Violating People Spiritually - Part 2
Preaching Judgment
“For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; but [to the one who has shown mercy] mercy triumphs [victoriously] over judgment.”—James 2:13 (AMP)
For about seven years, I traveled to Salem, Massachusetts, over the Halloween weekend to help with outreach efforts. Our base of operations was an old, converted bank building on Essex Street where Phil Wyman pastored The Gathering, which was a church where everyone seemed to be welcomed with open arms, listening ears, and shoulders to cry on.
A sign outside read, “A Christian Church which is short on rules and long on relationships.”
One night, as we were wrapping up a busy day of outreach activities, a street preacher with a megaphone set up his soap box on the sidewalk directly outside of the doors of the Gathering. His voice boomed over the loudspeaker as he declared judgment and condemnation over any sinners within earshot. Street preachers are common in Salem, but I had never seen any of them set up their mobile pulpit on the sidewalk in front of the church building.
He went on for several minutes, spewing judgment and condemnation from his megaphone.
Suddenly, the doors of the Gathering burst open and a very large man bounded into the building and demanded in an angry voice, “Phil! Is that guy with you?”
Pastor Phil Wyman calmly responded, “Of course not.”
The man confronting Phil was very big and very angry. I was really concerned that he was about to punch someone. He was not at all pleased with the preacher on the sidewalk.
I’m not sure what response this street preacher was hoping to see in his audience, but provoking people into fits of rage didn’t seem to be drawing them any closer to Jesus. In fact, it seemed to be hardening their hearts against Jesus even more intensely, and pushing them away from the Savior.
Salem seems to have more than its share of street preachers. It has always seemed odd to me, because they never want to pitch in and help with effective outreach efforts that are already established in the city. They never even acknowledge us. They just seem to want to stand on their soap boxes and hurl condemnation from a distance. And their condemnation is often indiscriminate. Believers may be just as likely to be the target of the wrath of these preachers as unbelievers.
From what I have heard, most of what street preachers preach is generally true according to the letter of the law in Scripture, however, we are not to be ministers of the law of judgment and condemnation, because that would make us ministers of death. We are to be ministers of the New Covenant. We are commanded to share the love of God with our neighbors, by the Spirit of God, as ministers of life.
“He has qualified us [making us sufficient] as ministers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not of the letter [of a written code] but of the Spirit; for the letter [of the Law] kills [by revealing sin and demanding obedience], but the Spirit gives life.”—2 Corinthians 3:6 (AMP)
When you look at the reactions people have to street preachers, you can see that most people seem to have no interest in being violated and forced to accept our beliefs, our lifestyle, or our will imposed upon them:
**Video: **Young Girl Shouts at Street Preacher
I’ve noticed that a lot of the comments posted with this particular video criticize the girl for her behavior, as if to say, “How dare that little sinner act like a sinner!”
But how should we expect a sinner to act? It seems to me that she is only acting naturally for someone who was born with a sin nature.
Instead, should it tell us something that the only person that is being drawn to this street preacher is trying to get him to shut up?
In contrast, during the time of Jesus’ ministry, people were drawn to Him by the thousands. People chased Him and crowded around Him everywhere He went. There were times when the multitudes pressed so close to Jesus, even when He tried to escape into a house for a little relief, that his disciples could not even grab a bite to eat. (See Mark 3:20.) There were several times when Jesus had to focus his efforts on dispersing the crowds of people away from Him because He had other places to go and things to do. You have to wonder, if Jesus had not sent them away occasionally, how big could the crowds have become eventually?
If people rushed to be with Jesus and crowded around Him everywhere He went, and yet they avoid our churches and our ministries like the plague, crossing over on the other side of the street to avoid us, maybe we should seriously re-evaluate our ministry approaches.
I believe that when we are truly doing the works of Jesus, and following His model for ministry, we will experience similar results. I have experienced moments of this in my own ministry, and I have seen it, at times, in the ministries of many others.
Crossing Over to the Dark Side of Ministry
If our outreach ministry is not modeled after the example of Jesus, often there is a very real danger of our ministry to non-believers degenerating into confrontation, argument, and debate. This can be really destructive, taking ministry out of the spirit realm, bringing it down to the realm of soulish debate and arguments, and opening up our ministry to the influence of devils.
Debate and argument pull ministry down into the soul realm so that we are no longer communicating spirit to spirit, but rather mind to mind. This is one of the main reasons that we must avoid ministry approaches based in confrontation. The soul realm is where Satan and his demons conduct their activity.
Pulling ministry down into the soul realm can actually position us to be in agreement with the work of devils as our ministry brings offense and hurt to people, driving them further away from Jesus.
Many Christians believe that getting into debates with people outside of the church is a healthy way to prove to them that they are wrong and to prove that the Bible is true, but God assures us that debate, strife, and contention are evil. In the list of evil works in Romans 1:29, debate is listed as a characteristic of someone with a depraved and reprobate mind, just after murder.
In Galatians 5:20, debate is listed again among the evil works of the flesh. Depending on your translation, another word may be used, but it the same word that is used for “debate” in the original language:
“Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”—Galatians 5:19-21 (ISV)
When you watch the reactions in the audiences of some ministers who insist on lowering their ministry to the level of soulish debates, you can sometimes see the exact moments when hurt and offense is inflicted on listeners by these ministers. You can see it in their body language in many examples:
**Video: **Wretched: Muslim woman calls Christian stupid.
**Video: **Upset Christian woman CONFRONTS open-air preacher.
**Video: **This Woman Is Mad At Christians | WRETCHED
When the fruit of our ministry is hurt, wounding, trauma, offense, and condemnation which results in people being driven further away from Jesus, we have crossed over into the dark side of ministry. At that point, we are working in agreement with devils to bring harm to the victims of our ministry.
It seems remarkable to me that these kinds of preachers of judgment and condemnation actually seem proud of what they are doing, as if their ministries of offense and wounding are actually pleasing to the Lord.
“that person is conceited. They don’t understand anything but have a sick obsession with debates and arguments. This creates jealousy, conflict, verbal abuse, and evil suspicions.”—1 Timothy 6:4 (CEB)
We are exhorted not to partner in ministry with anyone who uses a confrontational, argumentative approach which just serves to stir up strife and offense, rather than ministering grace and love to the hearers.
“Stay away from those who have foolish arguments, who talk about useless family histories, who make trouble and fight about what the law of Moses teaches. Those things are worth nothing and will not help anyone.”—Titus 3:9 (ICB)
In contrast to these ministers who confront with argument, judgment, and condemnation, people in Jesus’ day marveled at the graciousness and kindness of His words to them.
“Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips.”—Luke 4:22 (CEB)
“Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God’s **kindness **that is leading you to repent?”—Romans 2:4 (ISV)
Paul exhorted us firmly to avoid debates and arguments, which leave people without resolution or solutions to their problems.
“Do not have anything to do with foolish and stupid discussions, because you know they breed arguments.”—2 Timothy 2:23 (ISV)
“These things only lead to fights about ideas. They don’t help God’s work move forward. His work is done by faith.”—1 Timothy 1:4 (NIRV)
When Paul heard that there were contentions, arguments, and conflicts in the churches, he addressed them as carnal works of the flesh that needed to be corrected.
“My brothers and sisters, I have been told you are arguing with one another. Some people from Chloe’s house have told me this.”—1 Corinthians 1:11 (NIRV)
“We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous.”—Romans 13:13 (ERV)
“For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not to be as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder”—2 Corinthians 12:20 (AMP)
“You are still not spiritual. You have jealousy and arguing among you. **This shows that you are not spiritual. **You are acting like people of the world.”—1 Corinthians 3:3 (ICB)
And that is the real problem with basing our ministry in confrontational approaches. It pulls our ministry down into the soul realm, where the works of the flesh reign, making our ministry vulnerable to the influence of evil spirits.
One of the main reasons that we mistakenly think that we can argue people into the kingdom is because we forget that salvation is an issue of the spirit, not the soul. Salvation is not a decision made in the mind. Salvation involves a real process of life and growth. It is a new birth in which you become a new creature. Old things are passed away. All things are become new through faith.
That doesn’t happen through simple mental agreement. It happens when the seed of the word of God is welcomed into someone’s heart, takes root, and new life is birthed.
Losing Sight of Our Goal
When we use confrontational approaches, it shows that we have lost sight of the goal that Jesus commanded us to pursue.
Jesus never commanded us to make converts or to change our neighbor’s behavior.
Jesus didn’t command us to change our neighbor. He commanded us to love our neighbor and to make disciples, not converts.
Proverbs 14:1, for example, points out the disastrous effects of trying to manipulate family members to conform to the image of what we want them to be.
“The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], But the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].”—Proverbs 14:1 (AMP)
Peter’s advice to wives who were trying to win their husbands to Jesus was basically to *stop *talking to them about Jesus; *stop *nagging them to read the Bible and go to church; *stop *trying to change them. Just live a godly Christian life; demonstrating a wonderful Christian example with a meek and quiet spirit. (See 1 Peter 3.)
When we only focus on getting people to say a sinner’s prayer, make a confession of faith, and start attending church, that may change them outwardly, but the heart may remain untouched, and the spirit may not be transformed.
When we love people and focus on discipleship, people are changed from the inside out with lasting, permanent transformation of the heart.
