Inevitably, it happens.  Almost every time I’ve gone out street preaching I get the question asked, “Don’t you think you’re offending more people than you are helping hear your message?”  I’ve developed a nice answer to that which I’ll explain in another post.  But right now I want to focus on one thing. 

Often, somewhere in my response I’ll say, “What do you think, ‘Go, preach the gospel’ is supposed to look like? It certainly isn’t sitting in a church pew Sunday after Sunday hoping new people show up.”  Somewhere in the past 2000 years we’ve twisted the commission of Jesus to the point where it’s completely opposite to what He originally said.

We’ve changed the commission from “Go and tell”, to “Come and listen”.  If you drive around town you see billboards and other ads inviting people to come into church and listen to a message instead of people on the street corners proclaiming the gospel.  It’s like the people of the church have said, “Instead of us going to them, why don’t we tell them to come to us.”  So they put up these billboards and signs and then drive to church on Sunday anxiously waiting and wondering if it worked!

Look, I know there may be better ways to preach the gospel to the world, but I know for sure that the “Come and listen” mindset isn’t the right attitude.

I would suggest reading the gospels and finding out how Jesus went about preaching the gospel and how He intended His followers to do the same.  You may be quite encouraged.

What do you think?

[tags]Street Preaching, Open Air Preaching, Street Preachers[/tags]

Joeleen and the "poor missionary meal".

    Wow!! It’s been a year since I quite my full time job, January 28th 2006.  I remember how nervous I was.  How would I support the family, can we afford the house payment, what happens if…?  All those things clouded my mind, but I knew it was the right decision. 

    It was funny.  When I came home that night Joeleen decorated the house in tinfoil and trashbags.  She made bean soup with toast and water, and for dessert was dirt pudding.  It sure is nice to have a supporting, loving wife that can take things like this lightly and with humor.  While most young wives are dreaming of  the day when life will be easy in a nice big house and her husband getting a secure well paying job, my wife is taking the plunge in the complete opposite direction!!  She’s strong in her faith so there was no contention with this decision.  And if you ask her today it was the best thing we’ve ever done, and we wouldn’t go back. 

   It is weird looking at the pictures of our house a year ago and seeing where we are now.  We went a whole year without a fulltime job and we never went hungry, never were late on a bill and we never had to go into debt.  God will provide, believe it or not.

    What a crazy adventure we’re headed for!

    You wouldn’t know it by hearing most preachers on T.V. today.  But the truth is, God doesn’t need your money.  Remember, God’s city is made out of pure gold, and owns all the cattle on a thousand hills.  So what does man made money have to do with it?  Especially since Jesus specifically said you can’t serve God and mammon.

    I’ve got news for you.  God doesn’t need your money.  He just needs you.  It’s so much easier for people to write a check and think that they’ve done the will of God for their lives than it is to actually live for Him.  If Jesus could multiply loaves of bread and find provision in a fish’s mouth, why then do you think it’s necessary that He needs your finances?  The Kingdom of God isn’t hindered because of lack of finances, it’s hindered because of a lack of workers.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:2

    Did you notice that?  He didn’t say “Pray for finances.”  Remember, provision wasn’t an issue for Jesus (ever read Matthew 6?) .  The problem here is workers!  The workers in the Kingdom are few, meaning less than they should be!  But you take a look at the churches today and most are packed with people.  The problem is that they are consumers of the gospel instead of propagators of it. 

    There are too many Christians waiting until they get enough _________ (fill in the blank with the typical excuse: money, experience, time, knowledge, etc.)  All the while, God is desperately wanting workers for His Kingdom.  And as I mention on the front page, He wants and needs full-time workers.

    Don’t wait until you have enough!  God is your provision.  Just step out and go, make an effort, even if your wrong, at least you’re trying.  A brother named Ryan Lawson once told me in an email, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing your worst.”

    God needs workers!!!! As another brother Mike Slayden tells me, “God wants your availability more than your ability.   If you are available, He’ll make you able.”

    Someone needs to tell you.  No excuse is good enough not to serve God with your entire life.  Any excuse is an idol that is keeping you from your destiny.

 
STREAM - quote1-NotTheAmericanDream.m3u
DOWNLOAD - quote1-NotTheAmericanDream.mp3

    I originally wrote this in an email to a friend explaining how the Lord began to develop this desire and urge to follow Him more seriously.  I thought it would be a good addition to the site.

*Really try to imagine yourself in this situation*

    Let’s say you’re in a grocery store and you’re just out to grab a gallon of milk.  As you’re walking towards throught the store you notice a young woman pushing a young child in a wheelchair.  You see that the kid is in real bad shape and has probably been in the chair for quite some time.  You also see that the young woman isn’t doing to well either, she looks depressed and distraught, beaten up by the world around her.  Immediately you’re filled with compassion because you feel as if they need help and there is nothing you can do. 

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