going door to door

[Ghostdog]

do you go door to door in your neighbourhood? when i was looking into jws one of the people told me that this is the only church they ever seen going door to door and i have to agree. when i was younger our church went door to door maybe once but it was more about trying to get people to come to our church instead of sharing the gospel

[Sower]

19 minutes ago, Ghostdog said:

do you go door to door in your neighbourhood? when i was looking into jws one of the people told me that this is the only church they ever seen going door to door and i have to agree. when i was younger our church went door to door maybe once but it was more about trying to get people to come to our church instead of sharing the gospel

I used to 'knock on doors'  for decades on our church Monday evening visitation ministry and cold calls are not very much appreciated. People like their privacy and strangers knocking on their door is irritating/bothersome to them. Not always but almost. When someone visits our church though they can sign a visitors card and request a visit, and that is when we go now. With my wife and my businesses we have strangers, delivery  drivers, come every day, so the mission field has moved to our home, praise God.

Within my neighborhood out in the country the homes are somewhat far apart, yet I try to offer friendship and get to know most and then eventually come around to the gospel, and knowing we live close and I will have more opportunities in the future. It is amazing to me that most of these strangers appreciate discussing God and how they also pray to him though not knowing him personally.

We used to have JW's come to our place regularly leaving their tract/paper, false doctrine,  called the "Watchtower" on our gate if we weren't home. When they came and witnessed,  I would talk to them as if ignorant of scripture. They always came by twos. One was generally older, knowledgeable, the teacher, and a younger one an apprentice, learning the ropes. Finally, after several visits and zeroing in on the young unlearned apprentice, I ask him about Jesus being God the son. He quoted Jesus was only a god according to his bible. I then pulled out my bible and showed him that his bible was false, that Jesus was GOD, as it said in mine, in John 1, Jesus was God, and not (a) God. The older JW stepped up and said they had to leave.     They never came back. Hope the young man considered to investigate another true biblical bible.

[Marilyn C]

I think that we need to do what the Holy Spirit guides us to do, otherwise one can feel pressured to do a certain way of ministering to others. 

[Willa]

I used to walk through my neighborhood playing for residents house by house.  But I have a friend with the gift of evangelism who regularly goes door to door and is quite effective.  His wife goes with him and prays silently as he speaks.  Paul's prayer:

Eph 6:19  and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,  Eph 6:20  for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

[Sower]

2 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

I think that we need to do what the Holy Spirit guides us to do, otherwise one can feel pressured to do a certain way of ministering to others. 

I agree. Like as a child my mom pressured me to clean up my room.
Then as I matured, my conscience helped me  realize cleaning my room was the right thing to do.

Thanks Marilyn

[Snow]

6 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

I think that we need to do what the Holy Spirit guides us to do, otherwise one can feel pressured to do a certain way of ministering to others. 

Hi! This is the perfect answer.. I believe

Mike

[Snow]

Hi Yes it is nice to try hard but better to listen quietly..

[Debp]

12 hours ago, Ghostdog said:

do you go door to door in your neighbourhood? when i was looking into jws one of the people told me that this is the only church they ever seen going door to door and i have to agree. when i was younger our church went door to door maybe once but it was more about trying to get people to come to our church instead of sharing the gospel

In the early 1970s, other young people and I did door to door.   It was with Rev. Norman Allensworth.   He had a ministry to the Jews, including a radio program.

A few incidents...   A young Jewish gal answered the door.   She said she was a Messianic Jew.   Then her grandmother came out, screaming at us.

Another home we returned to because the young Jewish wife was interested about Jesus.   She said she was married to a Catholic.   On the return visit, they didn't answer the door but we left a New Testament.

This was really great:   

An elderly Jewish lady phoned and wanted Rev. Allensworth to visit her.   I went with him.   She had been listening to Kathryn Kuhlman's radio program which always stressed the importance of accepting Christ as personal Savior.   So the elderly Jewish lady wanted to receive the Lord!    The presence of the Holy Spirit was so apparent in that room as she talked with the pastor.

Rev. Allensworth had an experience with the JWs.   They came to his door and since he knew the Bible from front to back....they quickly left!

[Neighbor]

13 hours ago, Sower said:

When someone visits our church though they can sign a visitors card and request a visit, and that is when we go now. With my wife and my businesses we have strangers, delivery  drivers, come every day, so the mission field has moved to our home, praise God.

Ah yes the visitors card, an  invitation to contact and share more of the particular church and of our Lord. When I was first led to a church  I did that for I guess every Tuesday for  about four years.

Even more fun was the follow up on Saturday afternoons after the children's ministry bus runs. The church had a Saturday morning church program for about 300 kids. We would pick them up on buses and later go  to visit the homes they lived in. Amazing adventures visiting some of those homes. Some grand others so very sad.

And yes today there are individuals within my old church body that visit homes and simply go door to door with a hello and an invitation to learn about the local church body of Christ. Not too many anymore are willing to brave doing that.  It is a far more dangerous world than it was just a few decades ago. 

Years and years ago I tried joining  a small group under Dr. E.V. Hill that thought it a great idea to go door to door  at South Central Los Angeles. It didn't last long though not long at all hardly getting off the ground. And that was likely a good thing too looking back on the times. God's timing and mans idea of what God's timing is are not always one and the same.

[Who me]

A number of years ago our church regularly  did door to door work.

I found it very depressing and hard as it was so rare that one ever got more than a few sentences of conversation.

In fact our evangelist wrote a tract to use in door to door work:- ' No Thanks, I'm  not Interested'

This was successfully  left at many home and occasionally  got a laugh and a short conversation.