Greatest Lesson Learned in Street Preaching?

I know that there are other street preachers who roam these woods so I wanted to ask, "what is the greatest lesson you have learned in street preaching?"

This is a point I made in another forum: The key to getting a crowd on the streets, and have it be an autmosphere of conviction is to talk directly to men specificly about their specific sin.

If I'm in a club/bar area, I'll directly address people walking by. "You guys aren't going to get drunk tonight are you?" Or if women are scantly dressed, "please women put some more cloths on." Speak directly to people specificly about their sin.

Do not preach about sin and sinners in general. Do not merely preach to people but preach at them. As Spurgeon said something along the lines of, "I never find it effective to preach to people. You must preach at them!"

I can't stress this point enough. It's one of the most valuable lessons you can learn. Pay very close attention to your preaching to see if you are talking to men about their sin or if you give the impression that you are talking to men about other men and their sin.

Hit the nail directly on the head. Don't beat around the bush. Don't talk about "there are certain people who" but rather "you people". I often will say, "you people" alot because people know I'm talking directly to them. "You people are out here to get drunk" or "Some of you people are looking to fornicate".

This type of "you" preaching is what you will find in the prophets, the gospels, and the book of Acts. Just do a crosswalk.com search in the New Testament for the word "you" and see how often it is in the preaching of Jesus and in the Apostles. Jesus so emphasised this that he said often, "For I say unto you" so as to not give the impression that he was talking to others. It would be as a street preacher today saying, "Hey you, I'm talking to you".

Talk directly to specific people directly about their specific sin.

Once you start directly talking to people about their specific sin, gospel sparks are going to fly!

When Dealing With Police

When police shut you down for preaching, and attempt to tell you that you are breaking a certain law, make sure you are not arrested.

If you can walk away without being arrested your doing good. As I am talking to police and am inquiring deeper as to what law they say I am breaking and if I can just go stand somewhere else, I intentionally will add an occasional, "I don't want to break any laws" and "I'll deffinately leave if I have to".

I do that because I have learned the more questions you ask, depending on the officer, the more irritated he will get. I've had some cops say, "alright. That's it. I'll just take you to jail." and then change their mind. But this happens if they feel you are challenging them or questioning their authority.

Many officers are poorly trained in free speech issues. Many times they honestly and sincerely believe you are "breaching the preace" or are guilty of "disorderly conduct". So they often have an "I'm doing this guy a favor" attitude. But if they get too irritated or feel you won't listen, they start thinking, "We'll, I won't do this guy any favors. I'll just enforce the law on him."

So as you are asking the officers if you can preach at another location, what law you are breaking, is it because my content is offensive, what will happen if you keep preaching, be sure to add in an occasional, "Well, I'll leave if I have to" to cool them off.

Then, once you have all the information from the police on your recorder, leave and take legal action. Before filing a lawsuit, which could be a long process, you also may just want to go to the police station and talk with the cheif about the situation.

Charles Finney said “bring up the individuals particular sins. Talking in general terms against sin will produce no results. You must make a man feel that you mean him. A minister, who cannot make his hearers feel that he means them, cannot expect to accomplish much. Some people are very careful to avoid mentioning the particular sins of which they know the individual to be guilty, for fear of hurting his feelings. This is wrong. If you know his history, bring up his particular sins. Kindly, but plainly; not to give offense, but to awaken conscience, and give full force to the truth.” This revivalist goes on to say “Preaching should be direct. The gospel should be preached to men, not about them. The Minster must address his hearers. He must preach to them about themselves, and not leave the impression that he is preaching to them about others, He will never do them any good, further than he succeeds in convincing each individual that he is the person in question.”

A great man once told me a story about Duncan Campbell. Duncan had a vision that he was on a ship. The ship landed and he get off and started walking the streets. He saw that the entire town, or at least large amounts of people, were all rushing to an open air meeting. The crowds were so large that he could not even see the preacher. But he could hear the Word of God being preached.

After a while the meeting ended and the people all dispearsed. Duncan then saw who was preaching. On the box preaching was the devil. In anger Duncan rushed up to the devil and said, "What are you doing preaching the Word of God!" to which the devil replied, "Duncan, don't you know that my greatest weapon is preaching the word of God without the anointing of God?"

For those of you who preach, pray and fast for the anointing. For those of you who do not preach, pray and fast for those who do.

I read yesturday about one of Wesleys preachers, and also converts, named John Nelson. When John Nelson heard Wesley preach he said, "I thought his whole discourse was aimed at me."

Daniels, Wesleys biographer, said, "Nelson might well think this. For it was one of Wesley's peculiar characteristics to wind up his discourses and drive home the doctrine thereof with [b]the most pointed and personal exhortations.[/b] As such times he spoke as if he were addressing himself to an individual, so that everyone whoses condition he might describe felt as if he were singled out from all the rest, and the preachers words, like the eys of a portrait, seemed to look at every beholder.

"Who art [i]thou[/i], he cried, "that now feelest both thine inward and outward ungodliness? [i]Thou[/i] art the man! I want [i]thee[/i] for my Lord; I challenge [i]thee[/i] for a child of God by faith; the Lord hath need of [i]thee[/i]. [i]Thou[/i] who feelest that [i]thou[/i] art just fit for hell, art just fit to advance His glory - the glory of His free grace.

Look unto Jesus! There is the Lamb of God who taketh away [i]thy[/i] sins! Plead [i]thou[/i] no works, no righteousness of [i]thine[/i] own; that were in very deed to deny the Lord that bought [i]thee[/i]. No. Plead [i]thou[/i] singly the blood of the covenant, the ransom paid for [i]thy[/i] proud, stubborn, sinful soul."