The Catholic and the, oh boy, Pentecostal

TJ and I hit the streets on a nice wintry day to share truth to a dying world.   There were not a lot of people out put God providentially put the right people in our path to talk to.  We gave out some tracts to warm up and then stopped to talk to two men smoking pipes.  I actually love the smell of tobacco pipes, it reminds me of the old days when all the hunters and trappers smoked pipes.  Anyway, I started off with a card trick and then gave them a tract and told them that it explained the gospel.  I asked if they were Christians and they said they were Catholic.  I asked if they have ever been told what it took to get to heaven and they told me a complicated story of works and left out Jesus.  One kid was one of the nicest, most intelligent Catholic I have ever witnessed to and it was a pleasure openly discussing the deep things of God with him on snow covered street.  We talked about everything for a half hour.  I just kept asking him questions at first in order that he would dig himself a hole.  He did.  I explained the purpose that Jesus died for and that doing good and works can't save and if they could then why did Jesus come and die.  We talked about imputed verses infused righteousness.  The biggest problems was when I asked them how much they read the bible.  They never read it much.  I asked if it was sufficient and infallible.  They didn't believe it was and said it was hard to understand that is why they rely on priests.  I made it clear that no man can get to heaven without Christ and that doing good works to get to heaven or continue to earn heaven is un-biblical.  I told them to trust in the Scriptures instead of men and challenged him to read the bible.  It was a great conversation.

We then went back to the library and TJ tried to share the gospel with some kids standing outside.  They told TJ that they were going to Hell and then the youngest kid cussed out TJ and said they had to go because there mom just pulled up.

We met a man in the parking lot and I gave him and his wife tracts and said it was the gospel.  I asked if they were Christians and the man said of course because he has been a preacher for 25 years or something but not in a church just by himself.  He liked to talk and with a little spurring he went on and on.  The more he talked the more we saw how messed up his theology was.  The man said he was a Pentecostal and immediately told us that he raised 5 people from the dead.  It is funny how the Pentecostals are the only ones that ever "raise people from the dead."  Now I understand that our Sovereign God can and does raise people from the dead but it seems to me that if every Pentecostal actually raised all these people from the dead then mathematically there would be 1 out of every 3 people in the US that have been raised from the dead. 

As he went on it got much more weird.  He told us about the world that existed before this one and that Buddhists and Confucianist's were going to heaven without Jesus because they were peace makers and on and on, more bazaar.  TJ argued a bit but I was trying to break free from this crazy man.  A weird way to end the night but good.  We praise God for the opportunities.