THE CORRECT MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL
God is Holy. The God of the Bible, the True and Living God, is Holy, Pure and
Righteous. He is against and in total contrast to sin, there is no doubt about
that.
As we are seeing the scripture fulfilled that in the last days there will be a "falling away" (2 Thess. 2:3), I believe this is in regards to truth itself. And one of the great truths of the Bible is that men are contrary to God and must repent before or at the time of conversion. I will attempt to be brief, but this subject is vitally important in a day when the word "repent" has nearly been forgotten or its meaning altered.
I will again refer to the subject of a "brother" and how he believed that a sodomite could get converted to Christ, never change, die and still go to heaven. Regardless of the sin - sodomy, drunkenness, fornication, whatever iniquity that you want to place in the blank - the fact is that for God to save a sinner who is unwilling to "repent" of his sinfulness, and has no interest in yielding to the Lordship of Christ, it would be a slander, an insult to his Holy character.
Listen, if a criminal, let's say a convicted burglar, was to stand before a judge and plead for mercy, would the judge give mercy if the man's intent was to continue a life of crime and he had no interest in ceasing his burglary actions? Of course not. But if another criminal, a bank robber, stood before the same judge also requesting leniency and mercy, declaring to the judge that his remorse and his complete intent to quit his lawbreaking and be an honest man, might the judge give him mercy and possibly even pardon him? Surely, the answer is yes and we have seen thousands of recorded instances of this in our legal cases.
You see, for the sinner to get mercy (which is what we need from Christ because of our sin that causes us to rightfully deserve punishment and judgment), he or she must first have a heart that agrees with the offended party (be it society or a judge in the case of a criminal, or Christ in our illustrations here) about their conduct, and then they must full intend on changing their behavior and forsaking the offending sin.
People will go to 1 John 1:9, which is written to believers and state "all you have to do is confess your sin," but comparing scripture with scripture look at Prov. 28:13, ... "but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them (his sins) shall have mercy." Mercy from God is conditional, based upon the motive of the heart and the forsaking of sin. I did not state this fact, God did in His Holy Book in Proverbs 28:13. I don't care what pastor so and so says or what a commentary reads, I am giving you Bible Truth from the Word of God. Listen, I have six children. If one of them intentionally broke a window, forgiveness would come on my part if he was apologetic and told me he was sorrowful for his conduct and had no intent to break any more objects that were not his. God is too Holy.
Despite his desire to see a lost soul saved, he will not do so until he has the same attitude about sin that He does, which will lead to a willingness to forsake it, to quit it!
So when a "preacher" deals with a sinner and minimizes the sin, or tells them the gospel of Christ's substitutionary death without dealing with the necessities to turn from sin, they end up preaching a false message of salvation. Mark 1:15 "...repent ye, and believe the gospel!" Repentance is a work of the heart that MUST be done BEFORE one can believe the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5). Some say "repentance is only about trusting Christ's work on Calvary and has nothing to do with sin." We have already proven that theory false by Proverbs 28:13. The word repent means a change of mind, but concerning religion is normally followed by an amendment of life (a change of conduct). Acts 20:20-21 states "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ". 1 Thess. 1:9 is a great evidence of biblical repentance, "...how ye turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God."
The main question is that I ask after dealing with an unconverted person who seems desirous of getting saved is, "Is it your sincere desire to follow Christ all the days of your life?" If they respond with a "No way" or "Not me, I just want to escape hell," then they are clearly not ready to come to Christ. I am not preaching works salvation, but Biblical conversion. The heart must agree with God about sin!
I know the critic will cry out, "The Bible never says to repent from sin and God repented etc." Just like many words in the scriptures, there can be numerous definitions and and usages for each word. The context normally will assist in in denoting how the word is defined in the particular passage. Sometimes repent obviously means to change our mind and prove it by changing you actions (Luke 13:3, Mark 1:15, Matt. 3:2,6,8 etc.) and at times, though the word "repent" is not used, the idea of turning from your sin is clear (again 1 Thess. 1:9, Ezek. 3 etc.) And when God repents it means simply that he changed his mind. 1 Cor. 6:9-11 is a powerful passage that Brother L. and other critics do not like, but the text is clear to any true believer. The words "kingdom of God" in this passage, has to be dealing with heaven, not the earthly kingdom. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and the church, it was the 12 apostles to the Jews who were concerned with and preaching the kingdom message. And read verse 11, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God."
"Were" is past tense. The simple truth of the scripture is that when true conversion occurs the individuals lifestyle is no longer that of a drunkard, sodomite, fornicator etc. Sure, the Christian is not sinlessly perfect in his day to day life. Can he revert back into sin - yes, but there will be conviction from the Spirit of God and chastisement if the true believer continues in sin, possibly to the point of the Lord killing him. But this concept of no change salvation is error and unscriptural and promoted obviously by Satan and not God. Look at Ezek. 13:22 "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad. whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:"
See the importance of this scripture, particularly the last half.
Here are a few facts from the verse.
1. They were promising the wicked life. That is what occurs so much in our "Christian" circles today from the Hyles crowd to the Southern Baptist to the Independent Baptist to the non-denominational churches and the list goes on.
The general sales pitch is something like this "Do you want to go to heaven... That's great! Then I have some good news for you! Jesus loved you and died for you and if you will believe this, then you will go to heaven! Oh by the way, you do believe you are a sinner - right? Perfect! Then just step right over here to the kneel of fortune... in fact, don't other kneeling, it might cause you to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable. Just follow me in the prayer and shazzam, you are promised heaven!" You see, it is all about eternal life - or so this "modern" gospel is. It is self-centered. It is "what do I do to get out of it."
And though there certainly is a point to make about the destination of heaven, the emphasis of heaven has only come about in the last 100 years or so. The issue should be "what about your sin," "you are at odds with God because of your sin" etc. Especially today, sin needs to be the emphasis! I know I have covered some of this already, but we need to be preaching the correct gospel! And today we have "evangelists" "pastors" and "soul-winners" that focus on life, heaven and the benefits of getting saved instead of the sinner's sin and the coming judgment because of that sin!
2. They are telling the wicked that they did not need to repent of (turn away from) their wicked ways and that they would still received life! Don't worry about your sodomy, don't be concerned with your fornication, your booze-addiction, your adultery etc. JUST RECEIVE JESUS AND YOU WILL BE OKAY, GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU AND YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN! WRONG ANSWER! If the "soul-winner" the "street-preacher" etc. does not deal with sin and make the willingness to repent , a condition of salvation - HE IS A FALSE WITNESS AND A LIAR!
I spoke with a man in Elmira, NY, one time as I was door-knocking. He answered the door with his Bud-dummer in hand, and after a short conversation he stated that he was going to heaven. When I asked him why, his response was, because I have done what all you preachers at the door have told me to do - I prayed that prayer. As I challenged this man about genuine conversion, he got progressively upset, started cussing at me and threatened to call the police. Now does that sound like the fruit of a Christian? Some LIARS at the door spoke about heaven and the BENEFITS OF SALVATION, but they did not confront this man about his sin and exhort him to repent! These lying preachers are leading people to Hell at a fast pace and even those that don't, are unwilling to open their mouth about this heresy.
Hyles-Anderson College, Jack Hyles, Curtis Hudson, Sword of the Lord, and Amazing Grace Missions are some of those that propagate this lie. Yes, Amazing Grace Mission. They will go to the fairs and have "50-100" people "saved" on any given Saturday. The problem is the majority, if not ALL of these leave the prayer booth unconverted! At the Indy 500, the Clowns for Christ came up, gave a sixty second wishy-washy, watered-down, false gospel to the crowd, then proceeded to give a prayer to follow. They ended their LIE by stating that anyone of the hearers that prayed that prayer was saved and on their way to heaven. Hogwash! TRASH! LIARS! Which leads us to the next point.
3. They are LIARS that tell the wicked that they can have eternal life without turning from their wicked way. I care not what some preacher says! I will not be influenced by the "Doctor" or "reverend" or the "PhD" who puts himself above the Word of God and perverts the scriptures!
"But this pastor preaches all over America, he is a big name, he has the biggest Sunday-school." WHO CARES! They are LIARS! So says the Word of God!
4. The position of the wicked will be strengthened, that was the exact case with the drunkard at the door! How many thousands have argued with me, cussed me out and swung at me, that strongly feel that they are saved, despite their wicked lifestyle. Why? Because it all goes back to that prayer, that discussion with the lying preacher and the message that he gave, he did not deal with the sin issue! "I am saved because the preacher said I was," they shout at me over and over, while they are passing the liquor or exposing their bodies.
GOD IS LOOKING FOR SOME MEN THAT WILL PREACH THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL AND CONFRONT THE SINNER ABOUT HIS SIN!! The cry of the scriptural preacher will be "REPENT" "God will judge you!" "You have offended God by your sin and you deserve hell!" If you are unwilling to do this, put on a dress, write liar on your forehead and leave your Bible at home. Or better yet...Just be quiet. Stay at home and turn on the TV. At least then you won't be damning souls and producing two-fold children of hell!
Lastly, consider John 8, where those that "believed" on Jesus, debate with Him, accuse Him of having a devil, desire to stone Him and desire to kill Him(v. 37, 52, 59). These were what I call "unbelieving believers." They are lost professors!! And this is exemplary of what we have today. The preachers that do not preach Biblical repentance need to REPENT of their false doctrine and their perversion of scripture!
As we are seeing the scripture fulfilled that in the last days there will be a "falling away" (2 Thess. 2:3), I believe this is in regards to truth itself. And one of the great truths of the Bible is that men are contrary to God and must repent before or at the time of conversion. I will attempt to be brief, but this subject is vitally important in a day when the word "repent" has nearly been forgotten or its meaning altered.
I will again refer to the subject of a "brother" and how he believed that a sodomite could get converted to Christ, never change, die and still go to heaven. Regardless of the sin - sodomy, drunkenness, fornication, whatever iniquity that you want to place in the blank - the fact is that for God to save a sinner who is unwilling to "repent" of his sinfulness, and has no interest in yielding to the Lordship of Christ, it would be a slander, an insult to his Holy character.
Listen, if a criminal, let's say a convicted burglar, was to stand before a judge and plead for mercy, would the judge give mercy if the man's intent was to continue a life of crime and he had no interest in ceasing his burglary actions? Of course not. But if another criminal, a bank robber, stood before the same judge also requesting leniency and mercy, declaring to the judge that his remorse and his complete intent to quit his lawbreaking and be an honest man, might the judge give him mercy and possibly even pardon him? Surely, the answer is yes and we have seen thousands of recorded instances of this in our legal cases.
You see, for the sinner to get mercy (which is what we need from Christ because of our sin that causes us to rightfully deserve punishment and judgment), he or she must first have a heart that agrees with the offended party (be it society or a judge in the case of a criminal, or Christ in our illustrations here) about their conduct, and then they must full intend on changing their behavior and forsaking the offending sin.
People will go to 1 John 1:9, which is written to believers and state "all you have to do is confess your sin," but comparing scripture with scripture look at Prov. 28:13, ... "but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them (his sins) shall have mercy." Mercy from God is conditional, based upon the motive of the heart and the forsaking of sin. I did not state this fact, God did in His Holy Book in Proverbs 28:13. I don't care what pastor so and so says or what a commentary reads, I am giving you Bible Truth from the Word of God. Listen, I have six children. If one of them intentionally broke a window, forgiveness would come on my part if he was apologetic and told me he was sorrowful for his conduct and had no intent to break any more objects that were not his. God is too Holy.
Despite his desire to see a lost soul saved, he will not do so until he has the same attitude about sin that He does, which will lead to a willingness to forsake it, to quit it!
So when a "preacher" deals with a sinner and minimizes the sin, or tells them the gospel of Christ's substitutionary death without dealing with the necessities to turn from sin, they end up preaching a false message of salvation. Mark 1:15 "...repent ye, and believe the gospel!" Repentance is a work of the heart that MUST be done BEFORE one can believe the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5). Some say "repentance is only about trusting Christ's work on Calvary and has nothing to do with sin." We have already proven that theory false by Proverbs 28:13. The word repent means a change of mind, but concerning religion is normally followed by an amendment of life (a change of conduct). Acts 20:20-21 states "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ". 1 Thess. 1:9 is a great evidence of biblical repentance, "...how ye turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God."
The main question is that I ask after dealing with an unconverted person who seems desirous of getting saved is, "Is it your sincere desire to follow Christ all the days of your life?" If they respond with a "No way" or "Not me, I just want to escape hell," then they are clearly not ready to come to Christ. I am not preaching works salvation, but Biblical conversion. The heart must agree with God about sin!
I know the critic will cry out, "The Bible never says to repent from sin and God repented etc." Just like many words in the scriptures, there can be numerous definitions and and usages for each word. The context normally will assist in in denoting how the word is defined in the particular passage. Sometimes repent obviously means to change our mind and prove it by changing you actions (Luke 13:3, Mark 1:15, Matt. 3:2,6,8 etc.) and at times, though the word "repent" is not used, the idea of turning from your sin is clear (again 1 Thess. 1:9, Ezek. 3 etc.) And when God repents it means simply that he changed his mind. 1 Cor. 6:9-11 is a powerful passage that Brother L. and other critics do not like, but the text is clear to any true believer. The words "kingdom of God" in this passage, has to be dealing with heaven, not the earthly kingdom. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and the church, it was the 12 apostles to the Jews who were concerned with and preaching the kingdom message. And read verse 11, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God."
"Were" is past tense. The simple truth of the scripture is that when true conversion occurs the individuals lifestyle is no longer that of a drunkard, sodomite, fornicator etc. Sure, the Christian is not sinlessly perfect in his day to day life. Can he revert back into sin - yes, but there will be conviction from the Spirit of God and chastisement if the true believer continues in sin, possibly to the point of the Lord killing him. But this concept of no change salvation is error and unscriptural and promoted obviously by Satan and not God. Look at Ezek. 13:22 "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad. whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:"
See the importance of this scripture, particularly the last half.
Here are a few facts from the verse.
1. They were promising the wicked life. That is what occurs so much in our "Christian" circles today from the Hyles crowd to the Southern Baptist to the Independent Baptist to the non-denominational churches and the list goes on.
The general sales pitch is something like this "Do you want to go to heaven... That's great! Then I have some good news for you! Jesus loved you and died for you and if you will believe this, then you will go to heaven! Oh by the way, you do believe you are a sinner - right? Perfect! Then just step right over here to the kneel of fortune... in fact, don't other kneeling, it might cause you to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable. Just follow me in the prayer and shazzam, you are promised heaven!" You see, it is all about eternal life - or so this "modern" gospel is. It is self-centered. It is "what do I do to get out of it."
And though there certainly is a point to make about the destination of heaven, the emphasis of heaven has only come about in the last 100 years or so. The issue should be "what about your sin," "you are at odds with God because of your sin" etc. Especially today, sin needs to be the emphasis! I know I have covered some of this already, but we need to be preaching the correct gospel! And today we have "evangelists" "pastors" and "soul-winners" that focus on life, heaven and the benefits of getting saved instead of the sinner's sin and the coming judgment because of that sin!
2. They are telling the wicked that they did not need to repent of (turn away from) their wicked ways and that they would still received life! Don't worry about your sodomy, don't be concerned with your fornication, your booze-addiction, your adultery etc. JUST RECEIVE JESUS AND YOU WILL BE OKAY, GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU AND YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN! WRONG ANSWER! If the "soul-winner" the "street-preacher" etc. does not deal with sin and make the willingness to repent , a condition of salvation - HE IS A FALSE WITNESS AND A LIAR!
I spoke with a man in Elmira, NY, one time as I was door-knocking. He answered the door with his Bud-dummer in hand, and after a short conversation he stated that he was going to heaven. When I asked him why, his response was, because I have done what all you preachers at the door have told me to do - I prayed that prayer. As I challenged this man about genuine conversion, he got progressively upset, started cussing at me and threatened to call the police. Now does that sound like the fruit of a Christian? Some LIARS at the door spoke about heaven and the BENEFITS OF SALVATION, but they did not confront this man about his sin and exhort him to repent! These lying preachers are leading people to Hell at a fast pace and even those that don't, are unwilling to open their mouth about this heresy.
Hyles-Anderson College, Jack Hyles, Curtis Hudson, Sword of the Lord, and Amazing Grace Missions are some of those that propagate this lie. Yes, Amazing Grace Mission. They will go to the fairs and have "50-100" people "saved" on any given Saturday. The problem is the majority, if not ALL of these leave the prayer booth unconverted! At the Indy 500, the Clowns for Christ came up, gave a sixty second wishy-washy, watered-down, false gospel to the crowd, then proceeded to give a prayer to follow. They ended their LIE by stating that anyone of the hearers that prayed that prayer was saved and on their way to heaven. Hogwash! TRASH! LIARS! Which leads us to the next point.
3. They are LIARS that tell the wicked that they can have eternal life without turning from their wicked way. I care not what some preacher says! I will not be influenced by the "Doctor" or "reverend" or the "PhD" who puts himself above the Word of God and perverts the scriptures!
"But this pastor preaches all over America, he is a big name, he has the biggest Sunday-school." WHO CARES! They are LIARS! So says the Word of God!
4. The position of the wicked will be strengthened, that was the exact case with the drunkard at the door! How many thousands have argued with me, cussed me out and swung at me, that strongly feel that they are saved, despite their wicked lifestyle. Why? Because it all goes back to that prayer, that discussion with the lying preacher and the message that he gave, he did not deal with the sin issue! "I am saved because the preacher said I was," they shout at me over and over, while they are passing the liquor or exposing their bodies.
GOD IS LOOKING FOR SOME MEN THAT WILL PREACH THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL AND CONFRONT THE SINNER ABOUT HIS SIN!! The cry of the scriptural preacher will be "REPENT" "God will judge you!" "You have offended God by your sin and you deserve hell!" If you are unwilling to do this, put on a dress, write liar on your forehead and leave your Bible at home. Or better yet...Just be quiet. Stay at home and turn on the TV. At least then you won't be damning souls and producing two-fold children of hell!
Lastly, consider John 8, where those that "believed" on Jesus, debate with Him, accuse Him of having a devil, desire to stone Him and desire to kill Him(v. 37, 52, 59). These were what I call "unbelieving believers." They are lost professors!! And this is exemplary of what we have today. The preachers that do not preach Biblical repentance need to REPENT of their false doctrine and their perversion of scripture!
EVERDAY EVANGELISM
REASONS TO PREACH IN YOUR HOME TOWN
Hello Friends, I just thought that I would briefly share with you the importance of preaching where we live.
1. We become a visible lighthouse to the community for the gospel.
Even in a small town ( and yes, we ought to preach even in a small town) there will be dozens or hundreds that will see or hear some form of the gospel, if you are preaching and using signs or banners. Even those that do not like the preaching inevitably will get at least a scripture or two.
2. We are able to warn those in the community about sin, judgment, hell etc. This is vitally important as we increase in wickedness in our day. There are many today that have no clue about God's judgment or what is sin in His eyes. The majority think God is okay with fornication, homosexuality etc and it is the responsibility of the Christian to expose these errors (Eph. 5:11). We should warn and preach about these things because A) They are true b) We are commanded to in the scriptures and C) We care about others. Regarding the last point, we truly do not care about others if we are not warning them of these things.
3. Regular preaching in our hometown will set a STANDARD in the land. How much this is needed today brethren! There is no standard today as "anything goes" and God's opinion is not voiced by many of the saved even! It is important to preach at events, but important also to preach where we live. If only every city and town in America would have a street preaching ministry! Brethren, let us do our part to proclaim the gospel and to warn the wicked
1. We become a visible lighthouse to the community for the gospel.
Even in a small town ( and yes, we ought to preach even in a small town) there will be dozens or hundreds that will see or hear some form of the gospel, if you are preaching and using signs or banners. Even those that do not like the preaching inevitably will get at least a scripture or two.
2. We are able to warn those in the community about sin, judgment, hell etc. This is vitally important as we increase in wickedness in our day. There are many today that have no clue about God's judgment or what is sin in His eyes. The majority think God is okay with fornication, homosexuality etc and it is the responsibility of the Christian to expose these errors (Eph. 5:11). We should warn and preach about these things because A) They are true b) We are commanded to in the scriptures and C) We care about others. Regarding the last point, we truly do not care about others if we are not warning them of these things.
3. Regular preaching in our hometown will set a STANDARD in the land. How much this is needed today brethren! There is no standard today as "anything goes" and God's opinion is not voiced by many of the saved even! It is important to preach at events, but important also to preach where we live. If only every city and town in America would have a street preaching ministry! Brethren, let us do our part to proclaim the gospel and to warn the wicked
IN DEFENSE OF AGGRESSIVE AND CONFRONTATIONAL STREETPREACHING
Some of what I will cover in this chapter will overlap somewhat from others, but I believe that it is vitally important that I am very thorough regarding confrontational and aggressive streetpreaching. This is the number one problem that most of my critics have with me and some other preachers as well. A few years ago, I was interviewed by one of the biggest Bible Colleges in America, for the possibility of training their preacher boys how to evangelize confrontationally. They were very nice and treated us well, but that is where things ended. While I do not know for sure why they never went ahead with this idea, it is very possible that they, like many others, thought that James Lyman was "over the top" and too aggressive.
First of all, let me begin with some reasons why I believe the general population does not agree with or endorse hard preaching. 1. They have heard too many "soft" preachers, who are always trying to befriend the sinner. 2. Because a Biblical message will include a Biblical repentance. 3. Because they misapply certain scriptures.
Now be ready for what you are about to read! Because the Authority, the Word of God, is contrary to this effeminate style of evangelism today. While Christians have been brain-damaged by the pastors and preachers today, I will give you Bible evidence that confrontational and aggressive evangelism is certainly correct and at times the ONLY correct way of dealing with someone. Now before I begin, let me make one thing very clear. I am NOT giving free reign to be always aggressive, always mean etc. The Spirit of God has got to lead the preacher. There have been times when the Lord has led me to emphasize love and compassion and times where it has been the opposite (believe it or not).
At one of the SP events after preaching what I just stated, one pastor was troubled at my statement and apparently he could never comprehend calling someone "wicked" or "perverted" etc. The problem is that he has been spiritually brain-damaged by the modern concept that our evangelism should be non-offensive. There have been many times where I have been pleasant and kind (of course my critics never want to admit that, or perhaps they just criticize without being with me on the streets), but the truth of the matter is that at times, the Lord would have His preachers tell a sinner they are wicked, vile etc.
Let us consider the biggest complaint a critic has for the preacher that at times preaches aggressively and confrontationally.
1. Jesus never got anyone upset. Really? In John 15, our Lord tells us that if the world hated Him, then the world would hate us (His true followers).
Now why would Jesus state such a thing? You see, the problem is that the world and many duped and ignorant Christians, have this perverted view that Jesus was a cross-wearing (figure that one out for yourself) hippie that dressed like a 1960's flower child and lived His life bringing peace to the downcast and helping the homeless. WRONG! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was and is God in the flesh, he DID care for sinners, but He preached grace and TRUTH and was against sin! In Matt. 10:34, we read that he "came not to send peace, but a sword." Those are strong words. Did they hate Jesus? They killed Him, remember. And that they desired to kill Him numerous times (see John 8), as well as they ridiculed and mocked Him etc.
Now look at John 2:15 where Jesus Christ makes a scourge of cords (a whip) and He drives out the moneychangers! Do you get the picture! He drives out the moneychangers! This is no pretty picture, brethren! He did not politely state, "If it would not inconvenience you too much, could you please stop this business." Jesus was not causing many warm fuzzies that day as He DROVE them out of the building, OVERTURNED the money boxes and OVERTHREW the tables! Jesus Christ angered people and He got angry at times! So take this view of a wimpy, longhaired, smiley-faced Jesus and throw it in the river!
2. The people in the Bible never caused people to get upset either. Here we go.
John the Baptist upset KING Herod in Mark 6:18-29 and lost his head because he preached the truth, Stephen angered the religious leaders in Acts 7 (enough that they murdered him), Peter troubled the religious leaders in Acts 4 and 5, and Paul is called a troublemaker in Acts 16:20.
In Acts 19, Paul's preaching results in his hearers being "full of wrath," and the city being in confusion (see v. 28 and 29 basically what we would call a near riot), after he preaches against their idolatry (v.26). In Acts 24:5, Paul is called a pest and he is accused of causing a disturbance of the peace. He is called a mover of sedition, and the word sedition means, "a factious commotion of the people, a tumultuous assembly of men rising in opposition to the law or the administration of justice, an insurrection to civil authority etc." (Interesting. This sounds like the problems we run into while preaching in the USA at times). In the same scripture, Paul is labeled a cult-member. The word "sectary," which is one that belongs to a sect, means, "a dissenter, a person who separates from an established church, etc." Today we often use the word sect to describe a cult, like the Mormons, Buddhists etc. And I have not even mentioned Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micaiah, etc. from the Old Testament!
3. God's people never argued. Another point easily proven wrong. In Acts 6:9, Stephen disputes and in 9:29, Paul disputes with the Grecians. In Acts 17:17 Paul disputes in the synagogue and in 19:8 he disputes as well. In Jude 3, the believer is commanded to contend for the faith. Look at the definitions of these words.
Dispute-To attempt to disprove by ARGUMENTS or statements, to attempt to overthrow by reasoning, to DEBATE, to endeavor to maintain one's own opinions or claims and to overthrow that of his OPPONENT, to CONTEND in ARGUMENT, to ALTERCATE etc.
Contend-To strive, to reprove SHARPLY, to QUARREL, to dispute FIERCELY, to wrangle, to chide, to use in earnest efforts to obtain or defend or to defend and preserve.
Wrangle-To dispute ANGRILY, to BRAWL, to altercate, to quarrel peevishly and noisely.
Altercate-To contend in words, to dispute with zeal, heat or ANGER, controversy, wrangle.
Are you getting the point yet? This paints a totally different perspective than has been exemplified in our churches and in our evangelism programs. I am not stating that every time we preach, witness etc. that we are to be disputing, contending etc. But I am revealing CLEARLY that there are times when the True Preacher/witness will be aggressive and contend in words, dispute with zeal, sometimes angrily, somtimes noisily, sometimes appearing fierce etc.
Listen, when the atheist says there is no God, a debate is in order! When the sodomites state they are Christians and that they love God, there may be some fierce contention. TRUTH IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR! God's Word is true and if one does not believe it, they are WRONG! When a Church of Christ member is trying to justify their heretical baptismal regeneration, it is the duty of the Soldier For Christ to show them their error! They are going to hell trusting in their religious works, their soul is worth fighting for! God never agrees to disagree with one who is preaching a message that is leading people to hell! It is time God's people got more concerned about truth than image,and start CONTENDING for the faith!
Bible Christianity is TRUE, and this politically correct and religiously correct mentality is garbage! If the Roman Catholic Church is a false religion and damning millions (and it is), then open your mouth and say so. And if they tell you that they are the first church and God's church etc., then DISPUTE with them, showing them the truth. They are wrong and the Word of God is RIGHT! But today most preachers don't want to contend. They want to build a church and make a good living, and they cannot do that if they offend the Catholics, the atheists and the drunkards in the neighborhood! Let Jesus build the church like He said He would and CONTEND for the faith. If someone is desiring truth or the Spirit of God deals with them, God will draw them. But do not let the truths of the Bible be demeaned and ridiculed by those that disagree with it! If God's people would ARGUE with the religious and sinful lost as much as they did their wife, truth might become mainline again! So much for that idea! So, next time someone tells you that no Bible would condone arguing, give them the SCRIPTURES!
Do you realize how foolish these comments from the critics are? We are talking about Jesus, the Apostles and preachers of the Bible upsetting people, we are considering that one might argue or dispute! We live in a day where sin abounds, immorality and occultism are rampant and the preacher of the gospel is supposed to be seeker-sensitive and hand out marshmallows for Jesus! Wake up! Think-if the Publick Minister is preaching against sin, and naming it, and preaching that Jesus is the only way, then people are going to get upset and angry. Just like they did in the Bible with Micaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Stephen etc. The lost religious will get angry, the wicked will get angry, the sodomites, the drunkards, the liars, and thieves etc.
And this many times will lead to CONTENTION and DISPUTING!
4. You should NEVER be aggressive when you preach, should you? Shouldn't you be gentle?
Some of that has just been answered with what I dealt with concerning arguing, debating and disputing. But let us consider some scriptures. 2 Tim. 4:2 reads, "Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." This goes along with the arguing/contending section, but is still applicable here. Reprove and rebuke is not always gentle. As Pastor G. from York, Pa, stated once, "How do you gently rebuke a sodomite?" Answer: you do not. Again, please look at these definitions.
Exhort-To INCITE by words or advice, to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action, to WARN, to CAUTION etc.
Reprove-To blame or censure, to charge with a fault TO THE FACE, to CONVINCE of a fault, to excite a sense of guilt, etc.
Rebuke-To chide, to reprove, to chasten, to punish, reprehend for a fault etc.
Aggress-To make a first attack, to begin a quarrel or controversy, etc.
So here in 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul commands Timothy to reprove and rebuke as he preaches, and who says this is ONLY in the church! Reprove and rebuke! Strong words but true words! Is it wrong to tell the 20 year old sodomite that he is going to hell, is it an error to go out amongst the heathen at a rock concert and hold a sign that reads, "Rock and Roll Will Damn Your Soul"? NO! A thousand time NO! If one's home was on fire while they were asleep, they would not care how aggressive a person would do to save their life! Again, I am NOT advocating ALWAYS rebuking etc. but we are to rebuke and reprove as we preach! A drunkard needs to be rebuked, he needs (remember the definitions) a sense of guilt put upon himself, he needs to be reproved, warned and blamed for his actions! Tell the filthy they are filthy, tell the perverts that they are perverted.
Again, go to Acts 13 where Paul deals with Elymas. Sure, Paul was confrontational and aggressive! Look at the text. Paul called this sorcerer a child of the devil (13:10), told him that he was FULL of subtitly, and mischief (v 10) an enemy of all righteousness (v10) and called him a pervert (v10). Then Paul blinded him.
Ephesians 5:11 says, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." It is the mission, so to speak, of God's people to REPROVE works of darkness. Today many preachers want to see people "saved," yet not deal with their sin. The sodomite needs to be REBUKED for their sin, the drunkard for their sin, the bad fathers out getting drunk on the street in front of their kids need to be rebuked. etc. The Holy Ghost of God cannot work through most preaching today, and this is true on the streets and from the pulpits in our country. We need to let the sinner know that God is not happy with them because of their sin.
Remember, all that reject Christ will go to hell, but the sinner DESERVES hell because of his sin. If we would remember that truth it would help us in our evangelism and our rebuke of sin. Titus 2:15 in the context of our evangelism (v.11-14) tells us to exhort and rebuke WITH ALL AUTHORITY. Titus 1:13 states, "...rebuke them sharply..." Who is to be rebuked sharply? Look at the context. Verse 9 reads, "Holding fast the faithful as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Then v.11 speaks of the unruly and vain talkers and deceivers. The word gainsayer means, "an opposer or one that denies or declares that what another one says is not true, to dispute, etc." This is referring to the one that is opposing the preacher, one that would dispute with him and one that would state that the preacher is not stating fact. DO YOU SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS!
So here you are, on the street, preaching in the open air. An individual comes up who disagrees with you and gives his opinion of evolution, homosexuality or whatever the problem is. Then how are you to respond to the "gainsayer?" You are to CONVINCE and EXHORT him by sound (true) doctrine. To convince means, "to convict, to persuade or satisfy the mind by evidence, to prove, to prove guilty, to so convince a man of his errors." So people say, "It is not your job to convict anyone" and technically, by this definition alone and this scripture, they are wrong. As covered before, one method that God uses to convict is the PREACHER! The faithful one, at least. As I have already stated previously in this book, the definition of exhort is "to incite by words or advice, to warn, to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or any laudable conduct."
So the preacher is to urge by arguments, to convince, to convict, to prove guilty etc. the gainsayer, or the one that disagrees with you on the street! Sounds like there may be some times with no gentleness, especially if they do not like being corrected, instructed or rebuked as Paul commanded Titus to do in v. 13. In fact, you might just have to be, and appear, aggressive as you are rebuking, proving guilty, contending, disputing, debating etc. Especially if included in these definitions are the words quarrel, sharply, fierce, altercate etc.
Interesting also is the root word for aggressive is "aggress" which means, "to begin to quarrel, to attack first etc." Christians have been on the defensive for too long, brethren! Why not turn the tables now and make it like it was 100 years ago in our country, I say, make the sinner uncomfortable and put them on the defensive! How do you do this? Preach "There is no such thing as a Christian homosexual" or "Catholicism is false religion" or "Good mothers do not swear, drink or smoke." Begin the quarrel, so to speak, attack first with the truth of the Word of God and let them get angry, defensive etc. God's Word is RIGHT! The wicked abound in America, the heroes are vile and increasing, people are despising righteousness and the Creator of the heavens and the earth! Why not be a soldier for the Lord and set down the standard of the Word of God!
Consider also Jude 22, "And of some have compassion, making a difference." SOME. This implies, and I think very clearly, that there will be some that do not receive compassion and perhaps do not deserve it.
Look at Prov. 17:11, "An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him."
POWERFUL! There will be some out there on the streets that will ONLY respond to being what the world may deem as cruel. The word "cruel" means, "Disposed to give pain to others in body or mind, willing or pleased to torment, barbarous, savage, destitute of pity, compassion, or kindness, fierce, hardhearted, etc." STRONG WORDS! Sometimes you cannot get to the conscience of certain people without being aggressive and, yes, even cruel.
In Walmart one night, there was a young woman (probably college age) walking around the store with her mother and about five friends. She was going to a bachelorette party and had some vile words and items attached to her clothes. I approached the mother and told her that she should be ashamed of herself, to which she replied she was proud of her daughter. I preached to them right there in the neighborhood Wal-mart, and the scene caused the girl to leave the store. But before she left, I told this young girl that her mother did a lousy job raising her. Of course momma was right there. How vile people in our country have become. She needed rebuking with NO compassion! I use paraphrases like this and the brethren do not understand why. I believe many times the Lord leads me to do so, to be destitute of compassion, to prick the conscience of the wicked! Some might say, "She will never come to Jesus that way." I state that she will not come to Jesus unless she sees herself as wicked and deserving of hell because of her vileness! And if you do not like that statement, mail me the book back and I will refund your money! REBUKE, REPROVE, WARN etc.
I am not telling anyone to go walk around and be cruel or mean or without compassion carelessly, but I stating that clearly from the scriptures and based upon the wicked condition of much of our society it is at times, appropriate and right to be without compassion and aggression.
Listen, when a young woman exposed her body at "Thursday in the Square" in Buffalo two years ago, and I began preaching about the whorish woman, I was not wrong or un-scriptural. Why is it that God can use these words in the Bible(and I do not throw them around lightly) because He is being truthful about a person's character, but when the preacher does it today, he is "out of line?" The problem is the sissified, get-along with everybody, look "religious" Christianity, cannot handle it! When a filthy perverted sodomite does something filthy, he will not respond to John 3:16, but he needs a spiritual rebuke from a man who is willing to give it to him! I am not talking macho junk from the movies, but a Holy Ghost filled preacher being used of God to give God's opinion about this person's sin!
Critics speak of gentleness and bring up 2 Tim. 2:24, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;." The word meek means, "not rough, soft, peaceable, not wild, well-bred etc." So how do you reconcile this scripture with many others that we have looked at that entail, disputing, debating, being fierce, cruel and argumentative etc? If we are going to be honest Bible-believing preachers, we need to consider this scripture and not just throw it out. IF this passage means that the Christian/preacher is to always be gentle then we have a problem because many in the Bible that were men of God and right with God were not always gentle.
Was Jonah gentle when he preached AGAINST Ninevah? It would be very difficult to reconcile preaching against a city or a people and yet being gentle. Do you think John the Baptist was mild and peaceable? I think not. What about Paul with Elymas, as I referenced in another chapter, as he tells the sorcerer that he is a child of the devil etc? Not exactly. Or our Lord Jesus Christ when he overturned the moneychangers' tables while driving out the participants with a whip? Gentle...not quite.
So how do you reconcile these passages with these experiences? I believe that the answer lies with the general demeanor of the Christian/Preacher should be gentle, while there may be exceptions to this. This has to be the answer as far as I can tell in attempting to be honest with both sides. So the Christian/Preacher should in his day-to-day life be gentle, though there may be cause and times where he will be otherwise, even to the point of being aggressive, without compassion, etc. I look at it this way. Does the Christian/Preacher have an ungentle and rough demeanor as he goes to work, the local grocery store etc? Does he go into a Pizza Hut and suddenly begin screaming and overturning tables? Or is his overall life reflected by gentleness with times of of not being gentle the exception? Perhaps the Lord puts this passage here in 2 Tim. 2:24 so as to prevent Christians/Preachers from becoming loose cannons with no restraint. Food for thought. We need to allow the Spirit of God to lead us and though he may lead us to be rough, aggressive at times, this does not give us free reign to be so at all times. Personally, I have no preacher friends that have an improper balance in this, but I believe that it serves as a good reminder to us.
5. Aren't we just supposed to preach the resurrection and not deal with other issues as much? A preacher that I respect brought this up to me, and it caused me to do some study. He stated that in Acts there is much preaching about the resurrection, therefore, that should be the main focus of our preaching today.
Now it is a valid point that in the book of Acts, there is a great emphasis on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; that is beyond refutation. Acts 2:24-32, 3:15, 3:26, 4:10, 4:33, 5:31, 10:38-41, 13:30-39, 17:31-32, 23:6, 24:21, 26:22-23 are proof of this fact. So the resurrection was emphasized for many reasons, and rightly so.
1. It had recently occurred. But now the resurrection of Christ has been a part of history for 2000 years. Though some do not believe in the resurrection, religious and secular records have always included it as fact or as a religious tenet of Christianity and other religions.
2. Because it was a major event that one rose from the dead, this revealed the uniqueness of Christ. The carpenter's son ROSE from the dead, Jesus was the Messiah, He was the prophesied one! No wonder it was so commonly preached!
3. Because the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the core of the gospel and without it, there would be no gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5, 12-23). One cannot minimize the importance of the resurrection and it's importance in salvation. But the question remains, are we just to preach the gospel?
I believe the answer can be found as we delve into a few areas. First of all, dispensationally, we have an understanding that goes beyond Christ being God and His resurrection. In the gospels, the focus was on Christ being God, and in the first half of Acts, we see the emphasis being on the resurrection as well as the Christ's Deity.
As revelation was given to Paul concerning the cross and the church, and the body of Christ (Eph. 3:1-10, Gal. 2:2 etc.), we have a more complete understanding of the gospel for today. The issue progressively since the beginning of Acts has turned from Christ's Deity and the resurrection to the cross and the blood of Christ. Look at the evidence. The blood-Acts 20:28, Rom. 3:25, 5:9, Eph. 1:7, 2:13, Heb. 9:12-14, 1 Peter 1:2,19, and the cross-1 Cor. 1:17-18, Gal. 5:11, 6:12-14, Eph. 2:16, Phil, 2:8, 3:18, Col. 1:20, 2:14, Heb. 12:2. The tide turned from being about Christ and believing who He was, even all the way to Acts 8, with the eunuch (see v.37), to being about grace, the blood and the cross.
Dispensationally, the good news of the gospel during the time recorded in the gospels was that Christ was deity and the Kingdom was coming. Now in this age of grace, the gospel is the death, burial, and the resurrection, emphasized in the work of Calvary. (Of course during both dispensations, Biblical repentance was necessary as we see from Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3, Acts 20:21 etc.)
Let me ask you this, If just the resurrection is preached, will this lead to a conversion? Is it enough to believe that Jesus is God or that He was raised from the dead? No, of course no. The resurrection proved Christ's deity and that God the Father was satisfied with the sin payment, but the DEATH and shed blood was what paid for sin (Col. 1:14, Isaiah 53:6, etc.). I am not trying to split hairs, but the resurrection was not the atonement, the blood was and that is where our faith needs to be for conversion. Certainly the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is something to mention as we witness, particularly with an atheist, a Buddhist etc. but believing that Jesus was resurrected alone will save no one.
6. If God loves everyone and He forgives everyone, then there is no need to preach aggressively. Not in the Bible, either point. We have an ignorant society when it comes to spiritual truth. God did show His love, past tense, by sending His Christ, God in the flesh (John 1:1,14, 1 Tim. 3:16 etc.) to die for sin (Romans 5, Isaiah 53:6 etc.) But scripturally an individual can reach a point where God no longer hates the sin, but also the sinner, the person himself. While unpopular, that is Bible truth. You see the old phrase, "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner" is pure fantasy and wishful thinking. God is Holy, and holy beyond our understanding. Psalm 5:5 reads, "The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity." Psalm 7:11, "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked everyday." Psalm 11:5 reads, "The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth." This is Bible! I do not know when an individual reaches the point, but there are some that God hates.
I believe, based upon the scriptures, that there re two types of sinners. The first is the sinner, born in sin. The definition for sinner is, "a moral agent(a person) who has voluntarily disobeyed any divine precept or neglected any known duty, etc." A wicked person is one who "is evil in practice, addicted to sin and vice, immoral, in a manner or with motives and designs contrary to the divine law, persons who live in sin etc." Now, the definition of wicked can include any unregenerate sinner, but it seems at times in the scripture there is a distinction between the sinner and the wicked. Not everyone will agree with me, but this is what I see from my studies. We know from Romans 1 obviously, that one can reach a degree where they are an abomination to God and reprobate.
Regardless, it is unscriptural to state that God loves everyone and this is proven by the aforementioned scriptures. So the preacher, the newscaster, the doctor, the professor, the priest, the professing Christian etc. are WRONG and the Word of God is right!
Regarding the concept that God will forgive everyone, I turn you to Luke 13:3 where our Lord Jesus Christ states, "I tell you, nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." God will only save those that repent! How many dozens or hundreds of people a year shout out to me"God forgives everybody!" God is der" has these lyrics, "I gather darkness to please me, and I command you to kneel before the god of thunder, the god of rock and roll." One Britney Spears fan stated, "I'm obsessed. I'd do anything for her...I live for Britney Spears...I live for her...like my life wouldn't be complete without her." (Quotes from Rock Music vs. the Bible by David Cloud 2000). The heathen are very religious, and that includes those already mentioned as well as the Mormons, Catholics, etc.
So this should answer every criticism from the critics regarding aggressive and confrontational preaching. If only God's people would spend as much time evangelizing as they do criticizing others...
One more point before ending this chapter, brethren. People do and will get angry as long as sin is being preached against, and as long as we boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to have peace with God (John 14:6, Romans 5:1 etc.). The interesting thing is that someone, or many people at the same time, will get angry as I or another preacher, preach bold and direct statements. You know, like "Real men love God more than sports" or "Hell is for the drunkard, the sodomite, the fornicator" or "Most of America's Heroes that have died went to hell - Anna Nicole Smith went to hell, Heath Ledger (actor from Brokeback Mountain and Batman) went to hell etc." But what happens is within minutes and even seconds, the angry listener will approach one of the brethren and get into a discussion, most of the time for twenty or thirty minutes and sometimes longer. It is common to see three, four or five of the unsaved being witnessed to as a result of this preaching (some of my friends call me the Detonator). I have had emails from heathen in Buffalo (from the Rock Concerts) asking me when I was going to return etc.
When a preacher speaks with authority (and we can with the KJB), it can cause hearers to have respect, even if they hate what you are saying. Well, if you have made it through thus far, the rest will be easy. Let us go on to...
THE STREEPREACHER AND HOW TO DEAL WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
Presently it is legal in our country to preach the gospel publickly. Public sidewalks, easements, public parks etc. are deemed free speech areas in America. The only exception that I am aware of is regarding preaching in close proximity to funerals, and this is due to Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church. His unwise and unscripural "protesting" at the funerals of dead soldiers has brought legal restrictions that otherwise do not affect the streetpreacher.Here are some laws that pertain to Publick Ministry.
1. The first amendment to the Constitution read, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (1st Amendment, US Constitution)
2. Public Forums, including sidewalks and parks, are mandated places for the purpose of exercising First Amendment Rights (Fed. Ct. Of Appeals, District of Columbia 1977, Boos vs. Berry 485 US 312 1988).
3. The preacher can be loud enough to be heard (Saia vs. NY 334 US 1943).
4. This includes Preaching, Leafletting, and Signs (McDonald vs. Paty 1978 and Hill vs. Co. 2000).
5. No permit is required for ANY preaching, tract distribution, etc. (Justice Roberts, US Supreme Ct. 1939 and Justice Douglas, US Supreme Ct. 1948).
6. Preaching, Signs, and Tracts offensive to some are Constitutionally protected and are not legal grounds to be prohibited (Federal Court of Appeals, Ind. 1974, Simon and Scuster vs. NYS Crime Victims Board, 502/Us 105 and Glasson vs. City of Louisville 1975).
7. The responsibility of Law Enforcement Officers in the case of a crowd being offended by preaching or leafletting is to protect the preacher (Hedges vs. W.C.U.S.D. No. 118 et-al).
Now that we see the legal provision for Publick Ministry, let me clarify some things add make a few points based upon the law, the scriptures and experience.
1. If you are within your legal right to preach, do not leave. Many times (but not always), the officers will depart if they see that the preacher is not intimidated and determined to stay. They are law enforcement officers, they do have the powers to arrest those that are breaking the law - but you, if you are within your legal boundaries, are not violating the law. Do not allow yourself to be bullied.
I had one officer in Florida years ago who was ready to arrest me. I told him that I was not leaving, which meant that he would have to arrest me. He proceeded to take a few steps backwards and then stated, "If I was to arrest a preacher, my momma would disown me." He left smiling. In Indiana, an officer approached our group and told me that we had to leave. When I did not comply, he looked at me and asked me what he should do, since the chief instructed him to get us out of there and I would not leave.
In Dayton, Ohio, five police cars showed up due to our streetpreaching some with lights and sirens on. The first officer demanded we leave, but the end result was that the last officer, who happened to be the supervisor, shook hands with me and they all departed. Do not leave!
2. Do not go out to get arrested. This should not be the motive of the preacher.
3. Be prepared to get arrested. Some preach and think that they will never actually be arrested and when they do, it will be a real wake-up call. Preachers DO get arrested, and with the present condition of our country, the possibilities of getting arrested are constantly increasing. I receive threats of arrest normally 40-50 times a year. The first time I was handcuffed and arrested was at the Gay Pride Festival in Harrisburg Pa. Reality struck! In a paddy wagon, detained, questioned briefly, etc. Was it worth it? Yes! But I have learned, that though my motive is not to get arrested, it is much better to realize that there is potential for arrest every time I go on the street.
4. If you get arrested, make sure that you are right. One brother that I had trained pushed the limit regarding volume of his voice in contrast to how loud the music was at the bar he was preaching in front of. It was a questionable situation, he got arrested and even with a good attorney, lost the case. If there is doubt to the legalities of your scenario, it is much better to put off the macho attitude and submit to the local authorities. Be sure you are right!
5. I have learned over the years and taught others, to not get arrested over use of a bullhorn or other amplification. That is where I stand, regardless of how any other SP feels about the subject. The issue of amplification is many times too difficult to defend in court. I was arrested in Cincinnati, Ohio, a few years ago over this issue, and I was in all actuality unable to proceed with a good defense because of local ordinances regarding amplification.
6. Always be courteous. This is not being sissified, it is called having a good testimony. Calling officers names and being disrespectful should be out of the question.
7. Have one person in charge to deal with the officer or officers. Otherwise you will have nothing but confusion and the potential for emotions to get involved.
8. Always keep the preaching going. When an officer approaches, be sure the preaching does not stop. This allows the officer to realize you are not intimidated.
9. Be in control of your people if there is a group with you. Most of the time when I am on the streets, it is with people I am training or I have trained previously. Let them know that they must comply with your authority. Do not be "Bossy" beyond degree, but do what it takes to have order. I have had situations where new street preachers left a bad testimony by being somewhat unruly and disrespectful to law enforcement officers or others.
10. Do not ever agree or submit over getting a permit to preach. Preaching is already your right - you do not need permission from any governments, federal, or local.
11. Understand that if a police department gets a call, they MUST dispatch an officer. Not every officer is aggressive! They might receive calls or complaints for various reasons: safety of children, too loud etc. Some complaints might be sincere concerns from people, some could be from angry Catholics or sodomites etc. that simply don't like your message. Just because a law enforcement officer arrives does not necessarily mean that they are there to threaten your rights.
12. Understand that most officers are ignorant of the law regarding freedom of speech. When I am approached by an aggressive officer, I generally give them the impression that I am very informed of the law on this subject and that we are simply "Exercising our Constitutional rights." That phrase is a powerful first statement that can often set the tone for the rest of the discussion. Many times I have stated to an aggressive officer, "You are ignorant of the law, sir, let me educate you on this matter." While I am trying not to be offensive, it is important that they see you, the preacher, being courteous, but firm and unmovable in your right to preach publickly. Do not hesitate to cite legal cases and Supreme Court rulings. I have had many officers truly believe that I was an attorney. Of course I do not tell them otherwise unless they ask me directly.
13. Carry an I.D. that has a professional appearance and that includes some of the legal rulings regarding preaching in the Open Air. I produce I.D. for our family and friends, and these help tremendously when dealing with law enforcement officers. It normally will give the impression, especially when clipped to a shirt or hanging from a lanyard, that the bearer is informed on his/her legal rights.
14. Remember that many times an officer will try to bluff the preacher. While some may not be bluffing, and may be ready to arrest you, I find that is the exception and not the norm. The more you deal with law enforcement , the ore discerning you will become.
15. An exception to not leaving as I stated in the first point, is that the preacher can leave, but only after having video recording of the officer stating that he would arrest you IF you continued preaching. A threat of arrest is technically the same as being arrested, and can be treated as such by an attorney. However, you MUST have the threat of arrest on video.
16. An area for which some group has a permit, such is common with a fair, festival, etc. can be an area that gives limitations to your preaching. It does not necessarily forbid you from preaching, but it may. It is highly advisable that the preacher check with the local law enforcement as to the area which they are allowed to preach. Again, be sure you are right., if arrest is a possibility.
17. Have a camcorder with you whenever you preach. This is extremely important and cannot be emphasized enough. Unfortunately, this lesson is sometimes learned after the fact. Video is by far the BEST and most reliable testimony in a court of law, be it dealing with Law Enforcement or violence. Here are a few tips regarding the use of video equipment.
A. Have at least one person designated to be the camcorder person. That means that the main mission of this individual be camcording and that when the need is there, they are solely focused in their responsibility.
B. This person needs to be observant at all times. They should be the first one to observe an approaching officer and the first person to recognize aggressive or confrontational situations.
C. Be sure to videotape accurately. This would include zooming in on an officers name tag, being sure the face of an individual is in the picture etc. Video footage of the landscaping may be appealing to the eye, but it does nothing for the legal purposes.
D. Stand close enough to pick up the voices. Audio is extremely helpful when a judge is attempting to determine legalities in a matter.
E. Make sure that the batteries are charged and that you have the necessary supply of batteries, tapes, dvd's etc.
F. If you do become limited on your recording time, save it for what would be necessary.
G. I suggest placing electrical tape over the light on the camcorder, so no one is sure if you are recording. This has been a benefit in the past when we were out of power, but the individual being recorded (in this case an officer) was under the impression we were recording.
H. Remember that you have the legal right to camcord anyone in a public forum. This has become a major point of confrontation on the street, but most citizens in our country are very ignorant of the law. If someone desires not to be recorded, the best statement for that person is, "If you do not want to be recorded, then step out of the picture." Just remember, this alone may incite some people to violence, for example, attempting to retrieve the camcorder etc.
Regarding the video-taping of Law Enforcement Officers, it is legal to camcord them as well, with the exception of if they are performing an arrest, you must be a distance away, and that may vary from state to state. But if an officer demands that you turn the camcorder off as he is speaking to you etc. you do not have to turn it off and I suggest keeping it on. However, as I touched on earlier not every Police Officer is aggressive or trying to violate your rights. There have been many times, where after discerning that an officer was non-aggressive, that I instructed my daughter Hope (my camcording specialist) to not record our conversation.
Though this list is certainly not all-inclusive, it is designed to be an assistance to the street preacher. I would like to add that the Publick Minister must be prepared for the inconvenience that may come when dealing with lawsuits, courtrooms, etc. Especially as our country continues in it's present direction, counting the cost will become more of an issue than ever before.
Are We ALWAYS to Pray For Someone and Are We Always to Pray For Their Good?·
ARE WE ALWAYS TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE AND ARE WE ALWAYS TO PRAY FOR THEIR GOOD?
Here we enter into some controversy. The general thought among Christians is that we should always pray for someone. And some “feel” that we should always pray for the good of individuals regardless of the circumstances. Once again, let us allow the Word of God to be the Authority on this matter as it should be in all matters.
In Jeremiah 14:11 we read, “Then said the LORD unto me, pray not for this people for their good.” To whom is the Lord referring to here? In verse 10 of the same chapter we find out. “Thus saith the LORD unto this people, “Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept the; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.” So we see clearly that in reference to the Jews that had forgotten the Lord and gotten involved in idolatry. The context that we see in chapter 13:27 is what apparently whet is being viewed in the words, “they loved to wander” and “they have not refrained their feet.” Idolatry was considered a VERY wicked sin by the OT Jews and today, “Christianity” seems to not be as concerned about it, despite the warnings against idolatry in both the Old and the New Testaments. These Jews were in great grief and despair (Jer. 14:1-3), they even admitted their sin (v. 7), yet when they cried unto the Lord, He states that He will not hear them (v. 10-12), despite their pleadings. Many at this point will choose to reject the scriptures and still “feel” that God will always answer prayer and that we should always pray for the “good” of everyone. They are dead wrong! I fully realize that we are dealing with Jeremiah, a book written under the time of the Old Covenant obviously, but that does not mean that the Lord has changed in this in the present time of the Dispensation of Grace. Yes, the Lord may “change” how He deals with man at times and it is evident from the scriptures that God can “change” His mind regarding these dealings with men. I cite the biblical account in Jonah, where the Lord was going to destroy the land and people of Nineveh, yet changed His mind. We see the same with destroying “all” of the earth and all people, yet He changes His mind. That is what is meant when the statements are made in scripture that God “repents” as repentance is a change of mind with an intent to change one’s actions, that leads to that change of action. The Lord is NOT inconsistent and this certainly is not a “mistake” in the scriptures as foolish men would like to proclaim. But regarding God’s Holy character, which includes His Holy view of sin, that does not change, and that is what is meant by the phrase we see in Malachi 3:6 that many times gets misconstrued to mean that he never changes in hoe he deals with men in certain circumstances and in various ages.
So the answer is that regarding always praying for one’s good, is NO! There are times and I have experienced some of those times, where it was scriptural, correct and appropriate to pray AGAINST someone, that the Lord will not bless them, but Judge them righteously! I recall a certain “pastor” that was very unscriptural in certain dealings (not a moral problem) and for the first time in my life a brother and I covenanted to pray AGAINST him, that the Lord would take him out of the ministry. Within six months this man had major health problems and he was basically kicked out of the church he was pasturing (not because of the issues we saw that were unscriptural, but other reasons). So here let’s say, you have a friend, relative, professing brother etc. that gets into sin, your place is NOT to ask God to bless them! It should be made a point to NOT pray for their good. And we do know according to 1 Cor. 5:1-5 that if a brother is given discipline by the local assembly, that he is to be left alone so that he may be judged and dealt with. I realize that this goes against the wishy-washy thinking of today, but truth is truth! In 1 Cor. 5:13 it is stating in reference to the one cast out of the assembly, that the brethren are to “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” so to pray for their good, for them to be blessed etc. would be in total violation of God’s will. And yes, there is a difference between dealing with the saved and the lost. The lost you may continue to pray for their salvation, but I certainly would not pray for them to be blessed if they are vile and wicked. Another interesting variable is that you can have lunch with (we are not talking major friendship of course) and have a limited relationship with the unsaved, but when one professes to be a brother in the Lord and is living in sin (as we see here in 1 Cor. 5) then you are NOT to fellowship with them AT ALL! Not a meal at McDonalds, not going to a football game together etc. Stick with the Bible, not your emotions or modern-day, make everbody feel good, liberal, Bible-rejecting “Christianity!”
Now what about not praying for anyone at all? Are you ready! Read Jeremiah 7:16, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” WOW! Powerful but true of course! In other words when one reaches a point of rebellion against the Lord after warning after warning has been given and possibly chastisement from the Lord, DO NOT PRAY FOR THEM AT ALL! Jeremiah 11:11-14 states basically the same thing. Yes, this is regarding believers and though there may be some application here of continuing to pray for lost relatives and friends, it should be made a point to pray for their SALVATION! Now here is where we get difficult. Let us go to a scenario where a lost relative or friend continues to reject the gospel, for years and after MANY attempts of witnessing to them. Then they lose their job. Keep in mind that we do not know how the Lord may be working in their life to bring them to conviction and a place where they might seriously consider the gospel. Do you pray for their job to be restored? No, you pray for their eyes to be opened to the necessity of conversion, that they be awakened to their sin etc. Now let’s change the setting to a “brother” that is living wrong, in sin and let’s make the situation that they have recently discovered that they have cancer or perhaps a loved one has died. Do you pray for the cancer to go away, do you console them in their loss with no communication to them that this could be the Lord’s hand in Holy discipline. NO! That is correct, I said, no. You just may be working AGAINST the Lord! You just MAY ease the conviction that the Lord may be putting on him or her! It just may be that your “consoling” could completely diminish the awakening to their condition that the Spirit of God was placing upon him or her! So be careful! My recommendation is to let them know that you love them and you do grieve regarding their loss, but then emphasize that the Lord may very well be chastising them AND THAT IS IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AT ALL. The ideal scenario according to 1 Cor 5 is that you have NO fellowship, No relationship and NO communication, but you may have a relative or a co-worker in this situation that it is impossible to be completely cut off rom. And of course I am not stating that all believers that have lost a loved one or that have been diagnosed with Cancer are walking in sin, that would be ridiculous. But when a “brother” or “sister” has for all appearances, left the Lord and went back into the world, living a life of sin, with no desire to follow Christ any more, then DO NOT PRAY FOR THEM! And yes, I completely understand that many are lost that profess salvation, that is a major problem in our Christian circles today. But the issue here is a person that has professed Christ, apparently with some evidence of conversion as he was considered a brother, and how we should deal with him. This is Bible, like it or not
Here we enter into some controversy. The general thought among Christians is that we should always pray for someone. And some “feel” that we should always pray for the good of individuals regardless of the circumstances. Once again, let us allow the Word of God to be the Authority on this matter as it should be in all matters.
In Jeremiah 14:11 we read, “Then said the LORD unto me, pray not for this people for their good.” To whom is the Lord referring to here? In verse 10 of the same chapter we find out. “Thus saith the LORD unto this people, “Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept the; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.” So we see clearly that in reference to the Jews that had forgotten the Lord and gotten involved in idolatry. The context that we see in chapter 13:27 is what apparently whet is being viewed in the words, “they loved to wander” and “they have not refrained their feet.” Idolatry was considered a VERY wicked sin by the OT Jews and today, “Christianity” seems to not be as concerned about it, despite the warnings against idolatry in both the Old and the New Testaments. These Jews were in great grief and despair (Jer. 14:1-3), they even admitted their sin (v. 7), yet when they cried unto the Lord, He states that He will not hear them (v. 10-12), despite their pleadings. Many at this point will choose to reject the scriptures and still “feel” that God will always answer prayer and that we should always pray for the “good” of everyone. They are dead wrong! I fully realize that we are dealing with Jeremiah, a book written under the time of the Old Covenant obviously, but that does not mean that the Lord has changed in this in the present time of the Dispensation of Grace. Yes, the Lord may “change” how He deals with man at times and it is evident from the scriptures that God can “change” His mind regarding these dealings with men. I cite the biblical account in Jonah, where the Lord was going to destroy the land and people of Nineveh, yet changed His mind. We see the same with destroying “all” of the earth and all people, yet He changes His mind. That is what is meant when the statements are made in scripture that God “repents” as repentance is a change of mind with an intent to change one’s actions, that leads to that change of action. The Lord is NOT inconsistent and this certainly is not a “mistake” in the scriptures as foolish men would like to proclaim. But regarding God’s Holy character, which includes His Holy view of sin, that does not change, and that is what is meant by the phrase we see in Malachi 3:6 that many times gets misconstrued to mean that he never changes in hoe he deals with men in certain circumstances and in various ages.
So the answer is that regarding always praying for one’s good, is NO! There are times and I have experienced some of those times, where it was scriptural, correct and appropriate to pray AGAINST someone, that the Lord will not bless them, but Judge them righteously! I recall a certain “pastor” that was very unscriptural in certain dealings (not a moral problem) and for the first time in my life a brother and I covenanted to pray AGAINST him, that the Lord would take him out of the ministry. Within six months this man had major health problems and he was basically kicked out of the church he was pasturing (not because of the issues we saw that were unscriptural, but other reasons). So here let’s say, you have a friend, relative, professing brother etc. that gets into sin, your place is NOT to ask God to bless them! It should be made a point to NOT pray for their good. And we do know according to 1 Cor. 5:1-5 that if a brother is given discipline by the local assembly, that he is to be left alone so that he may be judged and dealt with. I realize that this goes against the wishy-washy thinking of today, but truth is truth! In 1 Cor. 5:13 it is stating in reference to the one cast out of the assembly, that the brethren are to “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” so to pray for their good, for them to be blessed etc. would be in total violation of God’s will. And yes, there is a difference between dealing with the saved and the lost. The lost you may continue to pray for their salvation, but I certainly would not pray for them to be blessed if they are vile and wicked. Another interesting variable is that you can have lunch with (we are not talking major friendship of course) and have a limited relationship with the unsaved, but when one professes to be a brother in the Lord and is living in sin (as we see here in 1 Cor. 5) then you are NOT to fellowship with them AT ALL! Not a meal at McDonalds, not going to a football game together etc. Stick with the Bible, not your emotions or modern-day, make everbody feel good, liberal, Bible-rejecting “Christianity!”
Now what about not praying for anyone at all? Are you ready! Read Jeremiah 7:16, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” WOW! Powerful but true of course! In other words when one reaches a point of rebellion against the Lord after warning after warning has been given and possibly chastisement from the Lord, DO NOT PRAY FOR THEM AT ALL! Jeremiah 11:11-14 states basically the same thing. Yes, this is regarding believers and though there may be some application here of continuing to pray for lost relatives and friends, it should be made a point to pray for their SALVATION! Now here is where we get difficult. Let us go to a scenario where a lost relative or friend continues to reject the gospel, for years and after MANY attempts of witnessing to them. Then they lose their job. Keep in mind that we do not know how the Lord may be working in their life to bring them to conviction and a place where they might seriously consider the gospel. Do you pray for their job to be restored? No, you pray for their eyes to be opened to the necessity of conversion, that they be awakened to their sin etc. Now let’s change the setting to a “brother” that is living wrong, in sin and let’s make the situation that they have recently discovered that they have cancer or perhaps a loved one has died. Do you pray for the cancer to go away, do you console them in their loss with no communication to them that this could be the Lord’s hand in Holy discipline. NO! That is correct, I said, no. You just may be working AGAINST the Lord! You just MAY ease the conviction that the Lord may be putting on him or her! It just may be that your “consoling” could completely diminish the awakening to their condition that the Spirit of God was placing upon him or her! So be careful! My recommendation is to let them know that you love them and you do grieve regarding their loss, but then emphasize that the Lord may very well be chastising them AND THAT IS IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AT ALL. The ideal scenario according to 1 Cor 5 is that you have NO fellowship, No relationship and NO communication, but you may have a relative or a co-worker in this situation that it is impossible to be completely cut off rom. And of course I am not stating that all believers that have lost a loved one or that have been diagnosed with Cancer are walking in sin, that would be ridiculous. But when a “brother” or “sister” has for all appearances, left the Lord and went back into the world, living a life of sin, with no desire to follow Christ any more, then DO NOT PRAY FOR THEM! And yes, I completely understand that many are lost that profess salvation, that is a major problem in our Christian circles today. But the issue here is a person that has professed Christ, apparently with some evidence of conversion as he was considered a brother, and how we should deal with him. This is Bible, like it or not
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