Preaching In Bricktown

Just wanted to post a quick, light, update.  Last night (9-1-07) I went to Bricktown (downtown Oklahoma City) and met a few friends to do some open air preaching.  Here are a few pictures from our outing (sorry they’re just pictures from behind - my wife had the camera and she was keeping tabs on our son so it was difficult for her to move around):

We had such an awesome time out there.  I met up with Mark (pictured with me above), Adrian, Chris, and Remy from an awesome group out of Edmond, Ok called His Tribe .  Mark had been out with me once before but it was completely new to Remy, Chris and Adrian.  I give them a ton of credit for just coming out!!  Not a lot of people want to do anything like this.  It was such an awesome blessing for me to have some familiar faces out there.

Mark preached for the first time, and it was awesome!  I was thrilled that he gave it a shot, and he did a great job.

It was so much fun just talking about reaching people with the good news, sharing ideas and thoughts, and trying out new things (this environment was different for me too, I’m used to preaching at gas stations, so we all had to stretch our comfort zones ). 

I can’t wait to try out some more ideas.  I think we’ll be hitting the bar district next time…we’ll see.  Hopefully I’ll get better pictures too (and one of the group, I wish I would’ve remembered to get a group shot this time, but it completely slipped my mind).

If anybody else is around Oklahoma City and wants to come out, shoot me an email and we’ll hook up some time.

It seems that the hot word these days when it comes to evangelism is “relevant”.  All the latest blog posts and teachings are all concerned with making sure that we as Christians and our messages are “relevant” to those that are in the world.

I’ll be honest, sometimes I get a little annoyed when I hear people talk about relevant evangelism.  Not because I don’t want to relevant, but because usually what I hear is someone that is trying to explain their way out of sharing the message, or making it as convenient as possible. 

It seems that when “relevant evanagelism” is discussed it’s conclusion is almost always to be more discreet and quite about your message.  I never read about how to be a relevant street preacher.  Or how to share the gospel boldly and be relevant at the same time.  No, it’s always like, “The world doesn’t want our message so we shouldn’t badger them with it, it will do more harm for our cause than good.”

Almost every time I go out street preaching I have a well meaning christian approach me and ask, “Do you think you’re really reaching people out here doing that?  Don’t you think you may be doing more harm than good?”  Here’s the ironic thing, they have the courage and guts to approach a “crazy street preacher” and criticize me for at least trying, yet they won’t share the message of life and good news with a stranger.

People think it’s completely obsurd to openly share the message of the gospel but have no problem when the world advertises their’s.
 
Here’s a quick story to illustrate.  We were driving down the road a few weeks ago and in the median I saw 5-6 white, middle-aged, middle class people holding up signs for the presidential candidate Ron Paul.  They were dressed real casually and even looked to be having fun. 

Ask these same people at church Sunday morning to go out and hold a sign for Jesus and you’re crazy!  Yet the world knows how to advertise and promote their kingdom, how much more should we be able to promote ours?  If these people think it’s good to hold up signs in the median for a temporal corrupt form of government, how much more should we hold up signs for the true, eternal government?

People aren’t offended if you are campaigning aggressively, but heaven forbid if you proclaim the gospel in public, in any form!

I live in Oklahoma City right now, and it seems that there is a trend going on here where businesses will hire out people to stand on the corner to hold up signs advertising the business.  Especially during tax season.  There is a company here called Liberty Tax Service and every tax season they dress up their employees in costumes (statue of liberty or Uncle Same) and they stand on the street corners waving at people as they drive by promoting their services.

Would they be doing it if it wasn’t beneficial?  Does it work?  Yeah it does!  I just told you about them.  These people will dress up in costumes in public, dance and wave promoting tax season for a small hourly wage, but the people of God can’t do a fraction of that for the payment of the blood of Christ!?  It makes me think of the time when Jesus said the Queen of Sheba would rise up in judgement against the Pharisees to condemn them…I’ll modernize it and make it “relevant” for you, “The employees of Liberty Tax Service will rise up in judgement to condemn this generation because we’re to ashamed and lazy to take the message of love and truth to the world.”

To me, this is a classic case of, “…The children of this world are wiser than the children of light.”  Why shouldn’t we just as heavily promote the gospel (if not more considering the implications!)?

I think the real problem isn’t a matter of relevance, I think it’s a matter of belief.  If we really believed what we say we believe, that we’ve been rescued from death, we would tell everybody.

Let me illustrate it for you if you don’t believe me:

Let’s say I give you 2 million dollars every day.  One million for you, and one million to give away to anybody you want, any random person.  Every single day you would have the “burden” and “duty” of giving away a million dollars.

-How long would you wait to give it out?
-Would it be a chore or a blessing to give the money away?
-If someone rejected the million dollars, would you feel ashamed and hide the money never to give it away again?  Or would you think the person that refused the gift is crazy?

Nobody would think I was crazy if I stood on a corner shouting “Free money for those that will receive it!”  They would be lining up.  Nobody would shout out to me, “Don’t you have better things to do?”

If we would do this for worldly riches, why won’t we do it for eternal riches?  I think it has to do more with our belief than it is our methods.  Do we really believe the gospel is worth more than a million dollars?

There’s nothing relevant involved with giving away money.  There shouldn’t be anything relevant about sharing the gospel, just do it.  If you gave a random person on the street a million dollars, I don’t think they would reject you because of your method.  They wouldn’t care if you wore sandals with socks or a 5 piece suit, because it’s the gift, not the person giving it.  It’s the message, not the messenger.

If you have horrible disease, you could care less about the style of the doctor giving you a cure, you just want the cure!! 

The truth is, we don’t want to be rejected, and we’ll go very far out of our way to avoid it, so far out of the way we forsake the message and commission of the gospel.  We have to get over this somehow.  Remember when Jesus sent out the 12 disciples?  He sent them out with a “rejection clause”, He told them exactly what to do when someone rejected the message.  This tells me not everybody will receive it, and that’s ok.  As a matter of fact, Jesus said only few will find it.  My goal now changes from trying to convince people that the gospel is true and indeed good news, to simply proclaiming the message and letting the seeds fall where they may.  I can’t change the heart the seed falls into, my job is just to cast the seed out. 

So, if we can focus more on simply proclaiming the news of Jesus instead of the thought of trying to “win” people, our job will be easier.  The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing.  We need to get that straight first, what you’re doing IS foolish to the world, we don’t have to hide from it because it’s in the foolishness that God confounds the wise.

We can’t get in the habit of letting the world dictate our methods.  The world is only getting more evil.  It’s job is to push itself further from the truth of the gospel.  We just need to accept these things and enter into the darkness with our light.  When we do that, everything happens automatically.

For the first article, click here. "How To Become A Preacher – Step 1 Reality Check"
 
This is probably the most crucial part because to become a preacher you must have something worthy to preach.  Luckily, Jesus told us exactly what to preach.

Let me remind you, my idea of a preacher is not the hired person that preaches behind a pulpit to a crowd of believers every Sunday and Wednesday.  My idea of a preacher is someone who takes the gospel to it’s intended audience, the world.  Someone who preaches the gospel.

In my experience, most people really do have a desire to communicate the gospel on some level.  They want to feel confident in explaining their testimony and the message of Christ to the world.  It just seems that the problem is, how?

First of all, your message is simple.  Jesus told us exactly what to preach and do.  He said, “Go, preach, the Kingdom of Heaven(God) is at hand.  As you preach, heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead and cleanse the lepers.” (Matthew 10:7,8).  That’s it!!  If we want to be preachers, this is exactly what we preach. This is the gospel, the good news to the world.  It’s a proclamation that the Kingdom of God is here now, and it’s a demonstration of that fact with signs and wonders following.  If it’s really that simple, why has it become so complex??

Let me ask you an honest question, do you know how to preach the Kingdom of God is at hand?  I’ve glossed over that statement countless times before I took an honest look at it.  I remember the day when I realized I didn’t know how to preach the “Kingdom of God is at hand”, I was ashamed, and confused.  I realized that I took a simple command and utterly complicated it with deep doctrines and the wisdom of this world.

I’ve heard of a lot of evangelism methods, but I don’t really recall many that tell you to just preach the Kingdom of God is here.  Most are some flavor of “Your sinners and your going to hell if you don’t believe in Jesus.”  Most of the styles I’ve been exposed to are focused around the law in some form or fashion.  Honestly, it’s easier to preach the law than it is grace.  (For that matter, it’s easier to try and live under the law than grace too!  But that’s another article.) 

I remember when I first started to get into evangelism I saw the series with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, “The Way Of The Master…doing evangelism, the way Jesus did”.  I was so excited, it made so much sense to me!  I finally had some real, practical steps I could follow to effectively preach the gospel and witness for Jesus.
 
If you aren’t familiar with the teaching series, the basic construction of the method is to use the law (10 Commandments) to help a person realize they aren’t good enough to get into heaven on their own.  When they realize this you can tell them that they don’t need to worry because if they trust in Jesus and repent they will not have the law counted against them because Jesus paid the price for their sins.

The way they teach this method is awesome and it helped me, and countless others, to actually get out there and actually witness to people.  It’s very good in give you a method that is easy to follow and effective.  I’m into whatever gets people out there at least trying to preach the gospel.  God doesn’t need us to be perfect or have the best method, He just want’s us to “go”, He’ll sort us out as we go on our way.

However, while holding to this method of using the law, I found a snag when I started to assimilate the gospels.  I saw that Jesus really didn’t preach the gospel like that.  But it really started to confuse me when I read John 1:17: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

This was near the end of my assimilation and I was already on my way to walk after Luke 14:25-35 and I had a pretty clear picture of how Jesus did ministry.  So I asked myself, if Moses preached the law and Jesus preached grace and truth, and I’m supposed to be following after Jesus, why am I preaching the law?

The answer for me was because it was easy.  It was (and is) very simple to preach a message with the law.  But what did Jesus tell us to preach, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  Anytime He sent out His disciples, He told them to preach the Kingdom, when Jesus preached, He preached the Kingdom.  So if I’m a disciple and follower of Jesus, why am I not preaching the Kingdom?? I’ll tell you, BECAUSE I DIDN’T KNOW HOW!! 

I would picture myself in front of a group of people and imagine what it would look like if I preached the Kingdom.  I had no idea.  Really, how do you preach the Kingdom of God is here, and what does that even mean?  First you have to know what the Kingdom is, then you have to know how to explain it to people.  Which I think is where the real issue is, it doesn’t seem that people have a good revelation of the Kingdom of God.  If it was what Jesus preached, and if it was what He commissioned His disciples to preach then don’t you think it should be a top priority to us?

So, you may be asking…”Well, what is the Kingdom of God then?”  This is the next problem.  Most people want to know it with their minds alone, but what they (and we) need is a genuine revelation of it, an understanding that pierces our hearts, not just another man’s opinion of it.  So, I won’t tell you what the Kingdom of God is and how to preach it…(if you really want to know, feel free to come and listen when I preach it on the streets ).
 
Also, everybody is a different part of the body of Christ, and everybody has a different spectrum of the Kingdom.  If you borrow another man’s revelation of the Kingdom you may not be operating in the particular spectrum the Lord wants you working in.  The Kingdom is the Kingdom, don’t get me wrong, but a flower is a flower too (there are just different types of flowers).  We’re all uniquely made and created to fulfill a certain destiny and assignment the Lord has us on.  So we have to tap into the Lord, and our spirit to receive that assignment and destiny.  The only way to do that is by spending time with Him.  You can’t find it in a book, you can only find it at the feet of Jesus.

A few pointers on how to position yourself to receive this from Him is to proactively set your heart towards it, fast, pray, assimilate the gospels and then simply just wait on Him and trust that He will teach you, because He will!!  It’s His good pleasure to give it to you.

So ask yourself, do you feel confident in your ability to specifically “Go, preach, the Kingdom of God is here.”?  If not, seek Him and His Kingdom and you’ll experience it in a way that will give you courage and confidence.  You may not preach it open air on a street corner, but recently the Lord told me, “You should be able to preach the Kingdom in a shout, and in a whisper.”  And that is only possible when you have a real revelation of it, and that can only come from the King Himself!

It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s exciting…go for it!!

I’m not a conventional missionary, and I’m not a conventional preacher.  So, what you’re going to get in this article is not conventional.  But, if we allow our preconceptions and expectations line up with our true commission, I think we’ll be able to get a lot more accomplished for the Kingdom.  After all, that’s what we’re after right?

This is a reality check for those that want to “work” for the gospel.  There are many different ways to enter into the work, but I’ve noticed that many people usually think you enter into it as you would any other secular job.  However:

Did you know that you don’t have to go to seminary or special schooling to preach the gospel?
Did you know that you don’t need a church or organization to send you out?
Did you know that you don’t need a church building to preach?
Did you know that you don’t need a church gathering to have an audience?
Did you know that preaching the gospel is simple?
Did you know that the message of the gospel is simple to preach?

The church is not a corporate business and preaching the gospel isn’t a job to “get”.  I have a feeling that the gospel proclamation is often hindered by people’s preconceived ideas and expectations of what is required of them, and/or, the desire and status of position in the eyes of man.

You don’t need special schooling or training to preach the gospel?
Seminary and any training is great, but it isn’t NECESSARY.  If you can get it, and if you feel the Lord wants you to go, then go, but don’t feel that it is a requirement that you have some kind of seminary degree before you can become a preacher.  The question to ask is, what is your goal?  Are you trying to impress men by creating an attractive resume so you can get a job in the church?  Or are you simply trying to preach the gospel?  What are your motives, men’s praise and admiration of your knowledge and articulation, or is it to fulfill the gospel commission?  When I was first born again I wanted to become a teacher of some sorts.  Once I get kicked off my prideful horse I was riding, I realized that my motives were to get the admiration of men rather than simply proclaiming the gospel.  The Lord may be telling you to go to school, but realize if He isn’t it’s no big deal and it’s not necessary.  Don’t go simply because it’s what other people do, and don’t go because other people tell you it’s required.
In my opinion, you need to learn how to be trained by the true teacher, the Holy Spirit, first.  Don’t substitute learning from Him with man.  Sometimes it will be the longer route, but it will always lead to the right path.  The best training I receive comes from assimilating the gospels, prayer, fasting, and going. 

You don’t need a church or organization to send you out?
Again, nice, but not necessary.  You need to have a sure conviction and understanding of your specific calling by the Lord Himself, and that is really all you need.  Go read Galatians 1:1.  We need to have the understanding that we are neither called by man or sent by man.  If you aren’t fully convinced that you are called or sent, go first to assimilate the gospels, I firmly believe as you do this you will receive your calling. 
The only thing man’s references does is please other men.  Remember, the Kingdom doesn’t operate like corporate America.  If your intention is to enter the “church circuit” and play the game, then yes, you’ll need the praises of men to accomplish that, but if you’re genuinely motivated to preach the gospel, the praises of men can come or go. 
Let me ask you this…where are you going that you need to be sent?  Are you going to the church to preach the gospel? Or are you going to the world to preach the gospel?  You see, the religious will require references, the lost won’t.  All the lost will require is a genuine representation and demonstration of the gospel.  Take a minute to check your motives and examine your heart.

You don’t need a church building to preach?
Imagine that.  Maybe Jesus really meant what He said when He told us to go into the world and preach the gospel.  If you’re a preacher, it’s to preach the gospel to the lost, not to the found.  Remember, it’s the sick that need the physician.  Naturally the question is “Well, where do I preach if not in a church?”   Where the world is, you preach.  It could be on a street corner, it could be one-on-one sharing, it could be door-to-door, it could be talking with your neighbor, as a matter of fact, it’s a mixture of it all.  It’s my opinion that you should be able to preach the gospel on a street corner as well as share the gospel with a precious grandma on her doorstep.  Both require different methods, but both requirem the same message.  You should be able to proclaim it in a shout or a whisper.  A preacher is a proclaimer.  The proclamation is for the world, not for the church.  Open your front door and you’ll see your pulpit.

You don’t need a church gathering to preach?
As mentioned above, the world is your pulpit and the people is your audience.  All you have to do is tell them about the Kingdom of God.  Many people will ignore you, most will be offended, but a few will enter into the Kingdom you preach.  You’re not there for the masses, you’re there to find the few that are ready to enter in.  Leave the 99 (the church) and go out to find the 1 (the world).

Preaching the gospel is simple?
Remember, ask yourself, are you pleasing man or God?  If you’re trying to please man, preaching the gospel will be complex, if you’re trying to please God preaching the Gospel is simple.  There’s nothing more simple than standing on a street corner and telling people that the Kingdom of God is here and it’s available for them to enter into it.  Oh, but there is nothing more foolish!!  Remember, the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to those that believe it is the power of God.  If you don’t appear foolish to the world to some extent I wonder if you’re really preaching the gospel.  If we’re trying to keep our dignity and respect, YES!, the gospel is complex because we are trying to do it in man’s wisdom.  If you are simply trying to preach the gospel despite the faces of men, oh it’s a breeze to stand up and say “Repent, the Kingdom of God is here!”.  Men will frown and be offended, but God will smile and be pleased.  Who’s opinion are you more interested in?

The message of the gospel is simple to preach?
Preaching the gospel is not in wise words or flowery speech to show off the wisdom of man.  It’s in the simplicity and foolishness of the message of the cross.  I will write a completely seperate article for this, but for now I will tell you that the Kingdom of God is not complicated to explain to people.  If we position ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us what the Kingdom of God is, we will be much better off than pouring over books and commentaries on the subject.  The message of the gospel is simple to preach when you have a revelation of it, not simply head knowledge.  My advice, assimilate the gospels and learn about this Kingdom you are going to preach.

See, now you don’t have an excuse.  No more searching the internet for “How to become a preacher” looking for the easy way out.  It’s time to spend some time with THE preacher Himself and learn from Him.  There is no short cut.  It only comes from the presence of Him, anything else comes from man and is subject to man.  Build your foundation on a sure rock, not politics.  Simply, “Go”, and preach the gospel.

If you’ve never experienced it, you need to put yourself in a position to. 

A few weeks ago, I was back in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the old stomping grounds.  I had the great privelage of going back out on the streets to preach with the man that taught me how to proclaim the Kingdom to the world, John Robb.  After a short reunion, we got to work.

I have encounters like this often, but for some reason, this one really struck me.  Jesus really pierced my heart.  While we were out preaching at the QT on 11th & Utica, I had just taken a break and John started to preach.  As he was preaching I would walk up and down the sidewalk holding my bible in the air. 

While standing on the corner of the intersection, I see a young man walking our way.  Usually people like to take the “long way around” when they see us preaching.  But this guy walked right up to the sidewalk. 

(more…)

    Man this brother  Patrick Ersig lays it down in this message!!  It’s the exact same message of this website.  "Everybody born again is a missionary."   He does an excellent job at convicting and motivating the believer to just "Go".  Stop making excuses and just "Go". 

I love this message, I hope you take some time to listen.  No, not just listen, but ACT!  Go, preach the gospel!

http://gamma.zshare.net/download/2871e4806485446482bcc0a8ecd33d8d/1171132384/929509/patrick_ersig___you_are_a_missionary.mp3

[TAGS]Patrick Erisg,detroit,michigan,street preaching,street preacher,preaching the gospel,witnessing,evangelism,sharing Jesus[/TAGS]

   Brother David Hogan has been the most influential person in my life when it comes to the gospel.  He is a missionary to Mexico where he says he has personally been in on 28 people being raised from the dead, and his ministry "Freedom Ministries" has reported over 400 people total.  He says that’s great but there are thousands who haven’t gotten up.  His experiences and boldness has encouraged me to a great degree. 

This audio clip is one of my favorites.  He teaches how to obey Jesus in Matthew 10:7,8.  "Go, preach the Kingdom of Heaven is here, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils and cleanse the lepers".  You’ll love this audio.

STREAM - quote7-howtogo.m3u
DOWNLOAD - quote7-howtogo.mp3

[TAGS]David Hogan,Preaching the gospel,evangelism,sharing Jesus,witnessing[/TAGS]

    One-on-one witnessing can be pretty intimidating.  There really is no "easy" way of breaking the ice to be able to share Jesus with someone.  No matter what you do, there will always be that split second where you’re just going to have to bite the bullet and just say something.  The more you do it, the better you will become and the easier it will be.  God will teach you AS you do it.  He’s big into on-the-job training.  (see Matthew 13:12) 
 
   The more we get over the worries of offending someone or being "effective" the more free we will become.  It’s quite comforting to find this verse:

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

    If you go into it knowing and understanding that you will appear foolish it really makes it easier.  It also helps you distinguish "those that are perishing".  As Americans, we need to stop trying to package the gospel in something more acceptable to the world.  Jesus never did.  The gospel message has been and will always be offensive to the world, ALWAYS.  It doesn’t mean we need to be weird, foolish, or crazy on purpose, it just means we need to be real about it.  What we have is better than what the world has, and we need to act like it is. 
 
    How would you feel if you had $1,000,000 to give to anybody you wanted (knowing that you have an unmeasurable amount of income in the bank and it isn’t an issue at all to give a million away)?  You would probably be excited to have the opportunity to give it to someone.  You find the first poor, beaten down person you run across and approach them thinking that they will jump for joy at the thought of all their worries fading away now that they have this money.  However, as you approach the filthy, hungry, poor person they begin to curse you.  Not knowing you have the answer to all their problems in your pocket.  You don’t let that bother you because you know once they see the gift you have for them they will jump for joy and dance at their new turn of luck.  You’ve put up with the curses and insults and you’re inches away from the person.  Now is the time!! Here it comes, the moment both of you were waiting for, only he didn’t know it yet.  You pull out your money and hand it to him.  Instead of him jumping and dancing, he curses more!  He hits your hand away and becomes increasingly violent pushing you and your gift away because of pride.
 
    What a surprise!  Imagine someone turning down the greatest gift the world has to offer.  Now, how would you feel about your gift?  You wouldn’t throw it away, or hide it, and never try to give it to someone else.  Instead, you would have compassion and pity for that person who couldn’t recognize what the gift would do for them.  Actually, if someone turned down our million dollars it would almost have an opposite affect to the point where we would say "This guy’s an idiot!".  We would never take on the feelings of being ashamed or embarrassed.  Instead we would be ashamed or embarrassed for the person who doesn’t receive it.  You wouldn’t be discouraged or embarrassed because it has nothing to do with you.  You’re just offering a gift.
 
    It’s no different than the greatest gift the universe has to offer…the gift of the Kingdom of God and restoration to the Father in heaven.
 
    Just as you wouldn’t hide your million dollars and never attempt to give it out again you can’t hide your testimony and the message of the Kingdom if someone refuses it.  It’s just as foolish, even moreso.
 
    That’s easy to understand and comprehend, but I don’t think that’s the real problem.  I think the root of the problem is that most of us don’t believe that what we have is better than what the world has to offer.  We want to believe it is, but our actions prove otherwise.  Until we believe everything Jesus told us, we will feel like we’re offering the world monopoly money expecting them to believe it will make their lives better.  What we have is real, and we have to believe that first before we can ever expect the world to believe it.

    I’ve been preaching on the streets now for a few months.  I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a veteran and I’m not an expert.  There are many people with more experience and there’s many that probably do it better than me.

    But preaching on a street corner sure does give God a chance to teach you a few things!  It’s “on-the-job training” and I’m coming to find out that that is a primary way that the Lord teaches us, while we’re actually doing it ("it" being His word), being vunerable to making mistakes.  It’s in our weaknesses that He is made strong in us.  I’m going to start writing out some of the lessons I’m learning while preaching on the streets.  I hope the Lord can use them to help and encourage you.

    So, the first question is, why?  I can see your faces as you drive by.  Some are confused, ashamed, embarassed, mad, and luckily a few that are excited!  (If you want the fear of man to be broken off of your life, get out on the streets and preach, it’ll get wiped out real quick.  Either you’ll break under the faces or you’ll explode with courage and boldness.)

    I’ve finally decided that God wants me on the streets to preach the gospel to the world.  Before, I wasn’t to sure.  But what were my options?  The question really became, why wouldn’t I preach the gospel on the streets?

    I’ve forsaken the world system and now I have a lot of free time on my hands.  So, time isn’t an issue.  And for those that are about to use it, TIME IS NO EXCUSE.  If you don’t have time to spend time with God, read the word, and do the word, then you have some issues you need to work out.  Click Here For Help And Encouragement.

    It’s real simple.  We’ve confused it so much, I know because I was confused myself(and I’m sure I still am). 

Here’s the simplicity of it:
If I have the message of the gospel, why wouldn’t I preach on a corner?

The answers:
Fear
Pride 

    I didn’t realize this until after I started preaching, but looking back, that’s what it was.
 
I was afraid of:
-What people would think
-What I would look like
-Not knowing what to say

 
    Pride kept me from addressing those issues honestly.  I was so prideful to think that I didn’t belong on that corner, that what I had to do was more important than looking like an idiot.  It’s not that I thought people shouldn’t be doing it, just not me, it’s not my style.  Well, what was my style?  It was hiding behind religious excuses like “I need to be studying”, or “I need to be praying” instead.  And to be honest, I thought I was too good for it.  What I had to tell people was way more complex and smart that I couldn’t stand on a corner to preach it, I needed focused attention so people could really see how smart I was.

    Thank the Lord I’m set free from that!!!!  I didn’t even realize that I was bound until the first proclaimation I made on that sidewalk in Tulsa.  Since then, things have become increasingly more simple and clear.  The only thing I need to know is how to preach “Repent, the Kingdom of God is here.”   I thank God it’s so simple.  I don’t need to know how to do anything else other than to say “Repent, the Kingdom of God is here” (and then demonstrate it, which the Lord is teaching me).  It’s getting more and more fun to preach it too.

    Why preach the gospel on the streets?  It’s simple, because people need to hear it.  There are people that will never step foot in a church to hear the gospel, and you have to catch them in their world doing what they do…and that’s on the street.  Interupting their lives for the gospel’s sake.  They need to be interuppted and confronted with a decision to make, accept Jesus or deny Him.  Those are the only two options I preach and I let them know that those are the only two options.

    If you’ve never thought about preaching on the streets, or if you have and have been to scared too, or if you think you’re too good for it.  Ask God what He would want you to do.  Read the gospels and see how Jesus did it and see how He told His disciples to share the message and measure that against your life…how does it compare?  Make a decision in light of that and begin to walk towards it.

    Have courage, be strengthened, have boldness and preach the Gospel!  There is nothing more important you could possibly do.

[tags]street preaching,open air preaching,street preacher,street minister,how to preach[/tags]

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]