THE FOUNDING

I founded "Come and See" in 1980 as a Christian outreach ministry. The organization is not a congregation of believers in the customary, local-Church sense, but is surely intended to be a part of the body of Christ. This kind of work is commonly referred to as a "para-Church" ministry. My purpose is to serve the Lord and meet certain needs of others in ways through which I believe God has uniquely prepared me. (Further explained below).

MISSION AND BELIEFS

My primary mission is to present Bible truth and to extend Godly love to both Non-Christians and Christians. Four main avenues are followed in my attempt to achieve this goal:

by preaching the Gospel, which basically is...
(a) that the heavenly Father sent the only begotten Son into the world to redeem sinners who would believe in the Son,

(b) that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid the price for sin through the shedding of His own blood at calvary,

(c) that those who by faith alone in Jesus and His work also receive a spiritual birth, called the "new man" in the Bible,

(d) that the Holy Spirit places a seal on believers, guaranteeing an eternal destiny to be spent with God in heaven,

(e) and that believers can, through diligent study and obedience to God and His Word, help prepare themselves for their rewards in the Kingdom of God.
by believing and teaching that Jesus rose from the dead, is now alive, and is soon coming again. The prediction of Jesus' soon return is based on convictions which grew out of 29 years of study in Bible prophecy, coupled with how current events line up with Jesus' own forecasts of the conditions which would be occurring just prior to His return.
by encouraging and promoting love among Christians. The Bible reveals that one of the best ways to draw unbelievers to Jesus is for them to see genuine love being practiced among Christians. (References: John 13:35 and the whole epistle of First John.)
by giving. God's Word also says that Christian love is to be demonstrated by the words of our mouths and "in deed". (See 1 John 3:18.)

A DOUBLE SIDED COIN

"Come and See" has a dual meaning to us---

(1) helping unbelievers see their need for Christ, and (2) helping people see with their natural eyes.

My 'tent-making' profession is optometry. I am now retired from active practice. For a glimpse into our past, as the Holy Spirit has led through the years, with the assistance of my beloved wife, Cindy, we had the privilege of providing free eye exams and glasses to missionaries, homeless people, and certain ones on low incomes.

FINANCES/

Our financial needs are met according to God's riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) Yes, you may participate in our outreach if God prompts you to do so. COME & SEE Ministries is an approved, 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization. Thus, gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible. Contributions may be sent to the address below. Your gift will be used according to the priorities existing in the ministry when received.

BOOKS/

There are three books available from this ministry (actually five, but two are bound together in each of two volumes.)

What Is Saving Faith? and Beyond The Basics are two works in one binding which represent the author's study over the past several years on the rudiments of basic, biblical salvation and how it relates to the Christian believer. There may be a few surprises here, but I sincerely believe that the understanding helps explain why many believers seem to experience less-than-ideal, spiritual growth. There is good evidence that there are at least three primary reasons spiritual maturity may seem slow and/or stagnant in the lives of many Christians:

(1) unclear comprehension of God's design of how we are made --- i.e., that we are triune beings, spirit and soul and body, --- and

(2) not grasping what happens (in the inner man) as a result of being "in Christ", --- and

(3) not realizing that subsequent to receiving the free gift of the new birth, Christian "works" ARE necessarily preparatory for one's rewards to be received at the Judgement Seat of Christ.

Wrong understanding and/or omitting the application of correct knowledge (i.e., exercising wisdom) causes failure to mature in the things of God. This principle is stated in Hosea 4:6. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...". In What Is Saving Faith?, I have attempted to provide some insights into certain, key Scriptures which hopefully will assist "pilgrims" in their progress.

The Two Witnesses is the primary literary-hub of Come and See Ministries. This 400-page book, 16 years in the writing, relates Biblical prophecy to historical and future reality. This work, more than any other, is the reason Come and See Ministries was initially founded.

Some wonder why I've formed an organization to minister through rather than operating altogether within the local church. It's a fair question. I hope my rationale will be understood by knowing the following facts.

BACKGROUND OF THE FOUNDER

I have no words to adequately describe for you the intensity of the spiritual changes which came upon me beginning in December 1976. This was made real to me in many ways, but probably the most consistent and enduring development was being awakened early every morning between 2 and 3 a.m. For the next several hours I would be prompted to carefully comb through the Scriptures on prophecy. Day in and day out I would pray, read, study, think, and write during these sessions, with the Bible and the Holy Spirit as my guides. The Two Witnesses was the outcome, which was published through our ministry in 1994. (Many prophetic books are available today, several of which I have read with interest, but it is important to emphasize that TTW is not presented as a review of the works of others. New insights are found here.)

However, in addition to the unusual understanding relative to the well-known areas of the prophetic Scriptures, I was later surprised to discover what I believe to be confirming pictures, in metaphoric format, in two other special passages. This information is now available in our third book, Images From God's Darkroom. This book is a commentary on the figurative images seen in John 11 and Acts 27 & 28. Some readers have called this work "fascinating". Well, it is, not because of some special writing skills of mine, but because of the absolutely-fabulous content of the double-inferred truth found in these passages. It's quite amazing once you see it.

OTHER EXPERIENCE:

There are a dozen or more tracts available from CSM on several subjects. (A list or package of samples will be sent upon request.)

In addition to writing the books and tracts, I also did a daily radio broadcast which ran for several years on three Northern-California, Christian-centered stations.

On a more personal level, I have given biblical guidance to many troubled individuals, including college students, patients, referrals from friends and pastors, veterans, the homeless, and various others.

Although I am not a professionally-trained minister, today I am still available for individual or group input...to counsel, teach, preach, exhort, (in person or via e-mail) conduct prophecy conferences, or whatever relates to my background and experiences. May God guide as you consider how I may be of service to you, your group or church.

Lance Johnson

COME & SEE Ministries
Davis, California 95616

Please visit some of our other areas of interest:

To read my previous newsletters, click on the scroll. You'll be taken to the COME & SEE NEWS room. You'll not find meaningless chatter here but serious commentary on God's "good news".

To listen to a couple of my Focal Point radio broadcasts, click on the microphone. You'll be taken to the COME & SEE AUDIO room. If you don't have the necessary Real Audio software to listen to these programs, you can download it free. Just click on the "free Real Player" graphic you'll see after you load one of the programs at the AUDIO site.

Click on the crosses to go to our file room for the book "What Is Saving Faith?"

To see our prophecy site click on the eye photo. And when you get there just go through the key files created from our book "THE TWO WITNESSES". This version is in normal text file format and the files are arranged in chronological order. For darker and bolder print, see below for the html format of the same book.

To visit the html prophecy site, click on the Moses' image. And when you get there just go through the chapters created from our book "THE TWO WITNESSES". The files are arranged in chronological order.

Click on the photo above to read my book entitled "Images From God's Darkroom".

To receive materials click on the library icon for ordering information.

COME & SEE hosts a group of serious prayer warriors. If you would like to be a part of this group to post your prayer requests and also to be able to pray for the needs of others, please join us. Just enter your e-mail address in the indicated slot below and click on the indicated spot and you will hear from me. God bless you for becoming a PRAYER WARRIOR of our team.