Chris Overstreet wants to turn God’s compassion into action. He does this by preaching the Gospel in one of the toughest mission fields in the world – Portland, Oregon. He wants to take Christ’s love around the United States using a truck that turns into a platform for preaching the Gospel.
Website: https://compassiontoaction.com
Show Notes:
Questions for Chris Overstreet
Your name is Compassion To Action. What does that mean?
What is it like living and ministering in Portland, Oregon with all the chaos that is going on there?
You are connected to Bethel in Redding California. Tell me what you have learned from Bill Johnson.
You have a great heart for taking the Gospel to America. Do you think America is on the verge of a revival?
What will it take for revival to breakout in this nation?
Tell me about your Gospel Truck that turns into a platform.
Part of the calling of the evangelist is to equip believers for evangelism. How do you do that?
Key Quote: 95% of the being in the ministry has to do with the heart and only 5% has to do with the person’s gifting. – Bill Johnson
Transcription
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:00):
Chris Overstreet wants to turn God’s compassion into action. He does this by preaching the gospel in one of the toughest mission fields in the world, Portland, Oregon. He wants to take God’s love around the United States. Using a truck that turns into a platform for preaching. The gospel. Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Welcome to the evangelism podcast with dr. Daniel King we’re Daniel interviews, full-time evangelists, pastors, missionaries, and normal everyday Christians to discover how they share their faith, their powerful testimonies and amazing stories that will inspire you to reach people with the good news. And now here’s your host, missionary and evangelist Daniel King. Hey, welcome to the evangelism podcast today. I’m Daniel King and I’m excited about leading people to Jesus. Give me just a minute. I’m going to get Chris Overstreet on Skype. Here we go.
Chris Overstreet (01:17):
Hi, this is Chris Overstreet with compassion to action. I want to tell you that Jesus loves you so very much and has incredible plan for your life. He looks into the future as he hung on a bloody cross and he saw you and he says, I love you. I love you. I love you for the Bible says for God. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God bless you. I’ll hope to talk to you soon. Bye-Bye at the tone, please record your message. When you’ve finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:52):
Hey Chris, this is Daniel King. I love your message that you leave on your voicemail. What a great way to witness to people. I’m trying to reach you to invite you to be on my podcast. Look forward to talking goodbye. Well, it looks like Chris, didn’t answer my phone. Let me try him one more time and see if he answers. Hey Chris, this is Daniel King. You are on the evangelism podcast. How are you doing?
Chris Overstreet (02:25):
Doing amazing, man. Thanks for calling.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (02:27):
Absolutely. Chris, let’s jump right into this. I love evangelism. And I know that you do to your ministry name is called compassion to action. Can you tell me what does that mean?
Chris Overstreet (02:42):
Yeah. Well, for us it would mean three things that we represent the heart of God to reach the loss, make disciples input, compassion into action. The heart of Jesus was moved with compassion and that’s what motivates us is to be moved, compassion, to be able to reach to it.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:02):
That’s awesome. And tell me some of how you do that.
Chris Overstreet (03:06):
So some of the practical things that we’re doing Daniel right now is of course, every Saturday that we have teams that are out in the community, we train and equip people and we’re reaching people in the Portland area you know, just on the street level. So in the midst of everything that’s been going on in Portland, we’ve had teams out there just reaching people and people about Jesus, making disciples, seeing people get sides and that tubs and just making disciples that will make disciples. And then of course, you know, we do open air campaigns as well. The preaching, the gospel, reaching people and destroying, destroying the works of the devil through preaching the gospel.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:47):
Yeah. I wanted to ask you about living and ministering in Portland, Oregon. It has been in the news a lot lately with riots and Antifa. The federal government sent agents there and people were starting fires and buildings throwing Molotov cocktails. They were tearing down statues. They even burned up a statue of an elk. I don’t know what the elk ever did to offend anybody. You know, there’s smashing windows, looting businesses. And so that’s the, what a lot of people have been seeing on the news when it comes to Portland, what’s it like actually living and ministering there?
Chris Overstreet (04:28):
Well, I say that, you know, we’re center down to much more so as an evangelist, it has great opportunities for us to get out there to preach Jesus. Yes, it’s, it’s right in our face. We’ve seen it on the news but when we’ve seen teams going out and just a couple of weeks ago, there was a rally and we had teams out there and we were literally seeing people at protests breakdown, weeping, crying, and just recognizing their need for Jesus. So yes, it’s right in our face, Daniel, but it’s an incredible opportunity for us to get out and reach people for Jesus.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (05:06):
That’s awesome. Now, before you were in Portland, you lived in Redding, California, and you were connected to Bethel down there. I wanted to ask you, what have you learned from bill Johnson?
Chris Overstreet (05:20):
Well, I, I was the outreach director for 15 years at Buffalo church. And the number one thing that I learned from bill is,uto watch over your heart, you know, he says this phrase in one of those series, reading from the heart is 95% of the Christian life has to do with the heart and 5% has to do with giftings. And so of course I, I’ve learned many things about the kingdom of God that God wants to use the everyday person to openly display the raw power of God. But you know, what I gleaned for bill the most is the importance of the heart that everything flows from the heart. Talk
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (05:58):
To me a little bit about that. What does that mean? That 90% of, of being in ministry has to do with the heart or 95% and only 5% has to do with, with your gifting. How do you see that operate in people’s lives?
Chris Overstreet (06:13):
Well, get things that are a really big deal. I mean, but that’s not what defines a Christian. What defines a Christian is their heart that is yielded to the Lord, Jesus Christ, their heart. That is the desire to obey him at any cost that he is Lord. And this comes from that understanding of what he’s done for us as, as believers that he has cleansed us, he has given us a new heart, a new life that is only found through Jesus Christ and that it is his grace that empowers us to move forward and walk in him and represent him well to this generation. And so that phrase, and I, I think when bill saying this, there was a lot of people that are gifted, but the gifts is not what defines a person. It is the heart that is yielded to Jesus Christ.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:06):
Amen. That’s awesome. I’ve seen on your website that you have a really big heart for taking the gospel to America. Do you think the nation of America is on the verge of the Bible?
Chris Overstreet (07:22):
I think that our nation is at a tipping point right now. We can see it. We can feel it. We need Jesus. And so the only hope for America is Jesus Christ. And I believe that hope is alive in hearts. I believe that there’s attorney right now. I believe that people are realizing that Jesus is the answer for America. And I believe that right now, more than ever, there is an awakening and the church, I’m not talking about a building, Daniel, I’m talking about the church to be able to say, we’ve got to take a stand for Jesus Christ and we’ve got to be bold with the gospel. I believe it we’re on a tipping point. Daniel, I believe it. I believe that America is at a tipping point for the greatest revival that we have ever seen in the Merrick and America’s history.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:09):
What do you think it will take for revival to break out in America?
Chris Overstreet (08:14):
I believe it’s already breaking out. I believe it’s breaking out in hearts and lives, but the it’s the yieldedness and it’s a spirit of repentance. And it’s an understanding of Jesus is the only solution for America that we need him more than ever before. So it’s that yieldedness and it’s the preaching of the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that God is speaking right now and saying it is time for the church to get out of the harvesting mentality for souls and that as the church awakens and realizes that they’ve been created in the image of God and it’s time to preach the gospel, I believe that there is a move of, that’s going to spring forth.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:58):
Part of your vision for reaching America includes building a truck that turns into a platform. Can you tell me about that project and in what you envision this truck becoming?
Chris Overstreet (09:15):
Yeah. Thank you, Daniel. A few about a year and a half ago, the Lord began to speak to me and I would just have these visions of open air gospel campaigns all over America. So I contacted my brother, Tim, who works with us and I said, Tim, would you do some research? Let’s find out some of the best vehicles that we could get that, that folds out to a stage. I could truck the full.to the stage. And so he, he, he shared with me about stage line that’s based out of Canada. And and this is incredible Daniel. It’s like a transformer that folds out to a stage that you can take it anywhere. And, and you could roll up in a park. You could roll up on a university, you could roll up on a high school, you could roll up in an open field and it literally folds down like a strands, a transformer stage. So you can just openly preach the gospel. And so we’re so excited Daniel, we just got the States, we just got the funding for the stage, and now we’re moving onto our, our truck that will pull it. So there’ll be pulled by a three 50 truck and that we’re going to put a sound system in there that we’re going to, we’re going to literally preach the gospel all over the place in America.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (10:27):
Wow. That that’s outstanding. So, so you still need the truck have you purchased a sound system for the stage yet?
Chris Overstreet (10:35):
So we haven’t got the sound system nor have we got the truck. But that is the next phase of, to the, to the vision is we need to get a truck that’s going to pull it. And then the sound system and a trailer as well. Well, I want to pull the sound system.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (10:50):
I want to encourage all my listeners to go to your website right now, go to a compassion, to action.com, compassion to action.com and, and give a gift to help make this truck a reality. Because I think we do need revival here in America, and it’s going to take going out and preaching the gospel all over the place. Now, once you, you get all the funding you need to, to purchase the sound system and the, the truck to, to, to pull the, the platform and everything. What, what do you plan to, to start doing with this?
Chris Overstreet (11:30):
So our hopes is that we’re going to help other ministries out and we’re going to partner with other ministries and we’re going to take it all over America. So our first place that we’re going to hit, we’re going to call them tours. Gospel tours is we’re going to hit the West coast. I’m on the West coast in Portland. We’re going to go down to California where there was some sun because it is raining here. And so we’re going to go down to California in January, and we’re going to partner with another ministry, Shaun flight. And hopefully the plan is that we’re going to be able to help Sean do a gathering on January 1st on Azusa street on the actual Azusa street. That’s our first location.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (12:09):
Holy spirit broke out.
Chris Overstreet (12:12):
Exactly Daniel, exactly over a little bit, just over a hundred years ago. And so we’re believing for revival and this is a significant location. So we’re going to take the stage out there, or we’re going to partner with Sean and let him use the vehicle and and see the power of God manifested in that location.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (12:32):
I love the ministry of Sean Foy. And I’ve been seeing, he’s been doing events all over America, bringing people together to worship during this time, have you been involved in some of those outreaches?
Chris Overstreet (12:46):
Yeah, I’ve been in a handful of them and Shawn reached out to me for Portland. So we hosted him out here and it was incredible that we saw thousands of people impacted. And and then, you know, we saw, you know, many individuals baptized in the river and I’ll tell you one story really quickly, Daniel. I just came back from DC. UI was,uI was wishing showing up there in DC of that large gathering. And on the flight back, I was sitting with Lou Ingle and the airport, and there was a young lady that came up to us and she shared on a house. She was baptized in Portland and she came to one of the events in Portland. I was preaching the gospel there and she got a shade and baptized in the river in Portland. And so we’ve just seen incredible fruits coming out from Shawn flakes ministry and these worship gatherings. And we want to partner with people like this.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (13:43):
That’s awesome. Praise God for that. What a tremendous testimony that is revival taking place when someone gets saved and then gets baptized right in the river. So
Chris Overstreet (13:53):
The greatest miracle
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (13:57):
Chris part of the, the calling of the evangelist is to equip believers for evangelism. How do you go about equipping believers to share their faith?
Chris Overstreet (14:09):
That’s so great. Yeah. I started equipping the saints to be able to share their faith. And 2002, as a student, you know, I was a second year student at the school of ministry and I just found myself, you know what? This is the call of God, it’s on my life. So I just began to gather other students and just begin to model it and begin to train it, equip them and let them go out on the streets with me. And they began to grow. I came on staff and I just began to train and equip students that this is a lifestyle that we can all do this. And so practically speaking, just sharing with them, just some core values of sharing the faith and stepping out and seeing people get saved through their own. And that just begins to multiply. So I, it, it is the multiplication of not only as an evangelist doing it, but seeing other people do it as well, the body of Christ. And, and I think as an evangelist, the end of that, that’s where we, I think the green light comes on with us. We just love seeing other people enter into the harvest as well. And, and not just us doing it.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (15:14):
At what point did you know that you were called to be an evangelist?
Chris Overstreet (15:20):
You know, I that’s a great question, Daniel. I think it’s evolved. I remember in 1999, I was at Y web and and Chico, California. And I had somewhat prophesied over me that at the end of the Angeles and that God would use me. And it really began to solidify and confirm what God spoke to me when I was 21 years old, under a tent where I was fully surrendering to the Lord and st. Louis, Missouri, where God spoke to me, he said, I’ve called you to be an evangelist. And, and in that moment, I was wrestling with fear. Have you ever wrestled with fear January? I know that I did. And, and in that moment, God was saying, I’m calling you. And, and a year later, or a few months later when that prophetic word came, it really solidify what God spoke to me. And and it’s just been evolving by one step of obedience at a time.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (16:27):
That’s awesome. What a tremendous story. Well, the body of Christ needs more great evangelists like you. I love what you’re doing, Chris. I love your, your ministry. Compassion to action. Thank you so much for preaching the gospel. Thank you for your heart for America. And for reaching people in this nation, we need a revival in America, and I believe that God has called you to be a big part of that. So would you just finish by praying and anointed, Holy spirit prayer for those who are listening, that God would use them to bring many people to Jesus.
Chris Overstreet (17:01):
Yes, I will. Father, we just thank you for every listener right now. Holy spirit. We know that you’re the greatest evangelists. You’re the one that brings conviction of sin. You’re the one that points people to Jesus. As we preach the gospel father, I pray right now for every listener, God that you would demystify evangelism or father. I prayed for the burning in their hearts, the conviction that Jesus, you, the only way, and God, I pray that individuals, as they began to speak your word, that they would become fluid and the gospel, they would become incredible articulators of the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. God, I pray for a fire that would burn in their heart Lord that they would begin to say right now today, Lord, I want to see someone to get saved. Lord, I pray God for that. I pray Lord for the everyday person in the marketplace so that you would utilize them or to reach their neighbors or to reach their realm of influence. God. I pray for that. And I pray that people would get saved Lord baptize in the Holy spirit. So with the presence of God, Lord, and the disciples will be made, that would make disciples. That would make disciples. What I pray for that and the mighty of Jesus just crashed.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (18:14):
Amen. Well, Chris, thank you so much for being on the evangelism podcast. It’s great having you as a guest.
Chris Overstreet (18:23):
Thank you Daniel so much for having me on. I love what you’re doing, man.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (18:26):
God bless you. Get back. Thank you for more information about how to share your faith or to financially support our worldwide evangelistic outreaches. Visit King ministries.com. Again, that’s King ministries.com.
