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Cornerstone Communications
Korea
July 30, 2008

Newsletter Contents

1. Greetings
2. VIDEO
3. Teaching for July…. Evangelism 101
4. Text from the Video (for those who’d rather read)
5. Closing

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Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Seoul, Korea! I have never been so happy to be in a Christian nation before! As you know, I just came from Kazikhstan, but with imprisonment hovering over me there, I was never too comfortable, for I never knew when I might be arrested. God was good, and got me out of there! Watch the video report.

This Update is special, because it's been created entirely on my brand new Mac! I still don't really know what I'm doing, but the possibilities are endless. With my PC, I had reached the peak of creativity, but here, the sky is the limit. This month, the newsletter will be a little different, but as I learn new "tips and tricks", you should start to see a better video. Let me know if you have any ideas that might make this video report better!

VIDEO MESSAGE

JULY TEACHING

Evangelism 101

I was speaking at a meeting, and asked the congregation, “How many of you have witnessed?” Many of the hands went up. I then asked, “How many of you have succeeded?” Many of the hands went down. I then said, “Actually, you’ve all succeeded.” Sharing Jesus Christ with a world that is almost hostile to His message can be a scary thing (like Kazakhstan) , but when you do, you’ve succeeded to at least make them aware of a loving Savior.

Sometimes, as we look at the life that goes on around us, we can feel like aliens in enemy territory. We want to just pass through it, and get to the other side, without getting involved in “any of that icky stuff” we see around us. I mean, piercings from here to there, hair painted in primary colors, and tattoos sporting everything from demons to naked girls.

Yet, if I’m serious about my relationship with Jesus Christ, then I must make evangelism an important part of my Christian life. Some Christians are scared to talk to anyone who looks, acts, or talks different from their church friends, and the only contact they have they can’t avoid, like coworkers, or laborers, like painters, repairmen or anyone else who comes to work on their home.

Did you know that the majority of Christians never share the gospel with anyone in their lifetimes? Not even once? Of those remaining, the only time someone has attempted to share their testimony is when the pastor asked if they were a Christian, or when sharing with a Christian friend how they became a Christian.

Do you know what’s worse? Maybe it’s because I look so “holy”, but no one has ever stopped me and told me about Jesus! I think it’s a tragedy of modern Christianity. Christians adore sitting around nodding their heads about the fact that the world is so lost, but wouldn’t dream of coming out of their little Christian bubble to make a difference.

The fact is evangelism is for every Christian! It’s a part of the joy we have in knowing Jesus Christ, to share our testimony with others who don’t yet know Him, and it’s also very important to expanding the Kingdom of God in the world around us.

I shared my testimony with a stranger here, and a Christian asked me, “Wow, you were so good.” Was I? Not really, I just opened up. However, this comment stayed with me for a few days, and I realized that I need to share Christ with others wanting to do the same, but are afraid to. There are TWO kinds of evangelism: Street and Home Evangelism.

Street Evangelism

First of all, let me tell you what it’s NOT. This type of evangelism is NOT standing on the street corner, yelling at everyone who goes by. It’s NOT standing in a crowded mall passing out tracts to hundreds who shun you. It’s actually quiet easy. However, you first must make a decision to open yourself up to tell others about Christ. It’s people you come in contact with “on the street”. Maybe they’re at the grocery store, or the bank, or another place were you would come in contact with people you are spending a few minutes with. Whatever reason that you are in the same place at the same time only God knows, but I like to see it as God’s moment for me to share with them. After all, I’m "the salt of the earth", right? “If that salt has lost it’s flavor, it’s useless”.

II Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word, be instant IN season and OUT of season.” Street evangelism is the OUT of season. It occurs in times when you’re not necessarily ready to preach. Are you “preaching”? No. You’re sharing your testimony!

The fact is, you’re probably scared, and your heart is beating rapidly, after all, you have TWO voices yelling at you: The first voice: “You’re not really used to sharing with someone you don’t know, they’re going to reject you, or yell at you. Don’t do it!” The second voice is more calm: “Don’t worry, just say something, and I’ll lead” Listen to the second voice.

Here are some suggestions:

DON’T Tell them how to be saved. “Do you want to become a Christian?” DO SHARE your testimony. “God has been good to me. The other day…”

DON’T Shove the Bible down their throat: “Accept Jesus now, or burn in hell!” DO SHARE God as a friend, not a judge: “Without Jesus in my life, I don’t know what I’d do.”

DON’T Ask pointed questions: “If you died today, do you know where you’d go?” DO SHARE your experience: “I’ve never heard that before. It reminds me of the time when I became a Christian.”

I remember reading an interesting article about “Feel, Felt, Found”, written years ago by a pastor in a Christian magazine. He said we should use all three when sharing with the lost. For example: “Oh, I know how you FEEL, I have FELT the same way. What I have FOUND is that….” This has helped to open many doors to sharing the Gospel, and each time I have shared my life, I have never been sorry.

The last thing is probably the most important thing. I save it for last. Pray. Yes, pray how the Lord will use you to share, and what you’ll say. Take a few minutes, and write down your testimony. Next, edit it down to 2 minutes, and get used to sharing it. This will come in so handy when sharing the Gospel with others.

The biggest joy you’ll ever experience is simply telling others about your relationship with Jesus Christ. It will definitely deepen your relationship with the Lord, and a new burst of spiritual zeal will revitalize you as you share your Christian life with others. Go ahead, and don’t wait. There’s a world without hope waiting for you to share yours with them!

VIDEO TEXT

I arrived in Kazakhstan not sure what I would expect as it's my first time to the middle east. I was met by my host, Andrey and his wife Masha Kirillov. Astana is surprisingly beautiful, a modern day Utopia, with hundreds of brand new buildings going up. Christianity is suppressed by the Muslims, who hold power in the government. so there are lots of drunks are seen on the streets, homeless people are begging for food, and even palm reading and tarot cards are read to the poor and ignorant.

Still, as we went into auditions, I met lots of wonderful people. The Christian community is small, but they are on fire for the Lord. We went into rehearsals immediately, and began working on building the sets and making costumes. The churches here are poor, as membership is small. I met with the pastors working together for our production, Pastors Nikolay, Karim and Gennadiy.

Because of the heavy influence of the Muslims, the government refused us a theatre. I told the leadership to build the show anyway while we waited for a miracle. With one week before the show, we went to a 4th theatre and asked them if they had the dates free that we needed. They said they did. They rented us the theatre! We had a space!

We moved into the theatre, and as we built, we were told to stop. They said that we had lied to them, that we didn't have permission from the government. They met with the pastors, and decided to let us continue. The government warned the pastors that if the message was "anti-state" (which is spreading Christianity) , the show would be stopped and the director (me) would go to jail!

With just 4 hours before Opening, we were finally given official permission to OPEN! The Lord had honored our faith in Him.

The pastors warned me to have all important documents on me backstage. I was not to be seen, and if the show was stopped, I was to "run and hide and stay hidden until called". So, I sat close to the backstage exit, ready to bolt at any minute. I prayed, and if it meant going to jail again, so be it. We had done nothing wrong, except to put our faith in Jesus Christ. I couldn't deny Him, even if it meant imprisonment.

The police gathered while the authorities came to see and stop the show. The hall was so packed. The curtain went up, and the show went off great, and happily, we were not stopped. Afterwards, while the authorities waited for something to happen inside, we were passing out pamphlets on how to be born-again to the audiences outside as they left the theatre!

The second performance went off well with a packed house. We had an incredible turnout, and were able to share salvation through Jesus Christ to largely Muslim audiences! We can't know how many were saved, because of the heavy restrictions put forth against us, but we believe that hundreds were touched with the Gospel, and we won't know until heaven how many lives were changed because of our production.

I hugged my actors goodbye. I fell in love with the people there. I'm so grateful for all the help of the pastors, particularly Pastors Nikolay and Tatiana, but most especially to Andrey and Masha Kirillov. I flew on to Dubai, then on to Seoul, Korea to begin work on our next production.

Chuk Bok Hamnida!

That’s Korean for “May God bless you”! I still marvel at God’s saving power, not just for our souls, but for keeping me safe from prison. Actually, it was a "watershed" moment, as I had to make a decision if I was serious for the things of God. Would I cancel a show simply because imprisonment was imminent? I had to decide if I would be led by a spirit of fear, or the Holy Spirit.

Of course, we can all say that we'll follow the Lord when the threat is far away, but when it's upon you, it's amazing how you can start thinking of ways to "save your own neck". I'm happy to say that I chose the Lord. Yet, I sure was relieved to get out of Kazakhstan, for I never knew if they'd catch up with me later at the airport. Thank you for your prayers, and please keep praying for a successful production here in Korea. God bless you!

For the Kingdom,
Richard Montez