Types of Evangelism

In reference to Dale's post, I thought of this quote:

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
-Mohandas Gandhi

Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Just wait Mr. Gandhi... for as we have borne the image of the earthy, we SHALL also bear the image of the heavenly.

when that happens - we will no longer go here and there to all parts of the world and to all nations (people) to evangelize - saying " please, please - Follow Him."
because the nations themselves will say " Come on, lets go be taught of the Lord."


Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

It seems that the Spirit stirs the souls of His saints to be on mission with Him.

God used prophets and priests in the Old Testament to do His "stirring" work. I believe that the Holy Spirit continues to stir our hearts today to evangelize for Him. I don't wait for the"nations to flow to Him," but eagerly follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit to share His love at every turn.

Jesus left heaven to come to this earth. He didn't wait for us to come to our senses. I believe that Jesus' commission to His followers was to be endued with power from on high so that they might BE His witnesses.

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” - Charles Spurgeon

Listen to what Jude says:
22 "Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

Jesus didn't beg anyone into the Kingdom, but He did go to where the sick sinners were and lived a holy life in front of them. Jesus encouraged us with these words, "You are the salt of the earth..." Salt makes one thirsty. We must go to where the sinners are and allow the salt of Christ to encourage thirst so that they might "flow to Him."

after rereading what i wrote below - i decided to make it clear i am not trying to sound contradictory - just try pretending that Bob Ross the painter on PBS is writing the below.... and here is a happy little writing

I know - your right - my point was - is...

nobody will see Him, until they SEE Him.
I don't want to convert Adam. I don't want to prop up a dead body and prop up their hands in the air and say they are worshipping God.
i don't want them to accept a Jesus that I painted in their mind for them with my words. instead I want them to say yes, because they have SEEN Him.
and if God sends me somewhere - it wont be to get'em to say yes to their mental picture of Jesus - it will be because God is going to give them LIFE anew.
it will be because He arranged it completely - not because I started floppin my chops, scared someone was going to hell because of me not saying something.
God shut my mouth if it isnt You - shut it if it is just me trying... to change someone.. to prop up Adam.

Really - if God sends me somewhere - it will be only to confirm that they already have His life.
because if they are His - it was so from their mother's womb. this is the ministration of the Spirit. which is LIFE.
it is exceeds in glory the ministration of codemnation. which is DEATH.

as far as living a Holy Life in front of "them"... i always wondered about that - only God is Holy.
all they will see is " mister two faced " - that is unless they really SEE because He showed them Christ in us.

kinda like Homer Simpson's neighbor. Homer just never really understands him. He's just some weird guy - that follows these weird " LAWS "
but Homer never sees the LIFE inside. He never sees Christ.
that is because - just because we are doing a list of "does and donts" does not mean they are going to see the life of Christ in us.

the Life is different than doing law - it is BEING.

Jesus did live a Holy Life - in fact He was the LAW - and the majority didn't understand or see - except for the ones that where called to understand and see. these are the ones that were shown His BEING. Who He IS ( not who He was ) and He is LIFE ETERNAL.

He is the Life inside that we must have. He is the born again man. He is the Promised Land. He is our Reward in Heaven. He is the Bread from Heaven.
HE is EVERYTHING.



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Wow, Austin, you have a way with thoughts and words. God has gifted you to think clear through an issue. I learn a lot from you.

One point I would love for you to clarify is your phrase, "as far as living a Holy Life in front of "them"... i always wondered about that - only God is Holy.
all they will see is " mister two faced " - that is unless they really SEE because He showed them Christ in us."

What does the Scriptures mean that say, "Be holy, for I am holy" and "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect"?

I guess that I believe that Christ's righteousness is imputed to us, but it is also imparted to us. I believe in the cleansing work of Christ to truly do a work in me. I am in Christ, and therefore have His holiness. If I am not in Christ, I am a dirt bag, a Hitler, a sin-sick sinner, a filthy rag...

I believe that Christ is my life, my only source of life, but He is generous and not only covers me, but cleanses me, too.

I am not trying to argue, but I guess I read the Scriptures a little bit differently than you do on this point!

I am not only covered by Christ by propitiation, and when someone lifts up the covering and sees me- he sees sin and dirt and shame, but I truly believe that when the cover is lifted, Jesus has cleansed me. He is not just hiding a dirt bag, but continually making me a new creation! As I walk in the light, He cleanses (totally). The sinful nature is crucified (the old Adam). The old Adam is not propped up under the cover- he is crucified and now the life of Christ is seen.

Maybe this is just semantics, but I truly see a difference. The flesh is crucified, not hidden or suppressed. Deciding still remains. Dying daily still remains. Do we serve Christ or satan? Get up and walk in the Spirit...

Again your right bro...

We ARE crucified with Christ - and the Life we now have is Christ's very own resurrected life...
This is one of the great mysteries - the mystery of our godliness. I mean... in Christ i am already perfect and holy - wow!
and when I finally see the Father " face to face " He isn't going to say " Your a sinner, but I am going to overlook it and look at Jesus."
but He is going to say " You have never sinned, you are a new creation... PERFECT. "
this isnt a metaphor - it is Reality.

but what about this morning - when i woke up and yelled at the ol wife for no reason other than selfishness? i mean where is the power of this thing. i am supposed to be living this Holy life and... - I thought Adam was dead, and here he is poking his head out in this circumstance.

its like the maple leaf parade... - your down in front of the Carthage Hardware store, in your lawn-chair. you hear the CHS marching band warming up... and then pretty soon - here they come. they march right in front of you, pass you, and then off they go... as soon as they are down the street a little bit, you no longer see them, but in no time the joplin high school band replaces them and now they are in view... and so on and so on, through the whole parade. one band after another, but you can only see the bands in front of you at that certain point in " TIME "

NOW - you go up on top of the carthage hardware store... up to the roof - 3 stories up. now that is an entirely different parade. now you can see all around the square. all the bands at once come into view. The Start (the 1st band ) - and The Finish ( the last band ) at the same time. instead of only "SEEING" the little section of NOW that was in front of you in your lawnchair - when your up high Everything becomes blended into the big NOW on top of the roof.
this is where you see the completed work - and it is a place just as real as where you were seated before.

and John was told... Come up Hither. Come up Here John!

when we are kicking the cat, slamming the door, ... whatever, we are in our lawn chair in front of the hardware store.
and ONLY GOD can bring us ( our awareness ) up hither - where Christ is seated. you see... we are there already, the only problem is our mind is still trying to live down Here. this is why we need a renewing of the mind, which by the way is not fixing the old mind... but getting a mind anew. the mind of Christ. this is the mind that lives out from the Life of God - directed only by His spirit. thinking only what the Father " Thinks " - from His spot in top of the hardware store. above the below. eternal Life.

our life from God is not eternal as in " time unending " like a parade that last forever.
because it is God's very Life and God is above His creation and time is part of creation, - a created thing.
our LIFE from God is Eternal as in - above time. it is an unchanging quality of Life, not a forever in time life.
the very function of time is to measure change, and God changes not. His Life in us never changes... we have always been - are - and always will be Holy before Him in Christ.
and that pretty much takes the trying out of "Be holy, for I am holy". that command is easy - we are Holy.
but manifesting that life to others - that is the work of God alone - how can we manifest His Holiness through our own will power. How can we bring someone to the roof of the hardware store and let them SEE. we cant. thats impossible. but think God He is the doer of the impossible. He shows them when its TIME.
HE SHOWS THEM. HE is the one that brings them up hither, NOT OUR DOING OF A ACTION. it is not us, or our "holy ACT" that shows them.
we might be acting out from our mind that needs renewed - and if we are doing that, they will see our holy act as a "ACT" - this is mister two faced i spoke of.
if it originated in our "Mind of Adam" that needs made anew - then it is only going to reach there mind that needs anew. and they will SEE Law, and that will condemn them. It has to originate from the Life of God in you - it has to come from the roof of the hardware store.

and then when I said God is the only one holy - its true. its His life in you that is Holy. HIS LIFE. HIS LIFE. HIS LIFE.
He hasnt made your seperate life holy - but He has given you His Life - you have become in union with Him. Living His Life.
isnt it wonderful - Jesus did not die to stop God from blowing us of the face the earth - but Jesus died as us - so that He could Give us HIS Life.
He did not give us His life - like someone jumping infront of a bullet to save someone, not at all.
but He gave us His Life - like letting the bullet hit us, so He could resurrect us with His Life.
we were crucified with Jesus - which means that Jesus became us, and then brought US to the Cross - He killed US.
so that we could be given a NEW LIFE ( God's Life ) in Christ's resurrection.
It was us on the Cross - and it was us on resurrection DAY. what a wonder! what a work He did. but remember, it was God in Jesus doing it.

but like I said - time measures change - and as far as the seat in front of the hardware store is concerned - we are coming out ( of eygpt ), so that we might go into ( a land flowing with milk and honey.) which isnt Heaven up there, but His Life in Here - our Heart.
I heard someone say - time is the womb, from where Christ is birthed in your Manger.

and to the people that have not had Christ " birthed " - this is to whom I refer to when I talk about Adam.

I love your analogy of the hardware store and God seeing all of time at once! Very appropriate to our discussion.

What a cool thought about Christ being birthed in us...

Austin- thanks for the rich dialogue. I truly thank God for your heart. Keep up the great thoughts and insights.

Grace and peace.