Stone the Preacher

Evangelism was going so good at the American Idol semi-finals, it was a shame it had to come to an end….

Three crazy evangelists had the opportunity to preach about ten times in the red carpet area—unheard of due to the high security presence—but we ended up preaching one time too many and it all came tumbling down. Here’s why: (Please read Part 1 by clicking here.)

I thought it would be a great idea to have “Righteous Richard” stand on a bench so that he would get more visibility and better vocal range, thereby insuring that more people would hear the Gospel message and, of course, repent and trust in the Savior. It totally worked, too!

But we forgot about the downside: What Idol fans could see and hear more clearly, so could Security. They nabbed Richard, and sent him packing.

Ed Lee was spared the indignity. He saw what was coming and ducked out before he was asked to leave. He had already been stopped from preaching across the street at the Staples Center by a very kind, but firm, LAPD officer. He learned his lesson.

Then it was my turn. I saw that Richard was being hassled by the Redcoats so I took cover behind a large beam—out of sight—and continued preaching.

Then a man with a cell phone told me to stop. I ignored him because I thought he was just a regular guy, and continued to preach the good news. He asked me again to stop, but since he was an ordinary guy, I just preached away. That’s when he dialed up a number and called who-knows-who? Ghostbusters? Holy Ghostbusters? I preached on.

Then something weird happened. A red-haired woman jumped out of line and started yelling. I inclined my ear to hear what she was saying and Wow! what a surprise!

It’s a bit embarrassing to tell you what she was shouting, so I’ll be discreet. She obvously understood my message, and like a rock hitting a dog in a pack she yodeled “Worship the [clinical name for a part of the female anatomy]!”

Say that again? What?

“Worship the [clinical name]!” C’mon everybody! Worship the [clinical name]!” Then her boyfriend (poor sap), dragged her inside the theater. Okay. I admit that my style was cramped a little after that one.

Then it got worse.

A 7-foot-two (or thereabouts) Amazon woman greeted me. She was the Head of Security, and in no subtle manner, told me to leave. I did. 

I met up with the rest of the team on the sidewalk outside the Nokia and started handing out Gospel tracts. That’s when Mr. Hard-Look-Red-Jacket-man told us to leave.

Uh-uh! We were on public property (the open area of the red carpet area was also public property according to state law; there was nothing illegal about what we were doing), so we stood our ground. They ended up leaving us alone.

In events such as American Idol, or any other large shindig, evangelists are never wanted or appreciated. Still, people are perishing, and the command from Jesus to “Go!” is still extant.

The goal of going to these venues is not to brag about the exotic locations, nor is it to gloat about how many times we were removed by authority figures. No! The purpose is to get the Word out, trusting that it will never return empty, trusting that God will use the little that we do to glorify His name. We are respectful, but we stand firm, knowing that at any time a lost sinner may hear what is said and cross over from death unto life.

That’s why we go.

On this particular day, after all we experienced, we thought that we had a visible sign of God’s approval. I’m not superstitious, and I don’t need signs and wonders to verify that we are in God’s will, but this time it was a little funny coincidence, a little reminder that God was there.

“Look at the address of the Nokia Theater,” I exclaimed excitedly: 

Why was my friend Ed Lee escorted by a fine member of the LAPD in front of the Staples Center?

Why was another friend, “Righteous Richard” Chavarria stopped by Security personnel?

Why was this man on his cell phone reporting my activities?

And this guy—this guy in the red jacket with the hard look—was irritated at the whole lot of us and tried to throw us off the premises of the Nokia Theater. Why? O’ why?

I’ll tell you why; I’ll tell you why—

They don’t like people preaching the Gospel on their turf.
(Read the introduction to this story by clicking here.)

But Jesus said “Go!” That’s right, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

No limitations as far as I can tell, to where we could, or should, preach.

That’s why we went to The American Idol semi-finals: to preach to all those thousands coming out to see their favorite idol. Problem was, unlike last year when there were thousands of people waiting in line to get into the theater…

…this time there were only a few hundred. What should we do now?

Well, we tried something that has never been done before. It had to be from God, because this idea was crazy; no one in their right mind would do such a thing. That’s why we let “Righteous Richard’ Chavarria do it first. Whenever there’s a new idea we always let “Righteous Richard” do it first.

“Richard,” I said, “let’s go onto the carpet area and preach the Word to all the people waiting to get in the doors. There’s hundreds of people—thousands—standing around doing nothing.”

“How long do you think I’ll have before they boot me out of here?” he asked.

“Two minutes, max. Make it a Stop Light sermon, ya know, short.” So he did.

 No one screamed. No one heckled. No one died. Security didn’t even come by to stop us.

This emboldened me. No reason to be timid now. Let’s do it guys! Let’s roll! Full of the Holy spirit and power I took the lead, trusting boldly in God and his protection. I sucked in my breath and… asked Ed Lee to go next. He did.

Same results. No harrassment of any kind. No semi-important-looking guys with badges and furrowed brows. What’s wrong with this picture?

My turn now. I was a little wary. Whenever there’s a problem, I am a magnet for trouble. If anyone else in the world wanted to preach with a porkpie hat while hanging upside down from a bungee cord in a plastic bag above a crowd—they’d get away with it. If another guy wanted to recite the Book of Jeremiah in Speedos while wearing Mickey Mouse ears standing in Jell-o, there would be no problem. But just let me preach a little sermon in a cool place like American Idol and the cops, and guards, the Marines—the Taliban itself—would be on me faster than maggots on moldy meat.

Oh, those horrible memories….

At last year’s Christmas parade in Hollywood I was prevented from preaching the Gospel by the LAPD….

I was stopped at a USC football game—again by the LAPD!

I was pinched in the stomach by an irate man at a Chinatown parade and stopped by Mall Cops when preaching in an elevator.

Maybe you can understand my initial reluctance… but the righteous are as bold as a lion! I took my little stool, stood upon it, cleared my throat, ahem, and—preached! Yessiree, I preached my little heart out—and no one stopped me. In fact, after I was done “Righteous Richard” preached again, as did Ed, then me. Then Richard, Ed, myself… Where were those Security guards anyway? Why were we allowed to preach the forbidden Gospel among all these “IDOLaters” with nary a hoot or boot?

God certainly must have blinded the guard’s eyes; I cannot think of any other reason that we were allowed to do this for so long.

Maybe they were lying in wait…

Hundreds upon hundreds of people heard that they had broken God’s Moral Law by telling lies, stealing, and misusing His name. They heard in clear loud voices that even looking with lust is adultery, hatred was murder. They were reminded that if they had broken just one of God’s 10 Commandments—which is sin—they would stand before a Holy God and be found guilty. Their punishment? Hell. A real Hell for all those who mocked God and put other things before him. Eternal punishment, horrible. Forever.

 We weren’t mean. We weren’t angry. We spoke pleasantly, but with authority. We were called on the carpet to preach the Good News that no one had to go to Hell, that there was a choice. If only they would repent—turn away from their sins–and put their trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ, then they could be forgiven, the old would become new, they would become… born again, no longer enemies of God, but friends.

Security walked past. They didn’t even nod, or wink, or blink. Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod strolled by, unconcerned. Could they not hear us?

I had an idea.

We could reach even more people if we tried it out. I walked over to “Righteous Richard” and discussed it with him. He nodded in agreement. Obediently trusting the Lord he did what I asked him to do; if he could pull it off, no telling what type of Revival might happen outside the Nokia.

But we over-played our hand. We went too far. That’s when the trouble began….

(Click here to read the exciting conclusion.)

One of the best ways to begin preaching in the open air is to start small. Most cities have at least one busy intersection; why not use it to the Lord’s advantage? This 5 minute video will give you everything you need to know to deliver a 30-50 second Stop Light Gospel message. You will find it quite amusing, I’m sure.

To read about our Stop Light preaching experience in Huntington Beach, and to get the text of the message we preach, click here!

William Taylor was a Methodist in the California Conference in the mid-1800’s. Although published in 1867, this article speaks to our generation. Mr. Taylor spoke about cultural refinement, secular education, the negative effects of immigration, the apathy of the churches, and other topics that apply today. The book from which this chapter is taken is called, “Seven Years’ Street Preaching in San Francisco, California.”

“Why do you preach in the streets and highways?”

I. BECAUSE IT IS A DUTY ENJOINED BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The “great commission,” under which every true ambassador goes forth in the “ministry of reconciliation,” by direct implication, enjoins the duty of out-door preaching: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Did the apostles understand the Great Teacher to mean that they were to preach in the temple, in the synagogues, in ” hired houses,” and ” upper rooms?” Certainly. Did they understand him to mean nothing more than that? Certainly not. They well knew that the temple, and the synagogues, and all the house room they could by possibility command, were they all open for their use, would contain but a very small proportion of the creatures embraced in their commission. Every word of this great command, framed by infinite wisdom, is simple and unequivocal. It evidently contemplates a proclamation of the Gospel as wide as “all out of doors,” and so specific and personal as to embrace every single rebel of the fallen race.

Again. The Saviour, illustrating, by the parable of the “Great Supper,” the bounteous provision of mercy in the Gospel, enjoins, by direct command, the duty of out-door preaching: “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (more…)

At the Ambassadors’ Academy evangelism boot camp held last weekend, there were a multitude of things taught to the nearly 50 people who arrived from around the country. One of the highlights for the students is getting on the preaching box at the Huntington Beach Pier and belting out a Gospel message.

This is Tim Wiersma. It was his first time “on the box” in Huntington Beach; he preached for about three minutes max. After he had finished speaking, a young woman named Maya approached me and asked about repentance.

“What does it mean to repent?”

“It means to have a change of heart and mind about your sin.” After explaining this a little further she wanted to get right with God.

I then asked her what made her want to come over and talk about these things.

“Him,” she said, pointing to Tim. “I heard him talking about repentance and wanted to know what I needed to do. I wanted to stop and listen, but my friends continued to walk on.”

I gave her a Gospel tract and encouraged her to not wait too long before committing to Christ. She said she would do it that night.

How effective is preaching in the open air? Well, as Tim learned, God can do anything He wants with a willing vessel. Tim faced his fears and was obedient to God. I’m looking forward to seeing Maya someday in Heaven.

R.A. Torrey wrote this over a 100 years ago: Open-air meetings impress people by their earnestness. How often I have heard people say, “There is something in it. See those people talking out there on the street. They do not have any collection, and they come here just because they believe what they are preaching.” Remarks like this are made over and over again. Men who are utterly careless about the Gospel and Christianity have been impressed by the earnestness of men and women who go out on to the street and win souls for Christ.

It’s a tricky thing to attempt to preach to thousands of angry protesters as they march down the street waving banners, flags, and large signs suitable for bashing heads. Add to that rhythmic chants, off-key songs, fist-thrusting bellows, bullhorns, and Native Americans with tom-toms, then you can see how a street preacher has quite a challenge getting the message out. (Please read the start of this series by clicking here.)

This was our strategy: Pray for an open door.

We ran down the street alongside the protest march, set up Big Bertha the Speaker and Little Mike (his baby brother), cranked up the volume, then preached the Law and Gospel to the marchers as they passed by.

Whenever they saw us preaching, they cranked up whatever volume they could to drown us out. We’d run ahead of the marchers again and again, doing the same thing, over and over. We were desperate for them to hear, anxious for them to respond, wanting them to somehow understand our good news so they would repent and trust in the Living God.

Then a door opened. Silence. The protest came to a halt. Everyone was still. A “Die-In” was enacted.

All of a sudden loudspeakers boomed “bombs” bursting in air, then everyone fell to the ground as if they were dying. Crouching, prone, dead.

This was their hallowed moment; this was our golden opportunity. We cranked up the volume of “Big Bertha” and I asked the big question: “If bombs were really to drop right now, and you were to die, where would you go, Heaven or Hell? That’s when it got ugly.

Ever see a peace marcher lose his peace? Preach the Gospel. People gave me the finger. They threatened. They angrily put their fingers to their lips and gave me the “Shhhhhh…” sign. One man ran by and pulled “Big Bertha the Loudspeaker” off the ledge, nearly killing a little girl who was sitting just underneath.

Another man grabbed the cord of my microphone and started pulling. People rose from the “dead” like zombies seeking their pound of flesh from the preacher.

I continued to preach.

The hornets were stirred. The beast awoke. I noticed unhappily that the police were at the far end of the marchers—too far from me! I thought that I could actually be dragged down from my five-foot perch between the two Roman columns, and killed. But rather than give in to the fear of what could happen, I trusted that God had placed me where I was so that they would hear his word. And they heard, boy did they hear…

See for yourself in this compilation video, all the action that took place—running from preaching spot to preaching spot, the speaker pushed from the wall, protesters w/bullhorns trying to drown me out, to the “Die-In”— as we brought the greatest news of all to those who wanted no part of God or His message.

You might get a kick out of this video of a man singing the famous Pete Seeger/Birds song, “Turn, Turn, Turn” as I preached “Turn, Turn, Turn from Your Sins” in the background. Click here to see it.

NOW IT’S TIME FOR A GAY PRIDE PARADE. THIS WAS THE SCARIEST TIME EVER. CLICK HERE!

The anti-war protest march started. Two very angry ladies on loudspeakers shouted into their mics and led rhyming chants while the marchers shouted, yelled, and screamed. Others beat drums and blew horns. This was the peace demonstration. And it all culminated in a “Die-In.” (Start this series at part 1 by clicking here.)

With all this hullabaloo taking place, what stategy would you use to preach to these people so they might hear the Gospel? That was our dilemma.

Imagine you were taking a team to this march…. What would you do? What would be your strategy? I’ll tell you ours in the coming days. In the meantime, take a look at the protest march yourself and see what we were up against. (Go to the 2:05 mark and hear our “IN-N-OUT Burger” preacher, Val Scott, get a Word in edgewise.)

CLICK HERE FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION!

Anti-war protesters are all about love and peace until you preach a message about the true peace that only comes from a personal relationship with The Prince of Peace… then things can get ugly—fast! (Please read the start of this series by clicking here.)

Over the last two weeks I’ve been writing about the most exciting event our evangelism team has ever attended: The A.N.S.W.E.R. LA anti-war protest. But I haven’t yet told you what happened when we started preaching with our sound system, Big Bertha. In the 17-second clip below, you’ll see how poor ole Bertha took the full brunt of a Peacenik’s wrath… yet kept on bleating! Later on this week I’ll detail for you our strategy in reaching these poor misguided souls through our open-air preaching. (Hint: It wasn’t easy).

CLICK HERE FOR PART 9!

Talk about a thankless task! One man got tired of the false, feel-good, man-centered “gospel” preached by Joel Osteen, so he did something about it: He stood outside ole Joel’s church and preached the Law and Gospel to the congregants. A waste of time? Foolishness? Some would think so… What say you?

Over 166,000 have viewed this video!

See Joel interviewed by Larry King here.

See Joel’s preaching love seat here.

The Peter of 2000 years ago had a crowd of thousands when he gave his first open air sermon and 3,000 were saved on that day. Another Peter, Peter Johnson, 16-years-old and a recent graduate of Hope Chapel’s evangelism class, preached his first open air sermon to a crowd of hundreds at the 2009 Academy Awards, and no one got saved that day, apparently; yet the message was preached powerfully, boldly, effectively—and God used it for his glory!

In the 4 minute video below, you will see Peter’s second sermon, because our intrepid cameraman had the video camera on pause. Also, pay no attention to the funny-looking guy who is sporting a speaker on his head.

***To see the sermon I preached on the same day (using a little lame stand-up humor) click here!***

If you preach in the open air you will want to read this. If you plan on preaching in the open air someday, read this. If you don’t understand why anyone would ever, ever, ever! preach in the open air, read this.

OPEN AIR MEETINGS

By R. A. Torrey  (1856-1928) (Read his short bio at the end of this article. The following is from Torrey’s larger work, “Methods of Christian Work” (Chapter 6, pages 222-233):

I. Their importance and advantages.

1. They are Scriptural. Jesus said, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” Every great preacher of the Bible was an open-air preacher. Peter was an open-air preacher, Paul was an open-air preacher, and so were Elijah, Moses and Ezra. More important than all, Jesus Christ Himself was an open-air preacher, and preached for the most part out of doors. Every great sermon recorded in the Bible was preached in the open air; the sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the Sermon on the Mount, the sermon on Mars Hill, etc. In this country we have an idea that open-air preaching is for those who cannot get any other place to speak, but across the water they look at it quite differently. Some of the most eminent preachers of Great Britain preach in the open air. (more…)

Just down the street from The Academy Awards, and almost in front of the Scientology building on Hollywood Blvd., I preached to a disappointed crowd that gathered to watch the stars arrive on the red carpet. Unfortunately, the stars had already gone into the show at this time. I chose to use liberal amounts of humor to engage them and to distance myself from the “Christian haters” positioned just down the street on Sunset Blvd. To read further details of what happened at this event, click here!

Many people wonder what impact can be made by someone who preaches to strangers in the open air. Others may wear a furrowed brow when hearing about the “crazy” things that evangelists will do to reach the lost. Holy Hubert was a preacher in the late 1960’s who went onto various campuses to preach Christ to hippies, radical socialists, Satanists, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews; many found Christ as a result of his life and ministry.

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Hubert T. Lindsey is one of the great Holiness preachers of our times.

During sixty years of Ministry he has conducted crusades in over 50 nations, established 12 churches and authored 5 books.

America’s best loved and most hated preacher, 74 yr. old (now 83 in nursing home in Raleigh, NC area) Lindsey is perhaps best known as the father of the Jesus movement that swept America in the late ’60s.

During this time more than 3 and a half-million hippies, radical socialist, Satanists, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews found Christ as a result of Hubert Lindsey’s life and ministry.

Given that nickname “Holy Hubert” by the underground newspapers, Lindsey had been preaching 32 years when God called him to leave his crusade organization and go to America’s radical, seething universities and preached Jesus to the students who were enjoying a prelude to hell.

Violent reaction to Holy Hubert’s bold evangelism put him in the hospital a dozen times at California’s radical Berkeley campus. He was blinded in 1965 during a vicious attack by a mob of protesters. Twice he miraculously regained his sight, but blindness returned 18 years after the attack.

Beatings by the Black Panthers, the Hell’s Angels and the Mansion family are only part of the price Hubert Lindsey has paid for preaching the Gospel to this generation.

(more…)

The elderly in the bleachers booed and yelled, “Move on!” Another man loudly recited bible addresses, while yet another tossed Gospel tracts over one preacher’s head. Some clapped and cheered, others snapped and jeered… and the most awesome shot was captured at the end of this video, giving new meaning to the term, “Stealth Preaching.” It was all part of the fun on New Year’s morning as Alfredo Chavez and myself preached to the massive crowds before the Tournament of Roses Parade got underway. (Go to part 1 of this Rose Parade adventure here.)

This is a fun 6 minute montage put together by 16-year-old Peter Johnson, first time cameraman and editor. Enjoy!

***Next: Click here to read about what happened at 2009 The Martin Luther King Jr. Parade!***

(Read part 1 by clicking here!)

Sometimes people will rain on your parade when you preach in the open air. Sometimes things will go from bad to worse to horrible. at the Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown last Saturday….

It’s a rather strange feeling to preach to a crowd of strangers waiting for a parade to start because you never know who might be in the crowd and you certainly have no idea how they will respond when confronted with their sin. I certainly didn’t expect one angry man to do what he did to me. Fortunately, I don’t bruise easily.

This is the story of how things went wrong

It was a celebration of the Chinese New Year, The Year of the Ox, and forty two evangelists arrived to take Gospel advantage of the estimated 110,000 people lined up along the parade route. I for one get excited when I see so many people gathered who most likely have never heard the Gospel before. The best way to get the good news out en masse is either through wide distribution of Gospel tracts, of which we brought—and handed out—over 25,000, or through open air preaching.

But sometimes things will not go exactly as planned.

Wrong #1: I was excited to preach to a group of young Asian band members gathering before the parade, so I hopped on my portable stool and asked loudly, “If you were to die today where would you go, Heaven or Hell?” The kids dressed in their bright red marching outfits said nothing. “You must keep God’s 10 Commandments perfectly!” No reponse. The kids just stared at me like I was a freak. “Have you ever told a lie?” No hands went up. No one moved. ”How many of you have ever told a lie? Anybody?” Then I noticed a lady holding a flag.
A Chinese flag. A few others had them, too. “Do you guys speak English?” No hands went up. Blank stares. Then it dawned on me: these guys are from China. More specifically, Beijing. They didn’t respond to my preaching because they couldn’t understand a word! I bowed sheepishly as I handed each band member a million dollar bill Gospel tract, and gave them high fives. See it here: (57 seconds)

Wrong #2: Our next location was in front of the bleachers where people paid $27 a seat to watch the parade that was scheduled to start in about an hour. One man didn’t like what I was saying and started complaining loudly from his seat. “Awwww! We didn’t pay to hear this! Go away!” he shouted. 

I didn’t, and kept proclaiming my message.

“Why don’t you shut up?” he repeated, getting out of his seat to walk toward me. Now he was in my face. I continued to declare God’s standards as he tried earnestly to shut me up.

Then he pinched me. Fortunately I’ve lost a little weight so he couldn’t pinch as much as he would have a year ago. Then he pinched me again. “Why don’t you go away? We don’t want to hear it.” Pinch. “Shut up!” he demanded.

I preached, he pinched. I stepped back off my stool and then back up again regaining my composure. He whined, I winced—yet continued to preach. When he realized that I wasn’t going to stop, he backed off—and at this point, I thought I was going to take it on the chin. Instead, he gave up and walked back to his seat. See it here: (31 seconds)

Wrong #3: After the parade had ended, I climbed on a grassy knoll and started preaching again to a crowd that was gathering for the grand finale of the parade. I explained why Christ is the reason for the new year 2009, and why he had to die for our… BANG! POP! BANG! POP! POP! BANG! BANG! BANG! Ten million firecrackers went off! Ten million!

That was the finale, and that finished my sermon.

Wrong #4: With the crowds dispersing and heading to the festival after the parade, I had the bright idea to stand atop some empty bleachers and preach down to the crowd.

It was going just fine… except no one could hear me.

The battery in our portable speaker was dying.

Things are bound to go wrong at times, but I’ll keep on trying, I won’t give up.

 Still, it would be kinda nice to relax, stroll along the parade route without a worry in the world, keep my big mouth shut, throw in the towel and… just join the sign guys. Life would be so much easier.

Hey! Stranger things have happened…

NOW IT’S TIME TO GO TO THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE. CLICK HERE FOR A REAL SURPRISE!

Watch the most awesome, ultimate “Sign Guys” ever by clicking here!

(Read part 1 by clicking here!)

The Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown had an estimated 110,000 people on the streets just waiting for someone to bring good news. I was able to preach numerous times to the crowds in many different areas of the parade route—but not without some trouble, inconvenience and hardship. Tomorrow you can read about those encounters, but right now, watch this 4 minute sermonette when it actually went right. Sort of. You’ll notice a few police skulking around the edges of the screen as I preached; I had to make it short, knowing that I could be shut down at any moment.

(Click the screen twice to go to YouTube where you can watch an HD version of this. It looks so much better.)

***Read about how things went wrong on part 3, here!***

As unbelievable as it may sound some people took issue with me for wearing an “Obama The President” T-shirt to the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade yesterday, although the community in which nearly 30 of us ministered was 99.9999% African American.
Payton wrote, “I’d be afraid that by wearing an Obama shirt they would assume the message I’m sending them is approved by Obama. And everything Obama stands for is contrary to the Gospel!! Do you think Paul would wear an idol around his neck to appeal to the pagan idol worshipers?”

Really? Wearing a shirt that depicts our president is idolatry? A man who inspires hope, change, and represents our country to the world is a man to be admired, and I wanted to show, in a sincere fashion, that I support our new President. What better way to springboard into a message that offers real hope, the hope of the Gospel?

Chad penned, “…it’s ok to wear a pro Obama shirt? I think its crossing the relevant line. Obama stands for anti-christian values and some may asssociate your message with his. And NO I don’t believe Paul would wear a pagan idol around their neck to be all things to all men. Proceed with caution Steve.”

Some may equate my “being relevant” with idolatry, but I call it loving. I’d also call it ”Instant Credibilty.”

What do you think?

The most important story behind The Tournament of Roses Parade wasn’t even shown on the major media outlets. Was it a hidden government agenda? An anti-Christian conspiracy… or worse? I don’t exactly know; but of this I was sure: the networks missed all the action when 25 evangelists hit Colorado Blvd. early in the morning on January 1, 2009.

Your local station missed the now-annual New Year’s tradition, started way back in 2008:Preaching at the Porta-Potties.

They didn’t show you the over 17,000 people who happily took our Gospel tracts.

Nor did they want the television viewers at home to know that kids can get the Gospel too, by reading the back of a cleverly designed $100 bill..

The media moguls refused to show you the Hare Krishnas happily beating upon their tamblas, guunuus, and mahahas while receiving Christian literature.

Or are they Hareless Krishnas?

No. The television stations would rather focus on the floats.
Keep that religious stuff out of here, please.

4 1/2 miles up from where the parade started, miles ahead of the televised portion of the parade, something was going on: A few Christians took advantage of all the people gathered on the Boulevard, all those lost souls oblivious of the wrath to come, and actually preached that they had broken God’s Moral Law and would be found guilty on Judgment Day.

People cheerfully admitted with nods of approval that they had lied; they raised their hands heartily when asked if they had ever stolen anything; and they all agreed that they deserved Hell for their cosmic treason against a holy God.

When the crowds were told that the only way to be saved was through repentance and trust in Jesus, that’s when the booing started, but they weren’t necessarily booing us. They were booing these guys.

Atheists? Anarchists? We asked the same thing. No. They called themselves Christians. Of course, they said that they belonged to the one true church. Go figure. All  along Colorado Blvd. people booed these crazies. When they were out of sight the crowds cheered.

Then the attention shifted back to us. Some applauded our efforts while still others tried to drown us out with cheap plastic horns sold by sidewalk vendors.

Still, the Gospel was preached—on both sides of the street!

I’ll bet you didn’t see that on T.V..

Nor did they show you the man who made bunny ears behind my head. Nor did they want you to see the guy who threw a cache of million dollar bill Gospel tracts over my head. And they certainly didn’t televise the man who stood next to me and heckled, mocking my words with his fingers next to my head.

I remembered that proverb of yesteryear: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So I stretched out my arm and hugged my heckler.

I’ll bet you didn’t see that on T.V. either.

Next on Part 2: Cloris Leachman gets a tract; Ronald McDonald gets irritated.Click here!

It was the biggest organic congregation in the history of the world: The Tournament of Roses Parade! And 25 of us were there to share our faith with an estimated 700,000 people who had nothing better to do than wait for the floats to drift by.

The crowds were wildly divergent in their responses to our pre-parade preaching…

They ranged from an entire bleacher section booing my Gospel presentation…

…to cheerful applause!

Coming soon: The Rose Parade adventure the television networks didn’t want you to see…

Only at StoneThePreacher.com. Stay tuned.

“Why do you come out here every week and say the same thing? Nobody’s listening. Nobody cares.”

In essence, those are the sentiments of the students at Leuzinger and Hawthorne High Schools, who hear us preach on a corner nearly every Tuesday after school ends. I thought to myself, Why are we here? What difference does our preaching make?

I heard a true account from a pastor friend of mine who brought it all into perspective. He told about some friends who call themselves Christians. They allow their 16-year-old son to drink alcohol, even encouraging his friends to do so, as long as they do it in their homes, supervised. “They just don’t want their son to drink and drive, so they have sleep-overs at his parents’ house.” Then he said something that jolted me: “There’s no standard. These parents just have no standard for their kids!”

I thought about that statement. Standard, standard… these kids have no standard… A light went on in my head. That’s why we preach. That’s why week after week we declare God’s standard, the 10 Commandments, because this generation of students has no one to teach them what God requires.

“Listen up kids! If you died today where would you go, Heaven or Hell? Here’s a quick test: Have you kept the 10 Commandments? If you’ve ever lied one time, stolen one thing, if you’ve ever misused God’s name, then God will see you as lying, thieving, blasphemers. On Judgment Day you will be found guilty and end up in Hell.”

“Shut up!” they shout. Sometimes they swear, sometimes they blaspheme. Obscene gestures are made. Mostly we’re ignored. Still the standard is preached.

“Commandment 7 says that you shall not commit adultery, but Jesus says that even if you look with lust you’ve committed adultery already in your heart. Commandment 6: You shall not murder, but the Bible calls hatred murder.”

Who will teach them God’s standard for right living, for a civilized society? The vast majority of people—even Christians—cannot even recite the 10 Commandments. And they’ve been taken down from most public institutions. Everyone did as they saw fit.

A recent study of 29,760 high school students nationwide, from both public and private schools revealed this:

30% of students have stolen from a store in the past year.
42% said they sometimes lie to save money.
64% cheated on a test in the past year.
93% said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character

Good people don’t need a standard; they are a standard unto themselves. That’s why we preach the timeless, immutable standard, so students—all people—will see that that no one does good, not even one. To preach the standard is to show that no one can keep it, that everyone falls short, everyone stands condemned before God.

But we also bring good news of great joy that will be for all people. A Savior has been born; he is Christ the Lord.

“But if you repent, turn away from your sins, have a change of mind about your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive you. Jesus died on a cross for all your sin, he was buried for three days and rose again to give you the hope of eternal life.”

Today’s lying, cheating, thieving student will grow up to be tomorrow’s lying, cheating, thieving investment banker, wall street broker, governor, or president. Unless they understand that there is a standard by which they will be held accountable, there is absolutely no hope for them, or for us.

In that same study of students, 77% said that “when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.”

Are you willing to be a standard bearer, too?

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote this:
“God never clothes men until He has first stripped them, nor does He quicken them by the gospel till first they are slain by the Law [The Standard]. When you meet with persons in whom there is no trace of conviction of sin, you may be quite sure that they have not been wrought upon by the Holy Spirit; for ‘when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.’ “

(Read how we win over these kids with free tacos here.)

(Read about our “Bloody Dead Person” strategy here.)

The problem with the police can be blamed on Little Mike. He wasn’t aware of the trouble he caused. And we can’t tell him a thing because he won’t listen to a word; all he does is mouth off… He also comes from a family of trouble-makers:
(Ya gotta read the first parts of this story by starting here!)

His cousin attracted unwanted attention at a USC game in 2007.

His distant relative, Big Bertha, also got her fair share of ugly publicity at yet another USC game this year.

Little Mike so irritated this burly dude we expected a belly bounce at any moment.

Now it was Little Mike’s turn to share the scorn and ire of the LAPD. It wasn’t his fault, really, he just doesn’t know any better.

He just does what he does best: make loud voices louder!

And there lies the rub. At the Hollywood Santa Parade we wanted the crowd to hear us loud and clear.

There was only one problem: What the spectators hear, the police can hear as well. There was nothing illegal about our activities, preaching to a crowd before the parade, it’s just that when you use a sound system, all the focus of law enforcement goes directly to that squeaky wheel.

Step 8: You may not want to use amplification. Straight open air preaching ala Whitefield or Wesley requires fortitude and lungs. You may not reach as many people in one sitting, standing, but you will also lessen the presence of men with badges…

…which frees them to catch the really bad guys.

Click here for part 5: What to do when the parade starts. If you have the guts to do this, you might reach hundreds of thousands—even millions—around the world!

I had a dilemma. The police had told us to stop preaching to the spectators at the Hollywood Santa Parade because, in their words, we were “scaring the kids.” They admitted that we had “free speech rights” even at the parade, but they were going to shut us down anyway. What should I, as the leader of the evangelism team do? (Read the beginning of this story here.)

Step 7: Lay down your rights. We would be well within our rights to challenge the officer’s decision; we were by their own admission not doing anything wrong. The Gospel needs to be preached to the perishing; a strong stand for the Lord would certainly be warranted, but in the end who would really win? Would Jesus Christ be glorified?

I thought about these issues:

1) If I fought, I would lose. Have you ever noticed that police officers rarely admit that they are wrong? Also, the fact that there were two or three other men in blue as back up emphasized to me that it wouldn’t be worth the struggle. Besides, guys with guns always win. Always. (Read the article “On Dealing with the Police.”)

The police officers were really very nice and friendly. They really were concerned with the “family atmosphere” of the parade, Julie Nudie aside. From their perspective I was causing an unnecessary disturbance. They were really asking me to do them a favor, a favor with the show of force.

2) If I argued, the parade spectators would see yet another obnoxious, hateful, arrogant, and belligerent Christian making a scene. All credibility would be lost as far as our witness was concerned.
I could just hear them say, “There goes another Jim Jones in handcuffs.”

3) If I demanded my rights I would violate Christ’s call to lay down my rights. This was the main reason why I did not resist. Look, this wasn’t big time persecution, this wasn’t red-hot-pokers-in-the-eye tribulation; this was just a minor inconvenience, an irritating turn of events. Christians are called to willingly lay down their rights and freedoms when violated, entrusting all to Him Who judges justly.

“Pastor Steve,” Alfy gently encouraged, “I think we should go.”

I concurred.

“I know you understand, sir,” the policeman said. “I hope you agree.”

“I understand Officer,” I replied, forcing a smile through clenched teeth, “but I don’t agree.” I opened my cell phone to call somebody. Who could I call? Ghostbusters? The police?

We packed up and left, mindful of the police presence behind us as we walked on.

I was so darned bugged, yet had no choice, really. This was good training for the time when real persecution would come. There will come a day in America when police officers will not be so courteous and nice. There will come a time when the crowds will not be so friendly and eager to hear our message. Soon Christians will be forbidden to speak in His name. Period. Until that time, though, we’ll continue to work.

Mindful that we were now marked men we cheerfuly resumed handing out tidings of comfort and joy— via Gospel tracts—until the L. Ron Hubbard float passed by.

I figured out the real issue. If I changed this one aspect of our outreach, I’m almost positive that we will have no more problems with the police. Read about it by clicking here for Part 4!

The best part of Pre-Parade Preaching are the crowds. Lots of people, happy people, expectant and excited, anticipating that the parade will start at any moment. I look at our evangelism efforts as the warm-up act, the pre-show. Think about it: There are thousands of organic congregations along the parade route. Why not preach to them? (Read Part 1 here!)

Step 5: Preach Power to the People. Find a large concentration of spectators. The best groups are at the bends in the parades, where the parade turns down a side street. Stand about 15 feet from the onlookers and just talk. Don’t shout, don’t wave an angry finger, and don’t hold a Bible (click here for the reason why you shouldn’t use a Bible). The people will be happy and smiling; you will be a delightful curiosity.

Step 6: Have an effective springboard for your sermon. At the Hollywood Santa Parade my springboard for the Gospel started like this: “Hello! Merry Christmas! Who knows the reason for this parade? Not Santa. It’s about Jesus and remembering His birth…” I then launch into the 10 Commandments, Judgment Day and yes, even Hell. When I ask “Has anyone ever lied?” people giggle and raise their hands or force Uncle Bob to raise his hand. After I ask “Has anyone ever stolen anything?” fingers point to Aunt Martha and the kids as everyone accuses everyone else of being thieves.

It’s great fun and nothing promotes the spirit of Christmas more than letting people know that they will be found guilty on Judgment Day as lying thieves and will spend eternity in Hell. Needless to say, the crowd gets very quiet at this point.

Of course, the point of my preaching is not to deliver the bad news only, but to deliver the wonderful Good News of why Jesus was born in a manger 2000 years ago: To save people from their sins! After telling people that they need to repent and trust in the Savior, smile, wave goodbye, and move another hundred feet down—then preach again! Over and over again.

Step 7: Expect persecution. Is the preaching easy? You bet. Effective? Absolutely. Remember that God’s Word never returns void; all you are required to do is preach the Word, in season, and in the Christmas season. Is there any risk? There most certainly is…. When the Gospel is preached there is always the danger of persecution, especially now in this new anti-Christian era in America.

During the second preaching session I gave my companion Alfy the microphone.

Everything was going just fine until he asked the crowd if they had ever hated anyone, “because the Bible calls hatred murder.” (During family events, we avoid the lust question.)

At that point in his sermon, an officer from the LAPD tapped on his shoulder. “I know you have free speech rights and everything, but you can’t be doing this; you’re scaring the kids by talking about murder.”

Did you get that folks? He knew we had “free speech rights and everything, but!“ In other words, “You have the right to speak freely, but I’m going to stop you!”

We had the right to remain silent.

The officer continued, “I’m a God-fearing man, but you can’t do this here!”

I intervened. “Sir, where are those kids going to go if they die right now in their sins?”

“Well, you know…” said the officer apologetically. “But in uniform, I’m a police officer.”

We had a dilemma. I battled it in my mind as I tried to reason with the officer, mindful that I was also surrounded by three or four others. What should I do? What could I do? What would Jesus do?

Find out what we did by reading Part 3 here!

Was she cursing or blessing us? You be the judge as you watch this one minute portion of “Righteous Richard” Chavarria preaching to an organic congregation composed of Notre Dame fans.

Before their big game with USC last weekend we spotted this little crowd and thought it to be an opportune time to give the Gospel. One lady apparently didn’t like it. Another man shouted, “We don’t need God; we’re Catholics!”

“Righteous Richard” made his Porta-Potty preaching debut at the USC vs. Notre Dame game last Saturday. Unfortunately, he positioned himself down wind, but was still able to preach the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Quite a few people were lined up eagerly awaiting a word of encouragment, especially the Notre Dame fans, who really have no hope. Since our mission is to make the most of every opportunity, we do so, providing hope, real hope, wherever and whenever we can. A quick poll of the crowd revealed that many don’t go to church, so we are actually providing a service to the hopeless.

At one point a man came right up to Richard, stood in the corner next to one of the Porta-Potties, hunkered down, and bowed his head. Was it conviction? Was he mourning because of what he had just heard from the Law? Was he ready to repent? Uh… not exactly. He couldn’t wait in line anymore and availed himself of the wall. “What are you doing?” asked Richard. “Don’t do that here!”

“I’m a Christian and there’s nothing in the Bible that says I can’t,” he replied, offended.

“But what about your witness?” Richard pleaded. Ignoring the rudeness of this fellow “brother,” Richard continued his preaching, downwind, oblivious to the sneers and faux Hallelujahs! from the Porta-Potty participants—and the ever present stench.

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” ( 2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

The busiest shopping day of the year is in two days. Are you ready? Hundreds of people line up in the pre-dawn hours waiting for that extra special deal, why not give it to them for free? The Gospel, that is. I won’t be doing it because it’s too darn early for me, but you can; in fact, I hope you will, and that you will take a few pictures and send them to me. Any takers?

My friend “Downtown” Leon Brown, of Evangelism Team, did just that last year. Watch the video below to see how it’s done.

Jesus said “Go!” .

Porta-potties are a great place to go because that’s where people have “to go” at the USC pre-game tailgate parties. I didn’t expect to be shouted down, yet I was prepared for the worst. (Read the first 3 parts of “USC Ugly” by clicking here.)

At big events like the USC vs. Cal Berkeley game we bring two types of sound systems:

This is “Little Mike”. I started preaching to the crowd waiting in line using this portable sound system.

“Hey folks,” I began amiably, “since you have nothing better to do, I thought we’d have a little church before you have to go. I want to ask you this question: If you were to die today would you go to Heaven or Hell? I didn’t say Heaven or Cal, I said Heaven or Hell?” People didn’t get the joke, or they didn’t like my humor, or maybe they thought it was unholy to have church while waiting for the head, either way, they started catcalling and making noise. I cranked up “Little Mike’s” volume, to no avail. Then they started a cheer.

“Give me a U!” the guys at the back of the line shouted.

“U!” the guys at the front repeated.

“Give me an S!”    

“S!”

“Give me a C!“ 

“C!”

I tried to preach but couldn’t. “Little Mike” was drowned out; he was the little speaker who couldn’t.

“What does that spell?” USC! USC!!! USCCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!”

I bent down to turn off “Little Mike”.

The crowd began to mock, “C’mon now. Don’t give up!” they egged. “Don’t give up that easy!”

I looked up and said very softly, “I’m not giving up.”

You see, they didn’t know that I also had with me our second sound system, ”Big Bertha”. 50 watts of pure headache inducing power. And up to a million decibels. Or so.

When people hear this speaker they squint, cover their ears, and run for cover. Even the kids at the high school where we preach hold the sides of their heads when they hear “Big Bertha”. 

I turned it on. And cranked the volume control:

“HELLO?!! HELLO!!!”

“NOW WHERE WERE WE? DO YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON? LET’S SEE IF YOU ARE.”

The cheering stopped abruptly as the crowd fell silent in defeat. My voice thundered like the sound of many waters and “Big Bertha” faithfully fulfilled her task. The heavens opened, the earth shook, and hearts were rent in two as the eternal Word broke stiffnecks and shattered eardrums.

And yes, the people in line at the Porta-Potty all thought that I was full of it.

Amazingly, a lot of people suddenly had to… go!

See Porta-Potty preaching live at the Tournament of Roses parade here.
 

Belial is a pretty strong word, but anyone who tries to interrupt or prevent the preaching of the Gospel is certainly Satanic. We had to be very creative to outwit this son of perdition. (Read Part 1 here)

The huge man hated that we were at the USC game to present our message of salvation—again! The week before he got nose-to-nose with my friend Ed Lee, so he was really ticked when we showed up a second time. My estimate of his size would be about six-foot-five and 280 pounds of sheer aggressive bulky terror.

And the object of his wrath? Five-foot-eight, 180 pound Alfredo Chavez.

He never flinched as he explained the consequences of sin and God’s mercy to the forty or so fans lined up for a private pre-game party outside the Coliseum (he looks taller standing on a milkcrate).

Belial was tailgating from a Winnebago just off to the side, catching “Alfy” off guard in the middle of his message.

The man threatened, huffed and puffed, swore—yet Alfy held his own, moving out of range as the rest of evangelism team set up basketball-like “picks,” forcing the big man to bump into or walk around us as Alfy preached forcefully.

Belial was undeterred. Alfy moved, dodged, weaving in and out as we passively blocked the angry Redwood. But he would not stop, sometimes standing in front of Alfy, preventing  all view of the smallish preacher. That’s when I had an idea. As Alfy recited: “Jesus said that I am the way and the truth and the life,” Belial blocked him.

I had an idea. “Alfy!” I shouted. “Give me the mic!” He passed me the microphone and I continued the rest of John 14:6: “No one comes to the Father except through me!” He then blocked me. I passed the mic back to Alfy who said: “Unless you repent, you, too, will perish.” He got blocked; I got the mic again: “So put your trust in Jesus today!” This went on and on until we finished the message. Belial lumbered back to his mobile home defeated, and we moved on to our next destination.

Folks, the best part of any football game is the pre-game show, especially if you have a message on your lips, a fire in your heart… and a medical insurance card in your wallet.

Read part 3 here!

It’s always a frustrating, humbling thing to be prevented from preaching the Gospel by police, but that’s what happened to me in front of the USC campus last week.

I had positioned myself between a construction zone in the center of the street in front of the campus.

Trojan fans excited to see their team whip Cal Berkley on this day stopped at a traffic light before crossing over to the Los Angeles Coliseum. Before they could cross, however, they had to listen to a sixty second sermonette reminding them of their eternal destinies.

As game time draws closer, more and more people gather at the traffic signal—it’s a great opportunity to spread the seed of the Word to many. And that’s what I did, over and over again, until the LAPD showed up.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” one of the officers kindly offered. He pointed to a corner far off in the distance next to a tree. “You can go over there and talk if you’d like, or…” He showed me another unappealing option. “Or, you can go over there, but you can’t stay here.”

“What is the reason that I can’t stay here, sir?”

“We are afraid that you might get hit by a car.”

“But,” I reasoned, “this is a construction zone. There are no cars coming through here.”

“You are blocking the pedestrian traffic,” he explained.

“Officer, there is no one walking near me!”

“It’s a public safety issue. We don’t want anyone getting hurt by you crowding them.”

“Sir! There are hundreds of people drinking alcohol and walking around with open containers. Is it even legal for all those people to be walkng in public and crossing the street with alcohol in their hands?”

The officer at this point was getting a little irritated. “I don’t want to go there. If we had 90,000 officers we could enforce it. Here’s the deal. You move or I will issue you a citation for blocking the flow of traffic.”

Throughout the conversation I was weighing my options: I could continue to reason with the officer and even call for the his Watch Commander, where he would probably side with his juniors, then I would have wasted about an hour’s time when I could be preaching elsewhere. I could get a citation, or I could move. Of course this wasn’t fair. Of course it was because the Gospel was being preached. But it’s always best to remember that the guys with the guns always win. I packed up and left, trusting that God would open up another door. He did.

I ran into a crowd of about 1500 fans waiting for the marching band to officially open the stadium. God had them waiting for something even better!

Thank you LAPD. 

Read part 2 here.
 

“DO-NOT” #4: NEVER GET POLITICAL

A preacher of the Gospel must be careful not to get entangled in the affairs of the world when proclaiming the Law and Gospel in the open air. Paul wrote this to a young pastor in 2 Timothy 2:4—”No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.”

It makes no sense when you are on your soapbox to take sides on a political issue, especially if your focus is on saving souls. Why?

There will always be a segment of any crowd that will hear only your partisan stance, disagree with you, then shut out the rest of the really important stuff, like how they will be held accountable for their own sin and end up in Hell unless they repent and trust in the Savior. 
They’ll lump you into the enemy’s camp as a despiser of freedom, equality, and personal rights.  Of course, you’ll be a hater, a no-nothing, pro, anti-whatever sociopath that should be taken out back and shot.

Stay on point. Reference current events but don’t spill your political beans. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:22) What’s your purpose, to have people vote right, or get right—with God? When they get right, they’ll vote right. 

It’s so much easier, and certainly more effective to have everyone despise your message—and you—for the right reason: The Cross. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1Corinthians 1:18)

It’s an equal opportunity offender.

Read the first 3 “Do-Nots” here.

See an example of my non-political stance in action here.