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luckyd
Member



Joined: 2005/6/1
Posts: 71
tx

 ray comfort?

i saw someone say lets not get into a debate over him and then give an example of something that he saw ray comfort do. I have liked lots of his ways, but now i feel like maybe lots of christians have a problem with him...is there something wrong with how he teaches and what he does?


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jesse

 2005/7/21 13:12Profile
sermonindex
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Joined: 2002/12/11
Posts: 39795
Canada

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 Re: ray comfort?

No, There is nothing wrong with this man's ministry. I would encourage you to not just discuss about the faults of men or try to pick at them but rather look to Jesus and the teaching of the word of God. Every man's doctrine can vary at points. I personally love the emphasis that Ray Comfort puts on evangelism and law. And law as the precurser to the gospel message being given.

Before this discussion continues on please listen to this sermon by this man of God:
Hell's Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort

here are some comments on this item:

Got your Parachute on? (August 15/2004)
Reviewed by: repenter
This is a super message on how modern evangelicalism has usurped and watered down the gospel to the point that the actual gospel is not being preached. Ray shows us how we need to use the law to point people to the cross. He uses wit and humour to help us see how we need to change our thinking from the modern gospel of telling people they need to be saved because it will merely "improve their lives" to showing people that they are sinners based on God's law, and they need to repent of their sins to escape the wrath to come. Get ready to have even your own salvation challenged as you listen to Hell's Best Kept Secret.

Best Sermon I've Heard (September 28/2004)
Reviewed by: letsgetbusy
This message changed my Christian walk and evangelistic endeavors more than any other sermon ever. To me this is a must hear for everyone that is serious about getting people saved. If there is something missing from your church or personal faith, this is the one to hear. I first heard this message about two years ago, and have passed copies of it out, talked about it, and used the methods ever since. After not listening to it for about a year, I once again sat down and listened to the entire message, and it still brings tears. Great soul-winning message!


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2005/7/21 13:19Profile
couch
Member



Joined: 2003/10/29
Posts: 62
College Station, TX

 Re: ray comfort?

I have personally met Ray Comfort -

And he is a wonderful, humble man who has a sincere love for the Lord and sincere zeal to see the lost find life in Him.

Read "Out of the Comfort Zone" for more information about his life and ministry, it is his autobiography, available at livingwaters.com.

I thoroughly recommend him, and praise God for how he used him in my own life!


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Ryan Couch

 2005/7/21 13:19Profile









 Re: ray comfort?

ray comforts style of evangelism is probably the best there is. i like him a lot...

(sorry for the lower case... 2 yr old on the lap...)

krispy

 2005/7/21 13:22
JaySaved
Member



Joined: 2005/7/11
Posts: 1132
Missouri

 Re:

When I first listened to "Hell's Best Kept Secret", I was blown away. It answered so many questions I had.

Not a week before I heard the message, I thought to myself (obviously prompted by the Holy Spirit), "What does the word 'Saved' really mean, 'Saved' from what?"

I had gotten to the point of viewing 'Saved' as a proper noun, instead of the verb that it should be. Saved from Hell, Saved from wrath, Saved from condemnation, Saved into the loving grace of our Lord Jesus.

Ray Comfort is a man of God and he has renewed the fire in my soul. God forgive me for ever letting it die down.

 2005/7/21 13:50Profile
hredii
Member



Joined: 2004/8/1
Posts: 218
Fresno CA

 Re: ray comfort?

Quote:

luckyd wrote:
but now I feel like maybe lots of christians have a problem with him...

Yes many Christians do have a problem with him. I believe the reason that Christians would have a problem with Ray is because they do not have a proper understanding of the law.
Quote:
is there something wrong with how he teaches and what he does?

There are maybe very very small insignificant things he does or teaches that I don’t agree with... nothing comes to my mind right now. I believe that people questioned Paul and Peter and Jesus Himself with this question. There will always be those that are against the truth even in Christian fellowship.

Also I have seen someone totally against Ray Comfort's teaching and repent and come to embrace his teaching. Because he did not have a proper understanding of the law in evangelism at first.


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Adam Fell

 2005/7/21 14:04Profile
dann
Member



Joined: 2005/2/16
Posts: 239
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

 Re:

Phil Johnson's [url=http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/bookmark.htm]Bookmarks[/url] couldn't decide whether to put "living waters" ministries under "helpful theology" or under "bad theology." so he put it under "miscellaneous" christian resources.

While Phil points out that Hell's best kept Secret is a "superb" sermon - he laments that

Quote:
"[Ray] never seems to get around to preaching the gospel with the same kind of clarity and force [as delivered in the Hell's best kept secret sermon]. In all Comfort's books, tapes, and other resources, there is scarcely any mention of the doctrine of justification by faith, no thorough explanation of substitutionary atonement, and (in my view [that is Phil Johnson's view]) insufficient emphasis on the meaning of the cross. This is surely a glaring deficiency and a major imbalance in a ministry devoted to evangelism."



Ray has described himself as an "itinerant" evangelist, and I personally feel that the narrow focus of his ministry (noted by Mr. Johnson) is by design rather than negligence - whether that is good or bad, I am not really sure, but I would gladly hear him if he came to town!

Dan
/\/
\/\


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Daniel van de Laar

 2005/7/21 14:59Profile
PreachParsly
Member



Joined: 2005/1/14
Posts: 2164
Arkansas

 Re:

I love Ray Comfort but have never really thought about him as a theologian. Ray does what he does and I think he does it quite well, evangelism that is. Ray's emphasis seems to be getting the sinner soundly saved, not making him a Bible scholar. His public ministry has the emphasis on sound biblical evangelism. I heard Tozer say something to this effect," Just because a preacher preaches heavily on one subject doesn't mean he is unbalanced in his life. That is just what God is having him focus on." When a preacher focuses on one subject is doesn't mean that is all he knows, it’s just what God is giving him to preach.

Ray is a street preacher and one-on-one guy. How many of you when you go to witness one-on-one bring you theological notes with you to make sure you expound with precision and exactitude the tenants of the Christian faith? No one.. When we witness we want the person to repent and receive remission of sins through faith in Jesus Christ.


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Josh Parsley

 2005/7/21 15:18Profile
KingJimmy
Member



Joined: 2003/5/8
Posts: 4419
Charlotte, NC

 Re:

Quote:

...In all Comfort's books, tapes, and other resources, there is scarcely any mention of the doctrine of justification by faith, no thorough explanation of substitutionary atonement, and (in my view [that is Phil Johnson's view]) insufficient emphasis on the meaning of the cross. This is surely a glaring deficiency and a major imbalance in a ministry devoted to evangelism."



Where is it taught in the Bible that our evangelism must consist in emphasizing the theology behind the work of Christ in theological language? I'm pretty familiar with Ray Comfort's method and belief, and would have to strongly disagree with this critique. Ray speaks heavily on the work of Christ, justification by faith, etc. He just doesn't use the common theological jargon to do it. Instead, he uses common language that everybody will understand, with plenty of ample illustrations.

Most people in our churches don't even known what the word "propitiation" means. For anybody who has ever done any evangelism, you'll find out that some people don't even know what the word "repentance" means, and again, even in the church!

I have been greatly blessed by Ray Comfort's ministry, and in a short phone conversation I once had with him, he encouraged me to preach at local universities.

If I had to nit-pick what I've seen of his ministry, I'd say he (as well as most street evangelists) needs to put more emphasis on the resurrection of Christ. I am all for using the law in evangelism, but I fear sometimes he (as well as most street evangelist) tend to take a "I'll show them they are a sinner yet..." approach to evangelism instead of "I'll show them Christ crucified and resurrected." Also, to extremely nit-pick again, I'd say he perhaps uses too many props.

Other than that, I love Ray Comfort's ministry and have been greatly blessed by it. I pray that one day I would have such a powerful ministry.


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Jimmy H

 2005/7/21 15:38Profile
JaySaved
Member



Joined: 2005/7/11
Posts: 1132
Missouri

 Re:

Ray knows that most of the people he meets know little if not nothing about Christian theology. Words like propitiation and atonement are words that make me sing praises to the Lord, but to the lost sinner they are confusing.

For example, walk up to a lost person and say, "Jesus loves you. Believe in Jesus and he will save you." Why should they? They don't know who Jesus is and they don't care that he loves them. Ray Comfort points out that (as the Bible says), "the Cross is foolishness to those who perish." Without conviction of sin there is no repentance, without repentance their is no salvation.

Ray speaks on their level and gets them to realize what sin is. His approach is to get the person to realize the sin in their life and to realize that God is opposed to that sin. He tells them what they must do to be forgiven and he gives plenty of room for the Holy Spirit to work.

Something that I have to remind myself, is that God must draw the sinner to him and God is the one who saves the person. My job (and yours) is to be obedient to the words the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts.

Ray Comfort does not try to get people to "pray a prayer". His focus is to get the person to see the need to pray the prayer and pray their own prayer of repentance.

God Bless

 2005/7/21 15:43Profile





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