Posted on 05/09/2010 6:10:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
1. Stand on the corner and scream “REPENT!” at others. If it didn’t work for Jeremiah the prophet, it won’t work for you.
2. Break into a public high school and shove gospel tracts into the lockers. Trust me on this. I’ve done it…seriously.
3. Wear a “Ready to die…ask me why” T-Shirt. I’ve done this too. It’s not effective, but it did scare people.
4. Go into a bookstore and secretly slip gospel tracts into all of the New Age/Witchcraft books. Have I done this? Maybe…okay, yes.
5. Put gospel tracts in the hands of the manequins at J.C. Pennys. While it looks like the fashion dummy is offering the gospel tract it’s the real dummy that gets thrown out of the mall. Suffice it to say that I’ve met many security guards this way and they are nothing like the guy in “Mall Cop.”
6. Use fake $100 dollar bills with “the gospel” on them to get people excited that they found a $100 dollar bill and then get them ticked off when they realize that they didn’t.
7. Go on Christian television and offer the gospel as a way to get rich on earth. Does anybody have a barf bag?
8. Sky dive from 3,000 feet into an outdoor Atheist’s convention with “John 3:16″ painted on your parachute.
9. Yell out “I love Jesus how ’bout you?” in the middle of class.
10. Any kind of Christian bumper sticker (especially if you’re a bad driver!)
So, if this is how you should NOT share your faith, how should you? How about this? Talk to people! Love them, listen to them, engage them and share the gospel with them. It’s only taken me about 30 years of sharing my faith to figure this out. I guess I’m a slow learner. It’s a good thing I love the book of Colossians. I finally got the message after reading this passage in chapter four, verses four through six,
“Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
I love Jesus how ’bout you?
--- Greg Stier is the President and Founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. With experience as a senior teaching pastor and in youth ministry for almost 20 years, Greg has a reputation of knowing and relating to today’s teens. He is widely viewed as an authority and expert teen spirituality. He is known for motivating, mobilizing and equipping teens for positive change
That’s the reason I don’t do bumper stickers on the back of the car. I am afraid for other people to find out that I am mad at them for “bumping” into my car!
It did work for Jonah, and I have seen it work at a rescue mission in North Carolina. Whether it works or not is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit not the believer.
The responsibility of the believer is to be obedient to God. Some are sent to Share God's love in a soothing way, others are sent to be more confrontational. Either of those condemning parts of the flock with a different function are misguided.
The same Savior who comforted the woman caught in adultry also cleared the money changers from the temple and confronted the scribes and pharasees. Christ was acting in love in all three cases.
“Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
So, I should use salty language when proclaiming the word of God?
Here’s an entry for you:
Give the person three chances to convert. If he doesn’t, kill him and his family.
How about “Convert or die, heathen!”
Oh well, worked for Charlemagne, eventually.
No No No
You kill him, rape his wife and sell the children into slavery.
That way you breed converts.
If that doesn’t work, you could always blow up a crowded market........
You didn’t mention going to televised sporting events wearing a rainbow wig and a sign saying “John 3:16”.
1. Stand on the corner and scream “REPENT!” at others. If it didn’t work for Jeremiah the prophet, it won’t work for you.
'Cept that's what Jeremiah was told to do by God himself, and to do it in such annoyingly public places as in God's temple.
Let's try a few more, shall we?
11)Make the gospel about your, or their, personal transformation or happiness.
because you're such a good example, right? And what happens when your convert starts having a Psalm 102 year? 3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places;
7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
12)Ground the verification of the gospel in personal internal mental states. "I just know it's true."
Because it's not falsifiable. Anybody can say that, about anything.
Our Religion Moderator has said that this “name that is not to be mentioned” is not allowed on the Religion forum.
Are you aware of that?
It’s been said often enough.
If we as Christians would consistently live this way we would not have to worry about how we “advertise” or faith...it would be obvious to all even when we are not speaking. God bless
Ironic. FreeRepublic was founded because there was over-overmoderation of a forum.
How about having a minimum of respect for the rights of others to believe and worship as they see fit.
90% of the population believe in God; they don't need someone else's brand pounding them about the head and shoulders.
If they want to hear your brand, they'll show up at your retail outlet.
Ohh you in trouble now!
any bets on how long that post lasts?
Chick publications are not to be mentioned at all on Free Republic.
Odd... are you serious? I thought they were an obscure item of culture that only I knew of.
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