VCC Reachout

VCC REACHOUT Evangelism Training

October 19th - December 7th
Coitsville Campus Prayer Room (by auditorium)
10:00-10:45am

Victory Christian Center will be offering an eight week training course based on the award-winning TV series “The Way of the Master” hosted by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. The course is specially formatted to train believers to simply and confidently share the gospel with family, friends, and strangers. These lessons will teach you to overcome your fears by using a proven, powerfully effective way to make the gospel make sense. You won’t be at a loss for words. You don’t need to be an expert in apologetics. Instead, you’ll learn the forgotten biblical principle of bypassing the intellect (the place of argument) and speaking directly to the conscience (the place of the knowledge of right and wrong) - the way Jesus did.

Each session will consist of a thirty-minute segment on DVD featuring Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. Through their captivating teaching style they not only tell you how to witness, they show you, through fascinating on-the-street conversations with gang members, atheists, cult members, intellectuals, etc. Classes start October 19th on Sunday Mornings at 10:00am in the Prayer Room by the Coitsville Campus auditorium.

Click Here to Register

“I would like to encourage anyone who may have a fear of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to consider taking the Basic Training Course. This is the first semester that we have offered the course, and we currently have over 130 people signed up. The Way of the Master is making a great impact due to its simplicity and straightforward approach.”
Charles F. Stanley, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Atlanta, Founding President, In Touch Ministries.

“The Way of the Master” has been commended by John MacArthur, Ravi Zacharias, David Jeremiah, Joni Eareckson Tada, Josh McDowell and many other Christian leaders:

“The ‘Way of the Master’ series has turned my church into soul-winning machines!” –Pastor G.F. Watkins, Texas

“Your course was the most amazing evangelism training program I’ve ever seen . . . it is fresh innovative, captivating, equipping and inspiring. It is far better than anything I’ve ever seen before.” –Allen Atzbi, youth pastor, Cornerstone Christian Center of Boca Raton, FL.

“It has revolutionized our church.” –Pastor Kevin Sanford, Galway, Ireland

“My life will never be the same. My church will never be the same.” –Pastor Paul Yanchek, Ohio

Here am I Lord… send him!

A few months ago I was passing out tracts in downtown New Castle and I met a woman whose name was Belle. I usually start off my conversations with a question like “If you died today, do you think you would go to Heaven?” 95 out of a 100 times the answer is “YES!” That’s right, 95 percent of people who are most likely not born again believe whole-heartedly that when they die they will pass through those “Pearly Gates” without any red tape. This was not the case with Belle. She said “I believe I would go to hell.” She said she felt alienated from God and didn’t want to go on feeling that way. I could see that she was broken before God so I asked her if she knew what Jesus did for her so she didn’t have to go to hell. She said “Yes, He died for me.”

I explained that Jesus had to die to take the punishment for her sins. I told her she was in a sense in a courtroom and all the evidence showed that she was guilty of a serious crime with a fine of ten million dollars or ten years in prison. In this case, she didn’t have the money to pay the fine so she’s faced with prison time. While the judge sentenced her someone she didn’t even know walked into the courtroom and informed the judge that he will pay her fine. With the fine paid - she is free to go! That’s what Jesus did for us. While He was on the cross He was suffering all the wrath and anger of a Holy God upon Himself because of our sin. He experienced all the punishment we deserved. Isaiah 53:10 says: “It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.” I can’t think of any other scripture that describes the love of God more. It actually pleased God to put Jesus through all that He suffered! Why? To redeem us back to Himself.

I asked Belle if she was ready to commit her life to Christ and her response told me that she desperately wanted to do that immediately. It was such an honor praying with Belle knowing that at that moment she was passing from death to Life! It was amazing to see this repentant woman commit her whole life to God without any reservations. She was laying her life down knowing that she would find it again in Christ. I had high hopes for Belle. I wanted to see God move in her life and give her the peace she longed for. But that’s not what happened. Belle died only weeks after our conversation. I was stunned when I heard about her death but I took comfort that God had reached her in time.

If I had not been there to present the Gospel to Belle would God have had someone else there to reach her? There’s a common phrase we hear in Christian circles that “If you won’t do it, God will use somebody else.” But I don’t think that there’s a long line of people waiting to take your place if you don’t do what God tells you to do. Jesus said “The Laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). John 6:44 says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” According to this scripture, no one can come to God any time they choose. An unsaved person can ONLY come to God when God draws him. How does God draw people to Himself? 1 Corinthians 1:21 says: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.“ So whether it’s in Church, on the streets, on the job or in your home the way that God has chosen to draw people to Himself is through YOU preaching the Gospel. And if you don’t preach the Gospel there are people who will go to hell that wouldn’t have - if you had shared your faith with them. Nowhere in the Bible does it say “Here am I Lord… send him.”

Suffering with Jesus

My daughter Chaise, recently invited a friend from school to the RIOT. During an alter call she said to him “You should go up there.” He told her he didn’t want to. She blurted out “JESUS HUNG NAKED ON A CROSS FOR YOU AND YOU CAN’T GO UP THERE!?” He said, “OK, I’ll go.” I was so proud of my daughter for being so bold and SO right! Anyone who knows Chaise will tell you that this has not been typical of her. This is the same girl who not too long ago wouldn’t go up to the counter at McDonald’s and ask for ketchup! But God has been doing amazing things in Chaise’s life just as He wants to do amazing things in your life as well! Maybe your asking yourself “Why am I not seeing God move this way in my life”.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:16:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation.

We as Christians neglect to share our faith with others for one reason and that reason is fear. You could say that we are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and you’d be saying the same thing. But the Bible says “You are a new creation in Christ”. All the old things that have to do with your old spirit are gone and everything is new and everything is of God. He has not given you a spirit of fear so if you have fear you didn’t get it from God.

2 Corinthians 5:9-11 and 17-21 says:

9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God has completely reconciled you to Himself through Jesus and forgiven you of ALL (past, present, future) sin (vs 19). But verse 9 says that “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” So what will we be judged for if God is not imputing our trespasses against us? We will be judged for what we did or didn’t do with the awesome investment that God has made in us. That investment is His Son. Verse 11 says “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”

You as a believer have been given the Ministry of Reconciliation. I wish I could tell you this is optional but it’s not. And I’m not saying you need to become a street evangelist or a missionary to a foreign country. But there are loved ones, co-workers and friends in your life that are not saved. As you begin the adventure of purposely reaching out to those around you God does not expect you to do this on your own. The Holy Spirit wants to partner with you and He will plead through you as you take this step of faith (vs 20).

Look at Hebrews 13:11-14:

11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

When I began to go street witnessing I braced myself for what I called “the backlash”. I thought that just about every person I talked to would violently rebuke me for even approaching them. I thought every door would be slammed in my face. Those thoughts were based on the fear that the devil would use to keep me from obeying God, walking into my destiny and seeing souls saved. Have I ever been persecuted or ridiculed for presenting the Gospel to people. Definitely! But there’s a sense of joy that comes from knowing that I am participating in my part of what Jesus suffered for us. Jesus was willing to suffer not only the horrific pain of the cross but also the shame of His vulnerability and nakedness and supposed defeat. How can we not go to Him and suffer our part of His reproach. There is no other way to do this but by being a witness on purpose and presenting the Gospel to people. If we want to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection then we also have to embrace the fellowship of His sufferings.

One year ago this past April after almost two years of disobeying God, I finally obeyed Him and started witnessing on the streets of Youngstown by myself. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I believe that God was bringing me through that so I could help others who face the same fears I did. But you don’t have to do it alone! Now there are many people who are participating in different aspects of what we call VCC REACHOUT and are available to help you get moving in being the light to the world that God has called you to be. You can contact us at reachout@vccmail.org or call me (Mike) at 330.503.2133.

Joseph’s Story

Check out this video. It keeps me motivated!

Digging for Gold

A few weeks ago my wife had a meeting in downtown Pittsburgh so I decided to go with her and do some street witnessing in the city. I was excited about witnessing in a larger city and looked forward to the possibility for some great conversations. It turned out it was cold in downtown Pittsburgh in more ways than one. I was surprised at how many rejections I was getting. Some people would just walk by without even acknowledging me. I passed out a decent amount of tracts and had one great conversation with a guy named Tim. After about an hour I decided to go indoors and get some coffee and a bagel. When I paid for my order I gave the cashier the money along with a Million Dollar Bill tract. I said to him “Keep the million!†He laughed and said that recently someone tried to get change for one of these at a local grocery store. He said “When he didn’t get change from his fake money he started breaking things and the police came and arrested him.†At this point two other employees came over and asked what we were talking about which gave me the opportunity to give them Gospel tracts as well. They were both happy to get their Million Dollar Bills.

I sat in the bagel shop enjoying the warmth and not looking forward to going back into the cold and dealing with the bad attitudes that I was encountering. I decided that maybe I had done enough and maybe I had accomplished something by breaking into new territory. That thought didn’t last any longer than it took to form it and I knew that I had to push myself harder. I went ahead back out into the cold and ignored the fear and laziness that were trying to hinder me. One of the first people I talked to asked me what I was handing out. I said “It’s a Gospel tract.†He said “Oh, I’ve got the Gospel right here in my heart! I’m a Christian.†He said he had something for me and he gave me what’s called a Pocket Bible. It’s a small Book of John with an additional Gospel message in it. He gave it to me and said “You might need it.†I thanked him. Meeting him encouraged me.

According to Reference.com, an online encyclopedia, gold nuggets are rare, and even a small nugget will fetch 1.5 to 2 times the spot price of gold. Very large nuggets are extremely rare, and sell for very high prices. Ray Comfort said that witnessing is like mining for gold. You dig and you dig and you dig until you find that priceless gold nugget or in this case that person who is humble of heart and shows strong signs of genuine repentance. I thank God I didn’t stay in the Bagel Shop because if I had I would not have met Josepha. Josepha is a young woman I met not long after I the guy who gave me the Pocket Bible. She was like talking to a child about their new found curiosity of the world around them. She had so many genuine questions about God and having a relationship with Him. She was ready to commit her life to the Lord and intended on raising her unborn child in the ways of God. In the end I got to pray with Josepha and I told her what I usually tell the “gold nuggets†I find. I said “Josepha, if I came down here from Youngstown, Ohio for one person; it was you!†She smiled really big. As I handed her the Pocket Bible I was given just a few moments before, I encouraged her to read it and talk to God everyday.

Jesus indicated that there are many “gold nuggets†in the world. Matthew 9:36-38 says:

“36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.â€

Jesus said “The harvest truly is plentiful†which means that He sees a multitude of “gold nuggets†but He also knows that the workers are far too few for the task.

John 4:34-35 says:

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

In these verses you can see Jesus’ compassion for the lost and the cry of His heart for laborers. He’s commanded us to go! If you care about what Jesus cares about then start digging for gold!

happened on 3.10.08

A Powerful Lesson from ER

Check out this awesome video from the TV show ER.
Warning: PG14 Offensive Language

Door-to-door

It hasn’t even been a year since I started going witnessing on the streets of Youngstown. It seems like it’s been longer - maybe because God has done so much in so little time. We have a group of people who (when it’s not too cold) meet downtown every week to pass out tracts and share their faith. We have a monthly church service at International Towers for people who can’t go to church. We’re in the middle of doing an eight week evangelism training course with an average of 45 people! Most, if not all of these people feel a strong sense of responsibility to The Great Commission but just feel ill-equipped or too afraid or both.

This week we started a door-to-door outreach that we’ll be doing every other Saturday in various housing communities. I’ve gone door-to-door a lot over the past year and I admit at times I’m not really excited about it. In fact the first few times I went I was terrified. We went into the projects of Warren and I honestly wasn’t afraid for my life; I was afraid of imposing myself on other peoples time in the privacy of their homes. To my surprise most of the people were very open to conversation and in the colder weather they would often ask us to come in to their homes. Children would literally beg for Million Dollar Bill tracts and I’d usually end up giving them five or six each. We got to pray with people about their needs and they would thank us for being there for them.

This week, Julia Wike, Joe Lantini and I went to the projects in Campbell. I must have been driving too slow as I looked for a place to park. Three young guys came running up to my truck asking us “whatya got?” I handed them Million Dollar Bill tracts. I told them to read the back and they said “OK.” Joe said that the one had crack in his hand.

We talked to a guy named Gabriel who knew about the Gospel and what God requires of him. He was only the second person I’ve talked to over the past year that knew that if he died right then he would go to hell. Other than people who know the Lord just about everyone I talk to thinks that they would go to heaven because they feel that they are a good person. I thought at one time that most people had an idea of their unworthiness before God but that isn’t true. We need to help people come to a place of repentance before we invite them to commit their lives to Christ.

The first apartment we came to we asked if we could come in and talk to them and they let us. There was two kids on a couch with a young woman. The boy, who couldn’t have been any older than 14 was sharing a cigarette with the young woman. I talked to a man named Dexter who was also there and Julia talked to the young girl who’s name was Zanise. The Holy Spirit showed Julia that she would be a teacher someday and when Julia shared this with her she said it was true. Julia asked Zanise if she knew how she knew this and she said that she didn’t know. Julia shared that God had showed this to her and gave her a Gideons bible and wrote inside the cover what God had showed her about Zanise so she wouldn’t forget.

We talked to two guys by the name of LB and Brian. LB was pretty uncooperative but it seemed like we were getting through to Brian. We talked to a young woman who Julia had talked to a few years before. She seemed depressed and Julia got to pray with her to commit her life to the Lord.

As the weather gets warmer I’m looking forward to expanding our REACH OUT team and bringing many more of the lost to Christ for the glory of God this year!

VCC Reach Out Evangelism Training

Look for The Way of the Master

Training to return

Fall of 2008

—————-

Victory Christian Center will be offering an eight week training course based on the award-winning TV series “The Way of the Master” hosted by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. The course is specially formatted to train believers to simply and confidently share the gospel with family, friends, and strangers.

These lessons will teach you to overcome your fears by using a proven, powerfully effective way to make the gospel make sense. You won’t be at a loss for words. You don’t need to be an expert in apologetics. Instead, you’ll learn the forgotten biblical principle of bypassing the intellect (the place of argument) and speaking directly to the conscience (the place of the knowledge of right and wrong) — the way Jesus did.

Each session will consist of a thirty-minute segment on DVD featuring Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. Through their captivating teaching style they not only tell you how to witness, they show you, through fascinating on-the-street conversations with gang members, atheists, cult members, intellectuals, etc.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
WALK-INS ARE WELCOME

“The Way of the Master” has been commended by John MacArthur, Ravi Zacharias, David Jeremiah, Joni Eareckson Tada, Josh McDowell and many other Christian leaders:

The TRUE Meaning of Christmas

The summer of 2007 was incredibly difficult for a local family who lost their son and daughter-in-law in a tragic car accident. Today Grandma and Grandpa find themselves raising the three small children left behind and wonder why God would allow something like this to happen to their family.

VCC Reach Out learned about this family through an email sent asking people to encourage the family by sending Christmas cards to the children. As soon as VCC Reach Out heard about this family’s situation, they began dreaming of ways to bless the family. They started off small but then quickly agreed that we serve a BIG God… so let’s dream BIG for this family. One person suggested a shopping spree at Toys R Us, another thought taking them to Chuckie Cheese would be fun. Then someone said, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to pick them up by limo and just treat them like royalty all day?!†Well, we certainly do serve a BIG God and all of those things came together for this family (and more!).

On Sunday afternoon, December 16th a limo picked the children and their Grandfather up at their home and drove them to Toys R Us where they each received a $150 gift card and immediately went on a shopping spree. With shopping bags placed in the back of the limo, they were then transported to Chuckie Cheese where they ate pizza and romped and played for quite a while. Once back in the limo, as they drove to the Coitsville Campus to enjoy front row seats for Journey to the Manger they had fun blowing bubbles in the limo while listening to Christmas Carols. Then the VCC Reach Out members brought out a bottle of sparkling grape juice and made a toast for God’s blessings, restoration and provision over this special family. It was a special time and one that will be remembered for years to come.

A very special heart-felt thanks to everyone who donated everything from the limo to the Toys R Us gift cards, to the money for pizza and tokens for everyone at Chuckie Cheese, to all those who were involved in Journey to the Manger, to those who donated a Day At The Spa for Grandma and a gas gift card for Grandpa, stockings and gifts in the limo and so much more!
Looking back, it is amazing to see everything God had planned for this special family. All we had to do was take the first step and watch as He pulled everything else together.

Throughout the day, there were tears shed and hearts warmed as the VCC Reach Out team along with our special guests experienced the true meaning of Christmas. We’d like to believe we blessed the lives of this precious family but suspect that we were the ones who received the greatest blessing.

Where’s the Fruit?

I seemed to get a bit more rejection today. Maybe it was the colder weather. But I had some great conversations with two people by the name of William and Tamisha.

I talked to William at the bus station. I asked him if I could give him a million dollar tract and he rejected it at first but seemed open to conversation. He did take it after a few of his friends took one and I asked him if he had a Christian background. He said “Yes.” I asked him “if he died right now would he go to heaven?” and he said he was pretty sure he would. I asked him “why do you believe that” and he got a little frustrated at this point (a lot of people do) and said that he didn’t know if he wanted to talk about this right now. I’m learning to be more aggressive so I pushed through and kept the conversation going. I brought William through the Law and he turned out to be a Liar, Thief and Adulterer at heart but he couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t go to heaven because he had always asked forgiveness for his sins and of course the usual “God is a loving God so He will be merciful to me and let me in heaven.” I explained to him that the only way to know that he was going to heaven is by his fruit.

At this point William remembered that he had once given his heart to the Lord and there was a drastic change in his life for a season. I then challenged him to begin to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling and to make his calling and election sure. I gave him an orange Gideons pocket New Testament and challenged him to read it everyday.

Just after this I met Tamisha . Tamisha was very quiet but thought the same way as William. She asked God to forgive her on a regular basis and felt that she would most likely go to heaven when she died. I brought her through the Law and found she had broken at least three of the Ten Commandments, that she would be guilty before God on judgment day and that she would go to hell. I explained to her that in the garden of Eden God told Adam “don’t eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. In the day that you eat of that fruit you shall surely die.” When Adam disobeyed God he DID die. Not physically but spiritually. I told her that when Jesus was on the earth He had a conversation with a religious leader of the day by the name of Nicodemus. Nicodemus came to Jesus and told Him that he knew that He was from God because no one could do the works that He did unless God is with him. Jesus said to him “You must be born again to see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said “How can I being an old man enter the second time into my mother’s womb, and be born?” Jesus told him (my paraphrase) “I’m not talking about your flesh, I’m talking about your spirit.”

There’s an epidemic going on in America; everyone is “born again” - every one is a “Christian” but very few are bearing fruit. When you share your faith with someone and they tell you that they are a Christian, for their sake, don’t take their word for it. Ask them “What do you base this on?”, Why do you believe that you will go to Heaven?” Most people will give you a pretty lame answer. Some will say all the right words but you know there’s something wrong. We have to learn to push through the “Christian facade” that so many people are hiding behind.

With every person we share our faith with (and with every Christian we go to Church with) we need to ask a similar question to the one the little old lady asked at the Wendy’s counter… WHERE’S THE FRUIT!!!???