What Would Be The Best Way To Spread The Gospel of Christ?
- Thread starter Dayton3
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If the New Testament didn't say we were supposed to I probably wouldn't try to convert people. After all, rejection and ridicule are not appealing.
But that said, I can see why the church alienates people by harping on sexual sins which are no worse than other sins.
One of the Christian magazines I read said that Christians make a huge mistake when they appear to be concentrating on sexual sins like there are no others in the world.
But that said, I can see why the church alienates people by harping on sexual sins which are no worse than other sins.
One of the Christian magazines I read said that Christians make a huge mistake when they appear to be concentrating on sexual sins like there are no others in the world.
Dayton, let your actions be your witness to the Gospel and convert people that way. Don't use words. Use love of others. Don't try to cajole, guilt, bully. Don't use the bus argument. It's crap.
Be a good person. Let that be how you preach the Gospel. Let people convert because they want to be a good person like you.
Or don't worry about it. God will know what to do at the end of their lives on Earth.
Be a good person. Let that be how you preach the Gospel. Let people convert because they want to be a good person like you.
Or don't worry about it. God will know what to do at the end of their lives on Earth.
What is the "bus argument"?
And what if God doesn't think we're doing enough to try to convert people?
What if his/her attitude is "So you were obedient in all things. But how many people did you bring to me?"
That is a fear I have.
The "bus argument" is this: If you were standing in the road and a bus were hurtling at you, you'd appreciate it if I pushed you out of the way. It's the same thing as accepting Jesus as your Personal Lord and Savior. You'll appreciate me pushing you out of the way of the path to hell. That's the argument.
As for your fear of not doing enough, if you preach the Gospel through your goodness, you will bring people to God and He/She/It/Both will be pleased. Have faith. It's called that for a reason.
As for your fear of not doing enough, if you preach the Gospel through your goodness, you will bring people to God and He/She/It/Both will be pleased. Have faith. It's called that for a reason.
The only problem is, the people he's trying to reach already think they're good people.
So this is akin to trying to sell snow to an eskimo. No offense, but I don't see how it could work.
In many ways then, the bulk of fundamentalist evangelism in the U.S. over the decades has been entirely misguided.
Instead of preaching of Gods eternal damnation upon those who sin and willfully trangress Gods will, Christians in the churches should make a massive effort within themselves and in the church to ensure that their own lives are in accordance to the scriptures.
And then reaching out into the community and building the reputation of those in the church as people who want to help others regards of their beliefs and past.
Perhaps we've been doing it wrong for a very long time.
Instead of preaching of Gods eternal damnation upon those who sin and willfully trangress Gods will, Christians in the churches should make a massive effort within themselves and in the church to ensure that their own lives are in accordance to the scriptures.
And then reaching out into the community and building the reputation of those in the church as people who want to help others regards of their beliefs and past.
Perhaps we've been doing it wrong for a very long time.
Wouldn't that mean advocating pure socialism?
You'll get no argument from me, but I just don't think that's very compatible with the American mindset.
In other words, I'm not sure how realistic your idea is.
No argument here.
That would also help a lot with the argument that a lot of modern day Christians tend not to practice what they preach. Sometimes it seems they're more interested in telling others how their lives should be lived than in focusing on making themselves better people.
Granted there's nothing wrong in telling others ways that they could be better, but it would seem to be a matter of simple respect for others to stop trying if they've indicated a lack of interest. Free will, and all.
While I see your concern--I also suspect none of us will really know how many people we touched even by the simple things we didn't think of as preaching. It can be as simple as doing a Christian kindness that somebody remembers 20 years later long after you're out of their lives. I don't believe you're always going to know the results of your actions...in fact, pushing for the immediate conversion may be the problem in a LOT of cases. Being very, very patient as well as kind, is key: even patient enough to accept that you may not ever see any proof in your time around someone of anything "taking."
This is a very good thing to remember as it heads off a lot of very arrogant, nasty, and aggressive behavior.
Do a couple of other things for us too, Dayton.
1.) Stop worrying about this "Rapture" business. Don't live your life as if Jesus will be snatching you and your compatriots from this Earth tomorrow. Scripture is pretty clear that Man will not know when the Son of Man will return. Rather, be concerned with making the time that we spend on this Earth waiting for his coming at the end of our lives and at the end of the world a pleasant, enjoyable time.
2.) Take a step back. Are you preaching the Gospel of Jesus? Or are you preaching the Gospel of Paul? Do you know the difference? Fundamentalists and Evangelicals seem to excel at quoting Paul but crediting Jesus. Think about who Paul was writing to, why he was writing to them, and when he was writing to them. That will give you greater clarity to understand what he was talking about. But please, make sure you're not putting his words in Christ's mouth.
1.) Stop worrying about this "Rapture" business. Don't live your life as if Jesus will be snatching you and your compatriots from this Earth tomorrow. Scripture is pretty clear that Man will not know when the Son of Man will return. Rather, be concerned with making the time that we spend on this Earth waiting for his coming at the end of our lives and at the end of the world a pleasant, enjoyable time.
2.) Take a step back. Are you preaching the Gospel of Jesus? Or are you preaching the Gospel of Paul? Do you know the difference? Fundamentalists and Evangelicals seem to excel at quoting Paul but crediting Jesus. Think about who Paul was writing to, why he was writing to them, and when he was writing to them. That will give you greater clarity to understand what he was talking about. But please, make sure you're not putting his words in Christ's mouth.
Well said.
Dayton, are you trying to share out of fear or guilt? Are you afraid that God will be disappointed in you? He can never be disappointed or surprised by anything we can do. If you want to reach others in a genuine way, love them. Try to meet some needs in their lives. People won't be converted by argument or rhetoric. They will accept Christ into their lives because they see the need to do so. You don't need to be afraid. God has put the judgment of all of humanity for all time upon His Son. Celebrate His grace.
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Did starting this thread go against the site user agreement?
I've never gone for this rapture and the end times are imminent thing myself.
As for Paul versus Jesus I've heard that argument before but I do consider Paul to be a divinely inspired apostle of Christ and that what he wrote was in effect the words of Christ (except for certain passages where he specified that something was only his opinion, as when he advised young men not to marry).
As for Paul versus Jesus I've heard that argument before but I do consider Paul to be a divinely inspired apostle of Christ and that what he wrote was in effect the words of Christ (except for certain passages where he specified that something was only his opinion, as when he advised young men not to marry).
Let's not let this Thread become a train wreck, everybody; be civil and respectful, please.
Here's my advice to anybody who sincerely wants to spread the Gosepl of Christ:
Don't focus on the occult; focus on kindness and compassion, and do so by example.
Don't tolerate the dark side; denounce those who are anti-gay, anti-sex, anti-woman, anti-imagination and otherwise anti-American.
Don't tolerate the stupid side; falling into the trap of Creationism or seeing the Virgin Mary on a sesame seed bun will do nothing for your credibility.
Don't politicize or legislate; the internal rules of religious factions do not belong on the law books.
Don't lead with hatred; if you want to end Abortion, accusing people who have had one of murder will only alienate them.
In short: Before you spread the Gospel of Christ, be sure you understand it.
Beautifully put, and I quite agree. The gospel of Christ is spread through living it.
'in effect the words of Christ'?
Except for the fact he completely goes against what Christ was saying? Christ spent his whole time talking about actions, things you should do, ways to live your life. His arguably most important speech, the Sermon on the Mount, is all about things you should do.
Then Paul comes along and his message is basically - nothing you do matters, its 100% about believing in Christ. That's it. Anything good you do is 'as menstrual rags to the Lord'.
I'm sorry but I really don't think the two can be reconciled as being the same guy talking.
My, my...that's an awfully forgiving God you believe in.
Obedience through fear worked with African slaves, too.
Wait, you think God is a pyramid scheme?
There's some truth to this. Many of us have been saying for quite some time that the people in the pews couldn't give us a coherent summary of what the Gospel is and that the focus of far too many is on moralism. They'd rather pass a petitition that actually do real evangelism.
As a Baptist, I lament that while Baptists, on paper, say they believe in regenerate church membership, the pews are obviously filled with unregenerate people who think that saying a sacramental prayer or walking an aisle constitutes a "'real' decision" for Christ. That's patently false. That's Charles Finney on steriods.
In fact, some of my Baptist brethren can't stand Presbyterians because, they say, Presbyterians believe in "mixed membership." Well, that's true on some level, but I'd hasten to add that my experience in the PCA and OPC these days is that the evangelical Presbyterians know (and practice) the Gospel far more effectively than most Baptists I know.
But with that said, Dayton, look at your own signature. It seems to me that you're on a quest to find the one true most holy apostolic church. That's a fundamental mistake too. The Gospel is not "find the one true holy apostolic visible church." That's ecclesiolatry. No modern local church or group of them will fit that, because we don't live in the Apostolic Age. That's why, among many theological reasons, Protestants split away from Roman Catholics during the Reformation - they saw, and rightly so, that Rome had capitulated to ecclesiolatry. I've talked to many a Romanist in my day - half my family is Catholic - and conversion to Christ isn't left there, for them it involves being converted to "the Church," defined as Rome. How is that really any different than declaring the Church of Christ as the one true church?
Unfortunately, that's not true. You've missed the entire point of Romans 7. Justification by faith alone is not antinomianism. There is no difference between Paul and Jesus - none whatsoever. Paul simply teaches that works of the Law,whether ceremonial (as in Galatians) or moral (as in Romans) cannot and do not merit justification before God. That comes by the righteousness of Christ alone imputed via the instrumentality of faith to the people of God in aggregate and as individuals. But such faith is not a dead faith. It does not mean we can go on (and even will go on) living as we did before. No, that's precisely what Paul condemns and the very accusation by those who would raise that charge against his teaching that Paul condemns in the middle of the Book of Romans. The point is that good works flow from the fount of faith in Christ, that saving faith transforms the life of the individual, while at the same time, those works do not, of themselves, merit salvation. They are, rather, a product of it.
The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beattitudes. The point is that that one must be regenerate in order to do the things in the SoM. And the SoM isn't a rebuttal of the Mosaic Law or a change - everything in the SoM is a restatement of the Mosaic Law. You know, "Love your neighbor..." that's straight out of Leviticus 19.
