E-Tools Newsletter | December 2013

Welcome to our final E-Tools Newsletter of 2013! This monthly TCC field report also includes outreach resources to encourage and equip you to more faithfully share the Gospel with all the loved ones in your life as we witness for Christ in Canada together.

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GOD AND SINNER RECONCILED!

“…we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.“ ~ 2 Corinthians 5:20

A Gospel Outreach Team from Harvest Bible Chapel Waterloo Region

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This month God and a sinner were reconciled through the preaching ministry of one of the Gospel Outreach Teams trained by The Cross Current. We trust that you will be inspired by these three perspectives about one Gospel glory story from: Eric Schneider – a Gospel Outreach team leader, Chris Verner – a Gospel Outreach team member, and Alexander Jennings – a sinner who was reconciled to Christ.

The story in Eric’s own words…

From the time I was saved in my early 20’s, I have had a burden and conviction to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. As a young christian I was introduced to Ray Comfort’s ministry and really learned and grew in the area of biblical evangelism, but the greatest growth in this area has come in the last couple of years. The difference in the last couple of years as compared to my early christian life has been the support of my local church with an active Street Outreach ministry, and equipping from The Cross Current.

In this type of ministry it is not common to see what fruit may come in the lives of those that you speak with. A short conversation on the street is not enough to judge where exactly a person is. Some people seem genuinely interested in Christ and willing to talk for a long time, some can be very dismissive or even hostile. It is our job to simply share the truth of God’s Word with everyone and trust the LORD, who is sovereign and perfect in righteousness, to deal with that person once we part ways. If we are obedient in our role preaching the gospel to every creature, we must trust that God will always be faithful in His – convicting and convincing the heart of the sinner.

That’s why it was so encouraging to hear about a young man, Alex, who had encountered a couple of our evangelists in the street over a year ago, and had since come to trust Christ. The conversation was brief and seemingly uneventful, but God used it as a seed that would eventually bring forth fruit. Another exciting aspect of what happened to Alex is seeing the sovereign hand of God over so many other aspects of his life. There were Christians already in his life who were praying for him, and God used every other circumstance in his life to open his heart and mind to the truth of His Word.

We do not need to see results to know that preaching the Gospel is God’s will, but when God in His grace allows us to see results it is a great encouragement.

I trust that God will be faithful to grow Alex in faith and wisdom as he endeavours to follow Christ more closely. I pray that we, as a church, would have continued opportunity to disciple Alex in obedience to Christ’s great commission.

Let’s continue to scatter the gospel seed by God’s grace, and trust it will be directed by His sovereign invisible hand to good soil where it will take root and bring forth much fruit!

The story in Chris’ own words…

Before I begin, I would like to thank God for Chris Wagler and Eric Schneider (our Gospel Outreach Team leaders), for obeying God’s call to evangelize. This is not intended to inflate their egos because they are nothing without Christ just as everybody is. However, it is refreshing to see people who aren’t ashamed of the Gospel message. Also, for Alex, I would ask that the church continually disciple him with love and genuine care.

Last year, a girl named of Anna and I went out for street evangelism in the Waterloo region in hopes of having good conversations with people about the Gospel of Christ. At this point, I had a lot of unbiblical reservations about the methods of preaching and evangelism. We had talked with about half a dozen people about the Gospel and handed out tracts to many more people that night. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think much of the conversation with Alex, but I remembered his name and his face to this day. We talked about a lot of different issues regarding faith, but mostly about what happens after person dies.

On the December of 2013, I was out with Harvest and overheard GO Team member and Director of Discipleship, Will Schuurman, talking about a young adult by the name of Alex who had come to Christ through the seed-planting of two individuals who talked to him (Alex) in Waterloo. One was a young man and the other was a young woman. I continued to listen in and could with confidence say that I was one of the people in this story.

That night, as every night, I had a lot of excuses to not go out with the evangelism team. After all, “it is just before exams” I thought to myself. However, for some reason I was prompted by the Spirit to go out that night. It had to be the Spirit of God, because I had an amazing night and also got to hear what God had done through me starting an entire year ago. God gave me the rare gift of seeing what He was doing in Alex.

I have talked to him and I already like the guy. He is a very intellectual young man who I hope to get closer to by God’s grace. God has brought Alex out of the darkness and into the light and I cannot claim any of the glory. All glory goes to God Almighty. Although you don’t often see the fruit of your labours in the street evangelism ministry, it is definitely worthwhile because you are being obedient to God’s great commission.

This year, I have had a great deal of enthusiasm when going out with the Harvest street evangelism team (when I can #studentlife). Last year I was unsure about participating, and saw going out with the team strictly as a means of obedience to Christ (which is good). However, God has been renewing my mind constantly and allowing me to be more effective due to God’s Spirit at work in me. Now I enjoy going out on the street and teaching God’s Word more than ever before. Despite the fear that a Christian feels, God works unbelievably through weakness. I am scared before I go out every time, but God provides the strength and words to speak every time. If God can use a wretch of a man like me, He can certainly use anybody.

The story in Alexander’s own words…

I found Christ not through some vision in the clouds, or a dream or any of that sort. While I don’t doubt the validity of others’ experiences, such an event to me, an incredibly rationalistic person, would have likely pushed me into a mental institution rather than a Church. I slowly discovered Christ through a re-learning process, seeded by key moments over the course of a year or so.

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I was born in an Anglican family, with two devout Christian parents. They would be praying for me this whole time, but I would not know the importance of their prayers until now.

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I strayed from the faith by a lack of intellectual challenge in the Church and fellowship groups during my Catholic high schooling; I was getting sugar-coated answers, not hard facts or good debate. “Jesus loves you.” “God did it.” Etcetera…are not sufficient answers for a young, seeking mind. I met fellows like me in high school who also became disillusioned with the Church. We took up reading Hitchens, Dawkins and other New Atheist writers since they provided sufficient answers to our questions at the time…even if such answers concluded there “no gods.”

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Our Catholic high school teaching felt like child’s play compared to the masterful rhetoric we were reading. The incredibly complex and intellectually stimulating scientific theories, such as evolution (which I wholeheartedly still subscribe), astrophysics and mathematics overpowered our Sunday School upbringing – how can a burning bush compete with the complexity of a black hole? We did not think science and Christianity were compatible in the slightest. In high school, I developed an “Anti-Theist” attitude, likely a result of typical teenage rebellion. I later became pacifist to the idea of organized religion, simply dubbing myself an “apathetic Agnostic.”

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In my second year at university, I began to have self-doubt about my life and where I was going. I felt a void missing as I was living alone with little community involvement. I sinned without care and began developing a Nihilistic mindset. While I still had temperance (thank God!), which many college students seem to give up, I did not understand why I continued to practice the virtue. Why shouldn’t I drink to my hearts content? Why shouldn’t I just sleep around, granted I use contraception? I felt a nagging “sensation” when I did sin; I knew there was a Natural Law which all Men know they ought to follow, but I did not know why this Law existed or where it came from (of course I know this now to be God’s Law). This was the first seed.

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One evening, Anna and Chris approached me outside Waterloo’s Night School bar. I was waiting for an event, but arrived early. They asked me if I knew about Jesus. I said yes, but I don’t believe in Him. They asked me what I believed and I told them I don’t believe in anything, I don’t care about religion. What followed was a simple conversation that lasted about 10 minutes about each others belief. At the end, Chris handed me a tract, we exchanged emails, and I left as I had to go to my event. I did not read the tract, but the conversation stuck in my head. He later emailed me thanking me for the conversation. Although I still did not believe then and there, I much enjoyed the open, honest conversation about belief. Most of my friends are unbelievers and do not enjoy discussing religion, so it was a nice change of topic. This was the second seed.

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The next Summer I had a co-op in Toronto, away from any family or friends. I was largely isolated for four months, working a dreadfully boring job with no end in sight. My rental house lacked A/C so I resorted to reading a lot of old books, mainly P.K. Dick and Asimov. This lack of any social connection caused me to download the Bible app to my phone. I even began watching videos on Christianity on YouTube out of curiosity. I approached the Bible from an open-minded, curious perspective. A few days, I would go and return from work thinking of Jesus’ words; I looked at the world on these days in a new light and felt…happier. To an outsider, I must have looked like a mad man – beaming at people on the bus, looking all too happy for a sane person. This was of course, the third seed – the direct interaction with Christ began here, although I still did not believe in my Mind.

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I switched programs at the start of the new term. I was unfulfilled by my old program and opted for an “international development” program. I just felt…right, as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes and my path laid out before me. I knew, with a certain mammalian instinct, that this was the right step – I wanted to help the most vulnerable, the most poor and least developed areas in the world. I now know this was God’s plan for me all along.

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In the program I met two Christians – Jon, who attends Harvest Waterloo Region, and another, let’s say her name is M (as she does not attend Harvest). I continued to read the Bible and began participating in an on-line Christian forum. I asked questions from an Agnostic perspective and finally got solid, logic-based answers for “Why Christianity?” I later attended a small Bible study group with M at the university, which opened my eye’s to God’s glory, power, and grace (the topic was Isaiah 40).

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A week later, I met Jon at the bus stop while riding to class – we began discussing the Bible somehow and he invited me to Harvest. I cannot pin-point a specific day where I said “I am a Christian,” but on the first Church service I had been to in 6 years, I said to myself “Yeah, okay, I can do this. Thanks, God.” I felt true happiness, and a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders when I (re?)-accepted Christ.

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Christianity I discovered after years of research, questioning, and debate is the only logically sound faith. Books such as Mere Christianity have been crucial to helping me understand God and the Bible. Christ took away my burden and provided me with the light of life; give my life’s work for others, then go and follow Him. The seeds have sprouted and I have faith in God, they will surely bring good fruit. Amen.

Please pray that the Lord will continue leading Alexander to fully submit to Christ’s Lordship in everything he thinks, says, and does for Him.

Get equipped to “go” with TCC Gospel Outreach Team training

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TCC RADIO NOW ON UCB CANADA!

Effective immediately, TCC Radio is airing on UCB Canada, a multi-station radio network based in Southwestern Ontario.

Since it’s launch in 2002, UCB Canada has been able to expand it’s ministry and now broadcasts to potentially over 450,000 people on FM and nationwide online.

UCB Canada is part of the UCB International group which is a family of affiliated Christian Media Ministries, working in over 20 countries, with a common vision of communicating the Gospel message around the world.

We are very thankful that the Lord continues to cultivate new ground for our TCC Radio Gospel broadcast and podcast. As we continue our efforts to work with other stations in Canada, let’s together trust the Lord to help us expand into other cities and towns that desperately need to hear His Good News!

Visit TCC Radio online

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CAROLING AND HERALDING THE CHRIST OF CHRISTMAS

This month we lead another Gospel Outreach Team from our own local church to again complete our annual mission of caroling and heralding the Christ of Christmas in the neighborhoods of London. The following is a testimony from one of our newer team members who took part:

I’ve had many moments in the past where I will reach out my hand to a stranger to pass them a tract, and the responses vary from curiosity, to confusion, to outright rage when they realize what I am trying to share with them – the Good News that all mankind is dead in their sins without Christ the glorious Saviour who redeems and saves.

Even throughout this Christmas season, which at one time truly celebrated the Christ’s birth, I’ve seen the empty gaze of lost souls as they ‘suppress the truth’ in unrighteousness and curse The Lord who died for their sins. But there truly is something about singing, and perhaps that’s why David continually reminds us in the Psalms to sing and worship and praise God.

On Sunday December 15th, a bunch of brave souls, including my not quite so brave self, went out in the bitter cold to knock on doors and give out Bibles and invitations to Harvest London’s Christmas Eve service, as well as to sing some carols that truly exalt Jesus Christ and His coming. Despite my chattering teeth and numb toes, I opened my mouth to join in the chorus with these other saints.

As we sang we saw a couple of folks come out of their house, listen or sing along with the carols, and then listen intently as one of several open air preachers on our team shared briefly what the true reason of Christmas is. In my heart I wondered if they would start to shut their doors, yell and swear, or simply give me that empty gaze I know too well. And while there was much staring, most people who were willing to bear the cold with us and soak in what we were saying and were filled with joy and/or wonder at a bunch of cold witnesses for Christ who were willing to share real, lasting joy with them.

I even had a gentleman tell me and a friend when we handed him the Bible and an invitation to our Christmas Eve service that he was already wanting to come to our church! He then shared how grateful he was for receiving the gift of God’s Word.

I’m continually humbled by God’s grace to us; as we step out in faith and obedience, He truly does allow us to partake in innumerable blessings – ones that are not self-serving but all for God’s glory.

Being a witness for Christ is truly not about us as the vessels for His use, it’s all about the One who came as a tiny baby through a virgin girl so He could one day die on a cross and deliver us from the depravity of our sin, and God uses the weak and foolish to shame this world and bring honour and glory to Himself. He is our praise, He is the reason we sing “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled”, He is the reason we speak the truth to a dying and lost world.

This Christmas and beyond, think of how He laid down His life for you, and be open to die to yourself that others may see Him and hear the words of life that can save their souls.

Bronwyn Smith is currently involved in teaching Children’s Ministry and serving each week on the Extreme Gospel Outreach Team of Harvest Bible Chapel London. Her main passion as a follower of Christ is to see Jesus exalted through sharing the Gospel regularly and building up and stirring up other men and women of God ‘to love and good works.” (Heb. 10:24)

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Click here or on the Vimeo pic to the right to watch the funny way that a holiday heckler of days gone by wished us a “Merry Christmas”

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YOUR PRAYER PULSE FOR 2014

As one Christian leader appropriately said: “Prayer must be our first priority, not our last resort!”

As such, there are three very specific petitions that we humbly request that you present before the Lord on our behalf related to where we believe He is leading us in 2014:

Equipping Christians and Churches

Equipping evangelists within local churches is the heartbeat of The Cross Current. Please pray that the Lord allows us to equip more Christians and their churches for the work of evangelism ministry. Also, this year we will again be providing very specialized “Church Champion Training” to a group of evangelists from several local churches. Please pray for the Lord to help us with all logistics related to this retreat and for the overall fruitfulness of our training time together.

Radio Ministry

Outreach radio has always been part of the discipleship DNA of The Cross Current. Not only does TCC Radio connect Christians in conversation with non-Christians, but it has also proven to be a powerful resource for unifying local churches in the Gospel. As we continue to broadcast in London and the Waterloo Region, please pray for the fruitfulness of our new relationship with UCB Canada, for the Lord to open doors for further radio exposure in other cities across Canada, and for the development of solid ministry relationships with more partner churches.

Financial Support

With less than 2% of Canadians under the age of 29 attending church, it’s no wonder that more and more churches across Canada are closing. We all know that the only hope for our country is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Please pray that God will speak to the hearts of more and more supporters who will give generously and cheerfully to our work of equipping pastors and their churches in Canada to more faithfully and more urgently share the Gospel. Should you or anyone else you know personally choose to give, please visit the Donate page of our website here.

Continue keeping a pulse on our prayer needs

Bookmark our ministry calendar to continue praying for our local missions

On behalf of our family and ministry team, we thank God for you and your partnership in the Gospel and it is our prayer that you and your church enjoy the blessings of the Lord for your faithfulness throughout the New Year!

For His Glory,

The Cross Current Team

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