Paul Washer - we are losing

How the English Language has developed over time.

As I learn Spanish I have been curious as to how languages have developed and changed over the years.  The English language was so different only 500-600 years ago that we could never understand it.  Below is the Lords Prayer from Matthew 6.  It shows how the English language has changed over the years.  The translators of the 1611 KJV were very wise to translate the Bible into modern English.  This shows that the Bible must be translated and read in the modern language so we can understand it.  The KJV folks are so afraid to translate the Bible into 21st century English and away from Old English of the 1600's but they should look at their mentors, the translators of the 1611.  The translators of the 1611 rightly translated the Bible into new English so the people could understand it.  As the English language continued to change and develop the translators of the KJV again came out with a revision of the KJV in 1769 to adapt to the changing language in order for the people to understand.  Now I don't think that we should translate the Bible into slang but we should revise the translation of English in the Bible if the English language changes enough that people have a hard time understanding it.  The KJV is an outstanding translation and has been a pilliar of Bible translation for 400 years but since 1611, the English has changed enough that people have a hard time understanding Old English.  I know when I read the original 1611, I have a harder time trying to figure out the English than what the passage is saying.  Here is a short history of how the English language has developed over time.

The Lords Prayer

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Late 9th century: Þū ūre fæder, þe eart on heofonum, sīe þīn nama gehālgod. Cume þīn rīce. Sīe þīn wylla on eorþan swā swā on heofonum. Syle ūs tōdæg ūrne dæghwāmlican hlāf. And forgief ūs ūre gyltas swā swā þē forgiefaþ þæ¯m þe wiþ ūs āgyltaþ. And ne læ¯d þū nū ūs on costnunge, ac ālīes ūs fram yfele.

Late 15th century: Oure fadir, þat art in heuenys, halewid be þi name. Þi kingdom come to. Be þi wile don ase in heuene and in erþe. ʒiue to us þis day oure breed ouer oþer substaunse. And forʒiue to us oure dettes, as and we forʒiuen to oure dettouris. And leede us not into temptaciouns, but delyuere vs from yuel.

The Year 1611: Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdome come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heauen. Giue vs this day our daily bread. And forgiue vs our debts, as we forgiue our debters. And lead vs not into temptation, but deliuer vs from euill: For thineis the kingdome, and the power, and the glory, for euer, Amen.

The Year 1769: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Denver - Day 2

Killillay and I headed back downtown to share the gospel.  The first guy I talked to was an agnostic.  I pointed to a building and asked him if the building had a builder.  He said yes so I asked him how he knows the building had a builder.  He gave the correct answer and said the building is proof there was a builder.  This lead me to my point of proving the existence of God.  I told him if he looked at the complexity and design of creation he would have to see that there was a designer.  I argued that the designer was God.  We went through the law and gospel.  He said that it made sense that Jesus became our substitute in order to satisfy justice.  We had a good talk and he thanked me for the conversation and I thanked God for it.  This first picture is of the conversation.  Killillay was talking to another guy so I gave out some tracts and found a man from France who could barley speak English.
The Frenchman was an agnostic and thought his beliefs negated reality.  I tried to get him to understand that just because he didn't believe in God doesn't mean that God doesn't exist.  We went through the Law and he gladly admitted to breaking the law but said it didn't matter because he didn't believe in God.  As soon as I said the name of Jesus, he stopped me and said he did not want to talk to me anymore.  I thanked him for the conversation, shook his hand, and left.  the picture below is of him.

We moved to Starbucks and I found a guy reading a book at a table so I started up a conversation with him and then swung into the things of God.  He was Jewish and was into his faith.  We got into a long, deep, philosophical conversation.  He was well educated but wouldn't admit that there was objective truth or the fact that if a man broke a law then the man was guilty of breaking the law.  I finally shared the whole gospel with him and challenged him to read the New Testament and spend some time trying to figure out if what Jesus said and did was truth.  This Jewish man was tolerant of all religions but hated Jesus and had no problem putting Jesus down. We moved on down to a Catholic church that they built a skyscraper around.  There was mass going on so we went in and saw the usual rituals and idols.  A woman was reading passages of Scripture that were good but the people had no clue what they meant.  This shows that man can't come to Christ on his own but only God can draw the man and open his eyes to the truth.  These people had the Scriptures but couldn't understand them.

We jumped on a bus next and got people in a enclosed space so that they couldn't escape.  We gave out tracts and Killillay started in on a guy next to him.  We got off and walked to Union Station where Killillay got into a good talk with a Mexican that was cleaning the floors.  We walked back toward the car and ran into a Mexican who just got off work from the cheesecake factory.  He only spoke a little English.  We struck up a conversation and then I took him through the law and gospel in Spanish.  He had questions and was fearful of going to Hell which he admitted that he was going there.  He asked what he had to do to escape Hell and I explained the cross and salvation again.  He said he had a Bible but it was in Old Spanish, kind of like the KJV Bible in Old English.  We told him what Spanish Bible to buy at the bookstore and I told him to start reading El Evangelio de Juan.  He was very interested and said he was going to do it.  He thanked us so much for talking to him about the things of God.  Gloria a Dios for His providence.  It would have been so easy to have gotten this man or many of the people we talked to,  to pray a prayer and proclaim him as "saved" like the Pope does, but that would be insane.  We explain the biblical gospel and let God save the people.  Our motive is to proclaim the biblical truth of salvation and let God get the glory of saving people.  I pity the people who go out evangelizing to try to get "decisions"  and then go home and brag of all the people they "saved".

Taking the gospel to the streets of Denver

Matt Davis and I took a road trip to Denver to see Killillay and hit the streets.  We got into Denver at 8:00 and hit the streets at 9:30.  We went to the downtown business district on 16th street.  I shared the gospel with a couple that were from the area.  It seems that everyone in Denver has their guard up because whenever I did a card trick for them or gave them gospel tracts they either thought I was going to rob them or that I was going to try to get them to give me money.  The man was a proclaimed Christian but sometimes went to the Catholic church.  The woman thought you had to believe in God to get to heaven and the man thought you had to love God and people.  I asked them why Jesus had to come then.  We talked about the things of God and the cross for a while and then parted ways.  They were grateful for the conversation.  The picture is Killillay talking to a Mexican.

We gave out tracts and tried to talk but not a lot of people wanted to, even though there were a lot of them. I saw 4 men in uniform so I stopped them with a card trick and asked them what they thought it took to get to heaven.  They all said works but one kid said Jesus.  I took them through the law and they were all humbled.  The one kid was a Christian and knew where I was going.  I explained Jesus and the cross.   They were polite and said it made sense.  Seeds planted.  The Christian kid and the Chinese kid thanked me for the talk and shook my hand.  The good thing about sharing the gospel, even if the people reject it, is that before the night they were not thinking about their souls and where they would spend eternity but after we talk to them, they have to ponder it.  God is so good in providentially directing us to the people that He wants us to talk to.

Next I finally found a man that could not speak English but only Spanish.  I totally botched my Spanish and drew complete blanks.  I followed him down the street for blocks as I fumbled through the gospel.  He was Catholic and was arguing but I couldn't understand him which drove me crazy and was so frustrating.  This makes me want to study Spanish twice as hard as before.

At the end of the night, Killillay talked with a kid forever on a park bench.  The kid had many questions and Killillay spent an hour answering them.  You can read about it at his blog.

Back to the streets

These are the feet of Peruvian pastors that walk a long way through the Andes mountains preaching the gospel.  I posted this picture here to remind me of real evangelists unlike myself.  This helps me not complain when we hit the streets in Helena for several hours and get rejected the whole time.  God is Sovereign and we trust in Him. 
We did hit the street last Friday night, TJ and I.  It seems people have become hardened even more and are even mad if you say hello.  We started out giving out tracts that only some would take.  The first person I shared the gospel with was a Catholic walking his dog.  He went to the Cathedral under the tutelage of Father O'Neil.  He had no clue how to get to heaven.  As I explained the law and sin and Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross, he seemed disinterested and I could tell he wanted to leave so I asked him if he was tired of me talking.  He made up a few excuses and bolted. 

I next shared the gospel with a cowboy going to pawn all his stuff because he was out of work.  He said he was a Christian but also did native American rituals.  We argued about that for a while and then I asked him what he thought it takes to get to heaven and he said to, "believe and be right."  He said he went to a Nazarene college.  I asked what, "believe and be right," even means and he just turned from and walked away shouting out from the sidewalk the phrase, "believe and be right."

TJ got into a big, long debate with an old man outside a bar who was smoking and drinking who claimed to be a Christian.  They went on forever as TJ corrected all his wrong beliefs.  I found a kid to witness to who was into that new "sport" that entails jumping from the tops of buildings.  I asked if he was scared to die and he said no.  I asked why and he said he never thinks about death.  This kid was 14.  I shared the gospel with him and made it clear that if he fell from the building he would be in Hell.  He didn't care.

The next guy we ran into is a sad state for American Christianity.  He was promoting his youth group called young life.  I guess they be-friend kids and hang out with them and be cool and shoot Twinkies from some kind of gun and then someone shares the "gospel" with them at the end.  They never condemn kids for their drug use, rebellion, filthy mouths, violence and so on but always try to encourage them to do better for Jesus.  This guy was a "pastor" or "minister" or whatever they call the guy who leads and preaches in this non-church affiliated program that attracts 100's of kids.  He told us that he was preparing a message to preach and was in Ephesians where Paul says that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works and then he turned to James where it says that works save and was confused.  Everyone who has been a Christian for a while has dealt with this easy paradox and I would expect a pastor to know the answer.  I asked him if he found out the truth and he said he had no idea and couldn't believe it was in the Bible so he threw it down and preached on something else.  Sad.

He went on forever so I finally stopped him and asked him to explain the gospel to me.  He said he didn't share the gospel on the street and that was our thing.  I asked what he would say if someone came up to him and asked what it took to be saved.  He said he would invite him to youth life.  I told him to pretend the guy asking just got hit by a car and was about to die.  He said he would try to explain to the dying kid his sin and then tell him that God would take care of him.  That's it.  I said to him:  wouldn't you say that because God is holy, He must punish sin.  Man is sinful and must pay the penalty.  God is good and sent His Son Jesus Christ to be our substitute and pay our fine for us and through the cross you can have salvation.  Repent of your sins and put your trust in Christ.  He said, "NO, I would never say it like that."  Oh Boy!

I witnessed to a group of 6 kids that were 12-14 who, if I found their parents I would probably be in jail.  How do even lost parents let their kids out of the house looking like a harlot with a cell phone.  I did a magic trick for them and took them through the law.  They all said they were going to Hell and didn't care so I left them under the law. 

Another Jeremiah day of sharing the gospel on the streets.

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

- Jer. 8:20

Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear it from the pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet you neglect it, and therefore you are not saved. You will be without excuse when the Lord shall judge the quick and dead. The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing upon the word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of refreshing have come from the divine presence, and yet you are without Christ. All these hopeful seasons have come and gone-your summer and your harvest have past-and yet you are not saved. Years have followed one another into eternity, and your last year will soon be here: youth has gone, manhood is going, and yet you are not saved. Let me ask you-will you ever be saved? Is there any likelihood of it? Already the most propitious seasons have left you unsaved; will other occasions alter your condition? Means have failed with you-the best of means, used perseveringly and with the utmost affection-what more can be done for you? Affliction and prosperity have alike failed to impress you; tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever being saved? Is it not more than likely that you will abide as you are till death for ever bars the door of hope? Do you recoil from the supposition? Yet it is a most reasonable one: he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy to his end. The convenient time never has come, why should it ever come? It is logical to fear that it never will arrive, and that Felix like, you will find no convenient season till you are in hell. O bethink you of what that hell is, and of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it!

Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no words can picture. Write out your dread estate in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth: you will be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. A brother’s voice would fain startle you into earnestness. O be wise, be wise in time, and ere another year begins, believe in Jesus, who is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate these last hours to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it will be well; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will be best of all. O see to it that this year pass not away, and you an unforgiven spirit. Let not the new year’s midnight peals sound upon a joyless spirit! Now, NOW, NOW believe, and live.

“ESCAPE FOR THY LIFE;
LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE,
NEITHER STAY THOU IN ALL THE PLAIN;
ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAIN,
LEST THOU BE CONSUMED.”

Charles Spurgeon