Would you be the guest preacher?

[This is open season on no one.
If you intend this thread to be a thread for personal attacks against others, it will be closed down immediatley.
DHK]

Anyone else think they could grow from the experience?

[ April 07, 2006, 12:59 AM: Message edited by: DHK ]

 

DHK,

Actually I was headed for showing that a man of God should stand up and call a sin a sin. I also don’t think a Christian should roll over on his back and kick his feet in the air like a whipped pup if he finds something offensive or threatening. It all should fit together without the attitude of collecting a pile of stones but having backbone enough to deal with un-tasteful situations instead of just turning your back on it in disgust and being over sensitive.

I planned on heading off personal attacks and getting to the root of what a Christian should and shouldn’t do.

 

Guess I could have done it without the name but thought it was a good example to start with as someone who stood up and wondered if he would take the challenge of preaching sin and moral righteousness to people outside the church and how he would do it if he couldn’t look upon the sinners. It was never intended as an open season.

 

To reframe the question that I asked:

Would you preach to an auditorium full of Jerry Springer guests if you had the chance? Of course you would have to look upon shameful things and there would have to be some kind of order…like muzzles. How would you handle it if you couldn’t get past the sight of a naked person or a foul mouth and shouldn’t you be able to withstand it?

Wouldn’t you think they need it and the HS would be convicting many of their hearts? Can a Christian be bold or should he just hide behind throwing pearls before swine and count them all as unworthy?

Do you think turning the other cheek means taking it and running as if a Christian is a second class citizen or should you stand up and boldly proclaim the Word of God?

Would you grow from the experience or would it damage you?

 

Shiloh,

I see where you’re going with your message and know you’re doing it in love and I’m sure you’re aware of how you come across. I also think the ones addressing you are often doing exactly the same thing in opposition thinking the need for there message to you is more important and neglect balance. If there wasn’t anyone preaching the filth of sins to believers the tide would go out and stay there and you see it more vital in your walk to bring it in considering the liberalism getting disturbingly out of balance.

Nothing wrong with hating sin and I have respect for someone who will speak their mind about it without fear of what others might say. I think where we seem to miss the point sometimes is that we not only come across abrasive but that we are with those that disagree with us on any aspect of it, nobody’s right about everything and we want to call out these people as never able to come to the truth as WE see it. In our judgment we neglect to consider the log in our own eye concerning edifying in love, we all do it.

Sure agree with you that we should be so in love with the Lord that there should be no questionable things in our lives but everybody has them and that is part of the message too as Paul so painfully admitted that he did things that he would not.

We’re all experts at finding faults with what people do and say and naturally want to start gathering stones but considering what Jesus said about committing one sin you’ve committed them all as Christians we need to remember to be humble and thankful for what He’s given us without looking down on others weaknesses with conceit. We seem to get more joy in trying to get a brother to stumble and fall than bring him up in edification. We would like be able to balance the good with the bad and judge all things but that’s what got us into trouble in the first place…having knowledge. I think the important thing is to remember what Jesus told us to do with this knowledge in all things and it goes both ways between unconditional love, forgiveness, and humility weighing against boldness, speaking the salted up truth about sin, and not being a second class citizen.

I’m sure some here would jump right off the point and be joyfully quick in calling me on being familiar with the Jerry Springer show to knock me down. But I learned something from watching that show for the good and it didn’t damage me. One thing I learned is the people here on the BB often act just like the audience in that they stand up to say a antagonistic response making them no better than the ones sitting in the audience of the show. Take the response of “Yikes!” what was the point of it, was it an example of love concerning Christian edification or antagonistic.

I think we should strive to be able to sit down at dinner with the Devil on one side and the Pope on the other with our armor on and speak the truth in love with confidence and the purpose of serving the Lord while retaining our composure, but we all fall short.

Personally I know there’s a time for everything and I would jump at the chance to address the people on that show and pray that my vocal cords didn’t give out. Why? Just to get it out of my system.

 

I didn’t I say He wasted His breath. I talked about balance and those that take a slap in the face and run using flimsy cowardly excuses are not showing balance. For example, I would bet most of the people in that audience would confess knowing the Lord but yet deny Him with their behavior. Are we to judge them as all swine or rebuke them?

(Tit 1:16) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

(2Ti 4:2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

(Pro 28:1) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Many of the people in an audience like that would be convicted quickly hearing the Word of God and the preacher wouldn’t be standing alone for long. Sure I agree one should start off being friendly but I’m not going to roll over on my back like a whipped pup and wet myself either. That’s what most people expect today is some lowly meek wimp handing out tracks too afraid to stand up and be a man of God and set them straight with the truth in love. Love ain’t always hugs and kisses, sometimes it comes with a rod. There were times that Jesus backed off but let’s not forget the balance of the times that He didn’t and the persecution that Paul went through didn’t come from speaking in front of only friendly audiences.

[ April 07, 2006, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Benjamin ]

 

You disregarded my comparison of balance with being bold, turned it around to implying I didn’t think Jesus meant it, and left off the ending of whether or not we should count then all as unworthy or IOW’s swine. So you’re right you didn’t say anything.

Not shaking in my boots and would already know what kind of mind frame I was facing made apparent by my choice of circumstance in the scenario; if you would read more carefully I said “of course there would have to be some kind of order”. Guess “bet” was the wrong choice of words against your style of debate, if you want to take things literally when it suits you.

BTW, why are you being rude about spelling after using words like “circumstnace”? Is that how you should discuss things with a brother?

What does “out of season” mean to you? Are you saying that I have to be Timothy addressing that congregation to be within the meaning of instruction from the passage?

Through discernment I wouldn’t judge every one of them to be a heathen as you just implied above. (See above) I implied that it would most likely (that would be what I meant by “bet”) be a mixed bag. You really need to read more carefully.

Just agreeing with starting friendly and adding a little satire, not referring to you.

Exactly, and I would hope discernment enough to know not to judge everyone of them by appearance of disobedience and then avoid the good from fear of confrontation with the bad, is and has been my point.

You’re the one to suggest the “tracts” I had said as an invited preacher. Seems you missed the point I made of the difference. Do you think I can’t spell, or are you just being rude here?

I wasn’t talking about beating someone’s kid with a rod and the term was used metaphorically, but you knew that didn’t you? Straw man arguments!?

Come on now! This is the same type of method of debate you pulled on the “context” earlier with a twist of straw man. Jerry Springer didn’t have a show back then!

Thank you, and I won’t.

Are you going to address my point of balance or have me compare myself to Dr. Phil Kidd in the extreme? Hope this is the last time we need to talk about spelling…one m too many up there.