November 17, 2015
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The watering down of the Gospel from being an imperative for lost
sinners needing to be saved from Hell to mere suggestion or another lifestyle
continues, as a new report indicates evangelists in one of America’s largest
denominations are now steering away from calling sinners to repentance in their
messages.
The new revelation comes from an early report of the August conference of the Research Services of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. The report is called 1001 New Worshipping Communities, and it states that “millennials respond to a different style of evangelism than did previous generations.”
"Millennials, it is argued, do not feel guilt and shame the same way older generations do. … As such, they do not respond to what one person referred to as 'fire and brimstone scare tactics,'" read the report.
"Telling them that they are sinners and need to repent does not work. Millennials respond to evangelism that tells them the world is [broken], and it is only through Jesus that it can be fixed."
The problem is the report suggests that in the past people enthusiastically received the Gospel, and that, contrary to the suggestion that millennials do not respond to the Gospel the same way, the reality is the Gospel has always met with resistance.
During the ministry of Gen. William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, as the men and women in his organization would attempt to share the Gospel with sailors along city docks, they would have rockets launched at them, while others would attack and hurl rotten vegetables at them and their uniforms. During the preaching of Billy Sunday and DL Moody, they would often meet with resistance as they preached against the specific sins of their era.
The Apostle Paul said the preaching of the cross was foolishness to the world and he was often attacked and even stoned once for preaching the Gospel. This has been a common thread throughout church history.
The report went on to advocate for more of a lifestyle evangelism approach rather than offering a plain Gospel presentation.
"The people we spoke with primarily emphasize service and mission as their way to honor God by being God's 'hands and feet.' And, through modeling this behavior publicly and around non-Christians, they hope to bring more people to God in a subtle, less 'fire and brimstone' manner."
"They also mention the importance of going out into the community and working side-by-side with non-Christians as well as other Christians. In this strategy, leaders often (but not always) emphasize the importance of not engaging in God-talk while doing service activities."
What this fails to address is that by doing so they are essentially suggesting that salvation is not the only way to heaven, which contradicts Jesus when he said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” The reality is a person cannot be saved unless they realize what they are being saved from. If a person simply accepts Christ because he or she thinks it is a good idea, then they are following a philosophy rather than an individual.
People today will respond to the Gospel just like people of old if it is presented in a straightforward manner. I have done so on a number of occasions with people ranging from prisoners to executives. I present it matter-of-factly, such as when I take them to the Great White Throne Judgment where it mentions that ALL liars shall have their part in the lake of fire. Then I ask them, according to this verse where does it say any of us who have ever told a lie deserve to end up?
Whereas they may disagree as to whether liars go to hell, they must admit the verse says that is where they are going. It is then much easier to share with them the good news of why Jesus died for them. The Gospel has worked for over 2,000 years and it will continue to work. We don’t need to come up with a newer method, thinking we know better than God does about how to lead people to Christ.
The new revelation comes from an early report of the August conference of the Research Services of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. The report is called 1001 New Worshipping Communities, and it states that “millennials respond to a different style of evangelism than did previous generations.”
"Millennials, it is argued, do not feel guilt and shame the same way older generations do. … As such, they do not respond to what one person referred to as 'fire and brimstone scare tactics,'" read the report.
"Telling them that they are sinners and need to repent does not work. Millennials respond to evangelism that tells them the world is [broken], and it is only through Jesus that it can be fixed."
The problem is the report suggests that in the past people enthusiastically received the Gospel, and that, contrary to the suggestion that millennials do not respond to the Gospel the same way, the reality is the Gospel has always met with resistance.
During the ministry of Gen. William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, as the men and women in his organization would attempt to share the Gospel with sailors along city docks, they would have rockets launched at them, while others would attack and hurl rotten vegetables at them and their uniforms. During the preaching of Billy Sunday and DL Moody, they would often meet with resistance as they preached against the specific sins of their era.
The Apostle Paul said the preaching of the cross was foolishness to the world and he was often attacked and even stoned once for preaching the Gospel. This has been a common thread throughout church history.
The report went on to advocate for more of a lifestyle evangelism approach rather than offering a plain Gospel presentation.
"The people we spoke with primarily emphasize service and mission as their way to honor God by being God's 'hands and feet.' And, through modeling this behavior publicly and around non-Christians, they hope to bring more people to God in a subtle, less 'fire and brimstone' manner."
"They also mention the importance of going out into the community and working side-by-side with non-Christians as well as other Christians. In this strategy, leaders often (but not always) emphasize the importance of not engaging in God-talk while doing service activities."
What this fails to address is that by doing so they are essentially suggesting that salvation is not the only way to heaven, which contradicts Jesus when he said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” The reality is a person cannot be saved unless they realize what they are being saved from. If a person simply accepts Christ because he or she thinks it is a good idea, then they are following a philosophy rather than an individual.
People today will respond to the Gospel just like people of old if it is presented in a straightforward manner. I have done so on a number of occasions with people ranging from prisoners to executives. I present it matter-of-factly, such as when I take them to the Great White Throne Judgment where it mentions that ALL liars shall have their part in the lake of fire. Then I ask them, according to this verse where does it say any of us who have ever told a lie deserve to end up?
Whereas they may disagree as to whether liars go to hell, they must admit the verse says that is where they are going. It is then much easier to share with them the good news of why Jesus died for them. The Gospel has worked for over 2,000 years and it will continue to work. We don’t need to come up with a newer method, thinking we know better than God does about how to lead people to Christ.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2015/November17/174.html#57SiB6S4CuUzVQkg.99
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