Winter Jam ‘08 – “Preaching the Gospel is Great Because We Don’t Have To”

Zeal for the Lost (Z4L) recently teamed up with some brothers (and one sister) in the Lord for a huge Gospel opportunity. We attended Winter Jam ‘08 in Augusta, Georgia on Thursday February 7th with a prayer station and free Gospel resources! Boy was it a jam! There were nearly 7,000 people, 5 bands, several ministries, dozens of booths, and more excitement and noise then the law will allow!

The question is not so much what happened, but was it a success? I’ll answer that with two quotes, one from Mark Cahill and the other from my buddy Jason:

Quotes

Mark Cahill – “Witnessing encounters are always a success!” Whether you die or live, the person accepts or rejects, or whatever happens every Gospel encounter is a success. Why? Because the Gospel was preached and the seed was either 1) planted, 2) watered, or 3) God gave the increase. No matter which happened, we were obedient and God is faithful!

Jason – “This is great man, this is great! Preaching the Gospel is great. You know why? Do you know why this is great man? Because we don’t have to! I don’t have to do this.”

And both quotes capture the essence of the means and ends of preaching the Gospel: that God may be glorified and sinners may hear the Gospel so they can glorify God! No glory or credit goes to us. And no encounter is ever a failure or utter loss. We don’t preach the Gospel solely to reap rewards in heaven, but to see God glorified by our love for Him through our obedience to Him in preaching His Gospel!

Testimonies from Soldiers

Jeremiah – “It was a humbling experience for me personally. I was timid at first, not knowing what to say and afraid to say the things that i wanted to say. But after prayer and begging God to grant me the grace to spread his word and the humbleness to share it He did just that. In talking with a kid name Jim I was able to share with him the true message of the gospel. It was amazing speaking to him because he recieved with joy and there was a lot that he didnt know and had never heard before. He told me that he started to question his salvation. I told him to do the only thing he could do and that is to cry out to God until either He confirmed to him that he was saved or until He saved him. Tim is in the Lords hands now. Praise God for it though, praise God!!”

Adam – “Thursday night was one of testing and testifying resulting in this testimony. Once in the long line of concert goers, I was grieved that many of these youth are in the fast lane to an eternal hell denying the glory due to their Creator with every micro-second of granted existence. I was also grieved at my apathy and so I had to repent and press forward. I have a fresh hatred for my self preservation that will not love boldly and confront lukewarm Christendom. King Jesus is still in control and in the midst of pseudo-Christian idolatry His Good News was heard in the ears of young men like Cody, David, and Greg. Several were challenged, “youth-group answers” given by youth-group members were asked a reason for the hope that they have in Christ, and I hope some were changed!!! God in His goodness sent several encouragements in the form of saints who joyfully share the conviction of the Great Commission. Praise God for His quickening work, for compelling men by the love of Christ and the fear of the LORD to proclaim Christ and Him crucified!!! All who read pray for me to be driven by love in gentleness and bold humility.”

Troy – “My most memorable time was God giving me the opportunity to listen to the Gospel spoken by my brother. Yes, I know the Gospel, but to hear it and really listen to it is a privilege. My brother was asking the group of kids, “how much does God hate sin, look at the cross, that is how much God hates sin. It was necessary that His only Son die on the cross, that’s how much he hates sin.” Hearing that again really shook me up. It was not the world’s sins that drove Christ to the cross, but it was my sins that drove Him to the cross. As I listened, I felt that I must praise Him and give Him glory for what He has done. I walked to the windows in the corner, bowed to the floor, and cried as I thanked God for His mercy and grace. What a privilege it is to hear and believe the Gospel.”

Jonathan(me) – “What a night! We were able to distribute nearly 3,000 Gospel tracts; 1,100 CD sermons; 50 bibles; and had dozens of conversations. We had 7 laborers vs. 7,000 in the harvest. Tell me the harvest is not plentiful? Wow! It was a night filled with personal distraction, many voices calling out to me demanding and desiring my focus and allegiance, sinful attitudes, judgmental feelings, fear, zeal, passion, boldness, humility, pride, excitement, extreme anguish for souls and anger at sin and Satan, coupled with an overwhelming gratitude for God’s rich grace and Jesus’ sacrifice. As my brother Adam once said, “preaching the Gospel is a means of grace for me…” Indeed it was this night. I have never felt so alive and yet so helpless at one time; so filled with boldness and confidence in God and His Word yet so fearful of my own weaknesses and unsure of my own skill; so dependent on the Spirit yet so trusting in my strength; so worried about man and consequences yet so assured of God’s provision and protection. All in all my faith was increased, my zeal for the lost hotter, my burden for souls heavier, my love for God and man deepened, and my fear of man and rejection more torn and tattered! The Gospel went out. And the beauty was not only having the privilege of preaching it to others, but the privilege of hearing it again! Thank you God for Jesus!”

Photos

Me, holding up Million Dollar bill tracts at one of the entrances. Troy and I must have dropped 500 in the first 30 minutes of doors opening!

Me talking to the “Free Hugs” guy. Yeah, that’s right. He was holding a sign that said, “Free Hugs”. I’m not sure why. So I warned him kindly not to target girls. And he winked at me right before he hugged a girl. You can bet the “Free Hugs” guy got a gospel tract and a Paul Washer CD.

Me talking to a young youth pastor from First Baptist Swainsboro. I started out really quizzing him on the Gospel, the state of man, and salvation. He firmly held his ground and we ended up really encouraging each other. I pointed him to some great resources and was excited to see a young youth pastor passionate about the Gospel, the Word of God, and good theology! So praise God for that one!

(don’t worry all these pics are not just of me) Great conversation with this group of 5 teenagers. The guy in the black shirt (and duck hat), the girl to his left and right were extremely intent and engaging. They all gave me hugs of appreciation at the end for taking the time to tell them of these things. Thank you Lord for that!

Foreground: Jeremiah witnessing to a young guy. Ronnie (green jacket) standing close by for support.

Kim (far left) praying for 2 young girls. Kim was a huge support for us all night. She really stood out with a desire to pray and encourage anyone who needed it. What a joy to have a sister in the Lord to stir up the craziness of the typical masculine insanity!

No I’m not chewing Gospel gum or Testa-mints, I’m praying for Adam. He was in need of some encouragement to help spur him on to be zealous and passionate about the work that needed to be done. Thank God for Adam and his heart for Christ!

7,000 people strong with music so loud you often had to scream just to talk to those within 1 foot of you. Praise the Lord for the huge crowds.

Jason was in rare form tonight! For those who know him, yes even rarer than usual. And praise God for it! He was passionately telling others about Christ and urging them to run to the Cross! Thank God for Jason and his fervency!

Jeremiah and I persisting constantly with Bianca and Ashton for nearly 30-45 minutes. Bianca was very confused and seemingly broken. Ashton was intent. Both must have heard the Gospel preached to them 6 different ways 6 different times. Jeremiah was by the grace of God bold and very passionate in addressing sin, and true assurance of salvation that only comes from God!

Jason (kneeling) is passionately engaging these guys to come to Christ.

Adam (in hat) and Jason (in green sweater) engaging a group of guys with the Gospel.

Praise the Lord for the opportunity and privilege to preach His Gospel.