(Continued from previous post)
The team of about 16 people arrived on Bourbon Street at 11:00. After we prayed together, I found a spot to stand in the street and lifted up a prayer to the Lord that I might be useful to Him that night.
It was much more crowded than it had been the first time I went. The noise of music was louder and the smells were much stronger. Once again there were many mockers angrily cursing Jesus as they walked by us. But in the midst of it all, person after person stopped to talk to us. Some were angry and unbelieving and wanted to tell me. Some were backsliders who were convicted of their sin and angry. One such lady stood nose to nose with me, screaming at me with obscenities at the top of her voice. At one point she grabbed the back of my neck and I braced myself for what might be about to follow. I continued to respond to her with the Word of God and watched as right before my eyes she began to break and weep. She removed her hand from my neck and her friends pulled her away back into the crowd. I talked to many people that night who professed to be Christians and yet were partying it up on Bourbon Street. I encouraged them to forsake their friendship with the world and to walk in holiness for the glory of Jesus. Once again this week I saw people fall under conviction as they walked by the cross.
I have had people ask me (and I have asked myself) if this type of ministry is effective and profitable. I didn’t have an answer for that question until December, 2011. And now I can answer yes. I have seen God at work on Bourbon Street through the preaching of the gospel. I never would have thought I would be doing something like this. But over the last year the Lord has renewed my passion for the proclamation of the gospel and how I thank Him for the joy of being part of what He’s doing.
May we all, in whatever way the Lord provides, be faithful ambassadors of our Lord Jesus Christ, unashamedly making Him known in the earth.
For New Year’s Eve I had made plans to return to Bourbon Street with the people of Raven Street Church. All week long there had been a battle in me over whether or not I was going to return. My time there the previous week had been very difficult and I struggled all week with feeling inadequate for such a work. My natural temperament is reserved and quiet, so such a hostile environment left me feeling quite out of my element and unable to minister to anyone. The experience was humbling, as I very clearly saw my own weakness. It was a crushing (and necessary) blow to pride. One that kept me down for most of the week. I could hardly bear to think of returning to experience such a paralyzing ineffectiveness again. And yet……..at the same time I felt so strongly compelled to go. Thus the battle.
Friday afternoon I sat at my table feeling desperate to hear something from God regarding all of this. I opened my Bible to the place I had left off reading – 2 Corinthians 3 and almost immediately the Lord brought peace to my heart through His Word….
And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech–
The last portion caught my attention because it addressed my need – “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech–” I looked up the word hope and found it to mean a confident expectation based on solid certainty. I searched the previous verses to find out what this solid certainty is that created a confidence that led to great boldness – “the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory”. Something clicked, and a truth that I had already known became much more solidly established in my heart – the message that we bring is a glorious message. Because of our wonderful Christ and His wonderful gospel, we can be very bold because of our confidence that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation…regardless of the weakness of the messenger.
I felt as though 10,000 pounds had been lifted from my heart. With great thankfulness to the Lord I rejoiced in the peace that washed over me concerning the trip to Bourbon Street the next night.
To be continued…..
He is my Delight 