Meet Brian (6)

If you look at the picture with Keith, you can see Brian in the background. While I was talking to Keith I could see Brian was listening in. We also caught eyes several times and man, was that ever uncomfortable. If I had the choice of witnessing to strangers or locking eyes accidentally with a stranger for a split second...Man, that would be a toughy.

I used the fact that he was listening in and we uncomfortably caught eyes to start our conversation. He agreed that he was uncomfortable during those eternal split seconds as well.

Brian was from New York but I didn't hear any accent (too bad, because that would have been sweet). He had grown up going to catholic school. I knew he had heard about God's Laws and so I told him that I was going to run him through some scenarios that are very familiar to his catholic upbringing but the end will be much different from what he had learned in the catholic church.
He had 15 minutes till class and I asked him for 10 of them.

Maybe I can explain what I am talking about when I say 'I run people through the Law'. When I say Law I don't mean every single one of God's Laws. There are laws in the old testament that we do not follow anymore because we are in the new testament. Out with the old and in the with new, so to speak. But it is not a total trashing of everything in the old. The new testament speaks of the end of the law (Col 2:16, Rom 10:4, Gal 3:23-25, Eph 2:15). But there were some laws that Jesus carried through to the New Testament. He brings forth the Ten Commandments, the moral law of God leaving behind the civil and ceremonial laws that were specifically written for the Jews. All of that to say, Jesus brought the Ten Commandments before sinners and therefore I want to to. So, I use the Law to show people their need for Jesus (Ga; 3:24, 1 Tim 1:8-11).

If we are honest everyone will admit to breaking the Laws of God.

1)Have you always put God first in your life?

If you break any of the following laws then you have broke this law.

2)Have you ever treasured anything more than you do God?

This is the negative side of the commandment #1.

3)Have you ever used God's name without giving it the respect it deserves?

For example, OMG!

4)Have you always set apart one day in seven for God?

5)Have you always honored your parents?

6)Have you ever hated (strongly disliked) someone?

God calls that murder. (Mat 5:21-22, 1 John 3:15)

7)Have you ever looked at someone and had X-rated thoughts?

God calls that adultery. (Mat 5:27-28)

8)Have you ever taken anything that did not belong to you?

For example, music off the net or candy from a store.

9)Have you ever told a lie?

10)have you ever been obsessed with something?

I normally just go over #'s 9, 8, 3, and 7.

Brian understood he would be guilty but didn't get that Hell made sense. I explained to him why Hell is reasonable and it made sense to him.

By now, my time was almost up. I think a good question to ask people when I am done going through the Law and sharing the Gospel is to ask them, "Why would you not respond to this message today and submit your life to God?"

He said he still had other questions. In a way, I can feel for him. I had questions too, but when I seriously started questioning God (beforehand I didn't care about God, but when I thought about if it were true then I seriously started questioning) I also seriously started searching for answers. Not just to prove God and the bible, but also to disprove. I wanted the Truth, no matter where it led me. Funny thing was it lead me to Christ (John 14:6).

I recommended he read 'The Case for Christ'. It was a fast, interesting read and answered all the biggest questions in a way that wasn't some fringy psycho kinda way.

I also gave him an invitation to my church and I hope to see him this weekend. That would be awesome. It was a great talk.