An Apologetic Article to Well Meaning Christians Opposed to Open Air Preaching. J.A. OlverIntroductionMany people, at least in recent years, have happened upon this scene: a man standing at a street corner or college campus on a stepstool or just pacing, with a Bible in hand, lifting his voice to be heard over traffic and to draw a crowd. The man (or woman) is challenging their moral integrity, calling to question their religious beliefs, and pointing out the destructive nature of different lifestyles. There is no flowery speech and no apologizing and there is no backing down. The people gathered are irate that someone would call such things into question, many are concerned with the method, many are provoked to curse, and many are provoked to engage in open debate and discussion. The scene of a person called by God to “go forth and preach the gospel” is often loud and abrasive. Many Christians think such people are misguided and that these open air preachers have misinterpreted scripture – or are taking it too seriously. Some Christians will often mistake preaching as a method of spreading the good news, when in reality it is the root of other methods, like Gospel tracts, one on one evangelism, Christian music, etc. Jesus says in Mark 16:15 “Go ye therefore into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” He did not say “go and make friends.” He did not say “go and pass out tracts.” While the word “go” covers all these methods, it does not cancel out the basic command to “preach.” All these methods of preaching the gospel are great and have an impact on the world. The one that has caused the most controversy and uproar however is straight up preaching – also known as evangelizing. Now, there are certain ways to evangelize. You can extol crowds on the love and grace and mercy of God, which can end up in many cases “bribing” people to come to Christ. You can solely cram condemnation down their throats and accuse people of being so wicked that they could never repent. Or, it can be done with something called “confrontational evangelism.” An important thing to remember is that the Gospel in its entirety is very confrontational. It leaves no room for sin. Jesus did not say that He came to bring the warm ‘fuzzies’, but a sword! When a person is presented with the grace and mercy of God, the only way to fully appreciate it is to understand why exactly God is shedding mercy upon them and what they are being saved from. No one likes to hear that they are an adulterer, a liar, a thief, a transgressor, an enemy of God, or a sinner. But, when the mirror of the gospel is held up to their face that is exactly what the reflection shows.You may be considering, “But you can preach the Gospel just by living the way that the Bible dictates.” Well, consider this; the word preach in Mark 16:15 in the original Hebrew is translated, Kerusso [kay-roos’-so] which is defined in Strong’s Concordance as;1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald a.to proclaim after the manner of a herald b.always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done3) used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other Christian teachers.You may be thinking, “Why does it have to be so ‘in your face,’ so ‘confrontational?’” I think the answer is very well illustrated in the definition of the word confrontation.Confrontation (n) 1: a bold challenge 2: discord resulting from a clash of ideas or opinions 3: a hostile disagreement face-to-face [syn: encounter, showdown, face- off] Part One1. A Bold Challenge. When an open air evangelist is defending the ministry God has called him to do, one of the popular arguments among well-meaning Christians is that Jesus was only abrasive to the Pharisees. Firstly; volume is often mistaken for abrasiveness. Many places will not let you preach open air if you use any sort of amplification, therefore, preachers are forced to raise their voices to even a shouting level. Secondly; Jesus’ message was not only abrasive to the Pharisees. For instance, when addressing the adulteress who was about to be stoned, when he silenced the Pharisees, he looked to the adulteress and full of compassion told her to “sin no more.” Her way of life was what brought her to the place she was at. I don’t believe it was just on a whim that this woman decided to commit adultery, but it had been in her heart, she had thought about it, planned it, and then actually committed the act (which Jesus says that even if we look upon a person with lust, we commit adultery in our hearts). It was something in her life that was so engrained it eventually she was caught and found deserving of death. And Jesus tells her to “sin no more.” How abrasive it is indeed when we tell someone that they need to rid their lives of sin, or to change their lifestyle. Yes, the woman about to be stoned must have been extremely grateful because her very life was delivered from death – but when we speak to sinners who are living their lives, secure in the precautions they have taken to avoid death when in fact God has infinite ways to take them out of this world than they can plan against, and tell them to “sin no more” it is quite the bold challenge. It is bold to assume to tell someone to abandon their way of life. Telling someone to cease the very things that bring them enjoyment, popularity and pleasure can’t be taken as anything but a challenge. For another example, take a look at what is often referred to as the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter five; "Blessed be the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God." Matthew 5:3The Kingdom of God is reserved for those who have renounced their earthly ties, for those who recognize the sovereignty of God, and truly nothing belongs to them – not even their own lives. Only for them? That sounds pretty controversial. "Blessed are they which mourn for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4Only those who mourn shall be comforted, those who are full of sorrow – not those who insist on their own enjoyment of life. "Blessed be the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5What? You mean my position means nothing? My seeking for fame and popularity has nothing to do with it?"Blessed be they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6 Not those who devour flesh with their eyes. Not those who indulge in premarital sex and blasphemy. Only those who do so after righteousness? That’s pretty bigoted. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7Not the self-centered. Not the man who is looking out for number one? Only those who are merciful? That's so judgmental!“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8Only the pure in heart? That’s not very tolerant. ...I think you get the idea.The definition of beatitude is “supreme blessedness or happiness.” To those who follow Christ, yes, the beatitudes are a blessing and a source of hope. But to those who are perishing, the beatitudes are intolerant, prejudiced and exclusive. The Bible records the reaction of the multitude that Jesus was preaching to like this; “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at hid doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29 \tThe people were astonished! They couldn’t believe that someone would make such proclamations on the people that only people who lived a certain way would see God and inherit His kingdom! They were astonished that Jesus would have the audacity to say that if a man were only to lust after a woman, it would be the same as committing adultery (Matthew 5:29) and hate would be the same as murder! Who could make such challenges? \t\tThis is an aspect to Confrontational Evangelism; challenging unbelievers. The idea that there is only one way to Heaven and it’s not by merely “being a good person” is a challenge and an affront any law abiding citizen minding their own business or night owl partier. It is a challenge to lay down one’s life and confess that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, and that He is to be the Lord of your life.Part Two2.Discord resulting from a clash of ideas or opinionsJesus ‘clashes’ with the Pharisees throughout the New Testament as they confront him from their legalistic and selfish standpoints. And indeed, when we present the life giving Gospel and the nature in which abundant life is to be obtained; through the confession and renouncing of your sins, etc. it tends to clash with the self centered view that most people have: “Do whatever feels good,” or “it’s all about me,” and the ever popular “I’m good person, I should be able to get into Heaven.” As a societal rule, people do not like it when you tell them they are not a good person. This truth has an extra sting to it when you start to talk about the brevity of life. No one wants to think of dying and no one wants to think of going to Hell (if there is such a place, they would say). So when a group of people have it in their mind that they are going to go out and have a good time, because, in their opinion, there is nothing wrong with trying to ‘hook up’ with someone to have sex, or doing some drugs, or maybe getting a little drunk on alcohol, and they run into someone who has the stable truth of Jesus Christ and believes the call to preach the Gospel using the idea of open air ministry – there is going to be some kind of discord, guaranteed. When a cold weather front comes from one direction and crashes into a warm weather front in the other direction, the result is precipitation; hail, rain, torrential storms, lighting and thunder. The same principle exists when it comes to the spiritual world. When the light, purity and holiness of Jesus and His Gospel meet the darkness and fiery indignation of wickedness and worldliness things start to happen. Normally calm people become very irate; people who are having a ‘good time’ are suddenly severely upset, and now have to justify why they are entitled to have a good time and become vocal and brash. Someone, whose friends may consider well spoken, starts to spout needless and senseless profanity. In an area where people are ever peaceful and content with their blind stumbling into Hell like cattle herding to the slaughter house, the peace is torn asunder, things get loud, even demons get stirred up – things comes to the surface, that were settled at the bottom of people’s hearts and minds. Like a Hurricane when it makes landfall on a coast, the churning winds and waters reach down to the bottom of the beaches, ponds, and lakes, even tearing up trees by their roots and houses by their foundations, the Gospel reaches into people’s hearts and uncovers things that are buried away under false security and worldviews, lies, and pleasure. Rotting things and rusted garbage are now revealed for all to see. Sometimes it surfaces in the form of obscenity and vulgarity as supposedly mature adults start giving suggestive gestures and obscene exclamations. It isn’t pleasant and everyone knows it.In Acts 19:11-41 is the account of a very specific clash of ideas and opinions. Demetrius, a silversmith who made idols for a livelihood, believed it was his right to make those idols and sell them so people could worship them. Paul’s preaching expressed the truth that Diana (the idols whom Demetrius made) was a false god, and people believed him. The result was the silversmith getting very angry, rallying a bunch of people together of the like profession to see Paul thrown in jail. He caused an uproar in Ephesus, even to the point when Paul’s partner Alexander tried to preach the crowd was incited to shout “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” for 2 hours (Acts 19:33-34)! Thankfully before any serious damage was done, a city official was able to disperse the crowd and protect Paul and his associates. All this from a ‘clash of ideas or opinions.Brothers and sisters, in the majority of incidents people get roused when they hear open air preaching not because the preacher was insulting them, or using foul language. But because of the clash that occurs between darkness and light. Even the best, most charitable and good natured person on earth deserves the fiery pits of Hell if they are not able to confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord of their life. John 1:5 says “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” The abundant life Jesus offers is practically incomprehensible to those who would rather live in their sin. It’s through the Holy Spirit that hardened hearts and seared consciences are pricked. No one likes to admit they’re a horrible person, especially by God’s standards. It is a hard thing to accept, but people must know what they are being saved from, not only the fact they must be born again. I’ve heard the phrase “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” used to witness, unaccompanied by the need for repentance. The truth is God has a tragic plan for those who do not know Him and it is an eternal death sentence. Again, I say, people do not like to know things like that! Why? Why can’t they see it? It says very plainly in John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loves the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Open Air, confrontational evangelism, tends to stir up discord because of clashing ideas and opinions – but more deeply because light cannot tolerate darkness, nor can darkness tolerate light.Part Three3: a hostile disagreement face-to-face6And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.10And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.Acts 13:6-11Elymas the sorcerer did not just merely disagree with Paul’s preaching, but he wanted to turn away a Godly city official from the Lord. Paul realized the importance of the preaching of the Gospel and just how hostile that the sorcerer was. So, full of the Holy Spirit, Paul was able to pronounce judgment of blindness from the Lord upon Elymas. This is only one account throughout the book of Acts of a hostile disagreement face to face. This book of the Bible, which tracks the exploits of the apostles of Christ, is full of the accounts of face to face encounters with mobs, priests, kings and government officials all on the account of the Gospel. Many times these confrontations were in the public forum. Take a look for yourself; Acts 4:1-22, 7:1-60, 13:42-52, 14:11-20, 16:16-24, 17:5-15, 17:16-34, 19:23-41, 21:27-36. This is just to mention a few in the whole New Testament. In today’s society of tolerance it seems to be the unwritten rule that it is all right to disagree with what someone says, thinks, or believes as long as the disagreement isn’t because of Christianity. I have seen and heard open air sermons when someone in the crowd holds political views that don’t line up with what the man preaching is saying. More often than not, they will be among the first to pipe up with an objection, and with the opportunity to speak in such an open forum, they will often vehemently defend their position. Many people disagree that it is wrong to get drunk or to look lustfully at another person, and when confronted in the very midst of their sin, hostility often surfaces in the form of shouting, threats, and even attempts at physical harm. My friend Jesse Morrell, an open air preacher, had a glass beer bottle shattered just a few inches below him on the box he was preaching on, thrown by a man who was opposed to his preaching. He then punched down the easel Jesse was using to display the Ten Commandments. Shortly afterwards, the man was arrested for beating up another man on the street. While out preaching in the night life district of Dallas Texas (infamously known as Deep Ellum) an irate hotdog vendor feared our preaching would be bad for his business. His disagreement would be that his business is more important than his soul. Thusly he threatened many acts of violence, even poked at one of men out preaching that night with the blunt end (thank God!) of a barbeque fork! Another eventful night preaching in Deep Ellum, while Jesse Morrell preached from the Bible to an attentive and active crowd, a tall man walked up and asked to see Jesse’s Bible. The convicting atmosphere was great enough that the man quickly tried to wrestle it from Jesse’s grasp. As he did, the man started to shout about how the Bible was false. Thankfully a nearby bouncer who was in favor of our preaching removed the man, enabling Jesse to keep preaching with his approval. Sometimes people will shout from a distance, but more often than not when a passerby chooses to express his distaste and disagreement with open air ministry they will usually draw close – face to face – and express it in a hostile way; profanity, shouting, threats, etc. When people disagree with open air ministry and regard it with hostility this is not a bad thing! Their hostility is proof that the word going forth is bringing conviction to their lives. I cannot think of any instance at all where anybody would ever disagree or oppose the message “Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” If this is the only substance of the message and not repentance and being born again hardly anyone will experience conviction for their sins and the most hardened atheist would applaud the effort taken. As someone chooses to voice their hostile disagreement, they are more likely to draw a larger crowd. As a larger crowd comes the field for sowing and harvesting has grown! Jesus exhorts us in the book of Matthew by saying;“11Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12Peter also has something to say about this as well;“14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” 1Peter 4:14\tWhen preachers on the street find themselves responding to hostile disagreement, clashing ideas and opinions while making the bold challenge that the Gospel gives, ultimately, they are laboring to see people born again into the Kingdom of God. They know, however, that conviction is a step in the process. \tHere I think it should be noted that no one should have to rise up in disagreement because the preacher is blatantly preaching false doctrine or is using profanity, vulgarity, racist remarks, bigotry and other prejudices. Paul, in harmony with Jesus said in Colossians 4:6; “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”\tCalling a sinner what he or she is, i.e.; a homosexual, an adulterer, a fornicator, an idolater, a blasphemer, etc. is not an insult. However, derogatory insults intended to demean another person should never be uttered from a man or woman of God, period. Unless God has told the preacher plainly, or if it’s openly obvious he doesn't know if a stranger walking down the street is a homosexual, thusly he should not assume to call him or her a ‘f*g.’. A pregnant woman out for a walk, is not automatically a ‘s*ut.’ Insults and rashly made remarks are not speech that is full of grace. A Street Preacher can still preach the about hell and judgment of sin, and draw a crowd without being belligerent.\tNormally, in society, when people shout, get upset and naysay what someone is preaching it is a negative thing. But when the message is soft, and enjoyable and inoffensive, that is quite positive, and the person preaching should be much appreciated. Jesus said, however;“Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! For so did the fathers to the false prophets!” Luke 6:26\tIf the message being preached on the street corner is not causing people to think about their lives and whether they would escape the fires of Hell or not, if the message is not raising a sinner’s disagreements (which is it’s purpose), if the message is just pacifying the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, and causing people to comfortably justify sin then it is salt that has lost it’s flavor and deserves to be cast out and trodden under foot (Matthew 5:13).Conclusion\tIn conclusion, I want to emphasize that handing out tracts, one-on-one evangelism, and living your life as the Gospel dictates are all excellent ways to spread the Gospel. There are people, however, who feel the call to preach the Gospel as well as spreading it through their lifestyle. Not everyone is called to preach. That is a wonderful thing, because if every Christian were a preacher, where would the prophets be? Where would the exhorters be? Where would the missionaries be? The Bible translators?\t\tWhen you see a preacher on the street, please don’t attempt to ‘correct his misguided ways.’ (Unless, of course, that person is preaching things contrary to the Gospel.) That person on the street corner has had to abandon pride, get over the fear of public speaking, – which in many cases people fear more than death – and has most likely spent hours in tearful prayer for the lost of the world. If such a person feels the conviction enough to forsake what society would call dignity and makes a spectacle of himself in order to fulfill the Great Commission, pause before you judge and consider that it’s a high probability that such a man preaches the Gospel by his lifestyle as well. \tSuch a man will not be convinced, unless it is by God’s loving and firm correction that his method is wrong, because it is preaching that all other methods stem from. Such a man has been equipped by Christ with authority, a strong voice, endless fistfuls of seeds to sow, and a sharp sickle to reap a bountiful harvest. No unconstitutional ordinance restricting his First Amendment right, no vehement heckler spitting venom, no well intentioned brother in Christ will stop his message. God has endowed such a man with determination to obey the Lord Jesus’ Commission that will bring him out into the elements, regardless the weather, renounce sleep, and face ridicule and mocking; all the while rejoicing, counting it as a blessing and a privilege to preach the Good News as Christ did two thousand years ago.
