[b]Phil777 wrote:[/b] [quote]STAB AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN IN THE HEART WITH THE SWORD This post is about how to and how not to reach someone who is separated from the life of God. Helping others connect with the Son of God is one of the most important things you can spend your life doing, so you don’t want to get the “how to” of outreach wrong, or else you will have spent your life in vain, and you run the danger of either reaping a harvest of “false decisions” for Christ, or simply not reaping any decisions, because you used unbiblical methods of winnings souls for Jesus. This study aims to draw a clear contrast between the biblical method of actually telling people the gospel with your words, and letting the living words, cut through bone, marrow, right into their heart, to convict them to believe, and this study will contrast this, to the modern church teaching about how to win someone to the LORD, which is basically the idea that: “show them by your lifestyle that there is someone different about you, then they will want to ask questions, then they will want to know your God”! So essentially we are looking at two basically things: Do we win souls by our WORDS, or by our LIFESTYLE?? Ill say it plainly as I can – this “win them by your lifestyle” approach to evangelism is not taught in scripture – so why then have I heard it preached so many times from the pulpit??? And since its not taught in the bible, why have I met so many Christians who believe it and practice it as virtually their SOLE method of outreach?? The reason “lifestyle evangelism” (ie let them see there is something different about you ie you have a “joy” that they don’t have and that they will want if they see it in you)… the reason this is SO in ineffective – is cause it focuses on elements that have NOTHING do with the conversion of the unsaved person! Also, its used by pastors and Christian’s as a means of virtually “mocking” the act of preaching the pure gospel (as a means of converting a soul), because those who believe in lifestyle evangelism, say things like “preaching only turns people away, unless they see your life lived out, then they will never see that the love the bible talks about is real” or I’ve heard the preaching of the gospel likened to “just words” (with the implication that there is no power by themselves) and that the real power of evangelism lies other people seeing your good works and seeing you “LIVING” the Christian life, and somehow this will be the salt and light they need to come to the LORD??? Lets settle it, by seeing from the scriptures, whether the apostles (whose example we are told to follow), lets see if they won souls by “living good lives” or by “preaching the GOSPEL”!? Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. So what does it say converts the soul? Is it your lifestyle as a Christian? Or is it the LAW OF GOD? Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So what does it say will cut through to men’s hearts? Does it say it’s a Christians lifestyle that will cut through to the heart of the unbelievers? Or does it says the word of God will cut through to the heart of the unbeliever, to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment? Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Does it say that people will call on God because of your lifestyle lived as a Christian (ie they will see it and come to God because they see something in you they don’t have??) or Does it say that people will get saved because they HEAR someone PREACHING the gospel? Isaiah 55:11 So shall my Word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. So what does it say shall not return void? Does the bible say that our lifestyle and our good deeds will go forth and not return void? Or does it say the Word of God will go forth and not return void! (the Word which God requires US to speak!) And if your heart is still entertaining the idea, that they have to have seen the “good works” or the “lifestyle” of the preacher, in order to trust the message they give or to believe it – then THINK AGAIN! Let us learn from the book of acts…. Acts 2 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other WORDS did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Now look at the bold words. What was it that saved the three THOUSAND people on that day?? Was it Peters righteous lifestyle?? Or was it the WORDS he preached to them about the gospel, that cut through to their heart like Hebrews 4:12 says the Word will do! CLEARLY, anyone can see that Peter winning souls to the LORD had NOTHING to do with how the people perceived his lifestyle to be, and it had nothing to do with whether they thought the “love” he was preaching about was real, based on whether he lived it, rather, people came to God that day, because the message of Christ Crucified, and fear of judgment that gospel brings, the conviction of sin by the Word and the Holy Ghost (Heb 4:12 / John 16:8) and the hope of forgiveness through His death and Resurrection is SOO POWERFUL that, God has chosen to save those who believe it! That’s right guys, salvation comes through believing the gospel, which we have seen comes from the PREACHING of the gospel, not from the “lifestyle” of the person who is preaching the gospel. You can see this truth stated plainly in the following scripture: 1Co 1:21 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. So here, we have the biblical method of bring someone to the LORD – PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THEM!! None of the scriptures we have read today about how to win souls to the LORD have mentioned your lifestyle or your good deeds, or people seeing someone in you which they don’t have (ie a sense of joy, or peace). They have all pointed straight to the fact that souls are won by telling them about Jesus life, death and resurrection, tell them the gospel, about heaven and hell, and what it means if you receive Christ and what it means If you reject Him. Think about it. Suppose you go out in the city on the weekend to evangelize, and your armed with your understanding of “lifestyle evangelism”, then tell me – how exactly to you plan to show your lifestyle to the thousands of people who are walking past? Most of these people you will NEVER see again, so they wont see your Christian lifestyle at your work or at your school or where you go out to socialize, they wont see how you don’t drink and don’t smoke, and they wont see how you help the poor and care of orphans and widows (if you even do). So, since all these people walking past you in the city, wont be able to see your lifestyle, then how are you going to reach them for the LORD? Does this mean they will be lost, because they have missed their chance at seeing a “lifestyle” that will bring them to the LORD? Or does the LORD want them so much, that He will send a Christian along side each one of these people, so that they each get a chance to see how a Christian lives (so that THEN they will then want to become a Christian because they have seen someone who doesn’t drink or sleep around but still has joy!)??? Is that their chance at finding life? If you think it is, then WAKE UP! God has chosen to save people by Christians telling them about Jesus life, death, resurrection and His teachings. THAT is how someone comes to the LORD – by the PREACHING of the gospel! Its the WORD that goes into their heart and convicts them! How shall they hear (and be convicted) without a preacher??! Lets hear the conclusion of the whole matter: If you really want to win people to Jesus, then you will make yourself a fool for the gospel and you will tell your friends, work mates, and total strangers, about the cold hard facts of Jesus life, death, and the message He preached. On the flipside, If you don’t really want to win people to Jesus, then take the “easy” type of evangelism, ie just live the best life you can live, and really really hope that someone who is blinded and dead in their sins, sees how you don’t drink or smoke or go to night clubs, and hope they are so curious that they will want to know why you don’t live like them, and hope that they will want to join your church and start living a good life like you, so they can then win others with “lifestyle” evangelism. Please make the right choice, the fate of others lies in the way you approach evangelism. Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. God loves the people who we are letting slip away into hell, so don’t just try and show them with your lifestyle, rather tell them the Truth about the gospel, cause the Truth will set them free. Note: The title of this post – “stab as many people as you can in the heart with a sword” refers to the Word of God being the Sword, we as Christians are required by God to wield it, and the place it does the most damage is in heart, where it convicts men of their sins and brings healing to those who repent.[/quote] I didn\'t read all of this, but I think you\'re missing the mark on one thing: aim for repentence, not decisions.