Street Preaching is Useless

[Jimbo Hall]

Jesus may not have said this in words, but he sure said it by his actions.
When he met a Samaritan woman by a well, did he say "you have had 5 husbands and are living with someone you're not married to; you will burn in hell unless you repent?" No. He Talked to her, revealed to her that he was the Messiah and spoke to her about the Holy Spirit.
When they brought to him a woman who had been caught in the act of committing adultery, did he say "you're going to hell for breaking one of the commandments" and then tell people to obey the law and stone her to death? No. He told the crowd that the person who had never sinned at all should throw the first stone. He did tell her to sin no more, but refused to condemn her.
When he met people who were blind, deaf, had leprosy or were paralysed, did he say "you are like this because you have sinned; it's God's way of telling you to repent?" No; he healed them. He sometimes said, "your sins are forgiven", but not always. Sometimes he didn't speak of sin at all; he just healed. People praised God, and some put their faith in him, because of his miracles - he showed the power of God, and his love and care for people.

Jesus is the most loving person that has ever walked this earth, no doubt about it. We should emulate Christ and do what He would do. We should most definitely witness and preach with love. But love is a lot more than just words it's action. And most christians here in America think Jesus never had a harsh word to say toward anyone, but just went around preaching love and peace. If that was the case why did the world hate him?
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

It may be news to you, but God loves sinners.
He loved us all so much that he sent his perfect, spotless Son to lay down his life for us, so that we could be reconciled to him and become his children. You don't offer to die for someone if you hate them.
God's wrath is for sinners who have had every opportunity to hear about his love, grace and accept his free gift of salvation, and say "No, I'm fine on my own; I don't need you/believe in you."

God has a benevolent love for all of humanity. He doesn't want to see people go to hell according to 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, and Ezekiel 33:11. But God also has a hatred for the wicked.
Psalms 11:5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul HATETH.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright.
Psalms 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou HATEST all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will ABHOR the bloody and deceitful man.

You must have a different Bible to me, then.

Jesus was very much a Hellfire preacher. I use the KJV, not sure about what Bible you are reading.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

These are a few off the top of my head from only the Gospel of Matthew.

Really?
Have you ever done a survey, to find out how people respond to preachers; whether they are convicted by "hellfire" sermons, or respond better to those that speak of God's love, grace, care and mercy?
Sounds to me like you are condemning preachers who don't preach as you believe they should - almost like they are saying "what kind of sermon will make us popular?" and delivering that?

In my experience, if you say to someone "you are a sinner", they will almost always think, "no I'm not" - their definition of sin being murder, or the like. You need to preach God's holiness, how no one can ever be good enough to earn his love and reach his high standards, and then tell the Good News - that he sent Jesus for them.

I'm not saying a preacher should never preach about God's love, grace, and mercy. But that shouldn't be all his message contains. For me I kinda go by, James 4:6 But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
So if I encounter people who are proud in their sin (which in most cases this is what I see while preaching on the streets) I will give them the law and hellfire preaching. But if they seem humble I'm all for preaching grace.

 

[RDKirk]

I've told this before, maybe even in this thread and I've forgotten. But I'll tell it again.

I heard this witness from both sides, from both the preacher and the woman.

A number of years ago, the congregation I was a member of opened a street ministry in the area frequented by prostitutes.

On their first Saturday night, the pulled up in their van, set up a podium on the corner, and began preaching. At the end of their sermon, as they began to pack up, a prostitute walked up to the preacher and asked, "That stuff you said about becoming a new creation in Christ, and everything becoming new--" she actually put her finger on his chest--"..Is that the truth?"

He assured her that it was. She said, "Hmmm." Then she walked away.

As they left, they compared notes about her. They realized that the entire time they preached, she had actually been hanging just within earshot. She never appeared to be obviously paying attention, but she'd never actually left the area, either.

But as they drove away, they realized something else: They were not prepared for success. They hoped for success--they'd even prayed for success--but they were not actually prepared for success. That is, if a woman had responded to their gospel, they'd have only patted her on the head and said, "Now you come to church, sister."

They realized how insufficient that would have been. So she'd have gone back to her pimp, who'd demand "his money," and she'd say, "I'm a Christian now...I don't do that stuff anymore."

Yeah, right. Talk about "the cares of the world choking out the gospel."

So they went back to the congregation with the question of how they could make real the promise of "...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

That turned out not to be a real problem--the congregation had all that was needed. They already had a "House of Ruth"--a series of confidential safe-houses originally created for abused wives in the congregation. These were older members who were "empty nesters" and had room to put women up for extended periods.

They had medical people and therapists in the congregation who were already signed up to provide for medical problems, such as STDs and addictions.

They had business owners who had already been signed up to provide jobs and job training that anyone in the congregation needed.

They were, in fact, already set...provided by the same Holy Spirit who had told them to begin street preaching. That's called "providence."

So they went out the next Saturday night. As soon as they began setting up, they heard a shout from down the block. It was that same woman, running toward them at top speed (prostitutes are known for being able to run really fast in high heels). But she stumbled at one point, then yanked off her heels and threw them into the street (I wish all the impediments to our race were so easily discarded).

She reached them and confessed Christ. They told her, "Sister, your new life begins right now."

Their street preaching got really exciting after that. By "exciting" I mean "hair raising." By the next weekend, her pimp had learned she'd last been seen getting into a van with "those street preachers."

Fortunately, the congregation already had a Security Ministry of nightclub bouncers, soldiers, football players, and police officers...and they were already on the job.

But here is the important thing that the woman herself testified:

She had heard plenty of street preachers before. They had all told her she was a dirty sinner and that hell was her destination.

But her life had already been hell, so she'd merely accepted what those preachers said: "I'm going to hell. Oh, well." Forgiveness didn't really mean anything if she was always going to carry the baggage of being a prostitute. The heck with that kind of "forgiveness." That would also be hell.

This had been the first time someone had said "new creation" and "the old is gone." That had been what she hungered for without even consciously knowing it. When she heard that, she had been hooked.

 

[4x4toy]

I remember a guy when I was young would walk up and down main street holding his bible up hollering "you're going to burn in hell for eternity unless you take Jesus as your Savior" every Sat morning . Scared me to death ..

 

[Tetra]

Jesus is the most loving person that has ever walked this earth, no doubt about it. We should emulate Christ and do what He would do. We should most definitely witness and preach with love. But love is a lot more than just words it's action. And most christians here in America think Jesus never had a harsh word to say toward anyone, but just went around preaching love and peace. If that was the case why did the world hate him?
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.



God has a benevolent love for all of humanity. He doesn't want to see people go to hell according to 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, and Ezekiel 33:11. But God also has a hatred for the wicked.
Psalms 11:5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul HATETH.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright.
Psalms 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou HATEST all workers of iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will ABHOR the bloody and deceitful man.


Jesus was very much a Hellfire preacher. I use the KJV, not sure about what Bible you are reading.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

These are a few off the top of my head from only the Gospel of Matthew.


I'm not saying a preacher should never preach about God's love, grace, and mercy. But that shouldn't be all his message contains. For me I kinda go by, James 4:6 But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
So if I encounter people who are proud in their sin (which in most cases this is what I see while preaching on the streets) I will give them the law and hellfire preaching. But if they seem humble I'm all for preaching grace.

One thing I'm confused about Jimbo...

Would you be able to tell me why anyone would care if you preached "hell fire"? Why should anyone care if you tell them they're going to hell?

 

[Jimbo Hall]

One thing I'm confused about Jimbo...

Would you be able to tell me why anyone would care if you preached "hell fire"? Why should anyone care if you tell them they're going to hell?

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

When I was a wicked Hellbound sinner I actually believed I was going to Heaven when I died. No one ever told me different, no christian was ever bold enough to tell me the truths of the bible. So when I finally learned the truth it really bothered me that all these "loving christians" never told me I deserved hell for my sin and that I was headed there. So I decided to love my neighbour as myself by warning people of Hell.

One thing I'm confused about Tetra...

Would you be able to tell me why you don't care enough to warn people of Hell? You do believe sinners without Jesus go to Hell right?
You do believe the bible right?
Because if you call yourself a Christian and don't believe the bible I don't even want to talk to you any more.

 

[Tetra]

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

When I was a wicked Hellbound sinner I actually believed I was going to Heaven when I died. No one ever told me different, no christian was ever bold enough to tell me the truths of the bible. So when I finally learned the truth it really bothered me that all these "loving christians" never told me I deserved hell for my sin and that I was headed there. So I decided to love my neighbour as myself by warning people of Hell.

So you're saying this type of method would've been effective on you, however, I would argue that you're the exception and not the rule.

How would preaching "hell fire" work on an atheist for example?? You'd have to first prove there is a God, that God made a heaven and a hell, and finally, that the life they're living would somehow leads to hell? This, mind you, is assuming they even care in the first place.

Lets assume you're talking to someone who does believe in a god, I mean, this is 2017 man... no one cares what anyone says or thinks. Like I said earlier, you could tell me I'm going to hell till you're blue in the face... my response every time would be... "... so what?".

Would you be able to tell me why you don't care enough to warn people of Hell?

I suppose it would depend on how you define hell, as many Christians debate that topic. However, to answer your question:
1) I don't know who is or isn't going to "hell". Only God knows that.
2) I think it's ineffective at reaching people.
3) In some cases, I think it could in fact be damaging to Christendom.

You do believe the bible right?
Because if you call yourself a Christian and don't believe the bible I don't even want to talk to you any more.

I believe the Bible... I don't know if I agree with your interpretation of the Bible. There's a difference.

This seems like an extremely ineffective method for preaching the Word. I'm not trying to be funny, I'm totally serious, I truly can't fathom why anyone would care if you preached "hell fire" to them.

 

[4x4toy]

A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering fire he will not extinguish . Discernment is key . The Word of God is a two edge sword . What does that mean and how deep does it cut if it is not spoken ..

 

[Jimbo Hall]

So you're saying this type of method would've been effective on you, however, I would argue that you're the exception and not the rule.

How would preaching "hell fire" work on an atheist for example?? You'd have to first prove there is a God, that God made a heaven and a hell, and finally, that the life they're living would somehow leads to hell? This, mind you, is assuming they even care in the first place.

Lets assume you're talking to someone who does believe in a god, I mean, this is 2017 man... no one cares what anyone says or thinks. Like I said earlier, you could tell me I'm going to hell till you're blue in the face... my response every time would be... "... so what?".


I suppose it would depend on how you define hell, as many Christians debate that topic. However, to answer your question:
1) I don't know who is or isn't going to "hell". Only God knows that.
2) I think it's ineffective at reaching people.
3) In some cases, I think it could in fact be damaging to Christendom.


I believe the Bible... I don't know if I agree with your interpretation of the Bible. There's a difference.

This seems like an extremely ineffective method for preaching the Word. I'm not trying to be funny, I'm totally serious, I truly can't fathom why anyone would care if you preached "hell fire" to them.

Tetra, Do you witness to sinners? If so how? What do you say to them? Do you share any bible with them? Also, do you have any bible what so ever to show or prove street preaching isn't useful or is it purely YOUR opinion?

A Lot of Christians seem to think we should beg people to follow Jesus. I don't see that in the bible. In fact Jesus said the reason he spoke in parables is to more or less confuse people. in Mark 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

I don't feel like it's my job at all to beg people to follow Jesus. My job is simple, proclaim the Truth of God's word. He who has a ear let him hear. So when you say this or that isn't effective. I would much rather preach the TRUE WORD OF GOD and have NO one repent, Than to preach God loves you and have 100 false conversions. That's just me maybe tho. I care more about God and the Truth of His word being preached than for people to get saved. People getting saved is my second goal, when people make that their first goal they have a tendency to water down the message so that people will respond.

 

[Uber Genius]

Yes that's a bold statement, especially because there are those who just love to get out there and yell at people... telling them they're headed for hell... but in my experience, no one cares.

Where I live, I don't think I have seen a single person ever approach a street preacher. I mean, not even once. I have have seen people laugh at them, but never approach.

Why do people think this is an effective means to spreading the gospel?!?

Wouldn't developing relationships be a more effective method?

Provocative title.

Perhaps your statement at the end is where we should focus.

What is effective evangelism and if relational evangelism is always called for, is there a cultural context where street evangelism would be effective additionally?

Paul's Mars Hill address and his open air at Tyranus, were to cultures that were well educated and loved philosophical ideas and debates. That hardly seems like the culture we find at most college campuses. I don't want to make a sweeping geralization but certainly a rarity these days.

However, someone taking a harmful message to street preaching is just as likely to take that harmful message to relational evangelism. So the message rapture than the venue seems to be at issue.

Do we want to paint all one air discussions as street preaching? Or would you be willing to accept (with some evidence), that open air discussions where people are asked their views without condemning them might work to stimulate ideas they have never entertained before?