BE READY FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY!

SOME INTERESTING THINGS HAPPENED THE DAY OF A RECENT WOMEN'S PRAYER MEETING...

One lady told of going into Walmart and sitting down because she was so short of breath and did not feel well. A tall man walked past her and immediately turned back and asked her, “Are you a Christian?”  When she answered “Yes, I am,” he asked her, “Would you mind if I pray for you right now?”  When she said she would be glad for his prayer he laid his hand on her and prayed out loud, right there in Walmart, for the Lord to touch and heal her of her distress.

If the Walmart greeter's theme is "How may I help you?" how much more should it be ours? 

That stirred my heart!  Isn’t this what the disciples did? They took the Gospel to the marketplace.  I believe that witnessing and soul winning are the indisputable responsibilities of every Christian.  When the Lord said to His servant,  “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled,” I don’t think it was  just a meaningless
                                                                               parable. 

If we would focus on 

getting the church OUT to the people, 

maybe we would be more successful in 

getting the people INTO the church.

The prayer meeting ended. Women were moving about gathering song books, a speaker system and other necessities for a nursing home service. The church was about to go OUT to the people… to take the Gospel outside the four walls of the church. 

I was excited about the opportunity and walked outside toward my car. After only a few steps I noticed a stranger, a young man walking on the parking lot in my direction. 

“Hello!  Can I help you?” I asked. 


 “I need prayer,” he said, walking closer.  “I want God to forgive me for my sins. I don’t want to be like this anymore.”

Can you imagine someone walking up to you and saying such a thing? Wow! What more could you ask for? This was a soul winner’s joy. This was an open door to quickly walk through.  

“Well, you have come to the right place. Come with me. We've been in a prayer meeting. We will pray for you,” I told him as I directed him to the church door, but I found it already locked. 

Without hesitation I said, “Well, we can pray here. Just kneel down right here…” and as he knelt on the parking lot blacktop I laid my hands on his head and began to call on the Lord to save him, to forgive him, to change him and give him a new life.”  He was praying out loud too, asking the Lord to do it. By this time the ladies made their way outside and saw what was happening. They joined in praying as we witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit reaching down into the heart of a young man who has come out of a rough life in gangs, fighting and drugs.

Before we left him the youth pastor was sitting on the ground next to him, already doing some good follow up work.

How about it? Isn’t it time to get serious about touching lives for the Lord?  When you meet someone at the gas station and begin to witness to them, look for the opportunity to say, “Would it be all right if I pray for you right now?”  When that co-worker approaches you with his discouragements, reach for that moment to pray with him right there.  

There is power in prayer. Sometimes the tears will come immediately when that troubled person senses that you care enough to pray for them right there. Prayer can bring conviction, and a tenderness that can lead to further dealing with their heart. 

You can do it, if YOU WILL.

The harvest is all around you. The mission field has come to America. Sometimes we feel  like we are in another land when we walk the malls surrounded by what feels like a majority of people from different countries, speaking different languages. This is YOUR mission field NOW! 

Oh, Lord, put the flame of soul winning fire into the heart of all who read these words. Let this be the day when they boldly step out to give the Gospel to someone “in 

 the marketplace.” Friend, will you make a commitment right now to look for that opportunity today?

 “Lord, as I venture out today, lead me to some needy soul. Let me be sensitive to the voice of your Spirit today.”


VISIT OUR FULL WEB PAGE: WWW.CALVARYPENTECOSTALREVIVALS.ORG

BLACK FRIDAY HARVEST FIELD

"We've been here for two days," said three young men in front of Best Buy.  They had one more night to wait before the Black Friday deals began and were casually tossing a ball back and forth to pass the time.

One look at the scene of many tents and many people gathered in front of this store, and around the corner gripped my heart. "Just look at all these people!"  And it quickly hit me.... "What an opportunity!"

My husband and I had been driving around looking with wonder at the swarms of people sacrificing their comfort, their time, their other responsibilities, to sit, to just wait, with hope of gaining just one more cherished possession.

They had their tents supplied with heaters, blankets, food, and more. Children were mingled with the adults. 

"Honey, could you let me out of the car over where those first tents begin..?"  And I was on my way with a hand full of Christmas Million Dollar Tracts.

"Here's a Christmas million for you!"  "I have something better than you can get in that store. Here take this Christmas Million."  "Would you like a Christmas Million?"  

People loved them. They grabbed for them and showed them around. I was thoroughly enjoying the thrill and joy of giving the message of salvation to this crowd.  No one rejected them. I could see people everywhere reading them. They had little else to do and were glad to receive them. 

Days later I still feel excited that I dared to step out of my car and boldly approach that crowd. Would the heart of Jesus weep over them. No doubt most were lost souls... desperately needing the Gospel.  


Maybe that could be a good plan for more of us next Black Friday.

Take a minute to visit our website:  calvarypentecostalrevivals.org

In case you are interested you can purchase these tracts  from customsourcetract.com 

HERE IS THE MESSAGEON THE BACK OF THE TRACT:

Christmas Cash Text:

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice... he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice! If Santa used the Ten Commandments for his standard, how would you do? Let's find out... Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? (No matter the value.) Ever used God's name in vain? Ever looked with lust? Jesus said, "Whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."

If you are guilty of these things that makes you a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart. Many people don't know that God will use the Ten Commandments to judge the world. Forget about Santa, "naughty" and "nice"... how will you do on Judgment Day? If you are found guilty, that means an eternity in Hell... 2,000 years ago, God sent Jesus to the earth to pay for your sins. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment that you deserve for breaking His Law (The Ten Commandments). God's wrath came down on Jesus, instead of on you. The Bible says, "God commands all men everywhere to repent, because God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness."

Remember if you try to get to Heaven on your own, you must keep every Commandment in thought, word, and deed! Jesus paid the penalty for your sins on the cross. Then He defeated the power of sin and death when He rose from the grave. Confess and turn away from your sins. Place your faith in Jesus Christ alone and God will grant you eternal life. Read your Bible daily and obey what you read.

www.Christmas-Cash.net

SOMEBODY LIED TO THE MAN WITH DREADLOCKS

There he stood with a defiant pose, off to the side of the mall's main entrance. 
We had just arrived to do some walking and some witnessing when we saw him. It was those long dreadlocks and his facial expression that made me wonder if I should approach him. I reached into my purse's tract supply and found what I wanted and headed towards him praying.

"Hi! How are you doing today?" I said with a smile.

He didn't smile, but stared at me and just said. "O.K."

"Has anyone ever lied to you?" I asked?

His interest seemed to perk up. Maybe he felt like a wrongfully oppressed person.

"Yeah!" he said with eyebrows raised . 

"Well then you really need to read this," I said as I handed him Mark Cahill's latest soulwinning booklet, The Second Greatest Lie Ever Told. 

He grabbed it, read the title and his face lit up with a big smile. "Yeah! Thanks alot!" he said, already glancing through the pages. 

I don't know what he was expecting, but God has a way to reach every desperate soul, if only we claim His promise of boldness and go. 


That's it! Just a simple act that got the gospel into the hands of  "who knows what kind of a person"  with "who know what kind of a life"- a soul for whom Jesus died. 

That booklet asks if the reader has ever been lied to. The most dangerous lie of all is the one that says there are many ways to heaven. So in this booklet, Mark Cahill  delves into the top nine religions in the world, to see what they teach about their god and what it takes to be right with that god, and what they teach about eternity. He examines Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Sikhism, Jehovah’s Witness and Biblical Christianity. 

The booklet makes it obvious that these religions contradict each other. So how can a person know which is lying and which is telling the truth? Pointing the way to the evidences that prove the Bible to be true it leads the reader to the only one who can save them and take them to heaven. 


Jesus said,  "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the father, but by me. John 14:6 


Take courage today, Christian, and step out where the sinners are to bring the Gospel to them!

Take a minute to visit our website:  calvarypentecostalrevivals.org

I REPENT

This was the first time we used a laundromat washing machine that required two quarters in each slot to pay for the wash. We had put the single coins in and couldn't figure out why the machine wouldn't start. As we fiddled around with it a man seated nearby came over, hearing our confusion, and explained the process. That solved it. We were amazed to learn that the man was blind. His eyes appeared normal.  He had no dark glasses and seemed to make his way around the laundromat just fine. 


I immediately felt an inner urge to be able to speak to him about the Lord. I went out to our car and retrieved  my computer and the two hour story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, including a salvation altar call at the end. He had put clothes in a drier and sat down, so I grabbed my computer and went over where he was. 


"Hi! Thanks for helping us with that washer. Can I sit here with my computer?"  He was glad to have company and we began to chat. 


"How long have you been blind?" I asked.


"Well, I'm not totally blind yet, I have very limited sight, but it's getting worse. It's been at its worst for the last six months. It's from diabetes."


I expressed sympathy and asked how it has effected his life.


"My life is destroyed." He said. "I've taught music all my life, and now I've lost my job.I've traveled the country playing my trumpet in night clubs and bars, churches and schools, but that's pretty much over now. I can't drive any more. I live with my 90 year old mother and do our laundry here each week."


I told him how Jesus could bring him peace in the time of difficulty; that he can forgive our sins and help us to forgive others, that He could make a way where there seems to be no way. 


I longed to reach him with the Gospel, but I could tell this was going to be a tough one. As the conversation continued he told me about a church that never paid him for his "show". He spread the word and won't go back there. That's when I mentioned that every church isn't a biblical church, just like everyone who calls himself a Christian may not be one. Jesus said, "Not everyone that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven."


"Yeah, I used to go to church. I know all about that. " and then he wandered off in another direction. 


I tried to draw him back to being prepared for eternity. 


"When you stand before the Lord in eternity, why should he let you into his heaven?"
It was easy to see that he was going to justify himself by his good deeds and living a decent life. 
 "Well have you ever told a lie?" I asked.


"Sure, but that was fifty years ago."  ( I wondered if that was an up-to-date lie!)


"Have you ever stolen anything." I continued.
"No! I have my own set of ethics and that's one thing I don't do."


"Well Jesus said that if a man even looks on a woman to lust after her he has already committed adultery in his heart.  Have you ever looked on a woman that way?" I dared to ask.


Laughing, he replied,  "Of course, I worked in night clubs!"


"So what are you going to do about those sins you just confessed?  How will you get rid of them?  No sin will enter heaven, and sin doesn't just disappear with time."


He stumbled around with words....


"The Bible tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross, is the only acceptable sacrifice to remove the sins of those who receive Him as Savior...."


I hardly got the sentence out of my mouth when he announced, "Oh, my laundry is done. I repent." 


And he walked away, still blinded in his eyes, and still in spiritual blindness. You don't win them all, but you pray that they will remember your words and that the Holy Spirit will continue to speak to their heart.  


He did seem thankful for the Jesus Story, and said he would listen to it at home.  Lord, don't let him forget our conversation.  As he hears more about you, Lord, please bring him to true repentance and salvation!


Never stop taking the opportunities that the Lord brings your way. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring his sheaves with him!  Psalm 126: 6

TRY IT AND GO AWAY SMILING

Today it was a Taco Bell in Illinois that became the mission field. 

After eating a taco I headed for the counter and saw two workers getting ready to do some cleaning. "Hey, guys I want to give you some of my favorite things... " and held out a handful of Chick tracts and told them they could pick. they did, and I asked how many more workers were back there. He counted out the names, and I let him pick one for each. He was heading back to give them each one.

Think of that...the Taco Bell clerk distributing gospel tracts to the rest of the staff! Wow, how easy that was, and what a simple opportunity to spread the good news.  Try it sometime!

We did the same thing with some Million Dollar Gospel tracts at another fast food restaurant. 

The girl who waited on us looked with amazement at the realistic looking tract and immediately held it up for one of her co-workers to see. I saw that he was really impressed with it also, so I said, "Well, you can have one too. Here. How many more workers are here tonight?"  He told me and I dished out one for each. When I left they were all smiling and saying "Thank You!"  It is exciting to let the Lord give you courage and boldness enough to step out and get those tracts into the hands of the lost. Let the Holy Ghost inspire and empower you to do it today!

FROM CURSES TO PRAYER IN WENDI'S

Driving through Joplin, Missouri

after the devastating EF5 multiple-vortex tornado of 2011 was a haunting experience.  Entire blocks of houses and businesses were completely wiped out. The ground was flat with scattered twisted remains of what was once peoples' possessions. 

  At least 159 people were suddenly flung into eternity.The tomorrow they planned for never came for them. How horrifying for those who may not have been prepared. 

The day we came through we saw that tremendous efforts had already been made to clean up and start to put things back together. 

There was hope in the air. Construction crews were everywhere. Still numbed by the sights we had seen, we moved onward to catch a bite to eat for lunch at one of our favorite places, Wendi's. If you haven't discovered it yet, you ought to try the Pick-Two menu. We were sitting enjoying our Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, and chocolate Frosty when we observed all the workmen in the place.

Directly across from us sat a contractor's crew discussing their workload. Evidently the head man was  frustrated and upset. There were problems with some workers. He was disturbed by price gouging by some companies.


In the midst of his complaints he cursed and used the Lord's name in vain several times. I looked over at him with a facial expression that drew his attention and I simply said, "That is really rough Mister." He thought I meant his problems and began directing his conversation to me. I said, "No, what I mean is the way you talked about my God. He is my Savior. He died for me so I could have salvation." 


 Immediately he was apologetic, thanking me for stopping him, and calming him down. One by one his men left and he got up and came to our table and knelt down on one knee continuing to talk to us about insurance companies and banks and some contractors that were taking advantage of the crisis in Joplin, raising prices, and making financial decisions that were unfair to the tornado victims. He said some had tried to get him to raise his prices, but he refused, saying it was against his principle. 


All the while he kept apologizing for his language, saying he knew that was not right, and that he was so sorry. It was an ideal moment prepared by the Lord and we stepped into it by faith. 


Calling him by name we told him he should keep doing the right thing, regardless of what others do, because one day he would stand before God. The Bible says, So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. No one will escape. 


We asked him if we could pray for him, and he said "Yes." He took his hat off and bowed his head  And so, right there in Wendy's, with a contractor kneeling at our table we laid our hand on his shoulder and prayed that the Lord would help him to do what is right, and that his heart would open up to receive Christ as his Savior. "Lord," we earnestly prayed, "save him and let him live his life for you." 


 Only the Lord knows what happened in that man's heart at that moment, but we gave him Gospel literature as he left still sincerely thanking us for talking and praying with him. Save him, Lord! Follow him wherever he goes, and remind him of his need of salvation.

RANDY – IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

W e could have wondered why it was taking so long to change our oil and rotate our tires, but it soon became apparent that God had His own plan at work.

A young man was seated in the waiting room as we entered and he kindly offered us the newspaper he was reading. It just so happened that as I got out of our car minutes earlier that my eyes fell on the “This Is Your Life” Chick Tract stuck in a side pocket of the car. I grabbed it hurriedly, but knew a few minutes later that this too was God’s planning, as I offered it to this young man, Randy.

We read the newspaper while observing Randy's thorough

reading of the tract. His face reflected serious thought as he slowly turned each page, and then reread some at the end.


After several minutes of silence,  I said, “That’s quite an interesting booklet.” “It sure is…,” he replied, “makes you do some thinking.”   

He soon admitted that he hadn’t been in church for many years, although his father is a pastor.  “It’s a Church of Christ and they stress water baptism, but my wife goes to a Baptist church. It’s all so confusing. The Church of Christ has no instruments, but their singing is so beautiful. I don’t like the loud music at my wife’s church… and all the words up on a screen. There’s so much that just doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”  We acknowledged the changes in churches today, but explained that there are still some old time conservative churches that preach the Gospel, and asked him if he had ever gone to a Pentecostal church. He had not but said his wife was willing to go to another church if it preached the Gospel, and if he would go.

We learned that Randy worked as an engineer and conductor on the railroad and was often away from home.   “And I suppose that keeps you away from church,” I said. “Well,” he replied, “that’s an excuse that I use. I know I should go to church.”

Brother Goodwin began to present the Gospel to him, salvation by faith in Christ, not by baptism, but as something that he really needs to consider. Randy was so responsive…speaking of fear of going to hell, and knowing he needed to make a choice. Even his face expressed inner turmoil and concern.

“What are you waiting for, Randy?,” we asked.  “What keeps someone like you from coming to the Lord and getting saved? Are you afraid to surrender to the Lord? If we are not surrendered, then we are saying, God I know I should, but I won’t. I want to go on my own way.”

“Well, “ he replied, “all of us sin a little every day.  I just don’t know what would happen if I surrendered.”

Brother Goodwin explained that we don’t have to sin every day, and that when Christ comes in, He changes us, makes us new persons, and the things we once loved and wanted to do, we suddenly feel bad about doing… The Holy Spirit convicts us, and causes us to repent and ask forgiveness..and as you grow in the Lord you will sin less and less… You won’t want to sin. You will have something so much better that fills you with the peace and joy of the Lord. We can’t do it on our own, but through Christ.

It seemed he was afraid he couldn’t live the life if he became a Christian, but realized his great need of being ready to meet the Lord.

“Randy,” God loves you very much…no doubt your parents are praying for you, and God caused you to be in this waiting room at the same time as two traveling evangelists who would tell you what we have told you. He is on your trail. He wants you to come to Him. Only God could have arranged our meeting.””I know I need it,” he replied.

Just then a very immodestly dressed woman came in and sat down. It was a clear distraction and as we prayed she left. Then the serviceman came and called Randy to his car. The enemy was seeking to keep Randy his own prisoner.

When Randy returned we again felt God pulling at this young man’s heart, but he was not yet willing.

“Randy,” we continued, “if you go from this place and make a decision for the Lord, will you please contact us and tell us?”  “I sure will,” he responded…”and thank you so much. I really appreciate what you have said to me.”

Brother Goodwin gave him a hug as he went on his way to his car. Our prayers have been for Randy who was clearly under conviction. May God save his soul!