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| Subject: Pioneer Square - May 15, 2004 - Portland, OR, USA | |
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Author: Danny Howe |
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Date Posted: 23:29:31 05/15/04 Sat My brother-in-law and I arrived at the Square at around 7 o'clock, and Phil and his group were out passing out food to the homeless kids which congregate at the Square. I immediately went down into the main amphitheater section near the loud water fountain, and proceeded to preach on 1 Corinthians 13 and charity. I read concerning the values of charity through faith in what the Lord Jesus Christ has proved and provided for all mankind upon the cross of Calvary; that we can know how to live life practically by looking at how Jesus Christ acted upon the cross: in humbleness of mind and by not retaliating against His accusers in thought, word, or deed. I was very surprised to see hecklers come out of nowhere in order to stop my preaching, even though I was only preaching about love! People come up and always ask me to preach on love, which, if they actually listened to what I preached, they would soon discover that all I preach about is about the love of God as manifested upon the cross of Calvary. My brother-in-law preached concerning the Kingdom of God, nonresistance, which the people gladly accepted. Soon, however, a group of other Christians came to sing and play music. Another person who claimed to be a Christian advised me to preach the love of God and not to preach damnation. I began to inform him concerning Jesus’ manner of preaching, but instead of going by the word of God, he appealed to his own subjective experience as the end-all of truth. It was as if I was talking to a mocker who only believed what he felt rather than sticking to the words of the God who is there. Eventually, I started to preach the verse-sermon, and the people who were singing and playing music soon started to play their music louder. One woman in particular started to dance around, and we had eye contact, where she was dancing and looking rather defiantly towards me, as if she was thinking what she was doing was better than what I was doing. I then called her on the carpet and told her she was a rebellious woman. She came up and asked why she was a rebellious woman. I conveyed to her the Scripture concerning adoring oneself with makeup and apparel, as well as not having her head covered. She rejected the Scripture and started to teach me concerning not having to obey the word of God, which I promptly rebuked by telling her she was a Jezebel trying to lead people away from the holiness and truth of Almighty God. She was not a little offended by this remark and stormed away, where she told on me to all her friends that were singing and playing guitar. I continued to preach from Phillippians, where Jesus Christ took upon Himself the form of a servant and became obedient unto death, even though He had the power of God and could’ve became a great leader upon earth, but rather suffered reproach and endured the daily grind of life in order to reveal God’s character towards mankind so we can walk in the perfect and unadulerated will of God. Soon, another rebellious woman claiming to be a believer came up and started asking me questions. When she asked me what I thought about Jesus, I mentioned that He did wonderful works. She pointed this out and started accusing me of believing that Jesus only did works in the past, but doesn’t do anything today. I thought this was so absurd, that I didn’t feel it necessary to even contradict her obvious attempt to find fault with me. I then alluded to the passages in 1 Timothy concerning modest apparel and makeup, which they promptly informed me that they would pray for my deliverance from bondage. However, I think it wise to assume they would rather have me under bondage to sin rather than carrying the yoke of God, which also leads me to assume that they are like those from Thyatira who preach freedom, yet are themselves the servants of corruption. They stormed away like good rebellious women and told on me to all their friends. Then, I started to preach more concerning Christ and His non-retaliation, but the other people kept singing and playing guitar. It seemed as if they were playing their music in order to drown out my preaching. It seemed they were trying to be contentious and filled with envy and strife; so, in the spirit and bond of peace, I let them do their thing. After a while, I preached from the book of James, which admonishes us to turn out joy into heaviness and our mirth into sorrow, which they did not heed. The man who strangled me a few years ago came up to me, and I told him he should go home, sober up (for he had been drinking), and read his Bible. He told me he didn’t have one, so I was able to deliver the very real word of God into his hands, and I hope and pray God opens his heart and eyes to see the good will and good work of Jesus Christ upon the cross. Then, later on that night, the loudest and worst heckler of them all tonight came up and we discussed the war in Iraq. I let him know that Christians do not support war, and those who do support the war are either ignorant of the truth of God concerning war, or they are not real Christians. Jesus told us that we are not members of this kingdom, but we are ambassadors of His Kingdom, and we are not to meddle in the affairs of this world, but rather give our lives to spreading the good news of the establishment of the Kingdom of God. He was very happy to hear this. After a while, I told him that he should forgive those who have done evil things in the name of God, which he then asked me the most profound question I think I have ever heard anyone ever ask me. He asked me if Jesus Christ could take away the hatred from his heart. I told him that Jesus could. I asked him if he had a Bible, but that he couldn’t read the Bible very well, because he couldn’t read all that well. I told him that most of the time all I preach is straight from the word of God, and that he could come every Friday and Saturday night, as he is well aware of, and just hear the word of God, and that I would take time to explain what the word of God is trying to convey to him so he can understand what God is exactly trying to tell him. He agreed. I bless God for what He has accomplished in our hearts by giving us His life and His Spirit. When I say Spirit, I don’t mean some super-mystical experience, but the attitude of God, or rather, the passion of God personified in God’s agency of His miraculous work upon the hearts of men to do the things that God wants them to do in His name for His glory and His Son’s sake; for God is not one to be trifled with, but desires our passions to give God the glory He so richly deserves. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God! [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re: Pioneer Square - May 15, 2004 - Portland, OR, USA | Word | 13:20:20 05/23/04 Sun |
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