OK, so that's probably the best way to describe the second day (first full day) of Ambassadors Academy #11. It was day full of teaching and training in evangelism from one evangelistic "hero" after another. I say hero, not because of any celebrity status, but because these guys are the real deal. The are down to earth men who love Jesus with a passion and not only talk about reaching the lost, but men who make it a way of life. Talking with them and learning from them truly made me feel like a boy among big men. It was such an honor to be taught by the Lord through these men - and each of them carries an evangelistic trait that I pray would one day be said of me.
My team leader was Steve "The Pusher" Sanchez. Steve spills enthusiasm all over the place. There is nothing too crazy for him. In fact, when we were leaving for the airport Sun
day morning, he was packing his stuff to lead a team to a gay pride parade to be attended by an estimated 400,000 people. He has preached from the red carpet at the American Idol finale and many, many other events. I am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to allow me to learn from Steve during the Academy. The greatest lesson I learned was that anywhere you find people, you find a place to share the Gospel. I pray that I become more like Steve in that I would no longer discount any avenue as an opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ!
day morning, he was packing his stuff to lead a team to a gay pride parade to be attended by an estimated 400,000 people. He has preached from the red carpet at the American Idol finale and many, many other events. I am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to allow me to learn from Steve during the Academy. The greatest lesson I learned was that anywhere you find people, you find a place to share the Gospel. I pray that I become more like Steve in that I would no longer discount any avenue as an opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ!I was blessed to learn from Stuart Scott (no picture ready to upload yet!). He is a quiet man who does not let that keep him from being a bold open air preacher. I pray that I would never allow my quiet/shy personality get the better of me and keep me from boldly reaching the lost.
I was also blessed to learn from Emeal Zwayne (Executive Vice President at Living Waters). He challenged u
s with the reality that evangelism is really a means by which we worship God. I had the opportunity to watch him on Friday and Saturday as he open air preached and dealt with hecklers. Despite the grief he was given by the hecklers, he never responded with anything but love and compassion, while all the while boldly speaking the truth without compromise. "E.Z." is a man who is so overwhelmed by his love for Jesus that he cannot keep silent. I pray that my love for Jesus would be that evident and spill over so freely through my actions and my words.
s with the reality that evangelism is really a means by which we worship God. I had the opportunity to watch him on Friday and Saturday as he open air preached and dealt with hecklers. Despite the grief he was given by the hecklers, he never responded with anything but love and compassion, while all the while boldly speaking the truth without compromise. "E.Z." is a man who is so overwhelmed by his love for Jesus that he cannot keep silent. I pray that my love for Jesus would be that evident and spill over so freely through my actions and my words.I have had a deep respect for Mark Spence (Dean of Students for the Way of the Master School of Biblical Evangelism) for a few years now, and that respect grew a great deal durin
g my experience in L.A.. Mark somes across like an everyday, average guy, yet is very profound. He matches that with wonderful wit and creativity. I also had the opportunity to learn a great deal by watching him open air preach over the weekend. At one point, a heckler threatened to bring over some friends to "double the number of people here to laugh" at Mark. Mark's eyes lit up and he replied, "Please do!" I pray that my love for the lost would become so strong that I would beg for more hecklers SO THAT I can share Christ with them, as well.
g my experience in L.A.. Mark somes across like an everyday, average guy, yet is very profound. He matches that with wonderful wit and creativity. I also had the opportunity to learn a great deal by watching him open air preach over the weekend. At one point, a heckler threatened to bring over some friends to "double the number of people here to laugh" at Mark. Mark's eyes lit up and he replied, "Please do!" I pray that my love for the lost would become so strong that I would beg for more hecklers SO THAT I can share Christ with them, as well. And what a blessing it was to finally meet and learn from Tony Miano! This man has become very dear to my heart. He has truly become an evangelistic pastor to me in many ways - from his blogs to his radio show, to his availability to provide answers, advice and help when I've needed it. When he told the people at the Academy, "I love every one of you," you know that he 
truly means it. He has a pastor's heart. There are too many things about Tony that I pray would one day be true of me to even start mentioning here, so I will just mention two. First, any time a heckler yells, "Shut up!" you know exactly what Tony's response will be - "I care too much about you to shut up!" I pray that I would love the lost so much that I will tell them the truth, no matter how much they hate me for it. With that, I pray that I could truly live up to his "Don't Quit!" challenge. No matter how discouraged, tired, or defeated I feel - there is too much at stake to ever give up on the work of evangelism.
truly means it. He has a pastor's heart. There are too many things about Tony that I pray would one day be true of me to even start mentioning here, so I will just mention two. First, any time a heckler yells, "Shut up!" you know exactly what Tony's response will be - "I care too much about you to shut up!" I pray that I would love the lost so much that I will tell them the truth, no matter how much they hate me for it. With that, I pray that I could truly live up to his "Don't Quit!" challenge. No matter how discouraged, tired, or defeated I feel - there is too much at stake to ever give up on the work of evangelism.And, being a Way of the Master event, of course I was blessed to learn from Kirk Ca
meron. Here is a man who was willing to take whatever consequences came to his career to stand for Jesus Christ and partner with a ministry like the Way of the Master. It might be easy for some to dismiss him as just "Mike Seaver," but Kirk is a very smart man with a firm grasp of apologetics. However, he realizes that apologetics do not save - it is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can save a soul from hell. I pray that I would also be willing to set aside any concern for reputation for the sake of standing for Jesus Christ and reaching the lost with the Gospel!
meron. Here is a man who was willing to take whatever consequences came to his career to stand for Jesus Christ and partner with a ministry like the Way of the Master. It might be easy for some to dismiss him as just "Mike Seaver," but Kirk is a very smart man with a firm grasp of apologetics. However, he realizes that apologetics do not save - it is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can save a soul from hell. I pray that I would also be willing to set aside any concern for reputation for the sake of standing for Jesus Christ and reaching the lost with the Gospel!And last, but certainly not 
least, is the man who got the whole Way of the Master ball rolling - Ray Comfort. What you see is truly what you get with Ray. He is the real deal. He lives to share Jesus with the lost - period. In fact, our bus was still moving in Hollywood and he was already heading for the door, with his eyes fixed on the crowds of lost souls walking the streets. By the time the rest of us were off the bus, he was already mid-conversation with someone on the street. He loves Jesus. He loves the lost. He loves living for the Lord. He truly exhibits the "joy of the Lord" as his strength. I pray that sharing the Gospel would become such an abundant joy to me.
least, is the man who got the whole Way of the Master ball rolling - Ray Comfort. What you see is truly what you get with Ray. He is the real deal. He lives to share Jesus with the lost - period. In fact, our bus was still moving in Hollywood and he was already heading for the door, with his eyes fixed on the crowds of lost souls walking the streets. By the time the rest of us were off the bus, he was already mid-conversation with someone on the street. He loves Jesus. He loves the lost. He loves living for the Lord. He truly exhibits the "joy of the Lord" as his strength. I pray that sharing the Gospel would become such an abundant joy to me. What an honor to sit at the feet of these men as they pointed me to the feet of the Master. By the time we were done Thursday night, we were all chomping at the bit to hit the streets the next day! In fact, some of us couldn't wait - literally. A couple team leaders invited us outside the hotel (this is about 10 PM) to go to the sidewalk, get up on the box and practice "stop light preaching" (more on this on Day 3). So, there we were, thinking that we were just practicing and getting our timing just right. That was, until we ventured across the street to a parking lot where people were coming and going from Wendy's and a couple other stores. We realized that the people in the parking lot were able to hear everything we were saying loud and clear!
I went to bed that night spiritually feeling like I had just sat down to a feast! I was fed and ready to get some spiritual exercise. And that's what Day 3 was all about!
Next time: Day 3!
