Door-to-door

Our church is located in the middle of several neighborhoods. Would that not be classified as Jerusalem?

 

I think you are missing the point. We start at home, our family. Then I believe we move to extended family, friends, coworkers, people we come into contact with daily. Then we branch out from there. The cities were symbols, examples.

 

Am I the only one who can't accept the allegorization of Acts 1:8?

What the text says:

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth = regions which would hear the apostolic witness

---------
Where is the justification for any meaning beyond that?

 

I do not like door to door folks at all. It is not polite and in many ways is like trying to stuff your beliefs down other peoples throats. If they want to hear it, they know they can go to a church. </font>[/QUOTE]So what your saying is that it's ok that these people just burn in hell.
How do you know they know they can go to church. It's that type of thinging that is wrong with the church today, It's time that we as christians got up and started doing more,Christ didnt wont to go to the cross He asked the Father if there was another way, and then He went anyway, for us He did this, then we complain about witnessing for Him. We dont want to go door to door because we dont want to hurt there feelings or disturb them while there eating, last time I looked the bible still say's we dont know when Christ is coming back, I would rather be caught at least trying than doing nothing. What has the church come to.

 

Why didn't Jesus simply state family, co-workers, etc. Webdog it is not what we think but Jesus said that matters.

 

Why is it even in the Bible, then, in that specific order? Was Jesus just bablling? It should have just read "go everywhere", right? You don't think there is ANY meaning in the list and order? As you say, respectfully I dissent (but I give a reason why).

[ August 24, 2005, 04:10 PM: Message edited by: webdog ]

 

I agree, it's not what we think. Jesus was the one who listed the city, region in the order He did, and obviously for a reason. It must have been for some reason, eh? He could have just said "go into all the world" and left it at that, no?
How can we go door to door when there is people in our own family we haven't witnessed to? Same with co workers. We are supposed to knock on a stranger's door when we haven't even knocked on our own friends, family and co workers door?

 

Webdog, My friends, family,& co workers all know were I stand, then have been witnessed to. If yours have not let me know were they are and I will go knock on there door.By the way He did say go into all the world, Check out Matt. 28:19,20

 

I used to go weekly but have not in a long while. Things are alot different today. Too many channels on TV to watch, people dont hang outside like they used to. Just seem to cacoon them selves up in their homes and dont want to be bothered. Its also about 95% rejection and people cant handle all the rejection.

 

The order is logical--closest to furthest.

Now, that doesn't mean that Jesus' itinerary was intended to apply to our individual circumstances. The principle behind it is applicable (that of being a faithful witness near and far), but where is it ever assumed to be an everlasting pattern beyond the apostolic witness? Moreover, what in the text indicates that Jerusalem means anything other than Jerusalem?

Allowing the text to speak for itself does not yield a family/acquaintances/beyond interpretation. If one can bring in a symbolic interpretation without any textual basis, what limit is there to free-wheeling eisegesis?

 

I agree, Helen. My thoughts exactly!

 

I can see the usefulness of all kinds of approaches. Christians vary in their spiritual gifts, opportunities, and circumstances.
My SBC church has been using the Faith evangelism method.
There are new Christians in my church, as a result. Older members are developing relationships with them.
When I was a younger, stay at home mom, witnessing opportunities through the church have sometimes been my only point of contact with non-Christians. I had witnessed to my neighbors for years. My family members were all Christians. I didn't have any coworkers.
I live in a community that is more open to drop-in callers than some other parts of the country. Door to door is not something that every Christian must do. But I believe it is often a legitimate method.
I have periodically had people knock on my door. The couple of minutes I have spent introducing myself to a fellow Christian has not felt like a major inconvenience to me.
I have never had anyone insist on hanging around too long, nor does my church or I employ pushy methods.

Karen

 

We have started a new thing on Thursday night. Pairs go walking around the neighborhood in the early evening and either knocking on doors or talking to folks outside. They introduce themselves and ask the people if there's anything they would like us to pray about for them. I have not been able to go out on this myself, but have come to the church when they have come back to do the praying and have heard the stories. Some folks are so receptive because that are taken by surprise that we are asking them if we can pray for them! It seems to be working in that there have been folks come to church after such encounters. Too soon to tell if there will be any long-term fruit from this endeavor.