A Forceful Way Of Evangelising?

1. 59

   EspianScrollsposted 15 years ago

   I wonder what Jesus meant when He said love everyone, even your enemies. Didnt He mean it? Didnt He mean it when He said through love and kindness i bring them in? Them being the new followers. Why is it then that so many churches and ministries condemn rather than bring up Gods people? Why then do we bribe and pursuade our teens to go to church on sunday morning. Dont get me wrong. Im a strong beleiver in God but i cant but help think of how we have taken the wrong approach to ministry in todays culture. Im the president of a "new" ministry called ichrist. Its goal is strictly to show the love of God and share His words in a "non-pressuring" way. Im looking forward to His will. I believe He is asking me to go to the people on how to carry out the "new" ministry. Please give me your insight on how i can do this. Tell me what not to do as well. Just make sure to back up what you say with credible detail and evidence so we can avoid the "God sucks" or "give it up" kind of talk. Thanks. Espian and the president of ichrist ministries.

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2. 58

   Mark Knowlesposted 15 years ago

   I heartily suggest you stop doing what you are doing and go out and do something positive.
   
   At the moment you are doing the same things all the other "ministries" do
   
   Preaching that you know the word of god and want to share it.
   
   Big deal.
   
   I would be much more impressed if I came across you in the street helping some one who needed help rather than evangelizing.
   
   This has nothing to do with today's culture. And everything to do with the christian desire to "spread the word," at all costs. You are doing the same thing every christian preacher has done since the first edifice was built.  Saying one thing and doing another. What a waste of time and energy.

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   1. 59

      EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I have to say your wrong. Ive been doing what i can. I just want the peoples opinion. This is about todays culture, i wonder what people think and i'd like to hear it.
      
      On the otherhand id like you to stick to the topic guidelines please. I asked respectfully to hear positive feedback and no "give up" responses. You can post where ever you want but the guidelines of hubpages do state that you respect the topics and their creator. Have a positive additude.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         OK. Keep doing what you are doing and spread the word of god's love for all to hear. You are doing a fantastic job and really making a difference to the world. Your interpretation and preaching of the word is very useful and very different to anyone else's.
         
         There is no need for you to actually do anything. Merely spreading the word will do it for me every time.
         
         Hope that helps.
         
         Seriously - You did not ask for positive feedback. You asked for suggestions as to how to spread the word in a way that is different to all the other "ministries," and I gave you one. Get out and do some good in the world. Make a difference in a real way. Feed the hungry. Minister to the sick. Talk to the depressed. Give a home to the homeless.
         
         You asked for input and then immediately dismissed what I said because it does not agree with your pre-conceived notion of how to spread your god's love.......

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         1. 66

            Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Wow Mark, that was a bit harsh. 
            
            
            Espian: A bit of advice----I know what I am talking about here when I tell you--don't ask for their advice.  Join my fan club or even just go and read my hubs about my ministry and read about the forums that I have posted in.  You will get your rose colored glasses pulled right off your face and crushed on the ground with those who you think are on your side and those who care less about what you are saying.  My path is to bring light to the darkness and there are those that are doing the opposite and just saying they are bringing in the light.  You wil find those who will dissagree with your statements because of their preconcieved notions and years of pounding in lies and control mechanisms.  You will also find those who will just rattle off scripture with little or know understanding of what those really mean to themselves and in their own lives.  They will use it as a sword to pierce your message because that is what they have been taught to do and therefore think it is the only and right way of dealing with those who do not agree or have not been "doctrinated" into their cult and religious doctrine.  As I have done and brought legit and truthful articles and links here those who are indoctrinated will turn it all around and then if you put things in quotes as you should becasue it has come from someone else --they somehow will insinnuate that it was YOU who said it and believed it that way.
            Read alot and get to know people and get to know who to stay away from.  Yes, you can still love them from afar. 
            Good Luck!!

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         2. 59

            EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Actually i never disagreed. I just didnt like how you said give up at the end. I am trying my best as i said before to do that, thats why i created the ministry. And actually what ii asked was for ways to not pressure people while giving some detailed evidence. I see what you mean in postin on a forum about God, beleive it or not im only askin His people what to do so i DONT pressure them. So thanks for your input. i'll do my best to keep on sharing the love. But i still need responses on how to not pressure people or better yet on how they are feelin pressured by ministries so i can stop it ane try another way.

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            1. 58

               Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Well, I feel pressured every time I see some one preaching the word and behaving as though the most important thing to them is to preach the word.
               
               Detailed evidence? Lost me there I am afraid. If you mean detailed interpretation of the bible to suit your own ideas...... well, that is another matter. "Evidence" is not a word you can use when talking about god.
               
               I have made my suggestion, but feel free to ignore me as I assume I would not count as one of His people. I still think you would be better off out doing some good instead of preaching, but that is your choice. No doubt when all the right-wing christian fanatics discover you here talking about a different way of preaching they will start telling you how wrong you are in your interpretations and you are spreading the word of satan instead....  
               
               I will leave you and LG to keep on blessing each other and marveling at god's wondrousness.

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                  Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  Thank You Mark!!!   

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               2. 66

                  Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  Mark, I respect you and love you--even if you are on the other side of the world!  The Life Force is even in those who do not believe.  It is in everything and everyone!  No need to bless anything.  Just being here on the planet and with everyone is love.  Not one person or group has the right to put that in a box and tell anyone else that they can't have it--because when you do that then you don't have it at all.  I believe the group Red Hot Chile Peppers said it right in their song " What I got you got to put it in you".
                  
                  Yes Mark is correct and they are coming!!

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                  1. 58

                     Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     Well, maybe I scared them away
                     
                     But you are correct. The "Life Force" - if that is what you want to call it - is in everything. Using the word "god" to describe it is a huge mistake.
                     
                     It has no rules, no "way" of being, no right or wrong, it just is. All you do when you use the word god is give ammunition to the christian zealots who come along pretending to be humble and telling you what their "god" wants you to do.
                     
                     And make no mistake - they will kill you (emotionally, spiritually or physically) to make sure you behave the way their book tells them you need to behave. They, of course do not need to follow the rules - they are already "saved."

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               3. 59

                  EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  I havent preached to you once. Ive simply asked how to not pressure you. I havent preached. But o well.

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                  1. 58

                     Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     I never said you preached at me. I said I felt pressured when people did preach at me and that seemed to be their primary goal.
                     
                     What is your goal?

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                     1. 59

                        EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                        My goal is not to preach, my goal is to seek knowledge from everyday people and to hear what not to do when evangelising. I dont want to pressure people and im finding out how not too. I also just want to hear peoples stories and how the church has made a bad name for its self. I detest the people who lie and act falsly in Gods name and make a bad name for the rest of Gods people. On the otherhand i have to love them just the same because i too have made many mistakes and desire to learn from them. Speakin with the source is the best way to learn. I go to the people rather than make unsure assumptions. I just want to learn from people just like you and me. My goal is simply that.

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                        1. 58

                           Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                           I have given you my best advice - get out and do something positive to help. Most people's issue with the church (mine included) is that it is big on preaching and small on action.
                           
                           And you might what to look the word evangelizing up in a dictionary, because I believe it means "to preach the gospel."
                           
                           In which case, you do want to preach.......

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         3. 78

            BDazzlerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Boy, this sux.  I have to agree with Mark on a matter of religion. He's absolutely right.  And worse yet, it's 100% biblical.
            
            Jesus said, "I was hungry and you did not feed me.  I was cold and you gave me no shelter".
            
            And they said, "Lord when?"
            
            And He said, "When you did not do it to the least of these people, you did not do it for me."
            
            (Don't have muich time here ... dropped in for a quick glance. Hope to have more time after the first of the year.)
            
            Take a look at what Jesus did just before he preached the sermon on the mount.

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            1. 59

               EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               I agree with him too. I should and do go out and show the love of God, but i still need more than just his advice. I hope to get a bunch of peoples stories. Im not disagreein at all. I agree. I want to hear from more people how they have been either shown Gods love or instead pressured into it. I want to hear the peoples stories.

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               1. 66

                  Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  Here is my storie for you and all the hate filled comments with it.:
                  http://hubpages.com/hub/I-Heard
                  
                  Here is another one of my stories:
                  http://hubpages.com/hub/How-Rape-Brough … -The-Light

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               2. 78

                  BDazzlerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  In addition to LG's recomendations, I'd recommend reading AEvans, PGrundy, RippleMaker's MistyHorizon2003 and Sandra Rinck's hubs. 
                  
                  These hubbers typically relate the stories you're seeking. There's a wide variety of experiences and conclusions.
                  
                  Take a look at the videos on the hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Unless
                  
                  These videos are examples of something called "Servant Evangelism".  If you're interested in the concept, let me know, I can get you more links.

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               3. 78

                  Sufidreamerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  Hi Espian,
                  
                  I am not a Quaker, but my hometown has a strong Quaker tradition. They have a very enlightened view of things, and I have yet to meet one that I do not like.
                  
                  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions … quakers_1.
                  
                  Hopefully, this will give you some good ideas.

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3. 84

   kerrygposted 15 years ago

   When there is no medium between me and my Lord, and I simply become a willing vestment of His influence to flow into it, then I overflow the water of the Ganges at its source. There is no desire to speak when one lives the truth. Truth is the most economical of words. -- Mohatma Gandhi

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      EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for those words of wisdom from Mohatama Gandhi. They remind me of when Jesus was at the well with the smaritin women. He said that the water from my father will never have to be refilled and quenches all thirst. Thanks. I hope God will bless you.

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      1. 66

         Lady Guinevereposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Espian,
         God is in everything and everywhere--even in the Stars and on other planets.  He or She or both have already blessed us.  The saying comes to mind, You can take the human out of Eden and God but you cannot take God or Eden out of the human.  God is the Life Force of everything--every thing --as even smaller than the most powerful microscope can see.

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            EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks. Your right. God has truly already blessed us all.

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      2. 84

         kerrygposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         The part above is more what I was hoping you'd take out of that.
         
         Let me illustrate it with a story then. I am (very) easily annoyed by people trying to convert me to their religions, being quite happy with my own, thanks. The least annoying encounter I ever had was with a guy in a campground at Rocky Mountain State Park. My toddler pulled herself free from my grip and ran into his campsite to see his dog. I started apologizing for interrupting his dinner but he brushed my apologies off. He ended up sharing some of it with my daughter (fresh-caught pan-fried trout with garlic and lemon - I'm sure I don't need to tell you how good it was!), swapping stories about the best fishing lakes (him) and hiking trails (me), and eventually offering me and my husband the use of his canoe.
         
         Now obviously I wouldn't have dreamed of taking him up on the offer (especially since my husband never met a canoe he couldn't tip!), but it made an impression, as you can see. This man never once mentioned the name of Jesus or God. The only reason I knew we were being evangelized was his t-shirt, which proclaimed his attendance at an evangelical retreat, and a fish bumper sticker on his truck. Instead of preaching to us, he LIVED the principles of Jesus Christ: love thy neighbor as thyself.
         
         There is no desire to speak when one lives the truth.

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   2. 82

      Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      How wonderful is this quote.  Putting light into ones own darkness is the ultimate in transformation. Teach thyself before teaching others, then one becomes the example.  Becoming wise is the understanding that whenever teaching or preaching spews forth from ones mouth, it is actually intended for the person speaking, and not always the intended receiver.  There can be nothing more shallow than words of wisdom coming from those that don't heed their own advice.

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4. 64

   SparklingJewelposted 15 years ago

   So here is an example of "forceful evangelising". Or maybe a more subtle forceful way. An experience from my own life. And I have even come to see some positive in it...but I think it could have been done better, sooner and helped me a lot more to creating a future for myself and my children.
   
   I became a single teen mother and was left totally alone and unsupported in any way, left to fend and find my own way for myself, by my "Christian" biological family. My father was angry with me that I had been seduced, my mother refused to face up to her sins of omission of never talking to me about sex and relationships and they and my siblings developed their own lives ignoring me as I struggled to survive with my child (which became children).
   
   I felt totally unaccepted, let alone respected. I was allowed to come around, but no one would talk to me about important things. So I just came to realize they either had no capability for compassion or were truly brain and heart dead...go figure...where was the Christian attitude?
   
   What I have done was long and hard, but I took responsibility for myself, my children and my actions and am working on forgiving my family for their ignorant, cold heartedness. I guess they just didn't have the intelligence or the strength of heart to deal with the situation. It only hurts me to be angry with them, but I do not go out of my way to spend time and interaction with them to this day.
   
   So I have "spread the Love of God" by being the example of how to be compassionate to unwed mothers, talked to them and supported them in as many ways that I could and teach that the most important person to have respect you is yourself regardless of what others do or don't do.

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      EspianScrollsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for posting your input. I am truly sorry that they deserted you in your time of need. You are right. They shouldve done right by you and told you about relationsjips and sex. On top of all if it they shouldive stayed by your side and helped with the baby so it didnt happen again. I pray that you can be able to be like God and forgive them even though they never forgave you. You are truly strong for having gone through all this and remaining faithful. God bless you.

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5. 0

   sandra rinckposted 15 years ago

   I go out and show my love for the world, you know what happens?
   
   The snobby girls, snub me and call me a bitch or to get a life.  the grumpy old men just grunt, others roll their eyes at me and some when offered things out of good will, throw it back in your face and tell you to F off. 
   
   It is probably safer to just preach. lol.

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6. 63

   Mishaposted 15 years ago

   I think everything need a skill Sandy, giving is no exception

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      sandra rinckposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, I must work at becoming a skillful giver. Good tip! 

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