Unsolicited evangelism is not loving your neighbour

DamianWarS

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Door-to-door, church bbq's with a handshake of "Jesus loves you", steering conversations to make sure they hear the gospel, helping the needy while waving a banner. Whatever happened to loving our neighbour, whatever happened to being so discreet with giving that our left hand doesn't know from the right. Whatever it is we turn the gospel into a product and we are the salesmen. I don't want it so why should I expect my neighbour to want it to? If I'm honest and truly love my neighbour the way I love myself then I need to stop selling the gospel and start loving my neighbour.
 

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Totally disagree..

Different ways reach different people.. Just because you do not like it does not mean others will not respond to it.. Those who do not like it will walk away.. No one is holding them down and forcing them to stay and listen.. Thats why most public preaching is done on streets.. So people walking by can keep on walking if they are not interested..
 
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Door-to-door, church bbq's with a handshake of "Jesus loves you", steering conversations to make sure they hear the gospel, helping the needy while waving a banner. Whatever happened to loving our neighbour, whatever happened to being so discreet with giving that our left hand doesn't know from the right. Whatever it is we turn the gospel into a product and we are the salesmen. I don't want it so why should I expect my neighbour to want it to? If I'm honest and truly love my neighbour the way I love myself then I need to stop selling the gospel and start loving my neighbour.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? - Romans 10:14
 
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Halbhh

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Door-to-door, church bbq's with a handshake of "Jesus loves you", steering conversations to make sure they hear the gospel, helping the needy while waving a banner. Whatever happened to loving our neighbour, whatever happened to being so discreet with giving that our left hand doesn't know from the right. Whatever it is we turn the gospel into a product and we are the salesmen. I don't want it so why should I expect my neighbour to want it to? If I'm honest and truly love my neighbour the way I love myself then I need to stop selling the gospel and start loving my neighbour.

Only speaking for myself, the way I would want to learn about the Good News for the first time is because I got curious about a truly friendly new friend's wonderful attitude or happiness or resilience, and then I asked them what makes them so happy or even keeled or so calm in the face of difficulties (like floods, storms, having a bike stolen, whatever), and then they tell me the reason, about Christ our Savior!

Or, sitting on their back porch, again, talking, enjoying the company, I eventually learn of their belief, which they don't try to push on me, and that makes me interested.

That's what I'd want.

So, to obey Him, I must do this --

"So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you."

Different people will indeed spread the Good News in different ways. And this is a way I need to try to do more of, even though I'm surrounded in this local area we live with believers already, still I can find a way somewhere.
 
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31gH9N.9.

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A lot of people have a problem with it but that's always just going to be. There's some people out there who will never desire to read even a verse of the bible and yet maybe one day at the right time God may use a seed of His word that was planted by one of those banners to save them. You never really know.

Then again, it might not be the best way. I was reading a quote from an early Christian writer who was mentioning that there were those in their assembly who were not good with words, but evangelized by not reviling when they were reviled, took beatings patiently, gave to those who asked and lent without expecting a return, and so on... I think God uses different methods for different people.
 
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2PhiloVoid

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Door-to-door, church bbq's with a handshake of "Jesus loves you", steering conversations to make sure they hear the gospel, helping the needy while waving a banner. Whatever happened to loving our neighbour, whatever happened to being so discreet with giving that our left hand doesn't know from the right. Whatever it is we turn the gospel into a product and we are the salesmen. I don't want it so why should I expect my neighbour to want it to? If I'm honest and truly love my neighbour the way I love myself then I need to stop selling the gospel and start loving my neighbour.

I get what your saying DW, and perhaps in many cases we do need to show a lot more emotional intelligence than we typically do towards those who are on the "outside" of the faith. We might also need to realize that some of those on the "outside" used to be on the inside and have left because they were kicked around a bit by those of us in the "inside."

Anyway, good point. :cool:

Peace,
2PhiloVoid
 
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Living Soul

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Door-to-door, church bbq's with a handshake of "Jesus loves you", steering conversations to make sure they hear the gospel, helping the needy while waving a banner. Whatever happened to loving our neighbour, whatever happened to being so discreet with giving that our left hand doesn't know from the right. Whatever it is we turn the gospel into a product and we are the salesmen. I don't want it so why should I expect my neighbour to want it to? If I'm honest and truly love my neighbour the way I love myself then I need to stop selling the gospel and start loving my neighbour.

What would happen to your neighbor if they died tomorrow, and instead of giving them their one last chance at encouragement to come to Jesus, you just gave them a hamburger at a picnic and called it love?
 
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HereIStand

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It would be great if people who needed an evangelistic appeal would solicit one. That seems unlikely though. An evangelism approach can be both respectful and deliberate. Evangelism by good works must eventually reach actual words, not just deeds.
 
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Halbhh

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What would happen to your neighbor if they died tomorrow, and instead of giving them their one last chance at encouragement to come to Jesus, you just gave them a hamburger at a picnic and called it love?

ah, we can best rely on the Spirit, when it tugs on us to say something, then.
 
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"For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2)

"Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:2-5)
 
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DamianWarS

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Totally disagree..

Different ways reach different people.. Just because you do not like it does not mean others will not respond to it.. Those who do not like it will walk away.. No one is holding them down and forcing them to stay and listen.. Thats why most public preaching is done on streets.. So people walking by can keep on walking if they are not interested..

is that how you love people? is that how you want to be loved?
 
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DamianWarS

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1 Corinthians 9:22, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some"

Paul is talking about contextualizing and by all means contextualize the gospel in ways your neighbour wants to hear it. when he uses "all" there are of course limits and it should not imply going against loving your neighbour but rather agreeing with it.
 
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DamianWarS

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What would happen to your neighbor if they died tomorrow, and instead of giving them their one last chance at encouragement to come to Jesus, you just gave them a hamburger at a picnic and called it love?

If i just gave them a hamburger then I've missed the point. if I give them the gospel in a nutshell so I can sleep at night then I've also missed the point.
 
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DamianWarS

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Only speaking for myself, the way I would want to learn about the Good News for the first time is because I got curious about a truly friendly new friend's wonderful attitude or happiness or resilience, and then I asked them what makes them so happy or even keeled or so calm in the face of difficulties (like floods, storms, having a bike stolen, whatever), and then they tell me the reason, about Christ our Savior!

Or, sitting on their back porch, again, talking, enjoying the company, I eventually learn of their belief, which they don't try to push on me, and that makes me interested.

That's what I'd want.

So, to obey Him, I must do this --

"So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you."

Different people will indeed spread the Good News in different ways. And this is a way I need to try to do more of, even though I'm surrounded in this local area we live with believers already, still I can find a way somewhere.

sounds crazy enough to work but rather than an outsider looking in actually become friends with your neighbour and earn the privilege of solicited evangelism.
 
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DamianWarS

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It would be great if people who needed an evangelistic appeal would solicit one. That seems unlikely though. An evangelism approach can be both respectful and deliberate. Evangelism by good works must eventually reach actual words, not just deeds.

what would it take to earn the privilege of solicited evangelism? probably time, love and respect. could this be perhaps a better approach to something unsolicited that is disconnected from any real intimacy?
 
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is that how you love people? is that how you want to be loved?

If i was in darkness not knowing the LORD Jesus Christ and His loving atonement for me I would want someone to care enough to get out on the street and talk about it so i could at lest have a chance to hear the message and consider it..

Keeping people in the dark is the worst kind of hate imaginable.
 
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