Ambushed?
My sister-in-law and her husband just moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Richland Hills, GA (near Savanah). I wish they could have met and attended Adam Feldman's church before they moved. Adam is a former Bama boy who is planting a church in Baltimore. He shared today about being "Gospel Bombed." That's when a Christian tries to evangelize someone by yelling out something like "your going to hell" or "repent" or something else that they will not understand.
My sister-in-law did not grow up in church. My wife was blessed to have friends that got her involved in their church in Scottsboro, AL but Carmen never had that support system. She married a young man from Baltimore a while back who came from a Lutheran background but has since become an "athiest." They visited our church start in Georgia a few years back and he actually enjoyed it. But they couldn't find--or didn't want to find a church like that in the Baltimore suburb they lived in.
Three weeks ago they moved near Savanah, Georgia. Their neighbor brought over some cookies and welcomed them to the neighborhood. Carmen went to work the next evening and 3 people from a local Baptist church came to visit Pete unannounced. They had no relationship with him. They told Pete they got his name from the neighbor who brought over the cookies. Pete felt ambushed!
I know some of you who read this will say they are fulfilling the Great Commission. I disagree. They did more harm than good. Pete thinks all believers but Cassandra and me are wacko's. If the neighbor had taken time to get to know Carmen and Pete--she could have shared with them as a friend. Instead Pete felt like he was a conquest. We have to start examining our methods and our motives to reach the Judges 2:10 Generation!
posted by Kevin Bussey at 4/25/2006 09:10:00 AM
9 Comments:
Your right Scott! It's put another notch on my belt.
I have to come out of my time out to say, "Amen" to this thought.
Kevin,
I certainly hope Carmen and her husband can meet some believers who are more relational in their evangelism.
In high school, I used to video the mens and women's basketball games and I got to spend a lot of time around the cheerleaders waiting for the games to start, of which Carmen was one. (BTW...that was a huge perk, in case you're wondering) Carmen always seemed like a great person but I never really got to know her like I got to know some of the others. She was a bit more on the quiet side, at least to me, and I never got to talk about Christ with her.
I feel for them and for your wife. I know she's praying for her and Pete and no that I will pray for them as well.
Thanks David,
Carmen made a profession years back. She even visited a church plant in the Baltimore area with her children but Pete wouldn't go. This is the reason why.
I applaud their neighbor for reaching out. I just wish she had built a relationship with them. Then she would have earned their trust. Pete just thinks that all Christians are right-wing fanatics. This story breaks my heart. Especially since I was teaching this style of evangelism when I was the Min. of Evangelism.
Hey Kevin,
Yes, I use Friendship Evanglism. I hang out at Starbucks and coffee shops and go to as many civic things I can to meet people. Now, I don't go to "win" them to Christ. I go to become their friend--because I am their friend I tell them about Jesus. I think that is the way Jesus lived.
Fortunately, Friendship/Relational/Servant evangelism is what the seminaries are beginning to teach young wipper snappers like myself in Evangelism classes.
Unfortunately, that means it may be another 20 years before that mindset catches on in some of our older churches.
Jamie,
That's great to hear. I still had to take CWT when I was in Seminary. Personally, still like "Becoming A Contagious Christian." I do like the tract for "THE NET."
I use whatever it takes. I use the FAITH question sometimes. I use the Roman Road, I just share my story with people. Paul said to become all things to all people--I'm trying.
yikes. i'm not sure gospel bombing or gospel ambushing is a wide-spread phenomina. but, because it is so sporadic and seemingly disengaged from relationship (as in what you and i blogged about today) it is very, very unwelcomed and counter-productive.
btw, i may be a "former" bama-boy in the sense that i used to live in bama, but my blood still runs crimson...
Adam,
Once in Crimson you are always Crimson!
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