Lord’s
Day, November 9, LONDON, ENGLAND- Arose 5 a.m. and following
private prayer and Bible reading, the preachers assembled again
in St. Albans, and made their way to the subway in Harrow, where
leaving the van, they took the underground train to London’s
Buckingham Palace.
The Preaching Van on which the SPF
Preachers traveled over 2,000 miles through England, Scotland and
Wales
SPF Ministers on the Subway from Harrow to London
Arriving in London, the street preachers exited the London underground
at the very front of Buckingham Palace, and were immediately met
by two British Officers before all of them had even gotten up the
steps. Said the Police Officer, “I know you are here to preach
and display your banners. We do not have any objection to your preaching,
or your banners. But this is England’s Memorial Day remembrance
of our military dead. The Queen will be laying a wreath just down
this street, and we will be having a moment of silence for our dead!
As nice as I can be, I am here to ask you, DO NOT DISTURB OUR MOMENT
OF SILENCE!”
Director McRae speaking with London Bobbie
Knowing
nothing to be gained by doing so, the SPF watched and learned something
about the British Crown. Stationing their banners just outside the
security zone, Doc Meador and Stephen McRae moved through the throng
to within 30 feet of the Queen of England and the Prime Minister
Tony Blair and resisting the temptation to have a say at the ‘Old
Girl’, stood and watched, with Dir. McRae 30 feet further
away doing the same.
The Queen of England and Prime Minister Tony Blair
And O, what a lesson in the pomp and circumstance of Dead Orthodox
Religious Apostasy! Over 1 million people gathered into a huge three
block area running in front of Buckingham Palace, as the Queen’s
Honour Guard, and the Regimental Band played out its salute to fallen
English dead. The SPF watched as 1 million voices sang in unison,
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hop for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
Under
the shadow of thy throne
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Time,
like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
O
God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home.
Then
with a death throbbing command, the Captain of the Royal Guard cried,
“Silence!” And all of London before the Palace fell
deathly silent as the grave. Never before, had any of the SPF members
present ever observed the likes, as over one million people fell
so silent, that you could literally have heard a pin drop to the
street before the War Office. Slowly, in the midst of that sea of
people, the SPF Director’s Bible rose before the crowd, and
just as quickly, the snipers on the roof tops trained down upon
him, and the post mounted cameras, a common sight throughout all
of England, silently rotated on their posts, and scoped down on
the single raised black King James Bible rising above the crowd.
Behind Director McRae, the iron gate of the speared fence opened
with a creaking noise, and British Officers moved through, and quickly
took up positions behind him. And O what a fitting illustration
and lesson played out right there before the once greatest empire
to ever rule the world. Said Director McRae, “You can profess
Christ as a nation and a kingdom, and sing and pray long prayers
even in public, to the glory of God; but when the King commands
all people to be silent, God’s people can still hold fast
the Bible, and it will help no one in the midst of such deadly silence
that damns men’s souls in this tragic hour of the world! To
hold this Bible up to be God’s word does nothing for anyone,
if we keep the silence out of fear or reverence and do nothing more.
We must obey God and preach the word of God, or else our only holding
fast the Bible is damnable apostasy in itself!! We learned and this
Director demonstrated that right there was the first time, and the
very last time members of this Fellowship will ever be silent when
commanded to do so! God forbid that we make proselytes to this damnable
silence in reverence to God and a pathetic religious dogma of not
offending anyone!”
Exiting the throng of people, the SPF preachers took up positions
directly in front of Buckingham Palace, as the multitudes of Londoners
headed towards the Palace. With banners unfurled, Ruben Israel cried
to the multitude of military families, “Jesus Christ is the
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah
9:6), and that outside of repentance toward God and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ, “there is no peace, saith my God, to
the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21). Brother Ruben stood flying the
same banner which he flew in Washington, D.C. the week before, decrying
in the time of war, “The Costs of Peace has Always Been Expensive”.
Even to this, the English Bobbies came forward complaining of “Offense!
Offense!” Demanding that the SPF Assistant Director unfurl
his banner, said they, “There may be a lot of people here
today that are against war. And when they see your banner, they
will be offended. That is in violation of Article 4 of the Parliamentary
Act of our country.” So Brother Ruben argued, and the others
kept preaching, until the appointed time that the street preachers
had to move on, to meet their appointment to preach at the famous
Free Speech area known as Hyde Park, London. Jumping the subway
across London, the SPF ministers entered Speakers Corner in Hyde
Park, finding several hundred typical “Athenians and strangers
which were there who spent their time in nothing else, but either
to tell, or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). A midst
this crowd led Brother Ruben Israel, who found himself amongst his
typical Berkley, California element of professional debaters, contradictors
and hecklers. Muslims having of late taken over the Speakers’
Corner, Brother Ruben led the street preachers straight through
the throng gathered to listen to two Moslems and one vain Baptist
Missionary from Texas, who thought it attractive to wear a multi
colored flowered western shirt, ten gallon cowboy hat and boots
to draw a crowd of educated Brits to, so he could say nothing offensive
to them, in name of Jesus.
Assistant Director Ruben Israel
Drawing Away the Crowd in Hyde Park, London
In his classic, Christian antagonists debut, Brother Ruben was quickly
surrounded, crying, “There goes the neighborhood! Here comes
the Christians!” Firing pointed jabs thick and fast into the
crowd, Brother Ruben cut down the propositions of both Moslems,
and show boat “christianettes”, atheists and agnostic
alike, sodomites and Anglicans.
Ruben Israel Chavez
Doing what he knows best!
With the crowd gaining in numbers, and increasing in their contradictions
and hecklings, Brother Ruben went from the assorted magnets of popular
issues that draw Athenianic crowds, and headed straight “to
the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (John
1:29). And like a well rehearsed tag team match, Brother Ruben turned
his back on the hecklers to face Director McRae, exclaiming, “Jesus
Christ can save you, and this preacher is going to tell you about
Him!” And not missing a beat, Director McRae stepped up with
Bible held high, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans
6:23). And just as Brother Ruben proved he could draw this type
of crowd quickly, Brother McRae proved he could just as fast drive
them away! Said Brother McRae, “I never cease learning from
experience! Obviously, these folks are not in the least interested
in hearing about their sin!”
Director McRae driving away Ruben’s crowd.
Not
being able to draw and keep a crowd while preaching to them personally,
the SPF street preachers did the next best thing. They “ran
in amongst them” (Acts 14:14), and physically took over their
speakers’ platforms, in sort of an impromptu, ‘You’ll
listen to me or else’! This strange act was learned on sight,
in observing a young African minister, by the name of John Whyte,
who took the speakers chair from the Buckaroo Cowboy American missionary,
and preached so well, that the crowd stirred to anger, and the SPF
ministers rallied in front and beside him to protect this well proven
brother from those who became exasperated at his message. When he
was finished, SPF Editor Stephen McRae mounted the cowboy’s
chair and held forth.
Journal Editor Stephen McRae
Commandeers the Cowboys’ Platform
As the young SPF Editor drew back the crowd his father had driven
away, there came into the midst a wild eyed black Moslem man, who
attempted to stop the young street preacher showering him with questions
about nothing. Howbeit, Stephen ignored his diatribes and kept pounding
away at all the sins of modern English youth, educated asses and
religious sodomites. Being frustrated, the educated professional
debater and college professor moved 50 feet away, and began his
own heated oration, which drew away about an hundred deaf ears.
To this, responded Brother Ruben, by breaking through the crowd
and getting “up close and personal” with the a-typical
soap box entertainer.
Ruben Israel Interrupting Professor Nothing-to-Say
As wary Moslems glare in the Rear
As the Frustrated Professor takes his crowd elsewhere,
Ruben continues speaking to the crowd.
As the Hyde Park nonsense continues, Brother Bruce Perrault finds
a convert off to the side, and while the din of the noise of speakers
goes on, a sinner goes down on his knees to God in prayer. Having
met a professing Lebanese Christian in Croydon, the day before,
Director McRae had spoken much with Hisam E. Mansoun concerning
Hyde Park. Mr. Mansoun had testified that he had attempted to speak
of Christ in Hyde Park, but the Moslems had beat him up so seriously
that he was hospitalized, so he was afraid of doing anything further.
Living in Croydon, Hisam had met with the SPF ministers upon High
Street, and was much taken with their bold preaching, though his
timidness got the best of him when the Bobbies showed up. Nevertheless,
he advised that he would be present in Hyde Park to witness how
the America Street Preachers handled the Moslems in Speakers’
Corner. Keeping to his word, Hisam stood and watched, and shortly
his heart was broken up, and in conversation with Brother Bruce
Perrault, quickly acknowledged that the Christianity of the American
preachers was missing completely from his life, and down on knees
Hisam went. Saying to the Director later, “I asked the Lord
to save me, and whatever it was He put into these preachers, please
put the same in me. For this truly is the Biblical Christianity
of the Book of Acts.”
Hisam Mansoun (left) with a friend in Hyde Park, London
Finishing
God’s “strange act” (Isaiah 28:21) in Hyde Park,
the SPF street preachers jumped the subway again, and traveled back
to Piccadilly Circus, where they spent the last 7 hours of Sunday
evening, preaching to 1 million sinners that passed before them.
Only heaven will be able to tell all that actually went on that
evening, and God Almighty physically drained 11 preachers, with
an unbelievable experience in laboring in His vineyard, and looking
“on the fields…white already to harvest” (John
4:35). Said Director McRae, “There was just so much work for
only eleven preachers to do!” Spreading out along the massive
intersection, the street preachers divided the crowd amongst themselves,
and literally never stopped preaching for 7 solid hours. Brother
Meador and Brother McRae joined ranks one block from the fountain,
and using the SPF preaching box, stood above the masses of people
walking by, and preached with all the strength God could give them.
At one point, while Director McRae preached, the crowd halted to
listen, and within 15 minutes the intersection was backed up for
blocks, and the police broke through to Dr. Meador asking, “We
have no problem with your preaching. But can you move across the
street for a bit of time, until the crowd disperses. You have the
area blocked all the way back for blocks.”
With Stephen and Ruben Standing by,
Doc Meadors points to his text and preaches atop Piccadilly Fountain,
London
Ruben Israel Chavez Calling Sinners to Repentance on Piccadilly
Fountain
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