” I wanted to tell him, “A lie’s a lie, no matter the circumstance!” I was getting kinda mad at him, so I’m glad my mom was there to take over.

Anyways thanks for reading! See you Tuesday!!

~Bekah Wiedenhoeft

Slices of P.I.E.

Tuesday, May 9th, 2006

P.I.E. stands for Pizza, Intercession and Evangelism. Six of us went down to our local party/bar area in Hermosa Beach on Saturday to hand out Gospel tracts and engage in one-to-one evangelism. Everybody participated and no one was beat-up! One man, Ed Lee, has been a Christian for only seven months and he led someone to Christ for the first time. Our cameraman, Andy Anders, also led someone to the Lord. Another man, Chris, overcame his fears and totally got into it. Now read these testimonies of two ladies who also were fearless: (more…)

Guest E-vangie: Good Student

Monday, May 8th, 2006

By Erin Shamburg (Erin is a high school student who is currently taking my evangelism class. Her homework was to hand out a Million-Dollar bill Gospel tract each day for 7 days)

After hearing the evangelism class, I was determined to get out in my school and try to talk to most of my friends since I knew a lot of them were atheists. It probably wasn’t a good idea though, to target my two friends who a] claimed to be Christian even though they drank socially and just “didn’t act like a Christian in front of their friends” or b] claimed to be gay.

I first talked to one friend during passing period on Wednesday. She was telling me what she did over the weekend and how she had had done some stupid stuff while she was drunk. I was shocked at some of the stuff she was telling me. I said, “Are you still a Christian?” (more…)

Guest E-vangies: Stepping Out!

Friday, April 21st, 2006

From Wendy DePinto:

I passed out some million dollar bills on Valentine’s day to my co-workers and at the school V-day dance for the kids. I gave one to the DJ and he made an announcement over the microphone, “Hey, someone just gave me a million dollars!” Soon kids and staff were asking me for them.

Yesterday, a fellow colleague Linda, who is saved, came to me with tears in her eyes. She said that after giving her teenage daughter the million dollar bill (more…)