What I've learned from reading the bible and watching COPS

If I was a lawyer fighting a battle for someone in court, I would need to have proof. Actual, physical evidence in order to plead my case. I would need facts, undeniable truth to show the jury that I was telling them accurate information.
Jason and I watch COPS every Saturday night. This show is crazy! They catch people red-handed in the act of some illegal activity and these criminals will say up right and center that they did not do it. "I might be in a stolen car officer, but I didn't steal it. My friend let me borrow it. I can't remember his name or when he let me have it, but that's the truth!"
The thing that blows my mind is that before the show begins a voice comes on and says, "All suspects are innoncent until PROVEN guilty." The person may have stolen 6000 cars over the weekend, but the truth is that unless someone has some evidence, and some hard core, tangible, facts, and an eye witness, that man will walk away without a conviction.
In the same way, if I don't allow my heavenly Father to present himself fully in my life and ministry, in a factual, tangible way, and If I can't honestly bear witness to his power, people are going to walk away without a spiritual conviction.
We live in a world of skeptical thinkers. People who need facts and evidence, pros and cons, in order to weigh decisions and conform or not conform to certain ideas of life. What blows me away is that we as Christians expect to win souls for Christ by presenting them idle words about a God that we tell them they can not see, touch, feel or hear. We expect them to give their lives in surrender to someone they may have only heard of once, just because we've told them to. We assure them it's a good decision, that life will be better, that God loves them and that he is all powerful and real and they say 'prove it.' Unfortunatly, the last time that alot of us have had an actual physical, spitirual, mental and emotional encounter with God was during our Salvation moment.
I grew up in a Christian home, and was told that I uttered the words "Jesus, come into my heart," when I was three years old, but of course I don't remember that moment. I've grown in my Salvation, daily having my relationship with Christ become more real and intimate. The problem is that I, for a long time, thought that I had missed what everyone else got to experience. I often coveted the people who had a radical Salvation experience, and I use to think it would almost be better to have tasted a life without Christ so that I could have that moment, that one moment where God shows himself to his people, and fully know the beauty of a life with Christ. I guess I thought that at that moment of Salvation, God did something within a person that I would never experience or understand. I realize now how big of a lie this is.
In Exodus, God sends Moses to the Israelite people, his own God fearing people, to tell them God was going to do awesome things and set them free. He convinced them to follow his leading not through mere words, but through the signs and wonders that God enabled him to show them. He turned a staff into a snake and then reversed the process again. He showed them his deseased hand and they watched him heal it before their very eyes. Once they saw this, they followed him. Now the Israelites aren't really highlighted in scripture as being the easiest crowd to convince. They doubted God after the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, Manna from Heaven and the celestial creation of the ten commandment Tablets. But we expect people to follow God by words alone.....interesting.
Jason and I are being led, by God, to a new understanding of Christianity. Often times our churches conflict with the one we serve. Our churches appear powerless, but God is powerful. Our churches move slowly, God is radical and miraculous and can change everything in a moment. Our churches are often times run by means of popularity, God says please me not man.
God is not going to do anything to hurt us. It's time we not only believe that he can do radical things, but that we start putting ourselves out there in faith, believing and expecting them to happen, right now.
As an Evangelist, I am trying to convince a world without Christ that he is the answer, and I'm tired of doing that with my fingers crossed hoping they'll get it. Instead I choose to go out, scared to death more than likely, and expect God to convince people through me that he is alive, real, loving, powerful, the one and only God and I am not going to limit him to just my words alone. If you are sensing God moving you towards a radical new relationship with him, it's not going to be easy. You will in fact be persecuted by the people you least expected would persecute you, but don't loose heart.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For thiers is the Kingdom of Heaven" Matthew 5:10

"Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do....."