Before I get to today's post, I've received a few e-mails from people saying they had problems leaving comments on here. I've changed the settings and have attempted to make it easier for you. Just click on "Comments" at the bottom of the post you want to comment on, type what you want to say in the box that pops up, select the option that says "anonymous user", and then click "submit".
Today's Theological Thursday comes from an Evangelism course designed by Pastor Ray Comfort (I went through it about 2 years ago). One of the reasons for creating the course was his conviction as the result of an e-mail he received from an atheist. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail:
You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've really got yourself tricked into believing that you're 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans? If you're right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your 'loving' god created, yet you stand by and do nothing. If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That's equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that 'walk' signal will shine your way across the road. Think about it. Imagine the horrors Hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right then you're an uncaring, unemotional and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring.
How powerful is that? I mean really, if Christians truly believe people are going to eternal damnation, how can they do nothing? If you saw someone sleeping on the train tracks with a train coming directly at them, would you not do everything in your power to wake them up and drag them off the tracks? But isn't death apart from Christ and eternity in hell much worse than being hit by a train?
With that said, the Christian needs guidance from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 8:26-40 for the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian). God doesn't call everyone to stand on the street corner screaming the Gospel 24-hours a day (as this letter writer was suggesting). However, there are many Christians who have never led anyone to Christ and never share their faith in which case there needs to be an examination of obedience to the Holy Spirit (I would have a hard time believing the Holy Spirit has never convicted someone of sharing their faith). Today's post is as much for me as everyone else. I am certainly not the model of perfection when it comes to Evangelism. I will leave you with 2 quotes that's a reminder that sharing the Gospel is not just what we say, but what we do as well (Matthew 5:16).
---Your actions speak so loudly I can't hear a word you are saying (Ralph Emerson)
---Preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words (Saint Francis)
Now get out there and share your faith cause that train is coming for a lot of people!
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