That convinced me that using my own story to sell the Gospel was wrong, a topic in another thread I felt I could mention in an aside.
Having been an atheist, the problem here is that if you get a hook in them using their god: reason; Then you have likely failed in the end at converting them. They will love their god of reason over one of the virtues of God: faith. They may go to church every Sunday, go to small groups, and get involved in various ministries as a volunteer, as I did, but inside they are dead. They will not value simple faith in the unseen world and future.
I will pull some stuff out of my own testimony to help:
The biggest issue keeping me from salvation as a baptized man, who thought himself to be a Christian, was my love of science and reason over faith. Because I had received evidence that God exists by getting [three miracles] through two prayers, I figured I had solid proof for God’s existence, and I began to belittle faith as something bad. The truth is that I didn’t want to believe anything on faith. This was because I believed the only way to show the truth was with reason and science. A belief I kept from my atheism. I believed this despite the fact I knew that most Christians went on nearly blind faith when it came to belief in Jesus Christ and His salvation of them. I was also in willful disobedience to a bible verse I knew of, which was Hebrews 11:1. It states: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
So I warn you in your evangelism that you must get them to leave behind their old life and self as atheists and put on the new or you may have lost them regardless of a prayer or decision in the moment.
God's Not Dead
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by evangelist6589, Nov 12, 2017.
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Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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evangelist6589 Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
No apologetics is the bait and the law the hook. -
Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
We are not given a specific political system for gentiles in the bible. We are not given a specific set of social mores for gentiles in the bible, although there is a ton of moral commands to be obeyed. We are not given a culture for gentiles to live by in the bible. We are given a ton of truth to be taken on faith, a truth that ultimately is the whole unabridged Gospel of Jesus the Christ. -
evangelist6589 Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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This is what is wrong with churches today. Evangelism has become faithless, humanistic recruitment.
What ever happened with simply making disciples using the gospel of Jesus Christ? When did we turn back to the Law to do what Scripture says is already accomplished? Why do we strive to defend the Bible to atheists on their own ground?
Imagine if Churches and Christians ditched programs like WOTM and returned to the biblical principle of being light to a world in darkness by proclaiming the gospel and ONLY the gospel to the world. -
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Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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No wonder your "preaching" has been fruitless all these years! -
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Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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The reason my version of church evangelism (make disciples through sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ) sounds nice is because it is what Christ has commanded. -
Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Perhaps this reply I had to TCassidy best encapsulates what I believe:
I hate to disagree in way Elder, but my reading of the bible seems to indicate that there are many baits to be shrewdly used as Paul did. However, there is only one hook and has been: the love of Jesus shown in the Gospel since we love Him only because He loved us first (1 John 4:19), a love we know to be there on faith. -
Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
I do not understand something here everyone. The church uses one bait and hook lately in its study videos like those by Billy Graham. Someone I do not endorse because of his cozy ties to those who do not preach the Gospel such as Roman Catholics. That said, the church tells everyone that sin keeps us form God and heaven, even one sin (the bait). We are saved by the death of Jesus the Christ on the cross who bridged the gap between God and man through his love for us (the hook). Isn't this a simple the Law brings guilt and punishment, and love and the the Cross brings heaven selling point?
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Steven Yeadon Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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evangelist6589 Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Do not listen to them but be a Berean and check out the other side and compare it to scripture. Comfort has written many books defending the use of the law in Evangelism. Not surprisingly many of the reformers and Puritans also used the law in their Evangelism. Compare to scripture. -
The issue is that you find people to follow and then turn to Scripture in order to find justification for following them. Start with Scripture. Always start with Scripture.
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