Featured The forgotten power of open air preaching

Think mouth, hands, and feet; and how each can be employed.

 

I absolutely agree with you. We should boldly take the book of Acts approach to our evangelistic efforts. For example this method for folks getting saved daily:


Acts 2:44-47 NASB
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

 

1 Cor 12. Read it, give it some thought.

 

Just hear him out and think of possible applications.

After all, you aren't taking even Mark 16:15 completely literally unless you are going to the zoo and preaching to the lions.

 

We preach the Gospel using the gifts we are given by God. Now re-read 1 Cor 12 in full, and see if you can find any associations with evangelism.

 

That's why I'm saying you're not taking it literally (which you shouldn't do, and your explanation illustrates why).

The word used is not exclusive to humans, but we all know that is what is meant by context.

My point was that perhaps you could reconsider what Don was mentioning, thinking of it from different interpretive framework. Application can be broader than just what is immediately obvious.

 

Let me make it a little simpler to understand: How does someone who is bed-ridden go out and preach? How does someone who is limited to a wheelchair, or a walker, go out and preach? Much less give out tracts?

If you understand that there are different gifts, and you understand Paul's analogy of the different members of the body - how do you apply that understanding to fulfilling the great commission?

 

Soul winning has nothing to do with differing gifts. If one comes in contact with the lost in any way at any time they are responsible to share the gospel. Failure to do so is sin.

 

Sure it does.

No one has said any different. The question was about differing methods of evangelism.

 

God can use all ofus , where we at here, regardless of our condition,a s important condition is to be saved!

 

Or make phone calls. Or create videos to be uploaded to YouTube. Or write books, and self-publish on Amazon. Or....

The "trick" is in using their God-given gifts and talents. Not settling for any particular method or means, but finding the one(s) that work for that particular individual. A sports announcer once said he had a face made for radio; give that some thought.

You've said that you don't usually have the opportunity to disciple others; have you considered helping out at a soup kitchen, or church food pantry? Something that actually puts you in contact with people? (And in such cases, often the same people on a recurring basis, allowing you to develop a relationship and disciple them)

Hands don't necessarily preach; but they can give out food, and help raise up the arms of the preachers. Feet don't necessarily preach; but they can take bibles and the message out to the world. Ears don't necessarily preach; but they can show God's love and be His ears by listening to those that need to believe someone is listening to them. And all of them--hands, feet, ears, mouth--work all to the same purpose.

Don't ask what others are doing, and especially don't assume they're doing nothing. They're doing it the way God designed them, and you should be rejoicing that they are, not saying that because they're not like you, they have lesser value.

If you had truly read and understood 1 Cor 12, I wouldn't have had to post that. But I just read another thread of yours, where you think people should write letters; and where you asked "What are you doing? Nothing!" It's obvious you don't understand 1 Cor 12 at all.

 

Excuses. Then quit wasting your God-given time on the internet, and do something with it that will return 10-fold.

You should probably re-read the parable of the talents, and seriously ask yourself which of the servants you are.

 

Lots of people work very long hours. EVERYONE'S volunteer time is limited. Make the most of your time. Drop things that do not serve the calling of God for your life. Build quality relationships with people you encounter every day and your will have a chance to evangelize.

Of course, you actually have to "walk the talk" when you are building relationships... I suspect "open air preaching" and tract distribution is a way that many people choose to do evangelism because they know that they don't have any credibility presenting the gospel to people who know them. But the most powerful witnesses are those who actually live life in the power of the Spirit. They don't have to struggle for converts because the Spirit will use that person mightily.

There is a direct correlation between my pursuit of God and the volume of conversations that I'm involved with. The level of my effort had little to do with it. In the most productive evangelistic times (in terms of visible conversations and Spirit-guided conversations) of my spiritual journey often overlapped with times that I WASN'T making an enormous effort going door-to-door or witnessing on street corners (I have done both on numerous occasions), but when I simply lived a Christian life and both spoke and lived out the gospel. It is not an either/or thing. I've had zealous friends demand to know my method - thinking I was using some sort of system that they could co-opt - but I simply lived before and with people, and talked about faith realistically (both joy and struggle), and found that people wanted to know how they could enter into the life of Jesus. And it's not because I am super-spiritual or especially gifted, but I simply take time to listen to people and find out who they are before trying to tell them how they should live their lives.

Strangely enough, I have accumulated more than a dozen atheist friends - about half in person and about half on social media. They go out of their way to engage me, not to debate me, but to find out what a Christian point of view might be. I have to think that God is using that. In recent years, I have seen two atheist friends come to Christ.

Do you realize that we live in a world where people barely listen to each other? Giving someone your full attention and actually caring what they have to say is an enormous gift! I have spent evenings at a coffee shop talking to a lesbian atheist Marxist about her thoughts on many issues, asking questions and demonstrating that I am actually interacting with her opinions, often pointing out differences and new ways to look at things. She is not fully a believer at this time, but she now has a high opinion of Jesus since I showed her how He addresses some of the deepest concerns of her heart. She's having a hard time with His church though. I trust that Jesus will make Himself plain to her in the coming years and she will see that she can be a follower of Jesus without being a member of the Republican Party. I could tell similar stories about many other people that the church does not normally reach. Many of them do come to faith much more quickly. I have introduced several dozen non-traditional church prospects to discipleship to Jesus in this way. It all begins by being the listener and engaging people where they are. When they know you hear them and care about who they are, they are willing to listen to the gospel in a fresh, non-hostile way.