if you have ever walked past “free speech alley” at l.s.u. then you have probably experience the wrath that is the consuming fire fellowship. this “church” brings members (adults and kids) over to l.su. regularly and spouts hatred at pretty much anybody who walks by. if you’re wearing shorts, are walking beside someone who is wearing shorts, know somone who is wearing shorts, or you have ever looked at a pair of shorts then you are ripe for their condemnation. the consuming fire fellowship (hence forth cff) don’t mind it when people shout back at them because they rest in the confidence that JESUS said that those who followed HIM would be hated and persecuted (luke 6:26 & 2 timothy 3:12). the irony is that the nonCHRISTians who hear them don’t usually hate the cff. instead, they love them because the cff is great entertainment. people will bring their lunches outside and cheer as the cff spews their hatred. the only people who don’t really like the cff coming around are the CHRISTians because the cff fits into a hollywood stereotype of CHRISTians. the CHRISTians on campus end up getting painted with the same brush as cff and nobody really wants that.
one man has finally come up with the perfect answer for the cff. i haven’t met him yet but many of our students have. from what i know his name is ivan and he goes to free speech alley each week and sits close to where the cff preaches its hatred. he brings his newspaper and wears a shirt that simply says “JESUS talk.” ivan sits there until someone approaches him and asks what his shirt means. he then tells them that he is a follower of JESUS and has come out to free speech alley to listen to, pray with, and talk with people concerning his LORD. he doesn’t beat anyone up verbally. instead he is more concerned with getting to know these young men and women who were created by his LORD. ivan freely shares the gospel with anyone who approaches him but he never uses the gospel as a weapon to inflict hurt on someone. it has now reached the point that people track him down to ask him to pray for them. ivan gladly puts his paper down and shares GOD’s love with them. cff lives and says that GOD hates the students of l.s.u. and merely desires to condemn them. ivan lives and tells them that GOD loves them and wants to lead them to true life – the way it is supposed to be.
“JESUS talk” is a brilliant answer to the lies of the adversary. i wish i had thought of this seven years ago when i first moved to baton rouge. i guarantee that if there is a cff-like movement up at the unversity of wisconsin – stevens point that i will be following in ivan’s shoes as he follows in our LORD’s.
[tags]free speech alley, louisiana state university, JESUS talk[/tags]