Bombarding society with the Gospel?
praise_yeshua > 09-29-2016, 05:54 PM
I'm all for the message of the Gospel and I'm not at all against any sincere evangelistic approach to share the Gospel. However.....
Its difficult for me to get behind the modern marketing of the Gospel.
Some observations...
1. Jesus didn't have a tent ministry. Neither did Paul... and he made tents.
2. Jesus nor the apostles felt it necessary to market their ministry with some fancy "marketing slogan". In fact, Paul said this....
1Cor 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
Paul even warned how "enticing words of man's wisdom" could impact the message of the Gospel.
1Cor 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
3. Jesus nor the apostles didn't endless hold area wide evangelist crusades to win people that had already heard the message of the Gospel dozens of time over.
They preached the message of the Gospel and then moved on. Endlessly bombarding society with the Gospel message has never been the method of any leader recorded in the Scriptures. I know "ministers" don't want to hear this, but its true. Sometimes, the message takes time to mature in the hearts of humanity. All you can do is be there when it does. Be consistent and sincere and above all.... don't pretend you're better than being a sorry old rotten sinner yourself. We are all equally guilty.
4. Jesus nor the apostles made it BIG in the eyes of the masses. Yes. They became "household names". Yes, people were genuinely happy with them for a short "season". A very little time. All of them pretty much ended up dead for what they said and how they lived. Paul even ended up running his own little church house and preaching to a handful that wanted to hear what he had to say from time to time. "All of Asia" even abandoned Paul.
I said all that, to say this.....
"Marketing" is getting in the way of the "message". People care more about "Marketing"...... than the message. If the message is right...... the only marketing it needs is for lowly sinners that have found Grace..... to share their wondrous experience with Christ. The message shouldn't change. I know it has changed. Its more important to get the message right..... than it is to try fixing a problem thru "Marketing Hype".
I tell you where Marketing gets you........
Everyone ends up being important except for the One that should be the Only One important.....