The Chronicles

"Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love" - 1 Peter 1:7,8


I went downtown Friday night after work, about 10 o'clock; at first there were less people out than usual as it was kind of damp and cool, but the traffic seemed to pick up some as I preached. The change in weather, especially the humidity, was hard on my voice for the first 15 minutes, and I wondered if I would continue, as I was having to stop constantly. But I decided to preach on anyway and the Lord helped. As I did, my voice became stronger and more adapted to the conditions, and He gave me much assurance of the things I was preaching.

I preached from 1 Pet. 1:7,8, that Christ is to be our chief love, and is to have all the affections of our heart. And in perceiving and trusting Christ, not by sight, but with faith, it causes the sinner to "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." And that those that look to Christ as the end of their life will "receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls." I then continued preaching on 1 Peter, starting at verse 3, about the unchangable and eternal blessedness of God who is abundant in mercy, and how in believing the sinner is risen from the dead to spiritual life by virtue of union to the risen Christ, and will receive an incorruptible inheritance in heaven.

The last part of the hour I was preaching from later in the chapter (v.15,16) where it says that we deal with a holy God, and we must be holy as He is holy. And that it is only by the blood of Christ (v.19), the Son of God, that the one who believes on Him is forgiven completely and fully of all of his or her sins. I closed with the last few verses of the chapter, that though all men die off as the grass, the Word of the Lord endures forever.

A number of people stood on the opposite corner listening for a while. More than a handful of individuals at various times came and sat down on some nearby benches and listened for 20 or 30 minutes. Many people walking by seemed affected by what I was saying, and the Lord was kind to send His Spirit along with His Word to testify to their heart the truth of it. The contrast between people going out to have a good time to please themselves and what I was saying seemed to be striking at times. A few people came up to me and talked with me for a while. One seemed to be a sincere fella a few years younger than me who appreciated what I was doing. Probably a few hundred people heard the gospel last night. One guy sitting on the bench listened a long time with his head in his hands and tears. Christ knows His own, and will manifest Himself to them.