Confrontational Evangelism

jimmyjimmy

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You catch more bees with honey. The definition of the word gospel = good news. Too many preach the fire, brimstone, fear, punishment etc. That pushes people away. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News. Why would you try and convince someone to choose to know more about God using threats? The real message God offers us is the joy and peace of being with Him. The fire and brimstone and punishment is a human choice. We choose it by denying to receive from Him the free gift of redemption. God approaches us with open arms. The bleakness of separation from Him only comes if we fail to accept His forgiveness and love. So preach the joy and peace of fellowship with God. By this I do not mean the false prosperity gospel that is being preached today about being healthy, wealthy and wise in this life. The proof of this false gospel is that God Himself said that He disciplines or chastises those He loves. Heb 12:6 and Prov 3:12.

Fire and brimstone preaching??? Maybe 50 years ago, but the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction now.
 
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topher694

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Fire and brimstone preaching??? Maybe 50 years ago, but the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction now.
Apparently there are a few people around here that didn't get that memo.
 
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DamianWarS

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How did you arrive at that conclusion?
this feels like a loaded question. my answer can be summed up from Mat 28:16-20 but I have a feeling you already knew that. Forgive my skepticism, but if true, why don't you just come out and say what you really want to say?
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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Fire and brimstone preaching??? Maybe 50 years ago, but the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction now.
From truth, from the Gospel of Jesus,
to (as you put it) full error, to the false gospels (of works / other) ?
 
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DamianWarS

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On the day of Pentecost, the apostles preached in public. They did not wait until they developed a relationship with the hearers. Paul preached in Athens. They were not Jews. They did not know Paul. Stephen was sure confrontational. They killed him. I don't know what you mean by bend-ed.
a crowd will quickly let you know if they aren't interested... for one there won't be a crowd and you will just be alone on your soapbox (people still do this all the time). it is not so much as in your face because the hearer gets to choose if they will walk on by or stay and listen, if it's the latter then it is arguably welcomed and the more people gather the stronger that case becomes (unless they are waving pitchforks and torches).

I've been to the place where Paul preached on Mars Hill in Athens. It's a big rock that you stand on and debate with people with lofty philosophical arguments, a type of ancient speakers corner and discourse would be normal. it is a platform for any message so long as you can hold your own so the place was strategic for Paul and it was welcomed because all messages were welcomed (since that was the point) open discourse was implied. There are still places like this in the world but Paul had the advantage of a new message without a stigma which arguably doesn't exist anymore.

I think there are still places for this type of exchange but Paul was going to a place of philosophers and intellects and today I would say that the audience is no longer interested, at least on the same levels, and the conversation is more about is there a God or not (which Paul didn't have to debate). Google God debates and you're going to see lots of stuff and lots of interests, especially in universities, and this is the modern forum of Mars Hill that Paul was capitalizing on but these forums today do not welcome explicit gospel and it needs to be hidden in very broad terms. If you're lucky you can have a positive impact that leads to Christ but often it doesn't accomplish much and it's just an us and them type victory.
 
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jimmyjimmy

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this feels like a loaded question. my answer can be summed up from Mat 28:16-20 but I have a feeling you already knew that. Forgive my skepticism, but if true, why don't you just come out and say what you really want to say?

Firstly, asking you how you've arrived at a certain position is giving you the respect of *listening* to you first, before I "just come out and say what (I) really want to say".

Secondly, there are a few issues with your applying the Great Commission to yourself, as if you are an ordained leader of the Church.

1) Jesus was addressing the 11 Apostles, not every man, woman and child. You are reading *Historical Narrative* as if it is directed to you. That's a fatal error.

"But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. . . And Jesus came up and spoke to them"
2) Jesus instructed the leaders to: make disciples, by first baptizing them, and second, by teaching them all that He had taught them.

- We know from other passages that there are qualifications for teachers. Not everyone is called to, or allowed to be an overseer/elder, in Christ's Church. See 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 20:28; Acts 14:23, for a few examples.

We don't allow just anyone to baptize or teach, so why is it that you take that passage the way you do?
 
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DamianWarS

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Secondly, there are a few issues with your applying the Great Commission to yourself, as if you are an ordained leader of the Church.

...and there it is

We don't allow just anyone to baptize or teach, so why is it that you take that passage the way you do?

Who is "we" and who told you you're not allowed to baptise or teach?
 
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DamianWarS

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See 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 20:28; Acts 14:23, for a few examples.
you just listed credentials for leadership. I fail to see how these verses discourage the practice of baptism and teaching among others. I suppose your next answer will be "because a leader told me so" and then you will cite these verses again. I'm assuming you are at least a deacon in your church otherwise by your own logic you have no authority to tell me these things and you should immediately refer me to someone who does have the authority.
 
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BroRoyVa79

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I see a lot of "either or" thinking here rather than both. Not that "either or" is bad, but in the false dichotomy sense I see it here. Especially when the reality is that some people come to Christ through different methods. Some people come to Christ after being confronted by a believer who is a stranger and plants the seed and then later it grows. Some people come to Christ through building long relationships with believers and eventually embracing the Lord. Some people come to Christ through argumentation and that one thing that makes them realize they were wrong, etc.

And the reverse is true. Some people are pushed away by "in-your-face" evangelism. Some people will befriend a believer and still die unbelievers no matter how friendly, kind, soft, loving, etc. you are to them. Some people won't budge after a debate with you regarding your reasons for believing in God, the Bible, etc.

Since we're dealing with human beings, and humans are complex, dynamic, people then there's no one-size-fits-all solution to evangelism. Some people might need that "in-your-face" confrontation because it might be the order of the Holy Spirit for the day for them. Some people might need that soft, long, relationship building approach, while others might need to have their worldviews confronted with reasonable argumentation to make them think through their current beliefs. Etc., etc.

If you don't feel called to be direct, open, loud about the Gospel, then don't. God has given you the tools to use to do it the way He moves you to do it. More power to you. If you're called to be direct, open, and loud about the Gospel, then do it.

Of course people today are going to be irritable about "in-your-face" evangelists because society today, primarily in the West doesn't appreciate bold Christians like it appreciates bold Atheists. That's a bad reason for begrudging brothers and sisters in Christ who are out there marching to the tune of the drum the Lord set them on.

Suffice to say, there is in-your-face evangelism in the Bible. Jesus did it all the time. Whenever He spoke the religious leaders of His day didn't want Him to and yet He did. Meaning He wasn't invited, etc. Also, whenever He spoke, He spoke often to strangers. The apostles and First century believers went on to follow that model. There are plenty of examples in scripture of prophets, apostles, etc. taking the direct approach to sharing God's message.

People are different, they react to different things and God's wise enough to use different people and different approaches to reach them.
 
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DNB

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"with the utmost diplomacy, tact and respect" seems a bit of a loaded answer. I'd like to agree but given your previous "forth coming and preemptive" reaction I'm not confident we are on the same page
Me too, not sure, ...if i had to guess, judging by your last response, I'd say that you're not in favour in taking the initiative, if no 'invite' has been given.
I'm saying to take the initiative, invited or not, ...but, using all the personable skills that one would employ under any engagement. If one get's the slightest hint that your receptor does not appreciate the imposition, at any point of the conversation, then a polite 'thank you for your time, have an nice day' is in order.
That's my position, i really wish that I had the theological skill and personal audacity to do so!
 
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jimmyjimmy

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you just listed credentials for leadership. I fail to see how these verses discourage the practice of baptism and teaching among others. I suppose your next answer will be "because a leader told me so" and then you will cite these verses again. I'm assuming you are at least a deacon in your church otherwise by your own logic you have no authority to tell me these things and you should immediately refer me to someone who does have the authority.

Jesus was instructing leaders. Leaders have to be called, and meet certain criteria. Not all people are leaders. That's the point.
 
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DamianWarS

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Jesus was instructing leaders. Leaders have to be called, and meet certain criteria. Not all people are leaders. That's the point.
Christ concludes "I am with you always, to the very end of the age". The eleven that were first commissioned are now gone yet it is not the end of the age. So if not the eleven who is Christ with to the very end of the age?
 
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jimmyjimmy

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Christ concludes "I am with you always, to the very end of the age". The eleven that were first commissioned are now gone yet it is not the end of the age. So if not the eleven who is Christ with to the very end of the age?

That age is over.
 
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Swan7

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Jesus in the Gospels tailored his approach to people based on the person, and often reflected back at the person their own style, demeanor. (Psalm 18:26)


I've actually likened his approach to how people often approached sparing in a martial arts dojo back in my earlier days. We had people who hated it (mostly women) who wanted the least aggressive fight possible. So with those people you tended to throw as light a punch as possible (something that wouldn't hurt if it hit them other than mess up their hair etc.). You had some folks who were really serious and wanted a series fight, and you sort of had to fight for your life metaphorically speaking. So with those folks you tried to hit them as hard as you can to hopefully take them out or get them to back off. And most people like myself were in the middle. They wanted to test themselves and be in a moderate amount of danger, but didn't want an all out fight.


Anyway Jesus generally varied his approach according to who he was dealing with. He was very meek, and easy going with the shy, ashamed etc. But with the hard nose Pharisees after the first encounter or two he took off the kid gloves, and put them in their place. So if we are going to be like Jesus we should use confrontation unto those who confront others, or at least people in power as John the Baptist did with Herod.

My point was He held nothing back. But I think you also agree with that, though I didn’t much understand your metaphor. We aren’t supposed to fight each other, so I guess that where you and I will have to agree to disagree with that analogy.
 
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charsan

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A Facebook Friend posted a pithy little meme like statement that I think summarized most of my inner attitude on Evangelism etc. Sometimes getting at things we occasionally even see on this board.

Of course, being pithy it is probably a little over simplistic for the nit pickers etc. that love to find exceptions to the rule and so on. I would have phrased it less as an absolute, and more that it should be rare and maybe would cite Jonah to Nineveh as an example.


"I don’t know that confrontational evangelism is ever right (or biblical). Outside of circumstances where you are invited to speak, you should always wait for someone to ask you about the hope you have. But you should live and talk in a way that makes them ask. This is harder and, most often, takes time."


(Later he later did clarify his position.)

Dear friends who are out of their minds that I am against confrontational evangelism: look up the phrase first. It does not mean I am against the confrontation of error or, God forbid, against evangelism. I am just against sloppy, lazy tactics.

So what do think? (He has another clarification statement further down in the thread).

I live by this quote "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words" whom ever said it it is a wonderful quote. Confrontational evangelism is a very bad thing
 
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Pavel Mosko

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I live by this quote "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words" whom ever said it it is a wonderful quote. Confrontational evangelism is a very bad thing

That's a saint Francis original. "The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis" however was written by an unknown author (found in a Library in England around the start of World War One).
 
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