Street Preachers and Rainy Days

Street preachers!

Most people fall into one of two categories about these characters; intrigued or indifferent. Some roll down their windows to eavesdrop on what appears to be a conversation with absolutely no one. And others roll their eyes and drive by as if they’re not even there.

However, there is a third category that a small sliver of people actually fall; those who are judgmental. It’s this group that concerns me the most. And here’s why. If I’m honest, it’s the group that I associate with most often. Asking questions like “What is he doing? Is he preaching the truth? Why is he yelling? Doesn’t he realize nobody’s listening? Is that a KJV bible?”

Where is this coming from?

I was recently sitting in the 5pm traffic of a 4 way stop. There were about 12 cars in front of me and it took me 3-5 minutes to navigate my way through the intersection. This guy was preaching up a storm; literally. He was preaching in the rain. But why?

I’m not advocating or dismissing this street preacher’s tactics. But here’s the thing—this guy was making a statement. It’s possible that no person can recall a single word he spoke but his actions spoke very loudly that day.

Imagine this. If the flow of traffic remained as consistent for thirty minutes as it was for me in that five minute span, how many people became a thirty second congregation of this man’s preaching?

I’m a math guy so I crunched a few numbers. Assuming that 12 cars passed through each direction of the intersection every five minutes for a total of thirty minutes then this guy preached to approximately 300 people in the same amount of time as the average Sunday morning sermon.

Think about that for a moment. I live in the South where churches, steeples, and even street preachers is not a far reach for most people to recognize.

People are making assumptions and drawing conclusions about these religious institutions all the time, but where will these individuals turn in moments of crisis and difficulty? When they’ve hit their wits end or they hit rock bottom. When they’re looking for hope and peace. When they’re looking for a way up or a way out or way in.

Back to the guy preaching in the rain. My initial thought was “Why are you do this right now?” But in that brief five minute exchange my mind began to give way from being judgmental to being convicted.

That one guy was standing in the rain because of something he believed in so deeply that he was willing to make a sacrifice for the sake of hundreds of people he did not know.

I walk past (literally) hundreds of people every day at my job and wonder what mark did I leave on them that indicated I’m a follower of Jesus.

No I don’t have to yell and scream or brow-beat people with a Bible to tell them what I believe, but my life does need to be lived in a way that conveys a message of truth and love and grace.

Here’s what happens to the best and most well-intentioned Bible believing Christians. We become comfortable with our lives and begin to set routines and schedules where sharing the gospel with those around us isn’t prioritized or integrated regularly into our day.

I recently read the script of an interview of pastor J.D. Greear where he talked about sharing the gospel in the context of overseas missions. He made this statement, “I share Christ more, person to person, in a two-week span than I probably do the entire rest of the year here in the States.”

This is not a slight toward him. I deeply respect and admire his leadership and teaching (remember this is only a sound-byte of the entire interview), but I completely understand the level of difficulty and the multiple factors that play a role in sharing the gospel regularly. This is the reality–the prioritization of our schedules and our given context for evangelism is key.

I, like J.D. Greear, have been on multiple mission trips both locally and globally where the intent and sole purpose is to plan out our day looking for opportunities to share the gospel and meet the physical needs of those we encounter.

Then, upon returning home often finding myself sliding back into some comfortable routine of being entertained or spending countless hours trying to perfect some habit or hobby with my time.

I hope I never look at a street preacher the same again. In fact, I hope I will learn to see myself as one of those ‘street preachers.’ One who so strongly believes the gospel that I’m willing to inconvenience myself and make personal sacrifices to share the gospel in truth and love. There’s a world waiting to hear this gospel story; it’s time to start preaching rain or shine!