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Discussion Forum : General Topics : A Rebuke to the Church

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 Re:

Most of the churches our family has attended are teaching kids hip hop, break dancing, puppets ect.. Why not take the kids out to hand out tracks? I have taken my kids to the flea market with me to hand tracks out and they love it, even my 7 year old. They have also experienced some rejection but they understand that it's to be expected and that's what they did to Jesus. The bible says to train up your children in the way they should go. I understand what Jesse is saying. Sure we can't all be open air preachers but we need to teach kids how to share thier faith. I've heard Watchman Nee say the first thing a person should do after they are saved is go tell somebody.



 2007/10/14 11:44
Smokey
Member



Joined: 2005/2/21
Posts: 417
Edmonton Alberta Cda.

 Re: A Rebuke to the Church

Jesse

AMEN Brother Jesse. Keep up the good work. Remember that your strongest critics never have, and probably never will share thier faith in any way, let alone in a street witnessing situation where the enemy is in your face every moment.
Blessings Greg ;-)


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Greg

 2007/10/14 17:28Profile









 Re:

Quote:
The truth is most of us should not even tell people we are 'Christians' when our lives are not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.

Quote:
"If a man's life is not right at home, he should go twenty miles away before speaking, stand up and then say NOTHING."



Amen, brother. The Lord is teaching me that this is the most important thing for me now--the issue of authority, of loyalty to Him, of intimacy with Him, of holiness. On whose behalf will I plead with sinners? And how can I ever plead with them if I am still bound by even the "smallest" sin? If my flesh still hinders hearing the Lord's voice? If the enemy still manages to counterfeit His presence? If I go out there in my own strength? Looking back at my life, I cannot but see all the times when I witnessed thinking I did God a favor, and ended up facing my own inability, my shame, and my sin. When my witness points to me and not to Him alone; when it's done by and through my fleshly power; when I only help blur or distort the picture with my presentation, then my well-meant effort is no good thing. In fact, I've done something that the Lord Jesus hasn't called me to do. I've missed the mark. I've sinned, even under the banner of fulfilling the Great Commission or saving a soul from the fire.

We must never see witnessing as something external to the totality of our service to God, as something you do on weekends or when you take a trip downtown, or when you write a post on SI, as some kind of a job. When I compromise one thing in order to witness, then my witness is already ruined. When I am self-conscious about my witness for Christ, then it is already ruined. Instead, I must do EVERYTHING (which includes my witness) in the plain sight of God, from a sincere faith, a pure heart and a good conscience, regardless of whether somebody is watching. Brothers and sisters, we must quit this kind of posing or performing to impress men and win them for Christ, if we ever have done it. Not with persuasive words of man's wisdom, but with the power of God...

I must first preach this to myself and then keep quiet until I've learned the lesson. It's amazing how quickly I can say something which seems good to me, even if the Lord has initially put something on my heart and it is quite precious, before I start feeling more self-confident and unwittingly depart completely from His instruction, and stepping on my previous accomplishment, say and do things He's never asked of me. Please forgive my rushed judgment, brothers and sisters. I see that when a word spoken doesn't come out of the reality of my life (so the message doesn't contradict the character of the messenger), but instead it proceeds from an unreal abstraction of my keen thought--or from my flesh--then I must hear Spurgeon and keep this wonderful thought to myself...

Christ said, "But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren" (Matthew 23:8). Oh if we only allowed Him to really teach us, how easier everything would be!

 2007/10/16 8:13
lejfricke
Member



Joined: 2007/4/17
Posts: 15
Chantilly, Virginia

 Re:

I don't post often, I more like to see what sort of wisdom I can pick up from others, but is this really necessary?

Quote:

Remember that your strongest critics never have, and probably never will share thier faith in any way, let alone in a street witnessing situation where the enemy is in your face every moment.




How does this even come close to what we're supposed to show the world how we've been changed? Should we only put on the show when an unbeliever is looking?

Differing opinions and spiteful remarks are two different things altogether. How can we all seek the kingdom of God, when we are so easily divided?

And a quick lesson on people, the fastest way to turn off someone's attention is to argue, for even if you win the intellectual side of an argument, they'll be resentful of you. This even happens with fellow Christians, a hammer isn't always the best tool for the job, metaphorically.


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Leigh

 2007/10/16 14:48Profile









 Re:

Quote:
Should we only put on the show when an unbeliever is looking?



A man that I greatly admire is Michael Venya. He's an open air preacher who preaches EVERYWHERE that he goes.

He takes the commandment literally, "preach the gospel to EVERY creature".

As he's walking his baby carrage down the sidewalk, if he sees anybody he starts preaching.

If he's in McDonalds, he starts preaching.

If he's at the baggage claim at the airport, he starts preaching. (Actually, the security tackled him for doing this.)

He just preachings to everyone, everywhere he goes because he sees everyone as sinners on the edge of eternity, only moments away from the flames.

But he's not just a man of much preaching, but also a man of much praying and fasting. If he's not preaching the Word, he's reading the word and seeking the Lord.

 2007/10/16 20:03
Smokey
Member



Joined: 2005/2/21
Posts: 417
Edmonton Alberta Cda.

 Re:


A couple of Saturday nights ago, I overcome my fears, and actually stepped up and did a few minutes of speaking with the street preaching team that I have been going out with. It was amazing. I have found that the most vocal objectors to what we are doing are those that are oppressed/possessed , and those that claim to be Christians. Speaking out, and warning a dying humanity of the judgment to come is what we are to be about, not sitting back and glibly critiquing the efforts of those that actually do it. I will leave this discussion with a few words from one of the best "street preachers" ever.

Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Blessings Greg ;-)


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Greg

 2007/10/16 21:20Profile









 Re:

Quote:
I have found that the most vocal objectors to what we are doing are those that are oppressed/possessed , and those that claim to be Christians.



It's true. It was the religious Pharisees who gave John the Baptist and Jesus the hardest time too.

Quote:
Speaking out, and warning a dying humanity of the judgment to come is what we are to be about, not sitting back and glibly critiquing the efforts of those that actually do it.



Good word!! Very wise.

 2007/10/18 3:15
roadsign
Member



Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re: on self analysis

Quote:
I have found that the most vocal objectors to what we are doing are those that are oppressed/possessed , and those that claim to be Christians.


It cannot be denied that hypocrisy is a huge force against the proclamation of truth. Yet this statement could also be adopted by any branch of faith, such as the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Vineyard movement, the WOF, etc. This broad-sweeping assumption can insulate any kind of "evangelist" from painful truths about themselves – their blind spots. Any of us can use it as a shield, assuming that since WE are the guardians of the truth, they must be wrong if they challenge us. Yet, we all know that even the best of evangelicals can subtly grow proud and self-righteous. They can get off track. As their pride grows, so does their resistance to warnings from the Body.

Oh, we can easily see that flaw in others, but it is much harder to see it in ourselves, especially if we have inoculated ourselves against others rebukes and warnings, and only adopt the viewpoints of those who think like us and pat us on the back. Let’s face it, we are not good self-critics – especially as we stray from the Lord. That’s why we need to listen to the wider Body – all the time (!), and even those “hypocrites” who may be obnoxious towards us (in our estimation). There may be truth underneath their tirades. This is not a case of seeking their approval (that’s another issue), but of letting God preserve us from ruin down the road.

I remember in my teens and early twenties - being very involved in evangelistic work. We were well-armed with our tracts, our four spiritual laws, our verses, including prayer preparation. God did use me, I do not deny that. But, in later years I realized that there was an important ingredient missing: We were not taught to actually LISTEN to our subjects. We had the answers and they did not. They were to be the recipients of our “enlightenment” whether they wanted it or not – and all in less than five minutes.

Earlier I had made a comment about the need to consider the damage done, not by those who “neglect” to witness, but those who actually do witness. I did not intend that to incite a divisive response, but just to alert us to the immensity of that problem. In fact, in all the witnessing I am doing and have been over the years, I have YET to find one person who has rejected God simply because he or she has not heard about him. The consistent response proves this to me; People are turned away from Christ because of professing Christians - esp those who are trying very hard.

Let’s admit, we DO witness ALL THE TIME. We witness to whatever is in us – be it good or bad. THAT is what others see, that is what they evaluate. Our words and theological explanations are like water running off hard clay when the soil is not soft and responsive.

Let us be aware of the reality that our efforts can contribute to the hardening of the clay. True, that is Biblical. People have to make a choice, after all. Many rejected Jesus and got hardened. Yet, we can’t even hide behind that truth. There may be some unChristlikeness on our manner that repels others.

It is easy to react to rejection with such comments as: Well, that’s their problem. At least I did my job.

Really? Did we do our job?

May God give us humble hearts!

Diane


_________________
Diane

 2007/10/18 8:55Profile









 Re:

Rejection either means one of two things. We are either doing something right or we are doing something wrong.

Our hearts must always be open to the Lord for correction from His Spirit and from His Scriptures.

 2007/10/18 9:59
BenK
Member



Joined: 2006/12/17
Posts: 49
Harrisburg PA

 Re:

Over the past couple of years, I have had to learn some painful lessons about myself. You see, I have been known as someone who cuts throught the fluff and gets right to the truth and speaks it without fear. I really feel fulfillment in sharing my faith and teaching the gospel to many different people. When I saw hypocrisy or mediocrity in the christians I fellowship with, I called it what it was, and if they didn't like it, that was on them. What I didn't realize was that the spirit in which I delivered the truth was wrong. People would say "I don't like the way you are saying (something)" and my reply would be "you need to hear this, get beyond your feelings and hear the truth" I was full of zeal(still am)and the truth, but I was hurting people. I was talking to a pastor about this stuff and he lovingly showed me a simple truth that humbled me and made me rethink my position:

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth

Jesus was completely full of the truth AND completely full of grace. I realized that grace was what was lacking. After much prayer, the Spirit has begun to change me, lifting unncecssary burdens that I have placed on myself and others. He has softened my heart and quieted my irritation and anger. I now see my zeal is just as potent, the flames burn just as hot, I still speak the WHOLE truth, but the fruit of the spirit has become more evident in all of my interactions. Praise God!! The impact on those around me, christians and nonbelievers, is easy to see. To God be the glory for changing my heart and giving me a more gentle spirit.


_________________
Benjamin Kreps

 2007/10/18 10:20Profile





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