You're Scaring Them!
Greetings to our faithful sisters!
Are you rejoicing in this day that the Lord has made? We finished up on the streets today, witnessing during a Halloween event in a busy downtown area. You can see the witnessing videos if you are interested, HERE.
It was great because after preaching a bit, a man walked up and said 'Thank you very much, this is what America needs.' He needed some help himself but it made both brother Jim and I think about how people try to discourage us in how we do what we do in preaching and sharing the word. We constantly hear how we should be doing it differently because we're supposedly scaring people away, but we beg to differ because when we hear:
You're too loud! (The seekers of truth are not repelled to come and talk to us.)
You're too hard on sin! (The seekers of truth are thanking us for showing them their sin.)
You're too bold! (The seekers of truth thank us for doing what we do so they could find us.)
You're too unloving! (The seekers of truth see that we have love of the lost otherwise we wouldn't be out there.)
You're holier than thou! (The seekers of truth thank us for being a good example because all they know are hypocrite so called Christians.)
You're too judgmental! (The seekers of truth are already judging their fruit and the fruit of man made religion and seeing a vast difference.)
We know that one must be drawn to the truth by God.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44
And we see why the world hates the message and tries to stop it.
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. [43] Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. [44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. [45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. [46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? [47] He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. John 8:42-47
God's word shows, and we have found in the past many years of doing this that it's not the delivery or the method, if someone has the Spirit of God in them, they don't care about all that, they care about the truth of what's being said. So far in every instance, the person who is offended by the delivery is also offended by the Word. What does that tell you?
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. Luke 7:23
We see the Jews wanted all that other stuff (signs, wisdom, things that are big and mighty etc)....
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. [18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. [20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? [21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. [22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; [24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. [25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. [26] For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called : [27] But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; [28] And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: [29] That no flesh should glory in his presence. [30] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: [31] That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:17-31
...and so we see the same thing today! Man seeks different ways to get around the cross to make it palatable for the world but God's Word won't be moved. Jesus said that what He says in secret should be shouted from the rooftops didn't He?
Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 12:3
There's nothing new under the sun sisters, they hated Jesus for clearly stating the truth, they hated the apostles and the saints that walked before us and so it is written that we shall be hated too. If you didn't know that, go study Matthew 10.
It's not the messenger....it's the message.
We heard those words again today 'You're scaring them!' This time it was meant that we were scaring the children because the downtown was having a wicked halloween event and we were on public sidewalks sharing the the gospel with brother Jim preaching. For being scared, there sure were a lot of children smiling and waving at us. I hope the parents are scared because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. That man that thanked us wasn't scared. Several people driving by smiled and waved, they weren't scared. It's a silly excuse. Besides, we saw people dressed up as ax murderers, dead brides, demons, satan, wiccans, hairy monsters, zombies etc. Yep.
I praise God he protected my heart through all this and only 3 times did I have a weak moment. This was one....
Another was by a stop sign and in the back seat of the car was a little girl with her face painted like a zombie. She just stared at me, and then they drove off, it was sad. The other one was a little tiny boy in a stroller, waving his chubby hand at me all the way by and as he passed down the sidewalk he kept his hand out the stroller waving. There were so many precious little ones out today but I didn't focus on them and instead focused on the word of God and prayed there would be conviction in the hearts of some of the parents.
I hope for this for some of them...
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. Isaiah 29:18
Either way, the Lord's will be done.
Remember, you're not going to scare away anyone who is truly seeking Christ and it's not the messenger they hate, it's the message. Be strong and stand boldly on God's Word, not allowing satan to discourage you in any way!
Blessings, love and I pray you all stand strong.
Sister Deb
The biblical gospel...
https://www.dontperish.com/the-gospel.html