Occupy Till I Come

October 25, 2011, Illinois State University

     The riff raff representing the Occupy Wall Street protestors has occupied the area between the Student Union and Library at ISU.  Tents and sleeping bags and various kitchen utensils are spread about the area.  Throughout the afternoon there were 6-10 of them sitting around amidst signs promoting their mainly socialist cause.

      I usually speak on the green; however, I decided to take my stand near the occupiers to counter their demonstration.  Someone needs to stand up to these vermin and give them a basic education in economics and point them to salvation in Christ.

The "Occupy Wall Street" Riff Raff

      I preached, "We are here to occupy ISU, the city, the state and the nation.  Jesus said, 'Occupy until I come" and 'make disciples of the all nations.'  We are here to remove these protestors, not with violence but with the Truth.  Christians are commissioned to take over the world with the power of the gospel.  We intend to advance the Christian Empire.  Don't worry, we will not be sleeping outside; later we will go to a fine restaurant and sleep in a comfortable motel, thus contributing to the economy.  These people are not producing; they are parasites on society.  They want to rob from the producers and redistribute the wealth among the unproductive or less productive people.  They want to shut down the creators of wealth in this country and the providers of jobs. . ."

      Soon several of the demonstrators confronted me with signs.  One read, "People over profits."

      I retorted that profits are good for people.  One cannot separate profits from people.  In the parable of the talents the lord commended the servants who had made profitable investments with his money and he ordered that the unprofitable servant to be cast into outer darkness.  He took away the unprofitable servants one talent and gave it to the man who had turned his five talents into ten.  Not like communists who advocate from each according to his ability to each according to his need.  The lord in this parable does not equally distribute the wealth.  He gives the most to those he thought would make the most, to each according to his ability.  Profits are good for people because they enable the businessman to reinvest in his business and grow his enterprise, which then provides jobs and opportunities for others.  The beauty of the free enterprise system is that it put the means of production in the hands of those who know how to create wealth.  Wealth is not something to redistribute; it is something one must make.

     One protestor, thinking he was setting me up, asked, "When is the only time that Jesus got violent?"

      I responded, "Jesus drove the money changers (bankers) out of the temple of prayer, not out of the business district."

Jesus Commands the Christians to Occupy!

      One important factor in tag team preaching is to turn the meeting over to the other preacher at the right time.  I erred in calling upon Bro before I actually had the crowd solidified or committed to listening.  Thus Bro did not hold the crowd.  Meanwhile, I milled around the protestors camp reading their slogans.  Eventually, one of the more cordial ones, who claimed to be libertarian, invited me to sit with them and discuss the issues.  The others seemed to be outright socialists.  However, there was one anarchist I talked to.  The conversation was lively and one which I enjoyed.  I sat with them for thirty minutes.  We had one thing in common: they are practicing confrontation politics; I am practicing confrontational evangelism.

      I started preaching again and gathered a crowd which I thought was now ready for Sister Pat, who is very good at solidifying a crowd especially around the sexual issues.  Sister Pat is the Christian answer to Dr. Ruth.  Interestedly, both women are contemporaries; Sister Pat is 82 and Dr. Ruth is 83.  Too bad Sister Pat does not have the ear of the media like Dr. Ruth has had.

     I talked to some Christians including members of CRU who were respectful.  They asked me on my positions on Christian perfection, predestination, Roman 7, and approaches to Evangelism.  They were mature in that they were not attempting to correct me or argue but actually trying to find out what I believed and why I believe it.  One fellow from CRU admitted that he effectively works the crowd while I preach.  He acknowledged that in one of my previous visits to campus he met a Christian who became a member of their praise and worship team.

     My last round I was on the case of a promiscuous girl who admitted that she got saved and baptized in a Southern Baptist Church.  I asked her why she forsook the Lord.  She answered, "I do not like their patriarchal hierarchy." 

     "Try another church then; there are churches that ordain women.  I want to know why you are denying the Lord who saved you," I responded.

      "Jesus and I are OK; I am against organized religion," she countered.

      "How can you and Jesus be on good terms when you are being sexually active contrary to his teachings?  He told the naughty woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more."  When you are on good terms with Jesus, you will refuse to sin.

       I made her my main focus for much of an hour; I repeatedly admonished her for rejecting the one who suffered and died for her. 

       Sister Pat noted just before I closed the day in prayer that the girl's head was hanging low and Pat thought that she detected tears in the vixen's eyes.  She is a spirited and likeable soul.  She listened and interacted throughout most of the afternoon.

       Today was the first time that I have encountered the Wall Street occupiers.  We shall see if their movement will become prominent on campus.  I know these people well; they have the same spirit and ideas of the sixties protestors with whom I demonstrated back in my hippy and socialists days.  Two of them I talked to were glassy eyed.  I accused them of having been smoking pot; they did not deny it.  Most of these people are primarily motivated by sex and drugs, not the politics they promote.  The demonstrations and the camps they build add a little interest to their otherwise boring and unproductive lives.  They are a forlorn group much in need of salvation.  I hope to encounter them on other campus.  I can help them come to their senses.

      Jesus asked, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

       Most Christians seem to have a defeatist attitude, thinking the Christian witness will grow weaker and weaker at the coming of the Lord draws nearer.  I am determined that Jesus will find faith when he returns, that our investment in his Kingdom will turn profits.  I hope for a hundred fold return for Jesus' investment in me and other saints of God who are working in his vineyard.  The laborers are few; if one is not sowing, neither shall he reap.  With so few sowers no wonder so few are expecting a harvest.    

      Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, O, Lord.

     Top

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

October 27, 2011, University of Illinois,

     Both at the noon and 1 PM break I struck out as far as gathering an audience. A medical student, who stopped to listen, encouraged me. He remarked how college life promotes self-centeredness. I added that I do not know anyone who graduated from college a better person than they entered, unless they got converted during their college years. I suppose some who were Christians upon entering had their faith strengthened as a result of the much touted "college experience," but I fear more often their faith is weakened if not out rightly denied at least through their behavior.

     After my failure to draw a crowd, I decided to go in out of the cold and take a lunch break which I rarely do when on campus. I was happy to come back out about 1:30 and find that both Pat and Bro had several students surrounding them engaged in animated conversation. Before going inside I had prayed with Bro, who asked the Lord, "Bring in the clowns." Hecklers always help draw attention. Also, I returned to the car to get our signs which turned out to be helpful in bringing the groups around Bro and Sister Pat.  

    At 1:50 I started preaching again and managed to draw about 50 people; the numbers remained 35-50 for the rest of the day. On the sidelines a boy asked me to further expound on a subject I had been addressing to the crowd: that any religion or philosophy must give intelligent, reasonable, and coherent answers to the basic questions of life concerning origin, meaning, moral obligation and destiny. After answering his questions he shook my hand and said, "Your answers are coherent and reasonable." Then pointing to the crowd he said, "They are foolish and incoherent."

     A group of Moslems were in the center of the quad with a sign which read, "Ask a Moslem." Every now and then I directed disparaging comments in their direction. They claim to respect Jesus, while they deny that he is the Son of God and Savior of mankind. The Moslem with whom I had such good dialogue back in September engaged me again late in the afternoon. I hope he returns tomorrow; he is the most sensible Moslem which I have met. There was also a group of Moslems selling cupcakes to raise money for victims of the Joplin tornado. There were several groups selling cupcakes including next to the Moslems a group raising money to support our troops. When I expressed my surprise to Bro concerning the Moslem solicitors, he sarcastically said, "Hopefully the money is not going to Al-Qaida."

     We preached until 5:45. Each of us concluded that we had a lot of good listeners. There was a revealing buxom girl who eyes were riveted on me the whole time I preached. Keeping my eyes focused on her facial expressions, I sensed that she was contemplating my every word. Sister Pat had also noticed her. Sister Pat had considered telling the girl to button up, as she often does with girls who expose themselves. However, Pat feared that might distract the girl from her listening.

Lots of Listeners Today!

     Top