Sledge Hammer of Conviction

Sledge Hammer ConvictionSeptember 16th, 2005The Word was sent out with power during the open-air this Friday night in Fort Worth. My heart is breaking for these people who are breaking the Laws of God without any thought or concern. Like prisoners being lead to execution they have blinders on their eyes, like bags over their head, they don't see where their going. One women started asking questions and heckling me during the preaching. While preaching the new birth she yelled out, "I'm a Catholic. I don't need to be born-again." That stirred me up. It was the same lie I was told growing up and it's damning many souls. That's blasphemy and that is calling God a liar. I opened up my bible, showed her John 3:3, then lifted it up and preached, "Here is the Word of God. It says you must be born-again or your going to hell. It doesn't say you must go to confession. It doesn't say you must eat of the sacraments. It doesn't say you must give money to the Pope. No! It says you must be born-again by the Spirit of God!"Towards the end of the night I started preaching to two men in their twenties. One man in particular was the typical thug, much as I once was not long ago. He admittingly said if he died he'd go to hell. I stressed the point, "the weight of your sin is so heavy, even the weight of the least of your sins, that it will drive your soul straight to hell. But Christ took the weight of all your sin upon himself on the cross. Now either you will shead your own blood for your sins, or you can apply and plead the blood of Christ that was already spilt for you." I went on and shared my own testimony.When I asked the man what was holding him back from giving up his sins and turning to Christ he said nothing. I asked him when he was going to do that and he said "right now". I approached him and spoke with him and found his heart to be heavy, his eyes to be watery, and conviction so strong upon him that he could hardly talk. And this was a big time thug! His name was Jay. We prayed together that God would save him from his sins, and take his sins and his guilt away. It was glorious! I gave him my contact information and am praying for him. May it be true that that man was truly born-again and made a new person that night, now to walk in obedience serving the Lord!

LazarusAfter I read both of your post on open air preaching in Texas I found this in the random reading, and thought it fit what you wrote about the people who were strongly convicted and repentful.In my heart America IS on a train track headed for collsion with the Almighty. Or as David Wilkerson puts it, "America is going to Hell in a handbasket." God, bless you Lazarus and keep you and draw you ever closer to Himself. Eileen by F.B. MeyerTHIS is God's way of fulfilling the desire of them that fear Him. We like to see the clouds blown forward through the sky, and hear the moan of the rising wind; in other words, we like to see God's gifts on their way, or to have the sensible emotion of receiving them. Sometimes we have symptoms and signs that fill us with rapture; at other times, these are lacking, and we surrender ourselves to despair. Yet when we see neither wind nor rain, God may be most mightily at work.It is so in Church work. How often we make our valleys full of ditches! Our machinery is complicated and perfect; we have spared neither pains nor care. Then we ardently desire the signs of a powerful revival, and break our hearts if they are not apparent; while, all the time, if we only knew it, the Divine blessing is welling up in the ditches, doing more than would be the case if our highest wishes were gratified.Here and there tears are failing silently, hearts are being cleansed, lives are becoming yielded to God.It is so in Christian experience. We expect to have our Pentecost as the early Church received hers. We desire to see wind and rain, and to know that God is baptizing us; but this is not granted. There is no footfall of hurrying clouds, no coronet of flame, no gift of tongues. But, deep down, the ditches are being filled up, yearnings are being satisfied, the capacity for God within us is being met, though it grows apace. God be praised that the success of his work is not gauged by outward signs!A well may be filled as completely by the percolation of water, a drop at a time, as by turning a river into it.