John Duncan Street Preaching

http://www.gospeljohn.com/videos/Probing%20a%20Heckler.wmvIf you watch that video you will clearly see how he without tears or any anguish tells people they don't have faith or love for God and that they are going to hell. Personally I am worried about this brother more then the people he is talking to. The message is without the Holy Spirit, anyone can go out there an bash people come on! I really don't think that this is a good picture AT ALL of what open air preaching should look like.

John is a personal friend of mine who I can say is a solid brother. He started open-air in 1993. He was a pastor who sold everything, bought an RV, and traveled from campus to campus with his wife for about 10 years. There were plenty of times he had no money, but God came through and John trusted Him by faith. Before we judge John let's ask ourselves, have we ever done that?He's brought the gospel to 93 Campuses in 33 States and 3 Foreign Countries. Again lets ask ourselves, have we ever done that?I confess myself that I don't weep nearly enough in the open-air. I sadly confess that I can easily count how many times I've wept while preaching. Before judging another, let's ask ourselves, how many times have we wept while preaching open-air?It's far easier to criticize those who are "performing on stage" while we sit in our seats, but it's far harder to get on state ourselves.Yes those clips on Johns site are some of the rougher clips of the DVD. But all throughout the DVD John does a great job both preaching as well as teaching, rebuking as well as encouraging. He persuades and reasons. John is a far better open-air preacher then I am.John has this quote from me on his DVD page:Please Record More: "I watched all the video yesterday and loved it. We need more videos like this! I really encourage you to video tape many more. I'll be the first one to collect the whole set. I'm going to use the video to show to the guys I take out as training. Very great video. You reasoned, persuaded, taught, preached, the whole nine yards. It definitely has helped equip me for open-air preaching. Please record more!" - Jesse, Texas http://www.gospeljohn.com/videos.htmI've seen the entire DVD multiple times and have been greatly encouraged by it. So have other open-air preachers I have shown it too. I've also talked to John a great deal on the phone. Honestly, I don't know if any open-air preacher has impacted me more then brother John has. John is faithful, self-sacrificing, solid in the Word, and is out only for the glory of God. I don't know of a preacher more genuine and sincere.

Now I can know why the bible says be quick to listen and slow to speak. Perhaps the problem is just seeing those chosen clips can give a person the wrong opinion of him. Brother John said in an article that "Many of our modern methods only reach those that want to hear it." And it is true that "the Gospel is a confrontational message". I suppose I recant my prior statements but do hope that what he is preaching is from the love of God, which doesn't want people to perish and not a sense of duty, etc. Thank you brother Jesse for sharing about him and your heart on the issue. Perhaps my negative stance on some open air preaching is not as much that it is wrong but rather there is BETTER.My prayer truly is of the same as bro ravenhill's: "God of Whitefield, give us today men like Whitefield who can stand as giants in the pulpit, men with burdened hearts, burning lips, and brimming eyes. And, Lord, please do it soon!"The stories and life of george whitfield or many others in his era as spurgeon tells of: "I have no time further to illustrate my subject by descriptions of the work of Christmas Evans and others in Wales, or of the Haldanes in Scotland, or even of Rowland Hill and his brethren in England." what lifes made sublime and truly shining blazing witnesses in wicked and perverse generations they lived in. I am sorry if my comments prior at all caused any hindrance in people pursuing to open air preach or for the gospel of the kingdom to go forth.

Brothers,Sorry if any of this is causing confusion, my intial response was not proper and my second repsonse was more in line with my heart and where I am at. I am by no way perfect or know everything. And going on with Jesse's point I have never stood on a milk crate and given the gospel out loud to many. I have though done much 1-1 witnessing and also witnessing in crowds of 5-10 people many times. My personal heart desire is to start to open air preach as the Lord will equip me to. Truly I need Him to do anything "for without me you can do nothing."I would say that I am not naturally gifted as an orator and public speaker but the Lord definetly is blessing me with an unction from above at times and I pray that as He works I can be confident in His working in me to preach the gospel. I am so dependent on Him brothers...I was just reading about a man Henry Alline here is a small excerpt:"He preached the new birth powerfully and effectively and his admirers compared him to George Whitefield and John the Baptist. Considered an emotional and dangerous fanatic by some and a ‘ravager of congregations,’ the Congregationalists withdrew his right to preach in their churches, so he spoke in barns, houses and the open air. In all he began eight ‘New Light’ Congregational churches based on his non-Arminian but anti-Calvinist views of free-will and predestination, and his strong rejection of outward religious form."John the Baptist as far as I know wasn't into point sermons but was so in touch with God that He preached with conviction and the result was people were convicted. I am longing for that same type of preaching where people are convicted under the words of the man of God and He isn't just trying to pull a few jokes after to calm the conviction. As brother Robert W. on this site has been studying REPENTANCE for about 1 year (rightly so), I think many of us need to do the same. This world needs a different type of preaching not just in words but in the heart message. If we are not holy our words will fall to the ground off peoples hearts but if we are in prayer, holy, filled with the spirit our words should pierce like arrows of the Almighty.I am not trying to sound too high-sounding and impossible and please do not be discouraged brothers, I really think we need to spend the time in prayer and earnestly desire for this type of unction on our lives if we are going to preach open-air. That does not mean stop open air preaching as you all have been, but to readily desire from God that type of power and unction to see repentance and brokeness. Perhaps God is not giving it to us because we can't handle it and will think its us somehow. Please continue all with all the strength of God in you brothers to preach open air, no one else is doing it, its vital. But please also seek the Lord earnestly for apostolic preaching and power.Acts 6:4 - But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.I am not sure of your intrepretation of this verse but many times before I thought of the apostles equipping people to do all the hard work (evangelism, waiting on tables, dealing with people) and they became tower theologians keeping the doctrines of the church proper. How amiss I was, I believe the Holy Spirit just showed me that they gave them continually to prayer that their "ministry of the word" would be powerfully effectual amongst the saints AND amongst the unbelievers (open air preaching, teaching).

I completely agree that every preacher should speak with hard words, yet soft hearts.