Penn Jillette (famous magician and front man for the Penn and Teller act) is a professed atheist. He has said the following about Christian evangelization, "I know there is no God... but if you believe that someone is going to hell unless he or she repents and accepts Christ, then there comes a time when you must basically tackle that person to get them out of the way of that oncoming truck." Penn has a point. Even though he doesn't believe what the Bible says, he openly displays his respect for Christians who aren't afraid to share the gospels with other people.
And we as believing Christians must do the same. God has called us to go out and preach the gospel to all the nations via the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20): "All authority on heaven and earth have been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
So then, why are we so hesitant sometimes? Embarrassment? Shame? Fear? Mark Cahill is a Christian author and speaker. He has written two influential books (One Heartbeat Away and One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven). I recently listened to one of his talks, and he tells us some pretty staggering facts. He gives us the statistic, "every second, 7 people on planet earth will die, and take their final step into eternity. By the time you put your head on your pillow tonight, 600,000 people will have died." His call for us is to do something about it.
There are many Christians who preach on how to reach out to the lost* -- there is Ray Comfort, the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, even Billy Graham. But Cahill is a recent standout. His enthusiasm is evident when you watch him speak. His message is infectious. I have included the link to one of his most interesting talks below. It is rather long, but if you want more of what I have written about here, feel free to click and enjoy. The real question is 'what can you and I do today and tomorrow to further the kingdom?' As my pastor recently challenged our church; think of 3 people in your life that could benefit from the best news in the history of the world. And then do something to act on it.
* I have always disliked the term "lost." Prior to accepting Christ, I had periodically been referred to as lost. If you don't like this term either, feel free to exchange it for any of the following, which in my mind mean the same thing: seeker, inquirer, non-Christian.
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Sorry dude, I'm going to maintain my stand on anti-evangelism. I still believe it's supposed to be an open door policy instead of a pass out pamphlet thing. A private club that anyone can join basically. Without a specific verse, I do recall it saying not to preach to those that don't want to listen. Using the idea of how do you know who won't listen until you try, isn't valid. The point is, people weren't supposed to be exposed until they were ready and interested in hearing the word. Why do you think so many people reject it. It's hard to take to begin with. Yes, Jesus held discussions in the same temples as the pharasees. But that was the place to discuss theology. I totally agree with how it says to not offend people.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I'm going to have to look up these verses again so I have specific references.