Content for the Faith
The Bible says to "contend for the faith."(Jude 1:3) You will be amazed at what you can say to someone if your tone is in the spirit of gentleness.
Providing that you have already established a sincere friendship/relationship with the other person.
One in which you've already established trust. One in which the other person KNOWS that any criticism of them IS well intended and SINCERE. That you truely are looking out for their best interests and don't have any other motive for your "gentle" tone.
How many parents take kindly to someone telling them how to raise their children? Especially from someone they've just met or know only on a very casual basis. It doesn't matter how "gently" the words are spoken. They don't hear the "gentle" they hear WHAT you said about them and their children.
Study the New Testament to see how confrontational Jesus was when He spoke to people about their salvation. He wasn't afraid to call sin "sin," and Hell "Hell." Imitate Him. Never hesitate to use fear as a motivator for a sinner to flee to the Savior.
Is it your goal to become a "fire and brimstone" preacher? That's what your posts seem to indicate. Not only here. There was another post about a co-worker, and with a 'singles' group where you had confrontations, if memory serves.
A. How often in the Bible does the word "fear" mean respect and/or trust? As in "fear the Lord" = Trust the Lord or Respect the Lord, as the context of the scriptures may be. Yes, there are times when we, as sinners, should FEAR the WRATH of God. Trusting and respecting negate the fear, as we then have nothing to fear. A child who trusts and respects (thus, obeys) his or her parent has nothing to fear.
B. Notice where Jesus was actually "confrontation" and compare to the times he was speaking to the lost about their personal salvation. Yes, we are to imitate Jesus to the extent possible in these fleshly bodies. In the temple was His wrath directed towards the lost who were coming to the temple? Or was it directed at those who corrupted the temple? Can you show me a passage of scripture where Jesus used "confrontation" when He was drawing individuals, themselves, to Him? When we imitate Jesus aren't we to follow His example of when and where to be "confrontational"?
The world will frown on this, and many within the Church may even discourage it. But any fear a person may have now because of your words of warning will be nothing compared to the fear he will have if he falls into the hands of the living God. The Lake of Fire should motivate us to cast aside our fears of rejection that come in the guise of not wanting to offend people. There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time.
Boy I grieve by all in the professing church that will face the Living God one day.
Yes, share our faith. To do so means to don the whole armour of God. Yet, it does not mean protraying the image of a SWAT team striking fear in a neighborhood in lock down. Fear has its place. Fear that goes away, when a lost person does "fall into the hands of the living God". Does sharing our faith mean that we protray our Saviour as being decked out in full riot gear? Does that draw the lost closer to Him or does it make them cower away in fear? Or does that make the lost bolster their own ego and sense of oppression to begin throwing rocks at the "enemy"?
I am a street evangelist/open air street preacher. I have been through The Way of the Master basic training course twice. The WOTM evangelism philosophy is a great way to reach the lost. My life verse is Mark 16:15 which is the call to preach the gospel to all of creation (NIV). I challenge others to do the same.
Your icon and your signature tell much about you. In essence you are telling me that in order to share my faith, I should be following WOTM. Your signature line can be read to imply that very thing.
I just said I would not witness to her directly anymore. Instead I have just tried to be nice despite her rudeness towards me. I had a short conversation with her this morning as I wished her back on her drive to her state. I tried to show that I cared and it worked..
I am not WOTM only as I have read David Jeremiah's book God Loves You.
Our true witness is the way we live our lives. Often our words, themselves mean nothing. "Trying to be nice" often means nothing, if the person on the receiving end does not trust that you are sincere. That goes far beyond "a short conversation". We don't "try to show we care". We either truly care or we don't. Others can easily sense that in us. Therefore, you cannot be sure that it "worked". She simply may have been trying to avoid another "confrontation" before she left your presence. Can you say with absolute certainty that she did not give out a sigh of relief when she sat in her car?
Part of the reason why I say that resides in your last sentence. And, it ties back to your signature line. You are expressing, yet again, another reliance on a book written by a human.
Whether you believe it or not, you don't NEED any of them. If God has called you to be an open air preacher, He has given you all you need to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord. He is not the author of confusion, as so many earthly authors tend to bring about. Trying to surround yourself with so many earthly opinions may, indeed, be confusing your head, while the Holy Spirit is trying to speak from your heart. Listen to HIM first and foremost. Pray for HIS guidance alone, each and everyday.
Pick up your tools (Bible) and go to work doing what God has called you to do. Preach the Gospel of Christ, within the same context that Jesus did when he was urging lost individuals to come to Him. Keeping both fear and confrontation within the same context that our Saviour used both of them.
Only you can answer the question, within yourself, as to whether being a fire and brimstone preacher is what our Lord has called you to do.
