With the winter witnessing days almost behind us, The Cross Current is now getting geared up to make the most of spring and summer seed sowing!

You reading this blog posting right now. Yeah, you! Are you a Christ-follower? Then you, too have been commanded to be His witness within the context of a community of other blood-bought believers.

So this season, we invite you to experience the power of the Gospel first-hand as we video record encounters in everyday evangelism for TCC TV and Radio during our regular times of weekly witnessing and our Xstream Team Missions (XTM)! We’ll be hitting the streets of several of Canada’s largest and most multicultural hotspots to pass tracts, preach open air, and witness 1-2-1.

Are you ready for spring and summer seed sowing? The charge Paul gave to Timothy I now give to you: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). We’re prepared and it would be our privilege and honour to equip you to be prepared too!

Click here to plan your preaching times with us using our online ministry calendar

Click here to sign-up for a witnessing workshop that is most suitable for you

We thank God for you and look forward to “leaving it all on the field” with you this spring and summer!

Keeping the Cross current,

Cory

Click here for the audio version of this same message

Welcome to your audio helpful hints for making the most of our brand new series of TCC Radio on the Law.

Right off the top, we thought it would be helpful to equip you with the exact same script we used on the streets as a conversational/relational springboard towards sharing the Gospel with your family and friends.

Here’s something like you can say to say something like we said:-)

I don’t know if I have told you or not, but I am actually affiliated with this reality radio (and soon to be TV) program called The Cross Current that invites the public to voice their opinions in a spiritual speakers’ corner. They encourage me to survey some of the people I know (and we do!) and this series they are talking with people about the Law – can I get your opinions on the questions they will be asking other people on the air?

(If yes) We are forever being affected by law in Canada and so they are producing a series on law. Here are the questions:

1. In your opinion, why are laws important? (Would you agree that ideally laws are important because they help protect and provide for those who keep them and help punish those who break them?)

2. If you were Prime Minister of Canada, what sorts of laws would you add? Why? What sorts of laws would you take away? Why?

3. Have you ever studied the history of law? Many would believe that the original code of moral law came from the Jewish Torah in the form of ten rules. Do you know what they are called? (The Ten Commandments)

4. Are you familiar with the Ten Commandments? How many can you name?

5. Do you know Who wrote the Ten Commandments? (God) I mentioned that The Cross Current does a “spiritual” speakers’ corner too. Do you believe in God? Why or why not?

Bridge: If the Ten Commandments were God’s standard for who is “good enough” to go to heaven, how would you do?

From there we encourage you to step out in faith and share the Gospel and also invite them to tune in to hear the truth about law and order – in light of eternity!

Let them know that TCC Radio broadcasts in Ontario this Friday at 7pm on Grace 105.9 FM in London and on The Stream TV out of Orangeville. It also podcasts on www.tccradio.com.

Oh, and once again, please send us your Gospel glory stories and personal encounters in everyday evangelism to: radio@thecrosscurrent.com.

We thank God for you and look forward to another great week preaching His Gospel together!

I thank God for this conversation he allowed me to have with Phil about the reality of Christ’s resurrection and His matchless message of Good News!

Please take the time to watch this video footage (below) and pray for the Lord to open Phil’s eyes to the truth of Eternal Life.

For His Glory,

Cory

PS: Please note the irony that the words on Phil’s sweater bring to our discussion about Easter!:)

Content Disclaimer: The following video content is unedited to preserve conversational authenticity and may contain offensive language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Click here to access the “Canada Needs Christ” page at www.tccradio.com

Now, we couldn’t fit all the street conversations we had in the show, but we thought you’d enjoy hearing several more that we found particularly interesting in the context of Christianity in Canada.

Content Disclaimer: The following audio files are unedited to preserve conversational authenticity and may contain offensive language. Listener discretion is advised.

TCC Rep Chris talks with Nancy

TCC Rep John talks with Anna

Cory talks with Brandon and John

Above (l to r): Brandon, Cory (TCC), John, Brandon

Check out this unscripted street witnessing encounter I had with three Australian vacationers in Niagara Falls about “The Million Dollar Question”!

PART 1

PART 2

Please also pray that the Lord grows the seeds that were planted!

Seeking And Saving,

Cory

I’m just getting home from Small Group. Tonight we were talking about evangelism. Brother Doug was leading the group and he’s one of those people who God sends sinners to in every imaginable way. Doug was talking about the common story of sharing your faith on an airplane. The person you’re sitting beside is stuck there for the length of the flight. It’s like having a captive audience. Of course everyone always laughs at that point in this commonly told witnessing story. For some reason everyone seems to love to talk about witnessing on airplanes.. I wonder how much of that ACTUALLY goes on?

The focus of the night was preaching “Christ, and Him crucified” instead of some feel good message of self-help and church membership as though that were the Gospel. I was excited actually because most in the group were really “getting it” that only the true Gospel of Christ saves. But you know so often when I’m talking to a sinner about Christ, and Him crucified I perceive Christians getting uncomfortable when I tell the sinner that Christ was crucified for their sins. It’s painful for sinners to examine themselves in the light of God’s Word. It hurts to have your bubble broken and see yourself as you actually are for the first time. Sometimes Christians think it’s rude of me to walk up to someone on the street and after a very short conversation start letting them see that their sins are proof they will spend Eternity in the Lake of Fire unless they are saved by Christ.

I started to think about the person being witnessed to on a plane. Imagine how uncomfortable it would be to have a Christian exposing their sin for an entire two hour flight. Seriously, imagine it. Wouldn’t that suck?

OK now that you’ve imagined what it would be like for them to endure that for a two hour flight, imagine if the Christian kept their mouth shut for those two hours and both of you had a pleasant flight. Maybe you exchanged chit chat about the weather and your families. Sounds much better right? Surely that’s a more loving way to treat people right?

Well, imagine that instead of a nice flight the plane crashed and no one survived. Imagine that instead of having to endure a conversation about their sin for two hours that very same person that you saved from having to endure a sucky last flight instead now must endure condemnation and torment in fire for all Eternity.

In 1st Peter 3:15 we read;

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

We need to be loving with people, we must give the answers for the hope we have in gentleness. No one should ever enjoy pointing out someone else’s sin. Neither should we ever point out sin without giving the Divine solution provided by Christ through the Gospel. But we can not be so gentle that we treat Christ without reverence. We must remember, and proclaim His death until His return. We have to tell people that He died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day to be seen alive by many credible witnesses.

We can’t spare someone a little pain and discomfort at the cost of being irreverent to Our Lord and Savior. And we dare not spare a person inconvenience now so that they can endure unending torture later.

God Bless,

Kev

“…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ~ Jesus (Acts 1:8, ESV)

I said it before and I’ll say it again…while we praise God for missionaries who are taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, what about Jerusalem – er, I mean – Canada, eh?

I used to be shocked when I’d meet young adults like Brandon and John…used to be. Born, raised, and breathing day-to-day in a “Christian” country called Canada without ever having set foot in a church and never having heard the Gospel. Yet, almost every Saturday of soul-winning the Lord graciously confirms His call for our ministry by showing us again and again that there is also much local missions work to be done for the Him right here at home.

Above (left to right): Brandon, Cory (TCC), John, Brandon

Click here to listen to the full (unedited) street conversation I shared with Brandon and John

*An edited version of this conversation will also be featured on our upcoming special episode of TCC Radio called “Canada Needs Christ”, broadcasting on Friday January 30th, 2009.

Seeking And Saving,

Cory

A couple of weeks ago I was afforded an incredible opportunity. A life long friend of one of the members of the small group I am part of on Friday nights dropped in to our small group. He was drawn into the conversations we were having and repeatedly professed to being a part-time Catholic. Without getting into the details of the man’s private life and testimony I did not believe he was actually saved. My Brother in the Lord, who’s friend this man is, didn’t believe so either although he was desperate to be assured that the man is. I can sympathize. There are people I love who I want to be saved so badly that any assurance at all would give me some measure of peace that my soul cries after every time I think of them. I know that want, that desperate desire.

I felt prompted to witness to this guy.. all out.. not pulling any punches. It didn’t seem like the right setting. It would interfere with the flow of the group meeting.. it would put the man on the spot… but I just “knew” I had to. So I poked and prodded to see what was up with him.. he was in no way shy. I knew where the conversation was going and I knew he would be very exposed before these people he didn’t even know so I tried to bring him aside a couple of times but he wouldn’t have anything to do with that. He assured me he was ready for whatever I had for him… he really had no idea what he was agreeing to but I had God telling me to do it.. and what right do I have to disobey Him?

So I went through it with the man, asking him about his ideas about God, sin, salvation, Eternal Life and Hell. He didn’t believe that one could know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they had Eternal Life, but he wanted to know. I could see it in his body language.. and the tears in his eyes as we spoke. I’m getting choked up as I write this as I remember the way it felt to be with this man at that moment.

Those tense moments of realization when a person starts to see that they really are going to spend Eternity in the inescapable fires of Hell are terrible. I’ve got to tell you they are gut wrenching.

It was during these moments that members of our beautiful small group started to re-assure the man. They had been interjecting as the conversation went on.. and it was very tough for me to keep the man focused on the Gospel. It was a strange situation for me. But at the critical time, the moment when the man knew there was no hope aside from Christ I began to see the reason why God had ensured I would have this conversation with this man in that setting at that time. These beautiful people were showing this man their love by comforting him by soothing the danger, because it is terrible to watch someone in that kind of pain and fear. And I was reminded of when I first started to witness to people using the TCC Framework, how I didn’t want the person to feel afraid. I just wanted them to feel warmly loved. In these moments with this man I heard my dear friends and Brethren in the Lord gasp… hold their breath… move in their seats.. attempt to say the “right thing”… anything but let the man come under the pressure of the gravity of the moment.

Let me tell you, it’s easy to talk about a person’s sins and it’s easy to talk about Salvation and Heaven. It’s next to impossible to say nothing while someone feels like they are dying. We must at that moment say nothing. The Scriptures say that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved (Rom 10:13) not whoever is comforted.. or whoever repeats after an Evangelist is saved..

Those moments of tension are the hardest in witnessing. We have to love the person enough to let them experience the full conviction and convincing of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-10).

If we let that person call out to the Lord, they themselves will know they have called on His Name in honesty. The Lord God promises to save all who do. So they will in fact be saved and gain Eternal Life, not just play a religious game that makes them feel good.