Michelle is terminally ill, she desires baptism & the distracting heckler (the edited blurred-out video)

Before I began to preach to this crowd, this apparent Black Hebrew Israelite (although not confirmed) tried to distract me by engaging in a ‘one on one’ conversation with him, rather than share the Gospel with everyone else. Satan would have loved it had I submitted to his request, to engage in apologetics with him. But I don’t give worldings a microphone, and a box to stand on (a pulpit), as a crowd watches.

Some evangelists make an idol out of their “apologetics.” Some even erroneously believe that it’s “necessary” to know your opponent’s teachings. I agree with Dr. Voddie Baucham in this video, that it’s not necessary. Moreover, the Scriptures support that it is not necessary. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not in my skill, nor so called intellect (Rom 1:16). As Voddie said in his aforementioned video,

“Is your apologetics calling God a liar?”

God has already predestined whom He will save, and whom He will not. I cannot prevent a person from being saved, nor can I cause a person to be saved. My responsibility is to repent from the false deity of me, myself, and I. To faithfully preach (or share) both the Law and Gospel, and trust in the monergistic work of the Godhead. And give Him all the glory.

Nonetheless, I fell short by allowing him (and others) to distract me. That discipline is something I pray for before every outreach. But I’ll take ten Heralds who falter while participating in the streets, rather than 10,000 lukewarm spectators.    

Thankfully by God’s grace, because I preached to this crowd, even while this man continued to interrupt, this wonderful woman approached me broken and humble. Michelle responded to the Gospel call. Not in a salvific way (I don’t believe,) but to show how the Lord used this outreach to affirm her professed salvation, and to encourage her in the Lord.

Like so many others, Michelle is not churched. But she expressed the desire to be water baptized. She requested that I perform this ecclesiastical ordinance, but I advised her that my denomination only allows “ordained elders” to perform baptisms. And that our denomination would require a more timely process, and time was not on her side.

Lord willing Michelle will be contacting me soon. Michelle did give me permission to share this prayer request, and even the video footage. But I omitted 90% of our lengthy conversation.

Will my fellow born-again brethren join me in praying for Michelle? She also recently lost her husband, and her brother. 🙁

“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea” (Acts 8:36-40).