tracts- to hard to soft, where is the balance?

http://www.gospeltract.org/store/product_info.php/products_id/190

I was actually looking for a story I heard on the radio about a guy who was passing out tract at a lady gaga concert and she came out to speak to him and he wouldn't speak to her. I thought to myself- what is wrong this christian? I looked for this story and I haven't found it yet BUT I did find the above link.

A tract for lady gaga fans. I read it and it rubbed me the wrong way. I asked myself, why do I have a problem with it. It doesn't seem practical enough. It seem too much on the edge and not enough bridge to bring a heart to God.
I liken it to an abusive parent who tells you how bad somethng is over and over and then commands you to do right. That isn't how to entice a child to be sorry and do right.
I don't think this tract will do right either. It seems it would generate the very opposite of its intentions. I see too much religiousity and flesh involved in it and I see it is so sad. Did prayer develop this tract?

What does your heart say to you when you read it?

The tract may or may not need improving, but does that really matter. The fact is there is a young fella out doing something. I remember hearing about a lady that went up to Charles Spurgeon and said to him " I don't like the way you preach ". Charles shook the ladies hand and said " Neither do I ". He then asked the lady " How do you preach ". The lady said " I don't preach ". Charles then said " I like the way I preach better ". What I am trying to say is it is easy for us all too pick on this young fella, but the fact is he is out in the harvest field telling people that the wages of sin is death. So before anyone else criticizes let me ask you " What tracts do YOU hand out"

Delightful story Mr. Hale.

@ Mr. Hale

Spurgeon had such great sense of humor :)!
Constructive humor

@ DEADn

In regards to tracts. In one aspect God can use the most pitiful of tracts to bring a soul to Him, but we should try to find and use the best of them. We do not want to bring reprouch upon the name of Christ. If someone is going to be offended by a gospel tract may it be because the tract points to the righteousness of God and not because the tract looks like the world. I can understand to a fair degree your dislike of such a tract. Ones with cartoons, or popular heroes, or optical illusions seem to me far to trivial for such a great Gospel. Once my friend and i tried to hand out the money tracts with the current president on them, it did not turn out good and we quickly discarded those tracts. Tracts should have weight or solidness to them; Scripture and the great truths of the Gospel. They ought to expose sinful man and proclaim the Character of God and the Grace of God in Christ. That all means which the tract uses would be in order to magnify Jesus Christ as Mighty Lord and Savior. To compell men and women to come in! These are in my opinion two very good tracts, from the believers at lake road chapel

http://www.lakeroadchapel.org/Tracts/national-tv.pdf

http://www.lakeroadchapel.org/Tracts/what-shall-we-do-with-Jesus.pdf

Wow, I love how Spurgeon answered that criticism! So fitting also. You know, about that tract, there's not a "one-size-fits-all" tract, so I'm sure God does use those kind of tracts. But, right, as it has been already said, we want to aim for the best, to "choose the things that are excellent."

Amen to Brother Spurgeon. What a humble & mighty man of God he is. So much godly wisdom and insight.

I am creating tracts to hand out myself. There are those who are weak in faith and those who need deliverance and those who have no clue to Salvation.

I just pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give me the words, wait upon Him and He is faithful. I keep it simple and to the point. I made book marks, 4 x 4 cards - front and back etc. I use my photographs & color etc. So if it might be lying somewhere someone might see it and pick it up.

The Holy Spirit can use anything for a heart prepared to receive Him. Glory to God.

Please let me know if any of my posts to this thread or others get off base. I don't know if this particular post was out of line or not. I was just irriated with it. Some things within the church do irritate me alot and I tend to voice them but I always ask myself, is the problem really me or is there really a problem with what I have a problem with. Can you hear what I am saying?

Please PM me or let me know in a post if I am off base somewhere in attitude.

Thanks for your support!!

I wonder if I had some kind of empiphany today on dealing with my original post here.

I was flipping through this book about Holiness and the Presence of God while doing another task. I came across some words about John the Baptist and how he rebuke those in sin and there wasn't one person he did not touch with his command to repent until Jesus came. It made me think about these tracts and even some of the people that I find repulsive on the streets preaching in what I consider a negative fashion. Meaning, preaching Jesus like a mad stepdad. I wondered, would these people be considered like the modern day John the Baptists? They didn't like John in his day and many don't like these street preacher types either.

What do you think?
Could this even be applied to the Westboro baptist church crowd? After all, the premise of what they say is true but they don't seem to want people to repent because they show off so much anger.

What do you think?

Jonathan Edwards sermon "Sinners in the hands of an Angry God" was preached in a church to a proud lot, it was not preached on the street to a humbled lot. Christ twice threw over the tables of the proud in a church, but often reached down to a harlot with no condemnation.

Good point. I agree it should be law to the proud and grace to the humble especially in one to one evangelism. However, I have found that there are multitudes of the proud kind all the time roaming around the streets in the US, particularly southern California. I'd say the majority. Many have been gospel hardened through hearing a watered down message that does not confront sin but promises a wonderful life on earth without counting any cost.

Jesus did extend much grace to many in His street ministry, but let's not forget that He also preached and warned about hell plenty of times in the open air. He declared God's standard of righteousness, His holy Law, so that the multitudes could examine their own hearts before God. He also exhorted the multitudes to count the cost of following Him. That kind of message is needed today out on the streets just like it was needed back then. But there should be a biblical balance of also declaring the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ and forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith.

I recently read a blog post by evangelist Ray Comfort which I thought would make for a good gospel tract. Here is the link to it:

http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2011/03/ray-comfort-dead-at-61.html