Evangelization?

[SPOKENWORD]

tkdnick:

Just curious…what is the typical response you get to this?

Hi TK. Most of the time I see people coming to the realization that they are sinners and are in need of a savior. I see a repentant heart by the expression on their faces.This method eliminates false conversions.Its the way Christ witnessed.If I see that they are not willing to admitt they are sinners I let them go and tell them to think about what I said. look at the rich man Jesus witnessed to. The rich man claimed to obey all the commandments,but look what Jesus said to him. Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor. The rich man could not give up his money making it a false God and that was Idolatry.He could not enter in. Jesus let him go.God Bless

 

[tkdnick]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi TK. Most of the time I see people coming to the realization that they are sinners and are in need of a savior. I see a repentant heart by the expression on their faces.

Really??? That’s very cool! Not what I would have expected, but maybe you have been given a gift others have not.

 

[Ignatius]

SPOKENWORD:

I was reading an interesting statistic. Less then 2% of american churchgoers share their faith with others. . . . .How often do you share your faith with others?

Always, and I even use words sometimes when I have to!

 

[gardenswithkids]

SPOKENWORD:

The rich man claimed to obey all the commandments,but look what Jesus said to him. Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor. The rich man could not give up his money making it a false God and that was Idolatry.He could not enter in. Jesus let him go.

Hmm, could Jesus actually be saying that we need to DO something to enter heaven? It is possible that the Catholic Church is right in it’s interpretation of scripture that we need to cooperate with grace?

Since you want us to evangelize, let me tell you some really Good News, SPOKENWORD. Jesus loves you just as you are, a sinner, but He loves you to much to leave you that way. He wants to make you holy. He wants you to accept Him, His salvation, and His Church.

I believe you must love Him enough to go up to total strangers and risk embarrassing yourself. But do you love Him enough to go up to a strange Church and embarrass yourself by discovering you’ve been wrong about the Catholic Church?

Jesus tells the rich man to do something. When the rich man refused to do what Jesus said, Jesus let him go. Salvation may begin with a simple sinner’s prayer, but it doesn’t end there. We must do what Jesus asks us to do, or He may let us go too.

Now look into your heart, SPOKENWORD, and ask Jesus in prayer if He wants you to become Catholic. And do what He tells you to do if you want the Kingdom of Heaven. I will be praying for you. God Bless you.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

gardenswithkids:

Hmm, could Jesus actually be saying that we need to DO something to enter heaven? It is possible that the Catholic Church is right in it’s interpretation of scripture that we need to cooperate with grace?

Since you want us to evangelize, let me tell you some really Good News, SPOKENWORD. Jesus loves you just as you are, a sinner, but He loves you to much to leave you that way. He wants to make you holy. He wants you to accept Him, His salvation, and His Church.

I believe you must love Him enough to go up to total strangers and risk embarrassing yourself. But do you love Him enough to go up to a strange Church and embarrass yourself by discovering you’ve been wrong about the Catholic Church?

Jesus tells the rich man to do something. When the rich man refused to do what Jesus said, Jesus let him go. Salvation may begin with a simple sinner’s prayer, but it doesn’t end there. We must do what Jesus asks us to do, or He may let us go too.

Now look into your heart, SPOKENWORD, and ask Jesus in prayer if He wants you to become Catholic. And do what He tells you to do if you want the Kingdom of Heaven. I will be praying for you. God Bless you.

Hi Garden, How does your garden grow? Of course we need to do something and that is to obey Him. When did you recieve the gift of reading souls? How do you know whether I am in the state of grace or not? Just curious. I do not risk embarrising myself when i,m witnessing for the Lord. Thanks for your prayers. God Bless

 

[Catholic_Dude]

The problem is two different definitions of “evangelize”. As a Catholic, our way is better, but what SW is doing is not wussy stuff nor a waste of any kind. You have to have courage to go up to someone off the street. I really do believe that a very small percentage of people actually evangelize to those (who they know dont know Christ) and are brave enough to do it. Im not trashing the other forms which each have their advantages. At the same time evangelizing isnt as easy as,
“do you accept Christ?”,
“sure I do”,
“Good! God bless, see you in Heaven, bye.”
And as some have mentioned its all in the Power of the Holy Spirit. That Power can open up the most stubborn at heart in a matter of a few words, and its been proven in the Bible and real life that verbal preaching holds a reputable status that has. I dont know what else to say.
So to sum up my position, I am working to be able to share the faith to the average joe on the street, but I dont want to overlook the other forms, nor think its an easy task. Pray, know, work.

 

[gardenswithkids]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi Garden, How does your garden grow? Of course we need to do something and that is to obey Him. When did you recieve the gift of reading souls? How do you know whether I am in the state of grace or not? Just curious. I do not risk embarrising myself when i,m witnessing for the Lord. Thanks for your prayers. God Bless

First question: My daffadils and tulips are springing up and they await being trampled by my children, which may be happening as I type.
Second question: I haven’t recieved that gift yet, and don’t expect to. If that changes in the future and I learn anything about you, I’ll let you know.
Third question: I don’t know if you are in a state of grace or not. I pray that you are, and if you are not I pray that the Lord will bring you there.

I think it’s great that you don’t find any embarrassment when witnessing to others. That in itself is a special grace that God has given you.

Nor did I find any embarrassment in inviting you to the Catholic Church. I did not say that Jesus was telling you to join the Catholic Church. I asked you to ask Him if He wants that and to do what He wants. As you’ve seen on these forums, former Protestants make some pretty effective Catholics, and I think you’d be one of those if Jesus calls you into the Catholic Church. I knew that was probably a long shot, but it would be a shame for you to spend all this time on a Catholic forum without anyone asking you to join the Church. And your thread inspired me to evangelize.

You’re welcome for the prayers. It is my honor and pleasure to pray.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

gardenswithkids:

First question: My daffadils and tulips are springing up and they await being trampled by my children, which may be happening as I type.
Second question: I haven’t recieved that gift yet, and don’t expect to. If that changes in the future and I learn anything about you, I’ll let you know.
Third question: I don’t know if you are in a state of grace or not. I pray that you are, and if you are not I pray that the Lord will bring you there.

I think it’s great that you don’t find any embarrassment when witnessing to others. That in itself is a special grace that God has given you.

Nor did I find any embarrassment in inviting you to the Catholic Church. I did not say that Jesus was telling you to join the Catholic Church. I asked you to ask Him if He wants that and to do what He wants. As you’ve seen on these forums, former Protestants make some pretty effective Catholics, and I think you’d be one of those if Jesus calls you into the Catholic Church. I knew that was probably a long shot, but it would be a shame for you to spend all this time on a Catholic forum without anyone asking you to join the Church. And your thread inspired me to evangelize.

You’re welcome for the prayers. It is my honor and pleasure to pray.

Hi Garden, Thank you for sharing that I,ve inspired you to evangelize. That really is my mission. I love my catholic brothers and sisters being a catholic for over 35 years. For the time being I,m not serving in the catholic church, BUT the Lord is in control.I,m being a vessel that He is using,Praise God. Getting back to evangelization. I believe that through the Law ,it,s the best way to evangelize. Id like to quote a few verses from Romans 3;19 Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be come guilty before God. Romans 3;20 Therefore by the deeds of the law ther shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.And once again St. Paul says in Romans7;7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin?God forbid,Nay I had not known sin, but by the law, I had not known lust except the law had said, You shall not covet. And lastly in Galations3;24 Wherefore the law was our school master to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now you can see why people are trying to remove the 10 commandments in this country. Whithout the Law no one would need a Savior.Jesus is the fullfillment of the law. We as christian need to stop making excuses. We cant wait to develop intimate relationships with our lost loved one. Time is important for the harvest is ready. We need to witness to them,if not you will see them perish. Our hearts have to reach out to the lost. We cannot just live by example and not speak out. For faith comes by hearing the Word of God. I plead with my brothers and sisters to see the light and answer Gods call. God Bless

 

[Church_Militant]

Isn’t this really a difference between “Witnessing” and “evangelism”.

Witnessing is what prots and other n-Cs call it when they go out with the full intention of talking to as many people as possible about “getting saved” and many, (like my friend Spokenword) take courses on how to go about it more effectively. (which I’m almost sure is what sparked this thread by SW). I think of them as salesmanship courses, because they really do encompass all the essentials of good salesmanship. It’s all about concise presentation of the “product”, “the way of salvation” and “closing”, which is getting that other person to join me in that “sinner’s prayer”.

Catholics, OTOH, would see this as only one aspect of “evangelization”, because to us it encompasses so much more and in some ways requires a different kind of commitment. I firmly believe that all Catholics should be able to concisely present the faith and what it means to us and has done for us in our daily lives. After all, being Catholic does indeed inform every aspect of our moment by moment lives even when we don’t stop to think about it. It’s one of the things that I love most about my faith.

That may also make it all the harder to share in a concrete way because our Christian lives are indeed so very complex as Belloc says in hs poem:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!

But I think that our love for life itself andthe way we embrace the good things (and struggle to embrace the Gethsemane experiences) in our lives is part of what makes our Christianity so vital. It may be complex and mystical, but I know that it is also very very deep.
Pax vobiscum,

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Church Militant:

Isn’t this really a difference between “Witnessing” and “evangelism”.

Witnessing is what prots and other n-Cs call it when they go out with the full intention of talking to as many people as possible about “getting saved” and many, (like my friend Spokenword) take courses on how to go about it more effectively. (which I’m almost sure is what sparked this thread by SW). I think of them as salesmanship courses, because they really do encompass all the essentials of good salesmanship. It’s all about concise presentation of the “product”, “the way of salvation” and “closing”, which is getting that other person to join me in that “sinner’s prayer”.

Catholics, OTOH, would see this as only one aspect of “evangelization”, because to us it encompasses so much more and in some ways requires a different kind of commitment. I firmly believe that all Catholics should be able to concisely present the faith and what it means to us and has done for us in our daily lives. After all, being Catholic does indeed inform every aspect of our moment by moment lives even when we don’t stop to think about it. It’s one of the things that I love most about my faith.

That may also make it all the harder to share in a concrete way because our Christian lives are indeed so very complex as Belloc says in hs poem:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!

But I think that our love for life itself andthe way we embrace the good things (and struggle to embrace the Gethsemane experiences) in our lives is part of what makes our Christianity so vital. It may be complex and mystical, but I know that it is also very very deep.
Pax vobiscum,

Hi C.M. What courses did Jesus take to bring in the lost? Did Jesus keep the light under the bushell or did He let the light shine on all He spoke to. Jesus said His real Food was to do the will of the Father and that included bringing in the lost. You choose not to witness the way the Lord did. I choose to follow His way. Yes ,Im presenting Jesus to the lost. It,s His command. God Bless

 

[Genesis315]

Spoken,
I’m not saying you do this, but from my experience the types that go door to door or stand at a streetcorner are viewd by non-Christians as either nuts or an annoyance. Do you think they actually get many people “saved”? I’ve found that by just trying to live a good Catholic life people will end up asking me questions (in fact, i’m currently engaged in a dialogue with a nominal Catholic and I seem to be making some progress, here’s praying!). When they come to me, it seems they are more open to evangelization whereas if I had from the beginning told them they are not saved and they need to accept Jesus, they would have just blown me off as a religious nut (because I am one of course ). What do you think?

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Genesis315:

Spoken,
I’m not saying you do this, but from my experience the types that go door to door or stand at a streetcorner are viewd by non-Christians as either nuts or an annoyance. Do you think they actually get many people “saved”? I’ve found that by just trying to live a good Catholic life people will end up asking me questions (in fact, i’m currently engaged in a dialogue with a nominal Catholic and I seem to be making some progress, here’s praying!). When they come to me, it seems they are more open to evangelization whereas if I had from the beginning told them they are not saved and they need to accept Jesus, they would have just blown me off as a religious nut (because I am one of course ). What do you think?

Hi Genesis, I believe that modern day evangelizing brings in many false conversions. Many of todays churches preach a feel good gospel. The motive of these false converts are not right.They come in expecting nothing but good things and when trials hit them they turn away.I honestly believe that we have to do more than to just live by example.How would you feel if some of your lost loved ones perished knowing that you never approached them and presented the good news to them. I personally would feel guilty knowing that thier blood would be on my hands. Why are we so concerned how people will react?. It really doesnt matter when you are doing the Lords work. Again the best way to witness to them is to present to them the LAW. Once they realize they have broken Gods law ,they will realize they need a Savior. The law is written in their hearts. Gods spirit will do the work,trust Him.God Bless

 

[gardenswithkids]

SPOKENWORD:

I love my catholic brothers and sisters being a catholic for over 35 years. For the time being I,m not serving in the catholic church, BUT the Lord is in control.I,m being a vessel that He is using,Praise God. Getting back to evangelization. I believe that through the Law ,it,s the best way to evangelize…

I’m glad to read you are open to going where God calls you. I haven’t read all your posts, but I’ve seen enough to believe that you have a great love of the Lord, and I think that’s wonderful. I’d like to see you return to the Catholic faith, but that’s God’s call, not mine.

On your point about the law being the best way to evangelize, I am familiar with that method, and I believe it’s probably effective for reaching some people. Too many people think they are “good people” and fail to recognize they need a savior.

But there are other ways to evangelize. Jesus spoke to many people through parables. Yesterday I reflected on His parable of the sower and your invitation to evangelize as I hand seeded some areas of my yard where the grass was thin. In His parable, Jesus describes someone who sows generously, allowing seeds to fall on rocky ground, weedy areas, etc. As I was spreading the seeds, a couple of my children and their neighbor friend came up and wanted to help me, so I handed them handfuls of the seeds. God also allows His children to help Him spread seeds of faith. I think that’s the basics of evangelism. We just need to go up to Him, hold out our little empty hands, then He will fill them until they overflow and show us where He wants us to spread His seeds.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

gardenswithkids:

On your point about the law being the best way to evangelize, I am familiar with that method, and I believe it’s probably effective for reaching some people. Too many people think they are “good people” and fail to recognize they need a savior. ===============================================================
Hi Garden, That is a fact that many people think they are a good person.Remember Jesus said there is none that is good except His Father in Heaven. Thats the beauty of presenting the Law to anyone . It doesn,t matter who they are. It shows them that they have broken Gods Law and in the need for a Savior. Peoples standard of being good is not how one will be judged before the Lord on judgement day. They will be judged by His Law. That is how God tests our goodness. God Bless

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

There are many ways to evangelize. Please read 1 Corinthians 12. We all have to use the gifts we were given, and they are not the same for every person.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

CarolAnnSFO:

There are many ways to evangelize. Please read 1 Corinthians 12. We all have to use the gifts we were given, and they are not the same for every person.

Hi Carol, I believe that God gave each of one us [christians] His gift of Salvation. Do you not have the desire to share the good news? Do you not want to share this gift with the lost.? Maybe its time to swallow our fears. Are all your loved ones saved? God is looking for vessels that He can use. Here I am Lord,use me. Just think if we only brought one person to Jesus Christ what a difference it would make in this world God Bless

 

[Church_Militant]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi C.M. What courses did Jesus take to bring in the lost? Did Jesus keep the light under the bushell or did He let the light shine on all He spoke to. Jesus said His real Food was to do the will of the Father and that included bringing in the lost. You choose not to witness the way the Lord did. I choose to follow His way. Yes ,Im presenting Jesus to the lost. It,s His command. God Bless

Y’know… you’re gettin’ outta hand with stuff. As usual you are here to tell everyone that yours is the right way. You accuse me of making excuses (when you should know better). I personally don’t think anyone knows just how Our Lord did his “witnessing” and I can’t understand why you insist on posting stuff that you know is gonna stumble Catholics on this site.

Quite frankly I figure that I could witness you under a table in a heartbeat considering that I come form a long history of practice and that when I was off playing prot games, this WAS my thing.

I witness…and then some. I just don’t run my big mouth about it on here and to anyone but the Almighty. I’m not interested in the course ya took, nor do I recommend it to any Catholic since it’s Sola Scriptura based. Conversion is somewhat different among Catholics. We have very effective ways of winning souls, but we aren’t going to do it the way you and the prots do. I’m not gonna debate this with you SW, but I would really appreciate it if you’d ease up off me and my fellow Catholics about something that we need no lessons from people who don’t teach the same truths that we do. Just stay outta our way and watch the Holy Spirit do the soul winning, and our churches grow both in numbers and in faithfulness.
Pax vobiscum,

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi Carol, I believe that God gave each of one us [christians] His gift of Salvation. Do you not have the desire to share the good news? Do you not want to share this gift with the lost.? Maybe its time to swallow our fears. Are all your loved ones saved? God is looking for vessels that He can use. Here I am Lord,use me. Just think if we only brought one person to Jesus Christ what a difference it would make in this world God Bless

I do share my faith – in my own way. Do I stop people on the street? No. I “preach by example”, and I also use the internet. I am a moderator (actually, a super moderator ) on another forum that is not related to religion, but has a section where people discuss religious topics. There are all kinds of people there – Catholics, other Christians (including fundamentalists), and plenty of non-Christians, pagans, and atheists. The list of misconceptions they have would fill a book. I do my best to correct those, and feed them at least some small bits of truth, as they are able to swallow…

As far as fallen-away family members (of which I have very few) – I do what I can, but I tread very gently. You can’t force people to accept the truth, and if you push too hard, you run the risk of driving them away forever. Sometimes, it takes subtlety.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

CarolAnnSFO:

I do share my faith – in my own way. As far as fallen-away family members (of which I have very few) – I do what I can, but I tread very gently. You can’t force people to accept the truth, and if you push too hard, you run the risk of driving them away forever. Sometimes, it takes subtlety.

Hi Carol, I agree everyone has a freewill BUT the truth is do they know why they need a Savior? God Bless

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Church Militant:

Quite frankly I figure that I could witness you under a table in a heartbeat considering that I come form a long history of practice and that when I was off playing prot games, this WAS my thing.===============================================================================
Hi C.M. You need to get rid of your prideful attitude. It would be better for you to retain the good and throw out what you consider the bad.This is not about PLAYING GAMES. The salvation of the lost is not a game. Its the commission Christ called us to obey. Any one who has no desire to witness to the lost is not saved themselves. God Bless