A few scriptures on being a soldier of Jesus Christ in the army of God:

2 Timothy - 2:3-4
"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

Ephesians 6:10-20
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

Luke 10:17-20
"Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

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Oracio

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Oracio

The Apostle Paul followed Jesus example of bold, frontline gospel outreach to the lost. His face was set like flint as he sought to spread the gospel everywhere he went. We read of him many times going to public places such as the market places where crowds were found in order to preach the gospel to complete strangers. He did not wait long to build relationships with people before preaching the gospel to them. That's why he got into so much trouble in so many places and riots were started. Even while imprisoned he did not hesitate to share the good news with everyone there and many got converted through his bold witness. May we follow his example which was patterned after our Lord Jesus.

During the time of the First Great Awakening there was much open air preaching going on and many were being converted and discipled. John Wesley trained many preachers who rode on horseback preaching the gospel in the open air from town to town. They were called circuit riders. These anointed preachers did not go around performing healing miracles everywhere they went preaching. Their emphasis was the gospel and souls being saved.

William Booth and the origins of the Salvation Army also comes to mind. They preached on the streets and many were converted and discipled and trained to be frontline gospel soldiers through their ministry.

Would to God that there would be another movement in which God's people are revived and on fire to get the gospel out while there is opportunity.

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Oracio

Okay, one more post here and I'm out for the night :)

Several years ago I listened to this message and I remember it made a positive impact on me, so I thought I'd share it here in case anyone might be interested:

Militant Evangelism by Ray Comfort
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=11500&commentView=itemComments

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Oracio

A word of caution regarding the thinking that Jesus had a message that was warmly received and that His evangelism won the multitudes over to Him. Not so!

Consider that it was not just the Pharisees that were offended at what He taught, but most people were, even those who claimed to be His disciples, see John 6:66 "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." This was because they found His preaching too hard.

At the very end Jesus was only left with the 12 (well 11 actually) and even they dispersed for a season! Jesus actually made it hard for folk, not easy. Yes they were attracted at first by miracles and being fed, but He rebuked them for this shallowness. When he laid the word on the line most did not want it.

Let us not think we have to be 'successful' in our evangelism. We have to Faithful to the truth. Trying to be successful leads into all sorts of error and compromise.

Would you rebuke Wesley and Whitfield for preaching in the streets! They won multitudes into the kingdom, but they also faced much opposition and upset a great many people. The gospel of the cross is an offense and stumbling block to many. Don't try and make it easy and thereby strip away the power of the gospel, which produces true salvation.

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Dave

quote:

"TMK, will you not at least recant that point after being shown clearly that it's not true?"

Like I said in my first response on this thread, the rich young ruler came running to Jesus (Mark 10:17) and not vice versa. And Jesus was using the 10 commandments he quoted as a rhetorical device (he was making the point that if you keep all the commandments you can inherit eternal life, which of course is not possible for a lifetime). He was not using them to shame or embarrass the guy. and again this was a one on one interaction.

The apostles generally went into the synagogues or where they were invited or they were defending themselves in front of the authorities.

Again I certainly don't have anything against evangelism. But I think if we strictly look at the numbers, the best way to get someone to hear the gospel in an effective manner may be to get them into a loving church where they will hear the gospel. I think a welcoming environment amidst good Christian folks softens the heart. Many people in the world are never around this environment.

The reason the early church grew so fast was because the lost were seeing how all these new converts were acting and got drawn in.

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Todd

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Lisa

Matthew 12:38-39

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

When Jesus healed people he generally did it in private and cautioned the recipient to not advertise it. It was out of compassion and not used to draw crowds. Yes we know they came because they heard about the miracles, but it seems to me He did not put on a show to advertise Himself like we see many healing crusades do. The apostles never put on a healing meeting. They preached the gospel and as God moved them they healed the sick.

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Dave

Jesus' main emphasis in His ministry was the bold and compassionate preaching of the gospel, whether at the temple or in synagogues, in homes, on a one to one basis, or in the open air from town to town. From the start His was a message of repentance and faith-Mark 1:15.

Regarding His many miracles, we must keep in mind that by His miracles He was fulfilling OT prophecy and proving He was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. When the disciples of John the Baptist asked Him on John's behalf whether or not He was truly the Messiah this was His reply to them:

"Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."-Matthew 11:4-6(cf. Luke 4:18)

But I can hear the objection, "What about the Apostles and disciples in Acts performing many miracles?"

Considering the following few factors, I'd say it was also for a special reason that there were so many such miracles on such a large scale during that time period:

1. Nowhere in the Word of God are we told that miracles are a must for preaching the gospel. However, we are told that miracles were a distinguishing mark of apostles. Paul told the Corinthians, "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds."-2 Cor. 12:2

2. The fact that we have not seen the same types of miracles on such a large scale since then.

That is not to say that miracles are not for today. But simply to say I don't believe they are for today on such a large scale as during that time period; and simply to say that miracles do not prove or disprove one's evangelistic ministry or the anointing of the Holy Ghost.

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Oracio

Part of the problem with the scribes and Pharisees is that they were ignoring the signs Jesus already performed. They were dishonest in their rejection. You really can't compare Jesus' treatment of these men with his treatment of the masses.

The miracles performed by Jesus and the apostles obviously gave extra oomph to their message.

Why should it be any different today?

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Todd