Unsolicited evangelism is not loving your neighbour

[fat wee robin]

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.

If you are an American or have European roots you cannot be 'in the dark ' about a person called Jesus .
But if you have had bad 'evangelisation' in the past wherever you are from ,or whatever church was in your locality ,then the chances are that the people doing the evangelisation were legalistic ,and arrogant ,so one needs to change approach . Be friendly ,not hiding what you believe ,but above all not forcing it in anyway .
Because people know that I love Jesus and believe in Him ,I don't have to say anything .In a country which had a revolution ,and is very suspicious of those who vaunt their beliefs ,I try to behave as I believe Christian should ,with joy ,contentment and kindness .Since I came to this part of the world more people are coming out in the best sense ,not afraid to admit that they do too believe .
Yes France is moving slowly ,but 3 people I have just met have said " you can see those who believe ".This from those feeling sad with little hope after much suppression of religious sentiment is a victory for Christ who still reings in the hearts of many French people .

PS I am sometimes a bit curt on here ,but never chez moi .

 

[Hammster]

yes it does just not unsolicited

And where do you find that in scripture?

 

[Hammster]

you might as well speak your point

I do have children. I love them by telling them things that they don't always want to hear.

 

[Hammster]

Jesus doesn't tell us to be good neighbours he tells us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. it's not complicated.

Do you want to be saved?

 

[JackRT]

And some street preachers are so totally obnoxious that they bring Christianity into disrepute:

Why women, the city and London's churches have had enough of these London street preachers

 

[Hammster]

And some street preachers are so totally obnoxious that they bring Christianity into disrepute:

Why women, the city and London's churches have had enough of these London street preachers

I just read the first few paragraphs. That's definitely not evangelism.

 

[JackRT]

I just read the first few paragraphs. That's definitely not evangelism.

I totally agree.

 

[GirdYourLoins]

First of all I agree with the comments about leaving them to go to hell is not loving your neighbour. If you were destined for hell would you not want someone to lead you to salvation? By not leading them to Jesus you might be loving them in this world, but are you loving them as God loves them? Thats enough to send His Son to die for us while we were still sinners.

And the other thing is there are various ways to evangelise. There s the old fashioned hell and brimstone, you are damned to an eternity in hell type evangelism but I dont think anyone uses that any more. And there is a more loving way to evangelise sharing the love of God with them. I do volunteer work with the homeless and they often say the Christians do nearly all work to feed them, etc. We share the love of God with them. I have countless times said I only do it because of what God has done in me and I am only giving something back and sharing His love in response to being thanked for what I do. I say they should thank God rather than me as it is Him who put me here to serve them. We pray for people and have seen a number of healings. I consider that loving my neighbour.

 

[Aimz]

This is interesting to me because it reminds me of an incident on social media several years ago with a friend younger in the faith at the time who was having a hard time letting go of worldly opinions and conforming to biblical standards. Despite being a professing Christian they did not appreciate comments with what they called walls of cold offensive text on their original message even though it was Scripture relating to the issue demonstrating the biblical standard and how their worldly opinion was essentially making their profession of faith out to be a lie.

I think evangelising is all about timing and understanding the gifts being given to you. Conversational evangelising in an established friendly relationship will likely be more successful than a stranger shouting across a street that you are a bad person for instance.

I am still daily trying to learn the balance and to let the Spirit lead.

 

[dqhall]

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.

More than thirty years ago I was wandering and doing migrant farm labor to get enough money to move on. I talked about God to my coworkers sometimes. A coworker asked me to tell him about Jesus, but I was too busy on my way to go fishing by a farm pond on my day off. I had not memorized much of the Bible. I later regretted not telling him what I knew at the time.

If you get into something like handing out food to the homeless, you might be able to talk to them about Jesus. If you are skilled and they are receptive some good might come of it. If you merely give bread to the hungry, it is a blessing. To give them a good sermon is more difficult. Some of the homeless shelters had guest speakers capable of giving good lectures.

12 step programs have led some out of sin as people who had been saved were able to tell about their recoveries.

 

[JoeP222w]

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.

Please explain this passage:


Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

And this one:

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.


If you love your neighbor, you tell them the truth, by warning them that if they are not in Christ, they are under the wrath of God for their sins against Him, and the only way that they can be saved is if they turn from their sins and trust in Jesus Christ.

If you see your neighbor's house on fire, then see them inside their house completely unaware of the fire, are you not going to go up to their door and pound on it and plead with them, "Your house is on fire, you must get out now!"? But from what you wrote, you would consider that unloving.

If you have no concern for the lost (by refusing to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to them because you consider it unloving), then you yourself are lost.

 

[JoeP222w]

ah, we can best rely on the Spirit, when it tugs on us to say something, then.

He already has told you, have you not read?:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

 

[JoeP222w]

by all means contextualize the gospel in ways your neighbour wants to hear it.

The unregenerate do not want to hear the gospel. There are no God seekers.

Romans 3:10-12 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; (11) no one understands; no one seeks for God. (12) All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins (2) in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— (3) among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

 

[dqhall]

Please explain this passage:


Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

And this one:

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.


If you love your neighbor, you tell them the truth, by warning them that if they are not in Christ, they are under the wrath of God for their sins against Him, and the only way that they can be saved is if they turn from their sins and trust in Jesus Christ.

If you see your neighbor's house on fire, then see them inside their house completely unaware of the fire, are you not going to go up to their door and pound on it and plead with them, "Your house is on fire, you must get out now!"? But from what you wrote, you would consider that unloving.

If you have no concern for the lost (by refusing to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to them because you consider it unloving), then you yourself are lost.

If you see a lady with a flat tire by the side of the road and stop to change her tire for her and tell you stopped to help because you are a Christian, that might be a better witness for Christ than telling her she is going to hell if she does not attend church and read the Bible.

I warned people about the dangers of obesity, but they are yet obese. I warned smokers not to smoke, and they yet smoke. I warned a lady that the mole on her skin appeared like melanoma and she should get it looked at. She later returned to tell me it was a melanoma. She had it removed. I had saved her life.

Remember, Jesus taught about the Samaritan who found the victim of a brutal robbery laying by the side of the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. The Samaritan was the good neighbor who stopped to rescue the victim.

 

[The Times]

I think it says somewhere that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

There is context to the OP, where it asserts that by preaching the gospel to your neighbour when you are not invited by your neighbor, you are not loving them. This implies a compromise on placing restrictive conditions on when to or not to preach Jesus.

The definition and context of love presented here is worldly and therefore fleshly, because it compromises from preaching Jesus, in order to appease the flesh/world. The Biblical definition and context of what Jesus implied as love is sacrificial love, that anyone who does not have a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ will die in his sins and face eternity in hell. Therefore, we owe it to our neighbors to lovingly share with them the good news of the gospel.

Paul instructs...

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

By not preaching the gospel, we are breaking the 1st commandment to LOVE our God with all our hearts and minds, because the Great Commission obligates a born again believer to deliver the gospel of love and peace into the hearts and minds of those who know not God. Since scripture states....

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So by not preaching Jesus unconditionally to our neigbour, we are breaking both commandments.

 

[Phil 1:21]

And some street preachers are so totally obnoxious that they bring Christianity into disrepute:

Why women, the city and London's churches have had enough of these London street preachers

That guy is no more preaching the word of God than is the Westboro Baptist Church, or for that matter, the Klan.

 

[Halbhh]

He already has told you, have you not read?:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We certainly know and agree we are to tell others the good news of Christ. Here we are discussing the how to do it well.

Doing it well means we will be obeying Christ's instruction He said to you and to me --

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

 

[dqhall]

So by not preaching Jesus unconditionally to our neigbour, we are breaking both commandments.

What if your neighbors are not talking to you? If you are not welcomed to step one foot on your neighbors' property and you go to try to preach Jesus, they might get angered. In one place I tried to tell my neighbors about the Bible and the dangers of smoking and drugs. It turned out there was some tobacco usage, drunkenness, and drug use going on. They wanted nothing to do with people who were not using drugs. Some of them were trying to supplement their jobs by selling drugs. Someone racked a gun outside my bedroom window and fired a shot late at night. Another time a drunk in his back yard was yelling at the top of his lungs that I was a snitch. My property was vandalized. After years of suffering, I left that neighborhood.

If you are anointed, you might stand on the side of a mountain and draw a crowd of thousands to listen to your preaching. Some of them might get saved.

Make sure you are right with God before you try to tell your neighbors they are sinning. It is difficult to gain the scholarship, knowledge and linguistic skills of someone like Paul.

 

[The Times]

What if your neighbors are not talking to you?

3If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

The focus is on the Great Commission to preach Jesus and to make disciples.

 

[lesliedellow]

You are right about one thing. The church today behaves as though it was a commercial organisation on a sales drive. And, since theology is not exactly the easiest of things to turn into a desirable consumer durable, the result is a shallow religiosity with the "prosperity gospel" as its end point.