The Magician

It's Friday night and we are back on the streets. I met Mike P., Brent, and Yoshi at 5:00pm. It seems the more we do this the more resistance we face from the Devil. A few days before and especially the day we are going out to share the gospel, everything that could stop us from going happens. We all made it tonight though. We started out with prayer as we always do and moved towards Carroll College. We seen a few people smoking outside Hardees so I did a few magic tricks for them and started sharing the gospel. The two girls left immediately but one man stayed. I asked him about his tattoos and it turned out he was in a street gang in some other city at one point. I took him through the Law and shared the gospel. He seemed interested. I asked him if he had a Bible, he said he never so I offered to give him one. He gave me his name and address and I told him to look for it in the mail. He promised to read it.

We moved through campus but there were not many people around at all so we moved up to the walking mall. Mike P. and I split off from Yoshi and Brent. We ran into a group of kids and an adult wandering the streets so we shared the gospel with them. The adult was kind of irritated and never wanted us around. I talked mostly with an agnostic. Mike shared the gospel with another kid. All the usual arguments. Seeds planted.

We swung around to the jail and gave some tracts to a few cops and then moved down by the Cathedral and St. Pauls Methodist Church. I found one guy to witness to at the Methodist Church. He was cooking for the church dinner but took a cigarette break. I asked what he thought it took to get to heaven. He looked at me and said, what you don't know. I said I did. He said all it took was love. I asked him why Jesus had to come then. He said as an example and message. I said not to shed His blood on a cross for forgiveness of sins. He was very angry and sarcastic. He also said everyone in the world has a part of God in them. I asked him if he could think of some Bible verses to support his view. He got mad and mocked us. He finished his cig and went back inside. I told him to have a great day.

We moved down to God's love and talked with a guy I know that just got out of jail. He was not at all repentant and he was very angry. Mike P. shared the gospel with him again. We walked back to the church because it was late. We ran into some people in front of the staggering ox. I asked them if they wanted to see a card trick and the one kid was very interested. I did the trick and it blew him away. Turned out he was a magician. We started sharing card tricks and other tricks and had a good conversation. His friends left but he stayed. He wanted to buy my card trick off me for $20 and he put the money down. I told him to wait a minute before I decided. I then took him through the Law and gospel. He was convicted and listened intently. He just got out of prison and was at the pre-release center. Mike P. then chimed in because Mike himself went through the same thing before he was saved. We told him it was not by coincidence that we met him. He agreed and said he would never listen to anyone. The only way to get to him was through magic.

So God, by His Providence, put us together. Mike an ex inmate like Chris and me into tricks like Chris. Praise God. He said he would think about all we told him about the gospel. He was convicted and knew he would be in Hell if he died tonight. I gave him the card trick and let him keep his $20. He thanked us immensely and gave us hugs. Funny how God works. This hardened man that just got out of prison, that has made bad decisions all his life, that has no use for people like us heard the gospel and by the end of the conversation was thanking and hugging us. The gospel is the power of salvation to those who are perishing.