Just Wondering....

jediwill83 · #1 05-25-2008, 11:10 PM

I know I ramble alot and stuff but I was thinking(yeah yeah...all of you are gasping in terror at me living dangerously...lol) we talk about outreach...but as far as us who are in church...have you ever been approached by anyone pentecostal or whatever who has made an attempt to reach out to not knowing who you are or where you go to church?...just seems that I walk past so many pentecostal people who seem so closed off...never speak...never gives u a second glance..SURE I have the HolyGhost....

jediwill83 · #2 05-25-2008, 11:21 PM

but THEY dont know that...I hardly ever wear suits...have short sleeves mostly...look like other guys...just kinda disturbs me that not one time in 25 years has anyone tried to witness to me...I know I know...you're thinking DUDE! WHATS UR DEAL? YOU HAVE THE HOLYGHOST! Yeah...but what if I didnt...what if I wasnt born into this?Would someone tried to have won me by now?Would I still be lost?Would people still pass me by?...just thinking...and yes I DO initiate conversations myself...hehe i'll talk to ANYONE

nahkoe · #3 05-25-2008, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jediwill83

I know I ramble alot and stuff but I was thinking(yeah yeah...all of you are gasping in terror at me living dangerously...lol) we talk about outreach...but as far as us who are in church...have you ever been approached by anyone pentecostal or whatever who has made an attempt to reach out to not knowing who you are or where you go to church?...just seems that I walk past so many pentecostal people who seem so closed off...never speak...never gives u a second glance..SURE I have the HolyGhost....

I'm gonna be really rude and just do this.

HERE, not a chance. NONE. UPC churches do not actually fellowship each other here. The sheep might wander to the other side of the fence. *gasp*

OK, now that I've gotten some people really riled up, yeah I know it's not this way everywhere. It is here though, and it really, really, really bothers me. And if you think people don't notice that UPC people don't even look at each other, much less talk or do things together, y'all are funny too.

nahkoe · #4 05-25-2008, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jediwill83

but THEY dont know that...I hardly ever wear suits...have short sleeves mostly...look like other guys...just kinda disturbs me that not one time in 25 years has anyone tried to witness to me...I know I know...you're thinking DUDE! WHATS UR DEAL? YOU HAVE THE HOLYGHOST! Yeah...but what if I didnt...what if I wasnt born into this?Would someone tried to have won me by now?Would I still be lost?Would people still pass me by?...just thinking...and yes I DO initiate conversations myself...hehe i'll talk to ANYONE

Now that you mention this...there's an old guy who rides the 3 pm bus from the city to my town every day. lol He's a creepy old guy, who happens to attend an UPC church. He approaches everyone. *sigh* It's a shame really, the bus system btwn cities here is kind of rough, and there are people who will really wait an hour for the next bus vs riding the bus with him. (the next bus puts them home 2.5 hours later..and it's worth it to them to miss him)

But no, aside from that I've never been approached. I do know the church I used to go to puts flyers up every now and then, it was twice a month for awhile, I'm not sure about now.

jediwill83 · #5 05-25-2008, 11:29 PM

I just think that if we are being truly effective we should see some overlapping thats all...Or how about ministry? Has anyone ever walked up to you in a Walmart or something(since it IS our natural habitat) and through the course of the conversation ministered to a need in your life?

nahkoe · #6 05-25-2008, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jediwill83

I just think that if we are being truly effective we should see some overlapping thats all...Or how about ministry? Has anyone ever walked up to you in a Walmart or something(since it IS our natural habitat) and through the course of the conversation ministered to a need in your life?

Nope. Not someone obviously Apostolic. They avoid everyone as far as I can tell. (and I worked at Walmart, I got to witness quite a few interactions..er..lack of them)

Sam · #7 05-25-2008, 11:31 PM

We moved to this part of town (a subdivision called Forest Park) in 1971.
A few years later a UPC moved to Springdale, next door to Forest Park.

One day we had a knock on our door and one of the members of the UPC was going door to door inviting people to their church. We knew him and his family and talked to him for a while. At that time we were going to an ALJC church.

jediwill83 · #8 05-26-2008, 03:14 AM

I can honestly say that its happened to me just one time...it was over ten years ago and my family had gone through a great loss...we were in this resteraunt and this elderly man and his wife out of the blue invited us over to their table and not even knowing us began to minister to us and prayed for us and bought our meals I remember as my mom and dad wept in that shoneys...that man was a lifesaver...if our own are neglected...how much more are we failing the lost?

jediwill83 · #9 05-26-2008, 03:24 AM

Heres a scenario for you...lets say you were never in church...no family connections to the church or anything,the only contact you could ever have with the church is through a random chance meeting with a total stranger,now lets really get down to the nitty gritty,lets say that the person you randomly come in contact with makes an effort only at the level that you do currently as a HG filled believer,would that level of effort be enough to reach u?Would u still be lost?I probably would and it scares me.

#10 05-26-2008, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jediwill83

Heres a scenario for you...lets say you were never in church...no family connections to the church or anything,the only contact you could ever have with the church is through a random chance meeting with a total stranger,now lets really get down to the nitty gritty,lets say that the person you randomly come in contact with makes an effort only at the level that you do currently as a HG filled believer,would that level of effort be enough to reach u?Would u still be lost?I probably would and it scares me.

This is a good thought. We should all think about this. Even if we're afraid of what the answer is. If we truly considered this, how would it change the way we interact with sinners on a daily basis. I would hope it would change us greatly.