Post by Jeffrey Olver on Dec 29, 2007 18:21:59 GMT -5
A brief update on my latest street preaching excursion.
I preached again in front of Click's Billiards and Bar for about three hours.
Not many crowds gathered. The young lady from seevral weeks ago was back trying again to convince me that I could do better by going into the bar and sitting down with the people inside. A crowd had gathered outside and I welcomed her to come a chat with me later, but I was going to continue preaching.
After a few hours, the bands stopped playing and people were starting to leave. I just kpet preaching scripture - it's hard to engage people at the distance I need to keep and when people don't draw closer.
A vulgar drunken man in the parking lot made awful suggestions to me. I rebuked him. I continued to preach saying that the sinner hates God. The man in the truck with the drunken man tore out of his truck and ran at me. He was a big guy and I braced myself to get clobbered.
He got in my face and demanded to know whether or not I said he hated God. I quoted scriptures to him gently, saying all sinners hate God. He said he had read the Bible and it doesn't say that. I quoted more scriptures and he instantly changed his mind, saying "It doesn't matter what the Bible says." At this time, the first drunk guy who was very vulgar...and was also very large, shouldered me hard and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic. Thank God I was able to keep my balance or I would have been run over. He ripped my sign out of my hands and almost threw into oncomming cars.
I began to tell the both of them that God died for them and could set them free from sin. That they should glorify God with their lives by coming to Christ. The man who screamed at me said I didn't know him, only God did and I had no right to say that he hated God.
After that, the owner came out as I wa standing on the grass and told me the grass was his property. I wasn't sure if this was too ligitimate so I questioned him carefully to make sure. He accused me with many cuss words and insults. I todl him plainly, I'm here to tell peope about Jesus so they canbe set free from sin and you're hindering the Gospel. (He had earlier turned on his car stereo to blare 'inspirational music.) He said he believe din God, etc. etc. and I asked him how he could live with himself when he's the owner of a place that encourages people to go to Hell? He said he'd call the cops unless I got back to the sidewalk. So I did, wishing to avoid a confrontation with the cops, as they had previously been so kind.
On my way home that night I was deeply saddened at the fact that it's the Churche's fault for not explaining that God is angry with the wicked, that God hates all workers of iniquity, that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God, that the carnal mind is at emnity against God. The Church's fault not just for NOT talking about these things, but also for not expounding on WHY God's justice is perfect and His anger is toward sinners. I was so sad that much of the mainstream Christian message is inspirational, self-help, motivational psycho-babble and selfcenteredness.
I don't want to tip the scale over into condemnation/legalism - but this experience has made me even more sure to preach the hard truth, in love, of course. ;-)
I preached again in front of Click's Billiards and Bar for about three hours.
Not many crowds gathered. The young lady from seevral weeks ago was back trying again to convince me that I could do better by going into the bar and sitting down with the people inside. A crowd had gathered outside and I welcomed her to come a chat with me later, but I was going to continue preaching.
After a few hours, the bands stopped playing and people were starting to leave. I just kpet preaching scripture - it's hard to engage people at the distance I need to keep and when people don't draw closer.
A vulgar drunken man in the parking lot made awful suggestions to me. I rebuked him. I continued to preach saying that the sinner hates God. The man in the truck with the drunken man tore out of his truck and ran at me. He was a big guy and I braced myself to get clobbered.
He got in my face and demanded to know whether or not I said he hated God. I quoted scriptures to him gently, saying all sinners hate God. He said he had read the Bible and it doesn't say that. I quoted more scriptures and he instantly changed his mind, saying "It doesn't matter what the Bible says." At this time, the first drunk guy who was very vulgar...and was also very large, shouldered me hard and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic. Thank God I was able to keep my balance or I would have been run over. He ripped my sign out of my hands and almost threw into oncomming cars.
I began to tell the both of them that God died for them and could set them free from sin. That they should glorify God with their lives by coming to Christ. The man who screamed at me said I didn't know him, only God did and I had no right to say that he hated God.
After that, the owner came out as I wa standing on the grass and told me the grass was his property. I wasn't sure if this was too ligitimate so I questioned him carefully to make sure. He accused me with many cuss words and insults. I todl him plainly, I'm here to tell peope about Jesus so they canbe set free from sin and you're hindering the Gospel. (He had earlier turned on his car stereo to blare 'inspirational music.) He said he believe din God, etc. etc. and I asked him how he could live with himself when he's the owner of a place that encourages people to go to Hell? He said he'd call the cops unless I got back to the sidewalk. So I did, wishing to avoid a confrontation with the cops, as they had previously been so kind.
On my way home that night I was deeply saddened at the fact that it's the Churche's fault for not explaining that God is angry with the wicked, that God hates all workers of iniquity, that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God, that the carnal mind is at emnity against God. The Church's fault not just for NOT talking about these things, but also for not expounding on WHY God's justice is perfect and His anger is toward sinners. I was so sad that much of the mainstream Christian message is inspirational, self-help, motivational psycho-babble and selfcenteredness.
I don't want to tip the scale over into condemnation/legalism - but this experience has made me even more sure to preach the hard truth, in love, of course. ;-)