Has anyone else ever done this? a couple of years ago, our Pastor and a bunch of the worship team decided to go visit patrons at a local popular bar, they dint go in there stirring up trouble, but just greeting people and telling them they loved and cared about them, two weeks later the bar went out of buisness and never reopened, it's about ready to be bulldozed now. Sometimes God works through the simplest acts of faith. Think what would happen if everyone did this? I think a lot of people go there to get drunk and do things they never would do otherwise, I think God used the people from outr church to influence all those people and make them realize what they were doing was wrong.
closing down the bar?
- Thread starter lost1972
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What you wrote is a very nice gesture, but unfortunately not from the word of God, all based on your feelings, and I know God can work is many situations, but to be honest with you, the bar probably closed because of financial reasons, etc..
Do you seriously think these people were moved by God? Only if your church and pastor told them the truth, telling the lost drunks to repent, stop sinning and seek the mercy of God, before they die and go to hell!
Yet all these professed Christians that mean well, and think that telling a group of drunk people, cussing up a storm, telling dirty jokes, etc, that Jesus loves them and has a good plan for their life, its a very warm and fuzzy message, but leads no one to the truth, and its also a very safe message!
Go there tell them they must repent or perish, stop their evil ways and doings, fall on their face before God in brokenness, ans see how friendly they will be to you, believe me I have seen and experienced this hate of the word of God, when you tell the worldly Christians and those lost to repent or perish, then hope and pray all mighty God will relent and grant them mercy!
Preach Christ crucified and sin subdued! But you and your church need to be right before God first, so if they teach the sinners prayer, or just believe faith alone, osas nonsense, then flee from them, repent, and get on fire for God and His truth, not the touchy feely nonsense that does nothing to cut to the heart of the lost and dying world, read Jonah Ch 3 for starters, a good start on what real heat felt repentance is. And what God requires!
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Repentance:
You believe from your heart. You obey to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) He comes into a clean vessel. A heart made pure by faith (obedience) Acts 15:9) you obey and keep obeying, daily, to keep your heart pure and undefiled from the world! (1 Peter 1:22) That's how it works! Genuine repentance involves humility, brokenness and is a humiliating experience. When the true light of God's word floods into your soul, you see yourself as you are, in rebellion to God! This is what godly sorrow is all about. Deep regret for your sin's, a season of sorrow, leading to salvation! (2 Corinthians 7:10) not getting saved in your disobedience and sin's, but out of them, through true repentance first where the flesh is crucified with Christ, and put to death! (Galatians 2:20) cleansed to receive the Holy Spirit!
Do you seriously think these people were moved by God? Only if your church and pastor told them the truth, telling the lost drunks to repent, stop sinning and seek the mercy of God, before they die and go to hell!
Yet all these professed Christians that mean well, and think that telling a group of drunk people, cussing up a storm, telling dirty jokes, etc, that Jesus loves them and has a good plan for their life, its a very warm and fuzzy message, but leads no one to the truth, and its also a very safe message!
Go there tell them they must repent or perish, stop their evil ways and doings, fall on their face before God in brokenness, ans see how friendly they will be to you, believe me I have seen and experienced this hate of the word of God, when you tell the worldly Christians and those lost to repent or perish, then hope and pray all mighty God will relent and grant them mercy!
Preach Christ crucified and sin subdued! But you and your church need to be right before God first, so if they teach the sinners prayer, or just believe faith alone, osas nonsense, then flee from them, repent, and get on fire for God and His truth, not the touchy feely nonsense that does nothing to cut to the heart of the lost and dying world, read Jonah Ch 3 for starters, a good start on what real heat felt repentance is. And what God requires!
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Repentance:
You believe from your heart. You obey to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) He comes into a clean vessel. A heart made pure by faith (obedience) Acts 15:9) you obey and keep obeying, daily, to keep your heart pure and undefiled from the world! (1 Peter 1:22) That's how it works! Genuine repentance involves humility, brokenness and is a humiliating experience. When the true light of God's word floods into your soul, you see yourself as you are, in rebellion to God! This is what godly sorrow is all about. Deep regret for your sin's, a season of sorrow, leading to salvation! (2 Corinthians 7:10) not getting saved in your disobedience and sin's, but out of them, through true repentance first where the flesh is crucified with Christ, and put to death! (Galatians 2:20) cleansed to receive the Holy Spirit!
Now you got salvation!
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J
I have some friends who are in full time ministry. They do lots of small group/house church type ministry. For over 20 yrs they've been ministering in France and in the past several yrs The Lord has expanded their influence to much of Western Europe. They, or just Jon go up to 4 times a yr for about a month at a time. One time The Lord called them to do church in a strip club. The owner agreed and also agreed that the girls would not dance during the service. There was an incredible time of ministry and 4 people ended up getting saved.
In my home town Halloween was a dangerous party or the whole city. There were riot police, blocked highways, stabbings, rapes, drunken brawls, etc every year. When I was 16 the Christians decided to address it. The Christian clubs at the schools met and prayer walked all the school campuses all night. One year my church rented the gazebo downtown and did worship. The pastor got freaked by the three drunk girls in chain link bikinis... This happened every year. As of 2004, when I was about 22, Halloween had been shut down.
A friend of mine worked for capital records. He was a big Whig and wanted nothing to do with God. He was addicted to drugs, and partied every night. A friend of his from a guitar shop made a deal with him. If he went to church with him on Sunday, then the friend would go to the strip club with him Saturday night. I'd hate to be his wife, but she had agreed. Anyway, that man came to church, got saved, and never turned back.
The Lord could very well call us into some crazy places. But He works there too.
In my home town Halloween was a dangerous party or the whole city. There were riot police, blocked highways, stabbings, rapes, drunken brawls, etc every year. When I was 16 the Christians decided to address it. The Christian clubs at the schools met and prayer walked all the school campuses all night. One year my church rented the gazebo downtown and did worship. The pastor got freaked by the three drunk girls in chain link bikinis... This happened every year. As of 2004, when I was about 22, Halloween had been shut down.
A friend of mine worked for capital records. He was a big Whig and wanted nothing to do with God. He was addicted to drugs, and partied every night. A friend of his from a guitar shop made a deal with him. If he went to church with him on Sunday, then the friend would go to the strip club with him Saturday night. I'd hate to be his wife, but she had agreed. Anyway, that man came to church, got saved, and never turned back.
The Lord could very well call us into some crazy places. But He works there too.
we didnt go in there causing trouble, just being friendly and greeting people, I cant believe someone on a Christian forum is defending a roudy bar where a lot of trouble took place. All we di was greet them and the place closed down son after, it wasnt for financial reasons, they were very busy, would you feel the same way if a strip club closed after a lot of people prayed?
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I
I recall that Jesus was often seen with the worst of sinners and the Pharisees called Him out on it, too. You can't go into all the world and preach the Gospel if you are afraid (or too good) to go where the Gospel is needed most. Jesus set a good example. Why do we always find dogmatic opinions here, that tell us that we need to better Christians than Christ. Are we not to follow Him and walk as He walked?
C
Well...all I gotta say is...Don't come around to my campus pub unless it's for a pint of cool ale and the usual harmless revelry.
But seriously.
1) You're intention of bringing peace and hope to peoples lives was good. Never a bad desire.
2). You're tactics may have been a bit much...but I dunno what they really were like. In general, it will freak people out if they're all in a pub and a group of folks just walk in and start telling everyone they're loved. The initial reaction will be ''What the...I'm outta here!"
3) No one knows why the pub closed down, as has been stated. Maybe God had a hand in it, maybe there were different factors. That really doesn't matter. This is what matters: If you think the actions of you or your group somehow moved God's hand...
I guess what I mean is, that from what I read on the Forums and in the chat from time to time, is a lot of people seem to develop this idea that they are God's special conduit through which lives are changed and souls are saved. Now, I am not doubting one bit that God can and does use us for his good ends...but if we are ever so graced to be used in such a way at all, we certainly can't chalk up one instances as blanket proof that everything else that goes the way we think it should is God's will...or that whatever we do, God wills it.
This leads down the path of a sort of spiritual narcissism...the sort of pride that made angels fall.
For all you know, maybe God liked the bar, most of the time. Maybe he didn't mind people having a beer and playing pool. Maybe the owner was donating his profits to a charity or some other good end. We don't know.
When something like this happens, don't say ''My, look at how we prayed and prayed, and evangelized, and see how God has answered our effort by closing it down!!'' Instead, approach it with this attitude: ''Well, that bar closed. They seemed a rowdy bunch. I hope that this improves the lives of its patrons and that the owner can continue to find steady employment for himself and his family.''
But seriously.
1) You're intention of bringing peace and hope to peoples lives was good. Never a bad desire.
2). You're tactics may have been a bit much...but I dunno what they really were like. In general, it will freak people out if they're all in a pub and a group of folks just walk in and start telling everyone they're loved. The initial reaction will be ''What the...I'm outta here!"
3) No one knows why the pub closed down, as has been stated. Maybe God had a hand in it, maybe there were different factors. That really doesn't matter. This is what matters: If you think the actions of you or your group somehow moved God's hand...
I guess what I mean is, that from what I read on the Forums and in the chat from time to time, is a lot of people seem to develop this idea that they are God's special conduit through which lives are changed and souls are saved. Now, I am not doubting one bit that God can and does use us for his good ends...but if we are ever so graced to be used in such a way at all, we certainly can't chalk up one instances as blanket proof that everything else that goes the way we think it should is God's will...or that whatever we do, God wills it.
This leads down the path of a sort of spiritual narcissism...the sort of pride that made angels fall.
For all you know, maybe God liked the bar, most of the time. Maybe he didn't mind people having a beer and playing pool. Maybe the owner was donating his profits to a charity or some other good end. We don't know.
When something like this happens, don't say ''My, look at how we prayed and prayed, and evangelized, and see how God has answered our effort by closing it down!!'' Instead, approach it with this attitude: ''Well, that bar closed. They seemed a rowdy bunch. I hope that this improves the lives of its patrons and that the owner can continue to find steady employment for himself and his family.''