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#26758 Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:45 PM
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Just a few quick questions:

Does anyone know much about Ray Comfort? Is he sound? He has 2 websites - Living Waters and Way Of The Master.

But anyway, Ray Comfort does open air preaching. You can see a clip of him doing some open air preaching here. If you can't access that, go here, scroll to the bottom and download "Two Crazy Guys".

My second question is: do you think there should be more open air preaching today? Has anyone here done it?

On the other hand, it seems as though one little white haired man has been furthering God's Kingdom by leaps and bounds by doing far less than open air preaching. You can hear about him here

Sincerely in Him,
Dave


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Hi Dave,

Could you explain what open air preaching is? Is it just preaching outside in front of everyone? Is it akin to street corner preaching? My internet connection is so slow that I can't download any of those video files.

Thanks,
John

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I will not comment on Mr Comfort's theology but I did enjoy watching the video. Thank you for posting the link. I know of a few preachers who preached on the streets some still do and some have gotten too BIG (lol). When I lived in IL a group of us would go into Chicago and preach on Friday nights. There it's possible for one person to give out a hundred tracts an evening. Then when I moved back to New York (upstate) we would preach on a street corner on Saturdays with little or no audience. Street preaching is a great ministry and is quite God glorifying when done properly. It's also good for Christian growth and is generally a healthy thing all the way around. I am also glad to live in a country where it is still legal. I would rather be a fool for Christ on the street than to knock on doors which I find extremely difficult and somewhat intrusive.




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I have recently started reading “The Way of the Master” By Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. Ray Comfort seems to be biblically sound and grounded in the word (at least so far).
He talks against preaching a shallow “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” message.

“Instead of preaching the good news that sinners can be made righteous in Christ and escape the wrath to come, we have settled for a “gospel” that implies that God’s primary purpose in saving us is to unfold a “wonderful plan” for our lives: to solve our problems, make us happy in Christ, and rescue us from the hassles of this life. Make sure you understand the difference”.
One of his main points perhaps even the principal point of his book is the Principle of using the Law to reach the lost.
(Mark 10:17-21, Proverbs 6:23 The commandment is a lamp and the law a light. Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Or clearly in Romans Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law.)
I think this is a vital point that we should agree on in terms of “methodology” in reaching the lost. However way we do it – we must use God’s word and we must also use his law. How are the unsaved to know that they are sinners if they don't truly know what sin is?: For sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)
Ray Comfort quotes Spurgeon in support of this principle: (in speaking of preparing the soil of the heart with the plow of the law) “One other reason why this soil was so uncongenial was that it was totally unprepared for seed. There had been no plowing before the seed was sown and no harrowing afterwards. He that sows without a plow may reap without a sickle. He who preaches the gospel without preaching the Law may hold all the results in his hand, and there will be little for him to hold.”

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Tracey,

The book sounds pretty good, at least from the quote you provided. Thanks for sharing that. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bigglasses.gif" alt="" />


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David,

Thanks for sharing the video. I pray that we would all be so forthcoming in sharing the Good News. May God grant us the opportunity and may we be faithful.


tj
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Hi John,

I'm not 100% sure about what open air preaching is. It seems as though it is any type of preching to random people of the public. In that video, Ray Comfort preaches to a que of people outside a courthouse.

Spurgeon spoke extensively about it. I havn't read it all. Perhaps the definition is found somewhere in there.

Yours in Him,
Dave


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Thanks,

I guess it's pretty much what it sounds like. I've been traveling the least few weeks, but when I get back home to my blazing fast internet connection, I'll take a look at the videos. My curiosity is piqued.

John

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His statement of beliefs are vague. Seems like he does not want to take a stand on some issues.

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Could you perhaps elaborate a little?


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Hi Pilgrim (and hopefully Marie) I am glad you are least willing to listen now. I remember suggesting his tracts to Marie, and you both "gagged" and jumped all over me about Ray Comfort. Even after I tried to explain about him. His ministry is a good one, and he has a passion like I've never seen for witnessing.

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On Ray Comfort's web site "The Way of the Master"
there are favorable comments from Christan Leaders.

John MacArthur
David Jeremiah
Ravi Zacharias

MacArthur said:
"Thanks to Kirk and Ray for seeking to
motivate believers to fulfill the Great
Commission, and for staying true to the
biblical message of repentance from sin and
forgiveness in Christ."


On a sad note several people could name more beers than the 10 Commandments.

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Comfort has some really good things to say about the gospel and how insufficient the contemporary presentation of it usually is. However, from my limited exposure to him I can think of a couple of trouble spots:

1) I have one of his messages to unbelievers on tape called "The Evidence." In it he says that he can't prove Christianity to anyone, but only present them with evidences (he somehow distinguishes between evidence and proof; I forget how) and then leave it up to them to evaluate the evidence and decide for themselves whether is is reasonable, compelling and true, or not. He then goes on to provide a series of typical evidentialist material, wrapped up with a gospel presentation.

2) Comfort, in explaining his methodology, says that the reason that only 7% of people who "get saved" actually "stay saved" is because they don't realize the seriousness of the gospel, because it's been reduced to a self-help message, and therefore they have no trouble casting it away at their convenience if it doesn't work.

He says that if we really preached the gospel, explaining the law and God's judgement, this paltry "success rate" wouldn't be the case, because out of helathy fear of judgement people would cling to the cross and stay there.

While these statements may be partially true, I recall no acknowlegement on his part that the 93% fall away because they were never really saved in the first place, or that if someone hears the true gospel, believes, and does not fall away it is not because they are somehow choosing to stay (however noble their reasons) but because they have truly been saved and salvation, by definition, will be worked to completion.


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In response to these concerns, I know that he believes in once saved always saved. He says a lot that there is no salvation without repentance (it's in Hebrews somewhere.) He uses the parable of the sower a lot to explain that those that did not take root, or the word was stolen away etc, were never saved to begin with. He says that the last seed, the one sown on good ground, that took root etc was the one who was truly saved. That the ground was good and fertile because it was plowed up by the law.

As to the first concern, I have never heard that one, so I can only say that he has an "open challenge" out there. He offers some amount of cash if someone can prove (usually this is done in a university) that evolution is true. No one ever has, and then he will give the gospel presentation in those forums. I am not sure this is what you were wondering about though.

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You have a good concern, but I think that Mr. Comfort’s omission to “acknowledge on his part that the 93% fall away because they were never really saved in the first place” was not because of a doctrinal error, but just a different focus. In his book written with Kirk Cameron, “The Way of the Master” he does call them false converts. His main point though is against a diluted message of salvation, which does not mention the law (the “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” stuff). In his book he quotes A.W.Tozer who wrote: “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.” I think he also touches on the second part of your concern- about why they “choose to stay”: he points out as the reason to why so many who professed to make a decision fall away- “In light of the fact that “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Jud 1:24”, either He wasn’t able to keep them, or His hand wasn’t in their profession of faith in the first place.”

And now on to a tangent on apologetics and "proof vs evidence": The two main branches as I understand it are evidentialism and Presuppositionalism. I believe they can both be excellent tools for sharing the gospel, but that they should still be used as minor tools alongside the Great tool of Gods word and His Law. Note what Paul says:
1Co 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.
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified…

The Jews require a sign…evidence …Greeks seek after wisdom… the presuppositional method- Interesting.
Spurgeon warns: Another very great obstacle to soul-winning is unbelief. …These people are very hard to influence; but I would warn you not to fight them with their own weapons. I do not believe that infidels ever are won by argument; or, if so, it very seldom happens. The argument that convinces men of the reality of religion, is that which they gather from the holiness and earnestness of those who profess to be Christ's followers. As a rule, they barricade their minds against the assaults of reason…

I had a friend at school who kept asking me to “prove Christianity” – but when pressed as I told him that I could give him “evidences” – he replied that he really did not want to believe. So much for his claim to be seeking the truth. (He is a philosophy major) and he had barricaded his mind against the assaults of reason.
i.e it is the Holy Spirit that works in someones heart to bring them to a saving knowledge; trying to "convince someone" often doesn't work even when we tell them that we have "evidence that demands a verdict."
Let us then, by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

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