Little John and other who Witness,
Below is a counterstatement to the following quote of a valued member of
this net. My prayer is that it be taken as enlightenment from the word.
'My personal opinion is witness to others as you go. Where ever
God sends you. At work, Clubs, Royal Rangers,
School just to name a few. I don't know that Jesus went door to
door knocking like the Mormons and Jehovah's
Witness do. I have seen people standing on the street corners
shouting down hellfire and brimstone and calling
people to repent. --The only thing it ever did for me was to get
me to change to the opposite side of the street to
avoid the noise."
I want to encourage you to continue ministering as you have, unless the
Holy Spirit leads you somewhere else.
Yes, we are to be living epistles, that is - a living example of the
word. That example being in our everyday lives; in church, work, RRs,
school, etc, - but we are not limited there.
Street witnessing and canvassing homes was taught and exemplified by John
the Baptist, Jesus, His Disciples, Paul, and others in the Bible.
John the Baptist, preached outside. Luke 3:3, "He went into the country
around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins." He was outside-presumably close to the roadside where those
who passed by heard him.
Jesus walked the streets and sea shore where He called His disciples to
follow Him. Matthew 4:18-20
In Matthew 10, Jesus sent His disciples to witness. He said in verse 27,
"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in
your ear, proclaim from the roofs". The disciples went from home to home
and towns and villages witnessing, see verses 11-14.
While Peter and John were going to the temple, they stopped to heal a
crippled man. The former cripple drew a crowd from the streets because
of his exuberance and thankfulness to God, Peter used that opportunity to
speak to the onlookers. Acts 3.
Even the stoning of Stephen was a public - "in the streets" witness. Acts
7:54-60.
Paul and Barnabas not only preached in the synagogues but also to the
pagans who thought them to be Zeus and Hermes. We can surmise that the
pagans weren't in the synagogues but in the streets. See Acts 14.
Even in the Old Testament (The book of Jonah) you see Jonah being charged
to preach to the people in the city of Nineveh. Where did he preach?
I just wanted to encourage you to continue what you are doing. Some of
us don't have the boldness that you do. That is rare and a gift.
One other thing. Many of us forget that we are not only to witness to
our RRs at events or outpost meetings but with 'home visits'. Here's
what the Leadership Manual says, "Home visits are important. Strengthen
your Royal Rangers program by contacting the parents.....When visiting an
unchurched home where that parents are unsaved, invite them and their son
(or daughter) to attend church together as your guests."
For all those who shout in the streets or on the roof tops, I say, "May
God give you the wisdom and the words to pull in a great harvest".
God Bless-In Jesus,
Will Marengo
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