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The bible is a big book. Most people do not know where to start. We know where the starting place is. It is Jesus and what he did for us.For example, Bible is freely online. I do not think you can say something more convincing than what is in the Bible. What I can agree with is that the personal contact may be more convincing for some, but the information itself is not different. The information is still the same, either told by somebody with an eye contact, heard in the local church or read/listened to on a Christian website.
There is a very big turnaway from Godly things. In fact, the only place Godly things are taught now is in the churches. So, unless someone jumps on the net to look up Christian things or they go to church, then they will not hear it. This is why we need to get out there and speak. It is a mission field or a field that we are to sow seed in.I am a bit surprised that its not a part of a common education in your country.
Yes, we do have those things. But alas, I still find people that do not know of Jesus. They are very few, but they are there.Dont you have, for example, public broadcasting of church services during Christmas or Easter? Are not your churches on public places, open to visitors? It still seems absurd to me that somebody in the 21st century never heard about Jesus. Its like somebody never heard about airplanes or about the Roman empire. Such things are simply a common knowledge.
You are correct there. We are saved by grace alone. But those who truly believe that others are under God's wrath will act in a certain way. They will warn others. It would be unloving not to. The question then becomes, if a person does believe but chooses not to love their neighbour, or chooses to obey God, what happens to those people? Are they a good labourer or not? They are not. Just like the servant in the parable of the minas who did not invest or work with his money. He was a bad labourer and he was slain.Answer: No, it couldn't.
Not sure what you mean here.Who is sinless & worthy to call out the sin of others?
Evangelism is when a faithful Christian, stand against those who offer sin to others.
Love is not for cowards.
If we think about it. Honestly, what do we believe Jesus wants us to do? To me it's not a hard question to answer."Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15
For a while now, as I have been reading my Bible and studying evangelism, things have also stood out to me about those who do not preach the Gospel. It seems that there are several reasons why those who choose not to share the Gospel, or those who do not get behind and support someone who is sharing the Gospel, could be in big, big trouble.
Now, I am not saying that to get to heaven, we have to preach the Gospel or support someone who is. That would be works salvation. But someone who truly believes will act in a particular way regarding his belief. Knowing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell will mean that you should act according to those beliefs. So, telling people the Gospel is simply an action of true belief.
Reason 1: Parable of the minas
In the parable of the minas/talents (Luke 19:11-27), we are the servants of God, and we are told to go and do business to multiply what we have been given. Now, back when Jesus said this parable, one of the main ways of multiplying your money was to sow seeds and make a harvest that could be then sold. One servant did this and produced tenfold, one produced fivefold, and the last did not produce anything he simply returned what he was given. This last one was a bad servant. He knew that we were meant to sow the Gospel to make more believers. But he chose not to. And then the bad servant says, "For I was afraid of you because you......reap what you did not sow." We are to sow the Gospel to as many people as possible and it is Jesus who reaps. Then because the servant chose not to sow, the master then says, "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." So, those who say that they believe but they simply warm the pews are in big trouble. They did not obey the master. They confess Him with their lips, but their actions show a blatant disregard for what He has commanded.
Reason 2: Love God.
Jesus commanded that we preach the Gospel to all peoples. To spread as much seed as possible. And then he said that those who love Him will keep His commands. So, if we choose not to obey and tell people the Gospel, how much do we really love God? Telling other people the Gospel is a result of a true love for God. If we love Him, we should want to obey Him.
"The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." John 14:21-24
Reason 3: Love your neighbour.
Warning others of the wrath to come is also a result of a true love for your neighbour. It would be unloving not to warn others of the wrath to come if you know of a way to be saved. That would be wrong.
James 4:17 says, "So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." We know the right thing to do and if we do not do it, then it is a sin. Continuing to do the same sin over and over is not good.
Reason 4: The Bible warns us not to be cowardly.
We have been commanded to preach the Gospel to all people. But many people choose not to share the Gospel because they are afraid. It is a scary thing. Now, if we look back to WW1, when a soldier was commanded to go over the parapet, if he refused because he was afraid, then there were consequences. He was court-martialled and then put to death. If we then look at what Revelation 21:8 says about the cowardly, it says "But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." We know who the unbelieving are. And who the murderers are, and liars are, but who are the cowardly? Are they the people who have been given a command but choose not to obey it?
Reason 5: Depraved Injustice
In life, if you have the opportunity to stop someone from being killed or injured but you choose not to warn them, then in man's court, you are guilty of a crime called "Depraved Indifference". This shows that you have a blatant disregard for life. It is like if you see a person drowning and you have a life jacket right beside you that you could easily throw to the person. But because you cannot be bothered, you choose not to throw the life jacket and the person then drowns. This is depraved indifference.
If man's court recognises this injustice, how much more would a holy, and just God recognise the injustice of us not warning of eternal death?
"So, for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17
Reason 6: Watchman
In Old Testament times, a watchman was a soldier who would be on the outer wall of the city, and he would warn everyone inside the city of any incoming enemy armies. Now, if this soldier did not do his duty and people died, he was in big trouble. He would be put the death.
Ezekiel was also a watchman for the people of Israel. God gave him a command to warn everyone in Israel of their sins, and He said that if Ezekiel did not warn everyone, then the blood of those whom he did not warn would be on his hands. So, his blood would be substituted for those who died in their sins.
".....the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand. However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3:16-19
We too have been given a command and we should obey. It is wrong not to obey. Paul looked at himself as a watchman too. In Acts 20:25-27 it says "And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God."
So, we are to warn people because God has commanded us to. But if we do not, then we are going against God. Disobedience has consequences.
Please note that preaching the Gospel does not save us. Telling people the Gospel is simply a result of a true belief, a true love for God and a love for your neighbour.
If you truly believe that you have sinned and fallen short of God's standards, and so, therefore, deserve death, but Jesus came and died in your place, then why would you not want to warn others of the condemnation that they are under? It would be unloving not to warn others.
I agree. I don't see it as a black or white question either. Many factors come into play. But one day, we will be judged on what God has blessed us with. We all have many talents and abilities and often we do not use them. So, I pray that those who read this thread will see their talents and abilities and start to use them to honour the God who gave them so that He will be given glory.Could someone lose salvation by not sharing the gospel? I don't see it as a black and white question.
You can't lose what you don't have control of. So, no, one cannot lose salvation by not sharing the gospel. The real question is, if you disobey God's moral will, do you experience misery until you repent? Read Heb. 12:4-8. Whoever is a child of God will never be forsaken by God (Heb. 13:5). If God doesn't chastise someone who refuses to submit to God's moral will, then such a person doesn't belong to God, according to this passage and Rom. 8:13. If someone persists in the kinds of sin that leads to death (1 Jn. 5:16, 1 Cor. 6:9-10), there is concrete reason to doubt he was ever born of God.Could someone lose salvation by not sharing the gospel? I don't see it as a black or white question. Can you sin to the degree you grieve the Holy Spirit? Yes! Can you harden your heart? Yes! Can persistent sinning eventually lead you to forfeit salvation? ...
You give all sorts of good reasons for promoting the gospel. The problem I see, is your apparent assumption as to what "preaching the gospel" means. I don't mean to denigrate what you say, but I see those with the mindset of evangelist —not to say whether or not they have 'the gift of evangelism'— as thinking that their conception of it IS it. They see the gospel a whole lot differently than someone who, let's say, is writing a book on the atonement —a historian and theologian, EVEN IF THE SAME WORDS ARE USED."Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15
For a while now, as I have been reading my Bible and studying evangelism, things have also stood out to me about those who do not preach the Gospel. It seems that there are several reasons why those who choose not to share the Gospel, or those who do not get behind and support someone who is sharing the Gospel, could be in big, big trouble.
Now, I am not saying that to get to heaven, we have to preach the Gospel or support someone who is. That would be works salvation. But someone who truly believes will act in a particular way regarding his belief. Knowing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell will mean that you should act according to those beliefs. So, telling people the Gospel is simply an action of true belief.
Reason 1: Parable of the minas
In the parable of the minas/talents (Luke 19:11-27), we are the servants of God, and we are told to go and do business to multiply what we have been given. Now, back when Jesus said this parable, one of the main ways of multiplying your money was to sow seeds and make a harvest that could be then sold. One servant did this and produced tenfold, one produced fivefold, and the last did not produce anything he simply returned what he was given. This last one was a bad servant. He knew that we were meant to sow the Gospel to make more believers. But he chose not to. And then the bad servant says, "For I was afraid of you because you......reap what you did not sow." We are to sow the Gospel to as many people as possible and it is Jesus who reaps. Then because the servant chose not to sow, the master then says, "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." So, those who say that they believe but they simply warm the pews are in big trouble. They did not obey the master. They confess Him with their lips, but their actions show a blatant disregard for what He has commanded.
Reason 2: Love God.
Jesus commanded that we preach the Gospel to all peoples. To spread as much seed as possible. And then he said that those who love Him will keep His commands. So, if we choose not to obey and tell people the Gospel, how much do we really love God? Telling other people the Gospel is a result of a true love for God. If we love Him, we should want to obey Him.
"The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." John 14:21-24
Reason 3: Love your neighbour.
Warning others of the wrath to come is also a result of a true love for your neighbour. It would be unloving not to warn others of the wrath to come if you know of a way to be saved. That would be wrong.
James 4:17 says, "So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." We know the right thing to do and if we do not do it, then it is a sin. Continuing to do the same sin over and over is not good.
Reason 4: The Bible warns us not to be cowardly.
We have been commanded to preach the Gospel to all people. But many people choose not to share the Gospel because they are afraid. It is a scary thing. Now, if we look back to WW1, when a soldier was commanded to go over the parapet, if he refused because he was afraid, then there were consequences. He was court-martialled and then put to death. If we then look at what Revelation 21:8 says about the cowardly, it says "But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." We know who the unbelieving are. And who the murderers are, and liars are, but who are the cowardly? Are they the people who have been given a command but choose not to obey it?
Reason 5: Depraved Injustice
In life, if you have the opportunity to stop someone from being killed or injured but you choose not to warn them, then in man's court, you are guilty of a crime called "Depraved Indifference". This shows that you have a blatant disregard for life. It is like if you see a person drowning and you have a life jacket right beside you that you could easily throw to the person. But because you cannot be bothered, you choose not to throw the life jacket and the person then drowns. This is depraved indifference.
If man's court recognises this injustice, how much more would a holy, and just God recognise the injustice of us not warning of eternal death?
"So, for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17
Reason 6: Watchman
In Old Testament times, a watchman was a soldier who would be on the outer wall of the city, and he would warn everyone inside the city of any incoming enemy armies. Now, if this soldier did not do his duty and people died, he was in big trouble. He would be put the death.
Ezekiel was also a watchman for the people of Israel. God gave him a command to warn everyone in Israel of their sins, and He said that if Ezekiel did not warn everyone, then the blood of those whom he did not warn would be on his hands. So, his blood would be substituted for those who died in their sins.
".....the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand. However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3:16-19
We too have been given a command and we should obey. It is wrong not to obey. Paul looked at himself as a watchman too. In Acts 20:25-27 it says "And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God."
So, we are to warn people because God has commanded us to. But if we do not, then we are going against God. Disobedience has consequences.
Please note that preaching the Gospel does not save us. Telling people the Gospel is simply a result of a true belief, a true love for God and a love for your neighbour.
If you truly believe that you have sinned and fallen short of God's standards, and so, therefore, deserve death, but Jesus came and died in your place, then why would you not want to warn others of the condemnation that they are under? It would be unloving not to warn others.
You give all sorts of good reasons for promoting the gospel. The problem I see, is your apparent assumption as to what "preaching the gospel" means. I don't mean to denigrate what you say, but I see those with the mindset of evangelist —not to say whether or not they have 'the gift of evangelism'— as thinking that their conception of it IS it. They see the gospel a whole lot differently than someone who, let's say, is writing a book on the atonement —a historian and theologian, EVEN IF THE SAME WORDS ARE USED.
Try to understand me here. I myself can't help but talk about God. But I'm not a salesman. I don't press for a closed sale. I don't usually 'present the gospel' as such, at all. For one guy I know and love, I will probably have to wait until he asks me what must he do to be saved. Others, I'm pretty sure, know the words and thoughts well enough, and don't need a pitch. God will save them, as he does anyone.
Personally, I can't keep my mouth shut about God. With me, the whole of theology and life IS the Gospel —particularly the nature of God and what he created, and there is where I spend my time when I talk to people. With others, it is what God has done in their life. With others, it is the amazing fact of forgiveness that they witness to. Others are still confused and don't know how to put it and are awkward about it, not because they are ashamed of the Gospel, but because they are ashamed of themselves.
Telling people the Gospel doesn't have to look like what you see. In my opinion, none of us know the extent of the Gospel. God knows what people need to hear, and he is seeing it done.
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