Jail/Homosexuality

[Michael The Disciple]

I preach on the street myself and use several signs. Im probably the only Preacher some will get to see. I highly respect someone who will go out soul winning where the sinners are.

I will always remember the time I went to a Folk Festival in Athens Ohio in 1971. We started out drinking and smoking pot. We tried to steal a tent out of a guys yard. He saw us and chased us down the road.

When we arrived in Athens that morning we were broke having spent everything on partying and gas. We saw a bus with a sign "free food inside".

We thought wow now we can even eat for free! Once inside we discovered it was Jesus Freaks witnessing! Yea we ate the food while they talked Jesus. They handeled my questions with the greatest of cool! They presented a Jesus that ministered to sinners on the street. I was really moved!

Didn't repent right then but I kept thinking about it over and over. I still thank God for the blessing of being witnessed to on the street. It was a great example that I have tried to follow now for about 35 years.

These guys on the video seemed really focused. They did not seem to be fighting back, That's the way it should be. Believers boldly preaching repentance and taking the consequences whether it be good or bad.

[Pressing-On]

MTD, FREE FOOD is a whole lot different than walking into a crowd that you are opposed to with a placard saying - Drugs, Rock and Roll, Jesus Saves Sinners.

It is the same thing, IMO, as saying - You no-good, dirty rotten, low-down sinners - REPENT!

Jesus Saves!

Eeesh!

I would refuse to participate in that.

[Tim Rutledge]

Originally Posted by Aquila

We need to be "Christians"... even to gay people.

I agree.

& part of Christianity is trying to keep the body of Christ free from sickness (sin). Churches are suppose to be the spiritual hospitals. If a part of the body wont respond to treatment and medications (preaching), it may need amputated for the body to survive and or flourish. God forbid.

Sin is to appear to be exceedingly sinful.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

MTD, FREE FOOD is a whole lot different than walking into a crowd that you are opposed to with a placard saying - Drugs, Rock and Roll, Jesus Saves Sinners.

It is the same thing, IMO, as saying - You no-good, dirty rotten, low-down sinners - REPENT!

Jesus Saves!

Eeesh!

I would refuse to participate in that.

But consider this. You or I don't know the thoughts and intents of those street preachers hearts. Perhaps these brave men actually believe that what Jesus said was true?

That if one dies in their sins they are going to a burning hell of fire? For thousands of years? Maybe millions of years? Maybe billions of years? Drowning every day all day long in flames? But wait is it trillions of years wrapped in the fires of torment? What if it were only 100 years? Wouldn't that seem like an eternity to the lost?

What if these men really believed that? If so then these men were showing an awesome sacrifice of them SELVES in order to try to wake these people up!

Why? Because they LOVED THE LOST! They were spending their time and their lives to try to save them from the wrath to come!

Who else is loving them like that? Most walk right by such people (many would go to the other side of the street) as if they were not in danger of the fires of Hell at all. They would say nothing at all.

So who is the friend to the sinner?

Let us not forget it was JESUS CHRIST who told his disciples that if people do not believe in the gospel they will be damned!

So can you imagine how hard it would be to persuade such crowds of people living in deep sin before God that THEY ARE LOST?

See we must first accept that we are sinners before we can be saved! How many "Christians" love the lost enough to tell them so?

How many are courageous enough to actually go find lost people, tell them about righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come? That they must repent of sins and turn to Christ?

It could well be that the sight of these men would actually prick the conscience of sinners and make them consider their ways? It could be that the sight of the wicked brutalizing the righteous would cause them to think about the difference between right and wrong? Between good and evil?

Again I don't know these men. But I respect them far more than some Church groups who may talk about "love" but who would not consider taking of their time and putting their lives at risk to actually reach lost people with the message of Jesus.

[Pressing-On]

MTD, I am sure that these street preachers would be willing to help someone in need.

However, let me address the back of the placard. You can view that at the 1:33 to 1:42 mark.
http://www.komonews.com/news/crime/V...?c=y&tab=video

REPENT OR ELSE - flames of hellfire.

Nice. It comes across as hate more than love, IMO.

I also feel the church needs to work out it's own statistics, which compete with the world, i.e. divorce, etc., before they start throwing flames into a crowd of homosexuals.

And further, I would want to show the beauty of the Word before I threw up hell fire imagery in a sinners face.

It reminds me much of a Bible study called, Rightly Dividing the Word. That Bible study has good scripture, but is more geared to someone who you feel is ready to make a decision for their life that day.

Into His Marvelous Light, which I have had very great success with, shows the beauty of God's plan, and IMO, a person can't help but see their value in God's eyes.

We talk and preach about not skinning a fish before it is in the boat - waving placards around with flames of hellfire is, IMO, trying to skin a fish.

It is just not my style. I'm not going to talk about hell at the outset. I am going to talk about His plan for our lives. What was the purpose of the Comforter and why did He have to go away. It's a beautiful plan for our salvation. I want someone to know that first.

[Tim Rutledge]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

MTD, I am sure that these street preachers would be willing to help someone in need.

However, let me address the back of the placard. You can view that at the 1:33 to 1:42 mark.
http://www.komonews.com/news/crime/V...?c=y&tab=video

REPENT OR ELSE - flames of hellfire.

Nice. It comes across as hate more than love, IMO.

I also feel the church needs to work out it's own statistics, which compete with the world, i.e. divorce, etc., before they start throwing flames into a crowd of homosexuals.

And further, I would want to show the beauty of the Word before I threw up hell fire imagery in a sinners face.

It reminds me much of a Bible study called, Rightly Dividing the Word. That Bible study has good scripture, but is more geared to someone who you feel is ready to make a decision for their life that day.

Into His Marvelous Light, which I have had very great success with, shows the beauty of God's plan, and IMO, a person can't help but see their value in God's eyes.

We talk and preach about not skinning a fish before it is in the boat - waving placards around with flames of hellfire is, IMO, trying to skin a fish.

It is just not my style. I'm not going to talk about hell at the outset. I am going to talk about His plan for our lives. What was the purpose of the Comforter and why did He have to go away. It's a beautiful plan for our salvation. I want someone to know that first.

I agree.

[MarcBee]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

But consider this. You or I don't know the thoughts and intents of those street preachers hearts. Perhaps these brave men actually believe that what Jesus said was true?

That if one dies in their sins they are going to a burning hell of fire? For thousands of years? Maybe millions of years? Maybe billions of years? Drowning every day all day long in flames? But wait is it trillions of years wrapped in the fires of torment? What if it were only 100 years? Wouldn't that seem like an eternity to the lost?

What if these men really believed that? If so then these men were showing an awesome sacrifice of them SELVES in order to try to wake these people up!
snip....

MTD, Yes! at least from a biblical-literalist perspective. Taking this concept a bit further, even the Westboro-Baptist-type Christian should be viewed as those who really, really believe their message, unlike those too afraid to confront society out in the open due to habits of niceness, propriety, fear, or all three. "But that style is not showing love..." Maybe so, maybe not. Depends on how real hell really is. If it's god who calls sinners to obey the gospel and avoid hell, then the message is way more important than the method--no matter how crass. IMO you can't top the crassness of eternal damnation.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by MarcBee

MTD, Yes! at least from a biblical-literalist perspective. Taking this concept a bit further, even the Westboro-Baptist-type Christian should be viewed as those who really, really believe their message, unlike those too afraid to confront society out in the open due to habits of niceness, propriety, fear, or all three. "But that style is not showing love..." Maybe so, maybe not. Depends on how real hell really is. If it's god who calls sinners to obey the gospel and avoid hell, then the message is way more important than the method--no matter how crass. IMO you can't top the crassness of eternal damnation.

Hahahahahahahaha! Well, get on wich yo bad self.

REPENT OR YOU BURN!!!!

Oh, and Jesus Loves you!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[MarcBee]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

REPENT OR YOU BURN!!!!
Oh, and Jesus Loves you!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

See, it's not so hard to say once you really believe Jesus per Luke 12:5.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Aquila

This reminds me of a passage...

Luke 9:53-55
King James Version (KJV)
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

It reminds you of that passage because you do not view things from a Biblical perspective, but instead are still viewing things from a humanistic perspective.

For the sake of being absolutely clear, let me explain:

1. The bible is the Word of God. It reveals God's thoughts and opinions on things.
2. Christians are subjects of God's Kingdom, and therefore owe allegience to Him and to the law of His Kingdom.
3. The law of His kingdom prescribes the death penalty for certain crimes, including fornication, adultery, murder, and sodomy, among others.
4. The bible reveals God's opinion that nations and civil governments owe him allegiance as well - see Romans 13 and Psalm2, for example.
5. Therefore, civil government is responsible for enforcing His law against crime ('punishing evil'), which would include the crime of sodomy.

Now, a humanistic world view says that such things are mean, backwards, primitive, not forward or progressive thinking. That civil government is all about roads and bridges and not much else. That anyone upholding God's word on some currently political issue, where that Word disagrees with the humanist agenda, is a meanie and potential vigilante.

Notice, the disciples asked the Lord if He wanted them to do something that would have been outside the boundaries of God's law, because -

1. The disciples were not the civil power.
2. The rejection of Jesus by the specified localities was not because of His message, but 'because He seemed determined to go to Jerusalem'. Thus,
3. their rejection of Him at that time was not a sin in itself.
4. They were attempting to re-enact the destruction of the cities of the plain - total annihilation of entire communities. They however did not know if there were any people in that area who might have received Him had they known He was coming. Thus, their 'spirit' (attitude) was not godly, for both God and Abraham agreed that if there were only a handful of righteous people in Sodom the city should have been spared to prevent the righteous being destroyed because of the wicked.

Supporting the proper role of civil government is not the same as wishing total annihilation of entire cities - without judicial process - because of an official failure to support righteousness.

I have no desire for San Francisco to be summarily destroyed by God. As much I think such a judgement might be forthcoming at some time in the future, I still believe there may be at least a handful of righteous people in that town.

But I would whole-heartedly agree with the city government choosing to repent of it's sinfulness and begin punishing evil and rewarding good, as this is the biblical purpose of civil government.