Banners & Shock and Awe Evangelism

[b]SHOCK and AWE Preaching[/b]
[b]&[/b]
[b]BANNER EVANGELISM[/b]

1.Shock and Awe Preaching defined, explained, and biblically supported.
2.Banners, their usefulness and common objections answered.

[b]1. SHOCK & AWE Preaching[/b]

[b]Shock & Awe Preaching Defined:[/b] The bold and unashamed proclamation of controversial biblical truths that have been deemed by the world as unacceptable and offensive, given without apology or compromise, designed to capture attention, startle, and awaken the lost.

[b]Spiritual Shock Treatment[/b] is a forgotten form of biblical preaching, but if it is revived and regained we might wake up the sleeping world and startle hell itself, forcefully advancing the Kingdom of God.

[b]Charles Haddon Spurgeon on Shock and Awe[/b]
Excerpt from: THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL VOLUME 2
ROUGH WORDS FOR GREAT EVILS

“We fear that our two pictures of last month greatly [b]shocked[/b] a few of our good reader’s whose souls are tender towards the established Church of our day; but we do not in any degree apologize to them because the [b]shock[/b], like that of a cold bath early in the morning, will do them good, and strengthen their constitutions. We can assure them that they cannot be one-half’ so much [b]shocked[/b] by our ridicule of error as we are by the error itself’. We do not make the evil, we only expose it; and if we use words and symbols which strike and stick, and’ even offend, [i]we believe that they are necessary, and ought to be used far more frequently.[/i] We are not going to handle the abominations of the present American establishment with kid gloves; and if we judge sarcasm and ridicule to be deserved, we shall give the Lord’s enemies their full quota of scorn.”

The superior wisdom of [b]Shock and Awe[/b] statements and one-liners is that they are not easily ignored nor easily forgotten. They are short and sharp and therefore easy to remember. My own experience is proof of this, as I did not have to go flipping through my bible to find all these quotes of Jesus because they were already easily memorized.

[u][b]Shock and Awe Statements and One-liners of Jesus Christ: [/b][/u]

These are only a few. I would almost have to transcribe the entire ministry of Jesus to list them all. Some of us may have gotten so use to these statements and one-liners that they have lost their shocking effect. But for those hearing these for the first time, especially in the days of Jesus, they were undeniably shock and awe.

Mt 4:17 - "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Mt 10:34 - "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."

John 3:3 - "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"

Lu 14:26 - "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

Joh 6:53 - "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. "

Lu 12:51 - "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:"

Lu 13:32 - "And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox"

Mt 6:24 - "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Lu 11:44 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."

Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Lu 13:3 - "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"

Mt 12:35 - "an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

Lu 14:27 - "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

Mt 5:44 - "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"

Lu 14:33 - "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

Mt 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Lu 16:17 - "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."

Mt 19:21 - "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

Lu 9:60 - "Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead"

Mt 5:4 - "Blessed are they that mourn"

Mr 10:25 - "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Mt 6:19 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal"

Mt 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek"

Joh 14:6 - "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Mt 5:6 - "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness"

Mr 8:15 - "And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod"

John 3:18 - "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already"

Lu 18:17 - "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."

Mt 5:10 - "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake"

Mt 18:4 - "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Mt 5:11 - "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

Mt 12:34 - "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

Mt 23:33 - "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the d**nation of hell?"

Joh 8:44 - "Ye are of your father the devil"

Mt 23:19 - "Ye fools and blind"

Mt 23:24 - "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."

Mt 23:15 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves"

Mt 23:27 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. "

Mt 10:15 - "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city"

Mt 22:13 - "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Mt 24:51 - "And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Mt 25:30 - "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Mr 9:44 - "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mr 9:46 - "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mr 9:48 - "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mt 12:39 - "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign"

Lu 11:29 - "And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation"

[b]2. BANNER & SIGN EVANGELISM[/b]
A defense of using banners in open air preaching

Out of fear of being “too radical” I believe that we as Christians have not been radical enough. For fear of “going too far” many of us have not gone far enough!

Recently, Open Air Outreach has had a specialized banner made for open air preaching.

The front side reads:

[color=Red][b]TURN[/b][/color]
To
[color=Blue][b]JESUS[/b][/color]
And
[color=Red][b]LIVE[/b][/color]

And the backside reads:

[color=Red][b]REPENT[/b][/color]
And
[color=Red][b]BELIEVE[/b][/color]
On
[color=Blue][b]JESUS[/b][/color]

The reason we have done this is because we know that there are some people who will not take a gospel tract, will not stop and listen to an open air sermon, but will read a banner or sign to see what it says. There are some people who would otherwise gone almost entirely un-reached if it were not for signs & banners. Though these signs and banners may seem foolish and stupid to some, there is no denying that they get the job done – which is getting the Word out, making it available.

A banner that simply reads, “Fear God” may awaken a careless sinner out of his carnal security, and a simple sign that says, “Trust Jesus” may deeply impact a person who is lost and looking for help and hope.

When open air preaching is not available, but only tracts and one2one is (which reaches individuals), but you want to reach the multitudes with the message of God, signs and banners will do the job.

Signs and banners are also helpful in street meetings, not only because they get the word out, but also because they bring more attention to the street meeting, so an open air meeting that otherwise would have gone unnoticed by many, can now be a blessing to more.

I know that there are some sincere Christians, genuine ministries, and serious open air preachers who are not in favor with the usage of signs and banners. Often the word “offensive” is brought up in an argument against the usage of them. This is possibly the most common objection.

Suppose McDonalds had a banner made to display outside of their store (though they already have a sign which says McDonalds) which said, “FREE BURGERS ALL DAY ONLY AT MCDONALDS!” No offense would be taken by anyone, but rather much rejoicing would be going on all around. But suppose a Pastor had a banner made for outside his Church which said, “ETERNAL LIFE FREELY GIVEN ONLY IN JESUS CHRIST” certainly elders or church members might seek to counsel the pastor on a more effective way to reach people.

The excuse that, “it’s not the message as much as it’s the method that’s offensive and turns people off.” But as the McDonalds illustration showed, it’s really not the method at all but is the message which people will say is offensive.

Of course as Christians we must preach Jesus Christ, eternal life, and forgiveness in His blood alone even if others claim it’s offensive, because God commands us to do so.

But in reality the world uses signs and banners all the time and few if any are offended at all. Next time you drive through the streets of a city, see if you can count how many signs promoting stores and products you can count. Even the government uses signs to help promote safety and order in the streets. A simple read sign that reads, “Stop” has saved millions upon millions of lives.

I recently read a billboard that read, “Does advertising work? It just did.” Though we are not to simply mimic and imitate the world and copy their methods and techniques, neither are we to throw away simple common sense.

If the business men can use signs to get their message out, and the government uses signs to save lives, and if Churches can use signs to promote their Sunday services, then certainly street preachers can use signs to preach and promote the Kingdom of God.

So the world and the government will use signs because they work, they get their message out and they help to save lives. Is it then any real wonder as to why the devil will tell the Church today not to use signs and banners? Because if we did, the word would get out, multitudes would know the message of God, and souls would be saved.

Another common objection is, “But I have seen signs of some preachers that I completely disagree with and I think were just terrible.” My response is, so? I have seen some preachers preach sermons that I thought were of the devil. Should I then put off preaching and strongly be against sermons? The answer is clearly and simply no. Preaching and sermons are beneficial to the Kingdom of God, and so are signs and banners.

“But the approach is just too bold. You should slowly get into spiritual matters when evangelizing.” True, when you are witnessing one2one. However neither John the Baptist nor Jesus Christ did that when they open air preached. Rather they both started boldly by saying, “REPENT” before saying anything else. We are to be a light set up on a hill top, not to be hidden or dimmed.

Some are quick to object by saying, “Jesus didn’t use signs and banners.” I am then soon to reply, “Jesus didn’t use microphones or airplanes!” But preachers do not hesitate at purchasing and employing the best of the best sound equipment for their services and will jump at the chance to use a plane to travel the globe spreading their message. Just because something is not found in the bible does not mean that it’s anti-biblical, but rather could be considered extra-biblical, though helpful and blessed by God to spread biblical truth.

Though signs and banners may not make you a popular preacher, may not get you many speaking engagements, though your friends and family and even your own brethren will call you mad and crazy, I believe we can see revival and see the lost saved if we lay down our image and our reputation and simply seek to serve the King and spread the Kings Word!

Yes dear brother Robert. I actually, I foresaw that objection because it is quite common. This is what I wrote in the article regarding that:

Another common objection is, “But I have seen signs of some preachers that I completely disagree with and I think were just terrible.” My response is, so? I have seen some preachers preach sermons that I thought were of the devil. Should I then put off preaching and strongly be against sermons? The answer is clearly and simply no. Preaching and sermons are beneficial to the Kingdom of God, and so are signs and banners.

The Salvation Army back in the days of William Booth used to rent out the movie house and put up a big banner that said SAVE YOUR SOULS!

And you know what happened? Souls were saved!

Yes whatever the Lord tells you to do, DO IT!

If anyone is interested in having a professional banner made, email me and I'll connect you with someone who makes them.

Regarding shock and awe preaching, the Salvation Army was pretty heavy and extreme (far more then I ever have been) in it. I'm told that William Booth (founder of the army) would argue with an unbrella like a mad man until people stopped to listen. Another man laid on his side in the snow every evening for a while week until finally people came out to see him and inquire why. Another man placed a violen case on the ground in front of a group and said, "Back up, back up! It's going to go off!" And then picked it up and played it and then preached.......yup, that's some wild preaching. Though the article is not really about that type of preaching, I suppose that would be called shock and awe.

I'm also reminded of some of the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah who wore a yoke around his neck to get attention.

I know of one brother, Joel Johnson who is a host for Aquire the Fire Events, when he was in highschool brought in a fense gate and carried it with him throw the halls to all his classes. When people asked him, "what's that fense gate for?" He said, "this is to symbolize the seperation between you and me." As he explained sin and salvation through Christ.

but in all due respect, I humbly beg that you prayerfully reconsider using the term "shock and awe" in connection with any Gospel evangelistic campaign, simply because that term has been virally implanted in the secular world as the term the Department of Defense used to describe the beginning of the air bombing campaign against Iraq in 2003.

Give to caesar what is caesar's, and yes indeed we are at war in the physical world, most probably a world war against radical islamic jihadists, but the war I believe you are interested in is a war for souls, and that Leader is the Prince of peace, hence I would avoid any linkage with any verbiage that the DoD has used in the past....I mean Jesse, do what you gotta do, and I know where you feel led to go with this, and Praise God for any souls brought into the Kingdom of Christ....

For a while I lived on a major mountain artery road that, two lane that actually carried 40,000 commuters each day thru it....thru a community that was just a hotbed of satan worship, and new-ageism, and the Lord led me to take cardboard posters and I started neatly lettering in large readable letters, stuff like, "Jesus is Lord", "Jesus saves", "Jesus is Love", "Jesus is Friend" "Know Jesus, Know Peace, No Jesus, No Peace"...and this might seem pretty lame and lukewarm to a firebrand like yourself, but these posterboards tacked up on the telephone poles throughout the 15 mile stretch of this highway just drove the minions of the enemy wild.

It was crazy, I would put them up in the evening in time for the morning rush and by the next night they would ALL be ripped off, so I got a ladder and put them up even HIGHER, and they would last for TWO days, and then I started a series of "Blessed are"...using the Beatitudes as a context, "meek, poor in Spirit", etc.....and thats when it all got wild...

the satan worshippers started putting up signs of their own in the MIDDLE of this little town, and they didnt just staple them like I did, it was very very depraved, they had thick dark posterboard with all sorts of runes, and symbols in concentric patterns, and they would actually use screws and washers to sink these unholy posters into the telephone poles in the middle of this town, but then again not two doors down from this sign was a crystal store, and a tarot card reader, and a naturpathic "healer", while the only "church" in this town was engaging in a court battle suing their pastor for character defamation, a sin-soaked exercise that goes onto this very day.

I continued this lonely ministry for a quite a while until the Lord led me away from it. I look back and I thank God for that ministry because He told me that the Name that is above all names is the power, thats why those signs had that beautiful Name Jesus full of power and majesty on them, and I know, in the Spirit, that burdened and backslidden commuters saw that Name, and took heart, and during the rest of their ride to work could not help but be focused on JESUS.

That's what made the enemy wild in that community, that the very Name of Jesus was literally being lifted up on pole in such a dark place as that community.

My only advice is just to prayerfully reconsider using the words "shock and awe", these are dark days of war and no Gospel preacher wants to be paired up with the coming unholy neccesity of what our nation must do.

bartle.

I do not mention the term "shock and awe" preaching to the unsaved world. Yes, the term is equated with the war and invasion and many unsaved people were against the war.

I only use the term among Christians. Shock and awe is a war strategy and that's part of the reason why I use that term for evangelism. Militant evangelism is the call of the day.

We need all Christians in all places preaching the gospel to all creatures!

Jesse said:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Militant evangelism is the call of the day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Def'n of militant:
1. Fighting or warring.
2. Having a combative character; aggressive, especially in the service of a cause: a militant political activist.

Is this what you mean, or are you using the word differently?

Amen! That is exactly what I mean. I couldn't have picked a better word. Fighting and warring is the calling of the Church. When we preach and there is much opposition from flesh and blood, it's because there is a battle against powers and principalities and powers of the air that we are fighting and warring against. But we must FORCEFULLY and AGRESSIVE advance the Kingdom of God by preaching the gospel.

Ray Comfort used to have a great sermon called "Militant Evangelism". It used to be on this website because I remember Greg highly recommended it. It might still be on here. It was a great teaching.

Brother Robert,

Sorry for not responding to your first post with the Finney quote. I did not mean to give the impression that I do not agree with you.

I wrote this because the truth, unaltered and unadulterated by men for their own glory, is sharp and can be shocking to those who never hear it. We must not seek to soften the blow and dull the sharp corners and edges of the truth to make it more acceptable, but we Christians of this dark age, and the Church of this generation, must awaken the sleeping multitudes around us for Jesus.

I am not talking about preaching in a way to intentionally make people angry, but rather preaching the truth of the bible, in the way commanded by the bible, regardless of the reactions of men.

The word is sharp and serious. It's sharper then any doubled sword. But I fear many preachers have dulled the Sword of God to make it more pleasing and acceptable unto men. This is not reconciling the world unto God, but this is reconciling God unto the world. That was what I wanted to come against.

I was not trying to promote, excuse, or justify any sort of unnesessary insulting or unbiblical inflamatory preaching.