Featured Not offending anyone

Colossians 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What we should be preaching to the lost is the gospel. What we should be preaching is ONLY the gospel. And they will either be offended by the gospel message and reject it, or they will be offended by the gospel message and through a godly sorrow be led towards repentance, or they will ignore it. But we, ourselves, do not need to be offensive (and we shouldn't be offensive).

I think that what is often lacking in evangelism is that wisdom of which Paul taught in Colossians 4. Too often people seem to want to grind people's noses in their sins, to confront and convict them, instead of sowing the seed and trusting God to work the harvest as He wills.

 

I can think of a couple of reasons that what you said would be offensive. One is because to the lost the gospel is offensive. But another reason is that you do not know the status of those who died in Orlando. There are many who frequent those types of establishments to socialize without being "hit on". Others may go with friends. And some may even go as a witness. I don't know the state of those who died in Orlando. I do know that it is an opportunity to show compassion and spread the gospel.

 

Can you see the hearts of people and know if they are saved or not? If you can know the heart of a man does that mean you are claiming to be God? 1 Samuel 16:7 "for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

Are you of the opinion that their sin is worse than your sin? That you are a better class of sinner than they are?

You know, for the past 60 years I have searched the bible and I can not find that verse that says God has given us the ministry of judgmentalism. All I can find is that He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

In fact, the only judgmentalism I can find in the bible was on the part of the self-righteous Pharisee. Luke18:11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican."

One evening in October
When I was about one-third sober
And was taking home a load with manly pride
My poor feet began to stutter
So I lay down in the gutter
And a pig came up and lay down by my side

Then we sang "It's All Fair Weather"
And "Good Fellows Get Together"
Till a lady passing by was heard to say
She says, "You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses"
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

 

Ours is not to teach Scripture to the lost. It is to share the gospel. You can't even say that the "vast majority" of those who were killed were without a doubt lost with any type of authority at all. That is why I think it best not to go there. And that is why I think that you "go too far" sometimes in trying to convict other people.

No, I will not go along handing out tracts because I am not called to do so. I pray that you will be blessed in your efforts, and trust that God is using you to His glory. My witness, however, is in accordance with my own calling and not yours. Sometimes I think that you would be better off if you would focus more on your own ministry and let other servants serve as they are called. But you are right that it is important to witness to the lost.