The Bible does not command door to door soul-winning

[rsc2a]

[quote author=rsc2a]The verse doesn't say to preach the gospel to everyone within a circle that you've shaded. It says to preach the gospel to every creature. Why are you suggesting disobedience to Scripture?

He also wasn't talking to one person, he was talking to a group. [/quote]



You mean I should be focused on my co-workers, neighbors, and such...you know those people who I have a relationship with...and let the "group" focus on their own co-workers, neighbors, and such?

(You aren't making a very strong case for your position here.)

[quote author=Frag]Don't mind having a thoughtful discussion, but someone like you who chooses to be "willingly ignorant"...[/quote]

See reductio ad absurdum.

[quote author=Frag]...and just argues for the sake of it -- to busy to waste my time.[/quote]

You shouldn't be posting. You could be out "winning souls". Stop being so disobedient to Scripture!

[quote author=Frag]Groceries are the gospel?  You are an idiot. [/quote]

Or you have no reading comprehension....

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

I just read most the of the thread at the other forum where Wtyson and Invictus argued.  Vic was out of hand with his name calling, but he is right. Absolutely.

The bible does not command people to go door to door soul winning.  It only commands us to preach the gospel to all nations.

Vic made me laugh.  Wtyson looked like a fool for not just admitting that it does not say that.

The title of the thread is Tebow.

Honest question. 

In our rural community, if I am to obey the "every creature" command, how do I get the gospel to "every creature" -- achieve gospel saturation -- without going door to door?

Interesting.  Besides Timothy's answer of junk mail or tele-marketing evangelism (sure folks would appreciate both!), no serious answer.  To "every house" worked for the early church.  Still works today.  Most people in our area are not offended if you knock on their front door and to talk to them.  Those who are....well, do you really think you can give the gospel to people and no one ever take offense????

Admit it.  Bunch of excuses from a bunch of lazy Christians who want a Christianity that involves no inconvenience, no self-denial, no cross, and labor.  Four visitors sat in our church Sunday morning -- God used door to door visitation to reach each one.  If you want to add other outreach methods to this, fine.  But door to door visitation is required to OBEY the mandate of Christ to deliver the gospel to every creature.

We have some SBC churches down here who go door to door....as do a few IFBs.....and the Jehovah's Witnesses!
Halumeluger!

Sad.  JFWs have enough sense to steal God's method and use it to effectively spread their false message, yet most Christians won't take the truth of the Gospel to their neighbors.

Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....[/quote]

...and/or reducing Christianity to a sales pitch.  :-\

 

[wtyson]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

...and/or reducing Christianity to a sales pitch.  :-\
[/quote]

The gospel is not a sales pitch. It is the hope for the lost. It will transform lifes.

We have a responsiblity to go where they are. Yes...shine the light at work. Yes...shine the light at school...Yes...Shine the light to those you know. I absolutely refuse to surrender or community to the JWs and Mormons because Christians are too lazy or afraid to get out of their comfort zone and knock on someone's door.

Are there those who cannot physical go...sure...for 8 years we had a man who prayed for us every Thursday night. He could not physically go out. You know what I found out, at the age of 88 he started to drive to 4 neighbors a week...get out his walker and knock on their door and tell them that Jesus loved them. He had a burden for souls that put me to shame. He went to heaven last week. I don't want to ever lose a passion for souls saved.

Every Sunday we run 13 buses and vans...the vast majority of those who come are there because SOMEONE knocked on a door. While I fully agree the warmest visit are with those you know it does not absolve us from reaching that neighbor 5 doors down with the gospel! We started Operation 1000 last year. We asked our members to pray and seek opportunities to reach 1000 of their friends and family. We have had many saved because of this effort. 

I believe door to door soul winning is one method of many to evangelize and fulfill the great commission. Christians today have gotten complacent! Jesus Christ is coming soon! Run the buses...knock on doors...pass out tracks...support missionaries!

 

[Frag]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

...and/or reducing Christianity to a sales pitch.  :-\

The gospel is not a sales pitch. It is the hope for the lost. It will transform lifes.

We have a responsiblity to go where they are. Yes...shine the light at work. Yes...shine the light at school...Yes...Shine the light to those you know. I absolutely refuse to surrender or community to the JWs and Mormons because Christians are too lazy or afraid to get out of their comfort zone and knock on someone's door.

Are there those who cannot physical go...sure...for 8 years we had a man who prayed for us every Thursday night. He could not physically go out. You know what I found out, at the age of 88 he started to drive to 4 neighbors a week...get out his walker and knock on their door and tell them that Jesus loved them. He had a burden for souls that put me to shame. He went to heaven last week. I don't want to ever lose a passion for souls saved.

Every Sunday we run 13 buses and vans...the vast majority of those who come are there because SOMEONE knocked on a door. While I fully agree the warmest visit are with those you know it does not absolve us from reaching that neighbor 5 doors down with the gospel! We started Operation 1000 last year. We asked our members to pray and seek opportunities to reach 1000 of their friends and family. We have had many saved because of this effort. 

I believe door to door soul winning is one method of many to evangelize and fulfill the great commission. Christians today have gotten complacent! Jesus Christ is coming soon! Run the buses...knock on doors...pass out tracks...support missionaries!
[/quote]

You mean................. 



.......................actually........................











....................(gulp)............................







....................WORK?!?!?!






Perish the thought!!!!   

 

[Timothy]

The raw sympathetic consciousness of humanities pending judgement generates a genuine desire to alleviate it. Knocking on doors, handing out tracks, street preaching, bringing people to Church ... these are all ways we seek out souls, share with them the truth, and try to alleviate their pain.

After all, didn't Jesus Christ alleviate our own pain? Wouldn't we want to help others?

I have been sheltered from my job to share the gospel by weak Churches and the lack of challenge from brothers and sisters. I have seen "sales pitch" methods and grown sour. But, I also know that I need to share this hope inside me - and I pray that God will bless me with a raw sympathetic consciousness of humanities pending judgement.

After all, when the bank account is low, the bills are due I respond by working more hours, cutting back on food ... and yet, when I see people going to hell I don't even shed a tear.

I fear the BIGGEST issue with organized religion is their lack of compassion for souls.

It should be contagious.

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

...and/or reducing Christianity to a sales pitch.  :-\

The gospel is not a sales pitch. It is the hope for the lost. It will transform lifes. [/quote]

Then why try to sell it like you would a set of encyclopedias?

[quote author=wtyson]We have a responsiblity to go where they are. Yes...shine the light at work. Yes...shine the light at school...Yes...Shine the light to those you know. I absolutely refuse to surrender or community to the JWs and Mormons because Christians are too lazy or afraid to get out of their comfort zone and knock on someone's door. [/quote]

There's a guy I know. He preached in church every once and a while. He occasionally gave a speech when a crowd gathered. He even went from town to town, having an itinerant ministry and all, although those visits often ended up being parties with all the non-church folk. The vast majority of the ministering though was spent discipling twelve guys on what the Kingdom of God actually looked like in their everyday lives. What didn't happen in this ministry was door-to-door sales-pitch evangelism; in fact, the concept of sales pitch evangelism was foreign to the entire process.

Oh yeah...that guy I know...His name is Jesus.

[quote author=wtyson]Are there those who cannot physical go...sure...for 8 years we had a man who prayed for us every Thursday night. He could not physically go out. You know what I found out, at the age of 88 he started to drive to 4 neighbors a week...get out his walker and knock on their door and tell them that Jesus loved them. He had a burden for souls that put me to shame. He went to heaven last week. I don't want to ever lose a passion for souls saved. [/quote]

Are you saying that people who don't knock on doors aren't burdened for others?

[quote author=wtyson]Every Sunday we run 13 buses and vans...the vast majority of those who come are there because SOMEONE knocked on a door...[/quote]

You know what would be better than you filling up 13 buses and vans? Those bus- and van-fulls of people finding a group of like-minded believers in their own communities where they could "let [their] light so shine before men...". I'm not a big fan of commuter church-goers; find a church in your neighborhood and be an impact where you live.

[quote author=wtyson]While I fully agree the warmest visit are with those you know it does not absolve us from reaching that neighbor 5 doors down with the gospel! We started Operation 1000 last year. We asked our members to pray and seek opportunities to reach 1000 of their friends and family...[/quote]

I'm also not a fan of measuring "success" in our "Christianity" by what numbers we can put up. If that is "success", Osteen has one of the most "successful" ministries in Christendom.

[quote author=wtyson]...We have had many saved because of this effort.[/quote]

What does "saved" mean?

[quote author=wtyson]I believe door to door soul winning is one method of many to evangelize and fulfill the great commission. Christians today have gotten complacent! Jesus Christ is coming soon! Run the buses...knock on doors...pass out tracks...support missionaries![/quote]

I believe it is a method. I also believe that it cheapens the Gospel, is primarily good as a works-based structure whereby one (falsely) believes they can earn God's favor, and propagates the idea that one can evaluate how "Christian" something is by how many numbers one can put up. Furthermore, it results in people believing they are "saved" because they said a little prayer, resulting in a lot of false converts who have an assurance of salvation that is based on nothing more than a little prayer they said one time

 

[Frag]

Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

Then why is your church still buggy whipping????  Said your church still goes, then you mock it. 

By the way, explain "effective".  Since when is sharing the gospel with someone - anyone - no matter their response, a waste of time???  Surely you are not one of those...........................(gasp).............................performance based Christians!!!! :-X :-X :-X

 

[Frag]

Christ witnessing efforts often broke out into "parties with all the non-church folks......."?????



OK. 

Get off your mommy's computer and go watch Sponge Bob....

 

[rsc2a]

Christ witnessing efforts often broke out into "parties with all the non-church folks......."?????



OK. 

Get off your mommy's computer and go watch Sponge Bob....

Are you grumbling that the King of Glory would debase Himself so? Don't worry...you wouldn't be the first:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him,

 

[Frag]

Christ witnessing efforts often broke out into "parties with all the non-church folks......."?????



OK. 

Get off your mommy's computer and go watch Sponge Bob....

Are you grumbling that the King of Glory would debase Himself so? Don't worry...you wouldn't be the first:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him,

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

Then why is your church still buggy whipping????  Said your church still goes, then you mock it. 

By the way, explain "effective".  Since when is sharing the gospel with someone - anyone - no matter their response, a waste of time???  Surely you are not one of those...........................(gasp).............................performance based Christians!!!! :-X :-X :-X

I was not mocking anything. We go door to door regularly offering information and invitations to our church....we leave door hangers if no one answers the door. We have led people to Christ doing such but not often. In fact, the rule is that usually no one is home.
What I question is the attitude that door to door is mandated in Scripture....which I don't think is true. What Scripture commands is preaching the gospel to every creature....and door to door was the most effective way to do such when The NT was written.

What I mean by effective is the best 'return' for our time, effort, energy and sometimes dollar.
Most of the people our church has reached do not come as a result of door to door visitation.

In an earlier post, you asked that this argument not be sensationalized or minimalized....I agree.
To intimate that other methods of evangelism require no work or effort could also be mocking!

Do you put less value on a soul that comes to Christ as a result of our, for instance, our Food Pantry as opposed to someone saved through' door knocking'?

If so why?
If not, why not?

 

[Frag]

Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

Then why is your church still buggy whipping????  Said your church still goes, then you mock it. 

By the way, explain "effective".  Since when is sharing the gospel with someone - anyone - no matter their response, a waste of time???  Surely you are not one of those...........................(gasp).............................performance based Christians!!!! :-X :-X :-X

I was not mocking anything. We go door to door regularly offering information and invitations to our church....we leave door hangers if no one answers the door. We have led people to Christ doing such but not often. In fact, the rule is that usually no one is home.
What I question is the attitude that door to door is mandated in Scripture....which I don't think is true. What Scripture commands is preaching the gospel to every creature....and door to door was the most effective way to do such when The NT was written.

What I mean by effective is the best 'return' for our time, effort, energy and sometimes dollar.
Most of the people our church has reached do not come as a result of door to door visitation.

In an earlier post, you asked that this argument not be sensationalized or minimalized....I agree.
To intimate that other methods of evangelism require no work or effort could also be mocking!

Do you put less value on a soul that comes to Christ as a result of our, for instance, our Food Pantry as opposed to someone saved through' door knocking'?

If so why?
If not, why not?

Throw out all the nets you want.  We do the same, and rejoice in every soul saved.  But a food pantry does not achieve gospel saturation.  Agree? 

Don't mind every method possible (as long as it does not violate a scriptural principle), but cringe when folks throw away door to door witnessing.  Again, what other outreach achieves gospel saturation? 

The obvious answer is "none". 

I will answer my own question since no one else on here will do so honestly: NONE!

Yet people on this thread continue to mock it like it is some out-dated, buggy whip, idea. 

 

[Timothy]

Christ witnessing efforts often broke out into "parties with all the non-church folks......."?????



OK. 

Get off your mommy's computer and go watch Sponge Bob....

Are you grumbling that the King of Glory would debase Himself so? Don't worry...you wouldn't be the first:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him,

 

[wtyson]

Where was Peter when Jesus came to him? Working on a boat

 

[Timothy]

Our church does go 'door to door' regularly, but it is not the only OR the most effective method of evangelism we use in this culture. Vacuum Cleaner salesmen used to go door to door, in a time when it was effective.....they no longer do so. Sad some Christians still insist on making buggy whips.....

Then why is your church still buggy whipping????  Said your church still goes, then you mock it. 

By the way, explain "effective".  Since when is sharing the gospel with someone - anyone - no matter their response, a waste of time???  Surely you are not one of those...........................(gasp).............................performance based Christians!!!! :-X :-X :-X

I was not mocking anything. We go door to door regularly offering information and invitations to our church....we leave door hangers if no one answers the door. We have led people to Christ doing such but not often. In fact, the rule is that usually no one is home.
What I question is the attitude that door to door is mandated in Scripture....which I don't think is true. What Scripture commands is preaching the gospel to every creature....and door to door was the most effective way to do such when The NT was written.

What I mean by effective is the best 'return' for our time, effort, energy and sometimes dollar.
Most of the people our church has reached do not come as a result of door to door visitation.

In an earlier post, you asked that this argument not be sensationalized or minimalized....I agree.
To intimate that other methods of evangelism require no work or effort could also be mocking!

Do you put less value on a soul that comes to Christ as a result of our, for instance, our Food Pantry as opposed to someone saved through' door knocking'?

If so why?
If not, why not?

But a food pantry does not achieve gospel saturation.  Agree?

No. What if the pantry helped more than just one person a year?

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=rsc2a]Are you grumbling that the King of Glory would debase Himself so? Don't worry...you wouldn't be the first:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him,

 

[Frag]

No. What if the pantry helped more than just one person a year?

Is there a crayon font???  Would that help? 

My brain is melting....

 

[Frag]

I have a "real Bible", and yes, reclined would be an appropriate translation. Do you know anything about 1st century Jewish culture?



You just answered the question above. Of course it sounds like lunch.

There is a fundamental difference in our dining practices now and those of 1st century Jews. (Hint: It will also help you understand other passages *multiple parables, Galatians, Corinthians, James, cough, cough* when you grasp this.)

Thank you.  I bow to your superior intellect.  From know on, when I see people are eating together in the scriptures, I will know that a full blown party just broke out. 

Rock on. 

 

[Timothy]

No. What if the pantry helped more than just one person a year?

Is there a crayon font???  Would that help? 

My brain is melting....

I hate the derogatory tone you often take ... but ... anyway ...

You said "But a food pantry does not achieve gospel saturation.  Agree?"

I don't agree. Sure, it won't achieve gospel saturation if a Church does it once a year, or month, like many do.

But, what if a Church cut back on other unnecessary things in the budget, put together standard grocery bags with a $10 per-bag budget ... and only gave them out on a Saturday during a special service. I know for sure a nice bag could be made with $10, or $15 bucks. Ask folks to donate, they will give.

Or, get a list of names and visit them, share the gospel, give the food.

Or, advertise in the local paper that your Church gives food to needy people after Sunday service - they must attend service to receive.

I know some missionaries who use this method. People listen when their physical needs are taken care of. They respond to compassion.

I begin to wonder if Churches don't work like this simply because these sort of people responding probably won't pay a 'tithe" ..... sad

Thing is, you give bags out people will talk, they will think about this hand of help, and "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me"