Signs & Wonders Blog

When doing the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5), our job is to share the gospel and lead sinners to Jesus if they are ready. One fellow evangelist I met at a luncheon last weekend asked if I do what she called “shotgun salvations.” A few other believers have suggested I spend more time ministering to each individual. I beg to differ. Usually, I don’t witness to someone for more than two or three minutes, but there have been exceptions. One time at the University of Minnesota, I led a team that spent forty-five minutes ministering to a teenage girl who was homeless. She eventually prayed to get saved. A teenage girl on my team then felt led to give her coat to our new sister in Christ (it was a bit cold outside). Another time at North Dakota State University in Fargo, I chatted with a young atheist for about ten minutes. He wouldn’t pray with me but God kept giving me things to say to him. It was a seed-planting opportunity. One thing you want to watch out for is individuals who...

It’s often been said the gospel is so simple it takes the mind of man to complicate it. While evangelizing with other Christians, I’ve seen some give too much information. One night, I hit the streets with a woman who preached a sermon to everyone she approached. That wasn’t necessary since some of these people were already saved. Another time before an outreach I led, the pastor’s wife (who didn’t even go out with us) suddenly showed up and insisted we hand out large flyers promoting the church plus “Our Daily Bread” devotionals. Although two people got saved during this outreach, we could have seen more if our focus hadn’t been diverted to handing out all the extra literature. We already had gospel tracts, mini-Bibles, and business cards from the church. I usually give out gospels of John or Bibles only to people who don’t have one.  Then there was the time a man who I had dinner with showed me booklets he hands out when witnessing. In response, I showed him the “ Good News ” ...

Evangelism is a continuing education. As long as we remain teachable, we can always learn new ways to approach people and respond to certain situations. I’ve written a book on the topic, but take time to read those by other evangelists like the one by my mentor Nick Kinn . This past week, I read another book about soul-winning. Last Monday, I went to a church service in Arcade, New York. Guest minister Kevin Riordan had a table filled with copies of his book “Street Fisher: Living on Mission for God.” At the end of the meeting, I asked Kevin if electronic versions are available to download. He offered me a complimentary printed copy. I soon learned from his book that we come from similar backgrounds. Kevin and I were 27 when we committed our lives to the Lord. Both of us received salvation in March (although his conversion happened nine years after mine).  Many tips shared in “Street Fisher” are similar to what I teach in my evangelism seminars. Kevin includes many of his exp...

The Bible tells us to give honor to whom honor is due. Yesterday was the 70th birthday of the minister most responsible for helping me become a successful soul-winner. Therefore, I’ve written this tribute to him. Alex Nicholas Kinn Jr. was born on August 21, 1951, and grew up just west of Minneapolis. Like myself, he went through confirmation at a Lutheran church that didn't teach the necessity to be born again. Following high school and a brief college stint, Nick was drafted into the U. S. Army and got stationed in Germany. After his discharge, Nick returned to Minnesota and continued being an alcoholic. One night, he caused a drunk driving accident that almost killed six people. Meanwhile, a few Christians had reached out to Nick with the gospel. Two of them happened while he was in the military. Another person had slid a tract underneath his door. A turning point occurred 45 years ago today. After Nick had been out celebrating his 25th birthday, he got down on his knees at 2...

While growing up in Minnesota, my family had property on Big Sugar Bush Lake just north of Detroit Lakes. During the summer months, we spent almost every weekend there. Dad often went fishing. That wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed except when I caught a lot of fish. Years later, the Lord called me to be a fisher of men. As a young Christian, one of the most powerful sermons I heard compared evangelism to fishing. Pastor Mac Hammond mentioned five key points to successful soul-winning. I will list the points below along with my thoughts on each one… Go Where the Fish Are.  Many Christians fish out of their bathtub. If you’re always surrounded by other believers and isolate yourself from the lost, you won’t have opportunities to lead sinners to salvation. Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Go Where the Fish Are Hungry. Although everyone needs to hear the gospel, those who are well-off financially usually aren’t ...

Recently while hanging out at Panera Bread, I heard a variety of songs playing on their sound system. One of them was the 1980 hit “Wondering Where the Lions Are” by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn. For the next few days, that song kept going through my mind. Soon I got to thinking about lions in Scripture. The lion is often called “The King of the Beasts.” Its furious roar can be heard for up to five miles causing other creatures to freeze in their tracks. Contrary to popular belief, lions abide in the woods or fields, not in jungles. Nor will you usually find them walking around in cities and towns. That’s why it’s ridiculous for the lazy man to claim in Proverbs 22:13, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” Lions are mentioned in prophecy. In Ezekiel 38, the “young lions” refer to countries birthed from the U. K. including the United States. The first of the four living creatures in Revelation 4:7 is “like a lion.” Revelation 5:5 refers...

Over the years I‘ve had a few individuals tell me I shouldn’t be doing street evangelism alone. They think it’s unscriptural because Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. Certainly, there are advantages to going out in pairs or groups. Deuteronomy 32:30 says that if one can chase a thousand, two can “put ten thousand to flight.” There is power in agreement. However, that doesn’t mean Christians are useless by themselves. There are examples in the Bible where individuals ministered to others without having fellow believers with them such as Philip leading the Ethiopian eunuch to salvation (Acts 8:26-40). While I prefer having a partner with me on the streets, many times no one else has been available or willing to join me. One day while staying at a church in Hanover, Germany, the Lord told me to go out and evangelize that afternoon. But except for handing out a couple of tracts, I resisted doing so because I wanted someone else ministering with me. While venting before t...

In the period preceding and during the American Revolution, there were colonials who volunteered to fight the British at a minute’s notice. That’s why they were called Minutemen. During a State of the Union message nine days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001, President George W. Bush told the U. S. military “Be ready.” As soldiers in the army of the Lord, we should always be prepared for sudden opportunities to fulfill the Great Commission. A large percentage of the people I’ve led to Christ occurred in the marketplace as opposed to planned outreaches. For example, I was walking home one night and saw five boys playing touch football in a church parking lot. A thought crossed my mind that when their football landed by me, that would be a signal for me to witness to them. Seconds later, the football bounced my way when one of the boys made a bad punt. However, I continued walking wanting time to myself. When I got home, God kept telling me to “go back.” So I put my shoes o...

When you step out to fulfill the Great Commission, be prepared for some Christians who will challenge your motives. A former Facebook friend I never met personally once wrote accusations against me on my wall based on erroneous information. I emailed a message to him offering to discuss his concerns privately. Instead, he posted another public comment “warning” other people about me.  Sadly, another Facebook friend I had been ministering to chose to believe this man’s lies. Before I could email her an explanation, she blocked me after sending a message complaining about my “boast posting” (referring to my evangelism reports). This is how Satan can use believers to “sow discord among the brethren” , which the Lord hates! (Proverbs 6:19) The dictionary defines boast as “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one’s achievements.” It’s not wrong for a believer to testify what the Lord has done through him as long as He gets the glory. Psalm 34:2 says, “My soul sh...

I’ve been faithfully doing evangelism now for twenty-three years. During that time I’ve used a variety of gospel tracts but prefer ones that include a salvation prayer at the end. Sometimes the Lord will lead you to approach people who don’t have time to talk but are willing to read something later. One day I stopped at a convenience store in Virginia and gave a tract to a young Russian woman working behind the counter. When I happened to stop by there again the next day, this woman thanked me for the tract. I found out she prayed a prayer like the one pictured here and gotten saved! Nevertheless, there are Christians opposed to leading people in a “sinner’s prayer.” One reason often cited is “it’s not in the Bible.” Yet we have other generally accepted traditions not specifically mentioned in Scripture. Sunday schools cannot be found in the Bible yet many churches have them. The same thing could be said about altar calls for salvation.  “Sinner’s prayer” critics seem to...

One time I was with a fellow missionary at a park in Tampa, Florida where groups of people prayed with us. It was a challenge keeping a correct count of salvations because some kids followed us around and prayed again. Still, I made sure I didn’t write down two salvations for each person praying twice. It grieves me when I see ministers inflate their numbers to where their praise reports aren’t truthful. During another outreach I took part in, nine of us led 46 people to the Lord. On our way back to the church, one woman mentioned praying with 21 people five days before. Later that night, one of the other laborers posted this on Facebook: “We gained 67 new brothers and sisters in Christ tonight ." One man who filmed various Christian events with audiences in the hundreds noticed the evangelist claimed “thousands attended.” There were other events where thousands showed up but was later reported as “tens of thousands.” This practice has been jokingly called “evangelisti...

Mention the phrase “first love” and people often think of a significant other. During grade school, there were numerous girls I liked. One who I consider my first real girlfriend was named Kathy. We were first-grade classmates at Riverside Elementary School in Moorhead, Minnesota. Then I got transferred to a different school but came back to Riverside for sixth grade. Once again, Kathy and I were in the same class. We started exchanging notes and calling each other. On February 14th of that school year, I received two valentines from Kathy. I also received valentines from kids that made fun of our relationship or discouraged it. Nevertheless, Kathy remained an off and on girlfriend throughout my junior high years before she broke up with me for good. We remained friends during high school. Kathy always smiled at me whenever we passed each other in the hallway.  The last time I saw Kathy was in 1983 when I was 19. My dad sent me to Godfather’s Pizza one night to pick up d...

Among the greatest tools for spreading the gospel is the printed page. I praise God for organizations like The Gideons who distribute Bibles throughout the world. Sometimes I give away their New Testaments to people who don’t have a copy of God’s word. Other times I give out gospels of John produced by the Pocket Testament League . Still, I believe the greatest evangelism tool is a simple gospel tract. This handy “little preacher” is able to do what many of us often fail or are unable to do.  Consider the following advantages of using gospel tracts… The gospel tract never stumbles over words or forgets important Scriptures. The gospel tract can be given during extremely brief encounters (when making a purchase, passing someone on the street, etc.). The gospel tract never gets sidetracked or caught up in an argument. It just gives the message of salvation, plainly and clearly. The gospel tract is never intimidated or fearful. The gospel tract is never tempted to comp...