a sidetrip to the nation's capital
Greetings, once again, in the name of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We need prayer. Today was somewhat rough.
It began when we left Richmond and headed to Washington, DC. Once again, the streets of Richmond were practically dead, so we drove north. Enroute to Washington, we decided to stop north of Fredericksburg at Guinea Station, the place where Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (one of the finest examples of Christian godliness and Gospel dedication in American history—in my opinion) died on May 10, 1863 following the battle of Chancellorsville. I have long been a Civil War buff and an admirer of Jackson, so I wanted to pay my respects. Anyway, I had a really good witnessing encounter with a young ranger who was working at the site. He couldn't have been much older than 21. I explained that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was of upmost importance to me as it was for General Jackson. After some profitable discussion in which he expressed overt interest, he took a tract and promised to read it. I then moseyed into the main office to share the Gospel with the ranger behind the desk. This guy (about forty years old, blowhard, military-type) literally went ballistic. I have rarely seen such bitter hatred for the Gospel of Jesus Christ coupled with downright belittlement. After he ranted and raved about separation of church and state (his conception of this, much like the conception embraced by our backwards court system in America today, was diametrically opposed to the concept espoused by our Founding Fathers and held dear by Baptists across the centuries) and accused me of breaking the law by sharing the Gospel on "federal property" (property, by the way, that my tax dollars pay for). Can you believe that? I simply picked up the Gospel tract he had thrown down and parted with a quiet proclamation of Matthew 7:6:
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”
The saddest detail about the whole encounter is that this guy claimed to be a "born again, Baptist fundamentalist." If this is the kind of "Christians" that Baptist churches are putting out, then Laodicea is most assuredly upon us (Revelation 3:14-22). Jamie and I were both pretty distressed about this and could see that the younger ranger was embarrassed by his boss' actions. We are just earnestly praying that the self-proclaimed "Baptist Fundamentalist" didn't steal the seeds planted with his younger co-worker after we left.
Guinea Station, Virginia—where General Stonewall Jackson uttered his last words: “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.”
Anyway, this encounter soured things early on. Upon arriving in Washington, we were able to settle into this sweet apartment that a Christian sister we have never met is lending to us for the weekend while she is out of town (a true blessing). The apartment is close to downtown, so we hopped on the metro and headed for the Supreme Court. Once we arrived, I wanted to preach but found myself unable to open my mouth. Seriously, this was extremely strange and there seemed to be no legitimate explanation for it. I found myself suddenly intimidated and "tongue-tied." Every time I preach on the streets, I am always a little nervous, but I have never run into this problem. So, we left the Supreme Court (not many people out on the street anyway) and went to the Capitol. Here, I froze up again. Then, it was on to the White House. After some earnest prayer, my tongue was finally loosed with a public reading of Romans 1, followed by about 45 minutes of preaching right where all the people were coming to have their pictures made on Pennsylvania Ave. Numerous Gospel tracts went out and many people heard the Gospel. Some security guards came over to investigate, but nothing was said. As we ultimately departed, two college guys chased us down to thank us for proclaiming the Gospel. They were both Christians, and their encouragement was a divine blessing. By this time, it getting dark. We walked over to the Lincoln Memorial where I was able to hand out a few more Gospel tracts, but once again, I was unable to preach. Frustrated, we called it a night. I cannot explain or comprehend what the hesitancy was all about. I am unsure if God was keeping my mouth closed as he did to Zacharias in Luke 1, or if my flesh or fear was the hindrance.
Preaching on Pennsylvania Avenue outside The White House.
I think we might bail on Philadelphia and spend another day in Washington (we are still praying and seeking God's will on this matter); the work seems unfinished here. Pray that we both will openly embrace the exhortation of II Timothy 1:7-8:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”
It is really important to us that the Word is publicly proclaimed on the steps of the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol—two important symbols of a national government that has turned its back on God and the Christian principles that our Founding Father embraced when this nation was conceived in liberty. Please pray that God sends people our way who are ripe to hear the Words of life. The streets have been strangely quiet here as they were in Richmond. Moreover, the few people that are out and about seem to be overtly hostile to the Truth.
I should quit rambling at this late hour. Please make intercession for us tomorrow as we again attempt to take the Gospel to the streets of our nation's capital. Only in the power of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit can we hope to succeed.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jesse and Jamie Boyd
Full Proof Gospel Ministries
II Timothy 4:1-5