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Letters to abortion centers

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Who are you following? God or man (the author of the last book you read). I have read you mentioning Ray Comfort 10 times as often as you mention Jesus Christ.

Ray Comfort has been on an anti-abortion phase lately. I wouldn't doubt that Evan's inspiration to write these letters comes from Comfort's emphasis on the issue.



Sent from my Moto Droid Turbo.
 

annsni

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Once again I'm reading Secrets of an Unlikely Convert and one thing that is interesting is the establishment of the relationship between the author (Rosaria Butterfield) and a pastor and his wife. The reason for the start of the relationship was a letter he wrote to her. She said she received a lot of mail both in support of her and against her and she had two boxes she would file them in - one for hate mail and one for love mail. But this letter was different. She couldn't decide which box to put it in. Why? He asked her questions and didn't just tell her she was a sinner going to hell for her lifestyle and her beliefs. He left a phone number for her to call and she finally did. She met with this pastor and his wife when he invited her to dinner because the phone was not a good way to communicate. He got into her life. He respected her, treated her as a human being who was loved by God and in time, God changed her heart and she became a Christian, leaving behind a very solid life completely and stepping into the unknown. But it started with a letter that she couldn't categorize because of the way it was written.

So I ask Evan, what box would she put your letter in?
 

Baptist Believer

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
He got into her life. He respected her, treated her as a human being who was loved by God and in time, God changed her heart and she became a Christian, leaving behind a very solid life completely and stepping into the unknown.
That's the key.

I have a friend who came out of the Jehovah's Witness cult a number of years ago because one of the ladies classes at the local Baptist church heard that they had just brought home a newborn daughter with some significant health issues.

Shortly after arriving home from the hospital, the doorbell rang and a couple of senior ladies stood there with casseroles in hand and groceries in the car. They said they were from the Baptist church and knew that they had their hands full with their newborn daughter, so they brought over some meals and fresh groceries for the cupboard. My friend protested that they were JWs and didn't need handouts from the local churches, but they apologized for intruding, but kept bringing in bags of food and things for the baby, including diapers.

Two days later, another group of ladies returned to pick up the casserole dishes and brought more food and diapers, plus a few things a sharp-eyed person from the previous visit thought they needed for their home.

This pattern continued for weeks until the young family was settled in. Until that point, no one had verbally made a point about the gospel message - they just loved on the family. Finally, my friend couldn't contain himself anymore and went over to the church building and asked the pastor why they were doing such a thing. The pastor explained that Jesus taught them to love their neighbors, and that they were neighbors to the Baptists. This began a long journey of reading a Bible secretly purchased out of town and eventually coming to faith because of the simple loving testimony of some senior ladies.

If they had come with a doctrinal argument and handfuls of tracts (even if they had brought food and supplies), their message and actions would have been dismissed as simply trying to win a convert. But by not tying any strings to their love, they gave my friend and his wife the space to understand that there was actually a difference in the way those church people lived.

And God used it.
 

evangelist6589

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
That's the key.

I have a friend who came out of the Jehovah's Witness cult a number of years ago because one of the ladies classes at the local Baptist church heard that they had just brought home a newborn daughter with some significant health issues.

Shortly after arriving home from the hospital, the doorbell rang and a couple of senior ladies stood there with casseroles in hand and groceries in the car. They said they were from the Baptist church and knew that they had their hands full with their newborn daughter, so they brought over some meals and fresh groceries for the cupboard. My friend protested that they were JWs and didn't need handouts from the local churches, but they apologized for intruding, but kept bringing in bags of food and things for the baby, including diapers.

Two days later, another group of ladies returned to pick up the casserole dishes and brought more food and diapers, plus a few things a sharp-eyed person from the previous visit thought they needed for their home.

This pattern continued for weeks until the young family was settled in. Until that point, no one had verbally made a point about the gospel message - they just loved on the family. Finally, my friend couldn't contain himself anymore and went over to the church building and asked the pastor why they were doing such a thing. The pastor explained that Jesus taught them to love their neighbors, and that they were neighbors to the Baptists. This began a long journey of reading a Bible secretly purchased out of town and eventually coming to faith because of the simple loving testimony of some senior ladies.

If they had come with a doctrinal argument and handfuls of tracts (even if they had brought food and supplies), their message and actions would have been dismissed as simply trying to win a convert. But by not tying any strings to their love, they gave my friend and his wife the space to understand that there was actually a difference in the way those church people lived.

And God used it.

More friendship evangelism. Look I work two jobs and lack the time for friendship evangelism.
 

annsni

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
More friendship evangelism. Look I work two jobs and lack the time for friendship evangelism.

If you have time to be online and write letters and read as much as you do, you have time to have a cup of coffee or rake leaves for a neighbor.
 

Baptist Believer

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
More friendship evangelism.
You say that as if it is a bad thing. Have you considered you might be wrong?

Look I work two jobs and lack the time for friendship evangelism.
Yet you have time for endless threads in this forum, "open air" preaching, the reading of many books, an obsession with tracts, and other assorted things, but you don't have time to love your neighbor?

Listen, I work about 60 hours a week now (a single salaried job that takes a LOT of time), and I still make time to get involved in the lives of other people - including numerous non-believers.

In my younger days, I worked 60-75 hours a week and STILL found the time to love my neighbors, even though my church attendance suffered because of frequently getting scheduled on Sunday with my part time evening and weekend job.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, and you don't get to claim it is "friendship evangelism" and exempt yourself from it. That's disobedience.
 

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
My bet for what might happen to this letter:

1) It gets immediately trashed by a low-level office worker after reading a sentence or two.

2) It is read and openly mocked.

3) It is ignored.

It's not like an abortion doctor is going to go "OH MY STARS! I never knew that people thought God considered this murder!"

Stefan, agree with your answers- but I would add # 4) - refer to post #2 - especially the first sentence which states: "If you write letters like this to abortion centers, be prepared to be investigated each time someone commits an act of vandalization, harassment, or violence against a center"
 

evangelist6589

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Stefan, agree with your answers- but I would add # 4) - refer to post #2 - especially the first sentence which states: "If you write letters like this to abortion centers, be prepared to be investigated each time someone commits an act of vandalization, harassment, or violence against a center"

Actually what I write is an act of compassion and love. If the literal view of Hell is correct (which I believe it is) those not of Christ will have longed to have repented after reading my letter in Hell.
 

evangelist6589

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
You know Ann I have written personal letters to old friends of mine so that would be friendship evangelism.
 

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Actually what I write is an act of compassion and love. If the literal view of Hell is correct (which I believe it is) those not of Christ will have longed to have repented after reading my letter in Hell.

I don't understand how they can repent if they are reading your letter in Hell?
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
If unborn babies are not people what are they?

Animals or human beings?

HankD
 

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
Actually what I write is an act of compassion and love. ....
and I do not doubt one bit. But keep in mind - there are filters when others read it - from thier perspective. Not saying they are correct - just that it is a fact of life.

My suggestion - get to know those folks personally - first.
 

annsni

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
You know Ann I have written personal letters to old friends of mine so that would be friendship evangelism.

Actually it isn't. Now if you sat down to coffee with your old friends or took a walk with them or helped them to clean out their garage, then you would be on the right track.
 
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