“They were under the covenants and Law - and not keeping them. The message to them is different...Again, a message to Jews.”
Really? Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the first part of Acts are not examples for us, since the preaching we find there and the Gospel presented there was to the Jews?
The Jews needed to repent, but the Gentiles do not?
“May I ask if you have non-believers as neighbors? Do you preach repentance to them every time you see them in the back yard?”
No, but I don’t “preach” to them at all. If they ASK, however...THEN I’ll simply tell them the truth. And the truth is that all have sinned. Me too, but them also. If they ask, I’ll point out the effect of sin on our society and on the lives of individuals.
A church is not where non-believers go to hear the Gospel. The church is there for believers. And believers need to confront and deal with sin in OUR lives. Most of the letters to NT churches include big sections dealing with sin in our lives. As believers. Huge parts of the NT discuss the blood of Christ and the Cross, none of which can be taught meaningfully without discussing the impact of sin and the need to repent.
So when someone says they don’t want to talk about God’s anger - well, GOD talks about it! It is in the Gospels. It is in the Epistles. No church can be true to the Word of God without mentioning it - often. Because the Bible is filled with it!
I wear jeans. My wife follows Bible texts using her phone. Me? I like paper. But THOSE are incidentals.
Talking about sin - about how it affects our lives before we were saved, and how it affects our lives after we are saved, and what God thinks of it and how we need to live changed lives - if a church doesn’t do that, then it is not true to God. It is lying to non-believers. It is lying to believers.
If we do not fear God, we do not comprehend who he is. And BOTH believers and non-believers need to fear God correctly. A good, short article can be found here:
“and the first part of Acts are not examples for us, since the preaching we find there and the Gospel presented there was to the Jews?”
It is all for our benefit, but is not all about us.
“A church is not where non-believers go to hear the Gospel.
Perhaps not in your church. In mine, many go who come to Christ.
“If they ASK, however...THEN I’ll simply tell them the truth.
Exactly my point.