Ocean City 2023

Greetings Beloved:

From Wednesday, May 31st until Friday, June 9th I was blessed to be a part of a team of 8-10 evangelists sharing the Gospel on the Ocean City boardwalk. We shared meals, hearts, fellowship, and the Word of God. Strengthened and edified, we launched out to the boardwalk with the wonderful Words of life for a lost and dying world.

On Sunday, June 11th, I was blessed to share our ministry message with Hatcher’s Memorial Baptist Church in Brentsville, Va. What a joy to share with the precious folks in this wonderful congregation! The fellowship was sweet!

Because of extreme fatigue and back pain, I felt it best to return home. Thankfully, the faithful team of evangelists were able to continue sharing on the boardwalk until Sunday, June 18th. Many thanks to our faithful leader, Erik Dressel, love180.com, for his wonderful leadership of our team.

Please pray for wisdom that I am able to discern God’s leading on how to handle my schedule in a way that would honor him and take care of me. Evangelism can be both very encouraging but also very exhausting. There are times I am physically and spiritually drained. Thank you for praying!

Brother Bill Wood’s Report

A tremendous blessing from my trip was meeting fellow evangelist Bill Wood from Baltimore, Md. Bill sat next to me and observed for a few days. This is what he witnessed:

“My name is Bill Wood and I recently met Mike Barko while he was evangelizing in Ocean City, Md—June of 2023.

I decided to sit down with him for an hour to see his process and wound up staying THREE DAYS!

I was amazed, number one, at how many people he was able to talk to in an hour’s time. I was also amazed and delighted to see the faces of all these people when they really started to understand the Gospel for the first time. It was like someone turned the light on and they could finally see!

Many were church attenders and yet they were still counting on their own works to get them into Heaven. I saw many people’s countenance change as Mike took them through the Law of God and helped them to realize that they need a Savior. A lot of those who took the time to sit with Mike were really appreciative and confirmed that they needed to change and begin living for God.

One after the other, people were having their lives changed for all eternity. Mike has a way of taking someone right where they are, even if it’s a little antagonistic towards religion, and letting God’s love shine through to the point where they are disarmed and accepting. Mike is having a LOT of fruit in his ministry and it’s changing the way that I now minister.

Mike, thank you for the opportunity to sit with you and learn from you. Like all the other people you encountered, my life has changed too!”

God bless you Brother!

Bill Wood”

I really appreciate Bill’s comments. When I think of others who also are working with us, I often marvel at ‘how beautiful their feet are’ and how much love I see in them. The fields are white unto harvest, come join us!

‘Good Sinner’ vs. ‘Bad Sinner’

Joseph initially told me…

‘I haven’t committed any serious sins like murder or stealing.’

Most people say, ‘I’m a sinner, you’re a sinner, we’re all sinners!’ The notion that people are sinners really doesn’t mean much anymore.

Here is what I have discovered in talking with people…People have a category in their minds: ‘Good sinners vs. Bad sinners.’

These people think, ‘After all, I’m a ‘good sinner’, I’m okay with God. It’s the ‘bad sinners’ that are in trouble.

People have an imaginary line in their mind which separates the two. It varies from person to person depending upon what that particular person has done. The line is always just below each of them, so as they can continue in the ‘good sinner’ category and be okay with God.

For Joseph the line was ‘murder or stealing’.

As I went through the commandments, I shared that hating is murder in the heart. Name calling or gossip is murder with the tongue. Copying an answer on a test, copying c/d’s, or anything small is stealing. We may not be bank robbers but we have stolen small things many times. Have we given God all of our time?

We go through all ten commandments to show everyone that we have all broken them hundreds of times!

‘The thought of foolishness is sin…’ (Prov. 24:9)

‘For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…’ (Mat. 15:19)

‘…pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.’ (Acts 8:22)

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Rom. 3:19)

Once Joseph saw his guilt, the law had done it’s preparatory work. I then presented the person and work of God the Son on the cross to him.

After the dessert illustration, Joseph commented…

’by thinking I’m good, I’m denying what He did.’

Seeing that he could not justify himself, Joseph went to the ‘justifier of him which believeth in Jesus’ and prayed with me…

‘He saved me…He loves me…(my heart feels)…very good…blessed…100%…God loves me and saved me…’I love Him and I thank Him for saving me. I’ll forever be grateful and I’ll forever believe!’

PRAISE GOD FOR OUR ETERNAL JUSTIFIER…JESUS CHRIST!

“You opened my eyes!’

Listen to what Johnny, Jake, Isaiah and Cole had to say after hearing the Gospel and praying to trust in Christ alone…

‘You changed my perspective. You opened my eyes. I was really feeling bad about myself. Now I want to do good and live for Him!’

‘Thank you! We’re going to Heaven! I trust God!’

Isn’t it interesting? Here, they were ‘initially thinking they were good but feeling bad about themselves.’ After hearing they were ‘not good’, they were able to trust in Christ and now they ‘want to do good and live for Him!’

AMEN AND THANK YOU JESUS!

Two Minute Testimonial

Listen to what Xavier had to say after trusting Christ alone… View Video Here

More Great Testimonials

Five African-American youth…

‘This is more than we’ve ever learned in church!’

‘We’re going to Heaven!’

Tahnyia, Vanessa, and Tyree…

Tahnyia…’He sat me down and gave us a restart…(my heart feels)…pure…100%…He already paid.’

Vanessa…’He put me back on track by reminding me of His glory by sending you to talk to us…(my heart feels)…good…great…happy…100%…He paid…Thank you (God) for sending Mike!’

Tyree…’He let me know I’m a bad person because I’ve sinned before…(my heart feels)…relief…good…Holy…Now I know what to do…trusting in Him…Positive…I trust in Him.’

Here once again…’He let me know I’m a bad person…now my heart feels relief, good, Holy…’

THANK YOU JESUS!

Spencer and Beckett…

Spencer…’He made me realize we’re not all good but if we put our trust in Him we’re all going to Heaven…(my heart feels)…loved…100%…God loves us all…I believe God.’

His prayer at the end…’Thank you for forgiving me and making me clean.’

Beckett…’He made me aware of how much He has impacted our after life…Well, now I know I’m going to Heaven…(my heart feels)…lot, lot less stress there…full of love…100%…Jesus died for us to make us clean to go to Heaven.’

His prayer at the end…’Thank you for your undying love and great sacrifice.’