what evangelism is NOT
Apologetics is defined as using arguments to defend a christian world view or attack a non-Christian world view, with the intention of winning a better hearing for the Gospel
i read an article in the briefing for this month about the writer's view about apologetics and how he is pro apologetics and how apologetics should takes second place in people telling the gospel...
now... i am not trying to bore ppl by talking and arguing about silly stuff and simple differences in our faith... but... i think this is important for us to think about...
is arguing with non believer... trying to outsmart them... trying to sound better and more knowledgeable... is the way that Jesus taught us to spread the gospel??
even Jesus.. when He was about to be crucified, when people tried to make false accusation about Him (even though all the evidence said that none of them are true)... He NEVER tried to outsmart or argue with those people... all He simply did was.. be silent and answer only when neccessary...
even throughout His life... when He was evangelizing... He wasn't going around telling people that they were wrong and He is right (maybe in a way) but i think what He was doing was straightening misunderstandings.. NOT winning argument or even trying to win a point of view... just plain telling the truth...
to me... i think when we starts to think that we have to argue about God and His love and righteousness.. that is when we began to loose the whole meaning about Him being righteous, loving and good...
and i think, this is where most evangelism loose their meaning, when the believers tried soooooooooo hard to press their point of view on unbelievers to the point of forcing them and choking them with the thing so called "doctrine"... and unbelievers starts to feel the pressure and never in their life actually feels the forgiveness of God, and His grace and mercy and goodness and LOVE .... and in their whole entire life... they are living under the law and never under grace... thinking that they have to do this and that to gain God's favour... whereas in reality... they have already gained it... and its FREE...
it's really2 sad isn't it... that we "believers" are more judging than God Himself... we "believers" thinks that we know MORE than God... and that we hold the future of unbelievers.. that our arguments HAVE to always wins because if we don't they will never believe...
it's sad... it's a very2 sad thing when we began to rely on our own power and understanding when we are doing God's work! and forgetting that God is in it...
we were called to be witnesses not judges!
we were called to love not to judge!
we witness our experience and God's love not our understanding about the doctrine!
i read an article in the briefing for this month about the writer's view about apologetics and how he is pro apologetics and how apologetics should takes second place in people telling the gospel...
now... i am not trying to bore ppl by talking and arguing about silly stuff and simple differences in our faith... but... i think this is important for us to think about...
is arguing with non believer... trying to outsmart them... trying to sound better and more knowledgeable... is the way that Jesus taught us to spread the gospel??
even Jesus.. when He was about to be crucified, when people tried to make false accusation about Him (even though all the evidence said that none of them are true)... He NEVER tried to outsmart or argue with those people... all He simply did was.. be silent and answer only when neccessary...
even throughout His life... when He was evangelizing... He wasn't going around telling people that they were wrong and He is right (maybe in a way) but i think what He was doing was straightening misunderstandings.. NOT winning argument or even trying to win a point of view... just plain telling the truth...
to me... i think when we starts to think that we have to argue about God and His love and righteousness.. that is when we began to loose the whole meaning about Him being righteous, loving and good...
and i think, this is where most evangelism loose their meaning, when the believers tried soooooooooo hard to press their point of view on unbelievers to the point of forcing them and choking them with the thing so called "doctrine"... and unbelievers starts to feel the pressure and never in their life actually feels the forgiveness of God, and His grace and mercy and goodness and LOVE .... and in their whole entire life... they are living under the law and never under grace... thinking that they have to do this and that to gain God's favour... whereas in reality... they have already gained it... and its FREE...
it's really2 sad isn't it... that we "believers" are more judging than God Himself... we "believers" thinks that we know MORE than God... and that we hold the future of unbelievers.. that our arguments HAVE to always wins because if we don't they will never believe...
it's sad... it's a very2 sad thing when we began to rely on our own power and understanding when we are doing God's work! and forgetting that God is in it...
we were called to be witnesses not judges!
we were called to love not to judge!
we witness our experience and God's love not our understanding about the doctrine!
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