Why modern evalngelism is not evangelism

[nebula]

Good points:

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=5...179c2a8c1fccd30

[nebula]

One point he made which I appreciated:

We preach salvation as "salvation from Hell" not "salvation from our sins." Thus we have people coming to Christ to escape the fires of Hell, but have no desire to give up their sinful lifestyles. (Not the exact wording, but that was the gist.)

[Guest eric paul]

Very good and relevant to our time.....thanks for posting

[JCISGD]

What im about to say will make me a hypocite as I am not living it, but I still feel obligated to post it now that I have opened this door and looked in.

There are very valid points raised in that video, and I dont want to take anything away from it. Please know that I only want to add what I see is missing.

If I am not mistaken much of this teaching is spurred on by Ray Comfort who is seen on the video. He is a fellow New Zealander who felt the call to America after many years and some sucusecess as a street evangelist here.

I have stayed up to date with his methodology and observed the results of it in churches and groups here in New Zealand. The key method is to use the "law as a school master to lead us to Christ".

While that is scriptural and can produce believers it is not the whole picture IMO.

Ray Comfort admits to coming to a crisis point in his evangelist efforts, and that despite many years of preaching few were getting saved. It was at this point that he came across the writings of Charles Finney and he states that this directly affected him and is the basis of the methodology he now uses.

I need to point out here that this deviates from what Finney stresses as absolutley essential to soul winning. Also a book called "They found the Secret" Twenty Lives transformed that reveal a touch from eternity, written by Ray Edman reveals the absolute nescessity of recieving "Power from on High" before embarking on any work or ministry for God.

This is not stressed by Ray Comfort and those of this methodolgy. Throughout the church today many mistake the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every believer with the actual recieving of a baptism of "Power from on High". Those in the book stated above testify to years of moderate sucess as evangelist untill a specific day came when they like the Apostles waited and recieved this "Power". Finney recieved such a baptism of the Holy Spirit at his conversion that merely talking with people he met on the street brought such conviction that they sought God for relief and were solidly saved.

The law is a school master to lead us to Christ, but without the Holy Spirit present to bring conviction sinners hearts can be hardened rather than saved. We cannot assume the Holy Spirit is with us, and if we have grieved Him we can know He is not.

This "Power" has to be waited for and every sin repented of. Many ministers today hold positions they have not been empowered for, nor are they authorised by God, and many Christians are trying to live without this power also (myself included). This is the reason IMO why revival is tarrying.

[Guest yod]

God forbid that anyone would stray from the path of Finney!

[Blien]

Fantastic. Totally explains this....

Matthew 7:20-23

20"So then, you will know them by their fruits.

21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Now I understand why He led me to teach at the place I'm at now. Thank you sharing this Nebula!! It helped me a lot!!

[nebula]

God forbid that anyone would stray from the path of Finney!

Good come back!

Seriously, I'm sure someone can find something critical about each and every one of us. Sometimes we measure each other too much by what we disagree with in each other and not enough in what unifies us.

Every minister of God has his great points and not so great points. Even the original apostles had their flubs. (I mean, why did Paul and Barnabas split rather than seek the Lord on what to do?)

There are a lot of Bible teachers I glean a lot of wisdom from, but yet they have elements of theology I disagree with on occasion. I don't stop listening to the good points on account of those disareement points.

[nebula]

Now I understand why He led me to teach at the place I'm at now. Thank you sharing this Nebula!! It helped me a lot!!

Cool! You are welcome.

[ellarose]

Wait, was that from the calvanism DVD? That was the longest DVD I've ever watched I think! Good stuff though

Good discussion of pragmatism which is SUCH a popular approach in the churches today

Thanks for posting

[ellarose]

Ray Comfort admits to coming to a crisis point in his evangelist efforts, and that despite many years of preaching few were getting saved. It was at this point that he came across the writings of Charles Finney and he states that this directly affected him and is the basis of the methodology he now uses.

I don't think that Ray Comfort generally has a pragmatic approach either. He believes his way of evangelism is biblical (and I agree for the most part) and will therefore present "Law to the proud, Grace to the humble" no matter how many people are saved - He can't possibly know how many people!

God loves His Word to be preached... It doesn't return void! It's either used to save or condemn.