Open Air: FireStorm Update

Jesse, I truly thank God for you and your obedience to Him despite the raging resistance put up by the enemy. You are in my prayers.

Hey, maybe it's just the first time of me noticing it, but what's with the dress attire? Why the change from your more casual clothes to looking more spiffy? I feel bad now, sometimes I go preach without having shaved in a couple days :)

I know from trying to create my own CU in a college. UCCF is the organisation even thou I do not completly agree with them on everything!! I do not know what the american equivilant is. I used to bring my bible into every lecture,the thing that I came agaist was the Equal opputunities policy.If god is with you should have complete freedom on that campus and god is with you. As being a university student myself, I think everyone needs to hear what you have to say.God BlessDominic Shiells

Wow,Those cartoons might start our own riots right here in the states! I hope they are self-parodies and not literal portrayals. (edit: deleted inappropriate emoticon and comment.)MC

Indeed, I agree with bro. greg. I personally found the characterizations in the cartoons to be grevious to my spirit. They might be clever statements, and surely display intellectual creativity, but they are not anointed and are loathesome to God. I'm glad you find the idea of people perishing funny! You should burn them as soon as possible and remove them from this web site and yours. I also am concerned that this is how somebody would characterize your ministry. If your brother in Christ would do it as such, how much more would the sinner? Hell fire preaching is in much need these days. However, we are not called to be hell fire preachers. We are called to be preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.Not one person has ever got saved off hell fire preaching! There is also nobody more the Devil likes than a hell fire preacher! For a hell fire preacher stays away from the gospel.How does one get saved? Romans says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. It does not say if you convince sinners they are in trouble with an angry God and persuade them that they need to stop sinning today that they will be saved. Yes, preaching the law and the judgment to come will surely awaken a soul. But simply being awakened and under conviction from that awakening does not bring about the conversion of the soul.The apostles did not go about the world trying to convince people they were sinners in trouble with an angry God, but they went about trying to persuade the world that Jesus Christ was alive from the grave. This is the heart of the gospel. This is what we are called to preach. If our preaching should be characterized for one thing, it should be that we are preaching that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. If you truly study the book of Acts, you will find this was the climax of all apostolic preaching. It should be of ours as well.

I personally think its abit much and preaching is not a profession at all its a calling.Well, I can see the reasoning behind it and think the matter simply falls into the area of personal conviction. However, I personally think that simply dressing as you normally would is perhaps the best route. The only reason I dress up (when I do) in pulpit ministry is not so much out the idea of "profession," but because I generally risk not offending people who expect somebody that stands behind a pulpit to be dressed up. Though, at my Church most people could care less if I dressed up or not. Though anytime my parents come to hear me speak, they expect to see me in a suit & tie, because afterall, that is their son up in front of everybody.I think it makes the street preacher seem more "real," especially in the context of the local university, since your audience is primarily college students, if you simply dress in plain street clothes. I might could see preaching in a suit and tie if you were standing in the business section in a major city. And always the most important thing when preaching, no matter where you preach, dress comfortably. This is a major reason I don't dress up when doing open air. Suits are far from the most comfortable clothing in the world, even if you take the jacket off. Let alone, when you are standing in the hot sun for a couple hours during more mild seasons. I get sweety enough when preaching in a temp. controlled pulpit, let alone out doors.

Is the aim of preaching to give all the glory to god by dressing up you are taking the aim of your preaching on to you, this is not good. I deal with pride aswell. It is you who said that I do not want to take any glory away from him as in Jesus. I too want to give all the glory to jesus and you have shown in your life that he can do in mightly, if I am misquoting you, be harsh with me and tell me off. Remember your aim, remember your first love. God Bless you and may his face shine on you and may he make you in to more like he is !!I love what you do and that I am behind you!!Dom

I also am concerned that this is how somebody would characterize your ministry. If your brother in Christ would do it as such, how much more would the sinner?I appreciate what Greg, KingJimmy and others are saying here. Giving the benifit of the doubt I assume these skecthes were "therapeutic" or "cathartic" expressions of how we might think people percieve preaching. Certainly if these drawing are done in celebration of an actual style of preaching then it is safe to say there are issues to discuss.I mean, Ruben Israel doesn't really wear a shirt with the phrase "God Abhors You" as an acrostic for "GAY", does he? If these drawing are actual portraits, then I would wonder if your open-air team is suffering from combat fatigue and becoming cynical towards the lost. I remember a pastor friend of mine once who had this condition...he began to enjoy confrontation and contests with people too much.Respectfully, I have observation that extended periods of repentance and law preaching can sometimes harden not only the heart of the unrepentant sinner...but also the heart of the preacher who grows wearly and even disgusted from a lack of progress.Brother Jesse, to paraphrase Jesus; The light of the body is the eye: so if your eye is single upon Jesus, then your whole body is full of generous light; but if your eye is fixated upon evil and sin, you become preoccupied with the darkness and sinfulness of men.Perhaps this is a case of being careful that the light in you isn't becoming darkness. I've always greatly admired your profound commitment dear brother, but be sure to know when you are burning out. Self-diagnoses in this area is trickier then we think...(myself included!)MC

Jeff wanted me to add this, "It was just a joke. It certainly wasn't to make fun of the ministry, just the outlandish things that people call out in the ministry." I can understand this.Also, creative and artistic people tend to walk a more daring path when it comes to social commentary and satire. (Anyone ever see Martin Luthers artwork...those scathing lampoons of the Pope?)It was quite a funny picture, but for the sake of not offending anyone I guess I won't post it.I think this is wise. In general a younger college audience can accept a coarser humor unsuited for a wider audience. Parents in particular, whose social and moral conscience is extended beyond their own individual tastes, will be more likely to take exeption to risque spoofs.We'll continue to keep your travels and preaching in our prayers Jesse. MC

KingJimmy wrote:Not one person has ever got saved off hell fire preaching! Just curious about what you mean by this. From what you seem to have said, I must say that I completely disagree with you.Some of the most popular messages, tracts, and sermons today revolve around the message that "Jesus has a plan for you" or "Jesus wants you to be happy and comfortable", etc. In a word, it's the humanism that Paris Reidhead so strongly cautioned against.In the case of a "Hellfire Preacher", they say it the way it is. They teach of the iniquity of man. They show a person their sin and then warn of the deserved punishment. Without these steps, there is no repentance, and without repentance, I assure you that there is no real faith.Now, the people that much of Acts talk about (Pentecost, etc.) are the Hebrews- they knew the Law, knew their iniquity, knew the prophesies. They had an established basis to have faith in Christ. But look at present day America. Morals have become a relative thing. God's Law has become an optional belief. Because of this, this is where we must start- at the beginning. And as hard as it is, the offense of the Gospel is a harsh lesson that takes a person to repentance.Maybe I misread what you wrote, but so many "christians" today are merely innoculated lukewarm who find comfort in the stories they're told bucause they know nothing of their nature, or the truth that is the building block of why Jesus had to come and die in the first place.