Evangelism Options

[yummy_delight]

A good friend of mine and I recently got into a heated debate about evangelism. We're both Christians, but we have very different ideas about evangelism. When my friend started getting really involved in church a few years ago, he also became a rampant evangelist. He believes that by bringing more people into the church he is not only saving them from eternal damnation, but also doing his duty as a Christian. He has often quoted Charles Spurgeon, saying "Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter," essentially stating that you can't truly be Christian without evangelizing non believers.

I, however, don't like the idea of evangelism at all. Although I'm a devout Catholic, I dislike the idea of evangelism because I don't believe that anybody, myself included, has the right to force his or her beliefs on someone else. I think that everybody has a right to be whatever the religion they choose. Perhaps it's because I have a different idea about God than other people. I don't think that God sends honestly good people to Hell just because they don't believe in him. There are such things as Christian people who are hypocritical, paying lip service to God at church on Sundays, and still go about causing harm to other people. In my opinion, these people are less deserving of heaven than the good-hearted people whose only "fault" is that they don't believe in God. I think that my duty as a Christian is to be a good person and have a positive impact on the world, which doesn't necessarily mean that I HAVE to be an evangelist.

I'd just like to know what everyone else's opinion is on this, not merely from a Christian standpoint, but from another religion's or atheist's perspective as well. Do you approve of evangelism? Are you an evangelist? Do you think that evangelism is a necessary requirement for all good Christians?

[sdingfelder]

Is there anyone listed here that would have to stop and think about what they should do if they were driving down the streets of a neighborhood late at night and saw a house on fire ?? Seeing that no firetrucks nor firefighters were present, would you be content to simply drive past knowing that there might be people inside ??

Is there anyone listed here that would have to stop and think about what they should do if they were walking by a public pool and saw a child drowning ?? Would you simply walk on by and figure someone else will have the time to help ? Would you run to the edge of the pool simply to stand and stare ? Or, would you disregard that the water might be cold -- that your new outfit might get wet -- that you've never saved someone's life before ?

If you have a beating heart, I think you'd run to that house and bang on the door to make sure that if there is someone there, you'd wake them up and get them out to safety. I also think that you'd jump in and save the drowning child no matter the cost.

How, then, can anyone here be upset with someone who wants to have a conversation with you about eternal things knowing that they talk with you out of a genuine concern (of course, giving them the benefit of the doubt) that you are like a person in a burning house or like a person who's drowning ?

Truly, we all stand on the brink of death every day. Not a single person can guarantee that they have tomorrow. The latest polls verify the ultimate statistic: 10 out of 10 people die.

If you believe in Heaven and Hell, please consider where your eternal destiny would be ? Are you 100% sure of where you'd go ? How can you know where you'd go ??

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gave the 10 Commandments as His moral compass to know whether we'd go "North" or "South" after we take our last breath. Have you ever told a lie ? Have your ever taken something that didn't belong to you -- no matter the value ? Have you ever used the Lord's Name in vain ? Have you ever committed adultery ?

If you're looking at yourself and thinking, "I'm a good person and God will understand since He's so loving," be very careful. What you've done is made two very critical mistakes: (1) You're looking at yourself based on self-righteousness and NOT God's righteousness, and (2) You've broken another of the Commandments by creating a God in your own mind that is okay with the sins you've already committed.

If you've told a lie, you are a liar. If you've taken something that doesn't belong to you, you're a thief. If you've used His Name in vain, you're a blasphemer. As for adultery, consider the fact that throughout the Bible, we see that God knows our thoughts and judges our hearts and intentions. Jesus said that if you LOOK upon someone to lust after them, you've committed adultery with them in your heart already !!

I'm just as guilty as anyone of breaking the 5 Commandments mentioned so far. And just like everyone else, if God were to judge me based on His 10 Commandments, I'd be found guilty and would be well-deserving of a "Guilty" sentence and subsequent punishment of Hell. In the privacy of your own mind, if you honestly admit to your guilt to the above Laws you'll know that justice must take place.

Asking a civil court judge to forgive you of the crimes you've admitted to will not change his sentence of "Guilty" -- nor the punishment. Telling the court judge that you haven't done it in years won't change anything. Even telling the court judge that you just got finished washing his car wouldn't change anything. If he's a good judge, he's bound by the law to sentence you based on that law. God is only different in that He's a perfect, holy, and righteous judge.

This is not about joining a church. This is not about giving a church your money. This is about seriously considering your current position with regards to the God who will judge you once you take your step into eternity. It's an important thing to consider. You'll be dead a LOT longer than you were ever alive.

So, if you'd at all like to know what God did so that the fine associated with your "Guilty" sentence could be paid, just reply to this post.