Website Evangelism
Casting the Gospel Net over the Internet
Hell's Best Kept Secret
After you watch this, it will no longer be a secret. You will then be able to go and tell others. We hope you do.
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Joseph
11:30 AM on September 28, 2010
Yes, I would agree with you there...that accepting Christ is a decision of "the heart". It is been my experience talking with people online via chatrooms, facebook, message boards, etc that many of them do not adhere to the Bible's authenticity. Some people think more on a "logical" rather than "emotional" level, and want something proven to them. That is why that I always try to share the gospel in the manner mentioned in the video, but use the supplementary information as to why I believe the Bible is the Word of God. The primary focus does have to be letting people know we are all sinners in need of God's grace, but to some folks, unless they see the "proof" they will not believe. A good example of this is Lee Strobel, a former atheist who wrote for one of the major newspapers. He was going to write an article proving that God does not exist, but after doing his research, He wound up proving instead that God does exist`. He is now a Christian. Even though ultimately it was a "heart" decision by him to accept Christ, there was some type of logical validation in the process. I really believe that is why God puts so much information about prophecy in His Word. Obviously, it is to primarily warn us of impending judgment, but it also demonstrates the perfect accuracy of the Bible. Many settlements mentioned in the Bible, too, that no longer exist are continually being found by scientists...once again proving the Bible's authentiicty as the inerrant Word of God. I always wondered why God put those names of those towns in the Bible, as many times it didn't seem necessary to have that information. I believe that is why those places are listed because, in his foreknowledge, He knew they would disappear and be discovered later.
Hi Joseph, thanks for taking the time to write at depth re: your thoughts on this video. Your comments about relating to people in a personal way and the Facebook example ring true in my understading of the gospel and (not enough) in my own experience.
The reason why the Bible's validity is not addressed in Hell's Best Kept Secret is because this is not it's focus. You will however see the two presenters doing this in street witnessing videos on www.wayofthemaster.com
The Good Person Test focuses on speaking to the conscience with the knowledge that "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul" (forget the Psalm reference at the time of writing). It intentionally does not try to speak to the intellect (while not ignoring that we have one) as this can easily lead to trying to prove something and a Christian apologetic (which has it's place).
We naturally want to answer people's objections and defend the gospel as Jude 3 and other places calle us to (eg. 1 Peter 3:15). However, many people do not know how to keep a clear focus on presenting the need for a Saviour before presenting the Saviour. The Good Person Test does this.
When Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler, he dis not speak to his intellect but reminded him of God's laws and in the end sent the young man away sad! However, that man would have had a lot of internal dialogue going on from that moment and in particular, a struggling with the Spirit of God who is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.
So, yeah, look for opportunities to bring the Christian apologetic but remember that the gospel essentially speaks to the conscience through the law to convert the soul. Hope that makes sense. I'm still learning this too so please excuse anything that doesn't come through clearly. Blessings, Geoff
The reason why the Bible's validity is not addressed in Hell's Best Kept Secret is because this is not it's focus. You will however see the two presenters doing this in street witnessing videos on www.wayofthemaster.com
The Good Person Test focuses on speaking to the conscience with the knowledge that "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul" (forget the Psalm reference at the time of writing). It intentionally does not try to speak to the intellect (while not ignoring that we have one) as this can easily lead to trying to prove something and a Christian apologetic (which has it's place).
We naturally want to answer people's objections and defend the gospel as Jude 3 and other places calle us to (eg. 1 Peter 3:15). However, many people do not know how to keep a clear focus on presenting the need for a Saviour before presenting the Saviour. The Good Person Test does this.
When Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler, he dis not speak to his intellect but reminded him of God's laws and in the end sent the young man away sad! However, that man would have had a lot of internal dialogue going on from that moment and in particular, a struggling with the Spirit of God who is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.
So, yeah, look for opportunities to bring the Christian apologetic but remember that the gospel essentially speaks to the conscience through the law to convert the soul. Hope that makes sense. I'm still learning this too so please excuse anything that doesn't come through clearly. Blessings, Geoff
Reply
Joseph
1:13 AM on September 27, 2010
Fascinating video. It makes a LOT of sense, as to why sometimes one tries to share the gospel, and it just seems to "roll off of people's backs" and falls on deaf ears. Two things I might add regarding this approach: One, as Jesus did...we should love those people to whom we are witinessing. Sometimes even given this approach shows above, people are just not ready to accept the gospel on the first try. In the interim, if you have contact with that person, always try to show love to them. Jesus always shared the gospel with sinners, but would actively involve Himself in their lives (eating with them, talking with them, etc). I met someone recently online who has a mutual interest that I have...found him in a yahoo group. Later found him sort of "by accident" (I call it "divine intervention") on Facebook and added him to my friend's list. I usually post scriptures and try to share the gospel on Facebook and he found one of my posts sharing the gospel, and he and I had a good discussion on all of it. Even though the gospel has been presented to him (via that post and by me privately to him), he is just not ready for it yet. In the meantime, I can still talk with him about other "non-religious" topics and show him the agape love that God puts in us as Christians to share with others. If God opens that "window" again, I can share the gospel with him when the Sprit is ready to speak regarding his salvation.
The other thought I have regarding this method...something I don't recall being addressed, is proving the Bible's validity. The approach shown in this video is good but it's all under the assumption that the person hearing the gospel believes at least *part* of the Bible is true. Unfortunately, this is Satan's way of "short-circuiting" the gospel, as there are many people out there who do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and anything you share with them regarding the above method will not "congeal" in their minds if they are under the false belief that the Bible is not true. I have always tried to share the gospel in a similar manner as above, but have tried to implement information to demonstrate that the Bible is indeed factual, is God's word, and is trustworthy. Obviously, you cannot just share the gospel by validating the Bible's authenticity, but sometimes it has to be used in conjunction with sharing the gospel in the light of God's punishment for sin and His redeeming grace.
The other thought I have regarding this method...something I don't recall being addressed, is proving the Bible's validity. The approach shown in this video is good but it's all under the assumption that the person hearing the gospel believes at least *part* of the Bible is true. Unfortunately, this is Satan's way of "short-circuiting" the gospel, as there are many people out there who do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and anything you share with them regarding the above method will not "congeal" in their minds if they are under the false belief that the Bible is not true. I have always tried to share the gospel in a similar manner as above, but have tried to implement information to demonstrate that the Bible is indeed factual, is God's word, and is trustworthy. Obviously, you cannot just share the gospel by validating the Bible's authenticity, but sometimes it has to be used in conjunction with sharing the gospel in the light of God's punishment for sin and His redeeming grace.
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