You give too much importance to Calvin like you give too much importance to your extrabiblical books.
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Child evangelism
- Thread starter evangelist6589
- Start date
You give too much importance to Calvin like you give too much importance to your extrabiblical books.
So I went back to the OP as you admonished so many and now I have a question for you. I've bolded a portion of the OP and now here's my question. How do you make the assumption that child evangelism causes the neglect of adult evangelism?
You cite several students you once knew at BJU and their preference for camps, sports, etc.
How do you know they were neglecting adult evangelism?
How do you know programs aimed at youth stop at sports parks and camps and don't have full presentations of the Gospel?
"Now, if any of you still have an idea in your head hostile to the conversion of children, try and get rid of it, for it is as wrong as wrong can be. If there were two enquirers before me now—a child and a man—and I received from each the same testimony, I should have no more right to distrust the child than to suspect the man! In fact, if suspicions must come in anywhere, it ought rather to be exercised towards the adult than in reference to the child who is far less likely to be guilty of hypocrisy than the man and far less likely to have borrowed his words and phrases!" —Charles Spurgeon, "Receiving the Kingdom of God As a Little Child"
Just personal experience and from having been in a half dozen churches over the years in several states.
Sometimes I think so called "personal experiences" are created after the fact in order to justify some new idea found in a book somewhere.
Too bad you did not say "As a Christian"
I recently polled my class of Bible college students, and almost all of them were saved as a child.
I thank God for my parents, who thought child evangelism was important. Mom won me to Christ when I was 4, then took me to a county fair when I was in high school, where we ran a child evangelism tent so I could learn to win children. By the end of the day I was thrilled at what God had done.
Our son was saved at age 4. Today he has a PhD in NT and teaches with me here.
A friend of mine in Japan won a jr. high student to Christ. The boy became faithful to church, went off to Bible college, then returned to pastor the church where he was saved.
God blesses immensely the evangelization of children!!!
I thank God for my parents, who thought child evangelism was important. Mom won me to Christ when I was 4, then took me to a county fair when I was in high school, where we ran a child evangelism tent so I could learn to win children. By the end of the day I was thrilled at what God had done.
Our son was saved at age 4. Today he has a PhD in NT and teaches with me here.
A friend of mine in Japan won a jr. high student to Christ. The boy became faithful to church, went off to Bible college, then returned to pastor the church where he was saved.
God blesses immensely the evangelization of children!!!
Amen! Discussion over (if Evan will admit it).
I'm sure Lydia (Acts 14) would be surprised to know that the model in Acts is men. (Not to mention Priscilla and those women mentioned in Paul's epistles as helpers in the Gospel: "those women which laboured with me in the gospel," Phil. 4:3.)
So you don't know if this is a problem or not then.
I have pastored six churches. Four of them had red carpet in the sanctuary, one had blue and the last one had no carpet at all. The church with blue carpet was one of the most horrific pastoral experiences in my life. Using just my personal experience and the representative population of six churches I could say that churches with blue carpet are the most difficult churches to pastor. It wouldn't be true but, based on my experience, it what was observed.
That said what part of the book of Acts are you referencing as a model for evangelism? What about Chapter 16? The conversion of both Lydia and the jailer led to their respective households coming to Christ. The proclamation of the Gospel was not limited solely to the men. In Lydia's case, Paul went to the riverside and addressed the women. (Acts 16:13)
No part of the family should be neglected when it comes to the Gospel. I could tell you of many adults who came to Christ through a church bus ministry focused on kids. I know of adults serving the Lord now who were saved through the ministry of a church softball team.
It might surprise you to find that when you use words like many and most to highlight what is happening among churches that many and most are faithfully fulfilling their calling.
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Once again we have six posters, by my count that are either full time pastors, missionaries, or part time preachers correcting Evan6589. I wonder if he will heed the wisdom being dispensed?
For you to insinuate my comments were at odds with the OP betrays your inability to justify your view. If I said you need to read the Bible for the first time, would that be helpful? Of course not.
Do you not realize evangelism starts at home? Take a look, if you are able, at the background of John Mark, Timothy, and Titus.
"There stands the Ever-Blessed, knocking at the door of the soul, but the hinges are rusted, the door, itself, is fast bolted and wild briars and all kinds of creeping plants running up the door prove that it has been along time since it was moved. You know what it all means—how continuance in sin makes it harder to yield to the knock of Christ and how evil habits creeping up, one after another, hold the soul so fast that it cannot open to the sacred knocking. Jesus has been knocking at some of your hearts ever since you were children—and still He knocks. I hear His blessed hand upon the door at this moment! Do you not hear it? Will you not open?" —Charles Spurgeon, "Knock"
gigabyte71
Member
Is there a poll related to this question?
PreachTony
Active Member
It will definitely be interesting to see how it turns out.
But they are not Reformed Pastors nor evangelists.
Perhaps but also don't forget according to Barna polls and or other polls that I read very few actually do evangelism these days. This information goes well beyond what Ray or Kirk say.
https://www.barna.org/barna-update/...is-evangelism-going-out-of-style#.VNVNWEJBKGs
And there we have one of the most twisted responses on the board.