Street Preaching

I stand corrected regarding results. I should have more carefully phrased my thoughts. Perhaps it is better to say that Jesus is telling us to expect results not that he is telling to get results? And before someone else jumps on me, I know that not everyone has the same gifts or talents. I also know that like Jeremiah, some are called to preach in adverse conditions and may never see a soul saved. I am simply pointing out that the Great Commission implies people will be saved since we can't very well teach and make disciples (thus fulfilling the command) if folks don't get saved. I know that some plant, some water, and God gives the increase. But the Great Commission has an expectation of results involved in it. Otherwise, why not just tell the disciples to preach the Gospel and do your best? Why involve teaching, discipleship, and baptizing?

Now, regarding Athens. I never said Paul started a church there. I never said he had great results in his preaching while there. I said he went where he expected to get the most results (meager though they were). No synagogue in Athens. He even seemed to hold his tongue for a while. What was the next best thing? The Agora. He became a street preacher. I was actually defending the premise of street preaching, not ridiculing it. (Dr. Bob unintentionally by extension said that street preaching has few results .) My point was that Paul engaged in "street" preaching (Athens) and in "church" preaching (Berea) to see souls saved. Sorry if this was not clear.

 

Some one asked if one soul saved was worth the possibly thousands turned off of the Gospel. (or words to that effect)

I am compeled to reply that they are already on their way to hell. Do you suppose that I as a street preacher somehow accelerated that?
Like brands plucked from the fire, I submit that if a million were on that highway to hell and God chose to use me to reach out and pluck just one from hell, then even 50 years is worth it.

Do you who claim that we should not "offend" the world that one soul is not worth all the offences?
Let me ask, as did Jesus; "What shall a man give in exchange for his own soul? What would you give for your soul? What if it were you who encountered the street preacher in this day of rampant indifference and you got saved right there on the street? Would you then have reservations as to its apparent lack of results or effectiveness?

Think...people.....think about it. Seriously.
In His service;
Jim

 

MTA:
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Is street preaching an effective method of evangelizing? Does it hurt the cause, or is it largely harmless?
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Perhaps these questions should be addressed to they who were saved by these methods.

You ask; Is it effective?
They say; YES!
You ask; Does it hurt the 'cause'?
They say; no
You ask is it harmless?
They say; What do you mean harmless? I'm going to heaven now.

If you ask me, yes it is effective. Always has been. Rallies have their place but how are you going to reach they who will still ignore you? Does reaching just one soul in a lifetime mean that you were ineffective? By whose standards? Remember Jesus said some would bring fruit an hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. Clearly He is making the point that some will bring more than others. The point is bring them in!

Does it hurt the cause? I believe I have answered that. The world is going to hate us no matter how we dress it. They hate Jesus, therefore they hate us. I don't see anywhere in Scripture where we are commanded to make it "nice and acceptable". "Lift up thy voice, spare not...".

Is it largely harmless? I hope not. I want to do as much damage to Satan's army as I can while on this pilgrim road.

In His service;
Jim

 

Um...somebody applied a quote to me which I did NOT SAY!

In His service;
Jim

 

Perhaps the wrong questions are being asked. Or perhaps definitions not being provided. Is it effective? If "effective" is defined as winning one soul and one soul is won, yes, it is "effective". Is it the most effecient? Not if the same person could have one 10 souls by other means in the same time. Only God knows what might have been.

I have a good friend who went to the Northwest (Wyoming/South Dakota) to work with a pastor there. Discovered there are many small churches without pastors in many small towns. He is basically an itenerate (sp?) preacher. Goes to several towns each Sunday on a circuit and preaches to them since they have no pastor.

He said when he first went he tried door-knocking. Almost got shot. Tried "street" preaching and wasn't given the time of day. Next he tried a children's outreach. Great success. Win the hearts of the parents through the children. Basically set up clowns, etc. in the town squares and had a carnival with preaching. Next discovered that if you want to talk to the locals - go to the post office on Saturday. Everyone in town will be there sooner or later. So what was most efficient? All may have been effective - so more so than others.

 

Preaching to traffic at corners seems to me to be about as useful as that guy who was preaching to lions and about got his leg taken off for his troubles. Not that the vehicles would be steered in the preachers direction, of course.

But everyone has to do as they are led to do. Here is a webpage about a street ministry that may indeed be an answer to a means of getting the Word out to people in need.

Street Ministry

 

Street preaching or no, when it is all said and done, this one thing we can be sure of; not one of those for whom He was slain from the foundation of the world will be lost.

HankD

 

Assuming of course that Calvin was right. But that's for another thread huh?
In His service;
Jim

 

originally posted by All about Grace...

Is it a requirement that one scream in order to be a street preacher????? Just walk the streets of downtown Chicago and you'll see street preachers who are not screaming, but having a "normal" conversation with someone. Sure, they have their bibles open, but they're not waving it in the air like some mad man. They're just calmly explaining some portion of Scripture. I'm sure they aren't "turning anyone off."

God Bless!!!

Adam

 

I'm sure that some people get 'turned off' by street preaching (like you can be more off than you already were...) but God says He would have us to be hot or cold, and if we are lukewarm He is going to spue us out of His mouth. Everyone will be hot or cold by the end of the day. Street preaching helps break up the fallow ground, call it ploughing. Believe it or not, some people get really offended by street preaching, stop to argue and end up getting saved or repenting of some sins in their lives.

As I noted in another thread, it is always some Christian who has the biggest problem with what is being done out on the street. As he is running with the world to get his entertainment, he stops to let us know that we are doing it all wrong, and that Jesus turned water into wine and that were giving Christ a bad name, as if the world ever had good names for Him.

Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

 

Dear brother jim,
Where did I mention Calvin's name? Or, for that matter where ever did I say at any time that I am a calvinist?

I never have from the days when I was young man and a street preacher in the City of Boston to this day.

I alluded to two Scriptures:

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

If we look at the salvation of the Lord through the eyes of flesh, yes we can find those who appear to have been justified and perhaps even sanctified (as Judas) yet, as it were they were/are sons of perdition.

If we look at the salvation of the Lord through the eyes of the Lord it is a done deal from the foundation of the world and not one of His shall be lost per the will of the Father.

HankD

 

I am sorry Hank.
This comment appeared similar to comments made by many Calvinists, implying that Jesus did not die for the sins of the whole world, but only those who are saved.

In His service;
Jim

 

That's OK Jim.

My view of the Scripture: it teaches that the entirety of creation was bought back out of the hand of the serpent by the Atonement of Christ to use and to do with whatsover He pleases at whatever point(s) in time He pleases.

NKJV Romans 8
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

KJV 2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Proverbs 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.


HankD

 

Why do you catagorize your comment? "Most educated people..."?
That reeks of elitism. Or do I misunderstand you?

In His service;
Jim

 

That's typically more a matter of subjectivity than objectivity. If one doesn't approve, for example, of CCM, then one will make such a presumption.

 

HANKD says:
When I was a young man I preached in the Boston Common in the 1960's. An interesting experience.

We also went house to house.
One evening a man in a drunken rage chased us (the pastor and I) out of his apartment building with a meat clever.

As the grace of God would have it, he later was saved and eventually (after a long bout with his flesh) became a deacon in the church.

Queastion: Did he ever put down the meat cleaver?

On a more serious note the Word tells us that Noah was a Preacher of Righteousness which to me means he was a proclaimer. A proclaimer to those around him of the Revelation of God and His Righteousness, Holiness, and Judgement to come. My thought is this. We, the Church, have teachers, evangelists, Elders, Pastors, missionaries, etc. but how many preachers of righteousness do we see salting the earth and culture in America?

Sure, many may see them as an anachronism, many may scoff or be scornful, it no doubt makes many uncomfortable but ask the street preachers if it is fruitful. I am sure every one of them has a story where God's Spirit has worked through them to reach someone for HIM. We all have a use in the Master's hand. But we should also be wary not to judge another man's servant, for to his own master he stands or falls.

Personnaly speaking, America can use more street preachers. If not for the lost, for those of us who are saved who also are convicted and affected by the preaching of the Word which is the power of God to all who believe.

Given a choice of street preachers, meth dealers, pimps, bums, liberal protesters, perverts, or lawyers and politicians on the street corner, I'll take the preachers every time!

 

Aenswer: Yes and the whiskey bottle too.

HankD

 

Fireweed;
I whole-heartedly AMEN that post!

In His service;
Jim